The Proper Numbering of the Books
The original number of books comprising the Tripartite
Divisions was 22 - to equal the number of Hebrew letters. This
corresponded to the books in the Protestant canon today, yet the
originals were arranged and numbered differently (not as the
present 39). Our modern way of counting the books is easy to
explain. Whereas the 12 Minor Prophets (from Hosea to Malachi)
were formerly written on one scroll and counted as one book (as
Luke does in the New Testament - Acts 7:42 cf.13:40), each of the
12 is now counted separately. This makes the sum to be 33, not
22. But the re-counting did not end there. The one Book of
Chronicles is presently divided into two, as is Ezra-Nehemiah.
This brings the sum to 35. But more dividing has been done. The
four books we call 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings were once
reckoned as only one book. A relic of this book is found in the
King James Version. If one looks at the introductions to those
four books, it will be noticed that the secondary titles (as they
are presently reckoned) were First, Second, Third, and Fourth
Kings. These designations are the remnant names of the one
composition called "The Book of Kingdoms."
"The Greek collection of Samuel-Kings as one book with its
division into four volumes was followed by all the ancient
versions. The Greek title 'The Kingdoms' appeared in early titles
of the Latin Bible; the Arabic as well as the Ethiopic, followed
the Hebrew with 'Kings;' the Syriac used both titles, varying
with the books. In the Latin Bible 'Kings' came into current use"
(Montgomery, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on theBook of
Kings, (ICC), p.2).
Melito about A.D.170 and The Apostolic Constitutions (c.
A.D.200) also affirmed that our four books of Samuel and Kings
were once acknowledged as one book (Rawlinson, "Truth of
Scripture Records," p.325). The literary evidence within those
sections sustains the unity of them all. As Montgomery states,
our present books of Kings are "a continuation of the books of
Samuel, but without clearly marked literary distinction" and that
the modern partitioning was "divided for arbitrary convenience"
(ibid. p.1). The truth is, there is no need to divide the one
Book of Kingdoms into 4 separate books! But when this is done, it
increases the original 22 books to 38! The King James Version
(and most other versions) divide one other ancient book (which
was once a single entity) and raise the original 22 books to our
present 39 for the Old Testament. What was the remaining book
that was divided? It was what we now call Joshua/Judges!
Originally, the historical account from the death of Moses
until the rise of Samuel the prophet was accounted as a single
book. Later people, however, severed it into the books of Joshua
and Judges. These books introduced the "Prophets' Division" and
recorded the singular time when Israel had NO kings in contrast
to the next Book of Kingdoms which recorded the history of Israel
when they HAD kings. Internally, Joshua/Judges are a single
literary composition, and they both have the earmarks of one
author (whom the Jews recognized as Samuel), and even the apostle
Peter referred to Samuel as the one who commenced the "Prophets'
Division" of the Old Testament (Acts 3:24).
Thus, the original 22 books of the Tripartite Divisions were
numbered in the following fashion:
THE LAW
1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy
THE PROPHETS
6. Joshua/Judges
7. The Book of Kingdoms
8. Isaiah
9. Jeremiah
10. Ezekiel
11. The Twelve
THE WRITINGS (PSALMS)
12. Psalms
13. Proverbs
14. Job
15. Song of Songs
16. Ruth
17, Lamentations
18. Ecclesiastes
19. Esther
20. Daniel
21. Ezra/Nehemiah
22. The Book of Chronicles
The Testimony of Josephus
Josephus does not mention the Tripartite Divisions of the
Old Testament in his account concerning the divine scriptures. He
does, however, refer to the canon as being reckoned as 22 books.
Let us notice what he says on the matter.
"We have not a countless number of books, discordant and arrayed
against each other; but only twenty-two books, containing the
history of every age, which are justly accredited as divine. Of
these, five belong to Moses, which contain both the laws and the
history of the generations of men until his death. This period
lacks but little of 3000 years. From the death of Moses,
moreover, until the time of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians
after Xerxes [i. e. to the time of Ezra and Nehemiah], the
prophets, who followed Moses, wrote down what was done during the
age of each one respectively, in thirteen books. The remaining
four contain hymns to God, and rules of life for men. From the
time of Artaxerxes, moreover, until our present period, all
occurrences have been written down but they are not regarded as
entitled to the like credit with those which precede them,
because there was no certain succession of prophets. Fact has
shown what confidence we place in our own writings. For although
so many ages have passed away, no one has dared to add to them,
nor to take anything from, nor to make alterations. In all Jews
it is implanted, even from their birth, to regard them as being
the instructions of God, and to abide steadfastly by them, and if
it be necessary, to die gladly for them" (Contra Apion I.8).
Josephus here says that the Jewish people late in the first
century believed the Old Testament had been put together and
completed in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. It might be said that
Josephus is bringing to witness some 8 million or so Jewish
people since he was writing in the capacity of a priestly
spokesman for his people. Note also that of the works written
after the time of Ezra (including all the books of the Apocrypha)
none was reckoned as being inspired of God since no one with the
prophetic spirit had come on the scene after Ezra. It was a
cardinal belief at the time that no one could write inspired
scriptures without the person having a prophetic commission to do
so.
It is significant to note that the Jews had a high regard
for the official canon. They would not think for one moment of
adding to, of subtracting from, or altering in any way the sacred
books. This shows the firm confidence the Jews had for the
inviolability of the Old Testament canon. Yet with all this,
there seems to be an apparent discrepancy between Josephus' order
of the Old Testament books and the traditional one accepted by
Jews today. Josephus supposedly supports a canon of 5 Mosaic
books, 13 of the Prophets, and 4 of Hymns and Precepts. In giving
this enumeration, is Josephus presenting an order of books in
which he disregarded the Tripartite Divisions? Without doubt! For
example, the Prophets' Division never had 13 books within it, nor
has the Psalms' Division been limited to 4 books!
Josephus was not referring to the actual Tripartite
Divisions at all. But why did Josephus mention this odd (and
quite unique) arrangement of the canonical books? The matter can
become clear when we recall to whom Josephus was writing in this
section.
Josephus' Intention
There are several reasons why Josephus avoided a precise
reference to the Tripartite Divisions and the proper order of the
Old Testament books.
1) He was writing to Gentiles - people who knew little about, or
were unable to appreciate, the significance of the true
arrangement of the canonical books.
2) His main intention for writing this passage, as is evidenced
from the context, was only to demonstrate the extreme antiquity
of the Jewish nation. Notice his emphasis upon the age in which
things occurred. His immediate subject was the demonstration of
Jewish longevity, not to give the Gentiles a disquisition on the
proper order of the books within the sacred canon.
3) Gentile scholars of the first century were great
encyclopaedists in their manner of classifying literary
documents. Much as we do today in our modern libraries, it was
common to arrange books according to subject matter. There was
nothing wrong in this, of course (because such classification has
the advantage of facilitating the teaching process), but if a
true Greek were to look at the arrangement of the Old Testament
books in the Tripartite Divisions (particularly to that of the
Third Division), it would have been looked at as showing little
rhyme or reason. True enough, the Third Division is harmonious in
every way, but the arrangement is not in the Greek manner - we
will see that the books were positioned for liturgical purposes
for readings in the Temple. To explain this factor would have
taken Josephus away from his intended design of showing the
antiquity of the Jewish race and into another subject which the
Greeks would not have easily understood. It is precisely because
of this that he was not prepared to risk bewildering his Gentile
readers by discussing the canonical arrangement. Instead, he
himself, went over to the common Greek manner of classifying
documents according to the chronological time periods to which
they referred. And indeed, this is exactly what he tells us about
his 13 books which he said were written by prophets. They "wrote
down what was done during the age of each one respectfully."
Josephus, then, reckoned the sacred scriptures according to
chronological composition, not the official canonical
arrangement! [As a matter of fact, when later Christians in the
early third century placed the Septuagint Version of the Old
Testament into a codex form, they did indeed subjectivize the
books as most normal Greeks would have expected.]
Once it is realized that Josephus was not attempting to
reproduce the actual canonical order of the Old Testament books
for his Gentile readers, it is possible to deduce what were the
actual books of which he was speaking. There is hardly any doubt
that Josephus' last 4 books of Hymns and Precepts were 1) Psalms
2) Song of Songs (the two books of the hymns); followed by 3)
Proverbs and 4) Ecclesiastes (the books of moral teaching) (Ryle,
"The Canon of the Old Testament," p.176). The 13 prophetical
books, written "down what was done during the age of each one
respectfully," were arranged chronologically by Josephus. They
were 1) Job, 2) Joshua/Judges, 3) Ruth, 4) Book of Kingdoms, 5)
Isaiah, 6) Jeremiah, 7) Lamentations, 8) Ezekiel, 9) The Twelve,
10) Daniel, 11) Esther, 12) Ezra/Nehemiah, 13) Book of
Chronicles.
Thus we have Josephus telling us he subjectivized those 13
books into their chronological arrangement without reference to
their actual canonical order.
One other point needs to be made. It is a common assumption
among some biblical scholars that Josephus arrived at his 22
numbering of the complete Old Testament canon by attaching the
Book of Ruth to Judges and the Book of Lamentations to Jeremiah.
There is not the slightest proof that this was the case. Indeed,
that particular method of re-counting the books was not used
until the third century A.D. when the Septuagint (Egyptian/Greek)
Version was finally placed by Christians into a codex form of
book. Before that time, the various scrolls of the Old Testament
books were apparently not arranged in any official order by
Egyptian Jews or Christians (unless in the official Palestinian
Tripartite manner). The finalized Septuagint arrangement is a
result of codexing the books, rather than leaving them as
scrolls. This positioning is thus late and is no proof that
Josephus (a hundred or so years earlier) combined Ruth with
Judges and Lamentations with Jeremiah.
"It seems unwarranted to suppose that Josephus attached Ruth to
Judges and Lamentations to Jeremiah without counting them. It is
a conjecture without sufficient evidence to sustain it" (Briggs,
"Study of the Holy Scripture," p.128).
It certainly is unwarranted! For one thing, this guessing
transfers two books out of the Third Division of the Old
Testament and places them in the Second, thereby upsetting the
story-flow in both divisions (to be explained in the next
chapter). This procedure destroys the unique characteristics of
the Tripartite Divisions and should never be done! Even some 400
years after Christ when the rabbis who compiled the Jewish Talmud
spoke of the order of the sacred books, the suggestion was made
that Isaiah (perhaps for liturgical purposes) could best be
positioned after Ezekiel (Baba Bathra 15a) - a suggestion which
had no lasting effect on the canon itself - but this reckoning
only concerned a transfer within a tripartite division, not a
re-positioning from one division to another!
Isaiah certainly does not belong after Ezekiel! In 180 B.C.,
the Book of Ecclesiasticus gave a chronological rundown from
Genesis to the close of the Old Testament. Significantly, Sirach
discussed in proper canonical order Isaiah (48:22), Jeremiah
(49:7), Ezekiel (49:8), and then "The Twelve" (the Minor
Prophets) (49:10). Prof. R.H. Charles called attention to this
fact that "The Twelve" were in the precise order as the present
Hebrew canon (The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, vol. l, p.505).
Sirach was referring to a canonical order of "The Twelve."
His reference was not for chronological reasons because some of
the prophets making up "The Twelve" lived before Isaiah! This is
a clear indication that Sirach had a canon of divine scriptures
in front of him that he was referring to. It should also be
pointed out that he did not place the Book of Daniel right after
Ezekiel as our modern Old Testaments have it!
This is powerful evidence that the Prophets' Division of the
canon was established in the present Jewish arrangement over 200
years before Christ began to preach! Josephus would have been
well aware of this official order. In the next chapter we will
see why this arrangement must be maintained for the sake of
orderly teaching.
....................
To be continued
Canonization of the Old Testament #6Design of the Order of books
by the late Dr. Ernest Martin
The Design of the Old Testament
The most important individual who was responsible for
designing and finalizing the Old Testament was Ezra the priest,
who had Nehemiah as his political helper. It was the universal
testimony of Jews and later Christians that Ezra and Nehemiah in
the fifth century B.C. were the ones commissioned to complete the
Hebrew canon (Seder Olam R30; Contra Apion 1.8; Irenaeus, Against
Heresies, 3.21; Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, 1.22;
Tertullian, Apparel or o Women, 1.3). What Ezra did was to select
the books which were to be accepted as canonical, arranged them
in proper order, and then edited them from beginning to end to
make them understandable for the readers of his time (cf. 2
Esdras 14). [Such edits as "unto Dan" in Genesis 14:14 and the
concluding sections of Deuteronomy about Moses' death can best be
attributed to Ezra when he finalized the text of the Old
Testament.] He also changed the style of the Hebrew letters
within the Old Testament books from the old Phoenician script of
the early prophets to the "square script" which had become common
for international communication by the fifth century. This was
not done simply to facilitate the reading of the Bible but, more
importantly, Ezra was able to establish at one full swoop an
official canon of scriptures which was now (by the use of the new
letter configurations) able to be distinguished from heretical
Samaritan manuscripts which were written in the old Hebrew
script! It has been supposed that Christ referred to this square
script used by Ezra when he said not a jot or tittle would pass
from the law until all be fulfilled (Matt.5:18). These small
horn-like projections were not used in the old Hebrew script
before the time of Ezra. If this is the case, then we have
Christ's approbation for Ezra's alteration of the Hebrew letters
from the old to the new style.
Ezra also changed the names of the calendar months from the
old names (i.e. Abib for the first Hebrew month) to the common
ones then in use (i.e. Abib became Nisan, etc.). This further
delineated the Jewish calendar and its official holyday system
from that of the Samaritans which Ezra and those in Jerusalem
considered false! Thus, the changing of the style of letters and
technical details concerning the calendar were simple acts
(ingeneously utilized) which settled the majority of canonical
and calendar disputes between the Jews and the Samaritans!
Ezra's Canonization
Ezra arranged the authorized scrolls into a proper order for
teaching the people and deposited them with the priests in the
archives of the Temple (Deut.17:18; 31:9). A group of 120 priests
were ordained to be the Supreme Court of the land (known as the
Great Assembly) of whom Ezra was the chief (Hereford, Talmud and
Apocrypha, p.56). These priests also assumed the name "Sopherim"
(i.e. counters of letters in manuscripts) because they were
responsible for reproducing the canonical books for use in the
synagogues throughout the land. They counted the letters in each
manuscript they reproduced for the synagogues to insure that the
letters agreed with the exact number found in the authorized
Temple scrolls.
The 22 books within the Tripartite Divisions had their
origin with Ezra and the Sopherim. After Ezra's death there were
some genealogical additions and certain textual amendations made
by the authorized Sopherim. Their job came to an end with the
advent of Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 B.C. and the subsequent
establishment of the Maccabean realm in 165 B.C. From that period
the canon of the Old Testament was settled and we find the Book
of Jubilees (150 B.C.) speaking of the 22 books as though they
were a set of standard scrolls, and the Prologue of Sirach (132
B.C.) mentioned the official Tripartite Divisions as already
established!
Thus, it was recognized that the Hebrew canon of 22
books,{which corresponded to the 22 letters of the Hebrew
alphabet) was then complete. This was the Bible of Christ and the
apostles!
The Design of the Books
The books of the Old Testament were not haphazardly arranged
Their positioning was to afford a teaching of overall spiritual
principles to the readers - especially to the priests who cared
for the divine library and to the secular rulers who were
supposed to execute the biblical legislation among the society of
the people.
The supreme position of importance was accorded the first
five' books called the Law (Torah). The two divisions that
followed (the "Prophets" with 6 books and the "Writings" with 11
books) were arranged with the authority of each division in view.
First rank after the Torah belonged to the Prophets, while
second rank went to the Writings ("the Royal Books"). This
principle of rank is demonstrated throughout the pages of both
the Old and New Testaments. It is seen clearly in the examples of
Nathan commanding King David with direct orders from God (2
Samuel 12) and with Elijah and Elisha instructing both Israelite
and Gentile kings what they must do. This is actually the case
with every prophet of the Bible - and this even included Jonah
telling the Assyrian king and his people what God expected them
to perform.
Among the prophets themselves there were degrees of rank.
The most notable was that of eldership. It will be recalled that
a cardinal principle of social rank among biblical peoples of all
eras was that of respect for elders. From the elders of Pharaoh
and Egypt (Gen.50:7), the elders of Israel (Exo.3:16), the elders
of each city (Deut.25:7), the elders of the priests (Isa.37:2),
to the elders of the Christian church (Acts 14:23; 15:6; James
5:14) and the 24 elders around the throne of God (Rev.4:4,10),
the esteem given to eldership was thorough and consistent! The
only rank higher than being an elder of any class in society was
that involving a direct commission from God (e.g. Gen.41:40-44; I
Tim.4:12). But in all aspects of normal social rank the standard
procedure for recognized distinction was: "Ye younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder" (I Pet.5:5).
(Wellll.....yes, but Martin does not quote the rest of the story,
for Peter went on to say, "Yes, ALL of you be subject to one another,
and be clothed with humility..." - Keith Hunt)
In Jewish practice this esteem for elder rank was never
abated. As an example of this, Philo (in the time of Christ)
described the actions of the independent sect of the Essenes.
Though they had an equality among themselves in many respects,
the matter of eldership in rank was consistent with that of
normative Judaism. "On the seventh day they abstain from their
works and come to their holy places called synagogues, and sit in
ranks according to their ages, the young below the elder, and
they listen attentively in orderly fashion" (Quad. Omnis Prob.
81). This recognition of eldership in teaching was also shown by
the apostle Paul when he said he had been trained in Jerusalem
"at the feet of Gamaliel" (Acts 22:3).
(Under the old covenant this may all indeed be true, but under
the NEW covenant, as I have proved with my studies "New Testament
Church Government," there was NO "rank" in the Eldership of the
New Testament Church of God. Respect is one thing, but "rank" and
"authority" over a person, is another matter entirely. No
minister in the NT Church had any automatic "rank authority" over
any other minister for whatever was in the past or in traditions
of old or in whatever was under the Old covenant age - Keith
Hunt)
The principle of eldership is seen in the positioning of
books within the three sections of the Prophets' Division: 1) the
Former Prophets, 2) the Major Prophets, and 3) the Minor
Prophets. Certainly, there is a chronological aspect to eldership
(being older in time), so the Book of Joshua/Judges is placed
before the Book of the Kingdoms (our Samuel and Kings) because
its theme concerns an earlier period in Israel's history when
they had no kings, while the latter book (as its name implies)
gives their history when they had kings (from Saul to Zedekiah
and Jehoiachin). This obvious chronological disposition makes
perfectly good sense as anyone can see.
The second section (the Major Prophets) is arranged in the
identical format - Isaiah gave his prophecies in the middle of
the eighth century B.C. while Jeremiah began his prophetic
ministry about 627 B.C. followed by Ezekiel in about 592 B.C.
The third section (the Minor Prophets) also has a chronologcal
basis to it. Though not everyone of the twelve books gives a
precise dating enough of them reveal the eldership principle in
action because even the non-dated ones often have a reasonable
historical context to show their chronological arrangement. This
can best be seen by reviewing the last book (Malachi) first, then
working backwards to the first book (Hosea). The beginning
chronological reference (or a reasonable historical context) will
indicate that each of the books (from 12 back to 1) is earlier to
each other.
These chronological factors are important because they
reveal a deliberate design being put into play by the canonizers
which anyone can see. Just what the interpretations behind those
arrangements are supposed to signify is for investigators to
determine, but the chronological (eldership) aspect is not
difficult to see.
The Writings' Division
We should remember that the eleven books of this Third
Division were made up of "Royal or Government Books" (for rulers
and leaders), but they are placed in an inferior position to the
Prophets and they are not chronological. This inferiority of
station as to their canonical disposition does not signify that
they are books of inferior worth! In no way. It simply means they
were not as important in the eyes of Ezra (the canonizer)
relative to the purpose behind his arrangement of the 22 books.
What must be understood is that the canon of the Old Testament
was designed for teaching purposes. The books of the Torah were
so needful for all Israelites that a three year cycle of reading
through the books was established for the synagogues of Ezra's
time and this reading from the Law was buttressed by selections
from the Prophets. The first two divisions were what might be
called public books. They were intended for general consumption
by all Israelites without distinction. But this was not so with
the eleven books of the Writings' Division. Though these Third
Division books were as holy as the others, they were not
generally considered writings which were primarily for the
public. An example of this is found with the custom about the
first century B.C. of paraphrasing the biblical books into the
vernacular of the people. When it came time to paraphrase the
books of the Third Division a command from God (a Bet Kol) was
supposedly given not to perform this task of putting the writings
of these books in the language of the common people (Megillah,
3a). True, the books were not really "secret" since they made up
the last of the Old Testament canon (and could be read in the
synagogues), yet they were not liturgically fashioned for
synagogue use. In a word, they were not canonized to provide a
teaching apparatus within a synagogue environment. The intended
readers of these books (and the ones required to heed them) were
individuals in an entirely different environment than the one of
the general assembly each Sabbath. They were arranged for a
teaching apparatus with a Temple context at the headquarters of
the nation at Jerusalem, and they were primarily designed for the
guidance and instruction of important civil and religious
authorities. These were "federal" books intended mainly for the
executives among the people. This is why they were reserved for
Temple teaching! This can be seen, for example, with the five
central books of the Third Division called the "Megilloth"
(explained fully on pages 72 and 73). The Song of Songs, Ruth,
Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther were read and discussed at
the five main religious periods in the Temple! This was also true
of the Book of the Psalms. The 150 psalms were apparently read
successively over a three year period in the Temple ("Triennial
Cycle," Jewish Encyclopedia (1912), vol.XII, pp.255,256). Even
the Book of Chronicles was a "Temple" book!
The Book of Chronicles is materially different from the Book
of Kingdoms though they cover about the same historical ground.
Ezra in Chronicles had another emphasis in mind when he wrote
this book and he needed a historical basis to sustain it. His
history was to provide 1) a proper genealogical account of royal
and priestly ancestors, 2) to show former "good" and "bad"
actions of the Davidic kings and the priests, 3) the proof that
Jerusalem was the legal seat of government, and 4) that the
Temple was the only lawful sanctuary for true Israel. Not only
that, the Book of Ezra/Nehemiah had the same subjects as its
theme: maintaining proper genealogical connections while securing
Jerusalem and the Temple as the proper center of civil and
religious government. Even Daniel (a book of the Third Division)
in its chronological prophecy about the arrival of the Messiah
(the Seventy Weeks' Prophecy) has as its theme: Jerusalem, the
Holy Place (the Temple), and the assurance of the arrival of a
true leader called the Messiah (Davidic or Priestly). The Book of
Psalms also has major sections by King David and King Hezekiah,
as well as a whole series of psalms about the Temple and the
priests at Jerusalem. [See A pendix I for details on these
matters.]
As a matter of fact, there was a historical reason why Ezra
felt it was necessary to canonize the books of the Old Testament
when he did. Knowing what these historical circumstances were can
help us understand why he placed the eleven books of the
Writings' Division in the manner he did and why he centered the
reading of them (and the instruction derived from them) among the
religious and civil authorities at Jerusalem. They were not
systematically to be read in the synagogue services of the
nation. It is important to notice what the historical factors
were that prompted Ezra and the Great Assembly to write
Chronicles and to canonize the Old Testament.
The main difficulty that Ezra had with the Jews at Jerusalem
was false religious beliefs and customs entering Judaic society
because of the intermarriages of Jewish men with heathen women.
It was a very upsetting situation as Ezra viewed it because the
intermarriages involved the civil and religious leaders among the
Jews. It was especially bad because the priests (even the high
priests) had been polluting their "holy seed" (Ezra 9 and 10,
Neh.13:23-31; Mal. 1 and 2).
This was a major deviation from proper religious practice in
the view of Ezra and he was so horrified at it and the prospects
of what it could lead to that he thought it prudent to write the
Book of Chronicles as a history of what had happened in the past
when such things had occurred. A stable and consistent Jewish
family life was at stake and Ezra used every device he could
muster to get the Jewish leaders to realize the consequences of
such "unholy alliances." This is the main reason he canonized the
22 Old Testament books and wrote the Book of Chronicles: The
latter book was to provide future leaders a special history of
what had happened in the past when heathen or impure women
entered into the mainstream of Judaic society. It always resulted
in an apostasy from God and it broughton severe and catastrophic
judgments from heaven. Let's look at this.
Note that the first nine chapters of Chronicles emphasize
Israelite genealogy to show how important a proper pedigree was.
While David and Solomon are both honored for their work on the
Temple and for establishing true worship at Jerusalem, Nehemiah
was quick to point out the well-known escapades of Solomon as a
detriment to him (Neh.13:26) though he had enough divine wisdom
to put Pharaoh's daughter away from the holy places at Jerusalem
(2 Chron.8:11). But Solomon's rebellious son Rehoboam was a
product of "the Ammonitess" (2 Chron.12:13). He went into early
deviations and the fact that he had "many wives" is stressed (2
Chron.11:21-23). From that time onward, Ezra records in
Chronicles (for his Jewish leaders) an account of the "good" and
"bad" kings of Judah, and in almost every case the "good" kings
had proper Jewish mothers and the "bad" kings either had heathen
or reprobate mothers. And it was this very thing that Ezra was
scolding the Jewish leaders of his time for doing. Ezra wanted to
put a stop to it, and he did!
Now look at the Third (or Writings') Division of the Old
Testament once more. A was Ezra who put the books together and he
had a reason for doing it in the manner he did. These books were
selected to show leaders, among other things, that godly women
were proper to marry and evil women were to be shunned. In one
way or another the eleven books of the Third Division are
designed to show this. For example, the Book of Psalms introduces
the Division and the psalm that highlights David's life is Psalm
51 showing his sin with Bathsheba who may have been a Hittite
woman. She was the mother of Solomon who had so much trouble with
non-Jewish women. The next book is Proverbs. Note how the first
nine chapters emphasize "Wisdom" (personified as a woman) as well
as the evils of false women. The last chapter, though, shows the
ideal woman to marry. The next book is Job. His story is one of
faithfulness in trial in spite of a very faithless wife. Job's
tenacity, however, brings him double possessions and three
beautiful daughters (Job 42:13-15). The next five books are the
Megilloth and they emphasize, in one way or another, various
types of women - both good and bad. The Song of Songs is about a
woman (and women) interested in Solomon. The Book of Ruth shows
an example of the ideal woman and how a man can be blessed with a
truly converted woman. Lamentations is about Jerusalem
personified as a royal princess gone wrong. In the Book of
Ecclesiates Solomon is reported to have said that the real joy
for men is to have a good job and a fine wife (Eccl.9:9), but
that the 1000 women he had were more bitter than death to him
(Ecc1.7:26-29). The Book of Esther shows the power of a righteous
woman to save the whole nation of Judah. After these five
Megilloth books comes Daniel. He was the wisest man of the age,
of royal stock, and one who had excellent and proper upbringing
(Dan.1:3,4). And finally, the books of Ezra/Nehemiah and
Chronicles (which end the Third Division) have as central themes
the need for the leaders at Jerusalem to have nothing to do with
heathen or impure women (who produce "heathen and impure"
children), but to cherish and hold the proper Jewish women who
would rear to adulthood proper and holy children, In effect, the
Third Division was devised, among other things, to establish and
to secure a godly Jewish family life among the leaders of the
nation. This would then insure that all the people would have the
right examples to follow in their own endeavors to be holy in the
sight of God. Indeed, the establishment of the Old Testament
canon itself (as well as the arrangement of the Third Division)
was prompted because of this pressing need which Ezra and
Nehemiah reckoned as so essential for proper devotion to God.
When one realizes the historical factors which caused Ezra
to devise the Old Testament canon, then it is possible to
understand some definite reasons for the design of the Tripartite
Divisions which Christ called "the Scriptures." The books were
arranged in the various divisions to teach all facets of Old
Testament life in a proper and harmonious fashion. The
positioning of the books by Ezra made little sense to later
Greeks or Romans who failed to understand what a true Jewish
society was supposed to be. They failed to grasp such things.
This is one of the main reasons that later Gentile Christians in
Egypt could not begin to appreciate the Palestinian arrangement
of the Old Testament books. It simply did not make sense to them!
This is certainly the case because the codexing of the Greek Old
Testament in the third or fourth century by Egyptian Christians
rearranged the books into a subjective or encyclopedic fashion so
as to "improve" the Palestinian Jewish design which made no rhyme
or reason to them. And in our modern Bible versions we have also
abandoned the Palestinian order designed and canonized by Ezra
and gone fully over to the Egyptian arrangement. No wonder that
many of us (including me) have not understood some of the central
and significant teachings which the overall design of the
biblical books can give.
It is important, however, that we moderns restore the Bible
back to its original form - both the Old and the New Testaments.
When this is done we will have some major new tools which can
open up whole new avenues of investigation into what the Bible is
all about. The information in this book is a mere introduction to
the matter.
As a matter of fact, there is yet another theme running
through the books of the Third Division which deserves to be
studied. It can show why Ezra grouped these particular books into
his final division.
More Information on the Writings' Division
There is an important factor connected with the
interpretation of those 11 books which is not often realized.
Everyone of the books was thought to possess mystical meanings.
They had symbolic or allegorical themes. The poetic style of the
Psalms, Proverbs, and Job (as a point in fact) was capable of
double meanings and it was the "wise" who were considered able to
interpret their subjects. One was not to take for granted that
only one meaning was possible. In fact, sometimes the words could
have opposite meanings, notice this in the proverbs recorded in
Proverbs 26:4 and 5.
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like
unto him. [Now note the contrast!] Answer a fool according to his
folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit."
The proverbs were not intended to be simple one line truisms
that required no esoteric or spiritual interpretations. They were
actually supposed to be lead-in's into a deeper secret or
spiritual interpretation that those with wisdom would be able to
apply correctly as each circumstance required.
The Psalms were to be understood in the same way. There was
something far deeper in meaning than the surface teaching of a
psalm (or a whole division of psalms). A prime reference that
sums up this attitude of interpretation is found in Psalm 78:2.
"I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of
old" (verse 2). The same principle is found in the introduction
to the Book of Proverbs. Note: "To understand a parable
(proverb), and the interpretation; the words of the wise men, and
their dark sayings" (Prov.1:6). A major example of such "dark
sayings" is found in the discourse on "Wisdom" (Prov.8:22 to
9:18). Clearly, this section is allegorical.
The Book of Job also was a "Wisdom" book. It concerned one
of the wise men of the east (I Kings 4:30) and the story was a
metaphorical explanation of how good will conquer evil - and how
good finally triumphs with a double blessing extended to the
righteous (Job 41:9-17).
The next 5 books of the Third Division were called the
Megilloth (the Festival Scroll). They were the Song of Songs
(read every year at Passover), Ruth (recited at Pentecost),
Lamentations (sung on the 10th of Ab - the anniversary of the
destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians), Ecclesiastes
(recounted at Tabernacles), and Esther (at the Purim festival in
the month before Passover). Each of these books was believed to
possess a great deal of symbolic, spiritual teaching. Notice
them!
It has long been noted that the Song of Songs was selected
to be included in the Old Testament because of its mystical
significance. It was supposed to be a love song of God's
courtship of Israel in Egypt (since it was read at Passover) but,
strangely, the name of God [or any of its derivatives] is not
found once in the book! This, along with its sexual overtones,
led the early rabbis to attach an allegorical type of teaching to
it. Indeed, it was not thought proper in talmudic times for any
man under 30 to read the book because of its "erotic" nature. The
whole matter of its being in the canon was resolved, however,
when one understood the meaning of the book in the figurative
manner.
(I guess just about anything could have a "figurative" meaning if
you wanted to take that path with all books of the Bible, and
some have done so, to the point that nothing in the Bible is
"real" to them. God created and designed "sex" and it is then
only proper that He gives us instructions on sex, hence the book
of Song of Songs; it is first and formost God's instructions in
poetic and beautiful form, on the subject of sexuality in
marriage - Keith Hunt)
The account of Ruth had far more meaning than a simple
historical record of King David's ancestry. It was read at the
end of the barley and wheat harvest (at Pentecost) and Ruth's
gleanings, etc. afforded many symbolic meanings.
The Book of Lamentations had deep spiritual significance to
it. The whole book is about Jerusalem being a symbolic woman - in
this case, a widow with all her virgins and young sons gone into
captivity. This was read on the anniversary of the destruction of
the Temple by the Babylonians, and it became typical of a
prophesied destruction which would occur to a future Jerusalem.
Remarkably, the Temple of Herod (in which Christ and the
apostles taught) was also destroyed on the 10th of Ab - the exact
anniversary date of its former destruction!
The Book of Ecclesiastes was also a "Wisdom Book." It was
the writing which gave the mystical clue to the cyclical nature
of prophecy (to be discussed in the ninth chapter) (Ecc1.1:5-9;
3:15).
The Book of Esther is a story about the complete redemption
of the Jewish people from the genocide planned upon them in the
fifth century B.C. This was represented as typical of a future
genocide (Zech.13:7-9) and a consequent national salvation which
will occur in its wake. The real story behind the Book of Esther
can be understood if "wise men which know the times" (Esth.1:13)
are consulted. The proper "wise men" are not those of the Persian
king, but those who are the authorities of God (Dan.12:10).
Esther is like the story of Job, but this time the whole nation
of Judah is involved in a spiritual salvation from all their
enemies.
The allegorical characteristics of the Book of Esther can be
seen in the fact that the name of God, or its derivatives (as the
Song of Songs), is not found in the Book of Esther - except in a
hidden and mystical way. It has been pointed out that God's name
may be acrostically found (Companion Bible, Appendix on Esther).
(Allegorical understandings do have their place, AT TIMES, but
one must be careful not to "allegorical" the Bible away, so
everything is anything - Keith Hunt)
The next book in the Third Division (the one positioned
after the Megilloth is the most mysterious book in the Old
Testament (if not the whole Bible): the Book of Daniel! It is the
book par excellence that requires great wisdom to understand.
Ezekiel called Daniel a great "wise man" and that none was like
him in that time (Ezek.28:3).
This book was not intended for public use in synagogue
readings. It was a book with allegorical and symbolic meanings
attached to its contents. Only kings had been given the
mysterious visions and dreams, and only archangels and Daniel the
Prince of Judah were allowed to interpret them. Daniel himself
was also given visions and the right to understand the enigmatic
"Scripture of Truth" (Dan.10:21) which has been the most talked
about and most puzzling of all prophecies within the Bible.
Scholars are still arguing over the meaning of it. The reason for
its obscurity is because (as Daniel was told himself) the main
message of the "Scripture of Truth" will not be opened up until
the end of the age (Dan.12:4). The fact that its meaning is of a
"secret nature" is one of the reasons that Daniel's prophecies
appear in the Third Division and not among the ordinary prophets!
Everything about the Book of Daniel is symbolic and allegorical.
Even to this day it has not been understood in a sufficient way.
(No, not "everything" about the book of Daniel is "symbolic" or
"allegorical" - unless Martin is using the word "everything" in a
broad overall term. And the book of Daniel today CAN BE
UNDERSTOOD, yes, because we are in the last days of this age -
Keith Hunt)
There are other reasons why the Book of Daniel is positioned
within the Third (Royal) Division and not in the Second
(Prophets') Division. For one, his prophecies are utterly
different from the other prophets. They never start with the
usual "Thus saith the Lord." He also had the unusual
responsibility of prophesying almost exclusively of Gentile
nations and their fortunes until the Messianic kingdom of God
would arrive. He hardly touched on Israel except when they came
in contact with the main Gentile kingdoms. The other prophets did
the reverse - they mentioned Gentile nations as they came within
the history of Israel. This is an extraordinary difference. It
seems that Daniel was the "Gentile" or "international" spokesman
of God - a spokesman for the whole world. He was chiefly
responsible for interpreting dreams and visions given to Gentile
rulers, and even his own visions were more about specific actions
of the Gentiles than about Israel or Israelites. Futhermore, much
of Daniel (chapters 2 to 7) was written in the "international"
Babylonian tongue - not in the sacred Hebrew language! Observe
also that all his prophecies were revealed while he was resident
in the captial cities of the Gentiles, either Babylon or Susa
(and none of his prophecies was given in the land of Isarel).
(Those above point by Martin are good, and should be remembered
by those who read and study this book of Daniel - Keith Hunt)
The Book of Daniel was placed near the end of the biblical
canon. There was a reason for this. He gave a major chronological
prophecy that began with the going forth of a command to rebuild
Jerusalem (Dan.9:24-27). Daniel was immediately followed in the
canon by Ezra/Nehemiah which gave the benchmark for that command
(Ezra 1:1-3). The Book of Chronicles came last of all in order to
present an authoritative history of Judah, the priesthood, the
Temple, and Jerusalem showing the specific place for one to watch
in order to witness the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecies at the
end-time! The last words of the Old Testament, in the original
canonical order, are: "let us go up [TO JERUSALEM]." The
canonical emphasis is to watch Jerusalem! This is where Daniel's
final kingdom will be set up.
As a matter of interest, the last editorial remarks that
Ezra added to the Law of Moses was about a prophet like Moses to
arise. In his concluding words he made it clear that the prophets
before his time were NOT the "Mosaic" prophet (Deut.34:10-12).
Thus, the final words of the Law have its readers looking to the
future for that particular Prophet (whom Christians saw as Christ
Jesus). Also, the last words of the Prophets' Division revealed a
prophecy about a future "Elijah" who was to come to Israel to
introduce the Day of the Lord (Mal.4:4-6). Later Christians
referred this fulfillment to John the Baptist who preceded Jesus
Christ! And by the way, the word "Malachi" meant "My Messenger,"
and it was thought at an early date that this was simply a title
for Ezra the priest - the one who formulated the Holy Scripture.
(And it is true today as well, the prophecy of the Elijah to come
to restore all things, will take place once more before the Day
of the Lord comes on this earth. See my study called "The Elijah
to Come" on this Website - Keith Hunt)
And, as shown before, the final words of the Third Division
of the Old Testament informs a person "to go up to Jerusalem" to
learn of future historical and prophetical events! This is where
Daniel's prophecies were to be fulfilled!
We thus find that the 11 books of the Third Division concern
government matters, but they also have a considerable amount of
esoteric and technical material concerning Jerusalem, the Temple,
the priesthood, and the government headed by the House of David.
These were not read in the regular readings of the synagogue
services under normal circumstances. Certainly, all of the
separate books of the Third Division were well known, but there
was not the feeling that substantial teachings (certainly in
matters of law) could come from books within the Third Division.
That is the reason they were not referred to very much by
Jewish authorities. Indeed, some people have wondered if some of
the books (e.g. Song of Songs and Esther, not having God's name
in them) should even be reckoned among the biblical books. They
should, of course! When it is recognized that the 11 books of the
Third Division were writings intended primarily for priests,
kings, and other rulers within a Temple (not synagogue)
background - and having a great deal of allegorical meaning
within them - it can be seen why their public reading was not
thought as important as the Law and the Prophets' Divisions. The
books, however, have an overall significance. They contain an
abundance of information concerning the proper geographical
location for the administration of divine government on this
earth, and they identify the people whom God has placed in charge
of that government.
When all is said and done, the positioning of all the 22 Old
Testament books into the official Tripartite Divisions is an
essential factor in teaching the true scope of the Law, the
prophecies for the future, and all aspects of divine government
as they relate to Israel and the nations of the world.
...................
Note:
Yes, in the overall of it, Martin is correct. It is a shame the
books of the Old Testament have not retained the order they once
had. The correct order as they were, does give a logical form of
teaching from the Lord, as He inspired the writings of the Old
Testament - Keith Hunt
......
This series of studies from the late Dr.Ernest Martin's book "The
Original Bible Restored" (1984) entered on this Website December
2008.
To be continued
Canonization of the Old Testament #7People Responsible were ...
by the late Dr. Ernest Martin (published in 1984)
This is a long detailed chapter - Keith Hunt
The Old Testament Periods of Canonization
There were five periods in the history of Israel in which
the canonization of sacred scriptures took place. The final
collection was established in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah and,
of course, this latter one must be reckoned the most important of
all. But when one surveys the biblical evidence for the other
periods, a great deal of instruction in overall biblical teaching
can be the result.
In this chapter we want to give the biblical evidence for
these times of canonization. There are some plain statements
within the Bible which mention these periods but they are often
not considered important by some scholars today. Since our
emphasis in this book, however, is to focus on what the Bible
says about itself, we believe it is essential to mention these
periods which the Bible takes a considerable amount of space to
relate.
The First Canonization
It was universally believed, until modern times, that the
five books of the Law were written by Moses. The internal
indications certainly claim Moses as the author, and there are
many New Testament assurances of this fact. Simple reference to
these five books (called the Pentateuch) shows them to be
compositions written within the 40 years of the Exodus period. It
appears that Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus were composed the
first year. There can be little doubt that Moses had access to
scrolls about historical events. Some of the genealogical
portions even had titles, e.g. "The Generations" (Gen.2:4; 5:1;
10:1, etc.).
The Book of Numbers was the journal of Israel's trek through
the wilderness. The last entry (chapter 36) was written by Moses
at the conclusion of those forty years, along with Deuteronomy
which was produced within the last 60 days. (Compare Deut.1:3
with Deut.34).
Deuteronomy was formulated for a special reason: it was
intended to teach Israel further laws and statutes they would
need to know when they settled in the Promised Land. Almost all
the laws in Deuteronomy pertain to an agricultural economy, not
one within a desert or wilderness environment. As evidence of
this, notice the types of animals recorded in Deuteronomy 14. In
comparing them with Leviticus 11, there are - in some instances -
different animals mentioned. In Leviticus, the animals were
generally those native to the wilderness, or animals which Israel
encountered south and east of Palestine, while in Deuteronomy the
creatures were located in more habitable and civilized areas of
the Fertile Crescent.
These variations do not show evidences of different
authorship.
The Book of Deuteronomy was a re-phrasing or re-application
of the basic laws given in the wilderness which made them more
appropriate for a settled land economy.
Moses Canonized the Law
Shortly before he died, Moses authorized the first five
books of our Bible to be the divine Law of Israel. He then
delivered them into the custody of the priesthood for
safe-keeping. Moses ordained the Levitical priesthood to be the
official guardians of the Law.
"And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests, the
sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and
unto all the elders of Israel" (Deut.31:9).
The Ark of the Covenant was a wooden chest enclosing the
tables of stone, the rod that budded, plus the pot of manna
(Heb.9:4).
It constituted the central part of Israel's physical worship
and was located in the Holy of Holies of the Temple. The scrolls
of the law were stored in specially designated sleeve
compartments attached to the sides of the Ark (Deut.31:26). By
this provision, the High Priest could consult the standard copies
left by Moses.
These original scrolls were seldom used, consequently, they
did not become ragged and torn as those read regularly in
assembly. All scrolls for public reading, however, were required
to be faithful copies of the standard ones kept in the side of
the Ark.
In later times, when Israel had kings, each king was
supposed to write out with his own hand personal copies of the
original "Ark Scrolls" as a surety that he would understand all
the separate laws written therein.
"And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom,
that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that
which is before the priests the Levites" (Deut.17:18).
Eventually many copies of the basic Law were made. This was
perfectly proper as long as the Temple priests supervised or
performed the copying. Of course, over the centuries, even the
standard "Ark" copies themselves had to be replaced. But it was
not uncommon for reference scrolls made of animal skins to last
in good condition for 500 years or more. The less often the
scrolls had to be used, the fewer times they needed replacing.
The standard "Ark Scrolls" were used so infrequently that the
recopying of them was rare.
In New Testament times, these standard scrolls were even
referred to as the "Temple Scriptures." Paul may have been
referring to them in 2 Timothy 3:15. The word "holy" often means
"temple," and Newberry translated it as such in his version of 2
Timothy 3:15. He believed that Paul was referring to the official
scriptures which had been deposited in the Temple by Ezra when he
completed the Old Testament revelation. All scrolls found in
official synagogues throughout the world in the first century
were in agreement with these standard "Temple Scriptures."
Newberry's suggestion may well have been right!
The first period for canonization of sacred scriptures was
in the time of Moses. It would be almost 500 years later before
another canonization took place. We will come to see that there
is a remarkable similarity to all the periods when the various
canonizations of the biblical writings occurred. Thankfully, the
men of the New Testament had the example of Ezra as a guide to
canonization.
The Canonization Periods
The Book of Chronicles is the Old Testament book giving us
information of the canonizations prior to the final one by Ezra.
Indeed, this is one of the primary reasons for its composition.
There were three historical periods discussed at length by Ezra:
the times of David and Solomon; the times of King Hezekiah; and
the times of King Josiah. We shall see that these very time
periods were those when extra literature was added to the Law of
Moses for Temple use.
We are left in no doubt as to Ezra's reasons for writing the
important Book of Chronicles. Not only was he recording the three
periods after Moses when canonizations occurred, but he also
concentrated on matters relative to true worship and the fixing
of proper rituals to be observed in the Temple. Chronicles gives
us a full genealogical listing of the priests, Levites, and the
House of David, showing how Jerusalem was to be reckoned the
center of all true worship. The whole emphasis in the Book of
Chronicles (which makes it so different from the parallel Book of
Kingdoms) is upon Jerusalem as the center of God's divine
government on earth. It shows how the true authorities (the
proper priests and secular rulers) were associated with the
Temple at Jerusalem - and not in any other area of the world. It
was at Jerusalem that the standard of all religious teaching was
to be located.
This is why Chronicles gives a great amount of detail to the
history of the Ark (I Chron.13-16), the preparations for building
the Temple, and the assignments of the priests and Levites in the
Temple. And as said before, Chronicles also shows when and
especially where the canonizations of the Old Testament were
accomplished. The making of the Jewish scriptures was at
Jerusalem, and at times when it was necessary to revitalize
Temple services. This was also the case with the final
canonization. Ezra resided at Jerusalem and Temple services were
once again being authorized. By writing Chronicles, he was
demonstrating that Jerusalem was always the place to which Jews
needed to look as the source of all truth.
David's Canonization
The next period for canonization after the time of Moses was
that of David. The Israelites had been in possession of Mosaic
teachings some 400 years. Throughout this period, they had used
the portable Tabernacle as the central place of worship. But in
the time of David, the religious system was becoming inadequate
for accommodating great masses of people. The Tabernacle had now
became ineffectual in handling the religious requirements of all
the Israelites.
The time had come to establish a permanent building in which
a more appropriate worship and regulated services could be made.
With this in mind, David planned a Temple to be erected as an
honor to God as a non-portable sanctuary for Israel.
The building of the Temple entailed other elaborate
arrangements in regard to the services which would be performed
within its precincts. For one thing, priests were no longer a
handful in number as they were when Aaron was High Priest. Their
number was now so great that they could not possibly perform the
Temple rituals at once. David thought it was time to reevaluate
the duties of the priesthood.
Under directions from Samuel (I Chron.9:22) David subdivided
the enlarged priestly family into 24 divisions or courses (I
Chron.24). Instead of the priests performing their Temple
services at random, each priestly course was assigned specified
times to do their ministrations. Each course was responsible for
appointing one of its leading priests as chief priest, and to
authorize him to select certain members of that course to serve
with him at the Temple. Only those particular priests became
responsible for offering the evening and morning sacrifices at
the designated times.
The service of each priestly course lasted for one week -
from Sabbath noon to Sabbath noon. Thus, each of the 24 courses
served one week within a six month period. They repeated the
procedure for the second half of the year. Over the period of a
year, each course served in the Temple for two weeks (each week
separated by a six month span), and all 24 courses served
together at the three annual festival periods (Passover,
Pentecost, and Tabernacles).
David's organization did not stop with the priests. The
Levites and singers in the Temple were divided into 24 courses as
well (I Chron.25). This meant that, for all practical purposes, a
new religious system had come to Israel. Instead of a temporary
dwelling for God, there was to be a permanent structure. Along
with this magnificent and rich building, there were to be regular
successions of authorized personnel performing needed rituals in
the Temple. All these things required definite liturgies to be
ordained and followed.
David, under the direction of Samuel, set about arranging
all these matters into a proper order before the Temple was
constructed by Solomon. We will now see that David's work
necessarily involved canonization.
Temple Services Required Liturgies
The Levitical singers were authorized to sing appropriate
songs in the Temple. These various singers had been divided into
24 courses (I Chron.25). The times for their singing, and what
they were ordained to sing, were arranged by David with the help
of Gad, the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet (2 Chron.29:25).
David, as is well-known, was the most famous psalmist in the Old
Testament. People customarily refer to the Book of Psalms as
being of David's authorship. While this is not quite accurate -
for some psalms were written by others - David certainly composed
the great majority of the ones found within the Old Testament
canon. A notable section of psalms entirely from the hand of
David is that from Psalm 1 to 72 in our present Book of Psalms.
At the end of Psalm 72 there is a subscription to all of those 72
psalms. It informs us: "The prayers of David the son of Jesse are
ended." This does not mean that no more of David's psalms were to
be found in later portions of the Book of Psalms. The sub-
scription simply means that the preceding Psalms represented a
set of 72 Davidic songs which were to be sung in some kind of
succession by the 24 priestly courses. (Note that 72 is 3 x 24
and this number must have carried some relationship to the
priestly courses.) Notice also that some of these Davidic psalms
are titled "Korah's" (e.g. Psalms 44-49), to Asaph (Psalm 50),
and for Solomon (Psalm 72). These psalms were written by David in
honor of, or for, Korah and Asaph who were the Levites
responsible for using these assigned psalms in the regular Temple
services.
Indeed, David wrote many psalms for various Levitical
singing groups. An example is found in I Chronicles 16:7. He
composed a psalm in commemoration of a special occasion. Of this,
Ezra says in Chronicles: "On that day David delivered first this
psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren."
It was a psalm for Asaph but written by David.
Many of the titles of the psalms indicate to whom the psalm
was to be delivered, or they signified the Levitical families
responsible for singing those particular psalms in the Temple
services.
Thus, the first section of 72 psalms which are found in our
present Book of Psalms (Psalms 1 to 72) was probably the original
collection ordained at the time of David. Later on, in the days
of Ezra, the totality of the Law of Moses began to be read in
synagogue services in weekly portions (about 20 verses each
week). This allowed the complete five books of Moses to be
recited, and commented on, over a three year period. These were
known as Triennial Cycle readings because they took three years
to complete. To correspond to this, another set of 72 psalms was
no doubt added by Ezra to the first group, making 144 - enough
for singing one psalm each Sabbath in the Temples services over a
three-year period. Six other psalms were added to the final
collection, making 150 in all, probably to account for the extra
month in the calendar which occurred about every third year
(Joseph Jacobs, "Triennial Cycle," Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. XII,
pp.255,256).
The point to remember is that David was probably the first
to appoint the initial 72 psalms of our present Book of Psalms to
be sung by the Levites at the Temple services. The official
singing of these psalms involved canonization, because they had
become part of the sacred services. To Ezra, singing Temple songs
in regular succession clearly entailed their official
canonization.
[For more information on the design and purpose of the Book of
Psalms, see a further study in Appendix I.]
Other Works Canonized During This Period
With a permanent religious society established in Israel by
Solomon's time, there was need for additional literary works to
direct the people in their religious duties. The Bible says that
Solomon searched the books of the wise men of old to find what
their teachings were. Solomon "was wise, he still taught the
people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set
in order many proverbs" (Eccl.12:9).
This tells us that Solomon did not originate all the
proverbs for which he became famous. Certain ones now found in
the Bible were composed by several wise men preceding him. In
some cases, Solomon merely catalogued the wisdom from the pens of
ancient wise men. He openly stated that he collected many
proverbial sayings so that people might "understand a proverb,
and the interpretation; the words of the wise ones [the Hebrew is
plural], and their dark sayings" (Prov.1:6).
In a superscription to one group of proverbs (Prov.22:17 to
24:22), Solomon advised: "Bow down thine ear, and hear the words
of the wise ones." Another batch of proverbs was also "set in
order" by Solomon or his editors and given the title: "These
things also belong to the wise ones" (Prov.24:23).
Admittedly Solomon wrote many proverbs of his own,
especially those from Proverbs 10 to Proverbs 22:16. But lots of
others came from older sources that he had sought out and put in
order. It could be possible that the section from Proverbs 1:6 to
the end of chapter 9 might have been written by the patriarch
Joseph.
[See Appendix 2 for more information concerning the Book of
Proverbs.]
It should be understood that at the time of Solomon, there
must have been scores of books circulating in Israel - written
not only by Solomon but by other important men. Some of those
other works may have been used temporarily for divine services in
that period. On the other hand, some books of our Old Testament
may not have received their canonical status until Ezra selected
them to be among the scriptural works. We are speaking of books
such as Ruth, the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. The fact is, it
was finally up to Ezra and the Great Assembly of priests to
establish which books would enter the Old Testament canon. Though
there was a type of canonization when the Temple was inaugurated,
the real canon came from Ezra.
The Canonization by King Hezekiah
Circumstances surrounding the canonizations in the time of
Moses and of David and Solomon were entirely different from the
three periods to follow - those in the times of Hezekiah, Josiah,
and Ezra. In the first instance, Moses had plenty of "leisure
time" to authorize the first five books as divine literature and
to present them as the basic Law to Israel. Near the end of his
life, Moses simply put finishing touches to the Law and delivered
it for safekeeping to the official priesthood. He told the
Israelites which books were divine and then charged them to obey
them. No one argued with him about the matter.
In the reigns of David and Solomon, the only reason for
adding certain literature to the already existing books of the
Law was the establishment of the permanent Temple, with its
elaborate services, and the expanded type of religious society
that accompanied it.
There were no national emergencies facing either Moses or
David and Solomon, and the establishment of the Tabernacle and
later Temple services were accomplished in times of leisure. But
all the other canonizations were produced under entirely
different circumstances. When Hezekiah ruled, for example,
canonization was forced upon the authorities because a time of
great stress was besetting the nation.
At the beginning of Hezekiah's reign the national existence
of Judah was in jeopardy of being destroyed. Assyrian invasion
and captivity were threatening utter ruin to the nation and to
Mosaic religion. This emergency prompted Hezekiah and Isaiah to
move swiftly in placing their seal of authority upon certain
sacred books that were then found in Israel. They sought to
preserve all Temple books because it appeared as though the
Temple services and all physical components of Judah's religion
might soon be extinguished. They later came to realize that their
fears were unfounded, but we can be assured that their
expectations produced a further set of authorized books for use
by the Temple authorities.
The Historical Background
Let us consider the historical period from Solomon to
Hezekiah.
After the time of Solomon, the religious purity of the
Temple
services gradually deteriorated. Such corruption ultimately
became so widespread that idols and images of foreign gods began
to be set up all over Judah (2 Chron.31:1). The 24 specific
divisions of the priests, Levites, singers and others,
established by David for the purpose of organized Temple
services, fell into confusion and practically passed out of
existence. Things got so bad by the time of Ahaz, the
father of Hezekiah, that many Jews, particularly Ahaz himself,
thoroughly abandoned their religious duties to the God of their
fathers.
Ahaz, we are told, actually stripped the Temple of its
decorations, giving them to the Assyrian king as a present (2
Chron.28:21-24). The Temple furniture was destroyed - Ahaz "cut
them in pieces" then he "shut up the doors of the house of the
Lord" (v.24) and instituted Syrian paganism as the official
religion of Judah. He "made him altars in every corner of
Jerusalem, and in every several city of Judah he made high places
to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord
God of his fathers" (vs.24,25). For all practical purposes Judah
had reverted to a heathen state.
It was in this heathenized society that Hezekiah acceded to
the throne. Right from the beginning of his reign, he made a
concerted effort to reform Judaic society. He desired to purify
and rebuild the ruined Temple and to re-establish the Temple
services with the priests and singers performing their prescribed
duties.
"He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened
the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. [They had
been defaced and nailed up. Also the Temple had to be cleansed of
accumulated filth after its sixteen years of disuse.] And he
brought in the priests and the Levites" (2 Chron.29:3,4).
"Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites
after their courses, every man according to his services, the
priests and the Levites for burnt offerings and for peace
offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the
gates of the tents of the Lord" (2 Chron.31:2).
"He set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with
psaltries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David,
and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was
the commandment of the Lord by his prophets" (2 Chron.29: 35).
"Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites
to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David, and of
Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness" (2
Chron.29:30).
Hezekiah even exceeded David in assigning certain psalms to
be sung in regular Temple services. He included not only the
performing of David's psalms (i.e. the first 72 psalms), but also
certain ones assigned to Asaph. These specific psalms were the 11
which followed immediately after David's first 72.
Because of Hezekiah's actions in re-vitalizing proper Temple
worship, he was classified as a righteous king who followed in
the footsteps of his father David. In some ways he was reckoned
to be better than David ("that after him was none like him among
all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him" - 2 Kings
18:5).
Doubtless, when Hezekiah first commenced to reign he
followed the admonitions of Moses (Deut.17:18), and copied with
his hand a personal copy of the Law. Taking office at the age of
25, and supported by the prophet Isaiah, he continued to do his
utmost to reform the people and to restructure the religion of
the nation.
"[Hezekiah] wrought that which was good and right and truth
before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the
service of the house of God, he did it with all his heart, and
prospered" (2 Chron.31:21).
Re-establishing True Worship Involved Canonization
Hezekiah and Isaiah saw the need to assign more
authoritative literature to Israel's divine library. Proverbs 25
reveals some of the canonical activity of Hezekiah and his
helpers. A new section of the Book of Proverbs begins with these
words: "These are also the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of
Hezekiah king of Judah copied out" (Prov.25:1).
Of the 3000 known proverbs composed by Solomon (I Kings
4:32), Hezekiah ordained that a new group of them be selected for
his own use. Thus, chapters 25 to 29 were added to the Temple
collection which had already been "set in order" by Solomon
himself. The source from which the men of Hezekiah obtained these
Solomonic proverbs was probably the "Book of Acts of Solomon," a
noncanonical work which contained "the rest of the acts [words]
of Solomon, and all he did, and his wisdom" (I Kings 11:41).
Significantly, most of the proverbs selected by Hezekiah's men
were designed to help a king or a ruler guide his people towards
righteous ends. Take, for example, the theme of the first proverb
in the new series: "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing,
but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." This proverb
no doubt reveals Hezekiah's own character - what was foremost in
his mind in his service to God. Notice, too, that in the next
proverb in Hezekiah's selection, the subject is again "kings."
Two following ones are also about a "king," another about a
"prince," and so on.
These five chapters of proverbs, copied by Hezekiah's men,
clearly represented an addition to the canonical literature. In
fact, the early Jews maintained that the "Men of Hezekiah" were a
group of authorized men just like the "Great Assembly" of priests
convened by Ezra and Nehemiah for the exact purpose of
canonization (Louis Ginzberg, "The Legends of the Jews," vo1.VI,
p.368). In addition to some of the proverbs, the Talmud says that
Isaiah, some of the Minor Prophets, Song of Songs and
Ecclesiastes were canonized by the "Men of Hezekiah" (Baba
Bathra, 15a).
Hezekiah's Sign-Manual
Hezekiah brought up-to-date the canonical literature for use
in the restored Temple services. One of the most striking
evidences of Hezekiah's own activity in this canonization is a
sign-manual found in the Bible which is attributed to him. This
sign-manual is a combination of three Hebrew letters which occur
at the end of every Old Testament book - except the five books of
the Megilloth. Curiously, the sign-manual (which is in the Hebrew
manuscripts of the Old Testament) has not been translated in any
of the English versions.
The sign-manual consisted of three Hebrew letters which were
brought together to form the basic root name of Hezekiah. The
letters are: het, zain and koph, and they spell the name Hezekiah
without the terminal yah.
This tri-grammaton, located at the end of 17 Old Testament
books, served a dual purpose. Not only did it indicate the person
of Hezekiah, but its meaning in translation is most interesting
and instructive. Brown, Driver & Briggs' "Hebrew Lexicon" shows
it means "to bind firmly together," "to be made firm," "to be
confirmed," or "to be bound fast" (pp.304,395). In simple terms,
HZK denoted "bound" or "confirmed." This represented the
sign-manual of Hezekiah and it could well have been his
imprimatur. It signified that any book terminated by it was bound
by the authority of Hezekiah - or the Men of Hezekiah!
This sign-manual occurs on every Old Testament book, with
the exception of the five Festival Scrolls - called in Hebrew the
Megilloth. These five are: Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations,
Ecclesiastes and Esther. It is interesting that these five books
have been the ones that a number of Old Testament critics, even
from ancient times, have tried to eliminate from the biblical
canon. Remarkably, these are the very books without the
sign-manual.
Take, for example, the Song of Songs. Some over-zealous
religious leaders have tried to diminish its authority. It has
been described as "too erotic" and "lustful." Even the name of
God, or its derivatives, is not found once in its text!
Consider also Ecclesiastes. Many have found fault with the
pessimistic nature of this book and its "worldly" approach to
theological matters. It even teaches there is no immortality of
the soul!
Then there is Esther. The name of God is not found in the
book and the only indication of any religious activity is the
single mention of fasting. The book appears almost as if it were
a secular composition.
And there is Ruth and Lamentations. These books have been
considered mere appendages to important books of the canon. They
are usually, in modern English versions, taken out of the
Megilloth arrangement and attached to Judges and Jeremiah, with
little attention given to them.
These five books of the Megilloth are the only ones in the
Old Testament which lack the imprimatur or sign-manual of
Hezekiah.
But do they belong in the canon of the Old Testament? They
assuredly do! Ezra positioned them in one special section among
the Temple liturgy. Each book was to be successively read and
expounded to the people at the annual holy days.
Since the official priests were ordered to read these books
to the people each year, no one suspected that they were anything
but canonical! Indeed, most criticism concerning the canonicity
of these five books came after the Temple services ceased in 70
A.D. when the books no longer were being read at regular
intervals. Yet they formed a part of the original 22 books of the
Old Testament. The importance of reading these five Megilloth
books in order is discussed in Appendix 1.
The Sign-Manual Appears on
Books After the Time of Hezekiah
Following the canonization affected by Hezekiah, the
sign-manual seems to be a seal for the reading of divine writings
outside the regular Temple services. When later writers, such as
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, had their prophecies placed among the
sacred writings of the Old Testament, this same sign-manual was
also affixed to the end of their books. And Ezra, at the final
canonization, carefully placed the sign-manual on all books which
he and the Great Assembly recognized, omitting it only from the
five Festival Scrolls (which were being regularly read by the
priests in the Temple).
What is interesting is the fact that at the end of certain
books, the sign-manual is positioned inside an extended comment
and the trigrammaton became part of the comment. Dr. E.W.
Bullinger mentions the practice of using the sign-manual after
the time of Hezekiah:
"The use of this tri-grammaton is uniform and continuous at the
end of each book, until we come to the death of Hezekiah. Not
until after that, at the end of the Book of Kings, do we meet
with any departure from the addition of these three letters.
There, for the first time, we find a different formula. Instead
of the simple sign (HZK), we find two words, making a sentence -
instead of forming the initials.
"At the end of Kings, we have 'Be bound, and we will bind.'"
This looks as though the subsequent editors, whether Josiah,
Ezra, or others, understood the tri-grammaton as a solemn
injunction transmitted to them; and they took up the work and
carried it out in the same spirit in which it had come down to
them, and said, 'Be bound,' and they responded. 'We will bind.'
The same form [of two words] is used after Ezekiel, at the end of
the Minor Prophets, the Psalms, Proverbs and Job.
"We do not find it after the Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations,
Ecclesiastes, or Esther. We meet with it again after Daniel, and
after Ezra-Nehemiah [always as one book] (Bullinger, "The Songs
of Degrees," Things to Come, XIII [1907], p.112).
Interestingly, after the Book of Chronicles - the last book
of the Hebrew Old Testament - we encounter the final, and longer,
form of the sign-manual. Being translated, it reads: "Be bound.
So we will bind. The Lawgiver is not straitened (or powerless)."
This comment is most instructive. Here Ezra and the Great
Assembly probably added the final sign-manual to Chronicles, the
last book of the Old Testament. In their comment, they not only
wrote, "Be bound," which was the customary usage, but they added
for extra emphasis: "We will bind." This showed that the Great
Lawgiver [God] had given the whole and complete Old Testament
revelation to the world! Thus Ezra and the Great Assembly of
priests, having concluded the writing of the Book of Chronicles,
finalized their responsibility of canonizing the Old Testament
for all future time. Only a few editorial remarks were added
later.
Other Works Canonized by Hezekiah
We are informed in the Book of Isaiah that Hezekiah actually
wrote new psalms which were included in the singing services of
the Temple. There psalms were written at the time when he
recovered from his sickness - when the prophet Isaiah "took a
lump of figs, and laid it for a plaister upon the boil"
(Isa.38:21).
Because Hezekiah placed his complete trust in God to deliver
him from his severe sickness, the Bible says he was granted
another 15 years of life. For commemoration of this deliverance,
he composed a particular set of psalms. Notice Isaiah 38:9. This
begins a song which occupies the next 12 verses. It says: "The
writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was
recovered of his sickness."
After this superscription begins the regular song - a
beautiful psalm of thanksgiving to God for his protection and
deliverance. And at the very end, Hezekiah finally records:
"The Lord was ready to save me: therefore [i.e. because of God's
salvation] we will sing my songs [plural] to the stringed
instruments all the days of our life [Hebrew: lives] in the house
of the Lord" (Isa.38:20).
Note several factors concerning the writing of these psalms
by Hezekiah. He said he composed several "songs," not only the
one song recorded in Isaiah. He directed that "we" sing his new
"songs" all the days of "our lives." This indicates that the
nation of Judah - in the persons of the official Temple singers -
would carry on the singing of these psalms of Hezekiah in future
times. And importantly, notice that Hezekiah left directions that
all the singing of his songs should be done on "stringed
instruments in the house of the Lord." This indicates that the
special psalms of Hezekiah were to be sung in an official
capacity in the regular Temple services. They were to take their
place alongside the psalms of David, Asaph, and the other
psalmists of Israel.
The reason Hezekiah wrote these particular psalms is given
in verses 19 and 20:
"The living, he shall praise Thee, as I (Hezekiah] do this day:
the father to the children shall make known thy truth ...
therefore, we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all
the days of our lives in the house of the Lord" (Isa.38:19,20).
Hezekiah wrote psalms so that fathers could tell their
children, from generation to generation, of the glorious
salvation of God - if only God's people would trust him. Hezekiah
intended his psalms to be of permanent value to the people of
God. This is why he had them canonized, making them a part of the
regular Temple services.
Which Psalms Were Hezekiah's?
A good number of untitled psalms are found within our
present Book of Psalms. Any of these, if they would fit the
context of Hezekiah's time might have been written by him. The
Bible does not make it entirely clear which ones came from
Hezekiah, but James W. Thirtle and others think they have
discovered the true psalms of Hezekiah. These are the enigmatical
15 "Degree Psalms," which now comprise Psalms 120-134.
Biblical commentators have long speculated as to the
authorship of these untitled "Degree Psalms." Why are they called
psalms of "Degrees," and when were they used in the Temple
services? These questions may be answered in the solution offered
by Thirtle.
"The Songs of the Degrees are 15 in number. They correspond in
number with the 15 years added to Hezekiah's life. Ten are by
Hezekiah (corresponding to the number of "the Degrees" by which
the shadow of the sun went backward on the sun-dial of Ahaz, 2
Kings 20:8-11). Five are by others (four by David and one by
Solomon)" (Thirtle, "The Titles of the Psalms," p.827).
Some commentators maintain that these psalms were sung on
the 15 steps (assumed by combining Ezekiel 40:22 with 40:31)
leading up to the Holy Place of the Temple: the first degree
psalm as the priest stood on the first step; the second psalm on
the second step, and so forth. Thus the fifteenth psalm would
have placed the priest at the threshold of the Holy Place. This
may well be true.
Jewish scholars believe the degree psalms were read in the
autumn near the Festival of Tabernacles, some suggesting that
their reading started on the first of the seventh month (the Day
of Trumpets) and continued for 14 more days until the 15th of
Tishri (i.e. the first day of Tabernacles) was reached. Thus, the
readings would have symbolically directed Israelites towards the
opening of the Millennial Age (that the Feast of Tabernacles
depicted) when all on earth would prepare to approach the "Holy
Place," as did the priests in the Temple services.
The Bible, however, nowhere clearly gives confirmation of
these suggestions. It does show, however, that Hezekiah wrote
psalms which found a place in the regular Temple services. This
indicates they probably became a part of the Bible. And of all
the psalms in our present biblical collection, the 15 degree
psalms seem the most likely to be the ones composed by Hezekiah.
Isaiah Helped in Canonization
Before concluding our discussion on the canonization in
Hezekiah's time, let us notice something about Isaiah In the
middle of the last century an Englishman, Ferrar Fenton, was
translating the Bible into English. He gave an interesting
observation concerning the role of Isaiah the prophet in matters
involving the canonization of biblical books. Here is what he
wrote:
"In my study of the Historical Books of the Bible I had
frequently wished for some clue to their writer, or writers....
One day whilst reading the Second Book of Chronicles in the
Hebrew, I met that solution in its 32nd chapter and the 32nd
verse, like a sudden flash of electric light, in the following
words: 'The remainder of the actions of Hezekiah and his
beneficent rule, are recorded in the Visions of Isaiah-ben-Amotz,
the Prophet, upon the History of the Kings of Judah and Israel.'
"The flood of mental light from those three lines dispelled my
perplexities, and enabled me to see the great object of the
six-sectioned History, by discovering its writer. Wondering that
none had previously seen this ... I took down the Authorized
Version, and found that its translators had entirely, by
inserting the little word 'and' after the name 'Isaiah the son of
Amoz,' altered the structure and purport of the sentence as it
stands in the original Hebrew, and thus destroyed the key it gave
to the moral object and lessons of the historian, and to the
identity of the writer of the Six Books [Joshua/Judges and the
Book of Kingdoms]. A renewed study of those six books confirmed
in my mind the accuracy of my conclusion by enabling me more
clearly to see the unity of style and aim of their writer,
Isaiah, which undoubtedly was for them to serve as an
introduction to Isaiah's prophecies" (Fenton, "Translation of the
Bible," p.217).
Fenton may be right in his evaluation. However, to be exact,
the statement in 2 Chronicles 32:32 does not say the Book of
Joshua/Judges was among these writings of Isaiah. It merely says
Isaiah wrote "the history of the Kings of Judah and Israel." If
this is a reference to our canonical book, then it can mean that
Isaiah wrote the Book of Kingdoms (our present Samuel and Kings).
Another reason that Joshua/Judges should not be included among
Isaiah's writings is the reference given by the apostle Peter
(Acts 3:24), which indicates that the Prophets' Division of the
Old Testament (the one that had as its composers "the prophets")
specifically commenced with the writings of Samuel. This
indication agrees with Jewish tradition which makes Joshua/Judges
a work of Samuel, not Isaiah. In I Samuel 9:9 we read: "He that
is now called a prophet was beforetime called a seer." Samuel was
the first to be called a prophet in an official capacity since
the time of Moses.
Thus, with Joshua/Judges located within the Prophets'
Division (and at the very start of it), it is highly probable
that Samuel was the book's author. Recall that it was he who
first established the schools of the prophets throughout Israel -
at Ramah, Bethel, Jericho, and Gilgal (I Sam.10:5,10; 19:20; 2
Kings 2:3,5; 4:38). This means that there were no men called
"prophets" before Samuel.
On the other hand, Isaiah could very well have been the
author of the book which followed Joshua/Judges - i.e. the Book
of Kingdoms, as Fenton suggests. [Recall that the Book of
Kingdoms is now divided into our two books of Samuel and two
books of Kings.] Several commentators, among them the early Old
Testament scholar Moses Stuart feel that this reference to Isaiah
(2 Chron.32:32) certainly relates to the writing of our present
Book of Kingdoms (Stuart, p.170). Observe also that in the Book
of Chronicles Ezra speaks of the fact that Isaiah had written
"the rest of the acts of Uzziah" (2 Chron.26:22). The only place,
apart from Chronicles, in which the events of Uzziah's life are
recorded is in the Book of Kingdoms. This implies that Isaiah was
the author of that book. Also note that 2 Kings 18-20 is
identical with Isaiah 36-39, which again shows common authorship.
But what about the part of the Book of Kingdoms that records
events after the time of Isaiah? This should give little problem.
It was perfectly possible for later canonizers to bring the book
up to date. The Talmud says that Jeremiah wrote the Book of Kings
(Baba Bathra, 15a), but this could mean that Jeremiah was the one
who finished the book. The composition of the main body of the
work, however, seems to be Isaiah's.
Why was the Book of Kingdoms written by Isaiah? There was a
good reason for it. As Fenton said, the historical books
preceding Isaiah are a perfectly good introduction to Isaiah's
prophecies.
In the original order of the Old Testament, the Book of
Kingdoms immediately precedes that of the prophet Isaiah. Would
it not be natural for Isaiah to present a running history of
Israel's obedience and their later rebellions and punishments
before relating his prophecies of what would happen to them
should they continue following in the footsteps of their
forefathers?
If this solution by Ferrar Fenton is the true one, as seems
most likely, the position of the Book of Isaiah following the
Book of Kingdoms, as in the canonical order of the Old Testament,
makes good sense and gives a reason for the writing of the Book
of Kingdoms. This would help confirm Isaiah, along with Hezekiah,
as one of the great canonizers of Scripture.
The Period of King Josiah
The time of King Josiah in the history of canonization is
almost as significant as that of Hezekiah. The ominous conditions
which prevailed with Hezekiah were again extant in Josiah's day.
Only the actors had changed. Instead of the Assyrians threatening
the existence of Judah, this time it was the Babylonians. And
instead of Ahaz's evil, which blanketed Judaic society prior to
the reign of Hezekiah, this time it was that of Manasseh and
Amon. In some ways, the latter apostasy of Manasseh exceeded that
of Ahaz. "So Manasseh made Judah and Jerusalem to err, and to do
worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the
children of Israel" (2 Chron.33:9).
The re-introduction of Gentile paganism during the long
reign of Manasseh was accomplished at the expense of Mosaic
religion. The Temple services, carefully reinstituted by Hezekiah
and Isaiah, again were neglected - and finally ceased altogether.
Manasseh (like Ahaz before him) stripped the Temple of its
furniture. Even blocks of masonry and ceiling rafters were
removed and used in other buildings until the Temple structure
itself became practically an empty hulk (2 Chron.34:8-11).
The Book of Chronicles shows that the religious condition of
Judah during Manasseh's reign was near the low point, but with
the two-year rule of his son, Amon, the situation even worsened.
"Amon trespassed more and more" (2 Chron.33:21-23). However, he
was finally murdered by his own servants (2 Chron.33:24-25). At
this point, Josiah, a mere child, was thrust onto the stage of
history.
Josiah was one of the most remarkable men of the Old
Testament.
In his short life, the Bible states he maintained
extraordinary character, even though his father and grandfather
had been two of the most evil kings that the house of David ever
produced. Despite the religious depravity of the environment into
which he was born, Josiah displayed a righteousness rivalling
that of David and Hezekiah. In fact, the Bible says he even
excelled those kings.
"And like unto him (Josiah] was there no king before him, that
turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and
with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; neither
after him arose there any like him" (2 Kings 23:25).
Long previously, in the reign of Rehoboam, a prophecy had
been uttered about a certain Josiah who would destroy the heathen
altars in the land of Israel (I Kings 13:1-3). That Josiah had
now arrived.
The Re-Establishment of Temple Services
Josiah acceded to the throne at eight years of age. When he
was 20 he began to "purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high
places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten
images" (2 Chron.34: 3). Six years later, having cleansed the
land of idolatry, he ordered that the Temple - which lay
practically in ruins - be completely repaired and restored to its
former splendor. He also ordained that all the priestly functions
be reinstated. The whole religious environment in the land of
Judah was renovated by Josiah. It seemed to be a renewal like
that of Hezekiah.
Then, a significant event took place. While the Holy Place
of the Temple was being repaired, Hilkiah, the High Priest - and
the father of Jeremiah - came upon the neglected scroll of the
Law (the standard copy placed in the sleeves of the Ark).
Recognizing the importance of his find, Hilkiah had this
archetype copy taken to King Josiah.
After thoroughly reading it for several days and noticing
especially the curse-warnings within the Law, Josiah rent his
clothes in repentance for himself and for the people of Judah. He
discovered that even in his reformation he had not been
accomplishing things in the precise manner required by the Law
(2 Chron.34:19). Endeavoring to do his best was not good enough
for Josiah. He wanted to perform all the religious duties as
prescribed by Moses.
In the Law which he had been reading were statements that if
the people forsook God and his Law, then God would forsake them
and send them into captivity. Josiah was terror-stricken when the
impact of these warnings became clear to him. He saw immediately
that time was running out for Judah. With the new-found Law in
his midst, he pursued his reforming policies with even greater
diligence. His zeal gained for him a promise from God that there
would be peace in Judah for the remainder of his life!
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself
before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and
against the inhabitants thereof, and humblest thyself before me,
and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me: I have even heard
thee also, saith the Lord. Behold, I will gather thee to thy
fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace,
neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon
this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same (2 Chron.
34:27,28).
(WHAT A STUPENDOUS EXAMPLE IS JOSIAH TO ALL CHRISTIANS AND TO ALL
LEADERS - INDEED HOW WE NEED LEADERS TODAY LIKE A JOSIAH - Keith
Hunt)
These words constituted a promise of peace and safety for
Judah during the lifetime of Josiah. Those who shared Josiah's
enthusiasm for reform received these promises with great joy.
With Josiah being only 26 years old, they fully expected the
curses of Deuteronomy 28 to be delayed at least 40 or 50 years.
Josiah Dies in Battle
Even though the rumblings of Babylonian armies were already
being heard in the north, the people of Jerusalem felt those
armies would not approach them as long as King Josiah lived. But,
the promise depended on Josiah being prudent about his own
safety.
A few years later, Josiah ventured north to confront the
Egyptians and the Babylonians at the place which later became
known as Armageddon. Within days, shock seized the Jews - they
received news from a messenger that Josiah had sustained a severe
wound from a chance arrow. But they were paralyzed with horror
when the next messenger reported that Josiah had died - at the
youthful age of 39. The prospect for two or three decades of
God's protection, in which the God-fearing Jews had taken
comfort, vanished overnight. Since Josiah was dead, nothing lay
ahead for the Jews but certain drought, plague, invasion and
captivity.
Protection for Judah Ceases
All hopes for the peace of Jerusalem appeared lost. The
evils of Deuteronomy 28 were then expected to occur. Not only had
an excellent king been taken from them, but his death meant the
prophesied captivity upon the Jewish nation could then occur.
Thus, "all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah" (2 Chron.
35:24).
It is no coincidence that from this time forward Jeremiah
began his series of prophecies about the imminent captivity of
Judah.
Even at the critical moment of Josiah's death, Jeremiah
composed an important work about the significance of that event.
"And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and
the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this
day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold [said the
author of Chronicles], they are written in the lamentations" (2
Chron.35:25).
This is a remarkable reference to the writing of an Old
Testament book: the Book of Lamentations. It was a prophetical
song, to be sung in the minor or mournful key. The composition
was written to commemorate the slaying of Josiah, and it carried
with it a prophecy of the destruction to come. Jeremiah even
referred to the death of Josiah in the Book of Lamentations. "The
breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord [Josiah], was
taken in their pits, of whom we said, under his shadow we shall
live among the heathen" (Lam.4:20).
Jewish history since the time of Ezra mentions that this
Book of Lamentations was commissioned to be sung in the Temple as
an "ordinance" (Josephus, Antiq.X.78; cf. Baba Bathra 15a). It
was ordained that Lamentations was to be sung each year on the
10th day of the month Ab - the anniversary of the burning of the
Temple by Nebuchadnezzar. Even now, Jews read this composition of
Jeremiah annually in commemoration of that destruction.
There is also another writing of Jeremiah which was written
in mindfulness of Josiah's death. This was Psalm 89. The latter
part of the psalm speaks about a great calamity that had occurred
to Judah. An anointed person had been cast off (Psa.89:38). His
crown had been destroyed (vs.39,44) and the covenant of
protection given to David and his descendants seemed to be broken
(v.39). The king had recently been killed in battle (v.43) and
while only a youth (v.45). The enemies of Judah were now in much
rejoicing (vs.41,42,51) and the strongholds of the country were
to be broken down (v.40).
This lament is found at the end of Psalm 89 and it describes
the historical situation that existed in Judah at the death of
King Josiah. Indeed, the previous 18 psalms (comprising the
"Asaph Division" - the third book - of the Psalms) had as their
general theme the destruction of the land of Israel, Jerusalem,
and the Temple. It appears that Jeremiah wrote Psalm 89 to
conclude the "Asaph Division" to the Book of Psalms. This, again,
shows an authorization of scripture by Jeremiah.
The final touches of the canonization which started in the
time of King Josiah took place in Babylon after the Jews had been
taken captive. Jeremiah had first gone to Egypt, but he returned
to be with the Jews in Babylon (because he recorded events which
happened in Babylon some 26 years after the final captivity -
Jeremiah 52:3134). Jeremiah was then able to hand over to Daniel
(the Jewish prince in Babylon) any remaining prophecies which he
had written (or other books which he had rescued from the
Temple). Thus, the canonization which began in the time of King
Josiah ended with the final activities of Jeremiah in Babylon.
Daniel and the Sacred Writings
After Jeremiah's departure from the scene, Jerusalem and
Judah continued in a desolate state for many years while the Jews
remained in Babylon. But the preservation of the various books
was not, during this period of captivity, left to unauthorized
members of the Jewish community. We read that Daniel (who was of
royal stock - "of the king's seed, and of the princes" -
Dan.1:3), had been given a high literary position in Babylon.
"]Daniel] was well favoured, and skillful in all wisdom, and
cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had
ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they
might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans"
(Dan.1:4).
Lange's Commentary amplifies the meaning of this verse.
Daniel's "learning" was "all literary knowledge." The phrase
"skillful [cunning] in knowledge" signifies that he was adept in
"various fields of knowledge as contained in books." Daniel was
one who had "acquaintance with literature" ("Daniel," pp.59,61).
In effect, Daniel was chosen to be one of the librarians -
later the chief librarian - in the court of Nebuchadnezzar at
Babylon. The nature of Daniel's work brought him into contact
with all types of literature which existed at the time. This
included works which had been rescued from the Temple at
Jerusalem. He was familiar with "the Law of Moses" (Dan.9:11);
the "prophecies of Jeremiah" (Dan.9:2); the "prophetic books of
Israel" (Dan.9:2) and certain other prophetic "books" which
contained judgments upon the nations (Dan.7:10). There was also a
work called "The Scripture of Truth" (Dan.10:21) which became a
part of Daniel's own book and is recorded for us from Daniel 11:2
to 12:4. This latter prophecy is the most detailed prediction
found anywhere in the Bible and it contains considerable
information about events even future to us!
The Prophet Daniel was a very important link to the story of
biblical canonization because he was the responsible person
through whom the divine books of the Temple were preserved at
Babylon. This enabled them to be returned to Jerusalem by Ezra in
later years.
Ezra's Final Canonization
We now come to the period of Ezra and the Great Assembly.
Although we have previously mentioned some reasons for the final
canonization during Ezra's time, there are other observations
that should be mentioned which can give us a better understanding
of the subject.
There is one point which should never be forgotten: all of
the canonizations preceding that of Ezra are only of historical
interest to us. But the question of exactly which books represent
the complete Old Testament today, can only be answered by
understanding the canonization of Ezra and those 120 priests who
comprised the Great Assembly. It is Ezra's final work which is
the most important.
The reason for this should be apparent. While we can know
when and by whom many of the books or portions of books were
written, there are others about which we are uncertain. What
about the books by Hosea, Joel, Job, Amos, parts of the Psalms or
Proverbs? Until the time of Ezra, we have no certain knowledge of
how and when they were reckoned as canonical - or if they ever
were in early times.
Furthermore, though various suggestions as to which books
David, Solomon, Hezekiah, etc. saw fit to canonize have been made
in previous pages of this book, this was mainly possible because
of hints given in Ezra's Book of Chronicles. It was Ezra (the
"Second Moses") who gave to the Jewish world the official (and
final) Old Testament to be read in the Temple and synagogues.
This makes the canonization by Ezra the most important of all.
EZRA EDITS THE WHOLE OLD TESTAMENT
There is a most important aspect of the Old Testament's final
canonization. This concerns certain editing in the Bible for
which Ezra was responsible.
At first it might seem almost irreverent to suggest that
editing the Bible could be permissible to anyone - regardless of
how important his office. Some might say: "Leave the Bible alone;
don't touch a single letter of it!" This may appear proper to us
today, but Ezra felt that the Old Testament needed editing to
allow the Jewish nation of his time to have the complete and full
revelation of God in the Hebrew language.
Ezra's additions were not vast changes in the text of the
Old Testament. These were small edits, mostly in earlier portions
of the Law. His editorial comments were mainly restricted to
simple parenthetical expressions explaining to the Jews of his
time the contemporary geographical names of ancient places and
towns that had been, changed over the years.
Reference to a good biblical handbook will give the majority
of these editorial remarks. One can be found in Genesis 36:31-39
which records the names of Edomite kings down to the time of King
Saul. This section could not have been written by Moses because
he would hardly have known the names of Edomite kings living 300
years after his death. Such indications as Judges 18:30 which
records events 700 years after the period of the Judges is a
further example of editing.
Ezra simply went through the early books of the Old
Testament and brought them, in some important sections, to
relevance with accurate "modern" geographical or historical
facts. Moses did the same thing when he originally wrote the Law.
He adopted the principle of bringing earlier historical documents
of his time up-todate. Even Moses introduced into the ancient
records geographical terms familiar to Israelites of his time
(Gen.2:14).
This procedure adopted by Moses also gave Ezra the authority
to do the same.
The prophet Samuel did a similar type of editing in his day.
This occurred when the people demanded a king. "Then Samuel told
the people the manner of the Kingdom, and wrote it in the book
and laid it up before the Lord" (I Samuel 10:25). Samuel wrote
"in the book" the manner of how a king was to govern, and what
the rules of his kingdom were to be. Samuel wrote it not just in
any book, but in "the book" which was "laid up before the Lord."
The only writing in existence with Samuel which was placed before
the Lord was the Law of Moses. Thus the section about a king in
Deuteronomy 17:18 was not written by Moses. This was the addition
to the Laws that Samuel the prophet put in. "And it shall be,
when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall
write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is
before the priests the Levites." Prof. Kirkpatrick remarks
pertinently that Samuel:
"wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. Literally,
in the book. Possibly this important chapter [concerning the
kingdom] was added to 'the book of the law' kept by the side of
the ark 'before the Lord"' (The First Book of Samuel, vol. IX,
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, p.112).
This seems certain. Samuel inserted the rules concerning
kingship into the Law of Moses - the books which were preserved
in the sleeves of the Ark (see also Deut.31:26). It is evident
that the Law did not contain the rules of the kingdom prior to
Samuel.
Note that when the people calmored for a king in Samuel's
day, they presented no appeal to the Law of Moses for support.
Samuel himself was upset by the mere suggestion of having a king.
Had the rules concerning the kingdom been already within the Book
of Deuteronomy, there would have been no need for Samuel to
express displeasure.
"This narrative [in the book of Samuel] ... shows no indication
of the law in Deuteronomy [concerning the kingdom] having been
known in fact, either to Samuel, or to the people who demanded of
him a king: had such been the case, it is incredible either that
Samuel would have resisted the application of the people as he is
represented as doing, or . . that the people should not have
appealed to the law, as a sufficient justification for their
request" (Samuel R. Driver, "A Critical and Exegetical Commentary
on Deuteronomy," 3rd ed. ICC, p.213).
Samuel took authority to write out the rules concerning the
kingdom and he placed them in "the book which was laid up before
the Lord." This example of Samuel gave Ezra even further
historical precedent for adding a few editorial remarks to the
Law of God in his time.
Ezra Adds Final Touches
One more example will show Ezra to be the most important
editor of the Old Testament. At the end of Deuteronomy, we find
some remarks concerning the death of Moses. "So Moses the servant
of the Lord died there in the land of Moab ... but no man knoweth
of his sepulchre unto this day" (Deut.34:5,6).
It is hardly possible for Moses to have recorded his own
death and then, in some curious prophecy, tell later people that
his burial place was unknown "unto this day." These are editorial
remarks added by Ezra at the final canonization.
Proof that the editor could be none other than Ezra is found
in Deuteronomy 34:10. "And there arose not a prophet since in
Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face."
It was promised (Deut.18:15-19) that there would arise one
more major prophet like unto Moses in power and authority. That
prophet was to be so great that his words would be like those of
Moses. But of all the prophets who preceded Ezra, not one of them
was the lawgiver (like Moses) or the maker of the New Covenant
with Israel as a new Moses. So Ezra was informing his readers in
his time through this editorial comment that none of the earlier
prophets (such as Isaiah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel) was the prophet
ordained to be like Moses. The Jewish people in the fifth century
B.C. were being directed by Ezra, the compiler of the Hebrew
Bible, to look forward to a future time for the coming of the
great prophet. The Jews in the time of Christ were doing just
that (John 6:14 and 7:40), and Christians came to believe that
the prophet was Christ.
It should be mentioned that even after Ezra's death, some
later members of the Great Assembly (the authorized supreme
religious court of the nation) carried the genealogical tables of
important priestly families down to the time of Alexander the
Great (Neh.12:11, 22; Josephus, Antiq. X1.302).
Lost Books of the Old Testament
In conclusion, let us notice some books which are mentioned
in the Old Testament but are not found in the pages of our Bible:
"The Book of the Wars of the Lord" (Num.21:14).
"The Book of Jasher" (Josh.10:13; 2 Sam.1:18).
"The Book of the Acts of Solomon" (I Kings 11:14).
"The Book of Nathan the Prophet" (IChron.29:29).
"The Book of Gad the Seer" (I Chron.29:29)
"The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shiloite" (2 Chron.9:29).
"The Visions of Iddo the Seer" (2 Chron.9:29).
"The Book of Shemiah the Prophet" (2 Chron.12:15).
"The Book of Jehu the Son of Hanani" (2 Chron.20:34).
"The Sayings of Hosai" (2 Chron.33:19).
Do these "lost books" belong in the sacred canon of the Old
Testament? They do not! The last seven of these ten books were
referred to by Ezra in the Book of Chronicles, and it was he who
was responsible for canonizing the complete Old Testament. He
mentioned these historical documents to support the truth of what
he wrote in the Book of Chronicles, but he did not include any of
them as a part of divine scripture. These were simple books of
history which contained truthful records of the past (much like
First Maccabees in the Apocrypha), but Ezra did not accord them
divine status. This is significant! If Ezra did not reckon them
as canonical, neither should anyone else. This is the case with
all other books mentioned in the Bible but not found within the
present biblical canon!
....................
NOTE:
This chapter by Ernest Martin is especially detailed as to what
the Old Testament says to us on canonization. I believe he has
put it all together correctly. I recommend the reader studies
what he has written a number of times to fully grasp how the Lord
finally canonized the Scriptures, as we find them today, in the
section of the Bible, Christians call the Old Testament - Keith
Hunt
APPENDIX to the Canon of Old TestamentPsalms and Proverbs Divisionsby the late Dr. Ernest Martin
APPENDIX ONE
Preliminary Suggestions for the Structure of the Psalms
There are 150 individual psalms comprising the biblical Book of
Psalms. There are psalms (or songs) found in other parts of the
Bible. Examples: the psalm of Moses (Exo. 15:1-19; Rev. 15:3);
the psalm of Deborah and Barak (Jud. 5:1-31); the psalm of
Habakkuk - which is pure prophecy (3:1-19). Even in the New
Testament there are psalms (Luke 1:46-55; 67-79).
Almost all of the psalms positioned outside the regular Book of
Psalms have as their theme the matter of prophecy - usually
prophetic teachings regarding the nation of Israel or, sometimes,
information about the prophesied Messiah. This prophetic
relevance is also found among the psalms located within the Book
of Psalms itself. This has not been fully recognized by many
people, nevertheless it is true. This can be shown in several
ways, but prime teaching on the matter is found in the Book of
Chronicles. That book relates that the psalms were sanctioned to
be sung within the temple precincts by regularly assigned
Levitical singers. These Levites were ordained to "prophesy with
harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals" (I Chron. 25:1). These
special men were consecrated to their tasks by King David and the
prophet Samuel (I Chon. 9:22). There were 24 such designated
groups to sing specified psalms in a regular order of
administration (I Chron. 25:8-31). There were exactly 288 Levites
(12 x 24) who "were instructed in the songs [psalms] of the Lord"
(I Chron. 25:7). These 24 divisions were called "wards" and each
was accompanied by 12 Levites. This shows that the number 24 (and
12) was important to the arrangement of the singers and the
psalms which they sang.
It will be recalled that there were also 24 elders associated
with the ceremonies of the heavenly temple as recorded in the
Book of Revelation (Rev. 5:8,14; 11:16; 19:4). The Book of
Revelation is devoted entirely to prophecy, and the symbolic
numbers of 24 and 12 are found in several places in the book.
There were 144,000 Israelites ordained "to sing a new song" in
the future. Those 144,000 divided by 24 equals 6000 - the number
of years which seemingly is assigned to mankind for the period of
God's firstfruit activity in His redemption of humanity. At any
rate, the singing being done by those saved involves the use of
psalms (Rev. 15:3). This shows a distinctive prophetical ring to
some of the psalms.
The Levitical singing in the temple, which was established by
King David, was certainly prophetical. They "prophesied according
to the order of the king" (I Chron. 25:2) - they "prophesied with
a harp, to give thanks and to praise the Lord" (verse 3). One of
the principal prophets to King David was "Heman the king's seer
[prophet] in the words of God, to lift up the horn" (verse 5).
Even David himself, who composed most of the psalms in the Bible,
was called a prophet by the New Testament (Matt. 27:35). The New
Testament also said that Asaph, one of the principal men assigned
by David to sing the psalms, was called a prophet too (Matt.
13:35).
We thus have abundant evidence from the Old and New Testaments
that the psalms had a prophetic content to them. Many were
written by prophets. Indeed, there were more verses quoted in the
New Testament from the Book of Psalms which contained prophecies
about Christ and of his future role in human affairs, than from
anv other book of the Old Testament. Christians thought that king
David was very typical of Christ. This fact in itself should show
that the Book of Psalms is essentially a prophetical book as much
as Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel. And truly, when one really
comprehends what the various psalms mean - and their
relationships to one another within the contexts in which they
are placed - a prophetic significance can be seen which is very
evident.
Let us now look at the 150 psalms within the Book of Psalms.
Their arrangement and contexts should be noted. When surveyed
properly, the structure and design might open up some outstanding
prophetic teaching that many of us may not have seen before.
The Structure of the Psalms
In the original Hebrew apportionment of the Book of Psalms, the
150 psalms are assorted among five major divisions. These five
"books" are not discemable in the ordinary King James Version,
but they are evident in the Hebrew manuscripts. The five
divisions are as follows:
Psalms 1-41 (Book I)
Psalms 42-72 (Book II)
Psalms 73-89 (Book III)
Psalms 90-106 (Book IV)
Psalms 107-150 (Book V)
The fact that there are five books is significant. The number has
a legal and prophetic symbol attached to it. Actually, the
original Ten Commandments were divided into 5 and 5 (not 4 and 6
as some imagine today). The first 5 were spiritual (including the
honor given to parents) and the last 5 were social (involving
relationships with other human beings). Prophetically, we can see
its importance in the Book of Isaiah. The prophet gave some
sequential references to the destruction coming upon Israel for
their evil. Isaiah gave a 5-fold admonition. [One should note the
context in which the 5-fold repetitive clause is given to
understand the full message of Isaiah.]
1) "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand
[God's hand] is stretched out still" (Isa. 5:25).
2) "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still" (Isa. 9:12).
3) "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still" (9:17).
4) "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still" (9:21).
5) "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still" (10:4).
This same type of 5-fold prophetic scheme is also found in the
Book of Amos. It was intimately connected with prophetic
symbolism.
1) "Yet have ye not returned unto me" (4:6).
2) "Yet have ye not returned unto me" (4:8).
3) "Yet have ye not returned unto me" (4:9).
4) "Yet have ye not returned unto me" (4:10).
5) "Yet have ye not returned unto me" (4:11).
The sequential emphasis of the prophet Amos was to build up God's
case for the refusal of Israel to follow Him. God finally gives
up trying to reform them by saying: "Prepare to meet thy God, O
Israel" (Amos 4:12). In other words, 5 chances were all that God
was going to give them.
The Book of Lamentations, which is a message by Jeremiah
concerning the complete destruction of Jerusalem and the temple,
was also given in a 5-fold arrangement. The first chapter has 22
verses - each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and
all the letters are in their regular order. Then the second
chapter also has the same 22 Hebrew letters heading each verse.
The third chapter, however, has 66 verses, yet the same feature
is retained - only this time there are three verses beginning
with the first Hebrew letter, the next three verses the second
letter, etc. until all 22 letters are used up. Finally, chapters
four and five have 22 verses, but for some reason these verses do
not begin with the Hebrew letters. Nonetheless, the 5-fold
division is clearly seen. The number 5 seems to give the theme of
the prophecy a sense of certainty or dogmatism. This shows up in
the other sections of scripture where the 5-fold arrangement is
maintained.
The Law of Moses was also divided into 5 parts: The Book of
Genesis (1), The Book of Exodus (2), The Book of Leviticus (3),
The Book of Numbers (4), The Book of Deuteronomy (5). This could
signify that all the law that was necessary to govern Old
Testament Israel was found within these 5-fold legal books.
And now, back to our Book of Psalms. It was also arranged in the
5-fold scheme. In fact, the ancient Jewish scholars saw a
comparison between the 5 books of Moses' Law and the 5 divisions
of the Book of Psalms. The early commentary on Psalms 1:1 (called
by the Hebrews the Midrash) says: "Moses gave to the Israelites
the five books of the Law; and corresponding with these David
gave them the five books of the Psalms." A good discussion on the
resemblance of each of the five divisions is given in the
commentaries at the start of the Book of Psalms. We show how they
tally in the paragraph below.
Psalms 1-41 (Book I) = Genesis
Psalms 42-72 (Book II) = Exodus
Psalms 73-89 (Book III) = Leviticus
Psalms 90-106 (Book IV) = Numbers
Psalms 107-150 (Book V) = Deuteronomy
But there is yet another 5-fold prophetic division of the Bible
which was designed, like the psalms, to be read in the temple at
certain times of the year. These were the 5 books in the original
Hebrew arrangement of the Old Testament called the Megilloth
(Scrolls) to be read at the holyday seasons and on two
commemorative days in the Hebrew calendar. The first book was the
Song of Songs (to be read at Passover), the second was Ruth
(Pentecost), the third was Lamentations (on the 10th of Ab - the
day on which the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in the
sixth century B.C. - see Jeremiah 52:12-14; Zech. 7:5; 8:19), the
fourth book was Ecclesiastes (read in the period of Tabernacles),
and the fifth was Esther (read on Purim - see Esther 9:20-22).
Since the holyday periods given to Israel are of prophetic
relevance, it follows that the 5 books of the Old Testament
assigned to be read at those designated times are a commentary on
the meaning of the seasons.
The Passover season (1) shows the redemption of Israel from
Egypt, and in the New Testament it was the salvation afforded to
Christians by Christ's death on the cross - which occurred at
Passover. The Song of Songs was read at that time. Its theme is
that of a courtship and its setting is Springtime.
Then, Pentecost (2) shows the beginning of Israel as a nation at
Mount Sinai. Within the New Testament, the "church of Christ"
began on that day (Acts 2). The Book of Ruth was ordained to be
read in the temple and synagogues at that time. It describes Ruth
gleaning the firstfruits harvest from the land of Boaz in Judah.
The theme of the book fits Pentecost perfectly.
The 10th of Ab (3) was the anniversary day for the destruction of
the temple back in the time of Jeremiah. [Remarkably, the temple
which was rebuilt by King Herod - the one that existed in the
time of Christ - was also destroyed on the exact same day, and
quite by accident. It makes one wonder if the day is of more
importance in the prophetical chronology than at first meets the
eye.] The Book of Lamentations was ordained to be read (II Chron.
35:25) and the 10th of Ab was the day selected for its reading.
And what a significant book it was! Its subject was the
destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
Then came Tabernacles (4). This indicates the time that Israel
will be top in the world - under their Messiah. It is a time
denoting the Millennium of the New Testament (Rev. 20:3-6). The
Book of Ecclesiastes (which describes the peaceful reign of
Solomon - a type of the Millennium) was picked to be read at that
season.
After that is Purim (5) which shows the complete redemption of
the nation of Judah - a central tribe of Israel, and the one
responsible for dispensing the message of salvation to the world
(John 4:22).
Thus, the three holyday seasons and the two main commemorative
periods (5 sanctified times) were graced with 5 books to be read
that backed up the significance of their themes. These 5 books
(and holyday seasons) also compare interestingly with the 5
divisions of the Psalms and the 5 books of the Mosaic Law. Let us
see.
(1) Psalms 1-41 (BookI) = Genesis = Song of Songs (1)
(2) Psalms 42-72 (Book II) = Exodus = Ruth (2)
(3) Psalms 73-89 (Book III) = Leviticus = Lamentations (3)
(4) Psalms 90-106 (Book IV) = Numbers = Ecclesiastes (4)
(5) Psalms 107-150 (Book V) = Deuteronomy = Esther (5)
When these three sections of the Old Testament are compared with
one another, there is an amazing parallel in many features. It is
almost as if an over-all design was intended by the divine
canonizers to show a buttressing effect on the messages found in
each book. This may well be. To see this in a clear way, let us
focus on Book III of the Psalms. This will equate with the Book
of Leviticus in the Law of Moses and the Book of Lamentations in
the Megilloth. The third book of psalms comprises those from
Psalms 73 to 89 inclusively. Anyone who surveys those 17 psalms
can see quite easily that they generally refer, in the main, to
the temple at Jerusalem, and usually to its destruction. Note
some particular verses in the psalms of Book III which show this.
Psalm 73 = "The sanctuary of God ... they brought into
destruction" (verses 17,18).
Psalm 74 = "The enemy hath done wickedly in thy sanctuary....
they have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by
casting thy dwelling place [the temple] of thy name to the
ground" (verses 3,7).
Psalm 75 = "The earth [land] and all the inhabitants thereof are
dissolved" (verse 3).
Psalm 76 = "In Salem [Jerusalem] is his tabernacle, and his
dwelling place in Zion. There [in Jerusalem] brake he the arrows
of the bow" (verses 2,3).
Psalm 77 = "In the day of trouble I sought the Lord.... Will the
Lord cast off forever?" (verses 2,7).
Psalm 78 = "He forsook the tabernacle of Shilo [when the temple
was once there], the tent which he placed among men" (verse 60).
Psalm 79 = "O God, the heathen are come into thy inheritance;
thy holy temple have they defiled ... and there was none to bury
them" (verses 1,3). [The latter reference is to the Two
Witnesses, as shown in the New Testament. See Rev. 11:9].
More examples from Book III of the Psalms could be given, but
this is enough to show that the theme of destruction is the
general context of all of those 17 psalms. And what is parallel
to Book III of the Psalms? In the Megilloth it is the Book of
Lamentations. And, as said before, this book was ordained to be
read on the anniversary of the temple's destruction (Jer.
52:12-14; Zech. 7:5; 8:19). There could be no book more apt for
comparison to the subject matter of Book III of the Psalms. But
these two books are arranged opposite (in their 5-fold structure)
to Book III of the Law - the Book of Leviticus. And its theme? It
is all about the priesthood and the Levites regarding their
duties in the temple. It could hardly be accidental that the
books found such an arrangement. The three books support each
other in subject matter.
Now look at Book IV of the Psalms. There are also 17 psalms in
this division (Psalms 90-106). Psalm 90 introduces its contextual
subject by mentioning a 1000 years (verse 4). A thousand years
is, of course, a millennium of time. And the general teaching of
these 17 psalms is millennial - about the time peace and security
will be over all the earth. But before peace can come to the
earth, there is the time of the Great Tribulation that must first
occur. Psalm 91 describes such a subject in detail. Then, it is
followed by Psalm 92 - a psalm for the Sabbath day (note its
superscription). The Old Testament Sabbath day (the seventh day
of the week) also represented the 7000th year period (after 6000
years of human rule) called in the Book of Revelation the 1000
year time when peace reigns throughout all the earth and Satan is
bound in chains (Rev. 20: 2-4). And note! It takes only a cursory
reading of the rest of the psalms in Book IV of the Book of
Psalms to see the Millennial connection. But also, it must be
noted that the Judaic authorities consecrated the Book of
Ecclesiastes to be read at the Tabernacles' season. Ecclesiastes
described the glories of the Solomonic kingdom (a type of the
Millennium) and Tabernacles itself had its spiritual theme as
that of the same Millennium.
Book V of the Psalms (Psalms 107-150) is associated with
Deuteronomy in the Law. Deuteronomy is called "the second law"
or, a recapitulation of the earlier parts of the Law of Moses.
And this is what the 44 psalms of Book V denote - a summing up of
the subjects from Book I to IV. It is also equalled to the Book
of Esther, which shows the complete salvation of the Jewish
people. It looks like they will be one of the last nations on
earth to finally accept Christ (Rom. 11:25,26). And Book V of the
Psalms gives information that could emphasize how God will
accomplish this salvation upon those of Israel.
Books I and II of the Psalms are songs composed exclusively by
King David. At the end of Psalm 72 is the statement: "The prayers
of David the son of Jesse are ended." Of course, there are other
Davidic psalms in later sections, but this reference indicates
that Book I (Psalms 1-41) and Book II (Psalms 42-72) were all
written by David.
Let us now note this interesting feature. The number of the
Davidic psalms are 72 (that is 24 x 3). Since King David arranged
the Levitical singers into 24 "wards" (I Chron. 25:8-31), it can
be seen as being very likely that these first 72 psalms were
established to fit a pattern of singing them in order by the
Levites who found themselves positioned by David into 24
divisions.
Look at these psalms. In Book I there are 41 psalms. If one
reckons the first psalm as introductory, then there are 40 psalms
left. The number 40 is a number of trial. [We have given evidence
of this in our December, 1978 Commentator.] But in Book II there
are 31 psalms. If one allows the first psalm of the second book
to be introductory, then there are 30 psalms left. When one adds
40 and 30 together (equallying 70), one has the exact age of
David when he died. The age of 70 is also considered in Psalm 90
as the ideal length of man's life on earth (Psa. 90:10). And
isn't it interesting that Psalm 71:18 (next to the last psalm in
the Davidic collection) records David as saying: "Now also when I
am old and greyheaded." Then, the next psalm (the last one of
Book II), concerns the glories of the Solomonic kingdom which was
to occur at the death of David.
And too, Book I of the Psalms corresponds to the Song of Songs
which was sung at the Passover season. The whole of the 41 psalms
(1 plus 40) relate to this theme. Note, as an example, Psalm 22
which says that the wicked "pierced my hands and my feet" (verse
16). This reference, in prophecy, referred to the crucifixion of
Christ - who died at the Passover! Also, since Israel came out of
Egypt at Passover, the 40 psalms of Book I (after the
introductory one) probably denote the 40 years of wandering in
the wilderness. The 30 psalms of Book II (after the introductory
one) may show the 30 years for the establishing of the nation of
Israel in the land of Canaan - and this took exactly 30 years
from their crossing of the River Jordan to the death of Joshua.
Conclusion
None of us can know for certain why the psalms in the Book of
Psalms are arranged the way they are. Certainly, there is a
reason behind their positioning because some of the psalms were
repeated in other sections. Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 are virtually
the same in content, yet one occurs in Book I and the other in
Book II. Also, Psalm 70 is parallel with Psalm 40:13-17 and Psalm
60:9-12 with Psalm 108:10-13. In fact, with Psalms 9 and 10 there
is an acrostic feature (the use of Hebrew letters at the
beginning of verses - like in the Book of Lamentations) which
shows that the two separate psalms were at one time one psalm.
See the commentaries for proof of this. This all helps to show
that there is a definite reason why the psalms were positioned in
the way that they were. It is not the simple message that they
give that is all the truth, it is the context in which they occur
that makes the difference.
And since it can be shown that the psalms in the Book of Psalms
are basically of a prophetic nature, it looks like a prophetic
theme is to be found within the 5-fold divisions of the Psalms.
We can sum up, succinctly, what it might mean.
The 41 (1 plus 40) psalms of Book I seem to refer to Passover -
the beginning of Israel as a nation, and the start of the New
Testament scheme of salvation with the death and resurrection of
Christ. Book II is equated with Pentecost - the feast of the
first-fruits. It shows Israel as a corporate body in the land of
Israel, and it also can refer to the creation of the New
Testament church and the spreading of the Gospel to the world.
Book III is almost totally devoted to describing the destruction
of Israel and the temple (both in 586 B.C. and in A.D. 70). This
is a subject that parallels the prophecy of the Great Tribulation
in the Book of Revelation very well.
Indeed, some of the teachings about that great time of trouble
are reflective of verses found within this section of the psalms.
Book IV of the psalms shows Israel regathered after their ruin
(as demonstrated in the context of Book III). This book concerns
the Millennium which is prophesied to happen after the ruin of
the Israelitish system in Palestine just before the return of
Christ to earth. And finally, Book V is equated with the feast of
Purim - the time when Judah (all Israel) shall be delivered - as
they were in the Persian period as recorded in the Book of
Esther. Book V is also similar to that of Deuteronomy in the
sense that it combines all the major features of the first four
books.
Since there are 150 psalms in the entire collection (3 x 50)
there may have been a three-year reading plan-a reading of a
psalm for each of the 150 weeks to correspond with the triennial
reading of the Law and the Prophets in the temple (Acts 13:15).
This possibility has been suggested in the Jewish Encyclopaedia
[1911], Vol. 12, under article Triennial Cycle. This could well
be one of the reasons for the positioning of the psalms in the
manner they are.
The main thing to recognize, however, is that there is far more
teaching in the Book of Psalms than at first meets the eye. No
one knows for sure just what every detail is trying to reveal.
Yet, when one realizes that a consistency of doctrinal and
prophetical emphasis is found throughout the Old Testament, it
could be that the Psalms are a simple reflection of that fact.
These suggestions are intended as a preliminary survey of the
various 5-fold sections which are found in the Old Testament. We
should recall that the New Testament also has a 5-fold
"Pentateuch" of the Gospels and Acts, and that Matthew's Gospel
is arranged in a 5-fold structure. It appears, when one studies
them closely, that these designs are not haphazardly formed, but
that some kind of message is intended by their application in
matters of interpretation. Certainly, further research among
scholars and biblical students is needed to comprehend these
matters in a better way. Such study, however, would be
facilitated if people will retain the manuscript order of the
biblical books rather than the arbitrary one that is now being
presented to the world. We hope that the information in this book
can prove to be an incentive to accomplish this task.
APPENDIX TWO
The Book Of Proverbs - Its Structure, Design, and Teaching
Most people are not aware that the proverbial statements in the
Book of Proverbs are really parables. They are sayings that use
natural and normal illustrations to show comparisons to moral,
social, or religious principles. In other words, the use of the
proverbs (parables) is intended to portray spiritual truths
through the ordinary usage of words and explanations. The
intended result, however, may involve the revelation of many
"dark sayings" that the ordinary person may be unaware of. Or, to
put it simply, there is often more to the proverb than at first
meets the eye.
The introduction to the Book of Proverbs in the Holy Bible tells
us this very fact. The first six verses are the superscription to
the whole book. It says the proverbs have been given in order to
show wisdom, instruction, understanding, justice, judgment,
subtlety to the simple, knowledge, discretion, learning, counsel,
and - "to understand a proverb [parable], and the interpretation;
the words of the wise [the word "wise" is plural: "wise ones"],
and their dark sayings" (Prov. 1:6).
This means that the Book of Proverbs does not only contain the
proverbs originated by King Solomon, but it represents a
compilation of wise and dark sayings which were associated with
the "wise men" who lived before Solomon. Of those mentioned in
the Bible there were the sons of Zerah [who was the son of
Judah]: Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda (I Kings 4:31). These
four "wise men" (or ancient philosophers) lived in Egypt at the
time that Joseph was in power (Genesis 41). And let us not forget
the patriarch Joseph himself! When Joseph was able to interpret
Pharaoh's dream that a famine of seven years was to grip the
Middle Eastern world, Pharaoh admitted that "there is none so
discreet and wise as thou [Joseph] art" (Gen. 41:39). [We will
soon see that some of the proverbs found within the biblical book
are certainly those that originated with Joseph long before the
Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.] Other "wise men" were those
"of the east country" (I Kings 4:30) - the people in the land of
Edom (Obadiah 8), where the "wise man" Job had his residence (Job
1:1). The land of Uz (Job 1:1) was located east of the Jordan
River.
These indications in the Bible show that there were many people
of the ancient past who were considered "wise men." And what is
the Book of Proverbs? It is basically a compilation of proverbs
(parables) uttered by many "wise men" of the past, but brought
together by King Solomon (or later editors), in order that the
people of God could be instructed in the "dark sayings" and words
of wisdom which have been uttered by people who learned the
principles that governed life. They represent the "cream of the
crop" of ancient philosophical teaching. When really understood,
the "sayings" in the Book of Proverbs are no doubt some of the
oldest literary statements known to man. It will pay us to
understand just what the proverbs are all about, and especially
why they have been placed in the order that they have. There is
significant instruction awaiting us if we do.
We are told in the Bible that the proverbs accumulated (or
written) by Solomon were "set in order" (Eccl. 12:9) - indeed,
the proverbs had been "sought out" by Solomon for the express
purpose of teaching the people of Israel essential knowledge.
They were the words of the "wise ones" (Eccl. 12:11- the word
"wise" is, again, plural, and signifies many wise people of the
past that were known by Solomon). The proverbs were "acceptable
words" and "words of truth" which were "upright" [full of
righteous teaching] (Eccl. 12:10). Since Solomon "set them in
order," this shows that the proverbs were not arranged
haphazardly. They also must be a selection of some of the better
sayings of the wise ones. Actually, Solomon himself "spake three
thousand proverbs" (I Kings 4:32). Since the Book of Proverbs
contains only 915 verses (and some proverbs take up several
verses), it can be seen that Solomon was selective even of his
own proverbial creations in order that the whole book could be
streamlined to contain the best of many "wise men."
The main ingredient to understanding a proverb, according to the
superscription itself, is "the interpretation" behind the words
(Prov. 1:6). They may well be "dark sayings," (Prov. 1:6), but
they are designed to give enlightenment to those who read. Since
this is the case, it will pay us first to apprehend the divisions
of the Book of Proverbs and to understand the context in which
the various proverbs are placed. This will help us to comprehend
what the individual messages are all about.
DIVISION I
Prov. 1:7 to 9:18.
DIVISION II
"The Proverbs of Solomon" Prov. 10:1 to 22:16.
DIVISION III
"The words of the wise [ones]" Prov. 22:22 to 24:22.
DIVISION IV
"These also belong to the wise [ones]" Prov. 24:23 to 24:34.
DIVISION V
"These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah
king of Judah copied" Prov. 25:1 to 29:27.
There are yet two remaining divisions to the Proverbs. These
final two sections seem to represent individual compositions
about two men of whom we have no further information as to their
identities in the Bible.
DIVISION VI
"The words of Agur the son of Jakeh" Prov. 30 (the whole
chapter).
DIVISION VII
"The words of king Lemuel" Prov. 31 (the whole chapter).
There is a general "story flow" which pervades the proverbs in
each of the designated divisions. When this is realized, it helps
us to better identify the author of most of the individual
proverbs in the various sections and to see why the proverbs were
placed in the manner they were. It also gives us the over-all
teaching of the theme.
DIVISION ONE: The first six verses of the book are an
introduction to the whole of the Book of Proverbs. The very first
"proverb," in itself, is found in verse seven.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools
despise wisdom and instruction."
This sets the theme of the first division, and also to all of
Proverbs. "The fear of the Lord," which is the Old Testament way
of saying: "Have faith and trust in God," is the very start of
wisdom. All else, according to the author of this section, is
subsidiary to this main principle. And what is the next step to
wisdom?
"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the
law of thy mother: for they shall be an ornament of grace unto
thy head, and chains about thy neck."
Paying attention to the teachings of one's parents is the next
step to gaining wisdom. Who was the author of this first
division? We are not told precisely, but there are some hints.
Who was it that respected his father so much that he finally had
a "chain of authority" put around his neck? Such a person was
Joseph (Gen. 41:42). This first division speaks very much about
the "strange woman" (Prov. 2:16-18; 5:3-6; 5:15-20; 6:24-35;
7:5-23; 9:13-18), and of all the early "wise men" of Israel,
Joseph was noted for his refraining from an adulterous union with
the king's wife (Gen. 39:7-23). Since Joseph was described as
being "discreet and wise" (Gen. 41:39) - and lived at the same
time as the sons of Zerah in Egypt (I Kings 4:31) - it could well
be that he was the main author of the first division (or helped
to compose it with the sons of Zerah).
Joseph was also able to interpret Pharaoh's dreams for him in a
very judicious way (Gen. 41:25-36) and he recognized that the
Sun, Moon, and Eleven Stars represented his father, his mother,
and his eleven brothers (Gen. 37:5-11). And what are the proverbs
in Division One really about? They are "dark sayings" which need
"interpretation" (Prov. 1:6). As said before, they are statements
that mean more than at first meets the eye. One must dig beneath
the surface to understand the real meaning.
Division One is filled with such "secret" teachings. Note that
the main textual subject of this division is Wisdom (1:20;
2:2,6,7,10; 3:13,19,21; 4:5,7; 5:1; 7:4; 8:1,12,14; 9:1).
"Wisdom" is personified as a woman and rendered in the plural
(Prov. 1:20ff). Other than the simple use for the meaning of
"wisdom," it no doubt refers to something far more - especially
since it is put in the feminine gender. The Old Testament was a
"man's world," but "Wisdom" and other virtuous attributes are
feminine! The holy name for Jerusalem was Zion and it is called a
"she" in Psalm 46:5. Israel and Judah are called daughters (Ezek.
23:1). The New Testament body of believers in the Book of
Revelation is called "the wife" of Christ (Rev. 19:7). The virtue
of "understanding" is also feminine (Prov. 7:4,5), and the chief
attitude of all - "love" - is as well placed in the feminine
gender (I Cor. 13:5).
But we also find that Babylon, Nineveh, and the evil system
condemned in the Book of Revelation are also called "women" (Rev.
17:5; Nah. 2:10; 3:4; Zeph. 2:13-15; Micah 5:6 margin). The
subject to whom the proverbs of Division One is directed is "My
Son." He is told to have his affection set on Wisdom and
Understanding (both expressed in the feminine). Yet he is equally
advised to stay away from "the strange woman." Since the proverbs
are parables which are "dark sayings" requiring interpretation to
understand them, the significance could be intended to show the
people of Israel to stay away from the alluring environments of
the false "women" of Babylon, Nineveh, and the great woman of the
Book of Revelation. But the "true women" are Wisdom and
Understanding. There may be more teaching in the Book of Proverbs
than one might imagine on the surface!
"Wisdom" is also personified as being with the creator of nature.
"The Lord possessed me [Wisdom] in the beginning of his way,
before his works of old" (Prov. 8:22-36). It is almost as though
"she" were a creator herself (Prov. 9:1) - almost like Christ in
relation to the Father (Col. 1:16-18 along with Prov. 8:22-36).
There may be far more "dark sayings" to comprehend in this
section of Proverbs than many people imagine. Perhaps Joseph (or
those associated with him before the Exodus) understood even some
of the "secret" things mentioned in the New Testament, though in
a veiled way. At any rate, the first nine chapters of Proverbs
represent the sayings of ancient "wise ones" - the ones who lived
long before Solomon.
DIVISION TWO: The next thirteen chapters of the book are short
proverbial statements made exclusively by King Solomon. The
simple title to the section is: "The proverbs of Solomon" (Prov.
10:1). And what is its primary emphasis? Look at the first
proverb of this division:
"A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the
heaviness of his mother."
Whereas in the first division the thrust is mainly upon spiritual
things: Wisdom, Understanding, Faithfulness, Duty to God, in this
second section it is foremostly the relationships between humans.
Of course, the most important association is that of children and
parents, and that is emphasized first. There is nothing
especially esoteric about these short and to-the-point
statements, yet the order in which they occur could be
significant. Since we are told by Paul that a "root of all evil"
is the desire for riches (I Tim. 6:10), it is interesting that
the second proverb of Solomon's personal section shows that the
"treasures of wickedness profit nothing" (Prov. 10:2).
DIVISION THREE: This is one of the most interesting sections in
the whole of Proverbs. One who reads the King James Version would
hardly realize that a new division was being introduced - but it
is clearly evident in the original text. Division Three actually
begins in the middle of chapter 22. The title to it is found from
Proverbs 22:17 to 21. Let us look at it. [It must be understood
that the verses that now follow are not individual proverbs in
themselves. They represent a superscription to Division Three.]
"Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise [plural:
"wise ones"], and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is
a pleasant thing if thou keep them [the following proverbs of
Division Three] within thee; they [these particular proverbs]
shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the
Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not
I written to thee excellent things [or, as the Revised Standard
Version has it: "thirty sayings"] in counsels and knowledge, that
I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that
thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto
thee?"
After this long introduction, we then find the first proverb of
Division Three. It is Proverbs 22:22,23.
"Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the
afflicted in the gate: for the Lord will plead their cause, and
spoil the soul of those that spoil them."
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