Literary Devices – Shemot 32/0

Literary Devices – Shemot 32

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

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 the prevalent one in the chapter. See the discussion above regarding how its various forms highlight the way both Hashem and Moshe view the people as they sin, either distancing themselves from the people or choosing to bond with them.

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.