Hebrew Poetry

1. Where do we find poetry in the Bible?

1. Old Testament: almost 1/2 of the Old Testament is poetry.

(i) Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Psalms

(ii) Large parts of the Prophets: Hosea (entire), Micah, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Isaiah, Jeremiah

(iii) Songs in narrative books: Genesis 49, Exodus 15:1-18, Deuteronomy 32 and 33, Judges 5, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, 2 Samuel 1:19-27, 1 Kings 12:16, 2 Kings 19: 21-34

2. New Testament: we do not find as much poetry in the New Testament as in the Old Testament.

• However there is some
  • Quotation from O.T. poetry
  • Songs are included in several places (e.g. Col 1:15-20)

3. Parallelism

1. Definition: Parallelism is a correspondence in thought between 1 line and the following line, or one section and the following section (McQ 199).

There is rhythm of thought or logical rhythm rather than phonetic rhythm or sound rhythm.

In Hebrew thought, redundancy is considered to be good: it emphasizes the truth; it can help in understanding, and it helps the reader or listener to remember. Parallelism is found in Hebrew prose as well as in Hebrew poetry.

2. Types of Parallelism

(i) Synonymous parallelism occurs when the second line or following section presents the same thought as the first line or section in a slightly altered way. The second line repeats the first with little or no added meaning.

Example: “The ox knows his master,

the donkey his owner’s manger,

but Israel does not know

my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3).

Sometimes one line makes a statement figuratively, and the other line makes an assertion in a literal manner. This is called emblematic parallelism.

Example: “As the deer pants for the waterbrooks, literal

So pants my soul for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1). figurative

(ii) Antithetic parallelism occurs when the second line or the following section sets out a contrast to the first line or section.

Example: “A soft answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

Note the series of antithetic parallelisms in Proverbs 10:1-14.

(iii) Synthetic parallelism occurs when the second line or following section develops the thought of the first line or section.The poet adds to the original concept (McQ 167).

Example: “I sought the LORD, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

Climactic (Stairlike) parallelism is a type of synthetic parallelism. A part of the first line is repeated, and then newer elements are added to build up to a climax.

Example: Psalm 29:1, 2a

“Give unto the LORD,

O you mighty ones,

Give unto the LORD

Glory and strength.

Give unto the LORD

the glory due to His name;

Worship the LORD

in the beauty of holiness.”

4. Understanding parallelism helps in interpretation.

When we know that lines of poetry are related, then we can look for the relationship, and that will help us to understand the meaning.

Example:

“For dogs have surrounded Me;

The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me,

They pierced My hands and My feet.” (Psalm 22:16)

It is possible that the psalmist was surrounded by a pack of real dogs, but it is unlikely. If this is an example of emblematic parallelism, then we realize that “dogs” is a figurative way of speaking about the “wicked” in the second line. When we read the rest of the psalm, the context of this verse, we notice references to several other animals: “worm” (v.6), “bulls” (v.12), “lions” (v.21), and “oxen” (v.21). Rational thinking would tell us that they are not literal animals. This lends support to our interpretation. The third line reinforces it further.

This psalm is typological: although rooted in history, it points ahead to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The animal imagery emphasizes the horror of that terrible event.

Credit: Much of this page makes use of material from Sheila Evans