Difference between revisions of "Literary Devices – Bereshit 2-3/0"
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<category>Chiastic Structure | <category>Chiastic Structure | ||
| − | <p>The story of Gan Eden can be construed as a chiasm,<fn>Chiastic structure is characterized by repetitive symmetry, in which narrative elements follow an A-B-B-A structure, in order to identify the beginning and end of a narrative unit as well as its climax or turning-point.</fn> in which the turning point is the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge:  </p><ul> | + | <p>The story of Gan Eden can be construed as a chiasm,<fn>Chiastic structure is characterized by repetitive symmetry, in which narrative elements follow an A-B-B-A structure, in order to identify the beginning and end of a narrative unit as well as its climax or turning-point.</fn> in which the turning point is the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge:  </p> |
| + | <ul> | ||
<li>a) The placement of man in Gan Eden:<span style="color: #ff6600;"><b> וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ בְגַן עֵדֶן</b></span> ‎ (2:15) </li> | <li>a) The placement of man in Gan Eden:<span style="color: #ff6600;"><b> וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ בְגַן עֵדֶן</b></span> ‎ (2:15) </li> | ||
<li>b) The naming of animals: <b><span style="color: #99cc00;">וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁמוֹת לְכׇל הַבְּהֵמָה </span></b> ‎(2:19-20)</li> | <li>b) The naming of animals: <b><span style="color: #99cc00;">וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁמוֹת לְכׇל הַבְּהֵמָה </span></b> ‎(2:19-20)</li> | ||
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<li>b') The naming of Chavvah: ‎<b><span style="color: #99cc00;">וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ חַוָּה</span></b> ‎(3:20)‎</li> | <li>b') The naming of Chavvah: ‎<b><span style="color: #99cc00;">וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ חַוָּה</span></b> ‎(3:20)‎</li> | ||
<li>a') The banishment from Gan Eden: <b><span style="color: #ff6600;">וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ י״י אֱלֹהִים מִגַּן עֵדֶן</span></b>‎ (3:22-23) </li> | <li>a') The banishment from Gan Eden: <b><span style="color: #ff6600;">וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ י״י אֱלֹהִים מִגַּן עֵדֶן</span></b>‎ (3:22-23) </li> | ||
| − | </ul><p>The structure highlights how in the aftermath of sin, the status quo changes, and earlier relationships are reversed.</p> | + | </ul> |
| + | <p>The structure highlights how in the aftermath of sin, the status quo changes, and earlier relationships are reversed.</p> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Key Words | <category>Key Words | ||
Version as of 10:53, 19 June 2023
Literary Devices – Bereshit 2-3
Chiastic Structure
The story of Gan Eden can be construed as a chiasm,1 in which the turning point is the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge:
- a) The placement of man in Gan Eden: וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ בְגַן עֵדֶן (2:15)
- b) The naming of animals: וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁמוֹת לְכׇל הַבְּהֵמָה (2:19-20)
- c) The creation of Chavvah and her relationship with Adam: וְדָבַק בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ וְהָיוּ לְבָשָׂר אֶחָד (2:22-24)
- d) The dialogue between the snake and Chavvah: וַיֹּאמֶר הַנָּחָשׁ אֶל הָאִשָּׁה (3:2-5)
- e) The sin of eating from the tree: וַתִּקַּח מִפִּרְיוֹ וַתֹּאכַל (3:6)
- d') The curse on the relationship between the snake and Chavvah and offspring: וְאֵיבָה אָשִׁית בֵּינְךָ וּבֵין הָאִשָּׁה (3:14-15)
- c') The curse on the relationship between Adam and Chavvah: וְאֶל אִישֵׁךְ תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ וְהוּא יִמְשׇׁל בָּךְ (3:16)
- b') The naming of Chavvah: וַיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם שֵׁם אִשְׁתּוֹ חַוָּה (3:20)
- a') The banishment from Gan Eden: וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ י״י אֱלֹהִים מִגַּן עֵדֶן (3:22-23)
The structure highlights how in the aftermath of sin, the status quo changes, and earlier relationships are reversed.
Key Words
Prevalent Words
- Tanakh Lab highlights that the words which occur most frequently in the unit are the names of the main characters: אלהים, אדם, אשה,2 the verb "אכל" (eat),3 and the nouns "עץ" (tree) and "גן" (garden).4 This is somewhat expected as these form the basis of the plot. One figure, though, is missing from the list, being mentioned only 5 times in the unit -- the snake. This might suggest that, despite his pivotal role, he is really just a secondary character in the story.5
Relative Prevalence
When looking at the relative frequency of the words in the unit, another keyword takes on significance.
- עֵירֹם – See Tanakh Lab that though the word only appears three times in the unit, it is 143 times more prevalent here than elsewhere in Tanakh. This might suggest that one of the keys to understanding the story of the Tree of Knowledge lies in exploring this theme. See The Tree of Knowledge and the opinion of Ibn Ezra, Radak and Abarbanel there, who all suggest that the knowledge granted by the tree was sexual desire, which imparted new significance to the notion of nakedness.
