Is the Account of the Organization of the Camp Devoid of Organization? A Proposal for the Literary Structure of Numbers 1.1–10.10

Abstract

This article argues that the diverse units present within Num. 1.1–10.10 are more elaborately arranged than has been widely assumed. By utilizing a synchronic approach that pays special attention to repetition and other structural markers, Num. 1.1–10.10 is shown to consist of two parallel panels of three units each: 1.1–6.27 (1.1–2.24; 3.1–1.49; 5.1–6.27) and 7.1–10.10 (7.1–89; 8.1–26; 9.1–10.10). A resultant laity-clergy-laity pattern in each panel reinforces the centrality of Yahweh's tabernacle presence in Israel's midst, as mediated through the priests, for the campaign ahead.