From Person to Portent: A Semiotic Analysis of Sarai's "Beauty" as a Transactional Signifier in Gender Discourse

Abstract

This research investigates the linguistic and semiotic construction of gendered power dynamics in Genesis 12:10–20. Moving beyond traditional theological interpretations, the study employs Social Semiotics and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the transition of Sarai from a human subject to a 'transactional signifier.' The paper argues that the text effects a 'semiotic reduction,' wherein Sarai's beauty is reconfigured as a 'portent' — a sign representing both existential risk for the patriarch and a medium for material gain. Through Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), the study analyses transitivity within the narrative, highlighting the grammatical marginalization of the female subject. While male characters occupy active verbal and material roles, Sarai is relegated to 'passive visuality': she is seen, praised, and taken, but never speaks. This silence is theorized as a linguistic mechanism of erasure that facilitates the commodification of the female body. The research further interrogates the syntactic correlation in Genesis 12:16, where the phrase '…for her sake' links Sarai's displacement directly to the accumulation of Abram's wealth. The findings suggest that the 'Beauty-as-Currency' signifier serves as a foundational template for patriarchal discourse, securing male prosperity through female objectification. The study concludes by discussing pedagogical implications for Digital Humanities, proposing that deconstructing these ancient transactional discourses provides critical literacy tools for identifying contemporary gender commodification in phygital media and public signage.