Literary Devices – Shemot 32/0

Literary Devices – Shemot 32

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Character Titles

Moshe

• Moshe – Throughout most of the chapter, Moshe is referred to by this proper name.
• "This person Moshe"  – In verses 1 and 23, Moshe is uniquely referred to by the nation as "this person Moshe".¹ RambanShemot 32:1About R. Moshe b. Nachman suggests that this epithet proves that the people did not consider Moshe a god, and did not intend for the calf to be a god either. AbarbanelShemot 32:1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, by contrast, understands the epithet to reflect the people’s recognition  that Moshe was vulnerable due to being a human being, and their desire to replace him with a being that was divine and immortal. Cf. Da'at Mikra that this epithet (particularly the word “this”) conveys a tone of disrespect and disdain.

The Nation Throughout the chapter the Israelites are referred to as "the people"

¹ Note that Moshe is also called “משה האיש” in Shemot 11:3. He is later referred to as “איש האלוקים”. [See Devarim 33:1, Yehoshua 14:6, Tehillim 90:1, Ezra 3:2, Divrei HaYamim I 23:14, and Divrei HaYamim II 30:16.] The association of Moshe with the word “man” perhaps indicates his role as the human being who is the most direct messenger of God.