Mozes als ‘mediator’: Een aspect van een groots bijbels personage

This paper intends to highlight a specific role of the literary persona of Moses in the book of Exodus, viz. as a Mediator. This role is often not given the attention it deserves in comparison with other more prominent roles, like that of Leader or Legislator.
Moses’ role as a Mediator is characterized by two aspects: his confidentiality with YHWH like no one else before or after him (Deut 34:10), and his ability to negotiate with Him for the benefit of his people. On the basis of a number of texts, the ongoing discourse between Moses and YHWH is analysed, especially focussing on texts in which the tension between the two reaches its culmination. An example is Exodus 32:7-14, in which, after the disaster of the Golden Calf, Moses outright contradicts YHWH, protests against his intentions and argues for an alternative solution.
The paper concludes with an argumentation why Moses, because of a seemingly minor transgression, isn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land. It is argued that this decision, rather than as a punishment for Moses, is meant as a biblical theological scheme to confirm his unique place in the Hebrew Bible.