hebrew

How can I identify puns in the Hebrew Bible?

How can I identify puns in the Hebrew Bible?

The Bible sometimes uses words with multiple meanings to the effect of an intentional pun or wordplay. Punning seems especially common in Hebrew. I think that being aware of these literary devices offers an important insight into the ton…

How many people were involved in the Exodus?

How many people were involved in the Exodus?

According to Numbers 1:20-46 (NJPS):

They totaled as follows:
The descendants of Reuben, Israel’s first-born, the registration of the clans of their ancestral house, as listed by name, head by head, all males aged twenty years and ov…

What word best captures the spirit of לִּילִית in Isaiah 34:14?

What word best captures the spirit of לִּילִית in Isaiah 34:14?

Isaiah 34:14 in the Masoretic Text is the following:

גְשׁוּ צִיִּים אֶת-אִיִּים, וְשָׂעִיר עַל-רֵעֵהוּ יִקְרָא; אַךְ-שָׁם הִרְגִּיעָה לִּילִית, וּמָצְאָה לָהּ מָנוֹח

Here, לִּילִית is supposedly the only known mention of “lilith” in …

Messianic Ideas in the Hebrew Bible

Messianic Ideas in the Hebrew Bible

Professor Israel Knohl is the Yehezkel Kaufmann Professor of Biblical studies at the Hebrew University and a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He recently sat down with Dr. Yeshaya Gruber to talk about his new book Th…