Understanding Genesis Volume One

Goal:  To analyze and interpret each Parsha of the Torah using Semitic Bible Study Methods.

What is a Parsha?

"The term parashah (Hebrew: פָּרָשָׁה  Pārāšâ, portion", Tiberian /pɔrɔˈʃɔ/, Sephardi /paraˈʃa/, plural: parashot or parashiyot, also called parsha) formally means a section of a biblical book in the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). In common usage today the word often refers to the Weekly Torah portion (a shortened form of Parashat HaShavua). This article deals with the first, formal meaning of the word. In the Masoretic Text, parashah sections are designated by various types of spacing between them, as found in Torah scrolls, scrolls of the books of Nevi'im o’ Ket’vim, especially the Megillot), masoretic codices from the Middle Ages and printed editions of the masoretic text.

Each parashah is divided into 7 aliyot (aliyahs), each corresponding to the days of the week.

The division of the text into parashot for the biblical books is independent of chapter and verse numbers, which are not part of the masoretic tradition. Parashot are not numbered, but some have special names.

The division of parashot found in the modern-day Torah scrolls of all Jewish communities is based upon the systematic list provided by Maimonides in Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tefillin, Mezuzah and Torah Scrolls, chapter 8. Maimonides based his division of the parashot for the Torah on the Aleppo Codex.[1] The division of parashot for the books of Nevi’im and Ketuvim was never completely standardized in printed Hebrew bibles and handwritten scrolls, though important attempts were made to document it and create fixed rules." (Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parashah)

Main Resources Bibliography

The following is a list of the major resources of the project. Therefore, these resources will NOT appear in the footnotes, however, will be in the bibliography. I will footnote minor resources using Chicago format.

Tanakh = JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh: The Traditional Hebrew Text and the New JPS Translation—Second Edition. Jewish Publication Society, 2000.

Goldin, Hyman. The Book of Legends. 1. Vol. 1. 3 vols. New York, NY: Hebrew Publishing Company, 1929.

Kamenetzky, Mordechai. The Ultimate Parsha Parables Anthology: Stories and Anecdotes That Shed a New Light on the Weekly Torah Portion and Holidays: 15 Years of the Parsha Parables Series. Woodmere, NY: Bentsh Press, 2016.

Scherman, Nosson, Hersh Goldwurm, Avie Gold, and Meir Zlotowitz. The Chumash: The Torah, Haftaros and Five Megillos. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, 1996.

Errico, Rocco A., George M. Lamsa, and George M. Lamsa. Aramaic Light on Genesis: A Commentary Based on the Aramaic Language and Ancient near Eastern Customs. Smyrna, GA: Noohra Foundation, Inc., 2007.

Haberman, Daniel, and Gertrude Hirschler. The Hirsch Chumash: The Five Books of the Torah. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 2010.

Scheinbaum, A. L. Peninim on the Torah. Peninm ʻal Ha-Torah.: An Anthology of Thought Provoking Ideas and Practical Insights on the Weekly Parsha. Cleveland Heights, OH: Peninim Publications in conjunction with the Living Memorial, a project of the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, 2016.

Weissman, Moshe. The Midrash Says = Parashiyot Ha-Shavuʻa Lefi Ḥazal: The Narrative of the Weekly Torah-Portion in the Perspective of Our Sages. Brooklyn, NY: Benei Yakov Publications, 1995.

Rashi, M. Rosenbaum, and Abraham Maurice Silbermann. Pentateuch with Targum Onkelos, Haphtaroth and Rashi Commentary. Jerusalem: Published by the Silbermann Family in arrangement with Routledge & Kegan Paul., 5745.

Saba, Abraham Ben-Jakob, Eli Munk, and Munḳ Eliyahu. Tzror Hamor Torah Commentary. Jerusalem: Lambda Publishers, 2008.

A living Library of Jewish Texts Online. Sefaria. Accessed March 1, 2023. https://www.sefaria.org/.

Adin Steinsaltz, Daniel Haberman, and Daniel Landman, Talks on the Parasha (Jerusalem: Shefa, 2015).

Organization

The Parshim can contain several individual narratives. Since the Parshim are divided into Aliyot, each Aliyah will be examined separately. Level 1 of Semitic Bible Study Methods will include the English (JPS) and Hebrew text, the Targum, the chiastic structure, and an overview. This part of level 1 will be done for the entire Parsha. The rest of level 1 will be down for each subdivision of the Parsha (aliyot).

Whole Parsha

JPS (Tanakh text)

Hebrew text

Targum

Chiastic structure

Parsha Parables*

Overview of the Parsha (Pardes – literal  Parsha Parables*)

Each Aliyot (breakdown may be by story and not aliyot)

Level 1 (basic understanding)

Cultural Points

Allegorical Notes (Pardes – allegorical) Questioning the narrative

Biblical Locations

Level 2 (finding the LORD in the Parsha)

Spiritual Awareness

Level 3 (filling in the blanks)

Midrash stories* (Pardes – Midrash)

Legends*

Level 4 (the sages and rabbi of old speak)

Talmud Entries*

Level 5 (mystical understand)

Zohar* (Pardes – secret)

Level 6

Modern hermeneutics

* There are so many entries in these categories that it will be necessary to limit of entries. So category may be limited.

Pardes

"The Hebrew word פרדס (pardes, Strong’s #6508) only appears three times in the Hebrew Bible. In the Young’s Literal Translation (YLT - I like the YLT but it is not as literal as it could be) this Hebrew word is translated as paradise.

and a letter unto Asaph, keeper of the paradise that the king... (YLT, Nehemiah 2:8)

I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit. (YLT, Ecclesiastes 2:5)

Thy shoots a paradise of pomegranates, With precious fruits, (YLT, Song of Solomon 4:13)

What is a paradise? The American Heritage Dictionary provides the following definition, A place of ideal beauty or loveliness. While this is an appropriate definition for the English word paradise, let’s not forget that the Hebrews thought in concrete terms rather than in abstract ones like beauty and loveliness. A more Hebraic definition would be, A place of ideal rest and sustenance. Imagine yourself walking through the desert; you’re hot, tired and hungry. Then you come over a rise and see before you an orchard of fruit trees. You have just entered a paradise, a place where you can lay in the cool shade of the trees and eat the wet and sweet fruit from the trees. Most other translations translate the word pardes as an orchard. While this is the meaning of the word, the idea of a paradise (from a Hebraic perspective) better illustrates the true meaning of the word.

The word pardes is also an acronym for a very ancient form of Biblical interpretation. The word pardes is written with four letters, פ (P), ר (R), ד (D) and ס (S). We could then write this word as PaRDeS. Each of these letters represents one word, P’shat, Remez, D’rash and Sod. The word p’shat means plain and represents the plain simple meaning of the text. The word remez means hint and represents an implied meaning of the text which usually has a deeper meaning. The word d’rash means searching and represents the meaning of the text that must be found buried in the text. The word sod means hidden and represents a hidden meaning that is drawn out from the text. When using these four methods of Biblical interpretation it is important to remember that the first method, the p’shat, can never be removed or changed with one of the other methods.

When these methods of Biblical interpretation are applied to the Hebrew text, the text becomes a paradise, a place of rest and sustenance."[1]

Basic Definitions of Semitic Bible Study Methods

The origin of this method comes from Ancient Bible Study Methods created by Dr. Anne Davis. Dr. Koplitz has taken these methods and expanded them for the study of the Hebrew Scriptures. There are more resources available for the study of the Hebrew Scriptures than there are for the Christian Scriptures. The church has integrated their savior Yeshua of Nazareth into all the aspects of the Hebrew Scriptures. Not that the Messiah is not in the Hebrew Scriptures. There are definitely prophecies about the Messianic age. However, the Christian idea that Yeshua is all over the pages of the Hebrew scripture is not there. From the Hebraic point of the view, the ultimate Messiah has not come to Earth yet. If the Messianic age is presented in the Torah, the project will note it.

The major part of Semitic Bible Study Methods is to ask questions about the Scripture. There is always a reason for the way the LORD had the Torah written. The LORD wants readers to ask questions about what the Torah says. A great way to learn the Scripture is to have a partner whom you can bounce questions. Debate is the primary function of Semitic Bible Study Methods. The sage Hillel, around 70 BCE introduced this concept into his house of biblical study. Ever since then sages and rabbis have been using debate to interpreting Scripture. It is expected that the reader will question the questions and answers in this document. Debate the document and its finding. Hopefully, the materials presented will invoke the reader to find the answers to their questions. This method goes against the way we were taught to view the Scriptures. Included in the project will be information about Hebraic and Greek teaching methods. It will then be clear why Semitic methods were selected for this analysis. The idea is to open the reader’s mind to the endless possibilities the LORD’s Torah offers.

The Torah is read from Genesis 1 to the end of Deuteronomy each year in the synagogue. If a pious Jew attends Saturday worship at the local synagogue all his/her life, then the Torah will have been heard approximately 70 times. The Torah is described as an onion of knowledge. Actually, 70 different layers. As each layer is removed a new layer of information is found.

Thomas Kuhn wrote a book titled The Structure of Scientific Revolution in which he described how the community accepts how scientific ideas. Einstein’s theory of relativity was not accepted at first. It was too big a jump from the Physics of Einstein’s day to his theory of relativity. For a couple of decades Physics knowledge grew closer to relativity until, a light went on, and Physicists understood what Einstein proposed. The same thing happens in our understanding of the Scripture. As each layer of the Torah is revealed a person will develop a deeper understanding of each Parsha.

Semitic Bible Study Methods moves the 70 year process into a shorter time span. Unfortunately, all 70 layers of the Torah cannot be done by one book. The hope is that after you study a Parsha in this project you will go back and study the Parsha again. Ask more questions, search for more knowledge and learn more from the LORD’s Torah.

Semitic Bible Study Methods differ from Ancient Bible study Methods because the culture of the author of the Torah is a large component of understanding the Torah. The language usage, idioms, metaphors, and figure of speech, for example, are essential to know to fully understand the Torah. Rocco Errico said that the Scripture is the inspired word of the LORD unfortunately written by human hands. The ideas the LORD gave to the authors had to be interpreted by the authors. Naturally, their culture and ways of doing things were incorporated into the writings. Some items are missing because the author did not see a need to explain something that everyone in this day knew.

The following are definitions for the various documents that will be examined that the reader may not be fully aware of.

Midrash

"Midrash (מדרשׁ) is an interpretive act, seeking the answers to religious questions (both practical and theological) by plumbing the meaning of the words of the Torah. (In the Bible, the root d-r-sh [דרשׁ] is used to mean inquiring into any matter, including occasionally to seek out God’s word.) Midrash responds to contemporary problems and crafts new stories, making connections between new Jewish realities and the unchanging biblical text.

Midrash falls into two categories. When the subject is law and religious practice (halacha ), it is called midrash halacha. Midrash aggadah, on the other hand, interprets biblical narrative, exploring questions of ethics or theology, or creating homilies and parables based on the text. (Aggadah meanstelling; any midrash which is not halakhic falls into this category.)

Midrash Halacha

It is often difficult to determine, simply from reading the biblical text, what Jewish law would be in practice. The text of the Torah is often general or ambiguous when presenting laws. Midrash halacha attempts to clarify or extend a law beyond the conditions assumed in the Bible, and to make connections between current practice and the biblical text. It made possible the creation and acceptance of new liturgies and rituals which de facto replaced sacrificial worship after the fall of the Second Temple, and the maintenance of continuity by linking those practices to the words of the Torah .

Midrash halacha from the two centuries following the fall of the Temple was collected in three books — the Mekhilta on Exodus, the Sifra on Leviticus, and the Sifrei on Numbers and Deuteronomy — known as the tannaitic midrashim. (The tannaim were the rabbis from the time of the Mishnah, edited in approximately 200 C.E.)

Midrash Aggadah

The type of midrash most commonly referred to (as in, There is a midrash which says...) is from the collections of midrash aggadah, most of which were compiled between about 200 and 1000 C.E. (Many midrashim circulated orally before then). Midrash aggadah may begin its exploration with any word or verse in the Bible. There are many different methods of interpretation and exposition.

Written by rabbis both steeped in Bible and absorbed by the Jewish questions of their time, works of midrash aggadah often occupy the meeting ground between reverence and love for the wording of the fixed text of the Torah, and theological creativity. Midrashic writings thus often yield religious insights that have made Torah directly  to later Jewish realities, especially the concerns of its authors. Some of what midrash aggadah yields is insight into the burning, sometimes time-bound questions of those who wrote it. Still, the interpretations produced often have more universal and timeless application to our, or any, generation.

In addition to works devoted to midrashic compilations, midrash aggadah also appears throughout the two Talmuds. Midrash Rabbah, the Great Midrash, is the name of the collections linked to the five books of the Torah and the Five Scrolls (Esther, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, and Ecclesiastes) read on holidays. Some of these works read like verse-by-verse commentaries. Others may have originated in sermons linked to the weekly Torah reading."[2]

Legends

"The Legends of the Jews"  is a chronological compilation of aggadah from hundreds of biblical legends in Mishnah, Talmud and Midrash. The compilation consists of seven volumes (four volumes of narrative texts and two volumes of footnotes with a volume of index) synthesized by Louis Ginzberg in a manuscript written in the German language. In 1913, it was translated by Henrietta Szold.[1] It was published in Philadelphia by the Jewish Publication Society of America from 1909 to 1938.

The narrative is divided into four main volumes, Volume I covering the period from the Creation to Jacob; Volume II covering the period from Joseph to the Exodus; Volume III covering the period from the Exodus to the death of Moses; and Volume IV covering the period from Joshua to Esther.

According to Ginzberg’s son Eli, Clarence Darrow consulted Ginzberg while preparing for the Scopes Trial in order to find out who Cain had married, a subject on which Darrow later cross-examined William Jennings Bryan during the trial. Ginzberg referred Darrow to the Legends of the Jews, which relates legends about Cain’s wife having been one of Adam and Eve’s daughters not mentioned in the Bible.

Nahum Glatzer wrote in 1956, "The first four volumes of ... Legends of the Jews, which present the non-legal traditions of the Talmud and the Midrash, make pleasurable reading, which does not prevent the two volumes of ‘Notes’ that follow them from being documents of meticulous research into the original texts and their variants, as well as into general and Jewish folklore, into comparative religion and ancient Near Eastern thought. In 2014, Benjamin Ivry wrote, If any work of stunning erudition can be called loveable, then surely Legends retains this allure. ... [T]he work and its author have attracted ecstatic praise."

In 2009, the Legends of the Jews was the subject of a colloquium held by the World Association for Jewish Studies, papers from which were published as Louis Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews: Ancient Jewish Folk Literature Reconsidered.[5] In 2019, painter Joel Silverstein presented an exhibition of paintings inspired by Ginzberg’s work, titled The Ginzberg Variations."[3]

Talmud

"The Talmud is a collection of writings that covers the full gamut of Jewish law and tradition, compiled and edited between the third and sixth centuries. Written in a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic, it records the teachings and discussions of the great academies of the Holy Land and Babylonia. With 2,711 densely packed pages and countless commentaries, learning Talmud is the occupation of a lifetime.

What Does Talmud Mean?

Talmud is Hebrew for learning, appropriate for a text that people devote their lives to studying and mastering.

Is Talmud the Same as Torah?

As you can read in What Is Torah, in its narrowest sense, Torah refers to the Five Books of Moses, while Talmud contains rabbinic commentaries, traditions and laws couched in the Torah’s infinite wisdom. However, the term Torah is often used to describe all of Jewish scholarship, which includes the Talmud.

What Is the Main Text of the Talmud?

The main text of the Talmud is the Mishnah, a collection of terse teachings written in Hebrew, redacted by Rabbi Yehudah the Prince, in the years following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

Where Was the Talmud Written?

Over the next several hundred years after the Mishnah’s completion, the rabbis continued to teach and expound. Many of those teachings were collected into two great bodies, the Jerusalem Talmud, containing the teachings of the rabbis in the Land of Israel, and the Babylonian Talmud, featuring the teachings of the rabbis of Babylon. These two works are written in the Aramaic dialects used in Israel and Babylonia respectively.

Who Wrote the Commentaries?

There are many commentaries written on the Talmuds (mostly on the Babylonian Talmud, which is more widely studied), notably the elucidating notes of Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 10th Century France), Tosafot (a group of rabbis who lived in the years following Rashi, many of whom were his descendants and/or his students).

These two commentaries are printed together with the Babylonian Talmud, surrounding the main text, having become an part of the study of Talmud. The standard edition of the Babylonian Talmud comprises 2,711 double-sided pages, with many, many more pages filled with the teachings of other commentators."[4]

Zohar

"The Zohar (Hebrew ???; Splendor, radiance) is widely considered the most important work of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. It is a mystical commentary on the Torah (five books of Moses), written in medieval Aramaic and medieval Hebrew. It contains a mystical discussion of the nature of God, the origin and structure of the universe, the nature of souls, sin, redemption, good and evil, and related topics. The Zohar is not one book, but a group of books. These books include scriptural interpretations as well as material on theosophic theology, mythical cosmogony, mystical psychology, and what some would call anthropology."[5]

The major differences between the Greek method of teaching and the Hebraic method

Once you are aware of the two teaching styles, you will determine if you are in a class or reading a book, whether the analysis and/or teaching method is in a Greek or Hebraic method. In the Greek method, it is automatically thought that the instructor is right because of advanced knowledge. In the college situation, it is because the professor has his/her Ph.D. in some area of study, so one assumes that he or she knows everything about the topic. For example, Rodney Dangerfield played the role of a middle-aged man going to college. His English midterm was to write about Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Since he did not understand any of Vonnegut’s books, he hired Vonnegut himself to write the midterm. When it was returned to him, the English Professor told Dangerfield that whoever wrote the paper knew nothing about Vonnegut. This is an example of the Greek method of teaching. Did the Ph.D. English professor think she knew more about Vonnegut’s writings than Vonnegut did?[6]

In the Greek teaching method, the professor, or the instructor claims to be the authority. If you are attending a Bible study class and the class leader says, I will teach you the only way to understand this biblical book, you may want to consider the implications. This method is common since most seminaries and Bible colleges teach a Greek method of learning, which is the same method the church has been using for centuries.

Hebraic teaching methods are different. The teacher wants the students to challenge what they hear. It is through questioning that a student can learn. Besides, the teacher wants his/her students to excel to a point where the student becomes the teacher. 

It is said that if two rabbis come together to discuss a passage of Scripture, the result will be at least ten different opinions. All points of view are acceptable as long as biblical evidence can support the points. It is permissible and encourages students to have multiple opinions. There is a depth to God’s Word, and God wants us to find all of His messages that are placed in the Scriptures.

Seeking the meaning of the Scriptures beyond the literal meaning is essential to understand God’s Word fully.[7] The Greek method of learning the Scriptures has prevailed over the centuries. One problem is that only the literal interpretation of Scripture was often viewed as valid, as prompted by Martin Luther’s sola literalis, meaning that only the literal interpretation of Scripture was valid. The Fundamentalist movements of today are generally based on the literal interpretation of the Scripture. Therefore, they do not believe that God placed any more in-depth, hidden, or secret meanings in the Word.

The students of the Scriptures who learn through Hebraic training and understanding have drawn a different conclusion. The Hebrew language itself leads to different interpretations because of the construction of the language. The Hebraic method of Bible study opens up avenues of thought about God’s revelations in the Scripture that may have never been considered. A question may be raised about the Scripture being studied for which there may not be an immediate answer. If so, it becomes the responsibility of the learners to uncover the meaning. Also, remember that multiple opinions about the meaning of Scripture are also acceptable if Scripture can support them.

Definitions and Examples of Literary Forms in the Bible

Literary forms are distinct literary compositions that are used to convey ideas.

Hebrew Parallelism

¹³ For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother’s womb. (Ps. 139:13 N.A.U.)

This verse from Psalm 139 demonstrates Hebrew parallelism. The first half of the verse is repeated immediately as the second half of the verse. In this case, the second half of this verse reinforces the thought of the first half. In this example, the repetition is synonymous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Ps. 1:6 N.I.V.)

This verse is an example of antithetic parallelism, where the thought repetition is of contrasting ideas. 

¹ A psalm of David.

Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. ²

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness. (Ps. 29:1-2 NIV)

This verse demonstrates climactic parallelism, which designates a highly repetitive, slowly advancing set of statements.[8]

Chiasm

A –  ⁷ "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

B –  ⁹ "Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?"

A’ ¹¹ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

A chiasm is a literary device that has a central point and is surrounded by statements whose thoughts are repetitive. The central point of the chiasm is supported by the statements that surround it. In the example shown about which is Matthew 7:7-11, Yeshua’s main point, designated by the letter B, is that God will give to His people that which they need in their daily life. The surrounding statements, A and A’ support the central point by giving additional examples of how God will supply whatever is needed for our daily survival. When the repeating ideas and the central point are in the form of A-B-A’ it is a chiasm [a chiasm can be more in-depth, for example, A-B-C-D-C’-B’-A’].[9]

A ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

B ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

A’ ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Eph. 6:11-13 N.A.U.)

This passage from Ephesians is another example of a chiasm. Verses 11 and 13 are repetitive verses which surround the chiastic center of what can be done with the full armor of God

Genre

A genre is a text that has a recognized definitive purpose based on its internal literary structure.[10]

·  History delivered as a Narrative: There are stories in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, and Acts.  

·  Law: These are the instructions and precepts of God given to us through Moses, that can be found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.  

·  Wisdom: Is a collection of maxims and sayings that can be found in Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.   

·  Poetry: Hebrew poetry is composed of parallel lines delivered in a rhythm that evokes a strong emotional response. Hebrew poetry is commonly found in the Psalms, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations.

·  Prophecy: Prophecy is when a human messenger speaks for God, both giving current exhortation and foretelling future events. This can be found in both major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the minor prophets, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.  

·  Apocalyptic: This genre uses vivid imagery and exaggerations to paint a picture of what the end of time will be, which includes the final judgment when the LORD returns to Earth. This genre can be found in Daniel, several of the minor prophets, and the Book of the Revelation.

·  Parables: These are the sayings of Jesus that are instructive narratives that usually have a cultural twist to capture the listeners’ attention.

·  Epistles: These are the letters written to a specific audience that has also practical application for us today such as Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter, John, and the first three chapters of Revelation.   

·  Romance: These are narratives, also written as love stories, such as Ruth and Song of Solomon, which contain a message to us about how God loves us.

·  Gospels: The Gospels are about the life of Yeshua that tells us the Good News of God’s Messiah.

Hebrew Idioms

T.N.K. Genesis 4:6 And the LORD said to Cain, Why are you distressed, And why is your face fallen?

An idiom is an expression that is different from the literal meaning of the words. The phrase face fallen is an idiom that means sad.

Irony

Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, Where are you? (Gen. 3:9 N.A.U.)

The simple definition of irony is:

1.  Saying something other than what is meant

2.  Saying the opposite of what is meant [11]

Since God knows all things His calling out to Adam, Where are you?, is ironic.

Humor

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; ¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. (Ps. 37:12-13 NIV)

A verse that has an amusing quality is considered humorous.

Anthropomorphism

²⁸ And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times? ²⁹ Then Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now. ³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you? And he said, No. (Num. 22:28-30 N.A.U.)

³² Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. (Lk. 8:32 N.A.U.)

"Assignment of human attributes to nonhuman things. Biblical anthropomorphisms are used primarily in reference to God, who is neither visible (John 1:18) nor human (Num 23:19). They are also used to assign human characteristics to angels (Gen 16:7), Satan (1 Chron 21:1), and demons (Luke 8:32). Evil is also personified, depicted as slaying (Psalm 34:21) and pursuing (Pr 13:21). Infrequently, human qualities are attributed to animals (Nu 22:28-30) or vegetation (Jud 9:7-15)."[12]

Echo

³⁹ But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; ⁴⁰ for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matt. 12:39-40 N.A.U.)

An Echo is defined as a verse in the Christian Scriptures that evokes the imagery of a Hebrew Scripture. From the example in Matthew 12:39-40, when the people heard Yeshua say Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, the imagery of the Jonah story would have come to mind.

Paradox

⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. ⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eye (Prov. 26:4-5 NIV)

These verses are a paradox because it is illogical to answer a fool according to his or her foolishness. However, it is the best way to answer a person. The reasoning in a paradox tends to lead to a conclusion that seems senseless and possibly unacceptable, yet it is the best course of action.

Metaphor

² He said, The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; (2 Sam. 22:2 N.A.U.)

The LORD is described in this verse as a rock and a fortress. Since these are material items, and God is spiritual, then God cannot be these material things. The metaphorical usage is that God protects like a rock or like a fortress. Therefore, the literal application of the rock and fortress is not valid. The difference between a metaphor and a symbol is that a symbol uses like or as, a metaphor becomes the other thing; for example, God is a rock.

Personification

10 He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. (Gen. 4:10 N.A.U.)

Personification is a figure of speech in which an object, an idea, or an animal is given human attributes. In Genesis 4:10 verse, Abel’s blood is personified because the verse says that the blood cried up to God. Since blood cannot talk, this personification has a meaning that is different from the literal definition. This literary device catches the imagination and can create imagery in the mind of the reader.

Simile

⁴⁴ The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. (Matt. 13:44 N.I.V.)

A phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar is a simile. The simile draws together two or more items through the usage of a vivid comparison. In Matthew 13:44 the simile of the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field that describes Heaven in earthly terms.  The treasure hidden in a field would be valuable. Heaven is as valuable, actually more valuable, than a treasure found on Earth.

Hyperbole

Matthew 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. (Matt. 23:24 N.I.V.)

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally. A camel cannot be swallow whole; therefore, there is a meaning behind the sentence that is different from the literal meaning.

Allegory

¹¹ And He said, "A man had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. ¹³ And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. ¹⁴ Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. ¹⁷ But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying