Ellipsis

Omission

Ellipsis is by far the most common figure of speech in Scripture, and at the same time the heart of Bullinger’s classification of omissions. The figure arises when a word or words are left out of a sentence — not from carelessness but by design — so that the reader’s attention falls precisely on the words that remain. Bullinger’s claim: the missing word forces the reader to perform an active completing work, and that very act of completion gives the figure its pedagogical force. Because of the scale of this figure in Bullinger’s treatment (127 pages, pp. 4-130) it is here split into three sub-entries following Bullinger’s own classification.

Etymology

Greek ἔλλειψις (elleipsis), “a leaving in”, from ἐν (en, “in”) + λείπειν (leipein, “to leave”). Literally “leaving something in/out” — a deliberate gap in the sentence. Bullinger renders the English equivalent as OMISSION.

Definition

The laws of syntax require at least three elements for a complete sentence: subject, predicate (what is said of the subject) and the copula that connects them. In the sentence “Thy word is truth”, “Thy word” is the subject, “truth” is the predicate, and “is” is the copula. In Ellipsis one of these three is omitted — lawfully missing, so that the reader stumbles over it and the unomitted elements are emphasised.

Bullinger illustrates with Matt. 14:19: “He gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude”. The verb “gave” is omitted in the second half — taken literally, Jesus gave His disciples to the multitude! The confusion provoked is precisely the pedagogical purpose: the reader realises that the disciples merely passed on the bread instrumentally; the Lord Jesus Himself is the sole Giver.

Bullinger’s three principal classifications

Ellipsis falls into three kinds, by the manner in which the reader must supply the missing word:

A. Absolute Ellipsis

(see also absolute omission)

The missing word is to be supplied from the nature of the subject alone — no contextual cue is needed. Subdivided by part of speech:

• I. Nouns and pronouns (nominative, accusative, pronouns, other connected words)
• II. Verbs and participles (finite verbs, infinitives, copular verbs, participles)
• III. Certain connected words in the same member of a passage
• IV. A whole clause (former part, latter part or anantapodoton, comparison)

Bullinger pp. 4-55 — see absolute for full treatment with biblical examples.

B. Relative Ellipsis

(see also relative omission)

The missing word is to be supplied from the context — a related or contrary word in the vicinity suggests what is missing. Subdivided by relation:

• I. From a cognate word (noun from verb, verb from noun)
• II. From a contrary word
• III. From an analogous or related word
• VI. Contained in another word (syntheton, compositio, concisa locutio, constructio praegnans)

Bullinger pp. 56-69 — see relative for full treatment with biblical examples.

C. Ellipsis of Repetition

(see also repetition-omission)

The missing word is to be supplied from a repeating source — an earlier or later clause provides the exact word. Subdivided by complexity:

• I. Simple (from preceding or succeeding clause — nouns, verbs, particles)
• II. Complex (where both clauses are involved — semi-duplex oratio; single words or whole sentences)

Bullinger pp. 70-130 — see repetition for full treatment with biblical examples.

Hermeneutical caution

Bullinger emphasises: Ellipses must not be arbitrarily supplied according to one’s own views. They follow scientifically classified patterns; each missing word must be supplied according to definite principles laid down in its own sub-classification. For the three KJV categories (correct supply via italics, incorrect supply, failure to recognise the figure) Bullinger gives extensive corrections — see also his appendix “False Ellipsis in A.V.” (pp. 121-130 within the Repetition section).

Related Figures

• zeugma — related figure from which Ellipsis is to be distinguished: in Ellipsis the supplied word is of the same kind as the spoken verb; in Zeugma the spoken verb does not properly fit the second object
• aposiopesis — rhetorical counterpart in which not a word but an entire line of thought is cut off
• syllogismus — related figure where not a word but a conclusion is missing
• enthymema — related figure where not words but premisses are missing

Source

E.W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (1898), pp. 4-130.