Difference between revisions of "Literary Devices – Bereshit 16/0"
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<category>Triple "ויאמר" | <category>Triple "ויאמר" | ||
In many verses, one finds that the word "וַיֹּאמֶר" is mentioned twice despite there not being an an intervening response or explicit change in speaker in between. This might indicate resistance or opposition of some sort on the part of the other participants in the conversation. [For further discussion of the phenomenon and many other examples, see <a href="Literary:Redundancy" data-aht="page">Redundancy</a>]. | In many verses, one finds that the word "וַיֹּאמֶר" is mentioned twice despite there not being an an intervening response or explicit change in speaker in between. This might indicate resistance or opposition of some sort on the part of the other participants in the conversation. [For further discussion of the phenomenon and many other examples, see <a href="Literary:Redundancy" data-aht="page">Redundancy</a>]. | ||
| − | <subcategory>Repeated Speech of the Angel | + | <subcategory name="Speech of the Angel"> |
| + | Repeated Speech of the Angel | ||
<p>In verses 9-12, the angel instructs Hagar to return to Sarai and accept her affliction, then promises Hagar numerous offspring, and finally gives her a prophetic promise of the son she will bear, with each statement being introduced with a new "וַיֹּאמֶר". </p> | <p>In verses 9-12, the angel instructs Hagar to return to Sarai and accept her affliction, then promises Hagar numerous offspring, and finally gives her a prophetic promise of the son she will bear, with each statement being introduced with a new "וַיֹּאמֶר". </p> | ||
</subcategory> | </subcategory> | ||
| − | <subcategory> | + | <subcategory>Sources and Articles |
<ul> | <ul> | ||
<li>See Abarbanel and R. D"Z Hoffmann that the repetition the unnecessary "וַיֹּאמֶר" implies that Hagar met the angel's words with resistance or disbelief, agreeing to return home only after all three statements</li> | <li>See Abarbanel and R. D"Z Hoffmann that the repetition the unnecessary "וַיֹּאמֶר" implies that Hagar met the angel's words with resistance or disbelief, agreeing to return home only after all three statements</li> | ||
Version as of 00:52, 2 July 2023
Literary Devices – Bereshit 16
Structure
Triple "ויאמר" In many verses, one finds that the word "וַיֹּאמֶר" is mentioned twice despite there not being an an intervening response or explicit change in speaker in between. This might indicate resistance or opposition of some sort on the part of the other participants in the conversation. [For further discussion of the phenomenon and many other examples, see Redundancy].
Repeated Speech of the Angel
In verses 9-12, the angel instructs Hagar to return to Sarai and accept her affliction, then promises Hagar numerous offspring, and finally gives her a prophetic promise of the son she will bear, with each statement being introduced with a new "וַיֹּאמֶר".
Sources and Articles
- See Abarbanel and R. D"Z Hoffmann that the repetition the unnecessary "וַיֹּאמֶר" implies that Hagar met the angel's words with resistance or disbelief, agreeing to return home only after all three statements
- For insight into Hagar’s resistance and its significance, see R. David Silber’s article "Gerut, Avdut, and Innuy: The Covenantal Formula" in A Passover Haggadah: Go Forth And Learn (Philadelphia, 2011): 16-34
Key Words
Seeing and Hearing In Bereshit 16, there is an interplay between words relating to sight (“ראה” and "עין") and hearing (“שמע” and "ישמעאל") which serve as contrasting key words.
- The angel twice refers to the faculty of hearing in verse 11, while Hagar focuses on the faculty of sight (see verses 13-14).1
- Earlier, Avram, in contrast to Hagar, is described as “listening” to Sarai’s voice (verse 2) while Hagar "sees" herself as pregnant, so that Sarai is denigrated "in her eyes" (verses 4-5).
- Significantly, although Hagar is commanded to name her son Yishmael, it is Avraham who actually gives him that name (verse 15-16).
Articles
- R. Yonatan Grossman discusses these guiding words in his book,אברהם: סיפורו של מסע (תל אביב, 2014):126-129.
- Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores the contrast between hearing and seeing as reflecting the conflicting emotional landscapes of guilt and shame in The Art of Listening.
