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S. Van Den Eynde, «Crying to God Prayer and Plot in the Book of Judith», Vol. 85 (2004) 217-231
If prayers are defined as communication in which prayers receive a response from God, this implies that they have a function as regards the plot of a story. As a test case, the impact of praying on the plot as well as the characterisation in the book of Judith (containing 21 references to praying) is analysed. The specific characterisation of God through prayer affects the plot. Apart from their importance for characterisation and plot, the prayers in Judith contribute in their own way to the development of its main theme: who is truly God, Nebuchadnezzar or YHWH?
Crying to God
Prayer and Plot in the Book of Judith
In his formcritical study of biblical prayer, P. D. Miller remarks:
“Almost any address to God functions as prayer. … virtually every
such address is perceived as receiving either an explicit or implicit
response from God” (1). This statement is a challenge for the narrative
analysis of biblical texts. At least it implies that prayers and praying
have a function as regards the plot of a story. In this article, I intend to
examine the narrative function of prayers, not only as regards the plot
but also concerning the characterisation of biblical characters, God
included (2), and their possible contribution to the overal thematic and
theological line in one concrete story: the book of Judith. In order to do
so, I will analyse the many prayers in the book of Judith (3).
1. Prayer and praying in the book of Judith
In a broad sense, prayer/praying can be defined as the human
addressing of their God or even “conversation with God” (4). This
general definition can be more restricted as regards the content, intent
and/or form. Prayer may then be described as a speech through which
a person or the people bring his/her/their situation before God (5). It
addresses God in the second person (6). Moreover, it is also securing
response from God (7), which distinguishes a prayer from casual
(1) P.D. MILLER, They Cried to the Lord. The Form and Theology of Biblical
Prayer (Minneapolis 1994) 33.
(2) S.E. BALENTINE, Prayer in the Hebrew Bible. The Drama of Divine-
Human Dialogue (Overtures to Biblical Theology; Minneapolis 1993).
(3) This analysis is part of a research project I conduct as Postdoctoral Fellow
of the Fund of Scientific Research Flanders at the Catholic University of Leuven
(Belgium).
(4) E.S. GERSTENBERGER, “llp”, TWAT VI, 606-617, 613; MILLER, They
Cried, 33.
(5) H. REVENTLOW, Gebet im Alten Testament (Stuttgart – Berlin – Köln –
Mainz 1986) 89.
(6) J. CORVIN, A Stylistic and Functional Study of the Prose Prayers in the
Historical Narratives of the Old Testament (Ph.D. Diss.; Emory University 1972)
156, quoted in BALENTINE, Prayer, 30.
(7) E. STAUDT, Prayer and the People in the Deuteronomist (Ph.D. Diss.;
Vanderbilt University 1980) 58, quoted in BALENTINE, Prayer, 20-21.