Page images
PDF
EPUB

in equal distichs, for the most part; and why these distichs should in some measure consist of versicles or parallelisms corresponding to each other. And this mode of composition being admirably adapted to the musical modulation of that kind of poetry, which was most in use among them from the very beginning, and at the same time being perfectly agreeable to the genius and cadence of the language, easily extended itself into the other species of poetry, though not designed for the same purpose; in fact, we find that it pervaded the whole of the poetry of the Hebrews; insomuch, that what was said of the Heathen Muses may still more strictly be applied to those of the Hebrews," they love alternate song." On this occasion also it may not be improper to remark, that the word gnanah, which properly signifies to answer, is used more generally to denote any song or poem;" whence we can only infer, either that the word has passed from particular to general use, or that among the Hebrews almost every poem possesses a sort of responsive form.

Such appears to have been the origin and progress of that poetical and artificial conformation of the sentences, which we observe in the poetry of the Hebrews. That it prevailed no less in the Prophetic Poetry than in the Lyric and Didactic, to which it was, in the nature of things, most adapted, is evident from those very ancient

10" The correspondence of one verse, or line, with another, I call paral"lelism. When a proposition is delivered, and a second is subjoined to it, "or drawn under it, equivalent, or contrasted with it, in sense; or similar "to it in the form of grammatical construction; these I call parallel lines ; "and the words or phrases, answering one to another in the corresponding "lines, parallel terms." LowTa's Prelim. Disc. to Isaiah.

11 EXOD. xxxii. 18. NUM. xxi. 17. Hos. ii. 15. PSALM cxlvii. 7. "Thus "the word which in the Arabic answers to gnanah, denotes not only to "perform alternately, but also to sing." H.

specimens of poetical prophecy already quoted from the historical books; and it only remains to shew, that it is no less observable in those which are contained in the volumes of the prophets themselves. In order the more clearly to evince this point, I shall endeavour to illustrate the Hebrew parallelism according to its different species, first by examples taken from those books commonly allowed to be poetical, and afterwards by correspondent examples from the books of the prophets.

The poetical conformation of the sentences, which has been so often alluded to as characteristic of the Hebrew poetry, consists chiefly in a certain equality, resemblance, or parallelism between the members of each period; so that in two lines (or members of the same period) things for the most part shall answer to things, and words to words, as if fitted to each other by a kind of rule or measure. This parallelism has much variety and many gradations; it is sometimes more accurate and manifest, sometimes more vague and obscure: it may however, on the whole, be said to consist of three species.

The first species is the synonymous parallelism, when the same sentiment is repeated in different, but equivalent terms. This is the most frequent of all, and is often conducted with the utmost accuracy and neatness examples are very numerous, nor will there be any great difficulty in the choice of them: on this account I shall select such as are most remarkable in oth. er respects.

"When Israel went out from Egypt;

"The house of Jacob from a strange people;
"Judah was as his sacred heritage:

"Israel his dominion.

"The sea saw, and fled;

"Jordan turned back;

"The mountains leaped like rams;

"The hills like the sons of the flock.

"What ailed thee, O sea, that thou fleddest;
"Jordan, that thou turnedst back:
"Mountains, that ye leaped like rams;

"And hills, like the sons of the flock?

"At the presence of the Lord tremble, thou earth;
"At the presence of the God of Jacob!

"Who turned the rock into a lake of waters;

[ocr errors]

"The flint into a water spring."

The prophetic Muse is no less elegant and correct:

"Arise, be thou enlightened; for thy light is come;
"And the glory of JEHOVAH is risen upon thee.

"For behold darkness shall cover the earth;

"And a thick vapour the nations:

"But upon thee shall JEHOVAH arise;

"And his glory upon thee shall be conspicuous.
"And the nations shall walk in thy light;

"And kings in the brightness of thy rising."13

Observe also that famous prophecy concerning the humiliation, and expiatory sufferings of the Messiah:

"Who hath believed our report;

"And to whom hath the arm of JEHOVAH been manifested :

"For he groweth up in their sight like a tender sucker;

❝ And like a root from a thirsty soil;

"He hath no form, nor any beauty that we should regard him; "Nor is his countenance such, that we should desire him. "Despised, nor accounted in the number of men ;

"A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

"As one that hideth his face from us:

"He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
"Surely our infirmities he hath borne :
"And our sorrows he14 hath carried them.-

12 Ps. cxiv.

13 ISAI. IX. 1—3. "In the brightness of thy rising" is an expression uncommonly beautiful and simple; I never could read it without a glow of tranquil pleasure corresponding to the scene which the image exhibits.

T.

14 Some copies, manuscript as well as printed, point out in the margin

«Yet we thought him judicially stricken ; "Smitten of God and afflicted.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions;

"Was smitten for our iniquities:

"The chastisement by which our peace was effected was laid

[blocks in formation]

"And by his bruises we are healed."

Isaiah is indeed excellent, but not unrivalled in this kind
of composition: there are abundant examples in the
other prophets; I shall, however, only add one from
Hosea, which is exquisitely pathetic.

"How shall I resign thee, O Ephraim !
"How shall I deliver thee up, O Israel !
"How shall I resign thee as Admah!
"How shall I make thee as Zeboim !

"My heart is changed within me;

" I am warmed also with repentance towards thee.
"I will not do according to the fervour of my wrath,

"I will not return16 to destroy Ephraim:

"For I am God, and not man;

❝ 17 Holy in the midst of thee, though I inhabit not thy cities."

the word (he) to be inserted: (see Bibl. Heb. Edit. MICHAELIS, Var. Lect. in loc.) The SYR. and VULG. certainly express it, and indeed the repetition of the word gives exquisite force and elegance to the line. "This word occurs in the text of twelve MSS. copies, and in three print"ed." K. Author's Note.

15 ISAI. liii. 1-5.

16 A beautiful Hebraism to express the repetition of any thing; in this place it has peculiar force and pathos. T.

17 There is hardly any thing in which translators have differed more than in the explanation of this line; which is the more extraordinary when we consider that the words themselves are so well known, and the structure of the period so plain and evident. JEROME is almost singular in his explanation. Comm. in loc. "I am not one of those who inhabit cities; "who live according to human laws; who think cruelty justice." CASTALIO follows JEROME. There is in fact in the latter member of the sen

.in the former איש לא a parallelism and synonyme to לא אבוא בציר tence

The future x has a frequentative power (see Ps. xxii. 3 and 8,) “ I am not accustomed to enter a city; I am not an inhabitant of a city." For there is a beautiful opposition of the different parts; "I am God and not

There is great variety in the form of the synonymous parallelism, some instances of which are deserving of remark. The parallelism is sometimes formed by the iteration of the former member, either in the whole or in part :

"Much have they oppressed me from my youth up,

"May Israel now say ;

"Much have they oppressed me from my youth,

"Yet have they not prevailed against me."29

« God of vengeance, JEHOVAH ;

"God of vengeance, shew thyself.

"How long shall the wicked, O JEHOVAH,
"How long shall the wicked triumph!"20

"With the jaw-bone of an ass, heaps upon heaps;

"With the jaw-bone of an ass a thousand men have I smitten."21

Thus, Isaiah :

"Because in the night Ar is destroyed, Moab is undone !

"Because in the night Kir is destroyed, Moab is undone !"22

"man;" this is amplified in the next line, and the antithesis a little varied. "I am thy God, inhabiting with thee, but in a peculiar and extraor"dinary manner, not in the manner of men." Nothing I think can be plainer or more elegant than this. Author's Note.

20 PSALM XCIV. 1 and 3.

18 Hos. xi. 8, 9. 19 PSALM CXXix. 1, 2. 21 JUD. XV. 16. "It will admit of a doubt whether these words may not "be rendered: With the jaw bone of an ass, in confusing, I have confused "them. For this seems to be the grammatical construction of the words: "and the word Chamar commonly signifies to trouble or confuse. So it is « rendered by the Seventy, Εν σιαγόνι ονα εξαλείφων εξήλειψα αυτός, With the jaw"bone of an ass, in exterminating, I have exterminated them, following the "same construction, but taking the more violent sense of the word, de"stroying, or exterminating; which sense it still retains in the Arabic, for "in that language it signifies not only to trouble or disturb, but also to “overwhelm or suppress. But if in favour of the other interpretation, which “is also adopted in our common translation, the passage in Exon. viii. 14, "be referred to (chomarim, chomarim, in heaps ;) it may be said in answer, "that the words in these two passages assume a different form. The verb "chamar in this place seems most directly suited to express tumult and "confusion, and is also introduced for the sake of the paronomasia, and the "similarity of sound with the preceding word chamor, an ass. H.

22 Chap. xv. 1.

« PreviousContinue »