Difference between revisions of "Literary Devices – Bereshit 25/0"
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<category>Wordplay | <category>Wordplay | ||
| − | <p>There are a number of plays on words associated with Esav’s and Yaakov’s names.</p><ul> | + | <p>There are a number of plays on words associated with Esav’s and Yaakov’s names.</p> |
| + | <ul> | ||
<li>Esav is described as emerging from the womb “<span style="color: #ff9900;">אַדְמ</span>וֹנִי” (ruddy) in verse 25 and later refers to the stew as “הָ<span style="color: #ff9900;">אָדֹם</span> הָ<span style="color: #ff9900;">אָדֹם</span> הַזֶּה” (verse 30); he and his land are subsequently referred to as <span style="color: #ff9900;">אֱדוֹם</span> (verse 30).</li> | <li>Esav is described as emerging from the womb “<span style="color: #ff9900;">אַדְמ</span>וֹנִי” (ruddy) in verse 25 and later refers to the stew as “הָ<span style="color: #ff9900;">אָדֹם</span> הָ<span style="color: #ff9900;">אָדֹם</span> הַזֶּה” (verse 30); he and his land are subsequently referred to as <span style="color: #ff9900;">אֱדוֹם</span> (verse 30).</li> | ||
<li>Yaakov is described as grasping Esav’s heel (<span style="color: #3366ff;">עֲקֵב</span>) in verse 26 and is thus called <span style="color: #3366ff;">יַעֲקֹב</span>.</li> | <li>Yaakov is described as grasping Esav’s heel (<span style="color: #3366ff;">עֲקֵב</span>) in verse 26 and is thus called <span style="color: #3366ff;">יַעֲקֹב</span>.</li> | ||
| − | </ul><p>The redness associated with Esav serves as a symbol of impetuous, violent passion, while Yaakov’s grasp of Esav’s heel hints to his long struggle to acquire the birthright and the legacy it represents.</p> | + | </ul> |
| + | <p>The redness associated with Esav serves as a symbol of impetuous, violent passion, while Yaakov’s grasp of Esav’s heel hints to his long struggle to acquire the birthright and the legacy it represents.</p> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Literary Envelope | <category>Literary Envelope | ||
| − | <p>Yishmael’s narrative ends with a reference to the blessing with which it began, closing the cycle of his life with the implication that his destiny was fulfilled:</p><ul> | + | <p>Yishmael’s narrative ends with a reference to the blessing with which it began, closing the cycle of his life with the implication that his destiny was fulfilled:</p> |
| + | <ul> | ||
<li>In Bereshit 16:10-12, the angel promises Hagar that Yishmael will have many descendants and “ וְעַל פְּנֵי כׇל אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן.” Bereshit 25 lists Yishmael’s twelve sons and concludes his narrative with the statement “עַל פְּנֵי כׇל אֶחָיו נָפָל” (Bereshit 25:18).</li> | <li>In Bereshit 16:10-12, the angel promises Hagar that Yishmael will have many descendants and “ וְעַל פְּנֵי כׇל אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן.” Bereshit 25 lists Yishmael’s twelve sons and concludes his narrative with the statement “עַל פְּנֵי כׇל אֶחָיו נָפָל” (Bereshit 25:18).</li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
Version as of 01:07, 4 July 2023
Literary Devices – Bereshit 25
Key Words
בכורה (birthright)
Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the word "בכורה" (birthright) is a guiding word of the opening narrative of Yaakov and Esav (Bereshit 25:19-34), appearing four time in verses 31-34. The repetition emphasizes the significance of the birthright to their story.
לאום (nation)
Relative to the rest of Tanakh, the word "לְאֹם" (nation) also appears an unusual number of times. This indicates that the struggle over the birthright is not simply a familial matter in the story of Yaakov and Esav, but represents a struggle between nations, more than it had in previous stories of tensions between brothers.
Wordplay
There are a number of plays on words associated with Esav’s and Yaakov’s names.
- Esav is described as emerging from the womb “אַדְמוֹנִי” (ruddy) in verse 25 and later refers to the stew as “הָאָדֹם הָאָדֹם הַזֶּה” (verse 30); he and his land are subsequently referred to as אֱדוֹם (verse 30).
- Yaakov is described as grasping Esav’s heel (עֲקֵב) in verse 26 and is thus called יַעֲקֹב.
The redness associated with Esav serves as a symbol of impetuous, violent passion, while Yaakov’s grasp of Esav’s heel hints to his long struggle to acquire the birthright and the legacy it represents.
Literary Envelope
Yishmael’s narrative ends with a reference to the blessing with which it began, closing the cycle of his life with the implication that his destiny was fulfilled:
- In Bereshit 16:10-12, the angel promises Hagar that Yishmael will have many descendants and “ וְעַל פְּנֵי כׇל אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן.” Bereshit 25 lists Yishmael’s twelve sons and concludes his narrative with the statement “עַל פְּנֵי כׇל אֶחָיו נָפָל” (Bereshit 25:18).
Relational Epithets
This chapter, which tells of Avraham’s death, reflects on the nature of Avraham’s family relationships through the use of relational epithets.
Yitzchak and Yishmael
Both Yitzchak and Yishmael are referred to both by name and as Avraham’s sons (see verses 6, 9, 11 and 12), perhaps emphasizing the attachment that Avraham felt to both of them. Interestingly, the two are grouped together as “his sons” in verse 9, which describes their burial of Avraham, perhaps indicating that at this final moment they acted together in honor of their father.
Avraham's Other Children
The children that Avraham had with his concubines are called “the sons of Avraham's concubines” in verse 6, minimizing their connection to Avraham and making it clear that they do not inherit his legacy.
Sarah
Sarah is referred to as “Sarah his wife” in verse 10, emphasizing her role as Avraham’s only true wife.
Hagar
Hagar is referred to as “הָגָר הַמִּצְרִית שִׁפְחַת שָׂרָה” (verse 12), emphasizing that while Yishmael retained a father-son relationship with Avraham, Hagar was not Avraham’s true wife.
Parallelism
Hashem’s speech to Rivka in Bereshit 25:32 is a classic example of Biblical parallelism, in which adjacent phrases parallel each other:1
- שְׁנֵי [גוֹיִם] (גיים) בְּבִטְנֵךְ / וּשְׁנֵי לְאֻמִּים מִמֵּעַיִךְ יִפָּרֵדוּ
- וּלְאֹם מִלְאֹם יֶאֱמָץ / וְרַב יַעֲבֹד צָעִיר.
