The Song of Moses: A Foretelling of Future Events
PARASHAT HAAZINU (“give ear”) tells of a relationship gone awry. According to the poem at the heart of this parashah, God had established a special relationship with the people Israel and then lovingly watched over and cared for them, yet they rejected God and turned to other deities. Enraged at their betrayal, God resolves to decimate Israel. But God relents when realizing that the other nations might foolishly misinterpret Israel’s demise as a result of their own power, not as a divinely inflicted punishment. Thus, with a change of heart, God decides instead to avenge the Israelites against their enemies.
In the prior parashah (Vayeilech), God predicted that after Moses’ death, the people would go astray by worshiping other deities, which would prompt God to punish them (31:16–18). To prevent any misunderstanding of these future events, God instructed Moses to write down a particular poem and teach it to the people so that it would serve as a “witness,” testifying to God’s justice in the face of Israel’s wayward behavior (31:19). That poem, which constitutes most of parashat Haazinu (32:1–43), is followed by a confirmation that Moses recites the poem to the people (32:44–47); then, the parashah looks ahead to Moses’ imminent death (32:48–52).
Although the poem is not titled in the biblical text, people refer to it as “the Song of Moses” or “Shirat Haazinu” (“the Song [that begins with the word] Haazinu”). In light of various linguistic and grammatical features, most scholars agree that the Song originated earlier than the rest of the book, as an independent composition. While a precise date remains uncertain, scholars assume that the poem was written in response to some tragedy, in an attempt to make sense of the event and provide hope for the future. Later, Deuteronomy’s creators appended this preexistent poem to the book in order to reinforce the consequences of breaking the Covenant, a central theme in Moses’ parting words to the people.
While the name “Song of Moses” implies that Moses wrote this poem, authorship of the Song cannot be determined. Note, however, that a number of biblical passages indicate that women were responsible for crafting and reciting similar sorts of poetic compositions. Various women in the Bible perform songs to celebrate military victories (Miriam in Exodus 15:20–21; Deborah in Judges 5; Jephthah’s daughter in Judges 11:34; and the women welcoming the heroes in I Samuel 18:6–7). Combining this textual evidence with other data, some scholars have concluded that another poem attributed to Moses, the Song at the Sea (Exodus 15:1–19), may have been authored by a woman (see pp. 386–87, 392). Other biblical texts indicate that women composed and chanted laments in times of national crisis or personal loss. For instance, God instructs the prophet Jeremiah to summon the “wailing women…the skillful ones” (Jeremiah 9:16). Jeremiah then calls all the women, not just the professional female mourners, to listen to God’s word and then teach their daughters and friends a dirge (9:19).
As Shirat Haazinu recounts the troubled relationship between God and Israel, it specifies that both women and men alike will inflame God’s anger (v. 19) and suffer God’s wrath (v. 25).
The Song employs diverse metaphors to describe the Divine. In addition to the genderneutral representations of God as a Rock (vv. 4, 15, 18, 30, 31, 37) and as an eagle (v. 11), God appears as a father (v. 6), warrior (vv. 23, 41–42), and, most remarkably, a mother who gave birth to and nursed her child, Israel (vv. 13, 18).
—Andrea L. Weiss
Outline—
I. THE SONG OF MOSES
Shirat Haazinu (32:1–43)
A. Introductory invocation (vv. 1–3)
B. Recollection of God’s early relationship with Israel (vv. 4–14)
C. Accusation of insubordination and idolatry (vv. 15–18)
D. Punishment proposed (vv. 19–25)
E. Punishment reconsidered (vv. 26–42)
F. Concluding invocation (v. 43)
II. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS (32:44–52)
A. Moses’ charge to the people (vv. 44–47)
B. God’s instructions about Moses’ imminent death (vv. 48–52)