The other night I got to wondering, do the words “bide” and “abide” mean the same thing? (Yes, mostly.) But then my thoughts seemed to take a tangent, and Bible verses with words that rhymed with other Bible words began flitting through my mind.
As a young teenager I had been given a book of classic poetry, and I loved it. In earlier years I had known a few short rhymes by heart, mostly little songs. Row, row, row your boat. Three blind mice. Longer songs came along, love songs, country songs, folk tunes and hymns. All had rhyming words with beautiful sentiments, set to music.
And so for a time I assumed poems and songs must rhyme, to be authentic. In high school English class I learned and memorized portions of some. Here’s one:
Paul Revere’s Ride, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807–1882
Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
In the next year’s English Lit class, however, I discovered many poems don’t rhyme – they are prose. Such as this one:
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
“There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat; and we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.” (Lines spoken by Brutus.)
Thinking more about and looking up some sound-alike scripture words, I found a different form of poetry altogether, written by the master composer of both words and music. Like these:
Abide…
- He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. [Psalm 91:1 KJV]
- Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [John 15:4]
Bride…
- And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. [Revelation 21:9]
- And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. [Revelation 22:17]
Guide…
- I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. [Psalm 32:8]
- Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [John 16:13]
Hide…
- For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. [Psalm 27:5]
Ride…
- Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. [Isaiah 58:14]
Side…
- The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? [Psalm 118:6]
Wide…
- I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. [Psalm 81:10 ]
Over the last little while other rhyming scripture words started coming to mind at random moments. Words like bring, cling, ring, sing, sling, sting, thing, wing… I may need to look up some of those!
Esther's Petition 