Num. 17:12 , 13 ( 27 , 28 ). After Aarons rod had been brought forth, the people were frightened and cried to Moses, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. Whosoever cometh near, cometh near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
Here the figure is הַקָּרֵב הַקָּרֵב ( hakkahrev hakkahrev ), cometh near, cometh near . It is idiomatically translated by the A.V. , but literally by the R.V.
There is also the repetition of the word אָבָדְנוּ ( ahvadnoo ), we perish, we all perish.
Deut. 28:43 . Here the figure is really translated idiomatically, and not literally. The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high, i.e. , מַעֲלָה מָּעֲלָה ( mahalah, mahalah ), high, high ; and thou shalt come down very low ( i.e. , מַטָּה מָּטָּה ( mattah, mattah ), low, low ).
Thus the figure emphasizes the depth of the misery into which Israel should be brought if they would not hearken to the voice of Jehovah (verse 15 ).
Judges 5:22 .
Then did the horsehoofs stamp:
By reason of the pransings, the pransings of his mighty ones.
מִדַּהֲרוֹת דַהֲרוֹת ( middaharoth daharoth ), i.e. , the violent pransings, if translated idiomatically. See under Idiom .
1 Sam. 2:3 . Talk no more exceeding proudly.
גְּבֹהָה גְּבֹהָה ( gevohah, gevohah ), proudly, proudly , i.e. , arrogantly or haughtily.
Here the repeated adjective is idiomatically translated as a superlative.
2 Sam. 7:5 . Go and tell my servant David (Heb., to my servant, to David), Thus saith the LORD , Shalt thou build, me a house for me to dwell in?
Here there is great emphasis to be placed on the repeated pronoun, me, in order to rebuke the popular and universal thought of the natural heart, which ever says, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
2 Sam. 18:33 . O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Here the figure emphasizes the vehemence of Davids grief.
2 Kings 4:19 . And he said unto his father, My head, my head. ( רֹאשִׁי רֹאשִׁי , roshee, roshee .)
How eloquent: and what a volume is contained in this simple figure, so naturally used by the child; as an English child would say, My poor head.
2 Chron. 4:3 . Compassing the sea round about. סָבִיב סָבִיב ( sahveev, sahveev ), around, around: i.e. , completely round, all around. The same repetition is used, to express complete surrounding, in Ezek. 37:2 ; 40:5 , 14 , 16 (twice), 17 , 25 , 29 , 30 , 33 , 36 , 43 ; 41:5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 16 (the second round about), 17 , 19 ; 42:15 , 20 ; 43:12 . In all these descriptions of the new and future Temple, the repetition of סָבִיב סָבִיב ( sahveev, sahveev ) emphasizes the completeness of the measurements.
Ps. 22:1 . My God, my God ( אֵלִי אֵלִי , Elee, Elee ), why hast thou forsaken me?
Who can tell the depth of meaning and of feeling, which this figure here reveals? It is thus impressed upon us, because it cannot be expressed by words. See Mark 15:34 .
Ps. 67:6 , 7 ( 7 , 8 ).
God shall bless us , God shall bless us :
i.e. , God shall really and truly bless us in very deed.
Ps. 77:16 ( 17 ).
The waters saw thee , O God, The waters saw thee.
(See under Prosopopia .) Thus emphatically describing Ex. 14
Ps. 96:13 .
For He cometh, for He cometh :
i.e. , for He shall surely come.
Ps. 118:11 . Twice They compassed me about ; and in verses 15 and 16 , we have three times The right hand of the Lord.
Ps. 137:7 . Remember, O LORD , the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it , rase it, even to the foundation thereof, i.e. , עָרוּ עָרוּ ( ahroo, ahroo ), Down-with-it, down-with-it, or we might render the figure, utterly overthrow it .
Prov. 20:14 . It is naught , it is naught , saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.
Heb. is רַע רַע ( ra, ra ), i.e. , very bad, or worth nothing. What a picture of Eastern bargaining!
Ecc. 3:18 . Lit., I said in my heart respecting the estate of the sons of men that
they , even they are like beasts.
Here the figure of Pleonasm ( q.v. ) first emphasizes the word men, and then the Epizeuxis again increases that emphasis.
Ecc. 7:24 . That which is far off and exceeding deep, who can find it out? עָמֹק עָמֹק ( ahmok, ahmok ), deep, deep : i.e. , as it is translated, exceeding deep.
Isa. 6:3 . The holiness of Jehovah is emphasized beyond measure, and the three persons in one God are indicated by the thrice repeated Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts. Here the highest degree of holiness is ascribed to Jehovah.
Isa. 21:9 . Babylon is fallen, is fallen : to emphasize the certainty and the greatness of the fall of that great city, and the completeness of its final overthrow. See also Rev. 18:2 .
Isa. 26:3 . Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace.
Here the figure is idiomatically translated . The Hebrew reads (see margin) שָׁלוֹם שָׁלוֹם ( shalom, shalom ), peace, peace , thus emphasizing the word and denoting much peace, great peace; or, as in A.V. , perfect peace. In 57:19 and Jer. 6:14 it is not thus translated.
Professor Driver mentions this duplication of words as being a post-Isaian feature of literary style ( Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament , pp. 233, 234). He says, The literary style of chapters 4056 is very different from that of Isaiah: one of the literary features being the repetition of words. It is remarkable, as being characteristic of the wisdom and acumen assumed by the higher critics, that though Professor Driver mentions the repetition of שלום שלום , peace, peace , in Isa. 57:19 , he does not mention the very same repetition in 26:3 : which is an evidence of the very unity of the two parts of Isaiah which he is seeking to disprove. *
Isa. 28:10 . This is probably the ironical language of the scornful men (verse 14 ), introduced by the Ellipsis of verse 9 : Whom [ say they ] shall he teach knowledge?
for [ it is ] precept upon precept; precept upon precept; line upon line; line upon line; here a little , and there a little. And, then, the Prophet retorts: For (or Yea, verily) with stammering lips ( marg. , stammerings of lips ) and another tongue will he speak ( marg. , he hath spoken ) to this people.
In the English the Epizeuxis is not perfect, because the word upon comes between, but in the Hebrew the words follow each other closely.
צַּו לָצָו צַו לָצָו קָו לָקַוַ קַו לָקָו
זְעֵיר שָׁם זְעֵיר שָׁם
i.e. , For it is tzav latzav; tzav latzav; kav lakav, kav lakav; zēhr shāhm, zēhr shāhm .
See also verse 13 .
Isa. 40:1 . Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Here the Epizeuxis consists of one word in the Hebrew, נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ ( nachmoo, nachmoo ): and calls our attention to the passage; while it emphasizes the plenitude of that comfort wherewith Jehovah has determined to comfort His People Israel at no distant date.
Isa. 51 . In this Scripture we have three calls emphasized by this figure.
A 1 51:911 . A call to the arm of Jehovah: Awake, awake , put on strength, O arm of the LORD .
B 1 1216 . Followed by comfort.
A 2 1720 . A call to Jerusalem: Awake, awake , stand up, O Jerusalem.
B 2 2123 . Followed by comfort.
A 3 52:1 , 2 . A call to Zion: Awake, awake , put on strength, O Zion.
B 3 312 . Followed by comfort.
Isa. 57:19 . I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace to him that is far off and to him that is near, etc.: i.e. , great peace, perfect peace as in 26:3 ( q.v. ).
Jer. 4:19 . My bowels, my bowels! to emphasize the great distress experienced.
Jer. 6:14 . They have healed also the hurt of the daughter * of my people slightly, saying Peace, peace ; when there is no peace. Here the figure contrasts with the fact that there was no peace for Jerusalem the fact that her false prophets continually promised plenty of peace, much peace.
Jer. 22:29 . O earth, earth, earth , hear the word of the LORD .
Ezek. 21:913 ( Heb. 1418 ). A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished.
This is to call our attention to the sword of the LORD , viz. , Babylon, and to show that His sword is a sword for war , and not a sword worn for honour . This is the key to this difficult passage. That there are difficulties is seen the moment we observe the italics, note the marginal alternatives, and consult the commentators!
Jehovahs sword was not like the sword of His son Judah, not like his rod or sceptre (verse 10 ), which was merely for honour, and was no use against a tree. But this sword (verse 10 ) contemneth the rod (or sceptre) of my son, as [ it despiseth ] every tree (or wood). Verse 12 should be, Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: my people shall be delivered to the sword: smite therefore upon thy thigh (which was the symbol of fear in man, as beating the breast was in woman). Verse 13 . Because it was proved, and what? ( i.e., what will happen? what will be the result? ) if the sword shall not despise the wood, saith the Lord! It will not be, saith Adonai Jehovah! ( i.e. , it will not despise it! it will destroy it!)
Thus we have the sword of Jehovah emphasized: and the structure of these verses explains their meaning.
A 810 . The sword of Jehovah (Babylon). Its sharpness and brightness.
B 10 . Its contempt for the rod or sceptre of His son Judah.
A 11 , 12 . The sword of Jehovah. Its destroying power.
B 13 . Its contempt for the wooden rod or sceptre of Judah.
The point is that the sword of the Lord is a sword of war, not of honour; and its power is so great that the sceptre of Judah (which was of wood ) will not withstand it.
Ezek. 21:27 . I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him: i.e. , I will completely and thoroughly overturn it.
The threefold Epizeuxis emphasizes the completeness of the overthrow of the throne of David; hence, by implication, the certainty of the promised fulfilment of the prophecy that He who is Davids Son and Davids Lord, shall surely reign upon that same throne according to Luke 1:32 , 33 , and many other Scriptures.
Ezek. 22:2 . Wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge? : i.e. , Wilt thou really and truly judge? See under Heterosis .
Ezek. 33:11 . Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways.
Ezek. 34:11 . Behold, I , even I , will both search my sheep and seek them out.
And verse 20 : Behold I , even, I , will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
Thus does Adonai Jehovah emphasize what He will do in consequence of the unfaithfulness of the shepherds, who fed not His flock, but fed themselves. (See under Ellipsis , page 114 ).
Ezek. 34:17 . I judge between cattle and cattle . ( שֶׂה לָשֶׂה .)
For the emphasis in this passage, see the notes on it under the figure of Ellipsis ( page 40 ).
Dan. 5:11 . Whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king , I say , thy father , made master of the magicians: i.e. , thy father the great and mighty king Nebuchadnezzar.
Dan. 10:19 . Be strong , yea, be strong : i.e. , be very strong.
Zeph. 1:14 . The great day of the LORD is near , is near , and hasteth greatly: i.e. , is very near.
Matt. 5:37 . But let your communication ( R.V. , speech) be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay : for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Here the figure emphasizes the fact, not that we are forbidden to say , Yea or nay twice; but that we are merely to say, Yes or no, and not to indulge in vehement asseverations and oaths; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Matt. 23:37 . O Jerusalem, Jerusalem , thou that killest the prophets, etc.: emphasizing the pathetic appeal by the exceeding guilt of the city in killing the prophets of Jehovah.
Luke 23:21 . Crucify him , crucify him, emphasizing the vehemence of the cry, and the determination of the priest-led people.
John 1:51 . Verily, verily , I say unto you. αμήν, αμήν ( ameen ameen ). Twenty-five solemn sayings of the Lord Jesus are thus emphatically marked in Johns Gospel: viz. , 1:51 ; 3:3 , 5 , 11 ; 5:19 , 24 , 25 ; 6:26 , 32 , 47 , 53 ; 8:34 , 51 , 58 ; 10:1 , 7 ; 12:24 ; 13:16 , 20 , 21 , 38 ; 14:12 ; 16:20 , 23 ; 21:18 . It might prove a useful study to trace the sequence of truth in these successive statements.
Apart from the Repetition, which occurs only in the fourth Gospel, there is something to be learnt from the number of times the word occurs. *
Heb. 10:37 . Yet a little while, Lit., how little, how little. Greek: ετι γαρ μικρον οσον οσον ( eti gar mikron hoson hoson ).
Eph. 3:9 . Lit. And to enlighten all [ as to ] what [ is ] the dispensation of the Mystery which has been hidden away, away , from the ages in [or by] God. Showing the completeness with which the secret was hidden in former times. Compare Rom. 16:25 , and Col. 1:26 .