Abstract
Abstract This chapter discusses some of the oddities in biblical texts that continue to befuddle even scholars. Reasons include the vagaries of transmission and how far removed the modern reader—as well as the modern scholar—is from the cultural, historical, and linguistic contexts in which the Bible was written. Some of these puzzling texts may assume familiarity with customs or stories well known to the authors but lost to us now; others may be cases of stories missing significant parts; in still other cases, one might simply want to know more than the texts reveal. This chapter investigates the Bible’s range of translation possibilities, its literary context and forms, its historical contexts, and particular theological assumptions at work, including the fact that all the texts were collected and presented by believers, not disinterested reporters. The chapter then reveals that some possibilities for interpretation and understanding are stronger than others. Furthermore, even in those cases where the Bible's oddities defy experts, the possibilities for understanding, interpretation, and even application are not without limit.
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