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Part Two · Chapter Forty-Three — Symbolic Prophetic Visions: Allegory, Etymology, and Letter-Play
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We have already shown in our works that the prophets sometimes prophesy in allegories — they see something in allegorical form, and then the meaning of that allegory is explained within the same prophetic vision. This is like when a person sees a dream and imagines in that dream that he has woken up and someone else interprets the dream for him — and it is all still a dream. This is what is called 'a dream interpreted within a dream.' Some dreams are understood only after waking. Likewise prophetic allegories may have their meanings explained within the prophetic vision, as is clear in Zechariah's words after those allegories had been presented: 'And the angel that spoke with me came back and woke me, as a man who is awakened from his sleep. And he said to me, What do you see?' etc. (Zech. 4:1-2), and then he explained the allegory.
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As is also clear in Daniel, who says: 'Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed' (Dan. 7:1), then describes all the allegories, and records his distress at not knowing their interpretation — until he asked the angel, who told him the interpretation within that same vision, as he relates: 'I came near to one of those standing there and asked him the truth of all this, and he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things' (Dan. 7:16). He then calls the entire episode ḥazon (vision), though he had stated it began as a dream — because the angel explained it to him as is mentioned concerning a prophetic dream. He says later: 'A vision appeared to me, I Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first' (Dan. 8:1). This is clear: ḥazon is derived from ḥaza, mareh is derived from raah, and ḥaza and raah are synonymous — so there is no difference between saying be-mareh, or be-maḥaze, or be-ḥazon. There is no third path other than the two modes that the Torah specifies: 'In a vision I make myself known to him, in a dream I speak to him' (Num. 12:6). There are, however, degrees within this, as will be explained.
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Among the prophetic allegories there are many whose meaning is not explained within the prophetic vision, but the prophet comes to know the intention after waking — like the staves that Zechariah took in the prophetic vision.
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Know that just as the prophets see things meant as allegories — like Zechariah's lampstands, horses, and mountains, Ezekiel's scroll, the plumb-line wall seen by Amos, the animals seen by Daniel, the boiling pot seen by Jeremiah, and similar allegories designed to imitate meanings — so too they see things whose intent is indicated by the name of the thing seen, whether through etymology or through homonymy. The imaginative faculty operates by producing a thing whose name is homonymous, so that one meaning of that name serves as an indicator of another meaning. This too is a type of symbolic figuration. Take Jeremiah's almond staff (maqqel shaqed) — the intention was to indicate through the homonymous word shaqed the prophecy: 'For I am watching (shoqed)' (Jer. 1:12) — not from the meaning of the staff or from the meaning of the almond. Similarly Amos's vision of a basket of summer fruit (kelub qayiẓ) — to indicate from it the completion of the period: 'the end (ha-qeẓ) has come' (Amos 8:2).
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More remarkable than this is when the indication operates through the name of something whose letters are the letters of another name in a different order — with no etymological connection between the two names and no shared meaning at all. An example is found in Zechariah's allegories: he takes in a prophetic vision two staves to shepherd the flock, and names one Noʿam (pleasure) and the other Ḥobelim (destroyers). The intent of this allegory is: the people in their early state were in the pleasure (noʿam) of the Lord, who led them and guided them aright; they rejoiced in God's service, delighting in it, and God was pleased with them and loved them, as it is said 'You have declared the Lord to be your God today' etc. (Deut. 26:17) and 'The Lord has declared you today' etc. (ibid. 26:18); their director and guide at that time was Moses and the prophets who came after him. Then their state changed — they came to despise God's service, and God despised them, appointing as their leaders destroyers (ḥobelim) like Jeroboam and Manasseh. This is by etymology: ḥobelim is from meḥabbelim keramim, 'destroying vineyards.' But then the prophet drew from this name ḥobelim an additional indication — their loathing of the Law and God's loathing of them — and this meaning cannot be derived from ḥobelim except by transposing the letters ḥet, bet, and lamed. So he expressed the idea of loathing and contempt from this allegory in the words: 'My soul loathed them and their soul also abhorred (baḥalah) me' (Zech. 11:8) — transposing the letters of ḥabal to make baḥal.
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And by this same method there are very remarkable things — mysteries as well — in the terms of the Merkavah description: neḥoshet, qalal, regel, egel, and ḥashmal. And in other passages: when you pursue them with your mind, in every case the import of the speech will become clear to you after this indication.