The Song of Deborah: Poetic Meter
In my analysis of The Song of Deborah (Judges 5), I identified a pattern that Cassuto pointed to: six repetitions of similar elements followed by a unique seventh element. This pattern manifests in the context of the poetic meter within the first half of verse 12, which occupies a central place in the poem. Notably, this verse stands out as Deborah rouses herself to sing.
Moshe David (Umberto) Cassuto (1883-1951) observed this recurring pattern in the Bible, Ugaritic, Babylonian, and possibly Greek myths. This pattern consists of six similar occurrences followed by a distinct seventh occurrence. It is reminiscent of the creation story, where the world was formed over six days, with the seventh day designated for rest. Similarly, in the account of the conquest of Jericho, the seventh day involved ritual actions not performed during the preceding six days.
I indicate the poetic meter of the beginning of the verse according to the number of syllables in the verse in the following diagram:
Structure: Six two-syllable words that repeat, something seventh is distinct.
Serial number: 1 2 3 4 5 6 / 7
Number of syllables: 2 2 2 2 2 2 / 1
The words:
‘U-ri ‘U-ri Dvo-rah ‘U-ri ‘U-ri Dab-ri / Shir
King James Version:
Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter / a song
The metrical structure in this context consists of six two-syllable words followed by a seventh word with only one syllable, which is ‘song.’ Additionally, the verse is divided into two sets of three words each, with the first three words paralleled in the next three, differing only in one word while sharing a similarity in their initial letters. The seventh word stands out distinctly from the rest, both in terms of its metrical pattern and its initial letter.
Ayin + Ayin + Dalet, Ayin + Ayin + Dalet, Shin
This parallelism is further emphasized by the repeated occurrence of the word “‘Uri,” which appears twice consecutively and opens both the initial three words and the subsequent three words. The correspondence is particularly noticeable between the first words of the opening half of the verse. Additionally, a clear resemblance can be observed between the third word, ‘Dvorah,’ and the sixth word in the verse (and the third word in this section), ‘Dabri.’
These parallel halves exhibit a poetic quality, accentuated by the presence of an anaphora (repeated opening word) and alliteration (the repetition of initial sounds in the words). Beyond the metered pattern discussed by Cassuto, I have identified these characteristics (i.e. anaphora and alliteration) as integral elements of the metered poetry found in the Bible, which I explore in my new book.
Lastly, it is worth noting that the metered poetic sections within the Bible, as I have outlined in my book, also exhibit unique content characteristics. Specifically, the phrase ‘Uri Yri Dvorah’ serves as a call to the performers of the song, urging them to articulate or sing a text distinguished by its meter and other distinctive features. This concept finds resonance in other instances within biblical poetry, such as when the Levites invoke ‘hallelu’ (meaning ‘praise’ with your voice) or when the Egyptian adversaries in the Song of the Sea communicate their intentions, as in ‘the enemy said, I will fight, I will achieve, I will divide the spoil.’
However, it’s important to recognize that the interpretation of biblical meaning within the context of this particular poetry is a substantial subject in its own right, warranting a separate and focused study. This aspect, while relevant, falls outside the scope of my book.
(From the new book: Breaking the Code? Poetic Meter in Poetry in the Bible)
