Significant Anonymity in Exodus 2
Observes that almost none of the eighteen characters populating Exodus 2 are named, despite the chapter opening the book of Shemot ('Names'), and argues this pervasive anonymity is a deliberate literary device reflecting the Israelites' dehumanization under slavery, one in which characters are instead defined by their relationships to others — a mutuality that ultimately preserves their dignity and identity.
Exodus 2 is a prologue of sorts, introducing Moses and describing his early life prior to his summons by God to liberate the Israelites enslaved in Egypt. The several vignettes comprising Exodus 2 feature a rich array of characters that can be itemized and ranked like the dramatis personae of a Shakespearean history:
Gross notes the striking irony that almost none of the eighteen characters in Exodus 2 are named, despite the chapter opening the book of Shemot (“Names”). He reads this pervasive anonymity as a deliberate device reflecting the Israelites’ dehumanization under Egyptian servitude, where characters are instead identified through their relationships to others — a mutuality he argues ultimately preserves their dignity even amid oppression.
Mark W. Gross is the rabbi of Temple Beth Orr in Coral Springs, Florida.
Cite this article
Mark W. Gross. "Significant Anonymity in Exodus 2." Jewish Bible Quarterly 38, no. 2 (April – June 2010): 115–118.
Mark W. Gross. "Significant Anonymity in Exodus 2." Jewish Bible Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 2, 2010, pp. 115–118.