Introduction

to Poetic Literature
Purpose
Poems express heightened emotional language in a timeless and memorable form. Poetry lends itself to easy memorization and recitationa crucial feature for a society in which not everyone could read and printed copies of Scripture were scarce. Poetry also has a way of transcending timethough these poems were all prompted by specific situations in life (sometimes recorded in the title or first verse of a psalm), a person does not have to understand every detail of what was going on in a poets life to grasp the depth, emotion, and meaning of their poetry.

The Poetic Books

The books of Scripture commonly called the Poetic Books are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. However, shorter poems can be found in almost every single book of the Old Testament.

Parallelism

Instead of elaborate rhyme and meter that we value in poems today, the beauty of Hebrew poetry depended on a feature called parallelism. Adjacent lines in a Hebrew poem echo each other. Understanding parallelism will help you know when you are reading a poem and follow the poets train of thought. These are the most common forms of parallelism:
Category Synonymous Parallelism The same thought is expressed in two or more adjacent lines Antithetic Parallelism Adjacent lines express opposite thoughts Synthetic Parallelism The second line builds on the first line with a related thought, forming a complete unit. Example Psalm 139:13 (NASB) Line 1: For You formed my inward parts; Line 2: You wove me in my mothers womb. Proverbs 13:1 (NASB) Line 1: A wise son accepts his fathers discipline, Line 2: But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Ecclesiastes 1:7 (NASB) Line 1: All the rivers flow into the sea, Line 2: Yet the sea is not full.

Categories of Poetry

Poetry could be used for many different occasions in life. When studying poetry, it is helpful to ask, When might the Israelites have used this poem or psalm? The main three categories are as follows, and each of these has many subcategories: Praise Poetry: Expresses thanksgiving and gratitude for who He is or for what He has done (or will do in the future). Examples: Psalm 2, Psalm 145, Psalm 78. Lament Poetry: Expresses extreme sadness or frustration with circumstances in life and cries out to God for help. Examples: Psalm 94, Psalm 51, Psalm 10. Wisdom Poetry: Provides principles for how to live a wise and godly life. Focuses on the path of life and the two roads a person can take: the way of the wise and the way of the fool. Wise living is based on Gods Word and the fear of the Lord. Examples: Psalm 1, Psalm 119, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes.