correspondence of sentences or clauses, called parallelism, or
“thought-rhyme.” Various kinds of this parallelism have been pointed out:
(1.) Synonymous or cognate parallelism, where the same idea is repeated in
the same words (Psalm 93:3; 94:1; Proverbs 6:2), or in different words
(Psalm 22, 23, 28, 114, etc.); or where it is expressed in a positive form in
the one clause and in a negative in the other (Psalm 40:12; Proverbs 6:26);
or where the same idea is expressed in three successive clauses (Psalm
40:15, 16); or in a double parallelism, the first and second clauses
corresponding to the third and fourth (Isaiah 9:1; 61:10, 11).
(2.) Antithetic parallelism, where the idea of the second clause is the
converse of that of the first (Psalm 20:8; 27:6, 7; 34:11; 37:9, 17, 21, 22).
This is the common form of gnomic or proverbial poetry. (See Proverbs
10-15.)
(3.) Synthetic or constructive or compound parallelism, where each clause
or sentence contains some accessory idea enforcing the main idea (Psalm
19:7-10; 85:12; Job 3:3-9; Isaiah 1:5-9).
(4.) Introverted parallelism, in which of four clauses the first answers to
the fourth and the second to the third (Psalm 135:15-18; Proverbs 23:15,
16), or where the second line reverses the order of words in the first
(Psalm 86:2).
Hebrew poetry sometimes assumes other forms than these. (1.) An
alphabetical arrangement is sometimes adopted for the purpose of
connecting clauses or sentences. Thus in the following the initial words of
the respective verses begin with the letters of the alphabet in regular
succession: Proverbs 31:10-31; Lamentations 1, 2, 3, 4; Psalm 25, 34, 37,
- Psalm 119 has a letter of the alphabet in regular order beginning every
eighth verse.
(2.) The repetition of the same verse or of some emphatic expression at
intervals (Psalm 42, 107, where the refrain is in verses, 8, 15, 21, 31).
(Comp. also Isaiah 9:8-10:4; Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6.)
(3.) Gradation, in which the thought of one verse is resumed in another
(Psalm 121).
Several odes of great poetical beauty are found in the historical books of
the Old Testament, such as the song of Moses (Exodus 15), the song of
Deborah (Judges 5), of Hannah (1 Samuel 2), of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:9-20),