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http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029290439
THE TRIPLE TRADITION OF
THE EXODUS
A STUDY OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE LATER
PENTATEUCHAL BOOKS, REPRODUCING
THE SOURCES OF THE NAR-
RATIVE, AND FURTHER
ILLUSTRATING THE
PRESENCE OF
BIBLES WITHIN THE BIBLE
BENJAMIN WISNER BACON, M. A., D. D.
Author o/ '" The Genesis of Genesis.''''
" The books of the Old Testament in their present form, in many instances are
not, and do not profess to be, the original documents on which the history was
based. There was (to use a happy expression employed of late) " \ bible within
A BIBLE," an "Old Testament before an Old Testament was written." To discover
any traces of the lost works in the actual text, or any allusions to them even when
their substance is entirely perished, is a task of immense interest."
STANLEY.
HARTFORD
THE STUDENT PUBLISHING COMPANY
1894
c/lCv
COPYRIGHTED BY
THE STUDENT PUBLISHING CO.
v-J-
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-J:>?i
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
THE GENESIS OF GENESIS :
A Study of the Documentary Sources of the First Book of Moses in accordance with the
results of critical science, illustrating the presence of bibles within the bible. Hart-
ford, The Student Publishing Company, 1893.
CRITICAL NOTICES.
" The fruit of a vast amount of patient research." The Congregationalisi.
" A popular and interesting contribution to one of the most important and puzzling
questions raised by modern Biblical critics." New York Tributze.
" We heartily commend this book to any of our readers who desire to get, in a clear,
intelligible and simple form, the modern view of the composition of Genesis." The
Christian Unioninovr The Outlook).
" The author neither declaims nor disputes, but instead sets before the reader page after
page of internal evidence, which leads with the force almost of a mathematical demon-
stration to the conclusions of modern critical science." The Christian Worlds London,
Eng.
"Man wird gestehen miissen, dass ein Katechismus der Methode alttestamentlicher
Wissenschaft von so hohem Unterrichtswerthe bisher nicht annahernd geboten ist."
Schiirer^s Theologische Literaturzeiiung Leipzig, Germany.
Prof. T, K. Cheyne of Oxford, England, writes, in his Founders 0/ Old Testament
Criticis7n, N. Y. 1893, p. 246, " Mr. Bacon strikes me as the ablest of our younger Hexa-
teuch critics,"
Pres. W. R. Harper of Chicago University says : " The best thing in English on the
subject."
Prof. K. Budde of Strassburg, declares it " superior to the German works of the class."
Prof. G. F. Moore of Andover says : " It is the fruit of long and thorough study of the
text, and of intimate acquaintance with recent criticism. A more competent guide
through the labyrinth of the analysis would be hard to find."
Rev. Julius H. Ward, D. D. : "A very scholarly and thoughtful work."
The Neuu York Sun commends it in a four column review.
The New York Evening Post gives an editorial to " Changed Popular Conceptions of
the Bible," speaking of this work as " written in a style that everybody can understand,"
and adds : " Books of that sort are destined to increase and to have a powerful influence."
Prof. Oort of Leiden in the Theol. Tijdschrift^ Prof. Toy of Harvard in The New Worlds
Canon Driver of Oxford, and other eminent critics speak of it in similar high terms.
BIBLES WITHIN THE BIBLE.
PREFACE.
It is now some eight years since I undertook a typographical
exhibit of the sources of the Hexateuch. The worlc, at first
planned to present the sources, from Genesis to Joshua, was
found too voluminous and reduced for " The Genesis of Gene-
sis," (Student Pub. Co., Hartford, Ct., 1892) to include only Gen-
esis and the first twenty chapters of Exodus. Even this was
found to be too long, and the material prepared on the first
half of Exodus remained over. At the same time the series
of critical discussions on Genesis published in Hchraica, Oct.,
1890, and subsequently, was continued by a similar series in the
Journal of Biblical Literature (vols, ix-.xii. — 1890-1893) on
" JE in the middle Books of the Pentateuch." The surpris-
ingly cordial welcome accorded me by critics at home and
abroad, and the excellent account given by the publisher, have
suggested a new volume, independent indeed of the " Genesis
of Genesis," but of similar form and character, continuing the
analysis to the end of the Pentateuch. We reach thus, with
the death of Moses, a convenient stopping-place, though by no
means the conclusion of the documents. The period between
this event and the death of Joseph, includes the whole Story of
the Exodus in its three great divisions. Deliverance from the
Bondage of Egypt, Constitution of the Nation, and Wandering
in the Wilderness. If occasion serve, the analysis of the three
sources may be continued throughout the book of Joshua,
and of the two older through Judges and part of Samuel
down to the founding of the monarchy, under the title, " The
Conquest of Canaan."
For the present only the Triple Tradition of the Exodus, a
three-fold account of Israel's beginnings as a nation, engages
our attention ; and herein is not included that mass of ritual law
vi PREFACE.
which forms the bulk of the Priests' Code, nor the code of
Deuteronomy. Neither is susceptible of analysis beyond a
division into earlier and later elements of the same documents
P', P^ P', D, Dp, Dh, and from the nature of the material the
codes are easily detachable from the narrative. The present
volume concerns itself therefore not with the Law, but the Story
of Israel from the death of Joseph to the death of Moses.
Part I. of " The Genesis of Genesis " vi^as devoted to
explaining the nature of the higher criticism in its two branches
of source analysis and historical criticism, vindicating its right
in the field of sacred literature, and exhibiting its general
results in the Hexateuch. What was said there it is the less
needful to repeat, for the reason that the intervening years
have witnessed the appearance of several works in English, ad-
mirably presenting these same results, among which I need
here mention only Canon S. F. Driver's " Introduction to the
Literature of the Old Testament," Scribners, New York, 1891,
and Mr. W. G. Addis' " Documents of the Hexateuch," Put-
nams. New York, 1893,
Neither do we need to add to the manifold and still
unrefuted refutation of the Rabbinic tradition of Mosaic
authorship. The ground is cleared ; the facts are in evidence
which show the extrication of sources in Genesis to be no illu-
sion nor impossibility ; the presupposition must now be that
they are also extricable in the further course of the same com-
posite narrative. Indeed the concessions of the most extreme
defenders of tradition as to the earlier portions of Genesis, and
the more important admissions of the school represented by
Principal Cave, that the results of the documentary analysis
are to be accepted in the main up to Ex. vi., decidedly alter
the conditions of the controversy. The burden of proof hence-
forth should rest upon those who admit that the Pentateuch is
analyzable in part, but wish to draw the line at Gen. xii., or at
Ex. vi., or at some other arbitrary point.
This disposition on the part of the supporters of tradition to
come as far as Astruc, who in 1753 gave forth his theory in the
title of his book, " Conjectures sur les M/moires originaiix dofti
PREFACE. VU
s'est servi Moyse pour compose)' le livre de la Geiihe," is one reason
for adopting a somewhat different method from that employed
in Genesis. Another and more weighty reason appears in the
relative incompleteness of the science itself in Exodus and the
following books. This is due to several causes. Partly it is
because more time and effort have been spent on Genesis, the
earlier attempts setting out with Astruc's assumption, that the
documents were compiled by Moses, which implied their limi-
tation to Genesis ; partly because popular interest has chiefly
attached to this book. Principally it is because the analysis
becomes more difficult from Ex. iii. onward. Here in fact one
of the principal discriminating features of the document E dis-
appears, and in Ex. vi. the same becomes true of the document
P. A phenomenon of Genesis, which was almost the sole reli-
ance of Astruc for his analysis, is the uniform employment of
Yahweh as the divine name in one series of narratives, and of
Elohim, El, or El Shaddai in another. Its explanation appears
in Ex. vi. 2f., where P relates the revelation to Moses of the name
Yahweh : " And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I
am Yahweh : and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac and
unto Jacob as El 'si\iZ.AAsl\,butby my tiaine Yahweh I was not knoum
to them." Of course then P did not use Yahweh in Genesis,
and of course he now begins to use it as uniformly as Elohim
or El Shaddai before. The justification to the analysis was
invaluable, but it came at the cost of losing the then most
important means of discriminating P from J. Moreover P
does not relate this revelation to Moses on his own authority.
He copied both it, and the practise it logically implies as to the
name Yahweh, from the story of E in Ex. iii. Fortunately E is
less systematic than P in his subsequent narrative, and often al-
lows the name Elohim to stand in long passages of his material.
Wherever this is not the case, however, the clew for analysis
mainly relied upon in Genesis disappears, as in P, and hence the
mere use of " Yahweh " no longer serves, as in Genesis, to prove a
passage Yahwistic or redactional. This is not the only increase
of difficulty. The taking up of Deuteronony into the prophetic
history JE necessitated a revision ; but this of course would
vm PREFACE.
scarcely affect the patriarchal narratives, xxvi. 5 being the
only clear trace of Rd in Genesis, whereas the whole of JE from
Exodus on has undergone more or less systematic revision of
this character, the alteration being especially marked in pas-
sages dealing with legislation, as e. g. in J's law of Passover, in
both J and E at the Sinai-Horeb chapters, and where, as in
Joshua, account had to be taken of a new legislation by which
the history was supposed to have been controlled.
The comparatively backward state of the science has neces-
sitated a far larger proportion of pioneer work on my part than
in the previous volume. In "The Genesis of Genesis" I could
content myself generally with exhibiting the consensus of critical
opinion as to the analysis, presenting my reasons for the inde-
pendent work done in the case of difficult and disputed chapters
in the series of articles on " Pentateuchal Analysis " published
in Hebraica VII. i (Oct. 1890) — x. In the prqsent volume I am
obliged to take the attitude of an independent critic. The
separation of P throughout from JE is now indeed a matter of
general agreement among critics ; but the analysis of JE is
quite otherwise. Its present relative incompleteness is well
illustrated in the work of Addis above referred to, in which the
distinction of type between J and E is carried to the end of
Genesis, but employed after Ex. i. only in those portions of JE
where the strands are traceable with exceptional clearness. As
to the early chh. of Exodus, Kuenen says (" Hexateuch" § 8, n.
11) : "In Ex. iii. i6-xii. we may find abundant points of sup-
port for a critical analysis ; but here we cannot separate two
distinct documents, as we have done in Jacob's biography and
elsewhere, and assign its share to each with confidence. The
most we can hope for is to determine whether it is E or J that
lies, at the basis of the narrative, and sometimes even this is
doubtful. ... It appears that in Ex. i. sqq. the simple inter-
weaving of the authorities with the retention of the special
characteristics of each gave way to their free use, and their
intimate blending and recasting." Wellhausen advises relin-
quishment of the attempt at precise analysis of most of the
Plague narratives, declares that JE is more correctly to be re-
PREFACE. IX
garded as the author (Verfasser) of the Horeb-Sinai section than
mere compiler (Redaktor) (Comp., Berlin, 1889, pp. 69 and 97),
and has perhaps not wholly withdrawn his theory of a " second
source of JE " in Numbers.* The French critic Bruston, im-
itates the example of Wellhausen by assuming a fourth source
as a solution of the difficulties, the deus ex inachina this time
being a " second Jehoviste." It has been my effort to show
that no such " Hiilfshypothesen " are necessary. JE does not
change his method, nor is there a new source introduced. The
sources are J, E and P, precisely as in Genesis, and combined
in the same way. What is required is not unfounded assump-
tions to explain our comparative inability to analyze, but more
care, more patience, more determination to be guided not by
preconceptions but by phenomena. It will be seen, however,
from the above, that the problem was by no means the same as
in Genesis, and different conditions have made necessary a dif-
ference in method of treatment.
To adapt the present volume to the new conditions imposed
by the altered problem and somewhat altered circle of readers
to which it is addressed, it has seemed best to put in place of
the general Introduction of " The Genesis of Genesis " a series
of briefer Introductions prefixed to each subdivision of the
narrative, the Prolegomena before each § setting forth to the
reader in large type the general distinguishing features of each
document P, E, J, as they appear in that section, an Analysis in
smaller type before each subsection discussing the phenomena
of the text as it stands, and stating as briefly as possible the
bulk of the evidence for its composite structure, together with
the grounds of analysis, and theory of compilation. In addi-
tion a few pages at the beginning of the Prolegomena to § § i.,
v. and vii., are devoted to something more in the nature of his-
torical criticism, discussing the history and significance of the
tradition itself. A brief general Introduction sums up the data
of the Prolegomena and presents the bearing of the facts
derived from the study of the documents in Exodus, Numbers
and Deuteronomy upon the Documentary Theory as a whole.
*Cf. Wellhausen's Comp., p. 102 with the'Nachtrag in the same volume, p.
339, in reply to Kuenen's criticism.
X PREFACE.
It may also be noticed, that no such systematic attempt has
been made in the present volume as in " The Genesis of Gene-
sis " to distinguish between J' and ]'', E' and El This is not
because of any doubt in my mind that such strata exist ; for of
this I am much more firmly convinced than before my study of
the later historical books was completed. My conclusions are
presented in the Introduction following. It seems to me, how-
ever, that the introduction of such questions should properly
await a more advanced condition of the analysis.
Certain minor improvements have been attempted upon the
former work as e. g. the entire abandonment of Hebrew type
in favor of transliteration where needful ; the adoption (e.xcept
as to P^ = H) of Cornill's nomenclature ; the use of ' '
for characteristic expressions of J, E and P in Part II.,
and the abandonment of the attempt to reproduce in English
anything of the rhythm of Hebrew verse. If that part
devoted to reconstruction of the documents is thus improved in
any degree, it will be the better able to bear the loss of Prof.
G. F. Moore's kindly, correcting hand in the translation.
Faults and mistakes due to my deficiencies as a linguist will
doubtless appear, but in all essentials I am fortified by the
authority of such scholars as Dillmann and Kautzsch. In ad-
dition I must acknowledge my great indebtedness to Budde's
admirable articles on the legislative parts of JE, besides his
personal kindnesses, and to C. H. Cornill's Einleitung in das Alte
Testament, 2 Aiifl. Freiburg i. B. 1892. Other standard works
will be found referred to in the body of the work.*
In conclusion let me urge the general reader to remember
that while the devotional and scientific treatment of the Bible
are widely different, they are neither incompatible nor inde-
pendent. For the very reason that devotional exposition
must take as its point of departure some account of its docu-
mentary data, either scientific or assumed to be such, it has a
natural inclination to conservatism, an impatience of criticism
and change, and a disinclination to readjust itself to a new
basis. Sometimes it undertakes to decree : " La Republique
*Wildeboer's Letterkunde des Oiidcn Verboords, Groningen 1893, sent me by
the author's kindness, arrives, unfortunately, too late for present use.
PREFACE. XI
n'a pas besoin de savants," and then its folly soon becomes
manifest in its own destruction. In the nature of the case there
is nothing but indolence and timidity of mind to prevent as ex-
cellent a structure of devotional thought and edifying exposition
being reared upon the critical conclusions of modern special-
ists as upon the fantastic legends of those rabbis of whom
Jesus said, " They have made the Scripture of none effect by
their traditions." Practically a dispassionate examination of
the results will show that the former basis gives vastly larger
and more excellent opportunity to set forth the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed in this his-
tory of histories, and is far more consistent with Christian
ideas, than the latter. The edifice reared upon it has the
additional advantage of being founded upon tested and proved
rather than untested material. The present work is not in-
tended primarily for devotional reading, but it endeavors to do
its part in substituting for the crumbling foundations of Rab-
binic tradition, which have thus far been almost the sole reli-
ance of Christian scholars in formulating their doctrine of
Sacred Scripture, an " impregnable rock " of that true and
divine science of biblical theology whose motto is, " The Truth
without fear or favor."
We stand to-day, as Paul stood, between two opposing cur-
rents of religious thought, both earnest and both devout :
"Jews " that require a sign, and " Greeks" that seek after wis-
dom. Whatever tends to minimize the miraculous by seeking
the manifestion of God in the normal rather than the abnormal,
is to the " Jew,'' " destructive criticism." The " Greek " is too
apt to linger amid the lotus flowers of sweet reasonableness. The
present work is" destructive " of nothing but that which stands
in the way of better, and which would not be destructible if it
were not worthless. It is "constructive," at least in purpose,
of a Bible which by the illuminating grace of the Holy Spirit will
be more truly than ever a manifestation " to Jew and Greek "
of both "the power of God and the wisdom of God."
Benjamin Wisner Bacon.
Parsonage, Oswego, N. Y., December, iSpj.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Pages
Preface . . ... v-xi
Introduction . . . xvii-lviii
PART FIRST. TEXT ANALYSIS.
§ I. Prolegomena. — The primitive story of the
Exodus ; P, E and J in the Story of the
House of Bondage. . . . i-6
1. Analysis and text of Ex. i-ii . 6-14
2. " " " " " iii-iv . 15-27
3. " " " " " v-vii, 7 28-35
§ II. Prolegomena. — P, E and J in the Plague
Stories, .... 35-38
1. Analysis and text of Ex. vii, 8-ix, 12 39-47
2. " " " " " ix, 13-xi, 10 48-57
3. " " " " " xii-xiii, 16 57-66
§ III. Prolegomena. — P, E and J from Egypt to
Sinai, . ... 66-71
I. Analysis and text of Ex. xiii 17-xv, 21 71-80
XIV CONTENTS.
Pages
2. Analysis and text of Ex. xv, 22-xvii, 7 80-92
3. " " " '' " xvii, ^z/(/a/?, " a;/;/ Judah," for
le-jehndah, " to Judah," of the text. It would seem therefore
that in its present form the narrative of E came down very near,
if not quite, to the fall of the northern kingdom, and in any
case he must have brought his narrative down to date. The
great catastrophe of 722 b. c. establishes a positive tei-minus
ad quem for the Ephraimite history, not because literature
* Cf. Farrar's article : " Was there a golden calf at Dan ." " Expositor,
Dec, 1893.
xxvm INTRODUCTION.
ceased in Samai-ia after the loss of its independence, but be-
cause tlie hopeful and even triumphant patriotic feeling which
pervades the bulk of this history is incompatible with the
experience of utter national ruin. Again such a narrative
would scarcely have grown up in independence of its Judean
parallel after the coalescence of the two kingdoms. But per-
haps the most conclusive argument for a limit within the eighth
century b. c. is that in 701 the work seems to have been known
to Isaiah the son of Amoz (cf. Is. x. 24-26). The brilliant
reign of Jeroboam II. {circ. 800-759), marked by an at least
attempted incorporation of Judah and restoration of the
Davidic monarchy, fulfills the conditions under which such a
document might naturally arise, and we are safe in concluding
that its story reached to about the middle of the eighth cen-
tury.
.The argument for the continuity of the document J of Gen-
esis throughout the preexilic historical books very nearly, if
not quite down to the revolution of Jehoiada, is exactly analo-
gous to that presented in favor of P and E, but a mere perusal
of the document should dissipate from any candid mind the
notion that the materials the analysis sets aside from P and E
in Genesis and the later Pentateuchal books are mere discon-
nected fragments, or even two or more separate though mutu-
ally supplementary narratives. The scope of J is far wider
than that of either E or P, but a comprehensive purpose is
intelligently pursued from its introductory chapters tracing the
ethnological pedigree of Israel to " the Man " of Eden, down
to the story of the great Yahwistic rebellion against the
" house of Omri," which in Ephraim set Jehu, whom we might
call the " flail of Elijah," upon the throne of Ahab, and in
Judah, under the leadership of Jehoiada, overthrew the usurped
throne of Athaliah, and set in her place the child Joash with
the powerful chief-priest as regent.
Let the reader conceive, in the absence of adequate synopsis,
what the history of Israel would be like, as written in the Pen-
tateuch, Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel and Kings, down to
the epoch just defined, if the Deuteronomic and Priestly Codes,
INTRODUCTION. XXIX
and the elements of P and E above reviewed were omitted.
In Genesis tlie oriji;ins of the Hebrew stock are related in
legends of idyllic beauty. Their affinity with all surrounding
peoples is traced back to the creation of man. Primitive my-
thology is employed to account for the beginnings of moral and
physical evil, with faint foreshadowing of an ultimate victory
of humanity. The growth of art and invention accompanies
the ramification of the race and the rise of corrupt civilizations.
Presently the stock of Abram emerges as divinely chosen to in-
herit the land of Canaan. The folk-tales of Bethel, Hebron, Beer-
sheba, the sacred wells, trees, altars, sanctuaries of the land are
attached to the story of the patriarchs, and find their justification
in it, while the splendid tribe-legend of Joseph leads over to
the bondage of Egypt. That noble national lyric the Blessing
of Jacob forms the subscript to the story of the primitive age.
In the rest of the Pentateuch the story continues with the
account of the origin of the national institutions. The tradi-
tion of the plagues and deliverance from Egypt culminates in
the story of the Passover audits ritual legislation, and affords a
manifestly historical nucleus to the tradition of the battle at
the Red Sea. At Sinai the same brief ritual law incorporated
by E is given to iMoses, who writes it on " tables of stones."
Here also the primeval institutions of worship are supple-
mented by a Levitical priesthood a.ndi a portable sanctuary. Cer-
tain legends of the desert and the long " nomadic " period in
the steppes of Kadesh, reveal a historical basis, as does the
story of the conquest of the land of the Amorites (Gilead),
which is subsequently allotted to Gad and Reuben. The
period of the wilderness wandering concludes with the unsought
Blessing of Balaam, the "diviner," foretelling the glory of the
Davidic monarchy. A second magnificent national poem cen-
tering the national life in the sanctiiarv at Jerxisalem, where Yah-
weh abides " on the mountain shoulders of Benjamin," and in a
faithf III Levitical priesthood '^x&'&itrmng the rule of civil and relig-
ious order, is " the Blessing wherewith Moses the man of God
blessed the children of Israel before his death."
The story of the conquest under Joshua is a comparatively
XXX INTRODUCTION.
sober relation of the crossing of Jordan and taking of Jericho
and Ai, whereupon follows the league with the Gibeonites and
resultant battle and victory at Gibeon, Joshua and all Israel
returning to Gilgal. The poetic excerpt from the " Book of
Jashar " is well known. Central Palestine is now open, but
"Joshua was old and well-stricken in years." The as yet un-
conquered territory is therefore allotted to the tribes, and from
" the city of Palm-trees " (Jericho) the historian traces the
gradual acquisition by the tribes first of a foothold, then a firm
settlement, in their several territories.
In Judges J relates the varying fortunes of the tribes in their
struggle against the unsubdued Canaanites. A great victory by
a coalition of the northern tribes under Deborah and Barak
against the Canaanite confederacy of Jabin secures control of
northern Palestine and is celebrated in one more priceless nat-
ional ode. The traditions of Dan and Benjamin lead over to the
story of Saul and the war of deliverance from the Philistine yoke.
In the story of the rise of the monarchy we have our first intro-
duction in J to a prophet. The heroic Benjaminite Saul in search
of his father's asses turns aside to enquire of a soothsayer of
local repute where he should look. A sixpence is the price of
the augury, and a parenthetic note (probably a gloss) explains
that he that is called in the narrative "a seer, is now called a
prophet." But a divine message is given to Saul by " Samuel
the seer," and thus forewarned he rallies discouraged Israel to
the relief of beleaguered Jabesh, leads against Ammon, and is
crowned by the victors on the field. Now Saul and Jonathan
move Israel to throw off the Philistine yoke and ultimately
drive the oppressor from the country. Pathetically beautiful
is the story of Saul and his still nobler son ; but with the
appearance of the Judean minstrel-warrior David, and the im-
mortal friendship of Jonathan, a new interest takes its place.
Saul's insane jealousy drives David into exile and culminates
in the monstrous crime of attempted annihilation of the priests
of Yahweh. With the escape to David of Ahimelech the sole
survivor, carrying the supreme emblem of the divine presence,
the sacred ephod, the national cause passes over to David, as
INTRODUCTION. Xxxi
doubtless did in large part the interest of the nation. Finally
the fearful catastrophe of the battle of Gilboa and annihilation
of Saul's dynasty is celebrated by our author in an authentic
elegy written by the warrior poet David himself, and here ex-
cerpted from the "Book of Jashar."
II Samuel describes first the assumption of the crown by
David at Hebron and crushing of the house of Saul, then the
retrieving of the terrible defeat of Gilboa against the Philis-
tines, the conquest of Jerusalem and bringing up of the ark of
Yahweh to a permanent abode in David's capital ; then, after the
firm establishment of national independence and sovereignty,
the acquisition of the floor of Araunali the Jebusite, indicated by
a theophany as the true site for the national sanctuary.* An
unsparing review of the weakness of David's domestic admin-
istration and the calamities brought thereby upon Israel occu-
pies the latter part of the book, but exhibits at once the right-
eous government of Yahweh, and the true greatness of David's
character, for he comes out of the furnace of affliction hum-
bled, submissive, grateful.
After the accession of Solomon and a description of his
munificence, the narrative passes to the epoch-making event of
the building and dedication of the temple drawing once more from
its source the Book of Jashar an extract from the Dedicatory
Prayer of Solomon. The subsequent calamitous history is
related very briefly, but we find in I Kgs. xvi. 34 the sequel to
J's story of the destruction of Jericho in Jos. vi. 26f. and in
chh. xx.-xxii. a record of the reign of Ahab, including a ver-
sion of his relation to Elijah the Tishbite, which contrasts
with that of chh. xvii.-xix. almost as the Samuel of J does with
the Samuel of E ; its sequel appears in II Kgs. (iii ?) viii.
i6ff., where the fulfilment of Gen. xxvii. 40 (J ?) is related,
and in a " photographic narrative '' strongly recalling the
style of the Books of Samuel (cf. Elisha in ch. ix. with Sam-
uel in I Sam. ixf., and the gate scene, ix. 17-20, with II Sam.
xiii. 34-36 ; xviii. 24-32), on account of the great revolution
* II Sam. xxiv. is displaced.
xxxii INTRODUCTION.
of Jehu in Ephraim, with its after-clap in the overthrow of
Athaliah in Judah. The story apparently closes with the
repairing of the temple under Jehoash during the years that
" Jehoiada the priest instructed him."
The belief that the narrative of J extended down so late as
II Kgs. xii. is as yet but a personal conviction, based on per-
haps inadequate grounds ; but it is traceable witli practical
certainty to the dedication of the temple, and is traced by
Cornill and others with great probability as far as I Kgs. xvi.
34. If now we look for such a great national movement as
might naturally give birth to a masterpiece of the kind, there
is no epoch comparable in appropriateness with that which
ensued upon the great Yahwistic revolution, the seed whereof
was sown by the great Ephraimite prophets of the school of
Elijah, though in Judah it was carried through under the lead-
ership of the head of the Jerusalem priesthood. On the other
hand it is certain that the story of Ji did not continue much
beyond the year 800, for the work was, perhaps, already known
to Amos (cf. ii. 10), and almost certainly to Hosea.
In fixing the contents of the two great preexilic documents
we have thus determined within tolerably close limits their prob-
able dates, and found them to coincide with those determined on
independent grounds before the completion of this analysis.
The post-exilic origin of P was made sufficiently clear in the
preceding volume. The questions we have now to ask, as to
the character, purpose and authorship of the three, must
needs have received already some degree of illumination from
this review of their subject matter.
The comprehensive view thus afforded of each of the great
historical documents of the Old Testament, when documentary
analysis has completed its work, should serve a higher purpose
than the mere enumeration of minor idiosyncrasies of the
writers, favorite phrases, modes of expression, peculiarities of
style and diction. In the standard critical works of Dillmann
(Appendix to Nii. Dt. Jos. p. 592-690) or Wellhausen {Comp.
passim}) the reader will find these criteria described at length.
But the lists most convenient of access to the English reader
INTRODUCTION. XXXIU
are those of Kuenen {Hex. p. 65-158) and of Driver (" Introd.
to O. T. Lit.", N. Y., 1891, p. 109-150).* In the present volume
it is expected that the references and the diacritical marks of
Part II. will enable the reader to judge for himself as to J's
partiality for the phrases ' find favor in the eyes of,' ' land flow-
ing with milk and honey,' 'break forth,' 'ground,' 'Lord,'
{adonai) etc., his specification of the time of day, and similar
idiosyncrasies ; E's form of address, use of ' Jethro ' for
' Hobab,' ' Horeb ' for 'Sinai,' ' Amorite ' for 'Canaanite,'
' amah ' (" maid "), for ' shiphchah ' (" maid "), ' mount of God,'
' rod of God,' ' angel of God,' ' rose up early in the morning,'
and the like ; and that above all he cannot fail to secure some
impression from the innumerable peculiarities and conventional
forms of ,P, however hasty his perusal. But these are not
results of criticism ; these are the mere tools of documentary
analysis. If a new definition of the higher criticism may be
permitted so late, we should call it the study of the origin and
development of ideas. The ideas of J, E and P are more import-
ant than their phrases, and to understand them and their
implications we must trace their history.
Even in J, whose work is far less dominated by theory even
than E,t and of course than P, we have not the work of a
mere annalist ; had it been so, the work would never have
become the substratum of a Bible. History is here made the
vehicle of an idea ; a very broad and simple one, but admirably
* The discussion of tlie documents does not look beyond the Hexateuch, and
is largely taken from Dillraann's Appendix referred to above.
t It is surprising that so careful and judicious a scholar as Driver should
write (" Introd." p. in) : " It [the prophetical standpoint of E] is not brought so
prominently forward as in J, and in general the narrative is more " objective,"
less consciously tinged by ethical and theological reflection than that of J."
This complete reversal of the true relation would be unaccountable, were it
not that Driver's caution leads him to confine his view almost exclusively to
the inconclusive phenomena of Genesis, and to depend too much on Dillmann.
It should be remembered that pp. 629ff. of Dillmann's Nil. Dt.Jos. were writ-
ten as a determined effort to support the now almost abandoned theory of the
priority of E and P and late date of J. Schrader is far more felicitous in cal-
ling E " the Theocratic Narrator."
XXXIV INTRODUCTION.
carried out. That idea is : Yalnueh's righteous government of the
world is manifested in the story of his chosen people.
In E, and still more in P, the narrative of Israel is decidedly
subordinated to a purpose of tracing the history of special
institutions, but in J the nation itself, with all its institutions,
and as a whole, is the object of supreme interest ; it may prop-
erly be called a History of the Covenant People of Yah-
WEH. For precisely the same reason that E takes delight in
relating the birth and parentage, youth and development of his
great prophetic characters ; whereas, once their role in the
national history is about to begin, he subordinates the nation's
career to the individual's, or even passes it over entirely, J
follows a course exactly the opposite. Instead of beginning
with the call of " the prophet Abraham," he begins with the
remotest antecedents of the Hebrew stock, employs the cosmog-
onic myths to locate its true position in the world's history,
and primitive ethnology in the, form of discursive genealogies
to determine its affinity with all surrounding peoples. Because
J is supremely interested in the career of the nation, his great
characters are introduced when their role affects the national
destinies, and to this extent only. He brings in Moses, Joshua,
Samuel, David, in every case in full maturity, without troubling
himself about their birth and childhood or pious education ;
their careers are only episodes in the great national drama.
For the same reason archaeological data of even a purely secu-
lar character, if they have a bearing upon the history of Israel,
are welcome to J. The origin of the arts and industries con-
cerns him ; he is ready to take up aetiological folk-tales
accounting for all sorts of practises, customs, localities and
beliefs ; he does not refuse room even to the repulsive legend
of Moab and Ammon, the superstitious association of the man-
dragora with the birth of Rachel's children, or the coarse
clan-legends of the stocks of Judah. On the other hand he is
not unnaturally led by the literary beauty of such idylls as the
marriage of Isaac and Rebecca and the popular humor of
Jacob's shepherd tricks to give them otherwise disproportion-
ate space.
INTRODUCTION. xxxv
When we pass from the dim region of cosmogonic, ethnol-
ogic, and aetiologic myth to the dawn of quasi-historical tra-
dition, it is clear that J seeks to tell the story as it was, not
indeed purely for its own sake, but often satisfied to let it point
its own moral. For him history has a value as such, and we
doubtless owe it quite as much to this as to his greater antiq-
uity and superior sources, that as a source for actual history his
narrative must be almost the sole dependence of the judicious
critic. More and more apparent does this fact become as we
advance, till in the story of the rise of the monarchy through
the personal exploits of Saul it is clear that we are treading on
the firm ground of history ; whereas in E the true course of
events is obscured, or distorted out of all credibility, in the en-
deavor to magnify the importance of " the prophet Samuel ''
and to make clear the unpardonable folly and sin of the people
in desiring a king, instead of continuing to prosper under a
theocracy administered by " prophets and judges." The con-
trast is perhaps even more marked in the story of David. J's
splendid history of the nation under Saul and David can be
judged by the Book of II Samuel, almost entirely his. E con-
tents himself with the story of the pious shepherd-boy and the
giant, the romance of David's youth and a brief statement of
his mounting the throne and ruling under the ' fear of God '
and the tutelage of the 'prophet ' Nathan. The same contrast
will appear to every reader even in the Pentateuch, though
here there is of course less to choose.
The broad and comprehensive patriotism of J is apparent in
his treatment of all the tribes in Genesis, and particularly in
Joshua and Judges. " The house of Joseph " is as dear to him
as " the house of Judah." It comes most clearly to view in the
grand national odes he attaches at salient points of the story,
the Blessing of Jacob, Blessing of Balaam, Blessing of Moses
and Song of Deborah. For him the ideal of national unity was
realized when :
" Yahweh was king in Jeshurun
Wlien the heads of the people were gathered
All the tribes of Israel together."
XXXVI INTRODUCTION.
But just as the devotion to history as such does not exclude
a distinctly religious purpose, apparent in the narrative, so this
fidelity to an impartial account of all the institutions of Israel
does not exclude a decided tinge of personal predilection for the
institutions of the. priesthood ; and in the material at command,
if not in his personal feeling, there appears an equally decided
bent toward Judah. None but a religious historian would have
given that faint glimpse toward a victory of humanity over the
power of physical and moral evil in the world implied in the
protevangelium ; nor would another have viewed in quite the
same light the call of Abram, Gen. xii. iff., nor allowed the
moral government of Yahweh to shine through so distinctly as
in the unsparing record of David's crime and weakness, calam-
ities and repentance. In the sense of being an ultimate out-
growth of the great Yahwistic reformation of Elijah, J's
narrative may justly be called " prophetic,'' and it certainly fol-
lows the same motto ; Israel the people of Yahweh. Other-
wise it would seem anything but a " prophetic " document.
Only priestly institutions are traced as far back as the age of
Moses, and both Joseph and Moses are allied with great
priestly families ; the function of interpreting the Mosaic law
is given to "Aaron the Levite " (Ex. iv. 14; cf. Dt. xxxiii. 8-
10) and both the Egyptian and Sinaitic legislation are solely
concerned with ritual ordinances. Only Moses, Aaron, and the
priests are admitted to the audience of Yahweh on Sinai, and,
in striking contrast to E, i\\& fidelity of the Levites in the mutiny
is rewarded by a perpetual tribal prerogative of the priesthood.
Prophetism does not appear at all among the early institutions
of Israel. Samuel is only a local "soothsayer." Joseph and
Balaam are " diviners." Not until Elijah the Tishbite con-
fronts Ahab in the vineyard of Naboth does prophetism count
for anything. On the contrary the profoundest mterest is
taken in the fate of the ark and its priesthood. The slaughter
of Nob, and escape of Ahimelech with the ephod marks the
transition point between Saul and David as bearer of the nat-
ional destinies, and one of the most prominent elements of
David's reign is always the ark, its abiding place and its o-uar-
INTRODUCTION. XXXVU
dians. Its solemn transfer to Jerusalem from Baalei-Judah,
and the provision made for it by David by purciiase of the
threshing-floor of Araunah, lead up to the story of the building
and dedication of the temple as the great event of Solomon's
reign.
In agreement with this is the priestly conception of man's
relation to God. Yahweh's anger is appeased by sacrifice
(Gen. viii. 21), or by the mediation of the recipients of his per-
sonal favor ; and through these Yahweh makes known to the
ignobile vulgus the ordinances and ritual by which it pleases him
to be served. The sacred ' pillars ' {ma((ebot/i) so dear to E,
however, were either obnoxious to J, or the mention of them
has been obliterated by later hands (see, however, II Sam. xx. 8).
We should, in fact, expect nothing else than a priestly inter-
est in a document whose material so clearly points to an origin
in the southern kingdom. For with all the catholicity of J's
patriotism the stories of Genesis tend to group about Hebron
and Beersheba, much as those of E about Shechem and Bethel ;
Judah and not Reuben is spokesman for the brethren in the
Joseph-legend, and Judah's clans and Judah's birthright are
kept in view iri chh. xxxviii. and xlix. Later, Jerusalem be-
comes the real focus of attention. Now it would be scarcely
possible, at the time and amid the circumstances from which
this document thus seems to spring, that it should present any
other view than the above of the relative importance of proph-
etism and the priesthood. Prophetism had never been the
force in Judah which it had been in Ephraim. The far more
in^nentiaA priests of the Jerusale;n temple htve. took the lead in
Yahwistic reform. There is entire sympathy with the aims of
the prophets, but as yet they count for but little in conserva-
tive Judah.
Politically, the contrast is the strongest possible between J
and E. J looks upon the monarchy as the very salvation of
Israel ; he is a thorough-going aristocrat and high-churchman.
E, as we shall see, is intensely devoted to the opposite princi-
ples. But we are anticipating oui; discussion of this second
document.
xxxviii INTRODUCTION.
A first comprehensive glance at E's work would suggest as
its proper title : The Story of the Prophets. If it pursues the
course of the national history from the call of Abraham to the
writer's day, it is not from a desire to give the story of divine
providence for its own sake, but to vindicate the theory of the
theocracy, by exhibiting the character of the leaders divinely
raised up. To the careers of these men the history as such is
entirely subordinate. In a single word the document E is a
History of the Theocratic Succession.
Doubtless the form assumed by this Ephraimite work was
largely affected by the knowledge — perhaps only indirect, for
there is no decisive evidence of actual use of J by E — of its
great predecessor in Judah. It was inevitable that in the ear-
lier portions it should bear a close resemblance to it. But it
is well worthy of note that so far from showing the affinity of
Israel with all surrounding peoples by tracing the stock back to
"the Man," E sets out with the call of God to the ' prophet '
Abraham to come out from among the idolaters of his fatherland,
and upon his obedience gives the promise of the ' land of the
Amorites ' when their 'iniquity shall be full.' Except as to the
'proving' of Abraham, which incidentally reveals the boyhood
of Isaac, the stories of Genesis do not differ largely from J's.
However, E's more spiritual, less anthropomorphic views of
God and decidedly more moral views of the patriarchs are
brought out incidentally. Thus Isaac's falsehood to Abimelech
in E's story becomes a mere double-entendre of Abraham, since
Sarah " is indeed his sister." So instead of Reuben's man-
drakes, as the efficient cause of fruitfulness in Rachel and
Leah, we have in E prayer to God : and instead of Jacob's
shepherd tricks, direct divine intervention in answer to the
vow of Bethel. Special interest in Shechem and the northern
sanctuaries has always been noted, and in view of this
Ephraimite interest the tribe-legend of Joseph in E would nat-
urally be based on sources even superior to J's. But here the
method of E is again apparent. Joseph the shepherd-boy
endowed with prophetic gifts, rising to the highest sovereignty,
devoutly and piously interpreting the divine will, and on his
INTRODUCTION. xxxix
death-bed pointing the future course of the people, is but the
prototype of the shepherd-boy Moses, the shepherd-boy David,
and, with slight variation, the youthful Joshua and the child
Samuel, each rising to an ideal leadership in the theocracy.
With the possible exception of Joshua and David, these
leaders of the theocracy are all ' prophets,' and the author gives
free expression to his ideal in the story of the 70 elders upon
whom Yahweh pours Moses' spirit of prophecy ; Joshua's jeal-
ousy, says the noble-minded Moses, is uncalled for : " Would
God that all Yahweh's people were prophets, that Yahweh would
put his spirit upon them ! "
With Samuel, second in greatness as a prophet only to Moses,
the monarchical ideal comes into conflict with the theocratic.
To fully appreciate the author's political idea this story of the
people's foolish demand and Samuel's speech of abdication
recapitulating the story of the past, should be read in I Sam.
viii. ; X. 17-24; xii. ; xv. To E the monarchy is a concession
to the weakness of humanity in the political world, just as rit-
ual worship is an accommodation to human frailty in the moral
sphere. When the covenant of the pure moral law bringing the
people into direct relation with God was broken, the ritual Ten
Words and priestly form of worship were instituted as a measure
of concession. In like manner, though offended at the people's
rejection of himself as their king, God consents to the mon-
archy and offers even a conditional blessing. Saul's first " prov-
ing" results in immediate rejection, but the seal of divine
approval had been unmistakably stamped by the event upon
the reign of David. David accordingly represents to E this
modified ideal of the theocracy. Just enough is related of his
career to bring out this ideal of monarchy.
This conception of a theocracy administered by ' prophets '
springs from a mind imbued with religious and political convic-
tions sharply contrasting with J's. E shares with the Ephraimite
prophet Hosea a profound distrust both of kings and priests.
The apostasy at Horeb was due to the unfaithfulness of Aaron
when the people were left in his charge. In like manner the deep
depression from which the people were rescued by Samuel was
xl INTRODUCTION.
due to the unfaithfulness of the priests of Shiloh. He is the
most radical of Puritans, a democrat profoundly sympathizing
with the people, though impatient with their folly and weakness,
an advocate of spirituality in religion and liberty in the state,
jealous of foreign influence to the degree of narrowness and
arrogance in his ideal of the kingdom of God, in all things a
prophet of the prophets and a Hebrew of the Hebrews.
This Puritan morality and democratic jealousy of caste
appear throughout. The covenant at Horeb is a voluntary
compact. God pronounces the moral law "and all the people
answered with one voice and said, All that Yahweh hath spoken
we will do." Prosperity or adversity follow then in regular
succession according as the people serve Yahweh only and
keep his covenant, or forget his covenant and " worship strange
gods." Repentance is invariably followed by rescue, but the
writer takes extraordinary pains to guard against an abuse of
the priestly idea of divine faiwr, ' smoothing the face of Yah-
weh ' or appeasing his just indignation by anything short of
deep ' mourning ' and practical change. , Any doctrine of for-
giveness savoring of laxity in this respect is repeatedly and
emphatically denied, the very language of J seeming some-
times to be criticised. In Num. xxiii. 19 we have :
" God is not a man that he should lie
Neither the son of man that he should repent."
In Ex. xxiii. 20 the ' angel of God ' " will not forgive your
transgression nor your sin, for my Name is in him." Jos. xxiv.
19 declares Yahweh himself implacable, and even Saul's prayer
for forgiveness, I Sam. xv. 241., is met by Samuel with
"The Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent
For he is not a man that he should repent."
Space forbids the further multiplication of instances: the
hatred of idolatry (including teraphim and divination (?), toler-
ated by J; but not including 'pillars'); the living faith in a
present God of righteousness ; — but every student of the great
Ephraimite prophets of the eighth century will recognize at
once their characteristic features.
INTRODUCTION. xli
The prophetic type of rehgious thought of E, with all its
spirituality and moral purity might easily tend without its
priestly counterpoise to Pharisaism and legalistic morality.
But as compared with J it marks an advance in the sphere of
religious thought, and sheds new light upon that deep current
of pure and spiritual ethical religion, the product of the proph-
etism of Ephraim, which was soon to flow side by side with the
more priestly religious thought of Judah. The first outcome
of their amalgamation was the Deuteronomic reformation ;
later the same prophetic " spirit and power " blaze out in the
"greater Elijah ''; ultimately the priestly and the prophetic
type are blended in the doctrine of Jesus. In view of this ad-
vance in religious character we need scarcely regret the liter-
ary inferiority of E to J, nor the very limited use which can be
made of its material in supplementation of the historical data
of J. The author's teiidenz so dominates the story that while
material nearly as trustworthy and valuable as J's seems sorhe-
times to have been at his command, his story can scarcely be
called more than an adaptation of practically the same data in
much less credible form to his theory of the theocracy. The
stories of the boyhood of his prophetic heroes (Isaac), Joseph,
Moses, (Joshua), Samuel, David are unique and characteristic,
but what these add to the history of J has more of literary and
religious, than of historical value.
We can afford to pass lightly over the character, purposes
and doctrine of the Priestly Law-book, for the following rea-
sons : I. that its character IS stamped upon its face, so that
only wilful blindness can ignore it ; 2. that it has been repeat-
edly characterized in practically the same terms by all compe-
tent critics from Noldeke down ; 3. that in " The Genesis of
Genesis" we have already described it substantially as it now
appears. Nevertheless the new type marks so wide a departure
from either of its predecessors that we cannot refrain from a
few words of description.
In P the practise of E of subordinating the history to a the-
ory of the divine government is carried to a much greater ex-
treme ; here, however, the hierocracy takes the place of the
xlii INTRODUCTION.
theocracy. The high priest succeeds the theocratic ' judge,' or
'prophet,' and in the requirement of God, the general princi-
ples of morality are scarcely more than a matter of course,
compared with the written ordinances of the priesthood and the
ceremonial law. The work of P is a History of the Religious
Institutions of Israel, the Priest-nation.
We are not here concerned with the ceremonial law, which
together with the " inheritances in the land'' is the matter of
principal import to P, and hence need only compare the artificial
skeleton of history he employs as a frame for his code, with its
parallels in J and E. It is clear at the first glance that the
process of reduction to theory, a theory moreover of divine rule
by systematic miraculous intervention, has here reached its
climax.
In the priestly narrative all natural relations and perspective
of time and space are utterly lost from view. We are in the
sphere of the purely marvellous. That this writer no longer has
before his eyes a single remnant of historical realism and moves
purely in an artificial, mechanical world of marvel, appears
wherever the attempt is made to realize what his assertions im-
ply. We need not repeat the familiar objections of Colenso,
which almost invariably take effect against the representation
of P only : the 200,000 male lambs of the first year required at
every passover, as compared with the dearth of food and water,
and the complaint of no flesh to eat ; the incredible wealth of
material provided for the tabernacle ; the whole series of im-
possibilities involved in the enumerated millions of Israel ;
above all the inconceivable war with Midian (Num. xxxi.).
How little of a realistic conception the writer had before his
mind appears when we ask ourselves such questions as the fol-
lowing : In P's account of' the turning of water to blood, Ex.
vii. 19-22, whence did the magicians obtain water, to •' do in
like manner with their enchantments " ? How could an altar
of acacia wood, overlaid with brass, of the pattern of Ex. xxvii.
1-8 support the heat (supposing the fuel obtainable) of the
whole burnt offerings enjoined ? The same astounding superi-
ority to all the unities of historical narrative appear in P's story
INTRODUCTION. xliii
of the manna and quails in ch. xvi. compared with its rela-
tively historical parallel in Num. xi., and in the ignoring of any
opposition of the Canaanites to the appropriation of their land.
This contrast between P and JE, especially J, it is important to
draw for the sake of rescuing the historicity of the latter. It
is fortunately not needful after what Kuenen has well desig-
nated " the pulverizing criticism " of Colenso, to perpetually
reiterate the invidious task of exhibiting the unhistorical char-
acter of P ; but it is needful to show by separation of the
sources that we are not dependent upon this mere mechanical,
late and artificial extract from JE, intended simply as a frame-
work to the priestly law, for our knowledge of ancient Hebrew
story.
It would be far from just to the post-exilic period to say
that the religious ideals of P are those of that age. On the
contrary there is much to show, that alongside of this rigid
formalism of priestly legality and hierocracy something of the
old Deuteronomic, and even the prophetic, type of thought
continued to survive, at least among the hills of ancient Eph-
raim. But in the circles from which the Priestly Law-book
comes to us the spirituality of ethical religion, and the idea of
direct relations of man to God, seem to have died out. Still
the appearance is in part deceptive. Israel has indeed become
a priest-nation, and " the people of the book," but even if the
spiritual, ethical monotheism of the prophets had died out
among the people, the germ of its resurrection was safely en-
shrined in the literature so cherished. If we take the work of
P, as we should, as throwing light upon the conditions of relig-
ious thought in Judea of the fifth century it should be borne in
mind that this light is thrown only upon the outside, and that
underneath this frozen surface is still moving the deep, still
current of the religious consciousness of ancient Judah and
Ephraim.
In passing now from our characterization of J, E and P to
an enquiry into their history, we must of course begin with the
sources, written and oral, employed in their make-up. But we
need not delay with P, since the narrative parts of this docu-
xliv INTRODUCTION.
ment show no traces of any other source whatever than JE,
though a possible trace of Babylonian influence may be indi-
cated by its divergences from J's account of Creation and
Flood. J is the real source for the critical historian, supple-
mented occasionally (as in Num. xxi., I Sam. iv.-vi., xv.) by E ;
but each of these appears to be based upon a primitive anthol-
ogy, or collection of national ballad-lore, of its own ; adding to
this material folk-tales of various kmds, and at least two very
ancient written codes.
Already in "The Genesis of Genesis" (p. 10-22, 61) it was
pointed out that " the fountains of minstrelsy and ballad-lore
yet flow copiously through the pages of J and E," though not
of P ; and some phenomena accompanying the transition of
historical tradition from minstrelsy to prose were described.
Have we now the means of forming a rational conjecture as to
the character and content of these most primitive sources ?
The only book cited by name in J is the Book of Jashar,
from which we have extracts, in all cases songs of national in-
terest, in Jos. X. i2f. (Battle of Gibeon), II Sam. i. 17-27 (Da-
vid's elegy on Saul and Jonathan), and I Kgs. viii. 12 [53] LXX-
(Solomon's Song of Dedication). Unfortunately the exact
significance of the title Jashar (" the Upright " ?) is unknown,
but it is probable that it contains, as is so often the case, a play
upon the name Israel, like the term Jeshuriin. So far as it
goes, therefore, this would confirm the indication of the ex-
tracts, that the book was a collection of national lyrics. This
may seem a slender basis for conjecture, but it indicates that
the collection was at least as late as the reign of Solomon —
very likely of that reign ; that it covered in extent at least the
entire period from the conquest to the building of the temple,
and contained one, and probably two, if not more, authentic
poems of David (add the Elegy of Abner, II Sam. iii. 331.),
looking with favor on Solomon's temple. When we consider
the broadly national character of J's great poems. Blessings of
Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Balaam, Moses ; Songs of Lamech, Moses,
Joshua, Deborah and Barak, David, Solomon; and the fragments
of similar lyrics which form the nucleus of a large proportion
INTRODUCTION. xlv
of his narratives, and compare with these the general spirit of
the document, it does not seem an improbable supposition in
view of the known structure of other Semitic histories, that
these ancient national lyrics were all derived from the same
anthology, in short that the Book of Jashar-Isiael underlies the
history of J throughout its whole extent, and that it suggested
to its author the form of his history of Israel, J impressing upon
it Its reh'i^ious character.
The only other written source quoted by J is a brief code,
summing up in " Ten Words " the religious duties of the lay
Israelite. J calls it " The Words of the Covenant," and de-
clares them to have been written by Moses on " tables of
stones '' on Sinai. Curiously we have fragments of the same
code in a somewhat later, but substantially identical form, in E ;
here it is called " The Book of the Covenant " and is said to
have been written by Moses at Horeb, though the material
employed is not stated.* Neither writer professes to have per-
sonal knowledge of this autograph of Moses (or of God) and
though their words would seem to indicate the existence of
written copies of this primitive code, the very diversity of their
versions proves that they did not have recourse to the same
original.
E seems to have had at command a collection of national
lyrics to some extent parallel to J's. In this case we learn
more from the title, but much less from the single extract cited
from the anthology by name. The Book of the Wars of Yah-
weh shows by its title that it possessed the same patriotic char-
acter we have attributed to the Book of Jashar, and was very
likely the collection which in Ephraim had come to take the
place of the former, as better agreeing with northern ideas.
Its title also shows that the practice of E in the elohistic parts
of Exodus and the later books in regard to the divine name,
* In my judgment these ritual Ten Words must have occupied in E^ — see
below — the position now given by E* to the later ethical " Ten Words " of Ex.
XX. ; in other words Ex. xxiv. 12-14 applied originally to them, so that E^
agreed with J as to the vexed question, What was written on the two tables of
stone.
xlvi INTRODUCTIOX.
was not that of all his sources, if of any, and confirms our
view that it is more of a redactional than of a spontaneous
character. As to the contents of this work we have certain
knowledge regarding only the single extract Num. xxi. 14!,
as to the border of Moab ; but the proximity of the ensuing
extract in vv. 27-30 has led nearly all critics to infer that the
song of the " taunting poets " over the ruin of Moab was
drawn from the same source, if not the same poem. This
further description in vs. 27 of the class of poems to which the
ensuing extract belongs'is a further indication of at least one
group in the collection. It contained the songs of exultation
over fallen enemies, which the spirit of the times regarded as
worthy fruits of poetic genius. A magnificent example is the
ode of exultation over the fallen king of Babylon in Is. xiv.,
where the term " taunting poem " {inashaf) is translated by the
Revisers " parable " (vs. 4). Another eminent example of this
class which could not be omitted from any collection, least of
all from a book of the Wars of Yahweh, is the Song of " Mir-
iam the prophetess," Ex. xv. 2of. ; and here we doubtless have
not merely one of the poems contained in each anthology, but
probably the first selection of E's collection (cf. vs. 3 ?) ; at
least this was necessarily the first of the " wars of Yahweh."
It requires but a very reasonable supposition to include in this
collection the story of "Yahweh's war with Amalek " in the
poetic citation Ex. xvii. 16 ; for this also the present historian
found " written in a book,'' which it would be natural to
identify with the " Book of the Wars of Yahweh." Its sequel,
then, in I Sam. xv., where the same poetic structure is plainly
visible in vv. 22f., must also have formed part of the collection ;
nor will the reference to Agag in J's version of the Blessing of
Balaam Num. xxiv. 7 appear any longer strange, when we
reflect that E's parallel to this poem, which from its wide
divergence cannot possibly have been taken from J's anthology,
would naturally come from that same Book of the Wars of Yah-
weh from which he drew the extracts of the preceding chapter.
It may seem to us a little hard to bring Balaam's oracle under
the title " the Wars of Yahweh " ; but to E the episode belongs
INTRODUCTION. xlvii
in this category, for in Jos. xxiv. 9 he writes : "Then Balak the
son of Zippor, king of Moab arose and fought against Israel ;
and he sent and called Balaam," etc.
It is thus not impossible to obtain a reasonably trustworthy
idea of the character and contents of each of the primitive
anthologies. E's more limited, and perhaps later collection
probably did not go much back of the Exodus, but must have
been similar in character and content to the Book of Jashar,
sometimes in verbal agreement (cf. Ex. xv. i with vs. 21). As
with J, the anthology doubtless suggested much of the form
and character of the prose history based upon it.
The most important prose source of the preexilic writers is
E's Book of Judgments, whose character has been widely dis-
cussed in special treatises by Rothstein, Baentzsch and- others.*
If, as we conjecture, it was incorporated by E in Moses' fare-
well discourse, and was the law of which he declares that
Moses commanded the elders of Israel, after its formal promul-
gation and enactment by the people on mount Ebal, to inscribe
it on stone stelae there, it corresponds to the traditional
Roman Laws of the Twelve Tables, a charter of popular
rights publicly recorded. Its inestimable value to the histo-
rian of ancient Israel is self-evident, though its character
shows it to have grown up after Israel had become settled in
a fixed agricultural civilization. The religious standpoint (xxii.
20) seems to presuppose the work of Elijah and Jehu. It
does not require a great effort to imagine Jehu himself erect-
ing the stelae in question.
The oral sources of J and E are folk-tales of various kinds,
which might be classified as aetiologies, clan-stories (historical
and ethnological) and historical tradition. We can indeed trace
* I regret exceedingly that the essay of Prof. Lewis B. Paton, of Hartford,
Ct., in the " Journal of Bibl. Lit.," on The Original Form of the Booli of the
Covenant has reached me only in time for mention in this note. His conclu-
sions are most interesting and his investigation worthy of study. But a separa-
tion of the Book of Judgments from the Bool< of the Covenant still seems to
me necessary, if only to account for the extraordinary position of the civil
"judgments" Ex. xxi.f. between the two halves of a religious code, Ex. xx. 23-
26; and xxii. 27 — xxiii. 19.
xlviii INTRODUCTION.
the presence, though we cannot extricate the material, of a writ-
ten source in J's admirable history of the reigns of Saul and
David. But even this, on close inspection, reveals the marks of
the popular story-teller sitting in the city-gate. If written in the
form transmitted to J, its earliest form was oral. The earlier
narratives are of course to a large degree legendary, sometimes a
fragment of ancient song, sometimes the suggestive name of a
locality Massah, JNIeribah, Kibroth-hattaavah, Kadesh, Hor-
mah, Lehi, giving rise, by fanciful etymologies, to fantastic
developments in the story. Again the local traditions of a
particular revered object, " pillar," sacred tree, altar, or well,
the Nehushtan of Jerusalem (II Kings xviii. 4) the local sanctu-
aries of Palestine, have contributed their full share. The
tribal and clan-stories include such material as the genealo-
gies of J, the Joseph-legend of E, the story of the stocks of
Judah in Gen. .\xxviii. and the Calebite tradition in Num. xiiif.,
Jos. xiv. 6-15 ; XV. 13-19; Jud. i, 10-15. But certainly one of
the most important classes of primitive, quasi-historical tradi-
tion is that connected with the sacred feasts. Here the recital
of the traditional history was made a part of the ritual (Ex.
xii. 26 ; xiii. 14 ; Dt. xxvi. 5ff.), and although the feasts are
doubtless older than the historical events they are employed to
commemorate, J even preserving a trace of this real relation in
his story of the Exodus, where Israel demands release in order
to celebrate the feast, still there can be no doubt that for ages
the story of the Plagues of Egypt and the Deliverance from
the House of Bondage has been told, and had been even in J's
time, at the annual celebration of the Passover, ^\'hether the
story of the Law-giving at Sinai was likewise told at the Feast
of Weeks it is not so easy to say. The Feast of Ingathering
naturally retained its origmal agricultural character.
With such materials we may imagine a priest of Solomon's
temple of about the period of Jehoiada, and doubtless of simi-
lar character and standing, compiling the Judean History of the
Covenant people of Yahweh, under the impulse of the great
Yahwistic revolution. In like manner in Ephraim the same
INTRODUCTION. xlix
plan was followed somewhat later, with very similar materials,
by an intense devotee of that great school of prophets which
had inaugurated the movement. A man of the type of Hosea
gives to us the very embodiment of the prophetic ideals of
that period in this Ephraimite History of the Theocratic Suc-
cession. Two such monuments of the great religious move-
ment preceding the age of written prophecy could not fail to
become the nucleus of an increasing aggregate of " Mosaic "
thought. In fact critics are almost unanimous in tracing in
both J and E the marks of repeated editings of the original
works.
The presence of a J^ in Genesis, who has materially raised
the moral tone of J^ by his additions, was noted in the preced-
ing volume. The most important addition is the grafting in
from Assyro-Babylonian sources upon the ancient Hebrew
stock of the great Flood-legend, with some accompanying geo-
graphic and ethnographic data of a learned character. In the
intercession of Abram, Gen. xviii. 17-19, 23-33, its character
appears as much more reverential toward Yahweh, and if Kue-
nen is right in attributing to it the story of Potiphar's wife.
Gen. xxxix., its author would seem to have drawn, not only
upon Assyrian, but also upon Egyptian literature for morally
edifying material. The genealogy of the Horites, xxxvi. 10-
39, is perhaps part of the same enrichment ; xxvi. i, which
refers to xii. 10-20 J^, yet pays no attention to the much nearer
and more striking parallel ch. xx., indicates that it preceded
the union of J and E. The phenomena lead Budde to regard
this as a quasi-official revision emanating from the highest
quarter, perhaps about the time of Ahaz, a date for which there
is some internal confirmation.
That this revision extended to the later books is not only an a
priori probability, but seems to be indicated by the text itself.
A revising hand has certainly retouched the Plague narratives
quite independently of harmonistic or Deuteronomic require-
ment. Further, in the intercessory interviews of Moses and
Joshua in J, Ex. iv. 10-13 ; xxxii. 7-14 ;.xxxiii. 12 — xxxiv. 9 ;
Num. xiv. 11-24; Jos. vii. 7-9 ; we have not only a very remark-
1 INTRODUCTION.
able coincidence of representation witii Gen. xviii. 20-33, but a
marked resemblance to J^ in language (cf. e. g. Ex. xxxii. j2, 14
with Gen. vi. 6f. ;■ Ex. xxxiii. 13, with Gen. xviii. 19, and Ex.
xxxiv. 9 with Gen. xviii. 30, 32.). Dt. xxxiii. iT,d.b-i6 also im-
presses me as interpolated by J^, and the legislative sections
bear still clearer evidence of supplementation. Nevertheless,
I have thought it wiser to refrain as yet from the attempt to
systematically distinguish between J' and J^, and even in E,
where the discrimination is easier, the present volume makes
but little use of the theoretic typographical distinction.
In the later books it is E which gives the clearest indications
of having undergone revision and supplementation, as in Gen-
esis we found it the case with J. In fact those portions of E
which most strongly affect its present form and character, bear
positive marks of the terrible period of depression after the
fall of Samaria, whereas the great mass of the work has too
much of the proud consciousness of national glory to be de-
rived from that period of humiliation and gloom. Moreover,
there is no explanation of E's use of the name Elohim in long,
connected passages after Ex. iii, except from habit, independ-
ent of the theoretical grounds on which Eloliim is made uniform
up to Ex. iii., while Yahweh is generally used thereafter. The
hand which follows the latter course cannot therefore be the
same as that with which the use of Elohim is habitual, or rests
on 'Unknown grounds. The Book of the Wars of Yahweh did
not follow this elohistic practise ; hence it cannot well be de-
rived from any other than the older element of E, an element
which in at least one instance lies plainly embedded in the
later material, viz. I Sam. i-viii. where chh. iv.-vi. are required
by, but do not themselves presuppose chh. i.-iii. viif. An ad-
mirable discussion of their relation may be found in Budde's
Richter und Samuel, Giessen, 1890, p. 193-198. As to the evi-
dence for a revision of E we cannot do better than to quote
here the synopsis of one of the clearest, keenest and most
judicious of analytical critics : —
" It is the merit of Kuenen to have .first propounded this problem for the
whole extent of E, and to have carried it into detail : he reaches the result,
INTRODUCTION. li
Hex. § 13 11. 25 and 26, that in the 7th century an edition o£ E was prepared for
Judaea (E^), because the substance of the worli, E^ could not permanently sat-
isfy the requirements then existent there and gradually changing. It is not
necessary to assume that this E^ was prepared by a Judaean hand, since not all
of Ephraim was deported in 722, and nothing compels us to assume the com-
plete extinction of intellectual life among those left in the land : it would seem
to me more natural to look for the origin of E^ in these very circles. Kuenen
claims first for E^ the entire first Decalogue [Ex. xx.] with the kindred narra-
tive parts belonging to it in Ex. xix.-xxiv. and the inseparable story of the gol-
den calf Ex. xxxii. i-xxxiii. 6. The latter offers the true point of departure. In
this narrative there appears a palpable prophetic rejection of the cultus of
Ephraim, ' the calves of Dan and Bethel,' given in the name of Moses himself.
But this is insupposable at the hand of the same writer who takes such relig-
ious delight in relating the theophanies at these ancient sanctuaries, subse-
quently abhorred by the prophets, and who in particular connects the
consecration of the sanctuary at Bethel with a glorious theophany, and mani-
festly regards Bethel as the proper central sanctuary of Jacob, at which all
Israel should pay tithes of what Yahweh has given them. Above all if the
words Ex. xxxii. 34b refer to the Assyrian Exile as a punishment for the calf-
worship of Samaria, this trait at least would necessarily form part of a revis-
ion later than 722. It is self-evident that the story of the golden calf stands
in inseparable connection with the legislation of the first Decalogue, whence
the latter also could not be from E^. When now we observe that none of the
older prophets who inveigh against idol-worship appeals to the Decalogue, and
that the sole trace in the older literature of acquaintance with this Decalogue,
in Hos. iv. 2, is robbed of significance by its diverse order and terminology for
the sins, we must admit the force of Kuenen's reasoning. Other .signs corrob-
orate. The representation of the departure from Horeb to the promised land
as a punishment, and the sanctuary of the ark a substitute, because Israel was
not yet ripe for the pure religion of the Decalogue, cannot possibly have been
the sense of the original tradition, to which the ark was the visible pledge of
Yahweh's gracious aid [cf. I Sam. iv.-vi.] and their bringing in to Canaan a
kindness of the mighty national Deity [cf. Ex. xiii. 17-19] . . . Kuenen fur-
ther attributes to E* Num. xi. 14, i6f. 24b-30, and ch. xii. in its present form.
The story of Num. xi. I4ff. has no connection whatever with its present con-
text, and is also difficult to reconcile with Ex. xviii., the more so, if, as would
appear from Dt. i., Ex. xviii. originally stood after the breaking camp from
Horeb [butcf. xviii. 5], therefore in almost the very spot of Num. xi. The 70
elders are derived from Ex. xxiv. if. 9-11 E^ and the dependence on Ex. xviii.
is also manifest; cf. Nu. xi. 14 with Ex. xviii. i8b, 22b. Accordingly we have
in Nu. xi. I4ff. a specifically pro]Dhetic parallel to, or rather modification of Ex.
xviii., El; and by this assumption all difficulties are removed. Xu. xii. also is
not a uniform story. After Miriam and Aaron have found fault with Moses
because he had married a Cushite, we do not expect a settlement of the question
lii IXTKODUCTION.
whether Moses alone is possessed of the prophetic spirit : vv. 2-8 accordingly
must also be attributed to E^, and in these and Nu. xi. I4ff. we have " two
mutually related studies of prophelism.'' Kuenen further adduces Nu. xxi. 32-
35, as an expansion of £1, though perhaps not derived from E^, d. passage
which Wellhausen, Comp. p.iii, had recognized as a supplement; it developed
from the idea that the whole country east of Jordan had been conquered by
Moses, whereas in E' only the tribes of Reuben and Gad are concerned. I
should myself attribute to E'^ the E form {Z. A. W. xi. i-i 5) of the story Gen.
xxxiv. It is hard to reconcile with Geii. xlviii. 2jf. (certainly E') and on the
other hand this very question of social and connubial relations between Israel-
ites and heathen was of great practical significance to the north-Israelites left
behind in a land flooded with foreign colonists. One is tempted, in spite of
Jos. xxiv. J, to attribute Gen. x.xxv. 1-4 also to E'^; since it scarcely agrees with
the original character of the tradition, to conceive Jacob's wives, who even in
E, ch. XXX., give names to their sons after the manner of genuine, devout moth-
ers in Israel, as practical heathen : this is scholastic reflection, on the same
plane with Laban's use of a foreign tongue .x.xxi. 47. It agrees with these
results when Lagarde maintains, Mitlheilungen III. 226-229, on the ground of
the uniform employment of Elohim, and the Egyptian names occurring in Gen.
xli., that E belongs " in the seventh century," and was a contemporary of
Psammetichus I. 664-610 K. c. These portions of Genesis also would then
be attributable to E^ We reach therefore the result, that E^ was written in
the time of Jeroboam II. ca. 750, and about a century later was revised either
■by a Judean, or by one of the remaining north-Israelites, on the basis of that
development of theological views effected by the great literary prophets (Corn-
ill, .£;;//. p. 48ff.),
It seems to me probable that further investigation will reveal
a more drastic revision on the part of E'^ particularly in the
legislative sections ; and if we may attribute to it the
systematic use of Elohim in Genesis and Yahweh after Ex. iii., it
determined the present form of Ex. iii. 10-14. The character
of this redaction, however, is clear. It intensifies the theocratic
and prophetic tendcnz of E^'
The amalgamation of J with E soon after the unification of
Ephraim with Judah under the Davidic kings in Jerusalem was
most natural. The cause of prophet and priest was substan-
tially the same, and Judah gained quite as much from the infu-
sion of the prophetic spirit of Ephraim, as Ephraim from the
more priestly religious feeling of Judah.
It is apparent from the use made of JE in both D and P
INTRODUCTION. Hii
that the two primitive documents had already been interlaced
previous to 620 b. c. ; hence we are safe in attributing in gen-
eral the passages whose sole object appears to be the adjust-
ment of J and E to one another to this early redactor Rje.
When we come to set them side by side we gain a curious in-
sight into his method. The process of harmonization was of
the simplest and most transparent. J's work was of course
made the basis, both as fuller, and generally as more suited to
the Judean feeling of Rje; though in Gen. xxxiv., Ex. xix.-
xxxiv. E^ whose work represents the thought of Rje's own
period, was naturally preferred. Examples of Rje's " harmo-
nistics '■ in Genesis are xxvi. 15 and 18, xxxix. iha, zo&g. Strik-
ingly similar in simplicity of design are the clause " after he
had sent her away " Ex. xviii. 2, the curious verse xix. 23, and
the generally successful interlacing of the J and E versions of
the Balaam-story. But if we accept the very probable conclu-
sions of Cornill (p. 81), by far the most radical part of Rje's
work affected the Sinai-Horeb chapters from Ex. xviii. to Num.
xii. It was the omission of J's version of the Covenant in Ex.
xxxiv. (save for the enrichment of E's version in xxiii. 15-19)
and the interweavmg of J and E in Num. xi. with its conse-
quences. In our Analysis 3 of § iv. we have endeavored to
follow the intricate processes of omission and combination, re-
incorporation and readjustment, which have involved these
chapters in such strange confusion.
The work of Rje does not affect Deuteronomy, but reappears
of course in the further course of the narratives J and E. This
indicates as the necessary date of the revision the period
between E^ (650 ?) and the origin of Deuteronomy (620 b. c).
Cornill and other critics generally, including Dillmann, main-
tain that the phenomena of Deuteronomy and its two envelopes,
Dh and Dp prove that these writers still possessed, in addition
to JE, the separate document E. We have, however, a differ-
ent explanation of the E tinge in Deuteronomy, which does
not require the rather improbable assumption that the Deuter-
onomists took the pains to compare JE with one of its original
sources.
liv INTRODUCTION.
The appearance of Deuteronomy in 621 b. c. and the tremen-
dous revolution it effected in the life of the nation through the
reforms of Josiah and the prolonged influence of the Exile,
marks an epoch but little, if at all, inferior in importance to the
Yahwistic revolution of Elijah and his successors. By the time
of the first return under Joshua and Zerubbabel in 555 the
whole life of the nation had been transformed by it, the great
■ exilic prophets having continuously labored from its standpoint.
For still another entire century the Deuteronomic law con-
tinued to be the sacred canon of the Jews, and it was inevita-
ble that this all-important legislation should ultimately attract
to itself the preexisting sacred history, precisely as the Priestly
Code, once canonized, was soon amalgamated with JED. The
history of the Deuteronomic Code from 621 to 444 b. c. would
almost parallel in importance the history of the nation and of
its great prophets during this, the critical period of its life.
Here we can of course only present an outline of what appears
from the present structure of Deuteronomy and from the so-
called Deuteronomic redaction (Rd).
During the Exile the Deuteronomic Code seems .to have cir-
culated simultaneously in two different settings, each of which
in its own way served to give it the necessary historical back-
ground, though they agreed in the representation of the whole
as a farewell discourse of Moses to Israel on the plains of Shit-
tim, communicating the oral law received on Horeb. That
form of Deuteronomy which enclosed the code in a parcenetic
or preaching envelope, refers to it as an already written and pub-
lished book. This introduction and appendix is designated
Dp ; the discussion of it is here inappropriate. Its rival makes
the discourse of Moses a recapitulation of the history, strongly
tinged by E's phraseology and ideas, though based upon JE as
combined (cf. Dt. i. 23-26 with JE and E in Num. xiii.f.), and
represents Moses as speaker throughout. Our own theory of
the E tinge is that both Dp and Dh took the idea of 2, farewell
discourse of Moses as the true setting for the Code, from the
fact that JE's Story of the Exodus then concluded with a recap-
itulatory farewell discourse of Moses of the usual form of E (cf.
INTRODUCTION. Jv
Jos. xxiv.) embodying the Book of Judgments ; but Dh has fol-
lowed the model much more closely than Dp. The latter, in fact,
dwells purely in the field of present-day sermonic exhortation.
When now Deuteronomy was at last attached to JE, the com-
piler, Rd, not only took up both envelopes of the code, com-
bining them as best he could, but rescued the Book of Judg-
ments by giving it a place in Ex. xxif., and, loath to lose any
historical material in the process, attached the fragments of
E's Urdenteronomiuni where he could find a place for them (see
Prolegomena to § vii.). This is not mere free-hand conjecture,
for the method of Rd has been traced elsewhere, and in all
cases. Exodus, Joshua, Judges, I and II Samuel it is marked
by an apparent determination to rescue at almost any cost of
incongruity in the resultant complex, the surviving fragments
of the preexilic literature. To Rd, or rather to one of the
later hands of this long continued school, according to Budde
and Cornill, we owe the reuuorporation of much important mate-
rial rejected by Rje, or earlier Deuteronomic hands. This
seems to be the history of J's version of the Words of the Cov-
enant, Ex. xxxiv.; of the E fragments in Dt. i. i ; x. 6f. ; xxv. 17
-19 ; xxvii. 1-8, 11-13 ; xxxi. 14!, 23 ; of Jud. i. and the con-
cluding chh. of the book ; and of nearly one-fourth of the
entire bulk of I and II Samuel. Although when first pro-
pounded by Budde in the case of the older elements of J in
Gen. i. -xii. this theory of reincorporation was met almost with
ridicule by so great a critic as Kuenen, who borrowed from
Darwin the term " survival " to describe it, such a " theory of
survivals " is really the reverse of improbable or unexampled
A noted New Testament instance appears, in fact, in the story
of the adulterous woman, John viii. iff. For when a redactor
for any reason strikes out a passage in the copy of a work in
his possession, there must remain of necessity a considerable
number of copies of the same work, not in his possession, in
which it still subsists. When now the new and (generally) en-
larged edition begins to supersede the older and less popular,
there is a very strong tendency for anything omitted, if not
very palpably superfluous, or otherwise objectionable, to find its
Ivi INTRODUCTION.
way back; the constant tendenc}' of ancient writings being to
accumulate.
We can scarcely assign a limit to the Deuteronomic redac-
tion ; for processes exhibiting its principles, standpoint and
style continued to affect the text down to a date even subse-
quent to the Greek translation. It appears thus as partly con-
temporaneous with the priestly, and sometimes presupposes the
priestly elements, as in Num. xxxii. gfi. ; * (Dt. iv. ?) Jos. xx. 4-
6 (wanting in LXX).
The most important work of Rd was the combination of the
Deuteronomic Code, inclosed in its double setting, with JE ;
and this of course necessitated thorough revision of the earlier
legislation (though Genesis could be left untouched save in
xxvi. 5); some adjustment of the preceding narrative (ci. e. g.
Num. xxi. 33-35 with Dt. iii. 1-3 and Num. xxxii. with Jos.
xxii.), and a drastic working over of the subsequent narrative,
as supposedly controlled by the Deuteronomic law. The at-
tachment of the Song of Moses Dt. xxxii. 1-43, while doubtless
preceding Rp, seems to have been subsequent to this work of
combination by Rd, for it is provided with an independent
introduction and subscript in xxxi. 16-22 ; xxxii. 44. Its con-
sideration belongs therefore with the history of Deuteronomy.
Ezra's " book of the law of his God " which he came author-
ized by the Persian government to introduce in the feeble col-
ony at Jerusalem, and which was ultimately solemnly enacted
there, was almost certainly a priestly code, pure and simple,
which was not amalgamated until later with the preexisting
Deuteronomic Torah JED. This final process of redaction was
of course not undertaken until Ezra's Law-book had itself
undergone the necessary and inevitable processes of supple-
mentation and adjustment to practical requirement which any
complete system of law is sure to undergo. The most impor-
tant addition of Rp to P^ was the preexisting priestly Torah,
the Law of Holiness (P^), the greater part of which now forms
the nucleus of Leviticus in chh. xvii.-xxvi. Other and exten-
* Indicated in the text by the u.se of small italics.
INTRODUCTION. Ivii
sive novcllae were doubtless attached to it before the work of R
began, but these do not belong to our present subject.
The work of R, the final redactor of JEDP shows that to
him P was preeminently the sacred code. Its views and phra-
seology are shared by him, and in cases of duplication he
almost invariably sacrifices the older work to P, making the lat-
ter the "groundwork'' of the entire structure. Under such
conditions it is not difficult to distinguish and to characterize
his work. It was thorough and comprehensive, but even to-
wards JED manifests a scrupulous, not to say devout, regard
for the material. It was unavoidable on this plan that JED's
account of things which could not be told twice over, such as
the construction of the ark, and deaths of the patriarchs,
should be stricken out ; but so far as possible the divergent
traits of JED were preserved and inserted where room could
be found, dislocating to some extent the earlier narrative, as
in Num. xx. iff., but preserving the material to the verge of
self-contradiction (cf. Num. xvi. 28-34, with vs. 35 and xxvi.
11). Examples of R's work in Genesis appear generally m
slight touches of adjustment, but xxxvi. 1-5 is substantially his,
and xlvi. 8-27 also, if not from PI Similar light touches ap-
pear in the later books, where, as in Num. xvi. ; xx. 1-13 ; Dt.
i. 3 ; iv. 41-43, the narratives came into close contact. The
difficulty is to distinguish R from P^, whose supplementations
extended, as Popper has shown by a comparison of the LXX.
text of Ex. xxxv.-xl. with the Massoretic, down to the third
century b. c. But these latest occasional touches have scarcely
affected the narrative, which received practically its final form
at the hands of R, probably not far from the close of the fifth
century b. c.
If there is one feature of the Documentary Theory which
appears to be more offensive than another to the advocates of
tradition it would seem to be the doctrine of repeated redac-
tions of the text, whichwe have thus endeavored to set in outline
before the reader. For some reason it appears to them incom-
patible with any view of divine authorship of the Bible. And
Iviii INTRODUCTION.
yet it is to the very same principle of redaction that they have
recourse when the improbability of Moses' writing the account
of his own death is pointed out, or when appeal is made to
the innumerable post-Mosaica alluded to in our preceding vol-
ume. These are explained as the work of later hands. In fact
the phenomena of redaction become absolutely undeniable the
moment we reach the epoch where comparison is possible with
parallel versions and texts. But why should divine authorship
be incompatible with an almost continuous process of human
redaction? When through the extrication of J's inherently
credible story of the passage of the Red Sea the divine element
in the event — shall we say " sinks " ? nay — 7-ises to the level of
providential \ns,ted.A of miraailoits intervention, the story becomes
not less, but more truly a manifestation of " God in history."
In like manner, when deposits of the three great streams of
religious thought of Ephraim, Judah and post-exilic Judaism
gradually accumulate under providential control and guidance
into the Bible of Jesus and the apostles, the resultant literary
composite is more than ever entitled to be called the product
of no mere human wisdom. It is seen to be a work and word
of God, slowly-developed through many ages of his self-mani-
festation in Hebrew thought and literature.
TYPOGRAPHIC SIGNS AND
ABBREVIATIONS.
J. Judean prophetic writer, circ. 800 B. C, in this
type.
E. Ephraimite prophetic writer, circ. 750 b. c, in this type.
P'- Priestly law-book^ circ. 4^0 b. c, in this type.
.1-. Editorial additions to J, soO-722 B. C, in this type.
E-. JE and Rd, additions to E, harmonistic adjustments o£ JE and Deuter-
onomic expansions, 722-200 B. c, in this type, or smaller.
P^. Rp and R {someiivLes Rd)^ additions to P or JEDP in tJie priestly style
and sense^ 450-200 B. c, in t/iis type.
Ps.=Psalm; Dh^^Historical Deuteronomist ; Dp=Parenetic Deuterono-
mist.
Supplied material in [ J, displaced in ; characteristic expres-
sions in Part II. in ' ', word-plays in " ". Corrupt text is indicated by
*, omitted legislative sections by * * * *, words lost or unintelligible by
. . Ch.=chapter, chh. chapters ; vs.=verse, vv. verses ; f.=follow-
ing verse, page or chapter ; ff. following verses, etc. ; cf.=compare, ct.=
contrast. Sam.=Samaritan text, LXX.=Septuagint, Vulg.=Vulgate.
Arts. I. II. III. IV.=my discussions of §§ I. II. III. IV., in "Journ.
Bibl. Lit." i.x. 2-xii. i (1890- 1893). Z. A. W.=Zeitschrift fiir alttesta-
mentliche IVissenschaft , Comp.= Wellhausen's Composition des Hex-
ateuclis, Berlin, 1889; Ex. u. Le%i. and Nu. Z)/, /o5. = Dillmann's com-
mentaries on Ex.— Jos., Leipzig, iSSoand 1886. 77ersa, it is probable that he has simply
adopted E's etymology in both instances, in preference to J's. The latter
may possibly have been led up to in some way by the story of vv. i6ff ;
in fact the Hebrew for " drove them av.'ay," vs. 17, is written identi-
cally with the name Gershom.
Vv. 23b-25 have been already characterized as displaying all the marks
of P^, including an unmistakable reference to Gen. xvii. Vs. 25 breaks
off in the midst of a sentence. But the line of division between 23a and
23b can be drawn with a high degree of certainty, fn the present form
of the verse the reader is at a loss to know who the king is who " died in the
course of those many days.' According to the unmistakeable reference
of vs. 23a to the preceding, it must be the oppressor whom Moses had
resisted, and from whom he has taken refuge in Midian. But if so, it is
extremely unnatural that the author should take the occasion of the
death of the oppressor to speak of fsrael's complaint and cry to God.
The LXX. version unquestionably establishes here the true connection by
repeating ii. 23a before iv. 19. The death of the king is not, as would
appear from the text as we have it, the occasion of Israel's groaning, but
of Moses' re/urn. The result of this is two-fold. First, there is no real
but only an artihcial connection between 23a and 23b ; second, since the
occasion of Moses' return was according to iv. 19 (J) simply that " Yah-
weh said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt, for all the men
are dead which sought thy life," and inasmuch as this motive excludes
the supposition of a previous direct, immediate and unqualified mission
to Pharaoh, such as iii. loff. (E), the story of Moses' commission to
deliver Israel, if it was given at all in this document, must have been
placed subsequent to his final departure from Midian. We shall find
that this really agrees much better with the incident, otherwise inexplica-
ble, of iv. 24-26 (J).
Chh. i. and ii. appear accordingly to be composite, the strands identi-
cal with those already recognized as underlying the book of Genesis, and
I. 14. BOXDAGE OF ISRAEL. 11
not appreciably harder to disentangle. The presentation of the results-
of this documentary analysis in different fonts of type will show them to
be unexpectedly illuminating to the well-known perplexities of the present
text. For detailed discussion of evidence in the critical analysis the
reader is referred to Art. 1. of the author's discussions.
(P) ^JVow these are the names of the sons of Israel, which 1
came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Jiidah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Ben-2-2,
jamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. And all the souls 4-5
that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: and Joseph
(J) luas in Egypt already. '^Autl Joseph died, and all his 6
(P) brethren, and all that generation. And the children 7
(J) of Is?-ael^were fruitful, and increased alunidanfly, &\\i!i\_. . .]
(P) multiplied, and Svaxed exceeding mighty; and the
land was filled with them.
(J) ^Now there arose a new king over Egypt, which 8
knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people. Be- 9
hold the people of tlie children of Israel are more and
mightier than we: "come, let us deal wisely with lo-
them ; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that,
when there falleth out any war, they also join them-
selves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get
them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over n
them 'taskmasters to afflict them with their hurdens.
And they built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and
Raamses. But the more they "afflicted them, the more 12
they multiplied and the more they ^spread abroad.
And they "were grieved because of the children of
Israel. [. . .]
(P) '^'^ And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve ij
with rigor: and they made their lives hitter ivith hard service, 14
(J) in ^^mortar and in brick, and in all manner of ser-
^6 : 16. Gen. 36 : 10,40 ; 46 : 8ff, ^juj. z : 10 ; Gen. 50: 26. ^Gen, i : 22,28. ^Gen. iS:i8,
26 ; 16; Nu. 22 : 6 ; vv.g,2o. ^Nu 22 ; 3-6. ^Gen. 11 ; 3,4,7 ; 38 : 16. '3:7:5: '^.Q,T3f.
^Gen. 16 : 6 ; 31 : 50 ; 34 : 2 ; ch. 3 : 7. ^Gen. 9 : ig ; 10 : 18 ; 11 : g ; 28 : 14 ; 30 : 30.4,. etc.
*°Gen. 46 : 34 ; Nu. 22 : 3. i^Lev. 25 : 43ff. ':2Gen. 11:3.
12 EXODUS. I. 15.
(P) vice in the fields all their service, wherein they made them
serve with rigor.
15 (E) [. . .] And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew
midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and
16 the name of the other Puah; and he said, When ye do the
office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them
upon the birthstool ; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him ;
17 but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the mid-
wives ^^feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt com-
18 manded them, but saved the men children alive. And the
king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them.
Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men chil-
19 dren alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because
the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they
are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.
20 (J)And God dealt well with the midwives: "and the people
21 (E)multiplied, and waxed very mighty [. . .]. And it
came to pass, because the midwives '^feared God, that he
22 I'^made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people,
saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river,
and every daughter ye shall save alive.
2 And there went a man of the house of Levi [. . .J,* and
2 took to wife a [. . .] daughter of Levi [. . .]. And the
woman conceived, and bare a son : and when she saw him
3 that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And
when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark
of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and
she put the child 'therein, and laid it in the flags ^by the riv-
^''Gen. 20: II ; 42 : 19. ^^Vv. 7.0. ^^Gen. 20 : 11 ; 22 ; 12 ; 42 : 18. -^1 Sara. 2 : 35. I7 ;
15-
* In vs. I we have literally " the daughter of Levi," which must grammatically
refer to some person already mentioned, though the mention is now wanting.
In vs. 4 " his sister " is introduced as if already known to the reader. Later
both Miriam and Aaron appear in the story in the same way without introduc-
tion, though Miriam is styled " the prophetess,'' (xv. 20) as if we had already
been informed as to her calling. The extreme brevity and generalizing charac-
ter of vs. I may therefore be attributed to Rp., with whose material in ch. vi. the
data of K conflicted. Cf. i. Sam. ii. 27f. and see Analysis, p. 7 and Part II.
II. i6. BONDAGE OF ISRAEL. 13
er's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would 4
be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down 5
to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the
river-side ; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent
her ^handmaid to fetch it. And she opened it, and saw sthe child; * 6
and, behold, the babe wept And she had compassion
on him, and said. This is one of the Hebrews' children.
Then said his sister to Pharaohs daughter, Shall I go and 7
call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse
the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her. Go. 8
And the maid went and called the child's mother. And 9
Pharaoh's daughter said unto her. Take this child away, and
nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the
woman took the child, and nursed it. ^And the child grew, 10
and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he be-
came her son. And she called his name Moses, and said.
Because I drew him out of the water.
And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown 1 1
up, that he^went out unto his brethren, and looked on their
eburdens: and he saw an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one
of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and 12
when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian,
and hid him in the sand. And he went out the second day, 13
and behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together : and
he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou
thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a 14
judge over us? thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the
Egyptian ? And Moses feared, and said, Surely the thing is
known.
Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he 'sought to slay 15
Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt
(J) in the land of Midian [. .] : and he *sat down l).y a
well. Now [. . .] the Spriest of Midian had seven 16
daughters : and they came and drew water, and filled
^Gen. 30 : 3, iz, 18, etc, ^Qen. 21 : 14-16, etc. i : 22. ""Gen. 21:8. ^Vs. 10. ^5 ; 4. '18:4.
«Gen. 24 : iiff.; 29 : sff. »Ct. Nu. 12 : i.
* The clause is superfluous and appears to be a marginal gloss.
U EXODUS. II. 17.
17 the "ti'Oiiglis to water their father's flock. And the
shepherds came and drove them away : hnt Moses
stood np and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to "/?«;. 84.
THE CALL OF MOSES AND AARON. ai
"spokesman to the people?" Vv. i3ff. are therefore indispensable to
I off.
The passage is an important one, as by its rejection it becomes
possible to suggest as a probability * that the North Israelite character
of Aaron is unknown to J. But we may expect the same fate for this
suggestion as for the similar, but now rejected idea of Meyer and Stade in
regard to the character of Joshua.
(E) Now Moses was keeping the flock of ^Jethro his 3
father-in-law, the priest of Midian,f and he led the flock to the
back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God,
(J) unto ^Horeb. And the angel of Yahweh appeared 2
unto hini^in a flame of Are out of the midst of a bush :
and he looked^ and, behold, the bush burned with
Are, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses 3
said, *I will turn aside uow, and see this great sight,
why the bush is not burnt. And when Yahweh saw 4
(E) that he turned aside to see, "^God called unto him out
of the midst of the bushf and said, Moses, Moses. And he said,
(J) Here am I. ^And he Said, Draw not nigh hither: s
^Ct 2 ; 18 ; Nu. lo ; 29 ; Jud. 4 : 11. '■'17 : 6 ; 33 ; 6 ; 4 : 27 ; 18 : 5. ^Gen. 15:17; ch. ig :
iS ; Dt. 33 : 16. *Jud. 14 : 8. ^Gen, 22 ; i, 7, 11 ; 46 : 2 ; ch. 19 : 3. "Joh. 5 : 15.
*Cornill, Eiideilung, p. 51.
i For the discussion of the names given to Moses' father-in-law, see above
(note on ii. 18). As the " |)riest of Midian" only appears twice in E, and in
"both cases in a context worked over by Rje, it seems more probable that it is
a harmonistic interpolation of Rje than that Moses' father-in-law should have
been " priest of Midian " in both J and E. In thus identifying Jethro with
the priest of ii. i6ff. he would of course remove the discrepant name " Hobab "
in ii. 16, though he let it stand in Num. x. 19 and Jud. iv. 1 1.
I The clause " out of the midst of the bush " might be a fragment of J, but is
more likely to have been inserted by Rje to-make vs. 4 correspond with vs. 2a.
It is superfluous in either J or E. In this verse it should be observed that the
Hebrew has, '• /iw/ Yahweh saw . . and God called"; not, "when Yahweh
saw," etc. So in vs. 6 "moreover" is simply supplied by the translators to
avoid the awkwardness of the two consecutive beginnings "And he said."
Throughout the book allowance must be made for the looseness of Hebrew
construction which readily lends itself to the style of compilation discovered
bv critics.
22 EXODUS. III. 6.
put ofif thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place
whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6 (E) Moreover he said. I 'am the God of thy father, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
And Moses hid his face ; for he was afraid to look upon C^od.
7 (J)[. ]And ¥ahweh said, I have surely seen the 'af-
fliction of my people Avhich are in Egypt, and I have
heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I
8 know their sorrows; and I am "come down to deliver
them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring
them up out of that land unto a good land and a large,
(Rd)unto a ^"land flowing with milk and honey; unto the
place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite,
and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.*
9 (E) "And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel
is come unto me : moreover I have seen the oppression
10 wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now there-
fore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest
bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
11 ^'^And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go
unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of
12 Israel out of Egypt ? And he said. Certainly I ^"will be with
thee ; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent
thee : when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt,
13 ■'■'ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said
unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel,
and shall say unto them, ^°The God of your fathers hath sent
me unto you ; and they shall say to me. What is his name ?
14 what shall I say unto them ? And God said unto Moses, i am
THAT I am: and he said. Thus shalt thou say unto the chil-
'Vs. 13. ^i ; Tif. vs. 17 ; 4 : 31 ; Gen. 16 : 11; 29 ; 32. *Gen. 11 : 5 ; 18 : 21. ^^^vs. 17 ; 13 : 5 ;
33 :3 ; Num. 13 : 27; 14:8; 16: 14; Jos. 5 : 6. I'Cf. 6 : 2f£. "6:12. "Gen. 28 : 20 ; 46 ; 4.
^^5: I ; 24: 5. ^*vs. 6.
* A common form of interpolation is the enlargement or introduction of the
list of seven Canaanite peoples. It seems to be later than the union of J and
E (cf. Gen. x. 16 ff ; xv. 19 £f ; Ex. xxiii. 23 and references above) and is prob-
ably from the hand of Rd. It is recognizable as an interpolation by its frequent
interruption of the connection.
III. 2C. THE CALL OF MOSES AND AARON. 33
(Rd) dren of Israel, i am hath sent me unto you.* And God 15
said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,
"V'ahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you : this is my name for ever,
and this is i^my memorial unto all generations. t
tJ) ^'Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, 16
and say unto them, Yahweh the God of your fathers,
the Grod of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath ap-
peared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you,
and [seen] that which is done to you in Egypt : and I 17
have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of
(Rd) Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the
(J) Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.f UUtO a
land flowing with milk and honey. ''And they shall 18
hearken to thy voice : ''and thou shalt come, thou and
the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye
shall say unto him, -'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews,
hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee,
three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may
sacrifice to Yahweh our God.
(E) ^'And I know that the king of Egypt will not ^^give 19
you leave to go, ^Sno, not by a mighty hand. -*And I will put 20
"12 : 4a ;i3 : 9. "Vs. ?£ ; 4 : 2911. 184 : 31 ; ct. 6 : o. ""jis. ^^s : 3; 7 : 16; 9 : i, 13 ; 10: 3.
2^9 : 30. '■'^Gen. 20 : 6 ; 31 : 7 ; Nu. 20 : 21 ; 22 : 13. 2SQ( 6 : i ; 13 : 9. 24jj ; j . j^t ^4 ; iif.
* From this point on the name Yahweh, which has of course hitherto been
avoided in the document E, is freely employed by the Ephraimite writer.
However, the criterion is by no means wholly lost ; for in the most obviously
original and archaic parts of the document, and particularly in stereotyped ex-
pressions like "rod of God," "mount of God," "angel of God," the use of
Eloliim and ha-Elohitn is still continued. The facts can scarcely be accounted
for on any other supposition than that Elohim or ha-Elohiin was the divine
name habitually employed in E's source, which E of course left as he found it
previous to E.x. iii. and iisimlly left as he found it thereafter. But when writing
de sua, or freely reproducing his source, he employs Yahweh. In these portions
of the E document henceforth the divine name ceases to be a criterion. The
larger part, however, is still Elohistic in the strict sense.
t Vs. 15 is generally attributed to Rd. Its linguistic features ("genera-
tions "), its superfluous, reiterative character, and its solicitude for the instruc-
tion of posterity (cf. xii. 24, 26; xiii. 8f, etc.), support this view.
% See note on vs. 8.
24 EXODUS. II. 2[.
forth my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which
I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you
2 1 go.* ^And I will give this people favor in the sight of
the Egyptians : and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go,
22 ye shall not go empty: but every woman shall ask of her
neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels
of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment : and ye shall put
them upon your sons, and upon your daughters ; and ye
■t (J) shall spoil the Egyptians. And Moses answered and
said, 'But, "behold, they will not helieve nie, nor
hearken unto my voice: for they will say, Yaliweh
hath not appeared unto thee. And Tahweh said unto
2 him, AVliat is that in thine hand .' And he said, A
3 rod. And he said. Cast it on the ground. And he
cast it on the ground, and it became a 'serpent; and
Moses fled from before it. And Yahweh said unto
4 Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail:
(and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it
became a rod in his hand:) that they may believe *that
5 Yahweh the God of their fathers, the God of Abra-
ham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath
6 ^appeared unto thee. And Yahweh said furthermore
unto him. Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And
he put his hand into his bosom : and when he took it
out, behold, his hand was "leprous, as [Avhite as]
7 snow. And he said. Put thine hand into thy bosom
again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again;
and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was
8 'turned again as his [other] flesh.) And it shall come
to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken
to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe
9 the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to
2= II : 2f : 12 : 35f. '3: 18:14:31 28:26. 3Ct. 7:9fE. '3:16. '3:2. "Nu. 12 : 10 ; 11.
Kgs. 5 : 27. 'ii Kgs. 5 : 10, 14.
* Vs. 19b contradicts \ i. i and xiii. g and is therefore treated as a gloss. We
may however (with Ewald) conjecture ini-lo instead of uy Yahweh at the
38 EXODUS.
time and in the manner predicted, and the immunity of Israel,.
is then fully described. Then follows the effect upon Pharaoh,
of the three different kinds above mentioned, all coming, how-
ever, to the same result, that, " Pharaoh's heart was ' heavy '
and he did not let the people go," whereupon Moses is again
sent with heavier threats, until, after the king's second evasion
(sixth refusal) and Moses' peremptory ultimatum, Pharaoh
drives him out with the threat of death if he appears again.
To this Moses replies " in hot anger,'' " Thou hast spoken well,
I will see thy face no more,'' and proceeds to declare how Yah-
weh will now smite the first-born. Pharaoh's servants shall
then come bowing down to Moses begging them to be gone, and
after that they will go out ; vii. 14, i6f. in part, 21a, 24f.; viii.
1-3, 8-isa, 20-32; ix. 1-7, 13-21, 23b-3S, in part; x. i-ii,
13b, i4f. in part, i6-ig, 24-26, 28f.; xi. 4-8. Moses then gives
to Israel directions for the observance of a feast to be called
the Passover (xii. 23, 26f.) with the same derivation as in P
(xii. 13), the provisions also being similar ; xii. 21-27. Yahweh
at midnight carries out the threat made by Moses. The
Egyptians come entreating Israel to be gone, and urging them
forth in such haste that " the people took their dough before
it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their
clothes on their shoulders," and, with flocks and herds and a
mixed multitude, go out. From the unleavened dough cakes
are made, whence originated the feast of Unleavened Bread ;
xii. 29, 3of. in part, 32-34, 37-39, 42. In addition to the feast
of Passover, Moses accordingly enacts the observance of this
feast and because of the smiting of the first-born of Egypt
ordains a further law of consecration of the first-born to Yah-
weh ; xiii. 3-10, 11-16.
WONDERS WROUGHT BEFORE PHARAOH. 39
I. Chh. vii. 8-ix. 12. The Wonders Wrought before Pha-
raoh AND THE Earlier Plagues.
ANALYSIS.
Under divine direction Moses and Aaron appear before Pharaoh again.
Aaron casts his rod to the ground, whereupon it changes to a " reptile.''
The " magicians of Egypt ' do the same, but Aaron's rod swallows
theirs. Pharaoh's heart is hardened ; vii. 8-13, The waters of Egypt
are next turned to blood, with a similar result ; vii. 14-25. A plague of
frogs is inflicted, which extorts from Pharaoh a petition for intercession :
but he afterwards hardens his heart; viii. 1-15. The " rod of Aaron '
brings lice, but " the magicians of Egypt " acknowledge their inability to
compete with this divine wonder. Pharaoh is still obstinate ; viii. 16-19.
A plague of flies is next inflicted, after which Pharaoh obtains interces-
sion on the promise of concession, but afterward makes his heart
" heavy " ; viii. 20-32. The plague of murrain is inflicted on the cattle
of Egypt to the destruction of all, while Israel's are spared. Pharaoh's
heart remains "heavy" ; ix. 1-7. Moses and Aaron sprinkle ashes aloft,
which cause boils upon all the Egyptians. The magicians are stricken
and flee. Pharaoh's heart is still " hardened " ; ix. 8-12.
In justification of the description previously given of the contrasted
representations of J, E and P, it will be necessary to show that the pres-
ent text involves incongruities and improbabilities for which the analysis
alone affords an adequate and probable solution. It will not be difficult
even in few words to make it apparent that such is the fact. Only, in
order not to weary the reader with a needless accumulation of evidence,
we will carry the analysis no further in detail than the end of ch. vii., re-
ferring those desirous of a complete array of the evidence to Art. II.
Vv. 8-13 are recognized as a unit in themselves, and as consistently
continuing the preceding narrative (cf. vs. 13 with vs. 3f, vs. 10 with vs.
6, etc.). The same characters (Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh, " the sorcerers ")
appear in the same role, with the same expressions and same represen-
tations, in a series of subsequent passages, which relate three other
"wonders " done by Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh with the same
result in vv. 19, 20a, 21c, 22 ; viii.S-7, isb-ig ; ix. 8-12. The type is so
exactly reproduced in each case that it is possible to give the regular
formula observed throughout, with only minor divergences ; " And Yah-
weh said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, take thy rod and . And they
did so : and the magicians did in like manner with their enchantments
. . . and Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he hearkened not vmtotheni.
W EXODUS.
as Yahweh had spoken." There can be no question of the affinity of
these passages. But it does not appear why, after Moses was com-
manded in iv. 17 to do the signs with his rod, or "the rod of God,"
Aaron should now be the agent, and Aaron's rod the means. Neither
is it apparent why a totally different series of wonders, or plagues, should
appear side by side with these whose purpose is different, (a punishment
of the land) the actors in which, and phraseology of which are totally un-
like, and in which Moses, so far from being in need of a spokesman to
Pharaoh, conducts long negotiations without the assistance of Aaron.
It does not appear why the rod which was changed to a " reptile " in vs.
9 should be spoken of as changed to " a serpent " in vs. 15 and iv. 3ff.
nor why, in the stories of the contest of Aaron and the magicians, the
invariable formula is " Pharaoh's heart was hardened as Yahweh had
spoken " (cf. vii. 3) ; whereas in the series characterized by Moses alone
as Yahweh's ambassador, we have invariably " Pharaoh's heart was
heavy " (R. V. " stubborn ").
But passing now to vv. 14-25 we ask first. Who smote the river .' In
vs. 19 Aaron is commanded to "stretch out his rod over the waters of
Egypt," and it is naturally inferred that vs. 20 relates that Aaron
(though not bidden) " smote the river with his rod." But in xvii. 5 Yah-
weh says to Moses " Take t/ty rod wherewith //loii smotest the river."
Still again vs. 25 explicitly states that " Yahweh smote the river," and vs.
17 makes confusion worse confounded by putting into the mouth of Yah-
weh the extraordinary utterance ; " Behold / will smite with the rod that
is in my hand upon the waters of the river.''
But now let it simply be recognized that there is a series of narratives
in which every " sign " is worked by Moses with his rod, as iv. 17 re-
quires, and as we actually find to be the case in the passages above as-
signed to E, just as in those characterized by the presence of the sorcer-
ers they are worked by Aaron with his rod : and that there is still a
third, in which neither Aaron nor Moses works the signs and no rod
whatever appears, but Yahweh himself acts, as is explicitly required bv
vs. 25 and by every one of the announcements of Moses of what Yahweh
will do, and this difficulty, together with a whole series of similar ones,
vanishes. This supposition is again borne out by the series of passages
already assigned to J. In both J and E we find in fact a regular type,
almost as invariable as that of P. In E it is very brief, and appeals to
the eye only : " And Yahweh said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand
(or " smite with the rod ") . . and Moses stretched forth his hand
(smote with the rod), and . . But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart
and he would not let them go.' In J it is more elaborate, and involves
WONDERS WROUGHT BEFORE PHARAOH. 41
the cycle of changes in the effect on Pharaoh already described. It ap-
peals almost exclusively to the ear, the scene being depicted almost wholly
in dialogue : Yahvveh says to Moses, " Go in unto Pharaoh and say unto
him, Thus saithYahweh, Let my people go that they may serve me. And
if thou refuse, behold I will smite . . . (description of the plague then
follows, with prediction of its unexampled severity and appointment of a
specified time for its appearance). Where the immunity of Israel is not
otherwise implied it is distinctly expressed, " And I will sever in that day
the land of Goshen " or the like. Description of the occurrence of the
plague follows, exactly as foretold, and the three different kinds of effects
upon Pharaoh in regular rotation, as above described. The fullest form
(four times) is that wherein Pharaoh calls for Moses and says, " Intreat
for me, and Moses went out from Pharaoh and intreated Yahweh
(or spread forth his hands to Yahweh) and the . . ceased, and when
Pharaoh saw ... he made his heart heavy and did not let them go."
Among the characteristic features not already mentioned is the emphasis
which is laid upon the unique severity of the plague (" very grievous "
" such as had never been ") ; its thoroughness, and its equally complete
removal (" there remained not one," " not any green thing," "not one
locust," etc.), in contrast with the complete immunity of the land of
Goshen. In J moreover Yahweh is always the agent (not Moses as in
E) and operates by natural causes, winds, etc. instead of the rod.
The fixing of a time in advance for the plague and for its removal
is also a natural characteristic of the narrative where Moses simply
announces in advance what Yahweh will do. Pharaoh's audience
chamber appears to be the scene of these negotiations, as the open air is
the necessary scene of E's majestic pantomime with the rod. Other
characteristics of style and language may readily be discovered from the
references.
In the passage vii. 17-25 the observance of the references (e. g', vs. 16
to v. 3, xvii. 5 to vs. 17) and of the consistent standpoint of each writer
makes it easy to assign every clause of the confused whole, with prac-
tical certainty to its respective source (See Art. II, pp. I79ff.). One
singular result is that whereas there appears to be not more than a
single word or so lacking to any one,, and even that single word capable
of being supplied with certainty from the context, yet the miracle in J
(who has already related the changing of water to blood, for a sign to
the people), does not seem to have been a changing of water to blood
at all, but only a destruction of life in the river (cf. xii. 12 P, the judg-
ments executed against the gods of Egypt, and Is. 1. 2). In viii. i — ix.
12 there is no trace of E. and with the radically different types of J and
42 EXODUS. VH. 7.
P in mind the reader will have no difficulty in personally verifying the-
analysis. Attention, however, should be given to the marginal notes of
the R. V. (" heavy," and " strong ") especially in vii. 9, isf.; viii.. 15, 32,
and ix. 7, 12.
7-8 (P) '^And Yahweh spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,^
9 When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying. Shew a tvonder for
you : then thou shall say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it
10 down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent. And Moses and
Aaron went in utito Pharaoh, and they did so, as Yahweh had
commanded : and Aaron cast doivn his rod before Pharaoh and
1 1 before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also
called for the wise men and the sorcerers and they also, the magi-
1 2 cians of Egypt, did in like manner with their enchantments. For
they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents :
13 but Aarofi s .rod swallowed up their rods. ^ And Pharaoh's heart
was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them ; as Yahweh had
spoken.
14 (J) And Yahweh said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heai't
is ''stubboi-n, he refusetli to let the people go [ . . ]
15 (E) Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning ; lo, he goeth
out unto the water ; and thou shalt stand 'by the river's
brink to meet him ; and *the rod which was turned to a serpent
16 (J) shalt thou take in thine hand.* And thou shalt say
unto him, Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, hath
''sent nie unto thee, saying. Let my people go, that
they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold,
17 hitherto thou hast not hearkened. Thus saith Yah-
^Cf. 4 : 1-9 ; vv. ig. 22 ; 8 ; 5-7 ; g-8-12, etc. ^Ct. vs. 14 ; 8 : 15, 32 ; 9 : 7, 34 etc. "S :
IS, 32 ; 9 : 7, 34 etc. '2 ; 3. '4 ; 3, (17 LXX.) ; ct. vv. 9-12. '3 : 18 ; 5 : 3, sff.
* In Art II. p. 179 the last clause of vs. 15 is not rejected. In view however
of the preponderance of evidence for J in iv. iff. the general verdict of critics at-
tributing the clause to Rje as preparatory to vs. 17b may be accepted ; or we may
consider that an original " and the rod which I gave thee," or the like, has
been harmonistically altered to the present form. The assumption of such an
addition or alteration is justified by the fact that the LXX. insert the same
designation "which was turned to a serpent" in iv. 17, where it certainly is
not genuine.
VIl. il.VVONDERS WROUGHT BEFORE PHARAOH. 43.
Hell, In this thou shalt know that I am Yahweh
(E) behold, I will smite [ . ] "with the rod that is in
minef hand upon the waters which are in the river, and '^they
(J) shall be turned to blood. And the flsh that is in the iS-
river shall die, and the river shall stink ; ''and the
Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river.
(P) ^*And Yahweh said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy 19
rod, and stretch out thine hand over the waters of Egypt, o^Ct. 23 : 16; 34: 22. 'Cf. vv. 21-27. "Lev. 3 : 1. loetc. ; ct. Gen. 7: 2f. ■'16 : i; 17 ; letc.
XII. i8. THE NIGHT OF DELIVERABLE. 61
sembly of the coti^^regation of Israel shall kill it at even. ^And they 7
shall take of the blood., and put it on the iiuo side posts and on the
lintel, upon the houses iohei-ein tkev shall eat it. And they shall 8
eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, a?td unleavened bread;
with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden 9
at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and
with the inwards thereof. ''And ye shall let nothing of it remain 10
until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the morn-
ing ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your 11
loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand .
and ye shall eat it in haste : it is Yahweli s passover. For I will 12
go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite ''all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and ^against
all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments . '/ am Yahwch.
And the blood shall be to you for n token upon the houses where vc 13
are and when I see the blood, I will '^"pass over you, and there
shall no plague be upon you to destroy you* when I smite the land
of Egypt. '^^ And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and \i!^
ye shall keep it a feast to Yahwch . throughout your generations ye
shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. ^"^ Seven days shall 15.
ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away
leaven out of your houses : for whosoever eateth leavened bread
from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off
from Israel. And in the first day there shall be to you an'^Violy \6
convocation, and in the seventh day an holy convocation ; no manner
of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must
eat, that only may he done of you. And ye shall observe the \_ feast i-j
of] unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought
your hosts out of the land of Egypt : therefore shall ye observe this
day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the 18
first [monthl on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall
eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month
sCf. vs. 22. «Cf. 23 : 18; 34:25. '13: if. 8Nu. 33:4. "6 : 8 ; Lev. 17 : I, ^, 4etc. "Cf.
vs. 23. "Vv. 24-273. i^cf. 13 : 3-10. i^Lev. 23: 3-37 ; ct. 13 :6.
*Etymologies in Pare rather suggested than propounded : ct. vs. 27, and cf.
Gen. xvii. 5, 17; Num. xx. 13. Personifications like that of vs. 23 he prefers
to tone down, as here (vs. 6.) ; cf. Gen. vi. iff. with gff.
e2 EXODUS. XII. 19.
\n at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven fozmd in your houses :
for whosoever eateth that which is leavened that ^^soul shall be cut
off from the congregation of Israel., whether he he a sojourner., or
20 one that is born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all
your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21 (J) Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel,
and said unto them, Draw out, and take you lanihs
22 according to your families, and kill the passover. And JC Shall
take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is
in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side
posts with the blood that is in the basin ; and none of
you shall go out of the door of his house i^until the morning.
23 For Yahweh will pass through to smite the Egyp-
tians ; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel,
and on the two side posts, Tahweh will pass over the
door, and will not suffer ^"the destroyer to come in
24 (Rd) unto your houses to smite you.* "And ye shall observe
25 this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall
come to pass, when ye be come to the land which Yahweh will give you,
26 according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it
shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you. What mean ye
27 by this service ? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of Yahweh's passover,
'^30 : 33i 38. Gen. 17 : 14. ^^Ct. vv. 3iff. ^^Z\.. vv. 13. ^'13 ; 3, 8-10, 14-16 ; Dt. 6 : 2of. etc.
* The legislative portions of J wherever met seem to be drastically worked
over and interpolated. It is princi|)ally due to this redactional modification
that in Art. II. this section was erroneously attributed to Rje on a basis of E.
It is easier to suppose that influenced by his strong archteological interest J
accounted tor the ritual custom of sprinkling the doorpost with the blood of
" the sacrifice of the passover " instead of the altar or viaci;ebah as in sacrifices
at the sanctuary, thus making it serve the purpose of " the difference (distinc-
tive mark) which Yahweh put between the Egyptians and Israel" (xi. 7), although
usually no mark is reciuired on account of the isolation of Goshen (viii. 22 ; ix.
26), than to suppose that E, who elsewhere ignores ritual interests, is the
author of even the basis of this bit of ritual archaeology. Dr. Budde very
clearly points out how the priestly section is here throughout dependent on the
" prophetic," cf. e. g., vs. 13 with vs. 23. — The Deuteronomic style of vv. 24-273
is striking, and characteristic of the didactic interpolator. The first clause of
vs. 27 may have been adopted from the original. See the article in Z. A. W.
above referred to (Analysis, p. 59).
XII. 38. THE NIGHT UF DELIVERANCE. 63
who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he
smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. i^Aud the people
(P) bowed the head and worshipped. [ . . . ] And the 28
children of Israel went and did so , as Yahweh had commanded
Moses and Aaron, so did they.
(J) ^'Aud it came to pass at midnight, that Yahweh 29
smote all the firsthorn in the land of Egypt, from the
flrsthorn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the
firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and
all the firstborn of cattle. — ^^Aud Pliaraoh rose up iu the 30
night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians;
—and there was a ^'great cry in Egypt 3 for there was
(E) not a house where there was not one dead.* ^And 31
he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up,
get you forth from among my people, both ye and the chil-
(J) drcn of Israel [ . . . ]^and go, serve Yahweh as ye
have said. Take both your flocks and your herds, as 32
ye have said, and be gone ; and bless me also. And 33
the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send
them out of the land in haste ; for they said. We be
all dead men. And the people took their dough before 34
it was leavened, their ^kneading-trouglis being bound
(E) up in their clothes upon their shoulders. ^And the 35
children of Israel did according to the word of Moses ; and
they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of
gold, and raiment : and Yahweh gave the people favour in 36
the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what
they asked. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
(J) And the children of Israel journeyed from *Ram- 37
eses to Succoth, about ^six hundred thousand on foot
that were men, beside children. ^And a mixed multi- 38
tude went up also with them ; and flocks, and herds,
"4:31. "ii:4ff. "Oji : 8. 2ijj : 6. 22Ct. io:28£. ==3 : i8; 5 : 3 ; 8 : zsfE. ; lo : 24ff. etc.
248:3. ^'3 : 2it. ; II : 1-3. ''°i : II. "'i :9, 20; Nu. II : 21. 2«Nu. u : 4.
* Transpose in order 30a and 3obc. By the insertion of vs. 31 (E) in place
of the real sequel to 30a (xi. 5, 6, 8, J) Rje found himself compelled to change
the relation of 30a from consequent of 3obc and antecedent of " and came and
bowed down " (cf. xi. 8) into an antecedent of 3obc.
64 EXODUS,. XII. 39-
39 even very much cattle. And they baked unleavened
cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of
Egypt, for it was not leavened ; because they were
thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had
40 (P) they prepared for themselves any victual. '^Now
the sojourning of the children oj Israel, which they sojoiir7ied
41 in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came
to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty rears, even ^the
selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of Yahweh went
42 (J) out from the land of Egypt. * — It iS a night to be
much observed unto Yahweh for bringing them
(Rd) out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of
Yahweh to be much observed of all the children of Israel throughout their
generations. t —
43 (P) ^^Aiid Yahweh said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the
44 ordinance of the passover : there shall no alien eat thereof : hut
every man's ^^servant that is bought for money, when thou hast cir-
45 ctimcised him, theji shall he eat thereof. A ^sojourner and an
46 hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be eaten;
thou shall not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the
47 house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof . All the congregation
48 of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with
thee, and will keep the passover to Yahweh, '^let all his males be
circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it , and he
shall be as one that is born in the land : but ?io uncircumcised per-
49 son shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is homeborfi,
50 ^a7id unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Thus did all
s^C'. Gen. 15 : 14, 16. ^oy^ j^ . ^j. jg . letc. ^iQ^n. 17 ; 12, 27, 32Qen_ j^ . 12, 13, 23,
27etc. ^^Gen. 23: 4etc. ^■^Gen. 17 : loetc. ^^Vs. 28, Gen. 6 ; 22etc.
■* Vv. 40, 41 have been removed from after xiii. 2 to combine with the
"prophetic" story of the flight, or perhaps, better, xiii. if. from before vv. 4of.
P's much less vivid narrative, the substance of which can be gathered from vs.
12 and from Nu. xxxiii. 4f, represented the Exodus as taking place "on the
morrow after the passover," z. f. the morning of the 15th, ct. vv. 31-34. This
account has been of necessity omitted by Rp. It probably stood between xii.
50 and xiii. i, giving occasion to the enactment xiii. if.
t Vs. 42b seems to be due to the redactor (Rd) who takes such an interest
m posterity ; it is introduced as a supplement to 42a. So Budde;cf. Reuss,
La Bible, in loc. Vs. 42a stood ]ierhaps originally after vs. 27.
XIII. 13. THE .\lGHr OF DELIVERANCE. 65
the children of Israel ; as Yahweh coiiiinanded Moses and Aaron,
so did they. Atid it came to pass ^''the selfsame dav, that Yahweh 51
did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egvpt by their
hosts. [. . .]
^And Yahweh spake imto Moses, saying. Sanctify unto me all 13
the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the ivomb among the children of
Israel, both of man a?id of beast : it is mine.
(J) (Rd) And Moses said unto the people. Remember this 3
day, in which ye came '■'out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage ; for ^by
strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from this place : there shall no
(J) leavened bread be eaten. ""TlliS day ye gO forth ill the 4
month Abib. '^And it shall be when Yahweh shall s
(Rd) bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite,
and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, wlncll lie
sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with
milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in
this month. "Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened 6
bread, and in the seventh day shall be a foast to Yah-
weh. Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the 7
seven days ; and there shall no leavened bread be seen
with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with
(Rd) thee, 'in all thy borders. ^And thou shalt tell thy son in 8
that day, saying. It is because of that which Yahweh did for me when I came
forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, o
and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of Yahweh may be in
thy mouth : for with a strong hand hath Yahweh brought thee out of Egypt.
Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year. lo
(J) And it shall be when Yahweh shall bring thee 1 1
into the land of the Canaanite, as he ^sware unto thee
and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, that thou 12
shalt set apart unto Yahweh "all that openeth the
womb, and every firstling which thou hast that com-
eth of a beast ; the mates shall be Yahweh's. "And evei'y 13
firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb ; and
if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its
^^Vv. 17, 41 ; 16 : I ; 19 ; I. ^28 : 41 ; etc. cf. vv. iifE. ^Vf?. 14 ; 20 : 2 ; Dt. 5 : 6 ; 6 : 12 ; 8:
14 ; 13 : 5, TO etc. 3Vv. g, 16 ; 3 : igf ; 6 : i etc. ''34 : 18. ^3 ; 8 ; 33 : 2 etc. ^Cf. 12 : i5f.
'8 : 2 ; 10 : 4, 14, ^10 ; 2 : 12 :24 ; Vs. 16 ; Dt. 6 : 4-9 ; n : 18-21 etc. ^Gen. 15 : 18. **^22 :
2gf. ; 34; 19 cf. vv. if. '^34: zo.
m EXODUS. XIII. J4.
neck: and all the fli'stborn of man among tli,v sons
14 (Rd) Slialt thou redeem. i^And it shall be when thy son asketh
thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him,
I'By strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house
15 of bondage : and it came to pass, wlien Pharaoh would ^*hardly let us go,
that Yahweh slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn
of man, and the firstborn of beast : therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh all that
openeth the womb, being males ; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.
16 ^^And it shall be for a sign upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine
eyes : for by strength of hand Yahweh brought us forth out of Egypt.
§ III. Exodus xiii. 17-xix. 25. The Exodus : From Egypt
TO Sinai.
Prolegomena.
According to the priestly writer Israel went forth on the
morning of the fifteenth of the first month, in the sight of the
Egyptians engaged in the burial of their dead, and " with an
high hand " (Num. xxxiii. 3f. ; xiv. 8). Taking their departure
from Succoth they reach Etham "in the edge of the wilder-
ness " ; xiii. 20. But Yahweh is not satisfied with so easy a
victory, purposing to make a signal exhibition of his power
upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians (of. xiv. 4). Moses and the
people are therefore bidden to retrace their steps. Returning
again from the wilderness they place themselves in an apparent
cul-dc-sac, south of the isthmus, where the road to the east is
cut off by the Gulf of Suez. Pharaoh's heart is hardened by
Yahweh, and he pursues after and overtakes his aggravating
foes " encamped beside Pihahiroth, before Baal-zephon," At
Yahweh's command Moses stretches out his hand over the sea,
which divides, and Israel passes over on dry land. Pharaoh's
army, divinely emboldened, follow after. Moses is again di-
rected to stretch out his hand and the watery walls collapse,
engulfing the Egyptians ; xiv. if. 3 (?), 4., 8f., i5f., in part ; lyf.,
2ia, c, 22f., 26, 27a, 28a, 29. One month thereafter Israel
comes to the wilderness of Sin ; xvi. i. At this point is brought
in the story of Israel's murmuring for the flesh-pots of Egypt.
'2Dt. 6 : 2off. "Vs. 3 etc. >»9 : 35 ; 10 ; 20. 27. ' = Dt. 6 : 8f. ; 11 : 18.
THE EXODUS: FROM EGYPT TO SINAI. 67
Moses and Aaron summon the congregation before the taber-
nacle (sic), whereupon " the glory of Yahweh " appears in the
cloud (sic), and Yahweh rebukes the people, but promises flesh
and bread. In the evening quails cover the camp ; with the
morning dew appears a white edible flake, to which Israel gives
the name of " Manna." This becomes their food until they
come to Canaan. Aaron is bidden to lay up a pot thereof before
the " Testimony " (sic) to be kept ; ch. xvi., for the most part.
After a station at Rephidim (xvii. la) " the whole congregation "
comes to Sinai on the fifteenth of the third month ; xix. 2a, i.
According to E Israel went forth in battle array, laden only
with the spoil of Egypt, gold and jewels, and the bones of
Joseph (with xiii. 19 cf. Gen. 1. 25f.). God {Elohiiii) led them,
but not by the nearest road, on account of the hostility of the
Philistines ; a dMow- is made, which brings them to the Red
Sea ; xiii. -l^-k) (cf. Jos. xxiv. 6). Here Pharaoh, pursuing
" with chariots and horsemen " (Jos. xxiv. 6), overtakes them.
Israel cries out to Yahweh, who puts darkness between them
and the Egyptians, the angel of God removing from before and
" going " behind the camp of Israel ; xiv. 3 (?), 7 in part, lob,
igf. in part (cf. Jos. xxiv. 7). Moses stretches out his rod over
the sea [which opens a passage for Israel, (cf. Is. x. 24, 26 ; Ixiii.
12)] while Yahweh brings the waters upon Pharaoh's pursuing
host and covers them ; xiv. i6a, 24c, 25a (?), 31a (?) ; (Jos. xxiv.
7). This victory is celebrated by Miriam and the women in
responsive song and dance ; xv. 2of. Hereafter Israel comes to
[Massah] where they ar« put to the " test " (jnassah) by Yah-
weh by a "statute and ordinance" preliminary to the covenant
at Horeb. This test consists in the giving of the food called
" manna," of which each is to take but a single day's supply.
Some endeavor to lay up for the morrow, and excite Moses'
wrath ; xv. 25b ; xvi. 4, 15, i6a, 2of., 35. Here (?) the people
suffer thirst, and rebel against Moses ; who at Yahweh's com-
mand goes before the people to [Meribah] and smites with the
rod upon " the rock in Horeb," whereupon water issues forth
for the people ; xvii. 3-6. At this point are inserted the story
of the battle with Amalek at Rephidim, in which Moses, by
68 EXODUS.
means of the uplifted rod, obtains victory for Israel, and the
story of Jethro's visit to Moses at the mount of God {sic) lead-
ing to the appointment of judges to assist Moses in administer-
ing justice, and in making the people know the statutes of
God and his laws {sic): xvii. 8-16 ; ch. xviii. Arrived at Horeb
Moses goes up to God and receives directions in preparation
for a sublime theophany to the people, and a divine covenant ;
xix. 3-10, 14-17, 19-
According to J Israel is led forth from Egypt by Yahweh in
a pillar of fire and cloud. But when Pharaoh heard of their
flight he changed his mind and pursued after them. Israel,
seeing the pursuers and despairing of escape, murmurs against
Moses, but is reassured by the promise of divine help ; xiii. 2 if.;
xiv. 5-7 mainly, loa, 11-14. The pillar of fire and cloud re-
moves from before the camp of Israel and " stands " behind
them, intercepting the pursuers all night. Yahweh causes the
sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, exposing the
shoals, over which Israel make their escape. In the morning
watch the battle ensues, but Yahweh " looks forth from the
pillar of fire and cloud," and puts the Egyptians to rout. They
" flee against " the returning tide, Yahweh " shaking them off "
in the midst of the sea, so that "not so much as one remained."
The sight of the Egyptian dead upon the seashore, and the
experience of Yahweh's salvation beget faith in the peoples'
mind. Moses and Israel celebrate the triumph in song ; xiv.
19b, 20b, 21 inpart, 24f. in part, 27! in part, 3of. in part; xv. i.
Moses leads Israel out into the wilderness, Yahweh direct-
ing him at Marah how to sweeten the bitter waters ; xv. 2 2-25a.
They encamp at Elim, and later at a place called Massah,
because the people there " tempted " Yahweh ; xv. 27 ; xvi.
la ; xvii. 3, 2b, 7 in part. At Sinai Yahweh yeveals himself in
fire, directing Moses, with the priests and elders, to come up unto
Yahweh, after precautions against intrusion by the people ; xix.
11-13, 18, 20-25.
In this entire section the superior worth of J over E as a
historical source is peculiarly apparent, and this is most dis-
tinctly recognizable in the narratives where actual historic tra-
THE EXODUS. FROM EGYPT TO SINAI. 69
dition is undeniably present. There is no reasonable doubt
that the story of the crossing of the Red Sea, wherein, as Paul
well says, the nation was " baptized unto Moses," was the folk-
tale of Israel par excellence, related from time immemorial at
every Passover feast. It was the national independence-day,
birthday and christening-day in one : and the victory then
achieved over the host of Pharaoh was one which baptized the
nation unto Yahweh, the God in whose name Moses had sum-
moned them to the liberty of the desert as the God of their
fathers, no less than " unto Moses." Its opportuneness and its
providential character both alike ensured a lasting remembrance
of it in the tradition of the nation then born, as the proof that
Yahweh is indeed the God of Israel, and Israel is his people.
Such a remembrance is certainly preserved in the essentially
plain and trustworthy account of J, wherein Moses leads Israel
off the high-road, to the south of the fortified isthmus, to where,
under favorable conditions and the guidance of one familiar
with the locality, a crossing could be effected over the shallows
of the " Sea of Reeds.'' Had not the providential "wind of
Yahweh," however, driven back the sea, the effort to cross,
with Pharaoh's troops unexpectedly attacking the rear, would
have been hopeless. The night-crossing, under the gloomy
thunder-clouds, the battle in the morning on the further shore,
when the breaking forth of the sun revealed the Egyptians en-
tangled in the quicksands and drowned by the returning tide,
are not the work of imagination, but of grateful and undying
recollection, refreshed at every Passover feast.
All the greater appears the contrast in the parallel accounts.
The rigid, mechanical wonder-working of P^ is indeed no more
than we have learned to expect from this writer ; but in E we
might expect something of the actual remembrance to survive.
Critics like Dillman and Kittel, who maintain the origin of
E to be earlier than of J, doubtless hold that if the E element
of ch. xiv. could be extricated we should find it to contain as
much, or more, of the historical character than J. Unfortu-
nately this belief, if it exists, is here ill-founded. The passage
Is. x. 26, " As his rod was over the sea, so shall he lift it up
70 EXODUS.
after the manner of Egypt," by an author who, on any theory,
cannot possibly have known P^, does not refer to J and may be
seen when compared with vs. 24 to refer, beyond all reasonable
doubt, to E. This, with the fragments remaining in Ex. xiv.,
and Jos. xxiv. 6f., is amply sufficient to prove that E's account
was much nearer to P^'s than to J's.
The second great feature of this section, wherein the elements
of actual history may be recognized, is the Visit to Sinai.
Here beyond doubt we must recognize as most nearly related
to the actual facts the representation which describes the law
as received by Moses in solitary communion with Yahweh on
Sinai, and engraved by his human hand upon stones, rather
than that which describes a voice resounding from the mount
in trumpet tones announcing to all the people the moral code
in articulated words, and which afterward declares that God
himself on Horeb wrote the Words with his finger upon the
stone tables of his own making.
Nor is the relation essentially different in the narrative of
the journey in the wilderness. In E Israel depends from the
outset on miraculous provision for food and drink. The manna
is " bread rained from heaven," xvi. 4 ; in J it is only referred
to subsequently, in passing, as one of the meagre resources of
the desert, the occasion of the peoples' complaint. The au-
thor speaks of it in just the same terms a modern manna gath-
erer of the" same region might employ of the manna of to-day,
the manii cs shcnia or " gift of heaven " of the Arabs. In E water
is miraculously supplied by " the rod of God." In J the peo-
ple depend upon the wells along the route.
Let it not be considered that in drawing this contrast in his-
torical value between E and J we are depreciating the former.
On the contrary, the moral and religious standard of E is as
much higher than J's as the historical accuracy is lower, and
for the same reasons. Still less let it be imagined that critical
estimates of this kind constitute an " attack " upon the Bible.
The reverse is the case. If the historical value of the story of
the Exodus depends upon the acceptation of the monstrosities
of P, Colenso has given the Pentateuch its death-blow. If
THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA. 71
further the Bible is of no value unless a particular post-Refor-
mation doctrine of inerrancy can make shift to lump all parts
together as equally divine and equally accurate for all purposes,
then the Bible is doomed. But the separation of earlier from
later, historical from unhistorical, late and religiously developed
from early and religiously primitive, will preserve all elements,
and make each valuable for its appropriate function and teach-
ing. The present attempt to extricate the primitive account
of J, if successful, will go far to vindicate the Tradition of the
Exodus as in its most essential features historical. It consti-
tutes the true answer to Colenso's formidable indictment.
I. Chh. xiii. ly-.xv. 21. The Crossing of the Red Sea.
ANAL YSIS.
God leads the people to the Red Sea, where they encamp. Pharaoh
pursues and overtakes them. Moses encourages the people ; the waters
are divided, allowing Israel to pass through dry shod, but engulfing the
pursuing Egyptians. Israel's song of triumph.
In this subsection the marks of compilation are as conspicuous as ever.
We need not dwell upon such as merely repeat inconsistencies of view
of the different sources already alluded to, such as the improbability of
600,000 fighting men (xii. 37) "armed " (xiii. 18) and defiant in the face
of the Egyptians (xiv. 8) recoiling from an encounter with the Philistines
(xiii. 17), in abject despair before a detachment of Pharaoh's army (xiv.
loff.), and put to their utmost by the petty desert clan of Amalek (xvii.
8ff.) ; or such as the orderly preparation and mobilization which xiii. i8f.
presuppose, in contrast with xii. 37-39, where not even victual could be
prepared in advance. Apologetic ingenuity can perhaps discover also a
reason why in xiii. 17-19 the story of the divine guidance should be told
with the use (four times) of Elohhn exclusively, but in vv. 2if. with the
name Yahweh. It is more important to examine at once ch. xiv, as tradi-
tionally received, the story of the crossing of the Red Sea to which sub-
sequent allusion is made in portions assigned to all the documents, and
which, if the documentary theory is correct, should therefore probably
exhibit traces of all three. Is ch. xiv. a unit .'
In vv. 15-22 we meet a difficulty analogous to that encountered in the
story of the plague of locusts. If Moses' rod extended over the sea
divides it, what use of the strong east wind blowing all night ? Did
72 EXODUS.
Moses stretch out his hand with the rod over the sea on the evening
before, and nothing happen for several hours ? Or did the strong east
wind drive back the sea, exposing the shallows, and afterward Moses
extend his rod and divide what remained of it ? What sort of "wind"
nad the writer in mind who describes the waters as cloven in twain, so
as to leave a " wall " of waters on the right and left of the pursuers and
pursued ? and how could the Egyptians " flee against it " after " the sea
returned to its wonted flow " ? Again, we may ask the question, was it
the writer's understanding that the crossing took place by daylight, or in
the night ? He seems to vacillate between the two. The dramatic
■ gesture of Moses dividing the sea with the rod of God certainly seems to
presuppose daylight, both for the beginning and end of the crossing.
But according to vs. 24 when the morning watch appeared fsrael is safe
on the further shore, and the Egyptians have already engaged in conflict
with them, and are embarrassed in the shoals and ciuicksands of the sea.
Yet the former part of vs. 20 again seems to indicate that the barrier
between the Egyptians and Israel was darkness, and this is confirmed by
Jos. xxiv. 7 (E), "Ye cried out unto Yahweh, and he put darkness be-
tween you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and
covered them." Then the event must have taken place in the daytime ,
but cf. vs. 20b.
In ch. XV. there are no such decided contrasts in point of view. But
neither is there the apparent relation between vv. 2of. and the preceding
which the R. \. would establish. In vs. 21 we should translate simply
"And Miriam sang (responsively) with them" (i. e. the women; \'ulg.
quibus prcecinebai) as in the exactly analogous passage i Sam. xviii. 7
(Budde J). Vv. 2of. then appear in their true light as a duplicate of vs.
I. Duplicates in xiii. ly-.xiv. 31 are numerous. \\t need instance only
the following : xiv. 5-7 = vv. 8f. ; 19a— 19b ; 27 = 28 ; 23, 28f.^xv. 19.
In this confusion we have only to apply the principles of analysis
already found so successful, and the three independent narratives reap-
pear, self consistent and characteristic as usual, though in the case of E
less complete ; while all discrepancies and dissonances vanish.
The most easily identified is as usual P'^. " The passages assigned to
P," says Prof. Driver (Lil. of the O. T., p. 27), " will be found to be con-
nected both with each other and with other parts of the Pentateuch
belonging to the same source : thus ' harden {harag) the heart,' vs. 4,
recurs vv. 8, 17, and is the same term that is used by P in the narrative
of the plagues ; ' get me honor ' ih. recurs vv. 17, 18 ; Lev. x. 3 ; comp.
also vv. 4, 18 ' and the Egyptians shall know,' etc., (cf. vi. 7 ; vii. 5 ; xvi.
12) ; vv. 9. 23, ' and the Egyptians pursued ' ; vv. 22,^.29, ' the dry land '
THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA. 7:5
and the ' wall ' ; vv. i6, 21, ' divide ' ; the repetitions (in the manner of
P) in vv. i/f. as compared with vs. 4, in 28a as compared with 23, in 29
as compared with 22."
As xiv. 1-4, 8f. is thus unquestionably from P, vs. 20 of the preceding
chapter must be from the same writer, since it is presupposed by vs. 2
("turn back ").* The motive for this gratuitous return from the wilder-
ness to Egyptian territory seems to be, as usual in P, purely ad majorem
Dei gloriam ; cf. xiv. 4. 8, 17 with vii. 3-5 ; xi. gf. It also appears from
the above that the representation of the dividing of the sea by the stretch-
ing out of Moses' hand is P's, in contrast with the associated, but really
incompatible, representation of a driving back of the sea by an east wind
blowing all night (cf. x. 13, 19 and Num. xi. 31 f.). This latter representa-
tion is very easily recognizable as J's from the references just given. It
forms really a part of the cycle of plague narratives of this document, in
which first the announcement is made of what Yahweh will do, there-
after Yahweh himself intervenes, not by the agency of Moses nor of the
rod, but by natural means, and brings about the result. Here the an-
nouncement is made in vv. loa, 11- 14, where vs. 12 refers either to v. 21
(]) or else to something now wanting, and the style and language are
characteristic of this document (see refs.), and the story of Yahweh 's
intervention during the night and on the following day (cf. x. 13b ; Num.
xi. 3if.) ensues. In vs. 25b the fulfilment of the promise in vs. 14 is
'gwt.VL verbatim, 3.x\d. vs. 30 is similarly connected with vs. 13. It thus
appears with great positiveness that the narrative in which the crossing
is effected during the «/o-/^i' is J's ; for " in the morning watch," vs. 24,
Yahweh looks forth from the pillar of fire and cloud upon the pursuing
Egyptians. The mention of " the pillar of fire and cloud " proves that it
is this same writer whose story we have in xiii. 21 f. (cf. also " Yahweh '
in contrast with ■■ Elohim " in the parallel vv. 17-19) ; and it is a further
necessary conclusion that xiv. 19b, 20b, from " yet gave it light " {i. e.
lightnings.'), where the " pillar of cloud " becomes a barrier oi fire " all
night," "standing" between the Egj'ptians and Israel, is from the same
account; whereas the parallel verses, 19a, 20a (to " darkness "), in which
"the angel of GoA" (Elokiin). is the guiding manifestation "which
went before the camp of Israel " are necessarily from another source,
since the barrier here is not light (or lightnings) but darkness. Hence it
contemplates a passage by day. The further extrication of the J source
*This verse xiii. 20 is in a J context (vv. 2if. ) and seems to connect with xii.
37 (J); but the form of expression in xii. 37 in the Hebrew is different from
that of xiii. 20 and nowhere employed by P, while xiii. 20 belongs to a regular
series of this writer identical in form (xvii. i ; xix. if. etc.).
74 EXODUS.
after the establishment of this peculiarity is a matter so simple as to be
readily left to the reader ; but further details of evidence for the analysis
of the chapter will be found in Art. III.
Turning to the third source which has become apparent in vv. 19a, 20a
it is quite obvious that we have here no mere fragment of P, although
the writer seems to coincide with P's representation of a passage by day.
On the contrary, to say nothing of the most remarkable characteristic,-
" the angel of God " (cf. Num. xx. 16 ; E), these clauses are inseparable
from xiii. 17-19, a passage whose derivation from E is established
beyond the possibility of doubt by its style and language, but particularly
by the connection with Gen. v. 25 and Jos. xxiv. 32 (E). It is clear then
that at least some fragments remain of that story of how " they came tO'
the Red Sea, and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots
and horsemen unto the Red Sea ; and when they cried out unto Yahweh,
he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon
them and covered them," which E himself thus subsequently refers to m
the speech of Joshua, Jos. xxiv. 6f. Vs. lob, first of all, is shown by this
reference to be from the E narrative. Next vs. i6a is certainly from E,
for no other document knows anything of such a use of Moses' rod ; but
more particularly this is proved by Is. x. 26 (" His rod was over the
sea "), and even E's agreement with P as to the division of the waters,
follows from the reference in Is. Ixiii. iif. which is older than P^, and
cannot refer to J. Finally, there is some reason (see Art. III.) for attri-
buting also vs. 3 and a few other clauses, including vv. 25a and 31, to the-
same document.
In ch. XV. there is no trace of P'', a document entirely devoid of poetic
material. Only vs. 19 appears to be constructed on the basis of xiv. 23,
28f., and serves as a colophon to the psalm xv. 1-18, whose incorporation
(in its present form) would accordingly be brought down to a late date..
The inappropriateness of the poem itself to the circumstances, at least
from vs. 1 1 onwards (cf. vs. 1 1 " praises," literally " psalms," 1 2 " earth '"
13, the temple, 17, translating verbs in the past), is additional reason for
thinking that the poem from vs. 2 onward is an independent incorpora-
tion. This view is strongly corroborated by the fact that the author of
Is. xii. a postexilic writer, apparently refers to this song among others,
speaking of it as if it Iwg-a/t with us. 2, and not with the preceding lines,
which are identical with vs. 21. Had the poem been written, as assumed
by many critics, as a development of vs. 21 the lines of this verse would
not have been repeated, but simply vv. 2ff. attached to it. The indepen-
dence of the poem 2- 18 is further shown by the striking zVzappropriate-
ness of its latter part to the situation ; while it is at the same time
XIV. 2. THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA. 75
impossible to account for its incorporation here unless vv. 4ff. were also
included in it to give it some color of appropriateness. Finally, as we
have such strong reason to suppose its opening lines to have been those
of vs. 2, the fact of its attachment here, instead of after vs. 21, is unac-
countable, unless vs. I is an original fragment of J parallel to vv. 2of. (E).
The verbal correspondence is not unexampled, but recurs in the " Words
of the Covenant," Ex. xxiii. i4-i9=x.xxiv. 22-26, and parts of the Song,
of Balaam, Num. xxiiff.
(E) And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the 17
people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of
the Philistines, although that was near ; for God said, Lest
peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they
return to Egypt : but God led the people about, by the way 18
of the wilderness by the Red Sea : and the children of Israel
went up armed out of the land of Egypt. '"And Moses took ig
the bones of Joseph with him : for he had straitly sworn the
children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you ; and ye
shall carry up my bones away hence with you.*
(P) And they took their journey from '" Succoth, and encamped 20
(J) in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. -"And Tahweh 21
w ent before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead
them the way ; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give
them light ; that they might go by day and by night :
the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of Are by 22
night, departed not from before the people.
(P) And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak utito the 2 14
children of Israel, that they turn ^back and encamp before Pi-
hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon . over
^^Gen. 50 ; 24!'. ^'12 : 37. ^'^Nu. 13 : 34 ; 14 : 14 ; cf. 14 : 19. ^13 : 20.
*The use of Elohim is no longer obligatory upon E, nor does he commonly
employ it in his own composition ; rather he seems, like Rp and Rje, to favor
personally " Yahweh." He seems, however, not to have taken the trouble to
alter the name Etohivt where employed in his source. Hence the use of Etotiim
without specific reason is still a criterion where it occurs. For similar reten-
tion of a source peculiarity cf. l)t. iv. 32 with Gen. i. 27, and see Budde, .5'/7'/.
Urgeschichte, pp. 487ff., 497.
76 EXODUS. XIV. 3.
3 (E) against it shall ye encamp by the sea. And Pharaoh will
say* of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land,
4 (P) the wilderness hath shut them in. '^And I will harden
Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after them ; and I will get
me honor upon Pha7-aoh, and upon all his host ; and the Egyp-
tians shall know that I am Yahweh. And they did so.
5 (J) Aud it was told the king of Egypt that the
people were 'fled : and the heart of Pharaoh and of his
servants was changed towards the people^ and they
said, *What is this we have done, that we have let
6 Israel go from "serving us ? And he made ready his
7 (E) chariot, and took his people with him : and he took
six hundred chosen "^chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt
8 (P) [ ] and captains over all of them. [ . ] ''And
Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he
pursued after the children of Israel : for the children of Israel
9 went out^with an high hand. And the Egyptians pursued after
them, all the horses \and'\ chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen,
and his army, and oi'ertook them '^encamping by the sea, beside Pi-
10 (J) hahiroth, before Baal-zcphon. And when Pharaoh
^'drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes,
aud, toehold, the Egyptians marched after them ; and
(E) they were sore afraid : "and the children of Israel
11 (J) cried out unto Yahweh. [ ] And they Said Xinto
Moses, Because there were no graves iu Egypt, hast
thou taken us away to die iu the wilderness J ^there-
fore hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth
1 2 out of Egypt J Is not this the word that we ^^'spake
unto thee in Egypt, saying. Let us alone, that avc
may serve the Egyptians ? For it were better for us
to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the
13 wilderness. And Moses said unto the people. Fear ye
not, stand still, and see the "salvation of Yahweh,
^7:^-5. "i2 : iif. ■'Gen. 3 : 13 ; 4 : 10. -'i : ii ; ch. 5. ^Jos. 24:6. 'Vs. 4. 'Nu. 15 : 30 ;
33:3. »Vs. ::. '"Gen. 12 ; II ; 33 : I, 5. "-105.24:7. >2j . ^^ ; Nu. 11 ; 11. 135:21. "Gen.
49 : 18 ; 1 Sam. 14 : 45.
* If vs. 3 is assigned to E (see Art. III. in toe.) we must read " said."
XIV. 22. THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA. 77
which he will work for you to-day : for the Egyptians
whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no
more forever. ^^Yahweh shall fight for you, and ye 14
shall hold your peace.*
(P) (E) And Yahweh said unto Moses, Wherefore criest 15
(P) thou unto me ? speak unto the children of Israel, that they
(E) go forward. ^^And lift thou up thy rod, [ . . . J and 16
'^'stretch out thine handoi'cr the sea, and divide it : and the children
of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. '^^And 17
/, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall
go [in\ after them : and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and
upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And 18
the Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have gotten
me honour upon Pharaoh upon his chariots, and upon his horse-
(E) men. — And the ^^angel of God, which went before the 19
(J) camp of Israel, removed and went behind them ; and
the pillar of cloud removed from before them, and
(E) stood behind them : and it came between the camp of 20
Egypt and the camp of Israel ; and there was the cloud and
(J) the ^Marknessjt — yet gave it light by night : and the
(P) one came not near the other all the night. '^'^And 21
(J) Moses stretched out his hand over the sea ; ^^and Yah well
caused the sea to go [back] by a strong east wind all
(P) the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters
tuere divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of 22
the sea upon the dry ground : ''^and the waters were a iv all unto
^^Vs. 25. ^*7 : 20; 9 : 22f.; 10 : i2f. 2if ; 17 : 5f. 9 ; Is. 10 ; 26. ^'Vv. 21, 26f. -^Vs. 4. 1^13:
lyf ; cf. 13 : 2if. and vs. igb. ''"Jos. 24 : 7. 2iVs. 16. 22iq ; j^^ jg . ^.j^ jj .^j 23Cf^ i- ; 3
* The motive for Israel's return from the wilderness to Egyptian territory in
P IS more theological than historical ; but in E a reason is given why they were
brought to the sea. (cf. xiii. 17 and Jos. xxiv. 5). In J, however, we are left to
infer that the people consent to leave the Isthmus and be led to the edge of the
sea, south of the usual road, because they know that in the absence of opposi-
tion the gulf is fordable, as at the present day.
f The displacement of vv. 19a, 20a is inferred from Josh. xxiv. 7, where the
putting of darkness between Israel and Egypt is the response to the people's
cry to Yahweh. The text of vs. 20b is probably corrupt, and the translation is
uncertain.
78 EXODUS. XI\'. 23.
23 them on their right hand, and- on their left. And the Egyptians
pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pha-
24 (J) raoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it Cailie
to pass in the morning watch, that Yahweh ^looked
forth upon the host of the Egyptians through the
^pillar of fire and of cloud, and discomfited the host
25 (E) of the Egyptians. And he took off their chariot
(J) wheels, that they drave them heavily : SO that the
Egyptians said. Let us flee from the face of Israel ;
*for Yahweh fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
26 (P) '"And Yahweh said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand
otier the sea, that the waters max come again ipon the Egyptians,
27 upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses
(J) stretched forth his handover the sea, and the sea returned
to its strength when the morning appeared ; and the
Egyptians fled against it ; and Yahweh overthrew the
28 (P) Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters
returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even all the
(J) host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea, ^'there
29 (P) remained not so much as one of them. But the
children of Israel walked ipon dry land in the midst of the sea;
and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and
30 (J) on their left. ^'Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day
out of the hand of the Egyptians ; and Israel saw the
31 (E) Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel
saw the ^"great work which Yahweh did upon the Egyptians,
and the people ''^feared Yahweh ; and they believed in Yah-
weh, and in ^^his servant Moses.*
15 (J) Then sang Moses and the children of Israel
this song unto Yahweh, and spake, saying,
=«Gen. 18 : 16; 19 :28 ; 26:8. ^sys. 19. 29Vs. 14. ''Vv. 16, 21. ^sg ^ 3, . 10 : 15, 19.
2^Vs. 13. 3O2 ; ig . 6 ; I. siQen. 20 : II ; 42 : 18 ; Ex. i. 17, 21 : Jos. 24 : 14. ^^j^u. 12 : qi. ;
Dt. 34 : 5 ; Jos. i : 2. ^Cf. vs. 2of. ; Nu. 21 : 17 ; Jos. 10 : 12 ; Jud. 5 : i.
* The separation of vs. 31 from the context is tentative rather than necessary.
There seems, however,, to be some reduplication of thought as well as lan-
guage ; cf. 30b. with 31a, and note the repetition of the subject. The references
.indicate the linguistic reasons.
-XV. i6 THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA. 79
I will sing- unto Tahweh, for he hath triumphed
gloriously :
The horse and his rider hath he ^thrown into the
sea.
(Ps) ^Yahweh is my strength and song, 2
And he is become my ''salvation :
This is my God, and I will praise him ;
My father's God, and I will exalt him.
Yahweh is a man of war : 2
Yahweh is his name.
Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he ^cast into the sea : 4
And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red sea.
The deeps cover them : 5
They went down into the depths like a stone.
Thy right hand, O Yahweh, is glorious in power, 6
Thy right hand, O Yahweh, dasheth in pieces the enemy.
And in the greatness of thine e.\cellency thou overthrowest them that rise y
UJD against thee :
Thou sendest forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble.
^And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up, 8
'The floods stood upright as an heap ;
The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, p
I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil ;
My lust shall be satisfied upon them;
I will draw my swoid, my hand shall destroy them.
*Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them : 10
They sank as lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like unto thee, O Yahweh, among the gods ? II
Who is like thee, glorious in holiness.
Fearful in praises, doing wonders }
Thou stretchest out thy right hand, 12
"The earth swallowed them.
Thou in thy mercy hast led the people which thou hast redeemed : 13
Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy habitation.
'''The peoples have heard, they tremble : 14
Pangs have taken hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.
Then were the "dukes of Edom amazed ; I c
The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold upon them:
All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away.
Terror and dread falleth. upon them ; 16
'^Ct. vs. 4. 3Is. 12 ; 2. ^14 : 13. '^Ct. vs. 1. ''14 : 21. '14 : 22. '*i4 : 27. *Nu. 16 : 32.
uojos. 10 ; 2. i^Gen. 36 : 21.
80 EXODUS. XV. 17.
By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a stone ;
Till thy people pass over, O Yahweh,
Till the people pass over which thou hast '-purchased.
Thou shall bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine in-
17 heritance.
The place, O Yahweh, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in.
The sanctuary, O Yahweh, which thy hands have established.
18 \'ahweh shall reign forever and ever.
19 (^P) ^^^'or the horses of Pharaoh went iit with his chariots and with his
horsenieft into the sea, aud Yahweh brought again the waters of the sea ufon
them ; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.^
20 (E) "And Miriam '^the propiietess, the ^"sister of Aaron,
took a timbrel in her hand ; and all the women went out
21 after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam
answered them,f
'"Sing ye to Yahweh, for he hath triumphed gloriously ;
The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2. Chh. XV. 22 — xvii. 7. The Divine Supply of Food and
Water in the Desert.
ANALYSIS.
Arrived at Marah the bitter waters are sweetened by a healing
branch. A statute and ordinance is given. At Elim the people tind a
pleasant oasis ; xv. 22-27. bi the wilderness of Sin manna and quails
are provided in response to the murmurs of the people ; ch. xvi. They
come to Rephidim, where the rod of Moses brings water from the rock.
The place is called Massah and Meribah from the murmuring and
" striving " of the people ; xvii. 1-7.
The present subsection affords the most difficult problems hitherto met
in the analysis. Indications of the triplicity of sources are as positive as
ever, and are accompanied by equally positive evidence of displacement of
>=Is, II : II. '3i4 : 29. "i Sam. i8 : 6-8 ; lud. 4 : 4. 'i^Nu. 12 : 2. 0"^ : 4. J'vs. i.
*Vs. ig may be attributed to the redactor (probably Rp) who incorporated
the psalm. It resembles in style xiv. 29, and may thus indicate the date of in-
corporation.
t /. e. sang responsively with the women. LXX. and Vulg. (quibus praecine-
bat) seem to have had here the feminine pronoun, to which R has given the
masculine form for the sake of connecting with vv. iff.
FOOD AND WATER IN THE DESERT. 81
material by Rp. But here the reconstruction of the sources is less easy, per-
haps for the reason that so much displacement has occurred. Thus in
1-7 we appear to be at Rephidim, and such appears also to be the case xvii,
in vs. 8. But meanwhile, in jf., Moses and the people have '■ passed on "
and come to Horeb. Here we indeed find them encamped in xviii. 5 ;
but this is in direct contradiction with xix. if., which relates their sub-
sequent arrival there. Moreover, the incident of xvii. 1-7, which by w. i
and 8 is located at Rephidim and by vv. jf. at Horeb, is unequivocally
stated in vs. 7 to have taken place at Massah-Meribah. We naturally
infer that at least Massah and Meribah are duplicate names for the same
locality ; but Dt. vi. 16 ; ix. 22 ; xxxiii. 8 (?) treat them as two different
localities, marked by different events. But, most remarkable of all, in
Num. XX. 1-13 we find another story of how Israel " strove with Moses '
in consequence of thirst for water, how Moses thereupon under divine
direction " smote the rock with his rod," and the waters gushed out, and
so this place also was called " Meribah " for the same reason as that of
Ex. xvii. The rabbinic legend, to which Paul alludes in i Cor. x. iff., of
" a spiritual following rock that followed them," and of which "they all
drank," may be accounted for as an attempt to explain this phenome-
non of a smitten rock of Meribah, from which Israel drank at the begin-
ing of the desert wandering in Ex. xvii., followed by an identical
experience with the same rock at the end of the journey (Num. xx. 1-13).
But while the literary phenomenon may account for the legend, the leg-
end does not account for the literary phenomenon. It only serves to
show that the rabbis were not blind to the extraordinary parallelism of
the narratives. As to the duplicate, xvii. 2=xvii. 3, Wellhausen re-
marks : (Coinp. p. 81) : " It is in spite of myself that I recognize traces
of a double source in xvii. 2-7. For it were much to be desired if it were
possible to attribute this narrative to the one, and Num. xx. 2ff. to the
other source of the Jehovist." As the matter stands it cannot be main-
tained that the phenomena call for no explanation.
Ch. XV. 22-27 might be uniform in structure were it not for w. 25b,
26, where a beginning is made of relating how Moses (?) enacted " a
statute and an ordinance " and put Israel to the test. We are appar-
ently on the verge of hearing how this was done ; what the statute and
ordinance was ; what the manner, and what the result of the testing.
But vs. 26 leads us nowhere. The thread of narrative taken up in 25b
is ravelled out into a cluster of didactic generalities, and leaves us in
doubt even as to the subject of the verbs in 25b. Is it Moses ? or is it
Yahweh ?
But it is ch. xvi. which furnishes the most remarkable anomalies. In
82 EXOD US.
vv. 6-8 Moses and Aaron deliver to the people a message from Yahweh.
Afterwards, vv. iif., Moses receives the message he has just communi-
cated, the terras being identical. Vv. i3f. relate how in response to the
murmuring of the people Yahweh sent manna and quails. We pass
over for the present the singularity of the fact that in this case also, as
in xvii. 1-7, we have a duplicate of the story in Num. xi. There again
we are informed of how Israel murmured for the flesh-pots of Egypt and
complained of the manna, which in a digression is minutely described as
if something hitherto unheard of, and of how Yahweh sent quails, which
proved a curse to the greedy and complaining people. Such duplication
we have found to be rather the rule than the exception in the Pentateuch.
But we are led to expect that the murmuring of the people here, to
which the manna and the quails are the divine response, will be visited
with punishment of some kind. But no. Vs. 13a relates, " And at even
//?^ quails came up and covered the camp." That is absolutely all we
hear about them. No one pays any attention to them. It is not even
stated that any one discovered them, much less used them for food ; and,
instead of punishment for the murmurings, we hear nothing further save
a description of the wonderful gift of manna and what was done with it.
The question repeatedly suggests itself in the latter part of ch. xvi.
What was " the thing which Yahweh commanded " .' According to vs.
16 it is the manner in which the bread is to be gathered. According to
vv. 23ff. it is the Sabbatli. According to vs. 32 " This is the thing which
Yahweh hath commanded. Let an omerful of it be kept," etc. Vv. i/f.
attempt apparently an explanation of the two conflicting statements of
vs. 16, a), " gather each according to his eating " /. e., various amounts ;
b), "an omer a head," i. c, ta.c\\ the same amount. But the miraculous
readjustment of quantity does not remove the literary disagreement. Ac-
cording to vs. 21 the consistency of the manna is such that it melts like
hoar frost (cf. vs. 14) with the warmth of the sun. According to vs. 23
it is baked and boiled. An undeniable anachronism appears in vv. 9, 33
where the expression " before Yahweh " presupposes the place of Yah-
weh's presence or manifestation, i. e., the sanctuary of the Tabernacle.
That the author presupposes the giving of the Tables of Stone and the
erection of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, which in our Pentateuch
are not related until chh. xxxv. ff., is made an absolute certainty by vs.
34, where, pursuant to the command of vs. 33, Aaron lays up a pot of
vda-nr^s." before the Testimony." Vs. 10 contains besides the reference
to the " cloud " (anachronistic in P^ before Sinai) a similar anachronism,*
* For the reading mishkmi "tabernacle" instead of niidbar "wilderness"
see note in loc. " The glory of Yahweh appearing in the cloud " is a charac-
FOOD AND WATER IN THE DESERT. 83
Finally, vv. 22-30 certainly convey the impression that the people have
already received the Xssn of the Sabbath.
From these extraordinary phenomena three things are at once appa-
rent with regard to ch. xvi. i". The story is composite. 2". One of the
elements is P, which alone contains any reference to " the Testimony."
(See refs.) 3". The priestly element is displaced, and belongs after the
end of Exodus. We may conjecture with a very high degree of proba-
bility what the original position of P's narrative was, by comparing its
description of the murmuring, vs. 3, of the manna, vv. 14, 31, and
especially the unfinished introduction of the quails in conjunction with
the manna, vv. 11-13, "^''h the narrative of J in Num. xi. 4-9, 13, 18-23,
31-35 (cf. especially vs. 31 with Ex. x. 13, 19 ; xiv. 21). The dependence
is here unmistakable. The narrative of Numbers certainly did not derive
its story of the quails (the manna is here quite incidental) from that of
Exodus ; but that of Exodus does derive its account from Num. xi ; the
writer being so much occupied with the manna, as to leave the quails
(which he even speaks of as "the quails") literally suspended in mid-air.
As therefore the P narrative of Ex. xvi. cannot possibly have been related
originally until after the erection of the Tabernacle it must almost cer-
tainly have come from the same connection as its model. Num. xi.
What then was Rp's motive for inserting it here ? Not a priori con-
siderations like the convenience of Israel's being supplied with food from
the beginning of the wilderness journey, or not these alone ; for Rp
allows small weight to such ; but the existence at this point of another
manna stojy. We have in fact seen abundant reason for believing ch.
xvi. composite ; and, since the manna-quail story of Num. xi. is certainly
J's, and (Wellhausen to the contrary notwithstanding) certainly in its
original position, we should naturally incline to E. Kuenen, Jiilicher
and others, it is true, would attribute the dislocations, incongruities, etc.
of Ex xvi. purely to P^ or Rp on a basis of P^. But if the narrative was
originally a uniform production of P^. whose standpoint is doctrinally
the same as that of P^ and Rp, why should the latter so unmercifully
mutilate it ? The arguments of Wellhausen (Comp. pp. 323ff.) for a
JE element here, in reply to Kuenen, are unanswerable. But there is
something still more decisive which Wellhausen has not observed. Dt.
viii. 2f., 16 prove beyond a doubt that JE had a narrative of the manna
which contained the etymology Ex. xvi. 15, and understood the intention
of the divine gift to have been " to prove thee. . . . whether thou
teristic expression of P, c. g.. Num. xvi. 42 ; xx. 6 ; but of course subsequently
to the occupation of the tabernacle by the cloud, Ex. xl. 34ff., which in P,
first appears on Sinai.
84 EXODUS.
wouldest keep his commandments or no." (Dt. viii. 2; see also vv. 3
and 16, and of. with these Ex. xvi. 4, " that I may prove them, whether
they will walk in my law or no " ; and xv. 25b, " There he made for them
a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them").
We have now found at last the true sequel to the isolated verse xv.
25b. Eliminate the foreign element, xv. 26f, ; xvi. 1-3, and it follows in
xvi. 4. The references show that this " proving of Israel " (as of Abra-
ham in Gen. xxii.) is a characteristic trait in E, unknown elsewhere ; and
the strong probability is that the place indicated by " there " in xv. 25b.
was originally J/assa/i, " the place of proving." The location had of
course to be obliterated when the parallel account of J (Massah from
Israel's " tempting," or " proving " Yahweh) was taken up in ch. xvii.
It follows from the disconnection of xv. 25b (E) with the precedmg,
that vv. 22-25a, which are of course totally foreign to the style and pur-
pose of P^, are from the other JE source, J. This corresponds in fact
with the style, language and references of the Marah story, where Moses
(not Moses and Aaron, P-, and not Elohim, E) leads Israel on into the
desert. Here also " the three days' journey," so often spoken of to
Pharaoh is accomplished, the astiological interest is displayed, and the
wonders of Yahweh are accomplished, not by the rod, but by natural
means. Vs. 27 also, which separates vs. 25b from its true connection
with xvi. 4, and which has the same interests, language and style as vv.
22-25a, must be from the same source, J. Vs. 26, as we have already
seen, merely aims to patch up an ending for the truncated vs. 25b, and
must be redactional (Rd). Vs. i of ch. xvi. is the regular formula of P^,
unmistakably genuine and in place. From the singular recurrence of
" the Red Sea " as a station between Elim and " the wilderness of Sin "
in Num. xxxiii. lof. we may perhaps gather that P^ once read here, " And
they journeyed from the Red Sea," which Rp would of course alter to
" Elim," to agree with the preceding. It is also probable that Marah
and Elim had no place in E, for, ceteris paribus, this writer would
naturally xtXsXft first after the beginning of the wilderness journey, how
Israel was supplied with food and water in the desert (see below).
Ch. xvi., from vs. 2 on, has been hitherto one of the most perplexing
battle-grounds of criticism. We can only hope to reach a satisfactory
analysis by holding firmly to the clew afforded by the reference in Deut.
viii. 3, 16.
From Deuteronomy, then, which knows nothing of P, we learn that in
JE the manna was given to "prove " Israel by hutnbling thein through
hunger to a daily dependence upon a food which their fathers " knew
not." We have seen that the reference of these statements is unmistak-
FOOD AND WATER IN THE DESERT. 85
ably to Ex. xvi. 4 and 15, which accordingly must be reckoned to JE ;
and, since vs. 4 is connected with xv. 25b, and contains a play upon the
name Massah, which in J (xvii. 7) is astiologized quite differently, we
may be certain that the JE basis of ch. xvi. is E's Massah story. But it
is further abundantly apparent in Dt. viii. that in this original Massah- ~
story, the ' testing ' of Israel was not the external and formal one of
obedience to a rule laid down, but a testing of Israel's disposition in view
of certain commandments which are afterwards to be made known.
Yahweh acted for the purpose of " knowing what was in their heart," to
know whether they could be depended on to receive and keep a divinely
given law with the right spirit of humility and trustful obedience ; and
for this purpose he took away their usual supply of food and drink, and
suffered them to hunger and thirst. Then he gave them manna, of
which neither their fathers nor they had ever known, and " brought them
forth water out of the rock of flint " (viii. 15), " that he might make thee
know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything which
Yahweh ordains." Of course the moralising, parenetic spirit of D is
plainly evident here ; but how comes he to say that this is the lesson and
purpose of the Massah incident, if in the story as it lay before him a law
of the Sabbath, or a sample ordinance explicitly laid down in regard to
quantity of manna to be gathered, was the test? By the analogy of his
treatment of JE elsewhere we are constrained to think that D does not
misrepresent his source, but that this was the real sense of the original
E story ; and that the external tests of various kinds. Sabbath law (Rp),
or ordinance in regard to mode of gathering (P^), are the attempts of
later hands unable to appreciate the "prophetic" idea of a moral test
of disposition, without a positive commandment, to supply what they
judged to be an omission. We must also acknowledge the accuracy of
D in bringing together the story of the supply of food, and of water, as
belonging in the same connection, and both preliminary to the giving of
the law (viii. ijf.). The E elements of Ex. xv. 25-xvii. 7 are in fact not
only connected by their subject matter, but the Massah and Meribah
stories belong together geographically, and are certainly in place where
they stand.
With this understanding of the meaning of E it becomes clear at once
that the verses in which a humble dependence upon God is the spirit
sought for in the " test," are original with E ; and these are easily iden-
tified in XV. 25b: xvi. 4 (vs. 5, introducing the idea that the " ordinance "
was the law of the Sabbath is Rj's), 15a, i6a (iiot a fixed amount, in
contrast with i6b, and consequently not an amount which could be
doubled, as in vs. 22, but enough only for the satisfaction of one day's re-
86 EXODUS.
quirement), 19b (no provision for tlie morrow), 2of. (Israel show their in-
eradicable disposition toward self-sufficiency, refusing here already to
be taught the lesson of the sermon on the mount, but God compels them to
look to him iox daily bread), 35a. Then follows xxii. ib, 2, 4-6, 7, in part,
(at Meribah the same lesson is taught in the supply of water. See below.)
Alongside of this story of E's runs the narrative of the sending of
manna and quails of P", built on the unvarying model of this writer, and
principally concerned with the miraculous power of Yahweh. The ele-
ments are taken from Num. xi. (J) and are easily recognizable from style
and language. The story of Israel's murmuring in vv. 2-12 is m the
unmistakable style of P' (see refs.) and has only suffered in consequence
of a transposition, perhaps accidental. No words are wasted in the dry
and laconic statement of the marvel, vv. i3f., nor in the directions for
gathering, which to this writer are indispensable and constitute " the or-
dinance " ; these verses, 15b, i6b, 19a (?), are sharply distinguished from
"the ordinance" in E, in that (characteristically) the amount to be
gathered is delined as " an omer a head," requiring a harmonistic ad-
justment (vv. i/f.) by Rp. Vv. 31 and 35b are each duplicated by E
material, and are hence manifestly from P^, completing the story.
The rest of the chapter takes a different view of " the ordinance," and
is devoted to an emphasizing of Rp's favorite theme, the Sabbath. In
its simultaneous dependence and independence of both the other accounts,
as well as in its explanatory, and harmonistic character, and its style,
combining the language of JE, D and P, it is clearly the work of this
redactor. For the evidence in detail see Art. III. There remains the
passage xvii. 1-7 whose confusion of localities, and duplication of Num.
XX. 1-13 has already been referred to. Here vs. la is simply the regular
formula of P. But the mention of Horeb, the use of the rod of Moses,
the reference to his smiting the river (cf. vs. 5 with vii. 17), all show that
vv. 4-6 are certainly from E, and undoubtedly in their original position,
since " Horeb " is the station immediately " before the people." But the
duplication of vs. 3 by ib, 2 is undeniable (see above, p. 81), and in vv.
2b and 7 we have traces of a Massah-story quite different from E's.
Moreover the present narrative contains no allusion whatever to the
rebellious words the people are accused of uttering in vs. 7. The por-
tions (vv. 2b, 7 in part) which have to do with the etymology of Massah
may therefore be assigned with confidence to J. Moreover, as only J
speaks of Israel's taking ' flocks and herds ' with them from Egypt, and
is constantly mindful of them (cf. ix. 6 ; x. 9, 26 ; xii. 32,38; .xix : 1 3 ; xxxiv.
3) whereas E seems to conceive Israel as burdened with a quite different
species of wealth, xii. 35f. ; xiii. 17-19, at least until their arrival in Kad-
XV. 23. FOOD AND WATER IN THE DESERT. 87
esh, we may count vs. 3 (" our cattle ") with J, especially as it strongly re-
sembles xiv. II ; Num. xi. 5, 20 ; xvi. 13; xx. 5, Cf. also ch. xv. 24 and Nu.
xiv. 2, The duplicate of vs. 3, viz. ib, 2a, critics have endeavored to derive
from J ; because, regarding vs. 7 as a unit, it seemed necessary to con-
nect vs. 2 as a whole with it. In order to do this Cornill, in his acute
discussion of this chapter in Z. A. IV., xi. i, (1891), is obliged to suppose
a double recurrence of the Meribah story in the same docume?it, so far
at least as concerns the key-clause, " and the people strove with Moses,''
once here and once again in Num. xx,. the repetition being supposed to
be accidental and due to transposition of material by Rp from Num. xx.
to this place. E had then no aetiology of Meribah, and J had two iden-
tical ones, one explained as a duplication by Rp. The explanation seems
no less far-fetched than the supposedly displaced material. But inde-
pendently of this vs. 7 seems to me to indicate a composite character.
There is no trace elsewhere of a place Massah-Meribah. On the con-
trary, Deuteronomy always separates the two. In the nature of the
case it seems to me improbable that J should have represented Moses as
giving to a single place, on a single occasion, and because of a single
occurrence, two different names simultaneously. All things considered,
the probability seems immeasurably stronger that we have, as the " pro-
phetic" element of Num. xx. J's Meribah-story, and in Ex. xvii. ib-7
E's. To this latter have been added fragments of J's story of Massah,
vv. 3, 2b, 7 in part, which of course must have stood in proximity to E's
in ch. xvi. For details see refs. and Art. III. above cited.*
We have thus, as the order of journeying in E, first Massah, then, a
httle beyond, Meribah (xvii. 5), which appears to be at the foot of Horeb
(xvii. 6 ; xxxii. 20: Cf. Dt. ix. 21, "the brook that descended out of
the mount "). in J they pass from Marah to Elim, and thence to (Rep-
hidim.'), where the well (discovered.') receives the name Massah, and
this correspondingly appears to be at the foot of Sinai, which may, or
may not, be the same as Horeb. At least the story of J in chh. xxxiiif.
affords an appropriate answer to the rebellious demand of xvii. 7.
(J) ''And Moses led Israel onward from the Eed Sea, 22
and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and
"Cf. 13 : i7f.
* In Art. III. the analysis offered is somewhat closer than the above to
that of Cornill. Since the first effect of the arguments of this acute and s'chol-
arly critic I have felt constrained to return in some respects to my original
view.
88 EXODUS. ■ XV. 23.
they went "three days in the wilderness, and found no
23 water. And when they came to Marah, they could
not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were hitter :
24 -"therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the
people -^murmured against Moses, saying, What shall
25 we drink % And he cried unto Tahweh, and Tahweh
shewed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters,
(E) and the waters were made sweet. [ . . . ] ^^There
he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he
26 (Rd) ^^proved them : [ • ] *'^"'' ^^ ^^i"^' ^f '''°" "'"'' diligently
hearken to the voice of Yahweh thy God, and wilt do that which is right in
his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I
'^^vvill put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyp-
tians : for I am Yahweh that healeth thee.*
27 (J) ^"And they came to Elim, where were twelve
^'springs of water, and threescore and ten palm trees :
16 (P) and they encamped there by the waters. [ . . . ] And
they took their Journey from Elim^\ '^and all the congregatiotiof the
children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Si//, luhich is between
Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second n/o//th after their
2 departii/g out of the land of Egypt. — "^And the whole congregation
of the children of Israel /nurn/ured against Moses and against
3 Aaron in the wilderness : and the children of Israel said unto
them, Would that we had died by the hand of Yahweh in the lane,
of Egygt,^when we sat hy the flesh pots, when we did eat hreaa
to the full, for ye have brought us forth into this wilder ;iess, tc
4 (E) kill this whole assembly with hunger. Then said Yahweh
unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for )fOU ;
'"3 : 8 ; 5 : 3 etc. ^"Gen. ii : 8 ; i6 : 14 ; 15 : 22 etc. ''17:3: Nu. 14 : 2a. ^^Jqs, 24 : 25 ; i
Sam. 30 : 25. ^SQen. 22 : i ; Ex. 16 : 4 ; 20 : 22 ; Nu. 14 : 22etc. cf. 17 : 7; Dt. 33 : 8. ^iDt.
28:1. "23:25. =«Vs. 23. "Gen. 16:7. '17 : i ; 19 : letc. »Nu. 14 : 2 ; 20 : iff. SQf.
Nu. II ;5.
* Vs. 26 is regarded by critics generally as from Rd. The motive would be
the separation of vs. 25b from its original context. It is possible that we have
here some original material, the last clause suggesting a possible aetiology of
the name Rephidim {rafha " heal "). The verse as a whole is certainly redac-
tional. See Analysis, p. 81, and observe the confusion of subject.
t For " Elim " read " the Red Sea," and cf. Nu. x.xxiii. 1 1, and Art. III. Rp
was of course obliged in xvi. i to bring the data of P into harmony with the
preceding.
XVI. 15. FOOD AND WATER IN THE DESERT. 89
and the people shall go out and gather a day s portion every
day, ''that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my
(Rp) law, or no. And it shall come to pass on the sixtli day, that they e
shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they
(P) gather daily.— And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children 6
of Israel, ^At even, then ye shall know that Yahtveh hath brought
you out from the land of Egypt : and in the morning, then ye shall 7
see the glory of Yahweh ; for that he heareth your murmurings
against Yahweh ; and tvhat are we, that ye murmur against us ? —
/J^p\ And Moses said, This shall be when Yahweh shall give yoii in the 8
evening fiesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the ftdl, ^for that Yahweh
heareth your murninrings which ye murmur against him ; and what are we ?
(P) yfi"" murjnurings are not against us but against Yahweh.* And Moses 9
said unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of
Israel, Come near before Yahweh : for he hath heard your mur-
murings. Aiid it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole 10
congregation of the children of Israel, that "'they looked toward
the wilderness,^ and, behold, the glory of Yahweh appeared in the
doud. ^And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the i i-i 2
murmurings of the children of Israel : speak unto them, saying, At
even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morfiing ye shall be filled with
bread ; and ye shall know that I am Yahweh your God. Audit 13
came to pass at even, that the '■'■quails came up, and covered the
camp : and ^'^in the morning the dnv lay round about the camp.
And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of 1^
the wilderness a small round thi?tg, small as the hoar frost on the
(E) ground. [ . . . ] And when the children of Israel saw it, 15
'm therein. And Moses
said. Eat that to-day : for to-day is a sabbath unto Yahweh : to-day ye shall
20 not find it in the field. '^^Six days ye shall gather it ; but on the seventh day'
2y is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass on the seventh
day, that there went out some of the people for to .gather, and they found
28 none. ,4nd Yahweh said unto Moses, '^Ho70 long refuse ye to keep my com-
20 mandments and my laws? See, for that Yahweh hath given you the sabbath,
therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days ; abide ye every
^O nian in his place, let no mango out of his place on the seventh day. So the
31 (P) people rested on the seventh day. '^And tlie house of IsraeT
called tlie name tliereof Manna : ''^and it was lifie coriander
seed, white ; and the taste of it was like wafers fmade^ with:
i=Dt. 8 ; 3, 16 ; 3cf. vs. 31. "Vs. 4. 1*38 • 26 ; Nu. i 1 2, 18, 20 etc. "Ct. vs. 23b. "Vs.
i6b. "Nu. 7 : 2, 3 etc. "Cf. vv. j6, 32. ""Nu. 11:8; cf. vs. 21. "i^o . ^f 22^^ : 3, 7 ;
Nu. 14 : n, 26 ; Jos. 18 : 3. ^'Vs. 15. '"Nu. 11:7.
* Harmonistic redaction. The miraculous adjustment of the amount ex-
plains how it could be true that " they gathered it every man according to his
eating " (E), and at the same time that they gathered " an omer a head" (P).
t Insert after vs. 14.
XVII. 7. FOOD AND WATER IN THE DESERT. in
(I^p") honey. And Moses said, ^^This is the thing which Yahweh hath ^2
commanded, Let an omerfiil of it be kept for your generations ; that they may
see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought yott
forth from the land of Egypt. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, -i-i
and put an 07}Lerful of manna therein, and lay it up '^before Yahweh, to be
kept for yottr generations. As Yahweh comjnanded Moses, so Aaron laid it -7 a
up '^''before the Testimony, to be kept.''^
(E) And the children of Israel did eat the manna forty 35
(P) years, until they came to a land inhabited ; ''^they did cat 36
the manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
(Rp) Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. —
(P) '^ And all the congregation of the children of Israel four- 17
neved from the wilderness of Sin, by their fourneys, according to
(E) the commandment of Yahweh, and pitched in Rephidini: and
there was no water for the people to drink. ^Wherefore the 2
people strove with Moses, and said, Give us water that we
may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why strive ye with
(J) me ?— wherefore do ye tempt Yahweh ?— And the 3
people thirsted there for water ; ^and the people mur-
mured against Moses, and said, ^Wherefore hast thou
brought us up out of Egypt, to kill nis and our chil-
(E) dren and our cattle with thirst? [. .] ^And Moses 4
cried unto Yahweh, saying, What shall I do unto this people ?
they be almost ready to stone me. And Yahweh said 5
unto Moses, Pass on before the people, and take with thee
of the elders of Israel ; and thy rod, wherewith thou "smotest
the river, take in thine hand, and go [ .]. f Behold I will 6
stand before thee there upon the rock in 'Horeb ; and thou
shall "smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it,
=sVv. 16, 23. 26Vv. 9, 34 : Nu. 17 : gf. "27 : 21 ; 30 : 36etc. : Xu. 17 : 8, 10. ^ejog. 5 ^ ,2.
^Nu. 10 : i2f. ; 33 : 2etc. ^Nu. 20 : 3. ^15 : 24 ; Nu, 14 : .;. *i4 : iif. ; Nu. 20 : 5. ^10 :
9. ^7 : 20. '3 : I. '^Cf. Nu. 20 : 1-13.
* The authenticity of vv. 32-34 is doubtful. The occasion for their insertion
appears to be the uncertainty of " the thing which Yahweh hath commanded " ;
cf. vv. 16 and 23. In spite of their peculiarly Deuterononiic interest in pos-
terity there is no cogent reason for denying the verses to P^ if the story be
placed subsequently to the erection of the Tabernacle.
t The name, or description, of the place to which Moses is to " go " is miss-
ing; doubtless for harmonistic reasons, as in Gen. xxxi 25. The story of vv.
9'-' EXODUS.
that the people ma)' drink. And Moses did so ^in the sight
7 of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place
"Massall and Meribah, because of the striving of the children
(J) of iilsrael and because they tempted Yahweh, saying
is Yahweli among us, or not ?
3 Chh. xvii. 8-xix. 25. Encampment at Horeb. Preliminaries
TO the Giving of the Law.
ANAL YSIS.
Under the above heading it is necessary to group together some of the
most remarlcable products of R's compilatory necessities, the story of the
fight with Amaleli and of Jethro's visit being obviously inserted where
they do not belong. Followin.g, however, the text as we have it, we
learn first of Amalelc's attacli at Rephidim. Joshua marshalls the forces
of Israel, while IVIoses, accompanied by Aaron and Hur, wields the rod
of God upon the hill-top. The outstretched rod secures the victory to
Israel, and Moses commemorates it by the altar of Yahweh-nissi ; xvii. 8-
16. Jethro visits Moses, bringing the wife and sons of the latter.
After salutations and a sacrifice "before God," Jethro, on the morrow,
sees Moses occupied with judgment and " making known the statutes of
God and his laws." He recommends the appointment of judges and
officers. This done, he departs to his own land ; ch. xviii. Israel
arrives at Sinai. Moses ascends the mount and receives a message for
the people, xix. 1-7. He returns again to the mount and is given
directions preliminary to a theophany, and these the people carry out ;
■'7 : 20. ^"Dt. 6 : 16 ; 9 : 22; 33 ; 3. ^'33 ; 14 ; 34 : g ; Nu. 11 : 20.
ibff. opens without a specified locality, and the scene may perhaps originally
have been simply the wilderness route. But the place to which Moses betakes
himself is Meribah, so designated, however, as not to anticipate the etymology
in vs. 7. This Meribah (identical with Meribah-Kadesh of Num. xx. ?) would
seem to have been at the foot of Horeb (vs. 6; cf. Dt. ix. 21). Both Massah
and Meribah are names of sacred wells, which from their true etymology (Ka-
desh=" sacred "; Meribah=" waters of controversy " ; Massah=" place of
trial ") must have been resorted to for divination and oracular decision of
questions, as at the sacred well of Daphne (see, W. Robertson Smith, "Re-
ligion of the Semites," pp. I56ff.). So in Gen. xiv. 7 En Mishpat = " fountain
of judgment."
ENCAMPMENT A T HOREB. 93
w. S-ij. On the third day the people are assembled at the foot of the
mount, which burns and smolies as Yahweh descends upon it. The
theophany begins ; vv. 16-19. Yahweh descends upon Sinai, summons
Moses, and reiterates in different form the instructions previously given.
Moses protests that this is already done ; but is again sent down to
charge the people; vv. 20-25.
In xvii. 8-16 and ch. xviii. we have abundant evidence of the presence
of E. The style and standpoint are unmistalcable. The mention of the
" rod of God " as Moses' divine equipment connects xvii. 8-16 with the
previous series of E passages, in which the same agency invariably ap-
pears ; that of " Aaron and Hur as Moses' coadjutors, with Joshua as
his lieutenant, connect the passage no less certainly with a subsequent
series in which the same characters appear (cf. xxiv. i3fj. Only it is
highly improbable that Joshua should here be brought in for the lirst
time., unintroduced, whtn in subsequent passages (xxiv. 13; xxxiii. 11)
he is introduced to the reader as " Moses' minister," and as " a young
man, the son of Nun, Moses' minister." Moreover we scarcely expect
an attack from Amalek at this point in the story, where Israel is not
seeking a settlement, but only visiting a sacred locality, even if the
shrine were in Araalekite territory. But Amalek according to Num. xiii.
29; xiv. 25, 43,45 is rather differently located, and from the same
chapters it would appear that Israel came into collision with Amalek
after turning northward from Horeb. Again "the top of the hill," vv.
9f., is a meamngless expression in the present connection. But cf. Num.
xiv. 40. The role of Moses here is that of an old man, and that of
Joshua of a mature and trusted warrior, to whom the burden of future
wars is to be transmitted, vs. 14. Only " Rephidim," vs. 8, remains as
the undoubted occasion for the insertion of the fragment at this point,
and " Rephidim " in vs. i, as we have already seen, is only from P, or at
most originally from J, its connection with E's narrative at this point
being purely redactional. Dt. xxv. 17-19 (" as ye came forth") is not in
conflict with the idea of a displacement of Ex. xvii. 8-16 ; cf. Dt. xxiv. 9,
and to this conclusion the facts impel us. The inference must be that
in E Rephidim was a station reached after removal from Horeb, the
story having been removed hither by Rp to make vs. 8 agree with vs. i.*
It is quite needless to accumulate evidences of the E origin of ch. xviii.
'*This passage xvii. 8-16 is one of several which tend strongly to show that
our E of the Hexateuch is really an E^, and this may well account for the dis-
placement of xvii. 8-16, which might then be the work of E (E^) himself.
Budde in fact thinks the battle presupposed by xviii. 8 (" all the travail ") ;
but the first task must be the extrication of E (E'^).
S4 EXODUS.
The habitual use of Elohim, " Jethro ' as Moses' father-in-law, the posi-
tion of Aaron, the " causes brought to God " (cf. xxii. 9 ; xxiv. 14) and
interest in the administration of justice, (cf. chh. xxif.), are all character-
istic of E, the whole story of the appointment of judges and officers being
in a measure parallel to iv. 10-16 (J) where the priesthood (represented by
Aaron) are entrusted with the functions of interpreters of the law. Only
in vv. 1-4 are there manifest traces of Rje (see note in loc.) and in vv. 8-
II a certain redundancy, which may indicate the presence of a second
source.
It is certain that J had also an account of the coming of " Hobab the
son of Reuel, Moses' father-in-law " to meet him at Sinai ; for in Num.
X. 29-32 Moses is engaged in persuading this Hobab to accompany
them " to the place of which Yahweh had said to Israel, I will give it
you." It appears further from Jud. iv. 11, that contrary to Ex. xviii. 27
he actually did go. As we shall see, the true position of Ex. xviii. is
practically the same as Num. x. 29. Under these circumstances it seems
extremely probable that Rje may have preserved in ch. xviii. 1-12, some
traces of J 's parallel. The language of vs. 7 in fact shows affinity with
J (see refs.), and one can hardly consider it natural that Jethro should
be already talking with Moses, vs. 6, before Moses has gone out to meet
him ; vs. 7. Vv. 8-1 1 contain the real kernel of the story, which, as so
often happens, proves to have a poetic nucleus, and here the recurrence
of " Yahweh " in contrast with Elohim throughout the rest of the
chapter, together with the manifest redundancy in vv. 9f. seems to
indicate the presence of J. In the absence of decisive criteria it is im-
possible to do more than indicate by alteration of the type in vs. 7 and
lof. the occasion for an analysis for which, as yet, the final clew is want-
ing.
It appears distinctly in the latter part of ch. xviii. that the time is near
the closeof the stay at " the mount of God." In vs. 23 the departure is
already in contemplation, and the natural inference from vs. 27 is that
Jethro returns to his own land becau.se the people are about breaking
camp. Moreover vs. 12 (" before God " cf. xxi. 6 ; xxii. 9) indicates that
a regular place of worship has been established ; " the statutes of God
and his laws," vs. 16, can hardly be any other than the " judgments " of
ch. xxif., or at least those of xxiv. 12 (cf. vs. 20) ; finally we have an un-
mistakable reference to this whole story in Dt. i. 9-18, where it is
expressly stated that this was after the command to depart from Horeb
(Dt. i. 6-8 ; cf. Ex. xxxii. 34) and immediately before its execution (Dt. i.
19). The position thus determined for ch. xviii. as its original one is a
matter of importance to the analysis, as indicating the relation into which
ENCAMPMENT A T HOREB. 95
Israel has come with God subsequently to the apostacy of ch. xxxii., and
previous to the departure from Horeb. (Cf. vs. 12 and note the position
of Aaron.)
In ch. xix, we have beneath a surface appearance of unity the usual
incongruities and contradictions. The most striking phenomenon is
perhaps the addition of vv. 2off., which carry us back to the first pre-
liminaries in preparation for the theophany, when in the preceding verses
the whole had not only been arranged for three days past already, but
the theophany had actually begun. In this new arrangement Moses
and Aaron are to " come up to the top of the mount " (previously, vv. 9,
17, 19 it had been arranged that Moses should stand below with the peo-
ple, while God addressed him from the mount in their hearing,) the
" priests " are to sanctify themselves (the whole people had already done
so for three days), and most of all must elaborate precautions be taken
against the curiosity of the people, which would impel them " to break
through unto Yahweh to gaze." Yet previously not only had these pre-
cautions already been taken, as Moses indeed ventures to remind Yah-
weh (vs. 23 ; cf. I2f.), but, so far from the people's manifesting a desire
to " break through to gaze," it had been necessary to overcome their
terror and lead them out of the camp toward the foot of the mount (vv.
i6f.). After all it does not appear that these second directions were
carried out. Moses and Aaron do not go up, but the theophany proceeds
in ch. XX. according to the former plan with Moses below, xx. iff., joining
directly upon xix. 19, as if nothing whatever had intervened. Remark-
able as is this interruption, it is by no means the only incongruity of
ch. xix. The repetitions and inversions of order in vv. if., and the re-
iteration of vs. 86 in 9b are a slight matter ; but the ascents and descents
of the mountain which the present text requires of Moses— quite need-
lessly—are something prodigious. In vs. 3a Moses first ascends. But
already in 3b he is below again ; for while a forced interpretation of
Yahweh's " calling to him out of the niountain " might be made to show
that Moses was himself on the mountain, vs. 7 " Moses came and told "
(not came down as in vv. 14, 25 ; xxxii. i.' 15 etc.), shows that the sense
in which we should naturally understand the expression is the true one.
In vs. 8 Moses ascends again, or rather in gff., is again at the summit,
descends in vs. 14, ascends in vs. 20, and again descends in vs. 25, not
to ascend again, however, as directed in vs. 24. In vs. 8 the people
promise to " do all that Yahweh hath spoken ' but have not yet received
commandment to do anything. Vs. 13b directs that " When \.\\ft yobel
soundeth loud, these (emphatic) shall come up to the mount." It is the
last we hear of the yo/W(the "trumpet " is quite a different matter) and
96 EXODUS.
who " these " may be we have no means whatever of knowing. After
vs. 25 the connection is suddenly broken (see note in loc).
Fortunately there is no lack of linguistic and stylistic peculiarities
which accompany the contrasting representations, and suggest of them-
selves documentary analysis as the true explanation of the phenomena.
Thus we observe that the series of passages in which the theophany is
addressed to tJie people, Moses standing at the foot of the mount, and
being there addressed by "a voice," has regularly iT/o/zz'w. That on the
contrary in which the people are repelled, Moses and Aaron invited to
the top of the mount, and " the priests sanctified to come near,'' has in-
variably " Yahvveh." But furthermore we observe that in this " Yahwis-
tic " series the mount is invariably called " Sinai " (vv. 11, 18, 20), as
subsequently appears to be the case in all J sections (cf, xxxiv. 2, 4), in-
stead of '■ Horeb,'' as in E. The expressions " Yahweh came down "
(Gen. xi. 5; xviii. 31 ; Ex. xxxiv. 5 etc.), "the smoke ascended as the
smoke of a furnace " (Gen. xv. 1 7 ; xix. 28) " bre ak forth " (J passim) " the
top of the mount " (Ex. .xxxiv. 2) are all found exclusively in J. fn this
document alone have we " priests " (iv. 14 cf. xix. 22 etc., x.xiv. 5) " cat-
tle ■■ (vs. 13 ; see above, p. 86, and cf. xxxiv. 3), the " yobeV (Jos. vi. 5)
and theophanies in fire (Gen. .xv. 17 ; Ex. iii. 2). All things considered
we need have no hesitation in attributing vv. [I-13, 18, 20-25 to the J
document. The difficulty of the chapter arises from the fact that there
are passages connected with the " Elohistic " series which also have
" Yahweh." It becomes necessary to decide according to mode of
thought rather than by expression merely. The fundamental distinction
between the two representations seems to be that in the Yahwistic
series the curiosity of the people is guarded against, and they themselves
are restricted to what appeals to the eye at a distance, only Moses,
Aaron and " the priests " coming near ; whereas in the Elohistic the
people are brought near in spite of their fears, and addressed by the
" voice." In accordance with this is the direction to the people to wash
their garments and sanctify themselves in vv. 10, I4f. ; in contrast with
vs. 22 where this becomes the duty of " the priests." That we are mak-
ing no mistake in thus assigning vv. lo, i4f., to E in spite of a single
" Yahweh ■ in vs. 10 appear at once from a comparison of their lan-
guage with Gen. xxxv. 2 (E). But further,. we have in vs. 9 the precise
definition of this Elohistic representation. Yahweh will address Moses,
and the people are to hear while he speaks (cf. vs. 19 and xx. iff.), Vv.
9f., 14-17, 19 appear thus to be a unit. We have but to connect these
verses with their sequel xx. iff,, and the Elohistic fragment, vs. 3a, to
find E's narrative of the giving of the law complete, characteristic and
XVII. 9. ENCAMPMENT AT HOREB. 97
unbroken, save for the accidental dittograph 9b=8b. Here we have the
explanation of the exceptional " Yahweh " of vv. 9f. The first clause in
each verse, " And Yahweh said unto Moses " is a redactional resumption
(of. vs. 24a) necessitated by the interruption of foreign material.
There remains the seemingly Yahwistic passage 3b (from " and Yah-
weh ")-8 which implies (vs. 7) that its true position was after the com-
mandments of God had been uttered to Moses ; if, however, we turn to
the LXX. we discover that in their text the passage was throughout Elo-
histic, "Yahweh " appearing first in vs. 9. The representation of a
covenant made viva voce by the whole people belongs to E's mode of
conception (cf. vs. 8 with xxiv. 3 and Jos. xxiv. i6ff.), and other expressions
of E occur (see refs.). Yet vv. 4f. have a strongly Deuteronomic style
and seem to show the work of Rd. To assume with critics generally
under such conditions that vv. 3-8 are the pure composition of Rd is
unjustifiable. The motive for addition is lacking. We shall see that an
appropriate position for the substance of the passage is not lacking in
the document with whose representation it is in affinity.
With the removal of this self-consistent, complete and characteristic
story of E, in which not a single essential word is missing, we find the
Yahwistic story which remains behind almost equally intact. A single
displacement has occurred (see note on vv. 11-13) and the sequel does
not yet appear (it has been incorporated in ch. xxiv.). But the narrative
has neither incongruities nor inconsistencies ; it agrees perfectly in style,
language, theological standpoint, and historical conception with J. Only
in vv. if. (regular formula of itinerary) does the narrative of P come into
conjunction with JE, occasioning some slight confusion (see note in
loc:) ; and in vs. 23 the removal of vv. 1 1-13 from after 24a (to " priests ")
has occasioned a curious redactional interpolation. With even a very
slight acquaintance with the general style, language, theological prepos-
sessions, and historical conceptions of J, E and P, and a moderately
careful observance of the local difference in point of view, the reader can
easily verify for himself the analysis of ch. xix.
(E) — '^Then came "Amalek, and fought with Israel in 8
Rephidim. And Moses said unto "Joshua, Choose us out 9
men, and go out, fight with Amalek : to-morrow I will stand
on the ^nop of the hill with the ^"rod of God in mine hand.
i=Dt. 25 : i7ff. '=Nu. 13 : 29 ; 14 : 40-44 ; 21 : '-3- "Ct. Nu. 13 : 8, 16. >=Nu. 14 : 40.
^^4 : 17, 20 ; 7 : 20 etc.
98 EXODUS. XVII. lo.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with
Amalek : and "Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top
11 of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses ^'held up his
hand, that Israel prevailed : and when he let down his hand,
12 Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy ; and they
took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon ; and
Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side,
and the other on the other side ; and his hands were steady
13 until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited
14 Amalek and his people ^"with the edge of the sword. And
Yahweh said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a
book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua : that I will
utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under
15 heaven. ^And Moses built an altar, and called the name of
16 it Yahweh-nissi : and he said, Yahweh hath sworn ; Yahweh
will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.^ — *
Is — Nowf ^Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law,
heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his
2-3 people, how that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt. And
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, ^after
he had sent her away, and her two sons ; of which — the name of the
one was Gershom ; ^for he said, I have been a sojourner in a
4 strange land : and the name of the other was Eliezer ; for
he said, *The God of my father was my help and delivered me
5 from the sword of Pharaoh : — \ and Jethro, Moses' father-in-law,
"24:14. "9 :22f. ; 10; i2f. "Gen. 34 : 26 ; Nu. 21 :24. ^oQen. 33:20; 35:7. '3:1.
!Ct. 4 : 2oflE. 3, : 32. 4, ; 6.
* In vs. 16 translate with margin (R. V. ) " There is a hand upon the stand-
ard (lies) of Yahweh." Vs. 15 gives the name of the shrine whose aetiology is
here related, as Yahiaeh-nissi Yahweh my standard. Hence the true reading
in vs. 16 must be «^j, " standard" (cf. Num. xxi. 8), not ;^. p. 42), or misplaced. Vs. 3b must necessarily connect
with vs. 1, and cannot tolerate the interruption of ^, 3a. which suppose the
thief to be dead. Vs. 4 presents the alternative to vs. i. It is perhaps prefer-
able to suppose that 2, 3a originally followed vs. 4, and we're removed with the
idea of carrying back the supposititious manslaughter to the point of time
when the theft is being committed. The sense of 3a is as follows : " If the
owner was not merely defending his property, but killed the thief in broad day-
light, when he might have recognized him, and so, by bringing complaint, have
obtained full redress, it must be reckoned malicious manslaughter. The thief
should have expiated the wrong by restitution, not by death.
t Read " God" with LXX. " ^'ahweh " seemed to the editor more appro-
priate to the sense.
XXII. i8. ISRAEL AT SINAI. 131
between them both, whether he hath not put his hand unto
his neighbor's goods ; and the ^owner thereof shall accept it,
and he shall not make restitution. But if it be stolen from 12
him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. If it 13
be torn in pieces, let him bring it for witness ; he shall not
make good that which was torn.
And if a man ''borrow aught of his neighbor, and it be hurt, 14
or die, the sowner thereof not being with it, he shall surely
make restitution. If the owner thereof be with it, he shall 15
not make it good : if it be an hired thing, it came for its hire.
And if a man entice a virgin that is not betrothed, and lie 16
with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife.
If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay 17
money according to the dowry of virgins.
^Thou * shalt not suffer a sorceress to live. 18
=21 : 28 and refs. '3 : 22 ; 11:2; 12 : 35- "Lev. 20 : 27.
* A careful study of the Mishpatim seems to reveal an arrangement in three
divisions. Division A, ch. xxi., comprises cases involving the rights of the
person [proUtas) : i. The Limit of Slavery, vv. 2-6; ii. of Concubinage, vv. 7-
II ; iii. IVIurder, parricide, manstealing, vv. 12-17 ; iv. Injuries in quarrel, vv.
i8f ■ •'3-'5 ■'■'■ V. Injuries to slaves, vv. 2of., 26f.; vi. Injuries to life from
unrestrained cattle, vv. 28-32. Division B, x.xi. 33-36; xxii. 1-17 includes
cases involving the rights of property (^e(as) : i. Abominations (witchcraft,
defilement, cursing of parents (?)) vv. .8f.; xxi. .7 (?) ii- Worship of a strange
god (considered as treason to the commonwealth) vs. 20; m. Wrongmg of the
widow and the ^.r (wards of the community) vs. 21; iv. Usury, vv. 25f; v.
Disrespect to God and the magistrate, vs. 28 • vi. Just Judgment, xxni. 1-3 ;
vii Public Goodwill, vv. 4f. Vv. 6-8 make an appropriate conclusion to the
Code bv commanding a just verdict from the Judges. These seem to be a con-
clusion'to the code rather than a part of it and may have been added by E. Vs.
8 is palpably a proverb. It is natural that Division C, from its character should
exhibit the most traces of editorial working over, (cf. Ex. xx. 1-.2 with ijff.)
and these interpolations will be referred to later. It is noteworthy, however,
that Divi'.ion C, in particular, shows many points of affinity with portions of the
so-called //eai?ieitsgesei. (P') in Lev. xvii-xxvi, and as the enactment xxi. 17 is
found in Lev. xx. 9 among the obligations oi pietas, it is possible it may have
originally stood before xxii. 18, having been attracted to its present place by
xxi. 15.
122 EXODUS. XXII. 19,
19 nVhosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.
20 "He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto Yahweh only,,
21 shall be utterly destroyed. "And a stranger shalt thou not
(Rd) wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him : sfor ye were strangers
22 in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
23 9If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will
24 surely hear their cry ; and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with
the sword ; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.*
25 (E) '"If thou lend money to any of my people with thee
that is poor, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor ; neither
26 shall ye lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neigh-
bor's garment to pledge, thou shalt restore it unto him by
27 (Rd) that the sun goeth down : for that is his only covering, it is
his garment for his skin : wherein shall he sleep ? and it shall come to pass,
when he crieth unto me, that I will hear ; for I am gracious.
28 (E) Thou shalt not revile God, nor curse a ruler of thy
29 people. — "Thou shalt not delay to offer of the abundance of
thy fruits, and of thy liquors. '-The firstborn of thy sons
30 shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine
oxen, [and] with thy sheep : seven days it shall be with its
31 dam ; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me. And "ye shall
be holy men unto me : therefore ye shall not eat any flesh
that is torn of beasts in the field : ye shall cast it to the
dogs.— t
''Lev. 18 ; 23 ; 20 : 15. ''20 : 3 ; Lev. 25 ; z2. *^23 : 9 ; Lev. 19 : 33f. ; 25 : 14 ; Dt. 10 : 19.
^Dt. 24 : 19, 21; 26 ; i2f. ^^Dt. 23 : igf. ^^34 : i9f ; xxiii. ig. ^^cf ^^ ; i2ff. ; 34 ; 19. 1319:4;
Lev. 17 : 15 ; Dt. 14 ; 2, 21.
* Vv. 2ib-24, 27 ; .\xiii. 9b. strongly resemble the Deuteronomic style. The
main objection, however, to the originality of these verses, and perhaps to the
whole of vv. 21-27, ^"d .xxiii. \i. as well, is that they are not mishpatlm, (jus)
and do not belong in a code of rules for the decision of causes; but are moral
precepts, (_/!"), to be supported by the divine favor or disfavor or by humane
sentiment, rather than by the authority of the courts. It is possible to say
with considerable confidence that they are not an original part of the Book of
Judgments, without being certain in all cases that they may not have been
taken up or added by E himself.
t Vv. 29-31 are obviously not mishpatim, and the passage duplicates part of
" the Book of the Covenant " (firstfruits, xxiii. 19) while on the other hand the
law of the firstborn, which we should surely expect there, does not appear.
The explanation would seem to be that in the process of assimilation of the
>^''^lII-9- ISRAEL AT SINAI. 123
(E) n^hou Shalt not take up a false report : put not thine 33
hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou 2
Shalt not follow a multitude to do evil ; neither shalt thou
speak in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to wrest
[judgment] : * neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his 3
cause.
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass'-* going astray, 4
thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see 5
the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and
wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with
him.
"Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his 6
cause. Keep thee far from a false matter ; and the innocent 7
and righteous slay thou not : for I will not justify f the
wicked. *And thou shalt take no gift : for a gift blindeth 8
them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the
(Rd) righteous. ^Kx\& a stranger shalt thou not oppress ; for ye know 9
the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. — \
'■ Qo:i6. 2 Gen. 20:13 ; 21:14; 37:15. ^ ]3t_ i6:ig. < I Sam. 12:3. " 22:21 ; Dt. 16:12.
Book of the Covenant to the Words of the Covenant (xxxiv. 25f.) these verses
(xxii. 29-31) were displaced by x.xiii. 19a. The supposition finds curious con-
firmation in Dt. xiv. 21, where Ex. xxii. 31 is followed byxxiii. 19b (=xxxiv.
26b).^In vs. 31 "in the field " is a misreading of the words meaning " flesh
torn of beasts " and should be omitted. See Budde Z. A. W. xi. i. p. 113, and
cf. LXX.
' The missing word "judgment " is to be supplied from LXX. But vs. 2 b
requires further investigation for a satisfactory reading. In Art IV. an emen-
dation is suggested giving, " neither shalt thou turn aside after a multitude to
wrest judgment.''
t Read with LXX. in 2d person sing., " Neither shalt thou justify."
I Vs. 9, a duplicate of xxii. 21, appended to the collection in the Deuterono-
mic interest, seems to mark the conclusion of the Mishpatwi ; for in the
verses which follow we have no longer instructions for the judges ("judg-
ments ") but directions to the people for the popular worship. Indeed, the
latter part of the code has certainly been interpolated, a process to which it
lent itself both by character and position. Such humanitarian provisions as
xxiii. 4f., for example, are characteristic of Rd, and these verses are exposed to
further suspicion from the fact that they interrupt the connection of vv. 1-3
with 6-8, which otherwise would form an appropriate conclusion to the code.
Vs. 8 seems to be referred to in I Sam. xii. 3. (E.)
124 EXODUS. XXIII. lo.
10 (E)«And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt
11 gather in the increase thereof : but the seventh year thou
("Rd) shalt let it rest and lie fallow ; 'that the poor of thy peo-
(E) pie may eat : and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In
like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, [and] with
12 thy oliveyard. "Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the
(Rd) seventh day thou shalt rest: "that thine ox and thine ass may
have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
13 (E) —And in all things that I have said unto you take ye
heed : and make no mention of the name of '"other gods,
neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.—*
14 "Three '^times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
15 (Rd) The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep : %even
days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time ap-
pointed in the month Abib (for in it thou camest out from Egypt) ; and
91 (E) none shall appear before me empty: "and the feast of harvest,
the firstfruits of thy labors, which thou sowest in the field :
and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when
17 (Rd) thou gatherest in thy labors out of the field. isThree
i^times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord Yahweh.
18 (E) "Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with
"21:2; Lev. 25: 1-7. "^ Dt. 24:19^. " 20:8; 34:21. ^ Dt. 5: i4f. If" 20:3, 23. 1134:18,
20c, 22£, '=Ct. vs. 17. 1334:18. i4Cf. 34:22. 1=34 :23 ; Dt. 16 : 16. I'Cf. 34 : 23 ; ct. vs. 14.
"34 : 25.
* The style and language of vs. 13 (see references) favor its genuineness;
but its position, as if bringing the legislation to a close, is very strange. Jiili-
cher (Jahrb. Prot. Th. viii. p. 300) is doubtless right in saying we must expect
xxiii. 2off. immediately after it. He is also right in finding traces of borrowing
in vv. 14-19 from ch. xx.xiv.
The theory of borrowing is confirmed by the singular fact that LXX. include
after xxiii. 17 (= xxxiv. 23) the first half of xxxiv. 24 also, a palpable interpo-
lation of post-Deuteronomic time. But a nucleus of genuine material similar
to xxxiv. 10-27 must have been originally present to serve for a basis of assimi-
lation. (Cf. Budde, Z. A. W. xi. pp. 33off. and Art. TV. and see note following).
Perhaps the simplest solution would be to suppose that the laws of E's second
covenant, which followed vs. 12a, were nearly identical with xxxiv. 21-26, con-
cluding with vs. 13. This E material Rd partly removed to a little earlier posi-
tion (xxii. 29-31), partly (vv. 14-16) employed in combination with that which
he took from J (xxxiv. 18, 23, 26) to make anew paragraph (vv. 14-19) which he
simply added on after vs. 13. The same process of amplification by Rd is
illustrated in ch. xx.
XXIII. 26. ISRAEL AT SINAI.
125
leavened bread ; neither shall the fat of my feast remain all
(Rd) night until the mornmg. isxhe first of the firstfruits of thy 19
ground thou shalt bring into the house of Yahweh thy God. Thou shall
not seethe a icid in its mother's millc*
(E) ^'Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee 20
by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have
prepared. Take ye heed of him, and hearken unto his voice ; 21
^'provoke him not : for he will not pardon your transgres-
sion ; for my name is in him. ^'But if thou shalt indeed 22
hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak ; then I will
be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine
(Rd) adversaries. ^^For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring 23
thee in unto the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaan-
ite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite 23and I will cut them off. -*Thou shalt 24
not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works : but
thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and ^^break in pieces their pillars. And 25
(E) ye shall serve Yahweh your God, and he shall f bless thy
bread, and thy water ; and I will take sickness away from
the midst of thee. There shall none cast her young, nor be 26
^^22 :2g ; 34 : 26. i''32 : 34 ; Num. 20 : 16. 20^2 . 32-34 ; Jos. 24 ; ig. ^^'ig ; sf. 32^3 ; 2 ;
34 : 11-16. '^^Ct. vs. 30. 2420 : 5. 25^^ . j-j . i^n_ 33 : 52 ; Dt. 12; 3.
*Vv. I5bc, 17, iga are certainly taken over here from ch. .x.xxiv, and not vice
versa: for 15b refers to xiii. 3ff.; (J), and [50 is here mistakenly separated
from the law of the firstborn. Both together interrupt the connection of 15a with
16. Vs. 17 repeats vs. 14, but in different language, which is not that of E, but of J
(cf. xxxiv. 23). Even in ch. xxxiv. vs. 23 (=vs. 17) seems to be in part(" males " )
or wholly, from Rd, and the lateness of the period to which the process of
assimilation here exemplified extended appears from the fact above spoken
of that LXX. take in also xxxiv. 24 ! Vs. 19a has also been taken from .xxxiv. 26
displacing its E equivalent to xxii. 29-31, which strikingly differs in language.
On the other hand the contrast in linguistic form of vs. 14 with 17, 16 with
xxxiv. 22, 18 with xxxiv. 25, and the occurrence in Dt. xiv. 21 of vs. 19b in the
connection of xxii. 31 shows how large a proportion of genuine E material
here remains to explain the motive of assimilation. In verses 15 and 17, as
well as in xxxiv. 20, 23f. the expression " appear before " is derived by a,
change of vowel which has systematically been carried through the Old Test,
by the vocalizers (cf. Dt. xvi. 16; xxxi. 11; I Sam. i. 22; Ps. xlii. 3; Is. i. 12)
from an original "see the face of" which was open to dogmatic objections ; cf.
Gen. xxxiii. ro.
t Read " I will " with LXX. and Vulg., and cf. following clauses. For the
interpolation which has led to the change of person see note on vs. 33.
126 EXODUS. XXIII. 27.
barren, in thy land : the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 (Rd) '^"I will send my terror before thee, and will discomfit all the people
to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs
28 (E) unto thee. And I will send the ^hornet before thee, which
(Rd) shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite,
29 (E) from before thee. *! ^vill not drive them out from be-
fore thee in one year ; lest the land become desolate, and
30 the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and
little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be
31 increased, and inherit the land. And I will set thy border
from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and
(Rd) from the wilderness unto the River : for I will deliver the
inhabitants of the land into your hand ; and thou shalt drive them out be-
32 fore thee. ^SThou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 !»They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me : for
if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.*
=«Dt. 2:25; c£, vs. 28. "jos. 24 : 12. 28Jud. 2 : 23-3 : 4 ; Ct. vv. 23, 3ib-33. 293^ . 12.
'"Cf. Jud. 2 ; T-3 ; ct. vv. 29-30 and Jud. 2 : 23 ; 31 : if.
*Vv. 20-33, ^^ ^^^1 ^^ ''^^ earlier part of ch. .xxiii., have been interpolated
from ch. x.xxiv. Thus vv. 2-^-2'yui repeat vi-. 20, 27 and 28 and are apparently
derived from xxxiv. n-13 ; for it is not to be supposed that the author (E),
who hitherto has devoted himself to rebaptizing the ancient ma^^eboth, and so
transforming them from symbols of the old heathen worship into memorials of
"places where Yahweh has caused his name to be remembered," has suddenly
adopted the new plan of decreeing their utter demolition. Again the enumera-
tion of the six peoples is a suspicious trait (cf. xxxiii. 2 ; xxxiv. 11, and J,
/(«•/««), especially as vs. 28 repeats the promise in a different form. Here
" Amorite " should be supplied from LXX., and the other names stricken out as
redactional. The following verses have " him " (not " them " as translated)
and the pronoun in the singular can only refer to "the Amorite " (cf. Jos. xxiv.
15), by whom this author (E), designates the inhabitants of Canaan in general.
Vv. 31-33 are also supplementary and derived, with the exception of vs. 31,
which merely repeats the context, from xxxiv. 12. The LXX. carry this process
of interpolation further than the Massoretic text (cf. vs. 17, LXX.) inserting after
vs. 22a a repetition of xix. 5f. The (five ?) brief promises which remain after
the removal of this supplementary material, form the counterpart to the brief
ritual commands by which the people's service to Yahweh is to be regulated,
and the two (tables?) together constitute " the Book of the Covenant," whose
solemn ratification is related in xxiv. 3-8.
ISRAEL'S APOSTASY. 127
2. Chh. xxiv.-xxxii. Israel's Apostasy.
ANAL YSIS.
The following seems to be the order of events intended by the final
redactor :
Moses, the priests and elders are summoned to the top of the mount.
Moses ratifies the covenant of God with the people by means of a sac-
rificial ceremony. He and the priests and elders ascend the mount, and
are admitted to the presence of God, where a second covenant meal is
celebrated; xxiv. i-n. Moses is summoned again to the top of the
mount to receive instructions and the tables of stone. He ascends with
Joshua, leaving Aaron and Hur in charge below. Appearance of the
cloud and the "glory " on mount Sinai, into which Moses enters for 40
days; xxiv. 12-18. (Instructions as to the Tabernacle and its furniture
and worship, chh. xxx.-xxxi. 17 ; omitted.) Moses receives the tables of
stone ; xxxi. 18. The people, impatient at the non-appearance of Moses,
induce Aaron to make a golden calf, to which they sacrifice ; xxxii. 1-6.
Yahweh informs Moses of all that has taken place below. Moses
entreats and secures forgiveness for the people ; vv. 7-14. Descending
from the mount Moses and Joshua hear " the noise of the people,'' and
question as to its meaning. Arrived in view of the camp, Moses sees
the calf and the dancing, and dashes the tables of stone to pieces, rebuk-
ing and punishing the people; vv. 15-24. Moses seeing the people
" broken loose," stands in the gate of the camp and summons to his help
the sons of Levi, who inflict a slaughter of 3000 ; vv. 25-29. On the
morrow Moses ascends to God, entreats and obtains a suspension of
punishment for the people, who, however, are dismissed from Horeb .
vv. 30-34. Yahweh smites the people ; vs. 35.
A careful, unprejudiced reading of chh. xxiv. and xxxii. which should
fail to disclose manifold prima facie incongruities and contradictions
would be an impossibility. It is not natural that in ch. xxiv. verses 3-8,
the obvious sequel to ch. xxiii., should be inserted between vv. if. and
9-1 1, at once separating these necessarily connected verses from one
another and divorcing the covenant from its ratification. But independ-
ently vv. if. are not in their natural position after ch. xxiii., in which
Moses is still receiving the divine message ; for in the Hebrew we have :
" And unto Moses he said," an order and form quite as suggestive in the
Hebrew of a gap in the preceding context as in English, and entirely
different from the usual formula : " And he for Yahweh) said unto
Mo.ses." It is necessary accordingly to recognize that Yahweh has been
128 EXODUS.
speaking to some other than Moses before xxiv. i. Now if the signifi-
cance of the names " Nadab and Abihu " be observed — they can be no
other than the sons of Aaron " the priests ;" cf. xxviii. i, P — it will
readily be seen that we have in xxiv. if., 9-1 1 the real sequel, though
not quite immediate, to xix. 20-25; the fulfilment of xix. 24. The gap
accordingly need not have been large. It may have included no more
than the statement that ("on the morrow.'") Yahweh appeared on
mount Sinai before all the people and gave the appointed signal, (xix. 13)
of the long blast of iheyobel, warning the people not to approach ; then :
" but unto Moses he said," etc.
The double breach of connection in this passage is so remarkable as
almost to convict the analysis of proving too much. It is not at first
apparent vi'hy Rje (if it were he) should have so mutilated his own
work. Why place vv. if. before vv. 3-8.' Without anticipating the
results of our further inquiry into the history of the Book of the Cove-
nant, we may point out now the restriction which vs. 1 1 would put upon
the editor who inserted the Book of the Covenant here — not Rje, as we
shall see, but Rd. This eating and drinking in the presence of God on
the holy mount, by representatives of the people, is no common meal.
It is a covenant meal, or sacrament, and typifies the same as the ratifica-
tion of the covenant by sacrifice (which also included the covenant meal)
in vv. 3-8. Now Rd (or Rje) would be anxious to avoid the appearance
which would result from the order 3-8, if., 9-11, of relating two con-
secutive ratifications of covenant between Israel and Yahweh, at the
same time and under similar circumstances, especially in addition to xix.
3-8 ; hence the pains taken to associate vv. if., 9- 11 so closely with vv.
3-8 as to make it apparent that both relate to the same, and not to two
consecutive ratifications.
W^e have already seen that vs. 1 2 originally preceded chh. xxi. f. Its nat-
ural position, and that in which it would appear to have stood when Dt. v.
22 was written, is immediately after xx. 1-2 1 and the E element of xix. 3-8.
The characters Joshua, Aaron and Hur (cf. .xvii. 8-16), the " mount of
God " (iii. I : xviii. 5, etc.), the judicial function of Moses, the expres-
sion for "hath a cause " (lit. " is owner of a cause" or "master of
words ; " cf. Gen. xxxvii. 19, and see refs.) and the connection with xxxii.
i5ff. (in no other instances does Joshua appear as Moses' companion in
the mount) make it easy to assign vv. 12-14 with certainty to E. In its
present connection the passage seems to assert that Moses and Joshua
left the " nobles " engaged with their feast (presumably at a point below
the summit, though no such intimation appears in vv. i-ii) and went up
to God, leaving Aaron and Hur with the "elders." Now it might be
ISRAEL'S APOSTASY. 129
granted, if necessary, that Joshua and Hur happened to be among the
70, though not specifically mentioned ; but no explanation of the litiga-
tion (!) among the " elders " on the mount of God can be given, unless
in some way " elders ' is supposed really to mean " people." Let us
then substitute " people." But in that case the verse will not agree
with vv. 9-1 1, according to which it would not be true to say "Aaron
and Hur are with you." The probability becomes very strong that an
original " people," who were to bring their strifes to Aaron and Hur
for adjustment in the absence of Moses and Joshua, has been altered by
Rje to " elders," in order to avoid this plain contradiction (see note in
loc).
Here, as m ch. xix., we find ourselves in a tangle when we try to con-
ceive Moses ascent and descent of the mountain. The only refuge
from the dilemma of vv. 9-14 is to deny the apparent continuity of the
verses, insert an assumed descent of the mountain after vs. 11, and deny
that " elders " in vs. 14 has reference to the " elders " of vv. i, 9 and 11
(.'). In that case Moses goes down in vs. 11 with absolutely no other
object than to ascend again in vs. i 3, and this ascent is again related in
vs. i'^, axiA yet again xa. Vs. 18. The last must be admitted to be an
intentional reiteration. Dt. ix, 11 shows that we must connect vs. i8a^b
with JE and not P; hence it is a reiteration of vs. 13, not of vs. 15.
Three ascents of the mount remain related, to add to the long list of
ascents in ch. xix., without any statement of descents, though the latter if
only for clearness' sake should have been mentioned. If, however, we
analyze into documents we find all these three statements of ascent to be
needful. They are simply the second ascent of J, the second of E and
the first of P ; for vv. 1 5-1 8a are manifestly from this source. (See refs.
for linguistic and other criteria). P's description of the appearance of
the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel, and of the " cloud " and
" glory " is naturally given thus fully (cf. ch. xix.) in connection with the
first appearance.
To an unprejudiced mind the incompatibilities and incongruities of ch.
xxxii. are as great, if not greater than those of ch. xxiv. In vs. 14 the
divine forgiveness has been secured by Moses' intercession. "Yahweh
repented of the evil which he said he would do unto his people." Yet
severe punishment is meted out to them by Moses in vv. I9f., a still
severer one by the sons of Levi in 25-28, and last of all, vs. 35, Yahweh
himself " smote the people, because they made the calf which Aaron
'made." The last visitation moreover comes directly after a second
intercession of Moses, in reply to which Yahweh, for the second time,
has granted suspen.sion of punishment. There is at least a prima facie
130 EXOD US.
difficulty here, which calls for explanation ; and a similar one must' be
admitted to exist in the conversation of Moses and Joshua as they
descend the mount, after the story of Yahweh's revelation to Moses of
what has taken place in the camp, and after Moses' intercession. To
the special pleader an interpretation ol vs. i8 which assumes that Moses
knows the facts, but conceals his knowledge from Joshua, will suffice.
But candor will admit that this is not the natural sense of vv. 15-24, if
taken by themselves. So, too, Moses' sudden anger at the sight of the
calf and dancing, leading him to dash in pieces the tables of stone, which
he has so far carried from the top of the mount, in contrast with the dis-
position manifested in vv. iif., may be explained by saying that the mere
relation of Israel's transgression in vv. /ff. did not produce in Moses'
mind a realizing sense of the facts, such as was first aroused by actual
sight of the idol. The possibility may be granted, but the fact still
remains that vv. 15-24 would be a great deal simpler and more intelligi-
ble if vv. 7-14 had not preceded. Again vv. 19-24 bring Moses first
within sight of the camp, then within it, and the restoration of order
and authority is already effected and Aaron apologizing, when, with vs.
25, we are suddenly carried back to the point where Moses is just dis-
covering the insubordination as he first enters the gate, and summons to
his aid his fellow-tribesmen. Vv. 25-29, in fact, when taken by them-
selves, treat, not apparently of religious crime, idolatry or the like, so
much as rebellion, insubordination, mutiny, suppressed on Moses'
appearance by the Levites. This corresponds well with the expression
" broken loose " (vs. 25 ; cf. v. 5) and with that reiterated in the J sec-
tions as descriptive of Israel's sin, " stiff-neckedness " (cf. Gen. xxvii. 40 ;
and vs. 9 ; xxxiii. 3; xxxiv. 9) ; but is incompatible with the entire submis-
siveness of the people in vv. 2off. To make the Levites, moreover, the
instruments of punishment for the sin of vv. 1-6, in which " Aaron, the
Levite '■ was chief offender, is well-nigh as strange as to find him imme-
diately after (in the priestly legislation) exalted to the highest possible
priestly rank, and his offence apparently ignored, while the people are
punished thrice over.
For all these inconsistencies the analysis furnishes the key and solu-
tion. J and E have each here a fairly complete story of apostasy by the
people, Moses' return from the mount, infliction of chastisement (sup-
pression of mutiny), his intercession with Yahweh, and obtaining of
pardon. When separated, each is self-consistent, and the incongruities
disappear. The process of analysis is comparatively simple. 'Vv. 15-18
(Moses and Joshua on the mount) we have already seen must be con-
nected with xxiv. 12-14, i8a/'b. Its \\ origin is independently shown by
XXIV. 4. ISRAELS APOSTASY. 131
the use of EloJiim and other phraseology, and by the reference to the
stone tables (cf. xxiv. 12). In spite of Dillmann's fruitless attempt, it is
impossible to separate vv. 15-18 from igff. Moses' words in vs. 18
anticipate precisely the discovery made in vs. 19. Were v^?. 25ff. the
sequel, Joshua would have been nearer right than Moses after all. But
vs. 19, and especially vv. 23f., refer to almost every passage and clause
in vv. 1-6, whose E origin might be independently determined by the lan-
guage (see refs.), and the disfavor shown toward Aaron as priest, even
if it were not here presupposed. Vv. 30-34 (see vs. 31) take the same
view of the people's sin, and follow perfectly after vs. 24. Moreover vs.
34 is the necessary antecedent of xxiii. 20, as we saw above. The other
elements of the chapter agree equally together. Vv. 7-14 have been
interpolated and expanded by Rje (see note in loc) but find themselves
naturally in place before vv. 25-29 as soon as vv. 1(5-24 are removed.
Only vs. 35 seems hard to reconcile with vs. 14 and has an awkwardness
of structure that calls for explanation (see note in loc). It is apparent,
however, from the story itself that something must have gone before in
J, as well as in E, to explain the prolonged absence of Moses upon the
mount. The missing material we shall find has been utilized by Rje or
Rd in ch. xxxiv, to form the content of the story of a second covenant
and new " tables of stone.?," made in a second forty days' stay of Moses
on " mount Sinai."
(J) ^And he said unto Moses, Come up unto Yahweh, 24
thou, and ^Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of
the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off: ^and 2
Moses alone shall come near unto Yahweh ; hut they
shall not come near ; neither shall the people go up
(E) with him.* *And Moses came and told the people all 3
(Rd) (E) the words of Yahweh, and all the ^judgments : and ''all
the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words
which Yahweh hath spoken will we do. ''And Moses wrote 4
all the words of Yahweh, and 'rose up early in the morning-,
'19:13,24; vv. 9-11. =Ct. vs. s ; cf. 19:22. •19:12,21, 24 ; 34 : 3. *2o : 22. ''21:1
'19 : 8 ; vs. 7 ; Jos. 24 : 16. 'Cf. 34 : 27. »Gen. 20 : 8 ; 21 : 14 ; 22 : 3 etc.
* Aaron, Nadab and Abihu can only be " the priests who come near before
Yahweh " of xix. 22, in contrast with the " young men " of E, vs. 5. The insti-
tution of the Seventy Elders (prototype of the Sanhedrin ?) is related by E, in
a different connection (Nu. xi. i6f., 24-29.)
133 EXODUS. XXIV. 5.
and "builded an altar under the mount, and '"twelve pillars,
5 according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent
''young men of the children of Israel, '%hich offered burnt
offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto Yahweh.
6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons ; and
7 half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took
'Hhe book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the
people ; "and they said, All that Yahweh hath spoken will we
8 do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprink-
led it on the people, and said. Behold the blood of the cove-
nant, which Yahweh hath made with you concerning all these
9 (J) words*— '^Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab,
10 and AMhu, and serenty of the elders of Israel : and
they saw the God of Israel ; and there was under his
feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as
11 it were the very heaven for clearness. And upon the
'"nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand :
and they beheld God, f and "did eat and drink.
12 (E) And Yahweh said unto Moses, Come up to me into
the mount, and be there : and I will give thee the tables of
stone, and the law and the commandment, — which I have
13 written, — \ that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose
^Gen. 35:7; Ex. 17 : 15. -"Gen. 28 : 18 ; 31 ; 45 ; 35 : 20 ; Jos. 4:9; 24 : 26 ; ct. 23 : 24.
'^Ct. ig : 22. 1220 : 24 ; 32 ; 6. ^^Vs. 3. ^^Vs. 3 and refs. ^^Vv. if.; 19 : 13, 22. ^^Jud.
20 : 2. ^^Gen. 31 : 54.
* In vs. 8 translate with margin " upon all these conditions." The clause in
small type in vs. 3 "and all the judgments " is of course an interpolation sub-
sequent to the incorporation of the Book of Judgments (ch. xxi. f. ) in its pres-
ent position ; see Analysis above p. ill. Accordingly we find no mention of
" the judgments " in vv. 3b and 4. — With vs.S we reach the conclusion of the
two long displaced sections x.x. 22-26 ; xxiii. ro-xxiv, 8, and xxi. i — xxiii. 9,
and the next E passage, vv. 12-14, joins directly upon the account of the first
propounding of the Covenant, xx. 1-21 ; xix. 3-8.
\" O0&" (ha-Elohini\\n vs. lib is not an exception to the practise of J.
On the contrary, no writer of the Hexateuch is so sensitive to the appropriate-
ness of EloJiim in passages where the sense requires it. Cf. Dill, in loc. and
Art. IV., and see refs.
i In.sert the clause "which I have written " after "tables of stone " (see
Analysis p. 112); or transpose the whole latter part of vs. 12, reading : "that I
XXXII. I. ISRAEL'S APOSTASY. 133
up, and ^^Joshua his minister : and Moses went up into tlie
^^niount of God. And he said unto the ^'elders, *Tarry ye 14
here for us, until we come again unto you : and, behold,
^^ Aaron and Hur are with you : whosoever -^hath a cause,
(P) let him come near unto them. ^^ And Moses went up into 15
the mount, and the cloud covered the mount. And the '^^g/ory of 16
Yiihweh abode upon mount Sinai, and tlie cloud covered it '^six
days: and the seventh d ax he called unto Moses out of the midst
of the cloud. ''^And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was 17
-like devouring fire on the top of the mount ''in the eyes of the child-
ren of Israel. And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, 18
(E) and went up into the mount : ^and Moses was in the
mount forty days and forty nights. t * * * *
(P) And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of 'H
x:ommuning with him upon Mount Sinai, ^the two tables of the testi-
(E) mony, — [ . . ] ■'tables of stone, written with the finger
of God.— t
And when the people saw that Moses ^delayed to come 32
down from the mount, the people gathered themselves to-
gether unto Aaron, and said unto him. Up, make us gods,
which shall go before us ; for as for this Moses, the man
that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not
'»33:ii;Nu. 11:28. "3:1; 18:5. 20Vv. 1,9. 2117:12. 22i8 : isff.: 21 :3and refs.
•"16 : 10 ; 40 : 34. 24.,o : 34, 35. ^a^^ ^ ,._jy . l^^, , j 2«Nu. 9 : 15. 2'Nu. 14 : 10 ; 16 : 19 ;
17 : 7. 2SDt. 9 : 9, II ; cf. E.\. 34 : 28. '25 : 16, 21 ; 32 : 15. 23^ : 12 ; 32 : 16 ; Dt. 9 : 10.
'24 : 18.
may give thee the tables of stone which I have written, and may teach thee the
law and the commandment." The latter alternative requires a single minute
change in the Hebrew text.
* " Harmonistic change from " people " to agree with vv. g-ii. See above
Analysis.
t Chapters xxv. — xxxi., which follow, and Ex. xxxiv. 2g-Num. a. 10, both of
which we omit as immaterial, are paralleled by a few lines of the narrative of JE
which relate the construction of a wooden ark (Dt. x. i, 3) for the tables of
:Stone and the arrangement of a " Tent of Meeting," Ex. xxxiii. 7ff., after the
people's sin, and preparatory to the departure for Canaan.
t Verse i8b would seem to have been taken from before xxxii. 15. See Art.
■IV.
13i EXODUS. XXXII. 8.
2 what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break
off the 2golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of
your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in
4 their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received
it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and
made it a molten calf : and they said, ^These be thy gods,*
O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron saw [this,] he built an altar before it ; and
Aaron made proclamation, and said, *To-morrow shall be a
6 feast to Yahweh. ^And they rose up early on the morrow,
and ^offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings ;
and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to
play. [ . . . J
7 (J) 'And Taliweh spake unto Moses, Go, get thee
down; for thy people, which thou hroughtest up out
of the land of Egypt, ''have corrupted themselves :
° l^J^) t'l^y have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded
them ; ^they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and
^Gen. 35 : 4; Jud. 8 : 24-27; ch. 12 : 35. ^20 : 2 ; I Kgs. 12 : 28. ^I Kgs, 12 : 32. "24 : 4 and
refs. "24:5 and refs. '9:24. *Gen. 6 : iit. [ , , . ] ^vs. 4 ; I Kgs. 12 laS.
* In. vv. r and 4 render with margin in the singular " a god," *' this is thy
God." Vs. 5 shows, however, that the god represented was intended for no
other than Yahweh. For " calf" v. 4ff. read " little bull." It is not the age
of the animal which occasions the change from the ordinary term for bull but
its diminutive size. For all to whom a Mosaic or very ancient date for this
writing is not an unalterable assumption, the story of the golden bull must
needs suggest the antipathy of Hosea (an Ephraimite) and the other prophets
to the "sin of .Samaria" (Hos. viii. 4-6), the golden bulls of Jeroboam I. (Cf.
I Kings xii. 28). Yet these were unquestionably intended by their originator
to be an acceptable tribute to Yahweh, and gave no offense, so far as their
reported words and actions show, to Elijah, Elishah, or their successors among
the earlier prophets. Ephraim's " firstling bullock " is a matter of pride even
to the poet of Dt. xxxiii. 17. Hence the difficulty of carrying back the docu-
ment E (at least in its present form) to a period earlier than the eighth cen-
tury B. c. The author of this narrative seems to have as deep an antipathy to
the Aaronic priesthood as to " the sin of .Samaria." Cf. the account of the
inauguration of the bull worship at Dan and Bethel, I Kings xii. 26-33, "Oti"g
especially the feast " at a time of his own devising," vs. 32 (Ex. xxxii. 5), and
comparing vs. 28, " behold thy God, O Israel, which brought thee up out of
the land of Egypt," with Ex. xxxii. 4.
XXXII. 9. ISRAEL'S APOSTASY. 135
have sacrificed unto it, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which
brought thee up -out of the land of Egypt. [ . . ] And Yahweh said 9
(J) unto Moses, I have secu this people, and, behold, it
is a '"stiffuecked people : "uow therefore let me alone, lo
that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that
I may consume them : and I will make of thee a
great nation. And Moses besought Yahweh his God, 1 1
and said, Yahweh, why doth thy wrath wax hot
against thy people, which thou hast brought forth
out of the land of Egypt with great power and with
a mighty hand J Wherefore should the Egyptians 12
speak, saying. For evil did he bring them forth, to
slay them in the mountains, and to consume them
from the face of the earth ? Turn from thy fierce
wrath, and ^'repent of this evil against thy people.
(Rd) iiiRemember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom 13
thou i*swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your
seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I
(J) give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. Aud Yah- 14
weh '"repented of the evil which he said he would do
unto his people. [...]*
"33 :3> 5; 34 :9- "Nu. 14:11-24. '2Vs. i4;Gen.6:6f. "Gen. 8 : i; 9 : isf ; 19 : 29; 30:
22 ; Kx. 2 : 24; 6 ; 5. '^Gen. 22 : 16.
* Vv. 7-14 constitute an interruption of the story of vv. 1-6, 156!. ; cf. vv. 17
ff. and Analysis. Moreover the atonement secured in vv. 12-14 is still to ''£
obtained in vv. 30 ff.; and vs. 13 at least is from Rje or Rd, for it quotes
Gen. xxii. 16, (Rje) and is late in style and language. Yet the substance of the
passage is certainly primitive and not redactional, for it is impossible to attrib-
'utesuch resemblances as that of vv. g-12 with Num. xiv. 11-25 (J) 'o imita-
tion, and vv. 7 and r4 show the language of J (seerefs.) Just how far the
redaction has gone in vs. 8 (cf. vs. 4) cannot be determined. It is not impos-
sible that the story of mutiny in the camp, presupposed by vv. 24-29 in J's
narrative, may have included a golden bull story similar to E's, and this idea
is favored by the fact that Rje combines it with E's. In that case it is highly
improbable that the offense was attributed to Aaron, the representative head of
the Jerusalem priesthood, who in J is charged with the priesthood even in
Egypt (iv. 15), and whose office is treated with such res]3ect (xix. 22). One
might imagine something like the following as a possibility. Vs. 35 which has
the style of J, but is scarcely compatible with vs. 14, and whose final clause is
suspiciously awkward, may have read originally " And Yahweh smote Nadab
136 EXODUS. XXXII. 24,
15 (P) And Moses turned, andwent down from the mount, with
the two tables of the testimony in his ha?id, ^^ tables that were writ-
ten on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they
16 (E) written. ^"And the tables were the work of God, and
the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
17 [ . ] And when "Joshua heard the noise of the people
as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of
18 war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them
that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that
cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that ^'sing do
19 I hear. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto
the camp, that he saw ^"the calf and the dancing: and Moses'
anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands,
20 and brake them ^'beneath the mount. And he took the calf
which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it
to powder, and strewed it upon the ^"water, and made the
21 children of Israel drink of it. And Moses said unto Aaron,
What did this people unto thee, that thou hast '-^^brought a
22 great sin upon them ? And Aaron said. Let not the anger
of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are
23 [set] on evil. ^Tor they said unto me, Make us gods, which
shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what
24 is become of him. And I said unto them. Whosoever hath
any gold, let them break it off; so they gave it me: and I
cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. [ . . ]
«Cf. 34:29. "24:12. "24:13. "Vv. 1-6. "24:4. ="17:6. =iGen. 20:9. 22Vv. 1-6.
and Abihii Ijecause they (made the calf.?)." These two sons of Aaron are
apparently introduced as priests in xxiv. I, but disappear entirely from J from
this point on. J must have traced the line of Aaronic descent as E does (Dt.
X. 6 ; Jos. xxiv. 33) through Eleazar, or as P does, through Eleazar and Itha-
mar. Now Prelates (Lev. a. iff.) a story of how Nadab and Abihu were smit-
ten by Yahweh for offering with strange fire. It is practically certain that P
derived this story from J E, and as E seems to know but one son of Aaron,
Eleazar (Dt. a. 6; Jos. xxiv. 33), P took it from J. Now if J had a story cor-
responding in some degree to that of Ex. xxxii- 1-6, and of which xxxii. 35 is
the conclusion, the ill-starred " Nadab and Abihu " are the characters for it.
In vs. 35. however, Rp would be forced, in spite of vs. 14, to alter this to " peo-
ple," on account of Lev. x. iff.
XXXII. 25- ISRAEL'S APOSTASY. 137
(J) And when Moses saw that the people were 25
(Rje) ^broken loose 5 fo"^ Aaron had let them loose for a derision
(J) among their enemies : » then MoSeS StOOd in the gate Of 26
the camp, and said, *Whoso is on Yahweh's side, [let
him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gath-
ered themselves together unto him. And he said 27
unto them. Thus saith Yahweh, the God of Israel,
'^Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go
to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp,
and "*slay every man his brother, and every man his
companion, and every man his neighbor. And the 28
sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses : and
there fell of the people that day about three thou-
sand men. And Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves 29
to-day to Yahweh, yea, every man against his son,
and against his brother ; that he may '^'bestow upon
(E) you a blessing this day.f And it came to pass on 30
255:4, 24ju(i. 7 : 18 ; 9 : 44. 26ju(j, 3 ■ ig. I Sam. 25 : 13. 2«Nu. 25 : 5. ='Dt. 33 : g ; Jud.
17: 10-12. 2^Jud. I : 15.
* In vs. 25b Rje attempts to make the " breaking loose " of the people refer
to the story of idolatry in vv. 1-6, but apparently, from Moses' procedure in vv.
26ff. and other allusions, it referred originally to something more of the nature
of a rebellion. Probably the interpolator of vs. 25b took 25a in the sense
understood by the A. V., translating "naked." It is difficult otherwise to
understand the " whispering " or *' derision " of Israel's enemies, which neither^
idolatry (practised by themselves), nor rebellion, could give occasion to.
t In vs. 29 appears the aetiological significance of the story. (See R. V.
margin: " Heb. fill your hand.") The Hebrew idiom for " consecrate " is
"fill the hand." From Jud. xvii. to-12 we might infer that the expression
referred originally to payment for services. Better, provide with offerings.
In the story before us the " consecration " of the beni-Levi to the priesthood is
explained aetiologically by their having "filled their hand " with the blood of
their brethren. The " blessing " bestowed upon them was therefore the priest-
hood, in association with Aaron (in place of Nadab and Abihu ?) We may
perhaps even trace, in this subsequent elevation of the Levites to equality
with the original priests of iv. 14; xix. 22 ; xxiv. r, the germ of that distinction
between priest and Levite which acquired increasing importance in the later
codes (See Genesis of Genesis ^■^. 54, 581). Dt. xxxiii. 8f. contains an appar-
ent allusion to this narrative, and if, as we contend, this poem is from the pen
of J, the authorship of vv. 25-29 would be established, and at the same time
138 EXODUS. XXXII. 35..
the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sin-
ned a great sin : and now I will go up unto Yahweh ; perad-
31 venture I shall make atonement for your sin. And Moses
returned unto Yahweh, and said, -^Oh, this people have sin-
32 ned a great sin, and have made them *gods of gold. Yet
now, if thou wilt forgive their sin — ; and if not, blot me, I pray
33 thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And Yah-
weh said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me,
34 him will I blot out of my book. ''^And now go, lead the
people unto [the place] of which I have spoken unto thee :
^■'behold, mine angel shall go before thee : ^'nevertheless in
the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.*
35 (J) ''^And Yahweh smote the people because they made
the Calfj which Aaron made.f
2»Gen. 50:17. ="20:23. s'Cf. 33 : 1-3. ^^^.j : 5,0 ; Cf. 3^ : 2f. ^sjos. 24 : igf.; ch. 23 ;2i ;,
ct. 34-6f . ; Nu. 14 : igf . ^^12 ; 29; Nu. 11 : 33.
light would be thrown upon the priestly interest of this document ; for Dt.
xxxiii. may be assigned with considerable probability to one of the Jerusalem
(Aaronic) priesthood. Dt. ,v. i-ii contains also an unmistakable reference,,
including some material now missing, when the interpolated verses 6 and 7 are
removed and shows that this institution of a Levitical priesthood was prelimi-
nary to the account of the construction of the Tent, Ark, etc. Num. xxv. 6-13,
affords a priestly parallel. There are, however, no decisive linguistic criteria
to place the authorship of Ex. xxxii. 25-29 beyond dispute. But it is clear,
that if this passage be assigned to E it would be almost necessary to attribute
vv. 19-24 and 3off. to J, which is quite impossible; and moreover xxiv. 3-8
would have to retreat from its proper place at the conclusion of the Horeb
stories to a place before ch. xxxii. ; since in xxiv. 5 there are still no priests.
* TheLXX. supply the missing word in vs. 34. " The place " is not specifi-
cally named in what remains to us of E, but xiii. lyff. shows that Canaan is
distinctly in mind from the outset. Intercession with confession of sin are
characteristic features of E's narrative. Cf. Gen. xx. 7 ; 1. 17; t Sam. ch. xii.,
etc., and see references. Of course the intercession of Moses and relenting of
Yahweh imply that the punishment has not been already inflicted, as related in
vv. 25-29, nor can it have been inflicted immediately after, as in vs. 35.
t See note on vs. 14. Unless some other reading than "people " be adopted
the present verse will be diificult to harmonize with both vs. 14 and vv. 3off.
An explanation without emendation may be found, by supposing vv. g-14 to
have been displaced by Rje from aftei- vs. 35. We should then miss only the
statement of Moses' ascent of Sinai to intercede. .Something perhaps could be
made out from a careful study of Dt. ix. f. ; but the problem of these twck
RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. 139
3 Chh. xxxiii. f. Renewal of the Covenant and Departure
FROM Sinai.
ANAL YSIS.
Moses receives command to depart without Yahweh, to the people's
great distress ; xxxiii. 1-5. Practise of Moses in regard to " tlie Tent of
Meeting ; " vv. 7-1 1. Moses expostulates with Yahweh against dismissal
without the divine Presence, and obtains a mitigation of the sentence ; vv.
12-16. He obtains the further promise of a revelation of Yahweh's
glory; vv. 17-23. Yahweh directs Moses to prepare stone tables and
again ascend the mount with the former precautions. Here he receives
the promised revelation and entreats the forgiveness of Israel's sin ;
xxxiv. 1-9. Yahweh proposes to make a covenant, giving Moses ten
commandments for the people, which he is to write upon the tables of
stone. Moses remains on Sinai 40 days without sustenance ; vv. 10-28.
The most singularly and obviously inappropriate element in chh. x.Kxiii.
f. is xxxiii. 7-1 1, describing the practise of Moses and Joshua in regard to
the " Tent of Meeting " {phel moed). It is quite apparent that this was
the place of worship, not only because ; " Every one which sought Yah-
weh, went out unto the Tent of Meeting, which was without the camp,"
vs. 7, but because the Pillar of Cloud occupies it, and [God] " speaks
with Moses " there. Yet this cannot be the Tabernacle of the Testimony
{mishkan ha-eduth), though in P-this also bears the same name, primarily
because we have yet to hear (chh. ,xxxv. ff.) of the erection of the Taber-
nacle and its occupation by the Cloud ; further because the access of all the
people to Yahweh is here perfectly simple (vs. 7), and instead of the elab-
orate institutions and ritual of the priestly law, with its inner cordon of
Aaronic priests and outer circle of Levites (Num. iii. 10, 38; xviii, 7), all is
here simplicity itself. The Ephraimiie Joshua appears as sole custodian
of the shrine ; Aaron has disappeared ; Moses pitches the Tent alone, and
enters it freely to speak with Yahweh, and the Tent is equally accessible
to " everyone." Moreover the directions in regard to pitching the " Taber-
nacle " in the centre of the camp (Num. ii. 17 ; Ex. xxv. 8) are as explicit as.
the statement here that Moses was accustomed to pitch " the Tent " " with-
out the camp.'' ft has been maintained * that this " Tent of Ateeting " was
chapters is extremely intricate. The latter part of vs. 35 is too awkward to be
original. The redactional element may therefore include all of the verse
except, " And Yahweh smote."
* So W. H. Green "The Pentateuchal Question,'' Hfhraica viii. (Jan. 1892)
p. 60. " The tense of the verbs in vv. 7-1 1 denotes habitual action ; but it
140 EXOBUS.
a more primitive slirine or place of worship employed by Moses, before
tfie construction of the Tabernacle, and subsequently superseded by the
latter. But in Num. a. 33 the sanctuary is still "without the camp ; " in
Num. xi. i5, 24, 26, 27 ; xii. 4f. 10 ; Dt. xxxi. 15, it is still "the Tent of
Meeting," " without the camp " which is in use ; Joshua and Moses are
in charge ; the cloudy pillar stands at its door ; in all respects the simple
provisions of Ex. xxxiii. 7-1 1 are assumed to obtain, without any more
trace there than here of the elaborate ritual of the " Tabernacle " having
superseded it. It is necessary to admit either that we have two mutually
incompatible representations of the worship during the Exodus, or else
that there were simultaneously two different sanctuaries, one within, one
without the camp, contrasting with one another in comparative simplicity
or elaborateness of ritual as above pointed out. But the fact that Moses
gives to " the Tent," of whose construction or existence we have so far
heard nothing, a name subsequently (see refs.) found applied to the
sanctuary where the regulations of vv. 7-1 1 obtain, shows beyond ques-
tion that the author here describes the origin of a lasting institution.
That the story has been mutilated at its beginning is apparent ; but it is
also apparent that Rp could not have left the story of the construction of
this Tent, to stand side by side with that of the Tabernacle, chh. xxxv. ff.
Besides the story of the institution of the Tent of Meeting we have in
chh. xxxiii f. the relation of two other incidents, with neither of which
the story of the institution of the Tent of Meeting has any real connec-
tion ; one of which it flagrantly interrupts; both of which are paralleled
by similar narratives assigned already to E. These three elements of
chh. xxxiii. f. we may discuss in the order in which they stand. The first
is Moses' intercession for Yahweh's forgiveness of the people's sin and
for his guiding presence. It is broken into three parts, first by the
second element relating to the Tent of Meeting, second by a few verses
of the third element, the story of the new Covenant, which separate
xxxiv. 6-9, the true sequel of xxxiii. 12-23, from this passage.
Omitting those portions relating to other subjects than Moses' Inter-
cession, and reading consecutively x.xxiii. 1-3, 12-23 \ xxxiv. 6-9, we can-
not fail to be impressed first of all with the wonderful power and beauty
cannot hence be inferred that thi.s was the permanent sanctnary used through-
out the journeyings in the desert. It simply describes the usage during the
time of this provisional sanctuary, extending it may be to the erection of the
Tabernacle proper." In order to avoid admitting the identity of this Tent oE
Meeting Ex. xxxiii. 7-1 1 with that of Num. xi. and x^i. Prof. Green actually
denies [Hebraica viii. p. 183) that the expressions of the latter chh. indicate a
position outside the camp, though he admits that they do in Ex. xxxiii.
RENEWAL OE THE COVENANT. 141
of this description of Moses' pleading witli Yahweh. Its parallel in E,
we found in xxxii. 30-34, a truly sublime passage ; but here the interces-
sion is prolonged to an extent unexampled save in J ; moreover the peti-
tioner advances from stage to stage as in the intercession of Abraham,
Gen. xviii. 23-33, until, when the climax is reached in xxxiv. 6f., and Yah-
wehjhas revealed his real nature of compassion, Moses falls on his face,
confesses all the " stiff-neckedness ' of the people (cf. xxxiii. 3), and
entreats the complete withdrawal of the sentence of displeasure with
which the interview began. The result though wanting can be anticipated.
It is referred to, and the intercession itself quoted at considerable length,
in the similar intercession of Moses, Num. xiv. u-24, another character-
istic J passage. But the element in hand itself refers to J passages (cf.
xxxiii. I with Gen. xv. yff.; xxviii. I3ff. etc.). The phrases " land flowing
with milk and honey," xxxiii. 3 ; " find grace in the eyes of," Xum. xi. 1 1,
15; Ex. xxxiii. 12-2T, passim , xxxiv. 9 ; " rest," for the promised inherit-
ance in Canaan xxxiii. 14 ; " upon the face of t\\egrou?id" (for " earth "),
xxxiii. 16 ; "stiff-necked," xxxiii. 3 ; xxxiv. 9; " mercy and truth," xxxiv.
6 (cf. xxxiii. 19) ; " Lord " (Adonai) to Yahweh, xxxiv. 9 ; are all peculiar
to J. Moreover the allusions to Israel's sin are such as presuppose Ex.
xxxii. 7-14 (cf. " stiff-necked," nowhere else in the Old Test, save in
xxxii. 9 ; xxxiii. 3 (5) and here, though quoted in Dt. ix.j and the mutiny of
xxxii. 25-29. There can be no question among critics as to the source of
this element. It belongs to the bone and flesh of J. But what of the
original connection.'' How account for the separation between xxxiii. 1-3
and I2ff., and the further isolation of xxxiv. 6-9?
As to the separation of vv. I2ff. from 1-3 it is simply intolerable. The
interruption of an interjected descent to the people is insupposable in
the original. In vs. 12 the Hebrew has, '' See, thou art saying unto
me," etc.. repeating the language of vv. 1-3. This cannot be another
interview. It must be the same one. But, still more strangely, we
have in Num. xi. loc, iif. a similar reference quite as inseparable from
Ex. xxxiii. 1-3 ; and containing the very same characteristic features and
phrases : " And Moses was displeased, and Moses said unto Yahweh,
Wherefore hast thou ' evil entreated ' thy servant, and wherefore have I
not ' found grace in thy sight,' that thou art laying the burden of all this
people upon me .' Have I conceived all this people .' Have I brought
them forth, that thou art saying unto me. Carry them in thy bosom, as a
nursing father carrieth the sucking child, unto ' the land which thou
swarest unto their fathers ? ' ' These words are just as inappropriate in
Num. xi. as they would be appropriate after Ex. xxxiii. 1-3. In Num. xi.
Yahweh not only has said nothing of the kind ; he has not even spoken
142 EXODUS.
at all, when Moses breaks out in this vehement expostulation and there
is no other trace in the whole story of the quails that Moses felt over-
burdened with his responsibilities. This is what Moses ought to have
said after Ex. xxxiii. 1-3, but is not there. In Num. xi. it is, to say the
least, belated. But just as Num. xi. iif. seems to be the reply to Ex.
xxxiii. 1-3, so does Yahweh's acknowledgment oi personal iaMOX toward
Moses in Ex. xxxiii. 12, 13, 16, lyff. ; xxxiv. 9 seem to be the answer to
some such discreet attempt of Moses to placate the anger of Yahweh
against the people by objecting the unmerited suffering which will thus
be brought upon himself, as that of Num. xi. iif., i4f.
In presence of such undeniable and such complicated displacement as
has taken place within the limits covered by chh. xxxiii. f. it will be well
even at the cost of some digression and repetition, to form a clear idea
of what the original sequence of J and E must have been ; and it is at
this point that the demonstration can most readily be made, since the
two narratives stand clearly side by side in the concluding verses of ch.
xx.xii., and the opening paragraph of ch. xxxiii. Both have manifestly
related in common up to this point how after the bestowal of the Law
from Sinai-Horeb Moses left the people to go up into the mount and
abide with Yahweh for a time. If we have in our synopsis of the docu-
ments turned to ch. xxxiv. for J's narrative of this interview on Sinai this
is indeed only a provisional assumption ; but some such account is pre-
supposed in the J elements of ch. xxxii. where we find Moses returning
to the camp. In both Moses finds that the people have fallen into griev-
ous sin during his absence, and after restoring order reascends the
mount to reestablish the broken relation of the people with Yahweh. In
both the first result of his intercession is disappointing. Further punish-
ment is remitted, but the people are dismissed in displeasure'(xxxii. 34=
xxxiii. 1-3) the last words of Yahweh in both being a threat. What now
may we infer with certainty, from the subsequent narrative of both
sources, and from the possible hints in the ground already estabhshed,
was the sequel to this interview ?
It is not only impossible « priori that either of the narrators of the
sacred history proceeded to relate that the people left the sacred moun-
tain under divine displeasure, but a posteriori the subsequent narrative
with its allusion to Yahweh's renewed presence, its " ark of God " (of
Yahweh), its " Tent of Meeting," etc., establishes the certainty that some
modtis vive7tdi was arranged, and some new relation, including explicit
directions as to Yah-weh's worship, and preparation of the parapherna-
lia thereof, on the people's part, some relenting condescension on Yah-
weh's part to accompany them and be their God and king, of course
RENEWAL OF THE -COVENANT. 143
Tthrough Moses' mediation, was related iii both as occurring before tliey
ieft the mount.
In J this further account is not missing, or at least only a fragment
has strayed. In the very next passage where the linguistic marks of J
appear (xxxiii. 12-23) IVIoses is engaged in this very work of interces-
sion, pleading every argument to induce Yahweh to relent and go with
the people in person. After the manner of Gen. xix. 23-33, the inter-
cessor advances from stage to stage. Material is missing (we have just
seen that part of it at least is to be found in Num. xi. ioc-12, I3f.) from
the beginning of this story, for vs. 12 refers to words of Yahweh which
nowhere appear ; and the end is also incomplete, even with the addition
of vv. 6-9 of the succeeding chapter, for we are still uninformed as to
the practical conditions on which Yahweh consents to recede from his
original refusal to go with the people. One of these, as we know from
the subsequent narrative of J, must have made provision for an " ark '
and other accessories of worship. This, of course, even if Rje pre-
served it, Rp would be obliged to strike out, to make room for the much
more elaborate account of P- But it must have stood in J, and in fact
we are not entirely without a hint, even in the narrative of J as it
remains to us, of what kind of stipulations Yahweh made. The story of
the consecration of the Levites, in the preceding narrative (xxxii. 29, J)
looks forward, as we can now readily see, to the sanctuary whose con-
struction must have been prescribed after xxxiv. 9. Another hint appears
in xxxiii. 3. The danger of the proximity of Yahweh's consuming pres-
ence (cf. Is. xxxiii. 14) to the unsanctified, is a characteristic trait in J
(cf. xix. 2if., 24) and is made the ground in xxxiii. 3 of Yahweh's refusal
to go with the people. This objection still remains to be overcome. It
can scarcely be doubted that in connection with the instructions for his
renewed relations with the people it was overcome, and that after xxxiv.
9, Yahweh prescribed to Moses a Tent of Meeting " wiikouttht camp,"
precisely as in xxxiii. 7 (E) ; though in the latter passage no other reason
is given for this peculiar location than Moses' practice. As a matter of
fact this trait seems to be one of J's aetiological data, as the usual posi-
tion of the sanctuary of a town was outside the gate. (I Sam. ix. 14; II
Kings xxii. 8, 10, 13.)
We have thus reached the point in J where the departure from Sinai
can be related, and this in fact is found immediately after, in connec-
tion with the visit of Hobab, in Num. x. 29ff. The only portion of con-
sequence which need be supposed missing is the- story of Moses' 40 days
in the mount with Yahweh presupposed by xxxii. 7-14. We shall see
what reason there is to think thi.s also preserved in the third element of
this subsection.
144 EXODUS.
Passing now to that element (the second) which relates to the Tent of
Meeting, we discover in vv. 7-1 1 the unmistakable characteristics of E.
Here the location of the Tent of Meeting and the whole religious /ra.r2>
are of course absolutely incompatible with P, as we have seen. But J
knows nothing of the Ephraimite Joshua as " Moses' minister." On
the contrary this is one of the most marked peculiarities of E, where
'■ Joshua, the young man, Moses' minister,'' even accompanies him to
the mount of God, (x.xiv. I2ff. ; xxxii. i6ff.), and finally becomes his suc-
cessor (Dt. XXXV. I4f.). Again the coming of Yahweh to the Tent-door
in the pillar of cloud, and the method of divine converse with Moses are
referred to in identical terms in Num. xii. 5ff., a passage which defines
the whole theory of theophanies borne out by the entire work of E, and
they are referred to again in Dt. xxxi. I4f.
Between Num. xii. and the present passage the only positive trace of
E's hand is Num. xi. i6t., 24-30, relating the appointment of 70 elders
to be Moses' assistants by the gift of prophecy. Here again we have
identically the same circumstances and presuppositions ; " Joshua,
Moses' minister from his youth; ' the pillar of cloud descending at the
door of the Tent, cf. xii. 5 ; Dt. xxxi. I4f. (,E) ; Joshua not departing
from it and hence aroused to jealousy by the report brought from the
camp (vs. 28). Here the spirit of Moses is the spirit of //'(^//it'tre (vs.
25 ; cf. Gen. xx. 7 ; Dt. xxxiv. 10 E) ; his character is that of unassum-
ing meekness; cf. xii. 3 (E). The passage not only follows \\ith perfect
appropriateness after E,x. xxxiii. 7-1 1, but is essential to it ; otherwise we
are at a loss to know the occasion apropos of which the praxis and
location of the Tent are described in Ex. x.xxiii. 7-1 1. It is almost
needless to point out that this story of the appointment of the 70 elders
(cf. Ex. xxiv. if., 9-1 1 J) is most loosely and artificially connected with
the story of the quails and Kibroth-hattaawah (J) where it now stands,
and has in fact much more relation to the J elements there which we
believe transposed, viz. iif., i4f. Let us then remove the manifestly
unrelated intervening material, P and J, and allow this E passage to
come together with the passage so clearly related to it.
But previous to vv. 7-1 1 we have in Ex. xxxiii., at least one unmis-
takable trace of E. " Horeb " in vs. 6 can come from no other hand,
and vs. 6 by its allusion to the " ornaments " necessarily presupposes vs.
4. "Vs. 5 on the contrary is not of the same connection. Here the spon-
taneous and natural act of the people is made the result of a command
of Yahweh — a command based on different grounds, and belated, since
it is not promulgated until the act is already complete. Moreover vs. 5
IS simply made up by interlacing material taken from vv. 3 (J) and 4 (E)
RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. 145
and adds no new fact whatever. It is certainly and solely redactional
(Rp). In addition to its connection with vs. 6, vs. 3 has E features of
its own (cf. Num. xiv. 39 and refs.).
We have now gathered all the material of E from the present subsec-
tion, and in fact down to Num. xii. But how shall we reestablish the
connection? Fortunately we have at least the analogy of J 's narrative
as summarized above.
It is a feature of E's history which becomes increasingly prominent in
Judges and later, to point out the repeated apostasies of Israel, and how,
when the people repented and " mourned greatly," turning back to Yah-
weh from "the false gods" or other sin, he forgave them and granted
deliverance (cf. Num. xiv. 39ff. ; i Sam, vii.). After xxxii. 34 therefore,
in place of the further intercession of Moses after the pattern of Gen.
xix. 23ff., in J, we are quite prepared in E to hear of the people's repent-
ance as the motive of Yahweh's relenting, instead of Moses' personal
favor with Yahweh. Such in tact is precisely the character of the next
verses we come to, bearing the stamp of E, viz. xxxiii. 4, 6. The people
hearing the evil tidings of Moses' ill-success in interceding for them
(cf. xxxii. 30-34, ending " I will visit their sin upon them ") strip off
their " ornaments," the spoil of Egypt. But there can scarcely be a
doubt of what originally followed here. The people have sincerely
" mourned " and shown contrition. From the religious belief of the
writer as well as from the whole subsequent narrative it is positively cer-
tain that E did not stop here, but related next the relenting of Yahweh,
and the perfecting of a new agreement between him and the people, in
which the central feature would be the Sanctuary, the Ark, and certain
prescriptions as to worship. From the elaborate description of the later
and dependent P^ it is safe to assume that the use to which Yahweh
directed the " ornaments " stripped off " from Horeb onward " should
be put, was the construction of this Tent of Meeting, which in the subse-
quent E narratives we find everywhere in use.
Yet the passage which now follows xxxiii. 4-6, though certainly
derived from the same document, E, is not the sequel we expect. To
connect it with the dissevered parts of J, vv. 1-3, i2ff., which it inter-
rupts, is quite out of the question. It will not join with J, and moreover
it bears every mark of E, as we have seen. But neither is it possible to
think of any other position that xxxiii. 7- 11 could have occupied, than
the present. The verses are E's and are in place. The only admis-
sible explanation of the lack of connection with vs. 6, is therefore that
we have here a lacuua ; and such is the unanimous opinion of critics.
Between xxxiii. 6 and 7 then, there is missing the entire account of
14(5 EXODUS.
how a new modus vivendi was offered by Yahweh and entered into by
the people, preparatory to their departure. This new covenant must
have been ritual in its character, since it accompanied the institution of
the Tent of IVleeting and the subsequently employed elements of wor-
ship. The promises, which Yahweh would enter into on his part in it,
would most probably concern the journey in prospect, and the occupa-
tion of the land of the Amorite, whicli of course Israel cannot hope to
make conquest of without Yahweh ; in short it must secure for Israel
what the intercession of Moses in xxxiii. I2ff. secures in J. To carry out
the apparently intended scheme of E in xixf., we should naturally expect
a formal ratification of this covenant to follow, in which the people's part
would probably be at least more conspicuous than Aaron's.
All this serves but to describe the section xx. 22-26 ; xxiii. 10-33 :
xxiv. 3-8, which we have already seen must belong to E ; must be out of
place where it stands, since it contemplates immediate departure (xxiii.
20), and constitutes a unit in itself, a Book of the Covenant cVr, finally
ratified.
Besides this there must have followed before xxxiii. 7 an account of
the making- of the Ark (in which the Book of the Covenant — the Debarivi
— was deposited ?) and of the Tent of Meeting. With this would be com-
prised all that we could infer a priori with certainty to have been in-
cluded originally between xxxiii. 6 and 7. But it can be shown further
that after the account of the construction of the Tent came origmally ch.
xviii., the story of Jethro's visit, in which Jethro bids Moses, Aaron and
the elders to a sacrificial feast " before God," i. e. at the sanctuary. We
have already seen, in fact, that the true position of ch. xviii. was neces-
sarily after Moses' instruction in " the statutes of God and his laws " on
the mount (cf. xviii. 16 with xxiv. 12), and just before the departure from
Horeb (cf. vv. 23, 27 and Dt. i. 6-18) in precise analogy with J
(" Hobab," in Num. x. 29ff.). Finally Ch. xviii. itself in turn (cf. espe-
cially vs. 23 " if God command thee so ") looks forward to a further,
and final Horeb institution, the administrative organization of the peo-
•ple. But this does not come before .x.xxiii. 7. On the contrary xxxiii. 7
-II is itself a preliminary to the expected narrative, which is now to be
found, as we have seen, in Num. xi. i6f., 24-30, and immediately after,
appropriately near the account of Jethro's visit bringing Moses' wife and
children, the story of how " Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses
because he had married a " Cushite " (Num. xii. 1-15).
We come now to that part of the subsection hitherto passed over, for
which, however, a vacancy has been for some time waiting. The third
element of Ex. xxxui.f., the Covenant of Yahweh with Israel, presents
RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. 147
no trace whatever of E ;* but is more distinctly parallelled in ch. xxiii. (E)
than any other passage in the Hexateuch, the coincidence in the com-
mandments being to a great degree verbal. It is not, however, a diffi-
cult matter to demonstrate from style and language that ch. xxxiv.
belongs with the J element. " Sinai " instead of " Horeb ' as the place
(vv. 2, 4; cf. xix. ii, i8, 20); "flocks and herds" forbidden to "feed
before that mount ' (vs. 3; cf. xix. I2f. and J's attention to the flocks
and herds of \i,XKeX passim) ; Moses unattended by Joshua, and the peo-
ple excluded from participation (vs. 3; cf. xix. 12, 21, 24; xxiv. 2) ;
Yahweh " descending upon mount Sinai " (vs. 5 ; cf. xix. 18, 20) ; Moses
" called to the top (rosh) of the mount " (vs. 2 ; cf. xix. 20) ; are all concep-
tions and phrases as entirely foreign to E as they are familiar to J.
Finally we have in the legislation itself (vs. 18) a direct and positive
reference to Ex. xiii. 4-7 (J), " as I commanded thee, at the time
appointed in the month Abib." There can accordingly be no doubt
whatever that xxxiv. 1-28 is from the J document as a whole. Never-
theless the chapter is by no means free from difficulties.
Vv. 6-9 we have already connected with xxxiii. 17-23 as promise and
fulfilment, and indeed this connection needs no demonstration. The
verses are inseparable. So much so in fact that it is surprising not to
see xxxiv. 6-9 follow directly upon xxxiii. 23. Again vv. 1-4 refer to
Moses' breaking certain former tables of stone, and in fact give to the
whole chapter the character of a renewal of the broken covenant. Now
the J document, so far as we have been able to trace it, has not hitherto
alluded to any tables of stone, nor to Moses' breaking them. This story
was found only in E. Still our analysis might be corrected perhaps in
this respect, if this were all ; but in vv. loff. it turns out that the chapter
itself does not support the character thus put upon it by vv. i and 4 of a
second [a.\N . The covenant which Yahweh makes there, so far from being
the renewal of one previously unkept, is brought in as wholly new, " Be-
hold I make a covenant." It contains not the slightest allusion to a pred-
ecessor, nor to any unfaithfulness on the people's part. Again vs. 28
relates that Moses spent 40 days and nights on the mount without sus-
tenance ; but pays no attention to the preceding datum of similar import
in xxiv. 18 (E), nor to any previous sojourn in the mount whatever. It
also appears in 27f. that the purpose of this prolonged stay is that Moses
may write upon the tables (cf. vs. 27, " write thou ") the Ten Words,
and even these, it appears, are not, as promised in ib, the Ten Words of
ch. XX., but " the Words of the Covenant " just uttered. In still another
respect vs. ib is found in irreconcilable contradiction with this, for in ib
* See, however, the note on xxxiv. 4 a.
148 EXOD US.
it is Yahweh who promises to " write upon the tables the words which
were upon the first tables which thou brakest." The outcome of all this
is very plain. Vv. ib from " like unto the lirst," and 4a cannot possibly
be genuine. The chapter itself rejects them. But if we strike them out
the character of the chapter appears at the first glance. It is the missing
parallel to E's story of the original %Wm% of the tables of stone, and of
Moses' stay upon the mount, presupposed in xxxii. 7-14 (J). The cove-
nant is not a second, but the first ; the tables of stone are not duplicates,
but the original, and the final proof of it appears in the fact that they are
called here tables of stones, whereas previously (in E) they have been
known as " the tables of j-^^^t;." Moses is here receiving "the Words
of the Covenant " for which all the elaborate preparations of xix. 2off.,
and the ceremonial covenant feast of xxiv. if., 9- 11 have prepared the
way. There is nothing to prevent xxxiv. iff. from forming SiW immediale
connection with that passage, the descent of the party being of course
understood. Similarly it precedes immediately the story of the descent
xxxii. 7-14, and affords the occasion for the rebellion of the people in
Moses' absence, xxxii. 25-29, thus filling practically the whole gap in J's
narrative.
What then of vv. 6-9, which we have seen to be connected with xxxiii.
17-23? Here too a closer inspection affords only new confirmation.
These verses have only an apparent connection with vs. 5. A compari-
son of similar passages in J, Gen. iv. 26 ; xii. 8 ; xiii. 4, etc., proves that
the true sense of vs. 5 is that given by the R.V. in the margin, " He
(Moses) stood with him (Yahweh) there and called upon the name of
Yahweh." Hence the following verses 6-9, relating to forgiveness and
Yahweh's guidance have no real connection whatever with the rest of
the chapter. The association is purely artificial. The touches m vv.
lb and 4a are accordingly redactional, intended to make room for
the chapter in the character of a renewal of the covenant, after the
example set byE in his Book of the Covenant, xx. 22-26; xxiii. 10-33;
xxiv. 3-8. Moreover it is clear from the ritual character of this code
that it is a finality, since it prescribes the worship as actually practised
subsequently. Moses' later intercession accordingly is only for a
renewal of Yahweh's favor, not a renewal of the covenant. This code
like all the " prophetic " codes has suffered much from the interpolation
o! Rd ; but for this see notes in loc.
Our discussion of the Sinai-Horeb narratives will be incomplete if we
fail to enquire the occasion of the great upheaval in ch. xxxiii. which led
to the elimination of so large a part of the narrative of JE ; a consider-
able portion at the end being forced to seek other points of attachment.
RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. Ii9
often incongruous ; another part, describing tlie institution of the Tent
of Meeting being wholly obliterated ; and only the paragraphs relating
the practise of Moses, and his intercession on behalf of the people, which
could not take a different place, being allowed to remain. We are in
some danger, however, of overestimating the extent of this displace-
ment unless we remember that Num. xi. is really in almost immediate
juxtaposition with Ex. xxxiii. ; for in Num. x. apff. we are no further
advanced than in Ex. xviii., and all the great mass of priestly legislation
in the last chh. of Exodus, the whole of Leviticus and first ten chh. of
Numbers, is crowded into the very last moments of the stay at Horeb-
Sinai, between the giving of the command to depart, Ex. xxxiii. i, and
the carrying of it into execution. Num. x. 29ff. In fact even Num. xii.
seems still to belong to the Horeb-group, as one of the consequences of
Jethro's visit, when Moses' wife was first brought into contact with
Miriam and Aaron; so that Num. xi. iif., I4f. cannot be said to have
strayed far.
It is by no means necessary to settle to a nicety the part played by any
or all of the redactors Rje, Rd, and Rp in this rearrangement of the
material at the close of the Horeb narrative. All that concerns us is to
suggest an adequate motive for the transfer, so that the suggestion of
displacement be not open to the accusation of arbitrariness, and this it
is not really difficult to do.
If we take up the displaced and missing elements in the order of ,the
events of the narrative it is perfectly easy to see why Rje, after adopting
E's version of the 40 days in the mount, xxiv. 12-14, i8b. ; xxxii. 1-6;
xxxi. 18 b, should feel obliged to strike out from between xxiv. 11 and
xxxii. 7, J's version of the same, viz. ch. xxxiv. The story of Moses'
return to the camp, xxxii. 7-14 (J), and 16-24 (E), he found means to
preserve for the most part in both versions, as well as that of Yahweh's
anger at the people's sin, and their dismissal. The accounts of the peo-
ples' repentance xxxiii. 4, 6 (E), and Moses' intercession, xxxiii. 12-23 ;
xxxiv. 6-9 (J) he could retain from both, by putting the latter after the
former, and striking out from it the duplicate account of the construc-
tion of the Tent, which from the traces in xxxiii. 4-1 1 he seems to have
related in E's version. Next followed the renewal of the covenant xx. 22-
26 ; xxiii. 10-33 ^ ™v. 3-8 (E) which there was no reason to interfere
with, and Rje doubtless left it in situ. The story of Jethro's visit,
which followed, he had no motive for removing, since he found it not
incompatible with Num. x. 29ff. ; and Dt. i. 6-18 leads us to think it also
remained for the present in this position, followed by the account of
Moses' practise in regard to the Tent of Meeting, xxxiii. 7-" (E).
150 EXODUS.
Thereafter followed the account of the institution of the 70 endowed
with the spirit of prophecy combined with the opening sentences of
Moses' complaint of the burden of the people (cf. Dt. i. 6ff.) The story
of the stay at Sinai- Horeb concluded with the noble intercession of
Moses, finally prevailing- upon Yahweh to go personally in their midst,
xxxiii. 12-23; xxxiv, 6-9 '(J)- By this arrangement nothing of import-
ance was omitted save " the Words of the Covenant," xxxiv. 1-5, 10-28
(J), and even of these a part was taken up, either at this time or later,
into "the Book of the Covenant " xx. 22-26; xxiii. 10-33 (E), which in
Rje's work described the renewal of the covenant, as the exigencies of
the history required, before the departure from Horeb.
It seems to have been the work of Rd to reincorporate with JE the
Words of the Covenant eliminated as duplicate by Rje. We find as the
lower limit of time to which this process can be referred the passage, Dt.
X. t-ii, in which, however, ch. xxxiv. has perhaps not yet obtained its
final position (cf. Dt. x. lof. ) nor its present shape exactly (Dt. x. 1-5
has the plus, " And make thee an ark of wood " " and put them in
the ark " . " so I made an ark of acacia wood " . . " and put the
tables in the ark," all of which must, of course, have been stricken out by
Rp as incompatible with P-"s account of the ark of gold). The Rd there-
fore to whom the reincorporation of Ex. xxxiv. is assigned must be earlier
than Dt. x. Nevertheless the style and interest of the redactor whose
hand appears in the ch. itself, and in the passages affected by its reincor-
poration, is so thoroughly Deuteronomic, that we have no choice but to
refer the process to one of this school. It is clear, however, that in the
time of Dt. x. i-ii, E's account of the renewal of the covenant had been
superseded by J's story of ^\\e giving of the Words of the Covenant, the
latter, in the present form of a renewal, being perhaps preferred on
account of its presenting the tables of stone as still preserved (Dt. x. 5)
whereas E's narrative left them shattered on the steeps of Horeb. This
reincorporation was not effected without displacement, and while it would
be foolhardy to attempt to state in detail what the process was, it is safe
to maintain that it gave to Ex. xxxiii f., practically and as a whole, its
present character of an intercession on Moses' part with Yahweh, result-
ing in the renewal of the covenant and rewriting (by Yahweh cf. Dt. x. 4)
of the tables. But two accounts of the renewal of the covenant, E's (xx.
22-26; xxiii. 10-33 '' xx'\'- 3-8) and J's (ch. xxxiv) could not stand side
by side. If both were preserved one jnust retire to a position before the
apostasy in order to avoid the glaring absurdity of two consecutive ratifi-
cations of the .ra/;?« covenant between Yahweh and Israel. In addition to
E's Book of the Covenant, in order to bring ch. xxxiv. into the intended
XXXIII. 3- RENEWAL OE THE COVENANT. 151
relation to ch. xxxii., Rd had to find a new place for other incidents of ch.
xxxiii., including Jethro's visit, Ex. xviii. (E) ; the appointment of the 70
(with which went a seemingly connected verse or two of J), Num. xi. loc-
12, 14-17, 24-30 (JE) ; the rebellion of Miriam and Aaron, Num. xii. (E) ;
most of which passages are more or less marked by Rd's hand. But the
account of how the Tent of IVIeeting was constructed from the ornaments
stripped off, Ex. xxxiii. 4, 5. .(E) and of Moses' practise in regard to
the Tent, had, of course, to remain, as the story of Moses' depositing there
the " ark of wood " with the " tables of stones " came just after. Doubt-
less the process of readjustment was a slow one. It was not complete
when Dt. i. 6ff. was written, and we cannot pretend to say how, or when,
it finally brought these passages into their present position. Only, after
ch. xxxiv. was taken up in its present character the disturbing element was
present to exert a continuous pressure in this direction until the present
order became fixed.
Rp's work is less difficult to define. He found the account of the con-
struction of the Tent of Meeting after xxxiii. 6 in his way and struck it
out, retaining, however, in a most commendably conservative spirit vv. 7
-II, in spite of incongruities. To round off a little the broken edges of
xxxii. 4, 6 he made a kind of ending out of the adjoining material in vs.
5. In ch. xxxiv. he was, of course obliged to strike out the parts relating
to the wooden ark, perhaps adding vs. 4a. in place of the material referred
to by Dt. X. 1-5. At the end of the Words of the Covenant he attached
the midrash 29-34, leading over to P*'s account of the building of the
Tabernacle, and resuming xxxii. 15 in such a way as to connect the
P narrative, which of course had no story of apostasy, with that of the
renewal of the covenant.
(J) And Yahweh spake unto Moses, Depart, igo up 33
hence, thou and the 'people which thou hast brought
up out of the land of Egypt, unto the laud of which
3l sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, say-
(Rd) iug, I'nto thy seed will I give it : *and i win send an 2
angel before thee ; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amoiite, and
(J) the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite : 'UUtO a 3
land flowiiig with milk and honey : 'for I will not go
up in the midst of thee ; for thou art a stittnecked
'32:34. 232:7. 3Gen. 12:7; 26:3; 28:13. "23 : 20 ; 23 : 32,34. =, : 3, 17 ; 13 : 5 ; Nu.
13:27; ifi : i3f. «34 :9; vv. 14-16. '32:10; 34:9.
152 EXODUS. XXXIII. 4.
4 (E) people : lest I consume thee in the way. And
when the people heard "these evil tidings, they mourned :
5 (Rp) and no man did put on him his ''ornaments. ^'"1 yah-
weh said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked
people : if I go itp into the midst of thee for one moment, I shall consume thee ;
therefore now piit off thy ornainetits from thee, that I may know what to do
6 (E) unto thee And the children of Israel stripped themselves
of their ornaments from ^"mount Horeb onward.*
7 "Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it with-
out the camp, afar off from the camp ; and he called it.
The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one
which ^'sought Yahweh went out unto the tent of meeting,
8 which was without the camp. And it came to pass, when
Moses went out unto the Tent, that all the people rose up,
and stood, ^^every man at his tent door, and looked after
9 Moses, until he was gone into the Tent. And it came to
pass, when Moses entered into the Tent, "the pillar of cloud
10 descended, and stood at the door of the Tent : and [Yah-
weh] spake with Moses. And all the people saw the pillar
of cloud stand at the door of the Tent : and all the people
11 rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door. ^^And
Yahweh spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh
unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp : '"but
his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, "de-
parted not out of the Tent.f
'^32 : 33f. ; Nu. 14 : 39. ^12 : 35f. ^"3:1; 17 : 6. '^Nu. 11 ; i6f., 24-30 ; ct. Ex 25fE. ; Nu.
2 ff. ^^18 ; 15, 19 ; 22 : g, etc. ^^V%. 10 ; Nu. 11:10. 1*13 : 2if . ; 14 ; igf. ; Nu. 11 : 25 ; 12 ; 5,
i=Nu, 12 : 6-8. '"24 : 13 ; Nu. 11 : 28. l'i3 ; 22 ; Nu. 14 : 44.
* The interpolation of vs. 2 is of a stereotyped character and scarcely needs
comment. It is apparent from vs. 12 that the " angel " comes also from the
hand of the interpolator, who seems to have had xxiii. 23 and ,\x.xiv. 11 before
his eye. In vs. 5 the stripping off of the ornaments is not a spontaneous
token of grief from the people but is done at the command of Yahweh, The
verse merely repeats vs. 3b, and puts in the form of a divine command the
statement of the context. Apparently it was a very late piece of redactional
work ; for LXX. have, " See that T do not bring upon you another stroke and
consume you ; now therefore put away the garments of your glory and your
adornment and I will show thee what I will do to thee." For the connection
after xxxiii. 6, see Analysis above.
t Vv. 7-1 1 were not originally written to stand above. The verbs of vv. 7-
XXXIII. 19. RENEWAL OE THE COVENANT. 153
(J) [ • • ]* And Moses said unto Yahweh, See thou 12
i^sayest unto me. Bring up this people : and thou hast
not let nie know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet
thou ^"hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast
also '"found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I 13
pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew
me now thy ways, that I may know thee, to the end
that I may find grace in thy sight : and consider that
this nation is thy people. '^And he said, My presence 14
shall go [with thee] and "I will give thee rest. And 15
he said unto him, If thy presence go not [with me,]
carry us not up hence. For wherein now shall it be 16
known that I have found grace in thy sight, I and
thy people J is it not in that thou goest with us, so
that we he separated, I and thy people, from all the
people that are upon the face of the earth? [ . . . ]
And Yahweh said unto Moses, I will do this thing 17
also that thou hast spoken: "for thou hast found
grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he 18
said. Shew me, I pray thee, thy glory. *And he said, 19
I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and
will proclaim the name of Yahweh before thee ; and I
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will
"Vv. 1-3 ; Nu. 71 ; 12. '"Vv. i7f. ^OGen. 6 : 8 ; 19 : 19 ; 3= : 5 ; 33 : 8, 10, 15 ; 34 : 11 ;
39:4; 47:25, 29; 50:4, etc. "34:9- "Nu. ii:iif. 2=Vs. 12 and refs. "34 : 6f.
IT are indeed ill the tense indicative of continued past action, but it must be
apropos of something that the space relations are thus depicted, and that we
are told of Moses' turning again into the camp, while Joshua remains behind.
What this missing occasion for the explanation is, appears clearly enough
when we connect after vs. 11 the next following E passage, Num. xi. i6f., 24-
30. (See Analysis, and Art. iv).
'' It is apparent that some words of reassurance from Yahweh to Moses are
missing before vs. 12, for they are referred to in 12b. Vs. 14 as above translated
would be utterly premature, and indeed the whole passage, 12-23; xxxiv. 6-9,
in well-nigh hopeless disorder. To make sense of this confusion, it would be
needful with Dillmann to transpose vv. 14-16 after xxxiv. 9 and then after the
passage from Nu. xi. insert xxxiii. 17, I2f-, 20-23, i8f. A far simpler cure for
the confusion is to assume, as above, a gap before vs. 12 and translate vs. 14
with Kautzscii as a question. (See Part II.)
154 EA'OVU'S. XXXIII 20..
20 shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he
said, '^thou canst not see my face: for man shall not
21 see me and live. And Yahweli said. Behold there is
a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock :
22 and it shall come to pass, while "^my glory passeth
by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and
will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by :
23 and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see
my back : but my face shall not be seen.
34: — 'And * Yahweh said unto Moses, Hew thee ^two
(Rd) tables of stone Hke unto the first: and I will write upon the
2 (J) tables the words that were on the first tables, which thou brakest. Aud
be ready ''by the morning, and come up in the morn-
ing unto mount *Sinai, and present thyself there to
3 me on the '^top of the mount. ''And no man shall
come up with thee, neither let any man be seen
throughout all the mount ; neither let the 'flocks
4 (Rp) nor herds feed before that mount. And he hewed
(J) two tables of stone like iifito the first ; \ aud MoSCS rOSC UP'
"Vs. 13 ; Gen. 32 : 30. ■^'■n:(,. "Dt. 10:1-5, ^ct, 24 : ,2 ; 3, : 18 ; 33 : ijf. =V5. 4. ,
■"19 : II, 18, 20, 23 ; vs. 4. 119:20. «i9 : i2f., 21, 24 ; 24 :2. '12 : 38 ; ig : 13.
* Insert xxxiv. 1-5, 10-28 after xxiv. II (See above. Analysis p. 148). The re-
moval, if effected already by Rje, was doubtless for the sake of preserving this in-
valuable material, which could not stand alongside of ch. xx., but could be intro-
duced as a renewal of the covenant, the proper renewal according to E (xx. 22
-26, xxiii. 10-33), '^eing forced back to its present place. We adopt, however,
in our Analysis, the theory of Cornill [Einleitung, p. 82) that ch. xxxiv. is a
reincorporation by Rd.
t The harmonistic touches in vv. i and 4 have already been discussed (see
Analysis, p. 148). The first clause of vs. 4 is, however, not included under the
evidence cited. On account of the absence of the article in 4b (" two tables of
stone ") ; of the phrase " rose up early in the morning " (frequent in E, but cf.
viii. 20 ; ix. 13, J), and of the repetition of the subject " Moses " in 4b, Budde
and others have claimed a trace of E in this verse. If the claim be admitted,
it goes to show that E had an account of renewal of the tables, as well as of the
covenant. But Dt. x. i shows that there has been omission here, so that in
any case 4a is only a synopsis of the original. As the clause itself is quite
superfluous and E has no monopoly of " rose up early in the morning " (cf I
Sam. xxix. 10, J. Bud.} it seems much more probable that 4a is a substitute by
Rp for the massing J material than a fragment of E.
XXXIV. lo. RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. 155
early in the moruing, and went up unto mount 'Sinai
as Yahweh had commanded him, and took in liis
hand two tables of ^stone. And Yahweh ^"descended s
in the cloud, and stood with him there, and "pro-
claimed the name of Yahweh.* And Yahweh ^^passed 6
by before him, and ^^proclaimed, Yahweh, Yahweh,
a "Grod full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger
and plenteous in mercy and truth ; keeping mercy 7
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
(Rd) and sin : ^^and that win by no means clear [the guilty ;] visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's child-
(J) ren, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.! And MOSCS 8
made haste, and '"^bowed his head toward the earth
and worshipped. And he said. If now I have found 9
grace in thy sight, "0 Lord, let the Lord, I pray
thee, go in the midst of us ; for it is a ^'stiffnecked
people ; and ^''pardon our iniquity and our sin, and
take us for thine inheritance, t [ . . ] And She 10
^Vs. 2 and refs. ^Vs. i and refs, i^^g . jg^ 20. i^Gen. 4 : 26, etc. 12^3 ; 22 ; ct vs. 5.
^^33 : ig. i^Nu. 14 : 18. ^^23 : 21 ; 32 ; 34 ; Jos. 24 : ig ; cf. Ex. 20 ; 5. ^^i, : 31 ; 12 : 27. ^'4 :
10, 13 ; Gen. 15 : 2. i"32:9;33:3. '"Vs. 6f.
* In vs. 5 translate with margin, '' And he stood with him there and called
upon the name of Yahweh." (.See Analysis.)
t " Plenteous " (vs. 6, cf. Nu. xiv. 18) occurs only in post-exilic writings, but
6, 7a cannot be rejected save by rejecting also xxxiii. 19. The portion above
assigned to Rd represents the minimum. Cf. Part II. Vs. ybc seems to be
partly intended to harmonize vs. 6, 7a with E (ct. xxiii. 21 ; xxxii. ^^ ; Jos. xxiv.
19, E), and is framed on the model of xx. 5.
t Vv. 6-9 belong after xxxiii. 23 (see Analysis). Vs. 5 (misunderstood) fur-
nished a point of attachment for this narrative of the Words of the Covenant,
whose earlier verses accordingly were inserted before vs. 6, In vs. 9 Dill-
mann emends nehitham, " be our Guide," for nehaltham, " take us for thine
inheritance."
§ The code of Ex. xxxiv., like every other section throughout the Penta-
teuch devoted to ritual law, has undergone a drastic revision and interpolation;
and in this the hand of Rd is specially apparent. The danger of corruption to
idolatry by "the inhabitants of the land" (vv. lib., 12, 15!.) is the dominant
idea with the Deuteronomist and his followers. " Jealousy for Yahweh " (vs.
14b Rje (?) ; cf. XX. 5 and Jos xxiv. 19) is the keynote of the great reforma-
tion of Elijah, which, when mature, swept both Ephraim and Judah with revo-
156 EXODUS. XXXIV. II.
(Rd) said, Behold I make a covenant : before aii thy peo-
ple I will do marvels, such as have not been ^wrought in all the earth, nor
in any nation: and -'all the people among which thou art shall see the work
1 1 of Yahweh, for it is a terrible thing that I do with thee. Observe thou
that which I command thee this day : '•'^behold, I drive out before thee the
Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the
12 Hivite, and the Jebusite. *^Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a cove-
nant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a
I -2 snare in the midst of thee : '''but ye shall break down their altars, and dash
14 in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their Asherim : for
(J) "^thou shalt worship no other god: "for Yah-
weh, whose name is Jealons, is a jealous God :
15 (Rd) '^'lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and
they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and
16 one call thee and thou eat of his sacrifice ; and thou take of their daugh-
ters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and
I-r (J) make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. ^ThOU Shalt
18 make thee no molten gods. — ^^Tlie feast of unleav-
ened bread, shall thou keep. Seven days thou
^ONu. i6 : 30 ; cf. Gen. r : i, ^iJqs. 2 : lof ; 5 : i ; 9 : 24, etc. ^^23 ; 23f, 315-33 ; 33 : 2.
2323 : 32f ; Nu. 33 : 55 ; Jud. 2 : i-rS. 2*23 ; 24 ; Nu. 33 ; 52. 2530 ; 3, 23. 2630 ; 5 ; Jos. 24 ;
iQ. 27Vs_ 12 ; Jud. 2 : 17. 2830 : 4, 23. 2823 : 15.
lution, (I Kgs. xix. 10, 14-18 ; II Kgs. xf.). But the abolition of the local
altars, bamoth, asherim, and ma^^eboth ("pillars"), (vs. 13) belongs to the
iconoclastic revolution of Josiah and the Deuteronomic requirement. The
Mosaism of J and E simply rehaptizes these objects of the popular worship
into "memorials" of the patriarchs (cf. Genesis passim], though J seems
already to avoid mention of the maj^eboth, and lifts a protest against the
"molten," or "graven " image, while E rejects both these and the ^cra;i/«>«.
Apart from the mterruption which vv. rib, I2f., I5f., 24 occasion in the series
of "Ten Words" (vs. 28), it would be an anachronism, in defiance of the
whole attitude of J and E toward the ancient shrines and sacred objects, not to
recognize that these verses belong to the later Deuteronomic period of reform
in which iconoclasm took the place of toleration or accommodation. In vs. 10
the lateness of the interpolation is evidenced by the language (bara, "create ").
It reflects also the Deuteronomic conceptions. In vs. 18, "as I commanded
thee," we have a manifest comment of J himself upon the code he incorporates,
and very possibly in vs. 14b also. Vs. 20, with its provisions of redemption in
modification of the law of firstlings, may well be from his hand, or at least
from some very early interpolator. For this reason no change is made in the
type, though clearly the unusual length of the law of firstlings and of the feast
of unleavened bread is against the original standing of i8b and 20 in the Code.
The interpolations of vs. 23f. require special consideration. (See note /// loc.)
XXXIV. 25. RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT. 157
Shalt eat unleavened bread, ^'as I commanded
thee, at the time appointed in the month
Abih : for in the month Abih thou earn-
est out from Egypt.* — "All that openeth the 19
(Rd) (J) womb is mine ; and all thy cattle that is male, f the
firstlings of ox and sheep. And the firstling of an 20
ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb : and if thou wilt
not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All
the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. ''-And
none shall appear before me empty. ^Six days thou 21
shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest :
in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
^*And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, [even] of 22
the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of
(Rd) ingathering at the year's end. ''SThree timesin the 23
year shall all thy males appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. 24
For I will cast out nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders : neither shall
any man desire thy land, when thou goest up to appear before Yahweh
(J) thy God three times in the year. J '"^ThOU Shalt not Offcr the 25
3013:4-7. 3'i3 : i2f. ; 22 : '.igf. ^^^^ . ^^^ 3330 ; 8f ; 23 : 10-12. 3433:16. 3522:14,17,
3623 : i8f.
* Vs. 18 belongs of course between vv. 21 and 22 (cf. .xxiii. I5f.). The
removal may have been made for the sake of attaching the law of firstlings (vs.
igf. ), which were offered at the feast of unleavened bread, with the law for the
observance of the feast.
t Vs. igba misunderstands 19a which has no reference to first-born soiis (cf.
Jer. xix. 5) and the language ("male") is post-exilic. The special cases,
first-born sons and first-born of asses are provided for (by J ?) in vs. 20. The
last clause of the verse should be preceded only by a comma. The Hebrew
has simply, "nor let them (/. c. the first-born) appear empty (unredeemed)
before me (/. e. in the sanctuary)." LXX. and Vulg. have, " appear thou."
tVv. 23 and 24 are probably not from the same hand. Vs. 23 is of course
merely supplementary, but of comparatively late origin, perhaps imported from
xxiii. 14, whither (xxiii. 17) it has itself in return been at a still later time
exported back. Vs. 24, however, has a curioOs motive. " Going up to appear
before Yahweh " was of course in the early legislation and practise a very sim-
pie matter (I Sam. i. 3), since the local sanctuary was easily accessible, within
a mile or two of every peasant. But with the abolition of the local hamoth the
requirement, " Three times in the year shall all thy males go up to appear
before Yahweh " acquired a new and extraordinary sense. Previous to the
15S EXODUS. XX XIV. 26.
blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread ; neither
shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left
26 unto the morning-. The first of the flrstfruits of thy
ground thou shalt bring unto the house of Yahweh
&■
thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's
27 milk. ^'And Tahweh said unto Moses, Write thou
these words : for ^'after the tenor of these words '''I
have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
28 *And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty
nights; and he did neither eat bread, nor drink
water. And *'he wrote upon the tables *■'' the words of
the covenant, the ten commandments.* —
"Ct. vs. I ;cf. 24 :4. ssGen. 43 : 7. S9Vs. lo. i«24 : i8. "Vs. 27 ; ct. vs. i. "24:4.
deportation of the ten tribes it vi'ould have been in fact a palpable impossibil-
ity. Even in the little kingdom of Josiah and of the Restoration a journey of
all the male inhabitants three times a year io Jerusalem was a formidable
requirement, as its enforcement would leave the land helpless before invaders.
In face of this difficulty, as in several similar cases, the Deuteronomic
reformers fell back upon religious faith. God would take away from the
hearts of their enemies the desire to take advantage of their obedience to his
prescription. No man should desire their land when they went up three times
in the year. The same unpractical but sublime faith moved the Jews of the
Maccabaean period to offer no resistance to invaders on the Sabbath.
* Translate with margin " the Ten Words," perhaps a gloss. The version
of the Ten Words here given is probably older than that of ch. xx., where the
laws of the second table are ethical. It differs from its closer parallel, xx. 22-
26; xxiii. 10-33, principally in the omission (perhaps intentional; of the altar
prescriptions, xx. 24ff., and in the lack of any reciprocal promise on Yahweh's
part corresponding to xxiii. 2off. It seems to be the understanding of J,
however, that Yahweh's goodwill is manifested from the outset in xxiv. if. g-iT,
and the prescriptions are given as the means of maintaining that goodwill.
Hence after the people's sin no renewal of the covenant is needed, but only the
pacification of Yahweh's anger, which is effected by Moses' intercession.
PROLEGOMENA. 159
NUMBERS.
Prolegomena.
What we may call the primitive " Numbers " comprises the
narratives of JE relating to Israel's 40 years' wandering in the
wilderness, of which period, however, all but a few months at
the beginning and end are understood to be spent at the oasis
of Kadesh (Meribath-Kadesh in J, Kadesh-barnea in D,
Kadesh-Meribah in P). The Hebrew title for it, Bammidbar,
" In the wilderness " is therefore really a more appropriate one
than our own, derived from the versions. This part of the
primitive tradition might well be called The Book of the Wil-
derness Wandering.
As to the events of this period Israel's traditions were few ;
and generally they attach to suggestive names of the desert
region in the neighborhood of Kadesh, and of the cities in the
extreme south of Palestine which were the scenes of Israel's
first, unsuccessful attempt to invade the country.
The flights of quails, which are a phenomenon of the desert
that might well persist in the recollection of a half-starved,
nomad people as a special divine interposition, appear connected
in this early narrative with a suggestive name, Kihroth-hattaawah^
which the author interprets as " graves of lust." The manna,
which is to this day employed by the Arabs of the peninsula to
stay the pangs of hunger, and whose Arab name, iiiaiiii es shema
" gift of heaven," shows the still persisting devout conception of
its origin, is another of the phenomena of the desert which
might well survive even the dark ages which followed the Con-
quest, transfigured and idealized in the popular recollection.
We surely do not think amiss in seeing here the traces of actual
national recollection. The story of the 'fiery serpents had a
tangible point of attachment in the brazen idol Nehushtan, of
whose destruction by the reforming zeal of Hezekiah we read in
II Kings xviii. 4. Here, as so often, the accommodator (if we
may invent a term for the rebaptizers of the pagan symbols into
" memorials " of Yahweh worship) had preceded the iconoclast;
160 NUMBERS.
for the event narrated doubtless originates aetiologically from
the material object, and not vice versa.
Ancient songs, of which one collection is actually cited by
title in Num. xxi. 14, contributed their full share to the scanty
recollections of this period, strange fabrics being often woven
out of passages whose poetic allusions had lost their original
application in the lapse of time. That cited from the " Book
of the Wars of Vahweh " celebrates the conquest of the city of
Beer in Moab, (Jud. ix. 21 ; cf. Beer-elim, Is. xv. 8), with pun-
ning play upon the name {Bcer=' Well " ; Bcer-eliiii, " Well of the
Princes "). "That is the well," says the historian, "of which
Yahweh said, Gather the people together and I will give them
water." The poet doubtless gave account of the mustering of
the people by the princes with their rods of office (Gen. xhx. 10)
to the attack and conquest of the city, and, after the triumph,
the exulting song of the victors.
" Spring up, O Well ; spring up and flow
The Well, which the princes digged,
Which the nobles of the people delved,
With the rod [and] with their staves.''
It is not impossible that the story of the cleft rock at Meribah
which has found a place in all the narratives, (though in J no
trace of the rod appears) received its form (in E) through the
influence of this punning song. " The satiric poets " (cf. Is.
xiv. 4 for an example of the " proverb " — R. V. " parable " — of
exultation over a defeated foe) are again drawn upon to corrob-
orate and embellish the historian's report of the conquest of
the territory of Reuben, Israel's first permanent foothold, and
of certain geographical relations involved. Again the poem
appears to have referred originally to later events, and is so
employed in Jer. xlviii. 45f. Doubtless, however, the story it is
connected with is by no means devoid of historical foundation.
A much larger contribution from poetic sources is the Oracle
of Balaam, the splendid lyric which forms the real nucleus of
the Story of the Wandering. Although the poem itself mani-
festly contemplates the bloom of national life under the reign
PROLEGOMENA. 101
of David, and must emanate originally from that period, the
historical setting which the poet adopts consists of the tradition
(which should be fairly reliable) of Israel's relations with Moab
immediately before the ciossing of Jordan to the Conquest.
We are thus brought to that which constitutes the essentially
valuable material in this ancient collection of traditions of the
40 years' wandering, the later reminiscences of Israel's relation
with the kindred peoples and of the attacks upon Canaanite
territory. There can be no doubt that we are treading here
upon comparatively firm ground of actual historical recollection.
The story of the unsuccessful attempt from Kadesh toward the
north was not invented ; nor is the connection of Hebron with
the expedition of Caleb which attaches to it (cf. Num. xiv. iiff.,
with Jos. xiv. 6-15) valueless. The story of repulse and defeat
by "the Amalekite," or "the king of Arad," though attaching
to a name (Hormah) which may have long preceded the event,
is not likely to be the fruit of imagination only. We may feel
sure, further, that the national recollection is not at fault when,
after this first repulse on the south, it represents an indefinite
period (40 years) of nomadic life in the desert with headquarters
in the rich oasis of Kadesh and the neighboring wells. Even
tradition has nothing to tell of this long period of depression,
approaching no doubt even dissolution ; but we may again be
sure it is right in representing the next attack to have been
made from the east, after a prolonged march around the south-
ern extremity of the Dead Sea. This flank movement moreover
must have been effected peacefully, by consent, if not solicita-
tion of Edom and Moab. There is no good reason to doubt
that an Amorite occupation of the territory between Moab and
Ammon had really taken place, according to the story of E,
xxi. 26, and it may well be that this was the occasion which led
Israel to break up for good and all their connections with
Kadesh, and strike one blow for their kindred of Edom and
Moab, and two for themselves, against the Amorite beyond Jor-
dan. E takes great pains to exhibit the careful respect shown
by Israel on this march for the territory of Edom, Moab and
Ammon. We must, however, at. least question whether this
162 NUMBERS.
respect was carried to such an extent as to lead them off the
regular route of travel through the midst of Edom and Moab,
clear out into the desert of Kedemoth as E represents. But it
is far from improbable that after the victory over the Amorite
and establishment of Israel in the territory of Reuben (the first-
born of Israel, i. e. first to come to settled life) Moab (and
" Midian in the field of Moab?") began to exhibit feelings of
jealousy and hostility towards a poor relation whose welcome
was already worn out when his services were no longer needed.
The setting of the poem of Balaam's oracle may therefore
be derived from genuine tradition. The settlement of Reuben
(and Gad ? cf. Dt. xxxiii. 2of.) may also well belong to the
national recollection, though we cannot of course accept the
idea presented by Num. xxxii. in its present form, that Moses
assumed to distribute the territory tribe by tribe, and that only
the women and children of the transjordanic tribes remained
in the newly conquered country, until the conquest of Palestine
proper was accomplished. Reuben secured a foothold here, no
doubt, as first comer. The merit of loyalty with which the
national tradition credits the two tribes, Gad and Reuben (cf.
Dt. xxxiii. 2of.) was amply deserved, if, after having secured a
" restingplace " for themselves, they did not lose interest in the
fortunes of the brother tribes, but, when occasion led these
across the Jordan, made common cause with them, as indeed
was necessary in order that Israel's meagre force (Dt. vii. 7)
might make any impression against the formidable fortresses of
central Palestine.
An unbiassed critical judgment will scarcely be able to reject
the narratives of this primitive Story of the Wilderness Wan-
dering, legendary in form though they be, as historically worth-
less. On the contrary, the further the process of disentangle-
ment of the earlier sources proceeds, the more certain does it
become that we have here at bottom the material out of which
trustworthy history is made.
As to the priestly element in Numbers it is so exclusively
occupied with interests concerning the Levitical ritual that it
scarcely calls for our further attention. Aside from its pre-
PROLEGOMENA. 163
scriptions in regard to various sacrifices and ceremonies it uti-
lizes the history only as a basis for its ideal classification of the
tribes and their inheritances, and sketches in summary outline,
and from an artificial and ideal standpoint, a brief parallel to
the cardinal events of the story of JE. One event, however,
only lightly touched by JE, the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram
(E) combined by Rje with a somewhat similar narrative of J
concerning the priestly ambitions of a certain Korah, P has
developed at great length in order to set forth in historical
form his conception of the true dignity of the Aaronic priest.
What was the original location, or setiological occasion, if any,
of the story as given in JE does not appear. J's version may
perhaps have had something to do with priestly prerogative.
Upon the basis of a brief story in JE as to Israel's idolatrous
conduct at Shittim, P also develops quite a story, whose out-
come is the establishment of the priestly succession in the
house of Phinehas. What the historical, or other, basis for the
story in JE may have been, it is not possible to say ; but both
J and E seem to have had a part in it.
With Num. xxvii. 12-23, which, however, belongs after, not
before, the story of the allotment of an inheritance to Gad and
Reuben, P'"s story of the Exodus obviously draws to a close.
The census preparatory to the distribution of inheritances has
been taken. All the directions are given for this distribution
beyond Jordan and whatever else could fall to the part of
Moses to arrange for. These directions themselves are inter-
mingled with various novellae, laws pertaining to the ritual, and
a repulsive midrash on an expedition by Joshua against Midian,
ch. xxxi. In xxvii. i2ff. Moses is at his last hour ; he has received
the command to " go up into this mountain of Abarim," and,
when he has viewed the land, to die there as Aaron had died
on mount Hor. To his request for leave to appoint a suc-
cessor Yahweh accedes, and Moses gives Joshua a charge in
the presence of all the congregation. The final hour has come ;
but, like the patriarchs of Genesis whose abnormally long lease
of life, according to P', would not suffer them to die for years,
or even centuries, after the narrative of JE has them stretched
164 NUMBERS.
upon their deathbeds in articulo mortis., Moses remains, so far as
P^ is concerned, in a condition of suspended animation until the
entire legislation of Deuteronomy has been introduced. Then
at last, in Dt. xxxii. 48ff., the direction of Num. xxvii. i2ff. is
resumed, and, after the Blessing of Dt. xxxiii., in Dt. xxxiv. 5,
7-9 he actually breathes his last.
The long period of silence covering Israel's stay at Kadesh
affords a natural separation of the Story of the Wilderness
Wandering, and the book of Numbers thus easily divides itself
into two sections, § V. including chh. x. ii-xx, 13, relating the
events From Sinai to Kadesh; § VI. including chh. xx. 14-
xxxvi. 13 describing the journey, From Kadesh to the Jor-
dan.
§ V. Num. X. II. — XX. 13. From Sinai to Kadesh.
In g v., as before, we confine ourselves to the Tradition of
the Exodus, excluding the irrelevant legislative sections prin-
cipally derived from P^, chh. xv. and xviii. 8-32 ; xix.
According to P^ Israel journeyed in the prescribed order
from Sinai and pitched in the wilderness of Paran ; x. iif. Here
Moses appoints twelve spies who explore in 40 days the entire
land of Palestine up to Hamath, the extreme limit of the Sol-
omonic domain ; but return with an evil report of the land ;
xiii. 1-16, 17 a, 21, 25, 26 a, 32. The people are rebellious ; but
Joshua and Caleb protest that the land is good ; the people,
however, are mutinous, until the appearance of the Shekinah ;
xiv. if., 5-7, 10. Yahweh then pronounces the sentence of 40
years' wandering, till all the congregation save Joshua and
Caleb shall have died ; vv. 26-30, 34-38. (Certain laws fol-
low in ch. XV. quite disconnected from the narrative). Korah
and 250 followers aspire to the priesthood but are swallowed
up alive by the earth ; xvi. 2-7, 15a and parts of 16-18, 19-24,
27a, and traces in vv. 3 iff. On the morrow the people mur-
mur against Moses and Aaron, and are smitten with a plague,
which destroys 14,700 ; vv. 41-50. The rods of the princes
are laid up before the Testimony, and Aaron's rod buds ; ch.
xvii. Institution of the Levites as assistants of the priests;
FROM SINAI TO KADESH. 165
xviii. 1-7. (In chh. xviii. 8-32 ; xix., miscellaneous Levitical
laws disconnected with the history are given). At Kadesh-
Meribah the people murmur for water, Moses and Aaron rebel
against Yahweh's word and are punished ; but the rock is smit-
ten 'with the rod and gives forth water for the people ; xx. 1-13,
except traces of J in vv. i, 3, 5.
The narrative of E in Numbers is very closely interwoven
with J. Passing over in the present review, the Institution of
the Seventy, (xi. i6f., 24-30) and the insubordination of Aaron
and Miriam (ch. xii.), as not properly belonging to this section,
(see § IV. Analysis) ; E probably gave after xii. 15 an itiner-
ary of the journey from Horeb to Kadesh, of which fragments
may perhaps be discerned in Dt. x. 6f. and i. if. ; cf. Num.
xxxiii. 16-36. To this belonged doubtless the story of Taberah,
a station which received its name from the " burning " sent by
Yahweh in punishment of murmuring ; xi. 1-3. At Kadesh
E gives a version of the story of the spies, and of the complaint
and rebellion excited by their report; xiii. 17-33 '" part, and
traces in xiv. iff. Yahweh commands a return to the wilder-
ness by the way to the Red Sea. Repentant, the people pre-
sumptuously undertake to invade the country but meet dis-
aster at Hormah ; xiv. 25, 39-45. The story of the rebellion
of Datlian and Abiram and how the earth swallowed them up
is combined with the stor)^ of the rebellion of Korah and On,
xvi. 12-15 in part, 23-34 in part. We should infer from the
analogy of J (cf. xiv. 22) that this was related of the time
before the arrival in Kadesh.
According to J, Moses prevails upon his father-in-law Hobab
to accompany Israel from Sinai as guide. They set forward,
the ark and cloud in advance ; x. 29-36. Arrived at Kibroth-
hattaawah the people weep for the flesh-pots of Egypt. Yahweh
in anger sends a wind bringing great flights of quails which the
people devour, and are in consequence smitten with a plague.
Hence the name " Graves of lust." Incidentally the manna is
described as a desert food, and the method of its preparation ;
xi. 4-9, 10 in part, 13, 18-23, 31-35. (Vv. ioc-12, i4f. belong to
§IV.; see above, p. 141). Leaving Kibroth-hattaawah, they come.
166 NUMBERS.
after a stay at Hazeroth, to Kadesh ; whence Moses sends spies
into Canaan to explore tlie land and its defences. The spies
come to Hebron, where they find the three sons of Anak ; return-
ing, they report the richness of the country and the great
strength of the people ; xiii. 17-33, 'n part, Israel is discour-
aged, and breaks out in mutiny. Yahweh in anger proposes to
destroy them, but is again appeased by Moses, who intercedes
on their behalf. They are doomed, however, to wander for a
generation in the desert, until all who came out of Egypt are
consumed. Caleb alone, who had been of the number of the
spies, but encouraged the people to go up, is excepted from
this fate and receives the promise of the land trodden by his
feet, (Hebron) ; xiv. iff., in part, 8f., 11-24, 3i-33- At some
time not specified, but probably previous to the arrival at Kad-
esh, another mutiny took place, in which Korah (?) a Calebite (?)
and On a Philistine (?) were principal actors. The rebellion
was directed against the prerogative of (Aaron and ?) the
Levites, and was quelled by the mutineers being swallowed up
by the opening of the ground ; xvi. if. in part, 12-15 in part,
25-33 in part. At Kadesh also (again previous to the sending
of the spies) the people murmur for water, and " strive with
Moses." The water is miraculously supplied from the rock, the
place, Meribah-Kadesh, taking its name from the incident ; xx.
lb, 3a, 5-
The usual contrasts in historical standpoint, doctrinal presup-
positions, purpose, style and language between J, E and P,-
already familiar to the reader are the same in §V. as before, and
quite as noticeable. A comparison of P'^'s Story of the Spies
with the " prophetic " account of the same is specially instructive
as to the development away from primitive tradition toward
history (?) as conceived in the age of Ezra. In J the traces of
the clan-story of the Calebite stock in Hebron are still distinct
and if not history, we have here at least the material iot history.
Had only the story of P'^ remamed, the attempt to discover the
facts of the fourteenth century B. C would have been almost
hopeless. There is nothing left but the dry bones of the pre-
exilic tradition " restored " into a " history " whose single guid-
THROUGH THE DESERT OE PARAN. 167
ing principle was the requirement of a crude systematic tlieology.
Tlie story became what the theodicy and the doctrinal precon-
ceptions of the writer required it to be. This may be unfortu-
nate for the reader if the reader is principally in search of a
critical and scientific knowledge of the facts of Israel's external
relations in the fourteenth century B. C; but it is well to re-
member that for the purpose of conveying a trustworthy idea
of the religious conceptions and internal relations of Israel in
the fifth century B. C, which is far more important to the Bible
student than an infallibly accurate critical history of the Exo-
dus and Conquest, P is indispensable ; while the most important
to all classes of readers and students of the Pentateuch is to
frame a true idea of the development in religious conceptions and
internal relations which went on in Israel between the fourteenth
century B. C. and the fifth ; for herein was the teaching of God,
For this purpose it is most helpful to leave J and E and P to
compare with one another.
I Chh. x-xii. Through the Desert of Paran.
ANAL YSIS.
The latter part of Num. x. is devoted to a description of the departure
of Israel from Sinai ; but is by no means the uniform product of a single
pen. Vv. I if. in fact carry us on to the point where we stand at the end
of ch. xii. But detailed and explicit as is the statement in vv. nf., it is
much too cursory for the writer of vv. 13-28, who has before his eyes the
elaborate provisions for breaking camp in ch. ii. Accordingly he makes
room for a second and more detailed statement of the departure by
means of the otherwise utterly meaningless verse 13 (see note in toe.)
But not even yet are we permitted to think the departure actually made.
Vv. 29ff. carry us back again to a time considerably previous, in which
Moses is negotiating with his father-in-law, Hobab the son of Reuel, who
is all at once and unexpectedly with them again at " the mount of the
Lord " (ct. Ex. xviii. 27), to serve as their guide. "And he said, Leave
us not, I pray thee ; for as much as thou knowest how we are to encamp
in the wilderness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes." It transpires
in the subsequent history (Jud. i. 16 ; iv. 11 ; I Sam. xv. jf,; xxvii. 10;
16S NUMBERS.
XXX. 29) that Hobab consented, and went with Israel ; but what then of
the divine guidance by means of the pillar of fire and cloud so elaborately
described in ix. 15-23? Either one guide or the other was superfluous.
Finally the departure is once more stated to have taken place in vv.
33f. But here is an equally great disagreement with the story of w. 1 1-
28. There, in accordance with the positive requirement of the priestly
law, the tabernacle is guarded on each side, in front and behind, by three
tribes, always maintaining the central position. Here it certainly is
stated that the ark went in advance of the people, and, it even seems to
say, three days' journey in advance (see note in loc).
It is not difficult to discover from the highly characteristic language
(see refs.), from the presence of Hobab (not " Jethro ") and from subse-
quent references (Jud. i. i6 ; iv.: 11 J ; ch. xiv. 14) that vv. 29-36 are J's ;
while the priestly origin of vv. 11-28 needs no demonstration.
In ch. xi. the principal difficulty is caused by the inappropriateness of
the verses which we have already seen must belong elsewhere (§IV.
Analysis 3). Moses' vehement expostulation with Yahweh, arid reference
to words which Yahweh has not here used at all, constitutes a singular
interruption to the story of the quails, which from vs. lob should proceed
to vs. 13 and vv. 18-23. The story is only mutilated by the introduction
of an entirely different subject, viz. the lightening of Moses' responsibili-
ties ; and this is even more true of the account, vv. i6f., 24-30, in which
the sequel to Moses' complaint is the appointment of the Seventy, than of
that whose sequel we have seen to be Yahweh's promise himself person-
ally to go with Moses and relieve him of the burden, Ex. xxxiii. 12-23;
xxxiv. 6-9. The intercalated portions have much more affinity with one
another than with the story whose connection they so rudely break into.
As they are derived partly from J, partly from E the probability is that
the displaced elements (vv. iif,, I4f., J) were brought hither in connection
with i6f., 24-30 (E) by Rd, after they had previously been amalgamated
by Rje in Ex. xxxiii. After the removal of this intrusive element ch. xi.
from vs. 4 on is a perfectly uniform, consistent and characteristic narra-
tive of J (cf. vv. 4 and 21, with Ex. xii. 37f ; and vs. 31 with Ex. x. 13,
19 ; xiv. 21 and see refs.), the obvious parallel to EP in Ex. xvi. and
source of P's description of the manna ; cf. vv. 7-9 with Ex. xvi. 31, 14 ;
vv. 4-6 with Ex. xvi. 3, and " the quails,'' Ex. xvi. 13. The apparent in-
consistency between vv. iq{. and 33 is removed by proper translation (See
note in loc.) Vv. 7-9 are not displaced (Wellhausen), but the description
of the manna is introduced in this casual, incidental v^'ay, as of something
employed since the beginning, but only now mentioned, for the reason
that J regards it only as one of the normal products of the desert, un-
X. 13- THROUGH THE DESERT OF PARAK. 169
familiar indeed to his readers, and to be considered in a special sense
■" the gift of heaven " (but not exceptional in the desert). In common
with the modern manna gatherer he doubtless believed it to drop from
heaven (there are indications of a similar belief as to the origin of honey ;
cf. I Sam. xiv. 26) ; but did not regard it as Hmited to the Exodus period,
or specially given for Israel's benefit ; hence he defers the description of
it until the story of Israel's murmuring for flesh furnishes special occa-
sion. The combination of the manna story with that of the quails in P^,
on the contrary, Ex. xvi. 13, is purely artificial, and can only be explained
by the dependence of P^ on Num. xi.
As between J and E it is impossible to determine with certainty the
derivation of vv. 1-3. Vv. 4fif. (J) could perfectly well connect with x.
34 and we should understand the failure to give the name of the station
reached in x. 34 as due to the intention to narrate its origin. So ch.
xxxiii. in fact makes Kibroth-hattaawah the first station after Sinai. But
unless we make the violent supposition that Taberah and Kibroth were
the same place there is no room for vv. 1-3 between. The intercession
of Moses is also a strong evidence of E. (See refs.). The passage
should of course come after ch. xii.
Ch. xii. is universally recognized as E's. " Prophecy " as the mark of
greatness, vs. 6 ; the attitude towards Aaron ; the representation of the
Tent of Meeting without the camp, and the pillar of cloud standing at
its door ; the interest in Miriam, are all of great significance ; but the
most important characteristic is found in the poetic citation, vv. 6-8, in
which we have outlined the precise conception of divine communications
which underlies the entire history of E, viz. "by visions and dreams,"
(see refs.) with the sole exception of Moses (cf. Ex. xxxiii. 11). The
true position of Num. xii. we have already seen to be after Ex. xviii. It
is. attached to the itinerary of P (cf. x. 12) by means of the clause vs.
i6a, taken from J (see refs.).
(P^) And it came to pass ^in the second year, in the second i\
month, on the twentieth day of the month, that ''the cloud was taken
up from over the tabernacle of the testimony . ^ And the children of 12
Israel set forward accordi)ig to their journeys out of the wilder-
ness of Sinai , and the cloud abode in the wilderness of
(P^j Paran. ^And they first took tJieir imtrney according to the com- 13
'9:5; Ex. 12 : I, 4of. 16 ; I ; 19 : i. ^Ex. 40 : 34-38. ^Ex. 17:1; 19 ; 1 ; cf. vv. 28, 33.
170 NUMBERS. X. 14.
i4 viaiidnient of the Lord by the hand of Moses, And in the first [place] the
standard of the camp of the children of Jiidah set forward according to their
15 hosts: and over his host was Nahshon the so>i of Ajnminadab. And ffuer the
host of the tribe of the children of Issachar zvas Nethanel the son of Zuar.
16 Aiid oner the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulnn was Eliab the son of
17 Helon, ^ And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and
1 <5 the sons of Merari, tvho l>are the tabernacle^ set forward. And the sta^idard of
the camp of Reuben set forivard according to their hosts : andcwer his host was
19 Elizur the son of Shedcnr. And over the host of the tribe of the children! of
20 Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. And over the host of the tribe
2 1 of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. And the Kohathites
set forward^ bearing the sa7ictuary : and [the other] did set up the tabernacle
22 against they came. And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim
set forward accordijig to their hosts : and over his host zoas Elishama the son of
23 Amniihud. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was
24 Gamaliel the son of Pedahznr, And over the host of the tribe of the children
25 of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. And the standard of the ca7np
of the children of Dan, which was the rearward of all the camps, set forward
according to their hosts : andover his hostwas Ahiezer the S07i of Ammishaddai.
26 And oz'er the host of the ti-ibe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of
27 Ochran. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira
28 the son of Euan. '''*Thus ivere the journeyings of the children of Israel accord-
ing to their hosts ; ''aiid they set forward.*
29 (J) [ . ] And Moses said unto ^Hobab^ the son
of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father in law. We are
journeying unto ^the place of which Yahweh said, I
will give it you : come thou with us, and we will ^"^do
thee good: for Yahweh hath spoken good concerning
30 Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go ; hut I
will depart to ''mine own land, and to my kindred.
31 And he said. Leave us not, I pray thee; ^^forasmuch
"■2 : 10-16. ^Ex. 12 : 51. 'Vv. 12, 33. ^Ex. 2 : 18 ; Jud. r : i6 ; 4:11. ^Ex. 3 : 8, 17. etc.
'°Gen. 12 : 16 ; ^ 2 : 10, 13 ; vs. 32. ^^Gen. 12 : i ; 24 : 4, 7 ; 32 : 10 ; 31 : 3. ^'^Gen. 18 : 5, etc.
* Vv. '3-28, which .simply repeat the imperatives of ii. 3-9, io-r6in the past
indicative, belong to the later supplementation of the priestly law (P^), and
seem to have originated, like Ex. xxxv.-xl. after xxvff., or Num. vii, in pure
delight in the endless elaboration of tedious detail characteristic of this extra-
XI. I. THROUGH THE DESERT OE PAR AN. 171
as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilder-
ness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes. And it 32
shall he, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that
what "good soever Yahweh shall do unto us, the
same will we do unto thee. [ . . . ]
(J) And they set forward from the mount of Yahweh, 33
three days' journey ; "and the ark of the covenant of
(J) (Rp) Yahweh went before them three days' journey to
(Rp) (J) seek out a resting place >>- them. i°And the cloud 3+
of Yahweh was over them by day, when they set for-
ward from the camp.
And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, 35
that Moses said. Rise up, Yahweh, and let thine
enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee
flee before thee. And when it rested, he said. Re- 36
turn, Yahweh, unto the ten thousands of the
thousands of Israel.*
(E) — And the people were as ^murmurers, [speaking] evil II
i^Ex. 34 : m. "Dt. 1 : 33 ; Ct. 2 : 17 ; 10 : 21. '^14 : 14 ; Ex, 13 : 2if. 'Ct. Ex. 15 ; 24 ;
17 : 3.
ordinary school. (Cf. Ezra, if., Neh. 11. i ; f., etc.) Vv. 13 and 28 are the charac-
teristically repetitious seams by means of which the insertion is patched in ; cf.
Gen. xii. 8f.; xiii. 3f. and Ex. vi. 10-13, 28-30.
* Vv. 29-32 are only a fragment of J's parallel to the story of Jethro's visit,
Ex. xviii (E). Both the account of how Hobab came to the camp at Sinai
(except for the possible fragments incorporated in Ex. xviii), and of his answer
to the prayer of Moses that lie would be their guide to the camping-places in
the desert, are omitted ; the former, because it duplicated E ; the latter because
it contradicted P (ix. lyff ). — Vs. 33 is manifestly corrupt in text, the language
(see Couard, Z. A. W. xii. i, p. 62) indicating the hand of Rp. But Rp. could
not of course have spoken of the ark going before the host (cf. ch. ii.) of his
own motion. The inconsistency with vs. 31 and awkwardness of the repeti-
tion " three days' journey " indicate an interference with the original, which
may have declared the fulfilment of the |>romise Ex. xxxiii. 14. No sufficient
reason appears to suspect traces of E, (Dillmann) here or in 35!, though the
latter have no intrinsically decisive characteristics. To reject the whole of
33b, 34 as from R (Couard), is quite out of the question ; cf. Dt. 1. 33 ; Ex.
xiii. 2if., but especially Nu. xiv. 14, from which, and from vs. 35, we can see
what the original form must have been. The jjoetic fragment vs. 35f., is of
course very ancient, derived no doubt from the actual early practise, as well as
from J's anthology.
171' NUMBERS. XI. 2.
in the ears of Yahweh : and when Yahweh heard it his anger
was kindled ; and the ^fire of Yahweh burnt among them,
2 and devoured in ^the uttermost part of the camp. And the
people cried unto Moses ; and Moses *prayed unto Yahweh,
3 and the fire abated. And the name of that place was called
Taberah : because ^the fire of Yahweh burnt among them. —
4 (J) And the "^iiiixed multitude that was among
them fell a lusting : and the children of Israel also
wept again, and said, 'Who shall give us flesh to eat ?
5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt for
nought ; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the
6 leeks, and the onions, and the garlic : but now our
soul is dried away ; there is nothing at all : we have
7 nought save this manna to look to. ^And the manna
waslike coriander seed and the appearance thereof
8 as the appearance of ^bdellium. The people went
about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or
beat it in mortars, and ^"seethed it in pots, and made
cakes of it : and the taste of it was as the taste of
9 fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in
10 the night, the manna fell upon it. And Moses heard
the people "weeping throughout their families,
'every man at the door of his tent : and the anger of
Yahweh was kindled greatly.* — [ . . . ] and fMoses
11 was displeased. And Moses said unto Yahweh,
Wherefore hast thou evil ^^entreated thy servant?
and wherefore have I not "found favor in thy sight,
that ^'^thou lay est the bui-den of all this people upon
12 me ? Have I conceived all this people ? have I brought
them forth, that thou shouldst ^'^say unto me. Carry
■^21:6. ^"20: i6;22: 36,41. "Ex. 12 : i8ff ; 33 : 7-" ; t^f- Ex 24 :
if., 9; Dt. I : 8ff. 2»Ex. 8 : 18, 22 ; cf. vv. II. 14. ^i Ex. 19 : 22; Jos. 3 : 5. 2=Ex. 8 : 20, 2;.
"Vv. 4f. 24Vv. 3i£. 2614:11,31. 2"Ex. 12:37. ,
17i NUMBERS. XL 23.
23 And Yahweli said unto Moses, Is Yahweh's hand
waxed short ? now shalt thou see whether my word
24 (E) shall come to pass unto thee or not— And Moses
went out, and told the people the words of Yahweh : and he
gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set
25 them round about the Tent. ^'And Yahweh came down in
the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that
was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders : and it
came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they
26 prophesied, but they did so no more. But there remained
two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and
the name of the other Medad : and ^Hhe spirit rested upon
them ; and they were of them that were written, but had
not gone out unto the Tent : and they prophesied in the
27 camp. And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and
28 said Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And
^Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his
chosen men,* answered and said. My lord Moses, forbid
29 them. And Moses said unto him, Art thou jealous for my
sake ? would God that all Yahweh's people were prophets,
30 that Yahweh would put his spirit upon them ! And Moses
gat him into ^'the camp, he and the elders of Israel.^
31 (J) And there went forth a ^^ind from Tahweh and
brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the
camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's
journey on the other side, round about the camp, and
32 about two cubits above the face of the earth. f And
the people rose up all that day, and all the night,
and all the next day, and gathered the quails : he
that gathered least gathered ten ^^omers : and they
spread them all abroad for themselves round about
"Ex. 33 : 9 ; Nu. 12:5; Dt. 31 : 15. 2»Vs. 17. 2»Ex. 24 : 1 3 ; 32 : 17 ; 33 : ii. 3«Nu. 12:
i4f. 3iEx. 10 : 13, iQ ; 14 : 21. ^ag^. 16 : 18.
* Translate with R. V. margin, "from liis youth ; " cf. Ex. xxxiii. 10. This
characterization of Joshua, as against the introduction in Ex. xvii. 8ff. shows
this passage to have originally stood first.
t /. c. flying so low as to be within easy reach.
XII. 5. THROUGH THE DESERT OF PARAN. 175
the camp. While the flesh was j et between their zi
teeth,* ere it was chewed, '^the anger of Yahweh
was Icindled against the people, ^*and Yahweh smote
the people with a very great plague. And the name 34
of that place was called Kihroth-hattaavah : because
there they buried the people that lusted. "'^From Ki- 35
broth-hattaavah the people journeyed unto Haze-
roth ; and they abode at Hazeroth.
(E) And Miriam and Aaron ^spake against Moses be- \i
(Rp) cause of ^the Cushite woman whom he had married -.for
(E) he had married a Cushite -woman. * And they said, Hath Yah- 2
weh indeed spoken only with Moses ? ''hath he not spoken
also with us ? And Yahweh heard it. Now ''the man 3
Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon
the face of the earth. And Yahweh spake suddenly unto 4
Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, ^Come out ye
three unto the tent of meeting. And they three came out.
«And Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at 5
the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam : and
they both came forth. And he said. Hear now my words : 6
if there be a 'prophet among you, I Yahweh will make
33Vv. I, 10. 3^Ex. 32 : 35. 35Ex. 12 : 37 ; ch. 12 ; 16. ^21:5,7; vs. 8. '^Y^x. 18 : 5.
'I Sam. 2 : 27-go, 'Ex. 11 : 3. ^Ex. 33 : 7ff. «Ex. 33 : 7-11 ; ch. n. i6ff,, 24!!. 'Gen. 20
7 ; Ex. 15 : 20 ; ch. 11 117, 26-29 \ Dt. 34 : 10.
* Not in contradiction with vv. igf. In the preceding verse the preparation
of quantities of the flesh by drying and curing in the sun is described. The
plague came " while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was con-
sumed," i. e. before the stock was exhausted.
t The explanatory clause vs. ib is omitted by Vulg. and is obviously only a
fruitless redactional attempt to supply lost information. According to J Zip-
porah is a Midianite. If the harmonistic interpolations of Rje in Ex. iii. i ;
xviii. I. be removed (see notes inloc.) there is nothing in E to prevent the sup-
position that the daughter of Jethro (nameless in E) is here referred to. The
fact that the story of Jethro's visit, bringing Moses' wife and sons (Ex. xviii.),
must in the original order have almost immediately preceded Nu. xii., corrobo-
rates this idea, and there is absolutely no ground for supposing an otherwise
unheard-of marriage of Moses. The reference in vs. 2 is perhaps to the mate-
rial missing before Ex. ii. i. ; see note in loc.
176 NUMBERS. XII. ).
myself known unto him in a ^vision, I will speak with him in
7 a dream. My servant Moses is not so ; he is faithful in all
8 mine house : with him will I speak ^mouth to mouth, even
manifestly, and not in dark speeches ; and the form of Yah-
weh shall he behold : wherefore then were ye not afraid to
9 '"speak against my servant, against Moses ?'' And the anger
of Yahweh was kindled against them ; and he departed.
10 And the cloud removed from over the Tent ; and, behold
Miriam was '^leprous, as [white as] snow : and Aaron looked
11 upon Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said
unto Moses, Oh '^my lord, lay not, I pray thee, "sin upon
us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have
12 sinned. Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the
flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's
13 womb. And Moses cried unto Yahweh, saying. Heal her, O
14 God, *I beseech thee. And Yahweh said unto Moses, If her
father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed
seven days ? let her be shut up '^without the camp seven
15 days, and after that she shall be brought in again. And
Miriam was shut up without the camp seven days : and the
people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. f
16 (J) And afterward the people journeyed from Haze-
(Rp) roth, and '"pitched in the wUdemess oj Paran.X
~Gen. 15 ; I ; 46 ; 2. ^Ex. 33 : 11 ; Dt. 34 : 10. ^"Vs. i and refs. '^11 : i, 10. i2j)t 24 :
g ; cf.,Ex. 4 ; 6. ^^Ex. 32 : 22. ^^Gen. 20 : g ; Ex. 32 ; 21, 31 ; ch. 14 : 40, etc. ; cf. 22:34.
'^E.x, 33 : 7, ^"^Ct. 10 : II.
* Probabl)' we should read al-iia " not so," for El-iia, " O God."
t Vv. 6-8 are poetic in form, but contain the doctrinal a.xiom which seems to
lie at the basis of all accounts of theophanies in E. Vv. 3 and lo contain
each a single expression characteristic of J, and Diilmann concludes that there
must therefore be an adrai.xture in the story of some J material. But there is
no sign of duplication, and the section as a whole can be assigned to none but
E.
J Kadesh, and not "the wilderness of Paran " is the scene of the following
event in JE (xiii. 26). But P locates it as here; cf. .v. 12 ; xiii. 3, 26. The
phrases here may be from P after x. 12, or a harmonistic alteration from
" Kadesh " by R.
THE STORY OF THE SPIES. 177
2, Chh. xiii-xiv. The Story of the Spies.
ANALYSIS.
Moses sends one representative of each tribe to explore the land of
Canaan and its defences, including Joshua and Caleb ; xiii. 1-20. They
bring back a discouraging report ; xiii. 21-33. The people rebel, exciting
Yahweh's anger ; xiv. i-io. Moses intercedes and secures for them a
mitigation of punishment; vv. 11-35. Yahweh addresses Moses and
Aaron with reproaches against the people, and condemns all save Caleb
and Joshua to die in the wilderness. The ten other spies are smitten at
once ; w. 26-38. The people are penitent, and resolve to invade the
land, but meet disaster at Hormah ; vv. 39-45.
In chh. xiii., xiv. we ffnd the usual conglomeration, the composite
character of the material being perhaps somewhat more apparent than
usual. Thus, as to geographical conception, in the element agreeing
with Nu. X. 12 ; xii. 16 (P'^), which appears in vs. 3 and part of 26a, the
point of departure and of return is " the wilderness of I^aran." The
twelve spies in this story experience no more opposition, difficulty or
danger in exploring the land than if they were transported invisibly
through the air, without susceptibility to the needs and limitations of
ordinary men. Accordingly they inspect the entire country from its
extreme southern to its extreme northern boundary " from the wilderness
of Zin unto Rehob, to the entering in of Hamath,'' in a tour of 40 days'
duration. Consistently the question of what the present inhabitants may
have to say as to the occupation of their land by Israel does not seem so
much as to present itself to the author's mind. The ten unworthy spies
report on their return that the land costs more to cultivate than it is worth
(vs. 32a ; cf. Lev. .xxvi. 38 ; Ez. xxxvi. 13) ; only Joshua and Caleb indig-
nantly protest before the people " saying. The land, which we passed
through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land." The ten men are slain,
" because .they made the congregation to murmur, by bringing up an evil
report against the land," xiv. 36f.
On the other hand we have a second element which represents that
the spies went up but a little way into the Negeb (" the South," vs. 22)
and came to Hebron. The point of departure and return is " Kadesh "
(vs. 26 cf. Nu. xxxii. 8; Dt. i. 19; Jos. xiv. 6). The object of investiga-
tion is partly the quality of the land, but largely, if not principally, the
character of the inhabitants and the strength of their defences. The
report of the spies is not in the least unfavorable to the land. Quite the
contrary. They acknowledge that, " It floweth with milk and honey ; "
178 NUMBERS.
they bring with them a great cluster of grapes to witness to its extraorh
dinary fertility. The discouragement of the people is caused simply by
their report of the great strength of the inhabitants and their defences.
With this representation Dt. i. 19-46 agrees to the extent of flat contra-
diction of the other ; cf. Dt. i. 25 with Num. xiii. 32. A still more
remarliable contrast in the representation of these same elements appears
in the jzJi'ri-o??;?^/ of the expedition. In that whose scene is Kadesh and
the region of Eshcol and Hebron (southern Judah) Joshua does not ap-
pear as one of the spies. To quote from Prof. Driver s analysis (Introd.
io O. T. p. 58) " Caleb alone stills the people and is exempted in conse-
quence from the sentence of exclusion from Palestine (xiii. 30 ; xiv. 24) ;
in P [the ' Zin to Rehob ' element] Joshua as well as Caleb is among
the spies ; both are named as pacifying the people, and are exempted
accordingly from the sentence of exclusion (xiv. 6, 30, 38 ; cf. xxvi. 65,
P). This last difference is remarkable, and will meet us again ; had the
whole narrative been by a single writer, who thought of Joshua as acting
in concert with Caleb, it is difficult not to think that Joshua would have
been mentioned beside Caleb — not, possibly, in xiii. 30, but — in xiv. 24,
when the exemption from the sentence of exclusion from Palestine is
first promised." In the subsequent narrative of J (Jos. xiv. 6-15 ; xv. 14-
ig^ud. i. 20, 10-15) Hebron becomes the portion of Caleb, because
his brethren that went up with him when Moses sent them to spy out
the land discouraged the people, but he wholly followed Yahweh. Caleb
in fact had received at the time (cf. Jos. .xiv. 9 with Num. xiv. 24) the
promise that " the land whereon his foot had trodden," Hebron and
" the cities great and fenced," " where were the Anakim. Ahiman, Shes-
hai and Talmai," should be his. The passage in Joshua has been
worked over by Rd, but the original sense unmistakably corroborates
the representation of that element in Num. xiii. f. where Caleb alone
opposes the report of the men that went up with him.
The combination of these divergent representations has been effected
with skill ; but it was unavoidable that traces should remain of incon-
gruity, disagreement and duplication. Thus it is plain that xiii. 22 is
parallel to vs. 21, vs. 32 to vv. 27-31, and xiv. 26-34 in general to xiv. 11
22-25. not to mention smaller redundancies and parallels. No amount
of redactional skill could preserve vv. 8 and i6b and avoid their appear-
ing most incomprehensibly strange after we have heard of " Joshua the
son of Nun, Moses' minister ' repeatedly, and never of Hoshea ; (but cf.
Dt. xxxii. 44 (Rd). The explanation is very simple when we realize
that this is in reality the first appearance of Joshua in P. The descrip-
tion of the country, vv. 27-29 corresponds naturally with the directions
THE STORY OF THE SPIES. 179
given in vv. lyb-ig, but when the exploration is made to extend to a
distance of 400 miles, it is strange that the report should relate exclu-
sively to what could be discovered in the first 40. Moreover in vs. 25f.
the journey of the spies is certainly described from south northwards.
The combined text therefore makes it appear that the spies came to
Eshcol, in the south of Judah, cut down there, according to directions,
vs. 20, an immense cluster of grapes which they bore on a staff between
two, besides other fruit, and then carried all this with them a journey of
some 800 miles through a hostile country !
The redaction has left a further little awkwardness in that Caleb
" stills the people before Moses " already in xiii. 30, whereas the people
have not given, so far as the present text shows, the first sign of discon-
tent or made any objection whatever until xiv. iff.
We scarcely need point out further evidence of the need of analysis ;
it remains to indicate how by disentanglement of the interwoven strands
all these difficulties may be removed.
All critics are practically agreed, ist in general as to the portions
assignable to P, and 2nd as to the presence of both J and E in the ele-
ment remaining after removal of P. The phraseology and view-point
of the latter are easily recognizable, in the list of names, including both
Caleb and Joshua (cf. xxvi. 65); the change of Joshua's name; "the
wilderness of Paran'as the starting point (x. 12; xii. i6b) ; "Moses
and Aaron " and '' the whole congregation of the children of Israel " as
the actors ; " the glory of Yahweh appearing in the Tent of Meeting ; "
and a great number of characteristic expressions, of which only one
need be mentioned, inr for "spy out," occurring eleven times, and used
only by P (and Rp in x. 33). These make it easy to extricate the narra-
tive of P which appears complete in xiii. i-iya, 21, 25, (cf. xiv. 34), 26a
(except " Kadesh ") 32a ; xiv. la, 2b, 5-7, 10, 26-30 (Dill. vs. 3o=J, but
cf. Ex. vi. 8) 34-38.
The separation of E from J is far more difficult. From Dt. i. ig-46
we are able to reconstruct the narrative of JE (no trace of P's narrative
appears in Deuteronomy) and to supply certain features now missing.
Thus it appears that instead of the list of names, JE contained a state-
ment similar to Jos iii. 12; iv. 2, 4 (E), that Moses took a man from
each tribe, and that the suggestion of a reconnaissance emanated from
the people. The writer of Deut. i. ipff. seems also to have had mainly
before him an account of a reconnaissance to Eshcol, in which the prod-
uce of the country was a main consideration. In curious contradiction
with the element of P, Dt. i. 25 not only imputes no blame whatever to
the spies (no specific reason appears in the whole chapter for the special
180 NUMBERS.
favor shown in vv. 36-38 to Caleb and Joshua) but simply says they
declared the land to be "a good land " (ct. xiii. 32). From Dt. i. alone
we should not guess that the spies had done anything but their duty.
This agrees very well with a part of the JE element of ch. xiii. especially
vv. 20, 231., 26b, 32b, 33 ; but it scarcely harmonizes with w. 3of.,
although this series of passages in which Caleb is set in sharp contrast
with the other spies is obviously employed by him. This slight indica-
tion of a double point of view in the Deuteronomist is fully corroborated
when we look at his source. The duplications of vv. i/b-ao are unmis-
takable, and it also appears that vv. 22 and 23 are not consecutive, but
parallel. Taking up the strand in which Caleb is contrasted with the
other spies, vye find that in xiv. 24 Caleb receives the promise of the land
on which his foot had trodden. This of course does not mean " the
land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob at the entering in of Ham-
ath " (vs. 21, P) ; but neither does it include Eshcol and its vicintiy.
Jos. xiv. 12-14 gives us an unimpeachable interpretation of its meaning ;
" Now therefore give me f/us mountain whereof Yahweh spake in that
day {i. e. Num. xiv. 24) ; for thou heardest in that day how the Ana-
kim were there and cities great and fenced (Debir is mentioned in the '
story of Caleb's conquest) ; . . . Therefore Hebron became the inheri-
tance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, unto this'day ; because
that he luhoUy foHoweil Yahweh the God of Israel" (cf. Num. xiv. 24),
The sequel to this allotment of Hebron to Caleb appears in Jos. xv. 14-
19 (= Jud. i. 10-15) and the whole together is the sequel to J's story of
the spies, vi'hich now appears almost in the light of a story of Caleb and
the conquest of Hebron from the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman,
and Tolmai (cf. Jud. i. 10). It includes in ch. xiii. at least vv. 22. 28,
3of.
To E accordingly must be assigned that element of the story whose
scene is Eshcol, and in which " the fruit of the land " figures so promi-
nently. This is in agreement with the version of Deuteronomy, which,
for reasons to be hereafter explained, admittedly favors the version of E.
Vv. 20b, 23f. and parts of vv. 26 and 27 of ch. xiii. are thus assignable
to E ; and to this the linguistic marks will be found to agree (see refs.).
The separation of the double strand of vv. i7b-2ois facilitated by a com-
parison of Dt. i. 24f., and a scrutiny of the subsequent relation of how
the orders here given were carried out (see refs.). The narrative of J
seems to reach a full stop with vv. 3of., and accordingly the resumption
of the report of the spies in vv. 32f. is belated. From this it appears
that the description of the giants in 32b, 33 is not really a continuation
of vv. 22. 28, but rather parallel ; and the identification of the Nephitim
THE STORY OF THE SKIES. 181
with the beni-Anak is not original with the source, but belongs to the
harmonistic redaction (see note in loc). The manifestly legendary tone
of vs. 33 is also less surprising in E than in J ; moreover in the sequel of
J (Jos, xiv. 6-15 ; XV. 13-19; Jud. i. 10-15) 't does not appear that the
Aiiakim were giants, nor is there any mention of Nepliilim. Vv. 32b,
33 may accordingly be added with confidence to the E element of ch.
xiii. Only vs. 29 remains doubtful. Here, in spite of the urgent reason-
ing of Meyer, Budde and others, the indications of E seem predomi-
nant. The argument on this intricate and important question is too
involved and technical for these pages and the reader is referred to the
authorities mentioned. For answer to Meyer and Budde cf. Dillmann,
Nu. Dt. and Jos. p. 73, to whose linguistic argument I would add a com-
parison of the last clause of the verse with Ex. ii. 5. Further consider-
ations are the agreement of vs. 2930 with xiv. 25, 43, 45 (E according
to both Budde and Meyer ; cf. Jos. v. i ; xi. 3, and discussion of these
passages in Bud. Urg. pp. 345ff.), and the fact that the spies' report in
J seems, here and in the sequel, exclusively occupied with Hebron and
the beni Anak, reaching a conclusion in vs. 28 ; whereas that of E takes
in a wider reach, vv. 32b, 33 presupposing the mention of other peoples
besides the Nephilim. After vs. 28 we expect to hear of the murmur-
ing of the people, ft is much more appropriate after vs. 28 than after
vs. 29, which contains purely general information not at all terrifying,
and Caleb's stilling the people, vs. 30, shows that originally it must have
stood at this point. Of course, however, when the 2d and 3d version of
the spies' report (vv. 32a, 32b, 33) were inserted, the description of the
people's murmuring had to be postponed. This account of the murmur-
ing is easily discoverable by means of the references in xiv. 31 and Dt. i.
39 (but cf. LXX.) combined with both P and E in xiv. iff. The J element
here is 23x1 (cf. Ex. xv. 24), 3b (vs. 31), 4 (?). Vs. ib must be from E,
unless we suppose two rebellions in J ; for according to J (xiii. 30) the
murmuring takes place while Caleb and his companions and the people
are still in the presence of Moses, not during the night. The linguistic
features of vv. 8f. and the effort to overcome the people's fear of the
Anakim instead of to counteract the evil report of the other spies, as in
vs. 7, mark these verses also as J's. In Dt. i. 29 Moses claims to have
made this speech himself. If the words are Moses' we must insert them
and the fragments in vv. 2-4 before xiii. 30. If Caleb's (P, vs. 6) they
belong between xifi. 30 and 31. Vs. 3a must be assigned to E (cf. vs.
43), vs. 4 is from E or J , as a parallel of 3c, probably the former; the
rest of xiv. i-io is unmistakably from P. (With vs. 2 cf. vs. 28 and
XX. 3, and see refs.). We have thus the story of J of the spies and their
IS2 • NUMBERS.
report practically complete ; and the insertion of the fragments in xiv. iff.
in their necessary position gives one more indication that we are right in
assigning vs. 29 to E, since no room is left it in J.
In xiv. 1 1-38 after the removal of the priestly element (see above, p. 1 79)
we have nothing save a complete and consistent narrative of Moses'
intercession for the people, which, in its characteristic argumentation
with Yahweh ; its phraseology (see refs.) ; its explicit and remarkable
reference to, and quotation of, Ex. x.xxiv. 61. (J) and of Num. x, 33f. (in
vs. 14) ; from the subsequent refei-ence made to it in Jos. xiv. 14 ; and
from the view-point evinced by the author (Caleb alone resists the dis-
couraging report of the other spies) can only be J's. To this statement
only one exception is to be made. Vs. 25 is certainly from E. The
detour around Edom and Moab is a conception peculiar to this source,
and the expressions, " by the way to the Red Sea ' etc., are no lessunmis-
takable (see refs.) ; moreover this " command " is referred to in vs. 41
(E). It should be observed that Yahweh's utterance to Moses in vv. 20-
24 is not complete ; for if we stop with vs. 24 the impression conveyed is
that Israel is entirely disinherited in favor of Caleb ; which cannot be the
author's intention. He must have gone on to say that the subsequent
generation should inherit the land after the present has expiated its unbe-
lief in the wilderness. We know in fact from Am. ii. 10; v. 25, that the
40 years' wandering was an integral element of the oldest tradition. In
other words vv. 31-33 which largely duplicate their context (cf. vs. 32
with vs. 29) are not to be classed with vv. 26-38 as a late passage in imi-
tation of the style of both J and P (so Well. Kuen.) ; but form properly
the immediate sequel to vs. 24, their conte.xt being from P, who here as
in Ex. xvi. is dependent on J, to some extent even verbally. By adding
w. 31-33 to vs. 24 we obtain still further confirmation of our judgment
of vs. 25, which finds no room in J.
We are again in agreement with critics generally in attributing vv. 39-
45 to E. In xxi. 1-3 and Jud. i. 17, one of which is from' J, if not both,
we have a subsequent story of the naming of this place " Hormah " from
the fact of its " destruction " by Israel ; the former name having been
Zephath. But besides this incompatibility with J, we have in 39b, 40a
and b, 41, 43 and 44 phrases characteristic of E (see refs.). In vv. 43
and 45 it is easy to see the connection with vs. 25 and xiii. 29.
On the whole, chh. xiiif. yield with tolerable ease and certainty to
analysis, and the results are of subsequent importance. We find, how-
ever, that the JE element here has been removed from a later position to
accommodate it to P. In xiii. 26a/' (J or E ; cf. Jos. xiv. 6, J) the
people arc already settled at Kadesh, though the narrative in xx. 1-13
XIII. I/. THE STORY OF THE SPIES. 183
necessarily pertains to the first arrival there. If the transfer of chh. xiii
f. be made, we find the E element connecting directly with xx. I4ff.,
where the command of xiv. 25 is carried out (cf. also xxi. 4, E) and E's
story of Hormah, xiv. 39-45, brought into the same relative position as
J's, xxi. 1-3, while in J the disaster of xxi., iff. follows suitably after
Yahweh's language in ch. xiv. Finally the hyperbole in xiv. 22 is more
natural and less exaggerated if the " provocations " of chh. xvi. and xx.
1-13 have preceded, than when they come after.
(P) '■And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, "^Send thou 13 — 2
men, that they may ^spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto
the children of Israel : *of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send
a man, every one a ^prince among them. '•And Moses sent them 3
from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of
Yahweh : all of them men who were heads of the children of
Israel. And these were their names : of the ''tribe of Reuben, 4
Shammua the son of Zaccur. Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat 5
the son of Hori. Of the tribe of '-• fudah, Caleb the son of fephun- 6
neli. Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. Of the 7-8
tribe of Ephraim, Hosliea the son of Nun. Of the tribe of Ben- 9
jamin, Palti the son of RapJiu. Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel 10
the son of Sodi. Of the tribe of Joseph, [namety,] of the tribe 0/ ii
Manassek, Gaddi the son of Susi. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel 12
the son of Gemalli. Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of iT)
Michael. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the soil of Vophsi. 14
Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Mac hi. These are the 15-16
names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. ^And
Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. And Moses sent 17
(J) them to spy out the land of Canaan, — [ . . ]*ail(l said
^Cf. Dt. I : 19-46 ; Jos. 14 : 6-15. ^Ct. Dt. i ; 21. ^Vv, 16, 17, 22, 25, 32. etc. ; ct. 21 1^2;
Dt. I 1 24 ; Jos. 2 : I, 22, 25 ; Jud. 18 : 2, 14, 17, etc. ■*! : 16, 47 ; 26 : 55 ; 33 : 54 etc. ^3 : 24,
30, 35 ; 16 ; 2. ''lo : 12 ; 4 : 37. 'Vs. 2 and refs. vv. 4-15. ^Ct. Jos. 14 ;6, 14 ; Jud. i : 13 ;
Gen. 15:19; 36 : II ; cf. 34 : ig ; 32 : n ; i Chron. 2 ; 9-55. ^Cf. Ex. 17 : gff ; 24 : 13, etc.
* The personnel of the expedition according to J can be determined only by
the sequel. The only exception to the disheartening report of vs. 31 is of a
hitherto unknown " Caleb," vs. 30 ; it is probable accordingly that we should
supply before vs. 17b some brief account of Moses' appointing Caleb and
(eleven?) others to reconnoitre. Caleb's companions may have l)een named;
184 NUMBERS. XIII. i8.
i8 unto them, Get you up this way '"by the South, aufi
(E) go up "into the mountains : and see tlie land, what it is ;
(J) and the people that dwelleth therein, [ . . ] whether
(E) they be '-'stroug or weak, whether they be wfew or
19 (J) many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whe-
ther it be good or bad ; and what i*cities they be that
they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strong holds ;
20 (E) and what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether
there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage,
and bring of the '^fruit of the land. Now the time was the
21 (P) time of the firstripe grapes. So tliey went up, and ^^ spied
out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the entering
22 (J) in of dJauiath. And they went up by the South, and
came unto Hebron ; and ^'Ahiman, Sheshai, and Tal-
mai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron
23 (E) was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And
they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from
thence a branch with one ^^cluster of grapes, and they bare
it upon a staff between two ; [they brought] also of the
24 pomegranates, and of the figs. ^'That place was called the
valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of
25 (P) Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from spy-
26 ing out the land at the end of '■''forty days. And they went and
came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation, of the
(E) children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran \ . ] to
(Rp) Kadesh ; and brought back word unto them, and unto all
27 (J) the congre_^ation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And
tliey told him, and said, ^'We came unto the land
whither thou sentest us, and surely it ^"floweth with
(E) milk and honey ;[•■•] and this is the fruit of it.
28 (J) '^Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are
strong, and the cities are fenced , [and] very great :
^•^Cf. vs. 22 ; ct. 2g. '^Vs. 29 : 14 : 40, 45 Dt. i : 24. '-Vv. 28, 31. ^^Vs. 29. ^''Vv. 22,
28 : Dt. I : 28 ; Jos. 14, 12. i^Vv. 23f, 26. "Vs. aand refs. "Jud. i : 10. i«Gen. 40 : 10.
"Cf. Gen. 14 : 13, 24. ■^°i4 : 34. "Vs. 19. ''Ex. 3 : 8 and refs. "Vs. 18; Dt. 1.28; Jos. 14:12.
more probably were not. Joshua of course could not have been of their num-
ber. For the displacement of JE in chh. xiiif., see above (Analysis p. 182).
XI\'. 5. THE STORY OF THE SPIES. 185
and moreover we saw the cliiklreu of Aiiak there.
(E) [ • • • ] Amalek dwelleth in ^the land of the South : and 29
the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell '^in the
mountains : and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and
(J) ^along by the side of Jordan. [ . . . ] And '■^'Caleb 30
stilled the people hefore Moses, and said, Let us go
up at once, and possess it ; for we are well able to
oveixome it. But the men that went up with him 31
said. We be not able to go up against the people ; for
(P) they are stronger than we. '^Ati,/ they brought up an 32
evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of
Israel, saying. The land, through which we liave gone to spy it out,
(E) is a ''''land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof ; and all the
people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And 33
(Rd) there we saw the *'Nephilim, the sons of Anak, which come
(E) of the Nephilim : * and we were in our own sight as grass-
hoppers, and so we were in their sight.
(P) (J) And ^all the congregation lifted up their VOice, 14
(E) (J)and cried : and the people wept that night — And 2
(P) all the children of Israel — murmured against Moses
and against Aaron . and the whole congregation said unto them,
'' Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt ! or would
(E) God we had died in this wilderness ! And [ . ] where- 3
fore doth Yahweh bring us unto this land, \o fall by the sword ?
(J) *Our wives and our little ones shall be a prey :
were it not better for us to return into Egypt !
(E) And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, 4
I'P) and let us return into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron 5
^*Gen. 20: I ; ct. vs. 17. ^syj j^ and refs. ^'Ex. 2 : 5 ; Jud. ii : 26. ''' 14:2.^5. "14:36;
ct. Dt. I : 24. -'Lev 26 : 38 ; Ez. 36 : 13. soQen. 6 : 4. 'Vs. 5. 26 etc. ^^o : 3. sy. 43.
■•Vs. 31 ; Dt. I : 39.
*Vs 33a i.is a harmonistic gloss not found in LXX, intended to identify the
N^ephilim, or giants, of E with the " children of Anak" of J, vv. 22, 28, though
here a different expression (beni-KwiV.] is used. The latter are also taken by
D to be giants, perhaps from this identification. Cf. the gloss in Gen. vi. 4,
where (in spite of the intervening Flood) the same Nepliilim are identified with
the Gtbborim.
186 NUMBERS. XIV. 6.
^fell on their faces before ''all the assembly of the congregation of
6 the childreii of Israel. And ''Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb
the son of Jephunneh, which ivere of them that spied oitt the land.,
7 rent their clothes . and they spake unto all the congregation of the
children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to
8 (J) spy it out, is an exceeding good land. If Yah well
delight ill us, then he will bring us into this laud,
and give it uuto us; a land which sfloweth with
9 milk and honey. Only rebel not against Yahweh,
neither fear ye the people of the land ; for they
are bread for us : their defence is removed from
over them, and Yahweh is w ith us : fear them not. — *
10 (P) But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. "^And
the glory of Yalnueh appeared in thf tent of meeting unto all the
children oj Israel.
11 (J) And Yahweh said unto Moses, ^"How long will
this people ^^despise me ? and how long will they not
^^believe in me, for all the signs which I have
12 wrought among them J I will smite them with the
pestilence, and disinherit them, and ^''will make
of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.
13 And Moses said unto Yahweh, "Then the Egyptians
shall hear it ; for thou broughtest up this people in
14 thy might from among them ; and they will tell it to
^*the inhabitants of this land : they have heard that
thou Yahweh '''art in the midst of this people ; for
thou Yahweh art seen ''face to face, and thy cloud
standeth over them, and thou '''goest before them, in
a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of Are by
"16:4, 22 ; 17 : 10 ; 20: 6. «Ex. 12:6. 'Vv. 30, 38 ; ct. 23f. 813 : 27 and refs. »Ex. 16 :
loandrels. ">Ex, 10 : 3 ; cf. vs. 26. "11:20. ''-iEx. 14 ; 31. "Ex. 32 : 10. "Ex. 32:12.
JSGen. 50:11. "Ex. 34:1,. "Ct. 12 : 8 ; Ex. 33 : 11. HEx. 13 : 2if ; ch. 10 : 30.
* Vv. 2a, 3b and 8f. should be in.serled before xiii. 30 (see Analysis), where
it is pointed out that in ])t. i. 29f. vv. 8f. are attributed to Moses. The reverse
process (Wellh. Comp. p. 104) is impracticable, because according to xiii. 30!.
the revolt must have taken place while Caleb and his companions were still
standing in presence of Moses and tlie ])eop]e ; whereas the events of xiv. iff.
belong to the next day ; cf. xiv. ib (E.).
XIV. 24. THE STORY OF THE SPIES. 187
uight. Now if thou slialt kill this people as one man, 15
then the nations which have heard the fame of thee
will speak, saying. Because Yahweh was not able to 16
bring this people into the land which he sware unto
them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilder-
ness. And now, I pray thee, let the power of "the 17
(Rd) Lord be great, according as «thou hast spoken, saying, 18
Yahweh is slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy, forgiving iniquity and
transgression, and that will by no means clear [the guilty] ; visiting the in-
iquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth
generation.* Pardou, I pray thee, the iniquity of this 19
people according unto the greatness of thy mercy,
and according as thou hast forgiven this people,
from Egypt even until now. And Yahweh said, I 20
"have pardoned according to thy word: but in very 21
deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled
with the glory of Yahweh; because all those men 22
which have seen my glory, and my signs, which
I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet
''^ave tempted me these ten times, and have not
barkened to my voice ; surely they shall not see the 23
land which I sware unto their fathers,! neither shall
any of them that '"despised me see it : ^*but my ser- 24
i»E.x. 4 : 10 and refs. ™Ex. 34:6f. ='Ex. 32:14 =2E.\. 17 : 2, 7. "Vs. 11 and refe.
^•ijos. 14 : 6-15.
* The accounts in J of Moses' intercessions (Ex. x.xxii. 7-14; x.xxiii. 12-
xxxiv. 7 etc.) have generally undergone revision by Rd, as in the present in-
stance. The quotation of Ex. xxxiv. 6f. establishes the lateness of vv. 17b, iS,.
and the same hand has doubtless been busy in the rest of the jDaragraph (cf.
LXX,), making the translation uncertain and construction confused. In vs.
17 read with LXX., "let thy power be maonified, O Lord." The idea of the
original writer is precisely as in Jos. vii. 8f. (J) ; the appeal is not, as in 17b,
18, to Yahweh's promise of mercv, but to his jealousy of his reputation for
"power." Thus 17b, 18 (Rd) give a wrong turn to 17a and anticipate vs. 19.
t The LXX. insert here, " But as for their children who are here with me, as
many as have not known good or evil (cf. Gen. iii. 5 : Is. vii. 15 ; vs. 29 and
xxxii. [I — LXX.) to them I will give the land." In Dt. i. 39 the same lan-
guage appears as part of the divine utterance here, and LXX. may have taken it
thence. The fact shows at least a recognition by LXX. that the passage above is
188 NUMBERS XIV. 25.
vant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him,
and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the
land whereinto he went ; and his seed shall possess
25 (E) it. [ . . ] Now the '^Amalekite and the Canaanite
dwell in the valley ; to-morrow turn ye, and get you into
the wilderness ^by the way to the Red Sea.
26 (P) And Yaliiveh spake wito Moses and unto Aaron, saxuv^,
27 -'How long [shall I beat-\ ivith this evil congregation, which
niuniiiir against nie ! I have heard the nuirniurings of the chil-
28 dren of Israel, which they niiirniur against me. Say unto them.
As T live, saith Yahwch, surely as ''■^ye have spoken in mine ears,
2<^ so will I do to you your carcases shall fall in this wilderness j
and all that """ic'crc numbered of you, according to your whole
number, from twenty years old and upward, which have mur-
30 mured against inc, surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning
tvhich I ^lifted up my hand that I would make you dwell therein^
save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31 (J) But your little ones, which °\ve said should be a
prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the
2,2 land which ye have ^'rejected. But as for you, your
Zi carcases shall fall in this wilderness. And your
children shall be "wanderers in the wilderness forty
years, and shall bear your ^*whoredoms, until your
34 (P) carcases be consumed in the wilderness. ^ After
the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty
'^13 : 29 ; vv. 43. 45. 26j?x 13 : 78 : ch. 21 : 4. ^^'17 : 10 etc ; cf. vs. n. ^^Vs. 2 ; cf. vs. 32.
'"Chh. 1-3. 3»Ex. 6:8. ='Vs. 3 ; Dt. i : 39. =211:20. s'Gen. 4 : 12 ; 46 : 34. s»Ex. 34 :
16. S6j, .jj
incomplete without the, .substance of vv. 31-33. But Dt. i. 20-46 which keeps
vevy close to JE in Num. xiii. f., presents a further statement in vv. 375.
of Yahweh's anger wi'th Moses for LsraeTs sake, and denying to him admission
to the land of promise (reiterated in iv. 2r ; xxxi : 3) which contradicts P (xx.
i-r3), and was certainly part nf the older tradition. The story of Yahweh's
anger with Moses may not originally have belonged here (see above p. rS), or
may have been from the hand of E or Rje, but the concurrent witness of LXX.,
Deuteronomy and P in vv. 26-30, 34f. who here reproduces, to some extent
even verbally, the story of vv. ri-24 (cf. vv. 11 with 27 ; 21, 32 with 28; 33
with 34f. ; and t\it plus of L.XX. in vs. 23 with 29b) seems to indicate the for-
mer existence of somewhat more of JE in and after vs. 24. From this connec-
tion, as appears from Dt. i. 3S-40. vv. 3r-33 have been removed.
XIV. 45- THE STORY OF THE SPIES. 189
days, for every day a year, shall ye ^'^bear your iniquities, even
forty years, and ye shall know my "''alienation. I, Yahwch, hart- 2>S
spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that
are gathered together against me : in this wilderness they shall be
consumed, and there they shall die. And the men, which Moses 36
sent to spy .out the land, who returned, and ^made all the congre-
gation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report
against the land, even those men that did bring up an evil report 37
of the land, died by the plague before Yahweh. But '''^ Joshua 38
the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive
(E) of those men that went to spy out the land. And Moses 39
told these words unto all the children of Israel : "and the
people mourned greatly. "And they rose up early in the 40
morning, and gat them up to the top ^^of the mountain, say-
ing, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which
Yahweh hath promised : ■'^for we have sinned. And Moses 41
said. Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of
Yahweh, seeing it shall not prosper ? Go not up, for Yah- 42
weh is not among you ; that ye be not smitten down before
your enemies. For there the "Amalekite and the Canaanite 43
are before you, and *^ye shall fall by the sword : because )'e
are turned back from following Yahweh, therefore Yahweh
will not be with you. But they presumed to go up to the 44
(Rd) top of the mountain : nevertheless the ark of the cove-
(E) nant of * Yahweh, and Moses, •'"departed not out of the
camp. Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite 45
which dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat
them down, even unto "Hormah.
**********
3»i8 : I, 23. "Ex. 6:6-8. ^''■ly-V- "Ct. vs. 24. Dt. i : 36. <»Ex. 33:4. I'Gen. 20 ; 8;
21 : 14 etc. ^^Vs. 44 ; 13 : 17, 29. ^^Ex. 32 : 31 ; ch. 12 : 11 ; 21 ; 7 ; (22 : 34) ; Jos. 7 : 20 etc.
^^13 : 29 ; vv. 25, 45. ■'^Vs. 3. *^{Ex. 13 : 22) ; 33 : 11. ■*'Cf. xxi, 1-3 : Jud. i : 17.
* There is no other passage in JE where the name " ark of the covenant of
Yahweh " is found in a context of unquestionable genuineness. On the other
hand there are several passages where an original " ark of Yahweh " has been
altered by the insertion of berith (" covenant of "). The probability is accord-
ingly against the genuineness of the word here. — After vs. 45 lA'X. add, " So
they returned to the camp.''
190 NUMBERS.
3. Chh. XV. — XX. 13. Israel at Kadesh.
ANAL YSIS.
Ch. XV. is a section of various fragments of priestly law, and, having no
■connection whatever with the story, is accordingly omitted. In ch. xvi.
the mutiny of Korah, Dathan and Abiram is related. Certain promi-
nent individuals aspire to the priesthood, and raise a rebellion against
Moses. iVIoses protests, and appeals to Yahweh ; vv. 1-19. Yahweh
jntervenes ; Korah and his followers are swallowed up by the earth, (con-
sumed by fire from the sanctuary) ; vv. 20--35. A" altar-covering is
made from the censers of the burnt ; vv. 36-40. The people, sympathiz-
ing with the punished rebels, are visited by a plague ; w. 41-50-
Aaron's rod buds, as a token of the preeminence of Levi; xvii. l-ii.
Israel's complaint of the danger of approaching the Tabernacle is met by
the appointment of the Levites for its service ; xvii. 12 — xviii. 7. (Chh.
xviii. 8-xix. contain only Levitical laws unconnected with the narrative,
and are accordingly omitted). Arrived at Kadesh in the wilderness of
Zin, the people murmur for water, and are supplied by Moses' smiting
the rock with the rod : xx. 1-13.
It is difficult even to frame a synopsis of these chapters without exhib-
iting the patent self-contradictions which they embody. In the story of
Korah's mutiny, for example, it is impossible to conceive how after " the
earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up (the mutineers), and
their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all
their goods," so that " they, and all that appertained to them, went down
alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them" (xvi. 32f.), it could
still be possible not only for " fire to come forth from Yahweh and devour
the 250 men that offered the incense," but for Eleazar to take up the
censers out of the burning and scatter the fire (vv. 35ff.). But after we
have adjusted our minds by some harmonistic process to a double
destruction of Korah and his followers, and all that appertained to them,
and their households ; one is really staggered to read in Num. xxvi. 11.,
"Notwithstanding the sons of Korah died not."* Moreover in xvi. 3
the complaint of the mutineers is that Moses and Aaron have arrogated
to themselves as Levi/es a special priestly right which properly belongs
to " all the assembly.' In accordance with this both Reubenites and 250
princes of the congregation, presumably from all the tribes, are men-
tioned as of the company of Korah. In xxvii. 3 it is unequivocally
* An interpolation intended to account for the Levitical guild of temple-
singers " the sons of Korah : " see titles of Pss. and cf. Num. xxvi. 58.
ISRAEL A T KADESH. 191
implied tliat this company was not exclusively of Levites. Yet the rep-
resentation of vv. 8-1 1 is positive that the mutiny was a revolt of Levites
against the exclusive privileges of the Aaronic priesthood. It would
appear, however, from xxvii. 3 that this representation comes from a later
hand than P^, and this conclusion is established with certainty by the
story of xvii. and xviii. 1-7, according to which Aaron's rod which buds
IS "the rod of Levi" as against the other eleven tribes, xvii, 1-3, and the
Levites are first endowed with their peculiar office in consequence of the
event of ch. xvi. and xvii. 12 — xviii. 7. The story of the revolt of Korah
and others of the laity (P^) is therefore to be distinguished from a later
element (P^) observable in vv. 8ff. where the mutineers are Levites.
But a much more remarkable phenomenon appears when we look at
the references of Deuteronomy, supposed by the Grafian critics to
depend on JE, but regarded as older than P'^ Deuteronomy not only
ignores any distinction between priests and Levites, treating the words
as synonyms, but in xi. 6 makes explicit reference to this story as the
story of what Yahweh " did unto Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab
the son of Reuben, how the earth opened her mouth and swallowed
them up, and their households and their tents and every living thing that
followed them, in the midst of all Israel." Either the Deuteronomist
practised "higher criticism," or else the story of Num. xvi. to him was
not a mutiny of Koraii at all ; but of " Dathan and Abiram the sons of
Eliab, the son of Reuben." Curiously enough there are portions of Nu.
xvi. also, where Dathan and Abiram appear alone, as sole leaders of the
mutiny ; and others where Korah appears alone in a like capacity (cf.
vv. 12, 25, 27b. ; with 5, 8, 16, 19, 32, 40, 49). The latter appears as the
representation of P''^ in subsequent passages (Vs. 49; xxvii. 3). It is also
remarkable that according to Dt. xi. 6 the fate of the mutineers was to
be swallowed up alive by the earth, and this again in Nu. xvi. 27b — 32a is
certainly the fate of Dathan and Abiram, and apparently of Korah's
companions (32b), though " the 250 men who offered the incense " met a
very different fate, and what became of Korah can only be inferred.
Again it is to be observed that where Moses is speaking with Dathan
and Abiram (vv. 12-15, 25, 27b-32) the subject of priestly or Levitical
rights does not enter into the controversy at all. Dathan and Abiram
accuse Moses of wanting to make himself a prince over them, of having
been untrue to his promise to lead them to "a land flowing with milk
and honey," of wishing to " bore out the eyes of these (.') men." Moses
on his part prays that their offering (?) may not be respected (cf. Gen. iv.
4f.), and denies having injured a single individual. But nothing what-
ever is said of priestly rights. It is needless to refer in addition to
192 NUMBERS.
minor difficulties, such as vs. i. wliere the verb " took " has no object ;
vs. 24, 27a. where Korah, Dathan and Abiram appear to have one tent in
common, and that not a tent at all, but a sacred " tabernacle " (mzsklan)
for mishkan is never used in prose of anything but the sanctuary of
Yahweh ; and vs. 7b, which so singularly and inappropriately repeats
a part of 3a. From what has already been said minds in any degree
susceptible to critical evidence cannot fail to recognize the probably com-
posite character of ch. xvi. and that the story told in Dt. xi. 6 represents
at least one element of JE, while even P is here composite also.
The priestly element as a whole is easily separated. The two charac-
teristic features, that Korah alone is leader of the revolt, and that the
subject of controversy is the priestly prerogative, are amply sufficient for
the extrication of vv. i-ii (exc. traces in vv. 1-3), 16-243, 26, 27a, 32b,
and from vs. 35 to xviii. 7 as the element of P'' and P^. The phraseol-
ogy and point of view are alike unmistakable. Only in the portion
where a close combination of JE and P has been attempted, viz. vv. 24-
32, is there any difficulty in the separation ; and here the linguistic cri-
teria are decisive. The association of the words " tabernacle {mishkan)
of Korah, Dathan and Abiram " in vv. 24 and 27a has been already
spoken of as an impossible one. To make assurance doubly sure it is
only necessary to observe that "all the congregation,' according to vs.
19, have already been assembled by Korah " at the door of the Tent of
Meeting," and hence cannot possibly be in the vicinity of " the taberna-
cle of Korah, Dathan And Abiram," supposing such a place to be con-
ceivable. There is only one Mishkan ; hence we have no trouble in
replacing the impossible " Korah, Dathan and Abiram " of Rp by the
original " Yahweh." The harmonistic purpose of Rp in making the
change is very obvious, as he is intent upon weaving together the story
of Korah (P) and that of Dathan and Abiram (JE). It should be obvi-
ous, although apparently overlooked by critics, that vs. 26, built upon the
model of vs. 23!., and priestly in tone and language, is purely the work
of Rp, a kind of solder whose material is derived from the verses 23-27
which it is intended to unite, but which melts and separates without the
application of a great amount of analytical heat. The same is true of
vs. 32b, where Rp betrays himself further by the use of the late priestly
word rekush, "goods" (Gen. xiv. iif. ; xv. 14; xvi. 21) ; it may be true
also of the last clause of vs. 33.
Nor is the separation of the element V from P^ a difficult matter. Vv.
36-40 are shown in vs. 4c to take the view of P^ that the controversy
concerns the prerogative of Aaron and his sons over the other Levites,
as in vv. 8-1 1. Vv. i6f. simply illustrate the usual practise of Rp and
ISRAEL A T KADESH. 193
the late priestly interpolators, of leading back to the point of interruption
by repeating the preceding context (cf. vv. i6f. with 5-7; and both
with Ex. vi. 10-12 and 28-30). The result of this awkwardness is that
Moses makes three consecutive addresses to Korah of nearly the same
import, viz., vv. 4-7 ; 8-11 ; i6ff.
A far more difficult matter is the separation of JE into its elements ;
for we must agree with critics generally, in view of the patent duplica-
tions of vv. 28-34 (see text below), and the incongruities of vv. 12-15,
that the JE strand is also duplicate. To begin with, it is a very singular
thing that Rp should have attempted a combination of two such widely
different narratives as (a) a story of the mutiny of Dathan and Abiram,
(JE), and (b) the aspiration of Korah and others to the priesthood (P), if
in JE there was no allusion at all to the priestly prerogative, and no
resemblance in the names (in a and b). What then of the names in vs.
I, and the mutchah, (" sacrificial offering " ; impossible to identify with
incen-e-burning) which the leaders of the revolt (" tkezr offering ") are
preparing to make in vs. 15?
Vs. I is in fact an extraordinary complex. We may take as the most
reliable portion the words " Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, the
son [so LXX. and Dt. xi. 6] of Reuben." In all subsequent JE refer-
ences these, and these alone, appear as the leaders of the revolt. We
may safely say that this was the representation of E ; for in vs. 27b, where
they thus appear, the language is E's (see refs.), and the reference in
Deuteronomy is also an indication. Whence then is " On the son of
Peleth," who is just as unknown to P as to E ? And whence has P,
who nowhere gives the slightest indication of independent sources, the
name " Korah," which he certainly did not get from E ? There is none
but J to whom they can be attributed. But the argument is not merely
negative, for there is one more item in the drama/is personae of vv. if.
reappearing neither in P nor E, viz. the " men' of renown," vs. 2. The
only other instance of this phrase in the Old Testament is Gen. vi. 4 (J).
The remaining portion of vs. i gives the pedigree of Korah ; but this
pedigree agrees neither with P'^ according to whom " Korah and his
company/' are not Levites (ch. xvii. ; xx. 3 ; xxvii. 3) ; nor could it with
J, if, as there seems reason to suppose, the subject of controversy here
also was the priestly prerogative (Ex. xxxii. 25-29). It comes then from
P^ and P* agreed with J in making Korah a non-Levite. On indepen-
dent grounds Wellhausen has conjectured that the Korah of the original
narrative was of the tribe of Judah (Comp. p. 108). Strictly the pedigree
of I Chron. ii. 43 makes him a descendant of Caleb, i. e. a Kcni::zitc. and
not an Israelite at all. As to the other individual who we have reason
194 NUMBERS.
to suppose, figured in J, but whom P^ does not take over, we need only
point out for the present that Peleth is a name significant of nothing else
than the royal bodyguard established by David, whose popular designa-
tion (" Pelethites ") seems to have been formed by paronomasia with the
" Cherethites," or Cretans, always named with them, from the regular
word for " Philistine," and with reference to their alien origin. If, then,
by process of exclusion from all the other sources we may take as J's the
objectless verb " took " of vs. i, we may conjecture for the original J
element of this verse, " Now Korah the son of Kenaz, and On the son of
Peleth, men of renown, took "
We have next to enquire whence P^ derived the idea of an assault by
Korah and others upon the priestly prerogative of Moses and Aaron, vv.
2f., and how Rp came to combine his narrative with that of JE. If we
look first at Moses' petition in vs. 15a we see at once that it has no con-
nection with the story of Dathan and Abiram's revolt in the midst of
which it stands. Dathan and Abiram have no apparent notion of offer-
ing sacrifice, and if they had, E's legislation offers no objection, but
rather commends the idea (Ex. xx. 24; xxiv. 5). In vs. 15 on the
other hand, the complaint of the mutineers is at least accompanied by
a proposal to sacrifice, if this be not indeed the principal casus belli.
Moreover Moses' intercourse with Yahweh in vs. 15 is much freer than
in E, and the two verses preceding are full of characteristic J phrases
(see refs. ; " fields and vineyards " with which Dillmann would compare
XX. 17 ; xxi. 22 is no exception, cf. I Sam. xxii. 7, J}, vs. 14a refers verbally
to Moses' promise Ex. iii. 17. Vv. 13-15 accordingly are J's fuller
companion piece to 12b (E). Here the offering (ininchah) of certain
men opposed to Moses is the subject of dispute. Looking back now to
the fragments of J in vs. i it would not be unnatural to supply as the
missing object of "took " " an offering {ininchah) for Yahweh," and if
Dillm. is right in claiming for J the clause " and Yahweh is among
them," in vs. 3 (cf. Ex. xvii. 7 ; xxxiii. 16 ; Num. xi. 20) his story may
well have contained also the equivalent of vs. 3, together with the stray
clause 7b, which must belong after this verse. Vv. 12, 25, 27b (Dathan
and Abiramj must of course be attributed to E. But in E Moses is no
talker. Preliminary announcements of the miracle Yahweh is going to
perform, as we saw in the plague stories, belong to J \\. 28-30 should
therefore be J's, and this judgment is confirmed by the language (see
refs). One of the most striking instances to be found anywhere is in
fact the persistent contrast between J's habitual use of " ground " [ada-
mah) and E's " earth " (eretz), which is finely exemplified here in the
palpable duplicates, 31, 33a (cf. 30a), J = 32a, 33b, 34, E. Here the
ISRAEL A T KADESH. 195
interweaving is as close as in thie plague narratives, and in particular the
verbal correspondence of fulfilment with prediction in J repeats one of
the most remarkable of the phenomena there.
We are able thus to extricate the strands of J and E and to adduce
some evidence that J's story, combined by Rje with E's narrative of the
revolt of Dathan and Abiram perhaps because of their similar conclusion,
related how Korah, a Kenizzite, and On, a Pelethite (Philistine), presump-
tuously brought an offering to Yahweh, claiming the right of sacrifice for
all the people (3a b, 7b ?), and accusing Moses of arbitrarily assuming the
prerogative (vs. 13). We have already found J vindicating the preemin-
ent right of the Eevites to the priesthood of the ark (Ex. xxxii. 25-29),
and recognizing an even prior right in the family of Aaron (Ex. iv. 14;
xix. 22 ; xxiv. if. 9-1 1). We shall find him subsequently emphasizing the
prerogative of the Jerusalem priesthood (Dt. xxxiii. 8-io) and providing
finally a third grade of temple functionaries in the nethiniin, or hierodou-
loi, whom Joshua institutes from the Gibeonites (Jos. ix. 22-27 — J)- All
these distinctions of priestly rank are pre-Deuteronomic ; for the pre-
exilic " (r^zV/"-priest " is a very different personage from the exclusively
post-exilic " /zz^/;-priest ; " and, although they carry back the germs of P's
hierarchical system to a period by several centuries earlier, they are by
no means improbable representations to be made by a priest of the
Solomonic temple, circ, 800 B. C, such as we suppose J to have been.
Nor do they conflict with J's representations of the priestly functions of
the Ephraimite Samuel at the high place of Zuph, 1 Sam. ix., which is a
different matter from the priesthood before the ark of I Sam. xxii. (J).
But one element of the evidence for this theory of J in Num. xvi. is still
to be mentioned. We know from Zeph. i. 9 and Ez. xliv. 6ff. that the
presence of certain " foreigners " as functionaries in the Jerusalem temple
was extremely obnoxious to the stricter Mosaists of the Deuteronomic
period. One class of these are known to have occupied this position
since the time of David. (W. Robertson Smith, O. T. in Jew. Ch. first
ed. pp. 249ff, 359). They were the Pelethites, or Philistines of the royal
body-guard. Whether this fact may have any connection with the story
of " On the son of Peleth " is for critics to decide. As to the original
position of the JE portion of Num. xvi. it can only be said that it prob-
ably preceded the reference in xiv. 22. No location whatever is given.
The story of Kadesh-Meribah, xx. 1-13 must also of course precede
that of the spies, chh. xvi f. since the lack of water would be felt immedi-
ately, if at all ; moreover vs. i indicates a first arrival. P's location of
the story of the spies in " the wilderness of Paran " necessitated the
transfer. But the story of Meribah, the strife of the people with Moses
196 NUMBERS.
and the smitten rock, has already been related in Ex. xvii. 1-7. Accord-
ing to the results there obtained we need expect in the Meribah story of
Num. XX. no trace of E ; but vs. 3a which is incongruous with vs. 13
(the people strive with Yahwe/i), and is identical with Ex. xvii. 2, is
almost certainly from J; as well as vs. 5, which duplicates vs. 4, and is
throughout characteristic of J in style and language (cf. Ex. xiv. iif;
xvii. 3; Nu. xi. 5, 20; xvi. 13). We also know from Dt. xxxiii. 2
(emended reading) that J connected Meribath-Kadesh as in the etymol-
ogy of vs. 13 (P'-j. Besides 3a, 5, 13 (.') there is nothing in xx. 1-13
VC3.ce.Bib\s prima facie to J or E, save vs. ibc, which should probably be
assigned to E (cf. Ex. xv. 2of ; ii. 4ff ; Num. xii. and Dt. x. 6). The da-
tum is referred to by Dt. i. 46 and quoted verbally by Jud. xi. 17. These
references also point to an E origin. The clause cannot be from P,
whose elaborate date it interrupts (see note in loc).
No evidence is required to demonstrate that the principal narrative in
Num. XX. 1-13 is from P. The date, vs. la ; the reference to xvi. 35 in
3b ; the subsequent allusions in xxvii. 14 ; Dt. xxxii. 15 to " the strife of
the congregation at the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness
of Zin ; " the characteristic phraseology and style (cf. vs. 6 with xvi. 18-
22, 42-45 and see refs.) leave no possibility of doubt. A moment's
attention however to the subsequent references to the " rebellion ' of
Moses and Aaron will show that the hand of Rp or P^, has been here at
work, completely obliterating all trace of the real sin of Moses and
Aaron. For the treatment of this phenomenon in detail the reader is
referred to the notes in loc. and to the careful discussion of Cornill. Z.
A. IV. xi. I. The question must arise, however, whether in this working
over of P's story of the rebellion of Moses and Aaron Rp has not been
to some extent influenced by the story of J. Now in vs. 8a b there is an
element quite incongruous with the story of P-, as appears both from the
direction as given in 8a, and as carried out in vs. 11. If Moses is bidden
to " take the rod " in vs. 8 it is because Yahweh means him to use it, as
he actually does in vs. 11. But the directions proceed in vs. 8, " And
speak ye unto the rock before their eyes that it give forth its water, and
thou shall bring forth to them water out of the rock." Thus, in the
present form of the command the use of the rod is entirely ignored ;
moreover 8c is superfluous after 8b. The substitution of a blow of the
rod, or of two blows (vs. 11) for a verbal appeal, is certainly not the sin
of " rebellion " of which Moses and Aaron were guilty. At most they
could be blamed for presumptuous over-confidence, but certainly it could
not be said that they " believed not in Yahweh to sanctify him " (vs. 12).
And if they were not to smite with the rod why were they bidden to
X\'I. 5. ISRAEL AT KADESH. 197
take it ? Why at least are the)- not blamed for the fault of smiting in
place of spealcing, instead of for a different fault ? . In 8ai5 we have
clearly an independent representation, differing from both E and P in
that no wonder-working rod appears. As there is nothing in the clause
incompatible with J authorship, it seems at least probable that this differ-
ent representation is J's and not a mere modificalion of P-', by Rp. That
in J's story of " Meribath-I'Cadesh " the rod-feature should be absent is
not at all surprising, in view of the fact above referred to, that this author
had a totally different conception of the story how " Yahweh said unto
Moses, Gather the people together and I will give them water " and of
the " Well " " digged by the rod of the law-giver, and the princes' staves '
(xxi. 16-20 f.)
(P) (Rp) Now 1 Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the 16
(E) son of Levi. [ . ] with ^Dathan and Abiram, the sons
(J) (E) of Eliab, [ . . ] and On, the son ofPeletli, sons
(J) (E) of Reuben, took [men] * and they rose up 2
(P) before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel
[ . J two hundred and fifty ^princes of the congregation,
(J) (P) called to the assembly, * men of renOWn : aiid 3
^ they assembled themselves together against Moses and
against Aaron, and said nnto them, '^Ve take too much upon you,
(J) seeing 'all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and
(P) "Yahweh is among them : [ . J wherefore then
lift ye up yourselves abo-oe the assembly of Yahweh l And when 4
Moses heard it, he ^fell upon his face . and he spake unto Korah 5
atid unto all his company, saving. In the morning Yahweh will
shew who are his, a?id 7oho is holy, and ^^7vill cause him to come
near unto him : even him whom he shall choose will he cause to
= 1 Chron. 2 : 43. ^Dt. ii : 6 ; ct. 26 : 8fE. =Ch. 7. iGen. 6 : 4. 'Vs. 42; 20:2; 27:3.
"76. '17 :iff. ^'Ex. 33 : 16; Num. II : 20. '^Vv. 22, 45, etc. lOj^ . ^^ 13; 18:2.
*Iii vs. I the text is corrupt. Dillmann conjectures in place of "took" (no
object) a dittograph of the following " rose up." The emendation of Kohler,
endorsed by Graf, Nold., Col., Kuen., and Dillm., to make ib agree with tlie
genealogies (xxvi. 8ff) by reading " Eliab, the son of Pallu, the son of Reuben,"
is too easy, not explaining the corruption, and makes shipwreck on Dt. xi. 6.
IfiS XUMJUiRS. XVI. 6.
6 come near iiuto him. This do ; " take you censers, Korah, and
7 all his company ; and put fire therein, and put incense upofi them
before Yahweh to-morrow . and it shall he that the man whom
Yahiveh doth choose, he \shall fie] holy: — ye take too much upon you,
8 (Rp) \'C sons of LcTl. — \A)u{ Moses said unto Korali, Hear now, '^'^ye sons
9 of Levi : [seenietli it Init] '^ a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel
^*hath separated yott from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to li i in-
self ; to do the service of the tabernacle of Yahweh, and to stand before the
10 congregation to minister ttnto thevi ; and that lie hath brottght thee Jiear, and
all thy brethren the sons of Lez'i with thee ? and seek ye the priesthood also ?
1 1 Therefore '* thou and all thy company are gathered together against Yahweh :
12 (E) ^^and Aaron, what is he that ye murmur against him ? And Moses
''sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: and they
13 (J) said, We will not come up [ . . ] is it a small tiling
that thou hast brovight us up out of a '^land flowing
with milk and honey, "to kill us in the wilderness,
hut thou must needs make thyself also a prince over
14 us J Moremer thou hast not brought us into a land
flowing with milk and honey, nor ""given us inherit-
ance of fields and vineyards : wilt thou ^' put out the
15 eyes of these men ? we will not come up. And Moses
was very wroth, and said unto Yahweh, "-Kesjieot
not thou their offering : 1 have not taken one ass
from them, neither have I hurt one of them.
10 (Rp) '^-^ And Moses said u7ito Korah, Be thou atid all thy congregation before
ly Yalnoeh, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow : and take ye every man his
censer, andput incejise upon thcni, and bring ye before Yahweh every man his
censer, two hundred and fifty censers ; thou also, and Aaron, each his censer.
18 (P) And they took ei'ery man his censer, and put fire in them, and
laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting
1 9 with Moses and Aaron. And Korah assembled all the congrega-
"Vs. i8. "SVv. 3, 7 ; ct. vs. I i^Vs. 13. "Ct. i8 : iff. "27:3. i«Ex-. 16 : 7f. "22:
5,20. '«Ex. 3 : Sand refs. '"Ex. 14 : 11 ; 17 : 3 ; Ch. 14 : 32f ; ch. 20 : 5. 20, Sam. 22 ; 7.
2'Jud. 16:21. 22Gen. 4:4, 5. 2=Vv, 5-7.
t It is scarcely needful to point out that the proper place for vs. 7c is after vs.
3. " Korah and his company,'' vs. 5, are not " sons of Levi." At most Korah
himself is one; 1)ut according to vs. 2, his followers are simply "of the child-
ren of Israel," princes of the congregation. The clause is either displaced, or.
possibly, a fragment of J.
X\'l. 30. ISRAEL AT KADESH. 199
Hon ag^aiiist them unto the door of the tetit of meeting : '■^*and the
glorv of Yahweh appeared unto all the congregation.
''^ And Yahweh spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 20
Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may con- 2 1
sume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, 22
O God, '"'the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and
-loili thou be wroth with all the congregation^ And Yahweh 23
spake unto Moses, saving, Speak unto the congregation, saying, '■"Get 24
(Rp) you up from about the tabernacle of Korali, DatJmn, ami Abiram.
(E) And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; 25
(Rp) ^*and the elders of Israel followed him. '^And lie spake 26
unto the congregation, saying. Depart, T pray you, from the tents of these
wiclzed men, and toneJi nothing of theirs., lest ye be consumed in all ilieir sins.
(P) (Rp) So they gat them up from the tabernacle of Korah, 27
( E) Dathan, and Abiram,* on every side : and Dathan and Abiram
carne out, and stood at the door of their tents [ . . ]
(J) and their wives, aud their sous, and their little
ones. And Moses said, ''"Hereby ye shall know that 28
Yahweh hath sent me to do all these works; ^^for [I
have] not [done them] of mine own mind. If these 29
men die the common death of all men, or if they he
visited after the visitation of all men ; then Yahweh
hath not sent me. But if Yahweh "^ make a new 30
thing, aud the Aground '^open her mouth, and swal-
low them up, with all that appertain unto them,
and they ^° go down alive into the pit; then ye shall
understand that these men have ^^ despised Yahweh.
2-s. u.
202 .VUMBEJiS. XV 11. lu
1 1 they die not. lltus did Moses : as Yahweh commanded him, so^
did he.
12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, sayi/i^^, Behold,
1 3 we perish, it'e are imdone, we are all imdone. Every one that
cometh near, that cot7ieth near unto the tabernacle of Yahweh,
dieth : shall we perish all of us 1
is And Yahtueh said Jinto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy^
father's house with thee shall ^bear the iniquity of the sanctuary :
and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your
2 priesthood. ^And thy brethren also, the ti-ihe of Levi, the tribe of
thy father, bring thou near with thee, that they may be joined
unto thee, and minister unto thee : but thou and thy sons with thee
3 shall be before the tent of the testimony. And they shall keep thy
charge, and the charge of all the Tent : only they shall not come
nigh unto the vessels of the sanctuary and unto the altar, that they
4 die not, neither they, nor ye. And they shall be joined imto thee,
and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the-
5 Tent : and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. And ye
shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar ■
6 *that there be lurath no more upon the children of Israel. And I,
behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the
children of Israel : to you they are a gift, "given unto Yahweh,
7 to do the service of the tent of meeting. Aiid thou and thy sons
with thee shall keep your priesthood for every thing of the altar,
atid for that within the veil , and ye shall serve : [ give you the
priesthood as a service of gift and the stranger that cometh nigh
shall be put to death.
20 ^A7td the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came
(E) into the 'wilderness of'^Zin in the first month .- [ ] * and
^Cf. Ez. 44 : lo. ^Cf. chh. ^i. ^Gen. 29 : 34, ■'16 ; 35. '>Cf. 3 .■ 41. ^Ex, 16 ; 1 and refs.
^13 : 21.
* The year is omitted for harinonistic reasons. In vv. 22ff., however, com-
pared with xxxiii. 3Sf., it is apparent that this was the last year of the desert
wandering, /. e. the 40th. Bnt according to JE (xiii. 26) they come to Kadesh
before the beginning of the 38 years' wandering (of. ])t. if.) ; hence the omis-
sion. From the play in vs. 1:2 upon the name Kadesh (" sanctified ") and from
XX. lo. ISRAEL A T KADESH. 2(J3
the people abode in Kadesh ; ''and Miriam died there, and
(P) was buried there. A?id there was no water for the eongre- 2
gation : *and they assembled themselves together against Moses and
(J) against Aaron. 'And the people strove witli 3
(P) Moses, [ . J an-il spake, saying, " Would God that wc
had died 'when our brethren died before Yahweh ! And why 4
have ye brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness,
(Rp) (J) that we should die there, we and our cattle* "AlUl 5
wherefore have j/^ made us to come up out of Egypt,
to hring us iu unto this evil place I it is no place of
seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates ;
(P) neither is there any water to drink. [ . . \—^And 6
Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the
door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces : and the
glory of Yahiveh appeared unto them. And Yahweh spake unto 7
Moses, saying. Take the ^"rod, and assemble the congregation, 8
(J) thou, and Aaron thy brother, and "speak ye unto the
rock hefore their eyes, that it give forth its water ;
and thou shalt hring forth to them water out of tlie
(P) rock : so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink.
[ . . ] ^''And Moses took the rod from before Yahweh, as he 9
commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly 10
together before the rock, — and he said unto them. Hear now, ^^vc
sDt. ro : 6. svs. 24 ; 27 : 14. "Ct. vs. 3 ;Ex. 17 : 2-7,
* For the displacement of vs. lob see note preceding. In vv. 8b and ii
the hand of Rp is demonstrably present, and it may fairly be presumed that he
altered the verbs of vv. 5 and 8 from the singular addressed to Moses alone to
the plural. For "//;<> rod "' in place of " /«'.r rod " we have the authority of
LXX. and of vv. Sf. " Twice,'' vs. t 1 may be genuine, but looks like an
attempt to explain the sin of Moses, as an exceeding of his commission.
t Insert "of Kadesh " as in xxvii. 14, The etymology " strove," "was sanc-
tified," demands both eletnents of the name. J also employs the terra "the
waters of Meribah," Dt. xxxiii. 8, and Meribath-Kadesh, Dt. xxxiii. 2, but the
verse cannot be assigned in JK (Kautzsch notwithstanding), partly because In
both J and E the name Meribah is connected with a strife of the people against
J/ftvi, not Yahweh ; partly because it is only in P that the name Kadesh is
played upon. (Cf. vs. 12 and 24, and xxvii. 14). Plays upon words are com-
paratively rare in P'^, but not unknown ; cf. den. xvii. 5, 17 ; Num. xviii. 2.
FROM KADESH TO THE JORDAN. 205
25, 39-45 (command to make the circuit of Edom, and disaster
at Hormah, E) and continues it without any apparent break ;
but it is probable from Num. xx. ib, i6. Jos. xxiv. 7, and I)t. i.
46, (note also the + of LXX. in xiv. 45) that E in like manner
with J (xiv. T,^ supposes the principal part of the 40 years to
be spent in Kadesh and- its neighboring oases (cf. xx. i and
16). In Num. XX. our principal source is E, but both P^ and
J have a part, the former being as usual easier to disentangle,
but in this section remarkably dislocated and confused in proc-
ess of redaction.
P^ relates the coming of the "congregation " from Kadesh-
Meribah to mount Hor, where Aaron dies, and is succeeded by
Eleazar. A 30 days' mourning is observed by the people ; xx.
22b-29. Thence by regular stages Israel journeys to the plams
of Moab ; xxi. iif. ; xxii. i. Here a disaster befalls them,
brought about by the machinations of Balaam the son of Beor,
who had counselled the Midianites to entice Israel to sin
through their women (supplied from xxxi. 16). On account
of Israel's intermarriage with the Midianite women a plague is
sent upon the camp and stayed only by the summary act of
Phinehas ; xxv. 6-15. Yahweh commands a war of extermina-
tion against Midian, [whose land is taken from them, xxxii. 4];
xxv. 16-18, possible traces in ch. xxxi. (P**). The rest of the
book of Numbers from ch. xxv. on contains nothing belonging
to the narrative, save the direction to Moses to ascend mount
Abarim and die there, after installing Joshua, and the priestly
element in the story of the inheritance of Gad and Reuben.
The latter should probably precede the preliminaries to Moses'
death xxvii. 12-23. Upon the request of Gad and Reuben that
the territory taken from Midian may be reserved for their
inheritance, Moses directs Eleazar the priest and Joshua (hence
the displacement of xxvii. 12-23) to bestow the trans-Jordanic
territory on the two tribes, on condition of their participation
in the conquest ; xxxii. la, 2b, 4, i8f., 28-33. Thereafter Moses
is commanded, after installmg Joshua, to ascend mount Abarim,
view the land and die there ; xxvii. 12-23. Chh. xxvi. -xxvii.
II belong to the priestly legislative material giving the census
20() NUMBERS.
preparatory to distribution of the inheritances, and directions
for the inheritance of daughters. Chh. xxviii.-xxx., various
Levitical offerings, (no connection). CH. xxxi., a late midrash,
expanding and supplanting P^'s story of the war against Midian.
Chh. xxxiv.-xxxvi., novellae to the priestly law relating to the
distribution of the land. These latter are omitted as immate-
rial to the narrative.
The narrative of E is as follows : From Kadesh Moses sends
messengers to the king of Edom, asking leave to pass through
his territory, but meets peremptory and armed refusal. Israel
therefore turns " to compass the land of Edom ; " xx. 14-21.
The people are discouraged, and complain against the manna ;
fiery serpents are sent as a punishment, and on Moses' inter-
cession the serpent of brass is erected and heals the bitten ;
xxi 4-9. Skirting the eastern border of Edom and Moab,
Israel reaches and crosses the upper Arnon, the border
between Moab and the Amorites ; vv. 12-15. Moses thereupon
sends to Sihon, king of the Amorites, repeating the request
made to Edom, and is again refused. Sihon comes out into
the wilderness to attack Israel at Jahaz, but meets overwhelm-
ing defeat. Israel occupies his land; vv. 21-24. Balak, king
of Moab, alarmed at the fate of Sihon, sends to Aram-Naha-
raim for the prophet Balaam to curse Israel ; Balaam at first
refuses, but at the second request, by divine instruction, goes
with Balak's messengers ; xxii. 4-21 in part. Arrived in Ar on
the border of Moab he is met by Balak, and after sacrifices,
pronounces not a curse but a blessing upon Israel. When
Balak protests he reiterates it; xxii. 36-41 in part, ch. xxiii.
Israel is led into idolatry by the daughters of Moab ; xxv. if.
4. Gad and Reuben receive Gilead as their portion, upon
promise to assist the other tribes in the conquest of the land
beyond Jordan ; xxxii. ib, 2a, i6f., 24, 34-38.
According to xiv. 33 we must suppose in J a period of 40
years of nomadic life in the desert with Kadesh as headquar-
ters. This period, however, is doubtless to be put, as in E,
after the disaster at Hormah (xxi. 1-3) since the order of
events in the two documents is the same. After the incident
THE CIRCUIT OF EDOM AND MOAB. 207
of the report of tlie spies the Canaanite king of Arad fights
against Israel and inflicts a defeat upon them, which Israel
avenges in the neighborhood of the city of Zephath, after-
wards called Hormah ; xxi. 1-3. Thence Israel journeys by
stages through the territory of Edom and Moab, and encamps
■at the peak of Pisgah in the field of Moab ; vv. 16-20. Israel
makes conquest of Amorite territory east of Jordan ; vv. 24b,
25, 3if. In fear and envy of Israel's greatness, Balak, son of
Zippor, king of Moab, sends to the children of Ammon to hire
the prophet Balaam to come and curse Israel ; xxii. 2-21 in
part. On the way Balaam encounters the angel of Yahweh,
who is recognized by the prophet's ass, " the dumb ass speak-
ing with man's voice and staying the madness of the prophet ; "
vv, 22-35. Arrived at Kirjath-huzzoth in Moab, Balaam, con-
fronting Israel, pronounces a blessing instead of a curse, and
after Balak's protest, a second blessing ; xxii. 39, traces in
xxiii. 27ff., ch. xxiv. Israel makes a league with Baal-peor and
IS punished ; xxv. 3, 5. Reuben and Gad obtain permission
from Moses to occupy the Amorite cities east of Jordan ;
Machir takes Gilead, and Jair and Nobah perform similar
exploits — perhaps at a later time; xxxii. 3, 5f., 20-23, 25-27.
Vv. 39, 4if. have probably been displaced from after Jos. xvii.
18.
I. Chh. XX. 14-xxii. I. The Circuit of Edom and Moab,
AND Conquest of Gilead.
ANALYSIS.
In this part of §vi. the priestly element is very easily distinguished.
The marked and peculiar phraseology of .\x. 22b-29 is enough of itself to
determine. But we have in vs. 24 an explicit reference to the " rebel-
lion "of Moses and Aaron related by P^ only (vv. 1-13 ; cf. xxvii. 12-14)
and the whole paragraph follows faithfully the model of the death of
Moses, as related by the same writer in xxvii, 12-14; Dt. xxxii. 48-52; xxxiv.
iff, where the story of Aaron's death as here told is again referred to (cf.
Dt. xxxh.50 with vv. 2 3f). We have on the other hand a wholly different
and contradictory account of the death of Aaron in Dt. x. 6, an isolated
bowlder of ancient material, broken off in some unaccountable manner from
2U8 NUMBERS.
the itinerary of E preceding Num. xx. i (cf. Num. xxi. i2ff), and introduced
in most extraordinary fasliion into the midst of a discourse of Moses.
This context it interrupts in so flagrant a manner that the imagination
is at a loss to conceive an explanation of its insertion. But we need only
compare this singular fragment Dt. x. 6f. (vv. 8f. are in place) with Jos.
x.xiv. 33, to see that it forms the middle link between this and the
account of Aaron's calling as priest, in the data, now missing, which
originally preceded Ex. ii. There is good reason therefore to consider
it a fragment of E's itinerary. Now the formula employed in this
itinerary corresponds exactly to that of Num. xxi. i2ff, but differs from
that invariably employed by P, in that the verb is not put first. This
latter formula (P'^j appears only in vv. lof. of ch. xxi. and in xxii. i, verses
which are disconnected from, and sometimes interrupt (xxii. i) the con-
text, but agree with one another and with the rest of P-. No other
trace of the priestly vi'riter appears elsewhere in this subsection, but
everywhere material demonstrably connected with JE.
In considering the " prophetic " element we have first to observe that
.xxi. 1-3 is a passage which in any event interrupts the connection, and
no less so after the removal of xx. 22b-29 than before. In xxi. 4 we
have the immediate sequel of xx. 21, which does not tolerate separation
from it, and the fulfilment of xiv. 25. " From mount Hor " in xxi. 4 is
of course harmonistic ; otherwise the verse connects directly with xx. 21.
Now xiv. 25 was assigned to E. But we have strong independent
ground for assigning xx. 14-21, 22a; xxi. 4ai^ff. to E. Beginning with
XX. I4ff. we find a number of characteristics peculiar to this writer such
as the term, " travail," unexampled save in Ex. xviii. 8 ; " the angel of
God " who brought them out of Egypt (cf. Ex. xiv. 19 ; xxiii. 20 ; xxxii.
34) and others indicated by the references. But, as we saw, xx. I4ff. is
inseparable from xxi. 4ff. Here the references again favor E as
unmistakably as before, and include the very important item that Elohitn
is used in vs. 5, where in either P or J we should certainly have " Yah-
weh," and probably " murmured " instead of " spake against " (cf. xii. i ;
ct. Ex. XV. 24). But again,- whichever source xx. 14 ff. and xxi. 4ff. are
assigned to, xx. 1-3, which interrupts their sequence, must be from the
other. Hence if marks of E were found in .xxi. 1-3 it would throw
doubt upon the .case. But we have already attributed one story of the
disaster at Hormah (xiv. 39-45) to E, and should be impelled independ-
ently to assign xxi. 1-3 to J on account of the language (see refs.). But
we have still further to go, and shall find corroborations of our analysis
as we advance. Vv. 2i-24a have a structure identical with xx. I4ff. and
must unavoidably be attributed to the same author. The geographical
THE CIRCUIT OF EDOM AND MOAB. 209
situation here is unique and important. Israel is " out in the wilder-
ness " at Jahaz (vs. 23), /. e. beyond the eastern outskirts of Edom,
Moab and the Amorite, who, in the order named, extend from the Gulf
of Akaba to the Jabbok, along the east shore of the Dead Sea and Jor-
dan. In other words they have made the circuit of Edom, and of Moab
as well, respecting the territory of these kindred peoples. Now this not
only agrees with xiv. 25 ; xx. 14-21 ; xxi. 4-9, but is exactly the repre-
sentation of vv. 12-15, the geographical situation in vs. 13 being identi-
cal with vs. 23. But this itinerary was found to show affinity with Dt. x.
6f., a passage which in its turn showed evidence of derivation from E ;
and thus the chain of connection with E is completed in still another
direction.
These geographical data are significant from their perfect self-consist-
ency, but much more so from the fact that in Deuteronomy we have
the traces of a wholly different and contradictory itinerary, and that this
latter is also represented in Num. xxi. The author of Num. xx. 14-21 ;
xxi. 4-9, 12-15, 21-24 (E) takes great pains to make clear and positive
the statement that Israel did not pass through the territory of Edom
and Moab, but when their request for permission to pass through under
guarantee of peaceful behavior was refused, turned quietly away,
respecting the rights of these kindred peoples, and addressed themselves
to the laborious journey entirely around Edom and Moab, " by the way of
the Red Sea " ; /'. e. southward from Kadesh to the northernmost point
of the Gulf of Akaba, and so eastward and northward across the upper
courses of the Zered and Arnou, keeping outside of the settled country
for the entire distance. True, this may be, as critics claim, historically
insupposable, the passage between Edom and the Gulf of Akaba being
impossible to achieve peacefully without the consent of Edom, in fact
requiring the crossing of Edomite territory ; but such is E's representa-
tion, made in most positive and unambiguous terms ; and in support of
it he cites a few lines from an ancient collection of ballads called " the
Book of the Wars of Yahweh " apparently with the sole object of show-
ing the border of Moab to have been formed at the time by the lower
course of the Arnon. Israel has crossed the tipper course of Arnon
" which Cometh out of the border of the Amorites," but is "in the wild-
erness " ; hence, if a trespasser at all, a trespasser against the Amorite
only, and according to vv. 2 iff. not really in the territory even of the
Amorite, This representation is only partly followed by D. As far as
Dt. ii. I he agrees with E, but in ii. 3 we read the divine command, " Ve
have compassed this mountain long enough : turn you northward, and com-
mand thou the people, saying, "\> are to pass through the border of your
210 NUMBERS.
brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir.'' In vs. 29 it is pos-
itively asserted that both Edom and Moab did actually thus permit Israel
to pass through. On the contrary, in another part of Dt. (xxiii. 3-8)
which follows E's form of the Balaam-story (vs. 4) it is asserted with
equal positiveness that Moab refused them bread and water in the way ;
and in Jud. xi. 17 this is expressly stated of both Edom and Moab.
Deuteronomy does not state that Edura showed a fraternal spirit ; but
this may be inferred from the fact that in Dt. xxiii. 7, in contrast to the
Moabite, the Edomite is not to be abhorred ; " for he is thy brother."
It is certain that these conflicting statements of Dt. and Judges are not
from the same hand. It is not yet certain, though probable, that they
go back to conflicting data in the historical sources of Dt., viz. J and E.
But this probability becomes a certainty, when we turn again to Num.
xxi. and observe the contrast of vv. 16-20 with the preceding. Vv. 12-
15 bring us to the point of junction of the borders of Moab and the
Amorite. The poetic citation undertakes to show how Israel has con-
scientiously respected the territory of both. In vs. 13, as later in vs. 23,
Israel is " in the wilderness," and when, in vv. 14!., they are brought to
the actual line, there is no room for any further relation of their journey-
ings, especially not inside the territory of Moab or the Amorite. The
author must go on to tell us how they either got permission to cross the
border or fought. The envoys of vs. 21 start from the geographical
point of vv. 12-15 ; ™ other words vv. 2iff. must be the immediate
sequel of vv. 12-15, ^"^ this context will not tolerate the interruption of
vv. 16-20 which relate how Israel continues from stage to stage in
Moabite territory, and actually represents them as passing " from
Bamoth (of Moab ; cf. vs. 28 R. V. margin) to the valley that is in the
field of Moab, to the top of Pisgah which looketh down upon the des-
ert " ; yet in vs. 23 they are still " out in the wilderness at Jahaz." Not
only vs. 2ob, as claimed by Meyer and others, must be separated
from E ; but the whole of vv. 16-20 must be assigned to J (see refs.),
and forms a kind of parallel in this source to the story of the smitten
rock, (See above p. 160). Whether the Beer here referred to be the Beer of
Jud. ix. 21, or Beer-elim of Is. xv. 8, it is a Moabite city like Bamoth.
In fact the whole list of vv. 16-20 is a list of Moabite localities, repre-
senting a totally different tradition from that of vv. 12-15 and Dt. xxiii.
4 ; but apparently the same as that of Dt. ii. 29.
The rest of ch. xxi. is commonly taken as a unit, with the exception
that vv. 32-35 are assigned to a later hand. Vv. 21-24 are indeed insep-
arable from XX. i4ff. and are vouched for by Jos. xxiv, 8. There can be
no doubt that they come from E. But in vv. 24b-32 the structure is by
THE CIRCUIT OF EOM Ammm MOAB. 211
no means uniform. In 24a we have a description of the territory of
Sihon by its two boundai-ies, Arnon and Jabbol;. What follows in the
rest of the verse and in vs. 25 is part of a description of the territory bv
its cities. Vs. 24b, " for Jazer was the border-town toward the chil-
dren of Ammon " (see note/« loc) refers to this city as if we had already
heard of its conquest. Vs. 25 is still more unexpected ; for there we
learn that " Israel took all these cities." But no city has been rhentioned
save Jahaz, which it does not appear that Israel took, and Jazer ; but
both together will not make " all these cities,'' moreover it appears from
the rest of the verse that the principal one meant was Heshbon. Now
we do indeed hear of the capture of Jazer in vs. 32, but this story
does not seem as if it could be part of the preceding narrative of how
Israel took all the country of Sihon, king of the Amorites, from Arnon
even unto Jabbok, for that certainly reaches a full stop in vs. 31, " Thus
Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites." Yet Jazer according to vs. 32
is an Amorite town. Again it appears from xxxii. 3, 5, that this terri-
tory was taken, and it is there also described by its cities. But this part
of ch. xxxii. is positively J's. It appears then that J had an account of
the conquest of this territory, specifically of Heshbon and Jazer, and
from xxxii, 39 it appears that J did call the inhabitants of some of these
Gileadite cities Amorites, using in fact in that verse exactly the same
expression as in xxi. 32 ; cf. Jud. i. 34f. We must accordingly attribute
xxi. 24 from " even unto the children of Ammon," 25 and 32, to J. Vv.
27-31 on the other hand are certainly E's, both from the connection
(Sihon) and the language (see 28b, refs.). The poem is doubtless taken
from the same source as vv. 14!. whose scheme is nearly the same. It
certainly might well belong from its subject in the Book of the Wars of
Yahweh. Vv. 24b, 25 have been taken from after vs. 32 to bring the
mention of Heshbon into connection with the reference in the poem.
Vs. 26 is redactional ; see note in loc. So Meyer on independent
grounds, Z. A. W. 1881. The striking duplication of vs. 25b (J) by vs.
31 (E) is thus explained.
Vv. 33-35 may possibly contain a trace of primitive material ; for the
defeat of Og, king of Bashan, at Edrei, is not an editorial invention.
But the primitive portions of ch. xxxii. do not show the conquest to have
extended north of Jabbok. The passage here simply rounds out the
story of the conquest of Gilead and, whatever its original source, appears
here to be taken verbatim from Dt. iii. iff. The language of vs. 33 is
that of D and not of E (cf. vs. 23 with Dt. ii. 32), that of vs. 35 has a sim-
ilar character, while vs. 34 contains nothing but Deuteronomistic ideas
and phrases. Nevertheless the data may well be supposed to have
212 NUMBERS. XX. 14.
come originally from a primitive source, perhaps E. But the entire
absence of Og from subsequent references in E passages where Sihon is
spoken of is significant (cf. xxii. 2 ; Jos. xxiv. 8 ; Jud. xi. 22).
The remarkable fragment from " the satirists " (27a, R. V. " they that
speak in proverbs; " cf. Is, xiv. 4off. where the " proverb " (R. V. " par-
able"), seems to be a poem of exultation over a defeated foe) has been
shown by Meyer, Z. A. W. 1881, to the satisfaction of the majority of
critics, to be a song of triumph over one of the victories of Israel over
Moab, in the wars of the 9th century (2 Kings iii. 4ff.) of which the
stone of Mesha remains a precious memorial. Sihon, according to
Meyer, was a Moabite, not an Amorite king ; hence the author of vv. 21,
26 and 29b(5 (see note in loc.) misunderstands the application of the
poem. As with other ancient fragments of song the text is exceedingly
corrupt, though much has been done by Meyer and others to improve it
thi-ough comparison of the versions, but especially of the singularly fortu-
nate citation in Jer. xlviii. 451. For these emendations and comments in
detail the reader is referred to the notes in loc. The representation of J
seems to have been practically the same as E's, and may have served
as its model. Both take pains to show that Moab's treachery (chh.
xxii.ff.) preceded any act of hostility on Israel's part.
14 (E) "And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the
^'king of Edom, Thus saith ^"thy brother Israel, Thou know-
15 est all the* travail that hath befallen us : how our fathers
went down into Egypt, and '^' we dwelt in Egypt a long time ;
16 and the Egyptians evil entreated us, and our fathers : and
when we cried unto "S'ahweh, he heard our voice, and ^^sent
an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt : and, behold,
17 we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border : let
us pass, 1 i:iray thee, through thy land : we will not pass
through ■■' field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of
the water of the wells : we will go along the king's [high] way,
we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until
18 we have passed thy border, ,\nd Edom said unto him.
Thou shalt not pass through me, lest I come out with the
19 sword against thee. And the children of Israel said unto
"21 : 21 ; Jud. II • 17 : ct. Dt. 2 : 2(1-29. '"Gen. 36 : 31ft. '"Dt. 23 : 8 ; 2 : 4. -»E.v. 18 :
8. ^'Jos. 24 • 7. "''Ex. 23 : 20 ; 32 ; 34. 2»i6 : 14; 21 : 22. -'iDt. 2 : 6.
XXI. 2. THE CIRCUIT OF EDOM AND MOAB. 213
him, We will go up by tl:ie high way : and if we drink of thy
water, I and my cattle,^ then will I give the '^^ price thereof ;
let me only, without [doing] any thing [else] pass through
on my feet. And he said, Thou shalt not pass through. 20
And Edom came out against him with much people, and
■'' with a strong hand. Thus Edom '^refused to give Israel 21
passage through his border : wherefore Israel turned away
from him.
(P) ■" And they journeyed from Kadesh : t and the children 0/22
Israel, even the whole congregation, came unto mount Hor.
2« And Yahiveh spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by 23
the border of the land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered 24
unto his people for he shall not enter into the land which [ have
given unto the children of Israel, because '^ ye rebelled against my
word at the waters of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his 25
son, and bring them up unto mount Hor : and strip Aaron of his 26
garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son . and Aaron shall
be gathered [unto his people'] and shall die there. And Moses did 2 7
as Yahweh commanded : and they went up into mount Hor m the
sight of all the congregation. And Moses stripped Aaron of his 28
garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son ; and^' Aaron died
there in the top of the mount ■ and Moses and Eleazar came down
from the mount. And when all the congregration saw that 29
Aaron was dead, they ^' wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the
house of Israel.
(J) ^And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, which 21
dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the
way of Atharim ; and he fought against Israel, and
took some of them captive. And Israel vowed a vow 2
="01. 2 : 6, ''Ex. 3 : 19 and refs. ^'Gen. 20 : 6 ; ch. 22 ; 13. ^'21 : ii ; Ex. 16 : i and
rets. 2=01.32:50. 2»Vs. 10 ; 27 : 14. =»Ct. Dt. 10 : 6. "01.34:8. iCf. 14 : 4ofE.
* After the 40 years' nomadic life in Kadesh it is no marvel if Israel appears
even in E supplied with flocks and herds ; cf. xxxii. 16 (E).
t " Kadesh," in the opinion of most critics, is R's adaptation of the verse to
the preceding context (cf. vv. 14, 16) ; but P' might perhaps have written
Kadesh, or at least Meribath-Kadesh (Dt. xxxii. 51), instead of Wilderness of
Zin after vs. 13.
314 NUMBERS. XXI. 3
unto Yahweh, and said. If thou wilt indeed deliver
this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy
3 their cities. And Yahweh harkened to the voice of
Israel, and delivered up the 'Canaanites ; and they
utterly destroyed them and their cities: and the
name of the place was called ^Hormah.*
4 (P) (E) And they journeyed from mount Hor [ . .J ^by
the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom : and
the soul of the people was much discouraged because of
5 the way. And the people "spake against God, and against
Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to
die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no
6 water ; and our soul loatheth "this light bread. And Yah-
weh sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the
7 people ; and much people of Israel died. And the people
came to Moses, and said, 'We have sinned, because we have
spoken against Yahweh, and against thee ; pray unto Yah-
weh, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses
8 prayed for the people. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Make
thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a "standard : and it
shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he
9 seeth it, shall live. And Moses made a "serpent of brass,
and set it upon the standard : and it came to pass, that if a
serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the ser-
10 (P) pent of brass, he lived [ . Jf ^"And the children of
11 Israel journeyed, and pitched in Oboth. And they journeyed.
=E.x. 3 : 8 and refs, 3jud. i : i6 ; ^14 : 25 ; 20 : 21. "12:1. «Ex. 16 : 4ff ; cf. ch. 11 :
4fi. '14 : 40 and refs ^Ex. 17:16, "11 Kgs. 18 : 4. '"W : i.
* The name of Hormah (= " Fortress ") is derived here by an imaginative
etymology from herem to "ban" or "devote" (see Lev. xxvii. 28£). The
word should not be translated " utterly destroy," but "devote." Here in fact
the cities are not even captured until Jud. i. i6f (J). Israel suffers a reverse
from the king of Arad, as related by E in xiv. 4off., devotes their cities toA'ah-
weh, and is enabled to win a victory. " The place " is called Hormah, and
when afterward (Jud. i. i6f. ) the cities are taken and burnt, Zephath receives
this name ; because the herem or vow of destruction is then carried out.
t Insert here the data of Dt. ii. Sf., 17-19 referred to in Dt. ii. 29 and add
Dt. A. 6f. and the traces in Dt. i. 1.
XXI. 20. THE CIRCUIT OF EDOM AND MOAB. 215
(E) from Oboth, and pitched at lye-abarim, in the wilderness
which is before Moab, toward the sunrising. "From thence 12
they journeyed, and pitched in the valley of Zered. From 13
thence they journeyed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon,
which is ''in the wilderness, that cometh out of the border
of the Amorites : for Arnon is the border of Moab, between
Moab and the Amorites. Wherefore it is said in the book 14
of the Wars of Yahweh,
Vaheb in Suphah,* 15
And the valleys of Arnon,
And the slope of the valleys
That inclineth toward the dwelling of Ar,
And leaneth upon the border of Moab.
(J) And from thence [they journeyed] to '^Beer : that 16
is the well "whereof Yahweh said unto Moses ''^Gather
the people together, and I will give them water.
Then sang "'Israel this song : 17
Spring up, well ; sing ye unto it : 18
The well, which the princes "digged.
Which the nobles of the people '^delved.
With the ^'sceptre, [and] with their staves.
And from the wilderness [they journeyed] to Matta- 19
nah ; and from Mattanah to Nahaliel : and from
Nahaliel to Bamoth : and from Banioth to the val- 20
ley that is in the field of Moab, "to the top of Pisgah,
which looketh down upon the desert. f
"Dt. 10; 6. ■''Vs. 23. I'Jud. 9 : 26; Is. 15: 8. 1*10:21). isCf. 20 : 7f ; E.>:. 17 : sf.
i^Ex. 15:1; Jos. lo : 12; Jud. 5 ; I. I'Gen. 21 : 30 ; 26 : isff ; Ex. 7 : 24. '^Gen. 26 : 25.
i^Gen. 49 ; 10. '"'23 : 28.
* The LXX. seems to have had Zahab, which seems also to have been the
reading known by the Jewish Midrash. Both Vaheb, or Zahab, and Suphah
are doubtless proper names, whose collocation recalls the Suph of Dt. i. i con-
nected there with a certain Di-zahab. — After vs. 12 Sam. insert Ut. ii. i8f.
i" For the probable significance of the fragment in vv. lyf. to which LXX give
the title " Song of the Well," see above p. 160. Similar instances of word plays
givmg rise to stories of miracles are cited in my " Gen. of Gen." pp, 13-18. cf.
Ex. XV. 8 with P in Ex. xiv ; Jud. xv: 16 with 15; Dt. xxxiii. 25 (Heb.) with
xxix. 5 etc. In vs. 18 read, with LXX. "from Beer" (uinilieer instead of
216 NUMBERS. XXI. 21.
21 (E) ^^And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the
22 Amorites, saying, Let me pass through thy land : we will not
turn aside into field, or into vineyard ; we will not drink of
the water of the wells : we will go by the king's [high] way,
23 until we have passed thy border. And Sihon would not suf-
fer Israel to pass through his border : but Sihon gathered
all his people together, and went out against Israel into the
wilderness, and came to Jahaz : and he fought against Israel.
24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and '-^pos-
(J) sessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, — [ ] even
unto the children of Amnion : for the border of the
25 childj-en of Amnion was strong.* And Israel took all
these cities : and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the
Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the '^^ towns thereof.
26 (Rje) — For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites,
who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out
27 (E) of his hand, even unto Arnon.t Wherefore they that speak
in proverbs say,
2I20: i4fE and refs. ^^Jqs. 24 : 8. '^^Vs. 32 ; 32 : 42 ; Jos. 16 :iiff ; Jud. i : 27.
umimidhai-) ; cf. vs. 16. The Mass. reading is very likely connected with the
foolish haggadah about the "well of Miriam." In vs. 20 the Hebrew has only
"the top of Pisgah," without the preposition. The LXX. translates " border-
ing on," which may be better than to supply "to." If " top " (literally "head")
here means peak, " the top of Pisgah " would be an extraordinary place for
Israel to encamp, moreover the preceding clause expressly states that they
were " in the valley " and in xxiii. I4f. 28 we find this very spot occupied by
Balak and Balaam who arc looking down upon the camp of Israel. Possibly
Pisgah may be used of the entire plateau ; but the situation in vs. igf. is the same
as that already reached in vv. i3ff. and also that of xxiii. 28 ; xxiv. i ; certainly
not that of E, vs. 23.
» The reading of LXX " Jazer " for nz " strong," is to be preferred. The
strengtii of Ammon's border would scarcely be given as a reason for
Israel's halting there. Jazer is here one of the cities taken, cf. xxxii. 3. Vv.
24b, 25 come after vs. 32; see Analysis.
t Vs. 26 seems to be of an explanatory character and aims to connect vs. 25
with 27ff. See Meyer Z. A. W. '81 for the evidence against its genuineness.
E cannot have written " the former (?) king of Moab " ; ct. xxii. 2, 4. — Instead
of " out of his hand," for which LXX have " from Aroer," we should doubtless
read " from Jabbok " ; cf. vs. 24a.
XXII. I. THE CIRCUIT OF EDOM AND MOAB. 217
Come ye to Heshbon,
Let the city of Sihon be built and established :
For a fire is gone out of Heshbon, 28
A flame from the city of Sihon :
It hath devoured Ar of Moab,
The 24lords of the high places of Arnon.
Woe to thee, Moab ! 29
Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh :
He hath given his sons as fugitives,
And his daughters into captivity,
(Rje) Unto Sihon king of tlie Amorites.*
(E) We have shot at them ; Heshbon is perished even unto 30
Dibon,
And we have laid waste even unto Nophah,
Which [reacheth] unto Medeba.f
(J) Thus ''^Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. ^"Alld 31-32
Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they took the
2'towns thereof, and -sdrove out the Amorites that
(Rd) were there. ■''And tliey turned and went up by tlie way of Ba- 33
shan : and Og the Icing of Bashan went out against them, he and all his
people, to battle at Edrei. And Yahweh said unto Mo.ses, Fear him not: -54
for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land;
and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites,
which dwelt at Heshbon. J So they smote him, and his sons, and all his 35
people, until there was none left him remaining : and they possessed his
(^P) land. ^A;ni the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched in 22
the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho.
"Ex, 21 : 3 and refs. "Jos. 24 ; 15. ^ejud. , : 23, 27Vs. 25 and refs. ^b^,-. 3^, jspt,
3 : 1-3. *2i ; lof.
* An explanatory gloss unsupported by the metre and parallelism.
t The text of vs. 30b is certainly corrupt. Meyer emends and translates :
" Their seed is perished from Heshbon unto Uibon. Their women have set
fire unto Medeba." .So substantially the LXX. Dillmann translates " And we
have laid waste till the fire hath kindled unto Medeba."
X Vv. 33-35 seem to be added by way of supplementation from Dt. ill. 1-3,^
The addition may, however, have been first made to E.
218 yi/MBERS.
2. Chh. xxii-xxiv. The Oracle of Balaam.
AA'ALYsrs.
Moab, jealous of Israel's greatness, sends to Pethor on the Euphrates
for Balaam the seer, to come and curse the people. Balaam by divine
instruction refuses to go. Balak, king of Moab, sends a second, more
honorable embassy. Balaam again waits for divine instruction, and is
bidden to go, taking care to give none but the message God shall give
him ; xxii. 2-21. On the way he is met by the angel of Yahweh, who is
angry because he went and would have slain him but for the intelligence
of the soothsayer's ass. Balaam offers to return, but is bidden by the
angel to continue his journey, taking care to speak only the word that
Yahweh shall speak unto him ; 22-35. Arrived in Moab he declares to
Balak the condition imposed upon him ; 36-40. In the sequel he acts
accordingly. Three times Balak attempts, after suitable preparations, to
obtain an effectual curse from Balaam against Israel. First on the
height of Bamoth-baal, from whence the extremity of Israel can be seen,
then from the more northerly peak of Pisgah, whence a part of the camp
is visible, finally on the peak of Peor, whence Israel is seen encamped
according to its tribes. Each attempt brings only increasing blessing
instead of curse, till Balak in rage dismisses the seer; xxiii. i-xxiv. 10.
Balaam reminds Balak of the conditions imposed, adds a further, unsoli-
cited prophecy, and returns home : 11-25.
With the exception of certain difficulties in ch. xxii., this story of the
Oracle of Balaam seems fairly self-consistent and agrees well with the
representation of the preceding chapter. Israel is seen occupying the
territory won by Sihon from Moab, and .subsequently reconquered liy
Moses, but carefully respectmg the territorial rights of its kindred, Edom,
Moab and Amnion. Moab thereupon secretly conspires against the
unwelcome intruders by witchcraft (xxiii. 23) ; but God turns the curse
into a blessing. That this was the representation of E is placed beyond!
question by the reference to it in Jos. xxiv. gf., confirmed by Dt. xxiii. 5f. ;,
Jud. xi. 25 ; Mic. vi. 5ff.
But another representation coexists with this, which no harmonist
can bring into anything more than the semblance of agreement with it.
According to the story of xxv. 6- 18 ; xxxi. 8-16, confirmed by Jos. xiiu
2if., Balaam was not a prophet of Yahweh from Pethor on the Euphra-
tes, who came at Balak's solicitation to curse Israel, received command-
ment to bless, and, when he had obeyed it, ■' rose icp, and went and
returned to his place " (xxiv. 25) ; but was a Midianite, who with the
THE ORACLE OF BALAAM. 219
five princes of Midian conspired against Israel to corrupt them by their
women and was stain togettier with these princes, in the war of extermi-
nation which Israel undertook against Midian. There is no difficulty
or possibility of doubt in assigning this latter representation to the
priestly document. It stands quite apart from JE, and shows in every
line its thoroughly priestly character, so that argument is superfluous.
The only question must be whence this radically different tradition of
Balaam was derived by P-. This writer could not indeed tolerate in his
rigidly exclusive, hierocratic system such a character as Balaam in
genuine intercourse with Yahweh, sacrificing, and receiving in return true
oracles ; but in previous cases where his sources presented obnoxious
material his method has been simply to omit. Elaboration of material
germane to his subject is the delight of the priestly writer ; but we have
no reason to suspect him anywhere of the creation of such material. As
in many previous instances we must look for the traces of this original
material developed by P^ and P^ in the traces of J, which are not wanting
even in the splendid legend of chh. xxii-xxiv., the main source of which
we have seen reason to regard as E.
The independent indications of a double source in these chh. are in
fact conclusive. In xxii. 2-4, vs. 2 = vs. 4b, and 3a and 3b are also
doublets. Moreover there is a difference in the use of the divine names
which cannot be explained on grounds of sense. True we have every-
where save in xxii. 38 " Yahweh " in the mouth of Balaam (with some
variation in the versions e. g. LXX. in vs. 13) ; but it is probable (see note
onxxiii. 5) that this is an intentional alteration of R, to indicate that the
oracle comes in reality from Yahweh and no other. Balak also of course
conforms to this in conversation with Balaam. But that the author him-
self should use Elohini, xxii. 8-22a is inexplicable save as a source
peculiarity, marked throughout the Hexateuch ; accordingly vv. gf., 12.
20, 22a; xxiii. 4, which use invariably " iTZj/z/ra," in contrast with xxii.
22b-35 : xxiii. 5 — xxiv. 14 (exc. xxiv. 2) where " Yahweh " is uniformly
employed, must, with their connected context, be attributed to E. The
references will show that this principal linguistic difference is accom-
panied by the use of other expressions characteristic respectively of the
two writers.
We have already referred to certain sense-incompatibilities in chh.
xxii. It is of prime importance to observe whether the discrimination
according to sense coincides with that indicated by linguistic peculiarities.
In vv. 7b-2i we have in the author's own words " Elohim." In 22b-
35 " Yahweh." In the latter passage not only is no notice taken of the
former, but it is contradicted in a manner past all reasonable reconcilia-
220 NUMBERS.
tion. In the former Balaam appears above reproach as the inflexible
servant of God, following the divine command to the letter. In vs. 21 he
departs " w/Wz the princes o/" y)/^ai5 " because expressly coni)nanded of
" God" to do so. In the latter passage, it appears that he has incurred
the anger of " Yahweh " by going, " Yahweh's " angel standing in the
way to slay him. Moreover he is not accompanied by " the princes of
Moab " but by " two servants." It is further well worthy of notice that
the circumstances of the journey are quite different from what they
would be if Balaam were coming from Pethor on the Euphrates,
(vs. 5 ; xxiii. 7). Such a journey is not made in the East on ass's back
with two servants. It is a caravan or (r(??«^/-journey (cf. Gen. xxiv.),
and moreover one does not ride " between the vineyards, a fence being
on this side, and a fence on that side,' unless at the very end of the
journey. The author of this passage has different conceptions before his
mind from those of the preceding and following context. Finally the
conclusion, vs. 35, simply resumes vs. 2of. at the point of interruption.
The singular story of the speaking ass has but one parallel in Hebrew
literature viz. : Gen. iii. iff. (J) ; and on the other hand the coming of
" God " to the prophet at night vv. 8ff., is a striking characteristic of E
(see refs.). Hence we cannot go astray in assigning in general the for-
mer passage to E and the latter to J.
In the oracles which follovif in chh. xxiiif. we have at the beginning a
decisive correspondence with E's point of view : " From Aram hath
Balak brought me ; the king of Moab from the mountains of the East.''
On the other hand ch. xxiv. can hardly be derived from the same source.
Balaam's introduction of himself by name would come necessarily at the
beginning in a uniform narrative, and not after two oracles have already
been pronounced, as a preface to the third and fourth only. Moreover
the third oracle repeats verbatim a part of the second (cf. xxiv. 8 with
xxiii. 22) ; Balak has got through with Balaam already in xxiii. 25, and
will have him utter neither curse nor blessing, yet in vs. 27 already he
has changed his mind. There are also unmistakable indications in xxiii.
27ff. (see note in loc.) of alteration by Rje looking to the appending of
ch. .xxiv.
Hut it is not enough to have established the main lines of division
between J and E. Indications of duplication were observed in xxii. 2-4,
and we have now to notice further the curious introduction of " the
elders of Midian " in vv, 4 and 7, only to disappear entirely in the sequel.
Again it is almost certain that in vs. 5, in place of the tautological " to
the land of the children of his people " {ammo), we should read, with
LXX. Sam. Syr. Vulg. and some Hebrew MSS., " to the land of the
THE ORACLE OF BALAAM. 221
children of Atnmon." It is easy to see how, to avoid the contradiction
with the preceding clause, Ammon should be changed to atnmo ; but the
reverse process would be inexplicable. Now if Ammon was the home
of Balaam according to 5a^, this agrees with J in vv. 22ff., and if in this
account "the elders of Midian ' conspired with Balak, and Balaam went
from among " the children of Ammon " with evil intent (vs. 32) against
Israel, we may perhaps have a clew to that problematic source of the
priestly Balaam-story. Two passages remain from which some further
light can be drawn. The first, in Gen. xxxvi. 35 (J), merely informs us
that this author knew of a branch of Midianite stock anciently estab-
lished "171 the field of Moab , " cf. xxi. 20. The second, in Jos. xiii. 16-
22, forms part of a chapter of singular complexity, but which certainly
includes traces of J. In vv. I5ff. reference is made to " Silion king" of
the Amorites, which reigned in Heshbon, whom .Moses smote with the
chiefs of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the prin-
ces of Sihon (!) that dwelt in the land. Balaam also the son of Beor, the
soothsayer did the children of Israel slay with the sword among the rest
of their slain." This singular mixture of data from JE and P seems
hardly explicable if the stories of the war with Sihon and that with Mid-
ian were no more confused than in Nu. xxi. and xxxi. as we know them.
It seems to point to some basis in J for P's story of Balaam and the war
with Midian, connected perhaps with xxv. 1-5. More we can hardly sug-
gest with caution.
We have now the necessary data for attempting a disentanglement in
detail of the two sources in ch. xxii. J, like E, represents Israel as in
peaceful relations with Moab, encamped in Moabite and Midianite terri-
tory, but having made conquest of Amorite territory between Moab and
Ammon. Resident among the latter people is Balaam the son of Beor
(cf. Gen. xxxvi. 32 " Bela the son of Beor ") perhaps a Midianite, in any
case a prophet (or soothsayer) of Yahweh (cf. vs. 18, " Yahweh my
God ").* He becomes through avarice party to the conspiracy of Balak
with the elders of Midian, but on the way to curse Israel is met by the
angel of Yahweh who comes intending to slay Balaam, but suffers him
to proceed on condition of uttering none but the message given him. It
is apparent, however, from xxiv. 13 (J, as above indicated; see also refs.)
* It is noteworthv in this connection that Moses according to this oldest doc-
ument brings the elements of the great Vahwistic revival to l''.gypt with him
'■ (rum the land of Midian " and from the household of "the priest of Midian,
the same tribe who here, in cohspiracy with Moab call a prophet of Yalnveh
to curse Israel. In K also Jethro becomes a convert to Yahwism, Kx. xvn'i.
II. Was Yahweh worshipped in Midian also ?
■^22 NUMBERS. XXII. 2.
that Balaam, while consenting to go for money, had even at the begin-
ning answered Balak's "messengers," "if Balak would give ms, his
house full of silver and gold I cannot go beyond the word of Yahweh."
The passage xxiv. ii-i4thus not only presupposes in J an account of
Balak's sending for Balaam, as in xxii. 2ff, , but specifically requires us by
its back-references to assign xxii. 171., which verbally correspond to it,
to J. In addition vv. 3b (see refs.), 4a, which introduce the " elders of
Midian" and give a somewhat different motive for Moab's hostility, 4b
(= vs. 2), parts of vv. 5 and 6 (.'), (see refs., and note in loc.) y&b, and vs.
39, which changes the geographical location after the most favorable
position, from E's point of view, has already been reached in vs. 36, may
all be assigned to J.
With the extrication of these fragments there remains a consistent
and uniform narrative of E. Balaam, an incorruptible and obedient
prophet of Yahweh, from Pethor on the Euphrates, who goes to Balak
by express divine command, stands with him on the extreme northern
boundary of Moab (vs. 36) whence they ascend to a peak overlooking
part of Israel's camp ; there Balaam, after sacrifice, pronounces two bles-
sings.
The minor touches of the redaction will be discussed in the notes.
2 (E) And Balak the son of Zipper * saw all that Israel
3 had ^done to the Amorites. And Moab was sore afraid of
(J) the people, because they were many : and Moab 'was
4 distressed because of the children of Israel. And
Moah said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this
multitude lick up all that is round ahout us, as the ox
licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak, the son
of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. [ . . . ]
5 (E) And he sent messengers unto Balaam, the son of Beor,
(J) to ^Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the
(E) children of his people, [ . . . ] f to call him, saying,
Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt : behold,
^21 : 2iff. ^Ex. I : 12. '*23 : 7,
* Unless Balak had been previously mentioned as king of Moab, which is
quite probable (cf. Dt. ii. 9, 29 and Jud. xi. 17), we should supply here "king
of Moab " as in vs. 10.
t Read " children of Amnion." See Analysis.
XXII. i8. THE ORACLE OF BALAAM. 223
"they cover the face of, the earth, ,and ^they abide over
against me : cqrne now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this 6
people ; for they are too, mighty for me : peradventure I
shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive
them out of the land ; for I know that he whom thou bless-
(J) est is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. * AlUl 7
the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed 7
with the rewards of 'divination in their hand : [ ■ • . J
(E) and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the
words of Balak. And he said unto them, T.odge here this 8
night, and I will bring you word again, as Yahweh shall
speak unto me : and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
And *God came unto Balaam, and said. What men are these 9
with thee ? And Balaam said unto God, ^Balak the son of 10
Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, [saying,] Behold, 11
the people that is come out of Egypt, it covereth the face of
the earth : now, come curse me them ; peradventure I shall
be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out.
And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them ; 12
thou shalt not curse the people : for they are blessed. And 13
Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of
Balak, Get you into your land : for Yahweh '"refuseth to
give me leave to go with you. And the princes of Moab 14
rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth
to come with us. And Balak sent yet again princes, more, 15
and more honorable than they. And they came to Balaam, 16
and said to him. Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let
nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me
(J) [ ■ • ] for "I will promote thee unto very great 17
honor, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will
do : come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this peo-
ple. And Balaam answered and said unto the ser- 18
^Ex. 10 : 5, 15. ^Gen. 25:18. 'Gen. 44:5. ^Gen. 20:3; 31:24. "^Vv. 2, sf. i^Ex.
3:19; Nu, 2o:2i;2i:23. 'i(Vs. 37);24:ii.
* The message of Balak in vv. 5f. is perhaps expanded by means of material
taken from J (see refs.) ; the style seems redundant and in vs. 11 the report is
simpler.
224 NUMBERS. XXII. 19.
vants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full
of silver and gold, I cannot "go beyond the word of
19 (E) Yahweh ni.y CJod, to do less or more. Now there-
fore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may
20 know what Yahweh will speak unto me more. i^And God
came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men
be come to call thee, rise up, ^*go with them ; but only the
21 word which 1 speak unto thee, that shalt thou do. And
Balaam rose up in the morning, '^and saddled his ass,
22 (J) and went with the princes of Moab. And God's * anger
was kindled because he went : and '"the angel of Yah-
weh placed himself in the way for an adversary
against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and
23 his two servants were with him. And the ass saw
the angel of Yahweh standing in the way, "with his
sword drawn in his hand : and the ass turned aside
out of the way, and went into the field : and Balaam
24 smote the ass, to turn her into the way. Then the
angel of Yaliweli stood in a hollow way between the
vineyards, a fence being on this side, and a fence on
25 that side. And tlie ass saw the angel of Yahweh, and
she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Ba-
laam's foot against the wall : and he smote her again.
26 And the angel of Yahweh went further, and stood in
a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to
27 the riglit hand or to the left. And the ass saiv the
angel of Yahweh, and she lay down under Balaam :
and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the
28 ass with his staff. And Yaliweh opened tlie mouth
of the ass, and ' slie said unto Balaam, What have I
done unto tliee, that thou hast smitten nie these
29 tliiee times I And Balaam said unto the ass, Be-
cause thou hast mocked me : I would theie were a
30 sword in my liand, for now I iiad killed thee. And
'-(14:41), ''Kic'ii. j-> : J ; u : 24 ''Ci vs. 2j. I'^'V'v. 22ff. "'Gen. 16 : 7 ; Ex. 3 ; 2 ; C(
Ex. 23 : 2.J. ''Jo-. 5 : i;. '"Gen. 3 : i
'^ Sam. lias " \'ah\veii.''
XXII. 38. THE ORACLE OF BALAAM. 325
the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon
which thou hast ridden all thy life long unto this
day ? was I ever wont to do so unto thee J And he
said. Nay. Then Yahweh ^^opened the eyes of Ba- 31
laam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in
the way, with his sword drawn in his hand: and
^°he howed his head and fell upon his face. And the 32
angel of Yahweh said unto him. Wherefore hast thou
smitten thine ass these three times I behold, I am
come forth for an adversary, because thy way is per-
verse hefore me ; and the "'ass saw me, and turned 33
aside before me these three times : "unless she had
turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain
thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the 34
angel of Yahweh, I have sinned ; for I knew not that
thou stoodest in the way against me : now therefore,
if it **displease thee, I will get me back again.
And the angel of Yahweh said unto Balaam, Go 35
(Rje) (J) with the men ; but Only the word that I shall
speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam
(E) went with the princ-s of Balali.* And when Balak 36
heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him,
^unto the City of Moab, which i.s on the border of Arnon,
which is in the utmost part of the border. And Balak said 37
unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call
thee? wherefore earnest thou not unto me? '^am I not
(E) able indeed to promote thee to honor.? | And Balaam said 38
unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee : have I now any
power at all to speak anything ? *the word that God putteth
i^Gen. 3 : 7 : I21 : ig) ; ch. 24 ; 3. ^OQen. 24 : 26, 48 ; 43 : 28 ; Ex. 4 : 31 etc. =-Ex. 33 ;
20 ; Gen. ig : ig ; 29 : 32. ^^Qgn 31 : 42 ; 43 : 10 ; 14 : 40. 23ji ; iQ 2420 : 16 ; 21 ; 15,
2^13 : 30 ; 24 : II. ^^23 : 5, 12. ^22 : 41.
* Vs. 35 resumes vv. 2of. and seems to have been worked over in the clauses
indicated, since " the men " and " the princes of Balak " have no place in the
preceding context; but Wellhausen's conjecture of a return of Balaam tn his
own country is improbable.
t The clause 37c must either be from Rje or else indicates the presence of
J material in this connection ; see refs.
326 NUMBERS. XXIL. syi.
39 (J) in my mouth, that shall I speak. [ . . ] And Balaam
went with Balak, and they came unto KiFiath-hu-
40 (E) zoth. And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep,, and sent
41 to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. And it
came to pass in the morning, that Balak took Balaam,, and
■brought him up into the high places of Baal, and he saw
23 from thence the utmost part of the people. And Balaam
said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me
2 here seven bullocks and seven rams. And Balak did as
(E) Balaam had spoken : and Balak and Balaam offered
3 on every altar a bullock and a ram. And Balaam said unto
Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go ; perad-
venture Yahweh will come to meet me : and whatsoever he
sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to a bare height.
4 ^And God met Balaam — and he said unto him, I have pre-
pared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and
5 (E) a ram on every altar. — * And Yahweh 2put a word
in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus
6 thou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and, lo, he
stood by his burnt offering, he, and all the princes of Moab
7 And he took up his parable, and said.
From ''.\ram hath Balak brought me.
The king of Moab from the mountains of the East :
Come, curse me Jacob,
And come, defy Israel.
8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed ?
And how shall I defy, whom Yahweh hath not defied ?
9 For *from the top of the rocks I see him.
* The displacement of vs. 4 is very obvious. Where it now stands it is in
the highest degree unsuitable. It is hard to see on the other hand how it
could have been removed from after vs. 2, where it really belongs. Its resto-
ration shows " Balak and Balaam " in vs. 2b to be an incorrect supplying of
the subject of the verb, which is simply " he." The same phenomenon of a
subject wrongly supplied is revealed in vs. 5a, where we have simply to strike
out " Yahweh '' in .the same way as " Balak and Balaam " in vs. 2. The use
of the divine names will then be found to correspond to the practise described
above. (Analysis, p. 219). ,
XXIII. i6. THE ORACLE OF BALAAM. 227
xA-nd from the hills I behold him :
Lo, it is a people that dwell alone,
And shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob, lo
Or number the fourth part of Israel ?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
And let my last end be like his !
And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto 1 1
me ? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou
hast blessed them altogether. *And he answered and said, 12
Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh putteth
in my mouth ? And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray 13
thee, with me unto another place, from which thou mayest
(Rje) see them : thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shall
not see them all : * and Curse me them from thence. And he 14
took him into the field of Zophim, to "the top of Pisgah, and
built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on
every altar. And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy 15
burnt offering, while I meet [Yahweh] yonder. 'And 16
(E) Yahweh f met Balaam, and put a word in his
^22 : 38 ; cf. 24 : i2f. ^Cf. vs. 28 and 21 : 20. 'Vs. 5.
* The middle clause of vs. 13 is clearly due to Rje, as it is in irreconcilable
contradiction with the context. Balak's first thought is (xxii. 41) that if
Balaam sees only " the utmost part of Israel " his task will be lighter. It is
because this proves unsuccessful that he leads him, in vs. 13, to a more com-
manding position, " the field of the watchers [Zophini) on the top of Pisgah,"
vs. 14, " a place from whence he might see them all." So the original. But
Rje wishes to incorporate also the two Balaam oracles of J, the scene of
which (xxiii. 28 ; xxiv. i ; cf. xxi. 20) is " the top of Pisgah that looketh down
upon Jeshimon " (the desert north-east shore of the Dead Sea), and as a
change of place is necessary, after the example of vs. 13, in vs. 28 also, two
alterations become necessary : a, Pisgah in vs. 28 must be altered (cf. xxi. 20)
to Peor, a name not elsewhere employed of the peak, in order not to conflict
with vs. 14, which really represents identically the same spot as vs. 28 ; b, the
sight of the whole camp of Israel must be reserved for the third and final
point of outlook. Hence the contradictory addition in vs. 13.
t The LXX have " God " ; (cf. vs. 4) but the variations of the versions and
texts seem to be largely affected in chh. xxiiff. by an uncertainty as to whether
228 NUMBERS. XXIII. 17,
mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou
17 speak. And he came to hhii, and lo, he stood by his burnt
offering, and the princes of iVIoab with him. And Balak
18 said unto him, What hath Yahweh spoken? And he took
up his parable, and said,
Rise up, Balak, and hear ;
Harken unto me, thou son of Zippor :
19 God is not a man, that he should lie ;
"Neither the son of man, that he should repent :_
Hath he said, and shall he not do it ?
Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good ?
20 Behold, I have received [commandment] to bless :
And he * hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,
Neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel :
Vahweh his God is with him,
"And the shout of a king is among them.
22 (J)— Grod Ibringeth them forth out of Egypt ;
He hath as it wei'e the strength of the wild-ox.
23 Snrely there is no enchantment with Jacob.
Neither is there any ^"divination with Israel :
Now sliall it be said of Jacob and of Israel,
What hath God wrought !— f
'Ct. Gen. 6 : 6f. ; Ex. 32 : 74. "24 : 8; Dt, -j.t : 17. '"22 : 7 ; Gen. 30 ; 27 ; 44 : 5.
Yahweh in the mouth of Balak and Balaam was suitable or not. Hence great
reliance cannot be placed upon this criterion.
* Sam. and LXX have first person, and in 21a, "is not seen."
t Vs. 23 is rejected by Dillmann and others on account of its interruption of
the connection. It would seem better to regard both 22 and 23 as derived
from ,\xiv. S (J), removed perhaps on account of xxiv. i in its present form.
Certainly there is no allusion whatever to enchantment or divination in ch.
xxiii. In E the representation of Balaam throughout is of a sincere and true
prophet of Yahweh, who refuses to trifle with the divine word, but obeys
implicitly.' The contrasted representaiion of a mercenary sorcerer compelled
(xxii. 35) against his will to bless, is confined to J. The use of Eloliim on the
other hand is inconclusive, as the ponn employs Yahweh and Elohim inter-
changeably. Vs. 22 is duplicated in xxiv. 8, but seems to be in more original
form there (cf. " them," vs. 22, with vs. 2r, and with "him," xxiv. 8, and "he,"
XXIV. 3. THE ORACLE OF BALAAM. 229
(E) Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, 24
And as a lion doth he lift himself up :
He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,
And drink the blood of the slain.
And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor 25
bless them at all. But Balaam answered and said unto 26
Balak, ^/Told not I thee, saying. All that Yahweh speaketh,
(Rje) that I must do ? [ . . . ] And Balak said unto Balaam, 27
Come now, I will take thee unto another place ; peradventure it will please
(J) God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. Aud Balak 28
took Balaam unto '^the top of Peor, that looketh
(Rje) down upon the desert. '^And Balaam said unto Balak, 29
Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven
rams. And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a
(J) ram on every altar. And Avheu Balaam saw that it 24
(Rje) pleased Yahweh to hless Israel, he went not, as
(J) at the other times, * to meet with 'enchantments, but he
set his face toward the ''wilderness. And Balaam 2
lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling accord-
ing to their trihes ; and the spirit of God \ came
upon him. And he took up his parahle, and said, 3
^Balaam the son of Beor saith.
And the man whose eye was closed saith :
"22 : 38, I'^Ct. vs. 14; C£. 21 : 20. i^Vv. if. I22 : 27 ; 23 :.23. '•'21 : 2u ; 23 : 2S, ^Vs.
15 ; ct. 23 : 7.
line succeeding). The duplication may have been effected in process of trans-
fer, or may be original with J and E.
* The hand of Rje comes out very distinctly in the somewhat uneven joint
between chh. xxiii. and xxiv. A consideration of xxiii. 27ff. will Show the proc-
ess of connection. Vs. 27 repeats vs. 13 with touches from xxii. 6, but uses
" God," whereas Balak in vs. 17 says " Yahweh." " Peor " for Pisgah is an
alteration referred to in the note on vs. 13. Vv. agf. repeat verbatim vv. if.
(cf. note on the original form of vs. 2) whereas E himself, when relating the
sacrifice the second time, vs. 14, abbreviates notably. Finally the clause "as
at the other times," xxiv. i, assumes a statement which does not exist in ch.
xxiii, and betrays itself thus as harmonistic, if indeed all xxiv. la be not from
Rje (Dillmann).
t So consistently in J ; but the expression Spirit of Yahweh is rare. Even
P has " .Spirit of God " (Ex. xxxi. 3 ; xxxv. 31).
230 NUMBERS. XXIV. 4.
4 He saith, which heareth the words of God, * [ . . ]
Which seeth the vision of the Almighty,
Falling- down, and having his eyes open :
5 How goodly are tliy tents, Jacob,
Thy tabernacles, Israel !
6 As t valleys are they spread forth.
As gardens by the river side,
As lign-aloes *which Yahweh hath planted.
As cedar trees beside the waters.
7 'Water shall flow from his buckets.
And his seed shall be in many waters.
And his king shall be higher than '*Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.
8 'God bringeth him forth out of Egypt ;
He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox :
He shall eat up the nations his adversaries.
And shall break their bones in pieces,
And smite [them] tli rough with his arrows. %
9 "He crouched, he lay down as a lion.
And as a lioness ; who shall rouse him up ?
^Blessed be every one that blesseth thee.
And cursed be every one that curseth thee.
10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam,
and he smote his hands together : and Balak said
unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and,
(Rje) behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these
11 (J) three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place :
^"I thought to promote thee unto great honor ; but,
12 lo, Tahweh § hath kept thee back from honor. And
'Gen. 2 : 8f. 'Gen. 49 : 25. "I Sam. 15 : 8ff. '23 ; 22 SGen. 49 : 9. »Gen. 27 : 29. i»22 :
17. 37-
* Supply from vs. 16 " And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High.""
As in other J poems the divine appellations are multiplied.
t In this and the succeeding line read be, " in," for /v, " as."
J Read with Dillmann welochatzain yimc/mtz, " and his oppressors will he
crush," or else translate " and shall trample upon his (their) arrows."
§ After xxii. 18 "Yahweh" in Balak's mouth is ap|iropriate.
XXIV. ?i. THE ORACLE OF BALAAM. 231
Balaam said unto Balak, "Spake I not also to thy
messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying. If 1 3
Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold,
I cannot go beyond the word of Yaliweh, to do either
good or had '^of mine own mind ; what Yahweh speak-
eth, that will I speak I And now, behold, I go unto 14
my people : come, [and] I will advertise thee wliat
this people shall do to thy people "in the latter days.
"And he took up his parable, and said, 15
Balaam the son of Beor saith,
And the man whose eye was closed saith :
He saith, which heareth the words of God, 16
And kuoweth the knowledge of the Most High,
Which seethtlie vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, and having his eyes open :
I see him, but not now : 17
I behold him, but not nigh :
There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,
And a '"sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
'"And shall smite tlirough the corners of Moab,
And break down * all the sons of tumult.
And Edom shall be a possession, 18
Seir also shall be a possession, [Avhich were] his ene-
mies ;
While Israel doeth valiantly.
And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, 19
And shall destroy the remnant from the city.
(Rd) And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, 20
Anialek was the first of the. nations ;
But his latter end shall come to destruction.
And he looked on the '"Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, 21
^^ Strong is thy dwelling place,
ii22:i7f, 1=16:28. "Gen. 43: I. "Vv'. 3£. '=Gen. 49 ; 10 ; ch. 21 : 18. I'Jer. 4S : 45.
"Jud. 1 : 16 ; 4:11. i^Gen. 49 : 24.
* Read with Sam. and Jer. xlviii. 45, l>y a minute change of text, " the skull
of," parallel to corners {sc. of the head, /. e. " temples ") of preceding line (so
Dillmann, Ewald et. al).
232 NUMBERS. XXIV. 22.
And thy nest is set in tlie rock.
22 Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted,
Until i^Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
23 And he took up his parable, and said,
Alas, who shall live when God doeth this .'
24 But ships [shall come] from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber,
And he also shall come to destruction.
25 (J) ""And Balaam rose np, and went and returned to
his place : and Balak also went his way.*
3. Chh. XXV. ; xxvii. ; xxxiif. The Inheritance of the Tribes
BEYOND Jordan.
ANAL YSIS.
At Shittim, on the east shore of Jordan, Israel falls into idolatry and
is punished, x.xv. 1-5. Phinehas, son of Eleazar, receives the covenant
of the priesthood because of his zeal in slaying one who had taken to
wife a Midianite woman; 6-15. Moses receives commandment to
ascend mount Abarim and die there. Upon his entreaty Yahweh
directs the appointment of Joshua as his successor ; 12-23. War is
declared against Midian because they had beguiled Israel into unclean-
ness. Under Joshua's command a force of 12,000 Israelites exterminate
Midian without the loss of a man, and return to Moses with enormous
booty ; ch. xxxi. The tribes of Gad and Reuben appeal to Moses for
permission to settle in the conquered lands beyond Jordan. Permission
i»II Kings. 15 : 29. 2"Ct. 31 : 8 ; Jos. 13 : 22,
* From vs. 19 on the poem has been supplemented by one or more later
hands. Vv. 23!., which differ from the other oracles in having no special
object (LXX supply "he looked on Og "), have been added subsequently to
the union of J and E, to make the group of seven oracles complete. Vv. (19)
20-22 may be older, but contemplate a later period than that of brilliant
triumph represented in lyf. (certainly the Davidic) ; a period in which the
heavy hand of Assyria has been felt. Even Greek interference from Cyprus is
anticipated in vs. 24. Vv. (19) 2off. go beyond the intention of the original
writer, which confined itself, vs. 14, to what Is.rael should do to Moab and
Edom.
INHERITANCES BEYOND JORDAN. 233
is given them on condition of their participating first with the other
tribes in the conquest of Canaan. To this they consent, and receive
Gilead, in whose cities their wives, children and possessions are bestowed
until their return. List of cities and towns occupied in Gilead, ch. xxxii.
An itinerary of Israel's wanderings in the desert, xxxiii. 1-49.
The last chapters of Numbers are in unmistakable disorder. The
death of Moses, which already at the close of ch. xxvii. is immediately
impending, the appointment of Joshua as his successor being expressly
related as the final act of Moses preliminary to his death, is obviously
entirely out of place ; since the war with Midian, the distribution of the
inheritances in Gilead, the appointment of the trans-Jordanic cities of
refuge, not to mention the entire Deuteronomic legislation, besides sev-
eral other important transactions, are inserted before Dt. xxxiv., where
Moses obeys the command of xxvii. i2ff. and his death actually-
takes place. . The command, and the charge to Joshua have of course to
be related over again after so long an interval, and the paragraph is
accordingly repeated in Dt. xxxii. 48ff. The elements of P^ found in
chh. xxxiiff. prove that the displacement of ch. xxvii. is not merely due
to the insertion of material foreign to this document, but the ch. has
been taken from a position after xxxiv., to which its opening paragraph,
relating to the inheritance of the daughters of Zelophehad, forms the
natural sequel, and has been inserted at this earlier point, perhaps for
the sake of bringing in Joshua's installation as leader (cf. vv. 18-23)
before the story of the war with Midian (P^), in which he acts as chief,
and into closer connection with the directions for distributing the inheri-
tances, which he is to carry out (cf. xxxii. 28).
Again, the two parts of ch. xxv. arbitrarily cemented together at vv.
5-6 are -manifestly mismated. The story of Israel's idolatry at the
Moabite shrine of Beth-peor has not the slightest real connection with
the story of miscegenation with Midianiie women ; (cf. Ex. xxxiv. 16) ;
neither can the " plague," which according to vs. 8f. has been raging in
Israel on account of the people's wrong-doing, be identified by any
stretch of imagination with the punishment inflicted in vv. 4f. On the
contrary, xxxi. 16 points to a story of P^, now obliterated, in which the
connection with Midianitish women at Beth-peor and consequent plague
was ascribed to the counsel of Balaam. Accordingly it Is Midian and
not Moab on whom the Israelites are directed to avenge themselves in
vv. i6-i8a. Vs. i8b is the work of the mterpolator of ch. xxxi. (see
note in loc.) ; but it is apparent from the reference of P' in xxxii. 4, that
this extravagant midrash only takes the place of an original account
by P* of the conquest of the trans-Jordanic territory from Midian. On
23i NUMBERS.
account of this connection with chh. xxxif., and which Rp seems to follow^,
our third subdivision is made to include ch. xxv., though the JE elements
of the chapter have very likely nothing to do with the inheritance of the
tribes beyond Jordan. J's may even possibly be connected with the
Balaam episode. This brief paragraph, which the subject, style and lan-
guage as well as the reference in Dt. iv. 3 prove to belong in JE, seems
to be duplicate (see note on vs. 4) but is difficult to analyze. From the
location (cf. Jos. ii. i ; iii. i, E ; ct. xxi. 20, J) vs. la would seem to be
from E ; but E's conception of the relation of Moab to Israel is one of
non-intercourse, and Dt. xxiii. 5ff. and Jos. xxi v. 9 make no allusion to
such plots. His idea of the danger to Israel appears in Jud. and Sam.
especially as temptation to idolatry pure and simple. In J, " whoredom,"
vs. lb; Ex. xxxiv. 15, is part of the danger. Now vs. 3 manifestly
stands connected with vs. 5, which with any translation is hard to recon-
cile with vs. 4, and the "judges ' of Israel (vs. 5) are one of the great
features of E (cf. Ex. xviii. ; Num. xi. r6ff. and ]\\6.. passim). The most
probable conclusion is that we have here fragments of both J and £,
the former possibly connected with the curious reference to " elders of
Midian" in J's Balaam story, and the remarkable difference in the
priestly representation of the character of Balaam.
The character of ch. xxxi. is self-evident, and we may therefore spare
ourselves the disagreeable task of analyzing it in detail. The chapter
depends throughout on P^ but is of considerably later origin, as appears
from the style and language, the elaborate specification of the numbers
and amount of spoil, cf. Ex. x.xxviii. 24ff (pS), and the independent
appearance of the high priest, vv. 2 iff., as developer and expounder of
Mosaic law. Driver appropriately reiterates the characterization of Dill-
mann ; - Though cast into narrative form, the ch. has really a legislative
object, vis. to prescribe a principle for the distribution of booty taken in
war [cf. I Sam. XXX. 18-25]. Of the place, circumstances, and other
details of the war we learn nothing ; we are told dnly the issue, how,
viz., 12,000 Israelite warriors, without losing a man (vs. 49), slew all the
males and married women of Midian, took captive 32,000 virgins, and
brought back 800,000 head of cattle, besides other booty. In the high
figures, and absence of specific details, the narrative resembles the de-
scriptions of wars in the Chronicles or in Jud. xx." The hand of Rp is
discernible in vs. 2b and 16.
Ch. xxxii. is made extremely difficult of analysis by the incoming of
Rd, who seems to have rewritten vv. 8-15 and perhaps made other
alterations in this chapter. It is in fact intimately connected with Jos.
xxii., a narrative derived in its present form almost whollv from the hand
INHERITANCES BEYOND JORDAN. 235
of Rd. Yet it is apparent from the discrepancies and incongruities of
ch. xxxii. that more than one writer is here represented. The verses 39,
4if., which relate the conquest of parts of Gilead by Machir, Jair and
Nobah (iVIanassites), are in the first place, quite obviously incompatible
with the rest of the chapter, in which the territory is already conquered
and has just been bestowed upon Gad and Reuben. The matter is not
mended by the belated authorization by Moses introduced in vs. 40,
which is in contradiction with both P and JE, and is purely harmonistic
(see note in he). Similarly the unexpected introduction of " the half-
tribe of Manasseh " in vs. 33 as co-recipients of the inheritance with Gad
and Reuben, is, to be sure, the persistent representation of P elsewhere,
but agrees neither with the earlier part of the ch., nor with vv. 39!?.,
. since Machir, according to the priestly genealogies is the only son of
Manasseh, and thus the whole tribe and not one half, would be trans-
Jordanic. Again vv. 34ff. in giving the list of cities of the territory in
question come just near enough to the list of vs. 3 to show that the same
are meant, but use such differences in the names as to show that the two
lists cannot possibly be by the same hand. Again, after Moses and the
Gadites and Reubenites have already been discussing for some time the
question of the mheritance, we are told in vs. 16 that they approached
Moses, preferring the same request which had been the subject of debate
from the beginning. Vv. 24-27 thereupon repeat also the answer of
Moses which had already been given in vv. 20-23. Still a third version
of the same request and conditional permission is given in i8f., 28-32.
There is here undeniable redundancy and duplication, with a considerable
amount of contrast in the representation and the geographical and his-
torical data. The materials however have been so closely intervv'oven
and retouched as to make a definite and positive analysis impossible.
Great assistance, however, is rendered in determining the form of the
earlier sources by the subsequent references in JE, and especially by the
detailed recapitulation in Dt. iii. 12-22. Dt. xxxiii. 2of. (J) contains a
reference to the loyalty of Gad in going over Jordan with the other tribes
after having " received for himself the portion of a first born son," and vs.
5 presents unmistakable linguistic marks of J. It is therefore certain
that the substance of vv. 1-33 was related here by J. From xxxiv. I4f. ;
Jos. xiii. I5ff. it is also demonstrable with still greater positiveness that
P' had here a similar narrative. The presence of this element in the text
as well as that of J is made manifest by the frequent duplications, ib -=
3, I = 4, 2 = 16, 25-27 = 3if., and the presence of the characteristic
style and prepossessions of the priestly writer (cf. e.g. vv. 2b, 4, 28).
Far more difficult is it to decide whether E has any share in this chap-
236 NUMBERS.
ter. It is indeed certain that he related the conquest and possession of
the country east of Jordan (cf. Jos. xxiv. 8 with the narrative of the con-
quest and occupation by Israel in Num. xxi.) ; but whether he anywhere
gave full account of the distribution of the land among the individual
tribes is doubtful (yet cf. Jos. xix. 49f.). Still the representation which
he gives of the conquest of Canaan by the united action of all Israel
seems to presuppose some mention of how Gad and Reuben " executed
the justice of Yahweh" when they " came with the heads of the people " ;
and hence also a relation of the disposition made meanwhile of their
already conquered inheritance. This probability of mention by E is
borne out by the phenomena of ch. xxxii., which point to a double source
even after the removal of P. Thus the phrase employed to denote
" non-combatants " in vv. i6f. and 24 is that elsewhere employed by E
(see refs.). On the contrary we find the fuller expression in vs. 26 " our
little ones, our wives, our flocks," etc. This peculiarity of language
coincides with the remarkable new beginning in vs. 16, and with the fact
that the verses in question can be separated from the context without
affecting it, and when so separated present a parallel account with a
somewhat altered point of view. Here in fact Gad and Reuben appear
as proposing/ro;« the otitset to accompany Israel, upon which Moses
readily accedes to their request ; whereas in vs. 5, which most unmistak-
ably possesses the linguistic marks of J, the request is made in express
terms to be allowed to remain behind. " Bring us not over Jordan," and
is met by Moses with severe rebuke. The most striking characteristic
which vv. i6f. and 24 possess in common is the proposal to " build cities
and sheep-folds," and this proposal is carried out in vv. 33* -38 (cf. vs.
36). Nowhere else is this expression " cities and sheep-folds " employed ;
hence there can be no doubt that vv. 33*-38 should be connected with
i6f. and 24. Moreover vs. 33, (which, however, is for the most part, if
not wholly, redactional) makes express reference to E's narrative of the
conquest of this territory " from Sihon king of the Amorites " in ch. xxi.
Herewith then we have the element of E practically complete. We
miss only the occasion for the tribes' preferment of their request, which
from the allusion in vs. 16 to the purpose of the "sheep-folds" must
have been that related in vv. i and 4. It is perhaps worth noting in this
connection that the same verse which uses a different expression from
that of vv. i6f. and 24 for " non-combatants," uses also a different geo-
graphical description of the territory in question from vs. ib (and 33).
In the latter it is " the land of Gilead and the land of Jazer " (vs. 33,
" the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites ") ; in the former it is the
district containing " the cities of Gilead," referring doubtless to those
XXV. 4. INHERITANCES BEYOND JORDAN. 237
enumerated in vs. 3, where Jazer appears simply as one. It appears to
be in fact the usage of J (cf. Bud. Urg. p. 344) to speak of the trans-
Jordanic region in general as Gilead. and the cis-Jordanic as Canaan,
and we have already observed the incompatibility of the list in vs. 3 with
vv. 34ff. Accordingly we have manifold reasons for connecting vs. 3
with 25ff., and for assigning its parallel, ib, 2a, to E.
Another peculiarity of diction used by some in determining the
priestly element of ch. xx.xii. is, the order of age, "-children of Reuben
and children of Gad," in vs. i, for which we have in the rest of the ch.
the order of importance, Gad, Reuben. The Sam., however, has
throughout Reuben, Gad, and LXX. varies. Still it is easy by means of
the well-known stylistic peculiarities of P^ to extricate the story of this
author in vv. la, 3b, i8f., 28-30.
The remainder has already been in part demonstrated to be J's and
constitutes the principal narrative ; vv. 39-42, however, belong at a later
point in this document (see note in loc.) ; the story has also been redac-
tionally expanded and embellished in vv. 8-15, 20-23, ^-^d 3if. (see note
in loc.)
Ch. xxxiii. is a late itinerary made up of material from all the sources,
and apparently aims to produce a total of 40 stations, corresponding to
the 40 years of wandering. It follows the style and phraseology of P to
some extent but displays its redactional character by such meaningless
collocation of borrowed material as vv. 39ff. (cf. xx. 22 ; xxi. 11.)
(E) (J) And Israel abode in ^Shittim, and the people '25
began to commit ^whoredom with the daughters of
Moal) : for th«y called the people unto the sacrifices 2
of their gods ; and the people did eat, and bowed
(E) down to their gods. ^And Israel joined himself unto 3
Baal-peor : and the anger of Yahweh was kindled against
(J) Israel. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Take all 1
the chiefs of the people, and hang them up * unto
Uos. 2 : I ; 3 : I ; Ex. 34 : 15. 'Dt. 4:3; Hos. 9 : 10.
* If the. translation "hang them up " is retained, we must with Dillmann
regard vs. 4 as a doublet of 5, and 3a as parallel to vs. i. But the translation
is uncertain. Kautzsch renders doubtfully "set them [/. t". the guilty ones]
238 NUMBERS. XXV. 5.
Yaliweh before the sun that the fierce anger of Yah-
5 (E) weh may turn away from Israel. [ . ] And
Moses said unto the judges of Israel, ''Slay ye every one his
men that have joined themselves unto Baal-peor. [ ■ . • J
6 (P) And., behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought
unto his brethren a Midianitisli woman in the sight of Moses, and
in the sight of "all the congregation of the children of Israel,
7 while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting. And
ivhen ^Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest,
saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a
8 spear in his hand ; and he went after the man of Israel ijito the
pavilion, and thrust both of the??i through, the man of Israel, and
the woman through her belly. ''So the plague was stayed from the
9 cliildre7i of Israel. And those that died by the plague were
twenty and four thousand.
lo-i I And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of
Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away
from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jeal-
ousy among them, so that T consumed not the children of Israel in
12 my jealousy. Wherefore say, ^Behold, I give unto him my coi'e-
13 nant of peace : audit shall be unto him, and to his seed after him,
the covenant of an everlasting priesthood ; because he was jealous
for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
-ii, Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was
slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a
15 ^prince of a fathers' house among the Simeonites. And the name
of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Oozbi, the daughter
of Zur , he was head of the people of a fathers' house in Midian.
16 And Yahweh spake imto Moses, saying. Vex the Midianites,
1 7 and smite them . for they vex you with their wiles, wherewith
18 (Rp) they have begtliled you in the matter of Peor, and in t/ie matter of
■'Ex. 32 ; 29. »Ex. 16 ; I and refs. «Jos. 22 : 148. '16 : 46-48. SGen. 9 : 8ff. ; 17 : iff
"t : 16 etc.
forth unto Yahweh before the sun." This would be compatible with unity of
the narrative ; nevertheless the duplication seems to be too great to permit us
to regard vv. 1-5 as a unit.
XXVII. 23. INHERITANCES BEYOND JORDAN. 339
Cozbiy the daughter of the prince of Midian^ their sister^ which was slain on the
day aj the plague in the matter of Peor*
(P) — "^And Yahweh said tinto Moses, Get thee up into this 2'il — 12
mountain of Abariin, and behold the land which I have given unto
the children of fsrael. And when thou hast seen it, thou also shall 13
be gathered unto thy people, "^as Aaron thy brother was gathered :
because ^ye rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, 14
in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters be-
fore their eyes. ( These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in
the wilderness of Zin.) ^And Moses spake unto Yahweh, saying, 15
Let Yahweh, '"the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man 16
over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which 17
may come i?i before them, and which may lead them out, and which
may bring them in ^ that the congregation of Yahweh be not as
sheep which have no shepherd. And Yahweh said unto Moses, 18
Take thee Joshua the son of Nttn, a man in whom is the spirit, and
lay thine hand upon him , and set him before Eleazar the priest, 19
and before all the congregation ; and ''give him a charge in their
sight. And thou shall put of thine honor upon him, that all the 20
congregation of the children of fsrael may obey. And he shall 21
stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the
Judgment of the Urim before Yahweh . at his word shall they go
out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the chil-
dren of fsrael with him, even all the congregation. And Moses 22
did as Yahweh commanded him : and he took Joshua, and set hifn
before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation : and he 23
laid his hands upon him. and gave him a charge, as Yahweh
spake by the hand of Moses 1
iDt. 32:48(1. ^20:22-29. =2o:i2f. -iCf. Dt. 31 : 1-8, i4ff. '16:22. "Cf. Dt. 31 : 14, 23.
* The latter part of vs. 18 is a clumsy addition, intended to make room for
ch. xxxi. ; cf. xxxi. 16. The redactional character of the addition appears
plainly in the attempt to connect " the matter of Peor, and the matter of
Cozbi," which really have no connection, (see Analysis.)
t The duplication of vv. 12-14 in I^t. xxxii. 48ff. is a remarkable phenome-
24U NUMBERS. XXXII. i.
32 (P) Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had
(E) J> (Rd) ^These are the journeys of the children of Israel, when they went
forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the hand of Moses and
2 Aaron. And Moses wrote their goings out according to their jotirneys by the
commandment of Yahweh : and these are their journeys according to their go-
ings out. And thev Journeyed frojn Raniescs Hn the first month, on the fif-
teenth day of the first 7nonth ; on the morrow after the fassover the children of
A Israel went out Haith an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians, while
the Egyptians 'were burying all their firstborn, which Yahweh had smitten
c among them : ^upon their gods also Yahweh exectUed judgments. ^ And the
6 children of Israel jourtieyed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth. And they
journeyed fro?n Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the
n wilderness. ^A7id they journeyed from Etham, and turned back unto Pi-ha-
^^21 : 32 ; Jud, I : igff. 2^13 : 29 ; 21 : 32 ; Jud. i : 34f. ^ej^t ^ : 15. lEx. 12 : 31 ; 17 : i
and refs. ''Ex, 12 ■ 2 ; 13 : 4. ^Ex, 14 : 8. "^Ex. 12 : 12. ^Ex. 12 : 37. ^Ex. 14 : 2, g.
* ''^ k.\iiOX\i^^^ as a generic term for the inhabitants of Canaan is certainly a
distinctive mark of E. J speaks of them preferably as " Canaanites," or by
enumeration of the various tribes. It by no means follows that J knows 110
Amorites. On the contrary Jud. i. 34f. shows that he knew of them, and Jud.
X. 8 shows that to Rd at least Gilead was " the land of the Amorites "par
excellence. "Amovite" here and in Num. xxi. 32 is therefore no ai-gument
against derivation from J.
tVv. 39, 4if., contain an invaluable fragment of the ancient account in J of
how the individual tribes and clans made conquest of the territory allotted to
them. A full example is shown in Jud. r, particularly in the account of Judah
and his minor satellites, Calebite and Kenite. The present fragment bears the
same relation to the story of " the house of Joseph," Jos. xvii. 14-18 as Jud. i.
10-16 to that of Judah, and has almost certainly been taken from after Jos.
xvii. 18 (see Bud. Richt. u. Sam. p. 3Sf, 591). The incident related belongs
both historically and in its original literary connection to post-Mosaic times.
Vs. 40 thus appears as a purely redactional and harmonistic addition (see note
preceding); its very language (" Machir " for " fewAMachir " of vs. 39) in fact
betrays it, as well as its belated position. It is not, however, from P* (Dill-
XXXIII. 35- INHERITANCES BEYOND JORDAN. Ur>
hirotk, which is before Baal-zephon : and they pitched before Migdol. And g
they journeyed from before Uahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea
into the wilderness : and they went three days^ journey in the wilderness of
Ethatn, and pitched in Marah. ''And they journeyed from Marah, and came q
unto Eli7n : and in Elim were twelve springs of water ^ and threescore and ten
palm, trees ; and they pitched there. And they journeyed from Elun, and lo
pitched by the Red Sea. And they journeyed from the Red Sea, *and pitched \x
in the wilderness of Sin. And they journeyed frovi thewilderness of Sin, and i 2
pitched in Dophkah. And they journeyed from Dophkah, and pitched in \x
Alush. '^And they journeyed from Alush, and pitched in Rephidim, where \a
was no water for the people to drink. ^^And they journeyed fro7n Rephidim, jc
and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai. ^^And they journeyed from the wild- i6
erness of Sinai, and pitched in Kibroth-hattaaziah. And they journeyed from 17
Kibroth-hattaavah, and pitched in Hazeroth. ^^And they journeyed from 18
Hazeroth, and pitched in Rithmah. And they journeyed from- RitJnnah, and ig
pitched in Rimmoji-perez. And they journeyed froin Rimmon-perez, and pitch- 20
£d in ^^Libnah. And they journeyed from Libnah, and pitched in Rissah. 21
And they journeyed from Rissah, and pitched in KehelatJiah. And they 22—23
journeyed from Kehelatliah, and pitched in viotmt Shepher. And they jottrn- 24
eyed from mount Shepher, and pitched in Haradah. And they journeyed fro?n 25
Haradah, and pitched in Makheloth. And they journeyed from Makheloth, 26
ana pitched in Tahath. And they journeyed from Tahath, and pitched in 27
Terah. And they journeyed from Terah, and pitched in Mithkah. And 28-29
they journeyed from Mithkah,and pitched in Hashmonah. And they jour- 30
neyed from Hashmonah, and pitched in ^^Moseroth. And they journeyed from 31
Moseroth, and pitched in ^''Bene-jaakan. And they journeyed from Bene-jaa- 32
kan, and pitched in '^^Hor-haggidgad. And they journeyed from Hor-haggid- 33
gad, and pitched in ^^Jotbathah. And they journeyed from Jotbathah, and 34
pitched in Abronah. And they journeyed from Abronah, and pitched in Ezion. 35
'Ex. 15 : 27. SEx. 16:1. »Ex. 17:1. "Ex. 19:1. "ii:34f. '2,2 ; ig ; DI. i ; i. "Dt.
T : I. i4Dt. lo ;6. i=Dt. 10 : 7.
mann) nor even in the interest of P^ ; for P2 represents Machir as the only son
of Manasseh, and the daughters of Zelophehad, a great-grandson of Machir, as
contemporaries of Moses (cf. Gen. 1. 23, E)— The parenthetic clause in vs. 38 is
probably a mere marginal direction to the synagogue reader to avoid pronounc-
ing the offensive names of heathen deities, Nebo and Baal, which occur in the
names of the Reubenite cities. The patronymic of Nobah (vs. 42) has also,
apparently, been omitted or lost.
246 NUMBERS. XXXIII. 36.
36 geber ^^Ami they journeyed from Ezion-geber, and pitched in the wilderness
T,l oj Zin [the same is Kadesh)- And they jour^ieyed from Kadesh, and pitched
78 in mount Hor, tn the edge of the land of Edom. ^''A)td Aaron the priest went
up into mount Hor at the commandment of Vahweh, and died there, in the
fortieth year after the clnldren of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt^
■in tn the fifth month, on the first day of the month. And Aaron was an hundred
40 and twenty and three years old when lie died in mount Hor. ^^And the Can-
aamte- the king of Arad, which dwelt tn the South ijt the latid of Canaan^
4j heard of the comiitg of the childrett of Israel. And they joitrneyed from tnount
42 Hor, atid pitched in Zalmotiah. A ttd they Joitrneyed from Zabnonah, and
4^ pitched in Punon. ^^Attd they journeyed from Pitnoit, atid pitched in Oboth.
44 Attd they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched in lyeabarijti, in the border of
45—46 Moab. Andthey JQitrtteyed from lyim, and pitched in'^^Dibon-gad. And
47 they joitrneyed from Dibon-gad, and pitched in Almon-diblathaim. And they
jottrneyed from Almon-diblathaiin, and ^pitched in the mmtntains of Abariin
48 bejore Nebo. And they joitrneyed from the mountains of Abarim, ''-and
49 pitched in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. And they pitched bv
Jordan, from Bethjeshimoth even unto Abel--hhittim in the plains of Moab.*
**********
■«2o;i. "20 :22ff ; Dt. 32 ; 50 ; ct. Dt. 10: 6, i«2i ; 1-3. i»2i : loff. ="32:34. 21,1 . j^
Dt. 32 • 49. 2222 : I. 2325 : i; Jos. 2 : I.
* Num. xxxiii. 1-49 is a late redactional colophon which may at some period
of the text have served as a conclusion to the story of the wandering. Unfor-
tunately its principal historical value, the supplying of gaps in the sources, as
e. g. P in Ex. xii., supplied from vv. 3-5, is materially reduced by its artificial
numerical scheme (40 stations for 40 years ; see Analysis) ;for the list of authen-
tic names has almo,st certainly been supplemented. Nevertheless it may rea-
sonably be inferred from vs. 2 that an actual list of JE, attributed by the writer
to Moses, underlies this chapter, and of this we have, no doubt, fragments in
XXI. 12-20, Dt. X. 6f. (Dt. i. I .?) and Num. xxi. 12-20.
PROLEGOMENA. 247
DEUTERONOMY.
Prolegomena.
It is not within the scope of our present undertaking to
speak of the Deuteronomic Code further than merely to point
out that by this term we mean Dt. xii-xxvi, a revised and
enlarged edition of the Mosaic institutions, adapted to the cir-
cumstances of the last quarter of the seventh century, B. C.
It prQsents itself as " the Words of the Covenant which Yahweh
commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the
land of Moab, besides the covenant which he made with them
in Horeb ' (xxix. i ; Heb. xxviii. 69), and it is a gratuitous asper-
sion to assert that this " covenant in the land of Moab, besides
that of Horeb" is a pure fiction of the Deuteronomist. On the
contrary we have every reason to believe that there was such a
law, of immemorial antiquity in D's time (620, B.C.) embodied
mainly in the Book of Judgments of JE, whose adoption, iy
covenant, was attributed to the last days of Moses in the land of
Moab. In addition to this, which forms the principal stock of
Deuteronomy, there were the Words of the Covenant, Ex.
xxxiv. ; the Book of the Covenant, Ex. xx. 22-26, xxiii. 10-33 ;
the Ordinances of Ex. xii. 21-27 ! -"^iii- 3-i6> and whatever tra-
dition had transmitted as part of the Mosaic institutions under
the comprehensive head of the " teaching (torali) and com-
rnandmenf' (jnitsiuah) which according to Ex. xxiv. 12, Moses
had received in the mount for oral transmission (" that thou
mayest " teach them "). The need for a recodification of the
Mosaic institutions after the reactionary reign of Manasseh was
imperative. The conflicting claims as to what was, and what was
not. Mosaic (cf. Jer. vii. passim, especially vv. 21-23, and 31b),
with the growing mass of torak among the priestly guilds, was
urgent enough in itself, but before all else was the necessity for
the rescue of pure Yahwism from the increasing corruption of
rural sanctuaries, where Canaanitish practises rivalled with
Egyptian and Assyrian idol-worship in degrading the high
standard of old Yahwistic monolatry, the "jealousy for
248 DEUTERONOMY.
Yahweh " of Elijah. The war of the " true " prophets and the
better class of the priesthood against Canaanitism, begun in the
days of Hezekiah had gone heavily against them during the 57
years of Manasseh,and Anion. With the revolution which put
the child Josiah upon the throne and the chief priest Hilkiah
in the regency, the opportunity and the duty of the prophetic
party and the supporters of unadulterated Mosaism was equally
clear. A recodification of the Mosaic institutions took place at
the hands of those properly and legitimately entrusted with
this common inheritance of the nation, the prophets and
priests ; and the noble work which they produced was the
Deuteronomic Code. Whether by accident or design, it came
into the hands of Hilkiah in the course of the repairs under-
taken upon the temple, and after consultation with " Huldah
the prophetess " and the king's confidential advisers, it was
made by royal decree the official standard and platform of the
government. From the year 621 B. C. until the canonization of
the Priestly Code under Ezra and Nehemiah circa 444 B. C,
the Deuteronomic Code \n2A par excellence the Book of the Torah,
and it is not improbable that for a century or more it circu-
lated as an independent work, before being attached to JE.
At least it is difficult to conceive for what purpose it received
the double framework of introductions and appendices which
now encloses it, unless to fit it for independent circulation.
The code itself should be discussed in connection with the
legislative elements of the Pentateuch. The inner framework
which encloses it, consisting of an introduction, chh. iv. 44 — xi.
32 for the most part ; and an appendix, xxvii. gf ; xxviii-xxx ;
and xxxi. 9-13 (so Cornill), forms a sermonic exhortation in
true preaching (parenetic) style, assumes Moses to have written
the code, and clearly dates from the Exile. With this also we
have little to do, as it contains no trace of anything derived, ex-
cept indirectly, from JE. But in addition to this framework of
sermonic exhortation, which Cornill designates Dp (parenetic
Deuteronomist), there is another, also in the form of a dis-
course, in which, however, the historical interest predominates.
This framework also, so far from being adapted to connect the
PROLEGOMENA. 249
book with JE, seems to be intended to talce tlie place of tlie
proplietic narrative, and thus supply the book with a histori-
cal setting. This outer framework consists, like Dp, of an
introductory discourse x. i-ii ; i. 6-iii. 29 (iv. 1-40) (xi.
26-32 ?), and an appendix containing according to Cornill
xxxii. 45-47 and xxvii. i-8. In IJh iv. 9-40 ; xxvi. 16-19 ^re
later growths. One might prefer on some accounts to regard
xxix. 2-xxx. 20 ; xxxi. 16-22 ; xxxii. 1-47 as constituting Dh's
appendix, and iv. 1-40 instead of iv. 9-40 as the later growth,
with which xxxi. 24-30 might then be connected. But the
question of the history and relation of Dh and Dp does not
concern us save in a single point, and as to this we may en-
dorse the conclusions of Cornill with confidence. Dh is a
framework for the Deiiteronomic Code, wholly independent of Dp,
and equally independent of any other Hexateuchal document. It has
been taken up and combined with the Deuteronomy enclosed
by Dp, perhaps by the author of xxxi. 24-30, (Rd) who supplies
a new introduction to the Song (ch. xxxii.) after vs. 23 has sepa-
rated Its original introduction, vv. 16-22 from it. Part of it is
missing before i. 6, part appears displaced in x. 1-9 where it
makes good the failure of Dp to mention the second tables. It
has, therefore, met rough treatment. Dh also, as well as Dp,
is free from any material which in its present form can be as-
. signed to J or E. But ichere Dh has been connected with the Deu-
teronomy of Dp we find fragments of E. The curious feature of
the case is that these fragments are not part of Dh, and cannot
possibly have been taken up by him ; for in some instances they
are as completely foreign to the context in which they stand as
if clipped at random out of some other book, and inserted where
they happened to fall ; in every instance the context of Dh is
only injured by their insertion. They have no relation to
Deuteronomy, to Dp nor to Dh, except in some cases an arti-
ficial and mechanical one to the last mentioned ; and where this
relation subsists, as in xxvii. 1-8, iiff. (introduced by xxvi.
16-19 3-nd drastically retouched) and xxxi. i4f. 23 (connection
of vs. 22 with ch. xxxii. reestablished by means of vv. 24-30) it
seems to be by a later hand than that of Dh. The most prob-
250 DE U TERONOM Y.
able conclusion is tl:iat these E fragments were put in where
they now stand at the time when Deuteronomy with its double
framework, or envelope, of Dp and Dh was united to JE, the
" prophetic " sacred history ; or, to put it still more simply and
intelligibly, that when room was made in the closing chh. of
JE for the incorporation of D + Dp + Dh, these fragments of
the sacred history were regarded by the incorporator (Rd) as
too valuable to be lost, and accordingly were attached as best
they might be to Dh. It is perhaps significant that the most er-
ratic fragment of all, is found embedded in that paragraph of
Dh, which has been removed from the beginning of the histori-
cal discourse and interpolated after ch. ix., apparently on account
of Ex. xxxiv., which we have already seen reason to regard as
one of the reincorporations of Rd.
What theory can we frame to account for these curious
fragments ? We must lool' at the fragments themselves to de-
termine, after the satisfactory establishment of their origin,
what their original connection and setting may have been.
Afterwards the limits derivable from the admittedly dependent
writings may shed some additional light.
The fragments in i. ib (2 ?) and x. 6f. give little information.
It is clear that they are taken from an itinerary of the journey
from Horeb to Kadesh, and, as we shall see, from the source
E ; i. 2 informs us, perhaps on the same authority, that it was
" eleven days' journey." The names in x. 6f. are parallel to
Num. xxxiii. 31-33, where they appear before Kadesh. From
the structure of the names it is probable that the region is that
of mount Seir. From Num. xx. i, which relates in an E frag
ment the death of Miriam on the people's arrival in Kadesh, it
is natural to think that in this document that of Aaron was
related somewhat later. We found no traces of the itinerary
of E before Num. xx., where we should have expected its origi-
nal position to have been. Had it been removed to the end of the
Story of the Wilderness Wandering for such a purpose as Num.
xxxiii. now subserves ? And is this late itinerary of Rp re-
written on the basis of the E original >. The itinerary Num.
xxxiii. had a documentary source, elbc vs. 2 would not read as it
PROLEGOMENA. 251
does. But there is now unfortunately little room for anything
more than fancy in answer to the question, what this source
may have been.
The fragments XXV. 17-19, xxvii. 1-8, iiff. and xxxi. i^., 23
give more satisfactory indications. They probably stand,
relatively to the story, in about the same positions they have
always occupied. The charge to destroy Amalek and to enact a
covenant in ratification of the law, erecting the stelae and the
altar on Ebal, are the appropriate legacy of Moses in his last
hours to the people, and are amply supported in E by the analogy
of Ex. xvii. 14-16; I Sam. xv.; Ex. xxiv. 3-8 and Josh. xxiv. The
fragment xxxi. \\i., 23 is presupposed by the whole subsequent
narrative of E, and needs no vindication of its right to the place
it now occupies. How much then, is presupposed between the
end of the narrative of E, where we could last identify it w:ih
certainty and Dt. xxvii. 1-8 ? It is true that Dt. xxvii. 1-8 has
been thoroughly recast by Rd, but if it had not been adapted
to his purpose he would have either passed it over or written
something to the purpose himself. It is safe to say that its
essential character of directions for the ratification of a torah of
Moses by sacrifice on mount Ebal has not been altered. Traces
of the same conception appear also in vv. 11-26, though in a
different sense (cf. xi. 29-32), and a much altered account of
the fulfilment of the requirement here made appears in Jos. viii.
30-35. In all these passages, at least as they now read, the
reference is to Deuteronomy. But in xxvii. 1-8 we have mate-
rial, in fact the whole basis of the paragraph, which goes back of
Deuteronomy to E. It is impossible to avoid the conclusion
that in E also before the charge to Joshua there was a torah of
Moses given to the people in the plains of Moab ; there was a
pre-Deuteronomic Deuteronomy.
This result does not follow merely from the presuppositions
of Dt. xxvii. 1-8, but is an inevitable consequence of Ex. xxiv.
12-14, where the intention certamly is not merely to describe
the source of Moses' judicial wisdom in his own day, but the
source of the Mosaic torah of the writer s day, as of divine
authority. If Moses did not, on the plains of Shittim, before
352 DEU TERONOM Y.
the installation of Joshua, communicate to " the elders of
Israel " (Dt. xxvii. i) the statutes and judgments given him of
God "that he might teach them" (Ex, xxiv. 12), then this
invaluable divine torah died with him. For it is not communi-
cated at Horeb. The author of Dt. v. 31-vi. 3 would have the
Deuteronomic Code pass for this law ; xxix. i positively affirms
that there was such a " Covenant in the Land of Moab, besides
the Covenant made in Horeb." If E did aot relate it, then in
his series of great characters Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel,
Moses alone, Moses the lawgiver, prophet and teacher par
excellence, is the only one who passes off the stage without a
final address to the people adjuring them to be faithful to the
divine institutions. Such a supposition is incredible. Deuter-
onomy itself presupposes its predecessor. Its two introductory
discourses were suggested by the model of E's farewell dis-
courses in the mouths of his heroes, most of all by that which
he undoubtedly put in the mouth of Moses himself in these
very circumstances. Most of all must Dh have followed the
model of this primitive Deuteronomy of E, to the extent of
giving to his work, especially in the first paragraphs, so pro-
nounced an E coloration as to make it seem necessary to many
critics to assume that in addition to JE combined he had also
before him the document E in the separate form !
How much then can we recover of this primitive Deuteronomy
of E ? Traces of the narrative which preceded and followed
the code itself are found in situ. Rd preserved them at the
cost of a good deal of inconvenience. Did he then entirely
reject the primitive Mosaic code ? On the contrary, when
superseded by the revised and enlarged edition, the primitive
Deuteronomy went to take its place in the midst of the Horeb
legislation, as a part of " the first covenant which Yahweh made
with the people at Horeb." There we found it somewhat
incongruously embedded in the Book of the Covenant, and
obviously out of place with its separate title, " Now these are
the judgments which thou shalt set before them " ; but in order
to preserve its character of a covenant law it had to be inserted
in the Book of the Covenant room or no room.
PROLEGOMENA. 253
The Deuteronomic Code with its double envelope Dp and
Dh could now take the place of The Book of Judgments with
some adjustments (by Rd) to the remaining fragments of E,
and a retouching of the whole work JED, especially in the
legislative parts of Exodus. Then finally, when P^ was added,
a date in Dt. i. 3ff., a harmonistic touch in iv. 41-43, possibly
some modifications of xxvii. 14-26 and a resumption of Num.
xxvii. i2ff. in xxxii. 48-52 were all that Rp needed to add before
inserting 5's notice of Moses' death, xxxiv. 7-9 in the JE narra-
tive of xxxiii. f.
In the above sketch of the history of the Deuteronomic Code
and its two Introductions and Appendices the attempt has been
made to convey a clear idea of the theory on which we proceed
in extricating the fragments of the narrative from their present
connection with the purely legislative work of Deuteronomy.
It is not our present purpose to defend this theory of Deuter-
onomy, nor to demonstrate the existence of a Dp and a Dh.
All this belongs to the history of the legal element of the Pen-
tateuch. After the above description of the book and its
history, as we understand it, we have only to turn to the pas-
sages above laid claim to as parts of the narrative JEP and
demonstrate their independence of the context in which they
now stand, in contrast with their real and organic connection
with the Triple Tradition of the Exodus.
§ VII. (Narrative parts of Deuteronomy). The Covenant in
THE Plains of Moab.
The mere concluding sentences of the story of Moses' life in
P^ are found in Deuteronomy, detached from their necessary
connection with Num. xxvii. 12-23, ^iid appended to Deuter-
onomy by a few lines of date and connection, mainly a repeti-
tion of Num. xxvii. 12-23, supplied by R. The genuine ele-
ments derived from P^ simply relate the death of Moses and the
30 days' mourning, as in Aaron's case (Num. xx. 28f.) ; xxxiv.
la ; 5b ; also how Joshua his successor, according to the
promise Num. xxvii. 15-23, is filled with the Spirit of Wisdom ;
vv. 7-9.
25i DEUTERONOMY.
E seems to have had an itinerary similar to Num. xxxiii.
which may, however, have been displaced from between Num.
xii. 15 and xx. i. If it stood originally, or by transfer of Rje,
where Num. xxxiii. now stands, i. e., at the conclusion of the
Story of the Wilderness Wandering, the presence of fragments in
the early part of Dh may be understood from the preceding com-
ments on the book of Deuteronomy (see above, p. 250). Either
here, or before Num. xx. i, E synopsized the journey from
Horeb to Kadesh in eleven stages, at one of which, Moserah,
Aaron died and was buried, Eleazar his son succeeding to the
priestly office ; Dt. i. ib, 2 ; x. 6f. [In the plains of Shittim
Moses assembles the elders of Israel (xxvii. i) and all the peo-
ple for a parting address, in the nature of Jos. xxiv. He recapit-
ulates the Story of the Wilderness Wandering, emphasizing
particularly the facts relating to the appointment of judges and
officers, and the disobedience of the people at Kadesh which
had excluded them 40 years from the land of promise and
commands vengeance on Amalek (Dt. i. 6-iii. 29 ; xxv. 17-
19). He is now about to deliver to them the to?-ah and com-
mandment'he received at Horeb (Ex. xxiv. 12-14) ]. At this
point followed the little code of Mishpatim under the title,
'' These are the Judgments which thou shalt set before them,"
communicated by Moses to elders, judges, officers and people
as the principles received at Horeb for the permanent adminis-
tration of social order ; Ex. xxi. i-xxiii. 9. The address was
then concluded by directions to the " elders " to erect on mount
Ebal, after conquest of the land, an altar according to the
prescription of Ex. xx. 24, and (twelve ?) stelae, on which this
primitive " law of the twelve tables " is to be inscribed. The
ratification of this new covenant is to be celebrated by a sacri-
ficial feast ; and a covenant by the people on Ebal and Gerizim.
Dt. xxvii. 1-8*; 11-13. Thereafter Yahweh summons Moses
and Joshua to the Tent of Meeting and bestows upon the latter
a charge as Moses' successor ; xxxi. i4f. 23. Moses dies in the
land of Moab, but his sepulchre is unknown. No prophet like
him has since appeared ; xxxiv. 5a, 6b, 10.
According to the J element of Deuteronomy, when Moses
THE ITINERARY, AND SECOND LAW. 255
had given inheritance to the tribes of Reuben and Gad (Num.
xxxii.) he gathered together the princes and tribes of Israel
(Dt. xxxiii. s) and pronounced upon the people tribe by tribe
such a blessing as that which in the mouth of Jacob (Gen. xlix.)
concludes the first epoch of the sacred history, the patriarchal
period, and that other which in the mouth of Deborah (Jud. v.)
seems to mark the close of the Conquest of Canaan ; Dt. xxxiii.
This " Blessing of Moses" shows a similar structure to the " Bles-
sing of Jacob,'' Gen. xlix., and even an unmistakable dependence
upon it ; perhaps also upon the Song of Balaam, Num. xxiv.
Ascending to the top of Pisgah Moses beholds the land he is
forbidden to enter, dies there and is buried " in the valley in the
land of Moab, over against Beth-peor" ; Dt. xxxiv. i a/;, 4, 6a.
I. Dt. I. iff ; X. 6f. ch. xxvii. The Itinerary, and the Second
Law.
ANALYSIS.
The opening sentence of Deuteronomy is in such confusion as to be
unintelligible. Vs. 3 is intended to connect the book with the scheme of
dates of P^, though it not only has no connection witli the Priestly Law-
book but is constantly found in irreconcilable contradiction with it. In
addition it is entirely excluded by Num. .xxvii. 12-23, which leaves no
room for a further legislation between it and the story of Moses' death.
We may therefore strike out vs. 3 as inserted by Rp. Vv. 4 and 5 again
bear a precisely analogous relation to JE. The words are doubly super-
fluous between vs. 3 and iv. 44-49, looking past both introductions, chh.
r.-iv., and v.- xi., to Deuteronomy as a whole. Preceded by vs. la they
form the link by which Rd unites Deuteronomy to the ' prophetic " his-
tory JE. The address which follows in vv. 6ff. (Dh) begins, however,
much too abruptly to have come from the same hand, and, from its
character cannot have been intended to follow, but only to replace, the
narrative of JE. The opening words of vs. i as far as " beyond Jordan
in the wilderness " are appropriate enough, and connect well enough
with vs. 4 ; but what can be made of ib and 2 ? " Suph " is not prob-
ably the Red Sea, as some of the versions make it. May we perhaps
identify it with " Suphah," mentioned in the song quoted by E in Num.
xxi. 14 ? But what of " Paran " at the northern extremity of the Gulf of
Akaba or somewhat further west, the place from which the wilderness of
256 DE U TERONOM V.
that ilk is named ? What of " Tophel," some rive miles north of Bozrah
in Edom, southeast of the Dead Sea ? What is it of which the scene is
laid "between Paran and Tophel"? These words would well describe
the extent of the isthmus between the Gulf of Akaba and the Dead Sea;
but what have they to do with the " plains of Moab " opposite Jericho,
the scene of Deuteronomy? What, if anything, can be located "be-
tween Paran and Tophel ami Laban (Num. xxxiii. 20, " Libuah ") and
Hazeroth (Num. xi. 35) anti Di-zahab " ? If the latter places mentioned
define the locality, is it not superfluous to mention the former, as if one
should say, between Jerusalem and Damascus, and Capernaum and
Bethsaida and Chorazin ? But what, above all, is the pertinence of vs.
2, giving- the number of days' journey from Horeb to Kadesh ? What
connection has this with the location of Moses address opposite Jericho ?
It is 40 years since Israel went from Horeb to Kadesh, and since the
journey was made thither they have come by an almost opposite course
to Shittim, as far from Kadesh by the route they have come as Damas-
cus itself. The only answer that can be given to the question is simply_
there is no connection. The latter part of Dt. i. i, and vs. 2 is an erratic
fragment. The phenomenon, however, has a parallel in x. 6f. That the
relation, or lack of relation, to Dh in which the latter is given may be
clearly seen, we will present the Context.
10 " At that time Yahweh said unto me, Hew thee two tables of
stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and
2 make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words
that were on the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put
3 them in the ark. So I made an ark of acacia wood, and hewed two
tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having
4 the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the tables, according
to the first writing, the ten commandments, which Yahweh spake unto
you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly :
5 and Yahweh gave them unto me. And I turned and came down from
the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made ; and there
6 they be, as Yahweh commanded me. — And the children of
Israel journeyed from Beeroth Benejaakan to Moserah :
there Aaron died, and there he was buried ; and Eleazar his
7 son ministered in the priest's office in his stead. From thence
they journeyed unto Gudgodah ; and from Gudgodah to Jot-
8 bathah, a land of brooks of water.— At that time Yahweh
separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh,
THE ITINERARY, AND SECOND LAU\ 257
to stand before Yahweh to minister unto him, and to bless in his
name, unto this day. Wherefore Levi hath no portion nor inheritance 6
with his brethren ; Yahweh is his inheritance, according as Yahweh
thy God spake unto him. And 1 stayed in the mount, as at the first lo
time, forty days and forty nights : and Yahweh hearkened unto me
that time also ; Yahweh would not destroy thee. And Yahweh said ii
unto me. Arise, take thy journey before the people ; and they shall go
in and possess the land, which 1 svvare unto their fathers to give unto
them."
We are familiar with the story to which vv. 1-5, 8-i i refer in Ex.
x.xxii. and xxxiv.; for the separation of the tribe of Levi here referred to
is that of Ex. xxxii. 25 29, referred to again in Dt. xxxiii. 8f.; the situa-
tion in vs. 10 shows this very clearly, even if we had not the second
person (" thy God ") in vs. 9, and the characteristic '' at that time " of Dh
(eleven times in chh. i.-iv.) in vv. i and 8, to show that the parenthesis
must be closed after vs. 7, and not where the R. V. closes it after vs. 9.
fnto the connection of Moses' discourse, where he is reminding Israel of
what occurred " at that time,'' when they were in Horeb, breaks in, with-
out any warning or occasion whatever, a section speaking of the children
of Israel in the third person, which describes a part of the journey in the
wilderness and the death of Aaron and investiture of his son Eleazar at
Moserah ! If there is any connection at all, it is the mere fact that w.
6f. and 8f. both have something to do with the priests' office. One must
be credulous indeed to suppose that the writer of the surrounding con-
text (Dh) himself put it here, making nonsense of his own work.
Whence then, is it and what ? It does not come from Dp, nor from the
hand of P, nor is it likely to have been inserted after Deuteronomy came
into union with P ; for nothing could be more flatly in contradiction with
the plain statement of the priestly writer as to when and where and how
the death of Aaron took place (cf. Num. .xx, 22-29), and the usual har-
monistic expedient of a double occurrence of the same event this time
will not apply. Moreover the names of the stations, though similar to
the corresponding Hst of Num. xxxiii. 30- 33, which we know to be de-
pendent upon P, are at the same time so different that it cannot possibly
originate from the priestly element. But knowing as we do that E
afforded an itinerary (cf. Num. xxi. I2ff.) drawn up in this form, a differ-
ent form from P's ; finding, as we do in Jos. xxiv. 33, that the death and
burial of " Eleazar the priest, the son of Aaron," is subsequently related
by E, who consequently must have related Aaron's death and the succes-
sion of Eleazar to " the priest's office," and probably defined the place of
258 Di-^ U TERONOM \ '.
Aaron's burial (cf. Dt. xxxiv. 6b ; Jos. xxiv. 30, 32, 33), the probability is
very strong tliat Dt. x. 6f. is a fragment of this itinerary of E ; and, since
in i. lb, 2 a similar erratic block has been already found, and moreover
there is good reason to think that x. i-i i (Dh) belongs as a whole before
i. 6ff. (Dh) it is further in the highest degree probable that the erratic
fragment in i. ib, 2, containing only a list of names and the statement of
the number of stations from Horeb to Kadeshis part of the same itinerary.
How could these erratic blocks of E get here at the beginning of Deu-
teronomy ? I can suggest but one way, viz : that they always were
here ; or at least were here before the present Deuteronomy with its envel-
opes was taken up into JED. If the primitive Deuteronomy of E was
preceded, like our present Deuteronomy, by an itinerary recapitulating
the wilderness wandering similar to Num. xxxiii., whether removed by
Rje from after Num. xii., or originally in this position, the fragment in i.
lb, 2 might well be a remnant of it, describing the road from Horeb to
K;adesh as passing "between Paran and Tophel," and leading to the
stations Laban, Hazeroth and Di-zahab, Beeroth-bene-jaakan, Moserah,
Gudgodah and Jotbatha. As Dt. i. 2 seems to conclude the account of
the journey, we may perhaps assume that x. 6f. originally preceded it.
Another fragment preserved by Rd. is XXV. ly-iQ' "■'nich as to content
has no relation to Deuteronomy, but a close one with E. It even shows
his language (see refs.), though like xxvii. 1-8 expanded by Rd. It
would seem to be a remnant of Moses' discourse.
It is not necessary after what has been said already in connection with
the Book of Judgments, Ex. xxi. f., and in the general discussion of Deuter-
onomy as a whole, to point out that this book with its two introductions
forms an independent work with a style eminently peculiar to itself, and
having had a long and interesting history of its own (II Kings xxi. ff.) be-
fore its incorporation with JE. It is mainly for the following reasons
that we conclude that originally the place now occupied by Deuteronomy
was filled by a recapitulatory discourse of Moses similar to Jos. xxiv.,
which introduced as the Second Law, the Book of Judgments, Ex. xxi. f. :
i". Deuteronomy itself presupposes the existence of such a tradition. It
claims to present the commandments and teachings which Moses com-
municated to the people in the plains of Moab " besides the covenant
which Yahweh made with them at Horeb "; in fact the nucleus of this
second law is the Book of Judgments, practically all of which is taken up
by D in a revised form. 2". E itself looks forward to a deliverance of
this kind in \^^t" torah and commandment" received by Moses, Ex.
xxiv. 12-14, "that thou mayest teach them " to the people. 3". The
Book of Judgments is egregiously out of place where it now stands,
THE ITINERARY, AND SECOND LAW. 2r,9
interrupting the connection of the Book of the Covenant ; whereas its
whole character as a law for settled agricultural life, a life of fields and
vineyards, houses and lands, sanctuaries and altars, is such as to make
it appropriate only when the people are about to enter, if not already
entered, upon the possession of the land. 4". At the close of Joshua's
career, and that of Samuel in E, and, in less degree, of Joseph's, the
occasion is used tor such a recapitulation as this of Yahweh's providen-
tial guidance, and an adjuration of the people to fidelity to him. We
should expect the most important address of the kind to come at the
farewell of Moses. 5". We find fragments of the narrative of E at the
beginning and end of Deuteronomy, which have no connection with the
book itself. We have now to add : 6". Dt. xxvii. is one of these frag-
ments of E, unconnected with the work of D ; and this chapter presup-
poses that Moses has just been communicating a torah which could be
inscribed on great stones as a national inheritance.
In this instance we find the E material retouched and in a measure
adapted to the context. But the position of the chapter is a very singu-
lar one. In chh. xxviii. ff. we have an inculcation of obedience to the law
just given, because Yahweh will bless obedience, but visit a disobedient
nation with fearful curses. In fact the first 14 verses of ch. xxviii. alone
comprise the blessing, whereas the 54 verses following scarcely suffice
to describe the terrors of the curse ; and even so we do not reach the
end, for in two more chapters, xxixf., the theme is resumed, and here it
is even taken for granted that the curse and not the blessing will be
Israel's portion, and a promise of return from exile is given on condition
of repentance. In all this \.\\t preacher (Dp) is in his element. But ch.
xxvii., which describes two different ceremonies for the ratification of the
law, takes a different course, one which connects it with the history JE.
What follows it is even rendered less effective by being separated from
the matter to which it applies. In xxviii. 58, 61 ; xxix. 2of. ; xxx. 10 the
law referred to is one written m a book. In ch. xxvii. it has just been
communicated orally, and is to be written on stones at Shechem. Ch.
xxvii. is therefore not preliminary to xxxi. 9-13 ; for if it were we should
at least find it in the same connection, not before, but after the blessing
and curse, which are the penalty clause of the law. It is a parallel to
xxxi. 9-13 ; and its sequel in Jos. viii. 30-35 is parallel to xxxi. 24-30,
where, moreover, (vs. 28), the elders and officers are not already before
Moses, as in xxvii. i, but have yet to be assembled' Finally xxvii. 1-8
belongs clearly to the histoiy, more than to the law m itself considered,
being connected on the one side with Ex. xx. 24 (cf. Dt. xxvii. 5f.) and
on the other with Jos. viii. 30-35.
2(J0 DEUTERONOMY.
In like manner the blessing and cursing of xxvii. 11-26 is obviously
a parallel, and not a preliminary, to the blessing and curse of chh. xxixff.
Here too the scene is Shecliein, as in vv. 1-8; moreover in vs. 12 Levi,
as in the most ancient part of the Pentateuch (Gen. xxxiv. 30, xlix. 5), is
placed on a footing of equality with the secular tribes, which is contrary to
the whole attitude of Deuteronomy, and even more so toward that of the
later writmgs. True, vv. 14-26 are conceived in the spirit of the priestly
post-exilic period, and presuppose the legislation of P^ and D, if not P'^.
We must assign them to Rd if not to Rp. But vv. 14-26 are a foreign
attachment to vv. 11 -13, or rather a late expansion thereof. Levi in vs.
12 has not this independent, priestly part to play, and the whole concep-
tion of how six tribes are to bless the people and six to curse them in vv.
11-13 is different from that of vv. 14-26, where this part is taken away
from the tribes and given to the Levites. Finally even vv. 11-13 though
clearly referring to the same event as xi, 29f, (Dp) are not in harmony
with them. It is quite clear that the nucleus of ch. xxvii. is ancient
material from the "prophetic' narrative, worked over by a very late
hand (Rd) and attached to Deuteronomy in spite of the fact that it is
more than superfluous there. Whence then is this material derived .'
There is but one writer of the Hexateuch for whom Shechem is the
religious centre, or who would even dream of locating there the formal
adoption of the national Mosaic institutions , and that is E (cf. e. g. Jos.
xxiv.). There is but one writer, if any, who treats Levi after Ex. xxxii.
as a secular tribe ; and that is E. There is but one to whom the direc-
tions for the altar and sacrificial feast /// mount Ehal (I) can be assigned ;
and that is the author of Ex. xx. 24f., already shown to be E. In short,
no course is open to the critic save to recognize that the primitive mate-
rial of ch. xxvii. belongs to E ; and if so this furnishes further confirma-
tion of our decision in regard to the fragments preceding.
As to the manner in which this material has been adjusted to the sur-
rounding Deuteronomic context, we need only point out that the passage
has clearly been retouched to fit it for the present context, (see note in
toe), doubtless by the same hand as xxvi. 16-19, where (vs. 19) the late
verse, Ex. xix. 6, is referred to, and the writer (Rd) leads over from the
Deuteronomic context to the idea of the covenant in xxvii. 1-8. On the
other hand xxvii. gf., which are missed before xxviii. I, may well be
original with Dp. The Deuteronomic character of these verses is so
plain from the style and language as to be unmistakable even in transla-
tion and to the tyro. Vv. gf,, accordingly, we may here pass over. On
the other hand we have all the material derived from E in xxvii. 1-8,
11-26, and in xxvi. 16-19 we have the link connecdng it with Deuter-
1.4- THE ITINERARY, AND SECOND LAW. 261
onomy. That which is clear, iinally, from the moment that the basis of
eh. xxvii. is admitted to be E's, is that our Deuteronomy has taken the
place of a Second Law of Moses in the plains of Shittim, a law to be
written on great stones in Ebal, and there to be ratified by the people, in
solemn sacrificial feast and covenant ; for this is the significance not
only of the sacrificial meal of vs. 7, but also, no doubt, of the ceremony
on Ebal and Gerizim (cf. Jer. xxxiv. i8f. and Gen. xv. 10, 17). This
book of the law of this second covenant we infer to have been that given
to Moses at Horeb during his 40 days' sojourn in the mount, and pre-
served to us, for the most part if not entire, under the title " These are
the Judgments " in Ex. xxi.-xxiii. 9. In one more respect then the writer
of Hilkiah's law-book with its terrible curses (2 Kings xxii.) was true to
tradition , and Jeremiah also, in reminding the people how they them-
selves and all their princes and nobles had ratified the covenant of Yah-
weh's law by passing between the severed parts of the sacrificial calf,
referred to no recent or doubtful claim, but to the immemorial belief and
tradition of his day.
(Rd) These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel beyond 1
Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah over against Suph, [ . . ]
(E) between Paran, and Tophel, and ^Laban, and ^Hazeroth,
and Di-zafiab. It is eleven days' [journey] from Horeb ^by 2
the way of ''mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.* [ ]
{Rp j "And it came to pass in the fortieth year^ in the eleventh month, on the ■?
first day of the ?nonth^ that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according
unto all that Yahiveh had given him in commandment unto them,-
(Rd) ^after he had smitten .Sihon, the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in 4
Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Kdrei be-
yond Jordan, in the land of JMoab, began Moses to declare this law, saying, t i;
********
^Xu. 33 : 20. '^Nu. II :35. ^E.x. 13 : 17 ; Nu. 14; 25 ; 21 : 4. *Jos. 24 ; 4. ^Nu. 10 : 11 .
14 • 34 ; 20 : 1. "4 : 46 ; 31 : 4.
* Kadesh-barnea is the form usually employed by D (but cf. vs. 46) and we
do not find it outside of Deuteronomic passages. E, however, may have used
It when speaking of Kadesh in such a connection as the present, though else-
where he employs simply " Kadesh," or Rd may have added " barnea " here.
Still the assignment of vs. 2 to E must be admitted to be very doubtful, and
depends mainly on the fact that the passage has no other intelligible con-
nection than with the itinerary from Horeb to Kadesh.
t Vv. 4f. appear to connect with la, and afford a curious parallel to iv. 44£f.
2ii3 DEUTERONOMY. X. 6.
10 — 6 (E) — ^\nd the children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth
Benejaakan to Moserah: ^there Aaron died, and there he was
buried ; and ^Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office
7 in his stead. From thence they journeyed unto *Gudgodah ;
and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of
water. — *
********
25 — 17 (E) [ . . ] ^Remember what Amalek did unto
18 thee by the way as ye come forth out of Egypt ; how he
met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee,
(Rd) all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary ;
19 and he ^feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when Yahweh
thy God hath ''given thee rest from all thine enemies round
about, in the land which Yahweh thy God giveth thee for an inheritanee
to possess it, that *thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Am-
alek from under heaven ; thou shalt not forget. f
********
2H — 16 (Rd) iThis day Yahweh thy God commandeth thee to do these
statutes and judgments : thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all
I 7 thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast avouched Yahweh this day
to be thy God, and that thou shouldest wall< in his ways, and keep his stat-
'Nu. 26 : i2f ; 33 : 30-33. =Ct. Nu. 20 : 22ff. ''loi,. 24 : 33. -"Nu. 33 : 32f. 'i Sam. 15 :
20. ^Ex. I : 17 and refs. ^i Sam. 12 : it. ""Ex. 17 : 14 ; 1 Sam. ch. 15. ^11 : 32.
In order to connect the recapitulatory address of Dh, which formed the outer
envelope of Deuteronomy, with JE, it was necessary to introduce some such
date. In removing x. i-ii from this connection to its present position Rd was
no doubt influenced by its relation to ch. ix. (Dp) as well as by a desire to
supply the sequel to the story of the Apostasy.
* From the name Jotbathah, taken to mean " excellent in water." For the
connection, or rather complete lack of connection of this fragment see above,
Analysis p. 256. The reinstatement of Aaron to the priestly office presupposed
here and in Jos. xxiv. 33 must be understood to have taken place after Ex.
xxxii. 33, as Dt. ix. 20 in fact declares it did, referring to something not pre-
served in the narrative. In Ex. xviii. 12 also, a passage certainly to be placed
later in than Ex. xxxii., Aaron appears in good favor. All these passages con-
firm the idea of Kuenen, Cornill et al., attributing Ex. xxxii. 1-6, 16-24, 3"~34
to an E'^.
t Ch. ,\xv. 17-Tg has been taken up by Rd from the discourse of Moses.
XXVII. 8. THE ITINERARY, AND SECOND LAW. 363
«tes, and his comniaiidments, and his judgments, and harken unto his
voice : and Yahweh -^hath avouched thee this day to be a peculiar people l8
unto himself, as he ^hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all
his commandments ; and to make thee ^high above all nations which he 19
hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor ; and that thou mayest be
an holy people unto Yahweh thy God, "as he hath spoken*
(E) [ . , J 'And Moses and the elders of Israel com- 27
(Rd) manded the people, saying, qCeep all the commandment
which I command you this day. And it shall be on the day when ye shall ->
pass over Jordan unto the land which Yahweh thy God giveth thee, that
thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister : and thou 7
Shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over;
^that thou mayest go in unto the land which Yahweh thy God giveth thee,
aland flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God of thy fathers,
(E) hath promised thee. And *it shall be when ye are passed 4
over Jordan, that ye shall "setup these stones, which I com-
mand you this day, in ^mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaister them
with plaister. 'And there shalt thou build an altar unto 5
Yahweh thy God, an altar of stones : thou shalt lift up no
[tool iron] upon them. Thou shalt build the altar of Yahweh 6
thy God of unhewn stones : and thou shalt offer burnt offer-
ings thereon unto Yahweh thy God : and thou shalt sacrifice 7
peace offerings, and shall eat there ; and thou shalt rejoice before
Yahweh thy God. And thou shalt write upon the stones all the 8
words of this law very "plainly. f
"7: 6; 14 : 2 ; 28 : 9. ^Ex. 19 : sf. '+ : 7f. ; 28 ; i. ^Ex. 19 : 6. 'Jos. 24 ; i. ''^b-.iii.
etc. ^5 : 16 ; 10 : g. ■'Jos. 8 : 30-35. ^Jos. 24 : 26. ^Ct. 11 : 29. 'Ex. 20 : 24 ; 24 : 5 ;
32 : 6. ^r ; 5.
* Vv. 16-19 introduce the directions for the covenant in ch. x.wii. Their
position, character, language (see refs.) and purpose all show them to be Rd's,
and the references in vv. iSf. to Ex. xix. 5f. show their origin to have been
even later than the latter.
t The passage providing for the solemn ratification of a covenant at Shec-
hem similar to that at Horeb (Ex. xxiv. 3-8), which Rd has here adopted as a
suitable conclusion to the Deuteronomic law, has naturally been very thor-
oughly retouched by him, like the story of its fulfillment in Jos. viii. 30-35.
Still the additions of Rd, recognizable both from their redundancy (cf. 2f. with
4) and from the style and language, scarcely affect the substance of the para-
2U DE U TERONOM Y- XX VI 1 , 1 1 .
11 And Moses charged the people the same day, saying,
12 'These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people,
when ye are passed over Jordan ; Simeon and Levi, and
13 Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin : and these
shall stand upon mount Ebal for the curse ; Reuben, Gad,
14 (Rd) and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. And the
Levites shall answer, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,
I c Cursed be the man that maketh a '"graven or molten image, an abomina-
tion unto Yahweh, the 'Hvork of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it
up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
16 '^Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all
the people shall say. Amen.
17 i^Cursed be he that renioveth his neighbor's landmark. And all the
people shall say, Amen.
1 8 '*Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all
the people shall say, Amen.
IC) '^Cursed be he that wresteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and
widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.
20 '^Cursed be he that lieth with his father's wife ; because he hath uncov-
ered his father's skirt. And all the people shall say. Amen.
21 I'Cursed be he that lieth with any manner pf beast. And all the people
shall say. Amen.
22 '^Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the
daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen,
23 "Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people
shall say, Amen.
24 ^"Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor in secret. And all the people
shall say, Amen.
25 2iCursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all
the people shall say, .4men.
»Jer. 34 : i8f. i»E.x. 20 : 4, 23 ; Lev. ig : 4. uis. ^o . ,gf[ ij^x. 21 : 15, 17. "i, : 14.
■'Lev. 19:14. liiEx. 22:211'. I'Lev. 18: 8 ; 20 : II, "Ex. 22 : 19 ; Lev. 18 : 23 ; 20 : 15.
"Lev, 18 : 9 ; 20 : 17, "Lev, 18 : 17 ; 20 : 14, 20Ex, 21 : 12, 14 ; Lev, 24 : 17, aiEx. 23 : ^i.
graph. In vs. i we should read with Dillmann : " And Moses commanded the
elders of Israel " ; LXX. omit " the people " ; cf. vs. 11, Moses' charge to the
people.
XXVII. 26. THE CHARGE TO JOSHUA. 36,5
'^''Cursed be he that coiifirmeth not the words of this law to do them. 26
And all the people shall say, Amen.*
2. Dt. XXX. if. The Charge to Joshua.
ANAL YSIS.
In Dt. XXX. If., after the hortatory appendix to the Code.we begin to
find traces of the resumption of the narrative, These however are inter-
mingled with elements clearly belonging to the Code, or rather to its
envelope Dh, which it is not our purpose to touch, since the legislation is
here more than ever independent of the narrative. To Dh, and to his
successor, the author of ch. iv., belongs the " Song of Moses," xxxii. i-
44; its double introduction, x.xxi. 16-22 and 24-30; and the verses,
xxxh. 45-47, which bring the Law-book of Dh to a Close. The passage
Dt. xxxi. 9-13 ha.s the same function and rhust accordingly be from
another hand (Dp) ; but it is also purely related to the law-book. All
this material therefore must be treated in a different connection. The
remaining portions of the concluding chapters of De!uteronomy belong
more or less strictly to the Tradition of the Exodus. In xxx. 1-8, we
have, beyond dispute, the link which attaches Deuteronomy at its latter
part to the Story of the Conquest, as i. la. 4f. at its beginning attached
it to the Story of the Wilderness Wandering. Moses announces to the
people his own impending death, and presents to them Joshua as his
successor, giving him a charge, and assuring him of Yahweh's presence
and irresistible aid in the conquest. The passage is unmistakably by
the same hand as that which has given to Jtoshua i. its present form ;
the agreement is in fact to a great extent verbal. The relation to the
editor who attaches Deuteronomy to JE in i. i a, 4f: is also clear from
the style. There will be no difference of opinion arriong Critics in
ascribing the passage to Rd.
Connected in a way with this charge to Joshua are the remarkable
==Jer. II 13.
* It is very obvious from the references that .the writer of vv. 14-26 is
acquainted with all the older codes pf the Pentateuch, the Mishpatim (E), Law
of Holiness (PM and Deuteronomy. Reasons have already been given above
(Analysis p. 260.) for regarding vv. 14-26 as much later than 11-13. But it is
not impossible that they are written on the basis of the original sequel to vv.
11-13-
266 DEUTERONOMY.
verses xxxi. i4f., 23 ; for in spite of some striking differences in the con-
ception both passages are adapted to lead over to the Story of the Con-
quest by relating the Charge to Joshua. That vv. I4f., 23 have no
original connection with 1-8 is very clear. Their separation by vv. 9-13
might indeed be accidental ; but in vv. 1-8 the charge is given by Moses,
in vv. i4f., 23 by Yahweh. In vv. 1-8 Moses has already presented
Joshua to the people as his successor ; whereas in i4f., 23 Moses has yet
to call him and be informed by Yahweli that Joshua has been chosen to
take his place. Vv. I4f., 23 again have no connection with the context
in which they stand (Dh), nor with the preceding passage (Dp). They
appear very much in the same relation, or rather want of relation, as the
erratic blocks in chh. i. x., ,kxv. and xxvii. Vv. 9-13 bring the book of
Deuteronomy to a full stop with directions for its perpetual preservation
and inculcation to the everlasting benefit of Israel. Vs. 14 abruptly
introduces the charge to Joshua. .Still worse is it with vv. 16-22.
Right in the midst of this charge to Joshua comes the first introduction
to the Song of Moses. In vs. 15 Yahweh has descended in the cloud at
the door of the Tent of Meeting, announcing that he is about to give a
charge to Joshua. The latter now stands beside .Moses prepared to
receive it. Instead, Yahweh addresses Moses on the subject of a certain
Song he is to teach the people, and the new incident concludes without
Joshua's being addressed at all. When Yahweh has concluded his
directions to Moses about the Song, we are told " So Moses wrote this
Song the same day and taught it the children of Israel." Thereafter we
naturally expect the Song to follow. But no ; in the next verse Yahweh
is giving Joshua the charge for the purpose of which he had descended
in the cloud in vs. 15, and not until a new introduction has again paved the
way for it does the Song finally appear. When, in addition, we contrast
the brevity and simplicity of the style in vv. I4f., 23 with the hortatory
and high-flown rhetoric of vv. 16-21, 24-30, it becomes very clear that
here again we have one of the fragments of JE preserved by Rd.
This time also the source from which it is derived admits of no ques-
tion. The position filled by Joshua (cf. Jos. xxiv.), above all the unmis-
takable relation of the passage to Ex. xxxiii. 7-1 1 ; Nu. xi. l6f. ; xii. 5,
shows us that here once more is a genuine fragment of E associated by
Rd with Dh, but forming no part of the latter's material. The passage
indeed is indispensable in the narrative vi'hose conclusion is found in Jos.
xxiv.
This fragmentary account in E of the charge to Joshua is not without
its close parallel in P' We have in fact already discussed (see note on
Num. xxvii. i2ff.) the double storv of the command to Moses to ascend
XXXI. 8. THE CHARGE TO JOSHUA. 267
"this mountain of Abarim and die there"; which, in P- as in E (Dt.
xxxi. 14), is naturally connected with the charge to Joshua. In the dis-
covery of P'^'s source, (Dt. xxxi. i4f., 23J where the announcement to
Moses that the time has come for him to die is directly associated with
the command " Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meet-
ing that I may give him a charge," we have an additional reason for the
conclusion arrived at in connection with Nu. xxvii. i3ff. that this pas-
sage, whose principal theme is the charge to Joshua, and not Dt. xxxii.
48-52, which makes no reference to Joshua, is the original P*. The latter
passage must then be due simply to Rp, resuming the thread of Num.
xxvii. 12-23 after the prolonged interruption. It would seem almost
superfluous to point out the priestly character of xxxii. 48-53, its incon-
gruous position, relation to the P narratives of the death of Aaron (Num.
XX. 22i^. P'^j and trespass at Meribath Kadesh (Num. xxi. 13 P'^
(Ru) And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel, ol — I
And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can 2
no more go out and come in : and 'Yahwehhath said unto me, Thou shall not
go over this Jordan. Yahweh thy God, he will go over before thee ; he will 3
destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them : [and]
Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as Yahweh hath spoken. -And Yah- 4
weh shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the
Amorites, and unto their land; whom he destroyed. And Yahweh shall 5
deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all
^the commandment which I have commanded you. *Be strong and of good
courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them : for Yahweh thy God, he it is
that doth go with thee ; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. And Moses 7
called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, ^'Be strong
and of good courage : for thou shalt go with this people into the land
which Yahweh hath sworn unto their fathers to give them ; and thou shalt
cause them to inherit it. And Yahweh, he it is that doth go before thee ; 8
he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee : fear not,
neither be dismayed.*
^i : 37 ; 4 : 21. ^i ; 4f. ; 4 ; 46!. ^7 : i6ff. ''Jos. i : 51'. ^Vs. 23 ; Jos. i : g.
* Vv. 1-8 serve to connect Deuteronomy with Jos. i. (see refs. and Analysis).
As in Dt. i. i, 4f. Rd seems here also to have woven in the E fragments left
in situ. The passage seems to have vv. I4f. in view, although it really antici-
2Gb DEUTERUNOMY. XXXI. 14.
14 (Ej [ ] "And Yahvveh said unto Moses, Behold, thy
days approach that thou must die : call Joshua, and 'present
yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a
charge. *And Moses and Joshua went, and presented them-
15 selves in the tent of meeting. And Yahweh appeared in
the Tent in a pillar of cloud : and the pillar of cloud stood
over the door of the Tent.
23 And "he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said,
Be strong and of a good courage : for thou shalt bring the
children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them :
i"and I will be with thee.
********
32 — 48 (Rp) ^Aiul Vahwe/i spake unto /Uiucs that selfsame day, saying,
49 Get thee up into litis mountain of Abarini, unto mount Ncbo, which ism the
landdf Moah, 'Hhat is over against Jericho ; and behold the land of Canaan,
50 which /give unto the children of Israel for a possession : and die in the mount
whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as '^ Aaron thy
5 I brother died in mount Hor, and 'was gathered unto his people ; because *ye
trespassed against mc in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of
Meribah of Kadesli, in the wilderness of Zin ; because ye sanctified me not in
5- the midst of the children of Israel. ^For thou shalt seethe land before thee :
but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of'
Israel.^
^Cf. Nu. 27 : 12—23 ; vv. 1-8. ^Jos. 24 : i. ^Ex. 33 ■.-j-ii ; Nu. 11 : i6f. ; t2 : 5. ^Ct. vs.
7 '"Gen. 46 : sf. '^Nu. 27 : 12-23, ^34 ■ '■ ^Nu. 20 : 22fE. ''Nu. 20 ; 13 ; ct. Dt. i. 37'; ^Cf.
31 ; 2.
pates them so far as to make them well-nigh superfluous. Cf. vs. 7 before vs.
14, and vv. yf. with vs. 23.
* Tlie passage xx.xii. 48-52 resumes the story of P'^ from Num. xxvii. 12-23,
bnt is here separated from its connection with the charge to Joshua, which
must have been original (cf. xxxiv. 7-9, and xxxi. 1-8), and assimilated to J in
xxxiv. if. (cf. " that is over against Jericho," vs. 49, with xxxiv. i). Otherwise
the verses are a close, but somewhat expanded copy of Num. xxvii. 12-14. It
is worthy of note that " rebelled against my word," Num. xxvii. 14, is here
altered to the more indefinite " trespassed against me," which agrees better
with the present modified form of P- in Num. xx. 1-13.
BLESSING AND DEA TH UF MOSES. 269
3. Chh. xxxiii-f. The Blessing and Death of Moses.
ANALYSIS.
In a poem of unmistakable antiquity Moses surveys the tribes of
Israel in order, first the four older sons of Leah, from eldest to young-
est ; then the sons of Rachel, proceeding from south to north ; then the
two late-born sons of Leah, Zebulun and Issachar ; and lastly the sons of
Bilhah and Zilpah, Gad, Uan, Naphtali, Asher, apparently in the order
of importance. Upon each he pronounces a blessing, concluding in the
style of the exordium, vv. 1-5, with the felicitation of Israel as a whole,
vv. 26-29. Immediately after the conclusion of this " blessing " iVIoses
ascends mount Nebo (Pisgah), surveys the Promised Land, dies, and is
buried " in the valley of the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor."
After reference to the mourning for Moses, and an anticipatory allusion
to the qualification of Joshua to be his successor, the author concludes
his account of the life apd work of Moses with a characterization of his
hero as the prophet par excellence.
In attributing ch. xxxiii. to J the present writer is consciously opposing
the all but unanimous consent of critics, which since the time of Graf
has not only fixed its date, with what must be admitted to be a high
degree of probability, in the prosperous period of Jeroboam II. (786-746
B. C), when a reunited Israel felt itself victorious and secure in the pos-
session of its fertile land ; but has confidently declared the authorship
Ephraimitic, in short that it formed part of the document of E.
The grounds for the current belief are briefly set forth by Addis in his
recent work presentmg the results of Hexateuch analysis as follows ;
" Judah (vs. 7) is to ' come ' to the people, not the people to him. The
poet says little of Judah, nothing of Simeon. It is of the north tribes,
and particularly of Joseph, 'the prince among his brethren,' that he
speaks at length and with enthusiasm." *
Dillmann, moreover, finds an affinity of language to the Aramaean and
traces of influence by Nu. xxiii. To this might be added the reference in
vs. 16 to Ex. iii. 2f., (J's, but attributed by critics generally to E), and
the use of 'Elohim ' in vs. 26, were it not that the reading " the God of
Jeshurun " is almost certainly to be preferred. Cornill (Einl. p. 72), with
others, is influenced also by the reference in vs. 9 to Ex. xxxii. 25-29, (J),
of which, however, he will go no further than to say " it appears in an E
connection." Of the reference in vs. 21 to Num. xxxii. we can only say
that either J or E might be referred to, though it is the former who lays
* Addis, Documents of the Hexatciuh, N. Y. 1893, Vol. I., p; 194.
270 DEUTERONOMY.
stress upon Gad's having " executed the justice of Yahweh and his judg-
ments with Israel " by "coming with the heads of the people." The ref-
erence in vs. 8 to Yahweh's " proving " Levi (or Moses?) and striving
with (or for) him cannot, perhaps, be identified with J's story of Massah
in Ex. xvii. 7 ; but neither can it with E's in xv. 25b ; xvi. 4 and xvii. 2,
so that vs. 8 appears at most neutral ; rather, since, with Cornill, we may
regard the treatment of Levi as a secular tribe in xxvii. 12 as from E, vs.
8 is really inconsistent with IC authorship. Now we may lay no stress
upon the sympathy with J in vs. 21 ; but it is significant that on wholly
independent grounds our analysis has led to the assignment of the two
passages unmistakably alluded to in vv. 16 and 26 to J and not to E. As
for the other arguments for E, Dillmann's three words explicable from
the Aramaean are very inconclusive evidence for an Ephramite origin, and
of the three possible traces of influence by Nu. xxiii. (see refs.j two are
found also in the J version of that poem, if not exclusively there. See
note on Nu. xxiv. 8. They might all be accounted for by an acquaint-
ance with the poem independent of E. Per contra the reminiscences of
Gen. xlix. (J) are indisputable, and these affect the whole structure of our
poem. The same in less degree may be said of Jud. v. (J). The argu-
ment that the supreme interest 0/ the poet centres in Joseph is an over-
statement. The proportionate interest in Joseph is no greater than the
relative importance of Ephraim and Manasseh demanded in the time of
the writer ; no greater than appears in J's treatment of the tribal origins
in the narratives of Genesis , no greater than in Gen. xlix., from whence
the greater part of the blessing of Joseph here has been taken bodily.
Graf, who regarded this poem as the work of a priest of the Solomonic
temple, had a truer perception of the author's patriotic feeling. The
survey is comprehensive, but the supreme interest is in " Jeshurun," or
Israel as a whole ; cf, vv. 2-5, 26-29. The centre of unity here is neither
Joseph nor Judah, but Jerusalem ; specifically the temple. So far as a
preference appears for any tribe it is rather the tribe of Levi, (here dis-
tinctly a priest-tribe, vs. 10) who are " the people of Yahweh's conse-
crated one "(Moses); or Benjamin, who is " the favorite of Yahweh"
by virtue of the fact that Yahweh's dwelling-place (the temple) is on his
[mountain] shoulders; vv. 8-10, 12. It is certainly difficult to believe
that an Ephraimite writer, before the time of Josiah, preeminently
««priestly in his proclivities, a prophet of the prophets, could have
written, or even incorporated, a poem so incongruous with his own point
of view.
But the crucial objection to Judean or Levitical authorship is sought
in vs. 7, with its apparently curt treatment of Judah, and above all the
BLESSING AND DEA TH OF MOSES. 2Ti
clause "bring him in unto tiis people," which is interpreted as a prayer
that Judah may become reunited to the main stock of Israel, from which
/le, and not the ten tribes, had separated himself. Admitting the possi-
bility of this interpretation, and the apparent omission of reference to
Simeon, it is not surprising that vs. 7 should have seemed to the critics
conclusive evidence of authorship by E. Yet it is certainly surprising
after an exordium in which the attention has just been fastened upon " all
the tribes of Israel together," even if the blessing was not originally put
in the mouth of Moses, that the author should at the very outset omit
the oldest but one of all the tribes, and count only eleven. It is strange,
therefore, that Dillmann, who recognizes the singularity of this omission,
should reject with the curt verdict of " too violent," the brilliant conjec-
ture of Heilprin (Histor. poetry of the ancient Hebrews, 1889, I. p.
Ii3ff. ; following Gratz and Kohler), which places 7b after vs. 10 and
reads in 7a : " And of Simeon he said ; Hear, Yahweh, the voice of
Simeon, and bring him in unto his people."
It is to be observed in the first place that the true place for the bless-
ing of Judah cannot be after Reuben, with which it is neither geographi-
cally contiguous nor historically associated ; but after Simeon and Levi,
as in Gen. xlix. the true model of the present poem. Secondly, the bless-
ing of Levi manifestly reaches its climax and conclusion in vs. 10.
What follows in vs. 1 1 is impossible to connect with Levi, which as a
priestly guild cannot have enemies on the field of battle, such as are
referred to in vs. ir. Thirdly, the present poem partakes of the charac-
ter of Gen. xlix. and of ancient poems of this class in general, in the fact
that its tribal oracles attach to the name of the tribe in question with
repeated plays upon its sense (cf. vs. 24 with Gen. xlix. passim). Of
this punning character are both parts of vs. 7. The " Hear, {shem'd)
Yahweh " is nothing else than a play upon the name Simeon (shime^on)
who is represented as praying to be reunited to the principal stock of
Israel, a prayer which, though he might offer it himself, an Ephraimite
could hardly imagine yart'rt/? as offering; Simeon, however, in immedi-
ate danger at this time of entire extinction by absorption into the neigh-
boring Edomite and Amalekite stocks, might well be supposed to offer
it. There is here, in fact, no reference to the division between the north-
ern and southern kingdoms ; this on the contrary is ignored by the poet,
who dwells upon the national unity. Our conclusion is corroborated by
the second part of the verse, which has the same play upon the name
Judah iyehudah) as Gen. xlix. 8, connecting it with the stem yad,
"hand.'' Nor is this all. The same warlike " hands " of Judah are
those which reappear in vs. 11, and the same "adversaries" against
'272 BE U TERONOM Y.
whom Yahweh's help is implored in vs. 7b are , those of vs. 11 whose
loms Yahweh is entreated to smite through. What possible connection
on the other hand can 7b have with 7a.'' And what better connection
can it possibly have than with vs. 1 1 .' Finally it is worth while to point
out that the running title 7aa, " And this is of Judah : and he said,"
differing as it does from all the others in vv. 8, 12, 13, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24
which uniformly have " And of he said " seems to bear the mark of
the confusion which has here existed, as if the application of the lines to
Judah had been disputed. When to all this we add the fact that some
LXX. Mss. have here " Simeon," the conjecture seems anything but
■• violent." The running titles are in fact no integral part of the poem,
which does not even afford justification of the expression " he (i. c.
Moses) said," though this of course agrees with the introductory for-
mula. It is probable that the blessing of Simeon, like the preceding
blessing of Reuben, had no separate title, as it was unnecessary. If
then in any way the name Simeon became illegible, it would be most
natural for the scribe at once to infer, and to set down on the margin,
" This is [the blessing] of Judah," for the double reason that on account
of the insignificance, or disappearance, of Simeon, Judah, in his mind,
would be the name to follow after Reuben in the order of inheritances,
and secondly because the generally geographical order of the poem from
south to north would to him suggest Judah at this point. However the
dislocation of Judah's blessing" be accounted for, the conjecture of Heil-
prin cannot fairly be dismissed as improbable. On the contrary, apart
from all questions of authorship the preponderance of evidence suggests
that Simeon luas mentioned. Yahweh being entreated to " hear " his
prayer to be brought in unto his own people ; and Judah was not lightly
passed over ; but on the contrary receives such attention as could pro-
ceed only from one in heartiest sympathy with Judah's side in at least
his present battles. Judaean authorship, in the strict sense, would be
too much to claim for the poem, even with this emendation ; but the
supposition of Graf, that it was composed by a priest of the Jerusalem
temple acquires well-nigh convincing force. If this be its origin we
must certainly look to J rather than E as the document in which it was
incorporated, and we shall then find it no small corroboration of the
analysis which regards J as the author of the passages, Ex. iv. 10-16;
xix. 22 ; xxiv. if., 9-1 1 ; xxxii. ^^-^^ where a semi-priestly interest is dis-
played. It is in fact a priestly interest, though of the pre-exilic kind
which gives the ritual version of the Ten Words, Ex. xxxiv. 10-27, and
afford.-^ the J nucleus, whatever that be, to which Rp attaches P^'s story
of the mutiny of Korah. Such a truly broad and comprehensive patriot-
XXXIII. I. BLESSING AND DEATH OF MOSES. 273
ism as appears in the selection of narratives of the patriarchal period as
well as in the three great poems of Gen. .\li.\. ; Ut. xxxiii., and Jud. v. is
what we might expect of a priest of the Solomonic temple in the time of
Jeroboam II.
As positive evidence of connection with the J document we have not
only the references already spoken of ; the manifest interest in the Jeru-
salem temple and priesthood as centre of the national life ; the remarka-
ble dependence upon Gen. xlix., and relation to the poems of this docu-
ment ; and the vigorous hatred of Judah's enemies ; but also important
linguistic criteria. The use of " Smai," vs. 2, is unexampled in either E
or D, which have uniformly " Horeb," but invariable in J ; " Meribath-
Kadesh," in the same verse (see note in /o^;.), like " Sinai," is known
only to J and P. Finally vs. 17, besides a doubtful reminiscence of Nu.
X. 36 (J), can scarcely be interpreted with fairness in a manner compati-
ble with the hatred of Joseph's " firstling bullock " exhibited in Ex. xx.xii.,
and the counting of Joseph as one tribe instead of two agrees with J,
whatever may have been E's practice (cf. Gen. xlviii. 20-22 with xlix. 22;
Jos. xvii. 14, 17; Jud. i. 22).
Chapter xxxiv. is certainly of a very composite character. Vv. 6, 9
and 12 contain three separate conclusions by as many different hands.
Vv. 7-9 are certainly the sequel to Num. xxvii. 12-23 (P'')' '^s. 7a being
in the exact form of Num. xxxiii. 39 (P^) and Ex. vii. 7 (P'^), and 8f. cor-
responding to Num. XX. 29 ; xxvii. i8ff. Vv. 10-12 are not due purely to
Rd ; for, as an addition to the work already fully completed and rounded
out they would be the reverse of helpful to his purpose. The Deuteron-
omic phraseology simply marks the addition in vv. i if. to an original
datum of E, author of Ex. xx.xiii. 11 ; Num. xi. 25 ; xii. 8, and other pas-
sages where Moses is presented as the ideal prophet. The geographical
data in jf. recall Nu. xxi. 20 ; xxv. 3 (J), though the linguistic usage
shows the final clause of vs. 5 to be from P^. Vs. 4a repeats Ex. xxxiii.
I (J) and follows his linguistic usage (Dt. says, " sware io give,") and the
latter part of vs. i, which names a different peak from P and D, is from
the same writer ; though the beginning of the verse continues the
account of P^, Num. xxvii. i2ff. (=Dt. xxxii. 48-52). The geographical
amplification between ib and 4b is redactional (see note m /oc), and
probably of late date, but contains the only explanation of the name
"City of Palm-trees,'' for Jericho, employed by J in Jud. i. 16.
(J) And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the 33
27-1 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. 2.
man of God blessed the children of Israel 'before his
2 death. And he said^
-Yahweh came from Sinai,
And rose from Seir unto them ;
He shined forth from mount Paran,
And he came from the ten thousands of holy ones :
At his right hand was a fiery law unto them.
3 Yea, he loveth the peoples ;
All his saints are in thy hand :
And they sat down at thy feet ; *
[Every one] shall receive of thy words. [ . . . ]
4 (Rd) Moses commanded us a law,
An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
5 And he was *king in Meshurun,
When the "^heads of the people were gathered,
All the tribes of Israel together.
6 Let Reuben live, and not die ;
Yet let his men be few.
7 —And this is [the blessing] of Judah— : and [ . . . ]
he said.
Hear, Yahweh, the voice of Judah^
And bring him in unto his people :
—With his 'hands he contended for himself;
And thou shalt be an help against his adversaries. — f
iGen. 27 : 7 ; (50 : 16). ''Jud. 5 : 4f. ^Ex. ig : 11, 18, 20 etc. ^Num. 23:21. 532:12.
•Vs. 21. 'Gen. 49:8.
* Vv. 2b, 3 are very corrupt in text. In 2b we should certainly translate
K D s H with LXX. " Kadesh," and the preceding M R E E T H should probably
be M M R B T H or M ' R B T H /. f. "from Meribath-( Kadesh) : " or " from the
fields of (Kadesh)." What in the last line of vs. 2 was the original of "from
Yahweh's right hand " can only be conjectured, though as between the two
marginal readings of R. V. " streams " is preferable to '' fire." Vs. 3 appears
hopeless.
t Vs. 4a interprets the "inheritance " (certainly the land of Canaan) m the
sense of Rd as the Torah. Both sense and language show it to be a late gloss,
perhaps intended to throw light upon the puzzle of vs. 3. It also alters the
sense of vs. 5, which should refer to Yahweh (cf. Num. xxiii. 21). — The bless,
ing of Judah is displaced (see Analysis). Insert yaab after vs. 10, and read, in,
7a (5, " the voice of Simeon." In 7b read perhaps, " With thy hand contend
XXXlll. 14. BLESSING A.XD DEATH OF MOSES. 275
And of Levi he said, 8
Thy Thuiiimim and thy Irini are with thy godly
one,
Whom thou didst «pi-ove at Massah,
With whom thou didst ^strive at the waters of
Merihah ;
"Who said of his father, and of his mother, I have 9
not "seen him ;
Neither did he acknowledge his brethren.
Nor knew he his own children :
For they have observed thy word.
And keep thy ^^covenant.
^'They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, 10
And Israel thy law :
They shall put incense before thee.
And whole burnt offering upon thine altar.
Bless, Yahweh, his substance, 1 1
And accept the work of his hands :
"Smite through the loins of them that rise up
against him.
And of them that hate him, that they rise not
again.
Of Benjamin he said, 12
The beloved of Yahweh shall dwell in safety by
him ;
He covereth him all the day long,
And he dw elleth between his shoulders.
And of Joseph he said, 13
"Blessed of Yahweh be his land ;
For the precious things of heaven, for the dew.
And for the deep that coucheth beneath,
And for the precious things of the fruits of the 14
sun,
^fEx. 17 ; 7). '■'(Xu, 20 : 3). '"Ex. 32 : 29. HGen. 29 ; 32. i^gx, 34 : 10-27. ^^Ex4;ioi6,
**Nu. 24 : -go i^Gen. 40; 25f.
for him." Part II. must be consulted throughout this chapter, as the changes
in text and translation are very numerous.
276 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. 15.
And for the precious things of the growth of the
moons,
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains.
And for the precious things of the everlasting
hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth and the
fulness thereof.
And the good will of him '" that dwelt in the bush :
Let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph,
And upon the crown of the head of him that was
separate from his brethren.*
17 The firstling of his bullock, majesty is his ;
And his horns are the horns of the" wild-ox :
With them he shall push the peoples all of them,
[even] the ends of the earth :
And they are the ''ten thousands of Ephraim,
And they are the thousands of Manasseh,
18 And of Zebulun he said.
Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy '"going out ;
And, Issachar, in thy tents.
19 They shall call the peoples unto the mountain ;
There shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness :
For they shall suck the abundance of the seas,
And the hidden treasures of the sand.
20 And of Gad he said.
Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad :
He dwelletli as a lioness.
And teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head.
21 ^" And he provided the first part for himself.
For there was the lawgiver's portion reserved ;
-=Ex. 3:22ff. "Nu. 23:22 i»Nu. 10:36. "Jos. 17 : i6. ^"Nu. 32:2ff.
* Vv. 13-16 are peculiar in the fact that they reproduce so closely the bless-
ing of Joseph by Jacob in Gen. xlix. 25f. We might, moreover, simply omit
these verses and still have a perfect connection and a blessing of Joseph (vs.
17) corresponding in structure to that of Asher, vv. 24f. In fact the thought
seems to approach a climax and conclusion in vs. 16, and vs. 17 to make a new
beginning. Still there is no cogent reason for making a separation.
XXXIII. 29. BLESSING AND DEATH OF MOSES. 277
^'And he came [with] the heads of the people,
He executed the justice of Yahweh,
And his judgments with Israel.
And of Dan he said, 2 2
Dan is a lion's whelp.
That leapeth forth from Bashan.
And of Naphtali he said, 23
Naphtali, satisfied with favour.
And full with the blessing of Yahweh :
Possess thou the west and the south.
And of Asher he said, 24
Blessed be Asher with children ;
Let him be acceptable unto his bretlu-en.
And let him dip his foot in oil.
Thy ^bars shall be iron and brass ; 25
And as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
There is none like unto God, *0 Jeshurun, 26
Who ^"rideth upon the heaven for thy help.
And in his excellency on the skies.
The eternal God is [thy] dwelling place, 27
And underneath are the everlasting '*arms :
And he thrust out the enemy from before thee.
And said. Destroy.
And Israel dwelleth in safety, 28
The fountain of .lacob "^alone,
In a ^land of corn and wine ;
Yea, his heavens drop down dew.
Happy art thou, Israel : 29
Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Yahweh,
The 2'shield of thy help.
And that is the sword of thy excellency !
And thine enemies shall submit themselves unto
thee ;
And thou shalt tread upon tlieir high places.
2iNu. 32 : 26f. 22Cf. 29:5. 23jud. 5:^, "Gen. 49:24. 25Num.23:9. "6611.27:28.
"(Gen. IS : i.)
*A better translation of the text (not of the vowel-points) is that of Dillmann
278 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. i.
34 CP) "^ And Moses went icp from the plains of Moab unto mount
(J) Nebo, ^to the top of Pisgah, that is over against
Jfericlio. And Yahweh shewed him all the land
2 (Rj) of (Jilead, unto Dan ; and all Naphtali, and the land of
Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the
3 hinder sea ; and the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho
4 (J) the «city of palm trees, unto Zoar.* *And Yahweh said
nnto him. This is the land which I sware unto Abra-
ham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give
it unto thy seed : I have caused thee to see it with
thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
5 (E) So Moses the ^servant of Yahweh died there in the land
6 (P) (J) of M.03!o, according to the word of Yahweh. [ . . ] And
he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over
(E) against Beth-peor : but no man knoweth of his sepul-
7 (P) chre unto this day.f And Moses was an Mmdred and
twenty years old when he died . his eye was not dim, nor his natit-
8 ral force abated. ^And the children of Israel wept for Moses in
the plains of Moab thirty days : so the days of weeping in the
9 mourning for Moses were ended. ''And Joshua the son of Nun
was full of the spirit of wisdom , for Moses had laid his hands
upon him : and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did
10 (E) as Yahweh commanded Moses. *And there hath not
arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Yah-
11 (Rd) weh ''knew face to face, win all the signs and the wonders,
which Yahweh sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all
12 his servants, and to all his land ; and in all the mighty hand, and in all the
great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
'32:49. 2ivfu_ 21:20 and refs. 3Jud. i ; 16. *Ex. 33 : iff. sg^. 14:31; Nu. 12 : ;£.
«Nu.2o:29. 'Nu.27;i8ff. 'Nu. u. 25 : ct. ch. 18 : 15. "Ex. 33 : 11. Nu. 12 : S-. i°E.x. 3:
igf. ; 4 : 29, etc.
and of the A. V. "the God of Jeshurun " (cf. Ps. Ixviii. 36; cxlvi. 5). Here
and in vs. 27 Elohim is of course necessary and affords no'evidence against J.
* The geographical explanation in vv. 2f. is not found in Sam. and is, there-
fore, probably a redactional expansion of late date, perhaps a " survival."
t In vs. 6 translate with margin R. V. " was buried."
PART II.
The separate documents J, E and P conjectur-
ally restored in a revised translation, with textual
emendations of good authority.
PART II.
THE JUD^AN PROPHETIC NARRATIVE,
CIRC. 800 B. C,
(THE) EXODUS.
Story of Israel's Servitude in Egypt., , Moses' Deed of
Violence, and Flight to Midian ; his Marriage
THERE and the BiRTH OF HIS SON.
And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that 1 — 6
generation. But [the children of Israel] multiplied and 7
waxed exceeding mighty. Therefore they did set over them 11
' taskmasters ' to ' afflict ' them with their burdens. And they
built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the 12
more they 'afflicted ' them, the more they multiplied and the
more they ' spread abroad ' ; so that they ' stood in dread of '
the children of Israel. [And they imposed forced labor on 13
them], in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in
the field ; but the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 20b
[ . . . And one of the house of Levi hained Moses, a son
of Amram, rose up against an Egyptian and slew him. And
Pharaoh sent men to take him, but Moses, fled, and escaped
to the land of Midian. And he saw, a>vell in.fhe field and
flocks] ; so he sat down by the well. . 2 — 15b
Now [Hobab]- the priest of Midian had seven daughters : 16
and they came to draw water, and fill the 'troughs ' to water
their father's flock ; but the 'shepherds ' came and drove 17
them away : and Moses> stood up and helped them, and wa-
tered their flock. And when they came to their father, he 18
said. How is it that ye are come so soon to-day? And they 19
said. An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the ' shep-
herds,' and moreover he drew, water for us, and watered the
flock. And he said unto .his daughters. And where is he.? 20
, , 281
283 THE J UD^AN PROP HE TIC NARRA TI VE,
why is it that ye have deserted the man ? call him, that he
2 1 may eat bread. And Moses 'decided' to dwell with the
22 man : and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she
bare a son, and he called his name Gershom :
Death of the Tyrant, and Return of Moses to Egypt. He
Encounters Y.^hweh at the Lodging-Place, and
Zipporah Circumcises her Child as a Sub-
stitute for Bridegroom Circumcision.
'> — 23 And it came to pass in the course of those many days,
4 — 19 that the king of Egypt died : And ' Yahweh ' said unto-
Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt : for all the men are
20 dead which sought thy life. So Moses took his wife and his
son, and set them upon an ass, and he set out to return to
24 the land of Egypt : And it came to pass on the way at the
' lodging-place,' that ' Yahweh ' ' fell upon ' him, and sought
25 to kill him. Then Zipporah took a flint and touched his
person with it, saying. Surely a " blood-bridegroom " art
26 thou to me. So he let him alone. Then it was that she
gave rise to the saying, "a bridegroom of blood " with refer-
ence to circumcision.
Yahweh's Appearance to Moses in the Burning Bush and
Commission to him to Deliver Israel.
[And on the morrow Moses set forward from the lodging-
3 — 2 place]. And the angel of ' Yahweh ' ' appeared ' unto him
in a flame of fire out of the midst of the thorn thicket. And
when he looked ' behold ' the whole thicket was burning with
3 fire, but the thicket was not consumed. And Moses said to
himself, I will turn aside now and see this great sight, why
4 the thicket is not consumed. And when ' Yahweh ' perceived
5 that he turned aside to see, he said. Draw not nigh hither,
' put off thy sandals from off thy feet ; for the place where-
7 on thou standest is holy ground.' And ' Yahweh ' said, I have
surely seen the ' affliction ' of my people which are in Egypt,
and have heard their cry by reason of their ' taskmasters ' ;
8 for I know their sorrows ; and I am ' come down ' to deliver
CIRC. 800 B. C. 283
them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them
up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a
' land flowing with milk and honey.' Go, and gather the 16
elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Yahweh, the
God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of
Jacob, hath ' appeared ' unto me, saying, I have surely
visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt :
and I have said, I will bring you up out of the ' affliction ' of 17
Egypt unto a ' land flowing with milk and honey.' And they 18
shall hearken to thy voice : and thou shalt come, thou and
the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say
unto him, Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, hath ' met ' with
us : and now let us go, we pray thee, ' three days' journey into
the wilderness,' that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God.
And Moses answered and said, But, what if they will not -i
believe me, nor hearken unto my voice, but say, Yahweh
hath not ' appeared ' unto thee ? And Yahweh said unto him, 2
What is that in thine hand ? And he said, A rod. And he 3
said, Cast it on the ' gronnd.' And he cast it on the ' ground,
and it became a ' serpent ' ; and Moses fled from before it.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and 4
take it by the tail : (so he put forth his hand, and laid hold
of it, and it became a rod in his hand :) that they may be- 5
lieve that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath
' appeared ' unto thee. And Yahweh said furthermore unto 6
him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. So he put his hand
into his bosom : and when he took it out, behold, his hand
was leprous, as [white as] snow. And he said. Put thine 7
hand into thy bosom again. (Then, when he had put his
hand into his bosom again, and had taken it out of his bosom,
behold, it was turned again as his [other] flesh.) And it shall 8
come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken
to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice
of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not 9
believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice,
that thou shalt take of the water of the Nile, and pour it
284 THE J UDjEAN PROP HE TIC NARRA TI VE.
upon the dry land : and the water which thou' takest out of
the Nile shall become blood upon the dry land.
The Priesthood the Authorized Expounders of the Law.
Aaron is Made Moses' Spokesman to the People.
10 And Moses said unto Yahweh, ' I pray thee, Lord, have
me excused,' I am no speaker neither ' heretofore,' nor since
thou hast spoken unto thy servant : for I am slow of speech,
I ] and of a slow tongue. And Yahweh said unto him, Who
hath made man's mouth .' or who maketh [a manj dumb, or
12 deaf, or seeing, or blind :' is it not I Yahweh ? Now there-
fore go, and' I will be with thymouth, and teach thee what
13 thou shalt speak. But he said, ' I pray thee, Lord, have me
e.xcused,' send I pray thee rather by the hand of whomsoever
14 thou wilt. And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against
Moses, and he said, Is there not Aaron thy brother, the
15 ' Levite ' ? I know that he can speak well [ . . . ] And
thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth :
and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will
16 teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman
unto the people : and it shall come to pass, that he shall be
to thee a mouth, and thdu shalt be to hirn as God [to the
29 priest]. So Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all
30 the elders of the children of Israel : and' he [Moses] spake
all the words which Yahweh had spoken, and did the signs in
31 the sight of the people. And the people believed when they
heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and
that he had seen their ' affliction,' and they ' bovi^ed their
heads and worshipped.'
The Appeal to Pharaoh. Moses and the Elders meet
Rebuff, and the People's Burdens are Increased.
[Then Moses and the elders of Israel came unto Pharaoh]
5 — 3 and said, The God of the Hebrews hath ' met ' with us :
let us go, we pray thee, ' three days' journey into the wilder-
ness,' and sacrifice unto Yahweh our God; lest he 'fall
upon ' us with pestilence, or with the sword.
CIRC. 800 B. C. 385
And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people oi. the land are now 5
many, and would ye make them rest from their burdens ?
And the same day Pharaoh commanded the ' taskmasters ' 6
of the people, saying, Ye shall no more give the people 7
straw to make brick, as heretofore : let them go, and gather
straw for themselves. And the stint of bricks, which they 8
did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them ; ye shall not
, diminish aught thereof : for they be idle ; therefore they
cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let heav-' 9
ier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein,
and they will not regard lying words. And the ' task- 10
masters' of the people went out, and spake to the people,
saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go 11
yourselves, get you straw where ye can find it : for naught
of your work shall be diminished; , So the people were 12
' scattered abroad ' throughout all the land of Egypt to
gather stubble for straw. And the 'taskmasters' were 13
urgent, saying. Fulfil your works, [your] daily stint, as
when there was straw. And the officers of the children of 14
Israel, which Pharaoh's ' taskmasters ' had set over them,
were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled
your stint both yesterday and to-day, in making brick as
heretofore? Then the officers of the children of Israel 15
came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying. Wherefore dealest thou
thus with thy servants ? There is no straw given unto thy 16
servants, and they say to us. Make brick : and, behold, thy
servants are beaten; but . . .* But he said. Ye are idle, ye 17
are idle: therefore ye say. Let us go and sacrifice to Yahweh.
Go therefore now, and work ; for there shall no straw be 18
given you, yet shall ye deliver the stint of bricks. And the 19
officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in
evil case, when it was said. Ye shall not minish aught from
your bricks, [your] daily stint. And they met Moses and 20
the elders, who were awaiting them, as they came forth from
Pharaoh : and they said unto them, 'Yahweh look upon you, 21
* Unintelligible : LXX. translate (from a different te.xt) " tliou wrongest thy
people."
286 THE JUDjEAN PROP HE TIC NARRA TI VE.
and judge ' ; because ye have made us ' odious ' in the eyes
of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword
2 2 in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto Yahweh.
and said, 'Lord,' wherefore hast thou 'evil entreated ' this
23 people ? why is it that thou hast sent me ? For since I
came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath ' evil en-
treated ' this people ; neither hast thou delivered thy people
at all.
The Wonders of Egypt. First Plague: Yahweh smites the
Nile and Destroys its Fish.
7 — 14 And Yahweh said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is 'sul-
len,' he refuseth to let the people go. [Go in unto Pharaoh]
16 and say unto him, Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, hath
sent me unto thee, saying. Let my people go, that they may
' worship ' me in the wilderness : and, behold, hitherto thou
17 hast not hearkened. Thus saith Yahweh, behold, I will
18 smite [the Nile]. And the fish that is in the Nile shall die,
and the Nile shall ' stink ' ; and the Egyptians shall loathe
19 to drink water from the Nile. [So on the morrow Yahweh
2\ smote the Nile.] And the fish that was in the Nile
died ; and the Nile ' stank,' and the Egyptians could not
24 drink water from the Nile. And all the Egyptians digged
round about the Nile for water to drink ; for they could not
drink of the water of the Nile.
The Second Plague : Frogs.
7 — 25 And when seven days were fulfilled after that Yahweh
8 — I had smitten the Nile, Yahweh said unto Moses :
Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith Yahweh,
2 Let my people go, that they may ' worship ' me. And if
thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy bor-
3 ders with frogs : and the Nile shall swarm with frogs, which
shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bed-
chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy ser-
vants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into
4 thy ' kneading-troughs " : and the frogs shall come up both
CIRC. 800 B. C. 287
^pon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.
[And Yahweh did so on the morrow, and the frogs covered
the land.] Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, ' In- 8
treat ' Yahweh, that he take away the frogs from me, and
from my people ; and I will let the people go, that they may
sacrifice unto Yahweh. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Only 9
command me : for what time shall 1 ' intreat ' for thee, and
for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be de-
stroyed from thee and thy houses, and remain in the Nile
only ? And he said. For to-morrow. And he said, It shall be 10
according to thy word. And the frogs shall depart from 11
thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from
thy people ; they shall remain in the Nile only. And Moses 12
went out from Pharaoh : and Moses cried unto Yahweh con-
cerning the frogs which he had brought upon Pharaoh.
And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses ; and the 13
frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the
fields. And they gathered them together in heaps : and 14
the land ' stank.' But when Pharaoh saw that there was 15
respite, he made his heart ' sullen ' [and did not let the peo-
ple go].
The. Third Plague: Gad-Flies.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morn- 20
ing, and stand before Pharaoh ; and say unto him. Thus
saith Yahweh, Let my people go, that they may ' worship '
me. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will 21
send gad-flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon
thy people, and into thy houses : and the houses of the
Egyptians shall be full of gad-flies, and even the ' ground '
whereon they are. But I will sever in that day ' the land of 22
Goshen,' in which my people dwell, that no gad-fly shall be
there. And I will put ... * between my people and thy 23
people : by to-morrow shall this sign be. And Yahweh did 24
so ; and there came ' grievous ' gad-flies into the house of
Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses : and in all the land
* The untranslated word elsewhere means " redemption."
388 THE JUDyEAN PROP HE TIC NARRA TI VE.
of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the gad-flies-
25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and said, Go, sacrifice to
26 your God in the land. And Moses said. It is not meet so to
do ; for we shall sacrifice that which the Egyptians abhor to
Yahweh our God. What then if we sacrifice a thing abhor-
rent to the Egyptians before their eyes ? ^\'ill they not stone
27 us? We will go ' three days' journey into the wilderness,'
and sacrifice to Yahweh our God, as he hath commanded us.
28 And Pharaoh said, I will let you' go, that ye may sacrifice to
Yahweh your God in the wilderness ; only ye shall not go very
29 far away : ' intreat ' for me. And Moses said. Behold, I go out
from thee, and I will 'intreat' Yahweh that the gad-flies
may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his
people, to-morrow : only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully
any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Yah-
30 weh. So Moses went out from Pharaoh, and 'intreated'
31 Yahweh. And Yahweh did according to the word of Moses ;
and he removed the gad-flies from Pharaoh, from his ser-
32 vants, and from his people ; ' there remained not one.' And
Pharaoh made his heart ' sullen ' this time also, and he did
not let the people go.
The Fourth Plague : Murrain.
9 Then Yahweh said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and
2 tell him. Thus saith Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, Let
3 my people go, that they may ' worship' me. For if thou
refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, behold, the
hand of Yahweh shall be upon thy cattle which is in the
field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon
the herds, and upon the flocks in a ' very grievous ' murrain.
4 And Yahweh shall sever between the 'cattle of Israel ' and the
cattle of Egypt : and there shall nothing die of all that
5 belongeth to the children of Israel. And Yahweh appointed
a set time, saying. To-morrow Yahweh shall do this thing in
6 the land. And Yahweh did that thing on the morrow, and
all the cattle of Egypt died : but of the 'cattle of the chil-
CIRC. 800 B. C. 289
dren of Israel ' ' died not one.' And Pharaoh sent, and, be- 7
hold, there was ' not so much as one ' of the ' cattle of the
Israelites ' dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was ' sullen,' and
he did not let the people go.
The Fifth Plague : Hail,
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Rise up early' in the morn- 13
ing, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, ' Thus
saith Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews,' Let my people go,
that they may worship me. Standest thou still out against 17
my people, that thou wilt not let them go ? Behold, ' to- 18
morrow about this time ' I will cause it to rain a ' very griev-
ous ' hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it
was founded even until now. Then Yahweh rained hail upon 23b
the land of Egypt, and an incessant fire flashing amidst the
hail. So there was a ' very grievous ' hail such as had not 24
been in all the land of Egypt since it belonged to a nation,
and the hail smote every ' herb of the field,' and brake every
' tree of the field.' Only in ' the land of Goshen,' where 26
the children of Israel were, was there no hail. And Pharaoh 27
sent, and called for Moses, and said, I have sinned this time :
Yahweh is right and I and my people are wrong. ' Intreat ' 28
Yahweh ; for there hath been enough of thunderings and
hail ; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.
And Moses said unto him, x\s soon as I am gone out of the 29
city, I will spread abroad my hands unto Yahweh [in prayer];
the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more
hail. (Now the flax and the barley were smitten : for the 31
barley was in the ear, and the flax in bloom. But the wheat 32
and the spelt were not smitten : for they were not grown
up.) So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and 33
spread abroad his hands unto Yahweh : and the thunders
and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the 34
thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and made his
heart ' sullen,' he and his servants.
290 THE JUD/EAN PROPHETIC NARRATIVE.
The Sixth Plague ; L(_)custs.
10— 36 And Yahweh said unto Moses, Go in unto Ptiaraoli, and
say unto him, Tiius saith Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews,
How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me ?
4 let my people go, that they may ' serve ' me. Else, if thou
refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring
5 locusts into thy ' border : ' and they shall cover the face of
the earth, that one shall not be able to see the earth : and
they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which
remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree
6 which groweth for you out of the field : and thy houses
shall be filled, and the houses of all thy servants, and the
houses of all the Egyptians ; 'as neither thy fathers nor thy
fathers' fathers have seen, since the da)^ that the}'
were upon the 'ground' unto this day.' And he turned, and
7 went out from Pharaoh. And Pharaoh's servants said unto
him. How long shall this man be a snare unto us ? let the
men go, that they may 'worship ' Yahweh their God : know-
8 est thou not yet that Egj'pt is destroyed ? And Moses and
the elders were brought again unto Pharaoh : and he said
unto them. Go, ' worship ' Yahweh your God : but who are
9 they that shall go ? And Moses said, ^Ve will go with our
young and with our old, with our sons and with our daugh-
ters, with our ' flocks and with our herds ' will we go ; for
10 we must hold a feast unto Yahweh. And he said unto
them. So be Yahweh with you, as I will let you go, and your
11 little ones : look to it ; for ye mean mischief. Not so : go
now ye that are men, and ' worship ' Yahweh ; since that is
what ye desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's
13b presence. Then Yahweh brought an ' east wind ' upon the
land all that day, and all the night ; and when it was morn-
ing, the ' east wind ' brought the locusts, and they rested in
14 all the ' borders ' of Egypt ; ' very grievous ' were they, ' be-
fore them there were no such locusts as they, neither after
15 them shall be such.' For they covered the face of the
whole earth, so that the land was darkened ; and ' there
CIRC. 800 B. C. 291
remained not any ' green thing, eitlier tree or ' herb of the
iield,' through all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called 16
for Moses in haste ; and he said, I have sinned against
Yahweh your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive 17
I pray thee, my sin only this once, and ' intreat ' Yahweh
your God, that he may take away from me this deathly
[plague] only. And he went out from Pharaoh, and 'in- 18
treated ' Yahweh. And Yahweh turned an exceeding strong 19
' west wind,' which took up the locusts, and drove them into
the Red Sea ; there ' remained not one ' locust in all the
'border' of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Moses, and said, 24
Go ye, worship Yahweh ; only let your ' flocks and your
herds ' be stayed : let your little ones also go with you.
And Moses said. Thou must also give into our hands sacri- 25
fices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto Yahweh
our God. Our ' cattle ' also shall go with us ; there shall 26
' not a hoof ' be left behind ; for thereof must we take to
worship Yahweh our God ; and we know not with what we
must worship Yahweh, until we come thither. And Pharaoh 28
said unto him. Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see
my face no more ; for ' in the day thou seest my face thou
shalt die.' And Moses said. Thou hast spoken well ; I will 29
see thy face again no more.
And he said. Thus saith Yahweh, About midnight will 11 — 4
I go out into the midst of Egypt : and all the firstborn in 5
the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh
that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the
' maidservant ' that sitteth at the hand mill. And there 6
shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, ' such
as there hath been none like it, nor shall be like it any
more.' But against any of the children of Israel shall 'not 7
a dog wag his tongue,' against man or ' beast.' And all 8
these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down
themselves unto me, saying. Get thee out, and all the people
that follow thee : and after that I will go out. So he went
out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
292 THE JUD.i:AN PROPHETIC NARRATIVE.
The Seventh Plague : Yahweh Smites the Firstborn of
Egypt and Delivers Israel. The Passover.
13 — 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and
said unto them, Cio forth, and take you Iambs and kill them.
22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood
that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side
posts with the blood that is in the bason ; and none of you
23 shall go out of the door of his house. For Yahweh will pass
through to smite the Egyptians ; and when he seeth the
blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, Yahweh
will " pass over " the door, and will not suffer ' the destroyer '
27b to come in unto your houses to smite you. And the people
27a 'bowed the head and worshipped.' [Therefore do the
children of Israel keep this feast unto Yahweh ; for that he
"passed over" the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt
when he smote the Egyptians and delivered their houses.]
42a It is a night of watching unto Yahweh for that he brought
them forth out of the land of Egypt.
29 And it came to pass at midnight, that Yahweh smote all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt, 'from the firstborn of
Pharaoh that sat upon his throne unto the firstborn of the
30b captive ' that was in the dungeon ; and there was a great
cry in Egypt ; for there was ' not a house ' where there
30a was not one dead. And Pharaoh rose up in the night,
(11 — 8) he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, [and
came and bowed themselves down unto Moses, saying.
Thus saith Pharaoh, Get thee out, both thou and all the
31b people that follow thee] and go, ' worship ' Yahweh, as ye
32 have said. Take both your ' flocks and your herds," as ye
33 have said, and be- gone; and bless me also. And the
Egyptians ■ were urgent' upon the people, to send them
out of the land in haste ; for they said, We be all dead men.
34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened,
their 'kneading troughs' being bound up in their clothes
upon their shoulders.
CIRC. 800 B. C. 293
The Exodus. Origin of the Feast of Unleavened Cakes,
AND Law of Firstlings.
And the children of Israel journeyed from RameEes't0 37
Succoth,' about six hundred thousand on foot that were
men, besides children. And a mixed multitude went up also 38
with them ; and ' flocks, and herds,' even very much ' cattle.'
And they baked " unleavened cakes " of the dough which 39
they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened ;
because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry,
neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
And Moses said unto the people. This day ye are 13 — 3a-4
going forth in the month ' Abib.' And it shall be when 5
Yahweh shall bring thee into the land which he sware unto
thy fathers to give thee, a ' land flowing with milk and honey,'
that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days 6
thou shalt eat unleavened cakes, and in the seventh day shall
be a feast to Yahweh. Unleavened cakes shall be eaten 7
throughout the seven days ; and there shall no leavened
bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen
with thee, in all thy ' borders.'
And it shall be when Yahweh shall bring thee into 11
the ' land of the Canaanite,' as he sware unto thee
and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, that thou 12
shalt cause to pass over unto Yahweh all that ' openeth
the womb,' and every firstling which thou hast that Com-
eth of a beast ; they shall be Yahweh's. And every 13
firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb ; and if
thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck : and
all the firstborn of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem.
And *Yahweh went before them by day in a ' pillar of 21
cloud,' to lead them the way ; and by night in a ' pillar
of fire,' to give them light ; that they might go by day
and by night : ' the pillar of cloud ' by day, and the ' pillar 22
of fire ' by night, departed not from the people.
* Vv. 2if. would seem more appropriately placed after xii. 38, but in the
uncertainty as to whether parts of J are not missing, we do not venture to
transpose.
294 THE J UD.-EAN PROP HE TIC NARRA TI VE.
The Passage of the Red Sea.
14 — 5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people
were fled ; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was
' changed ' towards the people, and they said, What is this
we have done, that wc have let Israel go from serving us ?
6 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with
7 him, and all the chariots of Egypt, [and pursued after ,
10 them]. And when Pharaoh drcv/ nigh, the children of Israel
lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched
11 after them; and they were sore afraid. And they said unto
Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou
taken us away to die in the wilderness ? wherefore hast thou
12 'dealt' thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt? Is
not this the word that we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying,
Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians ? For it
were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we
13 should die in the wilderness. And Moses said unto the
people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of Yah-
weh, which he will work for you to-day : for such as ye have
seen the Egyptians to-day, thus shall ye see them again no
14 more forever. Yahweh shall fight for you, and ye shall
19 hold your peace. Then the ' pillar of cloud ' removed from
before them, and stood behind them : and it gave forth
lightnings through the night, so that the one came not near
21 the other all the night. And Yahweh caused the sea to go
[back] by a ' strong east wind ' all the night, and made the
24 sea dry land. And it came to pass ' in the watch before
the dawn,' that Yahweh 'looked forth ' upon the host of the
Egyptians through the 'pillar of fire and of cloud,' and
25 threw the Egyptian host into confusion ; so that the Egyp-
tians said. Let us flee from the face of Israel ; for Yahweh
27 fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the sea re-
turned to its wonted flow ' when the morning appeared,'
while the Egyptians were fleeing against it ; and Yahweh
28 shook off the Egyptians in the midst of the sea; ' there re-
30 mained not so much as one of them.' Thus Yahweh saved
CIRC. 800 B. C. 29£r
Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians ; and
Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore.
Then ' sang Moses and the children of Israel this song ' 15
unto Yahweh, and spake, saying,
I will sing unto Yahweh, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and his rider hath he hurled into the sea.
Marah, Elim, and Massah.
And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they 22
went out into the wilderness of Shur ; and they went ' three
days in the wilderness,' and found no water. And they 23
came to Marah, but they could not drink of the waters of
Marah, for they were "bitter '': therefore the name of it was
called Marah (i.e. "Bitterness"). And the people ' mur- 24
mured ' against Moses, saying. What shall we drink ? And 25
he cried unto Yahweh ; and Yahweh shewed him a tree,
and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made
sweet. And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs 27
of water, and threescore and ten palm trees : and they en-
camped there by the waters. [And on the third day they
came to Massah.] And the people thirsted there for 17 — 3
water; and the people 'murmured' against Moses, and said.
Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us
and our children and our ' cattle ' with thirst ? [If Yahweh (7)
be among us let him give us water that we may drink. And
Moses rebuked the people and said], Wherefore do ye put 2b
Yahweh to the "proof " ? [If Yahweh delight in us he will
give us water even here in the desert. And Yah- (Dt. 33 — 8)
weh said unto Moses, By this I have " proved " thee that
thou art faithful. . . So he gave them water for them-
selves and their cattle. And the name of the place was
called] Massah (/. e. " Proving ") because they put Yahweh 7
to the " proof," saying, ' Is Yahweh among as ' or not ?
The Theophany at Sinai. Yahweh Prepares Moses, Aaron
and the Priests to Receive a Law.
[And when they were departed from Massah they
296 THE JUD.-EAN PROPHETIC NARRA TI VE.
19 — 2b came to Sinai]. And Israel encamped there before
i8 the mount. And mount ' Sinai ' was altogether on smoke,
because Yahweh had ' come down ' upon it in fire : and the
smoke thereof ' ascended as the smoke of a furnace,' and
20 the whole mount quaked greatly. So Yahweh ' came down '
upon mount 'Sinai,' to the ' top of the mount '; and Yah-
weh called Moses to the ' top of the mount " ; and Moses
21 went up. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Go down, charge
the people, lest they ' break through ' unto Yahweh to ' gaze,'
22 and great numbers of them fall dead. And let the 'priests'
also, which come near to Yahweh, sanctify themselves, lest
24 Yahweh ' break forth ' upon them. And thou shalt come up,
thou, and Aaron with thee, and the ' priests ' : but let not ' the
people break through ' to come up unto Yahweh, lest he
1 1 ' break forth ' upon them. For to-morrow Yahweh will come
down in the sight of all the people upon mount ' Sinai ; '
12 and thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about,
saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the
mount, or touch the 'border' of it : whosoever toucheth the
13 mount shall be surely put to death : no hand shall touch
him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through ; whether
it be ' beast ' or man, it shall not live : when the ' ram's
25 horn ' soundeth long, these shall come up to the mount. So
Moses went down unto the people, and said unto them [ . ]
Yahweh's Covenant-meal with Moses and the Elders.
[And on the morrow there were lightnings and thunders
on the mount with fire and smoke. And when the rams-
horn was heard sounding long Yahweh spake, saying. . .]
24 — I But unto Moses he said, Come up unto Yahweh, thou, and
Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel ;
2 and worship ye afar off : and Moses alone shall come
near unto Yahweh : but they shall not come near ; neither
9 shall the people go up with him. Then went up Moses,
and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of
10 Israel : and they saw the God of Israel ; and there was
under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone,
CIRC. 800 B. C. 397
and as it were the very heaven for clearness. And upon 11
the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand : and
they beheld God, and did eat and drink [a covenant meal].
The Covenant at Sinai. The Ten Words Written on the
Tables of Stone.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of 34
' stones.' And be ready by the morning, and come up in 2
the morning unto mount ' Sinai,' and present thyself there
to me on the ' top of the mount.' And no man shall come 3
up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all
the mount ; neither let the ' flocks nor herds ' feed before
that mount. So Moses rose up early in the morning, and 4
went up unto mount ' Sinai,' as Yahweh had commanded
him, and took in his hand two tables of 'stones.' And 5
Yahweh ' descended ' in the cloud, and he [Moses] stood
with him there and ' called upon the name of Yahweh.' And 10
he said. Behold, I make a covenant in the presence of all
thy people.
Thou shalt worship no other god : for Yahweh, whose 14
name is Jealous, is a jealous God :
Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. 17
All that ' openeth the womb ' is mine ; the firstlings of ox 19
and sheep. And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem 20
with a lamb : and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt
break its neck.
All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem nor let
them see my face empty handed.
Six days thou mayest work, but on the seventh day thou 21
shalt rest : in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
The feast of unleavened cakes shalt thou keep. Seven 18
days thou shalt eat unleavened cakes as I commanded thee,
at the time appointed in the month ' Abib ' : for in the
month Abib thou earnest out from Egypt. 22
And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, [even] of the
first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at
the year's end.
Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leav- 25
298 THE JUD.EAN PROP HE TIC NARRA TI VE.
ened bread ; and the sacrifice of the feast of the passover
shall not be left unto the morning.
26 The first of the firstfruits of thy ' ground ' thou shalt
bring unto the house of Yahweh thy God.
Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.
27 And Yahweh said unto Moses, Write thou these words :
for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant
with thee and with Israel.
28 And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty
nights ; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he
wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten
Commandments.
The People's Sin. Consecration of Levi.
32 — 7 [And it came to pass after the forty days] that Yahweh
spake unto Moses, Go, get thee down ; for thy people, which
thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have ' cor-
rupted ' themselves : . .1 have seen this people, and,
10 behold, it is a 'stiffnecked ' people : now therefore leave me
that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may
' consume ' them : and ' I will make of thee a great nation.'
11 And Moses sought to appease Yahweh his God, and said,
Yahweh, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people,
which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt
12 with great power and with a mighty hand' 'Wherefore
should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring
them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to ' consume '
them from the face of the earth ? ' Turn from thy fierce
14 wrath, and 'repent' of this evil against thy people. So'
Yahweh ' repented ' of the evil which he said he would do
unto his people. [And Moses turned and went down from
25 the mount, and came into the gate of the camp.] .\nd
26 when Moses saw that the people were broken loose ; then
Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said. Hither to me,
whosoever is on Yahweh's side ! And all the sons of Levi
27 gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto
them. Thus saith Yahweh, the God of Israel, Put ye every
CIRC. 800 B. C. 299
man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate
to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his
brother, and every man his companion, and every man his
neighbor. And the sons of Levi did according to the word 28
of Moses : and there fell of the people that day three thou-
sand men. And Moses said, " Fill your hand " [with an offer- 29
ing of consecration to the priesthood] to-day unto Yahweh ;
for every man hath been against his son, and against his
brother ; and he shall bestow upon you a blessing this day.
And Yahweh smote because they. 35
Dismissal of the People from Sinai. Moses' Intercession.
And Yahweh spake unto Moses, Depart, go up hence, 33
thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the
land of Egypt, unto ' the land of which I sware ' unto Abra-
ham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I
give it : ' unto a land flowing with milk and honey ' : for 3
I will not go up in the midst of thee ; for thou art a
' stiffnecked ' people : lest I ' consume ' thee in the way.
And Moses was displeased : and Moses said Nu. 11. lob-ii
unto Yahweh, Wherefore hast thou ' evil entreated ' thy ser-
vant ? and wherefore have I not 'found favor in thy sight,'
that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me ? Have 1 2
I conceived all this people ? have I brought them forth,
that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom,
as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto ' the
land which thou swarest unto their fathers ' ? I am not able 14
to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of 15
hand, ' if I have found favor in thy sight ' ; and let me not
see my wretchedness. [And Yahweh said, Thou shalt not
bear the people alone, for thou hast found favor in my sight
and I know thee by name, therefore I will give thee aid.]
But Moses said unto Yahweh, See, thou art say- Ex. 33. 12
ing unto me, Bring up this people : and thou hast not let me
know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I
know thee by name, and thou hast also ' found favor in my
300 THE JUDJCAX PROPHETIC NARKA TI I'E.
13 sight.' Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have 'found favor
in thy sight,' shew me now thy purposes, that I may know
thee, to the end that I may ' find favor in thy sight ' : and
14 consider that this nation is thy people. And he said. What
if I go with thee in person and give thee an 'abiding-place ' ?
15 And he said unto him. If thou go not in person with me,
16 carry us not up hence. For wherein else shall it be known
that I have ' found favor in thy sight,' I and thy people ? is
it not in that thou goest with us, so that we be separated, I
and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face
of the ' ground ' ?
17 And Yahweh said unto Moses, I will do this thing also
18 that thou hast spoken : for thou hast ' found favor in my
19a sight,' and I know thee by name. And he said. Shew me, I
21 pray thee, thy glory. And Yahweh said. Behold, there is a
22 place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock : and it
shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will
put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my
23 hand until I have passed by : and I will take away mine
hand, and thou shalt see my back : but my face shall not be
34 — 6-8 seen. So Yahweh passed by before him, and Moses
made haste, and ' bowed his head toward the earth, and wor-
9 shipped.' And he said. If now I have ' found grace in thy
sight,' ' O Lord,' let ' the Lord,' I pray thee, go in the midst
of us ; for it is a ' stiffnecked ' people ; and pardon our in-
iquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
(Dt. 10. i) And Yahweh commanded Moses saying : [Make
thee an ark of wood for the tables of stone which thou hast
written, and a tent for the ark, and I will go before you unto
the land which I sware to give you ; for I will not go up in the
midst of you lest I consume you. And the Levites who
were faithful to me when the people sinned against me, they
shall be my priests to bear the ark and to do all the service
of the Tent.]
The Coming of Hobab.
[Now Hobab the son of Reuel, Moses' father in law, heard
CIRC. 800 B. C. 301
that Moses and the children of Israel were come out of Egypt,
and he came to meet Moses at mount Sinai.] And 7 — 18
Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance,
and kissed him ; and they ' asked each other of their wel-
fare ' ; and he brought them into the tent. [And Moses
told his father in law of all that had befallen them, and how
Yahweh delivered them at the Red Sea.] And he said, 10
'Blessed be Yahweh,' who delivered you out of the hand
of the Egyptians,
And out of the hand of Pharaoh ;
Who delivered the people from under the hand of the
Egyptians.
Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods : 11
For in that wherein they exalted themselves against them.
NUMBERS. (Heb. " In the Wilderness.")
Departure from Sinai. Hobab Israel's Guide.
.\nd Moses said unto ' Hobab, the son of Reuel ' the 29 — 10
Midianite, Moses' father in law. We are journeying unto the
place of which Yahweh said, I will give it you : come thou
with us, and we will ' do thee good ' : for Yahweh hath
spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I 30
will not go ; but I will depart to ' mine own land,' and to my
kindred. And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee ; ' foras- 31
much ' as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilder-
ness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes. And it shall 32
be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what good soever
Yahweh shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.
And they set forward from the ' mount of Yahweh ' three 33
days' journey ; and the ark of Yahweh went before them
*The text is manifestly corrupt and the sense incomplete. Dillmann sup-
plies, " In that very thing Yahweh showed himself stronger than they.'' The
resumption of loa in lob might suggest that lob is the missing line which
has been accidentally transposed from after vs. 11. There is, however, no ade.
quate support for conjecture.
302 THE JUD.-EAN PROPHETIC NARRATIVE.
34 [to bring them unto] their abiding-place.* And the cloud
of Yahweh was over them by day, when they set forward
from the camp.
35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that
Moses said,
Rise up, O Yahweh, that thine enemies may be scattered;
And let them that hate thee flee before thee.
36 And when it rested, he said.
Return, O Yahweh, unto the ten thousands of the thou-
sands of Israel.
KiBROTH-HATTAAWAH. MURMURS AT THE MANNA : YAHWEH
SENDS A Flight of Quails.
11 — 4 And ' the mixed multitude ' that was among them fell a
lusting : and the children of Israel also wept again, and
5 said. Who shall give us flesh to eat ? We remember the
fish, which we did eat in Egypt for nought ; the cucumbers,
6 and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the gar-
lick : but now our soul is dried away ; there is nothing at
7 all : we have nought save this manna to look to. — Now the
manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof
8 as the appearance of 'bdellium.' The people went about,
and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars,
and seethed it in pots, and made cakes of it : and the taste
9 of it was as the taste of cakes baked with oil. And when the
dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with
10 it. — And Moses heard the people weeping throughout their
families, every man at the door of his tent : [and he cried
13 unto Yahweh saying] Whence should I have flesh to give
unto all this people ? for they are weeping unto me, saying,
10b Give us flesh that we may eat. Then the anger of Yahweh
* Both subject matter and language forbid us to suppose that we have the
original form of vs. 33b. But it is not improbable that originally it declared
the fulfilment of Yahvveh's promise (Ex. ,\xxiii. 14) personally to accompany
the journey until he should have brought the people to " their abiding-place "
I. e. Canaan. If original, the " resting-place " can not of course mean " camp-
ing-place," for Hobab selects these; but a permanent home as in Gen. xlix.
15; Ex. xxxiii. 14; Dt. xxxiii. 25.
CIRC. 800 B. C. 303
was kindled greatly : and [he said unto Moses] say thou 18
unto the people, Sanctify yourselves ' against to-nnorrow,'
and ye shall eat flesh : for ye have wept in the ears of Yah-
weh, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well
with us in Egypt : therefore Yahweh will give you flesh, and
ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor 19
five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days ; but a whole 20
month, until the odor of it revolteth you, and it be loathsome
unto you : because that ye have ' despised Yahweh ' which
is ' among you,' and have wept before him, saying, Why came
we forth out of Egypt? And Moses said, The people, 21
among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen ;
and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat
a whole month. Shall ' flocks and herds ' be slain for them, 22
to suffice them ? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered
together for them, to suffice them ?
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Is Yahweh's hand waxed 23
short ? now shalt thou see whether my word shall come to
pass unto thee or not. So Moses went out and told the people 24
the words of Yahweh. And there went forth a ' wind ' from 31
Yahweh, and brought quails from the sea, and directed their
flight over the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a
day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and
[flying] about two cubits above the face of the earth. And 32
the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the
next day, and gathered the quails : he that gathered least
gathered ten ' homers ' : and they spread them all abroad
for themselves round about the camp [to dry]. While they 33
were still eating the flesh, ere it was consumed, the anger
of Yahweh was kindled against the people, and ' Yahweh
smote the people ' with a very great plague. And the name 34
of that place was called Kibrolh-hattaavah (" Graves of
lust ") : because there they buried the people that lusted.
From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed unto Haze- 35
roth ; and they abode at Hazeroth.
And afterward the people journeyed from Hazeroth i6a — 12
[and pitched in Meribath-Kadesh].
304 THE JUD.ilAX PIWJ'HEJ JC AAKRATJ VE.
The Mutiny of Korah.
16 — I [Now Korah the son of Kenaz] and On the son of
Peleth, ' men of renown ' took [an offering for Yahweh, and
assembled the people together against Moses and the Levites,
saying, Wherefore exalt ye yourselves above the people to
3b offer sacrifice for them ? are not all the people holy ?] and is
13 not 'Yahweh among them'? Is it a small thing that thou
hast brought us up out of ' a land flowing with milk and
honey,' to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs
14 make thyself also a prince over us ? Moreover thou hast
not brought us into a 'land flowing with milk and honey,'
nor 'given us inheritance of fields and vineyards.' [To get
thyself a name hast thou brought forth all this people to die
in the wilderness, neither hath Yahweh sent thee at all].
15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto Yahweh, ' Respect '
not thou their offering: I have not taken one 'ass' from
them, neither have I hurt one of them. [And Korah and
the men that were with him assembled themselves to-
gether over against Moses before all the people to sacrifice
27b^ unto Yahweh] and their ' wives and their sons and their
28 little ones.' And Moses said, ' Hereby ye shall know that
Yahweh hath sent me to do all these works' ; for [I have]
29 not [done them] 'of mine own mind.' If these men die the
common death of all men, or if they be ' visited ' after the
30 visitation of all men ; then Yahweh hath not sent me. But
if Yahweh 'make a new thing,' and the 'ground' open her
mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto
them, and they 'go down alive into the pit' ; then ye shall
31 understand that these men have ' despised Yahweh.' And it
came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words,
33 that the ' ground ' clave asunder that was under them : and
they, and all that appertained to them, ' went down alive
into the pit.'
Meribath-Kadesh. Water From the Rock.
20 — 3 And the people " strove " with Moses., and [cried out
'CIRC. 800 B. C. 305
again] wherefore hast thou made us to comeup out of Egypt, 5
to bring us in unto this evil place ? it is no place of seed, or
of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates ; neither is there any
water to drink. [And Yahweh said unto Moses, I have
heard the words of this people, which strive with (Dt. 33. 8)
thee. Behold I will " strive " for thee, and will shew myself
" holy " against them. Speak now unto the rock that is
before their eyes that it give forth its water. And Moses
did so, and there came forth water abundantly. And the
people drank and their cattle. Therefore was the name of
the place called Meribath-Kadesh, because Yahweh " strove "
{riU) for him there and shewed himself " holy " (^Kadesh) in
the eyes of the people.]
Caleb sent to Hebron to Reconnoitre. The People Rebel
AT HIS Report.
[And from Kadesh Moses sent out Caleb the (Jos. 14. 6ff.)
son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and others with him to
search out the land]. And he said unto them, Get you 17b
up this way into the Negeb (wilderness south of Judah)
[and see what people dwell there] whether they be strong 19
or weak ; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether
it be good or bad ; and what cities they be that they dwell
in, whether in camps, or in 'strong holds.' So they went 22
up into the Negeb, and came unto ' Hebron ' ; and ' Ahiman,
Sheshai, and Talmai,' the children of Anak, were there, (Now
' Hebron ' was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
[And when they had seen the land and the strength of the
cities they returned unto Moses]. And they told him, and 27
said. We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and
surely ' it fioweth with milk and honey.' Howbeit the peo- 28
pie that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are
fenced, [and] very great; and moreover we saw the children
of Anak there.
And all the children of Israel lifted up their voice 14 — i
and cried [saying] : ' Our wives and our little ones' shall 3b
be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt ?
306 THE JUDjEAN PROPHETIC NARRA TI VE.
8 [But Moses said] : If Yahweh delight in us, (Dt. 1. 29f.)
then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us ; a
9 'land which floweth with milk and honey.' Only rebel not
against Yahweh, neither fear ye the people of the land ; for
they are bread for us : their defence is removed from over
13 — 30 them, whereas Yahweh is with us : fear them not. And
Caleb stilled the [murmurs of] the people before Moses,
and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it ; for we
31 are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up
with him said, We be not able to go up against the people ;
for they are stronger than we.
Yahweh's Rejection of the People. Mqses Intercedes for
Them.
14 — II And Yahweh said unto Moses, How long will this
people ' despise me ' ? and how long will they not believe in
12 me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them ? I
will ' smite them with the pestilence,' and disinherit them,
and ' will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than
13 they.' And Moses said unto Yahweh, ' Then the Egyptians
shall hear it ; for thou broughtest up this people in thy might
14 from among them; and they will tell it to the inhabitants
of this land ' : they have heard that thou Yahweh art ' in the
midst of this people ' ; for thou Yahweh art seen ' face to
face,' and thy cloud standeth over them, and thou ' goest
before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of
15 fire by night.' Now if thou shalt kill this people as one
man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee
16 will speak, saying, Because Yahweh was not able to bring
this people into ' the land which he sware unto them,' there-
17 fore he hath slain them in the wilderness. And now, I
19 pray thee, let thy power be magnified,* 'O Lord.' Pardon,
I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto
the greatness of thy mercy, and according as thou hast for-
20 given this people, from Egypt even until now. And Yahweh
21 said, I have pardoned as thou sayest : but in very deed, as I
* So LXX.
CIRC. 800 B. C. 307
live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yah- 22
weh ; because all those men which have seen my glory, and
my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet
have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to
my voice ; surely they shall not see ' the land which I sware 23
unto their fathers,' neither shall any of them that ' despised
me ' see it : but my servant Caleb, because he had another 24
spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring
into the land whereinto he went ; and his seed shall possess
it. [Go, say unto the people. Turn you, and get you into
the wilderness of Seir, by the way of Atharim ; for I will
not bring you into the land]. But your little ones, which ye 31
said should ' be a prey,' them will I bring in, and they shall
know the land which ye have ' rejected.' But as for you, 32
your carcases shall fall in this wilderness. And your chil- 33
dren shall be ' nomads ' in the wilderness forty years, and
shall bear your 'whoredoms,' until your carcases be con-
sumed in the wilderness.
The Disaster at Hormah, Israel Inflicts a Blow upon
THE CANAANITES OF THE NEGEB.
And the ' Canaanite,' the king of Arad, which dwelt in 21
' the South,' heard tell that Israel was coming by the way
of Atharim ; and he fought against Israel, and took some of
them captive. And Israel vowed a vow unto Yahweh, and 2
said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand,
then I will " devote " their cities. And Yahweh hearkened 3
to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the ' Canaanites ' ;
so they " devoted " them and their cities : and the name of
the place was called Hormah. (/. e. "Fortress,"' but here in-
correctly derived from the stem meaning to " devote," /. e.
place under the ban, vow to destruction.)
The Wilderness Stations. The Story of Beer- [Elim], the
Well of the Princes.
[And when they had dwelt in mount Seir many (Dt. 2. iff.)
days Yahweh said unto Moses, Turn you northward and pass
308 THE J UDyEAN PROP HE TIC NARRA TI VE.
over the brook Zered into the border of Moab, and I will give
you the cities of the Amorites which dwell beyond Jordan,
but of the land of Seir and of the land of Moab I will not
give you, for I have given it unto the children of Edom and
the children of Lot. So Israel passed through the border of
Edom and Moab and they journeyed from . . . to . .
i6 and from thence to ... . ] 'And from thence' to Beer :
that is the " well " {beer) whereof Yahweh said unto Moses,
Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
17 ' Then sang Israel this song : '
Spring up, O " well " ; spring up and flow ;
18 The "well," which the princes digged.
Which the nobles of the people delved.
With the ' sceptre,' [andj with their staves.
19 ' And from Beer to ' Mattanah : ' and from Mattanah to '
20 Nahaliel : 'and from Nahaliel to' Bamoth : 'and from
Bamoth to ' the valley that is in the field of Moab, by ' the
peak of Pisgah, which looketh down upon Jeshimon ' {i. e. the
eastward slope of the mountains of Judah by the Dead Sea).
Conquest of Trans-Jordanic Territory.
(32 — 3) [And Moses sent to search out the cities of the Amor-
ites, Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh,Sebam,
21 — 24b Nebo and Beon] even unto the children of Ammon: for
25 Jazer was the border of the children of Afnmon. And Israel
took all these cities : and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the
32 Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof. And
Moses sent to ' search out ' Jazer, and they took [it together
with] the towns thereof, and ' drove out ' the Amorites that
were there.
The Oracle of Balaam. Balak, King of Moab, Seeks to
Procure a Curse upon Israel. The Prophet
Stayed by the Speaking Ass.
22 — 3 Now Moab ' held the children of Israel in dread.'
4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this
multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox lick-
CIRC. 800 B. C. 309
eth up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor
was king of Moab at that time. [And he took counsel with
them to send unto Balaam the son of Beor the diviner] to
the land of the children of Ammon [saying, Come curse me
Israel]. And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian de- 7
parted with the rewards of ' divination ' in their hand. [And
they came unto Balaam and said, Thus saith Balak the son
of Zippor, Delay not, I pray thee, to come unto me], for I 17
will promote thee unto very great honor, and whatsoever
thou sayest unto me I will do : come therefore, I pray thee,
curse me this people. And Balaam answered and said unto 18
the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of
silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Yahweh my
God, to do less or more. So he saddled his ass [and went 21b
with them]. And Yahweh's anger was kindled because he 22
went : and the 'angel of Yahweh ' placed himself in the way
to oppose him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his
two servants were with him. And the ass saw the ' angel 23
of Yahweh ' standing in the way, ' with his sword drawn in
his hand : ' and the ass turned aside out of the way, and
went into the field : and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her
into the way. Then the ' angel of Yahweh ' stood in a hollow 24
way between the vineyards, a fence being on this side, and a
fence on that side. And the ass saw 'the angel of Yahweh,' 25
and she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's
foot against the wall : and he smote her again. And ' the 26
angel of Yahweh ' went further, and stood in a narrow place,
where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the
left. And the ass saw ' the angel of Yahweh,' and she lay 27
down under Balaam : and Balaam's anger was kindled, and
he smote the ass with his staff. And 'Yahweh opened the 28
mouth ' of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I
done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times ?
And Balaam said unto the ass. Because thou hast mocked 29
me : I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now I
had killed thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I 30
thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy life long unto
310 THE JUDyEAN PROPHETIC NARRA TIVE.
this day ? was I ever wont to do so unto thee ? And he
31 said, Nay. Then ' Yahweh opened the eyes ' of Balaam, and
he saw ' the angel of Yahweh standing in the way, with his
sword drawn in his hand : ' and he ' bowed his head, and fell
32 on his face.' And ' the angel of Yahweh ' said unto him.
Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times ?
behold, I am come forth to oppose thee, because the way is
33 . . . * and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me
these three times : unless she had turned aside from me,
34 surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive. And
Balaam said unto ' the angel of Yahweh,' I have sinned ; for
I knew not that thou wert standing in the way against me.
Now, therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
35 And ' the angel of Yahweh ' said unto Balaam, Go thy way :
but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou
shalt speak. [So Balaam went his way and came unto Balak
in Ar of Moab. And Balak made him a feast ; and on the
39 morrow he brought him to the border of Israel]. So Ba-
laam went with Balak and they came unto Kirjath-huz-
zoth (?)
The Oracle of Balaam.
23 — 28 And Balak took Balaam unto ' the top of Pisgah that
24 looketh down upon Jeshimon.' And when Balaam saw that
it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he went not to meet [him]
with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilder-
2 ness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel
3 dwelling according to their tribes ; and the spirit of God
came upon him. And he took up his oracle, and said,
Balaam the son of Beor saith.
And the man whose eye ... f saith :
4 He saith, which heareth the words of El,
And knoweth the knowledge of Elyon
* Corrupt text. Usually translated " thy way is perverse before me.''
t Translation doubtful. Either " is closed " (;'. c. to the outward world) or
" Is opened " (/. c clairvoyantly).
CIRC. 800 B. C. 311
Which seeth visions of Shaddai
Falling down, and having his eyes open :
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, 5
Thy dwellings, O Israel !
In the valleys are they spread forth, 6
In gardens by the river side,
As lign-aloes which Yahweh hath planted,
As cedar trees beside the waters.
Water floweth from his buclcets, 7
And his seed hath abundance of water.
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.
God, that bringeth them forth out of Egypt 23 — 22
Is to them as it were the horns (?) of the wild-ox.
Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob, 23
Neither is there any ' divination ' with Israel :
Even now may one tell [the fate] of Jacob
And of Israel what God hath wrought.
He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, 24 — 8b
And shall crunch their bones.
And his oppressors will he crush.
He coucheth, he lieth down as a lion, 9
And as a lioness ; who shall rouse him up ?
'Blessed be every one that blesseth thee.
And cursed be every one that curseth thee.'
And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he 10
smote his hands together : and Balak said unto Balaam, I
called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast
altogether blessed them. Therefore now flee thou to thy 11
place : I thought to ' promote thee unto great honor' ; but,
lo, Yahweh hath kept thee back from honor. And Balaam 12
said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which
thou sentest unto me, saying, 'If Balak would give me his 13
house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word
of Yahweh, to do either good or bad ' of mine own mind ' ;
what Yahweh speaketh, that will I speak?' And now, be- 14
hold, I go unto my people : come, [and] I will foretell thee
313 THE JUDA£AN PROPHETIC NARRA TI VE.
what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
15 And he took up his oracle, and said,
Balaam the son of Beor saith,
And the man whose eye is . . . saith :
16 He saith, which heareth the words of El,
And knoweth the knowledge of Elyon
Which seeth the vision of Shaddai,
Falling down, and having his eyes open :
17 I see him, but not now :
I behold him, but not nigh :
There cometh forth a star out of Jacob,
And a ' sceptre ' riseth out of Israel,
And smiteth through the temples of Moab,
Even the skull of all the sons of " tumult '' [Sefh).
18 And Edom shall be a possession,
Seir also shall be a possession, [which are] his enemies ;
While Israel doeth valiantly.
19 And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,
And shall destroy the fugitives from the city.
25 Then Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place :
and Balak also went his way.
Israel Corrupted by the Women of Moab.
Now the people began to commit ' whoredom ' with the 25
daughters of Moab : for they called the people unto the 2
sacrifices of their gods ; and the people did eat, and bowed
down to their gods. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Take 4
all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto Yahweh
before the sun, that the ' fierce anger of Yahweh may turn
away ' from Israel. . . . .
The Inheritance of Gad and Reuben. Moses Pledges the
TWO Tribes to Help in the Conquest of Canaan.
[Now the children of Gad and the children of Reuben saw
32 — 3 the land which Yahweh had smitten before Israel].
Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon,
CIRC. 800 B. C. 313
and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon. [And they
desired the land because it was a good land for cattle. So
they came near unto Moses] and said, ' If we have found 5
favor in thy sight,' let this land be given unto thy servants
for a possession ; bring us not over Jordan. And Moses 6
said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben,
Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall ye sit here ?
And Moses said unto them. If ye will do this thing ; if ye 20
will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war, and 21
every armed man of you will pass over Jordan before Yah-
weh, until he hath ' driven out ' his enemies from before him, 22
and the land be subdued before Yahweh : then afterward
ye shall return, and be guiltless towards Yahweh, and
towards Israel ; and this land shall be unto you for a pos-
session before Yahweh. But if ye will not do so, behold, ye 23
have sinned against Yahweh : and be sure your sin will find
you out. And the children of Gad and the children of 25
Reuben spake unto Moses, saying. Thy servants will do as
my lord commandeth. ' Our little ones, our wives, our 26
flocks, and all our cattle,' shall be there in ' the cities ' of
Gilead : but thy servants will pass over, every man that is 27
armed for war, before Yahweh to battle, as my lord saith.
DEUTERONOMY. (Heb. "Words of Moses.")
[Last Words of Moses. Joshua his Successor.]
[And Yahweh said unto Moses, The time is come that
thou must die, for thou mayest not pass over this Jordan,
[because thou believedst not when I called thee to lead my
people forth out of Egypt (?)]. Call now Joshua the son of
Nun, the Ephraimite, and make him leader over this people ;
for he shall bring them into the land which I sware unto
their fathers, saying, I will give it you. And when thou hast
given him this charge, then go up into mount Pisgah, which
is before thee, and when thou hast seen the land thou shalt
314 THE JUD.'EAN PROPHETIC NARRA TIVE.
die there in the mount. So Moses called Joshua and gave
him commandment as Yahweh had said. And he blessed
him and all the tribes of Israel, each one according to his
blessing].
The Blessing of Moses.
33 Now this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God
■' blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said,
Yahweh came from ' Sinai,'
And rose from Seir unto them ;
He shined forth from mount Paran,
And he came from ' Meribath-Kadesh.'
In his right hand
3 With love he cherished his people.
All his holy ones were in thy hand
And they
4b An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
5 A king arose for Jeshurun,
When the heads of the people were gathered.
All the tribes of Israel together.
Let Reuben live and not die ;
And let not his men be few.
7b And of Simeon he said,
" Hear" {shein'a), Yahweh, the voice of Simeon
And bring him in to his own people.
8 And of Levi he said.
Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with the men of thy con-
secrated one,
Whom thou didst " prove " at Massah,
For whom thou didst '' strive " at the waters of Meribah ;
9 [With him] who said of father, and of mother, I have not
seen them ;
Who neither acknowledged his brethren,
Nor knew his own children :
CIRC. 800 B. C. 315
For they gave themselves to thy word,
And kept thy covenant [law].
They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, 10
And Israel thy law ;
They shall put incense in thy nostrils,
And whole burnt offering upon thine altar.
And of Judah he said, -a
Bless, Yahweh, his substance, u
And accept the work of his hands :
" With thy hands " contend for him ;
And be thou an help against his adversaries.
Smite through the loins of them that rise up against him,
And of them that hate him, that they rise not again.
Of Benjamin he said, 12
Yahweh's favorite is he ;
He dwelleth in safety by him
He covereth him all the day long,
And hath taken up his abode between his f mountain] shoul-
ders.
And of Joseph he said, 13
'Blessed of Yahweh ' be his land ;
'With the precious things of heaven, with the dew.
And with the ' deep ' that coucheth beneath.
And with the precious things which the sun doth ripen 14
And with the precious things that the moon bringeth forth.
And with the chief things of the ancient mountains, 15
And with the precious things of the everlasting hills,
And with the precious things of the earth and its fulness,' 16
And the good will of him that dwelt in the bush :
Let [it] come upon the head of Joseph,
' And upon the crown of the head of the crowned one
among his brethren.'
Majesty surrounds his firstling bullock ; 17
And his horns are like the horns of the wild-ox :
316 THE JUD^AN PROPHETIC NARRATIVE.
With them he shall gore the nations all of them, [even] the
ends of the earth ;
These are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
And these are the thousands of Manasseh.
1 8 And of Zebulun he said,
Rejoice thou, Zebulun, in thy voyages ;
And thou, Issachar, in thy tents.
19 They invite the peoples unto the mountain ;
They offer there sacrifices of righteousness :
For they suck the abundance of the seas,
And the hidden treasures of the sand.
20 And of Gad he said,
' Blessed be He that enlargeth ' Gad :
He ' hath couched as a lioness,'
And teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head.
21 He sought out for himself the lot of a firstborn son,
For there a ruler's portion lay ready ;
Yet he came [with] the heads of the people,
He executed the justice of Yahweh,
And his judgments with Israel.
22 And of Dan he said,
Dan is a lion's whelp.
That leapeth forth from Bashan.
23 And of Naphtali he said,
O Naphtali, satisfied with [gifts of divine] 'favor,'
And full with the ' blessing of Yahweh ' :
Possess thou the sea [of Galilee] and southward.
24 And of Asher he said.
Blessed be Asher above [the other] sons ;
Let him be the favorite of his brethren,
And let him dip his foot in oil,
25 Thy bars shall be iron and brass ;
And thy strength endure all thy days.
CIRC. 800 B. C. 317
There is none like the God of Jeshurun, 26
Who rideth on the heaven for thy help,
And in his majesty on the skies.
The eternal God is a refuge, 27
And everlasting arms are [stretched out] beneath,
He thrust out the enemy from before thee,
And commanded [thee], Destroy.
So Israel dwelt in safety, 28
The fountain of Jacob by itself,
In a ' land of corn and wine ' ;
Yea, his heavens drop down dew.
Hail to thee, Israel ! Who is like thee, 29
A people victorious by Yahweh ?
He is the ' shield ' of thy help,
And the sword that maketh thee glorious.
Thy foes shall feign thee friendship ;
And thou shalt tread [victorious] on their high places.
Moses' Death and Burial.
[So Moses went up] to ' the top of Pisgah ' that is 34 — ib.
over against Jericho [the City of Palm-trees]. And Yahweh
shewed him all the land. And Yahweh said unto him, This 4
is the ' land which I sware ' unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed : I have
caused thee to see it with thine own eyes, but thou shalt not
go over thither. [So Moses died there] and he was buried 6
in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor.
THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
CIRC. 750 B. C.
(THE) EXODUS.
Story of the Oppression in Egypt. Pharaoh's Cruel Com-
mands Frustrated.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, which had not 1 — 8
known Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the peo- 9
pie of the children of Israel is becoming ' too many and too
mighty ' for us : come, let us deal wisely with them ; lest they 10
multiply, and it come to pass, that, when we are entangled
in some* war, they also join themselves unto our enemies,
and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.
So the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of 15
which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of
the other Puah : and he said. When ye do the office of a 16
midwife to the Hebrew women, look [while they are still]
upon the birthstool (?) ; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him ;
but if it be a daughter, then she may live. But the midwives 17
'feared God,' and did not as the king of Egypt commanded
them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of 18
Egypt sent for the midwives, and said unto them. Why
have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children
alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the 19
Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women ; for they
are vigorous, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto
them. And ' God ' dealt well with the midwives. And it 20-21
came to pass, because the midwives ' feared ' ' God,' that he
established clans for them. Then Pharaoh charged all his 22
people, saying. Every son that is born to the Hebrews f ye
shall cast into the Nile, and every daughter ye shall save
alive.
* Text of Sam. and all versions.
1 Sam., LXX., Jer. Targum.
319
S20 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
Parentage and Birth of Miriam, Aaron and Moses.
2 — I And there went a man of the stock of Levi [named
(Amram ?)] and took to wife [(Jochehed ?)] the daughter of
Levi. [And she bare unto him a daughter and called her
name Miriam. And again she bare a son and called his
name Aaron. And God came unto Amram (?) in a dream
and said, I have chosen thy house that from thee there
should come deliverance for my people. For thy daughter
shall be a prophetess unto me, and the son that is born to
thee shall be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn
incense, to wear an ephod before me, and unto his house
and the house of thy father will I give all the offerings of the
children of Israel made by fire (i. Sam. iii. 27ff). And I will
give thee a second son who shall be the deliverer of my
people.
And it came to pass after these things, when Pharaoh had
commanded his people, saying. Ye shall cast the men-chil-
dren of the Hebrews into the Nile, that Amram visited his
2 wife]. And the woman conceived, and bare a son : and
when she saw him that he was a ' child ' of goodly form, she
3 hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide
him, she took for him an ark of papyrus, and daubed it with
bitumen, and with pitch ; and she put the ' child ' therein, and
4 laid it in the flags by the ' brink ' of the Nile. And his
sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to the Nile to
bathe ; and her maidens walked along by the ' side ' of the
Nile ; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her
6 ' maidservant ' to fetch it. And she opened it, and, behold,
a babe weeping. And she had compassion on him, saying
7 to herself. This is one of the Hebrews' ' children.' Then
said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter. Shall I go and call
thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse
8 the child for thee? And Pharoah's daughter said to her,
9 Go. So the girl went and called the child's mother. And
Pharaoh's daughter said unto her. Take this ' child ' away,
CIKC. 750 B. C. 321
and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And
the woman took the 'child,' and nursed it. And the 'child ' 10
grew up and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and
he became her son. And she called his name Moses, (as if
from Hebrew mashah, to " draw out ") and said. Because I
" drew him out " of the water.
Moses' Fruitless Attempt to Deliver his People. His
Flight to Midian and Marriage there.
And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown 11
up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their
burdens : and he saw an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one
of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and 12
when he saw that there was no man [in sight], he smote the
Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And he went out the 13
second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were
striving together : and he said to him that did the wrong.
Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow ? And he said. Who 14
made thee a prince and a judge over us ? thinkest thou to
kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses was
taken with fear, saying to himself. Of a truth then the thing
is known. And Pharaoh also heard of this thing, and he 15
sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of
Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian. [And Moses
took refuge in the house of a Midianite named Jethro, and
Jethro gave him his daughter to wife. And she bare unto
Moses two sons in Midian]. The name of the one was 18 — 3
Gershom ; for he said, I became a "stranger" {ger) 2 — 22b
in a ' strange ' land ; and the name of the other was 18 — 4
Eliezer, for [he said], The " God " (e/) of my father was
my " help " (ezer) and delivered me from the sword of
Pharaoh.
The Divine Call of Moses at Horeb. God Reveals His
NAME YAHWEH.
Now Moses was keeping the flock of ' Jethro ' his father 3
in law, and having once led the flock to the further side of
322 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
the wilderness, he came to 'the mountain of God,' unto
4 ' Horeb.' And ' God ' called unto him [out of the mountain]
6 and said, ' Moses, Moses. And he said. Here am I.' ' And
he said, I am the God of thy father,' the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his
face ; for he was afraid to look upon ' God,' [And God
said unto Moses, Fear not ; for I have called thee that thou
9 mayest deliver my people Israel] And now, behold, the
cry of the children of Israel is come unto me : and I have
seen ihe ' oppression ' wherewith the Egyptians ' oppress '
10 them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto
Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the chil-
li dren of Israel oui. of Egypt. And Moses said unto 'God,'
Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should
12 bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he
said. Certainly I will be with thee ; and this shall be the
token unto thee, that I have sent thee : when thou hast
brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve 'God'
13 with sacrifice upon this mountain. And Moses said unto
' God,' Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and
shall say unto them. The God of your fathers hath sent me
unto you ; and they shall say to me, What is his name ?
14 what shall I say unto them ? And ' God ' said unto Moses,
I AM WHAT I AM : and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel, i am hath sent me unto you. [And thou
4 — 14 shalt go unto Pharaoh, thou and Aaron thy brother], be-
hold he cometh forth to meet thee ; and when he seeth thee
(5 — i) he will be glad in his heart. [And ye shall say unto Pha-
raoh, Thus saith Yahweh the God of Israel, Let my people
3 — 19 go]. And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you
20 leave to go, save by [compulsion of] a ' mighty hand.' And
I will put forth my hand, and smite Egypt with all my
' wonders ' which I will do in the midst thereof : and after
21 that he will let you go. And T will give this people favor
in the sight of the Egyptians : so it shall come to pass, that,
22 when ye go, ye shall not go empty ; but ' every woman shall
ask of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her
CIRC. 750 B. C. 323
house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment : and
ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters ;
and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.' . . . And Yahweh said 4— 21
unto Moses, When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou
do before Pharaoh all the ' wonders ' which I have put in thine
hand : but I will ' harden ' his heart, and he will not let the
people go. And thou shalt take in thine hand this rod, 17
wherewith thou shalt' do the signs.
Moses' Return to Egypt. He and Aaron Deliver Yahweh's
Message to Phakaoh.
And Moses went and returned co ' Jether ' his father in 18
law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return
unto my brethren whic'i ar'. in Egypt, and see whether they
be yet alive. And ' Jetl.ro ' said to Moses, Go in pea^e, and
Moses took the 'rod of God ' in his hand [and departed].
And Yahweh said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to 27
meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the ' mountain
r\ God,' and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the 28
words of Yahweh wherewith he had sent him, and all the
signs wherewith he had charged him. And afterward Moses 5
and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Yahweh,
the God of Israel, Let my people go. And Pharaoh said, 2
Who is Yahweh, that I should hearken unto his voice to let
Israel go ? I know not Yahweh, and moreover I will not let
Israel go. And the king of Egypt said unto them. Where- 4
fore do ye, Moses and Aaron, loose the people from their
works ? get you unto your burdens.
The Plagues of Egypt. First Plague: The Nile Turned
TO Blood.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what 6
I will do to Pharaoh : for by [compulsion of] a ' strong hand '
shall he let them go, and by a ' strong hand ' shall he drive
them out of his land. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the 15
morning ; lo, he goeth out unto the water : and thou shalt
stand 'by the river's brink' to meet him; and 'the rod
324 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
which [I gave thee] shalt thou take in thine hand.' [And
' thou shalt smite] with the rod that is in thine hand '
upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be
turned to blood. [So Moses went unto Pharaoh in the
morning] ' and he lifted up the rod, and smote ' the waters
that were in the river, ' in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the
sight of his servants ' ; and all the waters that were in the
23 river were turned to blood. But Pharaoh turned and went
into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart.
Second Plague: The Hail.
22 And Yahweh said unto Moses, ' Stretch forth thine hand '
toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of
Egypt, ' upon man, and upon beast,' throughout the land of
23 Egypt. And ' Moses stretched forth his . rod ' toward
heaven : and Yahweh sent thunder and hail, and fire ran
25 down unto the earth. And the hail smote throughdut all
the land of Egypt all that was in the field, ' both man and
35 beast.' But the heart of Pharaoh was 'strong,' and he did
not let the children of Israel go.
Third Plague : The Locusts.
12 ' And Yahweh said unto Moses, Stretch out thine and'
over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come
up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every ' herb of the land,'
13 even all that the hail hath left. ' And Moses stretched forth
14 his rod ' over the land of Egypt, and the locusts came up
over all the land of Egypt ; and they did eat every ' herb
20 of the land,' even all that the hail had left. ' But Yahweh
made Pharaoh's heart strong and he did not let the children
of Israel go.'
Fourth Plague: The Darkness.
21 'And Yahweh said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand
toward heaven,' that there may be darkness over the land
22 of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 'And Moses
stretched forth his hand toward heaven ' ; and there was a
CIRC. 750 B. C. 335
' thick darkness ' in all the land of Egypt ' three days ' ; 23
they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place
for ' three days ' : but all the children of Israel had light in
their dwellings. 'But Yahweh made Pharaoh's heart strong, 27
and he would not let them go.'
Fifth Plague. Death of the Firstborn. The Exodus.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Vet one plague more will I H
bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt ; afterwards he will let
you go hence :. . . * yea, he shall even thrust you out by
force. Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them 2
' ask every man of his neighbor, and every woman of her
neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold. And Yahweh 3
gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians.'
Moreover ' the man Moses ' was very great in the land of
Egypt in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in .the sight of
the people. [And it came to pass that night that the angel
of God passed through all the land of Egypt and smote all
the firstborn of Egypt]. And [Pharaoh] called for Moses 31
and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, get you forth from
among my people, both ye and the children of Israel. [So
Moses and all the people rose up and went forth from the
land of Egypt, and the angel of God went be- (Nu. 20. 16)
fore them]. And the children of Israel did according to 12 — 35
the word of Moses ; and 'they asked of the Egyptians jew-
els of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment : and Yahweh 36
gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that
they let them have what they asked. So they spoiled the
Egyptians.'
The Journey out of Egypt. Passage of the Red Sea and
Song of Miriam.
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people 13 — 17
go, that ' God ' led them not by the way of the land of the
Philistines, although that was near ; for ' God ' said to him-
self. Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war,
* The text is corrupt. Literally, " when he shall wholly let you go."
326 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
i8 and they return to Egypt : but 'God' led the people about,
' by the way of the wilderness towards ' the Red Sea : and
the children of Israel went up in battle array out of the
19 land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with
him : for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, say-
ing, ' God will surely visit you ; and ye shall carry up my
bones away hence with you.' [But when Pharaoh saw that
14 — 3 the people went toward the Red Sea] he said, to himself
as to the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land,
5 the wilderness hath shut:them in. So he took six hundred
(Jos. 21 — 6) chosen chariots and captains over all of them [and
pursued after Israel. And they came to the sea]. And
iob-19 the children of Israel ' cried out unto Yahweh.' And
'the angel of God' which was going before the camp of
Israel removed and went behind them ; and it came to pass
[. . . ] the cloud and the darkness.* [And Moses cried
15 out unto Yahweh. And Yahweh said]. Wherefore ' criest
16 thou unto me ' ? ' Lift thou up thy rod ' [over the sea, and
the waters shall withdraw themselves, and the children
(Is. 10 — 26) of Israel shall go forward. So Moses lifted up
(15 — 8) his rod over the sea, and the waters receded and stood
upright, so that Israel went forward into the midst of the sea.
And the Egyptians pursued after them, for Yahweh had
25a brought a thick darkness upon them]. And he bound their
chariot wheels so that they drave them heavily. [And when
(.Jos. '24 — 7) Israel was clean passed over, Yahweh brought
31 back the sea upon the Egyptians and covered them]. And
Israel saw the great miracle which Yahweh had wrought
against the Egyptians, and the people ' feared Yahweh ' ;
and they ' believed in ' Yahweh, and in ' Moses his servant.'
* Literally, " And it came to pass the cloud and the darkness." The ver-
sions give no help. The words belong to E, for it is in E's version that the
crossing takes place by day, when " darkness " would be a protection ; whereas
in J it takes place by night. Moreover Jos. .\xiv. 7 (E) expressly refers to the
fact that Yahweh "brought thick darkness between you and the Egyptians.''
The sense may perhaps have been that the " angel "(/. <.-. manifestation) of
God assumed the form of cloud and darkness ; or more probably something
parallel to xiii. 2rf. (J) has been stricken out.
CIRC. 750 B. C. 337
'And Miriam the prophetess,' the 'sister of Aaron,' 15— 20
took a timbrel in her hand ; and all 'the women went out
after her with timbrels and with dances.' And Miriam 21
' sang in reponse with them.'
Sing ye to Yahweh, for he is highty exalted,
The horse and his rider hath he hurled into the sea.
Massah. Yahweh "Proves" Israel with Hunger, and gives
THEM Manna to Eat.
[And Yahweh led Israel onward into the wilderness, and
they came to Massah '(" Place of Proving" )]. There he 25b
'made for them a statute and an ordinance,' and there ' he
" proved " them.' [For the people hungered, and they cried
unto Moses saying, Give us bread to eat]. Then said 16 — 4
Yahweh unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven
for you ; and the people shall go out and gather a day's
portion every day, that I may " prove " them, whether they
will walk in my law, or no. [.\nd they rose up early in the
morning and, behold, there lay upon the face of the wilder-
ness round about the camp a small flake]. And when the 15
children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, " man hu "
("what is it"?), for they wist not what it was. And Moses said 16
unto them. This is the thing which Yahweh hath ordained.
Gather ye of it every man according to his eating ; let no 19b
man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they 20
hearkened not unto Moses ; but some of them left of it until
the morning, and it bred worms, and stank : and Moses was
wroth with them. So they gathered it morning by morning, 21
every man according to his eating : and when the sun waxed
hot, it melted. [And they called the name thereof maiiiia\.
So the children of Israel did eat the manna forty years, until 35a
they came to a land inhabited.
Meribah : Water from the Sjhtten Ri5CK.
And there was no water for the people to drink. 17 — ib
Wherefore the people " strove " with Moses, and said. Give 2
us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them,
338 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
4 Why " strive " ye with me? And ' JMoses cried unto Yah-
weh ' saying, What shall I do unto this people ? they be
5 almost ready to stone me. And Yahweh said unto Moses,
Pass on before the people, and 'take with thee of the elders
of Israel ' ; and ' thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river,
take in thine hand,' and go [unto the place where I called
6 thee at the first]. Behold, 1 will stand before thee there
upon the rock in Horeb ; and thou shalt smite the rock, and
there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.
And Moses did so ' in the sight of the elders of Israel'
7 And he called the name of the place Meribah, because of
the " striving " of the children of Israel.
The Theophany at Horeb to all the I^eople.
19 — 3a And Moses went up unto ' God.' And he said unto
Moses, Lo, I am about to come unto thee in a ' thick
9 cloud,' so that the people may hear when I speak with
thee, and may also ' believe thee ' forever. Go unto the
10 people and ' sanctify them to-day and to-morrow,' and let
11 them 'wash their garments' and be ready against 'the
14 third day.' So Moses went down from the mount unto
the people, and 'sanctified the people'; and they ' washed
15 their garments.' And he said unto the people. Be ready
16 'against the third day :' come not near a woman. And it
came to pass on the ' third day,' when it was morning, that
there were thunders and lightnings, and a ' thick cloud '
upon the mount, and the voice of a ' trumpet ' exceeding
loud ; and all the people that were in the camp trembled.
17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp 'to
meet God ; ' and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
19 And when the voice of the 'trumpet' waxed louder and
louder, Moses spake, and 'God ' answered him by a voice.
20 — I And ' God ' spake all these words, saying,
2 I am Yahweh thy God, which brought thee out of the
land of Egypt.
3 Thou shalt have none other Gods beside me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee -a pesd (cut or hewn idol).
CIRC. 750 B. C. 329
Thou shalt not invoke the name of Yahweh thy God upon 7
a falsehood.
Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. 8
Honor thy father and thy mother. 12
Thou shalt do no murder. 13
Thou shalt not commit adultery. 14
Thou shalt not steal. 15
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 16
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. 17
And when all the people saw the thunderings, and the 18
lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, the people were
afraid and trembled, and stood afar off. And they said unto 19
Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear : but let not
' God ' speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the 20
people. Fear not: for 'God' is come 'to prove you,' and
that ' his fear' may be before you, that ye sin not. So the 21
people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the ' thick
darkness ' where ' God ' was.
And Yahweh ' called unto him out of the mountain,' 19 — 3b
saying. Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and
tell the children of Israel ; [I have heard the words (Dt. 5 — 28)
which ye have spoken. Now therefore if ye will obey my
voice indeed and keep these my commandments, I will be
your God and ye shall be my people, and I will bring you in
and establish you in the land which I sware unto your 19 — 6b
fathers]. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto
the children of Israel. And Moses came and called for 'the 7
elders of the people,' and set before them all these words
which Yahweh commanded him. And 'all the people 8
answered together, and said,' All that Yahweh hath spoken
we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people
unto Yahweh.
MosES AND Joshua on the Mount. The Tables of Stone
AND the Law.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Come up to me into the 12
mount, and abide there : and I will give thee the tables of
330 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
stone, which I have written, and the judgment and the law,
13 that thou may St teach them. So Moses rose up, and
'Joshua his minister ' : and Moses went up info ' the mount
14 of God.' And he said unto the people, Tarry ye here for us,
until we come again unto you : and, behold, ' Aaron and
Hur' are with you : whosoever 'hath a cause 'to plead let
1 8b him come near unto them. So he went up into the mount :
and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
The People's Apostasy. Story of the Golden Bull.
32 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come
down from the mount, the people gathered themselves to-
gether unto Aaron, and said unto him. Up, make us a god,
which shall go before us ; for as for this Moses, the man
that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not
2 what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them. Break
off the golden ' rings,' which are in the ears of your wives,
of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto
3 me. And all the people brake off the golden ' rings ' which
4 were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he
received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving
tool, and made it a little molten bull: and they said, ' This is
thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of
5 Egypt.' And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before
it ; and Aaron made proclamation, and said. To-morrow shall
6 be a feast to Yahweh. So ' they rose up early on the mor-
row,' and ' offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offer-
ings ' ; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose
up to play.
[Now when Yahweh had given Moses the law and com-
mandment to teach the people, and had made an end of speak-
31 — 18 ing with him, he gave unto him] two tables of stone, 'writ-
32 — 16 ten with the finger of God.' And the tables were the
work of 'God,' and the writing was the writing of 'God,' graven
upon the tables. [So Moses turned, with Joshua his minister,
17 and they came down from the mount.] And when Joshua
heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto
CIRC. 750 B. C. 331
Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It 18
is not the sound of voices that shout in victory, neither is it
the (answering) cry of them that are overcome ; but the sound
of them that sing do 1 hear. And it came to pass, as soon 19
as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the little bull
and the dancing : and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast
the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
And he took the little bull which they had made, and burnt 20
it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon
the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. And 21
Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that
thou hast brought a great sin upon them ? And Aaron said, 22
Let not the anger of my lord wax hot : thou knowest the
people, that they are [set] on evil. For they said unto me, 23
' Make us a god, which shall go before us : for as for this
Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
we know not what is become of him.' And I said unto
them, 'Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off ' ; so 24
they gave it me : and I cast it into the fire, and there came
out this little bull.
Moses' Intercession for the People. They put off their
Ornaments in Penitence.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto 30
the people, ' Ye have sinned a great sin ' : and now I will go
up unto Yahweh ; peradventure I shall make atonement for
your sin. So Moses returned unto Yahweh, and said, 'Oh, 37
this people have sinned a great sin,' and have made them a
god of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and 32
if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast
written. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Whosoever hath 33
sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. And 34
now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have
spoken unto thee : behold, ' mine angel ' shall go before thee :
nevertheless in the day when I requite, I will requite their
sin upon them. And when the people heard these evil 33—4
tidings, they ' mourned ' ; and no man did put on him his
332 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
6 ' ornaments.' So the children of Israel stripped themselves
of their ' ornaments ' from mount ' Horeb ' onward.
The Renewal of the Covenant. Construction of the Ark
AND Tent of Meeting.
[And Yahweh said unto Moses, I have heard the mourn-
ing of the people. Go thou unto them and say, If with all
your heart ye will turn unto me I will yet make my covenant
with you, and be your God ; and of these ornaments which ye
have put off shall ye make a tent where I will meet with you,
24 — 4 and I will teach you how ye shall worship me. And
thou shalt write the words of the covenant and put the book
of this covenant in an ark of wood, and it shall be kept there
in the Tent. So Moses went unto the people and told them.
And he prepared the Ark of God and the Tent. J
The Book of the Covenant. A Second Ten Words.
20 — 2 2 And Yahweh said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say
unto the children of Israel, Ye yourselves have seen that I
have talked with you from heaven.
23 Ye shall not make [other gods] with me ; ' gods of sil-
24 ver ' or ' gods of gold ' ye shall not make unto you. An
altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt ' sacrifice
thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings,' thy
sheep, and thine oxen : in every place where I establish a
memorial of myself I will come unto thee and I will bless
25 thee. And if thou make me an altar of stone, thou shalt
' not build it of hewn stones ' : for if thou lift up thy tool
26 upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by
steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered
towards it.
23 — 10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt
11 gather in the increase thereof : but the seventh year thou
shalt let it rest and lie fallow. In like manner thou shalt
12 deal with thy vineyard, [and] with thy oliveyard. Six days
thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt
keep sabbath.
CIRC. 750 B. C. 333
Three times thou shalt ' keep a feast ' unto me in the 14
year. The 'feast of unleavened bread' shalt thou keep: 15
and ' the feast of harvest,' the firstfruits of thy labors, 16
which thou sowest in the field : and ' the feast of ingather-
ing,' at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy
labors out of the field.
Thou shalt not withhold of thine abundance, nor of 22 — 29
the fruits of thy wine-press. ' The firstborn of thy sons '
shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine 30
oxen, with thy sheep and with thy beast of burden ;* seven
days it shall be with its dam ; on the eighth day thou shalt
give it me. And ye shall be holy men unto me : therefore 31
ye shall not eat any flesh that is ' torn of beasts ' in the field ;
ye shall cast it to the dogs.
Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with 23 — 18
leavened bread ; neither shall the fat of my feast remain all
night until the morning. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its 19b
mother's milk. And in all things that I have said unto you 13
take ye heed : and make no mention of the name of ' other
gods,' neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
The Promise.
Behold, I am ' sending an angel before thee,' to keep thee 20
by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have
prepared. Take ye heed of him, and hearken unto his 21
voice ; be not rebellious against him ; for he will ' not pardon
your transgression ' ; for my name is in him. But if thou 22
shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak ;
then :
I will 'be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adver-
sary unto thine adversaries.
I will bless thy bread, and thy water ; and I will take 25
sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall none 26
cast her young, nor be barren, in thy land.
The number of thy days I will fulfil.
And I will send ' the hornet ' before thee, which shall 28
* " And with thy beast of burden," supplied from LXX.
334 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
29 drive out the ' Amorite ' from before thee. I will not drive
him out from before thee in one year ; lest the land become
desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
30 By little and little I will drive him out from before thee,
until thou be increased and inherit the land.
31 And I will set thy border from the Red' Sea even unto
the Sea of the Philistiries,and from the wilderness unto the
Euphrates.
The Covenant Ratified.
24 — 3 And Moses came ai>d told the people all the wprds of
Yahweh : and ' all the people answered with one voice, and
said,' All the words which Yahweh hath spoken will we do.
4 And Moses wrote all the words of Yahweh, and ' rose up
early in the morning,' and ' builded an altar ' under the
mount, and ' twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes
5 of Israel.' And he sent ' young men ' of the children of Is-
rael, which 'offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace
6 offerings ' of oxen unto Yahweh. And Moses took half of
the blood, and put it in basons ; and half of the blood he
7 sprinkled on the altar. And he took the ' writing of the
covenant,' and read in the audience of the people : and
'they said, All that Yahweh hath spoken will we do,' and be
8 obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on
the people, and said. Behold the blood of the covenant,
which Yahweh hath made with you on [the basis of] all these
commandments. [And Moses placed the book of the Cov-
enant in the ark and set it in the Tent. J
Jethro's Visit. He Brings the Family of Moses.
IS Now when Jethro, ' Moses' father in law,' heard of all that
2 ' God ' had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, ' Jeth-
3 ro, Moses' father in law,' took Zipporah, Moses' wife, and
5 her two sons, and came with his sons and his wife unto
Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, 'at the
6 mount of God ' : and he said unto Moses, I thy ' father in law
CIRC. 750 B. C. 335
Jethro ' am come anto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons
with her. And Moses told his father in law all that Yahweh 8
had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's
sake, all the ' travail ' that had come upon them by the way,
and how Yahweh delivered them. And ' Jethro ' rejoiced 9
for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel, in
that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyp-
tians. And 'Jethro, Moses' father in law,' took [cattle for] 12
a burnt offering and a sacrificial feast at the shrine of 'God':
and Aaron came, and 'all tne elders of Israel,' to feast with
Moses' father in law at tne sanctuary of 'God.'
Jethroo Counsel. Appointment of Judges.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to 13
'judge the people': and the people stood about Moses
from the morning unto the evening. And ivhen Moses' 14
father in law saw all that he did for the people, he said.
What is this thing that thou doest for the people .? why sit-
test thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee
from morning unto even ! And Moses said unto his father 15
in law. Because the people come unto me ' to obtain an ora-
cle of God ' : when ' they have a suit to plead ' they come
unto me ; and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and 16
I make them know the ' judgments of God,' and his laws.
And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that 17
thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear out both 18
thyself and this people that is with thee : for the thing is
too heavy for thee ; thou art not able to perform it thyself
alone. Hearken now unto my voice; I will give thee coun- 19
sel, and • God ' shall be with thee : be thou at the people's
service toward ' God,' and ' bring thou the causes unto God ' :
and thou shalt teach them the 'judgments and the 20
laws.' And for the rest thou shalt provide out of all the 21
people able men, such as ' fear God,' men of truth, hating
unjust gain, and place such over them, to be 'rulers of thou-
sands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of
tens ' ; and let them ' judge the people ' at all seasons : and 22
336 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto
thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves :
so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear [the
23 burden] with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and ' God '
command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all
24 this people also shall go to their place in peace. So Moses
hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all
25 that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all
Israel, and made them heads over the people, ' rulers of
thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of
26 tens.' And they 'judged the people' at all seasons: the
hard ' causes ' they brought unto Moses, but every small
27 matter they judged themselves. And Moses let his father
in law depart ; and he went his way into his own land.
Moses' Intercourse with Yahweh at the Tent. Appoint-
ment OF Seventy Elders
33 — 7 Now Moses used to take the Tent and to pitch it with-
out the camp, afar off from the camp ; and he called it. The
Tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one
which ' sought an oracle from Yahweh,' would go out unto
8 the Tent of meeting, which was ' without the camp.' And
it came to pass, when ever Moses went out unto the Tent,
that all the people rose up, and stood, every man at his
tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into
9 the Tent. And it came to pass, as often as Moses entered
into the Tent, ' the pillar of cloud would descend, and stand
at the door of the Tent ' : and he would speak with Moses.
10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at
the door of the Tent, all the people would rise up and
11 worship, every man at his tent door. And Yahweh spake
unto Moses ' face to face,' as a man speaketh unto his
friend. And he would return again into the camp : but ' his
minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man,' never de-
parted out of the Tent.
Num. 11 — 16 And Yahweh said unto Moses, ' Gather unto me
seventy men of the elders of Israel,' whom thou knowest to be
CIRC. 750 B. C. ■ 337
the elders of the people, and ' officers ' over them ; and bring
them unto the Tent of meeting, that they may stand there
with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there : 17
and I will take of ' the spirit' which is upon thee, and will
put it upon them ; and they shall ' bear the burden of the
people ' with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. So he 24
' gathered seventy men of the elders ' of the people, and set
them round about the Tent. And Yahweh came down in 25
the cloud, and talked with him, and took of ' the spirit ' that
was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders : and it
came to pass, that, when 'the spirit ' rested upon them, they
'fell into prophetic ecstasy' but they did so no more. But 26
there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one
was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad : and ' the
spirit ' rested upon them ; for they were of them that were
written, but had not gone out unto the Tent : so they ' were
in the ecstasy ' in the camp. And there ran a young man, 27
and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad 'are in
ecstasy ' in the camp. And 'Joshua the son of Nun, the 28
minister of Moses from his youth,' answered and said,
My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, 29
Art thou jealous for my sake ? would God that all Yahweh's
people were 'prophets,' that Yahweh would put 'his spirit'
upon them ! And Moses gat him into the camp, he and 30
'the elders of Israel.'
Miriam and Aaron Murmur at Moses' Marriage.
And ' Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses ' because 12 — i
of the Cushite woman whom he had married. And they 2
said, Hath Yahweh indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he
not spoken also by us ? And Yahweh heard it. Now ' the 3
man Moses ' was very meek, above all the men which were
upon the face of the ' earth.' And Yahweh spake suddenly 4
unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto ' Miriam,' Come out
ye three unto the Tent of meeting. And they three came
out. And Yahweh ' came down in' a pillar of cloud, 'and stood ' 5
338 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
at the door of the Tent,' and called Aaron and ' Miriam ' :
and they both came forth. And he said,
6 Hear now my words ;
If there be a ' prophet ' among you
I Yahweh will make myself known unto him in a ' vision.'
I will speak with him in a ' dream.'
7 ' My servant Moses ' is not so ;
He is entrusted with all my affairs :
8 With him will I speak ' mouth to mouth,'
Even manifestly, and not in dark speeches ;
And the form of Yahweh shall he behold;
Wherefore then were ye not afraid to 'speak against'
' my servant,' against Moses ?
9 And the anger of Yahweh was kindled against them ; and
10 he departed, and the cloud removed from over the Tent.
But, behold, ' Miriam ' was leprous, as [white as] snow : and
Aaron looked upon ' Miriam,' and, behold, she was leprous.
11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Oh my lord, blame us not, I
pray thee, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we
12 have sinned. Let her not, I pray, be as one still-born, of
whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his
13 mother's womb. And ' Moses cried unto Yahweh,' saying.
Not so, I beseech thee. Heal her, Yahweh, I beseech the6.
14 And Yahweh said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in
her face, should she not be put to shame seven days ? let her
be shut up ' without the camp ' seven days, and after that
15 she shall be brought in again. And Miriam was shut up
' without the camp ' seven days : and the people journeyed
not till Miriam was brought in again.
[Departure from Horeb]. Rephidim and the Battle with
Amai.ek.
[And afterward the people set forward from the mount of
God and the angel of God went before them. And they
came unto Rephidim].
Ex. 17 — 8 Then came forth Amalek, to fight with Israel in Rep-
CIRC. 750 B. C. 389
hidim. And Moses said unto ' Joshua,' Choose us out men, and 9
go out, fight with Amalek to-morrow : but I will stand on the
top of the hill ' with the rod of God in mine hand.' So Joshua 10
did as Moses had said to him, and went to fight with Amalek :
and Moses, ' Aaron, and Hur ' went up to the top of the hill.
And It came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that 11
Israel prevailed : and when he let down his hand, Amalek
prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy ; and they took a 12
stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon ; and ' Aaron
and Hur ' stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and
the other on the other side ; and his hands were steady until
the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek 13
and his people with the edge of the sword. And Yahweh 14
said unto Moses, Write [the account of] this for a memorial
in a book, and rehearse [the song] in the ears of Joshua : for
I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from
under heaven. And Moses ' built an altar,' and called the 15
name of it Yahweh-nissi : "Yahweh my standard " and he 16
said,
A hand upon the " standard of Yah."
Yahweh hath war with Amalek from generation to gen-
eration.*
NUMBERS. (Heb. " In the Wilderness.")
Murmurs at Taeerah.
And the people were as men who bewail their misfortunes 11
in the ears of Yahweh : and when Yahweh heard it, his anger
was kindled ; and ' the fire of Yahweh ' burnt among them,
and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp. And the 2
people cried unto Moses ; ' and Moses prayed unto Yahweh,'
and the fire abated. And the name of that place was called 3
* As in the case of ch. xv. vv. i and 21 and elsewhere, only a line or two,
probably the opening lines, of the poem are given. The original must of course
have been longer and doubtle.ss served the author as source. Cf. i Sam. xr.
especially the lines of vv. 22f.
840 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
Taberah (i. e. " Burning ") because ' the fire of Yahweh '
" burnt " among them.
The Rebellion of Datean and Abiram.
18 — I Now Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, sons of
2 Reuben, rose up against Moses, with certain of the children
12 of Israel. And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the
sons of Eliab ; and they said. We will not come up. [And
Dathan and Abiram gathered the people together in the
camp and sent word unto Moses, saying, Come down unto
14b us if thou have aught to say unto us . . . ] : wilt thou put
25 out the eyes of these men .' we will not come up. So Moses
rose up and went unto Dathan and Abirain ; and ' the elders
28b of Israel ' followed him. And Dathan and Abiram came out,
32 and stood at the door of their tents, [ . ] and the
' earth ' opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and
their ' households.' And the ' earth ' closed upon them, and
34 they perished from among the assembly. And all Israel
that were round about them fled at the cry of them : for
they said to themselves, Lest the ' earth ' swallow us up.
The Story of the Spies. The Grapes of Eshcol,
'.iO — I And the people abode in Kadesh, and ' Miriam ' died
there ' and was buried ' there.
(Dt. 1 — 2off.) [And Moses said unto the people. Ye are come
unto the land which Yahweh hath given you, Go up there-
fore and take it in possession, and he will be with you. And
they came near unto him and said, Let us send men that
they may spy out the land, and bring us word again how we
must go up and what cities are in it. So Moses hearkened
unto them, and he chose twelve men, out of every tribe a
13 — 17b man, and said unto them], Go up into the hill-country
18 and see the land what it is, and the people that dwelleth
20 therein, whether they be few or many, and what the land is,
whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein,
or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit
of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe
CIRC. 750 B. C. 341
grapes. [So they went up] and came unto the valley of 23
Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster
of grapes, and they bare it upon a staff between two ; [they
brought] also of the pomegranates, and of the figs. That 24
place was called the valley of Eshcol, (z.(?. "Grape-cluster")
because of the " cluster " which the children of Israel cut
down from thence. [And they returned to Moses and all 26b
the people] to Kadesh ; and brought back word to them and
shewed them the fruit of the land. [And they said unto
Moses, The land whither we went up to search it out is an
exceeding good land] and this is the fruit of it [but the peo-
ple that dwell in it are many and strong]. Amalek dwelleth 29
in the ' land of the South ' : and the Canaanite dwelleth by
the sea, and ' along by the side of ' Jordan, and all the peo-
ple that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there 33
we saw the Nephilim, and we were in our own sight [as
compared with them] as grasshoppers, and so we were in
their sight.
Rebellion at the Report of the Spies.
And the people wept that night, and [said], ' Where- 14 — ib-3
fore doth Yahweh 'bring us unto this land ' ' to fall by
the sword ' ? And they said one' to another, Let us make a 4
captain, and let us return into Egypt.
TAnd the anger of Yahweh was kindled, and he said unto
Moses, Surely not one of these that have rebelled against
me shall see the land which I promised to their fathers. Go
not up hence ; for I will not be with you, and ye shall be
beaten down before your enemies ; for the Amorite dwelleth
on the table-land] and 'the Amalekite and the Canaanite' 25
dwell in the low country : to-morrow turn ye, and get you
into the wilderness 'by the way to the Red Sea.'
The Disaster at Hormah, Israel goes up Presumptuously.
And Moses told these words unto all the children of 39
Israel : ' and the people mourned greatly.' ' And they rose 40
343 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHE'UC DOCUMENT E.
up early in the morning,' and gat them up to the top of the
mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the
place which Yahweh hath promised : ' for we have sinned.'
41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye ' transgress the com-
42 mandment ' of Yahweh, seeing it shall not prosper ? Go
not up, for Yahweh is not among you ; that ye be not smit-
43 ten down before your enemies. For there ' the Amalekite
and the Canaanite ' are before you, and ' ye shall fall by the
sword ' : because ye are turned back from following Yah-
44 weh, therefore Yahweh will not be with you. But they pre-
sumed to go up to the top of the mountain : nevertheless
the ark of Yahweh and Moses, ' departed not ' out of the
45 camp. Then the ' Amalekite came down, and the Canaan-
ite ' which dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat
them down, even unto Hormah. (LXX) So they returned
to the camp [and Israel abode many days in Kadesh.J
The Embassy to the King of Edgm. Israel Journeys
Around Edgm and Moab.
20 — 14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the
king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou know-
est all the ' travail ' that hath befallen us : how our fathers
15 went down into Egypt, and we dwelt in Egypt a long time ;
16 and the Egyptians evil entreated us, and our fathers: and
when we ' cried unto Yahweh,' he heard our voice, and
' sent an angel,' and brought us forth out of Egypt : and, be-
hold, we are in Kadesh, a city ' in the uttermost of thy
17 border' : let us pass, I pray thee, through thy land : we will
not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we
drink of the water of the wells : we will go along the
king's [high] way, we will not turn aside to the right hand
18 nor to the left, until we have passed thy border. And
Edom said unto him. Thou shalt not pass through me, lest
19 I come out with the sword against thee. And the children
of Israel said unto him, We will go up by the high way :
and if we drink of thy water, I and my cattle, then will I
give the price thereof : let me only, without [doing] any
CIRC. 750 B. C. 343
thing [else], pass through on my feet. And he said, Thou 20
shalt not pass through. And Edom came out against him
with much people, and 'with a strong hand.' Thus Edom 21
refused to give Israel passage through his border : where-
fore Israel turned away from him, 'by the way to the 21 — 4
Red Sea,' to compass the land of Edom.
The Serpent of Brass. Murmurs at the Manna are Visited
WITH Fiery Serpents.
Now the people became disheartened because of the 21 — 4b
[long] journey. And the people ' spake against ' ' God,' 5
and 'against Moses,' 'Wherefore have ye brought us up out
of Egypt to die in the wilderness' ? for there is no bread,
and there is no water ; and our soul loatheth this miserable
food. And Yahweh sent the fiery serpents among the peo- 6
pie, and they bit the people ; and much people of Israel
died. And the people came to Moses, and said, ' We have 7
sinned,' because we have ' spoken against Yahweh, and
against thee ' ; ' pray unto Yahweh,' that he take away the
serpents from us. And ' Moses prayed for the people.'
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, 8
and set it upon a ' standard ' : and it shall come to pass, that
every one that is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. So 9
Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the ' standard ' :
and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man,
when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.
The Desert Journey. Death of Aaron and Appointment
OF Eleazar to the Priesthood.
[And the people journeyed many days in the wilderness,
and they encamped at ] and Laban and Hazeroth Dt. 1 — i
and Dizahab. [. . J And the children of Israel journeyed 10 — 6
from Beeroth Benejaakan ("Wells of the Jaakanites" [in
mount Seir]) to Moserah: there Aaron died, and ' there he
was buried ' ; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's
office in his stead. From thence they journeyed unto Gud- 7
godah (Num. xxxiii. 32f, " Hor-haggidgad " ); and from Gud-
344 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
godah to, Jotbathah, a land of "brooks of water" [. . j'
Num. 21 — lib. in the wilderness which is eastward of Moab
12 toward the sunrising. ' From thence they journeyed, and
13 pitched ' in the valley of Zered. ' From thence they jour-
neyed, and pitched ' on the further side of Arnon, which is
in (/. e. where it flows through ?) the wilderness, [the stream]
that Cometh out of the border of the ' Amorites ' : for
Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the ' Amor-
14 ites.' Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Yahweh,
Vaheb in Suphah,
And the valleys thereof ;
15 Arnon, and the slope of the valleys
That incline toward the dwelling of Ar,
And lean on the border of Moab.
The War with Sihon, King of the Amorites. Conquest of
THE Territory of Gad and Reuben.
21 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the ' Amcir-
22 ites,' saying, 'Let me pass through thy land : we will not
turn aside irito field, or into vineyard ; ' we will not ' drink of
the water of the wells : we will gO' by the king's [high] way,
23 until we have passed thy border.' And" Sihon would not
suffer Israel to pass through his border : but Sihon gathered
all his people together, and went out against Israel into the
wilderness, and came to Jahaz : and he fought' against
24 Israel. And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword,
27 and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok. AMiere-
fore the taunting poets say,
Come ye to Heshbon,
Let the city of, Sihon be built. and established :
28 For a fire went forth out of Heshbon,'
A flame from the city of Sihon : .
It devoured Ar of Moab,
The lords of the high places of Arnon.
29 Woe to thee, Moab !
Thou art undone, O people, of Chemosh : -
He (Chemosh) gave his sons as fugitives,
CIRC. 750 B. C. 345
And his daughters into captivity.
We shot at them ; ^Heshbon perished even unto Diboii, 30
And we laid it waste,
Until fire waskindled (?)■ unto Medeba.
Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the ' Amorites.' 31
The Prophecy of Balaam. Balak's Messengers come to
BRING Yahweh's Prophet from Aram Naharaim.
And Balak the son of Zippor [king of Moab] saw all 22 — 2
that Israel had done to the 'Amorites'' And Moab was 3
sore afraid of the people, because they were many. And he 5
sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor,
which is by the ' Euphrates ' to call' him, saying, Behold,
there is a people come out' i^rorh Egypt : behold, they cover
the face of the earth, and they abide over against me : come 6
now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people ; for ' they
are too rnighty for me ' : peradvehture I shall prevail, that
we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land:
for i know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he
whom thou cursest is cursed. And they came unto Balaam, 7
and spake unto him the words of Balak. And he said unto 8
them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word
again, as Yahweh shall speak unto me : and the princes of
Moab abode with Balaam. And ' God came unto ' Balaam, 9
and said. What me,n are these with thee? And Balaam said 10
unto ' God,' Balak the son of Zippor, , king of Moab, hath
sent unto me, [saying]. Behold, the people that is come out 11
of Egypt, it covereth the face of the eartfi : now come, curse
me them ; peradventure I shall be able to fight against
them, and .shall, drive them out. Arjd 'God' said, unto 12
Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them ; thou shalt not curse
the people : for they are, blessed. And Balaam 'rose up in 13
the rnorning,',and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you
into your land : for Yahweh ' refuseth to give me leave ' to.
go with you. And the princes of Moab rose up, and they 14
went unto Balak,, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honor- 15
346 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
i6 able than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him,
Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray
thee, hinder thee from coming unto me. [And Balaam
answered and said, What Yahweh saith unto me, that will I
19 do]. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this
night, that I may know what Yahweh will speak unto me
20 more. ' And God came unto Balaam at night,' and said
unto him. If the men be come to call thee, rise up, go with
them ; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt
21 thou do. So 'Balaam rose up in the morning,' and went
36 with the princes of Moab. And when Balak heard that
Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto Ir of Moab,
which is on the border of Arnon, [a city] which is ' in the
37 utmost part of the border.' And Balak said unto Balaam, Did
I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee ? wherefore
38 camest thou not unto me ? And Balaam said unto Balak,
Lo, now I am come unto thee ; have I now any power at all
to speak anything? the word that 'God' putteth in my
40 mouth, that shall I speak. And Balak sacrified oxen and
sheep, and sent [portions] to Balaam, and to the princes that
were with him.
The Oracle against Israel.
41 And it came to pass in the morning, that Balak took Ba-
laam, and brought him up unto Bamoth Baal {i. e. " High
places of Baal ") and he saw from thence the utmost part of
33—1 the people. And Balaam said unto Balak, ' Build me here
seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven
2 rams.' And Balak did as Balaam had spoken ; and ' offered
on every altar a bullock and a ram,' and he said unto him, I
have ' prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bul-
3 lock and a ram on every altar.' And Balaam said unto
Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go ; peradven-
ture Yahweh will come to meet me : and whatsoever he
4 sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to . . . .* And
* The translation " a bare height " usually adopted here is unknown to the
versions and open to much doubt, if not inadmissible. The te.xt is probably
corrupt.
CIRC. 750 B. C. 347
' God ' met Balaam, and put a word in Balaam's mouth, and 5
said. Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. So he re- 6
turned unto him, and, lo, he was standing by his burnt offer-
ing, he, and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his 7
oracle, and said.
From ' Aram ' hath Balak brought me.
The king of Moab from the mountains of the East :
Come, curse me Jacob,
Yea come, taunt Israel.
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed ? 8
And how shall I taunt, whom Yahweh hath not
taunted ?
For from the top of the rocks I see him, 9
And from the hills I behold him :
Lo, it is a people that dwell alone.
And reckoneth itself not of the nations.
Who can number the dust of Jacob, 10
Who can count the myriads of Israel ?
Let me die the death of the " righteous," (Ves/iarim) ^
And let my succession be like his !
And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto 11
me ? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou
hast blessed them altogether. And he answered and said, 12
Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh putteth
in my mouth ? And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, 13
with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see
them all, and curse me them from thence. And he took 14
him into the field of Zophim, (" Watchers ") to the top of
Pisgah, and ' built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and
a ram on every altar.' And he said unto Balak, Stand here 15
by thy burnt offering, while I meet [Yahweh] yonder. And 16
Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said,
Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak. And he 17
came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, and the
princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him. What
hath Yahweh spoken ? And he took up his oracle, and said, 18
+ Proliably a play upon the stem, of Israel, yisrael, like " Jeshurun " yes/iuriin.
348' THE El'HRAIMl IE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
Rise up, Balak, and hear ;
Hearken unto me', thou son of Zipper :
19 God is not a man,' that he should lie ;
Neither the sbri'of man,' that he should' repent :
Hath he said, and shall he not do it ?
Or hath he spoken, and shall he not rhake it gcjod ?
20 Behold, 'I received [commandment] to bless,"
And have blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
21 Iniquity is not seen in Jacob,
Nor is trohble to be' see'n in Israel :
Yahweh his God is 'with him.
And royal acclamations are [heard] in their midst;
24 Behold, the people riseth up as' a lioness.
And as a lion doth it lift itself up :
He lieth not down till he eat of the prey.
And drink the blood of the slain.
25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all,
26 nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered and said unto
Balak, Told not I thee, saying. All that Yahweh speaketh,
that I must do ? [And Balaam rose up and returned to his
place. And Balak also went his way!]
Israel's Idolatry with Baal-peor.
self unto Baal-peor : and' the , ange;- of Yahvyeh was kindled
5 against Israel. And Moses said unto the 'judges' of Israel,
Slay ye every one hismen that have joined themselves unto
Baal-peor. , . , ,
TlJE Inheritance' or Reuben and Gad.
32 — I [Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad]
had a multitude [of .cattle]. And when they saw the land
of Jazer, and the , land, of .Gilead,, that, behold, the place was
16 a place for cattle, they came near unto [Moses], and said,
We will build ' sheepfolds ' here for. our cattle, and cities for
;7 our ' little ones ' : but we ourselves will be ready armed to go
before the children of Israel, until we have brought them
CIRC. 750 B. C. 349
unto their place: and our ' little ones ' shall dwell in the
fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. [And
Moses said 'unto them] Build you cities for your ' little 24
ones 'and 'folds for your sheep ' ; and do that which hath
proceeded out of your mouth. So Moses gave unto them ;};^
[the land of Gilead and the land of Jazer,] And the children 34
of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer : and Atroth- 35
shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah ; and Beth-nimrah, and :i6
Beth-haran : fenced cities, and ' folds for sheep.' And the 37
children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiria-
thaim ; and Nebo, and Baal-meon, and Sibmah : and gave 38
other names unto the cities which they builded.
DEUTERONOMY. (Heb. " Words of Moses.")
The Covenant in the Plain of Shittim. Moses gives Is-
rael THE Statutes and Judgments of God.
[Then Moses gathered all the people together (Jos. 2i — i)
and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and
for their judges, and for their officers, and they presented
themselves before God. And Moses said unto the (Dt. 5 — iff)
people. Behold, Yahweh our God made a covenant with us
in Horeb, and spake to you out of the mount Ten Words ;
and he wrote them upon two tables of stone and gave them
unto me. But ye were afraid, when ye heard the voice of
Yahweh, and ye said unto me. Go thou near and hear the
words of Yahweh and speak unto us what Yahweh saith, and
we will hear it and do it. And Yahweh heard the voice of
your words, and he said unto me, They have well said all
that they have spoken. Go, say to them. Return ye to your
tents. But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will
speak unto thee the statutes and the judgments which thou
shalt teach them, that they may do th^m in the land which I
give them to possess it. So I went up into the mount (Dt. 9 — 9)
unto Yahweh, to receive the, tables of stone, even the tables
of the covenant which Yahweh made with you,. and I abode
350 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
(lo) in the mount forty days and forty nights. And Yahwch
deUvered unto me the two tables of stone written with the
(15 — 17) finger of God. So 1 turned and came down from the
mount, and the two tables of the covenant were in my two
hands. And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against
Yahweh, ye had made you a molten calf. And I took hold
of the two tables and cast them out of my two hands and
(21) brake them before your eyes. And I took your sin, the
bull that ye had made and burned it with fire, and stamped
it, grinding it very small, and I cast the dust thereof into
(10 — lof.) the brook that descended out of the mount. And I
went up and fell down before Yahweh forty days, as at the
first, and Yahweh hearkened unto me and would not destroy
you. And he made a new covenant with us and sent an
angel before you to bring you in unto the land which he
(1 — 6-8) promised you. And he said unto me, Ye have dwelt
long enough in this mountain ; turn you, and take your jour-
ney and go to the hill country of the Amorites. Behold I
(9 — 18) have set the land before you, go in and possess it.
And I spake unto you at that time saying, I am not able to
bear you alone. Take you men according to your tribes,
and I will make them heads over you. So I took the heads
of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them heads
over you, captains of thousands and captains of hundreds,
and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers.
And I charged your judges, saying. Hear the causes be-
tween your brethren, and judge righteously between a man
and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall
not respect persons in judgment. Ye shall hear the small
and the great alike ; ye shall not be afraid of the face of
man ; for the judgment is God's : and the cause that is too
hard for you ye shall bring unto me and I will hear it.
(19 — 46) So we journeyed from Horeb by the way to the hill
country of the Amorites and we came to Kadesh. And ye
came near unto me and said. Let us send men before us
that they may search the land for us, and bring us word
again. So I took twelve men of you, one man for every
CIRC. 750 B. C. 3S1
tribe, and they turned and went up into the mountain coun-
try, and came unto the valley of Eshcol and searched it out.
And they took of the fruit of the land and brought it unto
us and brought us word again, saying, It is a good land
which Yahweh giveth unto us. But ye would not go up,
but rebelled against Yahweh, and said, Yahweh hath brought
us up to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy
us. And Yahweh was angry and said unto me, Surely not
one of these that have rebelled against me shall see the land;
turn you and take your journey into the wilderness by the
way to the Red Sea. Then ye answered and said unto me,
We have sinned against Yahweh, we will go up and fight as
he commanded us. And ye girded on every man his weap-
ons and deemed it a light thing to go up into the mountain
country. And Yahweh said unto me, Say unto them. Go
not up, nor fight ; for I am not among you ; lest ye be smit-
ten before your enemies. But ye rebelled against the word
of Yahweh and went up into the mountain. And the Amor-
ite which dwelt in that mountain came out against you, and
chased you as bees do, and beat you down in Seir even unto
Hormah. And ye returned and wept before Yahweh, but he
hearkened not. So ye abode in Kadesh many days.
Then we turned and took our journey into the wilder- (2 — i)
ness by the way to the Red Sea, as Yahweh had spoken unto
me : and we compassed mount Seir many days and went up
through the wilderness of Kedemoth. And I sent (26 — 37)
messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon
king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying. Let me pass
through thy land. But Sihon king of Heshbon would not
suffer lis to pass by him, but came out against us, he and all
his people unto battle at Jahaz. And Yahweh delivered
up the Amorites before us and we possessed their land.
And I gave the land for an inheritance unto the chil- (3 — i2ff.)
dren of Gad and Reuben, and commanded them saying. Ye
shall surely pass over with your brethren until Yahweh have
driven out the Amorite from before you. Afterward shall ye
return hither unto your possession.]
353 THE EPHRA/Jf/TE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
27 — 17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way,
18 when ye came out of Egypt, how he met thee by the way
and smote all that were feelale of thee, and ' feared not God ' ;
19 therefore it shall be, when Yahweh hath given thee rest from
all thine enemies round about, that ye shall blot out the
remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
(23ff.) [And Moses said unto all the people, Behold, we stand
18 here before Jordan, and Yahweh hath said unto me. Thou
shalt not go over this Jordan ; now therefore hearken, and
I will speak unto you the statutes and the judgments which
ig Yahweh gave unto me in mount Horeb to teach you, that ye
might do them in the land whither we go over to possess it.]
The Book of Judgments.
(EXo 21 — i) And [Yahv/eh said unto me] These are the judg-
ments which thou shalt set before them.
2 If thou buy an Hebrew slave, six years he shall serve : and
3 in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he come
in by himself, he shall go free by himself : if he be ' mar-
4 ried,' then his wife shall go free with him. If his master
give him a wife, and she bear him sons or daughters ; the
wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go
5 free by himself. But if the servant shall plainly say, I love
my master, my wife, and my children ; I will not go out free ;
6 then his master shall ' bring him unto God,' and shall bring
him to the door, or unto the door post [of the sanctuary] ;
and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl ; and
he shall be his slave forever.
7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a ' maidservant,' she
8 shall not go free as the menservants do. If she please not
her master, and he hath not cohabited with her, then shall
he let her be redeemed : to sell her unto a strange people
he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully
9 with her. And if, he espouse her unto his son, he shall deal
10 with her after the manner of daughters. If he take him
another [wife], her food, her raiment, and her duty of mar-
11 riage, shall he not diminish. And if he do not these three
CIRC. 750 B. C. 353
unto her, then shall she go free for nothing, without
money.
He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall surely 12
be put to death. And if a man lie not in wait, but ' God ' 13
deliver [his enemy] into his hand ; then he shall flee to mine
altar. But if a man come presumptuously upon his neigh- 14
bor, to slay him with guile ; thou shalt take him from mine
altar, that he may die. /Vnd he that smiteth his father, or 15
his mother, shall be surely put to death. And he that steal- 16
eth a man of the children of Israel,* whether he have sold
him or he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to
death.
And if men contend, and one smiteth the other with a 18
stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keep his bed : if 19
he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he
that smote him be quit : only he shall pay for the loss of his
time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed. But if 23
any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for 24
eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot fi.r foot, burning 25
for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. And if 22
men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that
her fruit depart, and yet no mischief follow : he shall be
surely fined, according as the woman's husband shall lay
upon him ; and he shall pay for the miscarriage.
And if a man smite his bondman, or his ' bondwoman ' 20
with a rod, and he die under his hand ; he shall surely be
punished. Notwithstanding, if [the slave] linger a day or 21
two, he [the master] shall not be punished : for he [the lost
slave] is his money. And if a man smite the eye of his 26
bondman, or the eye of his ' bondwoman,' and destroy it ; he
shall let him go free for his eye's sake. And if he smite out 27
his bondsman's tooth, or his ' bondwoman's ' tooth ; he shall
let him go free for his tooth's sake.
And if an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die, the 28
ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten ;
but the ' owner ' of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox were 29
* So LXX.
354 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHETIC DOCUMENT E.
wont to gore in time past, and it hath been testified to his
' owner,' and he hath not kept him in, but he hath killed a
man or a woman ; the ox shall be stoned, and his 'owner'
30 also shall be put to death. If there be laid on him a ran-
som, then he shall give for the redemption of his life what-
31 soever is laid upon him. Whether he have gored a son, or
have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it
32 be done unto him. If the ox gore a bondman or a 'bond-
woman' ; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of
silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
2,2) And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit
34 and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein, the
' owner ' of the pit shall make it good ; he shall give money
unto the ' owner ' of them, and the dead [beast] shall be
his.
35 And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die ; then
they shall sell the live ox, and divide the price of it ; and
36 the dead also they shall divide. Or if it be known that the
ox was wont to gore in time past, and his ' owner ' hath not
kept him in ; he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead
[beast] shall be his own.
22 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell
it ; he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a
sheep. If he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his
4 theft. If the theft be found in his hand alive, whether it be
ox, or ass, or sheep ; he shall pay double. If the thief
2 be found breaking in, and be smitten that he die, there
3 shall be no bloodguiltiness for him. If the sun be risen
upon him, there shall be bloodguiltiness for him : he
should make restitution.
5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and
shall let his beast loose, and it feed in another man's field,
he shall make restitution according to the yield thereof from
his own field ; but if it eat the whole crop,* he shall make
restitution of the best of his own field, and of the best of
his own vineyard.
*So LXX,
CIRC. 7 so B. C. 355
If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the shocks 6
of corn, or the standhig corn, or the field, be consumed ; he
that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
If a man shall deliver unto his neighbor money or stuff to 7
keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house ; if the thief be
found, he shall pay double. If the thief be not found, then 8
the ' master' of the house shall 'come near unto God,' [to
determine by the sacred lot] whether he have not put his
hand unto his neighbor's goods. For every matter of tres- 9
pass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment,
[or] for any manner of lost thing, whereof one saith, This is
it, ' the cause ' of both parties shall ' come before God ; ' he
whom ' God ' shall condemn [by the sacred lot] shall pay
double unto his neighbor.
If a man deliver unto his neighbor an ass, or an ox, or a 10
sheep, or any beast, to keep ; and it die, or be hurt, or driven,
away, no man seeing it : the oath of God shall be between 11
them both, whether he hath not put his hand unto his neigh-
bor's goods ; and if the ' owner ' thereof shall accept it, he
shall not make restitution. But if it be stolen from him, he 12
shall make restitution unto the ' owner ' thereof. If it be 13
torn in pieces [by wild beasts and he can] bring it for wit-
ness, he shall not make good that which was torn. And if 14
a man borrow [an animal] of his neighbor, and it be hurt, or
die, the ' owner '■ thereof not being with it, he shall surely
make restitution. If the 'owner' thereof be with it, he 15
shall not make it good : if it be an hired thing, [the loss] is
included in its hire.
And if a man entice a virgin that is not betrothed, and 16
lie with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her and take
her to wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto 17
him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of vir-
gins.
Thou shalt not suffer a sorceress to live. 1°
Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. 19
And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall 21— 17
surely be put to death.
356 THE EPHRAIMITE PROPHEriC DOCUMENT E.
"I'l — 20 He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto Yahweh
21 only, shall be devoted. And a stranger shalt thou not wrong,
neither shalt thou oppress him :
25 If thou lend money to any of my people with thee that is
poor, thou shalt not be to him as a creditor ; neither shall ye
26 lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neighbor's
garment to pledge, thou shalt restore it unto him by that the
sun goeth down :
28 Thou shalt not blaspheme ' God,' nor curse a ruler of thy
people.
23 Thou shalt not take up a false report : put not thine hand
2 with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt
not follow a multitude to do evil ; neither shalt thou turn
3 aside after a multitude to wrest judgment: neither shalt thou
favor a great man* in his suit.
4 If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou
5 shalt surely bring it back to him again. If thou see the ass
of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, thou shalt
forbear to leave him iri the lurch, thou shalt surely help him
to release it.
6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his suit.
7 Keep thee far from a false matter ; and the innocent and
righteous slay thou not : neither shalt thou justify the wicked.
8 And thou shalt take no gift : for a gift blindeth them that
have sight, and perverteth a righteous cause.
The Stelae of the Law, and the Altar at Ebal.
Dt. 27 — I And Moses commanded ' the elders of Israel,'
4 saying. It shall be when ye are passed over Jordan that thou
shalt ' set thee up great stones ' in mount Ebal and shalt
5 whitewash them with whitewash. And thou shalt ' build there
an altar ' unto Yahweh, an ' altar of stones : ' thou shalt ' lift
6 up no iron [tool] upon them.' Thou shalt build the altar of
Yahweh of ' unhewn stones ' : and thou shalt ' offer burnt
7 offerings thereon, and sacrifice peace offerings,' and shalt
* So Kaiitzsch (assuming DL to be a corruption £rom GDL ?).
CIRC. 750 B. C. 357
eat there. And thou shalt write upon the stones all the 8
words of this law very plainly.
The Charge to Joshua.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Behold, thy days Dt. 31 — 14
approach that tho'u must die: call ' Joshua,' and 'present
yourselves in the Tent of Meeting,' that I may give him a
charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and 'presented them-
selves in the Tent of Meeting.' 'And Yahweh appeared in 15
the Tent in a pillar of cloud : and the pillar of cloud stood
over the door of the Tent.' And he gave Joshua the son of 23
Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage :
for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land
which I sware unto them : and I will be with thee.
Moses' Death.
So Moses 'the servant of Yahweh ' died there in the Dt. 34 — 5
land of Moab : but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto
this day. And there hath not arisen a ' prophet ' since in 10
Israel like unto Moses, whom Yahweh knew 'face to face.'
THE PRIESTLY LAW-BOOK P^
CIRC. 450 B. C.
(THE) EXODUS.
Names of Israel's Sons. Genealogy of Levl
1 Now ' these are the names ' of the sons of Israel, which
2 came into Egypt ; ' every man and his household ' came with
3 Jacob. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah ; Issachar, Zebu-
4 lun, and Benjamin ; Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 And all the 'souls' that came out of the 'loins' of Jacob
were seventy ' souls ' : and Joseph was in Egypt already.
6 — 16 And ' these are the names ' of the sons of Levi ' accord-
ing to their generations ';
Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari :
' And the years of the life of Levi were 137 years.'
17 'The sons of ' Gershon :
Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
18 ' And the sons of ' Kohath ;
Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel :
'And the years of the life of Kohath were 133 years.'
19 'And the sons of Merari ; Mahli and Mushi.
' These are the families ' of the Levites ' according to
their generations.'
20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to
wife ; and she bare him Aaron and Moses : ' and the years
of the life of Amram were 137 years.'
21 'And the sons of' Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and
Zichri.
22 'And the sons of' Uzziel ; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and
Sithri.
23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, the daughter of Ammma-
dab, the sister of Nahshon to wife ; and she bare him Nadab
and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
.3.59
360 THE PRIESTL Y LA W-BOOK P\
24 ' And the sons of ' Korah ; Assir, and Elkanah, and
Abiasaph ;
' These are the families ' of the Korahites.
25 And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters
of Putiel to wife ; and she bare him Phinehas.
' These are the ' heads of the fathers' ' [houses] of the
Levites 'according to their families.'
The Bondage of Egypt. Israel's Cry to God.
1 — 7 And the children of Israel ' were fruitful, and increased
abundantly, and the land was filled ' with them.
13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to 'serve
14 with rigor ' ; and ' made their lives bitter ' with hard bond-
age, all their bond service, wherein they made them 'serve
with rigor,' and the children of Israel sighed by reason of
the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto
2 — 24 ' God ' by reason of the bondage. And ' God ' heard their
groaning, and ' God ' ' remembered ' his covenant with Abra-
25 ham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And ' God ' saw the chil-
dren of Israel, and 'God' took knowledge. ....
God's Revelation of his Name Yahweh. Moses sent to
Deliver Israel.
6 — 2 And ' God ' spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am
3 Yahweh : and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob, as ' El Shaddai ' but by my name Yahweh I was
4 not known to them. And moreover I ' established my
covenant' with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the
5 land of their ' sojournings,' wherein they 'sojourned.' And
now also I have heard the groaning of the children of
Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage ; and I have
6 ' remembered my covenant.' Wherefore say unto the chil-
dren of Israel, ' I am Yahweh,' and I will bring you out from
under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out
of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out
7 arm, and with great ' judgments ' : and I will take you to
me for a people, and I will be to you a God : and ' ye shall
CIRC. 450 B. C. 361
know that I am Yahweh your God,' which bringeth you out
from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring 8
you in unto the land, concerning which I ' lifted up my hand '
to give It to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob ; and I will
give it you for an heritage : ' I am Yahweh.' And Moses 9
spake so unto the children of Israel : but they hearkened
not unto Moses for discouragement and for cruel bond-
age.
And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto 10
Pharaoh kmg of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go 11
out of his land. And Moses ' spake before ' Yahweh, saying, 12
Behold, the chddren of Israel have not hearkened unto me ;
how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised
lips ?
Aaron Appointed Moses' Prophet to Pharaoh.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a 1
god to Pharaoh : and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
Thou shalt speak all that I command thee : and Aaron thy 2
brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of
Israel go out of his land. And I will make Pharaoh's heart 3
'strong' and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land
of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I 4
will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my ' hosts,'
my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt
by great ' judgments.' And the Egyptians ' shall know that 5
I am Yahweh,' when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt,
and bring out the children of Israel from among them. And 6
Moses and Aaron did so ; 'as Yahweh commanded them, so
did they.' ' And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron 7
fourscore and three years old,' when they spake unto
Pharaoh.
The Wonders of Egypt. First Wonder. Aaron's rod Turned
TO A Reptile.
And Yahweh spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 8
When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying. Shew a wonder 9
362 THE PRIESTL Y LA IV-BOOK F'.
for you : then ' thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod,'
and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a ' reptile '
10 (_Heb. tannin, any large reptile ; and so in vv. lo, 12). And
Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, ' and they did so,
as Yahweh had commanded ' : and Aaron cast down his rod
before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a
11 'reptile.' 'Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and
the sorcerers : ' and they also, ' the magicians ' of Egypt, did
12 in like manner with their 'enchantments.' For they cast
down every man his rod, and they became ' reptiles ' : but
13 Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh's heart
was ' strong,' ' and he hearkened not unto them ; as Yahweh
had spoken.'
Second Wonder. The Waters of Egypt Turned to Blood.
19 'And Yahweh said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy
rod, and stretch out thine hand over the waters of Egypt,
' over their rivers, over their canals, and over their pools,
and over all their ponds of water,' that they may become
blood ; and there shall be blood throughout all the land of
Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.
20 ' And Moses and Aaron did so, as Yahweh commanded ' ;
22 and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt. ' And
the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their
enchantments ' : ' and Pharaoh's heart was strong, and he
hearkened not unto them ; as Yahweh had spoken.'
Third Wonder. Frogs.
8 — 5 ' And Yahweh said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch
forth thine hand with thy rod ' ' over the rivers, over the
canals, and over the pools,' and cause frogs to come up upon
6 the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over
the waters of Egypt ; and the frogs came up, and covered
7 the land of Egypt. ' And the magicians did in like manner
with their enchantments,' and brought up frogs upon the
land of Egypt. ' But Pharaoh's heart was strong and he
hearkened not unto them ; as Yahweh had spoken.'
CIRC. 450 B. C. 363
Fourth Wonder. The Sand Turned to Lice.
' And Yahweh said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out 16
thy rod,' and smite the dust of the earth, that it may become
sand-flies, throughout all the land of Egypt. 'And they did 17
so ; ' and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and
smote the dust of the earth, and there were sand-flies upon
man, and upon beast ; all the dust of the earth became
sand-flies throughout all the land of Egypt. ' And the 18
magicians did so with their enchantments ' to bring forth
sand-flies, but they could not : and there were sand-flies
upon man, and upon beast. Then ' the magicians ' said 19
unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God : ' and Pharaoh's
heart was strong, and he hearkened not unto them ; as
Yahweh had spoken.'
Fifth Wonder. Soot Producing Boils. The Magicians Flee.
' And Yahweh said unto Moses and unto Aaron,' Take to 9 — 8
you handfuls of soot of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle
it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall 9
become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be
a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast,
throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took soot of the 10
furnace, and stood before Pharaoh ; and Moses sprinkled it
up toward heaven ; and it became a boil breaking forth
with blains upon man and upon beast. And ' the magicians ' 11
could not stand before Moses because of the boils ; for the
boils were upon ' the magicians,' and upon all the Egyptians.
'And Yahweh made the heart of Pharaoh strong and he 12
hearkened not unto them ; as Yahweh had spoken unto
Moses.'
Preparations for the Final Stroke. The Law for the
Feast of Passover
' And Yahweh spake unto Moses and Aaron ' in the land Vl
of Egypt, saying. This month shall be unto you the begin- 2
ning of months: it shall be the 'first month ' of the year
364 THE PRIES TL V LA W-BOOK F\
3 to you. Speak ye unto ' all the congregation of Israel,' say-
ing, In the ' tenth ' [day] of this month they shall take to
them every man a lamb, ' accordmg to their fathers' houses,'
4 a lamb for an household : and if the household be too little
for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his
house take one ' according to the number of the souls ; '
' according to every man's eating ' ye shall make your count
5 for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, ' a male'
of the first year : ye shall take it from the sheep, or from
6 the goats : and ye shall fatten it until ' the fourteenth day '
of the same month : and ' the whole assembly of the con-
7 gregation of Israel ' shall kill it at even. And they shall
take of the blood, and put it on the two side posts and on
8 the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it. And
they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and un-
9 leavened bread ; with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not
of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire ;
its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof together.
10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning ;
but that which remaineth of it until the mornmg ye shall
11 burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins
girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand :
12 and ye shall eat it in haste : it is Yahweh's passover. For
I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will
smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and
beast ; and against all the gods of Egypt I will ' execute
13 judgments': 'I am Yahweh.' And the blood shall be to
you for a token upon the houses where ye are : and when I
see the blood, I will " pass over " {pasach) you, and there
shall no plague be upon you for a destroyer, when I smite
14 the land of Egypt. ' And this day shall be unto you for a
memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to Yahweh ' : ' through-
out your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordi-
15 nance for ever.' Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread ;
even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your
houses : for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first
day until the seventh dav, 'that soul shall be cut off from
CIRC. 450 B. C. 365
Israel.' And in the first day tiiere shall be to you 'an holy 16
convocation,' and in the seventh day ' an holy convocation' ;
no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which
every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
The Law for the Feast of Unleavened Cakes.
And ye shall observe the [ordinance as to] unleavened 17
cakes ; for in ' this self-same day ' have I brought your
' hosts ' out of the land of Egypt : therefore shall ye ' ob-
serve this day throughout your generations by an ordinance
forever.' In the 'first' [month], on the fourteenth day of 18
the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened cakes, until the
one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days 19
shall there be no leaven found in your houses : for whoso-
ever eateth that which is leavened, ' that soul shall be cut off
from the congregation of Israel,' whether he be a sojourner,-
or one that is born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leav- 20
ened ; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened cakes.
And the children of Israel ' went and did so ; as Yahweh 28
had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.'
Yahweh Smites the Firstborn of Egypt. The Law of the
Firstborn, and the Exodus.
[And Yahweh passed through the land of Egypt (Vv. i2f.)
that night and smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,
both man and beast ; and against all the gods of Egypt he
executed judgments ; but he passed over the houses of the
children of Israel, where the blood was placed for a token.
And on the morrow the whole congregation of (Num. 33 — 3f.)
the children of Israel went forth by their hosts. On the
fifteenth day of the first month, they journeyed from the
land of Rameses and encamped in Succoth ; on the morrow
after the passover the children of Israel went out with an
high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians, while the Egyp-
tians were burying all their firstborn which Yahweh had
smitten among them].
And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, 'Sanctify unto 13
366 THE PRIESTLY LA W BOOK P-.
2 me ' all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among
the children of Israel, both of man and of beast : it is mine.
12 — 40 Now the ' sojourning ' of the children of Israel, which
they ' sojourned ' in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty
41 years. So it came to pass at the end of four hundred and
thirty years, ' even the self-same day ' it came to pass, that
all the ' hosts of Yahweh ' went out from the land of Egypt.
The Ordinance of THfi Passover.
43 And Yahweh said unto Moses and Aaron, ' This is the or-
dinance ' of the passover : there shall no alien eat thereof:
44 but every man's servant that is bought for money, when
45 thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A so-
46 journer and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one
house shall it be eaten ; thou shalt not carry forth aught of
the flesh abroad out of the house ; neither shall ye break a
47 bone thereof. ' All the congregation of Israel ' shall keep
48 it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will
keep the passover to Yahweh, let all his ' males ' be circum-
cised, and then let him come near and keep it ; and he shall be
as one that is born in the land : but no uncircumcised person
49 shall eat thereof. ' One law shall be to him that is home-
born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.'
50 ' Thus did all the children of Israel ; as Yahweh com-
51 manded Moses and Aaron, so did they.' And it came to
pass the ' self-same day,' that Yahweh did bring the chil-
dren of Israel out of the land of Egypt ' by their hosts.'
The Crossing of the Red Sea.
13 — 20 ' And they took their journey from Succoth and en-
camped in Etham,' in the edge of the wilderness.
14 'And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying. Speak unto the
2 children of Israel, that they ' turn back and encamp before
Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-
4 zephon : over against it shall 3^e encamp by the sea. And
I will ' make ' Pharaoh's heart ' strong ' and he shall follow
after them ; and I will ' get me honor ' upon Pharaoh, and
CIRC. 450 B. C. 367
upon all his ' host ' ; and ' the Egyptians shall know that I
am Vahweh.' 'And they did so.' And Yahweh ' made ' the 8
heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt ' strong ' and he pursued
after the children of Israel : while the children of Israel
went out 'defiant.' So the Egyptians pursued after them, g
' all the horses [and] chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen,
and his army,' and overtook them encamping by the sea,
beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.
'And Yahweh said unto Moses, Speak unto the children 15
of Israel, that they' go forward. And stretch out thine 16
hand over the sea, and divide it : and the children of Israel
shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. 'And I, 17
lo, I will make the hearts ' of the Egyptians ' strong,' and they
shall go in after them : and I will ' get me honor upon '
Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon
his horsemen. And the Egyptians 'shall know that I am 18
Yahweh,' when I have ' gotten me honor upon ' Pharaoh,
upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. So Moses 21
stretched out his hand over the sea, and the waters were
divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of 22
the sea upon the dry ground : ' and the waters were a wall
unto them on their right hand, and on their left.' And the 23
Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of
the sea, ' all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horse-
men.'
And Yahweh said un,to Moses, Stretch out thine hand 26
over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyp-
tians, ' upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.' So 27
Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the waters 28
returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even
all ' the host ' of Pharaoh that went in after them into the
sea ; But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the 29
midst of the sea ; ' and the waters were a wall unto them on
their right hand, and on their left.'
The Wilderness of Si.v. From the Red Sea to Sinai.
So they journeyed from the [Red Sea], and ' all the 16 — i
368 THE PRIES TL Y LA VV-BOOK PK
congregation of the children of Israel ' came unto the wil-
derness of Sin, ' on the fifteenth day of the second month "
after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
17 'And all the congregation of the children of Israel jour-
neyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages, according
to the commandment of Yahweh,' and pitched in Rephidim.
ID — 2b ' And they journeyed from Rephidim and pitched in the
wilderness of Sinai.' ' In the third month after the children
of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same
day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.'
The Ten Words of the Testimony.
(15 — 16) [And the glory of Yahweh appeared upon mount
Sinai in a thick cloud, and Yahweh spake out of the cloud
these words in the hearing of all the people.
I am Yahweh thy God, which brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have none other Gods before me. Thou shalt
not make unto thee a graven image nor the likeness of any
form that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth : thou shalt not bow
down thyself unto them, nor serve them : for I Yahweh thy
God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth gen-
eration of them that hate me ; and showing mercy unto
thousands of generations, of them that love me and keep
my commandments.
Thou shalt not invoke the name of Yahweh thy God upon
a falsehood ; for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that
invoketh his name upon a falsehood.
Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days shalt
thou labor, and do all thy work : but the seventh day is a
sabbath unto Yahweh thy God : in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant,
nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
2o— II within thy gates] : for in six days Yahweh made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the
CIRC. 450 B. C. 369
seventh day : wherefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day,
and ' sanctified it.'
[Honor thy father and.thy mother that thy days may be
long upon the land which Yahweh thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt do no murder.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maid-
servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy
neighbor's].
MosES ON Mount Sinai. The Tables of the Testimony
AND Pattern of the Tabernacle.
[And Yahweh said unto Moses, Come up unto me into the
mount and I will give thee the tables of stone which I have
prepared for a testimony unto the people, and will show
thee the pattern of the sanctuary which ye shall build me].
So Moses went up into the mount. Now the cloud had 21 — 15
covered the mount and the ' Glory of Yahweh ' abode upon 16
mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days : and the sev-
enth day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
And the appearance of the ' Glory of Yahweh ' was like 17
devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the
children of Israel. And Moses entered into the midst of 18
the cloud.
In chapters xxv.-xxvii. follows an elaborate specification of the tabernacle
and its furniture in detail, which Moses is directed to construct. In chapters
xxviii f. an equally elaborate description of the garments and other preparations
and paraphernalia required for inducting Aaron and his sons into the priest-
hood. Chapter xxx. gives directions for the altar of incense, the half-shekel
poll-tax for the sanctuary, the brazen laver, the holy oil and incense. Chapter
xxxi. 1-17 appoints the workmen for the construction, and enjoins strict
observance of the Sabbath. We resume the story where the interview of Moses
on the mount is at an end.
370 THE PRIFSTL V LA IV-BOOK P^.
31 — 18 So he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end
of talking with him upon mount Sinai, the two ' tables of
32 — IS the testimony ' ; and Moses turned, and went down from
the mount with the two 'tables of the testimony' in his
hand, tables that were written on both their sides ; on the
one side and on the other were they written.
In chapters xxxiv. 2g-xl., the entire book of Leviticus, and the first ten
chapters of Numbers, follows the nucleus of the Priestly Lawbool!, relating
how upon Moses' descent from Sinai the Tables of the Testimony were
deposited in the Ark, and how the Tabernacle was erected and dedicated, and
its service inaugurated as prescribed by Yahweh. Then follows the funda-
mental priestly and ceremonial law (P^), incorporated in P-, which forms the
kernel of Leviticus. The opening chapters of Numbers are occupied with the
census, appointment of the Levites and their duties ; chapters v. and vi., with
miscellaneous Levitical laws (uncleanness, guilt offerings, ordeal of the water
of jealousy, nazirite vows, Aaronic benediction) devoid of connection with the
narrative; chapter vii. with the dedication gifts of the 12 princes (all exactly
alike), chapter viii., with the making and lighting of the candlestick, and
Aaron's wave-offering of the 22,000 Levites. Chapter ix. gives a supplement-
ary Passover ordinance and prescription of the order of march according to
the sign of the cloud and Glory. Ch. x. i-io provides for silver trumpets.
**********
NUMBERS. (Heb. " In the Wilderness.")
Departure from Sinal The Wilderness of Paran.
10 — II And it came to pass in the ' second year,' in the ' sec-
ond month,' on the ' twentieth day of the month,' that the
cloud was taken up from over the ' Tabernacle of the Testi-
12 mony.' And the children of Israel set forward 'according
to their journeys ' out of the wilderness of Sinai ; and the
12 — i6b cloud abode in the wilderness of Paran. 'So they
pitched in the wilderness' of Paran.
Manna and Quails.
Ex. 16 — 2 And ' the whole congregation of the children of
Israel ' 'murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the
CIRC. 450 B. C. 371
wilderness : and the children of Israel said unto them, 3
' Would that we had died by the hand of Yahweh ' in the
land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, when we did
eat bread to the full ; for ye have brought us forth into this
wilderness, to kill this ' whole assembly ' with hunger.
'And Moses said unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation 9
of the children of Israel,' Come near before Yahweh, for he
hath heard your ' murmurings.' And it came to pass, as 10
' Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children
of Israel,' that they looked toward the tabernacle, and, be-
hold, 'the Glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud.' And 11
Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the ' mur- 12
murings ' of the children of Israel ; speak unto them, saying,
At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled
with bread ; ' and ye shall know that I am Yahweh your God.'
And ' Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel,' 6
At even, then ye shall know that Yahweh hath brought you
out from the land of Egypt : and in the morning, then ye 7
shall see the glory of Yahweh ; for that he heareth your
murmurings against Yahweh, and 'what are we, that ye mur-
mur against us?' And it came to pass at even, that the 13
quails came up, and covered the camp : and in the morning
the dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew 14
that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilder-
ness a small flake, small as the hoar frost on the ground.
And Moses said unto them It is the bread which Yahweh 15
hath given you to eat ; an omer a 'head,' 'according to \(^b
the number of your persons,' shall ye take it, every man for
them which are in his tent. And the house of Israel called 31
the name thereof Manna (Heb. man) : and it was like cor-
iander seed, white ; and the taste of it was like wafers
[made] with honey. And the children of Israel did eat the 35
manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited.
The Story of the Spies.
And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying. Send thou men, 13
that they may ' spy ' out the land of Canaan, which I give 2
372 THE PRIESTL V LA IV-BOOK PK
unto the children of Israel : of every ' tribe of their fathers '
3 shall ye send a man, every one a ' prince ' among them. And
Moses sent them from the ' wilderness of Paran ' ' according
to the commandment of Yahweh:' all of them men who were
4 ' heads of the children of Israel' And ' these were their
names ' :
Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.
5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.
6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.
8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hosheathe son of Nun.
9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.
10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Socli.
11 Of the tribe of Joseph, Gaddi the son of Susi.
12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.
13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.
14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.
15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
16 ' These are the names ' of the men which Moses sent to
' spy ' out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of
17 Nun Joshua. And Moses sent them to ' spy' out the land of
21 Canaan. So they went up, and 'spied' out the land from
the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the entering in of Ha-
25 math. And they returned from ' spying ' out the land at the
26 end of forty days. And they went and came ' to Moses, and
to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Is-
rael,' unto ' the wilderness of Paran,' and brought back word
32 unto them, and unto ' all the congregation.' And they
brought up an ' evil report' of the land which they had
' spied ' out unto the children of Israel, saying. The land,
through which we have gone to ' spy ' it out, is a land that
[for barrenness] eateth up the inhabitants thereof ;
Rebellion of the People at the Spies' Report. Condemna-
tion TO Forty Years of Wandering.
14 And 'all the congregation murmured against Moses and
against Aaron : ' and ' the whole congregation ' said unto
CIRC. 450 B. C. 373
them, ' Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt ' !
or 'Would God we had died in this wilderness!' 'Then 5
Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly
of the congregation of the children of Israel.' And Joshua 6
the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were 7
of them that 'spied 'out the land, rent their clothes : and
they spake unto ' all the congregation of the children of
Israel,' saying, The land, which we passed through to ' spy '
it out, is an exceeding good land. But ' all the congrega- 10
tion ' bade stone them with stones. ' And the Glory of Yah-
weh appeared in the Tent of Meeting unto all the children of
Israel.'
' And Yahweh spake unto Moses and unto Aaron,' saying, 26
How long [shall I bear] with this evil ' congregation,' which 27
' murmur ' against me ? ' I have heard the murmurings of
the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.' Say 28
unto them, As I live, saith Yahweh, surely as ye have spoken
in mine ears, so will I do to you : your carcases shall fall 'in 29
this wilderness ' ; and all that were numbered of you, accord-
ing to your whole number, ' from twenty years old and up-
ward,' which have ' murmured ' against me, surely ye shall 30
not come into the land, concerning which ' I lifted up my
hand ' that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the
son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. After the 34
number of the days in which ye ' spied ' out the land, even
forty days, for every day a year, shall ye 'bear your iniqui-
ties,' even forty years, and ye shall know what the revoking of
my promise is. ' I Yahweh have spoken,' surely this will I 35
do unto all this ' evil congregation,' that are gathered together
against me : in this wilderness they _shall be consumed, and
there they shall die. And the men, which Moses sent to 36
' spy ' out the land, who returned, and made ' all the congrega-
tion ' to murmur against him, by bringing up an ' evil report '
against the land, even those men that did bring up an ' evil 37
report ' of the land, died by ' the plague ' before Yahweh.
But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, 38
remained alive of those men that went to ' spy ' out the land.
374 THE PRIESTL Y LA W-BOOK P^.
The Mutiny of Korah. An Attack upon the Exclusiveness
OF THE Priesthood.
16 — 1-2 Now Korah the son of [ . . . ] took two hundred and
fifty 'princes of the congregation,' 'called to the assembly'
3 and they ' assembled themselves together against Moses and
against Aaron,' and said unto them, Ye take too much upon
you, seeing ' all the congregation ' are ' holy,' every one of
them : wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above ' the as-
8 sembly of Yahweh ' ? ye take too much upon you, ye sons- of
4 Levi. And when Moses heard it, he ' fell upon his face ' :
5 and he spake unto Korah and unto all his ' company,' saying,
In the morning Yahweh will shew who are his, and who is
' holy,' and will cause him to come near unto him : even him
whom he shall choose will he cause to come near unto him.
6 This do ; take you ' censers,' Korah, and all his ' company ' ;
7 and put fire therein, and put ' incense ' upon them before Yah-
weh to-morrow : and it shall be that the man whom Yahweh
i8 doth choose, he [shall be] ' holy ' : So they took every man
his 'censer,' and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon,
and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with ' Moses
19 and Aaron.' And Korah ' assembled all the congregation'
against them unto the door of the Tent of Meeting : ' and
the Glory of Yahweh appeared unto all the congregation.'
20 ' And Yahweh spake unto Moses and unto Aaron,' saying,
21 'Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I
22 may consume them in a moment.' 'And they fell upon their
faces,' and said, O God, the ' God of the spirits of all flesh,'
shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with ' all the con-
23 gregation ' ? ' And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak unto the congregation,' saying. Get you up from about
27 ' the Tabernacle of Yahweh.' So they gat them up from ' the
35 Tabernacle of Yahweh ' on every side. And fire came forth
from Yahweh and devoured the two hundred and fifty men
that were offering the 'incense.'
CIRC. 450 B. C. 375
Renewed Murmurings and Plague. The Budding of Aaron's
Rod a Token of Yahweh's Choosing of the Aaronic
Priesthood.
But on the morrow ' all the congregation of the children 41
of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, say-
ing,' Ye have killed the people of Yahweh. And it came to 42
pass, when ' the congregation was assembled against Moses
and against Aaron,' that they looked toward the Tent of
Meeting : and, behold, the cloud covered it, ' and the Glory
of Yahweh appeared.' And Moses and Aaron came to the 43
front of the Tent of Meeting. And Yahweh spake unto 44
Moses, saying, ' Get you up from among this congregation, 45
that I may consume them in a moment.' 'And they fell 46
upon their faces.' And Moses said unto Aaron, Take thy
'censer,' and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay
' incense ' thereon, and carry it quickly unto ' the congrega-
tion,' and ' make atonement ' for them : for there is wrath
gone out from Yahweh ; the ' plague ' is begun. And 47
Aaron took as Moses spake, and ran into the midst of ' the
assembly ' ; and, behold, 'the plague' was begun among the
people : and he put on the ' incense,' and ' made atonement '
for the people. And as he stood between the dead and the 48
living ' the plague ' was stayed. Now they that died by ' the 49
plague ' were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, be-
sides them that died about the matter of Korah. So Aaron 50
returned unto Moses unto the door of the Tent of Meeting :
and ' the plague ' was stayed.
' And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying. Speak unto the 17 — 2
children of Israel,' and take of them rods, one for each ' fath-
ers ' house,' of all their ' princes according to their fathers'
houses,' twelve rods : write thou every man's name upon
his rod. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod 3
of Levi : for there shall be one rod for each ' head of their
fathers' houses.' And thou shalt lay them up in the Tent 4
of Meeting before ' the Testimony,' where I meet with thee.
And it shall come to pass, that the man whom I shall choose, 5
his rod shall bud: and I will make to cease from me ' the
376 THE PRIESTL Y LA W-BOOK PK
murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur
6 against you.' And Moses spake unto the children of Israel,
and all their ' princes ' gave him rods, for each ' prince ' one,
' according to their fathers' houses,' even twelve rods : and
7 ' the rod of Aaron ' was among their rods. And Moses laid
up the rods before Yahweh in the ' Tent of the Testimony.'
8 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into
the ' Tent of the Testimony ' ; and, behold, the ' rod of
Aaron ' for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth
9 buds, and bloomed blossoms, and bare ripe almonds. And
Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh
unto all the children of Israel : and they looked, and
10 took every man his rod. And Yahweh said unto Moses,
Put back ' the rod of Aaron ' before the ' Testimony,' to be
kept for a token against the children of rebellion ; that thou
mayest make an end of ' their murmurings against me,' that
11 they die not. 'Thus did Moses: as Yahweh commanded
him, so did he.'
12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Be-
13 hold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. Every
one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the Tabernacle
of Yahweh, dieth : shall we perish all of us ?
18 And Yahweh said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons ' and thy
fathers' house' with thee shall 'bear the iniquity' of the
' Sanctuary ' : and thou and thy sons with thee shall ' bear the
2 iniquity ' of your priesthood. And thy brethren also, the
tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with
thee, that they may be '' joined " {lavah) unto thee, and min-
ister unto thee ; but thou and thy sons with thee shall min-
3 ister before the ' Tent of the Testimony.' And they shall
keep thy charge, and the charge of all the Tent : only they
shall not come nigh unto the ' vessels of the Sanctuary ' and
4 unto the altar, that they die not, neither they, nor ye. And
they shall be "joined " unto thee, and keep the charge of the
Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent : ' and a
5 stranger shall not come nigh unto you.' And ye shall keep
the charge of the Sanctuary, and the charge of the altar :
CIRC. 450 B. C. 377
that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel.
' And I, behold, I ' have taken your brethren the Levites 6
from among the children of Israel : to you they are a gift,
given unto Yahweh, to do the service of the Tent of Meet-
ing. And thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your 7
priesthood for every thing of the altar, and for that within
the veil ; and ye shall serve : I give you the priesthood as
a service of privilege : ' and the stranger that cometh nigh
shall be put to death.'
********
The rest of chapter xviii. is devoted to prescription of the priests' dues.
Chapter xix. has no relation to the context, but presents the law of purification
in case of various defilements from dead bodies.
Meribah-Kadesh. Water from the Rock.
' And the children of Israel, even the whole congrega- 20
tion, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month of
the fortieth year.' And there was no water for ' the congre- 2
gation :' 'and they assembled themselves together against
Moses and against Aaron,' and spake, saying, ' Would God
that we had died ' when our brethren died before Yahweh !
And why have ye brought ' the assembly of Yahweh ' into 4
this wilderness, that we should die there. ' And Moses and 6
Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door
of the Tent of Meeting, and fell upon their faces : and the
Glory of Yahweh appeared unto them.' And Yahweh spake 7
unto Moses, saying, ' assemble the congregation,' thou, and 8
Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before
their eyes that it give forth its water, and thou shalt bring
forth to them water out of the rock. So shalt thou give
'the congregation' drink. [And Moses and Aaron spake
tefore Yahweh] and said, Shall we indeed bring them lob
forth water out of this rock ? And Yahweh said unto Moses
and Aaron, Hear me, ye rebels ; forasmuch as ye believed 12
not in me, to ' show my " holiness " ' in the eyes of the chil-
dren of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring ' this assembly '
378 THE PRIES TL V LA PV-BOOK P^-
8 into ' the land which I have given them.' [And unto Moses
he said], Take thou the rod [which is before me, and smite
9 the rock with it and the waters shall come forth]. So Moses
took the rod from before Yahweh as he commanded him.
' And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together '
II before the rock. And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote
the rock with his rod twice : and water came forth abund-
13 antly, and the 'congregation' drank. These are the waters
of Meribah [of Kadesh] ; because the children of Israel
" strove " (rib) with Yahweh, and he " showed himself holy "
(kadesh) among them.
Death of Aaron.
22 'And they journeyed from Kadesh: and the children of
Israel, even the whole congregation, came unto mount
23 Hor.' 'And Yahweh spake unto Moses and Aaron' in
mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying,
24 Aaron shall be ' gathered unto his people : ' for he shall not
enter into ' the land which I have given unto the children of
Israel,' because ye ' rebelled against my word' at the waters
25 of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring
26 them up unto mount Hor : and strip Aaron of his garments,
and put them upon Eleazar his son : and Aaron ' shall be
27 gathered [unto his people],' and shall die there. 'And
Moses did as Yahweh commanded : ' and they went up into
28 mount Hor ' in the sight of all the congregation.' And
Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon
Eleazar his son ; and Aaron died there in the top of the
mount : and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.
29 And when ' all the congregation ' saw that Aaron was dead,
' they wept for Aaron thirty days,' even all the house of Israel.
From Hor to Need.
21 — 4 ' And they journeyed from mount Hor [and pitched in '
10 'And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched ' in Oboth.
11 'And they journeyed from' Oboth, 'and pitched at ' lye-
CIRC. 450 B. C. 379
abarim. 'And the children of Israel journeyed, and pitched 22— i
in ' the ' plains of Moab beyond the Jordan ' at Jericho.
The Corruption of Israel through the Counsel of Balaam.
The Plague turned away by Phinehas.
[And while Israel abode in the plains of Moab the elders
of Moab took counsel with the elders of Midian how they
might destroy the people. And the elders of Midian sent
unto Balaam the son of Beor to the land of the children of
Ammon, and he gave them counsel saying, Give your daugh-
ters unto the children of Israel in marriage and let your
people mingle with theirs, for Yahweh their God is a jealous
God. He will not suffer them to mmgle with the nations
round about. Thus shall ye bring enmity from Yahweh
upon Israel. And the counsel pleased the elders of Moab
and the elders of Midian, and they did so. And it came to
pass when the children of Israel were gone in to the daugh-
ters of Midian that Yahweh sent a plague into the camp and
the people died]. And, behold, one of the children of Is- 25 — 6
rael came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish
woman ' in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the
congregation of the children of Israel,' while they were
weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting. And when 7
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest,
saw it, he rose up from the midst of the ' congregation,' and
took a spear in his hand ; and he went after the man of 8
Israel into the inner room, and thrust both of them through,
the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So
' the plague was stayed ' from the children of Israel. And 9
those that 'died by the plague ' were twenty and four thous-
and.
And Yahweh spoke unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the lo-ii
son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my
wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jeal-
ous with the jealousy I myself show among them, so that I
'consumed' not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
Wherefore say, 'Behold, I give unto him my covenant of 12
380 THE PRIESTL V LA W-BOOK F".
13 peace ' : and it shall be ' unto him, and to his seed after
him,' the ' covenant of an everlasting priesthood ' ; because
he was jealous for his God, and 'made atonement' for the
14 children of Israel. Now the name of the man of Israel
that was slain, who was slain with the Midianitish woman,
was Zimri, the son of Salu, a 'prince of a fathers' house'
15 among the Simeonites. And the name of the Midianitish
woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur ; he
was ' head of the people of a fathers' house ' in Midian.
16-17 And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying. Vex the Mid-
ianites, and smite them : for they vex you with their wiles,
wherewith they have beguiled you.
[The War with Midian].
(31 — 1-54) [So Moses chose out men and sent them to smite
the Midianites, and they destroyed them so that there re-
mained not one, and devoted their cities ; and they returned
to Moses to the camp].
The Inheritance of Gad and Reuben.
32 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad
2 had a multitude of cattle : and they came and spake ' unto
Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the
4 congregation,' saying, the land which Yahweh ' smote before
the congregation of Israel,' is a land for cattle, and thy serv-
ants have cattle. [Let us now receive our inheritance on
18 this side Jordan]. We will not return unto our houses,
until the children of Israel have ' inherited every man his
19 inheritance.' For we will not inherit with them on the
other side Jordan, and forward; because 'our inheritance'
is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastwai-d.
28 So Moses gave charge concerning them ' to Eleazar the
priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of
the fathers' [houses] of the tribes of the children of Israel.'
29 And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the
children of Reuben will pass with you over Jordan, ' every
man that is armed to battle,' before Yahweh, and the land
CIRC. 450 B. C. 381
shall be subdued before you ; then ye shall give them the
land of Gilead ' for a possession ' : but if they will not pass 30
over with you armed, they shall have 'possessions' among
you in the land of Canaan. And the children of Gad and 31
the children of Reuben answered, saying, As Yahweh hath
said unto thy servants, so will we do. We will pass over 32
armed before Yahweh into the land of Canaan, and ' the
possession of our inheritance ' [shall remain] with us beyond
Jordan. So Moses gave them the land [of Gilead] ' accord- 33
ing to the cities thereof with [their] borders, even the cities
of the land round about.'
Preparation for Moses' Death. He Receives Direction to
Appoint Joshua in his Stead.
And Yahweh said unto Moses, Get thee up into this 27 — 12
mountain of Abarim, and behold ' the land which I have
given unto the children of Israel.' And when thou hast seen 13
it, thou also ' shalt be gathered unto thy people,' as Aaron
thy brother was gathered : because ' ye rebelled against my 14
word ' in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the ' congre-
gation,' to ' sanctify me ' in the matter of the waters 'before
their eyes.' (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in
the wilderness of Zin). And Moses spake unto Yahweh, 15
saying. Let Yahweh, 'the God of the spirits of all flesh,' ap- 16
point a man over the ' congregation,' which may go out
before them, and which may come in before them, and 17
which may lead them out, and which may bring them in ;
that ' the congregation of Yahweh ' be not as sheep which
have no shepherd. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Take 18
thee Joshua the son of Nun, a ' man in whom is the
spirit,' and lay thine hand upon him ; and set him be- 19
fore ' Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation ' ;
and give him a charge in their sight. And thou shalt put 20
of thine authority upon him, that ' all the congregation of
the children of Israel' may obey. And he shall stand be- 21
fore ' Eleazar the priest,' who shall inquire for him ' by the
oracle of the Urim,' before Yahweh : ' at his word ' shall
382 THE PRIES TL Y LA W-BOOK P\
they go out, and ' at his word ' they shall come in, both he,
and all the children of Israel with him, even ' all the
22 congregation.' 'And Moses did as Yahweh commanded him ' :
and he took Joshua, and set him 'before Eleazar the priest,
23 and before all the congregation' : and he laid his hands upon
him, and gave him a charge, ' as Yahweh spake by the hand
of Moses.'
DEUTERONOMY. ("Words of Moses.")
Death of Moses.
34 So Moses went up ' from the plains of Moab ' unto mount
5 Nebo, [and died there] ' according to the word of Yahweh.'
7 'And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he
died ' : his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
8 ' And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of
Moab thirty days ' : so the days of weeping in the mourning
9 for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was
' full of the spirit of wisdom ' ; for Moses had laid his hands
upon him : and the children of Israel hearkened unto him,
and ' did as Yahweh commanded Moses.'
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