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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: "Walter R. Mattfeld" <mattfeld12 AT charter.net>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Exodus Miracles and 'elep
  • Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 13:27:42 +0100

On 03/08/2004 12:27, Walter R. Mattfeld wrote:

...

Below is an excerpt of Halpern's argument on 'elep :


While I am not sure that I accept Mendenhall's proposal, Halpern's criticism can be disposed of very easily. See below.

...
This is the first weakness of the hypothesis: there is no reason to supply
any figure before the 730 of Numbers 26:51 or the 550 of Numbers 1:46, let
alone the specific figures that must be chosen. Moreover, there is no reason
to suppose that the Israelite reader to whom these texts were directed would
divine that he was expected to supply these figures -how could the Israelite
be expected to understand that the notation 601,730 or 601 thousands and 730
really meant 601 clans and 5,730 people ? But this first difficulty is
compounded by a more serious one. Read with Mendenhall, the lists and the
summations do not tally. Numbers 1, read with Mendenhall mentions 598
"clans" and 5,550 warriors. Numbers 1:46 has the same number of warriors if
we supply the figure 5,000; but it thinks there were 603 "thousands" or
"clans". Numbers 26 has 596 clans and 5,730 warriors. But Numbers 26:51
(601,730), even read with Mendenhall to imply 5,730 warriors, has 601
"clans." (pp. 113-115. Halpern)


It is very obvious what has happened here, if we assume the basis of Mendenhall's hypothesis. Here are the figures (use a fixed width font):

Numbers 1

Tribe Hebrew text Clans Warriors Warriors
per clan

Reuben 46,500 46 500 10.9
Simeon 59,300 59 300 5.1
Gad 45,650 45 650 14.4
Judah 74,600 74 600 8.1
Issachar 54,400 54 400 7.4
Zebulun 57,400 57 400 7.0
Ephraim 40,500 40 500 12.5
Manasseh 32,200 32 200 6.3
Benjamin 35,400 35 400 11.4
Dan 62,700 62 700 11.3
Asher 41,500 41 500 12.2
Naphtali 53,400 53 400 7.5
Total 603,550 598 5,550 9.3
Numbers 26
Tribe Hebrew text Clans Warriors Warriors Clan Warrior
per clan change change

Reuben 43,730 43 730 17.0 -6.5% 46.0%
Simeon 22,200 22 200 9.1 -62.7% -33.3%
Gad 40,500 40 500 12.5 -11.1% -23.1%
Judah 76,500 76 500 6.6 2.7% -16.7%
Issachar 64,300 64 300 4.7 18.5% -25.0%
Zebulun 60,500 60 500 8.3 5.3% 25.0%
Ephraim 32,500 32 500 15.6 -20.0% 0.0%
Manasseh 52,700 52 700 13.5 62.5% 250.0%
Benjamin 45,600 45 600 13.3 28.6% 50.0%
Dan 64,400 64 400 6.3 3.2% -42.9%
Asher 53,400 53 400 7.5 29.3% -20.0%
Naphtali 45,400 45 400 8.9 -15.1% 0.0%
Total 601,730 596 5,730 9.6 -0.3% 3.2%

These figures basically make sense. The number of warriors per clan varies from 4.7 to 17, which is believable. The large increase in Manasseh and reduction in Simeon between the two censuses may need some special explanation. The obvious explanation for the totals is that the texts originally read "598 clans and 5,550 warriors" and "596 clans and 5,730 warriors", but after the distinction between "clan" and "thousand" was lost "598 thousand and 5 thousand" was regularised by a redactor or copyist to "603 thousand", etc. Or else the totals were added by this redactor.

So there is no reason to think that the original author was thinking in terms of millions, only that a later redactor misunderstood the earlier figures.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/






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