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Hebrew Studies 38 (1997) 118 Reviews 5-6 and no obvious connections between the laws and the surrounding context. In discussing the journey of the spies into Canaan (13:1-14:45), he focuses on the historical development of the chapters and their relationship to Deut 1:19-46, but does not address in a sustained fashion the narrative function of this story in the book of Numbers or in the larger pentateuchal narrative. Although there are occasional discussions of narrative and theological issues, these are not of primary importance to Davies. The work does not seek to provide a synthetic or comprehensive reading , either narrative or theological, of the whole book of Numbers. Further, little effort is made to locate Numbers within the larger pentateuchal context. The introductory discussion, for example, might well have included some attention to the theological and narrative significance of "the wilderness journey" within the context of Numbers and the Pentateuch. In the discussions of specific rituals (e.g., "the ordeal of jealousy" in 5:11-31 [pp. 48-57) or "the red heifer" in 19:1-22 [pp. 192-201)), more attention to the ways in which the texts envision the enactment of the rituals might prove useful for many readers. The commentary is, however, very useful in terms of what it seeks to accomplish: a historical analysis of texts, language, geography, and traditions . It provides brief but pointed reviews of the primary issues involved in these matters and generally takes a cautious and well-reasoned position on them. It contains a great deal of information on a wide range of topics and will prove helpful to both scholars and students as a concise historical reference for the interpretation of Numbers. Frank H. Gorman, Jr. Bethany College Bethany, WV 26032 OUT OF THE MIDST OF THE FIRE: DIVINE PRESENCE IN DEUTERONOMY. By Ian Wilson. SBL Dissertation Series 151. Pp. xiv + 257. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. Paper. This is a work of very considerable exegetical and theological significance. Wilson's objective is a re-examination and thorough revision of the widespread scholarly view that the deuteronom(ist)ic idea of the name of Yahweh present at a cult place is a corrective of an older idea that Yahweh himself was present there. This theory, popularized especially by von Rad, held that for the deuteronom(ist)ic school Yahweh was transcen- Hebrew Studies 38 (1997) 119 Reviews dent, dwelling in heaven, while being "represented" through his name at the place on earth which he would choose. The author's approach is not through a re-examination of the "name formula" in Deuteronomy 12-26, but rather through an examination of other possible references in Deuteronomy to the divine presence and, in particular, through a comparison, where appropriate, of such references with parallels in the Tetrateuch in order to determine the relative emphasis on the idea of the divine presence with Israel. Those historical sections of Deuteronomy which have parallels in the Tetrateuch are first compared. In Deuteronomy 1-3 parallels exist in relation to several episodes. Insofar as the deuteronom(ist)ic passage does not replicate an aspect of the parallel story in the Tetrateuch which might suggest divine presence as, for example, in the Exod 18:19 reference to bringing a case "to God" which is not found in Deuteronomy 1, it is clear that the reason lies not in any deuteronom(ist)ic aversion to the notion of divine presence on earth, but rather in the particular narrative interests of that account over against that of Exodus. Such instances are, however, few. For the most part, the deuteronom(ist)ic version of the various accounts does not simply maintain the idea of the divine presence but often strengthens it. So, for example, Deut 1:45 contains the phrase "wept before the Lord," which is not to be found in Num 14:39-45. A comparison of Deuteronomy 4-5 with Exodus 19-20 yields similar results. While it is true that, for reasons which are not certain, Deuteronomy 4f does not refer to Yahweh's descent to the mountain, the deuteronom(ist)ic passage generally affirms Yahweh's presence and strengthens it by comparison...

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