Basics of Hebrew Discourse: A Guide to Working with Hebrew Prose and Poetry

by Matthew H. Patton; Frederic Clarke Putnam

Publisher:

Zondervan

, 2019

Overview

Basics of Hebrew Discourse: A Guide to Working with Hebrew Prose and Poetry by Matthew H. Patton, Frederic Clarke Putnam, and Miles V. Van Pelt is a syntax resource for intermediate Hebrew students. This Basics book introduces students to the principles and exegetical benefits of discourse analysis (text linguistics) when applied to biblical Hebrew prose and poetry. Where standard Hebrew reference grammars have traditionally worked to describe the relationship between words and phrases within discrete clauses (micro syntax), discourse analysis works to describe those relationships that exist between clauses and texts (macro syntax).

This resource fills a needed gap for intermediate Hebrew students and gives them the tools to work with Hebrew syntax on the macro level. Professors and pastors working with Hebrew will also find this one-of-a-kind resource highly valuable.

Key Features

• Introduces the principles and exegetical benefits of discourse analysis
• Provides the tools to work with Hebrew syntax on the macro level
• Focuses on Hebrew prose and poetry

Contents

• Introduction
• Discourse Relationships
• Element #1: Discourse Marker
• Element #2 (Part 1 of 2): Verbal Sequences in Narrative
• Element #2 (Part 2 of 2): Verbal Sequences in Non-Narrative
• Element #3: Preposing and Verbless Clauses
• A Process for Discourse Analysis with Hebrew Prose
• Examples of Discourse Analysis with Hebrew Prose
• Prose Discourse Analysis Summary Chart

Top Highlights

“Preposing is when ‘a subject, object, or adverbial is placed before the verb.’^{2” (Page 88)}

“We have identified the flow of a text when we can describe how each part relates to the other parts in the text, and this description of a text’s flow of thought is the goal of discourse analysis.” (Page 29)

“For example, a waw + yiqtol after an imperative usually communicates purpose (‘so that’)” (Page 61)

“BH conveys tense, aspect, and mood not simply through the forms of verbs (as is usually the case in English), but through the forms of verbs in their discourse context.” (Page 65)

“Poets choose words not only because of their meaning or grammatical function but for their sound, shape, connotations, allusions, and other cultural and literary factors. They also choose words based on how they relate in sound, shape, and meaning to other words in the poem, often to those in immediately adjacent lines.” (Page 154)

Product Details

• Title: Basics of Hebrew Discourse: A Guide to Working with Hebrew Prose and Poetry
• Authors: Matthew Howard Patton and Frederic Clarke Putnam
• Editor: Miles V. Van Pelt
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication Date: 2019
• Pages: 288
• Resource Type: Introduction
• Topic: Languages

About the Authors

Matthew H. Patton (PhD, Wheaton College) is the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Vandalia, Ohio.

Frederic Clarke Putnam (PhD, Annenberg Research Institute) is associate professor of Bible & liberal studies, The Templeton Honors College at Eastern University. He has taught Hebrew grammar, discourse, and exegesis since 1984, and has published three previous books on biblical Hebrew. He and his family live in southeast Pennsylvania.