What's the Style & Rhythm?
The books of wisdom and poetry, starting from the book of Job to the Song of Songs, became part of the Bible after the Pentateuch and the Historical books.
The books of wisdom and poetry, starting from the book of Job to the Song of Songs, form part of the Bible after the books of the Torah (Pentateuch) and the books of History. The Torah and the Books of History tell the story of the people of Israel, from the creation of the world to their settlement in Canaan, their defeat by foreign nations, and their return from exile in Babylon. Based on their literary style, the narrative books are very different from the Wisdom and Poetry books. In the books that belong to the Wisdom and Poetry group, we find excellent examples of Hebrew poetry, namely the repetition of words and expressions (parallelism) and rhythmic patterns. Some of these books fall into the category of wisdom writings (such as Job, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs), while others belong to collections of love poetry (Song of Songs) or prayers and hymns (Psalms).
Books of Wisdom
These books address important life questions and give advice for practical living, especially in human relationships. However, in these writings it is made clear that true wisdom is a gift of God. It is God who gives useful advice to everyone who keeps God's law (Ams. 2:6-7, 6:23). These verses formulate two important notions of wisdom in the Hebrew Bible.First, true wisdom comes from God (Ams. 2:6-7). Second, the law offers wisdom and guidance for everyday life (Ams. 6:23). The writer of Ps. 1 puts it this way:
Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the way of the Lord.
Who walk not in the way
The counsel of the wicked,
who does not stand in the way of the wicked.
who does not stand in the way of sinners,
and who does not sit in the
the assembly of scoffers,
but whose delight is in
the assembly of scoffers,
The law of the LORD,
and those who delight in it
and who meditates on the Torah
the Law of the LORD,
day and night. (Psalm. 1:1-2)
The focus of the story of the book of Job is on the question "Why do innocent people suffer?" Job was a faithful man who had to struggle with the loss of his family, home, and wealth. In his grief and disappointment, he cried out for answers, and God responded. The focus of the book of Ecclesiastes lies on the issue of finding the meaning of life. The author asks why man has to work and he wonders about the true source of happiness. The final verses of the book return to the general theme of the Wisdom writings, which is to "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of every man" (Ecc. 12:13).
The book of Proverbs praises human wisdom and the wisdom that comes from the law as the path to a happy and prosperous life. It is full of words of wisdom and general advice regarding everyday life, such as honesty (11:1-3), hard work (12:24), humility (15:33, 16:18-19), and generosity (3:27-28). Some of these sayings are ascribed to King Solomon (Ams. 1:1, 10:1), partly the sayings of other nations (Ams. 30:1, 31:1). Some of the proverbs may indeed date back to Solomon's time, but the collection of writings that came to be called Proverbs could not have included wisdom sayings from five centuries later.
Poetic Books
While many books in the Old Testament have poetic passages, the two books in this section are entirely poetic. The Song of Songs is a beautiful example of Hebrew poetry. It is actually a love poem written to describe the overwhelming joy and happiness of two people in love. However, in the history of Jewish tradition, this poem is understood as a depiction of the LORD's love for Israel, and in some Christian traditions as a depiction of Christ's love for His people.
Psalm means "song". The songs and prayers found in this book were used by the Hebrew people to express their relationship with the LORD. In this book, all human emotions are expressed, from joy to anger, and from a life of hope to a life of despair. Some of the psalms are stated to have been written by David, but others were written by different poets over several centuries. Many of these psalms were written for use in corporate worship, and others were written as private prayers that could also be used in worship. The Book of Psalms contains songs of praise to the LORD the Creator, songs of sorrow and anger, prayers of confession, prayers of thanksgiving, hymns to celebrate the inauguration of kings, and prayers of thanksgiving for the law and Wisdom of the LORD.
*Source: Study Edition Bible
