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Hebrew Studies 38 (1997) 116 Reviews ployed for background infonnation." Thus it is best to view foregrounding and backgrounding "as a secondary phenomena or by-product of the issue of the sequentiality and non-sequentiality" of the discourse (p. 297). This work has many interesting insights which go beyond the points outlined above. Unfortunately, its usefulness is diminished somewhat by the author's complex prose. Nevertheless, this work should prove helpful to those who are interested in the development of a discourse grammar of biblical Hebrew. Michael Rosenbaum Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel NUMBERS. By Eryl W. Davies. New Century Bible Commentary. Pp. lxxiv + 378. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995. Paper, $23.99. Eryl W. Davies, senior lecturer in religious studies at the University of Wales, Bangor in North Wales, has written a useful and usable commentary on Numbers. Although he argues that the majority of Numbers is priestly, he recognizes the presence of non-priestly material as well (10:29-12:15; 20:14-21; 21:12-32; 22:2-25:5; P material is interwoven with non-P material in 13f; 16; 20:1-13; 21:1-11 [pp. l-li]). He works with the traditional division of material between Pg and Ps, but recognizes the difficulty in obtaining absolute precision with this division (p. xlix). He suggests that the P material must be understood to reflect both an independent source and the redactional activity of priestly editors (p. 1). The priestly materials originated in Babylon in the early post-exilic period (p. xlix) and were written for didactic reasons in an effort to provide "instruction for the present and guidance for the future" (p. lxix). The concern of the Priestly writers was "to legitimate the religious practices and institutions of their own day by projecting them back to the time of Moses" (p. Ixix). After reviewing various suggestions for determining the structure of Numbers, Davies argues that geography offers the best option for understanding the book. He divides the book into three major sections (each section has several sub-sections): "The Sojourn at Sinai" (1:1-10:10), "From Sinai to the Plains of Moab" (10:11-22:1), and "Preparations for Entry into the Land" (22:2-36:13). The introduction includes brief discussions of the land (pp. lviii-lxi), the priests and the levites (pp. lxi-Ixiii), and purity and holiness (pp. lxiii-Ixvi). Hebrew Studies 38 (1997) 117 Reviews The work follows a basic pattern. A general introduction to sections and sub-sections is followed by more detailed discussion of specific verses. In the general introductions, Davies briefly reviews the contents of the text. He then discusses matters relating to form-criticism, tradition history, and source division, the latter two matters receiving the primary focus. Davies generally reviews several of the primary proposals on these issues, indicates the primary problems raised by each proposal, and then states what he believes to be the most likely position. On the whole, these discussions do not contain a great deal of original work. They do, however, provide very helpful reviews of some of the key issues and problems relating to tradition history and source analysis in Numbers. Davies takes a common sense approach to these issues, generally states his position clearly, and recognizes the "probable" nature of all such arguments. The book does not always make clear, however, the hermeneutical importance of source division and tradition development in the interpretation of specific texts. A discussion of the specific dynamics of each of the various layers in Numbers (e.g., the J material, the Pg material, and the Ps material) would be a useful addition to the introductory comments. The discussion of specific texts focuses on linguistic analysis, etymological discussions of specific words, geographical matters, and historical issues. Davies' primary interests are clearly historical. This is seen in his discussion of the story of Balaam (22:2-24:25 [pp. 236-284]). Source critical issues and the date of the oracles receive a little over three pages of discussion (pp. 236-240). The same is true of his discussion of "the character of Balaam" (pp. 240-242). In the comments on 22:5, almost two full pages are devoted...

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