Literary Devices – Shemot 3/0

Literary Devices – Shemot 3

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Type Scenes Robert Alter has identified a convention of Biblical narrative in which a basic narrative sequence appears multiple times in Tanakh, each time with modifications that serve the needs of the specific unit. Paying attention to the deviations from the expected template often reveals the hidden messages of the individual story.

Initiation Prophecies One of the prominent type-scenes in Tanakh is the נבואת הקדשה (a prophet’s first prophecy). It is fruitful to compare and contrast Moshe’s initial prophecy with that of others, such as Gidon (Shofetim Chapter 6), Shemuel (Shemuel I Chapter 3), Yeshayahu (Yeshayahu Chapter 6), Yirmeyahu (Yirmeyahu Chapter 1), and Yechezkel (Yechezkel Chapter 1).

Articles

• See Shemuel’s Consecration Prophecy by R. Amnon Bazak for comparison of Moshe’s and Shemuel’s consecration prophecies.
• See Before I Formed You in the Belly I Knew You: Yirmiyahu’s Prophecy of Consecration, by R. David Sabato, for analysis of the essential components of prophecies of consecration, with a focus on Yirmeyahu.