The Use of Parallelism in Psalm 139. Psalm 96. The majority of Psalm 51 is candid supplication, there aren’t many metaphors or analogies. Psalm 51, titled Miserere mei, Deus, is simply “Have mercy on me, O God” in Latin. But when you come to verse 2 within it's parallel unit and you hover over it's lowercase letters it indicates it is Synthetic; and it's lowercase letters are "abbccbc". “Synonymous” Parallelism in the Psalms. Richard T. Ritenbaugh Some might include question-answer, proposition-conclusion, or situation-consequence. Psalm 95. As devotional readings, the Psalms provide consolation, instruction, inspiration and perhaps motivation. A. Synonomous: two lines repeating the same text (example: Psalm 59) _____ _____ "O Lord, do not rebuke me in your wratch. For example, Psalm 119:1-8 is the aleph section and each line begins with aleph. In the last post, we entered into the realm of Hebrew poetry, and specifically into parallelism. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Upon the initial reading of this work, one may be tempted to conclude that the theme or purpose of the poem is the transcendent nature of God. There are a variety of combinations that can be used in this form of poetic teaching. Bronznick, n. 1979. (b) Know ye that Jahweh he is the Lord, He hath made us; his we are; Wisdom Psalm: A psalm written to instruct us in God’s ways. Below I have broken down Psalm 19.7-9, one of the longest and most intricate examples of synonymous parallelism in Psalms. 5. Nor chasten me in your displeasure." Psalm 29:1; 96:7 are examples. . Quantitative rhythm Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life (Prov. Psalm 121. Praise Psalm: A psalm written to praise God. What they wrote and what they sang came from their hearts. These fixed forms abound in the Christian Scriptures — both Old and New Testaments. “Who shall ascend the fill of the LORD? SYNTHETIC PARALLELISM. The relationship is supplementary. The first and second lines bear some definite relation to each other (such as cause and effect, or proposition and conclusion) b. In these psalms each line begins with a letter of the alphabet in order from aleph (the first Hebrew letter) to tav (the last Hebrew letter). Parallelism is found throughout the poetry of the Old Testament, and then especially in the Psalms. We learned about the two easiest forms, synthetic and antithetic, and how to … The third category, “synthetic,” became sort of a catch-all for what would not fit the others. For example: ‘For fire went out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon’ (Numbers 21: 28). For example, Psalm 1 utilizes synonymous, synthetic, and emblematic parallelism before "turning" antithetically back to emblematic, synthetic, and then synonymous parallels. Three other common parallel devices are antithetical parallelism, emblematic parallelism, and synthetic parallelism, although synonymous parallelism is the most commonly found. Lund. Synthetic Parallelism The 2nd line repeats the thought of the 1st line in different words plus adds a conclusion or completes the sense of the 1st line. Climactic Parallelism Psalms 42-43, 51, and 71 are laments. [1] He has a way of being crisp and to the point, doesn’t he? 1. “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13). Number Parallelism in the Hebrew Scriptures The primary example of parallelism under consideration in this study concerns the number sequence n/n+1. Lament: A petition for help in affliction. Psalm 73 is a wisdom psalm. This is essentially what parallelism in poetry is, but I have found that it goes much further than that – much further. A good example is Ps 119:11 1) "Your word I have hidden in my heart," (cause) 2) "That I might not sin against You." And who shall stand in his holy place? 4:23). Psalm 150. Scholars consider the Psalms to be Hebrew poetry. Alphabetic or acrostic Psalms. Psalm 73. . Synthetic Parallelism. Synthetic parallelism a. Psalm 56. Paronomasi i den aldre hebreiska Maschallitteraturen med sarskild hansyn till Proverbia. In synthetic parallelism the second line develops further the idea of the first line. Synthetic Parallelism Synthetic parallelism is where the second line completes or compliments the thought of the first. External parallelism can also "accumulate" in a chiastic or "ring" structure that may include many verses. In his book Reflections on the Psalms, C. S. Lewis gives a quick definition of parallelism as: “the practice of saying twice the same thing in different words”. The synthetic parallelism uses the second part to advance and develop the proposition in the first part. Psalm 111. Psalms > Info on Psalms > Examples of Parallelism. Bloomington, IN. These poetic structures can also be found in the New Testament, and one such example can be found in St. John 6: 50 – 51. Verses 2 through 6 are examples of synthetic parallelism, where King David’s second thought adds clarity to his first thought. A psalm of David. Synonymous parallelism is one of many different parallelism devices used in Hebrew poetry, each catalogued by Robert Lowth, an eighteenth century Anglican bishop. Some Types of Parallelism in the Psalms. A classic example is David's psalm in Ps 51. Bostrom, G. 1928. Find an example in Psalm 6 Complete parallelism can be subdivided into: Synonymous Parallelism Many of the proverbs of Solomon also follow this form, for example, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). Psalms Old Testament Hebrew Poetry Bible Study Hebrew Poetry parallelism. In the 18th century, the Anglican bishop, Robert Lowth, in his lectures “On the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews” (published in 1753) argued that there were three types of Hebrew parallelism: synonymous parallelism, antithetical parallelism, and synthetic or constructive parallelism. Biblical poetry is structured on parallel lines of poetry, much as poetry today is structured by meter and/or line length. What is the literary device of synthetic parallelism used in Hebrew poetry? 4. A prayer about things gone wrong —a “prayer request” psalm. The law of the Lord is perfect, Complete Parallelism. JSS 5: 221–55. And in the striking of the bell for the time of day — each additional hour's bong is like stair-step parallelism for the day until the new day begins. Dandi Moyers. Psalm 57:6. In the case of Psalms 46 verse 1(enable Parallelism), you have two lowercase "a" letter and when your cursor hovers over the "a" it indicates it is Synonymous. Lowth assigns numerical patterns to the synthetic category while others have identified them as a sub-category of synonymous parallelism, namely “number parallelism.” While Lowth sees “great variety in the form of the synonymous parallelism” (262) , he assigns numerical patterns, an example of which he cites Psalm 62.12, to the category of synthetic parallelism. (note the contrast) Synthetic parallelism - The first and second lines bear some definite relation to each other (such as cause and effect, or proposition ... - These are psalms expressing sorrow for sins that have been committed. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Examples Psalm 95:6. The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism. Parallelism in Psalms. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Parallelism in Psalms. For instance, a well-known parallelism appears in Psalm 51:2: "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." They have prepared a net for my steps — In which to take me, that I might not again escape out of their hands. This broad category includes thanksgiving psalms and hymns. This is called chiasm.) Synthetic Parallelism---The theme is worked up by the building of thought upon similar thought: (a) Mightier than the voices of many waters, Mightier than the breakers of the ocean In the high place is Jahweh. Every single term or thought unit in one line is parallel to an equivalent term or unit in the other line. Psalm 1:6 (Notice in this verse that the thoughts from the first line are reversed in the second line. Psalm 139, is attributed to King David of Israel. Understanding poetic devices creates a greater depth to reading the Wisdom books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon) and the Major and Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. 3. Boling, R. 1960. The Hebrew poem. Psalm 119 has each section divided according to letter. The feature of biblical poetry, described by modern scholars, who were anticipated by Abraham Ibn Ezra and Kimhi in the Middle Ages, in which the same idea is repeated for effect in different words. Synthetic Parallelism— “The third literary form is normally described as synthetic parallelism, in which the second line not merely reinforces the thought of the first but actually adds to its meaning content.” (Harrison page 405) Proverbs 18:8 – The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts. Parallelism is simply the device of saying the same things in two ways. Synthetic Parallelism. My soul is bowed down — Hebrew, כפ Š נפשׁי, he hath bowed down my soul; referring to Saul at the head of his troops, pursuing David to his ruin. Synthetic Parallelism. One such literary form is parallelism. EMBLEMATIC PARALLELISM Psalm 131. Hebrew parallelism in the Psalms explained with examples. People who read the Psalms (the most quoted book in the New Testament) — like Benedictine oblates and other who pray or sing the divine office — spend a lot of time with the Psalms. . As you read the Psalms you are reading that which came deep from the hearts of men. Psalm 51 - For the director of music. 3. The Psalms are replete with examples of this poetic device, beginning with the opening of Psalm 1: 1. The first two types are exemplified in Psalm 2:5-6: The second line of poetry builds up (synthesis is Greek for “putting together”) the thought in the first line: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (Ps. In this kind of parallelism the second half of the verse expands or develops the thought of the first half. 23:1). --Ps., xcii, 4 (Hebrew, xciii). Read Psalm 51 at Bible Gateway.. 1a) Psa 51:1-9, What the Lord desires when we sin: our truthful confession of wrongdoing + plea for mercy: 1a) Psa 51:1, Have mercy upon me, O God/ Blot out my transgressions; 1a) Psa 51:1a, Have mercy upon me, O God; Psalm 110. Parallelism: pairing of a line with one or more lines that are linguistically equivalent. Psalm 1 Parallelism "I urge you to ... Psalm 51. 4. The "parallelism" part of "synonymous parallelism" connotes structure. I. Psalm 116. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. • Synthetic Parallelism - In this poetic style the second line advances the thought of … However, in verse 7, King David asks the protagonist to “wash him, and [he] shall be whiter than snow”. “He will not let your foot slip; he who watches over you will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3). Interestingly enough, the original discovery of parallelism made by Lowth in 1753 remains, with some refinements, the only certain distinctive technique of Hebrew poetry. ... (Psalm 51:3-4).