The Woodgatherers' Sabbath: A Literary Study of Numbers 15:32–36

Abstract

This study examines the Sabbath narrative in Num 15:32-36 from the contextual perspective of cultic legislation prescribed in Num 15 and attempts to demonstrate the literary relationship that seems to exist between these legal prescriptions and the wood-gatherer's rebellious act on Sabbath. Furthermore, the Sabbath narrative seems to contain intertextual connections with the account of Israel's life in slavery (Exod 5), which, according to the narrative context in Num 14 and 16, appears to the Israelites to be a more favorable choice than to continue the journey to the Promised Land under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Therefore, the case of the man gathering wood on Sabbath not only illustrates the law and the consequences of defiant sin, but reveals the significance that the Sabbath carries for the covenant relationship of the whole Israelite community, as well as for each individual Israelite as a liberated slave from Egypt.

Key Words: Sabbath, defiant sin, rebellion, woodgatherer