batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l17069-l17180
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l17069-l17180
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
passage_locator:
label: PUBLIC SERVICES, / AND EMINENT LITERARY ATTAINMENTS, / THE TRANSLATOR. /
PREFACE; lines 17069-17180
start: '17069'
end: '17180'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an)
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: 'The passage recounts Moses returning angrily to his people after the calf
episode, interceding for himself and his brother, receiving guidance in the tablets,
choosing seventy men for an appointed meeting where an earthquake overtakes them,
and praying for mercy. God describes mercy, chastisement, and the future unlettered
Prophet. The passage then summarizes episodes involving the Israelites: twelve
tribes, water from the rock, clouds, manna and quails, entry into a city with
a word of forgiveness, Sabbath transgression by a seaside city, punishment and
deliverance, division and testing of peoples, inheritance of the Book, the mount
shaken over them, and the descendants of Adam made to witness God''s lordship.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Moses returns to his people angry, reproaches them for their conduct during
his departure, throws down the tables, and seizes his brother by the head.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Moses' brother says the people considered him weak and nearly killed him,
and asks Moses not to place him among wrongdoers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Moses asks the Lord to forgive him and his brother and bring them into divine
mercy.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Those who took the calf as a god are said to receive wrath from their Lord
and shame in the present life, while those who repent and believe are promised
mercy.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: When Moses' anger is stilled, he takes up the tables, whose writing contains
guidance and mercy for those who dread their Lord.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Moses chooses seventy men for an appointed meeting, and an earthquake overtakes
them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: God says divine chastisement falls on whom God wills, while divine mercy embraces
all things and is written for those who fear God, give alms, and believe in the
signs.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The unlettered Prophet is described as enjoining right, forbidding wrong,
allowing healthful viands, prohibiting the impure, easing burdens and yokes, and
bringing a light to be followed.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The Israelites are divided into twelve tribes; Moses is told to strike the
rock with his staff, and twelve fountains gush forth so that each group knows
its drinking place.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: Clouds overshadow the Israelites, and manna and quails are sent down to them
as food.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: The Israelites are told to dwell in a city, eat freely, say a word of forgiveness,
and enter the gate with prostrations; wrongdoers change the commanded word and
receive wrath from Heaven.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: A city by the sea is tested through fish appearing openly on the Sabbath but
not on other days; those who forgot warnings are punished, while those who forbade
evil are delivered.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: Those who persisted proudly in what was forbidden are addressed with the command
to become scouted apes.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:14
text: The mount is shaken over the people as if it were a shadow, and they are told
to receive what has been brought with steadfastness and remember what is in it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:15
text: The descendants from the sons of Adam are brought forth and made to witness
that God is their Lord, so they cannot claim ignorance on the day of Resurrection.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Moses
description: Returns angry to his people, reproaches them, handles the tables, seizes
his brother, prays for mercy, chooses seventy men, and receives commands concerning
the Israelites.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Moses' brother
description: A brother of Moses who says the people thought him weak and nearly
killed him.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: God / the Lord
description: The divine speaker and actor who judges, forgives, guides, tests, provides,
commands, and takes witness from human descendants.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Those who took the calf as a god
description: People who adopted the calf as a god and are said to incur divine wrath
and shame.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Seventy men of Moses' people
description: Men chosen by Moses for an appointed meeting who are overtaken by an
earthquake.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: The Apostle, the unlettered Prophet
description: A prophet described as found in the Law and Evangel, enjoining right,
forbidding wrong, lifting burdens, and bringing a light to be followed.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Israelites / people of Moses / twelve tribes
description: The community divided into twelve tribes, supplied with water, cloud,
manna, and quails, and repeatedly tested and instructed.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Inhabitants of the city by the sea
description: People associated with Sabbath-breaking and a test involving fish appearing
on the Sabbath.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Those who forbade evil
description: People who warned or forbade evil and are delivered when others are
punished.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Successors who inherited the Book
description: Later successors who inherit the Book, receive worldly goods, and are
reminded of a covenant through Scripture.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Descendants from the sons of Adam
description: Human descendants brought forth and made to witness God's lordship.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
roles:
- id: role:1
label: angry returning leader
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Moses returns wrathful, reproaches his people, throws down the tables, and
seizes his brother.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: intercessor and mediator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Moses asks forgiveness, pleads during the earthquake, and receives commands
involving the people.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: endangered brother
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He says the people thought him weak and nearly killed him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: divine judge and merciful authority
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The passage attributes wrath, chastisement, mercy, forgiveness, provision,
testing, and covenantal witness to God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:14
- id: role:5
label: calf worshippers
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: They are identified as those who took the calf as a god.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: appointed delegation under trial
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Moses chooses seventy men for an appointed meeting, and an earthquake overtakes
them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: prophetic guide
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The unlettered Prophet enjoins right, forbids wrong, eases burdens, and is
to be followed for guidance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: tested covenant community
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The Israelites receive provision, commands, tests, and the mount episode
requiring steadfast reception of what was brought.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: role:9
label: Sabbath transgressors under trial
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The seaside city inhabitants break the Sabbath and are tested through the
appearance of fish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: righteous admonishers
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Those who forbade evil are delivered after warnings are forgotten by others.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:11
label: scriptural inheritors tempted by worldly goods
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: They inherit the Book, receive passing worldly goods, and are reminded of
a covenant through Scripture.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:12
label: primordial witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: They witness against themselves that God is their Lord.
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: tables with writing
literal_form: The tables Moses throws down and later takes up; their writing contains
guidance and mercy.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: calf as god
literal_form: The calf taken as a god by some of the people.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: earthquake at the appointed meeting
literal_form: An earthquake overtakes the seventy men chosen by Moses.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: water from the rock
literal_form: Moses is told to strike the rock with his staff, and twelve fountains
gush forth.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: clouds, manna, and quails
literal_form: Clouds overshadow the Israelites, and manna and quails are sent down
for food.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: gate, prostrations, and word of forgiveness
literal_form: The people are told to enter the city gate with prostrations and say
'Hittat' or forgiveness.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: Sabbath fish
literal_form: Fish appear openly on the Sabbath day for the city by the sea but
not on other days.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:8
label: punitive apes
literal_form: Those persisting in the forbidden are told, 'Become scouted apes.'
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:9
label: the Book and Scripture covenant
literal_form: The inherited Book and the covenant through Scripture to speak only
truth of God.
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- covenant
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:10
label: mount shaken overhead
literal_form: The mount is shaken over the people as if it were a shadow and thought
to be falling upon them.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
- covenant
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: sym:11
label: witness to lordship
literal_form: The descendants of Adam are made to answer that God is their Lord.
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- covenant
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
- id: sym:12
label: light sent down with the Prophet
literal_form: A light sent down with the unlettered Prophet, to be followed.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Moses returns after the calf episode
summary: Moses returns angry, reproaches his people, throws down the tables, seizes
his brother, hears his brother's plea, and asks God for forgiveness and mercy.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Tables restored after anger ceases
summary: After Moses' anger is stilled, he takes up the tables whose writing contains
guidance and mercy.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Seventy men and the earthquake
summary: Moses chooses seventy men for an appointed meeting; an earthquake overtakes
them, and Moses prays that God not destroy all for the acts of foolish ones.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Announcement of the unlettered Prophet
summary: God's mercy is described, and those who follow the unlettered Prophet and
the light sent down with him are said to prosper.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Provision for the twelve tribes
summary: The Israelites are divided into twelve tribes; water gushes from the rock
after Moses is commanded to strike it, and clouds, manna, and quails are supplied.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: City entry and altered word
summary: The people are instructed to dwell in a city, eat, say a word of forgiveness,
and enter with prostrations, but wrongdoers change the word and receive wrath
from Heaven.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:7
label: Sabbath test at the city by the sea
summary: A seaside city is tested by fish appearing on the Sabbath; warnings are
given, evildoers are punished, and those who forbade evil are delivered.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:8
label: Later division, testing, and inherited Book
summary: The people are divided across the earth, tested by good and evil things,
and later successors inherit the Book while being reminded of a covenant through
Scripture.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:7
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: scene:9
label: Mount shaken over the people
summary: The mount is shaken over the people as if falling, and they are told to
receive what has been brought with steadfastness and remember it.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: scene:10
label: Descendants of Adam witness lordship
summary: God brings forth descendants from the sons of Adam and has them testify
that God is their Lord so they cannot claim ignorance on the day of Resurrection.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Covenant through scripture and witness
taxonomy_refs:
- covenant
basis: The passage presents written guidance in the tables, a covenant through Scripture,
a command to receive and remember what was brought when the mount is raised, and
a primordial witness to divine lordship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: The passage combines several covenantal moments rather than narrating
a single continuous covenant scene.
- id: motif:2
label: Divine judgment and mercy after transgression
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Calf worshippers, Sabbath transgressors, and other wrongdoers receive wrath
or chastisement, while repentance, mercy, forgiveness, and deliverance of those
forbidding evil are also emphasized.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: Judgment and mercy are theological themes as well as narrative motifs
in the passage.
- id: motif:3
label: Prophetic and scriptural guidance
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The tables contain guidance and mercy, the unlettered Prophet brings commands
and a light to follow, and the Book is to be held fast and studied truthfully.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference 'wisdom' is used broadly for revealed guidance
and right conduct.
- id: motif:4
label: Miraculous provision for a wandering community
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Israelites receive twelve fountains from the rock, overshadowing clouds,
manna, and quails.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: No closer available taxonomy family is supplied for wilderness provision.
- id: motif:5
label: Divine testing through abundance and prohibition
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The seaside city is tested by fish appearing on the Sabbath, and the people
are also proved by good and evil things so that they might return.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states testing explicitly, but the supplied taxonomy does
not include a dedicated 'trial' category.
- id: motif:6
label: Punitive transformation into apes
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Those who persisted proudly in the forbidden are commanded to become scouted
apes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives the command of transformation but does not elaborate
its mechanics or aftermath in this excerpt.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 17069-17180; opening Moses-return unit
quote_or_summary: Moses returns wrathful, says the people acted evilly during his
departure, throws down the tables, seizes his brother, and hears his brother say
the people nearly killed him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; calf and repentance unit
quote_or_summary: Moses prays for forgiveness for himself and his brother; those
who took the calf as a god receive wrath and shame, while those who repent and
believe are promised divine leniency and mercy.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: lines 17069-17180; tables restored unit
quote_or_summary: When Moses' anger is stilled, he takes up the tables; their writing
is described as guidance and mercy for those who dread their Lord.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; seventy men and earthquake unit
quote_or_summary: Moses chooses seventy men for an appointed meeting; an earthquake
overtakes them, and Moses asks whether God will destroy them for what foolish
ones have done.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; divine mercy and chastisement unit
quote_or_summary: God says chastisement falls on whom God wills, mercy embraces
all things, and mercy is written for those who fear God, pay alms, and believe
in the signs.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; unlettered Prophet unit
quote_or_summary: The unlettered Prophet, described in the Law and Evangel, enjoins
right, forbids wrong, allows healthful things, prohibits impure things, eases
burdens, and is accompanied by a light to be followed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; twelve tribes and provision unit
quote_or_summary: The Israelites are divided into twelve tribes; Moses is told to
strike the rock with his staff, twelve fountains gush forth, clouds overshadow
them, and manna and quails are sent down.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; city gate and changed word unit
quote_or_summary: The people are told to dwell in a city, eat, say 'Hittat' or forgiveness,
and enter the gate with prostrations; ungodly ones change the word and receive
wrath from Heaven.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; Sabbath sea-city unit
quote_or_summary: A city by the sea is tested when fish appear openly on the Sabbath
but not on other days; those who forbade evil are delivered, and wrongdoers receive
severe chastisement.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: quote
locator: lines 17069-17180; apes punishment unit
quote_or_summary: 'When they proudly persist in the forbidden, the command is given:
''Become scouted apes;'' further chastisement until the day of resurrection is
declared.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quote from public domain text.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; division and testing unit
quote_or_summary: The people are divided on the earth as peoples, some upright and
some otherwise, and are proved by good things and evil things so they might return.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; inherited Book unit
quote_or_summary: Successors inherit the Book, accept passing goods of the lower
world, and are reminded of a covenant through Scripture to speak only truth of
God; holding fast the Book and prayer are praised.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; mount over the people unit
quote_or_summary: The mount is shaken over the people as if it were a shadow and
thought to be falling; they are told to receive what has been brought with steadfastness
and remember its contents.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 17069-17180; descendants of Adam witness unit
quote_or_summary: God brings forth descendants from the sons of Adam and asks, 'Am
I not your Lord?'; they answer yes, so they cannot claim heedlessness on the day
of Resurrection.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief public domain phrase included in summary.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is rich in narrative and theological material. Motif labels are
limited to the supplied taxonomy where appropriate; several strong passage patterns,
such as wilderness provision and punitive transformation, lack exact supplied
taxonomy matches.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-29'
notes: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. No external comparisons were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l17069-l17180
passage_sha256=27d98ce19424b9531f03984f8ec770b73b3e57cac431bd8159b3b98e0a964d13