The wilderness narratives Ex 15:22-17:7 and Num 11:1-20:13 are shaped by striking repetitions as well as breaks in style and content. This study describes the continued interaction between the various text signals and the 'co-operative reader' who attempts to achieve a coherent reading. This type of an ideal reader alludes to the concepts of reception theorists W. Iser and U. Eco and is applied here for the benefit of the narratives of the Old Testament. A second main part 4demonstrates systematically the narrative tools of guiding the reader within the wilderness narratives. This approach...