(Part 1)

JBTM Jeffrey G. Audirsch
39
or development within the line. Thus, the horizontal movement within the text is followed
by a downward, vertical movement through the sequence of verses. 28 Biblical poetry, then,
is identifiable by the “intensification of images, concepts, themes through a sequence of
lines, and a narrative movement,” which is the development of acts/events (i.e., literary
and/or historical). A great example of this intensification and development is in the creation
account of Gen 1. 29
Realms or Spheres of Habitation
Filling of the Realms or Spheres
Day 1 Creation of Light/Dark (vv. 3–5) Day 4 Creation of luminaries (vv. 14–19)
Day 2 Creation of Heaven/Earthly bodies of
water (vv. 6–8)
Day 3 Creation of vegetation (vv. 9–13)
Day 5 Creation of birds and sea creatures (vv.
20–23)
Day 6 Creation of mammals and humans (vv.
24–31)
In the chart above, the initial statements appear in days 1–3 whereas the intensification
occurs in days 4–6. 30 Given the poetic nature of Gen 1, the chapter fits neatly into Alter’s
understanding of parallelism. The discussion over biblical parallelism has continued since
the efforts of Kugel and Alter; however, for the most part, the influence of Lowth, Kugel,
and Alter continue to control the landscape of biblical parallelism. 31 As interpreters, we
must be readily aware of parallelisms in biblical poetry. 32
Frank Kermode (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987), 615.
28
Alter, “Characteristics of Ancient,” 615–16.
29
Ibid., 620. Within biblical studies, one poetic interpretation of Gen 1:1–2:3 is called the “Literary
Framework View.” Many Evangelical scholars advocate this view. The newly published NIV Zondervan
Study Bible, edited by D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015) adopts this approach in the
“study notes.” It should be noted, however, that some Evangelicals (most notably Wayne Grudem)
have criticized the Literary Framework View. See Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction
to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 301–04.
30
John H. Walton describes days 1–3 as “realms of habitation” and days 4–6 as “filling of the
realms.” See John H. Walton, Lost World of Genesis 1: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate (Downers
Grove: InterVarsity, 2009), 111–12.
31
One caveat must be mentioned. Adele Berlin, more recently, has repositioned the discussion
about biblical parallelism between the contributions of Kugel and Alter. For Berlin, parallelism is “the
constructive device of poetry” where equivalences and contrasts are identified. This is accomplished
by identifying the aspect and level of the text. The term aspect refers to “the area linguistics,”
particularly semantic and grammatical aspects. Level refers to the textual structure (i.e., word, line,
or clause). For the most part, Berlin focuses much of her discussion on four aspects of biblical poetry:
grammar, lexis, semantics, and phonology. Due to her heavy emphasis on Hebrew linguistics and
its outer workings, Berlin’s work is not easily accessible for all readers. See Berlin, The Dynamics of
Biblical Parallelism, 17, 27. See also Berlin’s earlier work “Grammatical Aspects of Biblical Parallelism,”
Hebrew Union College Annual 50 (1979): 17–43.
32
An excellent overview of biblical parallelism—including its meaning, the historical study
of parallelism, and other related issues—can be found in Joel M. LeMon and Brent A. Strawn,