What is the literary device of antithetical parallelism used in Hebrew poetry?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Parallelism is a poetic literary device that is used to emphasize an idea. Hebrew poetry in the Old Testament wisdom books, such as Proverbs and Psalms, uses several forms of parallelism, including antithetical parallelism. Something antithetical is opposed to or contrasted with something else. Parallelism implies that the phrases lie side by side. An antithetical parallelism provides contrasting thoughts that complete an idea. Often, but not always, antithetical parallelism is set up with the conjunction but, as seen in the examples below.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• "The young lions suffer want and hunger;
• but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing" (Psalm 34:10).
• In this couplet, someone who seeks the Lord has every need taken care of. This is contrasted with someone who lives according to primal instincts and always experiences hunger and desire. The idea is highlighted when the contrasts are paired.
• “Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
• but righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 10:2).
• This contrast reinforces the idea that “treasures” gained illicitly are worthless as opposed to the ultimate reward (saving from death) of wealth gained righteously.
• “Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life;
• he who despises his ways will die “(Proverbs 19:16).
• One person follows advice and thus lives in safety, whereas another person despises the Lord’s commandments and is heading for trouble.
• "A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
• but a fool's heart to the left" (Ecclesiastes 10:2).
• Two hearts, two directionsThe inclinations of the wise and the foolish are antithetical.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Jesus uses a form of antithetical parallelism in the “Woes” of Luke 6:25-26, which itself is a contrast to some of the Beatitudes:
• “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.
• Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
• Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”
• The apostle Paul uses antithetical parallelism in emphasizing believers’ hope in Christ: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Sometimes in Hebrew poetry, multiple types of parallelism are used, such as in Proverbs 8:35–36:

"For whoever finds me finds life

and obtains favor from the LORD,

but he who fails to find me injures himself;

all who hate me love death."

This quatrain contains two sets of lines that create an antithetical property. The first two phrases contain synonymous ideas. These are that finding life and obtaining favor are both spiritual gains. The two synonymous ideas in the last two lines are that not finding God and hating God are harmful spiritual attributes. The two couplets are antithetical because the ideas conveyed in the first two lines of finding the Lord and its consequent spiritual gain is contrasted to failing to find the Lord and its harm to the spirit.

Poetic devices appeal to our philosophic nature, and thus can be richly interpreted. The beauty and depth of poetry is that it can be read from different angles, including word choice, meter, and form. Many of the poems in the Psalms are designed for both enjoyment and enlightenment.

UNDERSTAND

• Antithetical parallelism is a poetic technique in which one line contrasts with another.
• The technique is found in several of the Psalms and Proverbs, but some New Testament verses also use it.
• Antithetical parallelism is used to emphasize ideas.

REFLECT

• How does the Bible’s use of poetic devices, like antithetical parallelism, impact your study of Scripture?
• What are some of your favorite examples of antithetical parallelism in Scripture?
• Try paraphrasing an antithetical parallelism couplet from the Bible. How does that impact your understanding/connection with the passage?

ENGAGE

• How can techniques like antithetical parallelism illustrate the literary richness of the Bible in conversations about the Bible with skeptics?
• How might antithetical parallelism and other poetic techniques help others to better comprehend certain Scriptural passages?
• How might sharing poetic passages from the Bible serve as an opportunity in witnessing to unbelievers?