may be called a rhythm of sentiment. A period is divided into members, generally two, but sometimes more, which, as it were, balance each other by thought corresponding to thought in repetition, in amplification, in reply, or in contrast.

This feature of Hebrew poetry is called parallelism. The illustration of it constitutes the great merit of Dr. Lowth. A more complete view of its varieties has been given by De Wette, in his Introduction to the Psalms, which I shall in substance transcribe.*

The Hebrew rhythm, namely, the parallelism of members, is nothing more nor less than a rhythmical proportion, and that of the simplest sort, between the larger sections or members of a period, the smaller being neglected. Nothing is more simple than the symmetry, the proportion between two parts of a whole, the proportion between several begins to require more ingenuity and calculation. Thus, the relation between parallel lines is the simplest that we can conceive to exist between different lines; the triangle, the square, already begin to be more complex, and the circle is the most perfect of all figures. It might also be remarked, that every period consisting of two propositions forms a whole, and suffices for a full expression of the voice and satisfying of the ear; while a single proposition is insufficient for either. The breast is still elevated, the ear continues to listen, and yet there is nothing more to be said, nothing more to be heard. In fact, the parallelism of members seems to be a fundamental law of rhythm. It obviously lies at the foundation of the rhyme, where one verse is made to answer to the other. The more complicated forms of rhyme, in the stanza, sonnet, &c., were invented at a comparatively later period; but even in these the law of parallelism may still be detected; at least, the ottave rime and the sonnet naturally fall into two divisions, each answering to the other.† In like manner, the relation of the hexameter and pentameter is that of parallelism, and even the lyric strophes admit perhaps of

* See Biblical Repository for 1833, p. 494.

In the former, the two concluding verses are parallel to the first six, and in the second there is the same relation between the first eight and the last six verses.

being referred to the same form. The relation of the strophe, antistrophe, and epode, on the contrary, already indicates the transposition of the parallelism to the more perfect form of the triangle.

But in what does the parallelism of members in the Hebrew poetry consist, and how is it indicated? Here we must forget all the demands which might be made by the delicate, musical ear of the Greeks, so sensitive to the measure of time, or by that of the moderns, so partial to similitude of sound. The Hebrew has neither the one nor the other. His rhythm belonged more to the thought than to the outward form and sound; and he therefore indicated his rhythmical divisions by the divisions of the thought, and the proportion of the rhythmical propositions by that of the subject-matter.

The following circumstances contributed perhaps in some measure to the formation of this rhythm of thought. The Hebrew, and whoever like him stands at that point of intellectual cultivation where the mind is in a condition to seize only certain general and simple relations of things, is fond of presenting his ideas and feelings in short sentences; these sentences are connected with each other in a manner which possesses but little variety, usually according to the law of resemblance and contrast (a law which readily presents itself to the observing understanding), and for the most part only in couplets, because the combination of several sentences implies already the notice of a greater variety of relations. This speaking in short sentences is still further favored by the impassioned tone of the speaker; for, in the fulness and glow of inspiration and internal feeling, the words are slow to adapt themselves to the thought, the speaker struggles with language, and wrests from it nothing but single short expressions. A peculiar fondness is manifested in this style of speaking for tautology and comparison. There is a want of versatility and variety of expression, and yet there is a wish to express one's self fully, and to present the subject in various points of light; hence the same thing is often repeated in synonymous expressions and figures. Now, if a person who speaks in this way is disposed to introduce into his discourse a regular rhythm, a proportion be

tween the several propositions presents itself as a ready expedient, whose original law will be that of resemblance and contrast, the law by which, in other cases, one proposition is arranged with

another.

After these remarks, nothing will appear more natural than the following form of discourse, Job vii. 1-3:—

"Is there not a hard service for man on the earth?
Are not his days as the days of a hireling?
As a servant who panteth for the shade,
And as a hireling who looketh for his reward,
So am I made to possess months of affliction,
And wearisome nights are appointed for me.

"The earth is the Lord's, and all that is thereir;
The world, and they who inhabit it.
For he hath founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the floods."

where each thought is twice expressed, and after each such repetition there is a pause.

But the parallelism of members is of different kinds. In the first place, it differs according to the different laws of the association of thoughts.* The two principal laws of resemblance and contrast or antithesis produce the synonymous and antithetic parallelism, according to the terminology of Lowth; a third is founded simply upon a resemblance in the form of construction and progression of the thoughts, and this we may call with Lowth the synthetic parallelism. With the synonymous parallelism belongs also the identical, or the repetition with suspense; for example, Job xviii. 13 : —

"The limbs of his body are consumed,

Yea, his limbs are devoured by the first-born of death."

Under the term synonymous is included also comparison,

* This is the basis of the classification of parallelism given by Lowth, Lect. XIX.

subordination, etc. But as we are concerned at present chiefly with the rhythmical form, we shall venture upon another classification, and only retain the logical arrangement in the minor divisions.

I. Thought is represented by words; hence, it will frequently happen, where there is a perfect resemblance or antithesis of thoughts, that the words will be equal, at least in their number; and sometimes, on account of the similar construction and position of the words, there will also be a certain resemblance of sound. This we may call the original, perfect kind of parallelism of members, which coincides with metre and rhyme, yet without being the same with them. Such is the kind of parallelism in which the song of Lamech is composed, Gen. iv. 23. The translation can present nothing more than the equality in the number and position of the words; the rhyme must be omitted :— "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice!

Ye wives of Lamech, mark my speech!
For I have slain a man for my wound,

Here all is nearly equal, except the places marked with a dash, where the words must be supplied from the preceding member. Similar examples of rhyme occur in Ps. viii. 5, xxv. 4, lxxxv. 11, cvi. 5.* For more see Schindler,† and Leutwein.‡

Verses similar in their termination, but unequal in the number of their words, and without exact parallelism of thought, occur in the following passage, Job x. 17:

"Thou renewest thy witnesses against me,

And increasest thine anger toward me;
New hosts continually rise up against me.

*The references are to the verses as numbered in the Hebrew Bible, in which the inscriptions in the Psalms to “the leader of the music," &c., are numbered as one verse, and in which the numbering of other verses varies a little from that of the English version. Tract. de Accent. Hebr., p. 81, seq. L. c., p. 51, seq.

Equality in the number of words, together with exact proportion of thought, is a case of frequent occurrence in Job; for example, chap. vi. 5 :

"Doth the wild ass bray in the midst of grass,

Or doth the ox low over his fodder?"

Comp. ch. vi. 23, viii. 2.

We have an example of equality in words, with antithesis of thought, Ps. xx. 9:

"They stumble and fall,

But we stand and are erect."

Comp. Is. lxv. 13.

Also in the synthetic parallelism, equality in the number of words sometimes occurs; for example, Ps. xix. 8:

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;

The precepts of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple." For many examples of this case, in which the number of words is equal, see Leutwein, p. 64, seq.

II. But this external proportion of words is not the essential part of the parallelism of members. It may be adopted, it is true, as a rule, that the number of words is about equal, especially in certain books, as the Proverbs of Solomon, and Job; but in the Psalms a great inequality prevails. This inequality is of different kinds, as follows.

1. The simple unequal parallelism, in which one of the members is too short, compared with the other; for example, Ps. lxviii. 33:

"Ye kingdoms of the earth, sing unto God;

Sing praises to the Lord."

This construction frequently produces a grand effect; for example, Ps. xxxvii. 13, xlviii. 5, Job xiv. 14, where the conciseness of expression adds in one case to the vividness of the thought, in the other to its emphasis.

Yet in these examples the inequality seems to have arisen from the brevity of the thought; it fell naturally into these