G P
O T
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G P
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Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River
Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montréal Toronto
Delhi Mexico City São Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo
Mark Roncace
Wingate University
Joseph Weaver
Wingate University
Editors
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Editor in Chief: Ashley Dodge
Publisher: Nancy Roberts
Editorial Assistant: Molly White
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Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear
on appropriate page within text (or on page 242).
Copyright © 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This
publication is protected by Copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
CIP information not available at time of publication.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 10: 0-205-90921-3
ISBN 13: 978-0-205-90921-6
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v
BRIEF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Genesis 1–3 (Part I) 1
Chapter 2 Genesis 1–3 (Part II) 10
Chapter 3 Genesis 12–21 19
Chapter 4 Genesis 22 28
Chapter 5 Genesis 25–33 37
Chapter 6 Genesis 37–50 46
Chapter 7 Exodus 1–15 56
Chapter 8 Exodus 20 65
Chapter 9 Leviticus 74
Chapter 10 Deuteronomy 6, 10, 16, 24 81
Chapter 11 Joshua 1–11 89
Chapter 12 1 Samuel 16–2 Samuel 21 97
Chapter 13 Isaiah 40–55 105
Chapter 14 Jeremiah 114
Chapter 15 Ezekiel 1–24 122
Chapter 16 Jonah 131
Chapter 17 Micah 3, 6 139
Chapter 18 Psalm 22, 23, 42, 148 148
Chapter 19 Psalm 137 156
Chapter 20 Proverbs 31 164
Chapter 21 Job 173
Chapter 22 Song of Songs 182
Chapter 23 Ruth 191
Chapter 24 Lamentations 199
Chapter 25 Ecclesiastes 208
Chapter 26 Esther 217
Chapter 27 Daniel 226
Chapter 28 Ezra and Nehemiah 234
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vii
CONTENTS
Preface xv
Chapter 1 GENESIS 1–3 (PART I) 1
Chinese and Biblical Creation Myths
Sonia Kwok Wong (China) 2
The Purusa-Sukta Compared to Biblical Texts
M. Aravind Jeyakumar (India) 3
The Concept of Human Community in African Creation Stories
David T. Williams (South Africa) 5
Six Differences between Two Creation Stories in Genesis
Meir Bar-Ilan (Israel) 7
Chapter 2 GENESIS 1–3 (PART II) 10
Theism, Evolution, and Reading Genesis
Patrick Gray (United States) 11
A Literal Reading of Genesis
Keith Megilligan (United States) 12
Genesis and the Treatment of the Natural World
Jonathan Merritt (United States) 14
Animals and Our Relationship to Them
Phillip Sherman (United States) 16
Chapter 3 GENESIS 12–21 19
Life in India and Abraham’s Trials
K. B. Georgekutty (India) 20
Raimundo Panikkar’s Interpretation of Melchizedek in
Genesis 14
Erik Ranstrom (United States) 21
An “Ethnic Minority” Interpretation of Hagar and Ishmael
Janice P. De-Whyte (Ghana, England) 23
Sodom and Gomorrah and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian
Mardi Gras
Roland Boer (Australia) 25
Chapter 4 GENESIS 22 28
Genesis 22 and Conflict in the Middle East
Clare Amos (Lebanon) 29
A Comparison of Genesis 22 to the Qur’an
F. Volker Greifenhagen (Canada) 30
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viii Contents
A Personal Reflection on the Sacrifice of a Son
Shira Salamone (United States) 33
Five Explanations for the Inclusion of Genesis 22 in Scripture
Christo Lombaard (South Africa) 34
Chapter 5 GENESIS 25–33 37
A Jewish Feminist Reflection on Rebekah
Arlette Poland (United States) 38
God’s Treatment of Esau
Shirley Phelps-Roper (United States) 40
Leah and the Challenges of Women in Polygynous Partnership
Madipoane Masenya (South Africa) 41
A Spiritual Reflection on the Life of Jacob
Clarence Mitchell (United States) 44
Chapter 6 GENESIS 37–50 46
Forgiveness in the Joseph Narrative
Eric A. Seibert (United States) 47
Joseph’s Actions and Economic Theory
Wayne Tarrant (United States) 48
An LGBT Reading of Genesis 37–50
Mona West (United States) 50
A Personal Conversation with Joseph
Francis G. H. Pang (Hong Kong, Canada) 53
Chapter 7 EXODUS 1–15 56
Two Aspects of Exodus through a Buddhist Lens
Vanessa R. Sasson (Canada) 57
The Divine Name and Kitaro Nishida’s Concept of God
Eiko Hanaoka (-Kawamura) (Japan) 59
The Exodus Story as Historical Fiction
Megan Bishop Moore (United States) 60
A Liberationist Reading of the Exodus Story
Gilbert Lozano (Brazil) 62
Chapter 8 EXODUS 20 65
The Ten Commandments in an African-American Community
Febbie C. Dickerson (United States) 66
The Ten Commandments and the Separation of Church
and State
Jonathan Redding (United States) 67
Confucius and the Fifth Commandment
Maggie Low (Singapore) 69
The Ten Commandments in Greenland
Flemming A. J. Nielsen (Greenland) 71
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Contents ix
Chapter 9 LEVITICUS 74
Female Purity in Leviticus and India
Surekha Nelavala (India) 75
Necromancy in Africa
Onesimus A. Ngundu (Zimbabwe) 76
Slavery in Levitical Law and Black Liberation Theology
Josiah U. Young III (United States) 78
The Tao Te Ching and the Relevance of Leviticus
Michael Shepherd (China) 79
Chapter 10 DEUTERONOMY 6, 10, 16, 24 81
Korean Celebrations and Exhortations in Deuteronomy
Heewon Chung (South Korea) 82
Deuteronomy and Chinese Christians Living in Indonesia
Andrea K. Iskandar (Indonesia) 83
Deuteronomy as a Lesson on How to Treat the Oppressed
Song-Chong Lee (South Korea) 85
Deuteronomy as a Blueprint for Social Justice
Santiago Slabodsky (Argentina) 87
Chapter 11 JOSHUA 1–11 89
Reading Joshua as a Canaanite
Royce M. Victor (India) 90
Four Strategies for Reading Joshua Nonviolently
Eric A. Seibert (United States) 91
A Defense of God
Stanley V. Udd (United States) 93
God as an Egotistical Deity
Maria Vlashchenko (Russia) 95
Chapter 12 1 SAMUEL 16–2 SAMUEL 21 97
The David Stories and a Life of Reckless Abandon
Seth Boulton (United States) 98
Four Interpretations of the David–Jonathan Relationship
James N. Pohlig (West Africa)
99
The Woman of 2 Samuel 20 and Abigail as Peacemakers
Andreas Kunz-Lübcke (Germany) 101
The Inspiration of Rizpah’s Courageous Helplessness
Valerie Bridgeman (United States) 103
Chapter 13 ISAIAH 40–55 105
Words of Hope for Contemporary Exiles in South and Central
America
Gilbert Lozano (Colombia) 106
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x Contents
Fear of the Future among Igorot Tribes of the Philippines
R. G. dela Cruz (Philippines) 107
Isaiah as Resistance Literature
Rubertha Taylor (United States) 109
The Myth of Baliraja Compared to the Servant Figure in Isaiah
Rajkumar Boaz Johnson (India) 111
Chapter 14 JEREMIAH 114
Reading Jeremiah as a Christian Egyptian
Safwat Adel Marzouk (Egypt) 115
Jeremiah and the Caste System
Varaprasad Gosala (India) 117
The Troubling Theology of Jeremiah’s Confessions
Tim Bulkeley (New Zealand) 118
Jeremiah’s Confessions and My Own Pilgrimage
Jim West (United States) 120
Chapter 15 EZEKIEL 1–24 122
“Doom and Gloom” in Ezekiel and Today’s News Networks
John Fink (United States) 123
God’s Mistreatment of Female Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16
Aaron Koller (United States) 124
Ezekiel 16 as Hope and Warning for Orphans in Bulgaria
Elizabeth A. Steger (Bulgaria) 126
Reading Ezekiel 16 and 23 in the Red Light District
Brenda Kronemeijer-Heyink (The Netherlands) 128
Chapter 16 JONAH 131
Jonah as Missionary
Jonathan Seitz (Taiwan) 132
Jonah and the Ocean
Nˉasili Vaka’uta (Tonga) 134
Jonah and the Challenges and Contradictions of
Buenos Aires
Mariel Pons (Argentina) 135
Jonah as a Book of Surprises and Reversals
Jione Havea (Australia) 137
Chapter 17 MICAH 3, 6 139
Micah 3 as a Warning to Greedy Preachers in Korea
Hyung Won Lee (South Korea) 140
A Jewish Lesbian Interpretation of Micah 6:8
Rebecca T. Alpert (United States) 141
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Contents xi
Micah and Hope for Toronto’s Poor
Shannon E. Baines (Canada) 143
“The Image of Limited Good” and Micah
James N. Pohlig (Nigeria, Mexico) 145
Chapter 18 PSALM 22, 23, 42, 148 148
Psalm 22 as an African Spell
Zacharias Kotzé (South Africa) 149
Psalm 23 and West African Shepherds
Danielle Smith (Senegal) 150
Psalm 42 and Anorexia
Amy Lambert (United States) 152
Psalm 148 and the Native American View of Animals
David Aftandilian (United States) 153
Chapter 19 PSALM 137 156
Psalm 137 and the Bahamas
Fiona C. Black (Bahamas) 157
“Rivers of Babylon” and the Torture of Detainees in Abu Ghraib
Erin Runions (United States) 159
The Violence of Psalm 137 and 9/11
James Mackay (United States) 161
Righteousness and Hatred in Psalm 137
Maria Vlashchenko (Russia) 162
Chapter 20 PROVERBS 31 164
Aspiring to Be the Woman of Proverbs 31
Melanie Chitwood (United States) 165
Reading Proverbs 31 Suspiciously
Athalya Brenner (The Netherlands, Israel) 166
Pandita Ramabai’s Translation and Use of Proverbs 31
Rajkumar Boaz Johnson (India) 168
“Praise of Lady Yum,” Proverbs 31, and a Challenge to Patriarchy
Heewon Chung (South Korea) 170
Chapter 21 JOB 173
An African-South African Woman’s Perspective on Job 3
Madipoane Masenya (South Africa) 174
Reading Job 3 and 42 with People Living with HIV
Gerald West (South Africa) 176
Job’s Critique of a Theology of Prosperity in Latin America
Gilbert Lozano (Brazil) 178
The Troubling Theology of Job and its Place in Contemporary Life
Jonathan Redding (United States) 180
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xii Contents
Chapter 22 SONG OF SONGS 182
Comparing the Song to Literature and Film
in India
Monica J. Melanchthon (India) 183
Hearing the Song as a Secular Cultural Product
Athalya Brenner (Israel) 185
The Song as Jesus’ Personal Love Notes
Lynn Cowell (United States) 187
The Song as a Censored Allegory
Roland Boer (Australia) 188
Chapter 23 RUTH 191
Ruth and Naomi in a Joint Family System
Surekha Nelavala (India) 192
Ruth as a Marriage Migrant
Yani Yoo (South Korea) 193
Ruth’s Relevance to the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
Comea M. Walthall (United States) 195
Ruth as Ideal Surrogate Mother
Francis G. H. Pang (Hong Kong) 196
Chapter 24 LAMENTATIONS 199
Lamentations and Minjung Theology of Han
Yeong Mee Lee (South Korea) 200
Lamentations and the Form and Function of Dalit Poetry
Monica J. Melanchthon (India) 201
The Theological Difficulties of God’s Destruction
of Jerusalem
Ulrich Berges (Germany) 203
The Depiction of Jerusalem as an Unprotected Widow
Naomi Graetz (Israel) 205
Chapter 25 ECCLESIASTES 208
The Concept of Time in Ecclesiastes and Chinese Literature
Menghun Goh (China) 209
Ecclesiastes 3 in Africana Communities
Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds (Democratic Republic
of the Congo)
210
Qoheleth and the Buddha
Nicholas Alan Worssam (United Kingdom) 212
The Preacher and One’s Own “Text-of-Life”
Barbara Mei Leung Lai (Canada) 214
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Contents xiii
Chapter 26 ESTHER 217
Reading Esther as an African American Woman
Yolanda M. Norton (United States) 218
A Masculine Reading of the Book of Esther
Tim Bulkeley (New Zealand) 220
Lessons from Esther for Christians in Egypt
Safwat Adel Marzouk (Egypt) 222
The God of Esther and Christianity in China
Ken Chan (China) 223
Chapter 27 DANIEL 226
Daniel in Babylon as an Example for Christians in
New Zealand
George Wieland (New Zealand) 227
Daniel’s Diet and Vegetarianism
Melanie F. Boyter (United States) 229
Daniel’s Prophecy of Christ’s Future, Eternal Kingdom
Jon Franklin (United States) 230
Daniel and the Baha’i Faith
Daniel Grolin (Denmark) 232
Chapter 28 EZRA AND NEHEMIAH 234
Asian North American Women and the Banishment of Foreign
Wives
Grace Ji-Sun Kim (United States) 235
Intermarriage in Ezra-Nehemiah, Africa, and Christianity
Onesimus A. Ngundu (Zimbabwe) 236
A Cuban Reflection on the Biblical Experience of Exile
Franco Valdes (Cuba, United States) 238
Personal Thoughts on the Identity Crisis of Biblical Exiles
Danielle Smith (Senegal, United States) 240
Credits 242
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xv
PREFACE
This book is a lot like the Bible itself in that it is a diverse collection of writings emanating
from a variety of geographic, social, cultural, political, economic, and religious contexts. But
wait—that first sentence has already indicated a great deal about us (the editors) and about our
views of the Bible. Maybe we’ve already revealed more about us—our background, education,
life experiences, and so on—than about the Bible itself. To us, the Bible—and specifically the
Old Testament—is indeed an eclectic anthology, much like this book. However, if someone else
were to have written that first sentence, they might have started by introducing the Bible as the
infallible Word of God, a book that provides moral and ethical guidelines for everyday life and
God’s plan of salvation. Another person might have opened with the claim that the Bible is one
of the most toxic texts ever produced and that its continuing influence in our world is one of the
great mysteries and tragedies of our day. Incidentally, neither of these two potential perspectives
is incompatible with our statement that the Bible is an eclectic anthology. The point is this: It’s
all about perspective. People are different. They approach the Bible with their own various ideas,
beliefs, and assumptions, which means there are a myriad of possible ways to write that first
sentence. Nobody can say anything without saying something about themselves.
But you may have already known that. Most people living in our postmodern world—or
whatever we are supposed to call it now (that’s also a matter of perspective)—realize that there is
no neutral, objective perspective from which to assess things, no position that is unencumbered
by a specific life setting. Everyone comes from somewhere. Everyone is born in a certain time
and place to certain parents and has had certain experiences that shape how we see the world. All
those “certainties,” to which many more could be added, make up who you are; they define your
specific context and perspective. They also mean that you can be certain that your interpretation
of a given biblical text is not the only way that it can be interpreted. While the idea of varied
perspectives is hardly new, you may not be aware of the extent and nature of some of those dif-
ferent readings. Hence this book.
FORMAT OF THE BOOK
Herein we have gathered four essays around 28 Old Testament texts. Our intention is for you
to read the given portion of the Bible and then to consider what four people from various con-
texts and backgrounds have written about it. In doing so, you will see the biblical text in a new
light; you will learn something about the various interpreters and their particular location; and
you will discover something about yourself. Put differently, when we encounter views that are
different from our own, we have the wonderfully enriching experience of learning about (1) the
Old Testament and (2) other interpreters and the places from which they come, which in turn (3)
helps us see our own lives and views in a new way. We are thus engaging the Old Testament,
each other, and ourselves. It’s a dynamic, interactive triangle.
But all three corners of the triangle must be present. The importance of your corner bears
emphasizing: You must read the Old Testament for yourself. This is absolutely indispensible.
You must read carefully and develop your own insights and analyses. This will not only help you
“hear” the biblical voice (filtered through your own context, of course), but it will also enable
you to appreciate the four different perspectives. We instructed the authors of the essays not to
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xvi Preface
summarize the biblical passage; there is no sense in using valuable space on something that you
can do for yourself. So, you must uphold your end of the deal: You must read the Old Testament!
Yes, you are reading a translation of the Bible and a translation is already an interpretation; but,
still, it’s crucial that you experience the text on your own.
To encourage you to do this, we have not included any of our own introductory material
to each Old Testament passage, as it would inevitably reflect our own perspective, which would
defeat the book’s purpose of including as many different points of view as possible. Furthermore,
you should read the essays with a Bible in hand; many times the authors include only the bibli-
cal reference (not the full quotation), which you would do well to look up in order to help you
interact thoughtfully with the essay.
To facilitate further your engagement with all three corners of the triangle, we have
included four questions at the end of each set of essays (one question for each essay). Use the
questions to prompt your critical interaction with the various essays. If the question could occa-
sionally be answered “yes” or “no,” don’t simply leave it at that. Assume that “Why or why
not?” or “Explain your answer” follows—we just thought it unnecessary to write it out for you.
Yes, our questions inevitably reveal our own interests and ideas, so please feel free to add your
own questions and to question our questions. In fact, if you don’t, you probably aren’t thinking
hard enough.
There are a mere 112 essays in this book; this, needless to say, is a pittance of the possible
number. A book titled Global Perspectives on the Old Testament should not be a book at all, but
rather a multivolume encyclopedia. But if that were the case, you would have had a much harder
time buying it and carrying it around. Think for a moment about how this book barely scratches
the proverbial surface of global perspectives on the Old Testament. If there are approximately
7 billion people in the world and if only 1 in every 1,000 has something to say about the Bible,
then our 97 authors represent only about 0.000014 percent of perspectives on the Bible. We
make this point—odd as it may seem—because we hope this collection of essays encourages
you to seek out many more interpretations of the Old Testament, whether they be from scholarly
books and commentaries or friends and family over lunch. These essays are intended to start
conversations, not end them. It’s a big world, and this book is terribly small. We are hoping you
will create the rest of the encyclopedia.
We have done our best to assemble a wide range of views. Nevertheless, the book should
probably be titled Global* Perspectives* on the Old Testament*. With the first asterisk we call
attention to the fact that as English speakers we could only accept essays written in English. We
also solicited submissions via e-mail. As such, by requiring contributors to write in our native
language and to have Internet access, we have by necessity precluded a majority of the world’s
population. Furthermore, we live and work in the United States. Most of our personal and pro-
fessional connections are here; therefore, there are far more contributors from the United States
than any other single country. Because of this, we feel as though we should iterate that we mean
“global” in more than simply the geographic sense. There is religious, ethnic, ideological, politi-
cal, and socioeconomic diversity in the essays, and those elements, of course, are not bound by
particular geographic location. We also assembled contributors from various walks of life; this
book is much more “global” than a typical collection of professional academic papers.
The second asterisk shows that, while limiting our fingerprints as much as possible, the
essays were proofread and minimally edited. We made the decision to standardize spelling and
punctuation, and even to capitalize the word “Bible.” Beyond that, we did little else. We did not
standardize, for example, the style of referring to eras (B.C.E., C.E., B.C., A.D.); we did not
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Preface xvii
change inclusive or non-inclusive language or capitalization for pronouns referring to deity. The
third asterisk denotes that the term “Old Testament” reflects a Christian perspective; it implies
that something “New” fulfills it. We have, however, decided to follow the order of the books
in the Hebrew Bible (rather than the Christian Old Testament). Furthermore, although we did
not begin with a prescribed list of 28 Old Testament texts for which to solicit essays, we did, of
course, ultimately determine which texts the book would address.
Let’s mention one more asterisk-worthy matter. You will notice that each set of essays
opens with a page featuring a map locating each of the four authors in that set. But where on the
map should we put each author’s dot? Where the author was born? Where they have spent most
of their life? Where they went to school? Where they were when they wrote the essay? Where
they reside now? The place about which they write? It’s not that easy. We live in a transient
world. We have decided to put the dot in the place, or places, about which they are writing. Or
if geographic location or context is not central to their essay, then the dot is located in the place
of their primary current residence. Hence all the dots should have an asterisk to that effect too.
In short, this is only one of many possible ways to assemble a book called Global
Perspectives on the Old Testament. Despite its limitations and the inherent difficulty of produc-
ing a book of this nature, we are confident that you will find these perspectives to be enlight-
ening and engaging. There are many additional introductory and hermeneutical issues that we
could explore at the outset, but we won’t. So let us limit ourselves to two final thoughts. First,
the Old Testament is the sacred literature of the Jewish and Christian traditions, but the influ-
ence and impact of the Old Testament have extended beyond those two religions. People who
are not Christian or Jewish read or are familiar with the Old Testament. In our effort to offer
as many global perspectives as possible, we have included views by those who do not treat the
Old Testament as Scripture. We fully understand that some people with a faith commitment to
the text may feel that those outside the tradition do not have anything to offer. We respectfully
disagree, and both of us—for the record—are in the Christian tradition.
Our world is too big and complex to ignore thoughtful and intelligent readers simply
because they approach the text without a set of traditional religious lenses—or because they
come from a tradition other than Judaism or Christianity. We sincerely appreciate all of the
authors of these essays for allowing their work to be published in a book that includes approaches
with which they may strongly disagree.
Second, if the essays are eclectic, then so too are the biblical texts that they interpret. You
will notice that some sets of four essays deal with only one chapter from the Bible (Genesis 22),
some with part of a book (Genesis 37–50, Exodus 1–15), and others with whole books. Much
of this has to do with the nature of the Old Testament—it’s not a tidy collection, and some parts
have garnered more attention than others. As a result, sometimes the essays in a chapter are in
direct dialogue over the same specific text or topic, while other times they address different por-
tions of the passage. Hopefully, every set of essays will draw you into the discussion.
The Old Testament has a sort of “unevenness” to it, and so do the various sets of essays
that follow, which in turn reflects the complex nature of the world in which we live. And thus, we
end this short Introduction where it began: If the perspectives herein feel somewhat scattered—
all over the place—then we say, “Yes, exactly, and so is both our global world and the Old
Testament.” Hence a book with our title will inevitably be a bit messy. And yes, this view again
reflects our particular perspective as white, Western-educated, middle-class, heterosexual men in
the Christian tradition. From where we stand, the following essays offer fresh, compelling read-
ings of the Bible from a variety of perspectives. Tell us what you think from where you stand.
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xviii Preface
STUDENT AND TEACHER RESOURCES
This text is available in a variety of formats—digital and print. To learn more about our pro-
grams, pricing options, and customization, visit www.pearsonhighered.com.
MySearchLab with eText
A passcode-protected website that provides engaging experiences that personalize learning,
MySearchLab contains an eText that is just like the printed text. Students can highlight and add
notes to the eText online or download it to an iPad. MySearchLab also provides a wide range of
writing, grammar, and research tools plus access to a variety of academic journals, census data,
Associated Press news feeds, and discipline-specific readings to help hone writing and research
skills.
Instructor’s Resource Manual and Test Bank (0-205-92572-3)
This valuable resource provides chapter outlines, lecture topics, and suggested media resources.
In addition, test questions in short essay formats are available for each chapter.
MyTest (0-205-95460-X)
This computerized software allows instructors to create their own personalized exams, to edit
any or all of the existing test questions, and to add new questions. Other special features of this
program include the random generation of test questions, the creation of alternative versions of
the same test, scrambling question sequences, and test previews before printing.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As the editors, not the authors, of this book, the list of people we gratefully acknowledge can
be found in the Table of Contents. Indeed, the 97 contributors deserve more thanks than we can
offer. Their timely and insightful work made this project a reality. We offer our sincerest grati-
tude to each and every one of them.
We also express appreciation to our wonderful colleagues at Wingate University for
designing and implementing a new core curriculum, which was the impetus for this textbook.
Without their vision and support, this book never would have happened. We are so grateful to
the reviewers who took the time to assess this text prior to its publication: Wayne Brouwer, Hope
College; Steven Godby, Broward College-South Campus; Warren Johnson, East Texas Baptist
University; and Jeff Tillman, Wayland Baptist University. We also thank Maggie Barbieri for
expert editorial guidance and Nancy Roberts for her willingness to take on such an unwieldy
project.
Mark Roncace
Joseph Weaver
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