Outlining, Literary Elements Observation, Contextual Analysis of Biblical Texts

Step 1: Initial Observation of Literary Elements (give verse #s for quick reference)
Repetition: What are the repetitive words, phrases, or ideas? (what words seem to be particularly important? What do they seem to mean in this context? Use a concordance or lexicon if the meaning is obscure)
* Moses, Moses held up his hand, Amalek, fought with Amalek, war with Amalek
Characters: List all of the characters present (primary, secondary, stock). Pay close attention to the interaction as well as perspectives of characters in the story. (Who are the primary characters? Who are the secondary characters? Who are stock figures—those who don’t necessarily have a personality, just a stereotypical role)
* The Lord, Moses, Amalek, Joshua, Aaron, Hur
Action: List all of the action words (verbs) associated with the primary character(s). Pay attention, who is acting and who is being acted upon? (Pay attention to the major actors—what are they doing? Pay close attention to the action of God, what is he doing? When is the actor of a particular action ambiguous?)
* Fought, fight, stand, went, held, took, put, stayed up, discomfited, write, rehearse, put out, built, called
* The major actors in the narrative who are committing the acts are Moses, Aaron, and Hur as they were holding up the rod. The battle and the associated acts are done by Joshua and Amalek against one another.
Setting: Where is this passage set? Include geographic location as well as time. Why does it matter? (Where is the narrative taking place, moving to or from? What elements of the geography impact the story [on the road, on a hill, up and down a mountain] and why is it significant? Is time a significant factor [year, season, time of day]; if so why?)
* The war took place in Rephidim
* Moses is on top of the hill with a rod
* The war lasted until the sun went down
* The setting in the passage is important to create a strong narrative and really promote the reader's understanding of the whole situation. The time of day also was hinted at by mentioning the sunset, and this is important in communicating the length of time that the battle is happening and the duration of Moses’ holding the rod up.
Genre: What is the genre or literary category? Some may include: poetry, law, genealogy, prayer, heroic narrative, prophetic story, call narrative, novella, battle/dream/epiphany report, anecdote, farewell speech, etc. (What are the implications for the text?)
* Heroic narrative
* Battle report
What questions do you have for the text? (at least 2)
* What does Amalek signify during the battle against the people of Israel?
* Is the rod purely of divine power that it had an effect on the battle between Joshua and Amalek?
Step 2: Structural Analysis, Outlining the Biblical Text
Outline the passage: (at least 2-3 major points and sub-points as necessary – use v. #s
Exodus 17:9
Joshua will fight with Amalek while Moses, Aaron, and Hur go up a hill.
Exodus 17:11-12
The rod that Moses is holding influences the battle between Joshua and Amalek. When held up the battle goes in favor of Joshua, while the opposite happens when it is lowered down. Aaron and Hur supported Moses in lifting the rod un...