tent is a temporary substitute which is not only outside the camp but is only available intermittently to seek Yahweh; it is not permanently established as Yahweh’s official shrine would be. Secondly, the imperfect verbs convey the sense of a passing of time, and are a literary device to slow the narrative at this transitional point. After the tense and sombre narrative preceding, this section provides a pause before the renewed heightening of tension in the intercession of Moses. The implied passing