Literary Devices – Bereshit 18/0
Literary Devices – Bereshit 18
Key Words
צחק (to laugh)
- Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the root “צחק” is the word that appears with the greatest frequency in this chapter relative to the rest of Tanakh. This word is associated strongly with the narrative of Yitzchak, in this chapter as well as in Chapters 17 and 21.
מהר (to hurry)
- Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the root "מהר” (to hurry) is the word that appears with third greatest frequency in this chapter relative to the rest of Tanakh. This root is accompanied by two appearances of the root "רוץ" (to run). Together they connote the enthusiasm of Avraham in greeting and serving his guests.
- Interestingly, according to the Tanakh Lab1, the chapter most linguistically similar to this chapter is Bereshit 24, discussing Rivka’s hospitality, in which the same two roots appear.2 Rivka, too, rushes and runs to provide hospitality.
צדיק (righteous)
- In the section of the chapter about Sedom (verses 16-33), Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the word “צדיק” is one of the most frequently used words relative to the rest of Bereshit and the rest of Tanakh. The related word “צדקה” also appears (verse 19), as well as the connected word “משפט” (verses 19 and 25). Hashem says of Avraham that he will pursue "צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט", and shortly thereafter Avraham demands of Hashem that He practice מִשְׁפָּט. These words emphasize the central ideas of the story, contrasting the lack of righteousness in the culture of Sedom with Avraham, a model of righteousness.
Articles
For analysis of the significance of laughter in Yitzchak’s narrative and legacy, see:
- מ' גרסיאל, מדרשי שמות במקרא, (רמת-גן תשמ"ח): 156-157
- "מילות מפתח ככותרת תת-קרקעית לפרשיות במקרא
ושאלת ממחרת השבת" by Professor Yehuda Elitzur which explores the phenomenon of guiding words that are associated with particular characters in Tanakh. - Parshat Vayera - Laughter and Isaac by R. Alex Israel which suggests that the motif of laughter in Yitzchak’s life represents the unexpectedness and apparent absurdity of aspects of his experience and religious faith.
- Leitwort (IV) by Professor Yonatan Grossman, which suggests that the guiding word alludes to Hashem’s miraculous suspension of natural law in Yitzchak’s birth. Later in the narrative, the same root refers to Yishmael’s scorn of moral law.3
Parenthetical statement
At times, Tanakh includes parenthetical statement that provides background information important to the narrative. A good example of this device is found in Bereshit 18:11: “And Avraham and Sarah were elderly, coming on in years; Sarah had ceased to have a menstrual flow like women."
Strategic Repetition
Tanakh is often strategic about how it repeats information or dialogue. In verses 13-14, Hashem repeats Sarah’s words to Avraham, but leaves out her reference to Avraham’s advanced age and to her having withered. As Rashi points out, Hashem leaves out her mention of Avraham’s old age to preserve peace between them, and one might add that perhaps He leaves out her description of her being withered out of respect for her.
Allusions
Hashem’s statement that He will descend to check the corruption of Sedom alludes to the one previous context in which Hashem “descends,” in the story of The Tower of Babel (11:5, 7). In both places Hashem intervenes to undermine or destroy a society gone astray.4
Type Scene
Robert Alter has identified a literary technique which he refers to as Biblical type scenes, in which a basic narrative sequence appears multiple times in Tanakh, each time with modifications that serve the needs of the specific story. Paying attention to the deviations from the expected template often reveals the hidden messages of the individual story.
Divine Promise of a Child
One such type scene is the annunciation type-scene, in which a childless parent is given a divine promise of a child. Makbilot BaMikra notes that this occurs in the stories of the births of Yitzchak, Yaakov and Esav, Shimshon, Shemuel, and the child of the Shunamite woman.
Articles
For analysis of this type-scene, see How Convention Helps Us Read: The Case of the Bible’s Annunciation Type-Scene by Robert Alter.
