Literary Devices – Bereshit 12/0

Literary Devices – Bereshit 12

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Rhetorical Devices of Repetition

In his article, Epiphora, Professor Yonatan Grossman points out that, in the beginning of the story of Avraham and Sarai in Egypt, the text employs the literary devices of anaphora and epiphora to emphasize the unexpected intrusion of Pharaoh into the story.  In verses 14-15 not only do the Egyptian "see" Sarah, so does Paroh.  In verse 15, the threefold repetition of Paroh again emphasizes how Avraham and Sarah are now in a much more precarious position than they had anticipated:

Anaphora

Anaphora refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses:

• ויִּרְאוּ הַמִּצְרים אֶת הָאִשָּׁה כִּי יָפָה הִוא מְאֹד / וַיִּרְאוּ אֹתָהּ שָׂרֵי פַרְעֹה (Bereshit 12:14-15)

Epiphora

Epiphora refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses:

• וַיִּרְאוּ אֹתָהּ שָׂרֵי פַרְעֹה / וַיְהַלְלוּ אֹתָהּ אֶל פַּרְעֹה  / וַתֻּקַּח הָאִשָּׁה בֵּית פַּרְעֹה (Bereshit 12:15)

Key Words

"לֶךְ... מֵאַרְצְךָ... אֶל הָאָרֶץ" In the first half of the chapter (verses 1-9) the noun "ארץ" appears seven times, and the root "הלך" five times.  This reflects the main theme of the unit, Avraham's uprooting himself from his homeland to go to the land promised him by Hashem.

"וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה" In verses 2-3, the concept of "blessing" appears 5 times (the root "ברך" is mentioned 4 times, and the noun "ברכה" once). Avraham is both blessed and a source of blessing.

Type Scene

Robert Alter¹ has identified a convention of Biblical narrative in which a basic narrative sequence appears multiple times in Tanakh, each time with modifications that serve the needs of the narrative.  The story of posing one’s wife as one’s sister is one such example of a type-scene, which appears three times in Sefer Bereshit, the first time in Bereshit 12. For analysis of the motivations for this ploy, see Endangering Sarai in Egypt.

Literary Envelope (Inclusio) A literary envelope marks the opening and closing of a literary unit through the repetition of key phrases, and often implies a sense of harmony and consistency within the unit.  The Avraham narratives are framed by such an inclusio, as seen below: This literary envelope perhaps emphasizes the consistency of Avraham’s faith and devotion to Hashem throughout his many tests.

• The words “לֶךְ לְךָ” (Bereshit 12:1) that introduces Avraham’s first test (leaving his homeland) form a literary envelope with the words “לֶךְ לְךָ” (Bereshit 22:2) that introduce his last test (Akeidat Yitzchak).² 
• The language of Hashem's initial command, that Avraham go forth “from your land, and from your family, and from your father’s house” is structurally similar to His command to sacrifice Yitzchak: “take your son, your only one, whom you love”. In both, He gradually identifies the cherished place or person that Avraham must sacrifice.
• Finally, the blessings promised to Avraham in 12:2-3 (וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ...  וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה) form a literary envelope with those promised to him in 22:17-18 ( כִּי בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ... וְהִתְבָּרְכוּ בְזַרְעֲךָ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ).

¹ See Robert Alter’s Biblical Type-Scenes and the Uses of Convention.

² See R. Meir Lau's short piece, אל תשלח ידך את הנער, where he notes a progression between the first and final test.  In Chapter 12 Hashem asks of Avraham that he separate himself from his past; in Chapter 22 he demands of him to forsake his future.