Literary Devices – Shemot 4

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Tanakh Lab demonstrates that the word that appears with greatest frequency in this chapter is “יד” (hand).¹ Two other words, related in usage, also appear frequently: “דבר” (speak) and “פה” (mouth).² This may indicate a tension in the chapter between Moshe’s focus on speech as the instrument of redemption (leading to his concern about his lack of eloquence), and Hashem’s plan for redemption, which foregrounds powerful action and the performance of miracles.
Secondary Literature – See Liberating the Spirit of the Israelites, by Ezra Bick, for exploration of Moshe’s understanding of speech as the means of raising the people’s spirits in contrast to the process by which liberation actually takes place.

Literary Devices – Shemot 4/0