Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 26/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 26

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Wives and Sisters

Several stories in Tanakh discuss how famine led some of the Patriarchs to leave their home in search of food and to pass off their wives as their sister to protect himself.

Tools

• See Makbilot Bamikra for a listing of all of the stories that relate to famine in the land of Israel. Looking at those in Torah, one can note that of the three Patriarchs, Yitzchak is the only one who is commanded not to leave Israel in response to the lack of food.
• See Makbilot Bamikra for a listing of each of the stories in which one of the forefathers claims that his wife is his sister. Yaakov is the only one not forced to do so, as he descends to Egypt under the protection of Yosef and with a full clan.
• Tanakh Lab – Tanakh Lab¹ indicates that the chapter most linguistically similar to Bereshit 26 (the wife-sister story of Yitzchak in Gerar) is Bereshit 12 (the wife-sister story of Avraham in Egypt). To compare the  two, see here. Interestingly, though Bereshit 20 shares many of the same themes, and even takes place in the same locale as Bereshit 26, it has many fewer parallels, as seen here.

Articles

• See המוטיב 'אשתי-אחותי ומלך' שלושה סיפורים וארבעה וקריאה אחרת by Prof. Moshe Zipor who compares and analyzes the wife-sister stories, using the comparison as a paradigm for how to do comparative readings of Tanakh in general.
• See Endangering Sarai in Egypt for an exploration of the moral and strategic questions that arise from the behavior of the Patriarchs in this and the other narratives in which they claim that their wives are their sisters. The article traces the approaches of various commentators to the question. Some maintain that Avraham did not intend to endanger Sarai, while others suggest that while he did knowingly endanger her honor, this was justified by the need to save his own life. A third group of exegetes finds fault with Avraham’s actions.  

Avraham and Sarah vs. Yitzchak and Rivka

There are many parallels between the stories of the lives of the first two Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

Tools

• Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the narratives and to see the many linguistic parallels between the two.
• Concordance – Among the parallels, there are several phrases which are unique to these two narratives, and others which appear only a couple of more times elsewhere. The concordance² shows that the phrases "וְיִירַשׁ זַרְעֵךְ אֵת שַׁעַר" ,"וְהִתְבָּרְכוּ בְזַרְעֲךָ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתָּ", and "לֹא תִקַּח אִשָּׁה מִבְּנוֹת כְּנָעַן" appear only here, while the description "וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ"‎ and the word pair "וַיִּגְוַע וַיָּמׇת"‎ each occur in only one other verse. Finally, only two other people in Tanakh are described as an "עֲקָרָה‎"‏‎, or as dying "זָקֵן וּשְׂבַע יָמִים".

Articles

Both articles below suggest that Yitzchak's and Rivka's greatness lay in their perpetuating and transmitting the legacy of Avraham.  The first article focuses on Yitzchak and the second on Rivka.

• See Avraham and Yitzchak for a comparison of the two figures. The abundant similarities in content and language demonstrate the connection and continuity between the two Avot.  At the same time, the differences highlight that in contrast to Avraham's trail blazing, Yitzchak's strength lay in his preservation and continuation of the tradition.
• See Toldot: The Legacy of Rivka by R. Michael Hattin for an analysis of the ways that Yitzchak’s and Rivka’s experiences echo and strengthen those of Avraham and Sarah. Whereas Avraham and Sarah forged a new legacy, Yitzchak and Rivka’s role is to transmit that legacy to the next generation.  In light of this distinction, R. Hattin analyzes how Rivka’s role as a transitional figure informs her actions in Parashat Toledot.  Her deceptive tactics are read as a tragic act of self sacrifice, necessary to counter her husband's self deception and ensure the proper continuation of the line.

¹ In the Tanakh Lab, click on the Torah icon for a list of linguistically similar chapters to that being displayed.

² Toggle to the advanced concordance option and input the phrases in the fields.