Key Words, Chapter 6 Flashcards
A fortiori argument
argument from the lesser to the greater (Prov. 11:31 - If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!)
Alliteration
subsequent words starting with the same letter (destroyed, despoiled, denuded)
Allusion
the practice of invoking another passage by way of verbal or conceptual reference or echo (Baal - husband; Shiloh - “to whom it rightfully belongs”)
Antithetic parallelism
two poetic lines expressing sharp contrast (Matt. 7:17 - Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.)
Anthropomorphism
ascription of human characteristics or qualities to God (face, mouth, tongue, lips, eyes, ears, feet, hands, arms, fingers, and heart; or emotions, e.g. compassion)
Apophthegm
short, witty, and instructive saying (another word for a proverb)
Assonance
see Alliteration (This differs from Alliteration. Sound play. Alteration of first syllables - Gen. 1:2 - tohu wabohu; Nah. 2:10 - buqah, umebuqah, umebullaqah)
Bifid structure
the poet’s structuring of his material in two parts, each answering to the other in similar or corresponding fashion and in the same basic order (e.g. Psalm 135 - vv. 3-12: goodness/greatness; vv. 13-18: goodness/greatness; Nahum - ch. 1: doom declared; ch. 2: doom described; Zephaniah - ch. 1-2, five points; ch. 2-3, five points)
Bookending
the technique of returning at the end of a unit to a theme, subject, or word(s) mentioned at the beginning of that section (e.g. Psalm 103:1, 22 - Bless the LORD, O my soul.)
Chiasm
a literary device in which the second half of a composition takes up the same words, themes, or motifs as in the first half, but in reverse order (A B B’ A’ pattern; e.g. Ps 70: A - Hasten to my help!; B - let these be this; B’ - let those be that! A’ - Hasten to me!)
Concreteness
a feature of Hebrew poetry that involves a graphic description appealing to the reader’s senses (John 1: life, light, darkness)
Denouement
the final clarification or resolution of a narrative or dramatic plot (e.g. 1 Ki 19:1-18 - Elijah’s flight to Horeb)
Ellipsis
the deletion of a word present only in one parallel line of poetry even though it is to be understood in both (“Sound the trumpet in Gibeah, ___ the horn in Ramah.” Hos. 5:8)
Emblematic parallelism
two poetic lines showing progression of thought involving simile (Ps 103:15 - As a father … so the LORD)
Inclusio
see Bookending
Ladder parallelism
two poetic lines showing progression in form of numerical sequence (Prov. 30:18-19 - three things … four; 1 Sam. 18:7 - thousands … tens of thousands)
Monocolon
an individual poetic line that does not combine closely with another line (Ps 18:1; 2:12; Joel 2:11; Jer 22:29)
Parallelism
the practice of using similar language to express corresponding thoughts in succeeding lines of poetry (Ps 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of his hands. - similar parallelism)
Progressive parallelism
a succeeding line (or lines) supplements and/or completes the first line (Ps 57:1 - Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. Ps 98:2 - The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.)
Proverb
short memorable statement of the true state of things as perceived and learned by human observation over extended periods of experience
Similar parallelism
two poetic lines conveying closeness of thought and expression (Ps 19:1)
Staircase parallelism
a thought stated in the first line is completed by a succeeding line beginning with similar phraseology (Ps 96:1-2 - Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD all the earth.)
Stitching
an author’s practice of linking successive units or subunits of a poem by means of repeating a word, phrase, or idea (Ps 134-135, servants of the LORD; Ps 135-136, the LORD is good, etc.)
Terrace pattern parallelism
type of staircase parallelism in which the beginning of the second line repeats the end of the first line (Ps 96:12-13 - Then all the trees of the forest WILL SING for joy; they WILL SING before the LORD, for HE COMES, HE COMES to judge the earth.)
