Local Incoherence, Global Coherence? Allusion and the Readability of Ancient Israelite Literature

Abstract

Does a lack of coherence always render a text "unreadable" or "unintelligible"? In this essay, I explore the relationships between three of De Beaugrande and Dressler's standards of textuality: cohesion, coherence, and intertextuality (considered more narrowly here in the form of allusion). I consider examples of textual allusion that readers have considered surprising, incongruous, or incoherent. I conclude that in some cases, there is reason to believe ancient Israelite writers employed allusion in such a way as to create incongruity and incoherence at local text-segment levels while creating a coherent argument at larger text-segment levels. In these cases, at least, the text is still "readable."

The Source of Familial Strife: A Note on Genesis 37.2

“…Ishmael was born to Hagar, a female slave, while Midian and Medan were born to Keturah, a rarely mentioned second wife. If for a moment we favor reading 2b (Joseph “under” Bilhah’s and Zilpah’s sons who themselves are “under” Leah’s sons) we notice how this inclusio juxtaposes Abraham’s three tiers of sons with Jacob’s three tiers of sons (Lyons 2021, 153–55). Isaac, the son of Abraham’s favored wife Sarah, is the promised son and therefore the most prominent in the Abraham cycle.…”

“…While our reading is logical on the chapter level, it comports well with Genesis on a broader level. Various episodes in the Joseph story accentuate sibling rivalry and the reversal of primogeniture simultaneously (Lyons 2021, 153–55). Sibling rivalry is prominent in Genesis.…”