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Hi Marian,

Thanks for the question.? This will just be a quick answer for now, but always feel free to ask whatever questions you have.

Hebrew poetry can add tremendous emotional impact and power to the text, and most of the Bible (Old and New Testament) uses one or more of its literary techniques.? The poetic words change attitudes, call to action, or simply provide rest or comfort.? The words of Jesus are themselves strongly poetic and full of wordplay, which is natural since He is usually quoting Old Testament scriptures.

But we tend to miss much of the poetry for several main reasons: unlike Western poetry with rhythm and rhyme, Hebrew poetry is more about concepts and ideas. Although originally written in Greek, the New Testament authors (other than Luke) were all Jews and structured their thoughts along the lines of Hebrew poetry.?

"Parallelism" is perhaps the foremost central recurring pattern in Hebrew poetry; it refers to the correspondence of words and ideas between two adjoining lines (a line is called a colon).? The two lines (cola) express a single large idea in various ways:??

In addition, single complete thoughts can be conveyed in groups of lines (say 2 or 3 short lines) separated from the next thought by a space.

Hebrew poetry also draws on the repetition of sounds (called "alliteration" if consonants and "assonance" if vowels).? Of course, this doesn't translate well into English but it can still be occasionally seen where names or Aramaic words are not translated into English.

Wordplay and puns are also common, as witness Paul's wordplay on the meaning of the name "Onesimus" = useful.? Since every Hebrew name is a Hebrew word with an associated meaning, this is very common.? All Hebrew words are drawn from a two or three-letter root word. This can also make for interesting wordplay.

Meter and rhythm can also be used, where the author writes successive lines with the same number of syllables.? Doing this for a bit and then shoveling in a line with one fewer syllable (unbalanced meter) can create a sense of emptiness or expectation in the reader.? In an extreme form, changing the numbers of syllables per line can create a recognisable pattern like the clip-clop of a horse.? ??

So yes there are some additional poetic devices used throughout the Bible, many of which the English translators miss.? I hate to say it, but many of the "modern" Greek New Testament versions since 1881 also miss the nuances of the innate poetry of Scripture; so "modern" English translations from those sources are especially handicapped.

Marian, I hope this brief explanation isn't too academic. On occasion (e.g., introducing Psalms and Proverbs) our lessons have covered Hebrew poetry.? I also try to call out good examples where I can.?

Blessings,

Ray?