20000900 Humor in the Hebrew Bible by Hershey H. Friedman

20000900 Humor in the Hebrew Bible by Hershey H. Friedman

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/economic/friedman/bibhumor.htm

This paper appeared in Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, Vol. 13:3, Sept. 2000, 258-285. ©2000

Humor in the Hebrew Bible
By Hershey H. Friedman, Ph.D.
Professor of Business and Marketing
Bernard H. Stern Professor of Humor 1997-1999
Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
E-mail: x.friedman AT att.net
Abstract

This paper demonstrates that the Hebrew Bible contains much humor, albeit mainly subtle and much of it requiring a knowledge of the original language of the Bible, Hebrew. The purpose of this article is not to exhaustively enumerate all instances of humor in the Bible but, rather, to demonstrate that humor permeates the Holy Scriptures. The humorous verses and situations collected in this paper are characterized as belonging to one of the following categories of humor: sarcasm, irony, wordplay, humorous names, humorous imagery and exaggeration, and humorous situations. An examination of the collection in this paper makes evident at least one important purpose of this humor: Humor brings God closer to humankind. For instance, God seems more understandable and less aloof when he is sarcastic. We mortals note that even omniscience and omnipotence do not prevent one from being hurt by straying children. Humorous stories and exaggerations make the moral lessons of the Hebrew Bible more memorable, and the irony behind punishments that are "measure for measure" hints at a world in which justice does truly prevail.

Humor in the Hebrew Bible

Many individuals believe that the Bible, in particular the Hebrew Bible, is without any humor. For example, Alfred North Whitehead was of the opinion that there is no humor in the Old Testament. He claimed that "the total absence of humour from the Bible is one of the most singular things in all of literature" (Price 1954: 199). Whitehead attributed the humorlessness of the Bible to the fact that the ancient Jews were a "depressed people" because of their situation, i.e., continually attacked and overrun by foreign powers. Others, such as Knox (1969), claim that there is much humor in the Hebrew Bible, although it consists mainly of irony. Knox points out that the prophets, in particular, used irony to warn the Jews against the "allurements of pagan civilization." Jemielty (1992) demonstrates that Hebrew prophecy makes use of satire. A major purpose of the satire and sarcasm was to ridicule the evildoer and idolater. Bonham (1988: 38-51) also feels that examining the Bible proves that "God has a sense of humor." Jonsson (1985: 41-50) rejects the opinion that there is no humor in the Hebrew Bible and discusses several examples of Biblical humor, e.g., the story of Jacob and Laban.

There are many different types of humor. These include: puns, wordplays, riddles, jokes, satires, lampoons, sarcasm, irony, wit, black humor, comedy, slapstick, farce, burlesques, caricatures, parody, and travesty. The differences among these different humor types is not always great. In particular, burlesque, caricature, parody, and travesty are very much alike and refer to literary or dramatic works that mimic serious works in order to achieve a humorous or satiric effect. Likewise, the difference between satire and lampoon is not that great. The bottom line is that humor has the ability to make people laugh, smile, or chuckle, at least inwardly. Perhaps it does the same for a divine being.

The idea that even God laughs is mentioned several times in Psalms. In Psalms (2:4), the Psalmist says: "He who sits in heaven will laugh, the Lord will mock them." In Psalms (37:13): "My Lord laughs at him for He sees that his day is coming." In Psalms (59:9): "But as for You, God, You laugh at them; You mock all nations." These verses all indicate that one day the Lord will laugh at evildoers. Of course, the type of laughter described here is not a happy, fun-loving laugh, but a sarcastic, derisive one. The Psalmist is describing a contemptuous, sardonic laugh aimed at the wicked who do not realize the futility of their plots if God does not approve.

Jewish tradition (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 14b) organizes the Hebrew Scriptures into three categories of the canon. The Five Books of Moses, also called the Pentateuch or the Torah, are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Prophets consists of eight books, including Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and the Twelve Minor Prophets (e.g., Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). The Writings is comprised of eleven books, including Ruth, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Daniel, Esther, Ezra (and Nehemiah), and Chronicles.

The Hebrew Bible employs many sorts of humor, but its purpose is not to entertain. The major goal of the Hebrew Bible is to teach humanity how to live the ideal life. Much of the humor found in the Hebrew Bible has a purpose: To demonstrate that evil is wrong and even ludicrous, at times. The punishments meted out to wrongdoers are often designed to mock them and to hoist them by their own petards.

This paper will demonstrate that the Hebrew Bible contains much humor, albeit mainly subtle and much of it requiring a knowledge of the original language of the Bible, Hebrew. The purpose of this article is not to exhaustively enumerate all instances of humor in the Bible but, rather, to demonstrate that humor permeates the Holy Scriptures. The humorous verses and situations collected in this paper are characterized as belonging to one of several broad categories of humor: sarcasm, irony, wordplay, humorous names, humorous imagery, and humorous situations.

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