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  • From: "Kevin P. Edgecomb" <kevino AT bombaxo.com>
  • To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Exodus Miracles and 'elep
  • Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 12:57:01 -0700 (PDT)

I'd like to suggest another possibility for explaining the range of
impossibly large numbers not only in the Exodus and Numbers texts, but
throughout the Hebrew Bible. I think it more likely that late in the Persian
period or early in the Hellenistic period, and editor or editors consistently
altered the numbers included in the historical texts by factors of either 10
or 100. The idea was suggested by what appear to be a few "misses" and by
the similarly motivated alteration of numbers in earlier Assyrian texts as
described in Marco De Odorico's _The Use of Numbers and Quantifications in
the Assyrian Royal Inscriptions_ (Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project,
1995). I've put my notes on this idea online here:

http://www.bombaxo.com/numbmult.html

Although I don't think this is entirely conclusive, I do find that this
proposal deals with the presence of impossibly large numbers throughout the
Hebrew Bible much more effectively than the only partial solution of using an
alternate meaning for 'elep in only certain cases. Clearly the authors were
using numbers, despite the sophistry of their interpreters. "Hundreds" add up
to "Thousands." "Units" do not add up to "Clans." Incidentally, however, my
proposal does end up in presenting roughly the same numbers as he "'elef as
clan" approach.

I would certainly appreciate any comments on the idea. One of the things I'm
not settled on is the lack of control as to whether the numbers were
multiplied by either 10 or 100. The factor chosen is only what seems likely
in comparison to what is known from other sources in some cases, but is still
not sufficiently solid for my satisfaction. It's only a suggestion, but a
working one which does certainly show some potential.

Regards,
Kevin P. Edgecomb
Berkeley, California








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