Literary Devices – Bereshit 24/0
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Literary Devices – Bereshit 24
Structure
Parallels and Contrasts
Key Words
Character Titles
Hashem
Throughout the chapter, Hashem is referred to by His proper name, Hashem. At times, though this name is accompanied by an epithet:
- י"י אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם – The servant refers to Hashem as "the God of his master Avraham" when praying in verses 12 and 27 (and in the account of that prayer in verses 42 and 48). This might imply that the servant thinks of Hashem as Avraham's god specifically, perhaps because he only came to know Hashem through him.
- י״י אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וֵאלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ – Avraham refers to Hashem in this manner in Bereshit 24:3 and 7, the only place in Torah where this appellation is used.1 It is interesting that Avraham uses this term for Hashem when sending his servant to another part of the world to seek a wife for Yitzchak. Commentators discuss why Avraham uses this name for Hashem. Compare Rashi2, Ibn Ezra3 and Radak.4
Avraham's Servant
- עַבְדּוֹ זְקַן בֵּיתוֹ הַמֹּשֵׁל בְּכׇל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ – Avraham’s servant is introduced as “his servant, the elder of his household who ruled over all that was his,” perhaps to make clear from the outset the trustworthiness of his character.
- הָעֶבֶד – In verses 5-17, he is referred to as simply "הָעֶבֶד", in verse 34 when he introduces himself to Rivkla's family, he similalrly He identifies himself as עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם, and when he concludes his negotiations in verse 52 and heads back to Avraham’s family, he is again referred to as “הָעֶבֶד” many times.
- הָאִישׁ – Beginning in verse 21, he is referred to as “ha-ish” seven times, perhaps to underscore the independence and gravitas with which he fulfills his mission, and the respect he is accorded in Rivka’s house. He identifies himself as eved Avraham, however, and as he concludes his negotiations and heads back to Avraham’s family, he is again referred to as “eved” many times, beginning in verse 52. While not true in every instance, he is generally called “eved” at the beginning and end of his mission, and “ish” as he conducts his mission with independence. Tanakh Lab demonstrates that both words appear 15 times in this chapter. Interestingly, the servant is never referred to by his name, perhaps emphasizing that his role in this chapter is that of a faithful representative.
Type Scenes Robert Alter has identified a convention of Biblical narrative in which a basic narrative sequence appears multiple times in Tanakh, each time with modifications that serve the needs of the narrative.
Meeting at a Well Narratives of meeting one’s spouse at a well comprise one of the most significant Biblical type-scenes. The servant, Yaakov, and Moshe all find spouses at a well.
Articles
- For a full analysis of this type-scene, see Robert Alter’s Biblical Type-Scenes and the Uses of Convention.