Two thoughts related within Hebrew poetry and wisdom Books are part of the literary devices known as Parallelism. Dr. Heiser offers a brief introduction to parallelism, and mentions the excellent LOGOS resource by Dr. Mark Futado that will teach the deeper things of this device in his detailed Psalms presentation. And, Becker Professional Theology Academy has at least two other Psalms classes planned that will open your soul to wonderful things never seen before as the typological connections and literary devices come together to form poems and songs of the greatest meaning and praise.
But, right now, in this introductory class, just a limited understanding is necessary. It’s easy. Two things that are related together to represent one idea, or many ideas, is parallelism. Since typology is the representation of many ideas formed upon one revealed word in the Bible, it is easy to see how parallelism is important to understand before typological studies can begin.
There are three types of Parallelism in Hebrew poetry according to Bishop Robert Lowth (27 Nov 1710-3 Nov 1787) that was also an academic at Oxford as Professor of Poetry and author of one of the most important textbooks of English Grammar:
1. Synonymous parallelism is when the idea is repeated in different terms.
a. Psalm 13:1 – “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?”
b. Job 38:28 – “Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew?”
2. Antithetic parallelism occurs when parallel statements oppose each other.
a. Proverbs 10:27-28 – “The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: But the years of the wicked shall be shortened. The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.”
b. Psalm 1:6 - “For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
3. Synthetic parallelism – Appears as subtle or obscure form that does not fit in the first two categories. It is usually an intensification of the first part.
a. Psalm 100:3 – “Know ye that the LORD he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;”
b. Proverbs 15:3 - The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Beholding the evil and the good.”
Though Dr. Heiser speaks of the parallelism as occurring as two cola forms, not all parallelism can be found in Scripture through the use of the colon in a sentence. However, when colons appear, it is wise to always consider whether a passage is expressing parallelism.
Modern-day scholarship expands, limits or significantly varies Lowth’s categories of parallelism. Eight categories of these various parallelism identities include:
1. Gender-matched
2. Word-pairs
3. Number
4. Staircase
5. Synonymous-sequential
6. Noun-verb
7. Vertical
8. “Janus”
And, there are those in modern-day scholarship that argue against the identification of parallelism as the distinctive pattern in the Hebrew Bible. Take note of the analysis of the various types of parallelism, but don’t focus too much on them now. Later on, in an advanced class, we will be tackling this important literary device, and learn how to use parallelism to identify and order typological things revealed in Scripture.
Bibliography
Bodenhamer, Kim Williams. Poetry, Biblical The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Edited by John D. Barry et al. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2013, 2014.
Heiser, Michael S. Bi101 Lecture Introducing Biblical Interpretation: Contexts and Resources: LOGOS Bible Software.
Footnotes
Michael S. Heiser, Bi101 Lecture Introducing Biblical Interpretation: Contexts and Resources (LOGOS Bible Software).
Kim Williams Bodenhamer, Poetry, Biblical, ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2013, 2014).
Links
About the Author
Kathy L. McFarland is President and Founder of Becker Bible Ministries, Inc. and the Becker Professional Theology Academy. She is also a Becker Bible Studies Teacher and author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Religious Studies from Liberty University, is on track for the Master of Divinity (Professional Ministries Track) degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary & Graduate School in 2016 and will be seeking a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Theology and Apologetics beginning in the fall of 2016. She is the originator of the newest theological movement to encourage Christian leaders to minister within the modern-day marketplace as Professional Theologists. She is also the Curriculum Developer for Becker Professional Theology Academy and a teaching faculty member. Kathy's favorite studies to teach include the connections between Old Testament exegesis, Christian Apologetics, and Bible typology and mysteries.
©2014-2015 Kathy L. McFarland. All Rights Reserved.