9 PARONOMASIA OR WORDPLAY? 1. Ambiguity In order to overcome the illustrated terminological chaos, we will not use the concept paronomasia as an umbrella term for all types of wordplay. Instead, the term wordplay seems to be more appropriate as a general denomination for different types of wordplay in the Hebrew Bible. However, it has to be noted that not all scholars accept the term wordplay. Some are of the opinion that the term “wordplay” sounds as if it would only refer to some kind of “play” without fulfilling any “serious” function. Therefore, some scholars prefer the term “pun” 21. It can indeed be confirmed that scholars sometimes cannot validate wordplay and consider it only to be a “misuse” of language for comic purposes 22. However, this kind of attitude disregards the subtle play between sound and meaning in a specific literary context that consti- tutes wordplay in the Hebrew Bible. Moreover, it wrongly associates each form of ambiguity with comic scenes. As seen in classical times, wordplay was not only present in comedy, but also constitutive of, for example, the genre of tragedy. An allusion to the signification of proper nouns in solemn and pathetic passages often highlighted the personality and destiny of the main characters 23. This broad sense of ambiguity is even truer for texts in the Hebrew Bible 24. While the opinions on and the classifications of different types of wordplay are very diverse, most scholars agree in stating that a cer- 21 Cf., for example, S. SCHORCH, “Between Science and Magic: The Func- tion and Roots of Paronomasia in the Prophetic Books of the Hebrew Bible”, Puns and Pundits. Wordplay in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Literature (ed. S.B. NOEGEL) (Bethesda, MD 2000) 206; S.B. NOEGEL, “‘Word play’ in Qoheleth”, JHS 7 (2007) 2-28, 3-4. However, other scholars argue the opposite, in saying that precisely the term “punning” invalidates the phenome- non of wordplay. Cf. GLÜCK, Paronomasia in Biblical Literature, 52. 22 Cf. the words of L. Peeters in response to the definition of E. Littré (E. LITTRE – A. BEAUJEAN, Dictionnaire de la langue française [Paris 171932]) in L. PEETERS, « Pour une interprétation du jeu de mots », Sem 2 (1971-1972) 127-142, 127. 23 Cf., for example, CASANOWICZ, Paronomasia in the Old Testament, 19; E.S. MCCARTNEY, “Puns and Plays on Proper Names”, CJ 14 (1919) 343-358, 356. 24 The kind of ambiguity which is constitutive of Hebrew wordplay fits within the classification of seven types of ambiguity in overall literature, pre- sented by W. EMPSON, Seven Types of Ambiguity (London 51973). However, within scholarly attention to ambiguity in Biblical literature, this ambiguity is rather referred to by the concept of “double entendre”. See e.g. J.J.M. ROBERTS, “Double Entendre in First Isaiah,” CBQ 54 (1992) 39-48.