Literary Devices – Bereshit 17/0

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Literary Devices – Bereshit 17

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Key Words

  • ברית – Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the word “ברית” appears 13 times in this chapter, emphasizing the theme of the reciprocal covenant between Hashem and Avraham that is represented by the covenant of circumcision.1

Character Titles

God

  • Elokim – This is the name used for Hashem throughout most of the chapter. It is the name that was used throughout the story of Creation, but has not appeared since the story of the flood in Bereshit 9.  The usage here might recall the Creation unit, as this chapter too, is a story of creation, the creation of the Jewish people with the covenant of circumcision.
  • 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.2 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 encouragement3 or attribute of judgment.4

Sources