Heiser, Michael

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Liberty UniversityDigitalCommons@LibertyUniversityFaculty Publications and Presentations Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and GraduateSchool2008Review: JudgesMichael HeiserLiberty University, mshmichaelsheiser@gmail.comFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubsPart of the Biblical Studies Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons,Ethics in Religion Commons, History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons, History ofReligions of Western Origin Commons, Other Religion Commons, and the Religious Thought,Theology and Philosophy of Religion CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and Graduate School at DigitalCommons@LibertyUniversity. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@LibertyUniversity. For more information, please contact scholarlycommunication@liberty.edu.Recommended CitationHeiser, Michael, "Review: Judges" (2008). Faculty Publications and Presentations. Paper 315.http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs/315journal of the evangelical theological society628 51/3suggests that the phrase itself  only describes the guilt which weighs upon the violatorof  the law, which may result in punishment or forgiveness. The second instance is whenSklar translates kipper differently in contexts of  sin (“the effecting of  a koper-payment,”p. 184), and impurity and consecration (“to effect purgation,” p. 135), even though akoper payment was necessary in both cases (p. 135). Sklar’s translation in contexts ofimpurity and consecration has placed the emphasis upon the consequences of  the koperpayment, rather than upon the meaning of  kipper itself.Second, Sklar suggests translating the verb ªas@am as “to suffer guilt’s consequences,”a suggestion that has at least two significant problems. First, he argues for “consistencyof  translation” (p. 41) between Lev 4:3 and 13, implying throughout his discussionthat ªas @am occurs in both instances. The verb ªas @am does indeed occur in v. 13, butin verse 3 it is the noun ªas@mah. One should not assume that a verb and a noun thatshare the same root must, for that reason, share the same semantic range (see Barr,Semantics). Second, the examples that Sklar uses for the consequential meaning ofªas@am are all from non-priestly sources.Sklar has written a superb monograph that evidences careful scholarly research.While interaction with Gane’s recent monograph Cult and Character would have beeninteresting, most likely this work was not available at time of  publication. Anyone whohas the capacity to wade through Sklar’s technical study will be deeply enriched. It isan excellent contribution to the scholarly study of  sin in the Scriptures.Mark J. BodaMcMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ONBenjamin J. BaxterOakridge Bible Chapel, Oakville, ONJudges. By Susan Niditch. Old Testament Library. Louisville: Westminster John Knox,2008, xxviii + 290 pp., $44.95.Susan Niditch is Samuel Green Professor of  Religion at Amherst College. She isperhaps best known for her work in orality in ancient Israelite literature, Oral Worldand Written Word (1996), and her short book Ancient Israelite Religion (1998).The commentary’s format is consistent with that of  other OTL volumes, a series thatexpressly aims to be readable while discussing the most significant linguistic, literary,historical, and theological elements in the biblical text. In this regard, Niditch’s workis a model of  uncluttered, focused discussion of  the text, peppered with concise sum-maries of interpretive options and succinct judgments. The bibliography covers fourteenpages, and introductory matters of  redaction, textual history, epic characterization, andliterary structure are held to thirty pages.Niditch does the reader a service by stating her presuppositions and aims clearly.After reviewing the standard models for approaching Judges, Niditch adopts “a theo-retical approach that is interested in history and takes seriously the idea that Judgesincludes material that would have been meaningful in some form to Israelite audiencesbefore there were kings in Israel” (p. 8). She adds that her approach does not involve“matching narrative details with specific historical events or testing for historical veri-similitude” (p. 8). The conquest narratives are the result of  the work of  pro-monarchicalwriters adapting “epic-bardic” poetry to suit their agenda (p. 9). Aside from epic poeticmaterial, two other voices come through for Niditch: the “voice of the theologian” and the“voice of  the humanist” (pp. 10–12). The former is the familiar Deuteronomist, whosebook reviews 629september 2008stories are judgmental with respect to loyalty to Yahweh. This voice should not be con-fused with biblical theology. The commentary offers next to nothing in that regard. Thelatter voice is a teller of  olden tales whose material is fictional and non-critical, aimingonly to preserve ancient stories.Niditch’s commentary offers not one but two new translations of  Judges. One trans-lation, sensitive to “oral and aural aspects,” opens each chapter. This translation “seeksto aid comprehensibility and readability by converting the Hebrew syntax to a morestandard word order” (p. 25). The second translation, more literalized than the first,appears in an appendix at the end of  the book. This translation “retains the Hebrewword order and even more closely conveys the register of  the Hebrew” (p. 26).Each chapter translation is followed by a short technical section that deals withtextual, grammatical, syntactical, and literary issues. These notes are footnoted in thetranslation. For those interested in grammatical-historical interpretation, these notesare the meat of  the commentary. Lastly, Niditch summarizes the content of  the chapterin traditional commentary style. Her summations are not broken into pericope units,but are instead organized by grouping verses together for analysis. The emphasis in theexplanatory section is clearly on literary features and observations of  inter-textuality.The streamlined format and presentation make the commentary quite easy to scan todiscern whether or not the author has something to say about a particular verse, phrase,or word. There is nothing in the commentary that reflects a homiletic aim.Readers who know Niditch for her work in Israelite religion will be disappointed withthis commentary. Judges offers a number of  passages that could be illumined againstancient Near Eastern religious practice. The most obvious are the angel of  Yahwehappearances. It is telling that Niditch regularly translates “the angel of  the LORD” as“an angel of  the LORD.” It is a basic rule of  Hebrew grammar that a definite nomenrectum dictates a definite translation of the noun in construct. Her translation seems toconvey a bias against the normative rendering for an unstated reason and disconnectsthis figure in Judges to his appearances in other biblical references—linkages usefulfor formulating a canonical theology. The reference in Judg 4:5 to Deborah sitting undera tree of  divination gets only a note telling us the tree was considered sacred (p. 62),which is hardly enlightening. The stars fighting “from their courses” are awkwardlyreferred to as fighting “from their orbit” (p. 75), though stars do not have orbits. Someinsight into how this fairly obvious reference to astral religion may have served a po-lemical purpose for the writer would be in order. Numerous other examples occur wheretoponyms, personal names, and other phrases that are cultic in nature and deserveexplanation in terms of religious worldview receive little attention in that regard. Sadly,Niditch is too concerned with literary analysis to the neglect of  her other strengths.For its economy of  presentation of  technical notes, the volume is useful for thereader adequately prepared with Hebrew. However, it should be used alongside a moresubstantial commentary on Judges, such as that by Block (NAC, 1999).Michael HeiserLogos Bible Software, Bellingham, WAThe Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary. By Robert Alter. New York:W. W. Norton, 2007, xl + 518 pp., $35.00.Robert Alter has done it again. Following his previous “commentaries” on Genesis(1996), 1 and 2 Samuel (1999), and the Pentateuch (2004), comes his close reading of thePsalter. Writing on biblical poetry is hardly new for Alter, but this engagement with

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