Difference between revisions of "Chronological and Thematic Order/2"
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<p>An event which occurred earlier is displaced to serve as an introduction and/or provide necessary background to a later story.</p> | <p>An event which occurred earlier is displaced to serve as an introduction and/or provide necessary background to a later story.</p> | ||
<point><b>Birth of Kayin and Hevel (<a href="Bereshit4-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 4:1</a>)</b> – According to Rabbi Yoḥanan bar Ḥanina in <a href="BavliSanhedrin38b" data-aht="source">Bavli Sanhedrin</a>,<fn>See also <multilink><a href="BereshitRabbah22-2" data-aht="source">Bereshit Rabbah</a><a href="BereshitRabbah22-2" data-aht="source">22:2</a><a href="Bereshit Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Bereshit Rabbah</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RashiBereshit4-1" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiBereshit4-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 4:1</a><a href="RashiYeshayahu1-1" data-aht="source">Yeshayahu 1:1</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>.</fn> the birth of Kayin and Hevel took place already in the Garden of Eden, before the expulsion.<fn>The past perfect form, "וְהָאָדָם יָדַע" might be an indicator of achronology.  It is not clear, though, if this grammatical form alone is motivating the suggestion of achronology.  It is possible that there are polemical motivations as well.  As Christians suggest that the sin in the Garden of Eden is what led to sexual desire, these sources might want to stress that such desire existed even beforehand.</fn> It is mentioned afterwards, in Chapter 4, only because the fact is necessary to open the Kayin and Hevel story.</point> | <point><b>Birth of Kayin and Hevel (<a href="Bereshit4-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 4:1</a>)</b> – According to Rabbi Yoḥanan bar Ḥanina in <a href="BavliSanhedrin38b" data-aht="source">Bavli Sanhedrin</a>,<fn>See also <multilink><a href="BereshitRabbah22-2" data-aht="source">Bereshit Rabbah</a><a href="BereshitRabbah22-2" data-aht="source">22:2</a><a href="Bereshit Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Bereshit Rabbah</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RashiBereshit4-1" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiBereshit4-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 4:1</a><a href="RashiYeshayahu1-1" data-aht="source">Yeshayahu 1:1</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>.</fn> the birth of Kayin and Hevel took place already in the Garden of Eden, before the expulsion.<fn>The past perfect form, "וְהָאָדָם יָדַע" might be an indicator of achronology.  It is not clear, though, if this grammatical form alone is motivating the suggestion of achronology.  It is possible that there are polemical motivations as well.  As Christians suggest that the sin in the Garden of Eden is what led to sexual desire, these sources might want to stress that such desire existed even beforehand.</fn> It is mentioned afterwards, in Chapter 4, only because the fact is necessary to open the Kayin and Hevel story.</point> | ||
+ | <point><b>"לֶךְ לְךָ" (<a href="Bereshit12-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 12:1</a>)</b> – <multilink><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit11-31" data-aht="source">R. Saadia</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit11-31" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 11:31</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia Gaon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary12-1" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitAdditionalCommentary11-32" data-aht="source">Bereshit Second Commentary 11:32</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary12-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit First Commentary 12:1</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RadakBereshit12-1" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakBereshit12-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 12:1</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink> assert that Hashem's command of "לֶךְ לְךָ" was originally given to Avraham in Ur Kasdim when he was 70,<fn>They suggest that he emigrated immediately, remained in Charan for five years, and then completed the final leg of the journey to Canaan at 75.</fn> and thus really belongs with the description of Terach and his family leaving to Charan in <a href="Bereshit11-31-32" data-aht="source">Bereshit 11:31</a>.<fn>The fixing of Avraham's departure from Ur Kasdim specifically at age 70 is motivated by a desire to solve the discrepancy between the accounts of the length of the Egyptian Exile in <a href="Bereshit15-3-20" data-aht="source">Bereshit 15:13</a> (400 years) and <a href="Shemot12-40-41" data-aht="source">Shemot 12:40-41</a> (430 years). These sources maintain that the 430 year period is dated from Avraham's personal exile, while the 400 years is dated from the birth of Yitzchak. If so, Avraham must have been 70 when he left Ur. For elaboration, see Duration of the Egyptian Exile.</fn> It is mentioned here, though, to introduce the Avraham narrative and the completion of his journey.<fn>One could have alternatively suggested that the achronology stems from a desire to place all the events relating to Terach together, and all those relating to Avraham together. [See R. Saadia.]</fn>  For further discussion, see <a href="Avraham's Aliyah" data-aht="page">Avraham's Aliyah</a>.</point> | ||
<point><b>Sarah conceives (<a href="Bereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:1</a>)</b> – According to several commentators,<fn>See, for example, <multilink><a href="RashiBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:1</a><a href="RashiShemot31-18" data-aht="source">Shemot 31:18</a><a href="RashiBemidbar9-1" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 9:1</a><a href="RashiYehoshua8-30" data-aht="source">Yehoshua 8:30</a><a href="RashiYeshayahu1-1" data-aht="source">Yeshayahu 1:1</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="TzerorHaMorBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">R. Avraham Saba</a><a href="TzerorHaMorBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Tzeror HaMor Bereshit 21:1</a><a href="R. Avraham Saba (Tzeror HaMor)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham Saba (Tzeror HaMor)</a></multilink>, and <multilink><a href="MalbimBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Malbim</a><a href="MalbimBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:1</a><a href="R. Meir Leibush Weiser (Malbim)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Meir Leibush Weiser</a></multilink>. They note that this is hinted to in the text which employs the past perfect form "וַה' <b>פָּקַד</b> אֶת שָׂרָה" rather than the form "ויפקוד ה'".  [None of these commentators, however, offer a literary explanation for the achronology like that suggested here.]</fn> Sarah had conceived before or in the middle of the story of Avimelekh described in Bereshit 20.<fn>These sources suggest that Sarah had conceived enough before the incident with Avimelekh that, when Yitzchak was born, no one could mistake Avimelekh for the father.</fn>  The fact is recorded here, though, so as to introduce the story of Yitzchak's birth and weaning.</point> | <point><b>Sarah conceives (<a href="Bereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:1</a>)</b> – According to several commentators,<fn>See, for example, <multilink><a href="RashiBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:1</a><a href="RashiShemot31-18" data-aht="source">Shemot 31:18</a><a href="RashiBemidbar9-1" data-aht="source">Bemidbar 9:1</a><a href="RashiYehoshua8-30" data-aht="source">Yehoshua 8:30</a><a href="RashiYeshayahu1-1" data-aht="source">Yeshayahu 1:1</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="TzerorHaMorBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">R. Avraham Saba</a><a href="TzerorHaMorBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Tzeror HaMor Bereshit 21:1</a><a href="R. Avraham Saba (Tzeror HaMor)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham Saba (Tzeror HaMor)</a></multilink>, and <multilink><a href="MalbimBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Malbim</a><a href="MalbimBereshit21-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:1</a><a href="R. Meir Leibush Weiser (Malbim)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Meir Leibush Weiser</a></multilink>. They note that this is hinted to in the text which employs the past perfect form "וַה' <b>פָּקַד</b> אֶת שָׂרָה" rather than the form "ויפקוד ה'".  [None of these commentators, however, offer a literary explanation for the achronology like that suggested here.]</fn> Sarah had conceived before or in the middle of the story of Avimelekh described in Bereshit 20.<fn>These sources suggest that Sarah had conceived enough before the incident with Avimelekh that, when Yitzchak was born, no one could mistake Avimelekh for the father.</fn>  The fact is recorded here, though, so as to introduce the story of Yitzchak's birth and weaning.</point> | ||
<point><b>Marriage of Amram and Yocheved (<a href="Shemot2-1-2" data-aht="source">Shemot 2:1</a>)</b> – <multilink><a href="RYosefBekhorShorShemot2-1" data-aht="source">R"Y Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorShemot2-1" data-aht="source">Shemot 2:1</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink> maintains that Amram and Yocheved had married before the decree of Paroh discussed in Shemot 1.<fn>Since Shemot 2 speaks only about the attempt to hide Moshe, it seems likely that Aharon and Miriam were born before the decree.</fn> Their marriage is mentioned later so as to properly open the story of Moshe's birth and its aftermath.</point> | <point><b>Marriage of Amram and Yocheved (<a href="Shemot2-1-2" data-aht="source">Shemot 2:1</a>)</b> – <multilink><a href="RYosefBekhorShorShemot2-1" data-aht="source">R"Y Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorShemot2-1" data-aht="source">Shemot 2:1</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink> maintains that Amram and Yocheved had married before the decree of Paroh discussed in Shemot 1.<fn>Since Shemot 2 speaks only about the attempt to hide Moshe, it seems likely that Aharon and Miriam were born before the decree.</fn> Their marriage is mentioned later so as to properly open the story of Moshe's birth and its aftermath.</point> | ||
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<subopinion>Figures | <subopinion>Figures | ||
<p>Tanakh will often focus on one individual protagonist at a time, even if this means compromising on chronological order.</p> | <p>Tanakh will often focus on one individual protagonist at a time, even if this means compromising on chronological order.</p> | ||
− | |||
<point><b>Births of Yaakov's children (Bereshit 29-20)</b> – A simple reading of <a href="Bereshit29-32-35" data-aht="source">Bereshit 29</a>-<a href="Bereshit30-4-13" data-aht="source">30</a> might imply that Yaakov's twelve children were born consecutively.  Yet as this would seem to leave just a little over 6 years for the births of all 12 children,<fn>The simplest reading of the text seems to be that Yaakov married Leah after completing his first seven years of labor for Lavan and that Yosef, his twelfth child, was born at the end of his second seven year stint.  This leaves just 6 years for the births.</fn> several commentators suggest that some of the births must have overlapped.<fn><multilink><a href="LekachTovBereshit29-32" data-aht="source">Lekach Tov</a><a href="LekachTovBereshit29-32" data-aht="source">Bereshit 29:32</a><a href="R. Toviah b. Eliezer (Lekach Tov)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Toviah b. Eliezer</a></multilink> suggests that Bilhah and Zilpah's pregnancies overlapped with those of Leah, while <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary30-23" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary30-23" data-aht="source">Bereshit First Commentary 30:23</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="SefornoBereshit30-8" data-aht="source">Seforno</a><a href="SefornoBereshit30-8" data-aht="source">Bereshit 30:8</a><a href="R. Ovadyah Seforno" data-aht="parshan">About R. Ovadyah Seforno</a></multilink> suggest that it was Bilhah's and Zilpah's pregnancies which overlapped. Ibn Ezra also raises the possibilities that Zevulun and Dinah were twins.</fn> Tanakh, though, prefers to separate the stories of each mother, listing each of their births together and only then moving on to the next mother. See opinions in <a href="The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children" data-aht="page">The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children</a> for elaboration and other approaches.</point> | <point><b>Births of Yaakov's children (Bereshit 29-20)</b> – A simple reading of <a href="Bereshit29-32-35" data-aht="source">Bereshit 29</a>-<a href="Bereshit30-4-13" data-aht="source">30</a> might imply that Yaakov's twelve children were born consecutively.  Yet as this would seem to leave just a little over 6 years for the births of all 12 children,<fn>The simplest reading of the text seems to be that Yaakov married Leah after completing his first seven years of labor for Lavan and that Yosef, his twelfth child, was born at the end of his second seven year stint.  This leaves just 6 years for the births.</fn> several commentators suggest that some of the births must have overlapped.<fn><multilink><a href="LekachTovBereshit29-32" data-aht="source">Lekach Tov</a><a href="LekachTovBereshit29-32" data-aht="source">Bereshit 29:32</a><a href="R. Toviah b. Eliezer (Lekach Tov)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Toviah b. Eliezer</a></multilink> suggests that Bilhah and Zilpah's pregnancies overlapped with those of Leah, while <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary30-23" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary30-23" data-aht="source">Bereshit First Commentary 30:23</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="SefornoBereshit30-8" data-aht="source">Seforno</a><a href="SefornoBereshit30-8" data-aht="source">Bereshit 30:8</a><a href="R. Ovadyah Seforno" data-aht="parshan">About R. Ovadyah Seforno</a></multilink> suggest that it was Bilhah's and Zilpah's pregnancies which overlapped. Ibn Ezra also raises the possibilities that Zevulun and Dinah were twins.</fn> Tanakh, though, prefers to separate the stories of each mother, listing each of their births together and only then moving on to the next mother. See opinions in <a href="The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children" data-aht="page">The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children</a> for elaboration and other approaches.</point> | ||
<point><b>Yehuda vs. Yosef (Bereshit 37-39)</b> – The story of Yehuda's marriage and children (<a href="Bereshit38" data-aht="source">Bereshit 38</a>) takes place over many years and parts of it likely overlapped with the stories of both Yosef's sale (<a href="Bereshit37-1-2" data-aht="source">Bereshit 37</a>) and Yosef's stay in Egypt (<a href="Bereshit39-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 39</a>ff).<fn><a href="Bereshit46-12" data-aht="source">Bereshit 46:12</a> shares that at the time of the descent to Egypt, Peretz (Tamar and Yehuda's son) has already sired two children. As Yehuda had relations with Tamar only after his own sons were of marriageable age, if Yehuda's marriage to Bat-Shua first took place after the sale of Yosef, this would leave only 22 years for Yehuda to produce three generations worth of progeny - his own sons, Tamar's children, and Peretz's sons!  This leads <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary38-1" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary38-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit First Commentary 38:1</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RalbagBereshitBeurHaParashah38-1" data-aht="source">Ralbag</a><a href="RalbagBereshitBeurHaParashah38-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit Beur HaParashah 38:1</a><a href="R. Levi b. Gershom (Ralbag, Gersonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Levi b. Gershom</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="ShadalBereshit38-1" data-aht="source">Shadal</a><a href="ShadalBereshit38-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 38:1</a><a href="R. Shemuel David Luzzatto (Shadal)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto</a></multilink>  to claim that at least the beginning of Chapter 38 took place before the sale.<br/>On the other end, as the rest of the Yehuda story stretches over many years, telling of the growth of his children and their own marriages, it is likely that some of these events took place after Yosef was already taken to Egypt.</fn>  Tanakh, though, separates the narratives of the two figures, placing the entire Yehuda tale together so as not to have to constantly interweave the two story lines.<fn>This, however, does not explain why Torah did not place the Yehuda story before the sale, which would have allowed all the Yosef stories to run consecutively.  It is possible that the placement in the middle serves to clue the reader in to the fact that the stories overlap.</fn> [See <a href="The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children" data-aht="page">The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children</a> and <a href="Purpose of the Yehuda and Tamar Story" data-aht="page">Purpose of the Yehuda and Tamar Story</a> for more.]</point> | <point><b>Yehuda vs. Yosef (Bereshit 37-39)</b> – The story of Yehuda's marriage and children (<a href="Bereshit38" data-aht="source">Bereshit 38</a>) takes place over many years and parts of it likely overlapped with the stories of both Yosef's sale (<a href="Bereshit37-1-2" data-aht="source">Bereshit 37</a>) and Yosef's stay in Egypt (<a href="Bereshit39-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 39</a>ff).<fn><a href="Bereshit46-12" data-aht="source">Bereshit 46:12</a> shares that at the time of the descent to Egypt, Peretz (Tamar and Yehuda's son) has already sired two children. As Yehuda had relations with Tamar only after his own sons were of marriageable age, if Yehuda's marriage to Bat-Shua first took place after the sale of Yosef, this would leave only 22 years for Yehuda to produce three generations worth of progeny - his own sons, Tamar's children, and Peretz's sons!  This leads <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary38-1" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshitFirstCommentary38-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit First Commentary 38:1</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RalbagBereshitBeurHaParashah38-1" data-aht="source">Ralbag</a><a href="RalbagBereshitBeurHaParashah38-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit Beur HaParashah 38:1</a><a href="R. Levi b. Gershom (Ralbag, Gersonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Levi b. Gershom</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="ShadalBereshit38-1" data-aht="source">Shadal</a><a href="ShadalBereshit38-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 38:1</a><a href="R. Shemuel David Luzzatto (Shadal)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto</a></multilink>  to claim that at least the beginning of Chapter 38 took place before the sale.<br/>On the other end, as the rest of the Yehuda story stretches over many years, telling of the growth of his children and their own marriages, it is likely that some of these events took place after Yosef was already taken to Egypt.</fn>  Tanakh, though, separates the narratives of the two figures, placing the entire Yehuda tale together so as not to have to constantly interweave the two story lines.<fn>This, however, does not explain why Torah did not place the Yehuda story before the sale, which would have allowed all the Yosef stories to run consecutively.  It is possible that the placement in the middle serves to clue the reader in to the fact that the stories overlap.</fn> [See <a href="The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children" data-aht="page">The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children</a> and <a href="Purpose of the Yehuda and Tamar Story" data-aht="page">Purpose of the Yehuda and Tamar Story</a> for more.]</point> |
Version as of 14:00, 28 November 2019
Chronological and Thematic Order
Exegetical Approaches
Technical Displacement: Minor Details
In many cases, the majority and core of a given story is recorded in its proper chronological place and it is just one or two secondary components which are displaced. The displaced unit might be moved from elsewhere to join and thereby complete the central story ("להשלים את הענין") or it might be separated from the main narrative so as not to interrupt the story line ("לא להפסיק את הענין"):
Preludes and Epilogues: "להשלים את הענין"
A subordinate component of a story might be moved from its proper chronological place so as to complete a central narrative. This might take the form of a prelude or heading before the main story or an epilogue or summation at the end.
Prelude
An event which occurred earlier is displaced to serve as an introduction and/or provide necessary background to a later story.
Epilogue
A component of a story which is only to occur later is moved earlier to provide closure to the main unit.
Headings
An event which is soon to be discussed in the text is mentioned already in the heading of the unit, not because it takes place then, but to let the reader know what is to come. This phenomenon often takes the form of "כלל ופרט", a general formulation followed by details.
Summaries
An episode which occurred and was explicitly mentioned earlier in Tanakh is repeated in order to serve as a summary to a unit.
Prologues and Appendices: "לא להפסיק את הענין"
Secondary narrative components might be moved to form a prologue at the very beginning of a unit or an appendix at the end because setting them in their proper chronological place in the middle of the central unit would otherwise break the flow of the main narrative . The episode or topic which is displaced is either irrelevant to the main theme or message of the unit, of lesser import, or of a different literary character.
Prologues
An event is moved from its correct chronological place later in the text and placed at the very beginning of the unit where it will not disrupt the main topic.
Appendices
An episode is moved from its correct chronological place earlier in the narrative and placed at the very end of the unit where it will not disrupt the main topic.
Thematic Arrangement: Parallel Units
Tanakh will often prefer thematic ordering over strict chronology, juxtaposing related material even if this means not adhering to a historical timeline. In contrast to the above cases, in these instances both the displaced and chronological components tend to be of equal import.
Overlapping Stories
A preference for thematic ordering is often evident when components of two independent stories overlap in time. Tanakh will focus on each story individually, recounting them in parallel units, rather than constantly switching back and forth between the two. As such, the same overall time period might be discussed from different vantage points in the textual equivalent of a split screen, with material grouped by varying protagonists, realms of life, literary genre or other factors.
Figures
Tanakh will often focus on one individual protagonist at a time, even if this means compromising on chronological order.
Realms of Life
When a protagonist's interactions in two realms of his life (such as the personal / familial realm vs. the political /national realm) overlap, Tanakh will often separate the two strands of the story rather than constantly switching back and forth.
Individual vs. Universal
When an incident has both a universal and individual aspect to it, Tanakh will focus on one at a time.
Literary Genre
Torah often separates material of different genres. Thus, even if a unit of laws was relayed over a period of time and other events occurred simultaneously, Torah might group the legal and narrative material separately. Similarly, when a book contains both prophecies and history, each might be grouped alone even if this creates achronology.
Speech vs. Action
When an action occurs in the middle of a conversation, or an extended conversation occurs in the midst of a list of several actions, Tanakh might distinguish between the two.
Non-overlapping Stories
Even when two stories do not overlap in time, Tanakh might prefer thematic unity over a strict chronological recounting. This might be motivated by a desire to group together texts which share similar themes, laws which are relevant to the same time period, or content written by the same author.
Thematically similar units
At times, closely related events might be grouped together, even if this creates achronology.69
"לדורות" / "לשעה"
Tanakh might group laws which are relevant only for a specific time period (לשעה) separately from those which are relevant for all future generations (לדורות).
Two Authors
If a book has multiple authors, each author's material might be grouped separately even if this means that some content is relayed achronologically.
Simultaneous Actions
When a unit contains but one element, the entire unit might not just overlap with but actually occur totally simultaneously with another event. In such cases, Tanakh does not have a choice but to tell one event before the other, even though this does not represent the reality.
Homiletical Juxtaposition
Achronology might stem from a desire to relay a message through the juxtaposition of two stories which otherwise would not follow one another. The message might be a lesson in proper behavior, a showcasing of Hashem's attributes, or a means of highlighting a character's strengths or faults.