Bible Lexicons

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

Paromoeosis; or Like-Sounding Inflections

The Repetition of Inflections similar in Sound

Par´-o-mœ-o´-sis. Greek, παρομοίωσις, assimilation, especially of words; assonance. It is from παρά (para), beside, and ὅμοιωσις (homoîsis), likeness.

It is called also PAROMŒON, παρόμοιον, nearly like.

Sometimes it is wrongly called Parechesis, παρήχησις, likeness of sound or tone, from παρά, beside, and ἦχος (eechos), a sound, or ἤχησις (eecheesis), a sounding. But Parechesis properly describes the figure when one of the two words belongs to another language, or when the similarity is seen only in the original language and not in the translation. See Parechesis.

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

Here the two words have the same ending, sasthe, which greatly emphasizes the sense. It is as though we could render it, "We have piped for you, and ye never stept; we dirged for you, and ye never wept." Though this would emphasize it, it would be by another figure (Paronomasia, q.v. [Note: Which see.] ), because the words are similar, only vaguely in sound, but are not spelt with the same letters.

And, though the similar ending is caused by the inflection of the verb, it is not the figure of Homœoptoton, because the two words are derived from the same root, which lends an additional force and emphasis.

In the language of Syria, which Christ probably used, the words would be רַקֶדְתּוּז, ra-ked-toon, and אֶרְקֶדְתּוּן, ar-ked-toon, both verbs being from the same root and differing only in the conjugation: רקד, meaning in one, to leap or spring up, from joy (Ecclesiastes 3:4) and in the other to leap or start up from fear (Psalms 29:6; Psalms 114:4; Psalms 114:6).*[Note: This figure is not preserved in the Hebrew translation of the New Testament; the word being רְקַדְתֶּם, rekadtem, and סְפַדְתֶּם, sephadtem, which is Homœoteleuton pure and simple.]

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

The figure does not appear either in the English or the Greek: but in the Chaldee or Syriac language "darkness" is קְבֵל, k’vel and "comprehended" is קַבֵל, kabel.

John 10:1.-"He that entereth not in by the door into the sheep fold." Is beautifully expressed in the Syriac מן תרעא לטירא, min thar̄ leteero

1 Corinthians 1:23-24.-In these verses there is a beautiful combination of four different words from the same root in order to emphasize the solemnity of the passage:

"We preach Christ crucified (משנל, mishkal, a cross, see Genesis 48:14), unto the Jews a stumbling-block (מנשול, mikshol), and unto the Greeks foolishness (סנל, sekel), but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power (השניל, hishkeel) of God and the wisdom (שנל, sekel) of God."