Bible Lexicons

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

Epanalepsis; or Resumption

The repetition of the same word after a break, or parenthesis

Ep´-an-a-lep´-sis. It is from the Greek ἐπί (epi), upon, ἀνά (ana), again, and λμ͂ψις (leepsis), a taking; and means a taking up upon again.

In Latin it is called RESUMPTIO (Re-sump´-tio).

In this figure the word is resumed, rather than repeated, from the beginning of another sentence: and when the word is resumed after a parenthesis it is called APOSTASIS, and the parenthesis is closed by the apostasis.

A-pos´-ta-sis is from the Greek ἀπόστασις, which means a standing away or off from, distance, interval; the repeated word which resumes the statement or argument, standing away at a distance from the first word.

Moreover, the word so taken up and resumed may not be necessarily from the beginning of the sentence, but it may be taken up again from the middle or from any other part, as in this sentence:-

"The persecutions undergone by the Apostles were a trial to their faith, and a confirmation to ours; a trial to them," etc.

It differs from Anaphora (q.v. [Note: Which see.] ) in that the repeated words are not immediately successive, but are separated by a break or parenthesis: the repetition being a resumption of what the writer or speaker had already before begun to say.

Romans 3:25-26.-"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare [his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say], at this time his righteousness:" etc.

1 Corinthians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 4:13, where the words in verse 11, "unto this present hour," are taken up again at the end of verse 13, "unto thid day."

1 Corinthians 10:25; 1 Corinthians 10:29.-Here, after a parenthesis (verses 26-28) the word "conscience" is repeated from the end of verse 25, and the argument is resumed in verse 29.

Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 3:14.-"For this cause I, Paul, [the prisoner of Jesus Christ.… (then after a parenthesis of thirteen verses he resumes in verse 14), For this cause] I bow my knees," etc.

Philippians 1:22; Philippians 1:24.-In verse 20, the apostle had been speaking of glorifying God "by life, or by death." For, if he lived, it would be "Christ," and if he died, it would be "gain" to him, and would release him and give him rest from all his labours. The real conclusion is that if he continued to abide in the flesh it would be better for them. But this conclusion is interrupted by the mention, parenthetically, of a third thing, which made him unable to say which of the two (living or dying) he would really prefer, because this third thing was so much better than either of the other two; for it was-the return of Christ. Then, having mentioned this, he takes up the statement again, repeating the beginning of verse 22 ("in the flesh") and continuing it in verse 24.

Verse 23:-"But if I live in the flesh, [this is the fruit of my labour (yet what I shall choose I wot not, for I am being pressed* [Note: συνέχομαι, I am being pressed.] out of† [Note: ἐκ occurs 857 times, and is never translated "betwixt" anywhere else, But it 165 times rendered "out of."] these two, having a strong desire unto the return,‡ [Note: This is not the infinitive mood of the verb depart, but three distinct words. εἰς (eis), unto, τὸ (to) the, ἀναλῦσαι (analusai), return. This verb occurs in N.T. only in , "when he shall return from the wedding." It does mean, to depart, but from thence to here, not from hence to there. See . . . Wisd. 2:1; 5:12. . ; ; ; . Josephus Ant. vi., 4, 1.] and to be with Christ, which is a far, far better thing): but to remain in the flesh] is more needful for you" [i.e., than dying-not better than Christ’s return].

He had told the Thessalonian saints that "we which are alive and remain shall not precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall first rise. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and SO (οὕτω, houtô, thus, in this manner) shall we ever be with the Lord." There, is therefore, no other way of being with the Lord." The Spirit of God would not have written one thing to the Thessalonians and a different thing to the Philippians.