What Robert Alter’s Book, The Art of Biblical Narrative,Can Teach Us About Hebrew Scriptures

Take the Bible in your hands, open it near the front to reveal words within the first eleven books, identify a story, and begin to read. This natural story selection process provides a reader with an opportunity to immerse themselves within a found story. An initial reading, or two, can expose some meaning, but a deep sense of knowing and understanding may be elusive. However, curious readers, people of faith, and literature aficionados may desire to uncover a more embedded meaning within the text. Robert Alter presents an approach in his book The Art of Biblical Narrative (2011), that enables a reader to delve into the Old Testament through the use of the text itself. 

Alter cautions us that the stories within the Hebrew scripture will not, nor can they, fit within a neat formula. Instead, he proposes a four-part approach deeply connected to the text of the Old Testament which includes an examination of words that repeat, acknowledgement of actions that appear to follow a predictable pattern, awareness of the importance of dialogue since “everything in the world of biblical narrative ultimately gravitates toward dialogue,” and recognition of the role of the narrator who has “omniscience and unobtrusiveness…combined.” At first glance Alter’s four-part approach may resemble a tidy and neat formula, similar to the English literature tactics of identification of metaphors, similes, literature classification, and examination of symbolism in an attempt to fit a piece of literature in a particular box. Alter’s approach relies on the text’s ability to expose its own inherent meaning. 

Throughout Alter’s book he applies his four-point approach to a variety of Hebrew scripture passages. A story I have familiarity with is 2 Kings 2:1-12 so I will use this passage to demonstrate his approach.

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know:  keep silent.” 4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him. “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of the prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to one side and to the other; until Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirt.” 10He responded, “You have asked for a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not it will not.” 11As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended into a whirlwind into heaven. 12Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Within the above noted text the reader can identify the repetition of a number of words. Elijah says in verses 2, 4, and 6 to “stay here” and each time Elisha responds, “I will not leave you.” These interactions reveal something about the relationship between these two men and perhaps, reminds us of other strong relationships within the Hebrew scripture. Relationships such as the familial connection between Ruth and Naomi and the inheritance tie between Moses and Joshua add additional context not immediately seen. 

If we examine 2 Kings 2:1-12 for repetitious action we observe Elisha and Elijah traveling from Gilgal, to Bethel, and to Jericho. Each step in the journey being a repeat of the step before. The text also alerts the reader to similar action seen within the Old Testament. For example, in verse 8, when Elijah parts the Jordan, readers are reminded of the parting of the Reed Sea in Exod. 14:21 and Joshua’s parting of the Jordan. Another example is in 2 Kings 2:9 when Elisha requests “let me inherit a double share of your spirt.” This statement reflects the information from Deut. 21:17 which states that the first-born son receives a double share. The writers, editors, and assemblers of the text (the redactors) anticipate that the readers, or hearers, have a rich awareness of the Hebrew scriptures. 

Finally, let us examine the interplay of dialogue and narration. The story begins with the narrator’s demonstration of omniscience. They warn us about Elijah’s departure and that at the end of the story he will be taken up by the whirling wind. As Elijah and Elisha travel there is a distinctive interplay between the narration and dialogue. Elijah tells Elisha to not follow him, Elisha refuses, and the company of prophets reminds Elisha of the impending departure of the prophet Elijah. All of this information is conveyed through dialogue. As Alter indicates repetition of dialogue divulges who the characters are and as such, Elijah and Elisha reveal themselves through their requests and refusals just as the company of prophets reveal their determined presence. Perhaps Elijah seeks to spare Elisha the pain of watching him leave. Maybe Elisha’s refusal to abandon Elijah and his words, “Father, Father” convey his deep affection for Elijah (2 Kings 2:12). In both cases, the characters are humanized as they demonstrate persistence and determination. Consider also the shift from dialogue to narrative when Elijah engages in the miracle of the parting of the Jordan. This decision to focus on the narrative, as opposed to dialogue, seems to be intentional as the use of narration allows the story to gain speed plus it “avoids excessive repetition.” Another example of the interconnection between dialogue and narration of this Hebrew text. 

After an examination of 2 Kings 2:1-12 we can now see that the elegant beauty of Alter’s four-part approach is steeped in its reliance on the text. It is not based on understanding of Greek historical tragedy, the formal structure of Haiku poetry, or the modernist approach of each item fitting into one distinct category. Instead, Alter engages in an interdisciplinary or integrated approach, that I believe, leaves traditional literary analysis behind. Perhaps what is so successful in this approach is the combination of the “excavative scholarship” and Alter’s literary approach enables readers to experience less separation “from the origins of the text.” Alter’s four-point approach enabled me to unearth many of the textual insights allowing me to see deep within the story. The thoughtful and dedicated approach empowers the reader to view the Hebrew scriptures through a new lens, illuminating the author’s purpose and meaning. To view the characters within the sacred text as human and life-like and to witness the “imaginative play…deeply interfused with a sense of great spiritual urgency.” But there is more. As readers, we come to see the innate magnificence within the Hebrew stories and as Alter states, we “also come to see more clearly what they tell us about God, man, and the perilously momentous realm of history.” What could be more important than that?

Writing, editing, and the assembling of text all sculpt a piece of writing into a particular shape. This occurs through an intentionality of words, punctuation, rhythm, and flow as evidenced in poetry, short stories, novels, an essay, or Hebrew scripture. This purposeful approach to writing means that layer upon layer of meaning resides within a piece of literature. But how do readers excavate the meaning specifically with the Hebrew text? Alter’s four-point approach, a form of literary analysis, offers a more text-centred focus as evidenced in the investigation of the story from 2 Kings 2:1-12 enabling the reader to see a deeper meaning within the Hebrew scripture.