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Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "polytheism"
Optometry 101 - Part 2
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth [Psalm 121:1-2].
Being a devout servant of the Lord (aka Yahweh) and therefore a firm believer in monotheism (belief in only one true God), the Psalmist could not go along with idol worship at the high places. So he responded to heathen worship at the high places by asking, “From where, then, will my help come to deliver me?”
In answer to this he furnished the only possible response a devout Israelite and true servant of the Lord could answer. He asseverated, My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. The heathen, you see, worshiped man-made gods whom they depicted in the form of idols. The true and faithful Israelite, contrariwise, acknowledged only the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The heathen worshiped on elevated locations to look down on the world, as if they were in the heavens (cf., Numbers 22-24). This was to mimic their false gods whom they fancied were in heaven up above. The true and faithful Israelite denounced such practices because the Scriptures did. The Scriptures commanded that the Lord be worshiped ONLY at his tabernacle and later at His temple in Jerusalem. Ergo, the true and faithful Israelite could be found worshiping ONLY the Lord and ONLY in Jerusalem.
Understood in this context from back in the day, we now recognize how the four lines of Psalm 121:1-2 are parallel. The heathen sought their gods on the mountains, where the Psalmist first turned his attention to note this fact (v.1a). The Psalmist retorted that God isn’t to be found on the mountains: He made all heaven and earth, including the mountains (v.2b)!
That covers the parallelism of the two “A” lines. Now let’s vet the two “B” lines. The heathen sought help from their gods at all their high places (aka on the mountains and hills). The Psalmist countered, “Is that where my help is to be found” (v.1b)? In a stinging rebuttal against heathenism he answered forthrightly, “Not on your life! My help comes from the Lord (v.2a)!” See! The two “B” lines are synonymous and parallel as well.
Can we not learn a lot from the Psalmist still today? We go to the optometrist to have our eyes checked and acquire whatever corrective lenses he prescribes for us. To solve our vision problems in dealing with life’s curve balls, we must needs repair to Dr. Jesus. One of His medical degrees is in the field of spiritual optometry. He can even make the blind to see!
Sinful man believes he can solve all his own problems, sometimes by means of fashioning pseudo-gods to do the solving for him (aka heathenism). The true child of God knows man cannot solve life’s problem…but Dr. Jesus can! So he betakes himself to Jesus daily for a personal consultation.
What say ye? The Doctor is in, no appointment needed. Do you wish to see Him?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Being a devout servant of the Lord (aka Yahweh) and therefore a firm believer in monotheism (belief in only one true God), the Psalmist could not go along with idol worship at the high places. So he responded to heathen worship at the high places by asking, “From where, then, will my help come to deliver me?”
In answer to this he furnished the only possible response a devout Israelite and true servant of the Lord could answer. He asseverated, My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. The heathen, you see, worshiped man-made gods whom they depicted in the form of idols. The true and faithful Israelite, contrariwise, acknowledged only the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The heathen worshiped on elevated locations to look down on the world, as if they were in the heavens (cf., Numbers 22-24). This was to mimic their false gods whom they fancied were in heaven up above. The true and faithful Israelite denounced such practices because the Scriptures did. The Scriptures commanded that the Lord be worshiped ONLY at his tabernacle and later at His temple in Jerusalem. Ergo, the true and faithful Israelite could be found worshiping ONLY the Lord and ONLY in Jerusalem.
Understood in this context from back in the day, we now recognize how the four lines of Psalm 121:1-2 are parallel. The heathen sought their gods on the mountains, where the Psalmist first turned his attention to note this fact (v.1a). The Psalmist retorted that God isn’t to be found on the mountains: He made all heaven and earth, including the mountains (v.2b)!
That covers the parallelism of the two “A” lines. Now let’s vet the two “B” lines. The heathen sought help from their gods at all their high places (aka on the mountains and hills). The Psalmist countered, “Is that where my help is to be found” (v.1b)? In a stinging rebuttal against heathenism he answered forthrightly, “Not on your life! My help comes from the Lord (v.2a)!” See! The two “B” lines are synonymous and parallel as well.
Can we not learn a lot from the Psalmist still today? We go to the optometrist to have our eyes checked and acquire whatever corrective lenses he prescribes for us. To solve our vision problems in dealing with life’s curve balls, we must needs repair to Dr. Jesus. One of His medical degrees is in the field of spiritual optometry. He can even make the blind to see!
Sinful man believes he can solve all his own problems, sometimes by means of fashioning pseudo-gods to do the solving for him (aka heathenism). The true child of God knows man cannot solve life’s problem…but Dr. Jesus can! So he betakes himself to Jesus daily for a personal consultation.
What say ye? The Doctor is in, no appointment needed. Do you wish to see Him?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Optometry 101 - Part 1
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth [Psalm 121:1-2].
This quotation is beautiful Hebrew poetry. To understand it we need to understand how Biblical Hebrew poetry works. Let’s take a crash course in it, shall we?
Today we tend to rhyme words at the end of lines and call that “poetry”. And so it is…at least for us today. To each his own. I am not criticizing this approach, just noting that other approaches are out there. Some of our poetic content often leaves a lot to be desired in contemporary rhymes. I mean, “I think you’re groovy. Let’s go to a movie.” Really? That has been weighed on the scales and found deficient, much like King Belshazzar of Babylon (cf., Daniel 5:26-27).
But enough of the aside. Let’s mosey on back to Biblical Hebrew poetry. Rather than rhyme words at the end of lines, the Hebrews of the Bible “rhymed” ideas within the lines. Sometimes these ideas presented the same concept—in which case they were synonymous and bore the appellation synonymous parallelism. At other times the ideas portrayed opposite concepts—in which case they wore the mantle antonymous parallelism.
Let’s put Psalm 121:1-2 to work in illustrating this for us. Here is how the two verses are diagrammed:
A. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
B. from where shall my help come?
B. My help comes from the Lord,
A. Who made heaven and earth.
Take note, please, of the letters “A” and “B” which identify each line. Do you see how the two “A” lines run parallel in thought to each other, and the same for the two “B” lines? The concepts of the two “A” lines are similar: they are “synonymous” as far as concepts go. So too with the two “B” lines: they express similar or synonymous concepts. They run parallel to each other.
The Psalmist began by throwing out an observation, I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. He then followed this up with a question, from where shall my help come? The thought in this sentence is that the Psalmist looked around at all the pagans peoples and the apostate Israelites of his time. What he saw was the heathen worship of idols on every high hill and mountain, commonly known as the “high places” back in the day (cf., Psalm 78:58).
We will continue this exposition in our next post. For now let’s pull aside to this nearby arbor and rest our weary bones, as we meet for a space with the Lord Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
This quotation is beautiful Hebrew poetry. To understand it we need to understand how Biblical Hebrew poetry works. Let’s take a crash course in it, shall we?
Today we tend to rhyme words at the end of lines and call that “poetry”. And so it is…at least for us today. To each his own. I am not criticizing this approach, just noting that other approaches are out there. Some of our poetic content often leaves a lot to be desired in contemporary rhymes. I mean, “I think you’re groovy. Let’s go to a movie.” Really? That has been weighed on the scales and found deficient, much like King Belshazzar of Babylon (cf., Daniel 5:26-27).
But enough of the aside. Let’s mosey on back to Biblical Hebrew poetry. Rather than rhyme words at the end of lines, the Hebrews of the Bible “rhymed” ideas within the lines. Sometimes these ideas presented the same concept—in which case they were synonymous and bore the appellation synonymous parallelism. At other times the ideas portrayed opposite concepts—in which case they wore the mantle antonymous parallelism.
Let’s put Psalm 121:1-2 to work in illustrating this for us. Here is how the two verses are diagrammed:
A. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
B. from where shall my help come?
B. My help comes from the Lord,
A. Who made heaven and earth.
Take note, please, of the letters “A” and “B” which identify each line. Do you see how the two “A” lines run parallel in thought to each other, and the same for the two “B” lines? The concepts of the two “A” lines are similar: they are “synonymous” as far as concepts go. So too with the two “B” lines: they express similar or synonymous concepts. They run parallel to each other.
The Psalmist began by throwing out an observation, I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. He then followed this up with a question, from where shall my help come? The thought in this sentence is that the Psalmist looked around at all the pagans peoples and the apostate Israelites of his time. What he saw was the heathen worship of idols on every high hill and mountain, commonly known as the “high places” back in the day (cf., Psalm 78:58).
We will continue this exposition in our next post. For now let’s pull aside to this nearby arbor and rest our weary bones, as we meet for a space with the Lord Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Optometry 101 – Part 1
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth [Psalm 121:1-2].
This quotation is beautiful Hebrew poetry. To understand it we need to understand how Biblical Hebrew poetry works. Let’s take a crash course in it, shall we?
Today we tend to rhyme words at the end of lines and call that “poetry”. And so it is…at least for us today. To each his own. I am not criticizing this approach, just noting that other approaches are out there. Some of our poetic content often leaves a lot to be desired in contemporary rhymes. I mean, “I think you’re groovy. Let’s go to a movie.” Really? That has been weighed on the scales and found deficient, much like King Belshazzar of Babylon (cf., Daniel 5:26-27).
But enough of the aside. Let’s mosey on back to Biblical Hebrew poetry. Rather than rhyme words at the end of lines, the Hebrews of the Bible “rhymed” ideas within the lines. Sometimes these ideas presented the same concept—in which case they were synonymous and bore the appellation synonymous parallelism. At other times the ideas portrayed opposite concepts—in which case they wore the mantle antonymous parallelism.
Let’s put Psalm 121:1-2 to work in illustrating this for us. Here is how the two verses are diagrammed:
A. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
B. from where shall my help come?
B. My help comes from the Lord,
A. Who made heaven and earth.
Take note, please, of the letters “A” and “B” which identify each line. Do you see how the two “A” lines run parallel in thought to each other, and the same for the two “B” lines? The concepts of the two “A” lines are similar: they are “synonymous” as far as concepts go. So too with the two “B” lines: they express similar or synonymous concepts. They run parallel to each other.
The Psalmist began by throwing out an observation, I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. He then followed this up with a question, from where shall my help come? The thought in this sentence is that the Psalmist looked around at all the pagans peoples and the apostate Israelites of his time. What he saw was the heathen worship of idols on every high hill and mountain, commonly known as the “high places” back in the day (cf., Psalm 78:58).
We will continue this exposition in our next post. For now let’s pull aside to this nearby arbor and rest our weary bones, as we meet for a space with the Lord Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
This quotation is beautiful Hebrew poetry. To understand it we need to understand how Biblical Hebrew poetry works. Let’s take a crash course in it, shall we?
Today we tend to rhyme words at the end of lines and call that “poetry”. And so it is…at least for us today. To each his own. I am not criticizing this approach, just noting that other approaches are out there. Some of our poetic content often leaves a lot to be desired in contemporary rhymes. I mean, “I think you’re groovy. Let’s go to a movie.” Really? That has been weighed on the scales and found deficient, much like King Belshazzar of Babylon (cf., Daniel 5:26-27).
But enough of the aside. Let’s mosey on back to Biblical Hebrew poetry. Rather than rhyme words at the end of lines, the Hebrews of the Bible “rhymed” ideas within the lines. Sometimes these ideas presented the same concept—in which case they were synonymous and bore the appellation synonymous parallelism. At other times the ideas portrayed opposite concepts—in which case they wore the mantle antonymous parallelism.
Let’s put Psalm 121:1-2 to work in illustrating this for us. Here is how the two verses are diagrammed:
A. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
B. from where shall my help come?
B. My help comes from the Lord,
A. Who made heaven and earth.
Take note, please, of the letters “A” and “B” which identify each line. Do you see how the two “A” lines run parallel in thought to each other, and the same for the two “B” lines? The concepts of the two “A” lines are similar: they are “synonymous” as far as concepts go. So too with the two “B” lines: they express similar or synonymous concepts. They run parallel to each other.
The Psalmist began by throwing out an observation, I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. He then followed this up with a question, from where shall my help come? The thought in this sentence is that the Psalmist looked around at all the pagans peoples and the apostate Israelites of his time. What he saw was the heathen worship of idols on every high hill and mountain, commonly known as the “high places” back in the day (cf., Psalm 78:58).
We will continue this exposition in our next post. For now let’s pull aside to this nearby arbor and rest our weary bones, as we meet for a space with the Lord Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Optometry 101 – Part 2
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth [Psalm 121:1-2].
Being a devout servant of the Lord (aka Yahweh) and therefore a firm believer in monotheism (belief in only one true God), the Psalmist could not go along with idol worship at the high places. So he responded to heathen worship at the high places by asking, “From where, then, will my help come to deliver me?”
In answer to this he furnished the only possible response a devout Israelite and true servant of the Lord could answer. He asseverated, My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. The heathen, you see, worshiped man-made gods whom they depicted in the form of idols. The true and faithful Israelite, contrariwise, acknowledged only the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The heathen worshiped on elevated locations to look down on the world, as if they were in the heavens (cf., Numbers 22-24). This was to mimic their false gods whom they fancied were in heaven up above. The true and faithful Israelite denounced such practices because the Scriptures did. The Scriptures commanded that the Lord be worshiped ONLY at his tabernacle and later at His temple in Jerusalem. Ergo, the true and faithful Israelite could be found worshiping ONLY the Lord and ONLY in Jerusalem.
Understood in this context from back in the day, we now recognize how the four lines of Psalm 121:1-2 are parallel. The heathen sought their gods on the mountains, where the Psalmist first turned his attention to note this fact (v.1a). The Psalmist retorted that God isn’t to be found on the mountains: He made all heaven and earth, including the mountains (v.2b)!
That covers the parallelism of the two “A” lines. Now let’s vet the two “B” lines. The heathen sought help from their gods at all their high places (aka on the mountains and hills). The Psalmist countered, “Is that where my help is to be found” (v.1b)? In a stinging rebuttal against heathenism he answered forthrightly, “Not on your life! My help comes from the Lord (v.2a)!” See! The two “B” lines are synonymous and parallel as well.
Can we not learn a lot from the Psalmist still today? We go to the optometrist to have our eyes checked and acquire whatever corrective lenses he prescribes for us. To solve our vision problems in dealing with life’s curve balls, we must needs repair to Dr. Jesus. One of His medical degrees is in the field of spiritual optometry. He can even make the blind to see!
Sinful man believes he can solve all his own problems, sometimes by means of fashioning pseudo-gods to do the solving for him (aka heathenism). The true child of God knows man cannot solve life’s problem…but Dr. Jesus can! So he betakes himself to Jesus daily for a personal consultation.
What say ye? The Doctor is in, no appointment needed. Do you wish to see Him?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Being a devout servant of the Lord (aka Yahweh) and therefore a firm believer in monotheism (belief in only one true God), the Psalmist could not go along with idol worship at the high places. So he responded to heathen worship at the high places by asking, “From where, then, will my help come to deliver me?”
In answer to this he furnished the only possible response a devout Israelite and true servant of the Lord could answer. He asseverated, My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. The heathen, you see, worshiped man-made gods whom they depicted in the form of idols. The true and faithful Israelite, contrariwise, acknowledged only the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The heathen worshiped on elevated locations to look down on the world, as if they were in the heavens (cf., Numbers 22-24). This was to mimic their false gods whom they fancied were in heaven up above. The true and faithful Israelite denounced such practices because the Scriptures did. The Scriptures commanded that the Lord be worshiped ONLY at his tabernacle and later at His temple in Jerusalem. Ergo, the true and faithful Israelite could be found worshiping ONLY the Lord and ONLY in Jerusalem.
Understood in this context from back in the day, we now recognize how the four lines of Psalm 121:1-2 are parallel. The heathen sought their gods on the mountains, where the Psalmist first turned his attention to note this fact (v.1a). The Psalmist retorted that God isn’t to be found on the mountains: He made all heaven and earth, including the mountains (v.2b)!
That covers the parallelism of the two “A” lines. Now let’s vet the two “B” lines. The heathen sought help from their gods at all their high places (aka on the mountains and hills). The Psalmist countered, “Is that where my help is to be found” (v.1b)? In a stinging rebuttal against heathenism he answered forthrightly, “Not on your life! My help comes from the Lord (v.2a)!” See! The two “B” lines are synonymous and parallel as well.
Can we not learn a lot from the Psalmist still today? We go to the optometrist to have our eyes checked and acquire whatever corrective lenses he prescribes for us. To solve our vision problems in dealing with life’s curve balls, we must needs repair to Dr. Jesus. One of His medical degrees is in the field of spiritual optometry. He can even make the blind to see!
Sinful man believes he can solve all his own problems, sometimes by means of fashioning pseudo-gods to do the solving for him (aka heathenism). The true child of God knows man cannot solve life’s problem…but Dr. Jesus can! So he betakes himself to Jesus daily for a personal consultation.
What say ye? The Doctor is in, no appointment needed. Do you wish to see Him?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Optometry 101 – Part 2
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth [Psalm 121:1-2].
Being a devout servant of the Lord (aka Yahweh) and therefore a firm believer in monotheism (belief in only one true God), the Psalmist could not go along with idol worship at the high places. So he responded to heathen worship at the high places by asking, “From where, then, will my help come to deliver me?”
In answer to this he furnished the only possible response a devout Israelite and true servant of the Lord could answer. He asseverated, My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. The heathen, you see, worshiped man-made gods whom they depicted in the form of idols. The true and faithful Israelite, contrariwise, acknowledged only the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The heathen worshiped on elevated locations to look down on the world, as if they were in the heavens (cf., Numbers 22-24). This was to mimic their false gods, whom they fancied were in heaven up above. The true and faithful Israelite denounced such practices because the Scriptures did. The Scriptures commanded that the Lord be worshiped ONLY at his tabernacle and later at His temple in Jerusalem. Ergo, the true and faithful Israelite could be found worshiping ONLY the Lord and ONLY in Jerusalem.
Understood in this context from back in the day, we now recognize how the four lines of Psalm 121:1-2 are parallel. The heathen sought their gods on the mountains, where the Psalmist first turned his attention to note this fact (verse 1a). The Psalmist retorted that God isn’t to be found on the mountains: He made all heaven and earth, including the mountains (verse 2b)!
That covers the parallelism of the two “A” lines. Now let’s vet the two “B” lines. The heathen sought help from their gods at all their high places (aka on the mountains and hills). The Psalmist countered, “Is that where my help is to be found” (verse 1b)? In a stinging rebuttal against heathenism he answered forthrightly, “Not on your life! My help comes from the Lord (verse 2a)!” See! The two “B” lines are synonymous and parallel as well.
Can we not learn a lot from the Psalmist still today? We go to the optometrist to have our eyes checked, and we acquire whatever corrective lenses he prescribes for us. To solve our vision problems in dealing with life’s curve balls, we must needs repair to Dr. Jesus. One of His medical degrees is in the field of spiritual optometry. He can even make the blind to see!
Sinful man believes he can solve all of his own problems, sometimes by means of fashioning pseudo-gods to do the solving for him (aka heathenism). The true child of God knows man cannot solve life’s problem…but Dr. Jesus can! So he betakes himself to Jesus daily for a personal consultation.
What say ye? The Doctor is in, no appointment needed. Do you wish to see Him?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Being a devout servant of the Lord (aka Yahweh) and therefore a firm believer in monotheism (belief in only one true God), the Psalmist could not go along with idol worship at the high places. So he responded to heathen worship at the high places by asking, “From where, then, will my help come to deliver me?”
In answer to this he furnished the only possible response a devout Israelite and true servant of the Lord could answer. He asseverated, My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. The heathen, you see, worshiped man-made gods whom they depicted in the form of idols. The true and faithful Israelite, contrariwise, acknowledged only the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The heathen worshiped on elevated locations to look down on the world, as if they were in the heavens (cf., Numbers 22-24). This was to mimic their false gods, whom they fancied were in heaven up above. The true and faithful Israelite denounced such practices because the Scriptures did. The Scriptures commanded that the Lord be worshiped ONLY at his tabernacle and later at His temple in Jerusalem. Ergo, the true and faithful Israelite could be found worshiping ONLY the Lord and ONLY in Jerusalem.
Understood in this context from back in the day, we now recognize how the four lines of Psalm 121:1-2 are parallel. The heathen sought their gods on the mountains, where the Psalmist first turned his attention to note this fact (verse 1a). The Psalmist retorted that God isn’t to be found on the mountains: He made all heaven and earth, including the mountains (verse 2b)!
That covers the parallelism of the two “A” lines. Now let’s vet the two “B” lines. The heathen sought help from their gods at all their high places (aka on the mountains and hills). The Psalmist countered, “Is that where my help is to be found” (verse 1b)? In a stinging rebuttal against heathenism he answered forthrightly, “Not on your life! My help comes from the Lord (verse 2a)!” See! The two “B” lines are synonymous and parallel as well.
Can we not learn a lot from the Psalmist still today? We go to the optometrist to have our eyes checked, and we acquire whatever corrective lenses he prescribes for us. To solve our vision problems in dealing with life’s curve balls, we must needs repair to Dr. Jesus. One of His medical degrees is in the field of spiritual optometry. He can even make the blind to see!
Sinful man believes he can solve all of his own problems, sometimes by means of fashioning pseudo-gods to do the solving for him (aka heathenism). The true child of God knows man cannot solve life’s problem…but Dr. Jesus can! So he betakes himself to Jesus daily for a personal consultation.
What say ye? The Doctor is in, no appointment needed. Do you wish to see Him?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Optometry 101 – Part 1
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth [Psalm 121:1-2].
This quotation is beautiful Hebrew poetry. To understand it we need to understand how Biblical Hebrew poetry works. Let’s take a crash course in it, shall we?
Today we tend to rhyme words at the end of lines and call that “poetry”. And so it is…at least for us today. To each his own. I am not criticizing this approach, just noting that other approaches are out there. Some of our poetic content often leaves a lot to be desired in contemporary rhymes. I mean, “I think you’re groovy. Let’s go to a movie.” Really? That has been weighed on the scales and found deficient, much like King Belshazzar of Babylon (cf., Daniel 5:26-27).
But enough of the aside. Let’s mosey on back to Biblical Hebrew poetry. Rather than rhyme words at the end of lines, the Hebrews of the Bible “rhymed” ideas within the lines. Sometimes those ideas presented the same concept—in which case they were synonymous and bore the appellation synonymous parallelism. At other times the ideas portrayed opposite concepts—in which case they wore the mantle antonymous parallelism.
Let’s put Psalm 121:1-2 to work in illustrating this for us. Here is how the two verses are diagrammed:
A. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
B. from where shall my help come?
B. My help comes from the Lord,
A. Who made heaven and earth.
Take note, please, of the letters “A” and “B” which identify each line. Do you see how the two “A” lines run parallel in thought to each other, and the same for the two “B” lines? The concepts of the two “A” lines are similar: they are “synonymous” as far as concepts go. So too with the two “B” lines: they express similar or synonymous concepts. They run parallel to each other.
The Psalmist began by throwing out an observation, I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. He then followed this up with a question, from where shall my help come? The thought in this sentence is that the Psalmist looked around at all the pagans peoples and the apostate Israelites of his time. What he saw was the heathen worship of idols on every high hill and mountain, commonly known as the “high places” back in the day (cf., Psalm 78:58).
We will continue this exposition in our next post. For now let’s pull aside to this nearby arbor and rest our weary bones, as we meet with the Lord Jesus for a space.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
This quotation is beautiful Hebrew poetry. To understand it we need to understand how Biblical Hebrew poetry works. Let’s take a crash course in it, shall we?
Today we tend to rhyme words at the end of lines and call that “poetry”. And so it is…at least for us today. To each his own. I am not criticizing this approach, just noting that other approaches are out there. Some of our poetic content often leaves a lot to be desired in contemporary rhymes. I mean, “I think you’re groovy. Let’s go to a movie.” Really? That has been weighed on the scales and found deficient, much like King Belshazzar of Babylon (cf., Daniel 5:26-27).
But enough of the aside. Let’s mosey on back to Biblical Hebrew poetry. Rather than rhyme words at the end of lines, the Hebrews of the Bible “rhymed” ideas within the lines. Sometimes those ideas presented the same concept—in which case they were synonymous and bore the appellation synonymous parallelism. At other times the ideas portrayed opposite concepts—in which case they wore the mantle antonymous parallelism.
Let’s put Psalm 121:1-2 to work in illustrating this for us. Here is how the two verses are diagrammed:
A. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
B. from where shall my help come?
B. My help comes from the Lord,
A. Who made heaven and earth.
Take note, please, of the letters “A” and “B” which identify each line. Do you see how the two “A” lines run parallel in thought to each other, and the same for the two “B” lines? The concepts of the two “A” lines are similar: they are “synonymous” as far as concepts go. So too with the two “B” lines: they express similar or synonymous concepts. They run parallel to each other.
The Psalmist began by throwing out an observation, I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. He then followed this up with a question, from where shall my help come? The thought in this sentence is that the Psalmist looked around at all the pagans peoples and the apostate Israelites of his time. What he saw was the heathen worship of idols on every high hill and mountain, commonly known as the “high places” back in the day (cf., Psalm 78:58).
We will continue this exposition in our next post. For now let’s pull aside to this nearby arbor and rest our weary bones, as we meet with the Lord Jesus for a space.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
