Bible Lexicons

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

Parechesls; or Foreign Paronomasia

The Repetition of Words similar in Sound, but different in Language

Par-ee-che´-sis. Greek, παρήξησις: from παρά (para), beside, and ἠξή (eechee), a sound, a sounding of one word beside another.

Parechesis is a Paronomasia, when the repeated words of similar sound are in another tongue.

The examples of Paronomasia which we have given are such only in the Hebrew and the Greek, not in the English rendering of them There is no figure in the English Translation; except when it may be possible to reproduce the similar words in translation (as is done in Romans 10:19, disobedience and obedience, etc.). So far as the English is concerned, and as related to it, all the examples of Paronomasia are really Parechesis, because they exist in another language and not in the translation of it.

Similarly, as the New Testament (if not originally written in Hebrew, and then at a very early date translated into Greek) is at least full of Hebrew thought and idiom. (See under Idiom.) So that, though there may be no Paronomasia in the Greek words, there may be in the Hebrew thought, or in the Hebrew words which the Greek words represent. In these cases, where the Paronomasia is in the Hebrew thought, it is called Parechesis so far as the Greek is concerned. And it is only when we go to the Hebrew thought that we can hear the Hebrew words sounding beside the Greek words.

To put the difference in a simpler form: Two words similar in sound are a Paronomasia with regard to their particular language, both words being in the same language. But a Parechesis is found when the two words are not in the same language.

The Greeks also called this figure

PAROMŒOSIS, from παρόμοιος, very much alike; and

PARISON or PARISOSIS, from παρά (para), beside, and ἰσος (isos), equal to.

So that words equal to other words in one language are seen to be similar to those in another language when placed beside them.

It follows, from what we have said, that all the examples of Parechesis must occur in the New Testament:

Matthew 3:9.-"God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

Here, there is no Paronomasia either in the Greek or the English, but there is in the Hebrew thought. Hence, these would be this Parechesis:-

"God is able of these abanim to raise up banim unto Abraham."

Matthew 10:30.-"The very hairs of your head are all numbered." מֵנֵא, mene, and מַנְיָו, manyan.

Matthew 11:17.-"We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced (ὠρξήσασθε, ôrcheesasthe): we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented (ἐκόψασθε, ekopsasthe).

There is a Homœoteleuton in these two Greek words but no Paronomasia. The Parachesis is seen by the Syriac, referring to which the Lord doubtless used. There we see a beautiful example of Paronomasia, for the word "danced" would be רַקֶּדְתּוֹן, rakedton, and the word "lamented" would be אַרְקֶּדְתּוֹן, arkedton.

In the English it would be:-"We have piped unto you and ye did not leap: we have mourned unto you, and ye do not weep."

Matthew 11:29.-"I am meek, and ye shall find rest."

In the Peshito we have נִיח (nich), and נְיָחָא (n’yacha), and better still in the Lewis-Codex וְאֵנִיחכוֹן (v’enichkon), i.e., I shall give you rest," i.e., I am neech and v’eneechkôn.

Mark 8:32.-The words of Peter to Jesus are rendered in the Lewis-Codex:-"As if he pitied him: be it far from thee." This is הָאֵס, haes; חַס, chas.

John 1:5.-"The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not."

In Syriac the word "darkness" would be קְבַל, keval, and "comprehend" would be קַבֵּל, kabbel.

John 10:1.-"He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold" would be מִן תַּרְעָא לְטִירָא, min tara letîra.

Romans 13:8.-"Owe no man anything but to love one another."

Romans 15:4.-"That we through patience … might have hope." This would be סַבַּר, sabbar and סוּבַר, subar (from the same root).

"That we through sabbar might have saubar."

1 Corinthians 1:23-24.-"We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."

Here, there is a beautiful combination of words. By a simple change of letters, the words signify cross, stumbling-block, foolishness, power, and wisdom:-

מַשְׂכַּל (maskal) is cross.

מִכְשׁוֹל (michshôl) is stumbling-block.

סֶכֶל (sechel) is foolishness.

הַשְׂכִיל (haschil) is power: i.e., prosperity or success resulting from power in doing anything.

שֵׂכֶל (sechel) is wisdom (1 Chronicles 22:12; 1 Chronicles 26:14. Proverbs 12:8).

So that the whole passage would sound, in reading, thus:-"We preach Christ, maskal, to the Jews michshôl, and to the Greeks sekel, but to them that are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the haschil of God and the sechel of God."

2 Corinthians 11:17.-"But as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting."

Here, foolishness and boasting are (from the same root)-

הִתְהַלֵּל (hithallel) and

הִתְהוֹלֵל (hithôlel).

(d) With a different sound (but similar sense)