IT IS WORTH TO KNOW RULES OF HEBREW RHETORIC
(semitic techniques of literary composition):
- Precursors are: R. Lowth and J. Bengl (XVII century)
- Relationships between elements of the structure:
- These relations can connect:
- not only verses,
- but also greater fragments of the text.
- The literary medium of the meaning are (A. Schökel, 1981):
- not only words or sentences,
- but also relations between elements of the work structure.
- The study of the literary structure is like a radiography of the text (S. Hałas, 1998).
Examples of the Hebrew Rhetoric:
- Parallelisms:
- Gen 27:29: the series of three successive parallelisms: two first are synonymous, and the third is antithetical:
- Let peoples serve you, And nations bow to you;
- master over your brothers, And let your mother’s sons bow to you.
- Cursed be they who curse you, Blessed they who bless you.
- Sir 24:20–22: the series of three successive parallelisms: the first is synonymous, two next are synthetic:
- 20 For the memory of me is sweeter than honey, and the possession of me sweeter than the honeycomb.
- 21 Those who eat of me will hunger for more, and those who drink of me will thirst for more.
- 22 Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame, and those who work with me will not sin.
- Isa 51,9–10: –
please click to read the discussion of this parallelism in my doctoral dissertation; (You should select pages 209–217 there)!
- Inclusion:
- chiasmus: Chiasmus: chiasmus consisting of six pericopes