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Types
of Parallelisms
Hebrew
poetry comprises almost half of the Old Testament. Hebrew
poetry differs from English poetry in that the emphasis is on parallel
thoughts, where in English poetry the emphasis is on rhyme and meter.
This correspondence of thought in Hebrew poetry is called parallelism.
It is the distinguishing mark of the Hebrew poet. Each line has a
correspondence with the lines of poetry that surround it. It is up
to the reader to make
the connections between the lines of parallel thought.
The parallel thought is redundant to us, but it is important to see the
correlation in the thought in order to understand its meaning. This
is true in the New Testament which, even though it is written in the Greek
language, is full of Hebrew thought forms and parallelisms.
Below are more examples of different types of parallelisms:
| Type of Parallelism |
Description |
| Synonymous: |
There
is similarity between the two joining lines. Psalm
33:16: "The king is not saved by a mighty army;/a warrior is
not delivered by great strength." The "king" is the
same as the "warrior." "Saved" is the same as
"delivered." "A mighty army" is similar to
"great strength." |
| Synthetic: |
The
second line repeats one idea from the first line and develops it
further. Psalm 24:3: "Who shall ascend the hill of
the LORD?/And who shall stand in his holy place?" Many
commentaries incorrectly speak of synthetic parallelism when
addressing formal parallelism. |
| Emblematic: |
The
first line carries the concept and the second illustrates it with
an image--the order may be reversed. Psalm 52:2:
"Your tongue devises destruction,/like a sharp razor, O
worker of deceit." |
| Antithetical: |
There
is a contrast between the first and second lines.
Proverbs 29:2: "When the righteous increase, the people
rejoice,/but when a wicked man rules, the people groan." |
| Climactic: |
The
initial portion of the first line is repeated in the second line
but both end with different portions. Psalm 93:3:
"The floods have lifted up their voice;/the floods lift up
their pounding waves." |
| Formal: |
Two
lines are joined solely to complete the thought. Psalm
45:7: "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated
wickedness;/therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee/with the oil
of joy above Thy fellows." |
The ability to recognize parallelisms in the biblical text
will greatly enhance your ability to understand the Source's
message. Parallelisms draw attention to the points that the Source
wishes to highlight. They are not limited to the Old Testament; you
will find many in the Synoptic Gospels too.
If you chose Option 2 and are participating in the BHC
Leadership Development Program you are to write a summary of this
lesson. Tell us what you learned and make any suggestions on how to
improve the lesson. Include any comments on how this information
affected your spirituality. E-mail your paper to us by clicking here
and attaching your finished paper. If possible use WORD format.
END OF LESSON SEVEN
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