Synonymatic Parallelism in Syntax Units of the KJV Bible 1
by Dawn Wessel
dmwessel@[Link]
August 2023
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Linear thinking uses a literal (one dimensional) textbook-like approach when reading the King James
Version of the Bible (KJV, which I use exclusively due to its consistency). It’s basically just skimming off
the top and when these writings are consistently perceived that way, causes the brain to only see
what it expects to be there. It can happen through confirmation bias because of group think, or it can
be due to lack of interest. Still, I think it goes beyond cognitive bias (can’t see the forest for the trees
kind of idea) because at face value no one would think that Bible writings are a cryptic puzzle. To see
the multi-faceted dimensions though requires a non-linear (by topic) approach to interpreting and
that’s where the surprises show up—the reiterative prose is everywhere.
Many terms have been ascribed to Bible parallelism in academic circles, generally limited to Bible
poetry (eg. Psalms, Proverbs): didactic, acrostics, dirges, accentual rhythm, etc. To delve into the
history and etymology would take numerous papers in itself—besides the fact that it has already been
done many times over by Bible scholars. This paper is different from that. It’s an introduction to the
synonyms, synonymous, synonymy components (slightly different literary devices) developed over
thirty years and ongoing which I have given the umbrella term, synonymatic-parallelism.
Word patterns occur across the entire KJV Bible, Old and New Testaments. And while the parallelism
aspect is gaining momentum, I find no reference to the synonymatic aspect in academic divinity
circles, and unknown among religious lay-people. Further, the parallelism feature as it also appears in
related extra-Biblical writings is virtually unappreciated.
I first noticed the parallelism in a print Bible concordance; it shows all of the verses that have the same
theme—some using synonyms which is not noticeable from general reading. That developed into
synonymous (repeats of verses/lines using minor synonym changes and sentence/phrase restructure)
and synonymy (a verse/line expressed elsewhere in such a way as to appear entirely unrelated to the
other verse/line). Tautology is repeating the same idea in the same sentence, generally considered a
fault of writing style—but in this case turns out to be compound sentences/phrases which can also be
synonymy. Further add ‘base phrases (repeating the exact or nearly-exact phrase/line in unrelated
texts)’ – and the words go from simplex syntax units to having a complexity which I can only describe
as being entangled—resulting in a metaphorical meaning.
As the process can get very convoluted really fast I’m going to jump right in with an example, because
nothing beats a visual. Keep in mind that the following is only one example in a pool of information so
vast that unless I break it down Occam’s Razor sharp, you may get quickly overwhelmed in a sea of
words. I begin with the simple phrase “compassed me” beginning with a few examples:
Synonymatic Parallelism in Syntax Units of the KJV Bible 2
It’s clear that these verses are repeats of each other, showing that hell and death are synonyms. In
itself is unusual as it occurs in entirely different books of the Bible—especially unexpected in the Old
Testament (OT) Book of Samuel:
➢ 2 Sam 22:8 – the sorrows of hell
➢ Psalm 18:4 – the sorrows of death
➢ 2 Sam 22:5 – waves of death
➢ 2 Sam 22:6 – snares of death
Synonyms:
• sorrows
• waves
• snares
Adding to that theme is the following verse which is synonymous with the above:
Synonymous/synonymy:
➢ 2 Sam 22:8 – the sorrows of hell
➢ Psalm 18:4 & 116:3 – the sorrows of death
➢ Psalm 116:3 – the pains of hell
Synonymatic Parallelism in Syntax Units of the KJV Bible 3
synonymous:
• sorrows
• pains
Base phrases:
As you can see, the above verses are in unrelated books, and verbatim.
Let me further explain what base phrases are—it’s very important because it’s a linking feature–
especially crucial when tautology/synonymy is involved. Such a verse/line may have no obvious
resemblance to a parallel verse/line – but that they are attached by a base phrase is a way to show
they are comparable verses/lines.
Within those same verses different aspects can be highlighted:
Synonymous:
➢ the waves of death compassed me
➢ The sorrows of death compassed me
Synonyms:
➢ sorrows
➢ pains
➢ waves
Synonymatic Parallelism in Syntax Units of the KJV Bible 4
There’s a lot going on in the following example: sub-topics (other themes mentioned in context); also
base phrase: “the snares of death prevented me”; to base-phrase synonymy (“The law of the wise is a
fountain of life” and “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life”):
Sub-topics: if you enter any one of the following in an online KJV concordance, you will get additional
verses, which in turn will insert new topics into the mix:
➢ the law of the wise
➢ the fear of the LORD
➢ fountain of life
Following is the full list of parallel verses with the search phrase “compassed me”. I didn’t want to
show the full list right off the bat because it can be a bit overwhelming as there’s so much to process.
Remember to try and pick out all the new phrases which come into play in this one topic (bulls and
dogs for instance) because that will open up the subject even more:
Synonymatic Parallelism in Syntax Units of the KJV Bible 5
the continuation on the next page ...
Synonymatic Parallelism in Syntax Units of the KJV Bible 6
New Testament (NT):
Here is the link where you can verify the above:
[Link]
%22&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1
Also consider the water motif in the last two verses (see my paper “Jonah’s Whale of a Tale” and my
book “The Bible in The Epic of Gilgamesh”.
Synonymatic Parallelism in Syntax Units of the KJV Bible 7
Synonyms:
• seas
• floods
• billows
• waves
• waters
• the depth
To do an exhaustive search, we can just use the word compassed by itself, and for that I’m just going to
post the link to the online Bible Concordance I use, [Link]:
[Link]
The synonymatic aspect has to be pointed out, otherwise it’s not likely to be perceived, and the
reason why it has gone unnoticed since antiquity.
Using sub-topics within each of the verses quoted, I could expand the study much further (bulls:
“strong bulls of Bashan”, “fire of thorns”), but it can go on for some time and take up whole books
even. This very brief paper is just a base – I have already covered different topics in my other papers
and books, some of which you can read here:
[Link]
If you don’t have a membership, you can also read here:
[Link]
