Literary:Structural Devices/0

Structural Devices

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Framing and Inclusios

An inclusio, or envelope structure, is a literary device in which a unit of text is framed by placing similar language at its beginning and end.  In Hebrew, the device is referred to as: "סיים במה שפתח".  The device often serves simply to delineate the bookends of a unit, though sometimes, too, it highlights some progression, reversal, or message. Elsewhere (especially in small units of text) it might serve to emphasize a point.  It is also possible that at times, the technique might be purely aesthetic in function. Some examples follow:

I. Unit marker

• Avraham Narratives – The core of the Avraham narratives is bracketed by the command of "לֶךְ לְךָ". In Chapter 12, Hashem tells Avraham: "לֶךְ לְך...  אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ". In Chapter 22, before the Akeidah, Hashem echoes, "לֶךְ לְךָ... עַל אַחַד הֶהָרִים אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיך".
• Laws of the Moadim – Vayikra 23 opens: "...דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם מוֹעֲדֵי י״י" and closes: "וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶת מֹעֲדֵי י״י אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל".  The similar phrasing at the beginning and end frames the unit of festivals.¹
• Work of the Levites – Bemidbar 4:24-28, which discusses the tasks of the Gershonites, both opens and closes with the statement, "זֹאת עֲבֹדַת מִשְׁפְּחֹת הַגֵּרְשֻׁנִּי".
• Laws of Mussaf offerings – Bemidbar 28, which discusses the laws of the Mussaf offerings, begins, " וַיְדַבֵּר יְהֹוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר.צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל".  The unit ends in Bemidbar 30:1 with very similar language, "וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה". The unit is thus framed by Hashem's command and its fulfillment.
• Speech of the "מצוה" – Devarim 6-11, 1he first part of Moshe's legal speech to the nation, comprises a discussion of relationship based laws, such as "the mitzvah", the command to love God.² As such, it is bracketed by two very similar units, the first two parshiot of "Shema": "וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת י"י אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכׇל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכׇל נַפְשְׁךָ" and "וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ.. לְאַהֲבָה אֶת י"י אֱלֹהֵיכֶם... בְּכׇל לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכׇל נַפְשְׁכֶם".‎³
• Tehillim 118 – This psalms opens and closes with the identical phrase, " הוֹדוּ לַי״י כִּי טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ".

II. Highlighting progression or contrast

• Yeshayahu 1:21-26 – Yeshayahu opens by lamenting the state of Yerushalayim, "אֵיכָה הָיְתָה לְזוֹנָה קִרְיָה נֶאֱמָנָה מְלֵאֲתִי מִשְׁפָּט צֶדֶק יָלִין בָּהּ", but ends the unit with hope for the future, "אַחֲרֵי כֵן יִקָּרֵא לָךְ עִיר הַצֶּדֶק קִרְיָה נֶאֱמָנָה..." The similar language  highlights the contrast between the present and future.
• Tehillim 145 – The psalm opens " תְּהִלָּה לְדָוִד...  וַאֲבָרְכָה שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד" and closes, "תְּהִלַּת י"י... וִיבָרֵךְ כׇּל בָּשָׂר שֵׁם קׇדְשׁוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד". The Rokeach notes that the last line of the psalm contains echoes of the opening verse. In this case, the inclusio highlights a progression from beginning to end. While the psalm opens with praise to David, it ends with praise to Hashem. While initially it is an individual who blesses, at the end it is "all flesh". Finally, it is not just God's name which is blessed, but His holy name For further discussion, see Mizmor 145.

III. Emphasis – Sometimes, especially when found in small units of speech or text, an inclusio serves to emphasize the speaker's main point; one begins and ends with what he wants to stress.

• Shemuel I 3:17 – After Shemuel receives his first prophecy, Eli urges him to share what he heard, stressing that he not hold anything back: "וַיֹּאמֶר מָה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלֶיךָ אַל נָא תְכַחֵד מִמֶּנִּי ...אִם תְּכַחֵד מִמֶּנִּי דָּבָר מִכׇּל הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלֶיךָ." 
• Shemuel I 18:20-28 – The story of Michal's marriage to David is sandwiched by mention of Michal's love to David. It opens, ""begins and ends with the statements " וַתֶּאֱהַב מִיכַל בַּת שָׁאוּל אֶת דָּוִד" and closes, "וּמִיכַל בַּת שָׁאוּל אֲהֵבַתְהוּ".

• Shemuel I 19:4-5 – Yonatan pleads with his father not to kill David: "אַל יֶחֱטָא הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעַבְדּוֹ בְדָוִד...  וְלָמָּה תֶחֱטָא... לְהָמִית אֶת דָּוִד", sandwiching his various arguments with his main point "do not sin".
• Melakhim I 20:23-25 – In discussing their previous defeat in war and upcoming battle, the Arameans state, "נִלָּחֵם אִתָּם בַּמִּישׁוֹר אִם לֹא נֶחֱזַק מֵהֶם.וְאֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה עֲשֵׂה...  וְנִלָּחֲמָה אוֹתָם בַּמִּישׁוֹר אִם לֹא נֶחֱזַק מֵהֶם". They emphasize at both the beginning and end that as long as they fight in the plain, they will succeed.

Chiasms I. Narrative Units

A chiasm, also known as a ring composition or chiastic structure, is a literary device in which a narrative or other unit of text is built upon the pattern: A-B-C-B'-A', with each letter pair being a linguistic or content parallel.⁴ Such structures often serve to highlight plot reversals and the turning point which lead to them. The are found in both larger units of texts and individual verses. Some examples follow:

• The Flood Story – See Literary Devices – Bereshit 6–9, for a visual of the chiastic structure of the flood narrative, which emphasizes how Hashem's destruction was accompanied by salvation and rebuilding. The outer ring marks Hashem's decision to destroy the world via flood on one hand, and his promise not to ever bring another similar destructive flood on the other. The next ring discusses Noach's initial entering of the ark and his final departure from it. The inner rings mentions periods of 7, 40 and 150 days in the context of both the waters increasing and then decreasing. Finally, the middle verse states that "Hashem remembered Noach", marking the turning point from destruction to rebuilding.
• The Tower of Bavel – The story of the Tower of Bavel in Bereshit 11 is structured as a chiasm, as depicted in this visual. The structure highlights how each of man's plans was foiled by Hashem. The words "וירד ה' לראות" stand in the middle, highlighting that though man might think he is at the center, it is really Hashem who controls all.⁵
• Hashem's Speech in Shemot 6:2-8 – Hashem's speech to Moshe as he embarks on his mission to Paroh is built in a chiastic structure, with the outer ring emphasizing that "I am God", the next ring referencing the forefathers, the next mentioning the promise of the Land,  and the inner ring speaking of Hashem choosing Israel as his nation, and He as their God. The structure emphasizes Hashem's special relationship with the nation.
• The Book of Esther – R"Y Grossmann⁶ suggests that the entire Book of Esther is built on a series of contrasting parallels, in a chiastic structure, highlighting one of the book's main themes, that Haman's plot was not only foiled but fell upon his own head: "בַּיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר שִׂבְּרוּ אֹיְבֵי הַיְּהוּדִים לִשְׁלוֹט בָּהֶם וְנַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁלְטוּ הַיְּהוּדִים הֵמָּה בְּשֹׂנְאֵיהֶם". For details, see Plot Reversals in Esther.

Headings

Tanakh is not formatted in such a manner as to allow for titles or headings. It is possible, though, that sometimes sentence fragments serve such a purpose.  See the following examples:

• Yirmeyahu 38:28 – The verse ends with a  sentence fragment, "וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר נִלְכְּדָה יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם" which might serve as a heading for the next unit which discusses Yerushalayim's destruction.
• "אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת" – Throughout Sefer Bereshit, certain units begin "אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת... ".  Though some of these are immediately followed by a genealogy list, in other cases an entire story is told before one gets to the list of descendants.  It is possible that this phrase, too, serves as a heading and title of an entire unit.

Executive Summary

¹ See Ramban Bemidbar 30:1 who notes this.

² The term "הַמִּצְוָה" is found in Torah almost exclusively in Sefer Devarim, and though at times it might refer to general commandments, in several places, such as Chapter 6, it seems to refer specifically to the command to love Hashem. See It is Not in the Heavens for further discussion.

³ Compare Devarim 6:5-9 and Devarim 11:13-21 here to see the extent of the parallels between the two units.

⁴ The word itself comes from the Greek letter "chi", equivalent to the English "x", the structure formed by the inverse repetition of elements.

⁵ See this interactive module to explore the chiasm and other literary devices used in the narrative.

⁶ See J. Grossman, Esther: The Outer Narrative and the Hidden Reading (Winona Lake, Indiana, 2011): 14