Rhyming Thought

Vineyard, better than a cucumber field!

Hebrew poetry is different than English poetry. Where English poetry often rhymes sound, Hebrew poetry rhymes thought. 

It does this in three different ways. Using parallel lines, Hebrew poetry either: communicates the same thought, opposes a thought, or builds on a thought. 

Take these examples from Isaiah chapter 1. First the same thought:

             

                                    The ox knows its owner, 

                                    and the donkey its master's crib; v.3

Same idea in both lines, animals know where their source of life comes from.

Now opposing:

                                   but Israel does not know,
                                   my people do not understand. v.3

On their own these lines convey the same idea, Israel doesn't get it. But they stand in opposition to the first two lines of verse 3, where the ox and donkey do get it.

The most striking examples of this last style are found in Proverbs, where the wise and the foolish are contrasted over and over again. 

Finally building:

                                   And daughter Zion is left

                                   like a booth in a vineyard,
                                   like a shelter in a cucumber field,
                                   like a besieged city. v.8

Each line gives new info, building on the last: Jerusalem (Zion) is as vulnerable as a hut in the middle of a vineyard. No it's worse! A cucumber field, where even less of the shelter is hidden. She is surrounded and her fall is immanent.

It's good to have an idea of how Hebrew poetry works as 2/3 of the Bible is filled with it! 

Next time you encounter the parallel lines of poetry, don't just race through it like it's prose. Dwell on each line and ask what the author is trying to say. You'll be amazed at how much you can squeeze out of a couple lines!