S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Synonymous parallelism is a poetic literary device which involves the repetition of one idea in successive lines. The first half of a verse will make a statement, and the second half will essential...

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July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

As the name implies, this type has the second or parallel line saying about the same thing as the first—for emphasis. Proverbs is especially full of these:

In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death (Prov. 12:28).

I am the rose of Sharon,
And the lily of the valleys (Song 2:1).
~Olive Tree Blog

Synonymous parallelism is woven all throughout the Psalms and Proverbs. Here is an example of the thought harmony produced when synonymous parallelism is used in Psalm 120:2: 

"Deliver me, O Lord, 
from lying lips, 
from a deceitful tongue." 

Observe how "lying lips" and "a deceitful tongue" are similar concepts that are amplified in importance when placed next to each other. The meanings are synonymous. 

Many verses, such as Proverbs 3:11, contain multiple pairs of word synonyms. 

"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline 
or be weary of his reproof." 

In this verse, the verbs "despise" and "be weary" (or "resent" in other translations) are quite similar ideas, just as the nouns "discipline" and "reproof" are similar. These pairs of synonymous ideas side-by-side are what create synonymous parallelism in Hebrew poetry. They serve to emphasize a strong idea. 

Some prophetic books of the Bible also contain poetry, such as Isaiah 53:5: 

"But He was pierced for our transgressions; 
he was crushed for our iniquities." 

The prophet Isaiah creates cadence in his claim that Jesus will suffer for mankind's sins. This verse is so memorable, arguably more so than many other verses in the prophetic books, because of the structure. Synonymous parallelism, by reverberation, taps its way into our minds. 

This literary device is one of the many devices in Hebrew poetry that makes the Bible such a rich piece of literature. We can use synonymous parallelism to find ideas and concepts that the author wants to amplify in meaning or wants us to remember. 
https://www.compellingtruth.org/synonymous-parallelism.html

T. Witton Davies says, “Lowth distinguished three principal species of parallelism, which he called synonymous, antithetic and synthetic. [I’ll only deal with the first]:

(i) The Synonymous:

In this the same thing is repeated in different words, e.g. Ps 36:5:
`Yahweh, 
(i.) Thy lovingkindness (reaches) to the heavens,

(ii.) Thy faithfulness (reaches) to the clouds.'

Omitting "Yahweh," which belongs alike to both members, it will be seen that the rest of the two half-lines corresponds word for word: "thy lovingkindness" corresponding to "thy faithfulness," and "to the heavens" answering to "to the clouds" (compare Ps 15:1; 24:1-3; 25:5; 1 Sam 18:7; Isa 6:4; 13:7).”

June 06 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report