Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jonathan D. Safren" <yonsaf AT beitberl.ac.il>]

According to Genesis Rabbah (a collection of Aggadic Midrashim),R.
Shim'on ben Elazar said: Any dotted words have a deeper significance.
[my free rendition]
Esau's pities were aroused at that hour and he kissed him with al his
heart.
R. Yannai said to him: If so, why is {the word} dotted on top? This
teaches that he did not come to kiss (n$q) him but to bite (n$k) him,
but our father Jacob's neck became like marble and that wicked one's
[Esau's] teeth were dulled. And how would you understand "and they
cried" [in the same verse]? One [Jacob} cried on the other's neck, while
the other cried because of his teeth!


Other midrashim concur in that the dots imply that the verse has a
deeper meaning.

So also Rashi. Ibn Ezra does not accept the midrashic interpretation,
stating that Esau cried with all his heart.
Yours,
--
Jonathan D. Safren
Dept. of Biblical Studies
Beit Berl College
Beit Berl Post Office 44905
Israel