Literary Devices – Bereshit 4/0

Literary Devices – Bereshit 4

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Key Words

• Tanakh Lab reveals that the top keywords in the story of Kayin and Hevel (Bereshit 4:1-16) are: אדמה, הרג, מנחה, and אח .
• When looking at the chapter as a whole, including its second half which lists Kayin's descendants, these words still top the list but are joined by the verb "ילד" (to bear a child) reflecting the theme of the second half of the unit.

אֲדָמָה (Land)

The word "אֲדָמָה" appears six times in verses 1-16, and can be used to trace the plot. The reader is introduced to Kayin through his occupation as a worker of the land (עֹבֵד אֲדָמָה).  The murder of Hevel, though, cannot be tolerated by the land, as his blood cries out from within.  As such, Kayin is cursed from the land, which will no longer produce fruit for him, forcing him to wander.

הרג (Kill)

Given the theme of fratricide, it is not surprising that the root "הרג" appears multiple times in the chapter.  Interestingly, though, in addition to the three mentions in the story of Hevel's murder, the root also appears twice in the genealogy list of the second half of the chapter, when speaking of Kayin's descendant Lemech. The continuity of the theme makes one question whether Kayin's whole line was marked by violence, and whether sins of fathers are doomed to be repeated by their children.

אָח (Brother)

The word “אָח” (brother) appears seven times in the unit.  The repetition of the word serves to underscore the unusual cruelty of Hevel’s murder at the hands of Kayin by emphasizing the familial bond that he severed. The use of the word “אח” in this narrative is also an example of a relational epithet, a device by which a person is referred to in relation to another person in order to emphasize the significance of their relationship in the context of the story. [See Character Titles, below.]

Chiastic Structure The beginning of the narrative of Kayin and Hevel is characterized by a double chiastic structure: 

• A1 (4:1): Birth of Kayin 
• B1 (4:2): Birth of Hevel
• B2 (4:2): Hevel’s occupation as a shepherd
• A2 (4:2): Kayin’s occupation as a farmer
• A3 (4:3): Kayin brings sacrifice
• B3 (4:4): Hevel brings sacrifice
• B4 (4:4): Hashem accepts Hevel’s sacrifice
• A4 (4:5): Hashem rejects Kayin’s sacrifice

This chiastic structure serves a couple of purposes. 

• Competition – It highlights the extent to which the two brothers are locked in competition, such that everything about each of them is narrated in the context of the other.  For analysis of the idea that this story is primarily about competition and “the roots of strife” rather than fratricide, see R. Ezra Bick’s Raising Cain and Hevel.
• Reason for rejection – Second, the double chiasm provides support for the perspective that the reason for Hashem’s  rejection of the sacrifice at the end of the second chiasm is the brothers’ differing choices of profession a the end of the first chiasm.  For analysis of how the literary structure reflects the deeper message of the story and is central to understanding Kayn's rejection, see R. Elchanan Samet's article, Why Did God Not Accept Kayin’s Offering. See also the opinions of Abarbanel and Rav Hirsch in Kayin's Sacrifice Rejected which elaborate on why Kayin's chosen profession was problematic.

Parallels and Contrasts

The song of Lemekh (4:23-24) is an excellent example of Biblical parallelism, in which adjacent phrases parallel each other.  This is a typical feature of Biblical poetry, of which this might be the first instance:¹

• עָדָה וְצִלָּה שְׁמַעַן קוֹלִי / נְשֵׁי לֶמֶךְ הַאְזֵנָּה אִמְרָתִי
• כִּי אִישׁ הָרַגְתִּי לְפִצְעִי / וְיֶלֶד לְחַבֻּרָתִי
• כִּי שִׁבְעָתַיִם יֻקַּם קָיִן / וְלֶמֶךְ שִׁבְעִים וְשִׁבְעָה

Character Titles

Hevel

Hevel is referred to in three ways in the chapter: a) with his proper name, Hevel, b) in relationship to Kayin, "הֶבֶל אָחִיו" (his brother, Hevel),  c) and sometimes, simply: "אָחִיךָ"/ "אָחִי" (your/my brother)

• הָבֶל – In the opening verses of the chapter (2-4) Hevel is referred to by his proper name alone. Though these verses contrast him and Kayin, there is no repeated emphasis on their relationship, and Hevel is described in terms of his own name, occupation, and actions.
• הֶבֶל אָחִיו – In verses 8-9 which describe the murder and its immediate aftermath, the text highlights the relationship, emphasizing the this is not simply murder but fratricide, all the more terrible due to the familial bond.
• "אָחִיךָ"/ "אָחִי" – In the second half of verse 9-11, when Hashem accuses and punishes Kayin, Hevel's identity is solely that of "brother", with the verse focusing only on the relationship, no longer even mentioning his name. With his death, Hevel is no longer, not even in name, and all that remains is the reminder of brotherhood that should have been.

Kayin

• Interestingly, Kayin has but one title throughout, his proper name. In contrast to Hevel, he is never referred to as Hevel's brother, perhaps because he proved himself not to really be one.

¹ For more information about the nature of Biblical parallelism, see Dr. Mayer I. Gruber’s article The Meaning of Biblical Parallelism: A Biblical Perspective and Dr. Adele Berlin’s Grammatical Aspects of Biblical Parallelism. Other resources (not available online) are Dr. Robert Alter’s The Art of Biblical Poetry pp. 3-61, Dr. Adele Berlin’s The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism, and Dr. James Kugel’s The Idea of Biblical Poetry: Parallelism and Its History.