Keywords
law
literary structure
closure
conclusion
inclusio
camp
Numbers 1-10
How to Cite
Abstract
The instruction for trumpets (Num 10:1-10) is the final unit of the text viewed by the majority of scholars as the opening major section of Numbers (1:1-10:10). Assessments of the placement of this unit have ranged from appropriate, due to the role of the trumpets in coordinating the immediately ensuing march from Sinai, to an ill-fit appendix or afterthought. This essay argues Num 10:1-10 is appropriately placed as a conclusion to 1:1-10:10 based on the presence of four characteristics of closure: time bridge, optimism regarding the future, achievement of a goal and inclusio. As a result, the view that 10:10 concludes the book’s opening major section is reinforced. Further, a rhetorical function for the placement of 10:1-10 is suggested in that the instruction offers a closing focus on the larger section’s major theme of an ideal community organised around Yʜᴡʜ’s presence at the tabernacle.
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