Bible HebrewReading Hebrew Poetry
Lines in pairs: the second line says the first again, adds to it, or gives the opposite.
Reading Hebrew poetry: lines in pairs
Hebrew poetry doesn't rhyme sounds. It rhymes ideas. A line says something, and the next line answers it: it says it again in other words, adds a step, or sets the opposite beside it. This is called parallelism.
| First line | Second line | What the second line does |
|---|---|---|
| הַשָּׁמַיִם מְסַפְּרִים כְּבוֹד־אֵל “The heavens are telling the glory of God” | וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו מַגִּיד הָרָקִיעַ “and the firmament declares the work of his hands” | says it again (Psalm 19:2) |
| בֵּן חָכָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָב “A wise son makes a father glad” | וּבֵן כְּסִיל תּוּגַת אִמּוֹ “but a foolish son is his mother’s grief” | gives the opposite (Proverbs 10:1) |
| בִּנְאוֹת דֶּשֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵנִי “He makes me lie down in green pastures” | עַל־מֵי מְנֻחוֹת יְנַהֲלֵנִי “he leads me beside still waters” | adds the next step (Psalm 23:2) |
So when a line is hard, read its partner. In Psalm 19:2 “the heavens” and “the firmament” both name the sky above, and “are telling” and “declares” say the same thing. וְ at the start of the second line can be “and” or “but”: the pair decides.
Few words. Poetry is short and tight. It drops many small words that prose needs: “and”, “the”, and the object marker אֵת. Genesis says אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ “the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1); a psalm says עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ “maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ “The grass dries up, the flower withers” (Isaiah 40:8) has no “the” and no “and” in the Hebrew. Often there is no “is” either: יְהוָה רֹעִי “Yəḥawwe is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1).
Verbs and time. In stories the verb forms keep the time clear. Poems move freely between them, and the time comes from the poem. Psalm 1:1 uses the perfect, אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָלַךְ “who has not walked”, for what the happy man never does, at any time. Psalm 23:5 uses both forms for one moment: תַּעֲרֹךְ לְפָנַי שֻׁלְחָן “You prepare a table before me” (an imperfect), then דִּשַּׁנְתָּ בַשֶּׁמֶן רֹאשִׁי “you anoint my head with oil” (a perfect). The story verb, as in וַיֹּאמֶר, is much less common in poetry.
Two halves. Most verses split into two halves, and in poetry the halves are usually the two lines of a pair. Printed Bibles mark the middle with a small sign under a word, shaped like an upside-down V; this app hides those accent marks, so look for the break in the sense instead. Some words take a slightly different “pause” form at that point or at the end of a verse: שָׁמַיִם “heavens” (Psalm 121:2) is שָׁמָיִם at the middle of Genesis 1:8.
Check yourself
In Psalm 19:2, what does the second line do?
✓ says the first line again in other words · tells what happened next · asks a question · gives a command
“The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hands”: heavens and firmament, telling and declaring.
לַיהוָה הָאָרֶץ וּמְלוֹאָהּ תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ (Psalm 24:1). How do the two halves relate?
✓ the second says the first again: “the earth” and “the world” · the second gives the opposite · the second asks a question · they tell two steps of a story
“The earth is yəḥawwe’s, and all that fills it, the world and those who live in it.” There is no “is” in the Hebrew either.
כִּי־יוֹדֵעַ יְהוָה דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים וְדֶרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד (Psalm 1:6). What does וְ mean here?
✓ but: the second line is the opposite of the first · and then · because · if
“Yəḥawwe knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” In a contrast, וְ is “but”.
Genesis 1:1 has אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ; Psalm 121:2 has שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ. What has the poem left out?
✓ אֵת and “the” · the word “and” · the verb · nothing: they are the same
Poetry often drops the article and the object marker.
← Syllables, Sheva and the Doubling DotLittle Words: Look, Because, If, There Is →
Bible Hebrew teaches this with practice questions and reviews that come back right before you forget. The alphabet, the lessons, the vocabulary and the guided readings are recorded in the biblical pronunciation. Free, no ads, and it works offline.
Practice this lesson free