Difference between revisions of "Literary Devices – Bereshit 15/0"
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| − | The following articles contain general discussion of wordplay in Tanakh:< | + | <p>The following articles contain general discussion of wordplay in Tanakh:</p> |
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<li>See <a href="https://jewishstudies.rutgers.edu/docman/rendsburg/791-word-play-an-eclectic-collection/file">Wordplay in Biblical Hebrew: An Eclectic Collection</a>, by Gary A. Rendsburg, for exploration of various forms of Biblical wordplays.</li> | <li>See <a href="https://jewishstudies.rutgers.edu/docman/rendsburg/791-word-play-an-eclectic-collection/file">Wordplay in Biblical Hebrew: An Eclectic Collection</a>, by Gary A. Rendsburg, for exploration of various forms of Biblical wordplays.</li> | ||
Version as of 00:03, 5 October 2023
Literary Devices – Bereshit 15
Structure
Two Promises
- Bereshit 15 is comprised of two sections: verses 1-6 in which Hashem promises Avraham plentiful seed, and verses 7-21, known as the Covenant of the Pieces, in which He tells Avraham that his progeny will inherit the Land of Israel.
Articles
- For discussion of whether the two parts of the chapter constitute two halves of an integrated blessing of seed and land or whether they comprise two distinct prophecies, see Bereshit 15 – One Prophecy or Two?
Key Words
Examples
- Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the words that appear with the greatest frequency in Bereshit 15 are the roots “ירש” (inherit) and “נתן" (give), highlighting the theme of the gifting of the land to Avraham as an eternal inheritance for his descendants.
Articles
- 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.
Wordplay
Examples
- See R. David Zvi Hoffmann that the appellation "וּבֶן מֶשֶׁק בֵּיתִי" is a play on the words "דַּמֶּשֶׂק אֱלִיעֶזֶר". The fact that the phrase "בֶן מֶשֶׁק בֵּיתִי" appears only here (see the concordance) suggests that the play on words in intentional.1
Articles
The following articles contain general discussion of wordplay in Tanakh:
- See Wordplay in Biblical Hebrew: An Eclectic Collection, by Gary A. Rendsburg, for exploration of various forms of Biblical wordplays.
- See Wordplay in Ancient Near Eastern Texts, by Scott B. Noegel, for a book-length treatment of the range of permutations of wordplays in Tanakh and in other Ancient Near Eastern texts. 2
Symbolism
- תַנּוּר עָשָׁן וְלַפִּיד אֵשׁ – See Ramban that this represents Hashem coming to make the covenant, noting that the image is parallel to the "cloud and darkness" and "consuming fire" found during the revelation at Mount Sinai. The concordance reveals that the word "עשן" appears in Torah in only these two stories, strengthening the comparison.
