Literary Devices – Bereshit 22/0
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Literary Devices – Bereshit 22
Literary Envelope
A literary envelope marks the opening and closing of a literary unit through the repetition of key phrases, and often implies a sense of harmony and consistency within the unit. The Avraham narratives are framed by such an inclusio, as seen below:
לך לך to לך לך
- The words “לֶךְ לְךָ” (Bereshit 12:1) that introduces Avraham’s first test (leaving his homeland) form a literary envelope with the words “לֶךְ לְךָ” (Bereshit 22:2) that introduce his last test (Akeidat Yitzchak).
- The language of Hashem's initial command, that Avraham go forth “from your land, and from your family, and from your father’s house” is structurally similar to His command to sacrifice Yitzchak: “take your son, your only one, whom you love”. In both, He gradually identifies the cherished place or person that Avraham must sacrifice.
- In both stories Hashem uses similar language to describe Avraham’s destination: in Bereshit 12 He instructs Avraham to travel “to the land that I will show you” and in Bereshit 22 He commands that Avraham offer Yitzchak “on one of the mountains which I will tell you.”
- Finally, the blessings promised to Avraham in 12:2-3 (וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ... וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה) form a literary envelope with those promised to him in 22:17-18 ( כִּי בָרֵךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ... וְהִתְבָּרְכוּ בְזַרְעֲךָ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ).
This literary envelope both demarcates the Avraham narratives and emphasizes the consistency of Avraham’s faith and devotion to Hashem throughout his many tests.
Sources and Articles
- See Rashi on Bereshit 22:2 who notes the similarity in structure between Bereshit 12:1 and 22:2, explaining how Hashem often will only slowly disclose his full intent to the righteous, so as to increase their reward.
- See R. Meir Lau's short piece, "אל תשלח ידך את הנער" who suggests that the frame of "לך-לך" perhaps marks a progression in the difficulty of Avraham's tests. While in Chapter 12 Hashem asks of Avraham that he forego his past, in Chapter 22 he demands of him to forsake his future.
Parallels and Contrasts
The story of the Akeidah might be divided into two halves: verses 1-9, Avraham's journey to fulfill God's command, and verses 11-19, his reward for his readiness to do, with verse 10 being the turning point, as Avraham lifts his hand to slaughter his son. The two halves contain several parallels to each other:
- In verse 1, Hashem calls Avraham by name, and he responds willingly: וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּנִי". The angel echoes the call in verse 11, but this time mentioning Avraham's name twice: "וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּנִי".
- In verse 2, Hashem commands, "קַח נָא אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶת יְחִידְךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ". In verse 12, the angel undoes the command once Avraham proved compliant: "כִּי עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה וְלֹא חָשַׂכְתָּ אֶת בִּנְךָ אֶת יְחִידְךָ מִמֶּנִּי".
- In verse 4, Avraham lifts his eyes to see the site where he is to slaughter Yitzchak: "וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת הַמָּקוֹם מֵרָחֹק". In verse 13, he lifts his eyes to find the ram that will replace him: ".וַיִּשָּׂא אַבְרָהָם אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה אַיִל".
- In verses 6-8, we are told that Yitzchak and Avraham travel together to the Akeidah, "וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם יַחְדָּו". In verse 19, they travel home together: "וַיֵּלְכוּ יַחְדָּו".
Key Words1
יחיד and יחד
- Tanakh Lab points out that, relative to the rest of Sefer Bereshit and the rest of Tanakh, two of the main guiding words of Chapter 22 are “יחיד” (only one) and “יחד” (together). These words reflect the agony of this chapter in which Avraham is called upon to sacrifice his only son borne by Sarah, and Avraham and Yitzchak travel together [see the threefold repetition of the phrase "וַיֵּלְכוּ (שְׁנֵיהֶם) יַחְדָּו"] for what Avraham imagines to be the last time.
- Sources – See R. Hirsch's analysis of the meaning of the phrase "וילכו יחדו".
הלך (to go)
- Tanakh Lab points out that one of the roots that appears with greatest frequency in this chapter is “הלך”, occurring a symbolic seven times.
- Articles – For discussion of the role played by the root "הלך" in both this unit and the larger Avraham narratives, see י. גרוסמן, אברהם: סיפורו של מסע (תל אביב, 2014):38-39. Y. Grossman suggests that the repetition of the verb "to go" throughout the narrative highlights how Avraham is an active character, an initiator and doer. Moreover, the physical journeying that marks his life is perhaps symbolic of the more important inner spiritual journey.
ויאמר הנני
- ויאמר הנני – The phrase "He said: Here I am", a term connoting readiness for a task, appears three times in the chapter: in verse 1 when Avraham responds to Hashem's call, in verse 7, when he responds to Yitzchak, and in verse 11, in response to the angel's call.
- Articles – See מ. עמנואלי, ספר בראשית הסברים והארות (תל אביב, 1978):305-306 who notes that the recurring phrases highlights the dilemma in which Avraham finds himself. How can he be Avraham the obedient follower of Hashem, ever ready to answer His call and, simultaneously, Avraham the father, ever present for his son?
בן (son)
The word "בן" appears 10 time sin the story of the Akeidah (Bereshit 21:1-19) as the text continuously emphasizes the difficult challenge inherent in Hashem's test.
ראה
- ראה – The root “ראה” (to see) appears five times in this chapter (in verses 4,8,13, and twice in 14), at first with Avraham as the subject and then with Hashem as the subject. This reflects the way in which Avraham’s understanding of events is replaced with Hashem’s vision, as Avraham carries out Hashem’s command.
- Articles – See רא"ה ושמ"ע כצמד מלים מנחות by Amos Frisch who notes that while the root "ראה" plays a significant role in this chapter, it is the root "שמע" which plays a significant role in Chapter 21. He notes that the thematic connection between the words makes them a "a leitwort pair" and serves to connect the two chapters.
Relationship Epithets
Father and Son
Tanakh Lab demonstrates that Yitzchak is referred to 11 times as Avraham’s son and that Avraham is referred to three times as Yitzchak’s father. These relational epithets emphasize the closeness between them and the agony of the test of Akedat Yitzchak.
Character Titles
Hashem
- אלהים – In the first half of the story, while Avraham undergoes the test, Hashem is consistently referred to by the generic name "Elokim", often understood to reflect God's attribute of justice (verses 1,3,8,9).
- י"י – In the second half of the story, when Avraham is told not to sacrifice and rewarded for his faith, God is consistently called by the personal, proper name, "Hashem", often understood to reflect Hashem's attribute of mercy. (verses 11, 14, 15, 16).
Wordplay
Examples
The text plays with certain similar sounding words:
- ראה-ירא
- יחד-יחיד
Articles
The following articles contain general discussion of wordplay in the Biblical text:
- See Wordplay in Biblical Hebrew: An Eclectic Collection, by Gary A. Rendsburg, for exploration of various forms of Biblical wordplays.
- See Wordplay in Ancient Near Eastern Texts, by Scott B. Noegel, for a book-length treatment of the range of permutations of wordplays in Tanakh and in other Ancient Near Eastern texts.
- See How Translation Obscured the Music and Wordplay of the Bible, by Prof. Robert Alter, for an interesting account of Prof. Alter’s efforts to capture the wordplays of the Bible in translation.
Epiphora
- Epiphora refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses which draws attention to that word or phrase. An example is the repetition of the phrase “וילכו שניהם יחדיו” at the end of Bereshit 22:6 and 22:8.
- Perhaps this device is used to suggest that Avraham and Yitzchak were of one mind in approaching Akeidat Yitzchak. Alternatively, it may suggest the opposite -- that while they walked together, they did not have the same assumptions about their destination and their minds were not in the same place. It is also possible that this use of epiphora simply underscores the pathos of their journey together to a place where (they thought) they would have to separate forever.
Consecutive Verbs
The use of a string of verbs in Tanakh generally connotes energetic action. In verses 9-10, there are seven verbs that describe Avraham’s actions in preparing the altar to sacrifice Yitzchak, implying his commitment to carrying out this incredibly difficult command.
