Difference between revisions of "Literary Devices – Bereshit 27/0"
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<category>Wordplay | <category>Wordplay | ||
| − | <p>The chapter contains several examples of wordplay surrounding the names of the brothers:</p><ul> | + | <p>The chapter contains several examples of wordplay surrounding the names of the brothers:</p> |
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<li>Da'at Mikra<fn>See Da'at Mikra Bereshit, ed. Y. Keel (Jerusalem, 2000),</fn> notes that the description of Esav as an אִישׁ <span style="color: #99cc00;">שָׂעִר</span> (Bereshit 27:11)<fn>See also the description of him at birth "כְּאַדֶּרֶת שֵׂעָר" (Bereshit 25:25).</fn> foreshadows his possession of the land of Seir (<span style="color: #99cc00;">שעיר</span>) and serves as a play on words.</li> | <li>Da'at Mikra<fn>See Da'at Mikra Bereshit, ed. Y. Keel (Jerusalem, 2000),</fn> notes that the description of Esav as an אִישׁ <span style="color: #99cc00;">שָׂעִר</span> (Bereshit 27:11)<fn>See also the description of him at birth "כְּאַדֶּרֶת שֵׂעָר" (Bereshit 25:25).</fn> foreshadows his possession of the land of Seir (<span style="color: #99cc00;">שעיר</span>) and serves as a play on words.</li> | ||
<li>Esav describes Yaakov’s deceit through a play on his name:"הֲכִי קָרָא שְׁמוֹ <span style="color: #ff9900;">יַעֲקֹב וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי</span> זֶה פַעֲמַיִם" (Bereshit 27:36).<fn>It is interesting to consider why there is so much wordplay connected to Esav’s and Yaakov’s names, both in this chapter and in Chapter 25.</fn>  </li> | <li>Esav describes Yaakov’s deceit through a play on his name:"הֲכִי קָרָא שְׁמוֹ <span style="color: #ff9900;">יַעֲקֹב וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי</span> זֶה פַעֲמַיִם" (Bereshit 27:36).<fn>It is interesting to consider why there is so much wordplay connected to Esav’s and Yaakov’s names, both in this chapter and in Chapter 25.</fn>  </li> | ||
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<category>Parallelism | <category>Parallelism | ||
| − | <p>Biblical parallelism refers to the literary structure in which adjacent phrases parallel each other. An example of parallelism is found in Yitzchak’s blessing of Yaakov:<fn>For more information about the nature of Biblical parallelism, see Dr. Mayer I. Gruber’s article <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20689374?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">The Meaning of Biblical Parallelism: A Biblical Perspective</a> and Dr. Adele Berlin’s <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23503350?searchText=&searchUri=&ab_segments=&searchKey=&refreqid=fastly-default%3A597a674cac61fd731f453302a133d0b9">Grammatical Aspects of Biblical Parallelism</a>. Other resources (not available online) are Dr. Robert Alter’s <i>The Art of Biblical Poetry</i> pp. 3-61, Dr. Adele Berlin’s <i>The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism</i>, and Dr. James Kugel’s <i>The Idea of Biblical Poetry: Parallelism and Its History</i>.</fn></p><ul> | + | <p>Biblical parallelism refers to the literary structure in which adjacent phrases parallel each other. An example of parallelism is found in Yitzchak’s blessing of Yaakov:<fn>For more information about the nature of Biblical parallelism, see Dr. Mayer I. Gruber’s article <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20689374?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">The Meaning of Biblical Parallelism: A Biblical Perspective</a> and Dr. Adele Berlin’s <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23503350?searchText=&searchUri=&ab_segments=&searchKey=&refreqid=fastly-default%3A597a674cac61fd731f453302a133d0b9">Grammatical Aspects of Biblical Parallelism</a>. Other resources (not available online) are Dr. Robert Alter’s <i>The Art of Biblical Poetry</i> pp. 3-61, Dr. Adele Berlin’s <i>The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism</i>, and Dr. James Kugel’s <i>The Idea of Biblical Poetry: Parallelism and Its History</i>.</fn></p> |
| + | <ul> | ||
<li>וְיִתֶּן לְךָ הָאֱלֹהִים מִטַּל הַשָּׁמַיִם / וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי הָאָרֶץ / וְרֹב דָּגָן וְתִירֹשׁ.</li> | <li>וְיִתֶּן לְךָ הָאֱלֹהִים מִטַּל הַשָּׁמַיִם / וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי הָאָרֶץ / וְרֹב דָּגָן וְתִירֹשׁ.</li> | ||
<li>יַעַבְדוּךָ עַמִּים וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ לְאֻמִּים / הֱוֵה גְבִיר לְאַחֶיךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אִמֶּךָ</li> | <li>יַעַבְדוּךָ עַמִּים וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ לְאֻמִּים / הֱוֵה גְבִיר לְאַחֶיךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אִמֶּךָ</li> | ||
Version as of 06:59, 7 July 2023
Literary Devices – Bereshit 27
Key Words
Tanakh Lab indicates that the most frequent words in Bereshit 27 are בֵּן ,אָב, ברך and אָח, reflecting the narrative’s focus on the complex family dynamics surrounding the bestowal of blessing.
Blessing
- Not surprisingly, given the focus of the chapter, the root "ברך" and noun "ברכה" together are among the most prevalent words in the chapter.1
- See I. Yaniv's article מלים מנחות במעגל חייו של יעקב which traces the roles of blessings throughout Yaakov's life, from this chapter through to his blessing of his children in Bereshit 49.
Family Relationships
The word "בֵּן" (son) appears 25 times, "אָב" (father) 24 times and "אָח" (brother) 23 times, highlighting the family relationships around which the story revolves. Interestingly, despite Rivka's masterminding the drama, the noun "אֵם" (mother) appears only five times in the narrative. Perhaps this reflects her subtle, hidden involvement which takes place only behind the scenes.
Food
- When looking at the relative usage of words here versus in the rest of Tanakh, two other words emerge as being significant: "מַטְעַמִּים" and "צַיִד".2 The role that food plays the giving of blessing is somewhat surprising and invites questioning.
- Compare how R"Y Bekhor Shor, R. Avraham b. HaRambam and R. D"Z Hoffman each understand why Yitzchak made the blessing contingent on bringing him a meal.
Wordplay
The chapter contains several examples of wordplay surrounding the names of the brothers:
- Da'at Mikra3 notes that the description of Esav as an אִישׁ שָׂעִר (Bereshit 27:11)4 foreshadows his possession of the land of Seir (שעיר) and serves as a play on words.
- Esav describes Yaakov’s deceit through a play on his name:"הֲכִי קָרָא שְׁמוֹ יַעֲקֹב וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי זֶה פַעֲמַיִם" (Bereshit 27:36).5
Parallelism
Biblical parallelism refers to the literary structure in which adjacent phrases parallel each other. An example of parallelism is found in Yitzchak’s blessing of Yaakov:6
- וְיִתֶּן לְךָ הָאֱלֹהִים מִטַּל הַשָּׁמַיִם / וּמִשְׁמַנֵּי הָאָרֶץ / וְרֹב דָּגָן וְתִירֹשׁ.
- יַעַבְדוּךָ עַמִּים וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ לְאֻמִּים / הֱוֵה גְבִיר לְאַחֶיךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אִמֶּךָ
- אֹרְרֶיךָ אָרוּר / וּמְבָרְכֶיךָ בָּרוּךְ
Consecutive Verbs
When Tanakh uses several verbs in succession, it might intend to highlight speed and energy of action.
- This convention appears in 27:14 (“He went, took, and brought them for his mother”), to describe Yaakov’s alacrity in carrying out his mother’s instructions. It calls to mind the string of verbs in 25:34 with which Esav consummates the exchange of the lentil stew for the birthright.
Characterization
Tanakh rarely describes a personality outright; instead, it paints character through subtle hints.
Esav
Robert Alter, in his commentary on Bereshit, points out that Rivka’s knowledge of Esav’s plot against Yaakov (27:42), despite the verses recording only his internal thoughts on the matter, indicates that he was unable to refrain from spilling his secret. This hints to his impulsive nature.
Articles
See Robert Alter’s article Character in the Bible, as well as his chapter on characterization in The Art of Biblical Narrative (New York, 1981):114-130, for exploration of methods of characterization in Tanakh.
