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chaehwa-archives · 1 month ago

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friendly rivalry deep dive part 19

I’m now at the halfway point in this Friendly Rivalry rewatch project, and what a journey it’s been. To be honest, at the outset, I wasn’t sure how well FR would hold up, or how much this kind of in-depth analysis would pay off. I should have trusted my gut, though. This series is a gem. It’s rare for any piece of media to be made with this level of intention and complexity, and for a GL drama? Depends on how far you stretch the definition, but you can probably count them on one hand...with a missing finger or two.

I’ve been a little worried, though. I remember loving the first half of FR, and I remember loving Episodes 14-16, when the relationship between Jae-yi and Seul-gi takes center stage again. The episodes in between I mostly remember...being confused. Of course that was partly due to pre-Netflix era bad subtitle translation. We all know FR is complicated enough without having to decode every single line of dialogue.

Still I’m curious how I’ll feel about the second half this second time around. Is it as messy as I originally thought, or will the rewatch help things click into place?

So far I’m optimistic. Episode 9 is a gut punch after the whirlwind romance of Episode 8, but it might be one of my favorite episodes yet. In this post I’ll just cover the prologue concerning Je-na, and in Part 20 I’ll cover the rest.

Hopefully everyone reading this has seen the show and knows what you’re getting into with Je-na’s backstory. Just a heads up that we’ll be discussing a sexual relationship between a teacher and student, among other kinds of abuse, so brace yourself.

We’ve seen four prologues so far, one for each main character. All of them were hard to watch in their own way: Seul-gi faces bullying and addiction; Jae-yi loses the will to live under the weight of her father’s curse; Gyeong is cringe and needs to go to horny jail; Ye-ri is starved and neglected by her mother. But I’m calling it: Je-na’s backstory is the most brutal of them all. This poor girl. I am so upset.

Like the other prologues, Je-na’s is a kind of keyhole we can peek through to glimpse her private inner world. But it’s also a key. Je-na’s story illuminates the lives of the other cast members, and reveals a dark truth at the heart of Friendly Rivalry: as fucked up as Seul-gi, Jae-yi, Gyeong, and Ye-ri are, these girls are actually the lucky ones.

The first scene revisits the violin bow incident we first witnessed in Episode 3, when Tae-joon forced Jae-yi to hit Je-na as punishment for failing to answer a math problem. Later in that episode, he found Jae-yi crying in bed and told his version of the Cain and Abel story, casting Je-na as Cain, the older sibling driven by murderous jealousy.

The very first thing we learn about Je-na in Episode 9 is that she is absolutely nothing like Cain. She doesn’t have a vengeful bone in her body. Je-na cares so little about being surpassed by her sister that she answers a question wrong *on purpose* just to protect her.

Je-na is a refutation of Tae-joon’s parable—her big heart doesn’t fit into his brutal world. But, as we’ll see, that heart isn’t enough to save her. In a loveless family where any sign of vulnerability is exploited, and in a society built by Tae-joons for other Tae-joons, her heart is a liability.

There’s one interesting detail in this scene that’s easy to overlook. Seul-gi tells us in her narration that Je-na erases the correct answer because she chooses to get hit rather than hit her sister. But...wait. Je-na erases her answer *before* Tae-joon explains that one of the sisters will have to hit the other. How does she know?

The way the scene is shot, we can’t see the violin bow at first, but the whole time the girls are answering math problems, it’s sitting on the kitchen counter in front of Tae-joon. Je-na can see the violin bow and probably guesses that some kind of punishment is coming. And she knows her dad punishes failure. So she acts on a hunch, and her intuition is right.

This tiny scene communicates so much. Je-na is just as clever and observant as her father and sister, but her choices follow a different emotional logic. Tae-joon expects his daughters to act out of fear and self-preservation. Je-na acts out of love and self-sacrifice. Although he’s oblivious to it, Je-na understands her father here better than he understands her. She’s one step ahead of him, subverting the rules of his game before he even has a chance to explain them. In her own way, she’s a genius. But emotional intelligence means nothing to Tae-joon, who only senses weakness.

In the next scene, Tae-joon has already given up on Je-na. She isn’t ruthless enough to be molded into his perfect creation. He argues with his wife (they seem on the brink of a divorce, which is probably why we never see the mom around in the present day) and insists that if they split, he’s keeping Jae-yi. She’s the future of the hospital.

(Of course, if they do end up splitting—I think it’s implied later that they are living separately?—he keeps both kids. He needs both for his divide-and-conquer tactics to work.) Je-na overhears her parents arguing. Then, when Jae-yi wakes up and follows her into the hallway, Je-na covers her ears and hugs her. Jae-yi’s hand tightens on a table cover, and one of Tae-joon’s many awards—a trophy for surgical excellence—falls and strikes Je-na on the foot. She starts bleeding but doesn’t cry. Instead she helps her sister get ready for kindergarten.

My gawd this scene. Absolutely heartbreaking. And there’s just...so much to unpack.

Like the previous scene, Je-na is again doing her best to protect her little sister. And, once again, she gets hurt for it. This time, not only is she physically injured, but she also has to listen to her father tell her mother that he doesn’t want her. Despite the favoritism Tae-joon is showing Jae-yi, though, Je-na refuses to lash out at her sister. She doesn’t seek revenge for the physical or emotional wounds Jae-yi inflicts, either.

Because the award falling on her foot is clearly a metaphor for a different kind of injury. Je-na’s unending sacrifice for Jae-yi’s sake goes unrewarded. Jae-yi never returns her sister’s care or affection. It’s not malicious—she isn’t trying to hurt Je-na’s feelings. She’s a child and doesn’t know any better. But still...it hurts. It hurts when you hug your sister and she won’t even put her arms around you.

(In society, sacrifice like Je-na’s usually goes unacknowledged, too. We have awards for “excellence,” but there’s no trophy for taking care of your sibling in an abusive household, even though Je-na is more of a hero than her father will ever be.)

The trophy is a symbol for the true source of the wound, the wedge that will continue to drive them apart. It’s not one of Jae-yi’s awards that causes the bleeding—it’s one of Tae-joon’s. And it’s his influence that gets to Jae-yi and pulls her away from Je-na’s love. You can see the first signs of that influence on Jae-yi when she coldly observes, “Your foot is bleeding.” This is the same girl who was devastated by hurting her sister not long ago!

Je-na and Tae-joon represent the two conflicting sides of Jae-yi’s personality. On one hand you have the compassionate and selfless Jae-yi, full of affection for and fiercely protective of the people she loves. We can see all of these traits embodied in Je-na. And on the other hand is the cold, distant manipulator embodied in Tae-joon.

As if this scene weren’t already gut-wrenching enough, go back and listen closely to the parents’ argument in the background. When the trophy falls, yeah, that’s their mom screaming. Tae-joon likes his sick little mind games, but he doesn’t hesitate to use physical violence if he thinks he can get away with it. Under his veneer of respectability, he’s just a bully, no more sophisticated than the girls who terrorized Seul-gi in school.

Speaking of Seul-gi, two things. First, there’s the obvious parallel to the closet scene in Episode 3, when Jae-yi covers Seul-gi’s ears to protect her. Now we know where she learned that from, and now we know that Je-na’s caregiving and protection is probably (apart from her relationship with Je-yun) the only form of unconditional love that Jae-yi has ever received. Whether it’s conscious or subconscious, when Jae-yi protects Seul-gi, there’s something genuine there—at the very least, she’s trying to imitate what she thinks real love looks like.

Consider also the scene where Je-na dresses Jae-yi for school, and how often Jae-yi has expressed affection for Seul-gi by dressing her—whether it’s the gift of the new uniform in Episode 3, or the gift of the scarf in Episode 7...or the gift she’ll give at the end of the series.

We’re also starting to see parallels between Je-na and Seul-gi. Like Seul-gi, Je-na fears abandonment, and is desperate to be loved. As a defense mechanism, she tries to be independent, taking on the adult responsibility of caring for her sister without expecting any help. She sacrifices herself day after day, denying her own needs, in an effort to hold her family together, while Seul-gi denies her humanity, setting herself apart from everyone.

The difference is that Seul-gi is forced by her isolation and by her circumstances to grow a thick skin. She stops expecting anything more than neglect and mistreatment from people, and learns to survive on her own.

Je-na’s self-worth is tied up in her family from the beginning. And because her family is controlled by Tae-joon, that means tragically seeking validation from a system that will only demand sacrifice while continuing to abuse and degrade her.

On some level, Tae-joon must know that Je-na’s love for her sister is a threat to his power over them both, which is why he isolates them. Under his influence, Jae-yi distances herself, and Je-na is left utterly alone. Her sacrifice is not only not repaid—it’s punished.

When Jae-yi and Je-na are leaving for school, there’s a shot of Je-na glancing up at Tae-joon, who’s watching them from the balcony. Like the violin bow scene, this shows us that, whatever Tae-joon thinks of their abilities, Je-na is more advanced than her sister in some ways. While Jae-yi remains emotionally stunted by fear, Je-na is carefully attuned to the power dynamics within their family. But she’s also powerless to change them.

Powerlessness makes her desperate, and in the next scene she prays to be stricken with an illness so that her family will pity her.

Wait. She’s so desperate to be noticed...that she prays for a disease that will make her stand out and be recognized? Does this remind you of anyone?

It’s little Seul-gi with the princess dress!

As her family is leaving church, Je-na suddenly collapses, and she’s diagnosed with narcolepsy. It’s never made clear exactly how “real” her narcolepsy is, but unless you accept divine intervention as an explanation, the odds that she would coincidentally develop a very noticeable neurological disorder moments after wishing to develop such a disorder seem…low. At the same time, even if it’s staged, this isn’t the kind of emotional manipulation that Tae-joon and Jae-yi excel at—it’s no galaxy-brain chess maneuver. It’s an impulsive attempt to meet an emotional need. And like Seul-gi’s impulsive choice to wear the princess dress to the beach, Je-na’s desperate attempt to be seen will have fateful consequences.

At this point, Je-na’s story doesn’t just echo Seul-gi’s—she’s also a counterpoint to Gyeong and Ye-ri. Like Ye-ri, Je-na is neglected by her parents, and seeks attention through a fantasy—in this case, the fantasy of her invented health condition. And, like Gyeong, Je-na grows up in Jae-yi’s shadow, constantly overlooked because of her. The difference is that Je-na never grows bitter, never resents her sister for receiving all the attention, or her father for ignoring her.

Je-na clearly wants to repair her relationship with Jae-yi, and when Jae-yi comes to visit her at the hospital, she allows herself to hope. Maybe this is her chance. In spite of all the pain Jae-yi has caused her, she still takes the risk of reaching out.

Jae-yi meanwhile is torn between her father and her sister again, between opening her heart and guarding it. She clearly does care, or she wouldn’t have come in the first place. But she doesn’t dare show her true feelings. That would be a sign of weakness, something Je-na might be able to exploit. Instead Jae-yi sulks, and when Je-na comes on a little too strong, she runs away, taking Je-yun with her.

Jae-yi is a lot like Seul-gi here, prickly and suspicious of affection. Which is probably why, when Seul-gi gives her the same standoffish treatment, it reopens all of these old wounds. Seul-gi reminds her a little bit of herself, and also reminds her of all the ways she’s hurt her sister over the years. Part of what draws her to Seul-gi in the early episodes might be the simple fact that Seul-gi makes her feel things again, when she’s been numb for so long.

It’s also easy to see why Jae-yi is so attached to Je-yun. Je-yun is safe and uncomplicated to love. She can project all her affection for her sister onto the dog and not have to worry about her guilt or her regrets or the ugliness of human relationships.

Jae-yi’s rejection of Je-na in this scene is heartbreaking enough, but what comes next is worse. For a moment, Je-na’s prayer seems to be answered when Tae-joon comes to her and apologizes for his failures as a father. It...worked? Someone in her family is finally giving her the attention she’s wanted for so long?

But just as Seul-gi in her princess dress ends up abandoned on the beach, Je-na’s plea for attention backfires in a cruelly ironic twist. She’s been neglected by her father for so long, she’s forgotten what his “support” means. It doesn’t mean love—it means more pressure, more surveillance, more expectations and conditions.

Interestingly, in the same way that Tae-joon failed to notice Je-na’s self-sacrifice as a child, he seems oblivious here to what’s actually going on in her brain. I don’t think he suspects that her narcolepsy could be fake, and he doesn’t seem to realize what’s motivating her, either. Je-na couldn’t care less about her grades or class rank. What encourages her to try harder in school is his moment of apparent remorse—his acting like a caring father for once in his goddamn life.

But Tae-joon can’t fathom how anyone could be motivated by love. He only understands fear, power, and control. And his use of these tactics against Je-na, who lacks her sister’s emotional armor, nearly destroys her.

Je-na and Jae-yi have essentially opposite reactions to the pressure of their father’s gaze. Jae-yi buries her emotions deeper and deeper to become the ruthless studying machine he apparently wants. Je-na becomes more impulsive, more reckless, less rational. Eager to earn Tae-joon’s approval, she turns to good luck charms, then to drugs, and finally to cheating.

Which brings us to the most uncomfortable part of an already unpleasant tale: the relationship that develops between Je-na and her math teacher, Woo Do-hyeok. The first time I watched Friendly Rivalry, I wasn’t sure how we were meant to read this relationship, and that uncertainty made me anxious. It seemed possible that we were being encouraged to view Do-hyeok as the victim, and I didn’t enjoy that implication. Now that I’ve had more time to sit with it, though, I actually appreciate the nuanced way FR depicts sexual abuse.

Do-hyeok isn’t overtly sinister. He’s not obviously villain-coded the way Tae-joon is. His concern for Je-na seems genuine at first, and it probably is. Putting ourselves in her shoes, it’s easy to see how she would view him as a lifeline. He’s…fatherly. And he’s the only adult in her life who seems to notice or care about the stress she’s under.

Which makes the way he takes advantage of her insecurities and emotional distress extra upsetting. This girl needs help. She needs there to be just *one* decent adult in her life. Do-hyeok is so good at playing the part of that figure, he almost convinces us as viewers that he could be an okay guy. He might have even convinced himself that he has Je-na’s best interests at heart.

But his conversation with Je-na, when he catches her trying to steal exam answers at night, is full of subtle manipulation. Hiding behind his mask of fatherly concern, he uses veiled threats and flattery to poke and prod at her vulnerabilities until she is totally at his mercy. When she throws herself at him, he’s surprised, but he doesn’t stop her. He’s had plenty of opportunity to set boundaries before now. He not only let her cross them all, he’s been nudging her across himself.

It’s also emphasized again and again that Je-na is not in a position of power or control. She’s so terrified that at one point she is literally on her knees begging for her life. She’s not a puppet master, and this is no careful scheme—the video that will be used later on to blackmail Do-hyeok isn’t part of a set-up. It only exists because Je-na sets her phone down on a shelf to light the room, and because Do-hyeok happens to brush her smartwatch by accident.

Honestly...this scene is just so upsetting. There’s nothing nice or neat or easy about it. It’s a sad pathetic man betraying a desperate girl so hungry for validation she immediately places all her trust in the first person to say a kind word to her. It’s the one authority figure in Je-na’s life who might be able to help her, who might even want to help her, choosing to exploit her instead. It’s fucked up, but I’m glad Friendly Rivalry resists the urge to give us a simplified or sanitized version. So much abuse in the real world is messy this way.

I still have questions about this prologue: Why does Do-hyeok show up at the school at night, anyway? Why was he keeping an extra Hankuk University keychain in his drawer? Why is Je-na’s pencil purple? Feel free to drop any questions you might have in the comments. I love trying to solve these mysteries together.

But the next entry will definitely loop back around to this prologue, since Episode 9 is full of references to Je-na’s backstory. So I will save other thoughts and ramblings till then. Sorry for the long wait this time, hopefully the next post will come sooner!

#friendly rivalry #friendly rivalry meta #girls love #gl drama #gl series #deep dive #kdrama #korean drama #korean gl #jaeyi x seulgi

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rye-views · 19 days ago

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Friendly Rivalry. 선의의 경쟁. 7.6/10

I would recommend this drama to my friends. I wouldn't rewatch this drama.

Why is Hyeri so hot in this drama? Her very first line, her facial expressions, her posture, her moves. I love it all here. Broooo, I'm dying at the bathtub makeout. Someone kill me. The contrast between stoic and nonchalant Seulgi with happy and cute Seulgi is adorable to me. I love Jaeyi's huh? expressions and when she bites her lip nervously. Kyung was so smart to hose down the culprit at the club restroom.

Damn at Jae Yi's dad bringing in that Cain and Abel reference. Damn at Jae Yi saying Choi Kyung should apologize. Surgeries on vinyls is wilding.

I was getting Pyramid Games vibes from the start, so you know I'm in. Jaeyi's dad is really like the mom in the manhwa, like mother, like daughter.

I love all the skateboards/skateboarding but why is it shown also kinda lame? I feel like this show was being queerbaity but at the same time, I feel like the gay scenes were necessary. I'm reading the webtoon rn and it's not gay, and I feel like it's missing that. Bathtubs scene was great, but unnecessary, but it's like the only scene we got that showed them being physical, and I think it was necessary because it was kinda brushed over and their relationship is twisted so deeply. Everything wrapped up fine, but I felt like the end no longer cared much about drugs and high achieving, the way we cared so much in the beginning.

Vaping has really shown up in Korea and kdramas.

#Friendly Rivalry #선의의 경쟁 #kdrama #korean #television #show #series #review #commentary #rye-views #7.6

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tomorrowsdrama · 4 years ago

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which korean drama character is perfect embodiment of a deadly sin? Basically I wanna see who you think of when I mention Pride? Gluttony? Envy? and so on. Of course, cdrama characters are acceptable too. Tis just a game. I love the way your replies never disappoint so... :p

Omg anon this is such a great question! It’s been a while since I’ve last watched a drama so these might not be the best answers.

Wrath/pride/lust - Jang Hyuk as Yi Bang Won in My Country - I think wrath and pride are pretty obvious and lust is really only there for me because I feel nothing but lust for this character ahahahaha.

Wrath - Wang So from Moon Lovers - if this isn’t wrath then you can revoke my Catholic card (actually, you can revoke it either way lol)

Envy - all crazy secondary leads ever. One of the first ones that comes to mind is Jung Joon Ho’s character in Iris. SHE DON’T WANT YOU BRO AND SHE NEVER HAS. The older brother in Cain and Abel as well. I remember cackling like a terrible person during one of the scenes where he was having a seizure on the ground because I loathed his character so much. Shunji from Gaksital fits as well. You can also put him under wrath.

Lust - Eric Moon’s character from Que Sera Sera. I haven’t actually watched this drama but based off of all the reviews and recaps I read way back when, I think this fits. Actually, that whole drama seems to embody a lot of the deadly sins 😂. If we’re talking jdrama, Kimura Takuya’s character from Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi is your boy. Ooh also Kim Nam Gil’s not-older sister in Bad Guy. Talk about lust!

Greed - hmm definitely any character striving to inherit the company/throne or poor person scheming to get rich. Ha Ji Won’s character from what happened in bali maybe?

I can’t really think of anything for sloth and gluttony right now. Anybody got suggestions?

MVP of Sin - what happened in Bali - if you’re looking for a deadly sin, you’ll probably find it here lol.

Runner up for MVP of Sin - The Rise of Phoenixes - there’s a whole lot of wrath, pride, envy, and greed going on in here.

EDITED TO ADD

Omg how could I leave out Daddy Wang from Monarch Industry for pride and greed? Also, Seagull, ahem, I mean Su Jin’er and Zitan for envy (is immense stupidity a deadly sin?). Greed and envy for General Song too.

#asks

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meeselikedramatoo · 5 years ago

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all dramas masterlist

okay some of these totally have notes.

#alive 100 days my prince 200 pounds beauty 38 task force 49 days 4th period mystery a company man a day a dirty carnival a frozen flower a hundred year’s inheritance a korean odyssey a millionaire’s first love a moment to remember a poem a day a special lady a tale of two sisters a tree with deep roots absolute boyfriend abyss aftermath alchemist along with the gods: the last 49 days along with the gods: the two worlds an actor is an actor angel eyes angel’s last mission: love antique bakery arang and the magistrate are you human too? arthdal chronicles ashfall athena: goddess of war awl bad guy bad guys beautiology101 because it’s the first time big birth of a beauty - ??? black black knight: the man who guards me blind blood born again brain bride of the century bring it on, ghost broken cain and abel cello cheese in the trap cheo yong 1 & 2 cheongdamdong alice children of a lesser god - ??? children of nobody chuno cinderella and the four knights cinderella man cinderella’s sister circle city hunter class of lies coffee prince cold eyes confession (2015) confession (2019) confession of murder (kr) confession of murder (jp) crash landing on you criminal minds cyrano agency dead friend death bell death bell 2 defendant derailed - ??? descendants from the sun designated survivor: 60 days detective k: secret of the living dead diary of a prosecutor - ??? dinner mate doctor john doctor stranger doctors dong yi don’t click emergency couple empire of lust empress ki encounter entertainer entourage - ??? fabricated city - ??? faith fashion king (2014) fight for my way five fingers flower crew: joseon marriage agency forest forgotten full house (2004) gap dong ghost goblin goddess of fire, jeongi god’s gift - 14 days god’s quiz - ??? golden time gonjiam: haunted asylum good doctor goong graceful family grand prince granny’s got talent green rose - ??? gu family book gye baek haechi he is psychometric healer her private life high society hindsight hong gil dong horse doctor hospital playlist hospital ship hotel del luna hotelier hotel king hwajeong - ??? hwang jin yi hwarang i have a lover i hear your voice i remember you i’m not a robot iljimae innocent man insane introverted boss investigation couple iris 1 & 2 itaewon class item it’s okay not to be okay it’s okay, that’s love jang ok jung jealousy incarnate jewel in the palace joseon gunman jumong - ??? kill me, heal me killer toon king of baking, kim tak goo king2hearts kingdom 1 & 2 kingmaker kkondae intern - ?? lawless attorney legend of the blue sea liar game lie to me life (2018) - ??? live up to your name, dr. heo love alarm love in sadness love in the moonlight love in harvard - ??? lovers in paris - ??? mad dog maids marry him if you dare mask meloholic melting me softly memoir of a murderer - ??? memories of murder - ??? memories of alhambra memorist memory (2016) metamorphosis method midas miracle in cell number 7 mirror of the witch misaeng miss hammurabi miss ripley monster (2016) moorim school mother (2018) my girl - ?? my girlfriend is a gumiho my holo love my id is gangnam beauty my sassy girl (2001) my wife is a gangster (1, 2, & 3) mystic pop-up bear night watchman’s journal nightmare teacher oh my ghost (2015) oh my venus parasite partners for justice 2 perfume personal taste phanrom detective phone pink lipstick pinocchio possessed (201() prime minister and i prison playbook private lives prosecutor princess psychokinesis psychopath’s diary queen for seven days queen inhyun’s man queen of mystery 1&2 queen of reversals queen of the ring queen seon deok rampant - ?? rebel (2017) rebel: thief who stole the people remember reply 1997 reset - ??? resurrection rooftop prince rookie historian goo hae ryung ruler: master of the mask running man (not the game show) rv: resurrected victims saimdang: light’s diary save the last dance for me scarlet heart-ryeo scholar who walks the night search: www secret (2013) shark (don’t look back: the legend of orpheus) shine or go crazy shining inheritance shopping king loue sign - 2011 signal (2016) six flying dragons sky castle socialphobia solomon’s perjury - ?? something about 1 percent something in the rain special affairs team ten 1 & 2 spellbound splash splash love stranger (2017) stranger 2 strangers from hell strong woman do bong soon sungkyungkwan scandal suspicious partner tell me what you say temptation of an angel temptation of wife terius behind me the bride of habaek the chosen: forbidden cave the closer the cursed - ??? the devil the divine fury the equator man the face reader the fiery priest the flower in prison the game: towards zero the ghost detective the girl who sees scents the great seducer the handmaiden the heirs the host the k2 the king and i the king and the clown the king: eternal monarch the king’s face the last empress the magician the man from nowhere - ??? the master’s sun the mimic the moon that embraces the sun the nokdu flower painter of the wind the phone the princess’s man the producers the queen’s classroom the royal gambler the royal tailor the scarlet letter the school nurse files the secret life of my secretary the secret message the silenced the village: achiara’s secret the villainess - ??? the wailing - ??? the whispering - ??? the witness (2018) the world of the married touch train to busan tunnel (2016) tunnel (2017) vip (2019) voice (1, 2, & 3) w watcher weightlifting fairy kim bok joo what’s wrong with secretary kim when i was most beautiful when the camellia blooms when the devil calls your name where stars land while you were sleeping whisper whispering corridors white christmas white: the melody who are you (2013) winter sonata - ? witch you hee - ? witch’s court yi san yong pal you who came from the stars you’re beautiful

want to watch late night restaurant missing: the other side money flower my secret hotel peninsula revenger the silenced sound of a flower take of nokdu the throne true fiction

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discoveringthebible · 3 years ago

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Biblical Names We Pronounce Incorrectly

On Facebook I am a part of several nerd related grounds. Many of them are not Christian. One group in particular, “Galactic Hitchhikers” is almost anti-Christian. This group formed out of a community love for a fantastic novel and its sequels: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Many memes on this page include anything related to sci-fi, space, movie adaptations, quotations, evolution and even Christian shaming. One thing I have noticed, besides the lack of Christian content, was one reason why several of the group’s members find Christianity “bogus”. When I read about it, I thought, “This is a relatively easy problem to solve, if we can get Christians on board.” Some people are put-off by the Anglican/American pronunciations of Hebrew and Greek names in the Bible. They ask, “How can a dark haired middle-eastern man be named David? Or Joseph? Or fill-in-the blank.” They believe that if we are authentic (and we absolutely should be authentic), how could our English pronunciations infiltrate? To them, they think our pronunciations of Biblical names, were the actual names of everyone we read about, and they can’t stand it.

As Christians, and especially the preachers of the Gospel, we do not want our actions to deter anyone from coming to the saving power of Jesus Christ. Every decision we make has a cause and effect. So, if people aren’t coming to Christ because of our “simple” pronunciations, then we should change, or at the very least, learn that our pronunciations are actually wrong.

If we want to be as authentic as possible, we should learn the proper names of all of our favorite Biblical characters, especially when the salvation of others is at stake. To you, it might seen like a silly, insignificant thing, but to those who recognize it, it is significant. I am not suggesting that we learn the proper names and then use them only—we just need to be aware that we, as English/Anglican speakers, are not doing it justice.

This multi-part series investigates the correct pronunciations of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek names in the Bible. The source I am going to be using is “The New Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible Words (1996) by James Strong. (This is not a complete list of all Biblical names.)

Part 1: Genesis

Adam aw-dawm

Eve (Chavvah) khav-vaw

Cain kah-yin

Abel aw-bale

Enoch (Chanowk) khan-oke

Seth sayth

Noah No-akh

Shem Shame

Ham Hawm

Japeth yeh-feth

Abram ab-rawm

Abraham ab-raw-hawm

Sarai saw-rah-ee

Sarah saw-raw

Melchizedek mal-kee-tseh-dek

Ishmael yish-maw-ale

Hagar haw-gawr

Moab mo-awb (We do pronounce this correctly!)

Ben-Ammi ben-am-mee (We Do pronounce this correctly!)

Abimelech ab-ee-mel-ek

Isaac yits-khawk or yis-khawk

Beersheba be-ayr sheh-bah

Nahor naw-khore

Rebekah rib-kaw

Keturah ket-oo-raw

Esau ay-saw

Jacob yah-ak-obe

Judith yeh-ho-deeth

Basmath/Basemath bos-math

Rachel raw-khale

Leah lay-aw (If we use Star Wars for reference, we pronounce this name correctly too!)

Bilhah bil-haw (We pronounce this name Correctly!)

Reuban reh-oo-bane

Simeon shim-one

Levi lay-vee

Judah yeh-hoo-daw

Dan �� dawn

Naphtali naf-taw-lee (We pronounce this name correctly)

Zilpah zil-paw (We pronounce this name correctly, for the most part)

Gad gawd

Asher aw-share

Zebulun zeb-oo-loon

Dinah dee-naw

Joseph yo-safe

Laban law-bawn

Israel yis-raw-ale

Shechem shek-em or shek-kem (We use the first pronunciation correctly)

Hamor kham-ore

Deborah deb-o-raw (Sometimes this is pronounced correctly)

Benjamin bin-yaw-mene

Potiphar po-tee-far

Tamar taw-mawr

Perez peh-rets

Zerah zeh-rakh

Zaphenath-paneah/

Zapnath-paaneth tsof-nath pah-nay-akh

Manasseh men-ash-sheh

Ephraim ef-rah-yim

Rameses rah-mes-ace or rah-me-sace

Issachar yis-saw-kawr

#TheBible #genesis #biblenames #hebrew

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