Presentations by Peter C W Ho
Location Singapore Job description Singapore is one of the most religious diverse nations in the ... more Location Singapore Job description Singapore is one of the most religious diverse nations in the world and is often called the gateway to Asia. Well-reputed in Asia, Singapore Bible College has produced thousands of graduates over the past seven decades serving churches and communities in different parts of the world. The mission of the College is to train faithful servants of Jesus Christ to edify the body of Christ and to make disciples of all nations. The College is confessional and interdenominational, and has a strong focus on biblical studies, theology, and missions. The School of Theology, English, invites experienced academics and practitioners with PhD qualifications, and who are willing to invest their time in Asia, to apply for this position.
Presented at the Macro Analysis of Hebrew Poetic and Prophetic Discourse Conference on October 18... more Presented at the Macro Analysis of Hebrew Poetic and Prophetic Discourse Conference on October 18, 2023, Dallas International University.
Macrostructural shaping of poetic and prophetic texts is one of the missing gaps currently in the holistic and integrative studies of these books. Even within literary approaches, holistic analyses of poetic/prophetic books have been traditionally limited to the level of the poem or single prophetic discourse. And in the past three/four decades, many of these large-scale literary studies have adopted a methodology of looking for semantic parallels across texts. These studies, unfortunately, generate a lot of data with little consensus. I have found that there are many different techniques at work in the large-scale shaping of poetic and prophetic texts. Key techniques of shaping are often a combination of linear, concentric, and intertextual methods. The macrostructural analysis, used together with semantics and the traditional historical-grammatical approaches, provides a robust interpretation of the text. This paper seeks to show, through my observations of the macrostructural shapes in the Psalms, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, that the composition of these books in their final forms is cogent and coherent. Once observed, they offer the interpreters key insights into the message of the book.
This presentation was delivered on the 20 Sep 2022 at the ATA Triennial General Assembly
This was presented at the SIL Global Translation Pool Meeting on 9 Nov, 2021.
Tyndale Study Group Old Testament Conference, 2021
This essay is an intertextual study of the concept of hope for all peoples via the word field of ... more This essay is an intertextual study of the concept of hope for all peoples via the word field of “nations” in three key books of the Hebrew Bible. It suggests, firstly, that the concept of hope, broadly defined as looking forward to a positive state of being, is characterized more via the attributes of Yahweh (e.g., justice and rule) in the Psalms. In Isaiah, the concept is depicted by how the nations will operate and flourish under such auspices at a future time. In Deuteronomy, hope for the nations (specifically, “foreigners”) is envisaged through Israel’s obedience to the Torah.
Evangelical Theological Society Annual Conference, 2020
This paper proposes that the opening chapters of the Psalter likely has a profound intertextual r... more This paper proposes that the opening chapters of the Psalter likely has a profound intertextual resonance with the Qur’an. From at least two dozen parallels relating to the literary shape and the motif of human flourishing between the opening chapters of the Qur’an and the Psalms, connections between these two texts go deeper than heretofore recognized. Yet significant divergences remain and could ultimately render any common ground moot. Genuine interfaith conversations must be forged through a clear understanding of these differences in both texts.
Presentation details: 22 Nov, 1:50–2:30 PM,
Old Testament
Psalms II
Grand Hyatt — Bankers Hill
Sa... more Presentation details: 22 Nov, 1:50–2:30 PM,
Old Testament
Psalms II
Grand Hyatt — Bankers Hill
San Diego
Articles and Book Sections by Peter C W Ho
Between the Psalms and the Twelve Exploring the Nature and Shape of Composition, 2025
In this essay, I interact with some of the most recent research arising from the conversation bet... more In this essay, I interact with some of the most recent research arising from the conversation between redactional critics and integrative readers, focusing on key methodological debates in the conversation. I will interact primarily with the works of Drew Longacre, David Willgren Davage, William Yarchin, Alma Brodersen, and several others. My conclusion is that while an anthological compilation theory to the formation of these corpora is plausible, key propositions to the editorial profiling of the growth of the text—regardless of whether it is a DSS, LXX, or MT text type—are still literary constructs and this theory is a deductive endeavor. It remains an open question whether the DSS Psalms scrolls and LXX were dependent and derivative of the MT. The status quaestionis almost four decades after Gerald Wilson’s The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter is that it is neither possible nor necessary to preclude the Psalter (or the XII) from having undergone an integrative and coherent shaping by a single or a small group of final editors at the final stages of the formational process to produce a sepher with a theological and thematic logic.
Studies in Interreligious Dialogue 33/2, 203-220, 2023
The texts of the Qur’an and the Psalms have long been compared to each other. However, much of th... more The texts of the Qur’an and the Psalms have long been compared to each other. However, much of these comparisons rest on semantic and conceptual parallels. This paper proposes that the opening chapters of the Psalter have a profound intertextual resonance with the Qur’an that is beyond surface semantics. These parallels are also found in their literary forms. The approach adopted here is to analyse textual forms at strategically located texts, the opening chapters, and not merely on common semantics. We observe at least two dozen parallels relating to distinctive literary forms and the motif of human flourishing in the first few chapters of the Qur’an and the Psalms. The implication of this study is twofold: First, there are more textual parallels between the Qur’an and the Psalter than hereto understood. Second, human flourishing can form the basis of further interfaith dialogue and reflection.
Reading the Psalms Theologically, 2023
The search for a principle to unite the 150 psalms has gone on for more than seventeen centuries.... more The search for a principle to unite the 150 psalms has gone on for more than seventeen centuries. Although renewed efforts in this search from the 1980s have yielded important results, Psalms scholarship has yet to reach a consensus. Crystalized from a larger work, The Design of the Psalter: A Macrostructural Analysis, this chapter is an important step toward that consensus. It explores how the entire Psalter is designed, explains why it is coherent as a whole, and opens up a new paradigm to understand the Psalms.
The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2019
Systematic theologians have constructed a Christology that is highly based on NT texts, which, in... more Systematic theologians have constructed a Christology that is highly based on NT texts, which, interestingly, supports the anachronistic reading Psalms scholarship has sustained in the last two centuries. In contrast, this paper argues for a forward reading that supports the Psalms as intrinsically messianic. Methodologically, I study the Davidic psalms in five collections giving emphasis to the superscriptions, structural form and content. My observations show that the Davidic psalms first trace the establishment of the Davidic kingship followed by his downfall. Then, remarkably, the Davidic characterization shifts to a royal figure, who is blameless, victorious, and juridically condemned. The final Davidic collection reveals a community of people supplicating patiently before the arrival of a blissful and just society. The paper shows that the NT's understanding of Jesus fulfilling the messianic hopes in the Psalter is a formidable and reasonable interpretation, and need not be anachronistic.
*erratum in note 9. The article, “An Integrated Reading of Psalms 1 and 2,” JSOT 98 (2002): 75–88, should be by Robert L. Cole instead of Robert A. Cole.
Vetus Testamentum, 2019
With the emergence of the canonical approach to the Psalter, individual psalms are no longer stud... more With the emergence of the canonical approach to the Psalter, individual psalms are no longer studied as standalone compositions, but viewed along a continuum of psalms to provide meaning. While scholars have analysed alphabetic poems and how they add to meaning, the study of such poems has rarely gone beyond the individual psalm. This paper seeks to understand alphabetic poems within the horizon of the Psalter and whether they function together to provide meaning at the macrostructural level. The paper begins with analyses of eight generally accepted alphabetical acrostics in the Psalter. From their characteristics, a total of forty-six alphabetic poems are suggested. It is observed that these poems mark leitmotifs at prominent locations and develop the motif of David across the entire Psalter. The macrostructural logic of alphabetical poems, as a whole, is subservient to the overarching theological thrust of the Psalter.
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2019
Recent doctoral research on the Psalter continue to reinforce the idea that the 150 individual ps... more Recent doctoral research on the Psalter continue to reinforce the idea that the 150 individual psalms are not haphazardly arranged and that various editorial techniques have been employed to shape the Psalter. In this article, I propose a novel editorial technique that has hitherto not been recognized or systematized in the literature on Hebrew poetry or the Psalms-the 'Pan-Psalter Occurrence Scheme'-a careful use and placement of certain words/phrases across the entire Psalter such that all their sequential occurrences reflect a well-designed schema. Two lexemes, י ע ק ב ('Jacob') and ב ר י ת ('covenant') are studied. The occurrences of these words are found to develop along a linear dimension (metanarrative) and display remarkable concentric arrangements. The POS technique suggests that the entire Psalter is indicative of intentional and careful macrostructural design. This article will contribute to our knowledge of ancient poetic editorial techniques underlying the composition of the Hebrew Psalter. In poetry, the content of the message communicated is closely related to its form.
Books by Peter C W Ho
Between the Psalms and the Twelve: Exploring the Nature and Shape of Composition, 2025
The intent of this book is to initiate conversations between two seemingly similar corpora of the... more The intent of this book is to initiate conversations between two seemingly similar corpora of the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament the scholarship of which has developed independently in the last few decades and remained separate. To our knowledge, there is currently very little scholarship that sustains conversations between the Psalms and the Twelve (XII). We believe this volume will fill a gap in the scholarship of the Psalms and the XII.
Our modest aim is to demonstrate that insights gained from reading the two corpora, even if done separately, can productively inform the reading of both when brought together in conversation. The value of allowing one mature research field to affect the other to spark new growth is too great to ignore. As such, we have gathered several specialists who have worked extensively with either one of these corpora, or both, to initiate and engender conversations.
These contributors hail from five countries (USA, Italy, UK, South Africa, and Singapore) and their essays adopt a particular approach, which can be methodological, scribal, thematic, theological, or literary.
![Research paper thumbnail of Peter C. W. Ho, Habakkuk and Zephaniah [Front Matter], Asia Bible Commentary Series, 2024.](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/116652776/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Habakkuk and Zephaniah, 2024
The books of Habakkuk and Zephaniah are God’s word to his people Israel at the lowest point in th... more The books of Habakkuk and Zephaniah are God’s word to his people Israel at the lowest point in their history – the time of the Babylonian captivity. In the horizon, the looming national disaster is not simply contrasted with the prophetic hope of deliverance; rather the brightest light that shines is the display of God’s unchanging faithfulness, power, and holiness – the foundations for divine action for the well-being of the remnant of Judah. They show us the faith of the righteous among the rebels and the ruins. These two powerful books demonstrate that faith without faithfulness is an infantile fantasy. Written in accessible language to guide readers into the world of Hebrew poetry, this volume speaks to all those who continue to desire God in life’s dark places and dark times, revealing Scripture’s beauty and power as we persist in seeking to understand its intricacies.
The Asia Bible Commentary Series empowers Christian believers in Asia to read the Bible from within their respective contexts. Holistic in its approach to the text, each exposition of the biblical books combines exegesis and application. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia by providing a pastoral and contextual exposition of every book of the Bible.
By Prof. Peter Ho. Having personally heard Prof. Ho's lectures on this subject, I too can enthusi... more By Prof. Peter Ho. Having personally heard Prof. Ho's lectures on this subject, I too can enthusiastically recommend this detailed, insightful, and clearly argued exposition of the Psalter's amazing compositional design.
Good poetry is like a good painting: the more you linger over it, the more it reveals. It is a de... more Good poetry is like a good painting: the more you linger over it, the more it reveals. It is a deep well that never runs dry. And that is why the Psalter, like a good painting, keeps giving. In the last four decades, Psalms scholarship has found remarkable fruitfulness in reading the Psalter as a book that is, in reading the Psalms as a unified composition with a metanarrative across its 150 poems. Pivotal questions associated with this approach really boil down to two questions-how and why? How are individual psalms sequenced, if at all, and what is the design logic behind that macrostructure? This volume seeks to answer those questions. In essence, the Psalter unfurls the story of the Davidic covenant. While interest in the editing of the Psalter remains high in recent Psalms scholarship, this interest has not led to clear consensus. The specific and timely contribution of this volume is twofold. First, it consolidates the results of studies on groups of psalms. Second, it integrates poetic and thematic approaches that are typically separated in Psalms scholarship. Readers will find the results of this study surprising and their implications sobering.
PETER C. W. HO is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Singapore Bible College. His research interests include Hebrew poetry and stylistic studies. His work has appeared in Vetus Testamentum and the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament.
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Presentations by Peter C W Ho
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Macrostructural shaping of poetic and prophetic texts is one of the missing gaps currently in the holistic and integrative studies of these books. Even within literary approaches, holistic analyses of poetic/prophetic books have been traditionally limited to the level of the poem or single prophetic discourse. And in the past three/four decades, many of these large-scale literary studies have adopted a methodology of looking for semantic parallels across texts. These studies, unfortunately, generate a lot of data with little consensus. I have found that there are many different techniques at work in the large-scale shaping of poetic and prophetic texts. Key techniques of shaping are often a combination of linear, concentric, and intertextual methods. The macrostructural analysis, used together with semantics and the traditional historical-grammatical approaches, provides a robust interpretation of the text. This paper seeks to show, through my observations of the macrostructural shapes in the Psalms, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, that the composition of these books in their final forms is cogent and coherent. Once observed, they offer the interpreters key insights into the message of the book.
Old Testament
Psalms II
Grand Hyatt — Bankers Hill
San Diego
Articles and Book Sections by Peter C W Ho
*erratum in note 9. The article, “An Integrated Reading of Psalms 1 and 2,” JSOT 98 (2002): 75–88, should be by Robert L. Cole instead of Robert A. Cole.
Books by Peter C W Ho
Our modest aim is to demonstrate that insights gained from reading the two corpora, even if done separately, can productively inform the reading of both when brought together in conversation. The value of allowing one mature research field to affect the other to spark new growth is too great to ignore. As such, we have gathered several specialists who have worked extensively with either one of these corpora, or both, to initiate and engender conversations.
These contributors hail from five countries (USA, Italy, UK, South Africa, and Singapore) and their essays adopt a particular approach, which can be methodological, scribal, thematic, theological, or literary.
The Asia Bible Commentary Series empowers Christian believers in Asia to read the Bible from within their respective contexts. Holistic in its approach to the text, each exposition of the biblical books combines exegesis and application. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia by providing a pastoral and contextual exposition of every book of the Bible.
PETER C. W. HO is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Singapore Bible College. His research interests include Hebrew poetry and stylistic studies. His work has appeared in Vetus Testamentum and the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament.
https://www.eclasproject.org/conference/reading-the-bible-in-an-age-of-science/
Macrostructural shaping of poetic and prophetic texts is one of the missing gaps currently in the holistic and integrative studies of these books. Even within literary approaches, holistic analyses of poetic/prophetic books have been traditionally limited to the level of the poem or single prophetic discourse. And in the past three/four decades, many of these large-scale literary studies have adopted a methodology of looking for semantic parallels across texts. These studies, unfortunately, generate a lot of data with little consensus. I have found that there are many different techniques at work in the large-scale shaping of poetic and prophetic texts. Key techniques of shaping are often a combination of linear, concentric, and intertextual methods. The macrostructural analysis, used together with semantics and the traditional historical-grammatical approaches, provides a robust interpretation of the text. This paper seeks to show, through my observations of the macrostructural shapes in the Psalms, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, that the composition of these books in their final forms is cogent and coherent. Once observed, they offer the interpreters key insights into the message of the book.
Old Testament
Psalms II
Grand Hyatt — Bankers Hill
San Diego
*erratum in note 9. The article, “An Integrated Reading of Psalms 1 and 2,” JSOT 98 (2002): 75–88, should be by Robert L. Cole instead of Robert A. Cole.
Our modest aim is to demonstrate that insights gained from reading the two corpora, even if done separately, can productively inform the reading of both when brought together in conversation. The value of allowing one mature research field to affect the other to spark new growth is too great to ignore. As such, we have gathered several specialists who have worked extensively with either one of these corpora, or both, to initiate and engender conversations.
These contributors hail from five countries (USA, Italy, UK, South Africa, and Singapore) and their essays adopt a particular approach, which can be methodological, scribal, thematic, theological, or literary.
The Asia Bible Commentary Series empowers Christian believers in Asia to read the Bible from within their respective contexts. Holistic in its approach to the text, each exposition of the biblical books combines exegesis and application. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia by providing a pastoral and contextual exposition of every book of the Bible.
PETER C. W. HO is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Singapore Bible College. His research interests include Hebrew poetry and stylistic studies. His work has appeared in Vetus Testamentum and the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament.
This volume represents a slight revision of Peter C. W. Ho’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Gloucestershire, supervised by Gordon McConville, who provides a brief Foreword to the volume. Ho’s work is the most comprehensive attempt to date to explore the shape and shaping of the Book of Psalms. This scholarly enterprise began in earnest with the publication of Gerald H. Wilson’s The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter in 1985; and while the form-critical and rhetorical critical approaches to the Psalms continue, attention to the shape and shaping of the Psalter has dominated Psalms scholarship for the past thirty years or so. The practitioners of this approach (including myself) have paid attention to individual psalms and/or collections that seem to have strategic importance, and they have generally concluded that it is not possible to explain the placement of every psalm. But perhaps we have been setting our sights too low; in any case, Ho attempts in this volume to explain the location of every psalm in the MT 150. It is an ambitious and impressive endeavor!
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immensely to both the academy and the church. If we were to situate Renz's volume within academia, it exudes the quality of the evangelical historical-grammatical tradition, only modernized and turbocharged!
readers. Its message is highly relevant and will be especially helpful to those who want to deepen their prayer life.
Modern Editions” (thirteen essays) and “Recontextualizing Scripture in Early Jewish and Christian Writings” (fourteen essays).
Here is where Meynet’s work differs—perhaps of the shape of things to come. Meynet has written voluminously on biblical and Semitic rhetoric (e.g., Traité de rhétorique biblique, 2007; translated in 2012 as Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric). In the last few years, he has applied his methodology to the Psalms in a systematic and sustained way and has published prodigiously (Les psaumes des montees, 2017; Le Psautier: Premier Livre (Ps 1–41); Le Psautier: Troisième livre (Ps 73–89), forthcoming).
editorial shape of the Psalter have gone somewhat beyond what Wilson had accomplished. For instance, Grant has linked the loss of Jerusalem depicted in Psalm 74 all the way through Psalm 79 and beyond by highlighting certain motifs like “remembrance” (pp. 80, 97, 110, 140, 168, 182). Clearly, the commentary has benefited also from the slew of studies on the canonical shaping of the Psalter since the 1990s.