Literary Devices – Bemidbar 16/0
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Literary Devices – Bemidbar 16
Key Words
עלה וירד (Ascending and Descending)
- Appearances–Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the root “עלה” appears five times in this chapter, and the opposite root “ירד” appears two times. Moreover, other words associated with vertical movement appear in the chapter, including the roots קום, נשא, and נפל, each of which appears twice.
- Primary Sources – Rashi notes the irony of Datan and Aviram’s refusal to “go up” in light of their subsequent punishment of descending into the earth.
- Articles – See The Symbolic Significance of the Earth “Opening its Mouth,” by Prof. Yonatan Grossman, for analysis of the use of these two opposing words. Datan and Aviram’s refusal to “go up” refers not only to their refusal of Moshe’s instructions to go to the Tabernacle, but their rejection of the project of ascending to the Land of Israel. Similarly, the image of the earth “opening its mouth” refers back to the spies’ rejection of the land in calling it a “land that eats its inhabitants.” See also Prof. Grossman's Leitwort (VI) for analysis of the general phenomenon of contrasting pairs of key words in Biblical narratives.
