Don't forget the rhetorical devices!
For example, in Phil. 3:2-3, Gerald Hawthorne points out the following figures of speech:
- anaphora
- paronomasia
- polysyndeton
- alliteration
- short, disjointed cola
- chiasm
"All," he says, are "employed for rhetorical effect" (p. 123). Sadly, he adds, "translators either cannot preserve or are unwilling to express these figures in translation. As a consequence, the vigor of the apostle's emotions is moderated so that its full force escapes the English reader." Here's a sampling of what he's talking about:
Beautiful!
When I was in seminary, Dr. Don McDougall taught me many of the principles and techniques that I have included in my own teaching. His passion not to overlook the rhetorical devices has stayed with me throughout my ministry. Thanks to men like Dr. McDougall, I finally discovered how to engage in a meaningful and reliable process of researching the Scriptures. No day passes without my returning to these tried-and-true guidelines. You too can confidently open the pages of Scripture without feeling fearful or intimidated. By using commentaries like Hawthorne's, you can be certain that what you are learning is in keeping with what God has written. You can experience the joy of personal discovery!