REPETITION IN THE BIBLE: PART 2

Part 1 on this subject was posted two years ago on this site. It began with the following introduction:

“Those who are at all familiar with the Bible may rightfully come to the point where they ask:Why is there so much repetition in the Bible? It is an excellent question and actually can be answered in a number of ways depending on what kind of duplication one is talking about. On occasion, my tendency to organize and categorize comes to the forefront, and this is one of them. Here is my own attempt to classify some of the more common types of repetition found in the Bible with examples and comments as to the possible function such duplication performs in the service of the text.

A. Contiguous Repetition

    1. Of words

    2. Within the same verse

    3. Between adjacent paragraphs

    4. Between adjacent chapters

    5. Between adjacent books

B. More Remote Repetition

    1. In service of all the above duplicates

    2. Inclusios

    3. Significant numbers

    4. Mark's Gospel

But among the examples I gave in Section A2 of that post, I neglected to discuss another variation, namely the accumulation of near synonyms within a single verse. This post addresses that prior omission. Craig Keener explains this class of biblical repetition in his exhaustive commentary on I Peter when he states, “Piling up multiple, virtually synonymous terms fits both the traditional biblical and bombastic, so-called Asianic rhetoric.” Below are some of the examples of this rhetorical technique which he cites in his commentary on I Peter.

“Well and good”

The two Hebrew adjectives translated by these, or equivalent, words appear in verses such as Job 34:4 in their most common examples as part of two parallel lines within a single verse:

    “Then let us    examine for ourselves what is right;

    let us together establish                     the true good.” (JB)

However, that same sort of parallelism (Category A2 above) can be expressed even more simply by placing the synonyms right next to one another as a pair, such as we find in the following verses, all quoted from the KJV:

    Deuteronomy 6:18 – “And thou shall do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may go well with you...”

    Deuteronomy 12:28 – “Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go will with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.”

Note that there is another possible example of two parallel words joined by “and” in this verse, namely, “observe and hear.” Certainly there is a nuance of difference between the two original Hebrew words, but there is much overlap as well.

    I Samuel 12:23 – “God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way.”

    II Chronicles 14:2 – “And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.”

    II Chronicles 31:20 – “And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God.”

To this list, Keener appends those occasions in which the same Hebrew phrase appears in an idiomatic, but not theological, context: Joshua 9:25; II Samuel 15:3; and Jeremiah 26:14; 40:4.

Strengthening Language

This is another category identified by Keener in which similar words are accumulated in order to make one general point.

    Isaiah 41:10 – In this verse, it is stated that the LORD strengthened, helped, and supported Israel.” Oswalt states that the use of moreover “between the three verbs give them a sense of being piled on top of one another. Not only has he strengthened, but he has helped, and not only has he strengthened and helped, but he also has upheld them.”

    I Corinthians 16:13 – “Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.” (RSV)

“The apostle inserts this final brief exhortation. The first four imperatives call for militant action, the last for love. The first pair are defensive, the second offensive.” (Marsh)

    Ephesians 1:19 – “...and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might.” (RSV) This is also rendered by AB as follows: “...and how exceedingly great is his power over us believers. For that mighty strength is at work...”

“These first four imperatives are related in that they all call to watchfulness and steadfastness as to the faith itself (cf. 15:58).” (Fee)

And Marcus Barth says, “At this point the style typical of Ephesians is displayed at either its worst or its best, certainly in most exemplary fashion. Four nearly synonymous Greek words are used in succession to describe God's power, and the author adds the noun 'greatness,' qualified by the attribute 'exceeding' (or 'overwhelming'). The way in which so many words of similar meaning are combined is not simple, but is complicated by the use of three genitives and the preposition 'according to..'..The author wants to point out the absolutely unique and superior power exerted by God in the resurrection of Christ.”

    Ephesians 3:16 – “...he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man.” (RSV)

Hoehner comments, “Two words for power are used here. The first is dynamis, which has the meaning of 'power, ability, capability of acting,' denoting capacity in view of his ability...The second word is the complementary infinitive krataiothenai from krataioo. It is a late construction...which means 'to strengthen' by exercise.”

    Colossians 1:11 – “May you be made strong with all of the strength which comes from his glorious power...” (TEV)

“The sentence runs on with continued emphasis that such fruitful living is wholly dependent on divine enabling...the Semitic doubling ('empowered with all power') is sufficient indication that the thought world here is still preeminently Jewish....As if the point were not already clear beyond doubt, the sense of complete dependence on divine enabling is reinforced with a further flourish: 'according to the might of his glory' (a Semitism = 'his glorious might'). Kratos ('might') is an understandable variant for dunamis ('power')...” (Dunn)

    I Peter 5:10 – The RSV translation of this verse reads, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you.”

Commenting on this statement, Keener says, “Yet despite each term perhaps adding some nuances, the semantic overlap among restore, strengthen, fortify, and establish is considerable.”

Judges 9:16, 19

Lastly, I will throw in one additional example not mentioned by Keener. After Jotham tells the parable of the trees attempting to choose a ruler from among themselves to those who have rejected the rightful king of Israel, he states, “Now, if you have acted faithfully and blamelessly in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt rightly with Jerubbaal and his house...then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him rejoice in you.”

Webb explains: “Jotham makes it clear what the central issue is by piling up adverbs (faithfully, blamelessly, rightly), all of which have to do with the ethical status of what the rulers of Shechem have done. The issue is not kingship as such, but whether it was right for them to make this particular man king and, in so doing, to support and participate in his slaughter of Gideon's seventy sons. Clearly for Jotham the answer is no.”