Merism

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The merism (μερισμός from the Greek: "Pitch", "dissection") is a figure of speech of the lyrics with which an entirety by means of two, usually contradictory terms is expressed.

effect

Merism is used to describe a generic term and is related to the stylistic devices Synekdoche and Hendiadyoin .

Examples

Merisms are used in the Bible.

Examples in the Tanach and the Old Testament :

  • Jonah 1,9  EU : "I am a Hebrew and I worship YHWH , the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land ."
  • Koh 3,17  EU : “God will judge the righteous and the wicked; because all plans and actions have their time. "

Examples in the New Testament :

  • Mt 11.25  EU : "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth ."
  • Rev 1,8  EU : “I am the Alpha and the Omega , says God, the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come , the ruler over all creation. "

literature

  • Jože Krašovec: Merism: In Biblical-Hebrew and North-West Semitic, Pontificio Istituto Biblico, Rome 1977.
  • Matthias Dietrich: What does "God save animals" mean? - An interpretation of Ps 36.7b on the background of the relevant Old Testament statements, Grin Verlag, Munich 2009.
  • Reinhard Wonneberger: Redaktion, Vandenhoeck + Ruprecht Gm, Göttingen 1992, pp. 84–85.

Web links