 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Everyone with a more than elementary understanding of how language works knows that words can have different meanings in different contexts. The more intriguing phenomenon, and one exploited by poets and novelists, is that a word can have a different meaning, or a very different referent in a new context, and yet also bring with it a trace of its meaning in a different text.
The Hebrew word for "ark" in Gen 6-9 is the same as the word for "basket" in Exodus 2:3. Though the word in both contexts has some sense of "boat," the referents of the two uses are certainly not identical (ie, Noah's boat is much larger). Yet, there is no doubt that the word in Exodus 2:3 is inflected by the use in Gen. The use in Exodus brings with it a whole set of connotations that the word did not have in Gen, precisely because of the use in Gen.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Monday, January 09, 2006 at 01:26 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
