Book review: What's in a Phrase? by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre

The nineteenth book I read in 2017 was What's in a Phrase?: Pausing Where Scripture Gives You Pause by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre.  The author, a professor at Berkeley (!), indulges in a little lectio divina, "pausing" not on a whole passage, or even a whole sentence, but, as she says, on an arresting phrase and teasing out devotional meaning from it.

One thing I found very odd was that McEntyre often pauses to discuss the etymology and tease out alternate meanings of the English word in the biblical text, as if the author's original intent could have extended to the words chosen by a translator into a language that didn't even exist yet.  I suppose one's view of inspiration could extend even to word choice in various translations, but the highest views of the Bible with which I am aware limit themselves to the original texts.  Examining the various meanings of the word 'consider' in English tells me nothing about the usage of the Hebrew word for which it was chosen as a substitute.

Overall, this book got to be a little too much for me.  It would, doubtless, have been more rewarding if I had grazed through it over a period of weeks rather than starting at the beginning and continuing until I reached the end.  An index by scripture reference, rather than by topic, would contribute to such sampling, as the reader could turn to McEntyre's insights as they brush against the same parts of the Bible.

Like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, this book will leave you with a better taste in your mouth if you dip into it sparingly rather than inhaling the whole thing in one sitting.  Despite my rushed pace, however, one line remained in my mind as worth the price of admission: When asked to write her spiritual autobiography in six words, the author inscribed, "Eat the manna.  More will come."