Moses the Writer

“Hello, friends, and welcome to Celebrate Creativity! My name is George Bartley, and today we begin an extraordinary journey into one of the most influential storytellers in human history — Moses.

Most listeners know the creation story, but did you know that tradition credits Moses as its author? That’s right — the words ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth’ and all that follows in Genesis are part of what Moses transmitted to the world. Before we go any further, I want to emphasize that this podcast series called Voices Through Time is not a series whose purpose is to convert you to a certain belief, but an exploration of some of the greatest and most interesting writers who have ever lived. Now let’s take a moment to hear that story.”

Transcript

“Hello, friends, and welcome to Celebrate Creativity! My name is George Bartley, and today we begin an extraordinary journey into one of the most influential storytellers in human history — Moses.

Most listeners know the creation story, but did you know that tradition credits Moses as its author? That’s right — the words ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth’ and all that follows in Genesis are part of what Moses transmitted to the world. Before we go any further, I want to emphasize that this podcast series called Voices Through 
Time is not a series whose purpose is to convert you to a certain belief, but an exploration of some of the greatest and most interesting writers who have ever lived. Now let’s take a moment to hear that story.”

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

“This opening chapter combines rhythm, repetition, and cosmic drama — a glimpse of Moses’ literary genius. Even if you didn’t know he was traditionally credited as the author, you’ve already learned something surprising in the first few minutes!”

Now, when we read Moses’ writings, several themes and literary techniques stand out:

Law and Covenant: Stories illustrate moral principles, showing the consequences of obedience or disobedience.

Storytelling and History: From creation to the Exodus, narratives blend myth, history, and moral teaching.

Poetry and Prose: Repetition, parallelism, and rhythm make the text memorable, reflecting its oral roots.

Human and Divine Interaction: Dialogue with God, miracles, and visions punctuate the narrative.

Narrative Economy: Every story, genealogy, and law serves a purpose; nothing is wasted.”

Other memorable passages and stories attributed to Moses include (and I am not going to read them in full) include:

1. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–3, 7–12)
"You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol…
Honor your father and your mother…
You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness…"

2. The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1–6)
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

3. Parting of the Red Sea (from Exodus 14
And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.

And here - all this time - I thought the words I just read were special effects from the Cecille B. DeMille movie - but the description was part of a VERY, ENGAGING STORY!!!!

4. Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1–4)
"Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. 
May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. 
For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God!  "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. 
They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. 
Do you thus repay the Lord, you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who made you and established you?

You could easily say that “Moses’ writings provide a blueprint for storytelling itself. Consider:

The Hero’s Journey: Moses’ transformation from infant to prophet prefigures the archetypal journey found in literature across cultures.

Divine-Human Dialogue: As I hope you will come to understand, Dante, Milton, and countless others echo Moses’ model of interacting with the divine to explore morality, justice, and purpose.

Law, Ethics, and Storytelling: Embedding ethical lessons in narrative became a template for novels, plays, and poems for centuries.

Epic Action with Moral Significance: From the Red Sea to creation itself, Moses demonstrates that storytelling can combine drama, imagination, and ethical instruction.

Even modern storytelling — from epic novels to films — carries motifs first shaped in Moses’ writings: liberation, moral trials, and transformative journeys.”

When we think about Moses, most people immediately consider him as a religious leader or prophet. But he was also, in many ways, a foundational writer. The Torah, the collection of texts traditionally attributed to him, isn’t just a legal or religious document — it is a carefully structured literary work. The stories he preserved were not random; they were composed with intention, rhythm, and narrative foresight.

Moses’ writing demonstrates a remarkable awareness of human nature. In Genesis, for example, he explores the complexities of creation, human choice, and consequence. Even simple passages, such as the separation of light from darkness, convey both a cosmic scale and narrative precision. Every phrase is deliberate, every repetition purposeful. He structures events, genealogies, and laws so that the reader or listener can absorb lessons gradually, and the moral and spiritual points are never lost.

Moreover, Moses’ style is deeply oral in quality. Repetition, parallel phrasing, and rhythmic structure indicate a writer aware of how words are heard, not just read. These techniques make the text memorable, suitable for recitation, and accessible to audiences of all literacy levels. In this sense, Moses’ writing bridges the gap between oral storytelling and written literature, a skill that many later authors have admired and emulated, often unknowingly.

His narratives are also multilayered. At one level, they recount historical events — the exodus, the wanderings in the wilderness, the giving of the law. At another, they operate as moral instruction, illustrating consequences of human choices and emphasizing the relationship between humans and the divine. The text works on multiple levels simultaneously, a hallmark of great writing that allows readers to return again and again and find new meaning with each reading.

Finally, Moses’ role as a writer underscores the power of literature to shape culture. Through his careful recording of these stories and laws, Moses helped define a moral and ethical framework that has influenced countless generations of writers, poets, and thinkers. By structuring narratives around law, human struggle, and divine interaction, he established a template for combining story with philosophy, which continues to resonate in literature even today.

In short, seeing Moses as a writer allows us to appreciate not only the religious significance of his texts but also their literary artistry, structural genius, and enduring influence.

When we look closer at Moses as a writer, several techniques stand out, techniques that make his writings not only memorable but also deeply engaging:

1. Repetition:
Moses often repeats words, phrases, or ideas to emphasize key points. For example, in the Ten Commandments, the repeated use of “You shall not…” creates a rhythm that impresses moral lessons on the listener. Repetition also appears in narrative passages, reinforcing themes and making stories easier to remember for audiences who heard them orally long before they were written.

2. Parallelism:
In many passages, Moses structures sentences in parallel form — similar grammatical patterns or mirrored ideas. Consider Genesis 1: “And God said… And it was so… And God saw that it was good.” This kind of structure highlights important moments, creates a musicality in the text, and helps the listener absorb the significance of each act of creation.

3. Dialogue with the Divine:
Moses’ writing frequently includes conversations between humans and God. These dialogues are not only theological but also dramatically compelling. The Burning Bush episode is a perfect example. The dialogue draws the listener into the tension, wonder, and authority of the moment, making abstract moral or spiritual lessons feel immediate and vivid.

4. Narrative Economy:
Moses is concise. Even when recounting complex genealogies, laws, or events, each line has a purpose. There is no unnecessary detail — everything serves the story, the moral, or the teaching. This economy of words - a technique I really admire - is a hallmark of great writing and is one reason his texts have remained so readable and resonant across millennia.

5. Poetic and Rhythmic Devices:
Sections such as the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy use rhythm, repetition, and imagery to heighten the emotional and intellectual impact. Even in the prose sections of Exodus or Numbers, Moses’ writing carries a cadence that makes it suitable for recitation. This oral quality ensures that the stories live in the memory, a key feature for a people whose culture relied heavily on spoken word.

6. Layered Meaning:
Moses’ writings often operate on multiple levels simultaneously: historical narrative, moral lesson, and spiritual reflection. For example, the story of the Red Sea is both a dramatic escape from danger and a symbolic lesson in faith, leadership, and divine protection. This layering gives the text depth and makes it rewarding to revisit.

What follows are some of the literary techniques that Moses used in his writings:

1. Repetition
Example – Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–7)
"You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."

2. Parallelism
Example – Genesis 1:3–5
"And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good.
And God separated the light from the darkness."

3. Dialogue with the Divine
Example – The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:4–6)
"Moses said, ‘I will turn aside and see this great sight.’
And God said, ‘Do not come near; take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy.’"

4. Narrative Economy
Example – Parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21–22)
"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back… The people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground."
. 
5 Layered Meaning
Example – Crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14:27–29)
"The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; not one of them survived.
But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, a sign of faith and deliverance."

“As we close today’s episode, remember that Moses is not just a religious figure — he is a master storyteller, a literary architect whose work continues to inspire.

In the next episode, we’ll turn to David, the poet-king. His writings, particularly the Psalms, offer a different kind of literary brilliance: personal, lyrical, and profoundly emotional. Whereas Moses laid the foundation of law and narrative, David’s voice gives us intimate reflections on faith, joy, grief, and the human condition.

Before we finish, a quick note for our listeners: if you enjoy this episode and want to follow our series this September — 26 episodes in 26 days, covering the most influential writers in history — subscribe to the podcast in your app of choice. On Apple Podcasts, click ‘Subscribe’; on Spotify, click ‘Follow.’ And don’t forget to turn on notifications so you’ll be alerted when each new episode drops.

This is our most ambitious project yet, and you won’t want to miss a single story, from the ancient world to modern literary voices.”

“Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate the creativity, wisdom, and storytelling genius of Moses. Next stop: the Psalms of David. Until then, keep reading, keep imagining, and keep celebrating creativity.”