Literary Devices – Bereshit 15/0

Literary Devices – Bereshit 15

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Structure

Bereshit 15 is comprised of two sections: verses 1-6 in which Hashem promises Avraham plentiful seed, and verses 7-21, known as the Covenant of the Pieces, in which He tells Avraham that his progeny will inherit the Land of Israel.  For discussion of whether the two parts of the chapter constitute two halves of an integrated blessing of seed and land or whether they comprise two distinct prophecies, see Bereshit 15 – One Prophecy or Two?

Key Words

Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the words that appear with the greatest frequency in Bereshit 15 are the roots “ירש” (inherit) and “נתן" (give), highlighting the theme of the gift of the land to Avraham as an eternal inheritance for his descendants.

Plays on Words

See R. David Zvi HoffmannBereshit 15:2About R. David Zvi Hoffmann that the appellation "וּבֶן מֶשֶׁק בֵּיתִי" is a play on the words "דַּמֶּשֶׂק אֱלִיעֶזֶר". The fact that the phrase  "בֶן מֶשֶׁק בֵּיתִי" appears only here (see the Concordance) suggests that the play on words in intentional.¹

¹ Because this word appears only here, the commentaries (including Rashi, Ibn Janach, R. Yosef Kimhi, and Radak) disagree on its derivation and, in some cases, its meaning.