Hebrew Poetry

A. Poetry in general

Poetic form—there are lots of standard forms

There was a young lady from Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger
They came back from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger

The nature of poetry: not a “pretty rhyme” but intensified language
- The Eagle by Alfred Tenneyson
  
  He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
  close to the sun in lonely lands,
  Ringed with the azure world he stands.
  
  The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
  He watches from his mountain walls,
  And like a thunderbold he falls.
- unfortunate that some Bible paraphrases remove much of the poetry
Misconceptions in poetry
1. The idea that literal meaning and poetic meaning are somehow opposed
  - We use poetic language all the time in everyday speech, even something as mundane as a sports commentary
  - “the bases are loaded”, “It’s not over till the fat lady sings”
2. The notion that poetry is always imprecise and ambiguous

Where do we find poetry in the Bible?

Old Testament: almost 1/2 of the Old Testament is poetry.
- Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Psalms
- Large parts of the Prophets: Hosea (entire), Micah, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Isaiah, Jeremiah
- 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
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)

B. Parallelism

(Much of this section is borrowed from Ross)

The basic feature of biblical poetry is the recurrent use of a relatively short sentence-form that consists of two (or more) brief clauses:
By day the Lord sends forth his love
and at night His song is with me. (Psalm 42:9)
The clauses are regularly separated by a slight pause, for the second part is a continuation of the first and not a completely new beginning.
On occasion, four parts may form the line.
The relationship between the parts of a line is called “parallelism”.

C. Types of Parallelism

Robert Lowthe is the man credited with the “discovery” of biblical parallelism (in 1753).
He distinguished three types: synonymous, antithetical, and synthetic.
The third category, “synthetic,” became sort of a catch-all for what would not fit the others.

1. Complete Parallelism

Every single term or thought unit in one line is parallel to an equivalent term or unit in the other line.
- Find an example in Psalm 6
Complete parallelism can be subdivided into:

Synonymous Parallelism
- where the thought is repeated by the second line in different but synonymous words.
  Then Israel / came / to Egypt;
  Jacob / sojourned / in the land of Ham. (Ps. 105:23)
- another example (Isaiah 1:3).
  The ox knows his master
  the donkey his owner’s manger,
  but Israel does not know
  my people do not understand
- The order of the parallel terms need not be the same in both lines;
- Find another example in Psalm 6
Antithetical Parallelism
- balances the parallel lines through the opposition or contrast of thought, as in 90:6:
  In the morning / it flourishes / and is renewed;
  in the evening / it fades / and withers.
- Any in Psalm 6 ? What about Proverbs 10
Emblematic Parallelism
- one of the parallels is literal, the other a simile or a metaphor
  As the deer pants for the waterbrooks, ⇐ literal
  So pants my soul for you, O God” ⇐ figurative (Psalm 42:1)
  
  As a father / has compassion on / his children,
  so the Lord / has compassion on / those who fear Him. (Ps. 103:13)
- see also Psalm 18:16
Inverted or Chiastic Parallelism
- strictly speaking a form of synonymous parallelism;
- the main difference is that the order of the terms is inverted, like a mirror image
- A clear example is found in Isaiah 11:13b:
  Ephraim / shall not be jealous of / Judah,
  and Judah / shall not harass / Ephraim.
- These are not always complete or perfectly balanced
- Another example from Isaiah 1:18

Though	be your sins
		as scarlet
		as snow	they shall be as white
Though			they be red
		as crimson,
		as wool
	they shall be.

2. Incomplete Parallelism

This type of parallelism is very frequent with many variations.
Only some of the terms are parallel

Incomplete Parallelism with Compensation
- only some of the terms are parallel e.g. Psalm 6:1
- but each line has the same number of units (usually clear in English, but clearer in Hebrew).
  You will destroy / their offspring / from the earth,
  and their children/from among the sons of/men. (21:11)
Incomplete Parallelism
- one line is longer than the other, as in 6:2 (MT 6:3):
  O Lord, / rebuke me / not in your anger,
  
  nor chasten me / in your wrath.
- On occasion Lowthe’s old category of synthetic parallelism may be helpful.
- In that type the second part further develops the first:
  For the Lord is a great God,
  
  and a great King above all gods (Ps. 95:3).

3. Formal Parallelism

Not really parallelism
the second colon simply continues the thought of the first
I have set / my king

on Zion / my holy hill. (Ps. 2:6)

4. External parallelism

the correspondence occurs between successive verses, as in Isaiah 53:5:
But he was pierced / for our transgressions;
he was crushed / for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment / that brought us peace,
and with his wounds / we are healed.
see also Psalm 6:1,2

5. Climactic (Staircase) parallelism

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.

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 (Psalm 22:16):
For dogs have surrounded me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed me,
They pierced my hands and my feet.”
Understanding the Psalm:
- 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.

Praise! A matter of life and breath by Ronald Barclay Allen (Nashville:Nelsons, 1980)