2025, Vol.31, No.4

The Structure and Message of the Book of Amos: Focusing on Israel’s Judgment and Yahweh’s Sovereignty

Rae-Yong Kim | 2025, 31(4) | pp.19~53 | number of Cited : 0

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The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure and message of the book of Amos, focusing on the judgment of Israel and the sovereignty of Yahweh. To this end, the book of Amos is divided into five paragraphs based on its content and style, and the content, structure, and expression of each paragraph are examined to arrive at the following conclusions. The book of Amos (146 verses in total) focuses on the judgment of Israel (141 verses), and uniquely begins with an oracle of judgment on the nations, lists five visions before concluding, and concludes with an oracle of salvation for Israel, consisting of five verses. This structure and arrangement are unique to Amos. Through this unique structure, the book of Amos develops the judgment of Israel and the sovereignty of Yahweh in five stages. Through this development, the book of Amos gradually asserts the inevitability of the judgment of Israel, while at the same time emphasizing the sovereign power of Yahweh for judgment and salvation. When examining each stage, the first stage emphasizes the seriousness of Israel’s sins and Yahweh’s sovereign power to judge the nations and Israel through comparison with the sins of the nations. The second stage emphasizes the legitimacy of Yahweh’s judgment due to Israel’s sins and Yahweh’s sovereignty related to it. The third stage emphasizes the declaration of judgment that will come upon Israel and Yahweh’s sovereignty related to it. The fourth stage emphasizes the immutability of Yahweh’s judgment on Israel and Yahweh’s sovereignty related to it through a visionary form. Finally, the fifth stage describes the oracle of restoration and salvation for Israel as Yahweh’s sovereign power in order to improve the negative image of Yahweh that arose in the previous four stages. In this way, the structure of the Book of Amos can be divided into five paragraphs, and the message of the Book of Amos can be said to focus on the oracle of Israel’s judgment and Yahweh’s sovereignty.

The Unanswered Prayer of Lament: An Exegetical Study of Psalm 88 and Its Practical Implications

A YUN KIM | 2025, 31(4) | pp.54~88 | number of Cited : 0

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What was the purpose of the Book of Job?

Young-Ho Kim | 2025, 31(4) | pp.89~126 | number of Cited : 0

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This study seeks to reinterpret the Book of Job not merely as a traditional work of Israelite wisdom literature, but as a theological response that emerged within the intellectual and cultural milieu of the Hellenistic period. While Job addresses the classic theodic question of “suffering without cause,” its literary structure and conceptual depth suggest a context shaped by philosophical reflection and historical crisis. This paper argues that Job was written in the aftermath of the desecration of the Jerusalem Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the late second century BCE—a traumatic event that profoundly destabilized the religious identity of the Jewish community. The text is thus read as a reaction to the collapse of the temple-based theological framework and an attempt to reconstruct divine justice from a cosmological and ontological perspective. During this period, Jewish society underwent significant upheaval due to the rise of the Hasmonean dynasty, the politicization of the priesthood, and the penetration of Greco-Roman culture. Against this backdrop, the Book of Job confronts a theological crisis: Where is God in the midst of suffering? Why does God remain silent in the face of injustice? By engaging these questions, the author of Job deconstructs the traditional doctrine of retributive justice and instead presents a vision of God as the transcendent Creator who governs the cosmos beyond human understanding. Job’s deep philosophical reflection resonates with Hellenistic thought, especially in its concern with cosmic order, divine silence, and the limits of human knowledge. The book does not merely seek to justify God but invites a radical shift in the way divine sovereignty is conceived—no longer confined to the temple or covenantal frameworks, but expanded into an ontological and universal domain. Thus, Job emerges as one of the earliest theological texts to articulate divine justice and sovereignty through a synthesis of Jewish faith and Hellenistic cosmology. This study analyzes the structure and thought of the Book of Job to interpret it as a product of the intersection between the crisis of Jewish theology and a creative response during the Hellenistic period, presenting it as an enduring archetype of theological reflection that remains relevant today.

Understanding of the Book of Joel through the Lens of of Trauma Recovery

Mi-ji Yoon | 2025, 31(4) | pp.127~157 | number of Cited : 0

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The Meaning of Life in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution from the Perspective of Ecclesiastes

Hyung Youn | 2025, 31(4) | pp.158~186 | number of Cited : 0

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Reframing the Concept of Love in the Song of Songs: A Cognitive-Semantic Approach through Frame Semantics

Lee, You-Mee | 2025, 31(4) | pp.187~214 | number of Cited : 0

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God Who Speaks, Humanity Who Speaks from Within: Reflections on the Theological and Anthropological Implications of הֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי(hegyôn libbî/the voice of my heart, thought) in Psalm 19:15

Sung-Kwon Yim | 2025, 31(4) | pp.215~242 | number of Cited : 0

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Hidden Polemic in Judges 17–18

Mihe Jung | 2025, 31(4) | pp.243~270 | number of Cited : 0

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An Aesthetic-Biblical Approach to Genesis 32:22–32 (MT 32:23–33) and Rembrandt’s <Jacob Wrestling with the Angel>: Aesthetic-Biblical Interpretation of Sacred Art and the Biblical Text

Kim Jin Myung | 2025, 31(4) | pp.273~310 | number of Cited : 0

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The Sin of Manasseh: A Literary-Critical Reading of 2 Kings 21:1-18

Sang-Won Lee | 2025, 31(4) | pp.311~341 | number of Cited : 0

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The purpose of this article is to explain literary criticism, one of the significant methodological tools in the historical exegesis of the Old Testament, and to illustrate its application through an analysis of 2 Kings 21:1–18. Literary criticism proceeds from the premise that the Old Testament is composed of traditional texts transmitted over an extended period of time. It further assumes that the present final form of the text contains traces indicating that the earliest form was refined and expanded in the course of its transmission. Literary criticism seeks to identify these traces, trace them back to recover the earliest form of the text, and distinguish it from later additions. It then situates these additions within their historical context, interprets the final form of the text at each stage, and elucidates the theological shifts that occurred in the process. In classical literary criticism, elements of discrepancy observable in a text—such as contradictions, repetitions, and tensions—were regarded as signs of diachronic disunity and thus served as the basis for diachronic divisions of the text. More recently, however, scholars have raised the possibility that such discrepancies may stem from the author’s tacit acquiescence or deliberate intent, thereby problematizing the relationship between lack of cohesion and textual disunity. This issue is closely related to how synchronic considerations and diachronic analysis are to be employed in literary criticism. This study, based on the intercorrective relationship between synchronic examination and diachronic analysis, analyzes 2 Kings 21:1–18 and demonstrates that, contrary to the results obtained through classical literary criticism, the majority of the passage (with the exception of vv. 8–9 and v. 15) was composed by a Deuteronomistic historian during the exilic period. It further argues that, within the Deuteronomistic History, the Manasseh narrative serves to explain the cause of the downfall of the kingdom of Judah.

A Postcolonial Reading on the Book of Daniel

Yoon-Kyung Lee | 2025, 31(4) | pp.342~371 | number of Cited : 0

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This article explores the application of postcolonial criticism to biblical hermeneutics, with a focus on a postcolonial reading of the Book of Daniel. Postcolonial criticism arises from the recognition that colonialism’s influence extends beyond historical political control to ongoing structures of language, identity, and knowledge production. In biblical studies, this approach has prompted critical inquiry into the Bible’s function within imperial contexts and opened space for localized, resistant interpretations. The Hellenistic context in which Daniel was written reveals how Jewish communities navigated cultural imposition, particularly the ideological dominance of Greek culture. Hellenism, claiming cultural superiority, reshaped Jewish identity in profound ways. In response, the first half of the book of Daniel presents a theology of resistance, urging fidelity to covenantal faith even under pressure to assimilate. The narrative challenges readers to consider the limits of accommodation and the necessity of defiant self-definition. The location of Daniel becomes a site of hybrid identity—neither fully Jerusalem nor Babylon. The spatial and cultural in-betweenness symbolizes a broader diasporic reality where identity is forged not through surrender, but negotiation. The narrative thus reflects the complexity of living under empire while resisting its totalizing influence. The apocalyptic visions in the latter half of the book of Daniel constitute a theological and literary critique of imperial power. Under Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ violent regime, faithful Jews confronted not only persecution but also deep theological dissonance: How can divine justice exist amid imperial violence? Daniel responds with a radical reimagining of history, envisioning the collapse of earthly empires and the emergence of a transcendent divine kingdom. Empire in Daniel is not merely military—it is rhetorical, symbolic, and psychological. By crafting an alternative symbolic world, Daniel’s apocalyptic imagination destabilizes the ideological hold of empire and affirms the possibility of divine intervention. Ultimately, Daniel offers a model of hybrid, diasporic faith that resists erasure and reclaims theological agency through postcolonial imagination.

A medium in Endor and the prophetess Huldah : sociocultural implications of women’s religious rituals

Eun-Ae Lee | 2025, 31(4) | pp.372~398 | number of Cited : 0

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Changes in the form of women's rituals regarding the fate of the country and the king, which can be found in the Old Testament, are closely linked to changes in the social structure and power system of ancient Israel. A medium in Endor (1Sam. 28:3-25), the most representative female spirituality, show the female-led religious sphere and rituals of early Israeli society. She summoned the soul of the dead Samuel to prophesy the fate of the king and the nation, and she presided over an apparent religious ceremony that killed the beast and shared it with the participants. These religious activities were prohibited in the centralization of the Jahwe religion along with the centralization of power attempted in the Saul’s kingdom. However, there were still various ways to meet gods in the provinces and within the form of family religion, and there were spirit mediums that mediated the realm of gods, and it can be assumed that the role was mainly women. In the early days of the Israeli monarchy, a decentralized society in which charismatic religious leaders in various forms could operate was premised, so it would have been relatively more possible for women to engage in religious activities. The prophecy of the prophet Huldah (2Kings 22; 2Chr. 34:22-28) as a collaborator to the Jahwe religion’s Reformation of the King Josiah of the kingdom of Judah was based on a document called the Book of Laws found in the Temple in Jerusalem and was significant in that it showed the legitimate religious practices and authority of a female prophet in the official Jahwe religion by predicting using the typical the messenger form of the prophet. Although the role of the prophet during this period was limited to a declarative function separate from the function of the king or priest, the prophecy of the prophet Huldah can be seen as having a social meaning that enabled the existence and maintenance of the state and the monarchy within the scope of public and national religion. In the process of political and religious centralization, the religious practices of female mediums and prophets were gradually separated and reduced, remaining in a limited form of religious ritual called the word of prophecy.

From “Trembling” to “Dancing”: A Tradition‑Critical Reading of Psalm 114

Kyung-Taek Ha | 2025, 31(4) | pp.399~431 | number of Cited : 0

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This study offers an interpretation of Psalm 114 through the lens of tradition criticism. Although brief, Psalm 114 exhibits remarkable literary artistry. Rooted in the “Exodus” tradition, it serves as an exemplary case of how a biblical text appropriates and re‑presents inherited tradition. Unlike transmission criticism, which focuses on tracing the process of transmission (traditio), tradition criticism is primarily concerned with identifying the content transmitted (traditum) within a given text. Broadly speaking, tradition criticism distinguishes between two key elements: traditions and motifs. In the Old Testament, the Exodus tradition encompasses the entire movement from the departure from Egypt (exodus) to the entry into Canaan (eisodus). Within Psalm 114, this tradition is expressed through three motifs: departure from Egypt, crossing of waters, and provision of water. The psalmist does not merely preserve or recall the Exodus tradition; rather, he actively re‑appropriates it, reshaping it into a message that addresses the needs of a new generation. This dynamic is aptly described by the terms “reception” and “actualization” of tradition. Psalm 114 portrays the outcome of the Exodus in terms of “sanctuary” and “territory,” and it highlights striking transformations: from fleeing to leaping, from splitting to overturning, and from trembling to dancing. These features reveal four significant theological implications: (1) the reception and actualization of tradition; (2) the portrayal of Israel as sanctuary and territory; (3) the intensification of the message through personification; and (4) the transformation from awe to a dance of joy. Psalm 114 ultimately invites its readers to become children of tradition—those who both receive and actualize the Exodus tradition in their own time.

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Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies 2024 KCI Impact Factor : 0.49

2025, Vol.31, No.4