Fortress Press

Beautifully written with a poetic feel, this study of the human condition as seen through selected poetic texts of the Hebrew Bible is a rich feast for any reader. Samuel Hildebrandt tackles difficult human issues such as loneliness, despair, trauma, imagined hope, the disintegration of known reality, and musings on time, death, and the good life. These are all viewed through the lenses of a rich appreciation of the power of Hebrew poetry and a deep engagement with the findings of modern psychological method--the findings of each individual chapter wrapped up in the metaphor of the sea of life with its characteristic tosses and turns.

Vast as the Sea provides a navigational chart for the ocean of human emotional well-being, carefully mapped out with the aid of Hebrew poetry and taking frequent bearings from contemporary psychology. Samuel Hildebrandt does not shy away from the challenges that this task presents. He explores anxiety amidst chaos and combat, plotting a course to calmer waters; loneliness as a place that can lead to creativity; hope in the wake of trauma and despair; the plight of theology amidst shattered assumptions; the tyranny of time; and the quest for wisdom amidst seeming meaninglessness. This beautifully written book should be of interest to all who wish to explore what the Bible has to teach about mental health and well-being.

Samuel Hildebrandt begins Vast as the Sea with a mesmerizing word picture of the sea and its moods, painting a backdrop for his thoughts on what it means to be totally human, both in pleasant times and, most especially, in difficult times. He focuses on the connections between Hebrew poetry and human experience, and draws a clear path between aspects of poetry such as the shape of the text, the role of imagination, and the power of poetry for expressing emotions. This path leads through reflection on human psychology and the effects of trauma and then comes full circle as Hildebrandt demonstrates the power of words and of poetry to address the difficult things--the anxiety, loneliness, and despair that often come with the human experience. Hildebrandt chooses his words with artistic care, and his understanding that the biblical poetry offers "a language for acknowledging and articulating the unspeakable" is invaluable, as finding words to express the vastness of trauma can be the primary step in recovery. This trip to the seaside is not to be missed. The combination of well-explained biblical text, big life questions, and beautiful words is both compelling and productive.

Here is a book that sets forth the intimate, honest, agonizing, yet somehow life-giving relationship between the human condition and human words, even biblical poetic words. While avoiding mechanical analysis or finalized interpretations, and illustrating adept engagement with psychology and trauma, Samuel Hildebrandt turns Hebrew poetic texts such as Jeremiah, Job, and Ecclesiastes into soul friends in the struggle to face anxiety, instability, loneliness, despair, finitude, and other painful vicissitudes of our own humanity. In Hildebrandt's able hands, the difficult poetry of these biblical texts is a gift to anyone seeking language to wrestle with the hard realities of human life--and so is this book.

This wonderful book examines the difficult question of the human condition (conditio humana) through texts like Psalms, Jeremiah, Job, Qohelet, and others. As Hildebrandt's poetic analyses show, each of these voices has its own evaluation of what it means to be human. But all of them have a common ground: the belief in the God of life and his empathy for the human condition.

This beautifully written text offers an interpretation of Hebrew poetry that speaks to the experiences of many of us living during these stressful and anxiety-filled days. I would not hesitate to recommend this book for use in a parish or a classroom. It is accessible and clearly demonstrates how the imagery and language of Hebrew poetry connect with the psychological struggles of being human today. Hildebrandt is a skilled writer who has given to both the church and the academy a creative view of Hebrew poetic imagery that will help readers discover its value and relevance.

As a mental health therapist, I am all too familiar with the challenge of articulating the tensions and contradictions of human experience. Samuel Hildebrandt is not afraid to enter the deep end of the chaos, despair, and disappointment familiar to the ancient and modern person alike. Vast as the Sea gives us words--honest, compassionate, and hopeful words--that normalize and authenticate what it means to be human. It is a gift to me and to my clients.

Plumbing the language of loneliness and alienation in the Old Testament's major prophets and wisdom literature, Hildebrandt brings to voice its questions of meaning and human existence, looking also to various psychotherapeutic models for healing of mental affliction. The book offers a creative approach to biblical theology.

Hildebrandt's gentle, poetic book is a beautiful and scholarly contribution to an increasingly prominent area of biblical studies. He unpacks and explores the Psalms' language and what lies beyond language to speak of mental health, well-being, and the journey that all human beings are on in an uncertain world.

In Vast as the Sea, Samuel Hildebrandt takes his readers on an insightful and accessible journey through biblical poetry to unveil the texts' expressions of often negatively associated aspects of the human condition. In carefully formulated prose, he shows how biblical texts such as Psalms, Job, Jeremiah, and Ecclesiastes provide a language for loneliness, worry, despair, and hope to their ancient readers as well as their contemporary counterparts. A timely book on a timeless topic.

Hebrew poetry as a lifeguard in the turbulent, roaring waters of human existence--this is what Hildebrandt makes us see. He shows us a delicacy for those appreciating the Bible, consolation and help for all seeking orientation, and new strength in their various struggles on earth with anxieties, loneliness, and despair but also hope, imagination, and creative language.

Samuel Hildebrandt's Vast as the Sea is a remarkable union of expert biblical scholarship and careful pastoral insights conveyed in striking and beautiful composition. It takes the rich expressions of emotion in Scripture and makes them intelligible to the wide array of human experiences. The academic will find much to appreciate. The pastor will find, at many points, observations to assist in caring for the church.

In this stunning short book, Samuel Hildebrandt dives into the oceanic depths of Hebrew poetry. He plumbs the biblical poets' depiction of the human condition--from the raw realities of anxiety, loneliness, and despair to the perennial possibilities of hope and comfort. Elegant, lyrical, and engaging, the book draws out ancient poetic wisdom for the complexities of human life, which confront us afresh each day.