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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 25:25, Different Lexemes & No Puns?

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  • From: "B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 25:25, Different Lexemes & No Puns?
  • Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2005 10:41:09 -0400



Read, James C wrote:
Hebrew1: Edom had red hair and ate some red stew and lived in a place called
red.

Hebrew2: No! Stop! You're killing me! My sides are splitting. Oh you really are a funny guy.


I don't think this kind of caricature of Chris' post is helpful.

The punning evident in the Gen passage (and, for that matter, in the summary of Hebrew1 above) is not meant in the spirit of a Henny Youngman type of vaudville act. Rather, it expresses the humor of mockery and poetic justice.

Put another way:
The more Esau's lust for things red (wild game, lentils, flesh) ruled him, the more alienated he became from the blessing of the Lord, in effect banishing himself to the difficult life of the red mountains. The poetic tie-in mocks the enslavement of Esau by the lusts of his own red flesh. The funny thing is that while Jacob, Rebecca, ultimately even Israel and we can see Esau's problem so clearly, Esau does not recognize his own raging red lust and its pathetic result.

Shalom,
Bryan

--
B. M. Rocine
Living Word Chruch
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13026
(W): 315.437.6744




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