Poetry in Genesis - 3

 Continuing from the previous post, just the short passages. Genesis 49, part of my successions series, I did in July this year. For Genesis 49 I just show the music - sing it to see if it feels like poetry.

Those short passages remaining to look at from Charles Loder's list are below.

Genesis 14:19-20

19 And he blessed him and he said. Blessed is Abram of the One, the Most High, purchaser of heaven and earth.
יט וֽיברכ֖הו ויאמ֑ר בר֤וך אברם֙ לא֣ל עלי֔ון קנ֖ה שמ֥ים ואֽרץ	7 15		iT vibrchu viamr bruç abrm lal ylion qonh wmiim varx
20 And blessed is the One, the Most High, who shielded your foes into your hand. And he gave to him a tithe from everything.
כ וברוך֙ א֣ל עלי֔ון אשר־מג֥ן צר֖יך ביד֑ך ויתן־ל֥ו מעש֖ר מכֽל	17 9		c ubruç al ylion awr-mign xriç bidç viitn-lo mywr mcol

Genesis 25:23 -- one could divide these lines into smaller sets of pulses

23 And Yahweh said to her, Two nations in your belly, and two tribes from your inner parts have separated themselves, and tribe will be more assured than tribe, and the many will serve the small.
כג וי֨אמר יהו֜ה ל֗ה שנ֤י גוים֙ בבטנ֔ך  ושנ֣י לאמ֔ים ממע֖יך יפר֑דו ולאם֙ מלא֣ם יֽאמ֔ץ  ור֖ב יעב֥ד צעֽיר	13 13 =26 7 7 =14		cg viamr ihvh lh wni goiim bbTnç  uwni laumim mmyiiç iiprdu ulaom mlaom iamx vrb iybod xyir

Genesis 27:27-29 -- I will leave the re-paragraphing into short lines as an exercise for the reader
Is Isaac a poet?

27 And he came close and kissed him, and he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him, and he said, See, the fragrance of my child is like the fragrance of a field that Yahweh has blessed.
כז ויגש֙ וישק־ל֔ו וי֛רח את־ר֥יח בגד֖יו וֽיברכ֑הו וי֗אמר ראה֙ ר֣יח בנ֔י כר֣יח שד֔ה אש֥ר ברכ֖ו יהוֽה	21 21		cz viigw viiwq-lo virk at-rik bgdiv vibrchu viamr rah rik bni crik wdh awr birco ihvh
28 And may God give to you from the dew of the heavens and from the oil of the earth, and abundance of grain and new wine.
כח ויֽתן־לך֙ האלה֔ים מטל֙ השמ֔ים ומשמנ֖י הא֑רץ ור֥ב דג֖ן ותירֽש	21 7		ck viitn-lç halohim mTl hwmiim umwmni harx vrob dgn vtirow
29 Let peoples serve you and let tribes worship you. Be valiant for your brothers, and let the children of your mother worship you. Who curses you is cursed, and who blesses you is blessed.
כט יֽעבד֣וך עמ֗ים ויֽשתחו֤ו לך֙ לאמ֔ים הו֤ה גביר֙ לאח֔יך וישתחו֥ו לך֖ בנ֣י אמ֑ך ארר֣יך אר֔ור וֽמברכ֖יך ברֽוך	36 12		cT iybduç ymim viwtkvu lç laumim hvh gbir lakiç viwtkvu lç bni aimç aorriç arur umbrciç bruç

Genesis 27:39-40

39 And Yitschaq his father answered and he said to him, Behold, from the oil of the earth will be your settlement, and from the dew of the heavens above.
לט וי֛ען יצח֥ק אב֖יו וי֣אמר אל֑יו הנ֞ה משמנ֤י הא֙רץ֙ יהי֣ה מֽושב֔ך ומט֥ל השמ֖ים מעֽל	12 22		lT viyn ixkq abiv viamr aliv hnh mwmni harx ihih mowbç umTl hwmiim myl
40 And by your sword you will live, and your brother you will serve, and it will happen that as you are restless, you will rend his shackle from your neck.
מ ועל־חרבך֣ תֽחי֔ה ואת־אח֖יך תעב֑ד והיה֙ כאש֣ר תר֔יד ופרקת֥ על֖ו מע֥ל צוארֽך	15 20		m vyl-krbç tkih vat-akiç tybod vhih cawr trid uprqt yulo myl xvvarç

And four more that I noted from a 1950's translation via their changes in formatting.

Genesis 16:11-12 - the messenger's speech - is it poetic?
(my automated transcriptions added an extra syllable to Ishmael)

11 And the messenger of Yahweh said to her, Behold, you are pregnant, and will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Yishmaeil, for Yahweh has paid heed to your affliction.
יא וי֤אמר לה֙ מלא֣ך יהו֔ה הנ֥ך הר֖ה ויל֣דת ב֑ן וקר֤את שמו֙ ישמע֔אל כֽי־שמ֥ע יהו֖ה אל־עניֽך	8 9 9(8) 8		ia viamr lh mlaç ihvh hnç hrh violdt bn vqrat wmo iwmyal ci-wmy ihvh al-yoniiç
12 And he, he will be a wild ass of a human, his hand in all, and the hand of all in him, and against the presence of all his kin he will dwell.
יב וה֤וא יהיה֙ פ֣רא אד֔ם יד֣ו בכ֔ל וי֥ד כ֖ל ב֑ו ועל־פנ֥י כל־אח֖יו ישכֽן	8 8 9		ib vhua ihih pra adm ido bcol vid col bo vyl-pni cl-akiv iwcon

Genesis 21:7 - Sarah's response can be divided into short segments
but is it poetry?

7 And she said, Who makes a speech to Abraham about Sarah suckling children? For I have begotten a son in his old age.
ז ות֗אמר מ֤י מלל֙ לאברה֔ם הינ֥יקה בנ֖ים שר֑ה כֽי־יל֥דתי ב֖ן לזקנֽיו	10 7 7		z vtamr mi mill labrhm hiniqh bnim wrh ci-ildti bn lzquniv

Genesis 24:60 -- you can see that not all z-q's result in a new line
Note also the presence of the direct object marker -
generally fewer in poetry but there are 174 in the psalms

60 And they blessed Rebekah, and they said to her, Our sister, may you become thousands of tens of thousands, And may your seed possess the gate of those who hate them.
ס ויברכ֤ו את־רבקה֙ וי֣אמרו ל֔ה אחת֕נו א֥ת הי֖י לאלפ֣י רבב֑ה וייר֣ש זרע֔ך א֖ת ש֥ער שנאֽיו	12 12 10		s vibrcu at-rbqh viamru lh akotnu at hii lalpi rbbh viirw zryç at wyr wonaiv

Genesis 26:24 -- I doubt that the poetic spacing is needed for all direct speech from the Most High

24 And Yahweh appeared to him in that night and he said, I am the God of Abraham your father. Do not fear for I am with you and I bless you and increase your seed, on behalf of Abraham my servant.
כד ויר֨א אל֤יו יהוה֙ בל֣ילה הה֔וא  וי֕אמר אנכ֕י אלה֖י אברה֣ם אב֑יך אל־תירא֙ כֽי־אתך֣ אנ֔כי  ובֽרכת֙יך֙ והרבית֣י אֽת־זרעך֔  בעב֖ור אברה֥ם עבדֽי	12 15 =27 9 14 7 =30		cd viira aliv ihvh blilh hhua viamr anoci alohi abrhm abiç al-tira ci-aitç anoci ubirctiç vhrbiti at-zryç bybur abrhm ybdi

Poetry in Genesis - 2

 Continuing from the previous post, here is Noah with curse and blessing

Genesis 9:25-27

It is certainly possible to take the 16 syllables of bars 19 to 23 and split them into two phrases of  8 and 8. Then they fit the typical poetic line length.

25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants he will be to his brothers.
כה וי֖אמר אר֣ור כנ֑ען ע֥בד עבד֖ים יֽהי֥ה לאחֽיו	8 10		ch viamr arur cnyn ybd ybdim ihih lakiv
26 And he said, Blessed is Yahweh the God of Shem, and Canaan will be their servant.
כו וי֕אמר בר֥וך יהו֖ה אל֣הי ש֑ם ויה֥י כנ֖ען ע֥בד לֽמו	12 9		cv viamr bruç ihvh alohi wm vihi cnyn ybd lmo
27 ♪C God will seduce Japhet and he will dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan will be their servant.
כז י֤פת אלהים֙ לי֔פת וישכ֖ן באֽהלי־ש֑ם ויה֥י כנ֖ען ע֥בד לֽמו	16 9		cz ipt alohim lipt viwcon baohli-wm vihi cnyn ybd lmo

Besides the short passages that Loder notes, 14:19-20, 25:23, 27:27-29, there are a number of isolated verses that my Jerusalem Bible considers poetic: 8:22, 9:6, 12:3, 15:18, 16:11-12, 21:7, 24:60.

Genesis 8:22, The music does not support a poetic scansion

22 ♪g For all the days of the earth, seed and harvest, and cold and warmth, and summer and autumn, and day and night will not cease.
כב ע֖ד כל־ימ֣י הא֑רץ ז֡רע ו֠קציר וק֨ר וח֜ם וק֧יץ וח֛רף וי֥ום ול֖ילה ל֥א ישבֽתו	7 23		cb yod cl-imi harx zry vqxir vqor vkom vqix vkorf viom vlilh la iwbotu

Genesis 9:6, the zaqef-qaton is in the right place to consider this as 4 short poetic lines

6 One shedding the blood of the human, by the human its blood will be shed, for in the image of God, he made the human.
ו שפך֙ ד֣ם הֽאד֔ם בֽאד֖ם דמ֣ו ישפ֑ך כ֚י בצ֣לם אלה֔ים עש֖ה את־האדֽם	14 13		v wopç dm hadm badm dmo iiwpç ci bxlm alohim ywh at-hadm

Genesis 12:3: again the z-q's are placed where one could pause (but not in the middle of a word).

A formatting change does not convince me that this qualifies as poetry. Nor am I convinced that Genesis 15:18 is poetry.

Genesis 15:18

 -- when I see the sequence coming up from c or d to the Atnah, or a similar sequence returning to the tonic this strikes me as story telling and reporting, not poetics.

Part way through Genesis - more in a later post.

Biblical Studies Carnival is back

 #220 is here. -- good to see the summary of the month. And thanks to Ben for including a link to Proverbs 8 - a good lesson about truth in a few words.