antithetic parallelism

Antithetic parallelism is a literary device where contrasting ideas are presented in balanced, parallel structures. This technique is prominent in Hebrew literature, as well as in other ancient Middle Eastern writings.

In antithesis, opposing clauses or phrases are of similar length and grammatical structure, creating a sharp juxtaposition of ideas. This can be seen in examples like "Art is long, and Time is fleeting." The Old and New Testaments, influenced by Hebrew poetry, feature many examples of antithetic parallelism, such as "but they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues". This stylistic choice serves to order, emphasize, and highlight relationships between concepts.12