Literary Devices – Bereshit 15/0
Literary Devices – Bereshit 15
Structure
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. 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
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.
Plays on Words
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
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.
