Wibble Wednesday: Numerology (Numbers 1:1–4:20)
January 21, 2013 Leave a comment
OK, I’m way behind, but I have just about the best excuse one can have for missing a section of the Book of Numbers (which we are now starting!). I was away at, and then recovering my routine from, a math conference. But now I’m back on track, and all set to discuss פָּרָשַׁת במדבר (“In the desert” portion). Numbers is a kind of fun book, with both narrative and some kinda quirky law, so it’ll be an interesting ride.
The quick snarky summary: It is finally proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that all those references to upwards of half a million Israelites is not a clerical error or a mistranslation. Some details of just how this enormous group camps and moves are shared, conveniently ignoring the logistical impossibilities.
Arithmetic proving that alternative interpretations don’t actually work