Tell Me, O Muse: The Song of Deborah (Judges 5) in the Light of Heroic Poetry
The so-called Song of Deborah celebrates a decisive victory during the era of the Judges, and praises Jael and the Israelites for their defeat of a Canaanite coalition led by Sisera. Despite generations of scholarship, virtually every aspect of the poem remains disputed, because it has been misunderstood in previous research. This study explains both the enigmatic role of Yahweh of the poem and its heroic ethos through a comparative study of heroic poetry.\ Part I addresses...
Search in google:
This book analyzes the Song of Deborah through a comparative study of heroic poetry.
Preface\ Abbreviations\ Part 1 — Prolegomena\ Chapter I — Introduction\ A. Introduction\ B. The Date of the Song of Deborah\ Chapter II — Annotated Translation of the Song of Deborah\ Chapter III — The Unity of the Song\ A. The Case for the Unity of the Song\ B. The Case Against the Unity of the Song\ C. Conclusion\ Chapter IV — The Portrayal of God in the Song of Deborah\ A. Introduction\ B. The Original Song of Deborah\ C. The Contrast with Judges 4\ D. The Contrast with Other Early Hebrew Poetry\ 1. The Song of the Sea (Exod 15.1b-18)\ 2. 2 Sam 22 = Ps 18\ 3. Habakkuk 3\ E. Conclusion\ Chapter V — Attempts to Reassert the Prominence of God in the Song of Deborah\ A. Introduction\ B. The Arguments of Hauser and O'Connell\ C. Yahweh and the Stars (v. 20)\ D. Mythological Interpretations\ E. Conclusion\ Part 2 — The Original Song of Deborah in the Light of Heroic Poetry\ Chapter VI — The Original Song and Heroic Poetry (Especially Heroic Narrative Poetry)\ A. The Central Characteristics of Heroic Poetry\ B. Determining the Boundaries of the Heroic Genre\ C. Ancient Near Eastern Literature and Heroic Poetry\ D. Conclusion\ Chapter VII — The Original Song and Lyric Genres\ A. Subgenres which are Clearly Irrelevant\ B. Subgenres with Limited or Qualified Relevance\ C. Candidates for Comparison with the Song\ D. Conclusion\ Chapter VIII — The Original Song as a Heroic Victory Song\ A. Introduction\ B. Heroic Features in the Song\ C. Possible Non-Heroic Features in the Song\ D. Conclusion\ E. Excursus: The Contribution of the Heroic Dimension to the Victory Song in the Old Testament\ Chapter IX — Conclusion\ Bibliography\ Index of Authors
