2 VALÉRIE KABERGS – HANS AUSLOOS nition of Hebrew wordplay is most necessary, as there are as many definitions and terminological concepts being used to refer to the phe- nomenon as there are minor studies on wordplay in a particular Bible passage. The definition of so-called paronomasia in particular is highly debated in relation to the term “wordplay”. After a survey of the current opinions in defining the concepts of “paronomasia” and “wordplay” (I), we aim at proposing our own definition of the concept of “Hebrew wordplay” (II). Thereafter, this description will simulta- neously delimitate the field of Hebrew wordplay as it excludes a few linguistic figures that are classified as wordplay in other studies (III). I. A Terminological Confusion Casanowicz’s study on wordplay in the Old Testament was inno- vative in its time and has certainly served as an inspiration for many Biblical scholars. However, by entitling his study Paronomasia in the Old Testament, his work has also led to much confusion. In order to illustrate this terminological chaos, we give a short survey of the way in which classical rhetoricians, Casanowicz himself, and more recent Old Testament scholars who based their observations regard- ing wordplay mostly on Casanowicz’s work have dealt with and de- fined the concepts of “paronomasia” and “wordplay”. 1. The “Classical” Definition of Paronomasia and the Terminology of Casanowicz According to Casanowicz’s survey, the term paronomasia is ini- tially found in Greek-Latin rhetorical literature, where the concept is catalogued as one of the so-called “figures of words” (sxh/mata th=v lecewv or figurae verborum) 5. In his Symposium, Plato (428/427– / 347 B.C.E.) refers by means of the vague term i1sa to instances based 5 Cf. CASANOWICZ, Paronomasia in the Old Testament, 1-4. The great at- tention to figures of sound in classical literature (just as it is the case for Bib- lical literature) can be understood against the background of complex transmission processes. As the written fixation of texts was preceded by an oral tradition, it is very plausible that authors/redactors paid much attention to similar sound patterns in order to facilitate the comprehension and memo- rization of texts.