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introduction to numbers

1. Literary Background. 1.1 The Pentateuch . . . has six major parts: [Friedman,

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introduction to numbers

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    1. Introduction to Numbers APTS-BIB509

    2. 1. Literary Background 1.1 The Pentateuch . . . has six major parts: [Friedman, Pentateuch, ABD] The Primeval History Gen 1-11 The Patriarchs Gen 12-50 Liberation from Egypt Exod 1.1-15.21 (Interim: 15.22-16.30) The Stay at Sinai/Horeb Exod 17-Lev The Journey Num Moses Farewell Deut

    3. 1. Literary Background 1.2 Genre of Numbers: "The generic variety that characterizes Numbers surpasses that of any other book of the Bible. Note these examples: narrative (4.1-3), poetry (21.17-18), prophecy (24.3-9), victory song (21.27-30, pre-Israelite), prayer (12.13), blessing (6.24-26), lampoon (22.22-35), diplomatic letter (21.14-19), civil law (27.1-11), cultic law (15.17-21), oracular decision (15.32-36), census list (26.1-51), temple archive (7.10-88), itinerary (33.1-49). [Milgrom, xii]

    4. 2. Textual Background 2.1 The Masoretic Trajectory: 1. At several points in the text of Numbers the Masoretes inserted readings or notes that are significant. The so-called special points (puncta entraordinaria) mark particular words in the text to show Masoretic awareness of textual or doctrinal reservations about that word (or passage) in the tradition of their community. The inverted nuns that mark off 10:35-36 probably show that these verses were considered to be out of place! The Sebir notes (Aram. seb|=r, supposed) occur over twenty times in the book (and often elsewhere) and seem to be used as a sign that the marginal reading is the more usual or commonly occurring form. [Ashley, 12]

    5. 2. Textual Background 2.2 Qumran: 1. . . . while more copies of Numbers are preserved at Qumran than copies of the so-called historical books and some of the prophetic books, Numbers is by far the least well attested, and thus seemingly the least significant, of any of the books of the Torah for the Qumran community. [Pike, "The Book of Numbers at Qumran: Texts and Context," 169]

    6. 2. Textual Background 2.2 Qumran: 2. A total of eleven Numbers scrolls have been found in the Judean Desert. Eight of these were discovered at Qumran: one in Cave 1 (1QpaleoLev), four in Cave 2 (2QNumbb, 2QNumc, and 2QNumd(?)), and three in Cave 4 (4QLev-Numa, 4QNumb, and 4QLXXNum). Three more were found at sites further to the south: two at Nah9al H9ever (5/6H9ev/SeNumb) and one at Wadi Murabba(a=t (MurNum). While none of these scrolls is complete, of the thirty-two chapters of Numbers only chapter 6 and 14 are not represented in at least one of them. [Dead Sea Scroll Bible, 108]

    7. 2. Textual Background 2.3 LXX: 1. The Greek translation of the Numbers is without a doubt by far the weakest volume in the Greek Pentateuch. What makes work on the book so frustrating is that side by side one can find gross failures to follow ordinary rules of grammar, i.e. of apparent incompetence, as well as acute and even subtle distinctions betraying an active mind engaged in the interpretation of sacred scripture, ready not only to clarify obscure passages, but even to correct what might appear to be factual errors or contradictions within the text. [John Wevers, Notes on the Greek Texts of Numbers, ix]

    8. 2. Textual Background 2. Numbers has 271 total minuses, 21.732% of the total 1247 of the Pentateuch as a whole, excluding Exodus 35-40. The total number of words in the minuses are 347 out of a total number of words, 16,368. Total single words minuses are 225. With specific verbs as being high on minuses. Furthermore, the LXX of Numbers is high on number minuses. [Polak & Marquis, A Classified Index of The Minuses of the Septuagint, 69-73]

    9. 2. Textual Background 3. There are seventeen variants in 4QLXXNum, thirteen of which are unique, only four finding support in other Greek manuscripts. The cumulative evidence suggests that 4QLXXNum . . . Presents the superior witness to the Old Greek translation. [Ulrich, The Scrolls, the Septuagint, and the Old Latin, 179, 183]

    10. 2. Textual Background 2.4 Samaritan Pentateuch: 1. Proto-Samaritan witnessed in 4QNumb. 2. The Samaritan text of Numbers is expansionistic, as indicated by 14 long pluses of SAM against the joint text of LXX and MT. LXX is moderately exapansionistic in Numbers. LXX has 6 long pluses and 192 short pluses in contrast to 3 long minuses and 146 short minuses against the joint text of SAM and MT. The fact that SAM and LXX do not agree in their long pluses, except for one case (4:14), indicates that they did not derive from a common source. The expansionistic nature of SAM in Numbers mainly derives from its harmonizations with Deuteronomy. [Kim, 201]

    11. 4QNumb

    12. 2. Textual Background 2.4 Samaritan Pentateuch: 4. Harmonistic Additions:

    13. 2. Textual Background 2.5 Jewish Non-Rabbinic Tradition: We have a rather detailed retelling of the story of Numbers in three writers of the first century C.E., namely, Philo Judaeus (ca. 20 B.C.E to 54 C.E.), particularly in The Life of Moses; Josephus Flavius (ca. 37-100 C.E.), in his Jewish Antiquities (Book 4); and Pseudo-Philo, in his Biblical Antiquities (Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum). From these we can see how well developed the traditions had become and how they compare with the targumic and rabbinic evidence. [McNamara, The Aramaic Bible, Vol. 4, 2]

    14. 3. Exodus-Numbers Chronology 3.1 Contextual Chronology: Exodus 1 year Leviticus 1 month Numbers 38 years, 9 months Deuteronomy

    15. 3. Numbers Chronology 3.2 General Chronology In Numbers: 1.1-10.11 = 19 days 21.10-36.13 = the last 5 months of the total 40 years 10.12-21.9 = 38 years, 4 months

    16. 3. Numbers Chronology 3.3 Chronological Displacement: 2nd Year, 1st month 14th 2nd month Num 7.1 9.1 1.1

    17. 4. The Structure of the Book of Numbers 4.1 Genre: "A striking feature of Numbers is that law (L) and narrative (N) alternate regularly, as follows: 1-10.10 (L); 10.11-14.45 (N); 15 (L); 16-17 (N); 18-19 (L); 20-25 (N); 26-27.11 (L); 27.12-23 (N); 28-30 (L); 31-33.49 (N); 33.50-56; 34-36 (L)." [Milgrom]

    18. 4. The Structure of the Book of Numbers 4.2 Chronology: The book of Numbers does indeed contain a sequence of chronological indicators. Using the month of the first Passover in Egypt as its starting point (cf. Ex 12.2), the book lists the year, the month and usually the day of the time elapsed since the first Passover at several points in the narrative (1.1; 9.1; 9.5; 10.11; 20.1; 33.3; 33.38). The book begins "on the first day of the second month, in the second years after they had come out of the land of Egypt" (1.1). Num 9.1 and 9.5 indicate the date on which Israel celebrated the second Passover in commemoration of the first Passover a year before. In Num 10.11, the date is given for the inauguration of the march of Israel after being constituted as the holy people of God. A juncture occurs in 20.1 in which the only indication of time given is the month ("in the first month") with no year or day stated. Num 33.3 and 33.38 are both in an itinerary which recapitulates the stages of Israel's journey from the first Passover in Egypt (33.3) through the wilderness wandering to the plains of Moab, including the date when Aaron died at Mount Hor (33.38). [Olsen]

    19. 4. The Structure of the Book of Numbers 4.3 Geographic Movement: 1.1-10.10 In the wilderness of Sinai; 10.11-22.1 From Sinai to Kadesh; 22.2-36.13 On the Plains of Moab.

    20. Route from Goshen to Kadesh

    21. Kadesh to Jordon

    22. 4. The Structure of the Book of Numbers 4.4 Census Lists: Num 1.1-25.18: The End of the Old: The First Generations of God's People out of Egypt on the March in the Wilderness Num 26.1-36.31: The Birth of the New: The Second Generation of God's People out of Egypt As They Prepare to Enter the Promised Land

    23. 5. The Theological Significance of Numbers 5.1 Census A Theology of the Numbers: 1.1 The miraculous power of Yahweh to sustain such a throng in the wilderness for forty years 1.2 The utter dependence of this people upon this God 1.3 A fighting force of more than 600,000 men has been entirely cowed by the report of ten scouts. 1.4 The tribal gains and losses are theological: Simeon loses (37,000 men) and thereby being equal with Levites at the bottom fulfilling Genesis 49.5-7; Judah increases the most which follows all the blessing of Genesis 49.8-12; Manasseh raising over Ephraim is strange in light of the blessing of Genesis 48.13-22, but it seems the message is God's choice to bless and not to bless as the theme. [See Harrelson, Guidance in the Wilderness.]

    24. 5. The Theological Significance of Numbers 5.2 God in Numbers Theology Proper: 2.1 Numbers stresses the character of God as holy, present, gracious and constant. 2.2 The Promised land is God given. 2.3 Paul House gives the following captions: The God who Guides and Inspires Israel (1.1-10.11), The God who Calls and Corrects (Numbers 10.11-12.16), The God who Punishes and Renews (Numbers 13.1-20.13), The God who Sustains and Protects (Numbers 20.14-22.1), The God who Renews His Promises (Numbers 22.2-36.13). [House, Old Testament Theology]

    25. 5. The Theological Significance of Numbers 5.3 Blessing & Cursing in Numbers: 3.1 The Priestly: (5.23ff. & 6.22-27) 3.2 Balaam (Chapters 22-24) 5.4 Murmuring & Rebellion in the Wilderness: 5.5 Sin, Judgment & Forgiveness: 5.1 The Spy story & its consequence 5.2 The Baal or Peor Incident 5.6 Israel as a Community: 6.1 Unified, Holy, Rebellious, and Blessed by Moses leadership

    26. 5. Commentaries 1. Jacob Milgrom 2. Baruch Levine

    27. 5. Commentaries 3. Timothy Ashley (1993) 4. Eryl W. Davies (1995) 5. T. Dozeman (1998) 6. K. Sakenfeld (1995) 7. D. Olson (1985, 1996) 8. Knierim & Coats (2005)

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