Errors Attributed to Moses in the Hebrew Bible and Their Exegetical Explanations in the Talmud and Midrash

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor, Department of Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.

10.22059/jrm.2025.400438.630658

Abstract

In the Hebrew Bible, certain behaviors of the prophets are reported which, in Jewish exegetical sources—particularly the Talmud and Midrash—have been interpreted as errors. These sources have addressed and explained such behaviors through multilevel and diverse approaches. Given Moses’s unparalleled status in the Torah, the examination of his errors and the exegetical methods of dealing with them holds particular significance. The present article, adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, investigates these errors and their interpretations in the aforementioned sources.
According to the Talmud and Midrash, the prophets are immune from error in receiving and transmitting revelation, yet in human affairs, like other human beings, they may be subject to lapses. The reporting of these lapses in Scripture serves an educational function: preventing excessive sanctification of the prophet and offering a model of repentance and return for others. The Torah reports eight errors of Moses, all but one of which occurred after the commencement of his prophetic mission.
According to the Talmud, Moses’s error in breaking the Tablets is explained as follows: through this act, he temporarily denied the formal descent of the Torah so that the people might be preserved from the punishment for idolatry. An examination of these exegetical explanations demonstrates that Moses’s errors did not arise from carnal desires. The Imāmiyya emphasize the absolute infallibility (ʿiṣma) of the prophets and consider the attribution of errors to them as evidence of the corruption of Scripture.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

آنترمن، اَلن (1391). باورها و آیین‌های یهودی. ترجمۀ رضا فرزین. قم: انتشارات ادیان و مذاهب.
کتاب مقدس، ترجمۀ تفسیری، شامل عهد عتیق و عهد جدید (بی‌تا). بی‌جا: بی‌نا.
کتاب مقدس ترسایان، مقدمه و توضیحات طبق ترجمه بین‌الکلیسائی کتاب مقدس (2015م). ایران: انجمن کتب مقدسه.
کتاب مقدس، یعنی کتب عهد عتیق و عهد جدید، که از زبان‌های اصلی عبرانی و کلدانی و یونانی ترجمه شده‌است (1988-1986م). لندن: انجمن پخش کتب مقدسه.
کتاب‌هایی از عهد عتیق (کتاب‌های قانونی ثانی) بر اساس کتاب مقدس اورشلیم (1380). ترجمۀ پیروز سیار. تهران: نشر نی.
صفائی، سید احمد (1368). علم کلام. تهران: مؤسسۀ انتشارات و چاپ دانشگاه تهران.
میشل، توماس (1377). کلام مسیحی. ترجمۀ حسین توفیقی. قم: مرکز مطالعات و تحقیقات ادیان و مذاهب.
Religions and Mysticism
Volume 58, Issue 2
Autumn & Winter 2025/2026
January 2026
Pages 359-380

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics