The contribution examines the reception of Herder’s works concerning the Hebrew Bible in the late Biedermeier period in Austria. It focuses on Herder’s influences on Adalbert Stifter’s textbook „Lesebuch zur Förderung humaner Bildung“, published in 1854, and his early novella „Das Haidedorf“ (editions of 1840, 1844 and 1854). In the past a lot of researchers have pointed out a connection between both authors on themes like humanism and education. This article highlights Herder’s importance for Stifter’s understanding of the Hebrew Bible as a poetic text.