Literary Devices – Shemot 2

I. Structure – One might view the chapter as having a parallel structure, with the second half of the story (describing Moshe the adult)  directly corresponding to the first half (describing Moshe the child).

• In both halves, someone defies Paroh's decree (Moshe's mother in having a son, and Moshe by killing the Egyptian). They attempt to conceal the action, but are unsuccessful. Baby Moshe finds refuge in the water, while adult Moshe flees to a well. Baby Moshe is then saved by a non-Jew, while adult Moshe saves other non-Jews. Each half ends with Moshe finding food and shelter in a new home. 
• To see this structure in graphic form, click on the button Parallel Structure in the right pane.

II. Secondary Literature – See R. David Tee’s article משה הילד ומשה האיש which discusses this structure, noting that it highlights how Moshe's upbringing and the influence of his various "mother" saviors led him to become the adult savior that he became.

I. Structure – One might alternatively suggest that the chapter has a chiastic structure:

A.  Marriage of Moshe’s parents and his birth (1-4)

B.  Pharaoh’s daughter brings Moshe, one of the "Hebrew children" home (5-10)

C.  Moshe saves “his brother” from the Egyptian (11-12)

D.  Moshe is betrayed by his brethren (13-14)

C1.  Moshe saves Re’uel’s daughters from the shepherds (15-17)

B1.  Re’uel’s daughter brings Moshe, "an Egyptian man" home (18-20)

A1.  Marriage of Moshe and the birth of his son (21-22)

II. Articles – See Prof. Yonatan Grossman, Between Chiastic and Classical Parallelism, that this structure emphasizes a reversal in Moshe's life. In the first half, both Moshe's own actions and those of the people relating to him stem from his identity as a Hebrew. However, once rejected by his brethren, he leaves his nation. He now saves foreigners rather than brothers, and gains a new home and new identity. The article also compares the two possible structures of the chapter, noting how each reveals very different messages, with one highlighting a reversal and the other continuity.

• These words appear 8-9 times each, with the word "ילד" clusterןng in the first half of the unit and the word "איש" clusterןng in the second half, marking Moshe's transition from child to adult.  The root "בת" runs throughout, perhaps highlighting the important role played by women in this formative stage in Moshe life.

• Though each of these roots appears only 3-4 times in the unit, see the Tanakh Lab that they are significantly more prevalent here than elsewhere.  Each of the terms relates to giving another something to drink. Interestingly, in the first half of the chapter it is Moshe who is nursed, while in the second half it is he who draws and gives water to others.

• Each of these words appears four times in the unit, reflecting one of its main themes - the conflict between the Egyptians and Hebrews.  Tracing the words' usage in the unit, though, simultaneously highlights how Moshe stands in the middle: in the beginning he is identified as a Hebrew and at the end, as an Egyptian.  This leaves an open question: how did Moshe view himself at this point in his life?

• See the interactive learning module Meeting Moshe to explore the various keywords throughout the unit using the Tanakh Lab.
• See R. David Tee’s article משה הילד ומשה האיש, mentioned above, regarding how the chapter's usage of the words "ילד" and "איש" helps to define the narrative's literary structure.

• Narratives of meeting one’s spouse at a well comprise one of the most significant Biblical type-scenes. Comparing the account of Moshe in Midyan with the stories of Avraham's servant (Bereshit 24) and Yaakov meeting Rachel (Bereshit 29) can be revealing.

• For a full analysis of this type-scene, see Robert Alter’s Biblical Type-Scenes and the Uses of Convention. He notes that In the case of Moshe, there is no description of an emotional connection between Moshe and Zipporah,² reflecting how in the continuation, Moshe and Zipporah's personal life is to be overshadowed by Mosh's national role. In addition, Moshe's acting as a savior from injustice is characteristic of him throughout Torah.
• Michael W. Martin, ‘Betrothal Journey Narratives’, Catholic Biblical Quarterly 70, 3 (2008), 505-23, builds off Alter's thesis, identifying other typical elements in the type scene and exploring variations of the type scene throughout Tanakh, apocrypha and the New Testament.
• See R. Elhanan Samet's The Meeting at the Well, who suggests that each story highlights the principal trait of one partner in the eyes of the other (Rivka's kindness, Yaakov's love, and Moshe's sense of justice). For the Hebrew version, see here.

 It is ironic that "Paroh's daughter" is identified through her close familial relationship to Paroh, while her actions subvert his decrees.³  The identification of her as “Paroh's daughter” serves to emphasize her exceptional courage and independence of action.   

• וַתֵּרֶא אֹתוֹ כִּי טוֹב הוּא – The text's description of Yocheved's feelings upon Moshe's birth ("she saw that he was good") recalls the multiple times that the same phrase is used with regards to Hashem's evaluation of Creation.⁴ The allusion might reflects that Moshe’s birth is seen as a new beginning for the world. 
• תיבה (ark) – The concordance highlights that the only two contexts in which this word appears are our story and the Flood narrative, implying that Shemot 2 might be intentionally alluding back to the original story. The text hints that Moshe, like Noach, represents the hope for the future of the world.

• See The Birth of Moshe, by R. Michael Hattin, for a comparison of the flood narratives and the story of the birth of Moshe. 

Water is an important symbol in the narrative of Moshe. 

• He begins his life by taking refuge near water twice (Shemot 2:3 and 2:15). 
• The Nile features prominently in the story of the plagues, and the Splitting of the Sea is the climax of the Exodus narrative. 
• Moshe leads the Israelites out of a nation known for its fecundity due to its plentiful water source into an arid desert and ultimately to a land flowing with milk and honey but not with water. 
• Moshe’s need to provide water for the people features in several pivotal stories. 
• This symbol perhaps reflects Moshe’s message that water -- essential to life, and representing the power, wealth, and self-sufficiency of Egypt -- is not as important as fealty to God.