historical lore
The names
around them.
is grou|)t'cl
of persons, triljcs. ami places are made to siifrgest the character attributed to tlicni, or the important events connected with them. The plays upon proper names in the Old Testament may therefore be divided into two cla.sses: (1) Etymological e.|)lanations of names; in many of which it is apjiarent that merely a folk-etymology is aimed at, which is .satisfied with the agreenientof sound between the nanieand llieappellative Tliis is the case, for instance, that is to explain it. when Gen. v. 29 nj is explained by IJOnj' (cmnpare Gen. U. and Hashi on the pas.sagei; or PNItSt;' '>y
20 (compare Driver, "'Notes on the Hebrew Te.xt of the Books of Sanuiel," p. 13). .Many other in.stances could be cited. (2) Plays either upon the sense or upon the sound pitfi'
Sam.
I
i.
DJ Hin r-bv ncn p3K'na "VnU TpiD ... "'In Heshbon [Counting Town they Al.so thou slialt be have devised evil against it. cut down. O Madmen [Dunghill] the sword shall pursue' thee," Jer. .lviii. 2: ,Tnn niltV nty '3, and IpVn plpyi ..." For Gaza shall be forsaken of proper names:
•
•
.
|
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ekrcin shall be rcioteci up." Zeplianiah, ii. 4; 'mSHI - d 1 will cut off the Cherethini," Ezek. D'n"l3 nx "'
Dm
"O thou naL'T C*31^ n231Dn inhabitants of Lacliish, bind the chariot to the swift x.v.
It);
ti'oi'
beast," -Micah, i. i:i, etc. Like all other embellishments of speech, the figures based on the congruence of sound are an clement of higher style. They are thereEuphonic fore most frequent in the Prophets and Figures in the poetical books of the Old Testaand Die- ment. Plays ujion words are most fretion. quently to be found in the prophetic speech, which aims at reaching the conscience of the hearer and bringing lK)me to him They are al.so of .some truth in a striking manner. frequent occurrence in the Proverl)s. which generally depend largely for their elTect upon a happy form and pointednessof expression. But everywhere these figures are merely a casual, not an organic, ele-
ment of diction. The Talmud sometimes plays
ujioii
words
Word-
caused Israel to forget their Father in heaven," Sanh. 102i; (compare Nimrod and Amraphel, who are idcntilied, Er. .">*/ and Valk. Gen. 72: Sliinar, Shab. 113A;
Samson and
and in his anger," D^rek Krez Zutta
the
Talmud.
'IS'D '^ Creator [who pimishes
KtSK?
sin],
v.:
d.V).
Compare
niTD
'^
"Wo
is
wo
me from my
is
'IN
me from my sin-
X.nn >S1 NUI^ Nnn Uather be [innocently] cursed than be curs-
inclination," "
'IX
"Er.
Ber.
(ll(i;
^V3 I'Cy fv3 i'13N "Eat onions shadow of thy house" [('.<., rather live poorly than makedeblsand becnmp<lleil to give !(/. The Tahnudie literature up thy hnuse|. Pes.
ing," Sanh. 49«(;
and
live in the
1
1
especially rich in elTorts to supply with etymologies tliosi' proper names that the Old Testament has
is
For exampli- Qy V3'"IL" DJJ3T unexplained. hi- madi' the people crouch " [/.«., niaih- it degenemti'l or Dy3n3'"IOrit;'llt."" '"'cause he caused among thepeople"; and nC'VC 8trif<' [i.e. division h'ft
"because
,
kiah
'
D"ri"3l" Cn>3N^ ^NIL'"
nX
"
son of Ileze-
X'L":nC' " iH'cause
and
94, etc.).
nini's "
Behinat 'Olam" The Hispano-.Jcwish writers plays upon words with great ).
scmietimes formed skill.
So, for instance. Juilali Alharizi in his ".Ma-
kamat" (ed. Lagarde.
188:!) ni1N3 D3n^ tlVn ilDSnn vhv locn i33t;'3 inn'jn iSoyci inn:n D"n Vin'3n '"Wisdom gives power to the wise; she leads him in the path of life and affords him rest from his toil: when he lies down .she watches over him and does not leave him alone," p. 2, t5 2, v. 1, 3t;'i 'Sn "£3Vn "'and beauty is turned to disgrace," 17, 14, 28; n?sn D3ip3i npSn DJVl,"P3 "On their tongue is prayer, and in their heart i)erversene.ss," 17, 4, 34. In the Azharot (hymns dealing with the ()13 precepts), in the liturgy of the Feast of Weeks, ascribed to Solomon ibn Gabirol, we find: n'nn N?1
siji
my
riw'np mD3 rZ"'~> "And there shall not be a hierodule in the as.sembly of the holy congregation "
I3DD hv D":;'ni'I3Dn vh nCOl "-Vnd thou Shalt not practise usury upon the i)oor." As an example of play upon words in modern Hebrew, the ingenious e|iignim of M. B. t!. Abudiente may find place here ("Bikkure ha-'Ittim," iii. 22), in which many words are repeated in opposite senses
niiD
^'yjDi
i"i3 TJ'is!'
^icns
nyi^in -hv it;ny -iin3 33ik;'
nno H'oi
•,13
nyiMn -hv ivis
ic"i3^
Dvn
1^3
331L"
which may he rendered a.s follows: " Yestreen thy garment w"as tine linen and robe n-trailing. lying in thy bed upon scarlet; To-day thy garment is mud and a rotten robe [Amos. vi. 4, "after Sanh. 97a], lying in the grave upon worms." (itn.^ilus, I'liilnhniin Sacrn. pd. Paltie, pp. Eisner. I'auhi» Aimslitiurt i-t Ji-mtinrt I*fn})htta (ii'sciilu.s ('imjiKinili, pp. ai-lT, Ilrt*liiu, IsSI ; iiiler Lehrgchiiuilr <l, r llilinliivhtn Siimuhf.m. xrt-mt,ii£n I^liislc, ls;i(P; Wenrlili, /<< ;>«:»•<« lliliriiiar nliinc et nci;., Araliiac ( iiinniinttllin. pp. 241 cl wi;.. Leliwlr. 1H4;1. l)(>!ililt<s tlu*se lirli'fer nutlrrs llie sultjtt't law tie^'ti (n-atiil fn inoinw irniplis liv J F. IIoIIcIiit, De I'arnwmuwn FiiiiliiniMiuf ri FilliKin I'liuln Ainifliilii yrnitirnldli.'. U'lpstr. 1.S2:); J. < hrlstoph Dt'clipr, rUxvrlitliii Iiutuiiuriilin lif rnniiiiiimvia Sarni, lliilli', l~!7; liiiiiinnui'l M. Cn.'uiiKiwIrz. J'iir"ii<mi<i;'iii in llir Fur .Mlllenitlun Otil TrilaiiunI, n.wiiiii. ISIM iilL-wrtutlun). In jMirtlrulnr, so- Julius l.i'V. I if .lIKfi riid.mc ,i/iiir rm<iMir, III S(irri'» llil'rirnnim I.UlrriK l'»iirj)<i(ii, llilili'llHTtt, ls.'i!> (pmiKTUiio: lili'in. /Ii< Melrii'i-liin Fftrmi n ilrr Ilrhrilifchi n riiiKii. l.eli>,Hlc, ismi; lili'iu. (tniwUltih' il<» Ithiilhmtif. ilm VirK mill S(rii(>/i< iilxiiii" in il"' Hrhn'ltHclirn I'orMr. Miillt',
Bnu.IOGRAPnv
i:tt.V-l2;
«
.
IRT.");
destiny in history |,"Sanli. KH/'; ni":D
10<(
(comi)are. for instance, the ]'S^X f)^K in the Iggeret of .Moses Zacuto, ed. Leghorn, 1780: or the ntt'p3 J'DDn appendctl to many editions of Jedaiah Pe-
I
Dn'3xS ^Nlw" i'3 n3'"lD " because he caused strife between Israel and their Father in heaven," Jeroboam is call.'d 1233 |3 " because " HNI nS t:3:L" "he looked and ilid not m'c [his true pnsiiiiin and D'DC'3'b;'
Delilah, Sojah
Since the seventh century rime has become a regular feature in Hebrew poetry. The composers of pii/ulim, yi/zenit, selihot, and kinot inIn Post- dulged even to excess in rimes and Talmudic alliterations. A further oi)portunity Literature, for this jingling was given in the introductions to liooks. Sometimes all the words were made to begin with the .same letter
in ad-
reveals itself in three things: in his behavior concerning his purse, his cup,
Plays in
AUon
lie
ages and ma.xims: ID'Sa IS'i DnX Dn3T nC^tO 1DV331 1D133 "'I'll cliaracterof a man
ful
Alliteration
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
425
xx. INHM. INH. pp.iWl i'lH, Ihirkc ha-Shiiin-
M. H.
Iili-m. In si'vcnil iirllili'si In the '/.. l>. I'hihili^nh- iiiul r;i,l,wtlili.
JnhrhlUh.rf lir
mill 1HH.'>. pp. '"".1 1 1 «< llim. IxiiilKTir. 1S7U.
If.;
Saiiiiii'l Wiilillicnf.
IMP
ALLOIf ("Strong"?^: 1. Son of Jedaiah, in the genealogy of Simon (I Chron. iv. 37). 2. One of those' w ho returned with Zerubbabel (I Esd. v. 34),
