The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms

by Othmar Keel, Timothy J. Hallett (Translator)

This pioneering work that first appeared in 1972 in German was the first to compare the conceptual world of a biblical book with ancient Near Eastern iconography. Eisenbrauns’ English edition of Keel’s classic work provides the 21st century scholar with his groundbreaking methodology. Generously illustrated with photographs and line drawings.

Genres: Religion, Poetry, Faith, History, Nonfiction, Old Testament

448 pages, Hardcover

First published March 12, 1996

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow, through all my years of seminary and graduate work, this book remained unread by me. I am glad to have spent several weeks with it now. A scholarly book with pictures is a rare treat. What Keel has done is basically, via both text and pictures, to situation Israel within the broader Ancient Near Eastern world (ANE), especially Egypt. This is not parallelomania, but a balanced comparison and contrast of Israel's beliefs and practices with those of her neighbors. Even though, as the subtitle suggests, the focus is on the connections between the Psalms and the ANE, in actuality the book serves a much broader purpose. It illumines sections of the entire Tanakh.

[Luke Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Othmar Keel's seminal work Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms popularized the "iconographic exegetical" method in biblical studies. Keel takes seriously the ancient Near Eastern (ANE) environment of the Hebrew Bible, explaining that "[o]nly when this rich environment has been systematically included in the study of the OT do OT conventionalities and originalities clearly emerge" (7). Specifically, Keel appeals to the art and iconography of the ANE, in order to better understand the biblical text (and in this volume, specifically the Psalms). Keel advocates for this "iconographic" approach, because "[i]conography compels us to see through the eyes of the ancient Near East" (8); by looking at congruent visual imagery from the ANE, the interpreter is better equipped to explore and understand the literary imagery of the Bible. Keel believes that we regularly (and incorrectly) assume that certain phenomena (like trees or the sun) "held the same meaning for the ancient Near East as they do for us," but this is simply not the case; at times, some concepts "were associated [in the ANE] with ideas and feelings very different from ours" (8).

Recognizing that the world of ancient Israel's scriptures was rather different from our own today, in this volume, Keel examines key themes and ideas in the Psalms (e.g., destructive forces, the temple, conceptions of God, and the king) in tandem with the art of the ANE (primarily from Egypt and Mesopotamia, but also from Syria-Palestine). The volume includes over 400 hand-drawn illustrations and reproductions of ANE art (reliefs, paintings, sculptures), most of which will be unfamiliar to the reader, but which, at times, greatly illuminate the metaphorical and visual language of the Psalms.

My favorite chapter is on the "conceptions of God" in the Psalms and in ANE art (chap. 4), in which Keel examines notions of God as "judge," as "creator," as "warrior," as "shield," and much more. The fifth chapter, in which Keel focuses on kingship in the ANE and in the Psalms, is also a strong chapter. At times, however, Keel compares and contrasts biblical metaphors, images, words, and phrases with congruent ANE art and iconography, without properly taking into account the literary context of the biblical image. This is what Joel LeMon refers to as "literary 'fragmentation'" (see his Yahweh's Winged Form in the Psalms: Exploring Congruent Iconography and Texts, 14-15, in which he also points to Keel's iconographic commentary on the Song of Songs as an example of "literary 'fragmentation'"). By pulling the biblical image or phrase out of its literary context, one runs the risk of misinterpreting the image; the same can and should be said concerning the visual context of a work of art from the ANE (see, again, LeMon, 14-15, on visual "fragmentation"). Still, Keel's work is valuable and important, not only because it popularized a new methodology (iconographic exegesis), but also because this work opens all of our eyes to the strange, ancient world of the Bible, as it is most mysteriously and beautifully presented in the medium of ANE visual art.

[Alan Ibbetson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Hebrew Exegesis of Isaiah class at Seminary. I had skimmed it a few years ago but decided to actually read the whole thing this time. It is such a fantastic book if you want to understand the cultures around Israel during the 2nd millennium BC. It is heavier on Egyptian culture but engages with all of the relevant information available at the time. The focus is on the book of Psalms and he references that most often. However, don't let that make you thing that it isn't of value for all of the OT because it is.

It is very academic and I understand that that it won't be appealing to most people. However, if you like to study the ANE background to the OT then you will love this. The best part of this book is seeing all of the artwork. He has grouped it all into topics and he explains each topic with the associated artwork on the page. It is amazing to see it all as he explains it. The images primarily come from reliefs on temple or palace walls. When appropriate he also shows seals, pottery, jewelry, or whatever the artwork is on.

[Marty Solomon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic Text by Keel that is a comprehensive look at what we have discovered about the symbolism of the Ancient Near East (ANE).

As Keel explains in his introduction, the world of scholarship had provided many sources that had discussed the culture of the ANE and some that had analyzed the symbolism and archeological finds themselves, there was a lack of texts that had bridged the gap and showed their direct relevance to the Biblical text itself.

Keel spends his time going through all sorts of understandings that were held in the ANE, from their views of the universe and the divine, to temple worship, conquest, etc. Special emphasis is given to the Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures and their impact on the region of Palestine. The book is very focused on the Psalms as this is where Keel finds the bulk of these references, but he also points out other obvious connections as you go.

Again, a very academic text, almost like an encyclopedia of sorts; but full of great content and a very respected source throughout the world of ANE scholarship.

[Steven Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal book, compiling almost 500 illustrations from artwork in the ancient Near East to help us understand the words of the Hebrew Bible better. As Keel explains, “the ancient Near East … had a preference for concepts which are themselves concrete, but which frequently signify a reality far larger than their concrete meaning.” The import of these words is only absorbed after the picture after picture along with suggestive verses from the psalms which they shed light on. I found particularly the early portions focused on conceptions of the cosmos and destructive forces to be the most eye opening for me, simply because they were so foreign. I leave with a much better conception and appreciation for the ancient mind. A masterful, foundational work in iconography.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good introduction into the cultural and symbolic world that surrounded the world of the authors of the Hebrew Bible, particularly as it relates to the creation of the Psalms.