Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Steve Puluka <steve AT puluka.com>]

on 5/10/07 4:06 PM, Philip at philipengmann AT yahoo.com wrote:

> In MT Psalm 8:5, (L) two synonyms are used: ENOWSH and ADAM.
> 
> Why did David use these synonyms, instead of repeating one word, say ADAM?
> 
> What was David trying to say by varying the terms?
> 
> How are these synonyms different from each other if at all?
> 
> I would be interested in your views.

I think this is likely simply poetic effect.  Parallelism is a common
feature of Hebrew poetry in scripture.  I'd hesitate to read too much into
the shifting terms.

An excellent discussion of these features is found in Alter's work.  I found
his explanations most helpful.

Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Poetry. New York: Basic Books, Inc.,
1985.

Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Narrative. New York: Basic Books, 1981.


Steve Puluka
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