Literary Devices – Bereshit 14/0
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Literary Devices – Bereshit 14
Key Words
Examples:
- רְכוּשׁ –Tanakh Lab demonstrates that one of the most significant key words in the chapter is רְכוּשׁ, appearing 160 more times in this unit than elsewhere in Tanakh. We are told of the taking (14:11) and retrieving (14:16) of the property of both Sedom in general and of Lot in particular. When the king of Sedom later tells Avraham that he may keep the property, Avraham famously replies that he wants no part in the spoils, lest Sedom think "אֲנִי הֶעֱשַׁרְתִּי אֶת אַבְרָם." The repeated word, thus highlights the contrast between the value systems of Sedom and Avraham, the former being marked by materialism and reliance on the self, and the latter by spirituality and reliance on Hashem.
Articles
- See י. גרוסמן, אברהם: סיפורו של תסע (תל אביב, 2014): 81-94 for further discussion of this key word and how it highlights the unique values of Avraham.
Character Titles and Relationship Epithets
Avraham
- אַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי – Throughout the chapter Avram is referred to by his proper name alone, with one exception. In Bereshit 14:13, when he first appears on the scene, he is called “אַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי”. The concordance reveals that this is an appellation that is predominantly used in contexts that involve non-Jews, often serving to contrast ethnicities.1
- This may explain the statement in Midrash Rabbah on this verse that Avraham is called “Ha-Ivri” because he stood on one side, while everyone else in the world stood on the other side
Lot
In contrast to Chapter 13, where Lot is never named in reference to his relationship to Avraham, throughout Chapter 14 he is consistently referred to in this manner.
- בֶּן אֲחִי אַבְרָם – When Lot is taken captive in 14:12, he is identified as “the son of Avraham’s brother. The description, though, contains a somewhat awkward reference to Lot’s property, which interrupts the epithet: “They took Lot and his property, the son of Avraham’s brother.” The reference to property (which played a role in the separation of Avraham and Lot in Ch. 13) might allude to the distance that remains in the relationship between Avraham and Lot.
- אָחִיו – When Avraham goes to retrieve Lot (verses 14 and 16), he is referred to as Avraham's "brother", rather than nephew . The change in relational epithets highlights Avraham’s feeling of responsibility toward Lot. Despite the rift between the two, when Lot is in trouble, he views him not only as a nephew but as a brother.
Hashem
- י״י אֵל עֶלְיוֹן – In verse 22, Avraham refers to Hashem in this manner.
- אֵל עֶלְיוֹן – Earlier, in 14:18, Malki Tzedek is referred to as a priest to “El Elyon” and in 14:19-20 he blesses El Elyon, or Avraham in the name of El Elyon.
The concordance2 reveals that this term is found only in this story and in Tehillim 78:35, where it refers to Hashem specifically. "El", though, is also a generic name for any god. As such, commentators debate whether Malki Tzedek was a monotheist, and like Avraham, referring to Hashem with this epithet (Radak) or whether he simply believed that a god named El was the highest in the pantheon (Shadal). If the latter, Avraham might intentionally specify that El Elyon is none other than Hashem.3
