Literary Devices – Shemot 32/0

Literary Devices – Shemot 32

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Key Words

"עם"

The Tanakh Lab demonstrates that this word appears a full 19 times in the chapter.  Nechama Leibowitz notes that Tanakh uses it artfully to subtly reveal Hashem and Moshe's feelings as Hashem accuses the nation and Moshe defends them.

• Your/Moshe's People – In describing the sin of the people, Hashem refers to them as "עַמְּךָ” (your/Moshe’s people) in verse 7, and “הָעָם הַזֶּה” (this nation) in verse 9, as if to express the distance between them and Him. 
• Your/Hashem’s People – When Moshe prays for the people, he echoes Hashem's language, twice referring to them as “עַמְּךָ” (Your/Hashem’s people) in verses 11 and 12, reminding God of the historical bond between Him and Israel, and stressing that the nation is in fact His people (not Moshe's). 
• HIs/Hashem's People – When Hashem accedes to Moshe’s prayer in verse 14 and forgives the nation, the people are referred to as “עַמּוֹ” (His/Hashem’s people). Hashem has heard Moshe, and once again views the people as His.
• This  People – Interestingly, when Moshe descends and sees the people actively worshiping the calf, he reverts to Hashem's language, pejoratively referring to the nation as "הָעָם הַזֶּה" (verse 21)

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

The chapter refers to the Israelites in two ways, by the proper name Israel (3 times) and by the noun "people" (19 times).

• Children of Israel / Israel
• People "עם" – This term is theprevalent in the chapter and the way the text plays with it is revealing:

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.