Narrative Concept(s) of the Book of Numbers

Observing the shifts and reversals of plot in Numbers and its revelations of character, the sly asides and polemics of the narrator, and especially the explosive conflicts that permeate the journey after Sinai leads the reader to experience Numbers not only as an anthology of different sorts of biblical materials – laws, legends, poetry, censuses and travelogue – but as a comprehensive and bold warning about the obstacles in forming a people Israel as well as a map of how to do so. The tools of narratology illuminate the subtle art of biblical writers who succeed by skillfully weaving together scattered tales and outbursts into a meaningful and larger whole that engages its readers.