Literary Devices – Bereshit 49

There are many examples of wordplay in Yaakov's blessings to his sons in Bereshit 49, especially in reference to the sons' names:

• Verse 1 opens, "וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב אֶל בָּנָיו ", and continues "וְאַגִּידָה לָכֶם אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָא אֶתְכֶם בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים", with the verse using two words which look and sound indentical, yet have different meanings (to call and to happen).
• In verse 8, Yaakov plays off of Yehuda's name: יְהוּדָה אַתָּה יוֹדוּךָ .אַחֶיךָ יָדְךָ בְּעֹרֶף אֹיְבֶיךָ
• In verse 13, Zevulun is  blessed: זְבוּלֻן לְחוֹף יַמִּים יִשְׁכֹּן.  Though there is no alliteration, the word "יִשְׁכֹּן" (to dwell)  might be a play on the name "זְבוּלֻן" and related verb "זבל", which, according to many, might mean "to dwell" as well.
• Verse 16 plays with the name Dan and the verb "לדון", as Yaakov blesses: "דָּן יָדִין עַמּוֹ".
• The entire blessing to Gad in verse 19 is an extended play on sounds: "גָּד גְּדוּד יְגוּדֶנּוּ וְהוּא יָגֻד עָקֵב".

Parallelism refers to a structure in which adjacent phrases mirror each other. This is a common feature in Biblical poetry, and thus, virtually every verse of Yaakov’s blessings is structured in such a manner:

Examples

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Yaakov makes use of many symbols in his blessings:

• Rushing water as a symbol of impetuousness (49:4) 
• A lion as a symbol of regal strength (49:9) 
• A donkey as a symbol of a hard worker (49:14) 
• A snake as a symbol of one who conducts a surprise attack (49:17) 
• A doe as a symbol of speed (49:21). Commentators debate to what this speed refers: quick growth of crops (Rashi), fast and agile warriors (Rashbam), or speedy messengers in wartime (Hizkuni).  
• A fruitful bough as a symbol of blessings, beauty, and success (49:22). The meaning of this phrase, and of Yosef’s whole blessing, is subject to much interpretation; see Yaakov's Blessing of Yosef for approaches to understanding the blessing. 
• A wolf as a symbol of stealthy strength (49:27)

Several of Yaakov's blessings might contain allusions to earlier narratives:

• See Bereshit Rabbah and Rashi that Yaakov's words to Yehuda "מִטֶּרֶף בְּנִי עָלִיתָ " (Bereshit 49:9) should be translated: “From the prey of my son, you mounted” (or “rose up”),² containing a veiled reference to the sale of Yosef, who is declared dead with the words “טרף טרף”.‎³ 
• The blessing of Dan, who is compared to a snake (יְהִי דָן נָחָשׁ עֲלֵי דֶרֶךְ שְׁפִיפֹן עֲלֵי אֹרַח הַנֹּשֵׁךְ עִקְּבֵי סוּס וַיִּפֹּל רֹכְבוֹ אָחוֹר.), contains allusions to the curse of the snake in Parashat Bereshit (הוּא יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב).  This might hint to the ongoing, seemingly eternal enmity with foreign enemies, especially the Philistines, with which Dan’s fighters will have to contend: 
• In blessing Yosef, Yaakov says: "וַיִּשְׂטְמֻהוּ בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים".  The concordance highlights that this root appears only twice more in Torah, once in reference to Esav's relationship to Yaakov and once in reference to the brother's relationship to Yosef.⁴  The allusion might suggest that our clause, too, refers to the animosity of brothers, and see Ibn Ezra who suggests that it refers to the sale of Yosef.  For various understandings of the verse, and Yosef's blessing as a whole, see Yaakov's Blessing of Yosef.

Tanakh is artful in identifying people in relation to each other.

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