The Poles of the Ark: On the Ins and Outs of a Textual Contradiction
The ark, the primary cult object in the Hebrew Bible, is described in detail in the Priestly tabernacle pericopes of the Pentateuch. In these texts, a difficult contradiction arises with regard to its bdîm, which are universally understood as carrying poles. The commands for the construction of the...
| Published in: | Journal of Biblical literature |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Scholar's Press
[2016]
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| In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Exodus 25,10-16
/ Bible. Numeri 4
/ Ark of the Covenant
/ Trageeigenschaft
/ Grab des Tutanchamun (Tal der Könige)
/ Chests
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament HH Archaeology KBL Near East and North Africa |
| Further subjects: | B
Middle East
B Ark of the Covenant B CULT objects B Bible. Old Testament Criticism, interpretation, etc B Lectionaries |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The ark, the primary cult object in the Hebrew Bible, is described in detail in the Priestly tabernacle pericopes of the Pentateuch. In these texts, a difficult contradiction arises with regard to its bdîm, which are universally understood as carrying poles. The commands for the construction of the ark (Exod 25:10-16) specify that the ark's carrying poles are to stay in its rings and never to part from it (bṭbʿt hʾrn yhyû hbdîm lô ysrû mmnû, v. 15). In the instructions regarding the packing up of the tabernacle (Num 4), however, we read that, in the course of preparing the ark for transport, its carrying poles are to be put in by Aaron and his sons (ṿśmû bdâṿ, v. 6). If the ark's poles are always "in," how can they be "put in"? This problem has received a great deal of attention from medieval exegetes and modern scholars. In this article, I review previous proposed solutions and offer a new solution based on material evidence from the ancient Near East. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.15699/jbl.1354.2016.2714 |