Literary Devices – Bereshit 14/0

Literary Devices – Bereshit 14

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Key Words

Examples:

• רְכוּשׁ –Tanakh Lab demonstrates that one of the most significant key words in the chapter is רְכוּשׁ, appearing 160 more times in this unit than elsewhere in Tanakh. We are told of the taking (14:11) and retrieving (14:16) of the property of both Sedom in general and of Lot in particular.  When the king of Sedom later tells Avraham that he may keep the property, Avraham famously replies that he wants no part in the spoils, lest Sedom think "אֲנִי הֶעֱשַׁרְתִּי אֶת אַבְרָם."  The repeated word, thus highlights the contrast between the value systems of Sedom and Avraham, the former being marked by materialism and reliance on the self, and the latter by spirituality and reliance on Hashem.

Articles

• See י. גרוסמן, אברהם: סיפורו של תסע (תל אביב, 2014): 81-94 for further discussion of this key word and how it highlights the unique values of Avraham.¹

Character Titles and Relationship Epithets

Avraham

• אַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי – Throughout the chapter Avram is referred to by his proper name alone, with one exception. In Bereshit 14:13, when he first appears on the scene, he is called “אַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי”. The concordance reveals that this is an appellation that is predominantly used in contexts that involve non-Jews, often serving to contrast ethnicities.²
• This may explain the statement in Midrash RabbahAbout Midrash Rabbah Sectioned on this verse that Avraham is called “Ha-Ivri” because he stood on one side, while everyone else in the world stood on the other side

Lot

In contrast to Chapter 13, where Lot is never named in reference to his relationship to Avraham, throughout Chapter 14 he is consistently referred to  in this manner.

• בֶּן אֲחִי אַבְרָם – When Lot is taken captive in 14:12, he is identified as “the son of Avraham’s brother. The description, though, contains a somewhat awkward reference to Lot’s property, which interrupts the epithet: “They took Lot and his property, the son of Avraham’s brother.”  The reference to property (which played a role in the separation of Avraham and Lot in Ch. 13) might allude to the distance that remains in the relationship between Avraham and Lot. 
• אָחִיו – When Avraham goes to retrieve Lot (verses 14 and 16), he is referred to as Avraham's "brother", rather than nephew . The change in relational epithets highlights Avraham’s feeling of responsibility toward Lot. Despite the rift between the two, when Lot is in trouble, he views him not only as a nephew but as a brother.

Hashem

• י״י אֵל עֶלְיוֹן – In verse 22, Avraham refers to Hashem in this manner.
• אֵל עֶלְיוֹן – Earlier, in 14:18, Malki Tzedek is referred to as a priest to “El Elyon” and in 14:19-20 he blesses El Elyon, or Avraham in the name of El Elyon.

The concordance³ reveals that this term is found only in this story and in Tehillim 78:35, where it refers to Hashem specifically.  "El", though, is also a generic name for any god. As such, commentators debate whether Malki Tzedek was a monotheist, and like Avraham, referring to Hashem with this epithet (Radak) or whether he simply believed that a god named El was the highest in the pantheon (Shadal). If the latter, Avraham might intentionally specify that El Elyon is none other than Hashem.⁴

¹ For a general overview of the use of key words in the Biblical text, see Martin Buber’s דרכו של מקרא: עיונים בדפוסי-סגנון בתנ”ך.  For some online resources with discussion of the various functions and characteristics of key words and many examples, see The Multi-Purpose ‘Leading Word’ and the Problems of Its Usage, by Yairah Amit and Jeffrey M. Green, and Leitwort by Professor Yonatan Grossman.

² The BDB definition emphasizes that the term “עברי" is generally used by non-Israelites and serves “to distinguish Israelites from foreigners".

³ In the Mikraot Gedolot on Bereshit 14:18, click on the words “El Elyon” and select Concordance from the drop-down.

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