Homoeopropheron; or, Alliteration The Repetition of the same Letter or Syllable at the commencement of Successive Words
Ho-mœ-o-proph´-e-ron, from ὅμοιος (homoios), like, and προφέρω (propherô), to carry, or place before: i.e., Successive words which carry the same letter or the same syllable before, or at the beginning.
This figure, therefore, is the repetition of the same letter or syllable at the beginning of two or more words in close succession. Its English name is ALLITERATION (from ad, to, and litera, letter). Churchill speaks of “Apt Alliteration’s Artful Aid.”
This figure is seen, of course, only in the Hebrew and the Greek. It is difficult to reproduce it in a translation. And where it occurs in the English it may be only accidental, and carry no weight or emphasis.
The song of Deborah, in Judges 1:5-31, abounds with examples of Homœopropheron, which add great fire and force and beauty to the original. It is impossible to accurately and literally reproduce it in English, but with a little liberty we can give the English reader some idea of the use of this Figure.
We may as well, at the same time, do so according to its structure (see under Correspondence) and we present the structure first in outline, before setting it out in full.
The structure of Judges 1:5-31 in outline:
A 2-. Praise to Jehovah for the avenging of Israel.
B a -2, 3. Israel. The people’s voluntary service.
b 4-8. Contrasted states of the country.
a 9. Israel. The leaders’ voluntary service.
b 10, 11. Contrasted states of the country.
B b 12-18. Contrasted conduct.
a 19-22. The Enemy. Assault and defeat.
b 23-27. Contrasted conduct.
a 28-30. The Enemy. Presumption and disappointment.
A 31. Praise to Jehovah for the avenging of Israel.
Adhering to this form, we may set the song forth thus:-
A 2. Bless ye Jehovah,
B a That the L eaders in Israel took the lead;
That the people willingly offered themselves.
H ear, O ye kings; H earken, O ye princes;
I, even I, will sing to Jehovah,
Will strike the strings unto Jehovah, Israel’s God.
b Jehovah, when thou s ettest f orth from S eir,
When thou wentest f orth f rom Edom’s f ield,
The earth trembled, yea, the heavens d ropped;
Yea, the clouds d ropped d own water,
The m ountains m elted away before Jehovah,
Even yon, Sinai, before Jehovah, God of Israel. * [Note: Hyperbole (q.v.).]
In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,
In Jael’s days,
The highways were effaced;
The travellers had to w alk in tortuous w ays,
E ffaced were Israel’s hamlets- e ffaced
Till I, D eborah, r ose up- r ose up a mother in Israel
New g ods had they g ot them,
Therefore the p ress of war a pp roached their gates.
Was there f ound s hield or s pear among f orty thousand in Israel?
a My heart is with the leaders of Israel,
Who willingly offered themselves among the People:
Bless ye Jehovah.
b Ye who ride upon white asses,
Ye who r ecline upon r ich r ugs,
W ho w alk by the w ay-Speak!
Instead of the shouting of the archers among the water-drawers.
They praise there the righteous acts of Jehovah,
His righteous acts in His villages in Israel.
Then the People of Jehovah hastened down to the gates.
B b A w ake, a w ake, † [Note: Geminatio.] Deborah!
A w ake, a w ake, s peak the s ong!
Barak, arise! c onquer thy c onquest,
Thou son of Abinoam.
Then down against the r obust r ushed a r emnant;
Jehovah’s Host r ushed with me against the p owerful,
From Ephraim’s stock-the victors over Amalek:
After thee marched Benjamin among thy peoples;
From M achir came the M asters,
M en that wield the M arshall’s staff out of Zebulun.
But the princes of Issachar were with Deborah,
Yea, Issachar was like B arak,
When into the valley his men th rew th emselves at his feet,
While by the b rooks a b ode Reu b en,
With great resolutions of heart.
Why sittest thou among the f olds listening to the shepherd’s f lute?
By the b rooks Reu b en has great searchings of heart.
Gilead stays beyond Jordan,
And Dan-Why does he abide in his s hips?
Asher s tays s till on the s hore of the s ea,
S taying s till in its bays,
But Z ebulun ha z arded his s oul unto death
With Naphthali, upon the heights of the field.
a K ings c ame to fight-then the K ings of C anaan fought
At Taanach and by M egiddo’s M eres;
S ilver gained they none.
From heaven they s trove; the s tars in their courses
They s trove against S isera:
Ki s hon’s s tream s wept them away-
A s tream of s uccours was Ki s hon’s s tream.
Tread s trongly on, my S oul!
When s truck the s ounding hoof of the r ushing s teed-
Of the r ushings ‡ [Note: Epizeuxis (q.v.).] s trong ones.
b C urse ye M eroz, com m ands Jehovah’s Angel,
C urse ye, c urse ye her inhabitants,
Be c ause they c ame not to Jehovah’s help,
To Jehovah’s help * [Note: Epizeuxis (q.v.).] amid the mighty.
Blessed above women be Jael,
Heber the Kenite’s wife,
Blessed above women † [Note: Anaphora (q.v.).] of the tents!
He asks for water, she gives him milk;
In a b eauteous b owl she c arries him cream:
With her left hand she t akes the t ent-peg,
With her right the h eavy h ammer,
S he s wings it over S isera, s mites his head,
Crashes through and t ransfixes his t emples,
At her f eet he f alls-he lies,
At her f eet † [Note: Anaphora (q.v.).] he lies, writhes again, and f alls,
As he writhes himself again he f alls-dead! ‡ [Note: Asyndeton (q.v.).]
a Sisera’s mother l ooks from the window-edge,
She l ooks from the l attice- l edge and l aments:
“Why l ingers his car so l ong?
Why s top his chariots’ s teps?”
Her wise ladies answer her,
but she repeats her words to herself:
“Will they not find booty and share it?
Two m aidens for each m an; [Note: Some critics have quoted this as a specimen of the low moral standard of theScriptures, not seeing that it is merely telling us what the heathen woman (Sisera’s mother) said! And in that woman’s language we have the key to the victory which one woman won; and to the vengeance which another woman wrought.]
Booty of purple robes for Sisera,
Yea, booty of purple robes!
Two for each neck of the captors?” [Note: Aposiopesis (q.v.).]
A So f all all thy f oes, O Jehovah,
But let them that love Him s hine forth as the s un in his s trength.
Romans 11:33. -“How unsearchable (ἀνεξερεύνητα, anex ereuneeta) are his judgments, and his ways past finding out (ἀνεξιχνίαστοι, anex ichniastoi)!”
Here, the two important words are rendered still more emphatic by commencing with the same syllables.
His judgments are anex ereuneeta (unsearchable), and His ways anex ichniastoi (untrackable).
This means that His judgments are incomprehensible, and His ways untrackable. The former word occurs nowhere else in the N.T.; the latter only here, and in Ephesians 3:8, where it is rendered “unsearch-able”:-“The unsearchable riches of Christ.” This does not merely vaguely express that Christ’s riches are uncountable or untold, but that they cannot be traced out . The context shows that this present interval between “the sufferings of Christ” and “the glory that should follow,” had been kept a secret (μυστήριον, musteerion, or mystery), and had not been revealed, until it was made known by the Spirit through Paul (Romans 1:16-26 . 1 Chronicles 1:1-27). The prophets sought to know the secret as to “what or what manner of time” the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify: but, it was untrackable; they could not follow it: His ways were “past finding out.” * [Note: See the Mystery, by the same author and publisher.]
1 Thessalonians 1:2. -“We give thanks to God always for you all.” The last words are emphasized by being put as a beautiful Homœo-propheron. The Greek is πάντοτε περὶ πάντων ( P antote P eri P antôn), i.e., always concerning you all.
1 Thessalonians 5:23. -We give our own rendering: “And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly (ὁλοτελεῖς, holo teleis), and may your whole being (ὁλόκληρον, holo kleeron), the spirit, and the soul, and the body, be preserved (i.e., reserved, see 1 Peter 1:4 . 2 Peter 2:4, 2 Peter 2:9, 2 Peter 2:17, 2 Peter 3:7 . Jude 1:6, Jude 1:13), unblamable at (ἐν) the parousia (presence or coming) of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Here the two words are “ holo teleis kai holo kleeron .”
Hebrews 1:1. -“God who at sundry times and in divers manners, etc.” πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ( pol ymerôs και pol ytropôs pal ai), “ in many parts and many ways of old .”
Here, there is both Homœopropheron and Homœteleuton: the two words both beginning with poly - and ending with - ôs .
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