NT Scholars' Use of OT Lament Terminology and Its Theological and Interdisciplinary Implications

Abstract

Abstract The term lament has become a household label in OT studies since Hermann Gunkel's 1933 groundbreaking work, Einleitung in die Psalmen. After seven decades of research into OT lament, the term now identifies, in contrast to classical English usage, an established genre that connotes significant theological implications. This article explores how English and German NT commentators pre- and post-Gunkel have appropriated this term in relation to a sampling of NT passages. In essence, it argues that NT commentators consistently label Matt 2:18, 23:37–39, Luke 13:34–35, 19:41–44, and 23:27–31 as laments while inadvertently overlooking Gunkel's form-critical contribution to biblical studies. This oversight has theological implications on these passages and results in an inconsistent interdisciplinary use of lament terminology between OT and NT scholars.