Search for Words Repeated Three Times - "emphatic Semitic triplet"

I am doing research on William D. Barrick's idea of "emphatic Semitic triplet" - where the Hebrew text repeats the same word three times for emphasis. Barrick cites three possible examples:

Isaiah 6:3 "And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

Ezekial 21:27 "A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it. This also shall not be, until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him."

Jeremiah 22:29 "O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!"

Can anyone suggest a way to search the Old Testament for any other three-fold repetitions?

Also, is anyone familiar with other scholars who have discussed this concept?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or references.

Dave

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David Knoll

What is so Semitic about it?

David J. Sugg

I am using Barrick's terminology. He is a Professor of Old Testament at The Master's Seminary. As far as I have been able to find out, he is the only one to use this phrase - and he only cites these three examples, which seems a small data set to establish a concept. Since he is an OT Prof, I am assuming he is claiming this only for Hebrew, or other Semitic languages - something I also am questioning.

The only NT example is Revelation 4:8 - "And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"

Right now I am trying to find other examples, hence the request for search help.

Dave

David Knoll

I am using Barrick's terminology. He is a Professor of Old Testament at The Master's Seminary. As far as I have been able to find out, he is the only one to use this phrase - and he only cites these three examples, which seems a small data set to establish a concept. Since he is an OT Prof, I am assuming he is claiming this only for Hebrew, or other Semitic languages - something I also am questioning.

The only NT example is Revelation 4:8 - "And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"

Right now I am trying to find other examples, hence the request for search help.

Dave

That is of course a quotation from Isaiah 6:3. I would search TLG and other linguistic corpora. I have a feeling this is a universal rhetorical device.

As for searching the OT. I can give you my results but I first want to know if this can be achieved in Logos (my results come from somewhere else)

David Knoll

The only NT example is Revelation 4:8 - "And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"

And Revelation 8:13

GeoPappas

What is so Semitic about it?

Here is my understanding:

In English (and other languages), there are different words to describe the intensity of something. For example, red, redder, reddest. Or sad, sadder, saddest. Or holy, holier, holiest.

But in Hebrew, there aren't different words to describe the intensity, thus they would use a word multiple times to describe the intensity. Thus "holy, holy, holy" would be equivalent to "holiest" in English and would describe something that is the most "holy".

Hope that helps.

Blessings.

David Knoll

But in Hebrew, there aren't different words to describe the intensity

Actually we can express it in several ways:

בית גדול A big house

גדול הבתים The biggest house

עיר קרובה A close city

העיר הקרובה The closest city

sadder and the like can be constructed with מן

If that was the only way to express elatives and superlatives I trust this construction would have been much more prevalent.

It does express intensity or poetic exclamation. I am not sure you cannot find that in other poetic corpora in different languages.

David Knoll

Please have a look at this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epizeuxis

It seems I was right it is a universal poetic device called epizeuxis. They have several examples there. I have already collected some more. It seems the Semitic theory has just been proved to be a fallacy.

Dave Hooton

Right now I am trying to find other examples, hence the request for search help.

Syntax Search is best for this type of query.

Instead of Terminal Node you could use Word and Agree on Text. Using Agreement is liable to crash L4 but the OT query can avoid this:

These only confirm the results provided - 3 in OT + 2 in NT.

David Knoll

These only confirm the results provided - 3 in OT + 2 in NT.

That result is correct.

David Knoll

but the OT query can avoid this:

I get 225 results for this query.

George Somsel

The only NT example is Revelation 4:8 - "And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"

And Revelation 8:13

In Re 8.13 ff this is understood as literally 3 woes.

Phil Gons (Logos)

More recent discussion on this topic: Searching for Three-peats.

Joshua E Faucett

Hi David,

Emphatic three-fold exact repetition is used exactly seven times (the number of completion and perfection) in Scripture. The replys to your post capture the first six (Isaiah 6:3, Ezekiel 21:27, Jeremiah 7:4, Jeremiah 22:29, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 8:13), but the final use is the most important not to overlook. I believe that there are exactly six others for a reason, the same number 6 that is the mark of the beast, being the number of Adam (man), created on the 6th day, and repeated three times for emphasis of its significance:

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six Six Six.

Revelation 13:18

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

The replys to your post capture the first six (Isaiah 6:3, Ezekiel 21:27, Jeremiah 7:4, Jeremiah 22:29, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 8:13)

Welcome to the Logos Bible Software Forums [:D]

Newer Logos 8 thread => Searching for Three-peats includes reply with nine triplicates in the Hebrew Bible:

In the Hebrew Bible there are eight:

Exodus 21:12

Numbers 35:21

Isaiah 6:3

Jeremiah 22:29

Ezekiel 21:32

Ezekiel 42:13

Ezekiel 45:3

Daniel 2:37

Syntax Search likewise finds these eight verses plus Jeremiah 7:4 phrase repeated three times

New Testament has "... Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ..." in Luke 13:33-34

An intriguing triple repetition occurs in Revelation 1:4, 1:8, and 4:8 "the one who is and the one who was and the one who is coming" that expresses the meaning of God's Most Holy Name: YHWH

Revelation 13:18 is literally "six hundred sixty-six" "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ" so Greek root ἕξ (hex = six) is repeated in three words.

Keep Smiling [:)]

Joshua E Faucett

Thank you for your reply. I don't read Hebrew so this is helpful, but when I look at the extra verses you provided, I don't see any additional "exact" triplets. Don't be deceived by Satan - 666 is an exact triplet of the number of Adam, created on the sixth day. When you find yourself faced with the decision to receive a permanent physical marker on your right hand or forehead as a "vaccine" for a certain pandemic, be sure that if it was obtained under patent associated with the number of man (6), and it is given forcibly in association with the worship of a certain charismatic world leader, this is prophetic fulfillment of the "exact" three-fold repetition in 6-6-6, mark of the beast.

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

I don't read Hebrew so this is helpful, but when I look at the extra verses you provided, I don't see any additional "exact" triplets.

Thankful for Logos Help Center (LHC) including articles => Study Hebrew with Logos , => Study Greek with Logos , and => Using the Syntax Search in Logos

Another Hebrew Syntax Search looks for triplets of one, two, OR three lexemes (Dictionary word form, lemma) that finds nine verses (no triplets of three lexemes)

Greek Syntax Search looks for triplets of one, two, OR three lexemes (third repetition of three lexemes matches only the first lemma: Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:8, and Revelation 4:8 as the first two verbs have the lexeme for verb εἰμί "to be" with past and present tenses while third verb ἔρχομαι "to come; to arrive" is a future state of being)

If an "exact" triplet is the same original language lexeme(s) with identical word formation (spelling) three times in a row, then the seven "exact" triplets are:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Isaiah 6:3)
Temple Lord, Temple Lord, Temple Lord (Jeremiah 7:4)
Land, Land, Land (Jeremiah 22:29)
Ruin, Ruin, Ruin (Ezekiel 21:32 in Hebrew, Ezekiel 21:27 in LXX and English)
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem (Luke 13:33-34)
Holy, Holy, Holy (Revelation 4:8)
Woe, Woe, Woe (Revelation 8:13)

Several English translations have the number 666 in Revelation 13:18 as a way to translate the three Greek words for 600, 60, 6.

Thankful for many friendly forum discussions: have learned a lot plus have a lot to learn. Thankful for Forum Guidelines (primary focus is using Faithlife Corporation applications, apps, products, web sites, ...).

Product example is two Commentaries about Revelation 1:4 that can be purchased at https://www.logos.com

Keep Smiling [:)]

Paula Schwartz

I’m pretty sure that 3 examples would the the absolute perfect (complete & harmonious) number of examples to this phenomena...😜. Just sayin❤️

David Paul

Thank you for your reply. I don't read Hebrew so this is helpful, but when I look at the extra verses you provided, I don't see any additional "exact" triplets. Don't be deceived by Satan - 666 is an exact triplet of the number of Adam, created on the sixth day. When you find yourself faced with the decision to receive a permanent physical marker on your right hand or forehead as a "vaccine" for a certain pandemic, be sure that if it was obtained under patent associated with the number of man (6), and it is given forcibly in association with the worship of a certain charismatic world leader, this is prophetic fulfillment of the "exact" three-fold repetition in 6-6-6, mark of the beast.

I'm not against prophetic numerology, but it is something that can easily be taken too far...especially if you start applying it outside the Bible.

Sonya Smith

Revelation 8:13 "Woe, woe, woe..."

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

Revelation 8:13 "Woe, woe, woe..."

Welcome [:)]

Morph Query for the same lemma repeated three times using Logos 29 software finds Revelation 8:13 plus more verses:

Related thread => Searching for Three-peats

Keep Smiling [:)]