Ruth Esther Jonah

This beautifully illustrated volume embeds the biblical Hebrew text of the Ruth, Esther, and Jonah in the context of the evocative, full-color illustrations of Keith Neely. This innovative presentation will help students of biblical Hebrew to immediately distinguish narrative from dialogue and to observe visual cues of action, tension, and emotion. This book belongs to the GlossaHouse Illustrated Hebrew-English Old Testament (GIHEOT) series. Biblical Hebrew will no longer be thought of as a "dead" language in the minds of students-codes to be deciphered into usable English; instead Biblical Hebrew will come alive as a languages of actual communication, a vehicle used by ancient authors to express their stories in the idiom of their own hearts. Whether you are a beginning student of biblical languages, or a seasoned scholar, you will find a fresh presentation of the ancient texts that will ignite your imagination and turn the world of these words into an expansive, multicolored landscape in your mind's eye.

"In the Book of ESTHER, the Jews of the Persian Empire are threatened with death but given eleven months' notice of their day of destruction, is that credible? Can this really be believed? Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg gives rational answers to these and other difficult questions and in doing so, forces the reader to re-think many of his pre-conceived notions about these books, no matter how many times he has read them or how well he thinks he understands their meaning.

In three of the Bible’s most compelling short stories, Eugene F. Roop draws attention to the distinctive narrative characteristics of these magnificent dramas. Such scrutiny opens new vistas of interpretation that can undergird the faith, life, and neighborly relations of the church. As we enter the world of these struggles and events, we will experience in the stories sorrow and laughter, hope and loyalty, and God’s mercy and grace.

“A pleasure to read. . . . Alter has given fresh life to some of the most beloved . . . books in our heritage.”—Philadelphia Inquirer The Song of Songs; Ruth; Esther; Jonah; and Daniel offer readers a range of pleasures not usually associated with the Bible. As distant in time from the Five Books of Moses as Updike is from Shakespeare, these Late Biblical books are innovative, entertaining literary works. Women often stand center stage. The Song of Songs is a celebration of young love, frankly sensuous, with no reference to God or covenant. It offers some of the most beautiful love poems of the ancient world. The story of Queen Esther’s shrewd triumph is also a secular entertainment, with clear traces of farce and sly sexual comedy. The character of Ruth embodies the virtues of loyalty, love, and charity in a harmonious world. Enigma replaces harmony in Daniel’s feverish night dreams. The apocalyptic strangeness of Daniel echoes in works from the New Testament’s Book of Revelations to the lyrics of Bob Dylan. And Jonah, the tale of a giant fish who, on God’s command, swallows the prophet and imprisons him in his dark wet innards for three days, ends with a question that lingers, unanswered, leaving the reader to ponder the many limitations of humankind.

The five biblical books treated in this volume are stories, i.e., narratives which seek to arouse tension and then resolve it. However, they are more than ancient stories of God and humans. They are our stories as well. They challenge us to uncover the basic human experiences of life and death, success and failure, hope and despair. They urge us to gain new perspectives and regain lost values. - p. 1.

Queen. Preacher. Pagan. As characters with Biblical biographies, these three Esther, Jonah, and Ruth stand alone. Although many other lives are narrated throughout the Bible, only the life stories of these three are recounted in books named for them. Esther became a queen because she was beautiful. After the pagan king fired the previous queen , he went looking for a replacement. Physical beauty was the sole criterion, and Esther the Jewess was selected. Her story of humility, fear, prayer, courage, and obedience never mentions the name of God. Jonah, a Jewish prophet, experienced an ongoing tug-of-war with God. His angry, whining, argumentative personality overshadows the Ninevites acceptance of the God he eventually introduced them to. Ruth was not Jewish. She was a Moabite. But Naomis son had married her, and after they were both widowed and Naomi decided to return to her home in Bethlehem, Ruth insisted on accompanying her. Ruth adapted to Jewish laws and customs, believed in the God of Naomi, and worked diligently to keep them both alive. God uses us also, in spite of our gifts and our foibles, our looks and our dispositions, our fears and our circumstances, to accomplish His sovereign will.