Literary Devices: Tri-quad Parallelism
The Bible contains many different types of literary devices. The most used device is parallelism. However, there are many different types of parallelism. One of the most overlooked forms is called tri-quad parallelism. The purpose of this device is to give a theological argument and teaching, rather than the literal story. Therefore, the story may not necessarily be in chronological, linear order. The structures are not obvious to the 21st century reader, but when studied, they demand greater respect for proper interpretation of the text.
There are three major places this can be found. The first is the creation story of Genesis 1-2:3. The second can be found in the plagues against Egypt in Exodus 7-11. Luckily, unlike in other places, Exodus tells us that the purpose of this story is to be a theological argument against the gods of Egypt. A third can be found with two occasions dealing with same person: Balaam. In Numbers 22-24, we find a talking donkey, an angel, Balak the King of the Moabites, Balaam the pseudo-prophet, and a fantastic teaching delivered by the tri-quad parallelism literary device.
The following organizes the stories to demonstrate the message that is delivered:
Set 1:
| Subsection | Donkey | Balaam |
| A | Sees the angel | Angry at the donkey |
| B | Sees the angel | Angry at the donkey |
| C | Sees the angel | Angry—wants to strike the donkey |
| End | Balaam sees truth that God calls the shots | |
Set 2:
| Subsection | Balaam | Balak |
| A | Blesses Israel | Angry at Balaam |
| B | Blesses Israel | Angry at Balaam |
| C | Blesses Israel | Angry—wants to strike Balaam |
| End | Balak sees the truth that God calls the shots | |
The Balaam story is an argument against those who use the biblical religion for self-serving purposes, as made plain by Balaam’s curse-for-hire. This teaching is reiterated in the New Testament: 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11; and Revelation 2:14. As we see, there is a continuation of Old Testament teaching in the New Testament. Understanding the literary device instructs us what the references to Balaam in the New Testament means: Christians who are claiming they are teaching the true gospel, but in reality are not.
The important lesson to take away from the Balaam story is that although these false prophets may cause division and conflict, the Biblical faith will eventually win the day.