Second Passover: New Delineations (9:1–14)

Passover (9:2). One year after the first Passover that precipitated the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites prepare to celebrate the feast according to the requirements set forth in Exodus. Originally called Abib, the first month was later called by the Babylonian name Nisan. At Emar, the first month was called AbT and marked a lunar cycle of numerous offerings on days 1–8, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 25–27, and the day of the concluding/beginning new moon.81

Yahweh in the Cloud (9:15–23)

The cloud covered it (9:15). The imagery of clouds for deity is ubiquitous in the ancient Near East. In Akkadian texts the term melammu describes the cloud aura that surrounded the gods and their sanctuaries. The term puluḫtu denoted the attendant garment of fire in the temple precinct. In Egyptian murals, deity is often depicted as a winged sun disc surrounded by storm clouds. In the Creation Epic from Ugarit, Baal is often referred to as the “Cloud-Rider,” who brought forth the fertility of the soil through beneficent rains.82 Yet the psalmist declared that Yahweh, God of Israel, was the one who truly “rides on the clouds,” who dwells in his holy sanctuary and champions the cause of widows and orphans (Ps. 68:4–6). His power over the natural elements was exemplified in withholding rain in the days of Ahab.

Winged sun disk from Medinet Habu

Neil Madden

Israelites set out (9:17). The rhythmic pattern here echoes ancient epic poetry of the second millennium B.C., such as the Ugaritic Epic of Keret. Harrison notes that “the repetitions in the text, a feature of both Hebrew and Ugaritic literature, give coherence both to the narratives themselves and to the spiritual attitude of the Hebrews that the sources reflected.”83 The rhythmic presentation of the journey motif is resumed in Numbers 33 (see comments).