Bible Lexicons

Bullinger's Figures of Speech Used in the BibleBullinger's Figures of Speech

Anaphora; or Like Sentence-Beginnings

The Repetition of the same Word at the beginning of successive Sentences

A-naph´-o-ra, from two Greek words, ἀνά (ana), again, and φέρω (pherô), to bring or carry. It means a carrying back, reference, or repeating over again.

This figure is also sometimes called EPANAPHORA: which is the same word with ἐπί (epi), upon, prefixed. In Latin it is called RELATIO.

This figure is so-called because it is the repeating of the same word at the beginning of successive clauses: thus adding weight and emphasis to statements and arguments by calling special attention to them.

Anaphora differs from Epibole (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ). In the case of Epibole several words are repeated, consisting of a sentence or phrase; whereas, in Anaphora only one word is thus repeated.

Scripture abounds with this figure, which adds great importance to many of its solemn statements. We give a few examples:-

Deuteronomy 28:3-6.-

"Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and

blessed shalt thou be in the field:

blessed shall be the fruit of the body,

and* [Note: See Polysyndeton.] the fruit of thy ground,

and the fruit of thy cattle,

the increase of thy kine,

and the flocks of thy sheep.

blessed shall be thy basket and thy store,

blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in,

blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out."

See the same figure in verses 16-19 with the word "cursed" repeated at the beginning of successive sentences.

2 Samuel 23:5.-According to the Hebrew, each line begins with the word כִּי (kee), For.

"For is not my house thus with God?

For He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered

in all things and sure,

For this is all my salvation, and all my desire.

For shall He not make it to prosper?"

These four lines are in the form of an introversion:-

a Question.

b Answer and Reason.

b Answer and Reason.

a Question.

In a and a the question is concerning David’s house; while in b and b the subject is Jehovah’s covenant. See under Correspondence.

Psalms 3:1-2 (2, 3).-

"Many are they that rise up against me,

Many there be which say of my soul," etc.

Psalms 94:3-4.-"How long" In verse 4 it should be repeated by Ellipsis and put in italics twice. In the A.V. [Note: The Authorized Version, or current Text of our English Bible, 1611.] it is thus put only once; in the R.V. [Note: The Revised Version, 1881.] not at all, the figure not being seen.

Psalms 115:12-13.-

"He will bless us.

He will bless the house of Israel.

He will bless the house of Aaron.

He will bless them that fear the Lord."

This figure stands here in immediate contrast with the figure of Epistrophe (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ) in verses 9-11, where the same phrase ends successive clauses.

Psalms 148:1-4.-"Praise" is seven times repeated at the beginning of successive sentences. So also in the whole of Psalms 150:1-6

Isaiah 51:1; Isaiah 51:4; Isaiah 51:7.-Three times we have the Divine call "Hearken unto me."

Jeremiah 1:18.-"Behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city,

and an iron pillar,

and brazen walls-

against the whole land,

against the kings of Judah,

against the princes thereof,

against the priests thereof, and

against the people of the land."

The figure, here, emphasizes the fact that the prophet in being God’s spokesman was recognised as the "man of God,"* [Note: See The Man of God, by the same author and publisher; price one penny.] but also (and therefore) as necessarily "against" man. For, inasmuch as man’s thoughts and man’s ways are always the opposite of God’s, he who is for God cannot help being opposed to man.

Jeremiah 4:23-26.-We have "I beheld" four times repeated; to enchance the solemnity of the desolation of Jehovah’s judgments.

Jeremiah 5:17.-"They shall eat up" is three times repeated; to emphasize the complete devouring of the land by the enemy.

Jeremiah 50:35-36.-"A sword" is four times repeated; to emphasize the slaughter in the destruction of Babylon.

Jeremiah 51:20-23.-Ten times we have the words "with thee" repeated to amplify the statement in verse 20. "Thou art my battle ax," spoken of Israel.

Hosea 3:4.-"For the children of Israel shall abide many days

without a king,

and without a prince,

and without a sacrifice,

and without an image,

and without an ephod,

and without teraphim."

Here there is something more than a simple Polysyndeton (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ), as another word is joined with the conjunction.

The employment of this figure emphasizes the present desolation of Israel.

Micah 5:9-13.-"I will cut off" is repeated four times; to amplify and extend the prophecy in verse 9.

Micah 7:11-12.-Here we have "In that day" repeated to emphasize the time; and "from" to amplify the places whence they shall come.

Zephaniah 1:2-3.-"I will consume," three times repeated, indicates the solemnity of the threatening and the certainty of its execution.

Matthew 5:3-11.-The word "Blessed" nine times repeated.

Matthew 5:22.-

"Whosoever is angry, etc.

Whosoever shall say, etc."

Matthew 11:7-9.-"What went ye out … to see?"

This question is three times repeated; to emphasize and call attention to the fact that, though they were all attracted to John, yet they rejected him, and his ministry, and his testimony. See under Erotesis.

Matthew 11:18-19.-This is lost in the English Version: as in the Greek the verb "came" is put out of its natural place (by the figure of Hyperbaton, q.v. [Note: Which see.] ), and is made to commence the two successive sentences.

It is a very remarkable Anaphora.

Romans 8:33-35.-Here we have the three questions, each beginning with "Who shall?" (See page 87).

The first two questions should be answered like the third.

"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?

Shall God that justifieth?

Who is he that condemneth?

Shall tribulation? etc."

1 Corinthians 3:9.-This, too, is hidden in the translation. In the Greek the figure is clearly seen.

"God’s fellow-labourers we are:

God’s husbandry,

God’s building, ye are."

Note, that the fellow-labourers are ourselves with one another; and not we who are fellow-labourers with God. We are not to dishonour God by bringing Him down and making Him one of ourselves. The popular explanation is only another instance of man’s nature, which made him so easy a prey to Satan’s temptation-promise, "Ye shall be as gods" (Genesis 3:5).

Herein lies the difference between the First Adam and the Last, between the First man and the Second. The first man thought equality with God was a thing to be grasped at: but the Second Man did not so consider it (Philippians 2:6, R.V. [Note: The Revised Version, 1881.] ). Equality with God was not a thing to be obtained, but a thing to be either inherently possessed (as He possessed it as the Son of God), or to be received as the gift of God (as He received it as the Son of Man).

1 Corinthians 6:11.-"And such were some of you,

but ye are washed,

but ye are sanctified,

but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

"All things [or rather meats] are lawful unto me, but

All things [to eat] are not expedient:

All things [or meats] are lawful for me [to eat], but I will not be brought under the power of any."

Here the figure is combined with another called Mesarchia (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ).

1 Corinthians 11:3.-"But I would have you know that

the head of every man is Christ: and

the head of the woman is the man: and

the head of Christ is God."

We have here Polysyndeton (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ), as well as an irregular Climax (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ).

1 Corinthians 12:8-11.-We have the repetition of the words, "to another." In the Greek the word is not exactly the same in each case. It is ἄλλος (allos), another (of the same kind), six times, and ἑτέρος (heteros), another (of a different kind), twice, in connection with "faith" and "kinds of tongues."* [Note: It is probable that Heteros marks a new class; while Allos refers to subdivisions of the same class.]

"To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom,

to another (allos) the word of knowledge by the same Spirit.

To another (heteros) faith by the same Spirit;

to another (allos) the gifts of healing by the same Spirit.

To another (allos) the working of miracles;

to another (allos) prophecy;

to another (allos) discerning of spirits;

to another (heteros) divers kinds of tongues;

to another (allos) the interpretation of tongues:

but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally AS HE WILL," and not as we may will or "claim."

1 Corinthians 13:4.-In the first three verses we have the figure of Polysyndeton (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ), or "many ands." In verses 4-7, we have a combination of two figures:-Asyndeton (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ), or "no-ands"; and Anaphora in the repetition of the word "Charity" (verse 4).

In verse 7, the Greek order of the words is: Charity

"all things beareth,

all things believeth,

all things hopeth,

all things endureth.’

In verse 8:

"Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;

whether there be tongues, they shall cease;

whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."

In verse 9:

"In part we know, and

in part we prophesy."

In verse 11. "When I was a child,

as a child I spake,

as a child I understood,

as a child I thought."

2 Corinthians 11:26.-Here we have the repetition of "in perils" eight times.

2 Corinthians 7:11.-We have the repetition of the word "yea" to increase the effects and results of true godly sorrow for sin in seven particulars. Referring to six different aspects of their sorrow as manifested in three different directions.

The word rendered "yea" really means but; and it may be preserved by supplying the Ellipsis:-what carefulness (or rather earnestness) it wrought in you, but not earnestness merely-that is saying too little-

in respect of themselves.

but self-defence,

but indignation,

in respect of Paul.

but fear,

but vehement desire,

in respect of him who had done the wrong.

but zeal,

but revenge,

The first "but" combines the additional figure of Epitasis (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ), which is here an emphatic addition to a statement or argument of six particulars.

Ephesians 6:12.-"For we wrestle not

against flesh and blood, but

against principalities,

against powers,

against the rulers of the darkness of this world,

against spiritual wickedness in high places."

This is to emphasize the fact that our conflict is spiritual, and that Satan’s sphere of operations is not immorality or crime, but religion. See all the references to him in Scripture, and note how opposed they are to popular Satan-myth of the world and of Christendom.

Philippians 3:2.-Note the repetition of the word "beware."

Philippians 4:2.-"I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche."

Philippians 4:8.-We have here the repetition of the word "whatsoever things" with which the figure of Asyndeton (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ) is combined, in order to emphasize the important conclusion "Think on these things:" and these things, in eight nouns are arranged in the figure of Chiasmus (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ).

1 John 1:1-3.-

"That which was from the beginning,

which we have heard,

which we have seen with our eyes,

which we have looked upon …

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you."

This five-fold repetition of the pronoun ὃ (ho), which, emphasizes with great solemnity the subject of the epistle which is opened thus in so stately a manner.

James 5:7-8.-Three times we have "Be patient" with reference to the coming of the Lord.

James 5:13-14.-Twice we have the question "Is any?"

"Is any among you afflicted?

Let him pray.

Is any merry?

Let him sing psalms.

Is any sick among you?

Let him call," etc.

Here are contrasted prayer and praise; and praying with singing. Teaching us that prayer is not to be sung.* [Note: See Intoned Prayers and Musical Services, by the same author and publisher.]

1 John 3:5; 1 John 3:8.-"He was manifested to take away our sins; … the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil."

Here the two great purposes of Christ’s manifestation are declared: the one present, and the other future; the one in grace now, and the other in power hereafter; the one in sufferings, and the other in glory.

Other examples of Anaphora may be seen in Galatians 1:8-9. Revelation 7:5-8 (with Epistrophe), and elsewhere: for these examples are given only as specimens.