Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

 

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Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Vol. 19, No. 64, 33-55 (1994)
DOI: 10.1177/030908929401906404

Beastly Speech: Intertextuality, Balaam's Ass and the Garden of Eden

G. Savran

Rehov Yair 5, Jerusalem, Israel

The anomalous feature of animal speech in Gen. 3 and in Num. 22 is only the most obvious point in common between the two texts. The serpent and the she-ass play complementary roles in relation to the human actors in the stories, and a comparison of their functions reveals further similarities. Both the garden story and the Balaam narrative focus on the themes of blessing and curse, vision and understanding, and obedience/disobedience to God. The intertextual relationship between the stories uncovered in this analysis sheds light on larger patterns of inner-biblical interpretation within the Pentateuch.


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