Oeonismos; or, Wishing An Expression of Feeling by way of wishing or hoping for a thing
Œ´-ô-nis´-mos . Greek, οἰωνισμός, a divining by the flight of birds, divination . Then, because these diviners generally saw what they wished to see, it came to mean a looking for, especially in the sense of a foreboding .
The Latins named the figure OPTATIO, a hoping for, or wishing . by this figure, what is said is changed from a plain statement to the expressing of it as a hope, or an ardent desire, or lively anticipation, often introduced by the words “O that,” etc. See Deuteronomy 5:29 (26). Numbers 14:2 .
See Deuteronomy 32:29 : “O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!”
Psalms 55:6 . (7). -“Oh! that I had wings like a dove!”
Psalms 81:13 (14). -“Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!” etc.
Isaiah 48:18. -“O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.”
Isaiah 64:1 (63:19). -“Oh that thou would rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence.” See also under Euche .
There are many examples, which the Bible student will call to mind or search out for himself.
Galatians 5:12. -“I would that they were even cut off which trouble you.”