The Superior Express -

Q: Someone told me that the Psalms are poetry, but they don’t rhyme or seem to make much sense. Do they rhyme in a different language?

A: This confused me as well for a great many years! For a long time, I assumed that, since the Psalms were written in Hebrew, they must rhyme when read in the original language. But the truth is even better and far more exciting than that!

Hebrew poetry does not function by connecting similar sounds line by line, instead Hebrew poets would use the lines of their poetry to compare concepts. Hebrew poetry rhymes ideas!

Let me give you one of my favorite examples. Psalm 1:1 says “How blessed is the man; who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked; nor stands in the path of sinners; nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (The line breaks are indicated by a semi-colon). Each line in the verse warns of a particular activity we must avoid if we wish to be blessed in life. The poetic connection of ideas is found between the similar kinds of people we should avoid (wicked, sinners and scoffers), and in the imagery of a person distracted from a journey; progressively walking, standing, then sitting as we move through the verse. A strong contrast is then introduced in verse two: rather than being swayed and distracted by ungodly company, the blessed man “delights in the Law of the Lord; and in His law he meditates day and night.”

The repetition, imagery, and comparison used by Hebrew poets allowed them to be extremely clear and precise in communication. And, best of all, Hebrew poetry can be appreciated in any language! Why don’t you go on in Psalm 1 and see if you can spot the five descriptions of the blessed man in verse three? The poetry of Hebrews is striking, memorable and accessible for anyone to read!

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