Difference between revisions of "Chronological and Thematic Order/2"
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<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> | ||
− | <point><b>Preparation for revelation (<a href="Shemot19-14-17" data-aht="source">Shemot 19</a> and <a href="Shemot24-12-18" data-aht="source">24</a>)</b> – According to the first opinion in | + | <point><b>Preparation for revelation (<a href="Shemot19-14-17" data-aht="source">Shemot 19</a> and <a href="Shemot24-12-18" data-aht="source">24</a>)</b> – According to the first opinion in <multilink><a href="MekhiltaDeRabbiYishmaelShemot19-10" data-aht="source">Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael </a><a href="MekhiltaDeRabbiYishmaelShemot19-10" data-aht="source">19:10</a><a href="MekhiltaDeRabbiYishmaelShemot21-1" data-aht="source">21:1</a><a href="Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot" data-aht="parshan">About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot</a></multilink><fn>It is not clear what R. Yose B. Rabbi Yehuda there maintains.  He writes, "בּוֹ בַיּוֹם נֶעֱשׂוּ כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים" which could either mean that he thinks the ceremony of Shemot 24 took place on the morning of revelation, before Shemot 20, or that is occurred only in the afternoon, after the Decalogue was received (in which case the chapters are chronological).</fn>and <multilink><a href="RashiShemot19-11" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiShemot19-11" data-aht="source">Shemot 19:11</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>,<fn>See also <multilink><a href="LekachTovShemot24-1" data-aht="source">Lekach Tov</a><a href="LekachTovShemot24-1" data-aht="source">Shemot 24:1</a><a href="R. Toviah b. Eliezer (Lekach Tov)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Toviah b. Eliezer</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RYosefBekhorShorShemot24-12" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorShemot24-1" data-aht="source">Shemot 24:1</a><a href="RYosefBekhorShorShemot24-12" data-aht="source">Shemot 24:12</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink>. </fn> the story of the covenant and ceremony described in <a href="Shemot24-12-18" data-aht="source">Shemot 24:1-11</a> took place during the three days of preparations discussed in <a href="Shemot19-14-17" data-aht="source">Shemot 19</a>.<fn>See also Lekach tov and R"Y Bekhor Shor.  Rashi is likely motivated by the many parallels between the chapters, most notably the nation's announcement, "כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' נַעֲשֶׂה". The opening past perfect formulation, "וְאֶל מֹשֶׁה אָמַר", and lack of named speaker might further indicate achronology.  Cf. Netziv who suggests that all of Parashat Mishpatim, as well, was said before the Decalogue.</fn>  Despite this, the stories are distinguished because they have distinct foci; while Shemot 19 highlights the role of the nation and laymen, Shemot 24 focuses on the elders.</point> |
<point><b>Bilam and Israel</b> – See <a href="Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam" data-aht="page">Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam</a> for those who suggest that the interactions between Bilam and Balak in Bemidbar 22-24 take place at the same time as the story of the Sin of Baal Peor in Bemidbar 25.  Here, too, the same time period is discussed from two vantage points, one focusing on what was occurring among Israel's enemies and the other on what was happening in the Israelite camp itself.</point> | <point><b>Bilam and Israel</b> – See <a href="Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam" data-aht="page">Why Was Hashem Angry at Bilam</a> for those who suggest that the interactions between Bilam and Balak in Bemidbar 22-24 take place at the same time as the story of the Sin of Baal Peor in Bemidbar 25.  Here, too, the same time period is discussed from two vantage points, one focusing on what was occurring among Israel's enemies and the other on what was happening in the Israelite camp itself.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Yehoshua's Spies</b> – As there would not seem to be enough time for the story of the sending of Yehoshua's spies and their escape to take place between Yehoshua 1 and 3, some have suggested that it overlaps with the events of Chapter 1.<fn>The spies were perhaps sent after Hashem encouraged Yehoshua, but before Yehoshua spoke to the officers and the 2 1/2 tribes.Their escape and stay in the mountains likely overlapped with these conversations and the days in which the people prepared to cross the Jordan.</fn> Tanakh , though, opted for thematic order, first telling of Yehoshua's interactions with the nation and then focusing on the two spies.</point> | + | <point><b>Yehoshua's Spies</b> – As there would not seem to be enough time for the story of the sending of Yehoshua's spies and their escape to take place between Yehoshua 1 and 3, some have suggested that it overlaps with the events of Chapter 1.<fn>The spies were perhaps sent after Hashem encouraged Yehoshua, but before Yehoshua spoke to the officers and the 2 1/2 tribes.Their escape and stay in the mountains likely overlapped with these conversations and the days in which the people prepared to cross the Jordan.</fn> Tanakh, though, opted for thematic order, first telling of Yehoshua's interactions with the nation and then focusing on the two spies.</point> |
<point><b>The Shofetim</b> – The book of Shofetim presents the tenures of each judge as being consecutive, yet, due to the dating given in <a href="Shofetim11-26" data-aht="source">Shofetim 11:26</a>, there is reason to suggest that they actually overlapped<fn>In <a href="Shofetim11-26" data-aht="source">Shofetim 11:26</a>, Yiftach asserts that 300 years passed from the conquest of the lands of Sichon until his own time period. However, if one calculates all the years of oppression and quiet in Sefer Shofetim plus the years of the Conquest and division of the land, one reaches more than the 300 years allotted. [There were 8 years of oppression by Kushan and 40 years of quiet under Otniel, 18 years of servitude to Eglon and 80 of quiet under Ehud, 20 years of oppession by Canaan and 40 years under Devorah, 7 years of trouble by Midyan and 40 of quiet under Gidon, 3 years in which Avimelekh reigned, 23 years of Tola, 22 years of Yair and 18 years of oppression by Ammon before Yiftach. This alone amounts to 321 years and does not include the years of the Conquest and Inheritance.]</fn> and that parts of the book are achronological.<fn>See Prof. Elitzur's comments to Shofetim 11:26 in Da'at MIkra, Sefer Shofetim (Jerusalem, 1976): 127. Cf. <multilink><a href="SederOlamRabbah12" data-aht="source">Seder Olam Rabbah</a><a href="SederOlamRabbah12" data-aht="source">12</a><a href="Seder Olam Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Seder Olam Rabbah</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RashiShofetim11-26" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiShofetim11-26" data-aht="source">Shofetim 11:26</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>, though, who maintain that the judges were in fact consecutive, and that some of the years of oppression overlapped with the years that the judges were said to rule, allowing for a shorter time period. This is difficult, though, because the text employs the language of "and there was quiet for "x" amount of years". Quiet implies that the nation was not oppressed at the time.</fn>  Here, too, Tanakh prefers thematic order, opting to tell the story of each judge individually.</point> | <point><b>The Shofetim</b> – The book of Shofetim presents the tenures of each judge as being consecutive, yet, due to the dating given in <a href="Shofetim11-26" data-aht="source">Shofetim 11:26</a>, there is reason to suggest that they actually overlapped<fn>In <a href="Shofetim11-26" data-aht="source">Shofetim 11:26</a>, Yiftach asserts that 300 years passed from the conquest of the lands of Sichon until his own time period. However, if one calculates all the years of oppression and quiet in Sefer Shofetim plus the years of the Conquest and division of the land, one reaches more than the 300 years allotted. [There were 8 years of oppression by Kushan and 40 years of quiet under Otniel, 18 years of servitude to Eglon and 80 of quiet under Ehud, 20 years of oppession by Canaan and 40 years under Devorah, 7 years of trouble by Midyan and 40 of quiet under Gidon, 3 years in which Avimelekh reigned, 23 years of Tola, 22 years of Yair and 18 years of oppression by Ammon before Yiftach. This alone amounts to 321 years and does not include the years of the Conquest and Inheritance.]</fn> and that parts of the book are achronological.<fn>See Prof. Elitzur's comments to Shofetim 11:26 in Da'at MIkra, Sefer Shofetim (Jerusalem, 1976): 127. Cf. <multilink><a href="SederOlamRabbah12" data-aht="source">Seder Olam Rabbah</a><a href="SederOlamRabbah12" data-aht="source">12</a><a href="Seder Olam Rabbah" data-aht="parshan">About Seder Olam Rabbah</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RashiShofetim11-26" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiShofetim11-26" data-aht="source">Shofetim 11:26</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>, though, who maintain that the judges were in fact consecutive, and that some of the years of oppression overlapped with the years that the judges were said to rule, allowing for a shorter time period. This is difficult, though, because the text employs the language of "and there was quiet for "x" amount of years". Quiet implies that the nation was not oppressed at the time.</fn>  Here, too, Tanakh prefers thematic order, opting to tell the story of each judge individually.</point> | ||
<point><b>Shaul and David</b> – Shemuel I 30 and 31 appear to occur at the same time. David returns to Ziklag and fights the Amalekites while Shaul and the Israelite army are being defeated by the Philistines on the Mountains of Gilboa.<fn>The chapters allude to the fact that chronologically Chapter 31 directly follows Chapter 29, by opening Chapter 31 with a resumptive repetition, " וּפְלִשְׁתִּים נִלְחָמִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל", letting the reader know that the story is resuming from where it left off earlier. As Rashi says, "כאדם האומר נחזור לענין ראשון".</fn> As Tanakh cannot describe both events at once, and prefers not to interweave the various events of each story line by line, it focuses on one protagonist at a time.</point> | <point><b>Shaul and David</b> – Shemuel I 30 and 31 appear to occur at the same time. David returns to Ziklag and fights the Amalekites while Shaul and the Israelite army are being defeated by the Philistines on the Mountains of Gilboa.<fn>The chapters allude to the fact that chronologically Chapter 31 directly follows Chapter 29, by opening Chapter 31 with a resumptive repetition, " וּפְלִשְׁתִּים נִלְחָמִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל", letting the reader know that the story is resuming from where it left off earlier. As Rashi says, "כאדם האומר נחזור לענין ראשון".</fn> As Tanakh cannot describe both events at once, and prefers not to interweave the various events of each story line by line, it focuses on one protagonist at a time.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Reigns of the Judean and Israelite kings</b> – The book of Melakhim alternates between the reigns of the kings of Yehuda and Yisrael, focusing on only one kingdom at a time, even though this means that certain elements | + | <point><b>Reigns of the Judean and Israelite kings</b> – The book of Melakhim alternates between the reigns of the kings of Yehuda and Yisrael, focusing on only one kingdom at a time, even though this means that certain elements are told out of order.</point> |
<point><b>Prophecies of Yirmeyahu</b> – See <a href="Structure – Sefer Yirmeyahu" data-aht="page">Structure – Sefer Yirmeyahu</a> for a discussion of how the prophecies of rebuke in Chapters 1-25 might be ordered based on the audience receiving the prophecies rather than when they were relayed.  Yirmeyahu focuses first on the nation as a whole, then turns to the kings, then to the false prophets and finally to the other nations.</point> | <point><b>Prophecies of Yirmeyahu</b> – See <a href="Structure – Sefer Yirmeyahu" data-aht="page">Structure – Sefer Yirmeyahu</a> for a discussion of how the prophecies of rebuke in Chapters 1-25 might be ordered based on the audience receiving the prophecies rather than when they were relayed.  Yirmeyahu focuses first on the nation as a whole, then turns to the kings, then to the false prophets and finally to the other nations.</point> | ||
</subopinion> | </subopinion> | ||
<subopinion>Realms of Life | <subopinion>Realms of Life | ||
<p>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.</p> | <p>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.</p> | ||
− | <point><b>Banishment of Yishmael and covenant with Avimelekh (Bereshit 21)</b> – <multilink><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit6-3" data-aht="source">R. Saadia Gaon</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit6-3" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 6:3</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit11-31" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 11:31</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit24-29" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 24:29</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia Gaon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYosefKaraBereshit21-22" data-aht="source">R"Y Kara</a><a href="RYosefKaraBereshit21-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:22</a><a href="R. Yosef Kara" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Kara</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit21-22" data-aht="source">Rashbam</a><a href="RashbamBereshit21-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:22</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink> | + | <point><b>Banishment of Yishmael and covenant with Avimelekh (Bereshit 21)</b> – <multilink><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit6-3" data-aht="source">R. Saadia Gaon</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit6-3" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 6:3</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit11-31" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 11:31</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="RSaadiaGaonCommentaryBereshit24-29" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 24:29</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia Gaon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYosefKaraBereshit21-22" data-aht="source">R"Y Kara</a><a href="RYosefKaraBereshit21-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:22</a><a href="R. Yosef Kara" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Kara</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit21-22" data-aht="source">Rashbam</a><a href="RashbamBereshit21-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:22</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink> imply that the story of the covenant with Avimelekh took place after Yitzchak's birth but before (or in the middle of) the story of Yishmael's banishment.<fn>The opening words of the unit, "וַיְהִי בָּעֵת הַהִוא", imply that the story does not follow what took place beforehand but overlaps with it.</fn>  Tanakh might have relayed the events achronologically as it preferred to group the episodes that touch on Avraham's personal family life separately from those which relate to his interactions with outsiders.<fn>In this case, the tight connection between the stories of the birth and expulsion would further motivate grouping them together.</fn></point> |
<point><b>Yitzchak stories (Bereshit 25-26)</b> – Bereshit 25 tells of Yitzchak's marriage, the birth of Yaakov and Esav, and their upbringing. These events likely overlapped with those of Bereshit 26, with the first half of Bereshit 26 (the wife-sister story) occurring before the birth<fn>Otherwise it is very difficult to understand how Avimelekh did not know of Rivka and Yitzchak's marital status.</fn> and the second half (the covenant with Avimelekh) taking place later on.  Rather than interweaving the various elements of each story as a strict chronology would dictate, Torah separates the personal and political strands of the Yitzchak narrative.</point> | <point><b>Yitzchak stories (Bereshit 25-26)</b> – Bereshit 25 tells of Yitzchak's marriage, the birth of Yaakov and Esav, and their upbringing. These events likely overlapped with those of Bereshit 26, with the first half of Bereshit 26 (the wife-sister story) occurring before the birth<fn>Otherwise it is very difficult to understand how Avimelekh did not know of Rivka and Yitzchak's marital status.</fn> and the second half (the covenant with Avimelekh) taking place later on.  Rather than interweaving the various elements of each story as a strict chronology would dictate, Torah separates the personal and political strands of the Yitzchak narrative.</point> | ||
<point><b>Yosef in Egypt (Bereshit 42-47)</b> – After narrating the story of Yosef's interactions with his brothers in Bereshit 42-46, Chapter 47 speaks of how the Egyptians themselves fared throughout the famine. If <a href="Bereshit47-13-23" data-aht="source">Bereshit 47:18</a>'s mention of the "שָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית" refers to the second year of the famine<fn>See Rashi, Ma'asei Hashem and Netziv.</fn> (rather than two years after the family's arrival in Egypt), then the events of the chapter overlap with those of the previous ones. Here, too Torah portrays the same time period from two perspectives, the personal and political, first focusing on Yosef and his family and then on Yosef and the Egyptians.</point> | <point><b>Yosef in Egypt (Bereshit 42-47)</b> – After narrating the story of Yosef's interactions with his brothers in Bereshit 42-46, Chapter 47 speaks of how the Egyptians themselves fared throughout the famine. If <a href="Bereshit47-13-23" data-aht="source">Bereshit 47:18</a>'s mention of the "שָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית" refers to the second year of the famine<fn>See Rashi, Ma'asei Hashem and Netziv.</fn> (rather than two years after the family's arrival in Egypt), then the events of the chapter overlap with those of the previous ones. Here, too Torah portrays the same time period from two perspectives, the personal and political, first focusing on Yosef and his family and then on Yosef and the Egyptians.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Search for a harpist (Shemuel I 16-17)</b> – See <a href="Chronology of Shemuel I 16 – 17" data-aht="page">Chronology of Shemuel I 16 – 17</a> for an approach which suggests that the search for a musician to calm Shaul when overtaken by the "evil spirit" described in <a href="ShemuelI16-18-23" data-aht="source">Shemuel I 16</a> took place in the middle of the war with the Philistines described in Chapter 17.<fn> | + | <point><b>Search for a harpist (Shemuel I 16-17)</b> – See <a href="Chronology of Shemuel I 16 – 17" data-aht="page">Chronology of Shemuel I 16 – 17</a> for an approach which suggests that the search for a musician to calm Shaul when overtaken by the "evil spirit" described in <a href="ShemuelI16-18-23" data-aht="source">Shemuel I 16</a> took place in the middle of the war with the Philistines described in Chapter 17.<fn>According to this theory, the "רוּחַ רָעָה" that plagued Shaul wasn't a purely supernatural phenomenon, but rather a natural reaction to stress. As Golyat continuously threatened the nation, Shaul's anxiety grew, leading to the search for a musician. This theory solves a number of difficulties in the text such as how Shaul has no idea who David was in <a href="ShemuelI17-55-58" data-aht="source">Shemuel I 17:55-58</a>.  According to this reading, Shaul first met David when he volunteered to fight Golyat, so there is no expectation that Shaul should have already known him.</fn>  Tanakh, though, tells of each event alone, with Chapter 16 focusing on events relating to the personal life of Shaul, and Chapter 17 focusing on those that relate to Shaul in the national realm.</point> |
<point><b>David's sin and the war with Ammon (<b></b>Shemuel II 11-12)</b> – The story of David's sin with Batsheva and its aftermath spans Shemuel II 11-12 and takes place over at least two years.  The events likely overlapped with the end of the war against Ammon described in <a href="ShemuelII12-26-31" data-aht="source">12:26-31</a>, yet the two episodes are told as independent stories with Tanakh focusing on the personal and national spheres separately.</point> | <point><b>David's sin and the war with Ammon (<b></b>Shemuel II 11-12)</b> – The story of David's sin with Batsheva and its aftermath spans Shemuel II 11-12 and takes place over at least two years.  The events likely overlapped with the end of the war against Ammon described in <a href="ShemuelII12-26-31" data-aht="source">12:26-31</a>, yet the two episodes are told as independent stories with Tanakh focusing on the personal and national spheres separately.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Shelomo's internal enemies</b> – Melakhim I 2 describes how Shelomo took care of his internal enemies | + | <point><b>Shelomo's internal enemies</b> – Melakhim I 2 describes how Shelomo took care of his internal enemies: Yoav, Shimi and Evyatar. Though it is likely that some of these stories overlapped with events that took place later,<fn>The story of Shimi, for instance, takes place over more than three years, and likely overlapped with Shelomo's setting up of his administration described in Chapters 4-5.</fn> they are grouped together in one unit as they all relate to the same aspect of Shelomo's reign, the securing of his throne.  Sefer Melakhim preferred to separate its discussion of events related to Shelomo's kingdom's security from those which relate to Shelomo's administration.<fn>One might alternatively suggest that really all the events in the chapter are chronological with the exception of the few verses which speak of Shimi's offense and punishment.  If so, this is not a case of parallel overlapping units but rather an epiolgue which comes to complete the story.</fn></point> |
− | <point><b>Chizkiyahu's illness</b> – Seder Olam Rabbah asserts that Chizkiyahu's sickness overlapped with Sancheriv's attack | + | <point><b>Chizkiyahu's illness</b> – Seder Olam Rabbah asserts that Chizkiyahu's sickness in Melakhim II 20 overlapped with Sancheriv's attack described in Melakhim 19-20. [They suggest that the incident took place three days before Sancheriv's defeat.]<fn>The text itself suggests that the story is achronological, as the prophet promises Chizkiyahu salvation from Assyria, implying that they had not yet been saved, even though Chapter 19 describes the salvation. The opening words of the story, "בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם חָלָה חִזְקִיָּהוּ" might further hint that the event described overlapped with the preceding story.<br/>Yeshayahu's second promise to the king, that Chizkiyahu's life will be prolonged by 15 years, might set the story even earlier. As Chizkiyahu reigned for 29 years, this promise would suggest that Chizkiyahu's illness occurred in the 14th year of his reign, right when Sancheriv attacked (See Melakhim II 18:13).  See <a href="Sancheriv's Campaign and Assyrian Sources" data-aht="page">Sancheriv's Campaign and Assyrian Sources</a> for more about this latter possibility.</fn>  If so, it is likely that the story is told achronologically to separate the events relating to Chizkiyahu the person from those relating to Chizkiyahu the king.</point> |
</subopinion> | </subopinion> | ||
<subopinion name="Scope"> | <subopinion name="Scope"> |
Version as of 06:11, 27 November 2019
Chronological and Thematic Order
Exegetical Approaches
Technical Displacement: Minor Details
At times, achronology in the text is a result of technical literary issues. 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 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 might appear as a"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.
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, perspectives, 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.
Related Topics
At times, closely related events, even if they took place at different times, might be grouped together.63
"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
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.