Paronomasia

Paronomasia refers to the use of a pun, word-play, perhaps even a joke, based on different words with the same (or nearly the same) sound to highlight a point being made. Paronomasia appears quite frequently in the Hebrew Bible, and recognizing them is an important part of interpretation. Unfortunately, paronomasias do not translate well.

An example of paronomasia in the OT is Gen 2:25 which states that "Adam and his wife were both naked (’arummim, and they felt no shame" while the next verse tells, "Now the snake was more crafty (’arum) than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made." Initiating the conversation with the snake leads eventually to Adam and his wife recognizing they were naked.