The Biblical Languages Podcast (brought to you by Biblingo) Biblical Hebrew Poetry with Emmylou Grosser
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Jan 9, 2026 In this engaging conversation, Emmylou Grosser, a scholar and educator specializing in biblical Hebrew poetry, dives into the nuances of poetic structure and cognitive poetics. She highlights the distinctions between poetry as genre and structural mode, emphasizing the interplay of poetic elements in prose. The duo discusses performance's crucial role in understanding biblical texts, the impact of Masoretic accents, and how sound features like phonetic similarity shape poetic organization. Emmylou also explores practical applications for translation and interpretation, revealing how deep analysis can enhance our reading of these ancient verses.
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How She Fell Into Hebrew Poetry
- Emmylou discovered biblical poetry at seminary and fell in love with the Song of Songs and her future husband.
- That mix pushed her into a PhD path focused on Hebrew poetry and cognitive poetics.
Genre Versus Structural Mode
- Poetry is culture-specific and the label 'poetry' can mean different things across traditions.
- Distinguish genre (lyric, lament) from structural mode (verse vs prose) when studying biblical texts.
Verse Versus Poetic Continuum
- Distinguish 'verse' as a structural mode (lines) from 'poetic' as a continuum of stylistic features.
- You can have verse that's not poetic and prose that is poetic depending on cultural use.
