Ok! First off, thanks for putting the verses in; that makes my life easier! Second, Song of Songs is undoubtedly sexy, but the phrase âuncircumcised lipsâ is much sexier. Hereâs why:
âUncircumcised lipsâ is a literal translation of the Hebrew, and scholars have spent millennia trying to figure out what the fuck it means. Because, like, itâs a weird fucking phrase, letâs be real. Actually, letâs all take a moment to imagine what that might physically look like. We deserve it.
Anyway, back on topic. Most scholars have ended up interpreting it as saying that Moses has some kind of speech impediment. But thatâs really a stretch. I mean, if thatâs what was meant, why not say, âa man of broken speechâ or something like that? No, I think the meaning of that phrase is a lot simpler.
Circumcision is the sign of the Jewish covenant with G-d. In this period of the Bible, after G-d and Abraham made the covenant but before the Law was given at Mt. Sinai, circumcision was the single, defining thing that set the Jewish people apart from everyone else. So what does it mean to have uncircumcised lips? I submit that to speak with uncircumcised lips is to speak with a non-Jewish voice.
But Moses is Jewish! Why would his voice not be? Because, Moses is unique among the Jewish people. He wasnât raised as a slave. Thatâs what the Jewish people are in this period and have been for hundreds of years. Theyâre slaves. For generations, that slavery has defined and warped their culture. Moses has never been a slave and has never lived among his people who are. He may be Jewish, but his understanding of his people, and therefore his ability to speak for them, is non-existent.
So G-d tells Moses to speak to Pharoah on behalf of the Jewish people and Moses says no. How will he speak for his people, advocate for them, demand their freedom, when he canât speak with their voice? He canât do it and he tells G-d no. No, I wonât speak for the slaves when I am free. Itâs not my place.
So what does G-d say? He says Moses is right. He tells Moses to give G-dâs message to Aaron, a man who has been a slave all his life, and let Aaron go to Pharoah and speak for the Jewish people. Because Aaron is of them, understands them, their pain, their oppression, in a way that Moses, a free man, canât and never will. Aaron speaks with a truly Jewish voice, with circumcised lips, so he must be the one who speaks for the Jewish people.
So basically, G-d tells Moses to speak over an oppressed group he isnât a part of, Moses says âno thatâs bad activismâ, and G-d says âyouâre right oppressed people should speak and direct their own fight against oppression.â
In conclusion, sure, the Song of Songs is sexy, but have you ever tried telling G-d that he needs to work harder to prioritize marginalized voices?
germansingergirl
jbbartram-illu
titsay
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