Exploring the Wilderness in the Book of Numbers

Leaving the World of the Text to Interpret Its Literary Setting

Abstract

As an inquiry of space-related methods this article evaluates the concept of “the world of the text” in relationship to the book of Numbers. It is contrasted with a more loose understanding of setting as referential field, which has been used in connection with narrative anthologies. Numbers may be described as an anthology with an attenuated frame narrative concerning Israel’s wandering through the wilderness. Therefore, setting as referential field is a better way to conceptualize space in the book than reading for the “world” of Numbers. This is seen through two case-studies where the two approaches are compared. One concerning the high census numbers at the start of Numbers together with the wilderness setting, which are shown to not invite a “factual” reading of them in a world of the wilderness, but rather as theological constructs connected to the tabernacle. The other concerning the confused itinerary notices, which are shown to not cohere into a logical trail through the wilderness, but rather fulfill their function in the passages they are part of, among other things.