Literary Devices – Bereshit 17/0

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Literary Devices – Bereshit 17

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Key Words

Character Titles

God

  • Elokim – This is the name used for Hashem throughout most of the chapter.
  • Hashem – The narrator refers to Hashem by His proper name, Hashem, in verse 1.
  • El Shaddai – Hashem identifies Himself as “אֵל שַׁדַּי ” in 17:1. See the concordance and R. Yosef Ibn KaspiBereshit 17:1About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi that in almost every context in which this name for Hashem appears in Sefer Bereshit, it is associated with a divine blessing of offspring and land.1 Da'at Mikra further  points out that this name for Hashem is used when the protagonist of the story is in distress, and that the name connotes either God’s encouragement2 or attribute of judgment.3

Sources

  • For discussion of the various possible meanings of the name "El Shaddai" and why it might be appropriate for this chapter see: R. Saadya Gaon, Rashi, R. Chananel, Ibn Ezra, Ramban, and Harekhasim LeVikah.