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NUMBERS, BOOK OF

The fourth book of the Pentateuch. It recounts the story of the Israelites’ preparations for departure from Mt. Sinai and their journey through the wilderness to the Plains of Moab, across the Jordan River from the city of Jericho.

Name

The English name of the book, based on its traditional name in Greek (Arithmoi) and Latin (Numeri) manuscripts, alludes to the several occasions in which Moses is instructed to “number the people” (i.e., take a census; chs. 1, 3–4, 26). The Hebrew name Bamidbar means “In the Wilderness” and better describes the overall content of the book.

Structure

The book is a mixture of dramatic narratives, instructions for camp organization, liturgical calendars, itinerary lists, and laws on subjects as diverse as vows, contact with dead bodies, and the penalty for gathering sticks on the sabbath. It is difficult to discern an outline that accounts for all the details of the book, and proposals are as numerous as the books on the subject. Broadly speaking, there are two main sections introduced by the censuses in chs. 1 and 26. Num. 1–25 covers the period of the generation of those who originally departed from Egypt until their death; it highlights their many acts of disobedience against the God who had delivered them from slavery. Ch. 26 enumerates the second generation, those who had not been in Egypt, and the following chapters picture them by contrast as a people of complete obedience. Thus the name “Numbers” points to a theologically significant theme in the book.

Composition

Tradition holds that the Pentateuch, including Numbers, was written by Moses. The connection of the material in the Pentateuch with Moses as the founding figure of the Israelite community is theologically important because it gives the status of “constitution” to the record of the pre-land, pre-state period of the people’s history. This foundational status of early traditions became crucial for identity and survival in later eras, especially during the Second Temple period (after 520 b.c.e.). Despite the traditional attribution to Moses, it is widely believed by modern scholars that material in the book of Numbers comes from many different periods. Some may be as old as the era of Moses himself, and some stems from the era of the Monarchy, but much comes from the exilic and restoration periods of the people’s life as a community. From this perspective, the book offers insights not primarily into the history of the wilderness era itself, but more into the ways in which memories of the founding era were shaped to give guidance to later generations.

The materials from the era of the Monarchy are commonly attributed to an “Old Epic” source, while those from exilic and restoration times are labeled “Priestly.” Recent scholarship on Numbers tends to deemphasize this “source-critical” analysis in favor of more attention to literary design and theological perspectives discernable in individual passages regardless of their exact date of composition.

It should be noted that as with the OT generally, Numbers is an androcentric composition. It is apparently written by men who consciously or unconsciously presume the interests and concerns of a male audience. Even the story concerning the daughters of Zelophehad (chs. 27, 36) and the legislation concerning vows made by women (ch. 30) function to lay out the rights and responsibilities of men in Israelite culture. Passages such as 14:1-4 in which “all the Israelites” are pictured as worrying about their wives and children also reveal the androcentric orientation of the ancient text.

Historical Value

As noted, most of the material in Numbers is believed to have been written down centuries after the events it purports to describe. Many (although not all) scholars presume that a band of slaves did depart from Egypt and eventually make their way to the territory that became the ancient land of biblical Israel. Rock formations have been identified that can make sense out of the traditions of water gushing from a split rock (ch. 20; Exod. 17). The manna stories fit well with the existence of a sticky substance (excretion from scale lice on tamarisk trees) known in the Sinai Peninsula even today. Yet many of the specific features attributed to the wilderness Israelites may well be later retrojection. The organization of the priesthood as described in Numbers is likely to be the product either of the monarchical period or of the Second Temple era. Many scholars associate the emergence of the 12-tribe organizational pattern with the period of the judges or even later. The itinerary described cannot be reconstructed, as most of the place names given are not identifiable today. Just as with compositional questions, so also the answers to questions about historical details are not essential to an appreciation of the theological themes of the book.

Theological Themes

Among many themes present in the book, three are prominently featured: the holiness of God, the forgiveness of God, and the providence of God.

Holiness

Israel’s God is by definition the Holy One (although this phrase does not appear in Numbers), and that which is profane or impure must not come into contact with the holy. Regulations concerning who may come in contact with the tabernacle and its furnishings (ch. 4), the instructions for consecration of the Levites (ch. 8), the ritual for purification after contact with a dead body (ch. 19), and the procedures for atonement in cases of unintentional ritual infractions (ch. 15) are among the many reminders that Israel must be constituted as a holy people in the presence of the holy God.

Forgiveness

The story of the 12 spies and the people’s refusal to go up into the land promised to them (chs. 13-14) is paradigmatic for understanding divine forgiveness. The unfaithful and disobedient people express their intention to choose new leadership and return to Egypt, thus “despising” God (14:11). Through Moses’ intercessory prayer, God is persuaded not to destroy the people, but to maintain the covenant relationship with the community. There is judgment, to be sure, as the original generation to leave Egypt does not itself enter the Promised Land. Nonetheless, God’s faithfulness to the unfaithful people, as manifest in forgiveness that refuses to break God’s side of the covenant relationship, is foundational for understanding the nature of this Holy God whom Israel worships.

Providence

Divine providence refers to the undergirding care by which God sustains the life of the community. The theme is first highlighted in the giving of the so-called Aaronic benediction or blessing (6:24-26). The significance of God’s will to bless Israel is seen concretely in the dramatic story of Balaam, a foreigner hired by the king of Moab to curse the Israelites. Although Balaam is popularly most famous for his talking donkey, he should better be remembered as the one who repeatedly blesses Israel even though he has been hired to utter curses. The narrator is deliberately ambiguous about whether Balaam speaks the words of blessing of his own will or because God enters his mouth and “compels” him to do so. In a world which took the power of spoken blessings or curses very literally, God’s providential care for Israel was made manifest through Balaam’s words and proclaimed whenever the Aaronic blessing was spoken.

Bibliography. P. D. Miller, “The Blessing of God: An Interpretation of Numbers 6:22-27,” Int 29 (1975): 240-51; D. T. Olson, The Death of the Old and the Birth of the New. BJS 71 (Chico, 1985); Numbers. Interpretation (Louisville, 1996); K. D. Sakenfeld, Journeying with God: A Commentary on the Book of Numbers. ITC (Grand Rapids, 1995).

Katharine Doob Sakenfeld

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

NUMBERS, BOOK OF

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)