Introduction to Wisdom and Hymnic Literature

In 1Ki 4:30 we are informed that Solomon’s wisdom was greater than “all the people of the East.” This indicates that there was an international wisdom tradition and that the Israelites were aware of it. Such a tradition is confirmed by the texts that have been unearthed throughout the Near East. There are over a dozen texts from Egypt that are classified as “Instruction” texts. Several literary works from Mesopotamia tackle the problem of the innocent sufferer, as does the book of Job. Collections of proverbs from as early as Sumerian times can be fruitfully compared with the Biblical book of Proverbs.

Hymnic literature is also attested internationally. Comparative literature, mostly from Egypt and Mesopotamia, helps us to understand the genres, literary forms and subject matter of the Biblical psalms. Hymns of praise are most common, but the Biblical psalms of lament find some parallel in the incantation literature as well. There are a few examples in which a case can be made for Biblical psalms being adapted from pieces known from the ancient Near East. Other comparisons suggest that compositions known in the ancient Near East were adapted from Israel’s psalms. Comparative study of the book of Psalms will throw into sharp relief some of the key differences that can be identified in Israelite religious thought and practice by locating the Biblical psalms along the continuum of ancient Near Eastern literature. ◆