Literary Devices – Shemot 17

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Structure I

The chapter divides into two almost equal parts:

  • Complaint about water (verses 1-7)
  • War against Amalek (verses 8-16)

In the first unit, the nation strives against God, questioning whether He is their midst. In the second they battle against an external foe, and as Hashem comes to their aid, finally recognize His presence,1 with Moshe declaring "Hashem is our banner".2

Structure II

In his article, Beshalach: The War Against Amalek, Elchanan Samet suggests three different ways of subdividing the story of Amalek's battle, each highlighting a different message:

  • Three-part structure – a) Amalek’s attack (8-10) b) The battle (11-13), c) Ramifications of the battle (14-16).  Here, it is the third part, God's oath to eradicate Amalek, that represents the climax.
  • Chiastic structure – a) Preparation for battle (8-9) b) Israel and Amalek alternate prevailing (11) c) Heaviness of Moshe's hands (12) b') Israel prevails (13) a') Aftermath of the battle (14-16).  Here, the turning-point and focus of the story is the problem of the heaviness of Moshe’s hands and the resolution of this problem.
  • Synchronic structure – This structure divides the the story into its two loci of action (the battlefield and the mountaintop), highlighting that there are really two simultaneous battles being fought, one in the human sphere and one in the Divine, and it is the latter that directs the former.

Key Words

"יד" (hand)

  • Tanakh Lab demonstrates that one of the most frequently appearing words in this chapter is “יד”.‎3 The battle with Amalek highlights the balance between human effort and Divine aid needed for victory in battle, and the play on the "hands" mentioned in the story emphasize the point. Moshe holds the Divine staff in his human hands, and lifts them toward heaven, representing the nexus between the earthly and celestial battles against Amalek. Moshe's hands further stand in contrast to the “hand” of Hashem that swears on His throne that He will fight a Divine war against Amalek throughout the generations (verse 16).4

Wordplay and Parallelism

Examples

  • Remember / Erase – The directive regarding Amalek contains an oxymoron, where Hashem speaks of simultaneously remembering and wiping out Amalek: כְּתֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר וְשִׂים בְּאׇזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כִּי מָחֹה אֶמְחֶה אֶת זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק
  • Chiastic Structure – Ibn Ezra notes that the verse explaining the place name "מַסָּה וּמְרִיבָה" is structured chiastically: וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם מַסָּה וּמְרִיבָה עַל רִיב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל נַסֹּתָם אֶת י״י

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