Difference between revisions of "Literary Devices – Bereshit 29/0"
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| + | <p>There are several examples of wordplay in the chapter:</p> | ||
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| + | <li>Da'at Mikra points out a play on words and sounds between the words “וַיַּשְׁקְ” (he watered) and “וַיִּשַּׁק” (he kissed) in the story of Yaakov’s and Rachel’s first meeting in Bereshit 29:10-11.</li> | ||
| + | <li>Da'at Mikra notes that the word that Yaakov uses to denote Lavan’s trickery (רמיתני. from the root ר.מ.ה.) sounds like Lavan’s moniker “הָאֲרַמִּי” (see 25:20, 28:5, 31:20, 31:24).<fn>It should be noted though, that specifically in this chapter where he accuses Lavan of being deceitful the moniker is not mentioned.</fn></li> | ||
| + | <li>Rachel's name might also be a pun of sorts. Her name means lamb, appropriate for one who shepherds her father's sheep.</li> | ||
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Version as of 22:21, 4 July 2023
Literary Devices – Bereshit 29
Structure
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 specific unit. Paying attention to the deviations from the expected template often reveals the hidden messages of the individual story.
Meeting at a Well
- Narratives of meeting one’s spouse at a well comprise one of the most significant Biblical type-scenes. Avraham's servant, Yaakov, and Moshe all find spouses at a well.
Sources and Articles
- See Abarbanel Bereshit 29:2-3 who does not refer to this story as a type scene, but nonetheless connects the various "betrothal by a well" scenes and sees in them a layer of symbolism.
- For a full analysis of this type-scene, see Robert Alter’s Biblical Type-Scenes and the Uses of Convention.
- Michael W. Martin, ‘Betrothal Journey Narratives’, Catholic Biblical Quarterly 70, 3 (2008), 505-23, builds off Alter's thesis, identifying other typical elements in the type scene and exploring how it appears throughout Tanakh, apocrypha and the New Testament.
Symbolism
Stones in the Life of Yaakov
Stones play a significant role throughout the story of Yaakov. In fact the concordance reveals that of the 15 occurrences of the word in Sefer Bereshit, all but two relate to Yaakov – beginning with their appearance in the story of the stone upon which he slept and his establishment of a monument upon awakening, continuing with his rolling the stone off of the mouth of the well, and then appearing as a symbol of the covenant between Yaakov and Lavan at the end of the parashah. Stones might symbolize the obstacles and unyielding difficulties that Yaakov encounters throughout his life as he strives to achieve his goals.
Sources and Articles
- See Abarbanel who suggests that Yaakov saw the well and stone as a symbol of the blocked fertility of the Matriarchs, and his removing of the stone as symbolic of his ability to remove that obstacle.
Wordplay
There are several examples of wordplay in the chapter:
- Da'at Mikra points out a play on words and sounds between the words “וַיַּשְׁקְ” (he watered) and “וַיִּשַּׁק” (he kissed) in the story of Yaakov’s and Rachel’s first meeting in Bereshit 29:10-11.
- Da'at Mikra notes that the word that Yaakov uses to denote Lavan’s trickery (רמיתני. from the root ר.מ.ה.) sounds like Lavan’s moniker “הָאֲרַמִּי” (see 25:20, 28:5, 31:20, 31:24).1
- Rachel's name might also be a pun of sorts. Her name means lamb, appropriate for one who shepherds her father's sheep.
