February 28

Varieties of Parallelism

Another form of parallelism in Hebrew sacred poetry is that in which the parallel members of the sentence are not synonymous, nor even cognate, but antithetic. They frequently correspond to each other in a direct opposition both of expression and sense, but sometimes of sense only. This is not confined to any particular form; hence the degrees of antithesis are various. Sometimes it is so exquisitely complete as to delight the imagination by the exact contraposition of word to word, singulars to singulars, and plurals to plurals, etc., through the whole sentence; while there are other instances of almost every kind of antithesis, down to merely a general disparity, with something of a contrariety between the two propositions. Instances of this species of parallelism abound in the Book of Proverbs, it being peculiarly adapted to adages, aphorisms, and detached sentences. The following may be quoted—

and—

Here the exact correspondence of the antithesis in contraposition of words is as obvious to the eye as that of the sense is to the ear. Every word has its opposite; “father” and “mother” in the last being relatively opposite: The following are of the same kind—

and—

Here the antithesis is very beautiful and effective. The most substantial structure—the house of the wicked, shall be thrown down; but the frailest tenement, the tabernacle, the booth or shed of the righteous, shall endure.

In the following the antithesis is mainly in the sense, for there are only two strictly antithetic expressions, “memory” and “name” being synonymous.

Although this species of parallelism is not so frequent in any other book of Scripture as in Proverbs, many striking examples may be found. A beautiful one occurs in Hannah’s thanksgiving song—

“The bow of the mighty is broken;
But they who stumbled are girded with strength.
The full have hired themselves for bread;
But the hungry have ceased to hunger:
The barren also have borne seven;
But she who had many children has become fruitless.”

1 Samuel 2:4-5.

The following are good instances from the Psalms—

“These in chariots, those in horses;
But we in the name of Jehovah, will be strong.
They are bowed down and fallen;
But we are risen, and stand upright.”—Psalms 20:7-8.

For his anger endureth but for a moment;
But in his favor is life.
Weeping may endure for a night;
But joy cometh in the morning.”—Psalms 30:5.

This kind of parallelism is also employed with great force and advantage by the prophets. In both the following instances from Isaiah, the lines are clearly contrasted in the expression as well as sentiment. We forbear to point out the details that the reader may have the pleasure of tracing them for himself, and he will find it a very pleasant and profitable exercise to make collections of instances similar to those which we here and throughout adduce.

“In a little anger have I forsaken thee;
But with great kindness will I receive thee again.
In a short wrath, I hid my face for a moment from thee;
But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee.”—Isaiah 54:7-8.

“Behold, my servants shall eat;
But ye shall be famished.
Behold, my servants shall drink;
But ye shall be thirsty.
Behold, my servants shall rejoice;
But ye shall be confounded.”—Isaiah 65:13.

In this antithetic parallelism there are several beautiful varieties, which we should learn to discriminate. There is sometimes such a contraposition of parts in the same line, as produces a double antithesis—

“There is that maketh himself rich, yet wanteth all things;
There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”—Proverbs 13:7.

I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem,
As the tents of Kedar, as the pavilions of Solomon.” Solomon’s Song of Solomon 1:5.

The last line is to be divided, and separately applied to the preceding—“Black as the tents of Kedar, comely as the pavilions of Solomon.”

Another variety of this form of thought-rhythm requires a part of the first line to be supplied in the second to complete the sentence.

“Only with pride cometh contention;
But with the well-advised [cometh] wisdom.”—Proverbs 13:10.

There are some instances of a kind of triplet in which the second and third lines are antithetical to the first, but cognate to each other—

“Behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart;
But ye shall cry aloud for grief of heart;
And in the anguish of a broken spirit shall ye howl.”—Isaiah 65:14.

There are also stanzas (so to call them) of four lines, in which the antithetical opposition lies between the parts, the latter distich being as a whole opposed to the former—

“Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be;
Thou shalt look for his place, and it shall not be found.
But the meek shall possess the land,
And delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”—Psalms 37:10-11.

This kind of antithetical stanza is sometimes extended even to five lines—

“Verily, the heavens shall vanish like smoke,
And the earth shall decay like a garment,
And its inhabitants in like manner shall die;
But my salvation shall endure forever,
And my righteousness shall not decay.”—Isaiah 54:6.

There is another kind of thought-rhythm which Lowth called the Synthetic Parallel. In this, word does not answer to word, or sentence to sentence, as equivalent or opposite, but there is a correspondence or equality between the several propositions, in respect of the shape or turn of the whole sentence and of the constructive parts, such as noun answering to noun, verb to verb, member to member, negative to negative, interrogative to interrogative.

“He that putteth not his money out to usury,
And taketh not a bribe against the innocent,
He that doeth these things, shall never be moved.”—Psalms 15:5.

In the following instance the bi-membral construction occurs, each line comprising two distinct but corresponding propositions—

“Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”—Isaiah 5:20.