An article by Richard C. Steiner, JBL Vol. 138, No. 3 (2019), pp. 473-495 suggests that repeated quotations formula are signals of a change in the conversational parameters. They are not anomalies to be explained away, but a common literary device used in biblical narrative to signal discontinuity.
When I came across these several passages with repeated use of "he said," and later in the text a repeated and perhaps redundant "he said", I just translated what I found. It never occurred to me that I should decompose the text into multiple sources.
I don't want to downplay source criticism entirely. But I do want to ask, What would the music tell us about the narrator's painting of the words in the text? And incidentally, in how many ways can one elaborate a common marker of direct speech?
An example first of the double use of the marker for direct speech:
Genesis 37, showing the double use of the introduction of direct speech. |
Genesis 30:27-28, is there a touch a sarcasm in the first, and a direct order in the second? |
Just look at how varied the 42 instances of And Yahweh said to Moses, are in Exodus. So if one wanted as Steiner notes, to repeat the signal of a quotation formula, why should it not be a literary/musical deliberate technique?
Within these 42 examples, there are several variations used to elaborate the recitation of And Yahweh said to Moses: You can check my lists
6, e C qad,z-q,g#, Exodus 7:14, 7:26, 9:1, 10:1, 19:21 , 34:27
3, e C qad,z-q,B Exodus 6:1, 9:13, 33:17
3, e C qad,z-q,f, Exodus 11:9, 14:26 ,20:22
2, e C qad,z-q,d, Exodus 7:1, 34:1
1, e C qad,z-q, Exodus 14:15
1, e C qad,z-q,pas, Exodus 16:4
1, e C qad,z-q,qad, Exodus 4:4
I included one more word than necessary, so the above may all be the same i.e. 17 e C qad, z-q
3, e pas,ger,rev,C, Exodus 8:16, 10:21, 33:5
3, e pas,ger,rev,pas, Exodus 10:12, 17:14, Exodus 19:9
2, e pas,ger,rev,B, Exodus 7:19, 11:1
1, e pas,ger,C, Exodus 9:22
1, e pas,ger,rev,f Exodus 24:12
1, e pas,ger,rev,qad, Exodus 17:5
1, e pas,ger,rev,f Exodus 24:12
1, e pas,ger,rev,qad, Exodus 17:5
And the following unique combinations for the first 4 (or 5) words of the verse.
e f g# f e, Exodus 31:12,
e f g# ^A C B, Exodus 32:33
e f g# ^A qad,qad,B Exodus 32:9
e f g# ^A qad,qad,e z-q,Exodus 16:28
e B z-q,f e g# Exodus 7:8
e B zar,B e seg, Exodus 9:8
e B zar,seg,B Exodus 8:1
e C qad,B e z-q, Exodus 12:1
e C qad,B z-q, Exodus 12:43
e pas,C qad,B,Exodus 19:10
e pas,C qad,z-q, Exodus 4:19
e t-q,pas,ger,B, Exodus 30:34
On could, of course, ask if these differences indicate different 'sources', or different hands. But that would imply knowing the origin of the hand signals. Are they 7th-8th century or do they go back to the second C BCE or earlier?
The 42 examples are in the attached document, one per line. These were produced from a work area in my database by automation. Each line is isomorphic to the Leningrad codex text for the first few words of each verse as listed.
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