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Numbers

Numbers

Summary of the Book of Numbers

By H. A. (Buster) Dobbs

  1. Introduction
    1. Written by Moses
    2. Covers 40 years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness
    3. Preparatory to entering the promised land
  2. Forty Years of Wandering (1:1 to 4:49)
    1. Counting the people (1:1-54)
      1. Only males over 20 were counted (1:3)
      2. Levites not included in the count (1:47)
      3. The total was 603,550 males over 20, not including the tribe of Levi
      4. The total number of people would be about three times that number, or almost two million people, and could have been greater
      5. The problem of moving this large number of people from Goshen in Egypt to Sinai and then into Canaan was enormous
    2. Arrangement of the tribes (2:1 to 4:49)
      1. The tabernacle and its attendants were in the center (2:2,17)
      2. On the East side were Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun (2:3-9)
      3. On the South side were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad (2:10-16)
      4. On the West side were Ephraim, Manaseh, Benjamim(2:17-24)
      5. On the North side were Dan, Asher, and Naphtali
      6. Each tribe had its own standard and leader, or prince (1:5-16; 2:2)
      7. Priestly offices and functions (3:1-39)
        1. Generations of Aaron and Moses (3:1)
        2. Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, died before the Lord (3:4)
        3. Aaron’s sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, took the priest’s office (3:4)
        4. Duties of Levites (3:5-9)
        5. The Levites counted and assigned their duties (3:10-39)
      8. Numbering of the firstborn males from a month old, Levites exempted (3:40-45)
      9. Firstborn redeemed by payment of five shekels each (3:46-51)
      10. Duties assigned to Levites (4:1-49)
    3. Purification of the camp (5:1 to 10:10)
      1. Defiled person (ceremonially unclean) excluded from the camp (5:1-4)
      2. Confession and restitution in trespass (5:5-10)
      3. The trial of jealously (5:11-31)
      4. Law of the Nazarites (6:1-21)
      5. Priestly blessing of Israel (6:22-27)
      6. Offering of tribal leaders (princes) to the Levites (7:1-89)
      7. Lighting of the lamps (8:1-4)
      8. Consecration of the Levites (8:5-26)
      9. Passover stipulations (9:1-14)
      10. The Pillar of cloud to guide the Israelites (9:15-23)
      11. The silver trumpets (10:1-10)
    4. Sins on the journey from Sinai to Kadesh (10:11-12:16)
      1. Departure from Mount Sinai (10:11-36)
      2. People complained; burning at Taberah (11:1-3)
      3. Manna from Jehovah (11:4-9)
      4. People long for flesh to eat (11:10-15)
      5. Seventy elders established (11:6-30)
      6. The Israelites fed quails (11:31-35)
      7. Sin of Miriam and Aaron in rebelling against Moses (12:1-16)
    5. Failure at Kadesh (13:1 to 14:14:45)
      1. Spying out the promised land (13:1-33)
      2. Israel rebels (14:1-10)
      3. Moses intercedes (14:11-19)
      4. God condemns Israel to die in the wilderness (14:20-45)
    6. Wandering in the wilderness (15:1 to 19:22)
      1. Sacrifices of animals and wine (15:1-31)
      2. Sabbath breaker stoned (15:32-36)
      3. Fringes on garments (15:37-41)
      4. Sin of Korah (16:1-50)
      5. Aaron’s rod that budded (17:1-13)
      6. Function and place of the priests (18:1 to 19:22)
    7. Sins on the way to Moab (20:1 to 25:18)
      1. Death of Miriam (20:1)
      2. Sin of Moses and Aaron in striking the rock to bring water (20:2-13)
      3. Edom refuses to let the Israelites pass through (20:14-21)
      4. Death of Aaron (20:22-29)
      5. Defeat of the king of Arad (21:1-3)
      6. The burning, fiery serpents and the brazen serpent (21:4-9)
      7. Journey to Moab (21:10-20)
      8. Victory over Sihon (21:21-32)
      9. Victory over Bashan (21:33-35)
      10. Moab, Balak, and Balaam (22:1 to 24:25)
      11. Sin of Baal-Peor (25:1-18)
  3. Reorganization of Israel (26:1 to 27:23)
    1. A second counting of the people (26:1 to 27:23)
      1. Total number of males over 20 was 601,730 (26:1-51)
      2. Inheritance in the land (26:52-65)
    2. Inheritance of daughters (27:1-11)
    3. Israel’s new leader – Joshua (27:12-23)
    4. Regulations and vows (28:1 to 30:16)
      1. Offerings to be observed (28:1-8)
      2. Continual burnt offerings on the sabbath (28:9-10)
      3. Sacrifices at new moons (28:11-25)
      4. Sacrifices on the day of firstfruits (28:26-31)
      5. Sacrifice at the feat of trumpets (29:1-6)
      6. Sacrifice at the afflicting of souls (29:7-11)
    5. Sacrifice of holy convocation at feast of tabernacles (29:12-40)
    6. Regulation of vows (30:1-16)
    7. Conquest and division of Canaan (31:1 to 36:13)
      1. Midianites defeated (31:1-54)
      2. Ruben and Gad inherit on the East side of the Jordan (32:1-42)
      3. Summary of journeys from Rameses to the plain of Moab (33:1-49)
      4. The Canaanites and their idols to be destroyed (33:50-56)
      5. Borders of the land (34:1-16)
      6. Men which shall divide the land (34:17-29)
      7. Cities given to the Levites (35:1-8)
      8. Avenger of wrath and cities of refuge (35:9-34)
      9. Inheritance of daughters, and marrying within the tribe (36:1-13)
Numbers

Moses, Hebrew prophet and lawgiver, founder of the Jewish people. The story of his life is set forth principally in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. According to this account, Moses was born in ancient Egypt, where the Hebrews lived at the time. When the pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, ordered the death of all Hebrew male infants, Moses's mother set him afloat on the Nile River in a basket. He was rescued by the pharaoh's daughter, who brought the infant up as her own child. As an adult, Moses killed an Egyptian and fled from Egypt, living as a shepherd until he was 80 years of age. At this time Yahweh, the god of the Hebrews, commanded Moses to lead his people out of bondage in Egypt.

After convincing the pharaoh to release the Hebrews, Moses led them toward Canaan. A miracle allowed the Hebrews to cross the Red Sea and destroyed an Egyptian army that came upon them. When the Hebrews reached Mount Sinai, Moses ascended the mountain, where Yahweh gave him the Ten Commandments. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Hebrews came at last to Canaan, but Moses died without entering the promised land. Moses was reputedly the author of the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament) as well as other parts of the Old Testament.

Numbers, fourth book of the Old Testament, so named because the opening chapters concern the census, or numbering, of the Israelite tribes. Numbers continues the account of the origins and early history of the Jewish people begun in the books of Genesis and Exodus. The book is concerned chiefly with the Israelites' desert wanderings under the leadership of Moses. It records the events from their final days at Mount Sinai to their arrival, nearly 40 years later, at the plains of Moab, close to the Promised Land of Canaan.

The book can be divided into three sections: (1) the final days at Mount Sinai (1:1-10:10); (2) a period of approximately 38 years of wandering in the desert south of the Promised Land (10:11-20:13 or, as some scholars prefer, 10:11-21:13); and (3) the final approach to the border of Canaan from the east. Notable throughout is the emphasis on matters of interest to the priests of Israel, indicating that the main source of the book's subject matter probably dates from about the 6th century BC.

Moses wrote Numbers after the Israelites arrival in Caanan, which would place Numbers as being written around 1406 B.C. Moses most likely kept a journal of the events and later put them into final form.