The Transition to the Second Trip to Egypt
A close literary reading of the fourteen verses bridging the brothers' two trips to Egypt, identifying six narrative devices — abrupt change, dialogue, the intensifying infinitive absolute, doubling, alliteration/rhyming, and allusion to the past — and showing how their dense interweaving builds the tension of Jacob's reluctant agreement to send Benjamin.
Hyman offers a close literary analysis of the short but pivotal section bridging the brothers’ first and second trips to Egypt (Gen. 43:1-14), identifying six narrative devices at work — abrupt change, dialogue, the intensifying infinitive absolute, doubling, alliteration and rhyming, and allusion to earlier chapters. He argues that their dense concentration in these fourteen verses is what generates the passage’s tension as Judah finally persuades Jacob to release Benjamin.
Ronald T. Hyman is Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Cite this article
Ronald T. Hyman. "The Transition to the Second Trip to Egypt." Jewish Bible Quarterly 38, no. 2 (April – June 2010): 73–84.
Ronald T. Hyman. "The Transition to the Second Trip to Egypt." Jewish Bible Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 2, 2010, pp. 73–84.