So, we have turned a corner in the Bible reading. Up to this point in the Bible reading a majority of the reading has been narrative in style. Simply put this means that a story, or group of stories, are telling the point of Scripture. We need to remember what I said way back on January 1st. The plot points of the Bible are; Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consumation. Currently we are in the third plot point and the stories we have been reading through, wether it is Abraham, David, or Nehemiah, have all been about the redemption of God in making a people His own. Moving forward we will continue in this plot point but in a different writing style, poetry. The books of Job through Song of Solomon are all mostly poetry, so we need to consider this different style for a few minutes to help us make sense of what we will be reading now through July. Yes, it is Hebrew poetry, but it still has many of the same traits and devices that our English poetry does. So here are a few key devices to keep in mind and continue to refresh yourself in as the reading takes place over the next 8 weeks.
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words.
Climax
The turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story. The climax represents the point of greatest tension in the work. Watch for this, especially in Job’s speeches.
Couplet
A pair of rhymed lines that may or may not constitute a separate stanza in a poem.
Hyperbole
A figure of speech involving exaggeration. This is hard to pick up from the Hebrew.
Metaphor
A comparison between essentially unlike things without an explicitly comparative word such as like or as.
Personification
The endowment of God, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts with animate or living qualities.
Rhythm
The recurrence of accent or stress in lines of verse. This is harder from the Hebrew to English.
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part is substituted for the whole.
Tone
The implied attitude of a speaker toward the subject.
Something to also keep in mind as the reading takes place is who the current speaker is talking to. In the case today of Job, Job responds to his friends, but half way through his response, he shifts focus from his friend to talking to God in front of his friends. So keeping the fact Job is really talking to God is important and helps in understanding the passage a little better.
Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words.
Climax
The turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story. The climax represents the point of greatest tension in the work. Watch for this, especially in Job’s speeches.
Couplet
A pair of rhymed lines that may or may not constitute a separate stanza in a poem.
Hyperbole
A figure of speech involving exaggeration. This is hard to pick up from the Hebrew.
Metaphor
A comparison between essentially unlike things without an explicitly comparative word such as like or as.
Personification
The endowment of God, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts with animate or living qualities.
Rhythm
The recurrence of accent or stress in lines of verse. This is harder from the Hebrew to English.
Synecdoche
A figure of speech in which a part is substituted for the whole.
Tone
The implied attitude of a speaker toward the subject.
Something to also keep in mind as the reading takes place is who the current speaker is talking to. In the case today of Job, Job responds to his friends, but half way through his response, he shifts focus from his friend to talking to God in front of his friends. So keeping the fact Job is really talking to God is important and helps in understanding the passage a little better.
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