BIBLE STUDY --- THE BOOKS OF THE TORAH

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS – PART 1

Fourth book of the English Bible. Its title is the English translation of the Latin Vulgate title, Numeri. The book takes this name from the fact that several rosters of various kinds are recorded in the book, specifically, the two army musters in chapters 1 and 26, the tribal camp and march arrangements in chapter 2, and the Levitical censuses in chapters 3 and 4.

AUTHOR

The question of the authorship of Numbers is part of the larger question of the authorship of the Torah. Until the appearance of the higher-critical documentary theories of the 19th century, the Mosaic authorship of the Torah was almost universally held by both Jews and gentile believers alike. This time-honoured tradition is supported by the Torah itself {e.g., Exodus 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Numbers 33:2; Deuteronomy 31:9, 24}, the rest of the Old Testament {e.g., Joshua 23:6; Judges 3:4; Malachi 4:4}, as well as Yeshua’ teaching {e.g., John 5:46-47}, and the rest of the New Testament {e.g., Acts 28:23; Romans 10:19; 1 Corinthians 9:9}. Although discrepancies in the Torah were widely and openly acknowledged, nevertheless Moses, the 15th-century BC Lawgiver, was affirmed as the primary author of the Torah literature.

BACKGROUND

SINAI PENINSULA

The historical background of Numbers begins primarily in the geographical region of the Sinai Peninsula of the mid-second millennium BC. The Sinai Peninsula is in the shape of an inverted triangle with the base on the north. It is approximately 240 miles {386.2 kilometres} long from north to south and 175 miles {281.6 kilometres} wide at the northern base, with an area of approximately 22,000 square miles {56,980 square kilometres}. It is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and the southern border of Canaan, on the west by the Bitter Lakes and the Gulf of Suez, and on the east by the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba. Beginning in the north at the Mediterranean coast and moving south, for about 15 miles {24.1 kilometres} the soil is sandy. South of this coastal plain is a high plateau {Et-Tih} of gravel and limestone {about 2,500 feet, or 762 meters, above sea level}, stretching south into the peninsula for approximately 150 miles {241.4 kilometres}. Rising above the plateau at this point is a granite mountain formation with peaks up to 8,000 feet {2,438.4 meters} above sea level. In this mountainous region at the apex of the peninsular triangle, Jebel Musa {7,363 feet, or 2,244.2 meters, high}, the traditional site where Israel camped before Mount Sinai and Moses received the Law, rises above the plain. The peninsula itself is comprised of five wilderness areas. In the north and immediately east of the land of Goshen is the approximately 40-mile- or 64.4-kilometer- wide wilderness of Shur, which runs past the River of Egypt {Wadi el-Arish} to the region of Kadesh-barnea and northeast to Beersheba. East of this region is the wilderness of Zin, extending east from the wilderness of Shur to the southern tip of the Dead Sea. Kadesh-barnea is located on its southern border {Numbers 20:1; 33:36}. South of the wilderness of Shur is the wilderness of Etham, and east of this wilderness in the east-central region of Sinai is the great wilderness of Paran {Deuteronomy 1:19}. Kadesh-barnea is on the northern border of this territory {Numbers 13:26}. In this area the Israelites spent 38 of their 40 years of wandering. Southwest of the wilderness of Paran, on the western slopes of the peninsula, not far from the granite mountains standing in the southern apex of the triangle, is the wilderness of Sin. While the region is generally desolate and barren, it is not impassable or incapable of sustaining travellers. Wells and springs dot both the western and eastern borders at reasonable distances from each other. The water table is fairly close to ground level, making the digging of wells possible {Numbers 20:17; 21:16-18}. The limestone rocks are also capable of holding great amounts of water {20:11}. Vegetation is sparse except around the more permanent streams where vegetation and date palms flourish. The rainy season in winter is approximately 20 days. Quail {11:31-32} are known to migrate across the peninsula to Europe in the spring.

THE PEOPLES ISRAEL CONFRONTED

AMALEKITES AND CANAANITES {14:25, 43-45; 24:20}

The Amalekites were descendants of Amalek, son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau {Genesis 36:12, 16}. They were generally a nomadic people. In the Sinai Peninsula they were the first to war against Israel at Rephidim {cf. Numbers 24:20}, perhaps the Wadi Refayid in southwest Sinai {Exodus 17:8-16}, before Israel reached Horeb. A year later, the Amalekites settled in the hills and valleys north of Kadesh-barnea. In league with the Canaanites, the inhabitants of Palestine, they blocked the effort of Israel to invade the land of promise from the south {Numbers 14:45}. Israel’s will to wage war appears to have been completely broken for years to come.

EDOMITES {20:14-21; 21:4, 10-11}

Edom, or Seir {24:18}, is the territory south of the Dead Sea occupied by Esau’s descendants. Stretching from its northern border at the Wadi Zered {21:12}, which flowed into the Dead Sea at its southern tip, 100 miles {160.9 kilometres} south to the Gulf of Aqaba, it occupied both sides of the Arabah, with Kadesh-barnea again standing on the edge of its western border {20:16}, giving it a land area of approximately 4,000 square miles {10,360 square kilometres}. It is a rugged mountain region with peaks rising to 3,500 feet {1,066.8 meters}. The “king’s highway,” an ancient trade route from Damascus through the Transjordan to the Gulf of Aqaba, passed through its territory and major cities, Bozrah and Leman. While Edom was not fertile, it did have cultivable areas {20:17-19}. During Israel’s march to the Transjordan region, Edom refused to let Israel journey directly east from Kadesh through its territory but forced Israel to move southeast into and up the Arabah {21:4, 11}. In spite of this hostility to YHVH’s people, Israel was forbidden to attack {Deuteronomy 2:2-8} or to hate the Edomites {23:7}, and so Edom was spared from destruction during the conquest of the land. The area was later conquered by David {2 Samuel 8:13-14} according to Balaam’s prophecy {Numbers 24:18}.

ARAD {21:1-3}

Arad was a south Canaanite settlement in the Negev. Its king, after fighting against Israel and taking some captives, was later defeated at Hormah.

MOABITES {21:11-15; 22:1–24:25}

Moab, occupied by the descendants of Lot {Genesis 19:37}, is the territory east of the Dead Sea lying primarily between the Wadi Arnon {Numbers 21:13} and the Wadi Zered with a land area of approximately 1,400 square miles {3,626 square kilometres}. In the late middle Bronze Age, the Moabites had overflowed their main plateau and had extended well to the north of the Arnon all the way to the northern end of the Dead Sea {21:20}. At the time of the events recorded in Numbers however, the Amorites occupied the area from Arnon all the way north to the Wadi Jabbok {verses 13, 21-24}, having earlier taken this land from Moab {verses 26-30}. The Moabite kingdom was highly organized, with agriculture and livestock, splendid buildings, distinctive pottery, and strong fortifications around her borders. Its god was Chemosh {verse 29}. Balak, king of Moab during the period of the conquest, in league with Midian, hired Balaam to curse Israel {chapters 22–24}. When this failed, the two heathen powers sought to neutralize Israel by luring the people of YHVH into the worship of Chemosh and into idolatry {25:1-2}. In the war that ensued, Israel defeated Midian {31:1-18}, but by YHVH’s express command {Deuteronomy 2:9-13} spared Moab. But as Balaam had prophesied earlier {Numbers 24:17}, David in the 11th century warred against and defeated Moab {2 Samuel 8:2, 13-14}.

AMORITES {21:21-35}

The Amorites, the people who had occupied northern Moabite territory {Numbers 21:25-30}, were descendants of Canaan {Genesis 10:16} who had scattered throughout the hill country on both sides of the Jordan River. Heshbon was their capital city. Both Sihon of Heshbon and Og of Bashan were Amorite kings {Deuteronomy 3:8}. As for Bashan {Numbers 21:33-35; cf. Deuteronomy 1:4; 3:1-12}, it is the fertile grazing region {Numbers 32:1-5} east of the Sea of Kinnereth {Galilee}, whose northern border extended to Mount Hermon and whose southern border, while normally the river Yarmuk, in the Mosaic age was the Wadi Jabbok {Joshua 12:4-5}. Its land area covered approximately 5,000 square miles {12,950 square kilometres}. Its major cities were Ashtaroth, Edrei, and Golan. After the conquest of the land, this territory fell to the half-tribe of Manasseh, with Gad occupying southern Gilead, and Reuben the region south to the Wadi Arnon.

MIDIANITES {25:16-18; 31:1-54}

The Midianites, descendants of Abraham through the concubine Keturah {Genesis 25:2}, were desert dwellers in Transjordan from Moab to the region south of Edom. The elders of Moab and Midian cooperated in hiring Balaam to curse Israel {Numbers 22:4-7}. Later, when that effort proved fruitless, the Midianites, again with Moab, led Israel into idolatry and immorality {25:1-6, 14-15}. Cozbi, the Midianite woman who was executed for her wickedness {25:8}, was the daughter of Zur, one of the five Midianite kings confederate with the Amorite king Sihon {Joshua 13:21} who were later killed in Israel’s holy war against Midian {Numbers 31:8}. This war with Midian apparently broke the back of any remaining Amorite resistance, for Joshua 13:15-23 clearly intimates that as a result the tribe of Reuben occupied this territory.

PURPOSE

Numbers serve a twofold purpose. First, as a historical book, it contains the account of Israel’s fortunes from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab on the eve of the conquest of Canaan -- that almost-40-year period spent in the wilderness of Sinai and in Transjordan {1447–1407 BC}. While recounting Israel’s many failures and YHVH’s many faithful acts, it depicts Moses, Israel’s leader, in all of his greatness and in all of his weakness. The two army rolls {chapters 2 and 26} introduce the “acts” of the main drama of its history: the first in preparation for entering the land, which failed due to Israel’s unbelief; the second, after the death of the entire generation that left Egypt, in preparation for the successful invasion of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership. Second, in line with Paul’s general belief that “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope” {Romans 15:4}, and in keeping with his specific teaching that “these things [that befell Israel in the wilderness] happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come” {1 Corinthians 10:11}, Numbers serves a doctrinal, typical, and hortatory purpose {cf. verse 12}. Historical events are divinely invested with spiritual truths, thereby becoming object lessons for the believer.

CONTENT

CHAPTER 1

Adonai Commanded Moses to register {Numbers 1:18} the men able to go to war {verses 2-3}. The total number of soldiers in Israel was 603,550 {verse 46}. The Levites were not numbered in this roll {verses 47-54}, since they were to be set apart for special service pertaining to the tabernacle.

CHAPTER 2

Adonai instructed Moses concerning the arrangement of the tribes while encamped and on the march. With the tabernacle in the centre of the camp, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, totalling 186,400 {verse 9}, were to camp on the east; Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, totalling 151,450 {verse 16}, were to camp on the south; Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, totalling 108,100 {verse 24}, were to camp on the west; and Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, totalling 157,600 {verse 31}, were to camp on the north. On the march, Judah’s east group {verse 9} was to set out first, followed by Reuben’s south group {verse 16}. The Levites with the tabernacle were to follow {verse 17}. Then Ephraim’s west group {verse 24} was to follow the Levites, with Dan’s north group {verse 31} bringing up the rear. This means that the Levites were flanked by two groups, before and behind.