Here's why:
* Focus on Parallelism: Hebrew poetry relies heavily on parallelism, where lines are structured in a way that mirrors or contrasts each other. This can be thought of as a more subtle and intricate form of rhyming than our typical end-rhyme system.
* Wordplay and Alliteration: Hebrew poetry makes use of wordplay, alliteration, and assonance to create a rhythmic and musical effect. These techniques contribute to the overall sense of poetry, but they don't necessarily involve rhyming in the traditional sense.
* Ideas over Rhyme: The emphasis in Hebrew poetry is on conveying meaning and ideas. The language is crafted to highlight and emphasize the message being conveyed, rather than relying on a predictable rhyming scheme.
Example:
In the famous opening lines of Psalm 23:
* "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
* "He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters."
Here, we see parallelism: the first line is echoed in the second, but with different imagery. There's no end-rhyme, but the structure and repetition create a sense of rhythm and reinforce the message of God's provision.
So, while Hebrew poetry is not built on the rhyming of words in the traditional sense, it certainly uses a sophisticated system of parallelism and other poetic techniques to rhyme ideas and create a powerful and meaningful experience for the reader.