Most of this clever Hebrew wordplay is missed if one simply says, as do the
scholarly books I have consulted, that “Simeon” is a play on the word shama’/“
heard”. Yes, that is in part true, but it misses the most exciting aspects
of what the author is doing with the name “Simeon” here. S-M-N/“Simeon”
reflects both S-M/shama’/“heard” and S-N/sana’/“hated”. S-M + S-N = S-M-N.
The word “heard”, standing alone, tells us almost nothing about Simeon. But
the words “heard, hated” deftly summarize Simeon’s future life. Simeon HEARD
that his full-sister Dinah had been with young Shechem, and Simeon HATED the
men of Shechem for that. Simeon HEARD Joseph’s dreams, which seemed to foretell
that Joseph would rule over his older half-brothers, and Simeon HATED Joseph
for that. In both cases, it is precisely Simeon who is the ringleader in
killing the men of Shechem, and in almost murdering young Joseph. “Heard, hated.”
As we are beginning to see, the sophisticated multiple puns on the names of
Jacob’s 12 sons deftly foreshadow what these sons then do in the rest of the
text.
The key here is to focus on the true Hebrew consonants, and the precise order
of these key consonants. It is also important to realize that sometimes
similar, rather than identical, consonants are used in the punning done by the
author of the Patriarchal narratives.
To view “Simeon” as merely being a play on the word shama’/“heard”, nothing
else, is to miss much of the brilliant Hebrew wordplay in the Patriarchal
narratives. ShaMa’ + SaNa’ = SiMeoN. S-M + S-N = S-M-N. It’s right there, if
we will simply look at the key consonants that appear, and the precise order
in which they appear, in the text of Genesis 29: 33. That’s the way the author
of the Patriarchal narratives does puns. It’s a vital key to understanding
what the author is trying to tell us in the Patriarchal narratives.
Jim Stinehart
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.