Psalm 8:4

I'd previously noticed the parallelism in Psalm 8:4, but when I read the verse in German months ago, the foreignness of the language made me realize that this parallelism has a significant unevenness.

In the German Psalter, it's verse 5:

was ist der Mensch, daß du seiner gedenkst,

und des Menschen Kind, daß du dich seiner annimmst?

In the ESV, this is:

What is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

Structurally, "der Mensch" ("man") parallels "des Menschen Kind" ("the son of man"), but the genitive relationship shows that this "son" has a lower rank than the "man."  He's under his authority and obviously younger.  The two figures here continue the narrowing scope that began in verse 3:  the "heavens," "the moon and the stars," "man," and finally "the son of man."   This sort of zooming in emphasizes the smallness of "the son of man," and yet he still receives God's care.

Psalm 7:11

As I've been going through my German Psalter, I've found many instances of the same minuscule features.  I'm going to keep them divided by Psalm as I write about them, however, even though this arrangement will result in multiple short posts that may be repetitive and perhaps even insignificant.

In the German Psalter, Psalm 7:12 is "Gott ist ein gerechter Richter und ein Gott, der täglich strafen kann."  In the ESV, this is verse 11:  "God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day."

The phrase "gerechter Richter" ("righteous judge") exhibits consonance, and to a degree, the repetition of these sounds provides a sense of the orderliness involved.  A similar effect is achieved with alliteration ("just judge") in the NKJV:  "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day."

Last month, the Daily Dose of Hebrew went over this verse (it's verse 12 in the Hebrew):

Before I watched the video, I read the verse in Latin and Italian (I've been referencing this Italian Bible from 1894) and noticed that the corresponding phrases alliterate in these languages, too:

Deus iudex iustus et fortis comminans tota die

Iddio è giusto giudice, e un Dio che si adira ogni giorno.

Daniel 11:12

Months ago, the Daily Dose of Hebrew went over Daniel 11:12:

וְנִשָּׂא הֶהָמוֹן וְרָם לְבָבוֹ וְהִפִּיל רִבֹּאוֹת וְלֹא יָעֽוֹז׃

And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.  [ESV]

In the Hebrew, it's a bit easier to see the relationship between "be exalted" and "cast down."  Both have meanings that could also refer more literally to directions.  Their combination in this context, with opposing forces going different ways (the king's heart is exalted while his enemies are cast down), provides an added degree of emphasis.

I also noticed a small feature in the Vulgate:

et capiet multitudinem et exaltabitur cor eius et deiciet multa milia sed non praevalebit

The phrase "multa milia" (many thousands) alliterates, and the repetition involved lends a small sense of this abundance.

Psalm 23:4

Back in May, KFUO tweeted the fourth stanza of "The King of Love My Shepherd Is":

In death's dark vale I fear no ill

With Thee, dear Lord, beside me,

Thy rod and staff my comfort still,

Thy cross before to guide me.

Much of the hymn is drawn from Psalm 23; this particular stanza comes from verse 4.  Because "Thy rod and staff" are presented along with "Thy cross" here, I realized that - in a way - the original verse from the Psalm includes the cross, too.  In the immediate context, "your rod and your staff" are a literal rod and staff that "comfort me" because they illustrate the shepherd's readiness to defend and guide the sheep.  In a more metaphorical reading, "your rod and your staff" could represent the vertical and horizontal beams of the cross, which "comfort[s] me" because it shows Jesus's willingness to accept the punishment we deserve and grant us salvation.

2 Corinthians 11:26

While flipping through the Vulgate months ago, I happened upon 2 Corinthians 11:26.  The formatting (in my edition, anyway) made it very obvious that this verse exhibits anaphora:

in itineribus saepe

periculis fluminum

periculis latronum

periculis ex genere

periculis ex gentibus

periculis in civitate

periculis in solitudine

periculis in mari

periculis in falsis fratribus

This structure is also in the Greek:

ὁδοιπορίαις πολλάκις, κινδύνοις ποταμῶν, κινδύνοις ληστῶν, κινδύνοις ἐκ γένους, κινδύνοις ἐξ ἐθνῶν, κινδύνοις ἐν πόλει, κινδύνοις ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, κινδύνοις ἐν θαλάσσῃ, κινδύνοις ἐν ψευδαδέλφοις,

My German New Testament:

Ich bin oft gereist, ich bin in Gefahr gewesen durch Flüsse, in Gefahr unter Räubern, in Gefahr unter Juden, in Gefahr unter Heiden, in Gefahr in Städten, in Gefahr in Wüsten, in Gefahr auf dem Meer, in Gefahr unter falschen Brüdern

And my French New Testament:

Fréquemment en voyage, j'ai été en péril sur les fleuves, en péril de la part des brigands, en péril de la part de ceux de ma nation, en péril de la part des païens, en péril dans les villes, en péril dans les déserts, en péril sur la mer, en péril parmi les faux frères.

Here's the ESV translation:

on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers

There's a parity between the frequency indicated by πολλάκις (often) and the inherent repetition of anaphora, and the combination of these two (the temporal adverb and repetitive structure) may even create a greater sense of the constancy of this peril.