Poetry of the OT

As you read the Psalms and other poetry of the OT, try and catch the overall theme of the section, rather than focusing on one verse. Hebrew poetry is about ideas, and poetry is about ideas that can't be expressed in story form, instruction manual form, or as a list. When you read Hebrew poetry, try to identify what the emotion was that drove the poet to write. Sometimes the main point of the poem is at the beginning, often it is in the middle, and sometimes it is at the end. Sometimes a poem will say the samething at the beginning and end, and something unique in the middle. Hebrew poets love patterns: abab, or aabb, or abba, or abccba. These patterns mean line one (a) and line two (b) don't just stand by themselves, they are used by the poet in an imaginative way to convey thoughts that can only be expressed in art.

Hope this helps...I'll try to make Hebrew poetry a delight (but most of that depends on the Spirit and you!).

Tim