Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Dear Bryan:

This is eisegesis.

The text merely says that he was reddish colored, 
that he got the nickname of Red after demanding a 
meal of red beans from his brother, and that he 
ended up living in a place called Red. This is a 
straightforward historical account. As for the red 
meat comment, that is a modernism (slaughtering 
a lamb is no less red meat than venison). In English 
that is not a pun, why should we consider it one in 
Hebrew?

In modern English it reads, "Esau was born with 
reddish hair. But he got his nickname Red from 
demanding a bowl of red bean stew from his 
brother. Now he and his family live in a place we 
call Red's Place, or, for short, just Red," Where's 
the pun?

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: "B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>
> 
> 
> 
> 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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