Biblical Hebrew Forum

[John Ronning <ronning AT ilink.nis.za>]

Bryan Rocine wrote:

> <snip> as to your specific question about Abraham's two trips south with
> Sarah,
> let me throw in with your two narratives a third for good measure: Isaac's
> sojourn with Rebecca in Gen 26.  Alter labels these three narratives the
> 'sister-wife type-scenes' which must all, to qualify as type-scenes,
> contain certain elements which would be familiar to the audience.  all
> three sister-wife narratives foreshadow Israel's sojourn in E, and the
> providence of God in protecting them there.  the first in Gen 12 is short
> on detail as you mention, perhaps as we should expect for an archetype
> type-scene.  on the other hand, it is the only one of the three that is set
> in E specifically, names the foreign king as Pharaoh, mentions plagues, and
> echoes the phrase "you(the female) they will let live"(cp. Exo 1:22),
> thereby qualifying it as the best foreshadow of Israel's sojourn in E.
> could Pharaoh have gotten to Sarai?  no way!  God wouldn't allow it.

Noted and agreed re. exodus typology in Genesis 12, but I don't think you can
make that case with any specifics in the other 2 (Genesis 26 is more like the
command in Deuteronomy not to go back to Egypt ever again, and Genesis 20 is
more specifically related to David's sin with Bathsheba, with role-reversal -
Uriah the Hittite is the righteous foreigner corresponding to Abraham; Abraham
says he feared for his life [I asked why?], Abimelech said he took Sarah "in
the integrity of my heart," thinking she was a sister - David knew exactly 
what
he was doing with another man's wife, and he killed the man, as Abraham feared
the pagan king would do to him).  Re. Alter's type-scene, his view is based on
the idea that this is the kind of story Israelites liked to hear, so we have
lots of them.  I don't at all agree that Israelites would have liked hearing 
of
such behavior by Abraham and Isaac (much less of David), which is often
characterized as cowardly, shameful, etc.

Re. the two noteworthy omissions in Exodus 12 (whether the marriage was
consummated, how Pharaoh found out the reason for the plagues), I was hinting
that you find the two answers in Genesis 20 (the marriage was not consummated 
-
same situation as in Gen 12; God came to Abimelech in a dream).

If Genesis 12 is "gapped" and the gaps are supplied in 20, and 20 is also
"gapped" (we have no answer to the question, why would Abraham fear for his
life over this wrinkled old lady? [Gen 18:12; BLH used elsewhere for worn-out
clothing, cracked wineskins, moth-eaten garments]), should we look for the
answer in Genesis 12, and what would be the implication?

Comments?

John Ronning