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Watson (1980) Gender-Matched Synonymous Parallelism in The OT
Watson (1980) Gender-Matched Synonymous Parallelism in The OT
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JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE
WATSON:GENDER-MATCHINGIN THE OT
323
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JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE
Instead of perfume(m.),
wththqwrhnqph
there'll be,
and insteadof a belt(f.), bonds(f.)
putrefaction(m.)
both nouns in the expression sny 'ryh are masculine, while in the
correspondingphrase mtl'wtlby', the nouns are feminine.
Gender parallelismcan be extended beyond the simple couplet,
though as the number of cola gets larger, the patternstend to become
more and more complex. An elementary form is clear in part of a
cataloguepoem in an oracle against Egypt (Isa 19:2):
wnlhmw
'ys b 'hyw
w'ys br'hw
'yrb'yr
mmlkhbmmlkh
Embattledwill be
a man and his brother,
a man and his neighbour(m.),
city(f.) with city(f.),
kingdom(f.)with kingdom(f.).
Curiously, though, all-feminine lines and couplets are much commoner, one text from many being Prov 23:27:16
ky swhh 'mqhzwnh
wb'rsrh nkryh
"el cambio operado par Yave esta s6fialado par una disposici6n quiastica," which
corroboratesmy analysis.
16The same use of feminine nouns only is found in the paralleltext; subbustyburtu
"Womanis a pitfall, a pitfall,a hole, a ditch," for which cf. W.G.
burtusyttatyhirTtum,
Lambert,BabylonianWisdomLiterature(Oxford:Clarendon,1960) 146-47, line 51-52.
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WATSON:GENDER-MATCHINGIN THE OT
sword(f.),
kqs ndp qstw
like chaff(m.),
bow(f.)?
drives
(them)
with his
and
imbibed.
f.(zwnh)
m.(yyn).
The inverse of this pat; Cant 7:7; Lam 2:2.)und; Prov 20:2920is an
example:
to the phenomenonof polarityin the numbers between three and ten,
17Comparable
on whichsee R. Hetzron, "AgawNumeralsand Incongruencein Semitic," JSS 12(1967)
169-97. Other studies include G. R. Driver, "Gender in Hebrew Numerals," JJS 1
(1948/49) 90-104; R. Hetzron, "Innovationsin the Semitic Numeral System," JSS 22
(1977) 167-201, which should be read together with the critiqueby M. Powell, "Notes
on AkkadianNumbersand NumberSyntax,"JSS 24(1979) 13-18.
18Seenote 14. Comparableis the device of invertingthe traditionalsequence of wordpairsin orderto express the reversalof existing conditions, a techniquecommented on
by S. Gevirtz, Patterns in the Early Poetry of Israel (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1963)
where "N" stands for a noun. "In such constructionsN1 is the gender
carrierin the sense that other elements in the sentences have to agree
with it, and not with N2"-Ibrahim, GrammaticalGender,59 (also p.
96).
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JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE
tp'rt bhwrymkhm
whdrzqnymsybh
splendor(m.),
their
schematically:
f.(tp'rt)
m.(hdr)
m. (kh
f. (ybh).
where the first two nouns in each line are in the bound state. There is,
then a whole range of different patterns involving gender, and for
convenience a table will be drawn up at the end of this article, setting
out the typology of gender-matchedsynonymous (and antithetic) parallelism, with correspondingreferencesto OT texts.
III
Having isolated and describedthe poetic device of matchingnouns
and genders (as well as its reversed form), the next step is to
determine its functions; in other words, to account for the device in
any particular text.21 For several reasons, however, the following
considerationsare only of a tentative characterand are by no means to
be taken as hard and fast rules. To begin with, the notion of function
in Hebrew poetry is novel and has hardlybeen explored.22Then, since
the gender of many nouns cannot be determined, not a few texts
which probablyexhibit the patternin question have had to be left out,
so that the list of functions actually drawn up is incomplete and may
have to be extended and modified. A final reason: where two or more
poetic devices co-exist it can be difficultto assign to each its appropriate
function.23
24 and A.'. Ceresko, "The Functionof Chiasmusin HebrewPoetry," CBQ 40 (1978) 110 for the applicationof function.
23Generallyspeaking,coexistent devices, such as chiasmusand gender-matchedparallelism, combineto reinforcethe same poetic effect, but this is not alwaysthe case.
241.e.,Merismus, on which see conveniently J. Krasovec, Der Merismusim biblischThis content downloaded from 132.66.11.211 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 15:12:17 UTC
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WATSON:GENDER-MATCHINGIN THE OT
wswhtkml'h h'rs
which implies that everyone was aware of Judah's plight. (Other texts
include Num 21:29; Jer 13:27; Joel 2:16; Nah 2:13; Hab 2:5; 3:3; Pss
31:11; 32:2; 57:5-6; 123:2; 147:15; Job 5:20; 8:2; 24:7; Lam
1:20.)25Merismusis operative, too, when there is a mismatch of
gender, a case in point being Isa 41:4:
'd ysym b'rs mspt
wltwrwtw'yymyyhlw
Similarly, Jer 14:8; 16:3; Pss 98:5-6; 135:6; Prov 22:17.)26 Gendermatching can also be used to heighten antithesis or express constrast,
as illustratedby Prov 14:13.
gm-bshqyk'b-lb
w'hryth smhhtwgh
grieve,
and the end of joy(f.) be sorrow(f.).
(Also, Isa 3:24a; 5:7; 28:17; Prov 15:6.13.) With reversal of gender
concordthe contrastis even stronger, as in Prov 15:8:
zhbrs'ymtw'btyhwh
wtpltysrymrswnw
Let there be
ramparts(m.),
slwhb'rmnwtyk
tranquillity(f.)withinyour fortress(f.).
peace(m.)
your
Of this type too, are Ps 128:3 and Sir 3:29; with reversal of gender: Isa
11:4; 28:15; 42:4; 62:lb; Pss 25:13; 37:30; Prov 3:16.22; 8:20). Occasionally, the poet has chosen synonyms of one or other gender to
achieve better parallelism.An instance is Sir 3:29:
lb hkm ybyn msly hkmym
w'zn mqsbt lhkmh tsmh
wisdom(f.).
(To which can be added Joel 1:6; Pss 18:7b; 76:3; 125:3; Job 10:12;
28:2; 30:18; 33:3; 42:24; Lam 5:3 and Sir 31:1.)The effect is produced
even when nouns of opposite gender occur in each line; besides Prov
30:19b, Cant 7:8 can be quoted:
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JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE
Your very
tree (m.),
wsdykI'gklwt
stature(f.)
is
like
palm
Gender-matched synonymous parallelismis sometimes used for emphatic denial or affirmation(Ps 88:13 and Gen 49:6a; Isa 54:10; Prov
20:3 and Sir 32:20). Inevitability can also be expressed, as in Sir
42:13:27
ky mbgdys' 's
wm'shr't 'sh
and from a
wickedness(f.).
woman,
woman's
Exactly the reverse it true when the genders are switched; in Job
18:10, for example, unexpectednessis emphasized:28
tmwnb'rs hblw
wmlkdtw'ly ntyb
(other texts are Deut 32:14; Prov 5:5; 18:7; and 26:13). A variety of
other functions can be assigned, none with so many examples as in the
foregoing. Job 20:24 expresses poetic justice, as does Ps 59:13 where
the genders are inverted. Abundanceis implied by such couplets as Pss
72:3(cited below); 89:2; 128:3 and 144:12-all with straightforward
gender patterns. Peculiar to inversion of gender-matchingare three
special and related functions, namely, to denote the abnormal or
unusual; to depict destruction of various sorts, and to portray the
reversal of normal or existing conditions. They will be dealt with in
turn. Evidently Isa 43:16 describes an unusual event which the reversed gender sequences only serve to emphasize:
hnwtnbymdrk
wbmym'zymntybh
(Also Isa 28:8; 29:4; 41:2; 44:4b; 56:5; 60:17b; Ezek 11:18-10; Joel
Job 11:14; Prov 5:16; 26:13.)30Destruction
4:3.10; Pss 104:2;29105:27;
is denoted in Isa 41:2; Job 18:15and the followingtext (Nah 2:14):31
whb'rtyb'sn rkbh
wkpyrykt'kl hrb
lions(m.).
31For translation see K. J. Cathcart, Nahum in the Light of Northwest Semitic (BibOr 26;
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WATSON:GENDER-MATCHINGIN THE OT
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I'g wqlsIsbybwtynw
w'mh msws
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JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE
where simha could have been used instead of masos, both words
meaning "joy".36
They'll
beat
their
swords(f.)
into
plowshares (m.),
romah,"lance"39replaces han?t,"spear"(f.) since its gender is masculine and creates the patternm.+ f. // f.+m., expressingthe reversalof
existing conditions:peace is to become war. The contrast between the
next two quasi-parallelpassages is even more striking; they are Ps
98:9b:
yspt-tblbsdq
w'mymbmysrym
The other, Ps 96:13b, differs in the last word to create the reverse
(chiastic)patternf.+ m. // m.+ f.:
yspt-tblbsdq
w'mymb'mwntw
Two further passages which are also almost identical are Isa 28:15 and
28:18. A difficult expresson occurs in each, and in both cases the
context suggests the meaning to be "pact."The two texts will first be
set out and then commented on.
krtnw bryt 't mwt
wkprbrytkm't mwt
whzwtkm't s'wl 1' tqwm
36Seealso Gen 49:6a where leb, "heart"(m.) could have been kabed,"liver"(f.) with
no changein meaning.
37 With the almost identicaltext Mic 4:3.
38Instead,both Isa 2:4 and Mic 4:3 employ onomatoppeia.
39W. Whallon, Comparative
Literature16(1963) 3 is ill-advised to post "an Aramic
scribe" for the change of vocabularyin Joel, especiallysince the Ugariticcognate mrh,
"lance"is well attested. In a privatediscussion, Dr. John SawyerconsideredJoel to have
preservedan ancient text more faithfullythan either Isaiahor Micah.
40Exceptthat created by a combination of assonance (tebel-sedeq and 'ammimmesalm)and parallelismbetweensingularnouns in the first colon and pluralnouns in the
second.
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Other passagesusing this effect are Isa 60:4; Prov 23:29 and 30:14.46
A final criterionis stylisticpreference:when five examples turn up in
as short a book as Joel (1:6; 2:1, 16; 4:3, 10) it can safely be argued
that this is not due to chance. Similarly,some thirty occurrencescan be
numberedin Proverbsand in Job, indicativethat even more remain to
be identified.47On the other hand, the paucityof examples in Ezekiel
puts the onus of proof on those wishing to identify more. In this
context it is worth mentioning that density in the Song of Songs is
particularlyhigh, which is not totallyunexpected.
41As explained by me in Bib 59(1978) 132-33. For the idiom see CAD, vol. S, pp.
165-66.
42SoM. Weinfeld,JAOS93(1973) 196, n. 87.
43The poet chose precisely these two words (hdzeh,, hazu2t)because they sounded
similar,had the same meaning,but were of oppositegender.
44Inthis connection two variantsof a Hebrew expression meaning "stubborn,determined," can be mentioned:gese leb (lit. "hardof heart," both m.) in Ezek 3:7, referring
to the "House of Israel" and qesat riuah(lit. "hard of spirit", both f.) in respect of
Hannahin 1 Sam 1:15. It seems as if the appropriateform of the idiom was selected in
each case as regardsgender, a point unnoticed by G. W. Ahlstrom, "1 Sam 1:15," Bib
60(1979) 254.
45Also termed "disautomatization"or "actualization."For the concept see J.
Mukarovsky,"StandardLanguageand Poetic Language,"in P. Garvin, ed., A Prague
and Style (Georgetown;GeorgetownUniverSchoolReaderon Esthetics,LiteraryStructure
sity, 1964) 17-30.
46Akinis Amos 8:9-10 where in each line a feminine noun intrudeson the prevailing
genderwhich is masculineto form the patternm. + m f. + m. // m. + m. m. + f. // m. +
m. f.+ m.
47Note,too, clusteringin texts such as Isa 11:2, 4, 5; Prov 30:3, 4, 15a, 19b, 21-31.
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JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE
Cant 4:6 uses two nouns in the bound state in each line, with both
nouns masculinein the first colon, and both feminine in ther second:55
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WATSON:GENDER-MATCHING
IN THE OT
333
The use of a masculine-feminineword-pair,then, does not automatically imply gender-matchedparallelism;in fact, when it suits, one
member of a standard word-pair can be changed to create such
parallelism,as alreadyseen in Isa 65:18c (quoted above). This suggests,
perhaps,that our device is higher in rank than word-pairs.
The overlay of gender-patternswith chiasmus in all its forms has
been examined elsewhere;56a whole range of texts could be listed (for
example: Isa 33:6; Job 31:10; Prov 10:12, 15; 30:3). In Prov 3:16, to
take one text, there is chiasmus both of the nouns used and of their
respectivegenders:
'rkymymbymynh
bsm'wlh'sr wkbwd
'sr hmtmswthrwhy
me(m.);
their poison(f.) my spirit(f.)drinks;
b'wty 'Iwhy'rkwny
Eloah's
terrors(m.)
me(m.).
Here, in the central (B) colon, the poet has replaced the masculine
suffixes of the two outer lines (A, A') by the feminine noun ruah, in
order to match the gender of hema. Finally, the chiastic assonance of
Prov 10:12is noteworthy,since it is combined with reversal fo gendermatching:58
sn'h t'rr mdnymw'wl
kl ps'ym tksh 'hbh
Hatred(f.)stirs up maliciousquarrels(m.),
all offences(m.) are coveredby love(f.).
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JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE
hsr Ibnwty'nh
a habitat(f.)of ostriches(f.).
wrbbhmymynk
b'rs hm
wmptym
signs(f.),
and his wonders(m.) over the land(f.) of
Ham.
Desert(m.)
his
kn dwdybynhbnym
WATSON:GENDER-MATCHINGIN THE OT
335
wsptykmdbrmrmh
w'wwnwtyIs'wlmkrwny
zum Alten
66As set out by K. Koch in E. Jenni, ed., Theologisches
Handworterbuch
Testament(Munich:Kaiser/Zurich:Theologischer,1976)2.cols.507-30 and J. J. Scullion,
UF 3(1971) 335-48.
67Otherpassages include 1QH 3:23; 4:17-18; 7:14-15; 9:16-17; 1QS 10:26-11:1;
11:4-5, 12, 13.
68Citedin another connection by G. B. Gray, The Formsof HebrewPoetry (London:
Hodderand Stoughton, 1915) 30 n.l.
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synonyms are also to be found in prose. In Deut 22:5, to take only one
example, the choice of synonyms is evidently deliberate:75
I'yhyh kly-gbr'I-'sh
wl'-ylbsgbrsmlt 'sh
(Other prose texts alreadycited are Deut 21:10-11 and Ruth 1:8-9).76
In Deut 23:19 our device is not used, in spite of its evident aptness ("a
harlot'shire or a male prostitute'sprice") showing that, as in poetry, it
was not adoptedautomaticallyin every possible passage.
To be awareof gender in Hebrewis generallyof value; for example, it
can help distinguish homonyms such as sen, "tooth"(f.), and sen,
"prong"(m.; 1 Sam 2:13).77It is also not without relevance to figurative
language. Ibrahim has shown that in Arabic "the use of gender in
metaphordepends, above all, on grammaticalgender gender."78This is
particularlyevident in metaphoricalcompounds, on which he states:79
Whetherthe metaporicalcompoundshould have a masculineor a feminine word
as its firstelement and it is the firstelement which determinesthe gender of the
whole compound) depends entirely on the grammaticalgender of the referent,
i.e., the genderof the noun to whichthe compoundrefers.
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JOURNALOF BIBLICALLITERATURE
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WATSON:GENDER-MATCHINGIN THE OT
whby'bnykbhsn
wbnwtyk'I ktptns'nh
every
pair of hips(m.),
sack-
cloth(m.).
(Isa 5:29; 65:18c; Jer 13:27; 48:37; Hab 2:5; Pss 57:5; 85:12; 147:15;
Lam 1:20.)
m.- m. // f.- f. (the first noun in each line being in the constructstate),
for example Isa 18:6:
y 'zbwyhdw
ly.t hrym
wlbhmth'rs
Deut 33:29;Isa 18:6;54:2;Jer 16:4;Hos 7:1; Joel 1:6; Pss 18:16; 109:14;
Job 20:24;31:16;Prov 1:8;7:21;Cant 4:6; 6:31; Sir 6:31.)
f.- f. // m.- m. (the previouspatternreversed) is extremely rare. Besides
Deut 33:14there is Ps 107:16:
ky sbrdltwtnhst
wbryhybrzlgd'
(2) reversedpatterns
m. + f. // m. + f., for example Prov 3:22:
wyhywhyymInpsk
whn Igrgrtyk
(Gen 49:6a, 17a; Isa 41:2; 43:16; Joel 2:1; Nah 2:14; Pss 104:2ab;
105:27;135:6;Job 11:14;18:15;Prov 3:22; 22:17;26:13.)
f.+ m. // f.+ m., for exampleIsa 62:lb:
'dys' kngh sdqh
ness(f.),
wygw'thklpydyb r
(Isa 28:15; 42:4; 44:3b; 62:lb; Ps 57:6, 12(= 108:6); Job 5:9; 18:10;
Prov 5:5; 29:3 ; Sir 6:29.)
(3) chiasticgenderp atterns
m.+ f. // f.+ m., for examplePs 37:30:
py sdyqyhghhkmh
wlswnwtdbrmsgpt
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(Isa 33:6; 60:17b;Joel 4:3,10; Pss 37:30; 73:7; 98:5-6; Prov 3:16; 10:15;
15:8;Lam 3:47.)
f.+ m. // m.+ f., for example Isa 66:3:
hywhl'rsbywm'hd
'mywldgwyp'm 'ht
(Gen 49:15; Isa 1:27; 5:28b; 29:4; 60:17c; 66:3; Pss 25:13; 36:7; 44:14;
67:3; 128:3;Job 16:18;Prov 3:8; 10:12;20:29; 30:4,19b;Cant 7:7; Lam
2:2.)
m.- f. // f.- m. (each initial noun in the construct state) occurs only
once, in Prov 8:20:
b'r.h-dqh'hlk
btwkntybwt-mspt
m.//
m.+ m. //f.+ f.//f.+ f.; 41:19-m.+ f.+ f.// m.++ m+ //f.+ m.+
m.// f.; Jer 14:18-m.// f.// f.// m.; 16:3 -m.// f.// m.+ f.; 16:9-m.//
f.// m.// f.; Hos 9:10-m.+ m.+ m.// f.+ f.+ f.// m.//f.; Joel
m.+ m. + m.// m+ m.; Mic 7:6-m.+ m.// f.+ f.// f.+
1:12-f.//f.//
m.+ m.// f.+ f.// f.+ f.+
f.// m.+ m.+ m.; Prov 8:30b-31b-m.+
m.// m.+ f.// m.+ f. + m.// f.+ m.+
f.// m.++ m. m.; 18:6-7-f.+
Sir 44:13-14-m.+
m.// f.// f.+ m.//
f.; 23:15-16-m.//m.//f.//f.;
m.+ f.)
(5) Longersequences
Again, no fixed patterns, so enumeration will suffice (Judg 9:8-15;
Ezek 11:18-20;88Job 1:3;Prov 16:1-3; 30:21-23).
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WATSON:GENDER-MATCHINGIN THE OT
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(6) Singlegenderpassages
Certaintexts use only masculine nouns (Isa 1:18; Hos 14:6; Mal 3:24;
Ps 104:19;Job 5:5; 38:28;Prov 39:29-31) or all feminine (Judg 5:26; Isa
11:2; 23:15; Ezek 16:44; Amos 4:2b; Hab 3:8; Ps 119:28a;Prov 5:4;
22:14;23:27;Lam 2:11; 3:51;Sir 44:16b).
(7) Prosepassages
Gender-matched parallelismis also used in texts classified as prose
(Gen 1:2; 11:1, 3, 6; 12:16; 31:52; 40:9b-11, 16b-17; Exod 2:1-10;89
21:23-25; Lev 5:6; 18:22;Deut 4:18; 7:13; 21:10-11; 22:5; Josh 11:6; 1
Sam 1:15; 1 Kgs 2:6; 5:12; 17:14; 19:11-12; Ezek 3:7; Ruth 1:8-9;
2:21-22), though some, such as Deut 22:5 are closer to poetry.
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