At least 30% of the Hebrew Bible is biblical poetry. But it is not like the poetry we are used to that rhymes, but they have special ways of writing to share big ideas about God in life. It is like using pictures made of words to help us understand deeper thoughts and feelings.

Today, we’re going to learn more about biblical poetry, found primarily in the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, and various prophetic books. They employ a unique style that consists of thought couplets—two or more lines constructed to form a unit together. The first line makes the basic statement. Then, the second line develops it in some way by completing the thought, deepening it with different words or images, or contrasting it. This is called parallelism.

Understanding these fundamentals gives us a fresh perspective on familiar passages, revealing layers of meanings previously overlooked, and deepens our relationship with the Scripture and with God himself.

Beginning in this lesson, we will teach three forms of parallelism to help us better understand 30% of the Old Testament and reap the rich benefits and transformative potential by delving into biblical poetry the way it is meant to be read.