Cycles and repetition as means of emphasis.

One of the ways we note important themes or statements in contemporary writing is through means of emphasis. An author can make a word bold in order to catch the eye of a reader, or perhaps use underlining as a means of conveying importance. A writer may choose to adjust font size, font type...

......or the location of something on a page in order to call special attention. 

While we today have a wide variety of methods and means for conveying importance or grabbing attention, writers in the Bible also employed means of emphasis. Two of the most easily recognizable means for calling a reader's attention to a particular theme or message were cycles and repetition. Cycles are often repetitive thematically, while repetition may be as simple as an author using the same word use again and again. 

Some quick examples of Cycling

1) Cycles can point to a special emphasis. In Matthew 1 the genealogy of Jesus is recorded. This genealogy is recorded with an emphasis placed on fourteen generations. A person can easily compare the genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3 to Matthew 1 and see there are some distinct differences. Is this because Luke or Matthew got the genealogy wrong? Maybe. More likely is that Matthew's purpose in breaking up the counting of Jesus' genealogy into multiple cycles of 14 generations is intentional to call attention to something. 

2) Cycles can help us as readers to examine a concept with multiple points of reference. In the book of Job there is much descriptive language. These descriptions often use cycles to zero in on an aspect of the speaker's experience. In Job 19:11-12 it is Job who speaks about his suffering "His anger burns against me; he counts me among his enemies. His troops advance in force; they build a siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent.". This passage cycles around the theme of Job's suffering. The phrases used emphasize that his experience is like being burnt, being an enemy of God, being besieged, being surrounded. These aren't repetitions of the same word, but they are cyclical concepts to convey to the reader the dire straits Job was experiencing. 

3) Cycles can sometimes make a practical and theological point. In Exodus 20:1-17 we can read about the origin of the 10 commandments. The 4th commandment has to do with the regular rhythm of life, what a week should look like and what breaks up each week. In Exodus 20:8 we read "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.". Verses 9-10 elaborate on what it means to keep the Sabbath day holy. Verse 11 then gives a cycle as an example: "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.". The ancient Israelites in their daily and weekly living were to follow the example of God in creation. The cycle here points to following the Lord's directive and following the Lord's example.

In these examples we can see that Bible writers can and do use cycling for some pretty diverse purposes. While the purposes may differ, there can be no doubt that Biblical writers use cycling to convey meaning. 

Some quick examples of Repetition:

1) Repetition can emphasize a concept. In the ten commandments as recorded in Exodus 20, eight out of ten of the commandments begins with a negative prohibition " You shall not" or "You shall have no". This gives us some pretty clear points of emphasis. These are not merely suggestions, or whimsical lyrics to a catchy tune played over-and-over again. These are sober warnings and instructions regarding daily living with respect to God and one another. 

2) Repetition can communicate content. In the book of Proverbs, the Hebrew word for "Wisdom"  חָכְמָה (chokmâh, khok-maw) occurs more than 50 times throughout the book. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when someone keeps mentioning a particular word then that word is pretty central to the point the author is making. A word continually repeated may sometimes simply suggest that a concept is continually being discussed, in other words it's an author communicating they haven't changed subjects. Other times a word being repeated may communicate how essential this word is to the author's goal in writing. 

3) Repetition sometimes provides a clue. Throughout the Gospel of Luke whenever the word "Sabbath" is used there is conflict also. Luke builds this trail of "clues" throughout the gospel. In Luke 4 Jesus teaches in the Synagogue on the Sabbath (only to be rejected). In Luke 6 Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees on 2 different Sabbath's for his actions. In Luke 13 Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath and is rebuked by the Synagogue leader. In Luke 14 Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath and is rebuked by the Pharisee hosting the event. The Last time the word "Sabbath" comes up in Luke is right before the account of the resurrection. Luke throughout his account gives us a repetitive conceptual signal attached to the word "Sabbath". All the previous occurrences were confrontations, and Jesus exercised his authority over whomever he was confronted by. We then get to Jesus in the tomb, and are told about the Sabbath, this time the confrontation is with death, and Jesus again exercises authority! 

In these examples we can see that the Bible writers can and do use repetition for a wide variety of reasons. Hopefully this helps us as we read our Bibles to keep our eyes peeled and our minds aware of when a passage, book (or maybe even multiple books!) use repetition. 

Having considered some examples of cycles and repetition throughout the Bible, tomorrow we will take a look at some of the major eye catching and easier to spot cycles and repetitions in 1 John.