Audience(s) of the Pentateuch

Determining the original historical audience of the Pentateuch is a complex process, as there are different lines of thought surrounding the precise dating and authoriship of its final canonical form. This article assumes that Moses was the primary author, and that its final canonical version was the product of a later author/editor (possibly Ezra?). Thus, it is important to differentiate between (1) the audience in the Pentateuch, (2) the original audience of the Pentateuch, and (3) future readers of the Pentateuch to whom these writings were not addressed directly.

1. What is meant by audiences in the Pentateuch? God addresses several individuals and peoples in the first five books of the Bible. For example, Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:16-17). When in Genesis 6 Noah is commanded to build an ark, he is not telling the reader of the Pentateuch to build an ark. Abraham is told to leave his country and family (Gen 12:1), Jacob is told to go to Bethel and live there (Gen 35:1), Moses is commanded to lead Israel out of Egypt (Ex 3:7-12), the Israelites are commanded to give their slaves rest on the Sabbath (Ex 20:8-11), etc.

2. The audiences of the Pentateuch would likely have been the Exodus generation (the immediate recipients of the books of Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus?) and the second generation from the Exodus, or the soon-to-be “conquest” generation (the immediate recipients of the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy?). A case can also be made that the final revised version of the Pentateuch as it appears in our Old Testaments could be dated late in Israel’s history, given its remarkable unity, intentionality and singleness of purpose with the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. Thus, this prophetic, second edition of the Pentateuch may have been prepared for a post-exilic generation of Israelites awaiting for a promised Moses-like figure that was still to appear (Deut 18:5; 34:10; Mal 4:4-6; cf Acts 3:22-26).

3. Finally, the Pentateuch aims to instruct and educate future generations of Israelites, ensuring the continuity of their traditions and identity. In addition, the Pentateuch continues to be studied and interpreted by diverse audiences, each finding meaning and value within its stories and teachings.