THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
generation of Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, Some of the accounts suggest that other narratives than those now extant were in the possession of the Hebrews and emphasized Yahweh’s providence (so Deut. vili., xxix.; Jer. ii.; Judges v. 11); the account of a holy war appears only in Ex. xvii. 8-16; Num. xxi. 1-3; but this idea influenced mightily the early religion of Israel.
It has long been the custom, and this custom is still followed in part, to employ these sources, as well as accounts in early and late literature of places and names, partly in a harmonistic method, using historical, geographical, and etymological learning, as
though the tracing of the journeyings 2. Methods presented no difficulties of moment, esof Study- pecially since no good maps of the reing the gion existed. Matters which were by Narratives. no means certain were taken as proved (e.g., the situation of Sinai), and without making clear the details of the journeying, by seizing now upon this and now upon that name which sounded like the Biblical name in the narrative, the material was used as if elastic to produce what was hoped to be a satisfying result; the processes of literary and textual criticism not being employed. Indeed, the question was not squarely met whether the conditions for the wandering of so numerous a people with all their possessions really existed. The newer method is to take account of the various threads and sources, to investigate the character of each, to take into consideration investigations into the natural conditions presented by the region, and so to reach conclusions which satisfactorily meet the case.
The account of J involves great difficulties. Moses, according to this narrator, led the people from the Red Sea to the wilderness of Shur, where they were three days without water (Ex. xv. 22); the Marah and Elim episodes are by Ei (Ex. xv. 23-27). J tells in Ex. xvi. of the gift of manna, in xvii. of the murmuring against Moses at Meribah, and in xxxiii. 1 sqq. of the command to leave Sinai; Num. x. 29-32
deals with the relations with Hobab the
3. The Midianite as guide, Num. xi. gives the Four Main episode of the quails and the journey to Narratives. Hazeroth and to Paran (xii. 16). From Kadesh (?) Moses sent out the spies,
among them Caleb, who report the land as fruitful but impossible to take into possession (Num. xiii.), so that the people desire to return to Egypt (xiv. 3). The further course of the narrative of J is not clear. Num. xvi. tells of the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, and xxi. 1-3 of the ban of the city of Hormah. After that comes the capture of the fortified cities east of the Jordan. E is somewhat clearer in his narrative. In Ex. xvii. 8-16 is recounted the victory over Amalek, in chap. xviii. the advice of Jethro to appoint judges; in Ex. xxxili. 1 sqq. the command to leave Horeb is regarded as punishment for the worship of the golden calf, but the ark shows the way (Num. x. 33-36); Num. xi. 1-3 tells of the fire from Yahweh which destroyed some of the people, and other verses of the chapter deal with the seventy elders; in chap. x1. Miriam’s leprosy is accounted for; Num. xiii. 26 tells that from Kadesh Moses sent spies, and Caleb alone entreats the people to trust
Yahweh (xiv. 8-9); in xiv. 25 the people are commanded to return into the wilderness, while the people were defeated in their attempt on Canaan; Num. xx. 1b shows the people again in Kadesh, where Miriam died, ‘after which the people go by way of Edom to the Arnon (Num. xx. 14-21, xxi. 4-9, 12-20). The Deuteronomist (i. 6-ii. 25) gives a short review of the course from Horeb to the Arnon, and (ix. 22) regalls Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-hattaavah. The indications of the narrative of P are clearer. From Elim “all the congregation ” went into the wilderness of Sin (Ex. xvi. 1), and when hunger assailed the people manna and quails were sent them, thence by way of Rephidim they passed to the wilderness of Sinai (Ex. xvii. 1, xix. 1), the separate stations not beingnamed. After the giving of the law, they depart from the wilderness of Sinai, and twelve spies are sent forth, go from the wilderness of Sin, swing northward by way of the entrance to Hamath, and after forty days return to the wilderness of Paran. At their report the assembly expresses its disappointment in an outbreak against Moses and Aaron. The next rebellion is that of Korah against the exclusive priesthood of the Levites, whose right is vindicated by a miracle of destruction and the budding of Aaron’s rod (Num. xvi.—xvii.). In the wilderness of Sin the people murmur against the leaders because of lack of water, which is brought them from the rock (Meribah), and thence they proceed to Hor, where Aaron dies (Num. xx.), and to the territory opposite Jericho (Num. xxi.). The omission of the stages of the journey is supplied by Num. xxxiii., which purports to be by Moses (verse 2), and, apart from the starting-point and finish, contains the names of forty places, corresponding to the forty years of the wandering, but twenty-two of these are new and do not appear elsewhere in the Pentateuch. Examination shows that the author of this chapter has used the Pentateuch in practically its present form, hence the chapter is one of the latest in the Pentateuch. It appears to be the work of a Jew of Jerusalem of the end of the fifth pre-Christian century, who used not only the Pentateuch but other sources, involving the journey of others or of himself in that region; and into his account insertions appear to have been made. The wandering according to this chapter appears in four stages: From Rameses to Sinai (8-15); from Sinai to Bene-jaakan (16-30a, 36b—41a, 30a-31); thence south to Ezion-gaber (32-35); and thence north by way of the Wadi ‘Arabah to Abel-shittim in Moab (36a, 41b-49). From the dating given above, it follows that among the sources this piece takes not the first but the last place among the data for determining the course of the wandering. The attempt must fail which aims to show that a difference among the narrators reflects itself here; that in the first part of the catalogue of stations the ideas of P and J are followed in that the Hebrews went in a northeasterly direction to Moab, while in the second part the notion of E and D is reproduced, viz., that they went by a circuit which took them first southeastward by Ezion-gaber. The many new place names stand in the way of reconciliation; moreover, of the forty or more names only about one-fourth may with greater or less probabil-