The Book of Numbers
About
Numbers is the fourth book of the Bible, and it carries forward the story of Israel after their exodus from slavery in Egypt. God brought them to Mount Sinai and entered into a covenant with them. And despite Israel’s rebellion, God graciously provided a way for them to live near his holy presence in the tabernacle.
The book of Numbers begins as the people of Israel end their one-year stay at Mount Sinai and head into the wilderness on their way to the land God promised to Abraham. The book’s storyline is designed according to the stages of their journey. The first section begins at Mount Sinai (Num. 1-10a) then continues as they set out and travel to the wilderness of Paran (Num. 10b-19). From there, they journey towards the plains of Moab (Num. 20-36), right across from the promised land.
Who Wrote the Book of Numbers?
Context
Key Themes
- God’s desire for holiness and order
- God’s mercy toward Israel and its sin
- The unwavering faithfulness of God to his covenant promises
- Israel’s preparation for entering the promised land
Structure
Numbers 1-10a: God’s Presence With Israel
The first section (Num. 1-4) opens with a census where the people are numbered—this is where the book gets its name. The section continues with laws about how the tribes of Israel were to be arranged in their camp. The tabernacle was at the center, surrounded by the priests and Levites, and then the twelve tribes were neatly arranged with Judah at the head. This is all an elaborate symbol of how God’s holy presence was at the center of their existence as a people.
This is followed by a series of laws that further develop the ritual purity laws found in Leviticus. If God’s presence was in their midst, every effort should be made to make the camp pure, a place that welcomes God’s holiness.
Numbers 10b-19: Rebellion in the Wilderness
In chapter 10, the cloud of God’s presence lifts from the tabernacle and guides Israel away from Sinai into the wilderness. Immediately things go terribly wrong. In chapter 11, the people complain about hunger and long to go back to Egypt. And then in chapter 12, Moses’ own brother and sister oppose and badmouth him in front of all the people. Things are not off to a good start.
The next section of the book of Numbers begins as the people arrive in the desert of Paran, about halfway to the promised land. God tells Moses to send out twelve spies, one for each tribe, to investigate the land (Num. 13-14). When they return, ten of them say that there is no chance Israel can survive because the Canaanites will annihilate them. And even though two spies, Caleb and Joshua, say God can save them, the people are whipped up into a fearful rage and start planning a mutiny to appoint a new leader and go back to Egypt.
God is understandably angry, and Moses intercedes once again and calls upon God to be faithful to his promises to Abraham. God agrees, but not at the expense of justice. He gives the Israelites what they want—to not enter the land—and sentences that generation to wander in the wilderness for forty years until they die. Only their children will get to enter the land.
You’d think such a severe consequence would jolt the Israelites into awareness, but the rebellion gets worse. In the next story, a whole group of Levites begins a rebellion, challenging Moses and Aaron’s leadership. God deals severely with them and then renews his commitment to Moses and Aaron as Israel’s leaders.
Numbers 20–36: God’s Mercy on Israel
As they leave the region of Paran, things do not improve for the Israelites. They complain about their thirst and ask why Moses ever brought them out of Egypt. God tells Moses to speak to a rock and bring out water for the people, but Moses rebels and oversteps his bounds (Num. 20:10). He hits the rock twice and says, “You rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Moses dishonors God by putting himself in God’s place, receiving the same fate as the wilderness generation—he’ll die in the desert and never enter the promised land.
The Israelites rebel yet again (Num. 21), and God brings a strange judgment upon them—venomous snakes to bite the people. Moses yet again intercedes for the people, and God tells Moses to make a bronze snake and lift it up on a pole so that whoever looks at it will be healed of the poison. It’s a strange symbol that speaks to the challenge of God’s covenant faithfulness. He’s right to bring his justice on the people’s evil and sin, but even his judgment is transformed into a source of life for those who look to him for healing.
From here, the people head into the plains of Moab (Num. 22-36). The first main part of this section focuses on the strange figure of Balaam. The king of Moab is disturbed by this huge group of people traveling through his land, so he hires a sorcerer named Balaam to curse Israel. But Balaam finds that he can’t curse them. Three times he tries, yet he can utter only blessings on Israel. Balaam fails to curse Israel, and then God gives him a vision of a future Israelite king who will one day bring God’s justice to the nations, recalling Jacob’s promise to Judah in Genesis 49.
Now it’s worth stopping to reflect on the flow of the book so far. The stories of rebellion in the wilderness have been heaping up and getting worse and worse. While God did bring a partial and momentary act of justice upon Israel, he has also shown mercy by providing food and water along the way. Then the Balaam story shows God’s grace in vivid colors. Israel is down in the camp grumbling and rebelling, while up in the hills, God is protecting and even blessing them.
It’s this contrast between Israel’s rebellion and God’s faithfulness in the wilderness that make these stories so important for later generations of Israel. The wilderness stories were retold time and time again by later biblical prophets (Isa. 63; Ezek. 20; Jer. 7), poets (Ps. 78; Ps. 95; Ps. 106), and apostles in the New Testament (1 Cor. 10; Heb. 3-4). They saw these stories as a warning. God will forever remain faithful to his covenant promises, but he will also allow his people to walk away in rebellion and face the consequences of their actions.
The rest of the book of Numbers focuses on the children of the wilderness generation who are preparing to inherit the promised land. After another census is taken of this new generation (Num. 26), they win a number of battles with people groups on the edge of the promised land. These battles enable a few tribes of Israel to settle on the far side of the land (Num. 34-36).
The book concludes with a new generation of Israel ready to enter into the land. A moment of rest allows Moses to deliver his final words of wisdom and warning, which is what we find in the next book of the Torah.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most common questions people ask online about this book.
This book is called Numbers because Moses “numbers,” or counts, the people of Israel twice over the course of the narrative. At the beginning of Numbers, God tells Moses to take a census of all fighting-age men in the Israelite camp as they prepare to encounter the Canaanites (Num. 1:2). Then God gives Moses the same instruction near the end of the book (Num. 26:2). The events taking place in the story between the two censuses explain this odd repetition.
When Moses counts the people at the beginning of the book, they are about to enter the promised land. But shortly after the census, Moses sends 12 spies to scout out their new home. Most of the spies bring back a frightening report about strong nations who already live there (Num. 13:26-33). So rather than trusting God to protect them, the people rebel against him and refuse to enter the land (Num. 14:1-4).
As a result, God tells Moses that none of the Israelites counted in the first census will enter the land —except the two spies who brought back a good report, Caleb and Joshua (Num. 14:20-35; see Num. 14:6-9). So the people wander around in the wilderness for 40 years until that entire generation has died (Num. 26:63-65).
When God tells Moses to take another census, he’s counting the second generation, as they prepare to do what their parents failed to do—follow God into the promised land.
The book of Numbers teaches us that God is faithful even when his people are not. After delivering them from slavery in Egypt, God leads the Israelites through the wilderness. He consistently provides for all of their needs. But the people continuously complain and rebel against God.
Within the book of Numbers is a mirrored structure, highlighting seven stories about the people’s repeated failure to trust God:
A:The people rebel, and God sends fire (Num. 11:1-3).
B:The people complain, and God provides quail (Num. 11:4-35).
- C:Aaron and Miriam rebel against Moses’ leadership (Num. 12).
- D: The people rebel and refuse to enter the promised land (Num. 13-14).
- C’: Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebel against Moses’ leadership (Num. 16-17).
B’: The people complain, and God provides water (Num. 20:1-13).
A’: The people rebel, and God sends fiery snakes (Num. 21:4-9).
At the center of this structure is a story about Moses sending 12 spies to scout out the promised land (Num. 13-14). When they return, 10 of the spies offer a terrifying report about the powerful nations who live there. So the people become afraid and refuse to follow God into the new land he is generously providing for them.
In response, God does not force them to enter the promised land. Instead, they will wander in the wilderness until their lives have ended. Their children, who are the next generation of Israelites, will choose to enter and enjoy their new home.
Even though the first generation rebels against God, he nevertheless chooses to protect and provide for Israel in the wilderness. When a sorcerer named Balaam tries to curse Israel, he can only utter blessings because God is with them (Num. 22-24). God remains faithful to his people, despite their unfaithfulness.
The book of Numbers describes God as a faithful provider. He chooses to remain present with the Israelites as he guides them through the wilderness, toward a good land, and the promise of a new home (Num. 9:15-23, Num. 10:11-12, Num. 33:50-53). During their arduous journey, he provides all the bread, meat, and water they need (Num. 11:4-9, Num. 11:31-32; Num. 20:7-11).
But God does not force or coerce people; he always allows the people of Israel to choose whether or not they will trust him with their needs. And when they do not trust him, he allows his people to face the consequences of their choices.
As the Israelites encounter challenges in the wilderness, they often grumble against God, rather than relying on him to provide as he has in the past. In response, God turns them over to the results of their hard-heartedness. For example, when the people refuse to trust that God will lead them safely into the promised land (Num. 14:1-4), they forfeit their opportunity to enter the land. Instead, they’ll wander aimlessly in the wilderness for 40 years. This makes up the lifespan of the entire first generation (Num. 14:20-25), the adults whom God delivered from slavery in Egypt.
Still, rather than abandoning the rebellious generation to wander in the wilderness alone, God’s presence continues to lead them one step at a time until they pass away. And then he brings their children, the second generation, safely into the promised land.
The book of Exodus shows us the people of Israel escaping from brutal enslavement in Egypt (Exod. 1-5). God frees them from bondage and leads them out of Egypt and into freedom in the wilderness, where he meets with them at Mount Sinai (Exod. 12-19).
There, God appears to them in fire and smoke and enters into a special relationship with them. He gives them instructions for how to live and follow him (Exod. 19-31). Those instructions continue through the book of Leviticus, which focuses on what God’s people must do in order to live in his presence.
The book of Numbers picks up where Leviticus ends. The people are still at Mount Sinai (Num. 1:1), receiving God's final instructions before he leads them towards Canaan (Num. 10:11-12). The rest of the book of Numbers traces Israel’s journey to the promised land and describes God’s repeated provision along the way.
The book of Numbers contains multiple blessings declared over the Israelites. But the most well-known is the priestly blessing given by the high priest, Aaron, and his sons (Num. 6:22-27). This blessing is found in the Ketef Hinnom scrolls, the oldest surviving biblical texts found by archaeologists, which date back to the 6th century B.C.E.
In the Hebrew Bible, to “bless” is to declare God’s life-presence over another. It’s a call for God to bring his abundance, security, and peace to that person or people group. In the priestly blessing, Aaron and his sons bring God’s blessing to the Israelites, announcing six actions that God will do for their flourishing:
“May Yahweh bless you
and keep you,
may Yahweh make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
may Yahweh lift up his face on you
and place on you peace.” (Num. 6:24-26, BP Translation)
God explains that through this blessing, the priests place God’s name or presence upon the Israelites. The Israelites' way of living in the world will either exalt or stain God's reputation among the nations. If the Israelites obey God’s instructions, they will exalt his reputation and experience God’s abundance, security, and peace.
Other blessings in the book of Numbers are spoken by an Aramean prophet-sorcerer named Balaam (Num. 23:1-24:14). Balak, the King of Moab, tries to hire Balaam to proclaim curses over Israel. But since Balaam is permitted to speak only as God instructs him, he can only declare blessings over Israel. Balaam’s blessings echo God's promises to Israel’s forefather, Abraham—the people will be as numerous as the dust of the ground, and whoever blesses them will be blessed (Num. 23:10, Num. 24:9; see Gen. 12:2-3, Gen. 13:16).
In the book of Numbers, Joshua is one of the 12 Israelite spies sent to explore the land of Canaan (Num. 13:1-25). But when the spies return, only two—Joshua and Caleb—give a favorable report, trusting God to lead them into the promised land. The other spies tremble in fear of the land’s residents, distrust God, and convince other Israelites not to enter (Num.13:26-14:10).
In response, God allows the Israelites to continue wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, until that distrusting generation dies out. Even Moses dies before setting foot in the promised land. Of the original generation, only Joshua and Caleb will get to enter the promised land, and this is made possible because of their faithfulness to God (Num.14:26-35).
Later in the book of Numbers, Moses asks God to raise up a new leader, one who will tend to the flock of Israel like Adam, who looked after the animals in Eden (Num. 27:15-17; see Gen. 2:19-20). So God appoints Joshua as Moses’ successor to lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan (Num. 27:18-21).
As Moses led the people out of Egyptian captivity and into the wilderness, now Joshua will lead them out of the difficult wilderness and into the promised land. And like Moses, God’s Spirit will empower Joshua as he leads Israel (Num.27:18).
Yet Joshua does not completely fill Moses’ shoes, even though Moses imparts some of his “splendor” (Hebrew hod, often translated as “authority,” Num. 27:20) to Joshua. Moses was both the nation’s leader and a priest, but those responsibilities will now be split between Joshua and Eleazer, the high priest (Num.27:21). Also, God does not speak with Joshua face-to-face as he did with Moses, and Joshua does not perform as many mighty works. So God’s promise to bring a prophet “like Moses” awaits a future fulfillment (Deut. 18:15-18, Deut. 34:10-12).
In the Bible, authors often use the number 40 to mark the length of time that people experience a test from God. In the book of Numbers, twelve Israelite spies scout out the land of Canaan for 40 days (Num. 13:1-25), but only two of the spies remain faithful to God, trusting his promise to give them the land.
Sadly, the Israelites cling to the negative report about the land from the other 10 spies. They fear that if they enter the land, Israel will be devoured by the Canaanites who live there already. So the people grumble against Moses and Aaron and talk about choosing a leader to take them back to Egypt (Num. 14:1-4).
In response, God declares that the Israelites will remain in the wilderness for 40 years until that generation dies (Num. 14:20-35). And through those 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, God continues testing the people’s faithfulness and trust in him and his appointed leaders (Num. 16-17, Num. 20:1-13, Num. 21:4-9).
The number 40 is also part of an earlier story about Israel meeting with God at Mount Sinai. The people waited for 40 days at the bottom of the mountain while Moses went up to speak with God (Exod. 24:18). During this period of testing while Moses was gone, the Israelites broke their covenant relationship with God by making a golden calf idol and offering sacrifices to it in worship (Exod. 32:1-6; see Exod. 20:4-6).
Much later, in the New Testament, Jesus also faces the choice about whether he will trust someone other than God when Satan tests him in the wilderness for 40 days (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). But Jesus refuses Satan ’s offer to make him ruler over all of the world’s kingdoms in exchange for worshiping him. Standing firm, he endures his time of testing as a faithful Israelite.
In the biblical story, there are two animals who speak to humans: a talking snake in Genesis 3:1-5 and a talking donkey in Numbers 22:28-30. Interestingly, both animals have insight into the spiritual realm. But while the serpent in Genesis seeks to destroy human life, the donkey in Numbers acts to preserve it.
Balak, the king of Moab, tries to hire the Aramean sorcerer Balaam to curse the Israelites (Num. 22:4-20). At first, compelled by God’s direct instruction, Balaam rejects the job offer. But when Balak sends more messengers in an effort to persuade Balaam, God surprisingly tells Balaam to go with them. But there’s a twist.
When Balaam sets out for Moab, riding on his donkey, the angel of the Lord stands in the road with a sword in his hand to block him (Num. 22:21-27). Only the donkey has the eyes to see the angel, and the donkey tries to avoid the angel three separate times. Each time, Balaam beats the donkey, until God finally opens the donkey’s mouth to speak.
The donkey questions Balaam, asking Balaam why he keeps beating her and reminding Balaam that she’s always had his best interest in mind (Num. 22:28-30). It’s a mysterious, challenging, and illuminating scene in the biblical narrative that fits a larger pattern. Sometimes God uses unusual means to capture the attention of a prophet—a burning bush (see Exod. 3:1-4), a vision of God’s heavenly temple (see Isa. 6:1-8), or even a talking donkey!
At first, Balaam does not recognize the talking donkey as a sign from God, and he responds with frustration about the animal’s behavior. So the donkey challenges Balaam to consider why it is behaving so unusually on this occasion (Num. 22:29-30). Still, Balaam doesn’t understand what’s happening. His lack of spiritual awareness is not overcome until God opens his eyes to see the angel of the Lord blocking the path with a sword. The angel informs Balaam that his life has been spared, thanks to his donkey turning aside to protect him (Num. 22:31-33). He then instructs Balaam to continue on, into Moab, but firmly warns him to speak only the words he receives from God (Num. 22:34).