SYMBOLIC PARALLELISM IN THE BIBLE

Some readers of the Bible have a great deal of trouble with the pervasive use of figurative language in it, especially in the poetic sections. And I have encountered Christians who go so far as to deny that there is anything other than literal statements in it. Keep in mind that some of those people tend to define a “literal” understanding as the most reasonable interpretation of the text. And if that is what they mean, then I would have to agree with them. But that is not at all the recognized definition of the word.

Perhaps the hardest category of non-literal language to recognize is the metaphor. I recently wrote a post on Psalm 22, so let me take an example out of that poem to look at. In verse 12, the Psalmist declares,

         “Many bulls                encircle me,

        strong bulls of Bashan surround me.”

As I have explained in several earlier posts, this verse is typical of Hebrew poetry in general in that the same basic thought is repeated in each line, called Synonymous Parallelism in this particular case.

Now if we truly take this repeated statement as the literal truth, then we might propose that the author was vacationing at a cattle ranch, or perhaps he was taking part in the annual Running of the Bulls at Pamplona. Of course, neither interpretation would make much sense in the context of this psalm and both ideas are rather far-fetched to start with. But, in fact, there is a very similar statement made by Paul in I Corinthians 15:32, where he says that he “fought with wild animals at Ephesus.”

You will run into sincere Christians today who will state that Paul was thrown into the amphitheatre there with wild animals, much as the Roman Christians were forced to fight dangerous beasts to entertain the crowds at the Colosseum. The problems with such an interpretation are that this event is not mentioned in Acts, it is unlikely that Paul would have survived, and there is absolutely no historical record of any such a custom taking place at that early date in the Roman Empire. Confirming the fact that such biblical references to “bulls” and “beasts” are the similar metaphorical usages in passages such as Titus 1:2; II Peter 2:12; and Jude 10.

If Psalm 22:12 had utilized a simile instead of a metaphor, then we would have been much less likely to treat it in a hyper-literal manner:

    “My enemies like bulls         encircle me,

    as the cattle of Bashan, they surround me.”

The reason is that the presence of “like” or “as” would serve as a strong clue that those being talked about only resemble bulls in some manner or other without actually being bulls. But we still might not be able to figure out exactly what the point of resemblance was. Perhaps it was just the way they crowded around the Psalmist. Or, more likely, the similarity lay in their powerful and threatening nature.

All of the above brings us to the subject of this short essay. What if one brings together a statement expressed figuratively in one line of a poetic couplet or triplet with its corresponding meaning expressed literally in another line. Then one has the best of both worlds in that the one line is free to be poetically and memorably stated while the other line of poetry ensures that the meaning will not be misconstrued. In that case one has what has been called Symbolic Parallelism, perhaps the rarest sub-category of Hebrew poetry. To take some more liberties with Psalm 22:12, the result might look like this:

    “The bulls of Bashan encircle me,

    my enemies               plan to do me harm.”

So that you might more readily recognize this form of figurative poetry in your reading of the Bible, here are some real examples I found in the Old Testament:

The Psalter starts right out with one after describing those who delight in the LORD and his law. In v. 3 we are told:

    “They are like trees planted by streams of water,

    which yield their fruit in its season,

    their leaves do not wither.

    In all that they do, they prosper.”

You can see that the memorable descriptions of thriving trees in the first three lines is brought down to the final mundane statement as to the exact meaning of the verse.

Interestingly, there is a very similar simile found in Psalm 52:8 where David says,

    “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.

    I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.”

Note that in both these psalms, those who stay close to God flourish like trees and the symbolic or figurative lines are followed by a literal, explanatory one.

A more complicated example is seen in Psalm 5:9. It really needs to be diagrammed to bring out all the parallels:

        “For there is no truth in their mouths; (literal)

            their hearts are destruction; (metaphor)

            their throats are open graves; (metaphor)

        they flatter with their tongues.” (literal)

And depending on how one applies the metaphorical statements, line 1 may explain line 2 or line 3, and line 4 may explain line 2 or line 3. In either case, the meaning is made quite clear.

The fact that the literal line may actually come before the figurative one is demonstrated by Psalm 27:5:

    “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; (literal)

    he will conceal me under the cover of his tent, (figurative)

    he will set me high upon a rock.” (figurative)

The New English Bible renders Psalm 47:8-9 as follows:

    “God reigns over the nations;

        God is seated on his holy throne.

            Princes of the nations assemble

            with the families of Abraham's line;

    For the mighty ones of the earth belong to God,

        and he is raised above them all.”

The parallel thoughts are indicated by the indentations above. Thus, the first and second lines express parallel thoughts to the last two lines. But all of these statement appear to be fairly literal, so where is the figurative language? For that, one must go to a translation a little closer to the original Hebrew. Thus, in place of NEB's interpretive “mighty ones,” RSV reads, “shields.” That is the figurative element which expresses symbolically the combined military might of the leaders of the earth.

Moving away from the Psalms, the Book of Lamentations utilizes three examples of symbolic parallelism to express poetically and graphically the effect on the author in witnessing how God had allowed the destruction of Jerusalem (quoting from RSV):

Lamentations 1:13

    From on high he sent fire; into my bones he made it descend: (figurative)

    He spread a net for my feet: he turned me back: (figurative)

    He has left me stunned, faint all the day long. (literal)

“The imagery here...neatly combines the thoughts that Jerusalem is suffering, and that this suffering is the outworking of Yahweh's judgment.” (Provan)

Lamentations 1:14

    My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hand they were fastened together; (figurative)

    they were set upon my neck; he caused my strength to fail;                                         (figurative)

    the Lord gave me into the hands of those whom I cannot withstand.                            (literal)

“The city's strength has failed under their [i.e. transgressions'] weight, and she is no longer able to 'arise' from the ground.” (Provan)

Lamentations 3:10-11

    He is to me like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding; (figurative)

    he led me off my way and tore me to pieces; (figurative)

    He has made me desolate. (literal)

Provan treats this as “yet another example of the narrator individualizing and making personal the fate of the whole people.”

The books of prophecy are largely written in poetry. Thus, it is no surprise that they also utilize the technique of symbolic parallelism, as witnessed by the following randomly chosen passages:

Isaiah 64:8 provides a somewhat complex example.

    O LORD, you are our Father; (literal)

        we are the clay. (figurative)

    You are the potter; (figurative)

        we are the work of your hands. (literal)

In this case, the indented lines are parallel in thought with lines 2 and 3 belonging together as one figurative picture, while lines 1 and 4 provide the literal meaning.

Habakkuk 3:19 is an example where the literal idea precedes the figurative images.

    God, the Lord, is my strength; (literal)

    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer; (simile)

    and makes me tread upon the heights. (metaphor)

In Nahum 3:12,17 we can see two striking images used to taunt Nineveh with the inevitability of her fall as part of God's wrath. In verse 12 the fortresses of Nineveh are said to be like fig trees filled with ripe fruit. The second line, while not wholly literal, explains the meaning, i.e. a little shaking is all that will be needed for the “eater” to have the figs fall in his mouth and be devoured.

This general imagery comes back again in Revelation 6:13, where God's judgment on the earth is accompanied by stars falling like unripe figs from a tree. Only in this case, the reference is not to ripe figs ready for eating, but the early green figs which are hardly edible, never ripen, and are easily blown off the tree by the winter gales. (Mounce)

Getting back to Nahum 3, a different sort of image is utilized. Nineveh's guards and scribes are figuratively portrayed as locusts or grasshoppers setting on fences on a cold day. Again, a semi-literal explanation for the word picture is given in the last lines which explain that these so-called protectors of the people will be nowhere to be found once trouble comes to the land.

The most common pattern for symbolic parallelisms in the Book of Proverbs consists of a first line in which an everyday observation is made. But it is completely meaningless until the explanatory second line is read. The following come from Proverbs 27:

Verse 3     A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty

                but a fool's provocation is heavier than both.

Verse 17  Iron sharpens iron,

               and one person sharpens the wits of another.

Verse 18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat of its fruit

              and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored.

Verse 21 The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold;

               so a person is tested by being praised.

Each of these poetic couplets could be easily reworded as a simple simile. Thus, for Psalm 27:17, one could instead say: “As iron sharpens iron, one person sharpens the wits of another.”

Perhaps the most elaborate example of symbolic parallelism in the Bible actually encompasses all of Ezekiel 4-7. Read it for yourself and see if you don't agree with that assessment.

1. Figurative Depiction

a. The coming siege (ch. 4)

b. Destruction of Jerusalem (ch. 5)

2. Literal Depiction

b'. Destruction of Jerusalem (ch. 6)

a'. The coming siege (ch. 7)

Despite all the variations and permutations present in these poetic passages, the main point is that the principle of symbolic parallelism manages to combine picturesque and memorable images with enough literal information to make the meaning crystal clear.