The function of reciting (actually chanting—for Scripture and national epic were sung, not read) Pentateuch and Homer at national reunions is the same in both cases. The narrative knits the segments of the nation together telling how they achieved their place in history in the course of a great event (The Exodus or the Trojan War). All of the tribes and their leaders are heroic. The text brings in each tribe by name.... there must be an honoured place for all.

Ch.VIII Further Observations on the Bible - The Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations (1965 [1962])