Book of Numbers – Read, Study Bible Verses Online

summary of the book of numbers

This summary of the Book of Numbers provides information on the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, subject, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of Numbers.

title

The English name of the book comes from the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of at) and is based on the census lists found in chs. 1; 26. The book’s Hebrew title (bemidbar, “in the wilderness”) is more descriptive of its content. Numbers presents an account of the 38-year period of Israel’s wilderness wanderings after the establishment of the Sinai covenant (compare 1:1 with Deut 1:1).

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author and date

the book has traditionally been attributed to moses. This conclusion is based on (1) statements about Moses’ writing activity (eg, 33:1-2; ex 17:14; 24:4; 34:27) and (2) the assumption that the The first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, are a unit and come from a single author. see introduction to genesis: author and date of writing.

However, it is not necessary to state that the numbers came complete and in final form from the hand of Moses. Parts of the book were probably added by scribes or editors in later periods of Israel’s history. For example, Moses’ protest of humility (12:3) would hardly be convincing if it came from his own mouth. But it seems reasonable to assume that Moses wrote the essential content of the book.

content

numbers tells the story of israel’s journey from mount sinai to the plains of moab on the border of canaan. Much of its legislation for the people and priests is similar to that of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. The book speaks of the murmuring and rebellion of God’s people and their subsequent judgment. Those whom God had redeemed from slavery in Egypt and with whom he had made a covenant at Mount Sinai responded not with faith, gratitude, and obedience, but with disbelief, ingratitude, and repeated acts of rebellion, culminating in their refusal. to undertake the conquest of Canaan (ch. 14). the community of the redeemed lost its part in the promised land. they were condemned to live their entire lives in the desert; only his children would enjoy the fulfillment of the promise that had originally been his (cf. heb 3, 7 – 4, 11).

theological teaching

In telling the story of Israel’s wilderness wanderings, the numbers offer much that is theologically significant. during the first year after israel’s deliverance from egypt, the nation made a covenant with the lord at sinai to be the people of his kingdom, among whom he pitched his royal tent (the tabernacle)-this is the story of the Exodus. When the story of the numbers begins, the Lord organizes Israel into a military camp. leaving sinai, they march as their conquering army, with the lord at their head, to establish his kingdom in the promised land in the midst of the nations. the book graphically portrays israel’s identity as the lord’s redeemed covenant people and his vocation as god’s servant people, charged with establishing his kingdom on earth. God’s purpose in the story is implicitly revealed: to invade the arena of fallen humanity and effect the redemption of his creation, the mission in which his people must also be fully engaged.

Numbers also presents God’s punishing wrath against his disobedient people. Because of his rebellion (and especially the nation’s refusal to undertake the conquest of Canaan), Israel was in violation of the covenant. the fourth book of the pentateuch presents a sobering reality: the god who had made an alliance with abraham (ge 15; 17), who had freed his people from slavery in the exodus (ex 14-15), who had brought israel to the alliance with himself as his “precious treasure” (ex 19; see especially ex 19:5) and the one who had revealed his holiness and the means of grace to approach him (lev 1-7) was also a god of wrath. His wrath extended to his wandering sons as well as to the enemy nations of Egypt and Canaan.

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even moses, the great prophet and servant of the lord, was not exempt from god’s wrath when he disobeyed god. chap. 20, which records his error, begins with the notice of Miriam’s death (20:1) and concludes with the record of Aaron’s death (20:22-29). here is the passage of the old guard. those whom god has used to establish the nation are dying before the nation comes into being.

The questions arise: Is God finished with the nation as a whole (cf. Ro 11:1)? Are his promises a thing of the past? In one of the most remarkable sections of the Bible – the account of Balaam, the pagan soothsayer (chs. 22 – 24) – the answer is given. The Lord, acting providentially and directly, proclaims his continued fidelity to his purpose for his people despite their infidelity to him.

balaam is moab’s response to moses, the man of god. he is an internationally known prophet who shares the pagan belief that the god of israel is like any other deity who can be manipulated through acts of magic or sorcery. But from the very first part of the narrative, when Balaam first meets the one true god in visions, and in the donkey-ride narrative (ch. 22), he begins to learn that dealing with the true god is fundamentally different from anything you’ve ever known. when he tries to curse israel at the instigation of balak, king of moab, balaam finds that his mouth is unable to express the curse he wishes to utter. Instead, from his lips come blessings on Israel and curses on his enemies (chs. 23-24).

In his seven prophetic oracles, Balaam proclaims God’s great blessing for his people (see 23:20). Although the immediate enjoyment of this blessing will always depend on the faithfulness of his people, the final realization of God’s blessing is certain, due to God’s character (see 23:19). Therefore, the numbers reaffirm God’s continuing purposes. despite his judgment on his rebellious people, god is still determined to bring israel to the promised land. his blessing for israel rests in his sovereign will.

the book’s teaching has lasting meaning for israel and for the church (cf. ro 15:4; 1co 10:6,11). God shows his wrath even against his wayward people, but his grace is renewed as surely as the dawn and his redemptive purpose will not be thwarted.

special problem

The large number of men recruited into Israel’s army (see, for example, the figures at 1:46; 26:51) has puzzled many interpreters. the number of men mustered for war seems to require a total population in excess of 2,000,000. Such numbers seem excessively large for the time, for the place, for the desert journeys, and in comparison with the inhabitants of Canaan. see note at 3:43.

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Several possibilities have been suggested to solve this problem. some have thought that the numbers may have been corrupted in transmission. the present text, however, reveals no textual difficulties with the numbers.

Others have felt that the Hebrew word for “thousand” might have a different meaning here than its usual numerical connotation. in some passages, for example, the word is a technical term for a company of men that may or may not equal 1,000 (eg, Jos 22:14, “family division”; 1sa 23:23, “clans” ). Furthermore, some have postulated that this Hebrew word means “chief” (as in Ge 36:15). thus the figure 53,400 (26:47) would mean “53 chiefs plus 400 men”. such a procedure would produce a very small total, but would be at variance with the fact that the Hebrew text adds the “thousands” in the same way that it adds the “hundreds” for a large total. additionally, this would make the ratio of bosses to combatants very heavy (59 bosses per 300 men in simeon).

Another option is to read the Hebrew word for “thousand” as having a dual meaning of “chief” and “1000”, with the chiefs one less than the indicated figure. for example, ruben’s 46,500 (1:20) reads as 45 chiefs and 1,500 warriors, simeon’s 59,300 (1:23) reads as 58 chiefs and 1,300 warriors, etc. but in this case, as in the first, the totals at 1:46 and 2:32 must be considered misunderstandings (perhaps by later scribes).

yet another approach is to regard numbers as symbolic figures rather than strictly mathematical. the numerical value of the Hebrew letters in the expression bene yisra’el (“the Israelite community”, 1:2) is equal to 603 (the number of the thousands of combatants, 1:46); the remaining 550 (plus 1 for Moses) could come from the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew letters in the expression “all the men… who can serve in the army” (1:3). This symbolic use of numbers (called “gematria”) is not unknown in the Bible (see Revelation 13:18), but it is not likely in numbers, where there are no literary clues pointing in that direction. (For one more option [hyperbole] see note at 1c 12:23-27.)

while the problem of the great number has not been solved satisfactorily, the bible indicates a remarkable increase in the descendants of jacob during the four centuries of his stay in egypt (see ex 1:7-12). For all their difficulties, these numbers also point to the great role of providence and miracles in God’s dealings with his people during his life in the wilderness (see note at 1:46).

structure and layout

The book has three main divisions, based on the geographic locations of Israel. each of the three divisions has two parts, as the following breakdown demonstrates: (1) israel at sinai, preparing to leave for the promised land (1:1 – 10:10), followed by the journey from sinai to kadesh (10:11-12:16); (2) israel in kadesh, delayed as a result of the rebellion (13:1 – 20:13), followed by kadesh’s journey to the plains of moab (20:14 – 22:1); (3) israel on the plains of moab, anticipating the conquest of the promised land (22:2 – 32:42), followed by appendices dealing with various matters (chs. 33 – 36).

• israel at sinai, preparing to depart for the promised land (1:1; 10:10)
  • the orders for the census of the people (chs. 1-4)
    1. the number of men from each tribe gathered for war (ch. 1)
    2. the location of the tribes around the tabernacle and their order of march (ch. 2)
    3. the placement of the levites around the tabernacle, and the number of the levites and the firstborn of israel (ch. 3)
    4. the number of the levites in their tabernacle service for the lord (ch. 4 )
    1. the purity test in the law of jealousy (ch. 5)
    2. the Nazirite vow and the Aaronic blessing (ch. 6)
    3. the offerings of the 12 leaders at the dedication of the tabernacle (ch. 7)
    4. the setting up of the lamps and the separation of the Levites (ch. 8)
    5. the observance of the Passover ( 9 :1-14)
    6. the covering cloud and the silver trumpets (9:15; 10:10)
    • the beginning of the journey (10:11-36)
    • the beginning of sorrows: fire and quail (ch. 11)
    • the opposition of miriam and aaron (ch. 12)
    • the 12 spies and their mixed report from the good land (ch. 13)
    • the people’s rebellion against god’s commission and their defeat (ch. 14)
    • a collection of laws on offerings, the Sabbath, and tassels on garments (ch. 15)
    • the rebellion of Korah and his allies (ch. 16)
    • the offspring of aaron’s staff : a sign for the rebels (ch. 17)
    • about the priests, their duties and their support (ch. 18)
    • the red heifer and the cleansing water (ch. 19)
    • Moses’ sin (20:1-13)
    • Edom’s resistance (20:14-21)
    • Aaron’s death (20:22-29)
    • Arad’s destruction (21:1 -3)
    • the bronze serpent (21:4-9)
    • the song of the well and the journey to moab (21:10-20)
    • the defeat of sihon and og (21:21-35)
    • israel returns to moab (22:1)
    • Balak of Moab hires Balaam to curse Israel (22:2-41)
    • Balaam blesses Israel in seven oracles (ch. 23-24)
    • baal of worse and the apostasy of israel (ch. 25)
    • the second census (ch. 26)
    • instructions for the rising generation (ch. 27-30)
      1. inheritance for women (27:1-11)
      2. Moses’ successor (27:12-23)
      3. commandments regarding offerings (28: 1-15)
      4. commandments related to festivals (28:16; 29:40)
      5. commandments related to vows (ch. 30)
      • the stages of the journey (ch. 33)
      • the land of inheritance (ch. 34-35)
      • the inheritance for women (ch. 36 )

      from the niv study bible, introductions to the books of the bible, numbers copyright 2002 © zondervan. All rights reserved. used with permission.

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