INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE

MODULE 3: SESSION 15: Common Poetic Conventions in Biblical Hebrew

Poetry is a form of communication that invites the reader into a partnership with the written word in order to discover its meaning, and learning the function of repetition and literary design is the most fundamental tool for reading and understanding biblical literature. When reading biblical poetry, the key communication tool is repetition with slight variations that create patterns, building anticipation and expectations for the reader. Further, one third of the Hebrew Bible is written in poetic form of communication.