Poetry and Idioms in the Bible
The bible is quite poetic in many of its books. The Psalms is full of poetry. Ecclesiastes is full of poetry. Song of Solomon is full of romantic poetry. Poetry is the language of the heart, while factual knowledge is the language of the mind.
The culture of the people that lived during the times when the books of the bible was written is a very poetic culture, and we shall see some of them.
The same can be said of poetry in the Chinese civilization, the Indian civilization and many of the ancient civilizations that have left behind holy writings for their followers.
English itself has gone through much poetry.
"If music be the food of love, play on." This is Shakespeare's poetry in old English in his book "Twelfth Night".
We accepted it as metaphorical poetry. As a language of the heart. We didn't question it like how can "love" digest "music", and through what physical digestion system. Or how can "music" be called "food".
Question: How are we going to distinguish what is poetry and what is not?
Answer: By looking at it through the "lens" and eyes of the Aramaic language and culture. By doing so, we go back to the ORIGINAL meaning of the poetry, and we will NOT interpret the words according to our Western educated mindset, and definitely not according to the 21st Century "church" organization manner.
Let us look at one such example:
Let us read Ecclesiastes 12:1-6 in the King James Version.
This text came to my mind because of the impact of verse 1 that I had when I was in my youth. This is my memorable verse, admonishing me when I was in my twenties.
I will attempt to put in side by side, the King James Version text vs the original Aramaic text (or called the Aramaic Peshitta text), that had been translated into our modern day English via the Errico translation (you can Google this translation and check it up).
Ecclesiastes 12:
1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Poetry: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,
Aramaic Meaning: the legs begin to tremble,
Poetry: the strong men shall bow themselves,
Aramaic Meaning: the arms lose their strength,
Poetry: the grinders cease because they are few,
Aramaic Meaning: loss of teeth and the ability to chew,
Poetry: those that look out of the windows be darkened,
Aramaic Meaning: the eyes grow dim,
Poetry: And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low,
Aramaic Meaning: the ears become so hard of hearing that the sound of women grinding at the mill is low,
Poetry: he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low,
Aramaic Meaning: have difficulty in distinguishing sounds and the songs of birds startles the individual,
Poetry: and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, (Note: Actually the KJV translation is wrong. The original Aramaic text reads: "and the locust shall multiply",
Aramaic Meaning: your children shall multiply quickly and you will see your grandchildren and great grandchildren,
Poetry: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,
Aramaic Meaning: before life ends, or before the loss of sexual potency and virility.
Conclusion:
When you understand Aramaic poetry, you have a better translation of the bible, and you will NOT have a misunderstanding of the text of the bible.
I did touch on some of the other poetic texts in other articles, and how misinterpreting them literally have created havoc among the Christian churches and communities.
You can see them here:
Bonus:
Remember when Jacob blessed his sons on his deathbed in Genesis 49:2..?
The Hebrew patriarch Jacob (also called Israel) called his 12 sons to appear before him. He began to bless each and every one of them and prophesied to them concerning their lives and their future generations.
Gen 49:2 (Aramaic version): "Gather yourselves together and hear, O sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father."
Jacob began to speak to each one of them, Reuben, Simeon, Levi and so forth.
When he came to Judah, he began to use Idioms and said:
Gen 49:11-12 (KJV): he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Huh..?
How do you do that?
You CANNOT understand this verse at all, if you do not read it from the original Aramaic idiom language. Jacob was using Aramaic idioms.!!
Idiom: "to wash one's garments in wine and in the blood (juice) of grapes" and "to have eyes red with wine"
Aramaic Meaning: Judah would have many many farms upon farms of vineyards, and meaning that he would prosper abundantly.
Idiom: "his teeth white with milk"
Aramaic Meaning: Judah would possess many flocks of goats and sheep. He would have plentiful supply of milk.
So what was Jacob saying? Go wash your clothes in wine?
No. Jacob was prophesying that Judah would prosper and succeed through vineyards and livestock.
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