Profile avatar
duck5.bsky.social
Once wrote a book on the structure of Ecclesiastes. Studying PhD in Psalms at University of Sydney. Always happy to talk about home brewing and backyard chickens. Occasionally blogging at duck5.blogspot.com
685 posts 273 followers 202 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
Posts 13 Comments 37

I am now one word closer to writing my limerick about Qohelet

submitted 55 minutes ago • 0 comments

So that’s why it’s called Gopher wood. It’s a transliteration. Nothing to do with those critters. I think I imagined it had holes like Swiss cheese or something, as if it had been gnawed by gophers.

submitted 21 hours ago • 3 comments

Of course the problem with the cricket is it's on overnight (AUS vs SA in the UK). Just watched the highlights and it really doesn't do it justice - the beauty of cricket isn't just the runs or the wickets, it's the 8 hours of dot balls waiting for something to happen.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

So many good ones out there (and ones I already own/have borrowed 1000 times already) but this one looks really fun Cosmos and Creation: www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Emailed today with the last Biblical Hebrew/Biblical Studies lecturer left at the University of Sydney as he prepares for his final semester. The death of classical education could just be a smart economic decision. It could also be a portent of the end for this civilisation.

submitted 8 days ago • 2 comments

Random kid comes up to me after school asking where my son is. When my son finally emerges, I ask how this kid knows me. He says everyone does. He got them to google my name and my book and face come up. Not sure how interested 11yr olds are in the structure of Ecclesiastes but

submitted 9 days ago • 2 comments

Fascinating midrash on Deuteronomy 33:2 unpacked here

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Now I'm up to the final two commandments as Deuteronomy riffs on them. I think there's probably two sections which may be parallel structures, but I certainly think I'm pushing it. So I'm thinking it's Don't lie (24:8-25:3), then Don't Covet (25:4-26:15), with a conclusion (26:16-19).

submitted 17 days ago • 1 comment

oof. this hits hard. preaching on Deuteronomy this morning and the economic justice there is wonderfully encapsulated in this quote from Basil.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

An very clear structure of the marriage punishments in Deuteronomy 22: A 13-19 He pays a fine (100) B 20-21 She dies - purge the evil C 22 Both are killed - purge the evil C' 23-24 Both are killed - purge the evil B' 25-27 He dies - it's just like murder A' 28-29 He pays a fine (50)

submitted 21 days ago • 1 comment

I swear I'm not looking for chiasms / envelope structures but they just keep turning up. The next section of Deuteronomy means we're up to the 7th and 8th commandments. Rather than separated out like the 5th & 6th were, they are interwoven with 23:9-14 (23:10-13 HB) as the centre:

submitted 22 days ago • 1 comment

I’m very worried about the language of “enemies” cropping up from the conservative side of Australian politics. Constructive dialogue even among those from ideologically opposed positions should always be the goal. #auspol

submitted 23 days ago • 2 comments

I love aesthetically pleasing words like this. Cf Zion ציון.

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments