[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo-2022-jin-analysis-participants-second-major-division/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [docs](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/) / [papers](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/) / [Ancient Hebrew](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo/) / Analysis of Participants in the Second Major Division of Numbers # Analysis of Participants in the Second Major Division of Numbers **Authors:** Gyusang Jin · **Year:** 2022 · **Venue:** HIPHIL Novum 7/1 **Link:** [tidsskrift.dk/hiphilnovum/article/view/142917](https://tidsskrift.dk/hiphilnovum/article/view/142917) · **Licence:** [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) — summary only, not carried into a release [**0** citations](https://openalex.org/works?filter=cites:W4391938388) openalex-snapshot · 2026-10-14[HIPHIL Novum 7](https://openalex.org/S5406958382)[licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) - [Publisher's page](https://doi.org/10.7146/hn.v7i1.142917) - [PDF](https://tidsskrift.dk/hiphilnovum/article/download/142917/186621) - [DOI 10.7146/hn.v7i1.142917](https://doi.org/10.7146/hn.v7i1.142917) - [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W4391938388) **Authors (1)** 1. [Gyusang Jin](https://openalex.org/A5093956929) [Semantic Scholar](https://www.semanticscholar.org/author/2216822846) · h 0 · 0 citations · 1 works Citations and author metrics from openalex-snapshot (2026-10-14); authors with the same name are not always told apart. ## What it is about Using Talstra's text linguistics and the ETCBC database, the author divides Numbers by "elaborate divine speech formulae": a wayyiqtol speech formula ("YHWH spoke to Moses") extended by a place phrase, two place phrases and/or a time phrase. Num 1:1 and 9:1 open two major divisions (1–8, 9–36); within the second, formulae with two place phrases open sections at 20:23, 33:50 and 35:1. The boundaries are then tested with participants: two adjacent sections should share few participants (weak connectivity) and each have many of its own (strong separability), counted as relative frequencies of types and tokens. Changes in the share of shared participants are read as changes of plot or theme. The author argues against starting the division at 9:14 or 10:11. ## Ideas - I1. A boundary rule over the Torah trees: a speech-formula clause (wayyiqtol of דבר/אמר with YHWH as subject and Moses as addressee) that also carries a place phrase and/or a time phrase marks a section opening; list where it fires in Numbers and compare with the paper's 1:1, 9:1, 20:23, 33:50, 35:1 and with the parasha divisions. - I2. Validate any proposed division by participant overlap: for each section, the set of named participants (proper-noun subjects, objects, addressees); report shared vs. unique shares between neighbours. This is cheap, deterministic and explains itself. ## For Mova I1 is a candidate rule for `tools/macula/src/prag.rs` (it already finds speech frames) and a point for [Discourse: narrative, speech and the shape of a text](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/languages/hbo/09-discourse/) (genres, structure). I2 is a participant-tracking measure for the same chapter and for the world built from the trees. ## Cite The paper itself, not this card. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. [DOI 10.7146/hn.v7i1.142917](https://doi.org/10.7146/hn.v7i1.142917) ``` @inproceedings{jin2022analysis, title = {{Analysis of Participants in the Second Major Division of Numbers}}, author = {Jin, Gyusang}, booktitle = {HIPHIL Novum 7}, year = {2022}, doi = {10.7146/hn.v7i1.142917}, url = {https://doi.org/10.7146/hn.v7i1.142917} } ``` - [← previous The System of Masoretic Accentuation: Some Introductory Issues](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo-2022-hoop-system-masoretic-accentuation-some-introductory/) - [next → Do Bashal and Hepsō really mean 'boil'? A preliminary study in the semantics of biblical Hebrew and Septuagint Greek](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo-2022-mangum-bashal-hepso-really-mean-boil/) - [↑ back to Ancient Hebrew](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/papers/hbo/) ## References 4 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet. 1. Allen, Ronald B. 2012. Numbers. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Canu Højgaard, Christian. 2021. “Roles and Relations in Biblical Law: A Study of Participant Tracking, Semantic Roles, and Social Networks in Leviticus 17–26.” Ph.D. diss., Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit Dozeman, Thomas B. 1998. The New Interpreter's Bible: Numbers-Samuel. Nashville: Abingdon Gesenius, Wilhelm. 1910. Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar. Oxford: Clarendon Jin, Gyusang. 2021. “Investigating the Text-hierarchical Structures and Composition of Numbers.” Ph.D. diss., Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit Jin, Gyusang. 2022. "Analysis of Participants in the First Major Division of Numbers," Evangelical Old Testament Studies 22: 8–59. Available from: doi:10.22782/eots.2022.22..001 [↗](https://doi.org/10.22782/eots.2022.22..001) 2. Joosten, Jan. 2012. The Verbal System of Biblical Hebrew: A New Synthesis Elaborated on the Basis of Classical Prose. Jerusalem: Simor Publishing Joüon, Paul. 1991. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Translated by T. Muraoka. Roma: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblio Knierim, Rolf P. 2005. Numbers. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Joosten%2C+Jan%2E+2012%2E+The+Verbal+System+of+Biblical+Hebrew%3A+A+New+Synthesis+Elaborated+on+the+Basis+of+Classical+Prose%2E+Jerusalem%3A+Simor+Publishing+Jo%C3%BCon%2C+Paul%2E+1991%2E+A+Grammar+of+Biblical+Hebrew%2E+Trans) 3. Knierim, Rolf P. 1985. “The Composition of the Pentateuch.” Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers 24: 393–415 [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Knierim%2C+Rolf+P%2E+1985%2E+%E2%80%9CThe+Composition+of+the+Pentateuch%2E%E2%80%9D+Society+of+Biblical+Literature+Seminar+Papers+24%3A+393%E2%80%93415) 4. Levine, Baruch. 1993. Numbers 1–20: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: Doubleday Olson, Dennis T. 1985. The Death of the Old and the Birth of the New: The Framework of the Book of Numbers and the Pentateuch. Chico, CA: Scholars Press Olson, Dennis T. 1997. "Negotiating Boundaries." Interpretation 51.3: 229–240 Noth, Martin. 1968. Numbers: A Commentary. Philadelphia: Westminster Peursen, W. T. van. 2019. "A Computational Approach to Syntactic Diversity in the Hebrew Bible." Journal of Biblical Text Research 44: 237–253 Talstra, Eep. 1997. "A Hierarchy of Clauses in Biblical Hebrew Narrative." Pages 85–105 in Narrative Syntax and the Hebrew Bible: Papers of the Tilburg Conference 1996. Edited by Ellen van Wolde. Leiden: Brill Wenham, Gordon J. 1981 Numbers: An introduction and commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Levine%2C+Baruch%2E+1993%2E+Numbers+1%E2%80%9320%3A+A+New+Translation+with+Introduction+and+Commentary%2E+New+York%3A+Doubleday+Olson%2C+Dennis+T%2E+1985%2E+The+Death+of+the+Old+and+the+Birth+of+the+New%3A+The+Framework+of+the+B)