In this particular passage, Isaiah places clear emphasis on various topics by restating or repeating them. I've reformatted the following verses in order to make this emphasis clear.
10: For precept must be upon precept
precept upon precept
 |
| an example of exergasia |
line upon line
here a little
and there a little:
13:But the word of the Lord was unto them
precept upon precept
precept upon precept
line upon line
line upon line
here a little
and there a little
that they might go
and fall backward
and be broken
and snared
and taken.
According to Silva Rhetorica, such repetition could be called palilogia--the "repetition of the same word (or phrase?) for vehemence".
Later in the passage, we see exergasia emerging--a figure of repetition in which the wording, style, delivery, or general phrasing is changed.
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Each clause is essentially stating the same concept as the one before it; however, the new phrasing and wholly stylistic approach is attractive in a literary way. The concept Isaiah is attempting to get across (at least, what I am understanding) is that the people believed that they didn't need the Atonement and that they had found supposed safety in deceit. Each of the above lines states this concept in a slightly different way, lending emphasis to both the oral and written forms of Isaiah's words.
I don't know why this is formatting really weird and keeps changing font type,size, and color...sorry guys.
ReplyDeleteMy Book of Mormon teacher encouraged us to try reading the Book of Mormon in a different format because a lot of the Isaiah chapters would be more easily understood if arranged as poems. It is easier to see patterns like the one you pointed out.
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny that you included the image of Kronk because this type of repetition is often viewed the way it is in that image: overbearing, redundant, and it is usually received negatively or as a distraction from the point. For me, the repetition in the scriptures is less distracting, so the negative aspects don't really affect me, but it doesn't really add much for me. I wonder, if Dr. Burton reads this comment, if he would have an answer to how this form of reiteration is or has been effective in history.
ReplyDeleteI think you chose a beautiful passage and analyzed it well. I enjoyed how you compared what Isaiah used to give emphasis and what we use to emphasize our words. It was a good line of thinking.
ReplyDeletei think that often we get this repetition even today when we have "emoticons" and "exclamation points". This repetition is what makes conference bingo possible. The prophets teach the same concepts over and over again. It is like adding another exclamation point after each repetition on your bingo card. To often i zone out when receiving instruction on something I have learned in the past, when in reality i should be siting up and paying even more attention because only the important information is continuously repeated.
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