Ha ‘Azinu Deuteronomy Chapter 32
By Irv Jacobs, M.D.
LA JOLLA, California — This parasha more or less recapitulates Chapter 31, but in a poetic form recited “by Moses” before they are to cross the Jordan to enter the promised land. After the poem, prose text tells the assembled Israelites, that Moses will ascend Mount Nebo, overlook the promised land from the east, and die there.
With a new curiosity for biblical poetry, I have explored its elements as expounded by Professor Emeritus Jeffrey Tigay of the University of Pennsylvania in his commentary on Deuteronomy, published by the Jewish Publication Society (1996).
I. Each line of the poem generally contains two separated phrases (called colons), which either: (a) repeat in the second colon the first phrase in different words; (b) contrast one colon from the other; or (c) otherwise the colons complement each other. This technique creates a “thought rhyme” in place of the sound rhyme more customary in Western poetry. Sound rhymes are infrequent in biblical poetry! Also, per Tigay: “Just as modern poets have rhyming dictionaries to assist them…,ancient poets drew on a repertoire of traditional parallel terms.”
In addition, this biblical poetry uses assonance, i.e. non-rhyming words that sort of sound alike but don’t rhyme, a device also present in English poetry.
II. Ha ‘Azinu actually is a psalm, such to be sung, per Tigay. From Wikipedia, I learned that Rabbi Ishmael counted Ten songs in the Hebrew Bible, of which this one is number four in the sequence of appearance. This one follows the pattern, which Tigay identifies as the “covenant lawsuit.” In this case, Moses is the accuser, who alleges that the “people” have and will predictably continue to violate the covenant with God. The pagan covenant analogous example is an opening declaration by a suzerain of what he has done for the co-signatory, followed by a list of each party’s obligations, and finally what the rewards and punishments will be for either adherence or violation of the covenant.
III. Scholars have debated over the time frame when Ha ‘Azinu was composed. Though there has been much disagreement, Tigay determined that it is older than the rest of Deuteronomy and that it likely was composed after a particular disaster, as it ends with an offer of hope and deliverance. Per Tigay, Ha ‘Azinu preceded the prophets, who used its theme frequently, and likely got it from Ha ‘Azinu.
Also Hebrew literary scholars have learned to date such passages by their content, language, and vocabulary. It is not from the Mosaic period, but later. Tigay argues that it refers to Israel’s apostasy as past events and is addressed to a guilty generation, which was recent enough as to consult fathers and elders who experienced it. To him, certain terms suggest an event in the time of the Judges, i.e. 12th-11th centuries BCE. These include: “new gods:” “…then was war in the gates:” the term “no folk” which suggests nomadic raiders.
In the case of language, Ha ‘Azinu contains features that can be dated to this period such as the “imperfect” tense, the third person masculine plural suffix, the old third person feminine verb ending, and the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix.
Tigay admits that the above elements needn’t be exclusive to the 12-11th Centuries BCE. For example, Ha ‘Azinu could have been written at a later time, but deliberately in imitation of the older style. What is significant is that it is one of few biblical poems that exhibits the greatest concentration of such ancient features, making it likely to be considerably older than the rest of Deuteronomy. which likely was initially written around 700 BCE, though experienced later editing more than once.
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Irv Jacobs is a retired medical doctor who delights in Torah analysis. He often delivers a drosh at Congregation Beth El in La Jolla, and at his chavurah.