From: George Athas (gathas@mail.usyd.edu.au)
Date: Mon Jan 26 1998 - 23:29:49 EST
Dear Ginger,
Yes, you are right and I have made a terrible booboo. There is nothing
about adultery in the Phineas-Zimri-Cozbi incident in Numbers. I just
got carried away with the adultery discussion on the list and wrongly
created my own little apocryphal version of the story. Sorry. Yes, it is
all about compromising the purity of the people of Israel and their
faith.
What does the Hebrew say about the where the incident took place? There
is some obscurity as it is quite messy. the Masoretic Text (MT) states
that an Israelite brought near *to his brethren* THE Midianite woman.
There are a few problems.
Firstly, I don't know the significance of the definite article before
the word "Midianite" to indicate THE Midianite woman. Nevertheless, it
is there.
Also, my textual notes (BHS) state that the expression *to his brethren*
('EL 'AXIYW) could also be rendered *to his tent* ('EL 'AHoLO). It
gives Gen 32:15 as a precedent in which the same may happen. The notes
give no other textual evidence, though.
The LXX, however, reads that the man brought *his brother* to the
Midianite woman (KAI IDOU ANQRWPOS TWN hUIWN ISRAHL ELQWN PROSHGAGEN TON
ADELPHON AUTOU PROS THN MADIANITIN...). This variation sees a swap in
position of the preposition "to" ('EL) with the definite object marker
('ET), and reads a singular (his brother) rather than a plural (his
brothers) which in a consonantal text look identical ('XYW).
The MT then states that Moses and the Israelites were weeping at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting (PETAX 'oHEL MO`ED). Verse 8 then says
that Phineas followed the man into *the* QuBBAH (a large vaulted tent),
distinguishing it from the Tent of Meeting. Whose tent this was is not
made clear. Did it belong to the Israelite (Zimri) or the Midianite
(Cozbi)? Did it belong to the Moabites who seduced the Israelites to be
joined with the Baal of Peor (considering the context)? The word QuBBAH
has an Arabic cognate also meaning a large, vaulted tent, or a dome, but
especially a tent of honour. Since Zimri was a clan leader, he may well
have lived in a QuBBAH. However, later Aramaic used it to refer to the
heavens as a vault. Was this symbolic of the dwelling place of the Baal
of Peor and referent of a Baal tabernacle (NB Baal was often called the
Rider of the Clouds, and is naturally associated with the heavens)?
I wish I could say, "I hope this clears things up," but I obviously
can't. Oh well.....
Best regards!
George Athas
< gathas@mail.usyd.edu.au > Ph: 0414 839 964 (ICQ #5866591)
(PhD Candidate, University of Sydney)
(Tutor of Hebrew, Moore Theological College)
(Visit the Tel Dan Inscription Website at)
(http://www-personal.usyd.edu.au/~gathas/teldan.htm)
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