Bibliography

There is a sense in which everyone who writes a commentary on any book of the Bible climbs on the shoulders of previous commentators. The book of Numbers has been especially well served, not only with commentaries, but scholarly research. The resulting literature amounts to a mini-library. At any rate, I would like to thank the contributing authors below.

aa.usno.navy.mil

Aariel, Ysrael, The Odyssey of the Third Temple, The Temple Institute, Isra’el Publications and Productions Ltd, Jerusalem, 1993.

Allen, Ronald, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Volume 2) Numbers-Ruth, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.

Ashley, Timothy, Numbers, NICOT, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1993.

Cocoris, Michael. Evangelism: A Biblical Approach. South Pasadena: The Church on the Way, 1988.

Cole, Dennis, Numbers, New American Commentary, 2000.

Coleman, Lyle, The Serendipity Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.

Cragie, Peter, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1976.

Currid, John. Genesis, Volume 2, 25:19 to 50:26: Webster: Evangelical Press, 2003.

Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.

Enns, Peter, The NIV Application Commentary, Exodus, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.

Feinberg, Jeffrey Enoch, Walk Numbers, Messianic Jewish Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002.

Feinberg, Jeffrey Enoch, Walk Deuteronomy, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2003.

Feldheim Publishers, The Concise Book of Mitzvah, Nanuet, New York, 1990.

First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Volume One, Marshfield, Missouri, 2007.

First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Volume Two, Marshfield, Missouri, 2006

First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Volume Five, Marshfield, Missouri, 2011.

Flanigan, Jim, What the Bible Teaches about Psalms, Ritchie Old Testament Commentaries, Kilmarnock, Scotland, 2001.

Freedman, James, Manners and Customs of the Bible, Whitaker House, New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 1996.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold. Ezekiel MP3bbs – eze. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 2016.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold. How Did the Wise Men Know: Manuscript Number 20. San Antonito: Ariel Ministries, 1990.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold. The Birth and Early Life of Jesus: Manuscript Number 31. Tustin:

Ariel Ministries, 1983.

Gabizon, Jacques Isaac, Numbers, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

Gibson, Joyce. Genesis: God’s Word for the Biblically Inept. Lancaster: Starburst Publishers, 1999.

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Griffith, Thomas, Genesis, A Devotional Commentary, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1946.

Hamilton, Victor, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Genesis 18-50, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1995, page 644.

Kasdan, Rabbi Barney, October 2011, Naphtali: Speaking Beautiful Words.

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts, 1980.

Kidner, Derek, Tyndale Old Testament Commentary: Genesis, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1967.

Liebi, Roger. The Messiah in the Temple. Dusseldorf: Christicher Medien Vertrieb, 2012.

Levine, Baruch A., Leviticus, The JPS Torah Commentary, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, 1989.

Longman III, Tremper, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Volume 2) Numbers-Ruth, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012.

MacArthur, John. Revelation 12-22. Chicago: Moody Press, 2000.

MacArthur, John, Second Corinthians, Chicago, The Moody Bible Institute, 1991.

McGee, J. Vernon. Thru the Bible Commentary Series, Exodus 1-18. Nashville, Nelson Books, 1991.

MacLeod, F. Wayne, Numbers, A Devotional Commentary, Light to My Path Book Distribution, Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, Cannada, 2016.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2003.

Milgrom, Jacob, Numbers, The Jewish Publication Society, New York, NY, 1990.

Morris, Henry. The Genesis Record. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1976.

Olson, Dennis, Numbers, Interpretation, Westminster John Knox, 1996.

Parsons, John, A Year Through the Torah, A Journey for Christians, Hebrew Heart Publications, Scottsdale, AZ, 2008.

Schoville, Keith N., “Canaanites and Amorites,” in Peoples of the Old Testament World, edited by Hoerth, Mattingly, and Yamauchi, 2003.

Shulam, Joseph, Various Teachings from Netivyah Staff, Jerusalem, Isra’el.

Soltau, Henry, The Tabernacle, Kregel Classics, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1994.

Stern, David, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Jewish New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992.

The Soncino Chumash the Five Books of Moses with Haphtaroah, Soncino Press, Wonder Book, Frederick, Maryland.

Tautges, Paul, The Refiner’s Fire, Counseling One Another, The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, September 18, 2020.

Thomas, Griffin. Genesis, A Devotional Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1946.

Warren, Rick, Purpose Driven Life, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002.

Wiersbe, Warren, Deuteronomy: Be Equipped, David C, Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 1999.

Wiersbe, Warren, Numbers: Be Counted, David C, Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 1999.

Wenham, Gordon, Numbers, TOTC, 2008

Youngblood, Ronald, Exodus, Chicago, Moody Press, 1983.

Zuck, Roy, The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the OT, Victor Books, Wheaton, IL, 1986.

End Notes

There are three kinds of end notes. First, when you take an idea or concept that you had never heard of before and cite it. This is done mostly in an academic environment, and this is not a strictly academic commentary, but I included them nonetheless in an effort to be thorough. Secondly, you reword a section written by another author. And thirdly, you quote directly. I have included all three types of end notes to be detailed. Most authors don’t include all three. If Numbers was bound as a book it would be 754 pages with 289,214 words, or a set of two books each being 377 pages. That averages out to a very reasonable ratio of about one reference per page.

1. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 215.

2. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page xxii-xxvi.

3. Ibid, page xxx.

4. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 1-2.

5. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 53-61.

6. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 13-14.

7. equationofhope.com

8. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 7-8.

9. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 9.

10. Ibid, pages 9-10.

11. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume One, page 735.

12.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, pages 216-217.

13. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume One, pages 735-736.

14. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, page 13.

15. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume One, page 731.

16. Numbers, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada

17.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 83.

18. Numbers, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada

19. Ibid, Numbers, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada

20. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 15-17.

21. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, page 17.

22. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Five, page 877.

23. Ibid, page 877.

24.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page XXX.

25. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 83.

26. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 92.

27. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidar, Volume Five, page 877.

28. Ezekiel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, MP3bbs 48-V-C (44:1 to 46:24).

29. Numbers, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada

30. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Five, page 878.

31. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Two, pages 491-492.

32. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Five, page 878.

33. Ibid, page 879.

34.The Tabernacle, by Henry Soltau, Kregel Classics, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1994, page 3.

35.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page XXX.

36. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Five, pages 879-880.

37. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Two, page 487.

38. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page XXX.

39. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Five, pages 880-881.

40. Ibid, pages 881-882.

41. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume One, page 739.

42. The Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Whitaker House, New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 1996, pages 98-99.

43.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 105-106.

44.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page XXX.

45. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 105-106.

46. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Five, pages 882-883.

47. Ibid, page 883.

48. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 108.

49. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidar, Volume Five, pages 883-884.

50. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidar, Volume Two, pages 491-492.

51. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidar, Volume Five, page 884.

52. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Two, page 490.

53. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 28.

54. Ibid, page 99.

55.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 220.

56. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 100.

57. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Two, pages 490-491.

58.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 118.

59. Ibid, pages 116-117.

60. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Bemidbar, Volume Five, page 886.

61. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 25.

62. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 120.

63.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 79.

64.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 119-120.

65. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, page 24.

66. Ibid, page 25.

67. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Nasso, Volume Five, pages 897-898.

68. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Nasso, Volume Two, pages 499-500.

69. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, page 34.

70.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 121.

71.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 80.

72. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Nasso, Volume Two, pages 499-500.

73. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 122.

74. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, page 34.

75. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 31.

76.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 123.

77. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 29-30.

78. Ibid, pages 30-32.

79. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 30.

80. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 124-125.

81. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 88.

82. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 126.

83. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 34.

84. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 35.

85. The Concise Book of Mitzvah, Feldheim Publishers, Nanuet, New York, 1990, page 47.

86. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume One, page 752.

87. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume Five, pages 898-901.

88. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 34.

89. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 37.

90. The Concise Book of Mitzvah, Feldheim Publishers, Nanuet, New York, 1990, page 47.

91. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume 5, pages 903-906.

92. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 37-38.

93. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume 5, page 902.

94. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume One, pages754-756.

95. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 40.

96. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume 5, pages 905-906.

97. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 37.

98. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume 5, page 906.

99. Ibid, pages 906-907.

100.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 43.

101.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 138.

102. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume Five, page 908.

103. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 46.

104. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume 5, pages 909-913.

105. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 41.

106.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, pages 50-51.

107. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume Five, page 913.

108. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 41.

109. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume One, page 760.

110. Ibid, page 760.

111. Ibid, pages 760-761.

112. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 41-42.

113. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume One, page 761.

114. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 41-43.

115. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 41.

116. Numbers, Lesson 6, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada

117. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume 5, page 914.

118. Ibid, pages 914-915.

119. Numbers, Lesson 6, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada

120. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume 5, pages 914-915.

121. Numbers, Lesson 6, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada

122. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 42-43.

123. Numbers, Lesson 7, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

124. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, pages 59-60.

125. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 146.

126.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, page 923.

127. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 48.

128.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 61.

129. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Naso, Volume Five, page 924.

130. Ibid, pages 924-926.

131. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page XXX.

132.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 164.

133. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 153.

134.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, pages 924-926.

135. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num08.mp3

136.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 66.

137. The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, pages 925-927.

138.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 169-170.

139. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 69.

140. Ibid, page 241.

141. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 157.

142.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, pages 928-929.

143. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 20.

144. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 66.

145. Ibid, page 66.

146. Parashah Beha’alotkha in Numbers, Torah Club Volume Five, page 929.

147.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 70.

148. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Beha’alotekha, Volume One, page 776.

149. Numbers, Lesson 8, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

150.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, page 929-930.

151. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 53.

152.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 66.

153. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Beha’alotekha, Volume One, page 776-777.

154. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 74.

155.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, pages 158-159.

156.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 75.

157. Ibid, page 73.

158. The Odyssey of the Third Temple, by Ysrael Ariel, Isra’el Publications and Productions Ltd., The Temple Institute, Jerusalem, 1993, page 140.

159. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 163.

160.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, page 930.

161. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 54.

162. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 167-168.

163. Numbers, Lesson 8, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

164. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 57.

165.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 66.

166. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 1996, page 10.

167. The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Volume Five, pages 930-931.

168. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num10.mp3

169. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 181-182.

170.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 168.

171. The Expositors Bible Commentary, Volume 2: Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 183.

172. Ibid, page 183.

173. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 60-61 and 63.

174.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 186.

175. Numbers, by F. Wayne MacLeod, Light to My Path Book Distribution, Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, Canada, page 65.

176.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, page 933.

177. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 187.

178. The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, pages 932.

179. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 64.

180.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 187-188.

181. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 62.

182. Numbers, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

183.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 191.

184. Exodus, by Ron Youngblood, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1983, page 83.

185.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, pages 933-934.

186. Exodus, by Ron Youngblood, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1983, page 84.

187.The NIV Application Commentary, Exodus, by Peter Enns, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000, page 340.

188.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, pages 934.

189.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page xxiii.

190.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 191.

191. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 63.

192.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 192.

193. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 64.

194. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 188.

195. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Beha’alotekha, Volume One, page 781.

196. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 64.

197.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, page 936.

198. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 190.

199. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 193.

200. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, pages 190-191.

201.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 227.

202. Ibid, page 228.

203.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 195.

204.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 187.

205. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 198.

206. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, pages 45-46.

207. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 65-66.

208. The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, pages 936-937.

209. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 69.

210. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 69-70.

211.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 228.

212. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 71.

213. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Beha’alotekha, Volume Five, page 938.

214.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page xxxiii.

215. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 71.

216. Ibid, pages 71-72.

217. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Beha’alotekha, Volume Five, page 940.

218. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 205.

219. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 73.

220. Ibid, page 73.

221.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, B’ha’alotkha, Book Five, pages 937-942.

222. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 74.

223. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Beha’alotekha, Volume One, pages 783-785.

224. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 60-61.

225. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 86-87.

226. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Five, page 801.

227. Ibid, page 951.

228.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 208.

229. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 73.

230. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 210.

231.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 210-211.

232.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 229.

233. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Five, page 951.

234. Ibid, page 952.

235. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 216.

236.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 99.

237.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 231.

238. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume One, page 805.

239. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 78.

240. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Five, pages 952-953.

241. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume One, pages 805-806.

242. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num13.mp3

243. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 224.

244. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 75.

245.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Book Five, pages 953-954.

246. What the Bible Teaches about Psalms, by Jim Flanigan, Ritchie Old Testament Commentaries, Kilmarnock, Scotland, 2001, page 407.

247.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Book Five, pages 953-957.

248.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 221-223.

249. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 228.

250.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Book Five, pages 958-959.

251.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 226.

252. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 238.

253.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 227.

254. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num14.mp3

255.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 228.

256. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 85.

257.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 228-229.

258. Ibid, pages 230-231.

259. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 80.

260. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 86.

261. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 81.

262. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num14.mp3

263. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 81.

264. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 87-90.

265. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 97-99.

266. Ibid, pages 90-91.

267.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 233.

268. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num15.mp3

269. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Five, page 962.

270.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 234-235.

271. The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Book Five, pages 961-963.

272. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 247.

273.The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Book Five, pages 963-964.

274. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num15.mp3

275. The First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Book Five, page 964.

276. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 145.

277. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Five, pages 964-965.

278. The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 253.

279.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 239.

280. The JPS Torah Commentary on Leviticus, by Baruch Levine, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1989, page 241.

281. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 147.

282.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 238.

283. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Two, page 536.

284.First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Book Five, page 966.

285. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, pags 408-410.

286.The JPS Torah Commentary on Leviticus, by Baruch Levine, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1989, page 241.

287.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 126.

288. Exodus, Volume 1, by John Currid, Evangelical Press, Auburn, Mass, 2000, page 171.

289. Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 63.

290. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Two, pages 536-537.

291. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 89.

292. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Two, page 537.

293. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Five, page 966.

294. Ibid, pages 966 and 968.

295. Ibid, pages 968-969.

296. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 96.

297. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shelach, Volume Two, pages 538-539.

298. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 78-79.

299. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 99-100.

300. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 101-102.

301.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page XXX.

302. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 977.

303.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 245.

304. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 103.

305.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 246.

306. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 91-92.

307. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 979.

308. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 93.

309. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 247.

310. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 131.

311. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 103.

312. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 152.

313.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 248.

314. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume One, page 827.

315. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 152-153.

316. Numbers, Sermon 16, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

317. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 249.

318. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 979.

319. Numbers, Sermon 16, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

320. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 251.

321. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 153.

322. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 105.

323. Numbers, Sermon 16, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

324. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 252.

325. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num16.mp3

326. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num16.mp3

327. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 980.

328. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 252 and 254-255.

329. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 94.

330. Numbers, Sermon 17, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

331.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 255.

332. Ibid, page 256.

333. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num16.mp3

334. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 272.

335.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 256.

336. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 981.

337. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 107-109.

338. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 981.

339. Numbers, Sermon 17, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

340. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 260.

341. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 95.

342. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 112.

343. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num17.mp3

344. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, pages 981-982.

345. Numbers, Sermon 17, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

346. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 114-117.

347. Ibid, page 114.

348.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 982.

349. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 100-101.

350. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 282.

351.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 264.

352. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 100.

353.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 982.

354. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 160.

355. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 265.

356. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 160.

357. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 265-266.

358. Ibid, pages 267-268.

359. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, pages 987-989.

360. Ibid, page 990.

361. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 155.

362. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 53.

363. The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 313.

364. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 294.

365. Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, New York, NY, 1990, page 891.

366.The Messiah in the Temple, by Roger Liebi, Christlicher Medien-Vertrieb, Dusseldorf, Germany, 2012, page 337.

367. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 991.

368. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 101-102.

369. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 992.

370.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 156.

371. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 295.

372. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 270-271.

373. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 295.

374.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 237.

375. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, pages 993-994.

376. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 96-97.

377. Torah portion Chukat, volume five, page 1003.

378.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 272.

379.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 237.

380. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, page 1005.

381. Ibid, pages 1006-1007.

382. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num19.mp3

383. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, pages 1004-1005.

384. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Shemini, Volume One, pages 551-553.

385. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, page 1009.

386.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 278.

387. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, page 1011.

388. Ibid, page 1012.

389. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume One, page 844 and Volume Five, page 1010.

390. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, pages 1012-1013.

391. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 165.

392. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 123-134.

393. Ibid, page 124.

394. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 125.

395. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 283.

396. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 125-126.

397. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num20.mp3

398.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 284.

399. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 129-130.

400. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 286.

401. Holman Bible Atlas, Broadman and Holman, Nashville, Tennessee, 1998, pages 71-73.

402. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 130.

403. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, page 1015-1016.

404. Ibid, page 1016.

405. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 288.

406.The Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Whitaker House, New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 1996, pages 100-101.

407. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 132.

408. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, pages 1016-1017.

409. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 109.

410.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 288.

411. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, page 1017.

412. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 133.

413. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 114.

414. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume One, page 847.

415. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 135.

416. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num21.mp3

417. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 135.

418. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 293-294.

419. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 136.

420. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume One, page 850.

421.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 259.

422. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Two, pages 567-569.

423. Evangelism: A Biblical Approach, by Michael Cocoris, The Church on the Way, Los Angeles, California, 1992, pages 142-146.

424.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 173.

425. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 138.

426. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, page 1019.

427. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num21.mp3

428. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 179.

429.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 176.

430. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, pages 1019-1020.

431. Ibid, page 1020.

432. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 355.

433. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 119.

434. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 138.

435. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 300.

436. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num21.mp3

437. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, page 1021.

438. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 300-301.

439. Ibid, page 301.

440. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 362.

441. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume One, page 851.

442.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 301.

443. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2003.

444. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, page 1022.

445. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 363.

446.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 241.

447. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Chukat, Volume Five, pages 1022-1023.

448.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 303.

449. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 114-115.

450. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 140.

451.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 306.

452. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 141-142.

453. Ibid, pages 142-145.

454. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, pages 1031-1032.

455.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 305.

456. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num22.mp3

457. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1032.

458.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 306.

459. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume One, page 865.

460. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 128.

461. Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1033.

462. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 382.

463. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1033.

464. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num22.mp3

465. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 383.

470. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1034.

471. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num22.mp3

472. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, pages 383-384.

473. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 191.

474. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 129.

475. Ibid, page 129.

476.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 189.

477. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1035.

478. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume One, page 868.

479. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1035.

480. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 192.

481. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, pages 1035-1036.

482. Ibid, page 1036.

483. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 130.

484. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1036.

485.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 313.

486. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1036.

487. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume One, page 868.

488. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, pages 395-396.

489.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 314.

490. gotquestions.org

491. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1037.

492.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 315.

493.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, pages 418-419.

494.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 316.

495. Ibid, page 317.

496. Ibid, page 317.

497. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1038.

498. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 132-133.

499.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 420.

500.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 317.

501. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 132-133.

502. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, pages 406-407.

503. gotquestions.org

504.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 321.

505. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 411.

506. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 140.

507. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 134.

508. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num23.mp3

509. The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 426.

510. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 321.

511. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 134.

512. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 140.

513.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 427.

514. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 134.

515. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 413.

516.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 322.

517. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 140.

518. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 322.

519. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 135.

520. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 414.

521. gotquestions.org

522. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1041.

523.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 325.

524. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1042.

525. Ibid, page 1042.

526. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, pages 199-200.

527. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1043.

528. Ibid, pages 1043-1044.

529. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 205.

530. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1044.

531. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Two, pages 578-580.

531.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 331.

532. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Two, page 581-583.

533. How Did the Wise Men Know, Manuscript Number 20, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 1990, page 3.

534. The Birth and Early Life of Jesus: Manuscript Number 31, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1983, page 3.

535.The Genesis Record, by Henry Morris, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 1976, pages 638-639.

536. gotquestions.org

537. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 427.

538. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume One, page 1045.

539.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 331.

540. Ibid, page 332.

541. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume One, page 1045.

542. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 334.

543. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 141.

544.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 334.

545.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 245.

546. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, pages 1045-1046.

547. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 141.

548. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 334-336.

549. Ibid, page 336.

550. Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts, 1980.

551. Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1046.

552. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 141-142.

553. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 206.

554. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 433.

555. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 206.

556. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Balak, Volume Five, page 1047.

557. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 146-147.

558.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 340-341.

559. Ibid , page 343.

560.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 246.

561. Netivyah, by Joseph Shulam, Jerusalem, Isra’el.

562. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 132-133.

563. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, pages 1055-1056.

564. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume One, pages 885-886.

565. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 211.

566. The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 468.

567. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 346-347.

568. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 151.

569. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, pages 1056-1057.

570. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, pages 19 and 220.

571. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 350.

572. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 162-163.

573. Tyndale Old Testament Commentary: Genesis, by Derek Kidner, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1967, page 216.

574.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 354.

575. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Korach, Volume Five, page 980.

576.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 222.

577. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 453.

578. The Book of Deuteronomy, by Peter Craigie, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1976, page 400.

579. Genesis, A Devotional Commentary, by W. H Griffith Thomas, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1946, page 474.

580. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, pages 454-455.

581.The Genesis Record, by Henry Morris, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 1976, page 656.

582. Ibid, page 656.

583. Revelation 12-22, by John MacArthur, Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 2000, pages 219 and 239.

584. Walk Deuteronomy, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2003, pages 168-169.

585. The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Ontario, Canada, 1986, page 1084.

586. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Genesis 18-50, by Victor Hamilton, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1995, page 644.

587. Walk Deuteronomy, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2003, pages 168-169.

588. Tyndale Old Testament Commentary: Genesis, by Derek Kidner, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1967, page 219.

589. A Study Commentary on Genesis, Volume 2: Genesis 25:19-50:26, by John Currid, Evangelical Press, Webster, New York, 2003, page 382.

590. Genesis: God’s Word for the Biblically Inept, by Joyce Gibson, Starburst Publishers, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1999, page 293.

591. Numbers, Sermon 23, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

592. Genesis, A Devotional Commentary, by W. H Griffith Thomas, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1946, page 475.

593. The Genesis Record, by Henry Morris, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 1976, page 661.

594. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Genesis 18-50, by Victor Hamilton, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1995, page 688.

1. Deuteronomy – Be Equipped: by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 1999, page 229.

596.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Volume 2) Numbers-Ruth, by Tremper Longman III and Frank Gaebelein, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 804.

597. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Genesis 18-50, by Victor Hamilton, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1995, page 670.

598. Tyndale Old Testament Commentary: Genesis, by Derek Kidner, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1967, pages 219-220.

599.The Genesis Record, by Henry Morris, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 1976, page 658.

600. Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible (Genesis 49:18).

601. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num26.mp3

602.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 363-364.

603.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, pages 409-410.

604.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Volume 2) Numbers-Ruth, by Tremper Longman III and Frank Gaebelein, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 809.

605. Deuteronomy – Be Equipped: by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 1999, page 231.

606.The Genesis Record, by Henry Morris, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 1976, page 659.

607. A Study Commentary on Genesis, Volume 2: Genesis 25:19-50:26, by John Currid, Evangelical Press, Webster, New York, 2003, page 381.

608. Genesis, A Devotional Commentary, by W. H Griffith Thomas, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1946, page 474.

609. Deuteronomy – Be Equipped: by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 1999, page 231.

610. Sermon by Rabbi Barney Kasdan, October 2011, Naphtali: Speaking Beautiful Words.

611. David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Jewish New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 499-500.

612.The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1522.

613. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 366.

614. Ibid , page 367.

615. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num26.mp3

616. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 168-169.

617. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 154-155.

618.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 370.

619. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 465.

620. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, pages 216-217.

621. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 155.

622.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 371.

623. Ibid, page 373.

624. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 156-157.

625.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 249.

626. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 374.

627. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 234.

628. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume One, pages 890-891.

629. Ibid, pages 891-892.

630. Ibid, page 890.

631.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 375.

632. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 170 and 173.

633. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, pages 1057-1058.

634. torah.org

635. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1061.

636. Ibid, page 1062.

637. torah.org

638. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1062.

639.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 379.

640. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1063.

641. Ibid, page 1061.

642. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 379.

643. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume One, page 893.

644. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, pages 1066-1067.

645. Ibid, page 1067.

646. aa.usno.navy.mil

647. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1068.

648. Ibid, page 1068-1069.

649. oneforisrael.ord

650. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1069-1070.

651. Ibid, pages 1057-1058.

652. GotQuestions/What was the Feast of Firstfuits?

653. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, pages 1069-1070.

654.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 388.

655. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1070.

656. Ibid, page 1071.

657. Ibid, pages 1069-1070.

658. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 160.

659. GotQuestions/What was the Feast of Firstfuits?

660. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, pages 1069-1070.

661. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 207.

662. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1072.

663. Ibid, page 1070.

664. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 478.

665. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, pages 1072-1073.

666. Maimonidies, Mishnah Torah, Mada, Hilchot, Teshuvah 3:4.

667. Rosh ha’Shanah Mussaf Prayer

668. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1074.

669. Ibid, page 1072.

670. Ibid, page 1074.

671. Mussaf prayers, The Complete ArtScroll, Yom Kippur.

672. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1074.

673. GotQuestions/What was the Feast of Firstfuits?

674. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Emor, Volume Five, page 816.

675. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1075.

676. Ibid, page 1074.

677. Hoshanah Prayer from Hoshanah Rabbah.

678. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, pages 1076-1077.

679. The Temple, by Alfred Edersheim, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, page 280.

680.The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 510.

681. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1075.

682.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 388.

683. Seventh Hakafah from Simchat Torah Prayers.

684.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 391.

685.Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 150-151.

686. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot, Volume Five, page 1087-1088.

687. Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, New York, NY, 1990, page 250.

688. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot, Volume Five, pages 1088-1089.

689. Ibid, pages 1089-1090.

690. Ibid, pages 1090-1091.

691. Ibid, pages 1091-1093.

692. Ibid, pages 1094-1095.

693. Ibid, page 1097.

694. Ibid, page 1093.

695. Ibid, page 1097.

696. Second Corinthians, by John MacArthur, The Moody Publishers, Chicago, Illinois, 2003, pages 197-198.

697. The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002, pages 281-282.

698.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 250.

699. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot, Volume Five, pages 1095-1097.

700. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 486.

701. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, page 168.

702.The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 662.

703.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 396.

704. Ibid, page 398.

705. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num31.mp3

706. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 397.

707.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, pages 256-257.

708. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 497.

709. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 258.

710. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, pages 177-178.

711.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 403.

712.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 396.

713. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 178.

714. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 236.

715. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot, Volume Five, page 1099.

716.The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 261.

717. The Refiner’s Fire, Counseling One Another, by Paul Tautges, The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, September 18, 2020.

718. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Pinchas, Volume Five, page 1100.

719. Ibid, page 1101.

720. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot, Volume Five, pages 1098-1099.

721. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 502.

722. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 407.

723. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 179.

724. Ibid, page 179.

725. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 503.

726. Ibid, page 502.

727. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 179.

728. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 409.

729. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 237.

730. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 170.

731. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot, Volume Five, page 1102.

732.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 411.

733. Ibid, page 413.

734. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 171.

735.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 413.

736. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 171-172.

737.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 419.

738. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 240.

739.The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 419.

740.Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 168-169.

741. A Year Through the Torah, by John Parsons, Hebrew Heart Publications, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2008, page 244.

742. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume One, pages 905-906.

743. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, page 175.

744. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume One, page 907.

745. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume Two, pages 609-611.

746. Exodus, Chapters 1-18, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publisher, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 140.

747. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume Two, page 612.

748. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume One, pages 905-906.

749. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume Two, pages 612-613.

750. Ibid, pages 613-614.

751. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume One, pages 905-906.

752. The JPS Torah Commentary on Leviticus, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 280.

753. Ibid, page 280.

754. Ibid, page 169.

755. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume Two, page 615.

756. Ibid, pages 616-618.

757. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, pages 498-500. The Literary Strcture of 33:50-56.

758. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, pages 530-531.

759. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume One, pages 908-909.

760. Keith N. Schoville, “Canaanites and Amorites,” in Peoples of the Old Testament World, edited by Hoerth, Mattingly, and Yamauchi, 2003, page 171.

761. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume One, pages 910.

762. Keith N. Schoville, “Canaanites and Amorites,” in Peoples of the Old Testament World, edited by Hoerth, Mattingly, and Yamauchi, 2003, page 181.

763. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, page 175.

764. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 187.

765. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num34.mp3

766. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, CO, 1983, page 255.

767. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot, Volume Five, page 1114.

768. The Book of Numbers, by Timothy Ashley, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 2022, page 574.

769. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massei, Volume Five, page 1114.

770. Ibid, page 1116.

771. The JPS Torah Commentary on Numbers, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page XXX.

772. Numbers, by Dennis Cole, The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, TN, 2000, page 545.

773. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 443.

774. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massei, Volume Five, pages 1114-1116.

775. The Commandents, Volume One, by Maimonides, The Soncino Press, London, England, 1996, page 193.

776. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massei, Volume Five, pages 1114-1116.

777. Ibid, page 1116.

778. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 176-177.

779. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num35.mp3

780. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massi, Volume Five, page 1117.

781. Ibid, pages 1117-1118.

782. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 448-449.

783. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massi, Volume Five, page 1118.

784. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massi, Volume Five, pages 1118-1119.

785. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 450.

786. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massi, Volume Five, pages 1118-1120.

787. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Volume 2) Numbers-Ruth, by Tremper Longman III and Frank Gaebelein, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 421.

788. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num35.mp3

789. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massi, Volume Five, pages 1120-1121.

790. The JPS Torah Commentary on Leviticus, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 291.

791. Numbers, by Gordon Wenham, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1981, page 235.

792. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Matot/Massei, Volume One, page 914.

793. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Numbers-Ruth, by Ronald Allen, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 452.

794. Numbers, by Dennis Olson, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1996, page 191.

795. First Fruits of Zion, Torah Club, Massi, Volume Five, pages 1122-1123.

796. The JPS Torah Commentary on Leviticus, by Jacob Milgrom, The Jewish Publication Society, Jerusalem, Isra’el, 1990, page 296.

797. Numbers, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,num36.mp3

798. Torah Club, First Fruits of Zion, Volume One, Matot/Massei, page 915.

799. Walk Numbers, by Jeffrey Enoch Feinberg, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2002, pages 186-187.

800. Numbers: Be Counted, by Warrn Wiersbe, David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1999, pages 181-189.

The Wilderness School

The wilderness school (DIG): Since “the essence of the life of a believer is to enter our spiritual inheritance as quickly as possible.” What does that mean? Isra’el continually made three mistakes. Give examples of how today we might do each of those things. Why does God allow trials in our lives? What is God’s desire for us? What did Isra’el learn about God during their wilderness wanderings? What does it mean to you that “the Lord is the God of new beginnings?

On life’s journey, we learn that our Lord is the God of new beginnings.

As Warren Wiersbe describes in his book Numbers: Be Counted, the Jewish scholar Martin Buber once wrote, “All life is meeting.” It’s a brief statement, but the more you ponder it, the more enlightening it becomes. Life is meeting new circumstances, many of which we don’t expect and can’t control. Life is meeting new people and developing new relationships; it’s meeting new ideas, some of which may upset us. As much as we try to avoid it, life is meeting ourselves and not always liking what we see. But most of all, life is meeting God, for He is always there, protecting us, wanting to teach, and always seeking to conform us into His image (Romans 8:29).

What we learn about life: The metaphors for life are many, and each one teaches us something important. Sometimes life is like a battle and sometimes it’s more like a race, but always it’s a school where we need to be awake and alert to what God is trying to teach us. To Moses and the people of Isra’el, life was a journey, but a very special journey: from bondage to freedom, from childishness to maturity, from selfishness to service, from glorifying the past to anticipating the future. From God’s point of view, there are only three locations in this journey: Egypt, the place of bondage that seems like security; Canaan, the place of unbelief, discipline, and falling short of the good things God has planned for us. This truth is elaborated in Hebrews Chapters 1-5.

Living the life of a believer begins with deliverance of bondage from Egypt through the grace and power of God. This we experience when we trust Yeshua Messiah, the Lamb of God, and commit our lives to Him. But the essence of the life of a believer is to enter our spiritual inheritance as quickly as possible. When you reach the Kadesh-barnea place in life, and all believers do, trust His Word and enter into your inheritance by faith. Don’t worry about the giants, the enemy, the walled cities, or your own weakness and insignificance. Say with Caleb and Joshua, “ADONAI is with us! Don’t be afraid of them” (Numbers 14:9); for only we who believe can enter his rest (Hebrews 4:3).

Before Isra’el arrived at Kadesh-barnea, God put them through various trials because a certain amount of wilderness experience is good for people who want to grow (James 1:2-8; First Peter 1:3-9). But the LORD doesn’t want us to stay in the wilderness forever. Yes, there are lessons to learn, but there are even greater lessons to learn after we have claimed our inheritance in Messiah. The Lord knows what trials we need, when we need them, and how long we need them; He always teaches those who are willing to learn. Above all else, in the journey of life, we must be sure to follow the Lord as He goes before us, and we must not look back or hunger for the old life in Egypt: Taste, and see that ADONAI is good. How blessed are those who take refuge in him (Psalm 34:8)!

What we learn about God: Isra’el repeatedly committed the same three mistakes that caused them no end of trouble: (1) They looked back and glorified Egypt; (2) they looked around and complained about their circumstances; and (3) they looked within and embellished their own desires. What they should have done was to look up to ADONAI Nissi and trust Him to see them through. We never learn the lessons we should learn if we plan the curriculum and write the textbook. We must leave it all with the Lord. God’s desire is that we develop character and become more like Yeshua Messiah. That’s why He arranges the experiences of life and causes them to work together for our good and His glory (see the commentary on Romans, to see link click Cl – Our Bodies and Redemption). We can’t grow in grace unless we grow in the knowledge of God as revealed in the Master. As Second Peter 3:18 tells us: Keep growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua Messiah.

How do we learn about God? Primarily, we learn about God from His Word, both in private meditation and public worship. We also learn about God from personal experience, our own as well as that of others who share with us what He has done for them. In the difficult places of life, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh helps us recall and apply the truths of the Word. This ministry gives us the wisdom to understand the situation better and faith to trust the promises we need to carry us through.

During their wilderness journey, Isra’el learned that God loved them and cared for them, but they didn’t always believe it. What shall we eat? What shall we drink? were the repeated questions the Israelites asked (Matthew 6:25-34), when they should have been saying to one another, “ADONAI is our shepherd (Psalm 23:1); we shall not lack for anything.” Isra’el also learned that God was longsuffering with them (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed), but wouldn’t permit them to sin successfully. He was willing to forgive when they cried out to Him, but too often they didn’t cry out in confession they first cried out to Him. For ADONAI corrects those he loves like a father who delights in his son (Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:1-11). How much pain would be avoided if only we submitted to the will of our heavenly Father!

On life’s journey, we learn that the Lord is the God of new beginnings. It’s been said that, “It’s always too soon to quit.” It’s sad that the Israelties doubted and disobeyed God so many times; but it’s encouraging that God gave them a new start and encouraged them to keep moving toward their inheritance. True, the Exodus Generation had to die before the Wilderness Generation could enter the Promised Land, but they died because of their own rebellion. In His grace, He forgave them; in His sovereignty, He permitted them to suffer the consequences of their sin. You can’t negotiate with the will of God. Either you obey it, ignore it, or resist it.

One of the tests of spiritual maturity is what Paul called increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10). Not just in the knowledge of the Bible or theology, but in the knowledge of God Himself. His character, how He works, and how we can delight His heart. Moses grew in his understanding of ADONAI, but Isra’el failed to learn this lesson. He made His ways known to Moshe, His mighty deeds to the people of Isra’el (Psalm 103:7). The Israelites saw what God did, but Moshe understood why God did it. That’s the difference.

We learn about ourselves: When reading this book, we ask ourselves over and over again, “How could the Israelites do that? Don’t they realize what they’re doing?” But then I think and confess, “But, Lord, I’ve done the same thing. Forgive me.” People are people, whether marching slowly through an ancient wilderness or driving to the grocery store. For He understands how we are made, He remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). Socrates said that the unexamined life was not worth living, but most people don’t like to face the truth about themselves. Just as our first parents did, we run and hide and defend ourselves by making excuses and blaming others. Not many people can pray as honestly as David did in Psalm 51.

One of the first lessons we learn about ourselves from Isra’el’s experience is that all of us have a fallen sin nature that’s prone to resist the will of God (see Romans Bm – The Consequences of Adam), and the sooner we admit it, the easier it will be to make the journey. Isaiah said: For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteousness is like a filthy garment, and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away, like the wind (Isaiah 64:5), Paul reinforced this truth and stated succinctly: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Another lesson we learn about ourselves is that we don’t enjoy changes in our lives and the discomfort they usually bring. One day the people were thirsty; the next day they were attacked by the enemy; for forty days, they wondered what happened to Moses. All of us want life to be one vast comfort zone where we’re sheltered from change, all the while forgetting that God-ordained change can be used to mold our characters and help us grow up.

And if there’s a lesson the Israelites frequently failed to learn, it was that complaining and criticizing are sins that Ha’Shem judges. When we complain to God about our lot in life we not only commit the sin of ingratitude, but we also reveal pride (we think we know more than God knows, and why should this happen to us?), unbelief (we don’t really trust Him), and impatience. If we would learn to trust YHVH, praise Him for His mercies, and wait for Him to accomplish His will, we’d grow a lot faster and experience a lot less misery.

One last lesson from Isra’el’s experiences: Age is no guarantee of maturity. It’s possible to grow old and not grow up. When the Exodus Generation failed at Kadesh-barnea (see By – The Report of the Spies), the fault didn’t lie with their children, but with them. To prove it, ADONAI rejected the old Exodus Generation (twenty years and older), gave them 38 years to die off, and then made a new beginning with the younger Wilderness Generation. The Church, made up of Jewish and Gentile believers (Ephesians 2:14-15), needs both the older believers and the younger ones, because each generation has something to contribute, and we can all learn from one another (Titus 2:1-8). But Moshe was wise to disciple Joshua to be his successor, and Paul was wise to equip Timothy to succeed him in Ephesus.

We learn about faith: Life is a journey we make by faith, for only the Lord knows the end from the beginning. Actually, everyone lives by faith in someone or something. The difference between believers and unbelievers is the object of that faith. Believers put their faith in God and His Word, while unbelievers trust themselves, their experiences, their abilities, their money, and perhaps their friends. But Isra’el had the bad habit of walking by sight, not by faith, and it was this failure to trust God that caused them so much trouble. No sooner had the LORD delivered the Israelites from Egypt than they stood by the Sea of Reeds, trembling with fear and wanting to go back. Why? Because they didn’t really believe that the God who had redeemed them could finish the task and see them through. But when God begins a work, He completes it (Philippians 1:6).

Faith is not believing in spite of the evidence, that’s superstition. Faith is obeying God in spite of what we see or hear, how we feel, or what might happen. The Israelites had been given all the evidence they needed that God was concerned about them and had the power to deliver them, protect them, and take them to the Promised Land. The devastation of the land of Egypt was proof of Ha’Shem’s power, so why should the nation not trust Him? Once we’ve made that choice to follow the Lord and live for His eternal values, the rest is bound to follow. But faith must be nourished if it’s to grow strong, and that’s where the Bible comes in, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the word of God (Romans 10:17). When Moses declared God’s Word, Isra’el didn’t really hear it, or apply it with faith, so their faith didn’t grow (Hebrews 4:1-2). Faith is like the muscles in your body: If you don’t exercise them, they lose their strength. Every trial of life is an opportunity to claim God’s promises and trust Him for the solution.

We learn the importance of one believer: Numbers is a book of counting. Twice Moses counted the men available to serve in Isra’el’s army, and he also counted the Levites. Somebody even counted the number of people who died in the various plagues that Ha’Shem sent to discipline them. Those ancient Israelites would be shocked to see how much counting goes on in today’s world, most of it unannounced by electric devices. God wants all of His children to be the kind of person He can count on. The LORD could count on Moshe and Aaron to lead the people in His will, even though they each disappointed Him on a couple of occasions. Joshua and Caleb were men of God whom He could count on, and so were Eleazar and his son Phinehas. Anybody can be a statistic, a number in a record, but it takes faith and courage to be the kind of person the Lord can count on.

We have a choice. We can go with the unbelieving majority and miss God’s very best, complaining our way through life, or we can stand with the minority and dare to believe God and follow His mitzvot. We can crave comfort or respond to challenges. We can look back and yearn for fleshly security or look ahead and eagerly anticipate spiritual maturity. We can wander in the wilderness of unbelief, selfishness, and disobedience, or enter the Promised Land with its battles and trials, trusting ADONAI to give us the victory. He chooses our inheritance for us (Psalm 47:4a). Will we choose to claim our inheritance and use it for His glory? Will we be counted among the conquerors?⁸⁰⁰

The Daughters of Zelophehad Revisited
36: 1-13

The daughters of Zelophehad revisited DIG: How is tribal identity determined, by the mother or the father? How does the mitzvah of tribal identity relate to the Bride of Messiah? Are Gentile believers turned into Jews when they become believers? Why? Why not?

REFLECT: What did you learn about yourself from Isra’el’s experience as recorded in the book of Numbers? Give an example of something you have learned about yourself during this study. How has ADONAI challenged you to cross over the Jordan? Have you gone?

Women must only marry into a family from their father’s tribe.

Chapters 34, 35, and 36 are appendages to the book of Numbers. Its theological climax comes at 33:54 when ADONAI declares: You will inherit the land by lot according to your tribes. You are to give more land to the larger tribes and less to the smaller ones. Wherever the lot falls to any particular person, that will be his property. You will inherit according to the tribes of your ancestors. It is there that the will of YHVH for His people is stated in definitive form as they are about to enter the land of Promise. Some may regard this chapter as somewhat anticlimactic, but it is also instructive. It shows a continuing pattern of the development of Torah in Isra’el. The fact that these three chapters are appendages does not mean that they were not written by Moses. In fact, Moshe is still the principle human player in these chapters.⁷⁹³

Chapter 36 once again picks up the case of the five daughters of Zelophehad that first appeared in Chapter 27 (to see link click Eu – The Five Daughters of Zelophehad). There, they appeared before Moses to request that they should inherit their dead father’s inheritance, even though the custom had been that only male relatives inherited land. The women asked: Why should our father’s name be cut off from his clan, and his family penalized because he had no son? ADONAI answered through Moses, “You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them” (27:5-7). Now, another question was raised, but this time the judgment sought was not by the women, but by the leaders of the tribe of Manasseh, the tribe to which Zelophehad and his daughters belonged. They raised another question. May Zelophehad’s daughters marry a husband who is a member of another tribe? Or must they marry husbands only from within their own tribe? The leaders of the tribe of Manasseh argued that if the women marry outside the tribe, then their tribe would permanently lose part of their inheritance. Even the Year of Jubilee redistribution (see Leviticus En – The Freedom of the Year of Jubilee), would not bring the land back to the inheritance of Manasseh since the mitzvot of the Yovel Year apply only to land that was purchased, not inherited.⁷⁹⁴

The difficulty arises because of the Torah’s assumption that when a woman marries a man, her family identity is merged into her husband’s. Therefore, her tribal affiliation was also erased. For example, if a woman from the tribe of Levi married a man from the tribe of Judah, she would no longer be considered from the tribe of Levi. From then on, she would be a woman of Judah in every respect. Marriage created a new family identity for the woman. Given the fact that a woman’s tribal identity was determined by her husband, the land owned by a woman would be absorbed by the tribe into which she married. As a result, giving the daughters a tribal inheritance endangered the integrity of Manasseh’s land holdings.

Incidentally, this explains why it is permissible for women of foreign origin to marry into the house of Isra’el. Even the prestigious house of David includes three Gentile women: Rahab, Ruth, and Tamar. Yet those women, once married to their husbands, were no longer regarded as Gentiles. They became Judeans in every respect, and their children were counted as being fully Jewish. In modern Jewish Halachah, the counting of Jewish pedigree has been flipped on its head from this biblical standard. In modern Jewish thought, only children born of a Jewish mother are considered Jewish. This reversal was done some time in the Middle Ages because of the extraordinary amount of children born as a consequence of rape by foreigners. Nevertheless, the biblical standard remains that tribal identity is reckoned through the father!

This explains how Gentiles come to be counted as grafted into Isra’el (see the commentary on Romans Cz – The Illustration of Isra’el’s Future). Believers in Messiah are called the Bride of Messiah whether they are Jewish or not. The status of the Bride is more than merely symbolic. It is legal. Believers take on the marital status of Messiah’s tribal identity. Therefore, Gentile believers are grafted into Judah, and receive an honorary status in Isra’el. This is not to say that we become “Jews.” For example, even after her marriage to Mahlon, the son of Elimelch, Ruth was still referred to as Ruth the Moabitess. The “partners” of the B’rit Chadashah are, in biblical terms, God and Isra’el. Although not a formal partner of the New Covenant, the Gentiles in the Church “participate” when they make the Jewish Messiah the Lord of their lives (Eph 1:13-14). They also “participate” as a recipient of the promised Covenant blessings for Gentiles who have come through the Seed of Abraham, Yeshua Messiah. So, Gentiles take on the legal status of Judah, just as Ruth came to be regarded as a woman of Judah. As the Bride of Messiah, we are all counted as part of Isra’el.⁷⁹⁵

The request (36:1-4): The leaders of the clans of the family of the descendants of Gil‘ad, the son of Machir, the son of M’nasheh, of the families of the descendants of Yosef, approached and addressed Moshe and the leaders, the heads of the clans of the people of Isra’el. They said: ADONAI ordered my lord to give by lot the land to be inherited by the people of Isra’el, and my lord was ordered by ADONAI to give the inheritance of our kinsman Zelophehad to his daughters. But, in the case of intertribal marriage, if they get married to anyone belonging to another tribe, then their inheritance will be taken away from the inheritance of our ancestors and be added to the inheritance of the tribe they will then belong to; thus, it will be taken away from the sum total of our inheritance. And when the Year of Jubilee of the people of Isra’el comes, their inheritance will be added to the land possessed by the tribe they will then belong to and be subtracted from the inheritance belonging to the tribe of our ancestors. This transfer of property would become permanent in the Yovel year because it only applied to property that was sold, and not to inheritance (36:1-4).

The response (36:5-9): Moses responded with a mitzvah stating that a woman inheriting land can only marry into their own tribe. Moshe gave this mitzvah to the people of Isra’el, in keeping with the word of ADONAI: “The tribe of the descendants of Joseph is right in what it says. Here is what ADONAI has ordered concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them be married to whomever they think best, but they must marry only into a family from their father’s tribe. In this way no inheritance of the people of Isra’el will move from one tribe to another; for each of the people of Isra’el is to hold on to the land for inheritance belonging to his father’s tribe. Every daughter who possesses an inheritance in any tribe of the people of Isra’el is to become the wife of someone from the family of her father’s tribe, so that every one of the people of Isra’el will stay in possession of his ancestors’ inheritance. Thus, no inheritance will move from one tribe to another, for each of the tribes of Isra’el will hold on to its own inheritance’ (36:5-9).”

The result (36:10-13): The daughters of Zelophehad were obedient and did as ADONAI had ordered Moshe. Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah all got married to their cousins. They were married into the families of the descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s family. The accounts of the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27 and 36 form a bracket for the events and organization of the Wilderness Generation whose appearance is marked by the Second Census in Chapter 26 (see Ec – The Second Census: The New Generation of Hope).⁷⁹⁶

In conclusion, Moses wrote: These are the mitzvot and rulings which ADONAI gave through Moshe to the people of Isra’el in the plains of Mo’ab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. This refers to mitzvot and rulings given to Isra’el since they arrived in the plains of Mo’ab in Chapter 22 (see Dm – The Story of Balaam). This is a typical closing to a major section, as found elsewhere in Leviticus 7:37-38, 26:46, and 27:34.⁷⁹⁷

There is a real lesson for all of us in this. The Torah is very practical. It is, after all, the teaching for the redeemed and the teaching for our everyday life. It was not meant to be merely theoretical. It was meant to be lived by the believer, especially as he or she resided in the Land of Isra’el. In short, the Torah, if applied by means of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh was/is designed to make us strong believers walking in holiness. With this in mind, therefore, we will conclude this book as the Rabbis do, repeating with meaning the words:

Hazak, hazak, v’nit’chazek!
Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!⁷⁹⁸

Haftarah Masa’ei: Jeremiah 2:4–28; 3:4 (A); 2:4–28; 4:1–2 (S)
(see the commentary on Deuteronomy Af – Parashah)

ADONAI asks Isra’el how she could forget the honeymoon days of the wilderness. How could the fathers pursue hevel (Hebrew: vapor or breath)? How could they all fail to ask where is the LORD (Jer 2:6 and 8). Human disloyalty stuns God (Jer 2:5). How could the fathers stray so far from the covenant relationship and not even ask the question? Ha’Shem appealed to heaven (Jeremiah 3:12). The Israelites had forsaken the streams of living water and had become prey for lions (Jeremiah 2:13 and 15). God’s people had become an alien vine (Jeremiah 2:21). The consequences of hardening had changed the very nature of the people of God! Yet, all was not lost. Judah could still repent, recover the honeymoon experience once again, and say with sincerity: My Father! You are my friend from my youth (Jeremiah 3:4)! Then the nations would bless themselves and the blessings, not the cursings, of the covenant would still come to fruition (Jeremiah 4:1-2).

B’rit Chadashah Masa’ei: James 4:1-12

One cannot serve God and the flesh at the same time. The desires of our old sin nature leads to quarrels and fights (Jm 4:1). Frustration escalates into warfare (Jm 4:2). Prayers go unanswered, because prayers to indulge the flesh are fruitless (James 4:3). Quoting from the Septuagint translation of Proverbs 3:34, James states: God opposes the arrogant, but to the humble He gives grace. Indeed, the grace God gives is greater (Jm 4:6). God has put His Ruach in us to combat human jealousy (Jm 4:5b). Either the Ruach roots out our fleshly desires, or we will devour one another. Being fickle is not an option (Jm 4:8). When convicted of sin, we should repent with fullness of heart, accompanied by distress, sorrows, and even the shedding of tears (Jm 4:9-10). Without complete repentance, pain and suffering is the only choice we leave to a holy God.⁷⁹⁹

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that though the daughters of Zelophehad had to marry within their tribe of Manasseh so that their land remained in that tribe – there are no tribal boundaries for us in heaven. All who believe Messiah receive their inheritance of the Promised Land of heaven through the redemption of Messiah (Ephesians 1:7-11) and sealing by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Ephesians 1:12-14). It is amazing that the entrance criteria is not any special nationality nor any large amount of money. Loving You is the only ticket into our Promised Land (Galatians 3:26-28). Praise and thank you that Messiah Yeshua is preparing an eternal home for all who love Him! Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3).  In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Those Qualified to Flee to a City of Refuge
35: 22-34

Those qualified to flee to a city of refuge DIG: What was their function? Why was the innocent manslayer to stay in the city of refuge until the high priest died? Can a court of law set aside the Torah in order to be merciful? Why is it that ADONAI is the only one who can forgive sin?

REFLECT: How does the death of the high priest cancel the blood debt? What does this teach us about the Messiah? When you have conflicts with other believers, how do you resolve them? Are there biblical answers to these difficult question? Where do you go for refuge?

The cities of refuge were established,
for the person who had committed involuntary manslaughter.

The final section addresses the issues of the number of witnesses necessary to bring a murder conviction, the prohibition of monetary compensation in lieu of praying the proper penalty for the crime, and the theological basis for maintaining justice in the Land in capital cases. If someone was accused of murder, when it was time for the trial to actually make it to the court, it was necessary to provide some mechanism for protecting the accused. The city of refuge was the mechanism (to see link click Gk – Cities of Refuge). Everyone was not eligible to flee to a city of refuge. The murderer was not eligible (see Gl – Those Not Qualified to Flee to a City of Refuge), but the man guilty of involuntary manslaughter was. He was to flee to one of those cities, stand at the entrance to the city gate and state his cause to the city leaders. Then they will bring him into the city with them and give him a place, so that he may live among them. If the next-of-kin avenger pursues him, they are not to hand over the killer to him; because he struck his fellow community member unknowingly and had not hated him previously. So he will live in that city until he stands trial before the community, until the death of the high priest who is in office at the time. When that time comes, the killer may return to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled (Joshua 20:4-6).⁷⁸³

When it was time for the trial in the city in which the crime had been committed, the court needed to determine if the accused was indeed the party responsible for the manslaughter. If it could be determined by the testimony of two eyewitnesses (35:30), it became the court’s job to determine whether the victim’s death was the result of intentional malice or the result of an unfortunate accident. If they determined that the perpetrator was guilty of intentional homicide, he would be executed. An intentional murderer attempting to take shelter in a city of refuge is to be extradited back to the city where the crime occurred, where justice could be served. Deuteronomy 19:12 says: The elders of his city shall send for him, bringing him back to the city, and hand him over to the redeemer of blood to die.

If the elders determined that he was guilty of inadvertent manslaughter, he was considered innocent and measures for the protection of his life needed to be taken. They would send him to live in the city of refuge. Deuteronomy gives a vivid example of how an accidental death might occur. The passage acknowledges that the man is in serious danger from the redeemer of the blood. The passage tells us that the Israelites are supposed to locate cities of refuge across their territory so that one will be quickly accessible from any part of the Land. An example would be if a man goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood and takes a stroke with the axe to fell a tree, but the head of the axe flies off the handle, hits his neighbor and kills him. Then he is to flee to one of these cities and live there. Otherwise the next-of-kin avenger, in the heat of his anger, may pursue the killer, overtake him because the distance [to the city of refuge] is long, and strike him dead – even though he didn’t deserve to die, inasmuch as he hadn’t hated him in the past (Deuteronomy 19:5-6). Sending the inadvertent killer to the safety of the city of refuge is a mitzvah considered incumbent upon both the killer and the court.⁷⁸⁴

Those who were qualified to flee to cities of refuge (35:22-28): As stated above, the cities of refuge were established for the person who had committed involuntary manslaughter. But such cases are not always simple to determine, then, or now. It is possible that the death was unintentional. Apparently the judgment was made in the city in which the death occurred by the city’s elders. But how did they decide?⁷⁸⁵ The Torah gives several examples. Suppose someone shoves another man suddenly, but without hostility; or he throws something at him unintentionally; or, without seeing him, being his enemy or seeking to harm him, he throws a stone big enough to cause death; and the person dies. Then the community is to judge between the one who struck him and the next-of-kin avenger in accordance with these rules; and the community is to save the killer from the next-of-kin avenger. The people protected the one found guilty of manslaughter and escorted him back to the city of refuge to which he fled, where he lived until the high priest died. So long as he remained within the walls of the city of refuge, the blood redeemer could not harm him. If he did, he would be regarded as guilty of murder. What happened outside the walls of the city of refuge was another matter. But if the killer ever goes beyond the limits of the city of refuge he fled to before the death of the high priest, and the next-of-kin (go’el) avenger finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger kills the killer, he will not be guilty of the man’s blood; because he must stay in his city of refuge until the high priest died. But after the death of the high priest the killer may return to the land he owns.

Having to live the rest of his life in a city of refuge amounted to a life sentence, but it was not intended as a form of incarceration. It was considered a measure of protection and making amends. Nevertheless, the inadvertent killer was not allowed to leave the city of refuge or to offer a ransom to the court, which would allow him to leave. He was required to live out his days in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. This spoke to the sanctity of human life. Even when a life was taken accidently, it requires some measure of consequence. The Torah never bothers to explain why the death of the high priest canceled the blood debt. Obviously, the high priest’s death was regarded as creating some form of compensation. It was as if his death was taken in lieu of the death of the guilty. The confined man was set free from the city of refuge, his blood debt was satisfied, and his fear of retribution was lifted. Somehow, by the sovereignty of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the death of the high priest made atonement for his sin.⁷⁸⁶

Believers reading these words about the effect of the high priest find their thoughts turning to the book of Hebrews, with its presentation of Messiah as our High Priest (see the commentary on Hebrews Ay – Messiah’s Qualifications as our Great High Priest). His death as High Priest is the antitype for the atoning deaths of Isra’el’s high priests in ancient times. Their deaths could not save, but they were as an arrow pointing forward to the death of the One who is indeed our Savior.⁷⁸⁷

The divine perspective of murder in the Land (35:29-34): These things shall constitute your standard for judgment through all your generations, wherever you live in the Land (see Exodus Da – The Dispensation of Torah). If anyone kills someone, the murderer is to be put to death upon the testimony of witnesses; but the testimony of only one witness will not suffice to cause a person to be put to death (Deuteronomy 17:6 and 19:15). Likewise, you are not to accept a ransom in lieu of the life of a murderer condemned to death; rather, he must be put to death. The rich could not buy their way out of the consequences of their actions. Life for life (Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:12; Leviticus 24:17; and Deuteronomy 19:11-13). Likewise, you are not to accept a ransom for someone who was convicted of manslaughter and had fled to his city of refuge that would allow him to return to his land before the death of the high priest. So the paying of a ransom was unacceptable in either case. And the theological principle was that the Israelites would not defile the Land in which they were living. For the shedding of human blood defiles the Land, and in this Land no atonement can be made for the bloodshed in it except the blood of him who shed it. Again, life for life. No, you are not to defile the Land in which you live and in which I live in the form of the Sh’khinah glory (see Exodus Hh – The Glory of the LORD Filled the Tabernacle); for I, ADONAI, live among the people of Isra’el.⁷⁸⁸

To allow a murderer to live was to pollute the Land (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bq – Do Not Murder), the Land in which ADONAI Himself lived. The life of the murderer was demanded by the high court of Heaven because only the blood of the murderer can cover the blood of the victim. Leaving murderers alive renders the Land tamei (see the commentary on Leviticus Bk – Ritually Clean and Unclean Animals), a state that might require the presence of God to withdraw. In this way you will not defile the land in which you are living. For blood defiles the land, and in this land no atonement can be made for the bloodshed in it except the blood of him who shed it. No, you are not to defile the land in which you live and in which I live; for I, ADONAI, live among the people of Isra’el. It is like the blood of innocent Abel screaming out to God (Genesis 4:10). Only the blood of Messiah will be able to speak a better word. To Yeshua the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Heb 12:24).

Yet, the Torah insists that one witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15). The requirement for two or three witnesses is even more important in a murder trial where someone’s life hangs in the balance. (Numbers 35:30). The testimony of witnesses must be examined and cross-examined. The Torah says the judges must make a thorough investigation. If the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you (Deuteronomy 19:18-19). If in the process of cross examination, the court discovered that a witness was maliciously lying in an attempt to convict the man on trial, a malicious false witness received the punishment that would have been inflicted on his victim . . . death.

The Torah expressly warns against showing pity on the murderer. You are not to pity him. Rather, you must put an end to the shedding of innocent blood in Isra’el (Deut 19:13). A commandment not to show mercy may sound strange to believers, but we must remember that this commandment is addressed to a court of law, not to individuals. If a court of law were to randomly dispense mercy, then justice is no longer served. For a court of law to allow a murderer to escape punishment is actually injustice. When you think about it, a court that pardons the guilty is no better than a court that punishes the innocent. Were it possible for a court of law to simply set aside justice in favor of mercy, then the death of the Messiah would have been completely unnecessary. God could have simply pardoned us – but justice would not have needed to be served.⁷⁸⁹

The whole system was set up to avenge the blood of the victim, not protect the rights of the murderer. In most of the world today, the legal system bends over backwards to protect the rights of the accused murderer, thereby victimizing the victim’s family all over again for years and years and years. Many family members of the victim die before the murderer dies. This worldly thinking believes that it is better to let ten guilty murderers go free than to execute one innocent man. And what has been the result of that thinking? The shedding of innocent blood has proliferated to an alarming degree in the world today. God’s Word stands in stark contrast to this. You get the feeling that once the murderer is found guilty upon the testimony of witnesses, there is little delay. The next-of-kin avenger is to put the murderer to death upon meeting him. We are obviously not to take the law into our own hands and track down murderer’s vigilante style. And clearly God doesn’t want the innocent to be executed, but there is a biblical principle that we can apply to our lives today. The death of the murderer inflicts punishment for the crime, and gives the victim’s family a sense of justice. God’s Word says: Whoever sheds human blood, by a human being will his blood be shed; for God made human beings in His image (Genesis 9:6). That hasn’t changed. The death of the murderer was not supposed to be a deterrent, but a punishment.

Today, guilty sinners can flee by faith to Yeshua and find refuge from the judgment of Ha’Shem (Hebrews 6:18). Because Messiah is the eternal High Priest , salvation is secure forever (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer), for He always lives to make intercession for them (see Hebrews Bk – The New Priesthood Lasts Forever). He bore the guilty sinner’s punishment; therefore, there can be no condemnation for those in Messiah Yeshua (Romans 8:1).

As the Torah specified cities of refuge, it also delineated its principles for murder and involuntary manslaughter. The reason why this is so important for the Israelites is that Canaan is more than just the Promised Land. It is His Land . . . God’s Land. The Divine Presence cannot tolerate to live in a Land polluted by murder; the offense leads to the pollution of the earth and the abandonment by God of His sanctuary and people.⁷⁹⁰ I am sure God’s heart is grieved by all the violence in the Land that took place on all the years before October 6^th 2024, and all the years after. The Land longs for His Middle East peace plan. But oddly enough, there is a paradox here. In its right place, the Levitical sacrificial system (see Leviticus Ah – The Offerings from the People’s Perspective), blood is the most effective purifier, the only means of atonement between God and mankind (Hebrews 9:22). But in the wrong context, it has precisely the opposite effect.₇₉₁

Here is a summary of the procedure if a possible murder happened:

1. Only the guilty one is involved, no other family member can be slain instead of or in addition to him. This limited the escalation of the damage to families.
2. The slayer’s intention determines whether he is guilty or not. If it was an accident, he was qualified to flee to a city of refuge.
3. No ransom is accepted for the guilty.
4. The verdict is determined by a legal court and not the avenger.
5. The involuntary manslayer is confined to a city of refuge until the high priest dies.
6. The murderer is executed by the nearest of kin to the deceased.⁷⁹²

Dear Heavenly Father, praise Your wisdom, that when someone unintentionally killed another person, they could flee for protection to the city of refuge – but only for as long as the high priest was still living. Messiah Yeshua’s priesthood is an eternal priesthood and so is His protection. The covering of Messiah Yeshua’s blood over me, protecting me, never ends! But on the other hand, the One who does remain forever has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is also able to completely save those who draw near to God through Him, always living to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:24-25). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Those Not Qualified to Flee to a City of Refuge
35: 9-21

Those not qualified to flee to a city of refuge DIG: What purpose did the cities of refuge serve? Describe what this parashah teaches about the difference between involuntary manslaughter and murder. Who  judges the case of a potential murder? Who was to do the executing of a murderer? Why do you think so?

REFLECT: Cities of refuge were provided for the people of Isra’el. What refuge is provided for believers today? What are some of the problems with the “blood avenger” mode of justice? How did the mitzvot of the city of refuge circumvent those problems? How is Yeshua your safe place? How can He help you today?

The murderer must be put to death.

The concept of a redeemer (Hebrew: go’el) is found in the book of Ruth (see the commentary on Ruth, to see link click Aq – Ruth Gleans in the Field of Bo’az). A redeemer is one’s next of kin. The redeemer was responsible for: buying back a kinsman that has been sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:47-49), buying back a kinsman’s land that has been sold outside the tribal clan (Leviticus 25:25-31); settling legal affairs on behalf of a deceased kinsman (Numbers 5:8), begetting a son to the childless kinsman’s widow (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), and avenging a kinsman’s murder. The one responsible for the latter is referred to as the redeemer of the blood (Hebrew: go’el hadam). This person is chosen by the family and does not engage in revenge, but engages in the redemption of family loss.⁷⁷⁹

In order to truly understand the need for a “city of refuge,” we must first understand the Ancient Near Eastern institution of blood redemption. The redeemer of the blood was a vigilante system of justice. It was an institution of the Ancient Near East and not biblically mandated. When a person was killed, regardless of whether it was accidental or intentional, the redeemer of the blood set out to redeem the dead man. The redeemer might be a brother, father, uncle or cousin. In Second Samuel 14, a woman approached King David with a petition for special protection from a kinsman redeemer bent on vengeance. One son inadvertently murdered another, and the blood redeemer was bent on seeing justice fulfilled. The woman petitioned David so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son (see the commentary on the Life of David Dl – The Wise Woman of Tekoa).

The institution of the blood redeemer served to protect the life in the often savage and lawless world of the Ancient Near East. Though the Torah did not initiate the blood redemption system of justice, neither did it forbid it. A blood avenger was actually protected by law: If the next-of-kin avenger finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger kills the killer, he will not be guilty of the man’s blood (35:27). His act of retribution was not regarded as a murder. In the ancient world, murder and violence was probably deterred with the knowledge that there would always be someone coming after you for vengeance. However, there are obvious problems with this mode of vigilante justice. No distinction was made between intentional murder and involuntary manslaughter. There was no trial by jury. Witnesses were not allowed to be cross-examined. It was a nearly barbaric method of exacting revenge.⁷⁸⁰

Involuntary Manslaughter (35:9-12): ADONAI said to Moshe, “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you are to designate for yourselves cities that will be cities of refuge for you, to which anyone who kills someone unintentionally (Hebrew: bishgagah) can flee’ (35:9-11).” The person guilty of involuntary manslaughter acts in a reckless manner. Their actions are more than just a mere accident, and a death occurred that could have been prevented. The person who kills unintentionally must stay in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the killer may return to the land he owns (35:22-29). 

The mitzvot of the cities of refuge were introduced by the Torah in order to circumvent the vengeance of the avenger (go’el) of the blood. The city of refuge was a place where someone pursued by a blood avenger could find immunity until standing trial. It says: These cities are to be a refuge for you from the dead person’s next-of-kin, who might otherwise avenge his kinsman’s death by slaying the killer prior to his standing trial before the community (35:12). Normally, even if one was an eyewitness to a crime that merited the death penalty, vigilante justice was not an option. Every capital offense had to go through the due process of a trial. There were no lynchings or impulse-stonings. The one who witnessed a murder, an act of adultery, or a Sabbath violation, and then took the law into his own hands, killing the perpetrator, was regarded as a murderer and would have been sentenced as a murderer. However, the avenger of the blood seems to have been the exception to the rule. Regarding the blood avenger, the Torah says: If the next-of-kin avenger finds a killer outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger kills the killer, he will not be guilty of the man’s blood (35:27).⁷⁸¹

Cities of refuge (35:13-15): In regard to the cities you are to give, there are to be six cities of refuge for you (see Gk – Cities of Refuge). Three cities east of the Jordan and three cities in the land of Canaan will be cities of refuge. These six cities will serve as refuge for the people of Isra’el, as well as for the foreigner and resident alien with them; so that anyone who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.

Those who were not qualified to flee to cities of refuge (35:16-21): The cities of refuge were only for those guilty of manslaughter. These verses present various descriptions of the taking of a life that would indicate whether the person was guilty of manslaughter or murder. In contrast to the inordinately complicated system of modern law concerning criminal homicide – the provisions of this section are clear and direct. They are based on the notion of obvious intent. The manner of a person’s death would suggest willful intent or accidental demise. How would the elders know the difference? If a person was killed with a lethal instrument, the means of death seemed intentional and the guilt of the killer was presumed.⁷⁸² If he hits him intentionally with an iron implement and thus causes his death, he is a murderer. The principle, repeated five times (including Ecclesiastes), is that the murderer must be put to death. This underlines the principle: Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man (for more on that see the commentary on Genesis Cz – Whoever Sheds Human Blood, by Humans Shall Their Blood Be Shed). Or if he hits him with a stone in his hand big enough to kill someone, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. Or if he hits him with a wood utensil in his hand capable of killing someone, and he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. The next-of-kin avenger is to put the murderer to death himself – upon meeting him, he is to put him to death (Ecclesiastes 8:11-13). The motives of the slayer’s intention would likewise determine if he was guilty or not. If he shoves him out of hatred; or intentionally throws something at him, causing his death; or out of hostility strikes him with his hand, so that he dies; then the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer; and the next-of-kin, the avenger of the blood (Hebrew: go’el hadam) is to put the murderer to death upon meeting him. The avenger of the blood was given the legal authority to execute the murder. No thirty years of trial motions.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that You are the refuge for believers today. You are always being just and fair. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Lovingkindness and truth go before You (Psalms 89:14). Thank You that just as You provided a refuge for the one who committed involuntary manslaughter, so You provide a refuge for all sinners who lovingly come to You as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-11). Thank You for redeeming me so that Satan cannot prove me guilty of my sins, because there is not no condemnation for those in Messiah Yeshua (Romans 8:1). The Father sees Messiah’s righteousness when He looks at me, for the blood of Messiah Yeshua covers those sins. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Praise You for being such a wonderfully just and lovingly kind heavenly Father. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Cities of Refuge
35: 9-34

Six of the Levitical cities were designated as cities of refuge. In Deuteronomy 4:43, three of the six cities of refuge are listed: Bezer in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the tribe of Manasseh. Moses established those three on the eastern side of the Jordan River among the already conquered territories. Then, in Deuteronomy 19:1-2, he commanded Isra’el to establish three more on the western side of the Jordan River once they conquered it. Moshe said: When ADONAI your God cuts off the nations whose land ADONAI your God is giving you, and you take their place and settle in their cities and houses, you are to set aside three cities for yourselves in your land that ADONAI your God is giving you to possess. Therefore, once Canaan was conquered, three more cities of refuge were established: Kedesh in the tribe of Naphtali, Shechem in the highlands of Samaria on the border between Ephraim and Manasseh, and Hebron in the central hill country of Judah.⁷⁷⁷ As you can see from the map above, those cities of refuge were so strategically located that nobody who needed to flee for refuge would be too far away from an appointed city.

The nation of Isra’el had an army, but it didn’t have anything close to our modern police system. If somebody was murdered, the members of the victim’s family and clan saw to it that the murderer paid for his crime with his life. He was not eligible to flee to a city of refuge (see Gl – Those Not Qualified to Flee to a City of Refuge), and was taken back to the city where his crime was committed to be stoned to death. Murder was a capital crime in Isra’el for which there was no ransom (35:32). The blood of the innocent victims polluted the Land, and the Land belongs to ADONAI (Genesis 4:10 and 9:5). The only way the Land could be cleansed was by the death of the murderer (Genesis 9:6). However, if a man accidentally killed someone, that was a case of manslaughter; not murder, and it would have been wrong to make him pay with his life. He could flee to a city of refuge (see Gm – Those Qualified to Flee to a City of Refuge). The elders allowed him to stay there under their protection until the death of the high priest. Then he was free to return home. He was not allowed to pay a ransom and be freed sooner (Numbers 35:32).⁷⁷⁸

Levitical Cities
35: 1-8

Levitical cities DIG: With duties that kept them on the go, how would the landless Levites manage to live in dispersed cities? Secure as their own tribal unit, but scattered among the people, how were they to function in ministry? In what way is the local Torah community like a Levitical city in the midst of Isra’el?

REFLECT: In what sense can our communities be seen as a Levitical city? How can our lives be seen to imitate the life of a Levite? In what sense are we Messiah’s Levites? What is your inheritance? Can you take it with you? In what ways does the writing of the Rambam describe your spiritual journey today?

As Messiah is the living Temple; as His disciples, we are His Levites.

The Levites were not included among the tribes receiving a portion of the Land. Instead, they were to be dispersed throughout the tribes. This dispersion was accomplished by establishing Levitical cities within each of the tribal territories. The Torah mandates that Isra’el was to set aside a total of 48 Levitical cities, six of which were cities of refuge (to see link click Gk – Cities of Refuge).⁷⁶⁹

In the plains of Mo’av by the Jordan, across from Jericho, ADONAI said to Moshe, “Order the people of Isra’el to give to the Levitical cities to live in from the heritage they will possess” (35:1). The Levites didn’t own the land on which they built their homes, and as a result, they couldn’t sell it (Leviticus 25:34), but were allowed to live there. Because of this, serious agriculture was not a possibility for them. As to the cities you will give from those the people of Isra’el possess, from the many you will take many, and from the few you will take few – each tribe will contribute from its cities to the Levites in accordance with the size of its inheritance (35:1-2a and 6-8, also see 18:23; Deuteronomy 10:9, 12:12, 14:27 and 29, 18:2: Joshua 13:14 and 33, 14:4, 18:7). Every tribe was required to have Levitical cities.

Therefore, instead of land, they were given two things for their inheritance. First, Adonai ELOHIM was their inheritance, “This is why the Levites have no inheritance among their brothers; ADONAI is their inheritance” (Deut 10:9a, 18:2; Joshua 13:33). Secondly, the tithe belonged to them, “I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to ADONAI. That is why I said concerning them, ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites’ (Numbers 18:24 and Joshua 13:14).”

However, ADONAI did allow them a measure of open pasture land surrounding their cities to maintain their livestock. They are to have the cities to live in, while their open land will be for their livestock, for growing crops and for all their animals. It is difficult to ascertain exactly how the Torah determines the boundaries of the pastureland. They were to draw a line around the city wall 1,500 feet outside it and to extend outward from there. Measure 3,000 feet outward from the city wall to the east, south, west and north, with the city in the center. The space between the 1,500-foot line and the 3,000-foot line will be their open land around the cities (35:2b and 4-5). This was to be the property of the Levites.⁷⁷⁰

In this anticipatory passage (see Ac – Numbers from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: Anticipatory Passages) the mention of the six cities of refuge in 35:6 anticipates the creation of the cities of refuge for cases of homicide.⁷⁷¹ In the book of Joshua, when all the tribes were at last settled into their territories, the heads of the Levites petitioned Joshua to assign them their cities (Joshua 21:1-3). Joshua and Eleazar cast lots to determine which cities in the newly conquered territories would be given to the Levites. The cities you give to the Levites are to be the six cities of refuge to which you permit the person who kills someone unwittingly to flee to; plus an additional forty-two cities. Thus, you will give the Levites a total of forty-eight cities with their surrounding open land (35:6-8). 

According to Joshua 21 each of the various clans of the Levites were granted cities among a given group of Levitical tribes. The Kohathites of Aaronic lineage received twenty-three cities in Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, and the remaining Kohathites were provided with ten cities in Ephraim, Dan, and one-half of Manasseh in Cisjordan. The Gershonites were granted thirteen cities within the tribal territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and one-half of Manasseh in the Transjordan. The Merarites then received twelve cities from Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. Most of these tribal allocations and their respective towns follow general geographical regions, moving from south to north, with the exception that the Merarite allotments were separate geographically, with several cities in the Upper Jezreel Valley and the remaining in the Transjordan, separated by the tribal territory of Issachar in the southeastern Jezreel and Beth Shean Valley regions.⁷⁷²

The Levites were to be spread throughout the people of Isra’el in order to teach the Torah to the whole nation. It is, of course, everyone’s responsibility to learn Torah and share it with others, but the Levites were specifically given that ministry. Since they were supported by the other tribes, they were available to commit their lives to the study and pursuit of the Torah, as well as the holy ministry of supporting the priests in the Tabernacle. They shall teach Your mitzvot to Jacob, and Your Torah to Isra’el. They shall put incense before You, and whole burnt offerings on Your altar (Deuteronomy 33:10). Even though they were spread out all over the nation, they still needed places to live. The solution came in the concept of cities embedded among the other tribes. In this way the Levites could serve as a “holy leaven” that would permeate the tribes with their presence as special representatives of the work of YHVH in their midst. Among the people, they would serve as holy guides to the truth and work of God (Gen 49:7; Leviticus 10;11; Deut 31:9-13 and 33:10).⁷⁷³

Earlier (see Ao – The Levites: Messiah’s Levites), we noted similarities between the calling of the Levites and the Master’s call to discipleship. Disciples are like Levites for Messiah. The Levites were the servants of the Tabernacle/Temple and of the priesthood. Messiah is the living Temple. He is our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (see the commentary on Hebrews Bl – Yeshua the Melchizedek Priest). As His disciples, we are His servants . . . His Levites.

In the same sense that the Levites were the property of the priesthood and the Tabernacle/Temple, we are the property of Yeshua. Our diligence in the Kingdom falls along the same lines as much of the Levitical work. Like the Levites, we are to help those seeking to worship God. We point the way, we carry the burden, and we build the congregations that help people to encounter the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Like the Levites, we are to provide people with teaching. We are entrusted with the words of the Master and the teaching of the Torah. And like the Levites we are scattered among the People of God, and our job is to function as salt and light in their midst (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Df – You are the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World).⁷⁷⁴

Maimonides, commonly referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (1138 to 1204 AD), a Sephardic rabbi and philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages, regarded the Levites’ dedicated life as a model worthy of imitation. As with the Levites, the call of discipleship often involves laying our earthly pursuits aside. He wrote, “And this is not only true for the tribe of Levi, but for everyone throughout the world whose spirit is willing, and whose intellect has guided, to set apart to stand before YHVH, to minister unto Him and to serve Him with a view of knowing Him, following the right path according to the LORD’s design, and casting off our shoulders the yoke of many worldly affairs sought after by mankind. The one who has dedicated himself is made holy to the highest degree, and that ADONAI becomes his portion and his inheritance for all eternity, and will grant him in this world whatever will suffice for his needs, even as He has done for the priests and the Levites (Mishneh Torah, Zeraim, Hilcoth Shemitah Ve-Yobel 13:12-13).⁷⁷⁵ Maimonides might have been describing the committed disciple of Yeshua today who has left home and career to follow the Messiah’s leading. Yet that is not to say that discipleship cannot be reconciled with a career. Maimonides supported himself as a physician all the years that he studied and taught, and his work in the Torah is second to none.

It is helpful to think of the role of the local congregation as a sort of Levitical city in the midst of Isra’el. Our communities are scattered. We are very distinct from other congregations. Yet, we should not be too isolated. Our responsibility is to proclaim the whole Word of God (Acts 20:27). We are to be a ministry, a witness, and an example to those outside the community. In other words, we are meant to be an oasis of Torah.⁷⁷⁶

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You, that as You were the inheritance of the Levites, so also You are the inheritance of all who love you! Thank You for Your great love that chooses to adopt into Your family (Ephesians 1:5) all who believe/trust/have faith in You (John 1:12) as their Lord and Savior. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10:9-11).

Receiving a large monetary inheritance is helpful in buying things, but money goes only so far and then it is gone and things do not last very long . . . and then they are gone. Having a prestigious family name does often bring some respect, but family names cannot get anyone into heaven. What is most important is eternity! Being sealed by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh is the best inheritance that ever could be. Praise, thank, glorify and worship You my awesome and loving heavenly Father for the home in heaven that Yeshua is preparing for me! Such a huge gift takes my breath away and I do not have words to praise You enough! You redeem those who love You and bless them with your loving adoption as sons and daughters, “In Messiah” (Ephesians 1:5-7). Thank You for giving me Messiah’s righteousness, for He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:17). Praise You so much for being the inheritance of all who love You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Isra’el’s Land
34: 1-29

Isra’el’s land DIG: Should the Gentile nations of the world object that Isra’el took over the Land occupied by the Canaanites? What is the difference between Isra’el’s relationship to its homeland and that of other nations to theirs? Has Isra’el ever occupied their entire inheritance of the Land? When will this promise be fulfilled? Why do you think  some object to the small piece of land they have now? 

REFLECT: How do you respond to people who believe Yeshua will return to Canaan because Isra’el stole their land; therefore, Jews are not to be trusted nor held in much esteem? What happens when Isra’el gives up some of her land for peace? When will true peace come to Isra’el? Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, a City fostering friendship and unity; may those who love you prosper (Psalm 122:6-9)?

For the first time in the Torah, we are given a description of the actual borders of the Promised Land.

The political question of Isra’el’s land has been challenged and argued ever since the State of Isra’el was re-declared in 1948. And if that were all that was to it, then certainly there could be various sides considered. But one side has been missing in this discussion, the non-political reality, is that it is God’s Land who gave it to His chosen people first: Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the Land that I will show you. And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).

Thus, God detailed the scope of the land associated with the promise He gave to Abraham establishing the Jewish people. Today, should the nations of the world object that Isra’el took over the land occupied by other nations? The Jews merely reply that the whole world belongs to the Holy One; He created it and gives it to whomever He desires. In accordance with His will, He originally gave it to the Amorites, Hittities, Jebusites, Hivites, Perizzites, and Girgashites; and in accordance with His will He took it from them and gave it to us. In this light, the record of the official borders of Isra’el in Numbers 34 becomes a critically important legal document. Like when Yeshua will take the title-deed to the earth itself (see Revelation, to see link click Cf – You Are Worthy to Take the Scroll), it is the legal document for the Promised Land written by, and from, ADONAI Himself. Woe to anyone who seeks to alter it, diminish it, or negate it (Revelation 22:19).

This is a map which approximates these borders in Numbers. Isra’el currently occupies but a fraction of the Promised Land. Propagandists have instilled into the minds of many who do not regard the Bible as God’s word that somehow Isra’el has stolen land. But if we view matters from the side of God’s revealed true word, then we see God’s plan unfolding towards the consummation of all His promises until the end of the age. Anti-Semitism is nothing new, and uninformed statements of prejudice against the Jewish people have been spewed forth all the way back to the days of Moses and Haman (see the commentary on Esther Aq – Haman the Agagite: The Enemy of the Jews), not to mention modern pseudo-theologians who seek to foment hatred through their prejudice. How can we fulfill God’s command to reach all with the Gospel (Romans 1:16) if there is fear mongering in the place of biblical truth and love? For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16).

The outline of Canaan’s borders in Chapter 34 is similar to other biblical descriptions of Canaan’s borders in Joshua 15:1-14, Ezeki’el 47:15-18 and 48:1-2. It also corresponds to the delineation of the Land as stretching from Lebo-hamath to the Wadi of Egypt in First Kings 8:65. In contrast, another traditional report of the northernmost and southernmost points of the Land is the lesser area designated by the phrase from Dan to Beersheba (for example in Judges 20:1; First Samuel 3:20; First Kings 4:25). This would include an area significantly smaller than that promised here in Numbers 34, an indication that the promise of Numbers 34 far exceeded the historical fulfillment in most periods of Isra’el’s history. Isra’el’s territory was largest during the united monarchy of David and Solomon, but even then it did not include some of the Philistine territory on the western border along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, Isra’el has never occupied the entire Land that ADONAI had promised to them. Nevertheless, the Promised Land is a very real and material promise from YHVH, and not simply a vague or otherworldly hope.⁷⁶⁴ However, they look forward to the Messianic Kingdom where everything that God had promised will be fulfilled.

We all look forward to Messiah’s middle-east peace plan.

The borders of the Land (34:1-15): Having been commanded to conquer and occupy the Promised Land (13:1-2), it became crucial to know its borders. ADONAI told Moshe to give this order to the people of Isra’el: “When you enter the land of Canaan, it will become your land to pass on as an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by these borders.”

Your southern border will extend from the Tzin Desert close to the border of Edom. The eastern terminus of your southern border is at the end of the Dead Sea. From there your border turns, goes south of the ‘Akrabbim Ascent and passes on to Tzin. From there it goes south of Kadesh-barnea, 65 miles southwest of the Dead Sea. From there the border extended northwesterly to Hatzar-adar (4 or 5 miles away), and on to ‘Atzmon (3 miles away). Then the border turns and goes from ‘Atzmon to the Wadi of Egypt and continues northwestward to the Mediterranean Sea, about 50 miles south of Gaza (13:3-5).

Your western border will be the Great Sea, or the Mediterranean Sea (13:6).

Your northern border extends from the Mediterranean Sea near Mount Hor. This is not the Mount Hor where Aaron died because he died in the south beyond the borders of the Land in the wilderness of Tzin, but a northern peak about 10 miles north of the Phoenician city of Byblos. From Mount Hor marks a line eastward to the entrance of Hamat about 50 miles north of Damascus. From there, the border goes out to Tz’dad (about 30 miles northeast of Hamat). Then the border goes to Zifron (10 miles further east) and ends at Hatzar-‘Einan (70 miles northeast of Damascus); this is your northern border (13:7-9). Now when Ezeki’el describes the borders of the Land in 47:15-17, he makes this the northern border of the Kingdom.⁷⁶⁵

For the eastern border mark your line north from Hatzar-‘Enan, then south to Sh’fam (site unknown). Then the border goes down from Sh’fam to Rivlah (70 miles north of Damascus), on the east side of ‘Ayin, then down until it hits the slope northeast (today called the Golan Heights) of Lake Kinneret, later called the Sea of Galilee (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Cj – Come, Follow Me, and I Will Show You How to Fish for People). From there it goes down the Jordan River till it flows into the Dead Sea. These will be the borders of your land (13:10-12).⁷⁶⁶ So, despite the fact that there seems to be a lot of confusion in the world today as to Isra’el’s borders and her legitimacy to occupy the Promised Land, ADONAI is not confused.

Reuben, Gad, and half the clans of Manasseh asked Moshe if they could be allowed to settle east of the Jordan River. Moses agreed if they sent their share of soldiers with the rest of the Israelites to fight the Canaanites. This was acceptable and in the end, everyone was happy. Since the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had already received their inheritance (see Fz – Reuben and Gad Request Land), there was no need to describe the boundaries of their land. That ADONAI approved of this agreement is obvious for three reasons. First, if this was not His will, He surely would have said something about it. Second, when the cities of refuge were given (see Gk – Cities of Refuge), God instructed the Israelites to have three of them east of the Jordan River. Hence, instead of commanding them to leave that territory because it was not part of the Promised Land, YHVH made sure it was included by placing cities of refuge in it. Third, the text itself gives us the definitive answer. Then, summarizing 34:1-12, Moses commanded the Israelites, “Assign this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has ordered that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.” Then, Moses addressed the tribes in the Transjordan, “because the families of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. These two and a half tribes have received their inheritance east of the Jordan across from Jericho, toward the sunrise” (34:13-15).

The dividing of the Land (34:16-29): ADONAI said to Moses, “These are the names of the men who are to assign the land for you as an inheritance: Eleazar the high priest, the religious leader, and Joshua son of Nun, the civil leader. And appoint one leader from each tribe to help assign the land (34:16-18). The land on the west side of the Jordan River was to be divided into ten tracts by Joshua and Eleazar. They were to cast lots to assign each parcel of land among the clans and families of each tribe. It is interesting to note that the names mentioned in this list, with the exception of Caleb, are all previously unknown. They were not related in any way to the twelve men sent to spy out the Land in Numbers 13. They were a new breed. A new day had dawned. A new census had been taken (Chapter 26). In many ways the Wilderness Generation stood in the same position as their parents did at the beginning of the book of Numbers. It was as if ADONAI had decided to start with a clean slate.⁷⁶⁷

The tribes are listed in approximately the geographical position in which they would settle in the Land, from south to north. The four southern tribes (Judah, Simeon, Benjamin, and Dan), are listed in 33:19-22. It should be noted that the tribe of Dan was still in its more southern position. The two central tribes (Joseph’s tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim) were next in 33:23-24, and the four northern tribes (Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali) are found in 33:25-28.⁷⁶⁸ These were their names:

Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah (34:19);

Shemuel son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Simeon (34:20);

Elidad son of Kislon, from the tribe of Benjamin (34:21);

Bukki son of Jogli, the leader from the tribe of Dan (34:22);

Hanniel son of Ephod, the leader from the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph (34:23);

Kemuel son of Shiphtan, the leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph (34:24);

Elizaphan son of Parnak, the leader from the tribe of Zebulun (34:25);

Paltiel son of Azzan, the leader from the tribe of Issachar (34:26);

Ahihud son of Shelomi, the leader from the tribe of Asher (34:27);

Pedahel son of Ammihud, the leader from the tribe of Naphtali (34:28).”

These are the men ADONAI commanded to assign the inheritance to the Israelites in the land of Canaan (34:29). These are the names of the Wilderness Generation; the leaders of the Exodus Generation were dead. Now this new generation could begin its long-anticipated conquest of the Promised Land under the hand of Ha’Shem.

Dear Heavenly Father, You created the world and can give its land, including the Promised Land of Isra’el, to whom you choose. Praise You for opening heaven’s door to all who choose to love You by giving them Messiah’s righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). You place them “in Messiah” and seal them with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh; thereby guaranteeing them entrance into Your holy heaven. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh.  He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise (Ephesians 1:13-14)!

Your almighty love and power is so awesome, that You will rapture those who love You, and will be with You forever in Your home in heaven!  For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the blast of God’s shofar, and the dead in Messiah shall rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left behind, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air – and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words (First Thessalonians 4:16-18). When problems and trials come, help me to keep my eyes focused on Your promised return to take those who love You to heaven forever! For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Isra’el’s Enemies
33: 50-56

Isra’el’s enemies DIG: Why did the resident nations in the Promised Land need to be exterminated? How would that protect the Israelites? How had they fallen prey to idolatry in the past? On what basis would the Promised Land be divided among the twelve tribes? Was that fair? Why or why not. What would be their punishment for rebellion? What was the outcome?

REFLECT: When Ha’Shem told Isra’el to utterly destroy the inhabitants of the Promised Land, does that seem unusually cruel to you? Why? Why not? Who are those in the world today that God doesn’t want you to be unequally yoked with? Are you intermarrying with them? Are you having your children over to them? In what sense can you destroy them? What will happen if you don’t?

If you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land from in front of you, then those you allow to remain will become like thorns in your eyes and stings in your sides.

Introduction (33:50-51): ADONAI spoke to Moshe in the plains of Mo’ab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, where the conquest would begin in the near future. He said.

Here is an example of chiasm with introversion (to see link click Ac – Numbers from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: Chiasm and introversion). The first A is the opposite of the second A. But both A’s speak of the decisions of the whole population. The pivot, C, focuses on the criterion of the population. Both are factors of the land distribution in 26:54-55; they are summarized in this introverted, but symmetrical scheme.⁷⁵⁷

A. Reward for obedience (33:52-53): to tell the people of Isra’el, “When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you are to expel all the people living in the land. You are to destroy all their stone figures, destroy all their metal statues and demolish all their high places of idol worship. Drive out the inhabitants of the land, and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess.” The tragedy of Isra’el’s history was that they failed to follow faithfully these commands from the LORD, so their demise at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians was largely due to their tendency toward idolatry.

B. The division of the Land (33:54): Here is the theological climax of the book. The Land belonged to ADONAI, and it was His to grant to whom He desired. By His love, grace, and mercy He had promised and was now presenting the gift of the Land to His people. The distribution among the tribes was to be proportionate, based on the size of each tribe and through the casting of lots. Those lots were cast with the confidence in the providence of God to apportion justly and fairly among the different tribes of Isra’el. You will inherit the land by lot according to your tribes. You are to give more land to the larger tribes and less to the smaller ones. Wherever the lot falls to any particular person, that will be his property. You will inherit according to the tribes of your ancestors (see Eq – The Division of the Land).

A. Punishment for disobedience (33:55-56): The reward for obedience is now contrasted with a stern warning and potential curse that would follow if the nation was not faithful to the LORD alone. But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land from in front of you, then those you allow to remain will become like thorns in your eyes and stings in your sides — they will harass you in the land where you are living (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ca – Warning Against Idolatry). And in this event, I will do to you what I intended to do to them. The opposite to the Israelites driving out the inhabitants of the land would be that of being driven out themselves by the hand of the One who had given it to them in the first place. Joshua issued a similar warning to Isra’el in his farewell address to the nation before his death (see the commentary on Joshua Cs – Joshua’s Farewell Address).⁷⁵⁸

In six short verses, we learn so much about the enemies which Isra’el would have to face when they entered the Land. ADONAI told them while speaking to Moses on the foothills of Mo’av, that they would have to totally destroy all the religious trappings of the Canaanites and dispossess the inhabitants when they entered the Land. The LORD told them while speaking to Moshe on the foothills of Mo’ab, that they would have to totally destroy all the pagan practices of the Canaanites and utterly destroy them when they entered the Land. The consequences for disobedience to His commandment would be tragic. Ha’Shem declared: But if you don’t drive out the inhabitants of the land from in front of you, then those you allow to remain will become like thorns in your eyes and stings in your sides – they will harass you in the land where you are living. And in this event, I will do to you what I intended to do to them (33:55-56).

Just like the plagues of Egypt, so also would be the battles in Canaan – a religious war! The religious systems of both civilizations were actually quite different although they had many common features. Some of these common features were idolatry, polytheism, demonization, and occult practices. Both societies (Egyptian and Canaanite) had their own version of these common features. So, one of the first instructions that God gave Moshe concerning the Canaanites was to destroy all their religious implements and worship places. Also, there are several teachings scattered throughout the Torah specifically directed toward the Canaanites.

Even though the religion of the Canaanites was spoken of rather frequently in the TaNaKh, nevertheless, it was not until relatively recently that scholars knew many details about the Canaanite religion. The latest information came with the discovery of the now famous Ugaritic tablets found in the late 1920’s near the Syrian village of Ras Shamra, located close to the Mediterranean coast. Here for the first-time archaeologists found written documentation of the many religious practices about which the TaNaKh speaks. It is true that archaeologists have found many cult objects such as sanctuaries, deity figurines, incense burners, and altars in excavations scattered throughout Isra’el. However, the Ugaritic texts provide authentic Canaanite records that confirm firsthand expressions of Canaanite religious thought and practice.

What do we know about the religion of the Canaanites? The best summary is that the Canaanite religion is in part, “a human response to the environment.” In other words, religion is expressed as a pattern of human behavior in the face of life’s difficulties. To that end, nature is full of extraordinary power, such as storms or heat. The Canaanites thought that the forces of nature were personified. Thus, they created a deity for each of these forces. Interestingly enough, since the language of Canaan was a language very close to Hebrew, many of these gods or goddesses were called by common Hebrew names. For example, the Canaanites chief god was El, also a common Hebrew word for God; Ba’al was a second most powerful Canaanite god and his name means lord; and Yam was the god of the sea, and the Hebrew word yam means sea. Another important Canaanite goddess was Asherah (or Athirath or Astarte) the wife of Yam.

These countless deities often fought each other. The evidence for this was observed in the cycles of nature in the land of Canaan. For instance, Ba’al was the storm god who brought the essential rains in the winter, the season for rain. But, in the summer, the god Mot (from the same Hebrew world which means death) overcame Ba’al for a time and killed him. In the fall, Ba’al was resurrected, and the rains resumed.⁷⁵⁹

Their religion often consisted in reenacting those dramas through the recitation of the myths that were invented to narrate those dramas. When they did, there would have been weeping and lamentation or joy, depending on what the drama was about. Moreover, scattered throughout those festivals was magic and sacrifices. Thus, by myth and ritual as festivals through the maintenance of temple, and through the power of magic, the Canaanites sought to survive in the face of the many forces that pushed in against their lives.⁷⁶⁰

This makes it sound like the Canaanite religion was rather morally sterile. However, things got rather complicated in their religious practices, depending on which god they were worshipping and by what myth. The worst scenes were when the fertility goddesses were worshipped. Since the Canaanites did not know or believe in the One true God of Isra’el (who is the giver of life), they resorted to appealing to false gods, goddesses, or even demons to help make them fertile. In addition to open sex, and bestiality, child sacrifices were also common so that their gods would bless the fertility of their soil, and consequently, their crops. The people merely acted out what the myth said about their gods.⁷⁶¹ Molech was the god of fertility and the Canaanites sacrificed their babies to gain fertility of their crops.

To summarize the situation of the Canaanites, they were a people whose religion was polytheistic, mythological, ritualistic, and was centered to a large degree in a keen interest in the fertility of the soil, but also in the fertility of human beings. Hence, it was difficult for Isra’el to resist the attraction of the Canaanite cult and worldview, with its emphasis on fertility.⁷⁶² The Holy One knew full well the religious danger that the Israelites faced when He sent them into the land of Canaan. Consequently, He gave them the most appropriate instructions about how to handle the enemy. They were to destroy the Canaanite religious practices and their destruction was to be complete: every man, woman, and child was to be killed (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). Just as a contractor must demolish buildings and clear land to make room for a new structure, so, God had to wipe out the pagan societies in Canaan so that His people might move in and build a nation that would glorify YHVH. During their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites revealed their appetite for the things of Egypt, and at Ba’al Peor, they succumbed to the seductions of Ba’al worship (see Ea – Taking a Stand for God). If the pagan shrines were left standing, it wouldn’t take long for Isra’el to forsake the LORD and start worshipping idols. Unfortunately, Isra’el didn’t obey God’s commands and ended up being snared by the practices of heathen peoples left in the land (see the commentary on Judges As – Cycles of Disobedience and Deliverance).⁷⁶³

Today, we live in a world where we are surrounded by “Canaanites.” We live in a sex-saturated society. Sins that used to be kept in the dark are now flaunted in public. Our sense of shame has been replaced with brazen defiance. Norms that used to be accepted are now being challenged; people living abnormal lifestyles now want to be accepted as normal. Sex sells everything today. It is in every industry, all the time, year after year, day after day, every minute, every second. We cannot escape it. Like Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah, we are swimming in an ocean of sexual excess and perversion while trying to stay clean. Sex crimes are at all-time highs, while infidelity, divorce, and perversion are now commonplace. We are obsessed with sex to a degree perhaps never seen before in the world. In addition, the worship of false gods is now the norm, and child sacrifice in the form of abortion has never been more condoned. In short, we are not much different than the Canaanites. The question for us is this. Can we be a light in the darkness and resist the culture war that we are in, or will we succumb to the world?

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You for Your wonderful, steadfast love that so mercifully provided the path to eternal joy and peace in heaven for all who choose to love and to follow You. How foolish it is to follow the god of sex. Just as You destroyed the inhabitants of the land of Canaan for their sinful living, so all who follow the path of selfishly living for themselves will also suffer the natural consequences of your wrath. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36). Yeshua paid the high price as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) to conquer death. The price has been paid, the gift has been offered; however, the gift only belongs to someone if they choose to receive it. The gift of salvation is a gift of relationship with You as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-11).  

Thank You so much for Your fantastic love that offers Messiah Yeshua to dwell within the hearts of those who have faith in Him, Your abiding presence is such a comfort in these troubling times. What peace it brings that our Lord is the steadfast anchor of our soul, who has entered heaven as our high priest forever (Hebrews 6:19-20). How glorious it is that He saves all who draw near to God through Him. Therefore He is also able to completely save those who draw near to God through Him, always living to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25). All praise, honor and worship belong to You our great and awesome heavenly Father! I look forward to praising You in heaven thru all eternity. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Words of Warning and Encouragement
to the Wilderness Generation
33:50 to 36:13

The Promised Land has been Isra’el’s goal throughout the book of Numbers. It is only fitting, therefore, that the last section of the book deals specifically with the settlement of Canaan. These last four chapters round out the book. Chapter 33, with its “travel log” (to see link click Gc – Isra’el’s Travel Log), and final blessing and warning, serves as a climax of the book. The prospects for conquest and the warning of failure were just as real for the Wilderness Generation as it was for their parents. Chapters 34, 35, and 36 are appendages to the book of Numbers. Its theological climax comes at 33:54 when ADONAI declares: You will inherit the land by lot according to your tribes. You are to give more land to the larger tribes and less to the smaller ones. Wherever the lot falls to any particular person, that will be his property. You will inherit according to the tribes of your ancestors. The message was this: The Land is before you for the taking; but do not behave like your fathers and mothers did. Instead, move on in faith to occupy the Land God is offering you. You are responsible for the decisions you are about to make. And just remember that ADONAI has time . . . and the wilderness has no shortage of sand to accommodate your remains. If you behave like your parents did, Ha’Shem can wait for your children or your children’s children to act courageously and to respond in faithful action. Just before entering the Promised Land, Moshe gave his final speech (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Fa – The Warnings of the Covenant).

The Third Stage: From Mount Hor to the Plains of Mo’ab
33: 41-49

The third stage: from Mount Hor to the plains of Mo’ab DIG: What impression does this travel log give you of the twists and turns in their journey? How might a list like this help the Wilderness Generation who had not actually experienced the early parts of the journey? How might it affect their belief in the reality of God’s power? Why is the LORD so concerned that the Israelites drive out all of the Canaanites?

REFLECT: What parallels do you see in the Exodus and Wilderness experiences of the Israelites as compared with the pilgrimage of many who come to faith in Messiah today? What would you add to this list from your own journey with ADONAI? When has He “parted the waters” for you? When has He helped you find “water from a rock?” When has He led you from the desert to the Promised Land?

Once the Tabernacle was completed while the Israelites camped at Mount Sinai (Exodus 25-30), it was taken apart and carried every time the Israelites traveled to a new encampment. There were 40 such journeys (to see link click Gc – Isra’el’s Travel Log).

These were the [three] stages and 40 encampments between the Exodus and the staging area to the Promised Land on the plains of Mo’ab. As the people of Isra’el left the land of Egypt, they divided into groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aaron (33:1). Moshe recorded each of the stages of their journey by order of ADONAI; here are the starting-points of each stage (33:2):

34. After mourning Aaron for thirty days (20:29), the Israelites left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah (Numbers 33:41).

35. They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon (Numbers 33:42).

36. They left Punon and camped at Oboth (Numbers 33:43). We do not know exactly where it happened, but according to Numbers 21:10, between the time they left Mount Hor and when they arrived at Oboth, the Israelites had yet another rebellion. This time Ha’Shem sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit the people, and many of Isra’el’s people died (21:6). In order to stop it, YHVH instructed Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole. When anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will live. Obediently, Moshe made the bronze snake (see Di – The Healing Snake).

37. They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Mo’ab (33:44). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

38. They left Iye Abarim and camped at Dibon-Gad (Numbers 33:45). Dibon-Gad was in the country just north of Mo’ab, on the east side of the Jordan River. It was while the Israelites were getting ready to begin the conquest of the land of Canaan, that the tribe of Gad, particularly after Isra’el was victorious against Og (see Dl – The Defeat of Og of Basham), settled in some of the cities of Basham. Dibon was one of them, for Moses wrote: We have overthrown them; Heshbon is destroyed (see Dk – The Defeat of Sihon of Heshbon) all the way to Dibon. We have demolished them as far as Nophah, which extends to Medeba. So Isra’el settled in the land of the Amorites (Numbers 21:30-31). Isra’el would have remembered this place as one of the locations in which they first began to settle after their traumatic Exodus and forty-year journey through the wilderness. These would have been happy thoughts for the children of Isra’el.

39. They left Dibon-Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim (Numbers 33:46). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

40. They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo. The Israelites left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Mo’ab by the Jordan across from Jericho. There on the plains of Mo’ab they camped along the Jordan River from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim (Numbers 33:47-49). This was to be their staging area for Isra’el’s conquest of the Transjordan. This was also the place where Isra’el’s “Travel Log” was being written (see Gc – Isra’el’s Travel Log). Isra’el spent a fair amount of time encamped on the plains of Mo’ab. While they were there, unknown to them, a spiritual battle was raging in the mountains above and to the east of them when Balaak summoned Balaam to curse them (Numbers 22:2 to 24:25). But ADONAI intervened for them. In the valley where they were living, during the same time period, they faced rampant sin when the daughters of the Midianities and Moabites began enticing some of their men into immoral sexual relations. But Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the high priest, stood firm for the LORD and thrust his spear all the way through two of the most blasphemous, having sex right before the eyes of Moshe and the elders of Isra’el, as they were praying and weeping at the gate to the Tabernacle (see Ea – Taking a Stand for God).

Each stage ends with a significant event. And here, at the end of the third stage, we read that Moses died. Because of his sin of striking the rock twice with his staff instead of speaking to it, YHVH did not permit Moshe to enter the Promised Land (see Dd – The Sin of Moses and Aaron). Therefore, after viewing the Land, Moses died and ADONAI, and Michael the archangel, buried him on Mount Nebo in a grave no one could ever locate or identify (see the commentary on Jude Ao – Michael Disputed with the Devil about the Body of Moses). So, Moses, the servant of ADONAI, died there in the land of Mo’ab; he was 120 years old when he died (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Gj – The Death of Moses). And as the Bnei-Yisrael had done for Aaron (Numbers 20:29), they also wept for Moses in the plains of Mo’ab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moshe were ended (34:5-8).

Noticeably missing in this “travel log” of Numbers 33 is any mention of Kadesh-barnea (see Bv – The Sin of Kadesh-barnea). This is a different “Kadesh” than the one mentioned in the Second Stage, location number 32 at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Tzin. Why is there no mention of Kadesh-barnea? Perhaps because they would like to have forgotten it! It was at Kadesh-barnea that the spies went out to check out the Land (see Bx – Spying Out the Land). When they returned, only Joshua and Caleb were in favor of rising up to take it. As a result, Ha’Shem severely disciplined the Exodus Generation and told them that they would all die in the wilderness for the next 38 years. A new generation, the one listening to this “travel log” would enter the Promised Land. They would never forget Kadesh-barnea because it was there that the divine death penalty was pronounced against their fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, and older siblings. But a new generation stood ready to follow a new leader, Joshua. They were on the verge of entering into their inheritance and faced the opportunity to begin to live out the Torah which they had received at the hands of Moshe.

As they listened to the “travel log,” not only would they have remembered all the historical events which took place at each location. Then they would have remembered their God, and the many different things that He did for them. Repeating those locations, as would have taken place over an evening campfire, they would have discussed all the different things that those places would have reminded them about their God.⁷⁵⁶

Dear Heavenly Father, praise Your great love that provided Messiah as the sacrificial lamb (John 1:29) so Your children could live after being “bitten” by sin. Sin’s bite is poisonous and brings death to all who follow its ways (Ephesians 2:1-2). Isra’el was so close to entering the Promised Land when they were at Kadesh-barnea. They sent out twelve spies to gather information so they could conquer the Land, but information was not what they needed. What is most important is to have faith in YHVH who had delivered and rescued them from slavery in Egypt. It was one thing to praise God when He did all the work for them, but now the freed nation would have to trust ADONAI to help them conquer a new enemy.

Isra’el knew God’s mighty power as He had just delivered them from Egypt, but they did not have faith enough to trust and obey Him. Only “trusting” God in the easy times of deliverance is Not real trust/faith. Isra’el’s lack of faith kept them from entering the Promised Land. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?  And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:14-19). Please, heavenly Father, open the hearts of family and friends who know about You, but whose hearts are full of pride in themselves, not wanting to worship or love you as their Savior. Thank You for making an eternal home in heaven for all who love You. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and the power of His resurrection. Amen

The Second Stage: Rephidim to Mount Hor
33: 15-40

The second stage – Rephidim to Mount Hor DIG: What impression does this travel log give you of the twists and turns in their journey? How might a list like this help the Wilderness Generation who had not actually experienced the early parts of the journey? How might it affect their belief in the reality of God’s power? Why is the LORD so concerned that the Israelites drive out all of the Canaanites?

REFLECT: What parallels do you see in the Exodus and wilderness experiences of the Israelites as compared with the pilgrimage of many who come to faith in Messiah today? What would you add to this list from your own journey with ADONAI? When has He “parted the waters” for you? When has He helped you find “water from a rock?” When has He led you from the desert to the Promised Land?

Once the Tabernacle was completed while the Israelites camped at Mount Sinai (Exodus 25-30), it was taken apart and carried every time the Israelites traveled to a new encampment. There were 40 such journeys (to see link click Gc – Isra’el’s Travel Log).

These were the [three] stages and 40 encampments between the Exodus and the staging area to the Promised Land on the plains of Mo’ab. As the people of Isra’el left the land of Egypt, they divided into groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aaron (Numbers 33:1). Moshe recorded each of the stages of their journey by order of ADONAI; here are the starting-points of each stage (Numbers 33:2). Up to this point, Moses left out such events as the crossing of the Sea of Reeds, the giving of the Torah, and the giving of the manna. The sages teach that these were so well known that they didn’t need to be mentioned.

11. They left Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai near Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-2 and Numbers 33:15). Once again, nothing is said in Numbers 33 about what happened in the wilderness of Sinai. Then again, apparently nothing needed to be said! Just the very mention of the word Sinai was enough to bring to remembrance all the major events that took place there. Of course, the most outstanding event was the giving of the Torah. Most of the revelation of the Torah was spoken by the Holy One and written by Moshe. Because of this revelation, Isra’el began to “build a house,” so to speak in the wilderness of Sinai. That is, YHVH entered into a sacred marriage with Isra’el in the wilderness. In doing so, He instructed Isra’el to do all the things which are part of setting up a new household: building a house (the Tabernacle), providing for intimacy in the marriage (sacrifices and priests), and establishing special “family” days (see the commentary on Leviticus Dw – God’s Appointed Times), and so on. However, all was not joyful for Isra’el at Sinai. Just as Moses was descending from the mountain and his meeting with God, Isra’el was committing spiritual adultery and worshipping the golden calf. As much as it was not necessary to mention the giving of the Torah here in this travel log, it was also not necessary to mention the golden calf incident (see Exodus Gq – The Golden Calf Incident). All Isra’el needed to hear was the word “Sinai,” and both would have come to the people’s minds.

12. They left the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah (Numbers 33:16). According to Numbers 11, there was another rebellion at Kirbroth Hattaavah. In this rebellion the people, once again, complained about their food. This time they wanted meat. In response, it is recorded: Tell the people, “Dedicate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat; because you cried in the ears of ADONAI, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We had a good life in Egypt!’ All right, ADONAI is going to give you meat, and you will eat it. You won’t eat it just one day, or two days, or five, or ten, or twenty days, but a whole month! – until it comes out of your nose and you hate it! – because you have rejected ADONAI, who is here with you, and distressed Him with your crying and asking, “Why did we ever leave Egypt” (Numbers 11:18-20).

13. They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth (Numbers 33:17). The text gives the impression that it was while they remained at Hazeroth, that Miryan and Aaron gossiped against Moses and challenged his right to lead (see Numbers Bu – The Rebellion of Miryam and Aaron), and Miryam was afflicted with leprosy (see Leviticus Cg – The Test of M’tsora). In recalling this location, then, the children of Isra’el would have remembered the LORD’s defense of Moshe when He said: But it isn’t that way with my servant Moshe. He is the only one who is faithful in my entire household. With him I speak face to face and clearly, not in riddles; he sees the image of ADONAI. So why weren’t you afraid to criticize my servant Moshe. He is a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3 and 7-8).⁷⁵⁰

14. They left Hazeroth and camped at Rothmah (Numbers 33:18). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown. Rabbi Hertz reminds us that . . . it is exceedingly difficult to identify the exact route of march, more especially as the names were not names of cities, but of conspicuous landmarks. Which have changed with the centuries, and the designation of the temporary landmarks have been forgotten (Rabbi J. H. Hertz, Pentateuch and Haftarah, page 715).⁷⁵¹

15. They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez (Numbers 33:19). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown. The area occupied by these locations below are identified with the desert of Paran, is covered with gravel and contains little vegetation and scant sources of water, fitting the description: We set out from Sinai and traveled the great and terrible wilderness (Deuteronomy 1:19).⁷⁵²

16. They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah (Numbers 33:20). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

17. They left Libnah and camped at Rissah (Numbers 33:21). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

18. They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah (Numbers 33:22). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

19. They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher (Numbers 33:23). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

20. They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah (Numbers 33:24). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

21. They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth (Numbers 33:25). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

22. They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath (Numbers 33:26). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

23. They left Tahath and camped at Terah (Numbers 33:27). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

24. They left Terah and camped at Mithkah (Numbers 33:28). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

25. They left Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah (Numbers 33:29). Not mentioned in the Scriptures, so this location is unknown.

26. They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth (Numbers 33:30). The location of the places mentioned in verses 30-34 are identical with those in the fragment of Deuteronomy 10:6-7. Mount Hor is the death site of Aaron according to Numbers 33:38 and Deuteronomy 32:50. However, Deuteronomy 10:6 records a variant tradition, that Aaron died at Moseroth, which, according to 33:30, Isra’el reached six locations before Mount Hor. However, the location of Mount Hor is disputed. The traditional site, Jebel Nabi Harun near Petra, has to be rejected since it is in the heart of Edom, far from its border. Some have conjectured ‘Imaret el-Khurisheh, 13 kilometers (8 miles) north of Kadesh, in order to be on the way to Atharim (21:1) leading from Kadesh to Arsd, but this site is far to the east of the border of Edom. Others have suggested Jebel Madrah due west of Kadesh near the Arabah (the Jordan rift), which has the advantage of being close to the Edomite border (and possibly being the same name as Moseroth), but has inadequate water sources in its vicinity.⁷⁵³

27. They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan (Numbers 33:31). The location of the places mentioned in verses 30-34 are identical with those in the itinerary fragment of Deuteronomy 10:6-7.

28. They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad (Numbers 33:32). The location of the places mentioned in verses 30-34 are identical with those in the itinerary fragment of Deuteronomy 10:6-7.

29. They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah (Numbers 33:33). The location of the places mentioned in verses 30-34 are identical with those in the itinerary fragment of Deuteronomy 10:6-7.

30. They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah (Numbers 33:34). The location of the places mentioned in verses 30-34 are identical with those in the itinerary fragment of Deuteronomy 10:6-7.⁷⁵⁴

31. They left Abronah and camped at Ezion-Geber (Numbers 33:35). There were no particularly outstanding memories about Ezion-Geber, other than it was the place where there was a minor directional adjustment. From there the Israelites were to circumvent the Edomites and travel through Mo’ab as they headed north.⁷⁵⁵ However, historically it was very important. When fleeing Pharaoh’s chariots, just when the Israelites were on the brink of escape when ADONAI said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back (that is northward toward Ramses, or in the general direction that they had come) and camp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the Red Sea, directly opposite (or east of) Ba’al Zephon (Exodus 14:1-2). Archeologists have discovered the remains of chariot wheels at Ezion-Geber at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba (see Exodus Cf – Moses Took the Bones of Joseph with Him). King Solomon also built ships at Ezion-Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea (First Kings 9:26). Amenhotep II had his spies looking on the scene to see where the Isrealites were going and he expected them to move up the coastal route and through the land of the Philistines. But when the Jews doubled back, Pharaoh must have thought that Isra’el’s God was a poor general because He took them to a place where there was no retreat. Pharaoh thought the Israelites were wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert (Exodus 14:3). Pharaoh concluded that he had the advantage and then decided to attack (see Exodus Ch – The LORD Will Fight For You, You Need Only To Be Still).

32. They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Tzin (Numbers 33:36, also see 33:11). Apparently, there were two places called Kadesh. One was in the wilderness of Paran; the other was the one referred to here, in the wilderness of Tzin. Several things happened here, things that both Moses and the people would rather have forgotten. First, Miryam died and was buried there (see Dc – The Death of Miryam). After that, as if her death was not enough for Moshe to handle, and there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron (20:2-3). Because of this, Moshe, once again, went to the LORD. God gave him specific instructions about how to solve the problem. ADONAI told Moses that he was merely to speak to that rock and it would pour out its water. But in his frustration with the people, Moshe raised his hand and hit the rock twice with his staff. As a result of his disobedience, ADONAI said to Moshe, “Because you did not trust in Me enough to demonstrate My holiness to the people of Isra’el, you will not bring these people into the Land I have promised them” (20:12). Moshe would only be allowed to see the Promised Land before his death.

33. They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom. Each stage ends with a significant event. And here, at the end of the second stage, we read: At ADONAI’s command Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor (see Df – The Death of Aaron). This was quite a significant event, for the Bible says that when he died the entire nation mourned him for thirty days (20:29). The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming, foreshadowing the beginning of the Canaanite war (Numbers 33:37-40 also see 33:30).

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You that You delight in going ahead of your children, guiding and helping them. Wherever the Israelites went, You were right there with them. ADONAI went before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead the way and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light. So they could travel both day and night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never departed from the people (Exodus 13:21-22). Today, You guide Your children, not with a pillar of cloud or of fire, but with Your Ruach Ha’Kodesh, living inside of those who love You. Praise You that you never leave me. Anywhere I go, I can always count on You going with me to help and to guide. For God Himself has said: I will never leave you or forsake you, so that with confidence we say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear” (Hebrews 13:5c-6a). This is such a fantastic promise.

Thank You that anywhere I go, you can see me to watch over and to protect me. Even in the dark of night, You are still able to see me clearly. Your eyes are always watching with love and care. You are there with me even if I climb mountains or fly across the ocean. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, ADONAI, You know all about it. You hemmed me in behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Ruach? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to heaven, You are there, and if I make my bed in Sheol, look, You are there too. If I take the wings of the dawn and settle on the other side of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand lays hold of me. If I say, “Surely darkness covers me, night keeps light at a distance from me,” even darkness is not dark for You, and night is as bright as day – darkness and light are alike (Psalms 139:4-12). You are such an absolutely wonderful and fantastic heavenly Father! It is a joy to love and to please You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The First Stage: Exodus to Rephidim
33: 1-14

The first stage: Exodus to Rephidim DIG: What impression does this travel log give you of the twists and turns in their journey? How might this help the Wilderness Generation who had not actually experienced the early parts of the journey? How might it affect their belief in the reality of God’s power? Why is the LORD so concerned that the Israelites drive out all of the Canaanites?

REFLECT: What parallels do you see in the Exodus and Wilderness experiences of the Israelites as compared with the pilgrimage of many who come to faith in Messiah today? What would you add to this list from your own journey with ADONAI? When has He “parted the waters” for you? When has He helped you find “water from a rock?” When has He led you from the desert to the Promised Land?

Parashah 43: Masa‘ei (Stages) 33:1–36:13

[In regular years read with Parashah 42, in leap years read separately]

The Key People are Moshe, Aaron, Reuben, Manasseh, Eleazar, Joshua, one leader from each tribe, Gileadite heads, and the daughters of Zelophehad.

The Scenes review Isra’el’s travel log (Numbers 33:3-49), while on the plains of Mo’ab (Numbers 26:3, 33:50, and Deuteronomy 34:1 and 8). Other scenes describe borders in the Promised Land, Levitical towns, cities of refuges and land for the daughters of Zelophehad.

The Main Events include the list of encampments from the Exodus to the plains of M’’ab, instructions to drive out the Canaanites, destroy their high places, and divide the Land; list of leaders to divide the inheritance; cities for Levites; cities of refuges; mitzvot about murder; each tribe to pass down their own inheritance, and the daughters of Zelophehad marrying inside their own tribe to keep their inheritance.⁷⁴³

Once the Tabernacle was completed while the Israelites camped at Mount Sinai (Exodus 25-30), it was taken apart and carried every time the Israelites traveled to a new encampment. There were 40 such journeys (to see link click Gc – Isra’el’s Travel Log).

These were the [three] stages and 40 encampments between the Exodus and the staging area to the Promised Land on the plains of Mo’ab. As the people of Isra’el left the land of Egypt, they divided into groups under the leadership of Moshe and Aaron. Moshe recorded each of the stages of their journey by commandment of ADONAI; here are the starting-points of each stage (Numbers 33:1-2).

It is quite reasonable that Moshe would record the beginning of the journey, at the moment of the Exodus. This he does with a touch of flair. Instead of merely stating that they began their journey from Ramses in the first month. On the fifteenth day of the first month, the morning after the Pesach, he adds, “the people of Isra’el left proudly, confidently, in view of all the Egyptians; while the Egyptians were burying those among them who Ha’Shem had killed, all their firstborn; ADONAI had also executed judgment on their gods (Numbers 33:3-4). How could Isra’el have done such a thing in front of all the Egyptians? Simply because YHVH was with them and He was the One who was really doing the moving. Thus, for Moses, the Exodus event brought back fond and exciting memories of what Ha’Shem had done for His people.⁷⁴⁴

1. The Israelites left Ramses and camped at Sukkoth (Exodus 12:37, 13:20; and Numbers 33:5). The name of the first location is Rameses. This, of course, is where it all started. This was one of the places where Isra’el was enslaved, building for Pharaoh. This would also have been the place where the plague of slaying of the firstborn occurred. In addition, it was at Rameses that the first Pesach was celebrated (see the commentary on Exodus Bv – The Egyptian Passover). It was there that Isra’el came to know the misery of slavery and the feeling of desperation to be rescued. It was also there that the Israelites first saw the miracles that their God, whom they thought was apathetic to their cause, could do on their behalf. Finally, at Rameses, they received their first portion of Torah – the teaching about keeping the Passover. Thus, the first part of Moshe’s entry was the place where bnei-Yisrael had their first lessons on what it means to be a redeemed people and a holy community. This was their first preparation for them to begin to understand about the redeeming and saving work of the Messiah. The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, beside the women and children (Exodus 12:37).

2. With the wonder of the Passover freshly engraved on their minds, the Israelites left Sukkoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert (Exodus 13:20 and Numbers 33:6). Most scholars believe that these places are located between Timah and the Bitter Lakes, southeast from where they began and right around where the present-day Suez Canal is. We do not know how long they stayed at these places, but it could not have been for more than a few days. However, the question on everyone’s mind was surely, “What kind of God do we have? He judges the wicked, He rescues His own, He does miracles, and He wants to be remembered for who He is and the great things He has done.” The Torah also informs us that sometime, beginning either at Sukkoth or Etham, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh began to show His sovereign care for His freshly liberated children. ADONAI went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud during the daytime to lead them on their way, and at night in a pillar of fire to give them light; thus they could travel both by day and by night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire at night went away from in front of the people (Exodus 13:21-22).

3. They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Ba’al Zephon, and camped near Migdol (Exodus 14:2 and Numbers 33:7). It was unusual for Isra’el to have passed through this rather obscure place. By all rights, most would have thought that they would have continued a northeast direction along the Via Maris, the ancient trade route which connected Egypt and Africa with Damascus and the East by following the Mediterranean coast as it went through the Promised Land. But the LORD had other things up His sleeve! We learn from Exodus 14:3-4 that ADONAI was tricking Pharaoh into believing the Israelites were wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert. When Pharaoh was thinking this, the LORD said: I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for Myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord (see Exodus Ch – The LORD Will Fight For You, You Need Only To Be Still). Hence, it was at Pi Hahiroth that God skillfully orchestrated the miracle of the dividing the Sea of Reeds, permitting Isra’el to cross on dry land and yet destroying Pharaoh’s army which tried to pursue them (see Exodus Ci – The Waters Were Divided and the Israelites Went Through the Sea on Dry Land). When Isra’el thought of this place, they, therefore, thought “Salvation! Miracle! Judgment for Egypt! Deliverance for us! This then became the paradigm for all future lessons of salvation and deliverance, including the salvation work of Yeshua Messiah.

4. They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah (Exodus 15:23 and Numbers 33:8). After crossing the Sea of Reeds, they went further south to one of the places that they would have liked to forget. They came to the bitter waters of Marah. This is one of the places where we are not sure if it was originally called Marah, or if Isra’el named it Marah. The Hebrew word marah means bitter. It referred to the water that was found there (see the commentary on Exodus Cn – When They Came to Marah the Water was Bitter). But it also referred to the nation of the thirsty Israelites when they found out that the water was unfit to drink. They became embittered and so the people grumbled at Moses (Exodus 15:24). However, this is where the Almighty’s training began. The bitter waters were no accident for Him! For, there He tested them, and He taught them by saying: If you will listen intently to the voice of ADONAI your God, do what he considers right, pay attention to his mitzvot and observe his commandments, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians; because I am ADONAI your healer (Exodus 15:26). Hence, Marah became a place where the Israelites would remember that they began to grumble against the LORD who had just redeemed them. But they also would have remembered it as a place where He lovingly tested them and taught them some of their first lessons as a redeemed community.⁷⁴⁵

5. They left Marah and went to Elim. The people must have been ashamed after their grumbling at Marah to see how graciously God had provided for them at Elim where there were twelve springs with good water, seventy palm trees, and grass for their flocks and herds. They camped there near the water (Exodus 15:27, 16:1 and Numbers 33:9). The picture is of an ideal oasis, with a spring for every tribe and a palm tree for every elder. We do not know how long the people stayed there, but it was no wonder that they settled down and camped for a while. So after the bitterness of Marah, God brought His people to Elim. It was a place of abundant blessing and fruitfulness. The psalmist said: Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Simon Peter may have been locked in an inner prison, but the angel was going to open the door. Paul and Silas may be beaten at midnight, but an earthquake would free them. God’s plan for us always leads to Marah . . . and then to Elim. Joseph, you remember, had that same experience. Moses did, Elijah did, and David did. Beyond every Marah there is an Elim. Beyond every cloud, there is the sun. Beyond every shadow, there is the light. Beyond every trial, there is a triumph. Beyond every rainstorm, there is a rainbow. This is the way God leads us.⁷⁴⁶

6. They left Elim and camped by the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 13:17 to 14:31 and Numbers 33:10). Nothing is told about this particular trip to the Sea of Reeds. Perhaps upon their return, if ever so brief, the LORD wanted them to think and contemplate on what He did there to release them from bondage (see Exodus Ce – Salvation at the Red Sea).

7. They left the Sea of Reeds and camped in the Wilderness of Tzin (Ex 16:1-36 and Num 33:11). After a brief stop at the Sea of Reeds, ADONAI led the children of Isra’el to the wilderness of Tzin. To English speakers, this sounds like the wilderness of “sin.” However, do not be confused because of the languages. The English word “sin” is just a transliteration of the Hebrew word which has nothing to do with sin! Having said all of that, however, we must report that it was in the Wilderness of Tzin, that Isra’el sinned greatly! For when they got hungry for some of the food they left behind in Egypt, the whole congregation of the sons of Isra’el grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness (Exodus 16:2). In response, the LORD supplied them with manna (see Exodus Cr – I Will Rain Down Manna from Heaven) and quail (see Exodus Cs – That Evening Quail Covered the Camp). The quail that Ha’Shem provided had apparently been a one-time event; consequently, the Isrealites ate manna for the next 38 years until they reached the Promised Land.⁷⁴⁷

8. They left the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah (Numbers 33:12). Not mentioned in Exodus, so this location is unknown. Rabbi Hertz reminds us that . . . it is exceedingly difficult to identify the exact route of march, more especially as the names were not names of cities, but of conspicuous landmarks. Which have changed with the centuries, and the designation of the temporary landmarks have been forgotten (Rabbi J. H. Hertz, Pentateuch and Haftarah, page 715).⁷⁴⁸

9. They left Dophkah and camped at Alush (Num 33:13). Not mentioned in Exodus, location unknown.

10. It is not often when we find a comment in this travel log itself about what happened at a particular location. However, in 33:14 we read: And they left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink. At this location, the people once again complained to Moshe. When Moses brought his problem to ADONAI, He said: I will stand in front of you there on the rock in Horeb. You are to strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so the people can drink. Moshe did this in the sight of the leaders of Isra’el. As a result, Moses named the place Massah (meaning testing) and M’rivah (meaning quarreling) because of the quarreling of the people of Isra’el and because they tested ADONAI by asking, “Is ADONAI with us or not?” However, the testing of ADONAI was not the only thing that happened at Rephidim. Each stage ends with a significant event. And here, at the end of the first stage, we read: Then ‘Amalek came and fought with Isra’el at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8). According to the account in Exodus, this attack was specifically singled out for an everlasting memory! When Isra’el defended herself against Amalek, Moses, Aaron, and Hur watched Joshua lead Isra’el victoriously into battle against them. But the victory depended on Moses holding up his staff (see the commentary on Exodus Cv – The Amalekites Attacked the Israelites at Rephidim). After the victory ADONAI said to Moses, “Write this in a book to be remembered, and recite it to Joshua: I will completely blot out any memory of ‘Amalek from under heaven.” Moshe built an altar, called it ADONAI-Nissi [ADONAI is my banner/miracle], and said, “Because their hand was against the throne of YHVH, ADONAI will fight ‘Amalek generation after generation” (Exodus 17:14-16).⁷⁴⁹

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You for Your great wisdom that sees all. When I am following You and everything seems impossible, You are the One who provides a path for me – even through what appears to be a “dead end”. The Israelites arrived at the Sea of Reeds and were hemmed in on three sides with the Egypt army hot on their tails and no place to flee to. Their situation looked impossible; but You parted the waters for Isra’el. What is impossible for man, is possible for You! God made a way!

Food and water are both necessary for life, especially when traveling through the wilderness. Isra’el grumbled when they needed water to drink after traveling for three days in the wilderness. It looked like an impossibility; but God brought them to Elim with twelve springs of water and seventy Palm trees. What is impossible for man – is possible for You! God made a way! Isra’el grumbled against Moses and Aaron because they were so hungry and wanted bread to eat. It looked like an impossibility, but You rained down bread from heaven, manna. What is impossible for man – is possible for You! God made a way! Again the people needed water to drink. They quarreled with Moses and grumbled. It looked impossible but You brought water out of the rock for the people to drink. What is impossible for man – is possible for You! God made a way! The army of Amalek came to Rephidim to fight the untrained nation of freed slaves. It looked impossible; but as long as Moses’ staff was held up, Isra’el prevailed. What is impossible for man – is possible for You! God made a way!!

Praise you that I don’t need to worry if a problem seems too big for me to handle. For You who can see the future as if it were the past. You solve situations that seem impossible to me. No matter where I am on my life’s journey, You are always there to help and guide me. For with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). I love you! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Isra’el’s Travel Log
33: 1-49

From the time the Israelites left Ramses in Egypt until they reached the plains of Mo’av (at the border of the Promised Land), Isra’el camped at 40 named locations. On the surface, the lengthy list in Chapter 33 seems rather dry. But, in reality, it contains some valuable lessons. Rashi furnishes us with at least one important reason for this lengthy travel log. He says that as the Israelites would read it generation after generation and it would furnish them with a continual reminder of the mercies which YHVH lavished upon them in the Exodus. The very mention of the place names would remind them of what God did for them. He says, “Why are these stations recorded here? In order to declare the loving acts of the Omnipresent (Rashi, S.S.&R. Edition, page 342).⁷⁴¹

Another purpose which the travel log serves is to provide for us a flip side of the rebellious coin which we have seen so much. It is true that there were times of rebellion. But when we look at this list of journeys we also see that Isra’el was faithful to follow ADONAI as well. According to Nechama Leibowitz (1905-1997), this became the story for Isra’el’s wanderings through the centuries. She writes at length, “We have been shown an Isra’el composed of rebels and grumblers, having degenerated from the lofty spiritual plane of their religious experience at Mount Sinai, having become slaves to their selfish passions, ungrateful and quarrelsome, hankering after the fleshpots, the onions and garlic of Egypt. Now the Torah changes its note and shows the other side of the picture, Isra’el loyal to their Trust, following their God through the wilderness in a land that was not sown (Jeremiah 2). They followed Him in spite of all odds, through the wilderness of Sinai, the wilderness of Etham, the wilderness of Paran, and the wilderness of Zin, as well as, through the wilderness of exile among the nations down through the ages. That was also a place of fiery serpents and scorpions and drought where there was no water, where our continued existence would have been impossible, were it not for the grace of ADONAI which did not cease, and the virtue of which we have come thus far” (Nechama Leibowitz, New Studies in Bamidbar, page 394).

There are 40 named locations listed in Chapter 33. Some of them are familiar from previous Torah passages, others will be mentioned in the upcoming commentary on Deuteronomy. Numbers 33:3-18 records the journeys from Exodus Chapter 12 to Numbers Chapter 12. In Numbers 33:19-36, we find names which are not mentioned elsewhere in the book of Numbers, although verses 33:31-33 appear to be mentioned again in Deuteronomy 10:6-7. Finally, the closing verses, 33:37-49 are the geographical locations mentioned in Numbers Chapters 20-22. As a Bible teacher, I wish that all the locations were known. But it is impossible to accurately identify all of them. Rabbi Hertz reminds us that . . . it is exceedingly difficult to identify the exact route of march, more especially as the names were not names of cities, but of conspicuous landmarks. Which have changed with the centuries, and the designation of the temporary landmarks have been forgotten (Rabbi J. H. Hertz, Pentateuch and Haftarah, page 715).⁷⁴²

The Division of the Transjordan
32: 25-42

The divisions of the Transjordan DIG: What similar bargaining scene comes to mind here? Who were they negotiating with? Moses? ADONAI? Both? How so? How was this scene similar to that of the daughters of Zelophehad? What did the Reubenites and the Gadites promise to do? What were Moshe’s conditions for them to settle in the Transjordan?

REFLECT: When did you last bargain with the Lord? How did that turn out? Do we really bargain with Him? Why? Why not? The Torah is our blueprint for living today. The closer we follow Torah the better our life will go. What are the natural consequences of us not following Torah today? Torah was never meant for salvation, so what happens if we stray?

Moshe gave the descendants of Gad and of Reuben, and also to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the whole Transjordan and its cities within its borders, along with their surrounding towns.

Reuben and Gad accept Moshe’s revisions (32:25-27): The Reubenites and Gadites said to Moses, “We, your servants, will do as our lord commands.” The bargain was struck, but not without a strong warning of the seriousness of the matter if the people failed to live up to their word. Build cities for your little ones and enclosures for your sheep; then do what you said you would do. In the permission Moses granted to them, we sense the negotiation that was possible in Isra’el, even from the hand of the LORD (34:13-15). The account of Abraham’s and ADONAI’s bartering over the fate of Sodom comes to mind (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Ew – Abraham Intercedes). In a sense, the bargain with Moshe was a bargain with God. Like the daughters of Zelophehad (see Eu – The Daughters of Zelophehad), these men had come to Moses in order to come to YHVH. When they agreed with Moses, they said: Your servants will do as my lord orders. They were also saying that they would do as the LORD commanded. The specific elements, our little ones, wives, flocks and livestock were part of the bargain, and would stay in the cities of Gilead. But your servants will cross over the Jordan River, every man armed for war, before ADONAI to do battle, as our lord says. The language was like that of a legal document; the agreement was completed (see Gi – Isra’el’s Land).⁷³⁹

Moshe grants the land (32:28-32): So Moshe wouldn’t be alive when the nation crossed over the Jordan River, so he told Eleazar the high priest Joshua the son of Nun and the clan leaders of the tribes of the people of Isra’el about the agreement. Eleazar took priority over Joshua, also in appointing the land assigned to each tribe (34:17) and in war (27:21), where the Urim and Thummim needed to be employed (see Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). Moshe said to them, “If the descendants of Gad and of Reuben cross over the Jordan with you, every man armed for battle, before ADONAI; and if the Land is conquered before you, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as theirs to possess. But if they refused to join the rest of Isra’el in their battles, then, as a punishment, they would be forced, with their families and flocks, to live on the west side of the Jordan River. What the tribes of Reuben and Gad had promised Moses privately (32:16-19), they now repeated publicly before Eleazar and Joshua, and the clan leaders of the tribes, presumably under oath. The descendants of Gad and of Reuben answered, “We will do as ADONAI has said to your servants. We will cross over into the land of Canaan armed before ADONAI, and the Land we will possess for inheritance will be on this side of the Jordan.”

The allotment of the Land (32:33-42): The nation lingered long enough for the two-and-a-half tribes to move into their land, defeat the enemies that remained, and get their families and flocks settled safely. So Moshe assigned the descendants of Gad and of Reuben, and also to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites (see Dk – The Defeat of Sihon of Heshbon) and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan (see Dl – The Defeat of Og of Basham) – the whole country and its cities within its borders, along with their surrounding towns (Numbers 32:33; Deuteronomy 3:12-15, 4:43, and 29:7-8; Joshua 12:6, 13:29-31, 14:3 and 18:7).

The descendants of Gad rebuilt the fortified cities of Dibon, ‘Ataroth, ‘Aro‘er,  ‘Atroth-Shophan, Ja‘zer, Jogbehah, Beth-Nimrah and Beth-Haran; and also enclosures for sheep (32:34-36).

The descendants of Reuben rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, as well as Nebo, Ba‘al-Meon (these names have been changed) and Sibmah; they renamed the cities they built (32:37-38).

The descendants of Makir, the first-born son of Manasseh, went to Gilead and conquered it (apparently during the conquest of Sihon and Og), driving out the Amorites who were there. Moshe gave Gilead to Makirites, the son of Manasseh, and they settled there. Ja’ir the son of Manasseh went and captured its villages and called them Havvoth-Ja’ir [villages of Ja’ir]. And the Nobah clan of Manasseh went and captured Kenneth with its villages and named it Nobah after himself (32:39-42).

Haftarah Matot: Jeremiah 2: 2-3
(see the commentary on Deuteronomy Af – Parashah)

The Haftarah for the next twelve weeks relates to calendar days. Tradition attributes the apostasy of the golden calf to 17 Tammuz, the same day that the outer walls of the Temple were breached by the Romans (see the commentary Jeremiah Ga – The Fall of Jerusalem). Then follow 21 days to 9 Av, the day when both Temples were destroyed (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC). During these three weeks, “the Haftorah of Affliction” warned of the impending doom. In today’s Haftarah, read the week of the 17 Tammuz, Jeremiah warns of catastrophe: Today I have placed you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10). Though God remembered Isra’el’s devotion as a bride, first following Him (Jeremiah 2:2), now Isra’el has bowed to other gods and to idols (Jeremiah 1:16). Even so, she remains holy. Those who devour her will incur God’s wrath for eating His firstfruits (Jeremiah 2:3).

B’rit Chadashah Matot: Acts 9: 20-22

Sha’ul obtained letters from the high priest to arrest and persecute the Messianic Jews of his time (Acts 9:1). Zealous for God, but blind to Messiah, Sha’ul bore the fruits of the partial hardening upon Isra’el (Isaiah 6:10). As Sha’ul journeyed en route to Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard Yeshua saying: I am Yeshua, and you are persecuting Me (Acts 9:3-5). Sha’ul stood up, but he could not see. He followed Yeshua’s direction to go to a believer’s house on Straight Street in downtown Damascus. There Ananias prayed for him, as instructed in a vision from Yeshua (Acts 9:10-17). As Ananias prayed for Sha’ul’s filling by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, actual scales fell from Sha’ul’s eyes (Acts 9:18). Sha’ul entered the waters of purification and immediately began preaching in the synagogues that Yeshua is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this Name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests? Yet, Sha’ul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Yeshua is the Messiah (Acts 9:20-22).⁷⁴⁰

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You that You are always loving and kind, even when You must discipline (Hebrews 12:5b-6). Moses was a great leader! For 40 years Moses led a complaining people (Numbers 14:11) around in the wilderness. That was a very hard job. In our human thinking, it seems harsh that you would not allow him to enter the Promised Land because of his sin of hitting the rock instead of speaking to it. Yet when I wisely look at the situation through Your holy and pure eyes, You were actually being kind and gentle. It really was a very important and new way of thinking to show people that You are not just a God mighty in heaven, but You also are a God that I can communicate with! Thank you, Father, that You are not a God who is merely far off (Romans 10:6-11), but you are a God who is close by, a heavenly Father listening and caring for me.

As a result of Your gracious love you forgave Moses, even though he didn’t get to enter the Promised Land, You allowed him to see it (Deut 3:27 and 34:4) and later Moses and Elijah would stand on the Mt. of Transfiguration in Isra’el with Yeshua (Mt 17:2-3). Your discipline is never too harsh, but it is always right in line with the severity of the sin. I need to realize how awful sin is and how it breaks my relationship with You. When I sin and repent, Your love steps in to wake the relationship that has been broken. Your discipline is a means to guide me away from the terrible consequences of sin and back to the joy of walking in Truth with You. Thank You for being such a compassionate and loving heavenly Father that forgives those who fear Him (Ps 103:11-12). What mercy You show me. If I confess my sins, You are faithful and righteous to forgive my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness (First John 1:9). I love You and delight in pleasing You. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Promise of Reuben and Gad
32: 16-24

The promise of Reuben and Gad DIG: What effect do you think the compromise offer made by the tribes of Reuben and Gad had on their relationship with the other tribes? Did this appease Moshe? Why or why not? When it was not their land, cities, wives, children or herds they were fighting for, how will Moses know whether the tribes east of the Jordan will be effective fighting for their fellow tribes?

REFLECT: How is the enemy defeated in your life? Are you trying to do it all by yourself? How aware are you of spiritual warfare? Do you have people praying for you? Do you pray for others? Are you attracting enemy fire from the enemy or is he leaving you alone? What does that say about you and your walk with Him? Can you fight as long as it takes to defeat the enemy? Do you feel like giving up? Who is your help?

They promised to fight as long as it took to defeat the Canaanites.

No doubt the tribes of Reuben and Gad probably weren’t too happy about being called a brood of sinners (32:14), but it was their own fault for presenting their appeal in such a careless manner. Now they carefully explained to Moses that they were willing and prepared to enter the Land and fight alongside their brothers until Canaan had been conquered. Only after the tribe had received their inheritance would the two tribes (and later half of the clans of Manasseh) return to the Transjordan territory to settle down. However, first they would like to build fortified cities, to protect their wives and children, and pens for their cattle. Then they would join the other tribes in crossing the Jordan River and confronting Isra’el’s enemies (to see link click Gh – Isra’el’s Enemies).⁷³⁶

The promise of Reuben and Gad (32:16-19): The response from the men addressed so angrily seems to be like, “You have us all wrong. We are sincere in our desire to find the pleasure of the Lord. We will gladly go with the people into Canaan; only let us prepare pens for our sheep and places to live for our children and our wives. Then we will come; and to them we will return.” Then they came up to Moses and said: We would like to build pens here for our livestock and fortified cities for our women and children. But we ourselves will be armed and ready for action to march at the head of the people of Isra’el and lead the attack, until we have defeated the Canaanites. Our little ones will stay in the fortified cities here in the Transjordan for their protection (see Fz – Reuben and Gad Request Land), because of the Canaanites now living in the land. However, we will not return to our own homes until every man in Isra’el has taken possession of his land for inheritance. We will not have an inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, westward; because our inheritance has fallen to us on this side of the Jordan, eastward. Their promises were sound; they had met the demands of Moses.

The positive response of Moses (32:20-24): Moshe was not easily calmed. He spoke to the people as, in a sense, a father to an errant but repentant child. He set up a balance between blessing and a curse, saying to them, “If you will do this – if you will arm yourselves to go before ADONAI to the war, and if every one of your soldiers will cross the Jordan before ADONAI, until He has driven out His enemies ahead of Him, and if the land has been conquered before ADONAI, and only after that do you return – then you will be clear before ADONAI and before Isra’el, and this land here will be yours to possess before ADONAI.” The phrase before ADONAI is used for different times here, and repeated in 32:27, 29, and 32. Therefore, ADONAI is the witness to what they have promised. They had made an oath, and they needed to keep the oath. This was to be God’s war; therefore, it was a holy war (see  Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh).

But, if you will not do this, then you have sinned against ADONAI, and you must understand that your sin will find you out. The language is striking: it is not just that their sin would be discovered but that their sin would be an active agent in discovering them. This is not unlike the picture of sin as lying at the door of Cain’s life (Genesis 4:7). But go ahead, build cities for your children and pens for you sheep; then do what you said you would do.⁷³⁷ The book of Joshua records how the tribes of Reuben and Gad kept their word, spear-heading the campaign in Canaan until the main opposition was subdued and the land distributed among the other tribes. Then Joshua summoned the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh and said to them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. For a long time now – to this very day – you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission ADONAI your God gave you. Now that YHVH has given them rest as He promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of God gave you on the other side of the Jordan” (Joshua 22:1-4).⁷³⁸

Dear Heavenly Father, praise You that You do not compromise. You are always Holy, Holy, Holy (Isaiah 6:3). You conquered sin at the cross, by Your glorious victory over death when You rose! You will defeat Satan again big time at the end of the Tribulation. Satan will bring the beast and all the kings of the earth with their armies against You, but it won’t be a battle, it will be a slaughter. It is with the sword of Your mouth that You wield and are victorious! From His mouth comes a sharp sword – so that with it He may strike down the nations – and He shall rule them with an iron rod, and He treads the winepress of the furious wrath of Elohei-Tzva’ot . . . Then the beast was captured, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs before him by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast, as well as those who had worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the One riding on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh (Revelation 19:15, 20-21). Life is so busy on this earth, but soon there will be a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1). May I live focused on the eternal new heaven and earth, never compromising with anything that might bring me away from You. You are worthy of all my love and worship! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Reuben and Gad Request Land
32: 1-15

Reuben and Gad request land DIG: What were the tribes of Reuben and Gad asking for? What was the basis of their decision? What were the dangers? What was Moses afraid of? What does “the fringe of the Promised Land mean?” Why did the two-and-a-half tribes decide to settle outside of the Promised Land? What do you think about their reasons?

REFLECT: Today, what natural and spiritual barriers to unity exist between isolated believers? What dangers are there for lone-wolf believers? What would you do to break this isolation and bring people together? In what ways are the congregations of God isolated from one another? What dangers are there in such prolonged isolation?

Moses feared a repetition of the sin of the Exodus Generation, and punishment of Kadesh-barnea.

This chapter begins, as several chapters do, with people making a request of Moses. They came to him not because he was king, but because he was the appointed divine mediator between YHVH and His people. As in the case of the daughters of Zelophehad (to see link click Eu – The Daughters of Zelophehad), and as in the instance of the relatives of those women (see Gn – The Daughters of Zelophehad Revisited), so the leaders of the tribes of Reuben and Gad approached Moshe. The abundance of fertile grazing land in the Transjordan prompted the leaders of those two tribes to request Moses and Eleazar that they might settle there, not across (west of) the Jordan River.

This was nothing more than a pragmatic decision that led to remarkable negotiation between God and His servant Moses. Their request was not sinful, although the Transjordan was outside the Promised Land. But it was also a gift of God, won by conquest. When we think of Canaan, we are prone to think of the Cisjordan. Canaan proper is described in Chapter 34 (see Gi – Israe’el’s Land). Yet, the full inheritance of the Israelites extended to the regions of the Transjordan as well. But it was, in a sense, the tzit-tzit of the garment (see Cl – Tzit-tzit and Blue Thread). It was not the heart and soul of the Land, and to settle on the fringe was a mixed blessing. It was their choice to live there.

However, because they were somewhat removed from the center of life in the Land, they were the most prone to be influenced by outsiders. And clearly they were the most open for territorial expansion by their pagan neighbors. Territorial living had both its advantages and its disadvantages. Ultimately, their request and the LORD’s decision through Moses expanded the territory of Isra’el. If you take a positive outlook, we can see this chapter as a rash adventure of faith rather than a record of rebellion.⁷³²

The request of the tribes (32:1-5): The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said: the cities of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah (in verse 38 he is referred to as Beth-Nimrah), Heshbon, Eleaheh, Sebam (in verse 38 he is referred to as Sibmah), Nebo and Beon (in verse 38 he is referred to as Ba’al-Meon) – the Land that ADONAI subdued before the people of Isra’el – are suitable for grazing livestock, and your servants have livestock. The repetition of the word livestock is for emphasis; their herds must have been exceptionally large. The conquest of the Midianite livestock would have further expanded the holdings of their two tribes as well as the other ten (to see link click Fq – Report of the Battle). But their language suggests that the number of livestock that they had was out of proportion to the other tribes. They needed the room that the Transjordan seemed to provide.⁷³³ Therefore, they requested: If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as our possession and settle in the Transjordan (see Fy – Reuben and Gad in the Transjordan). Do not make us cross the Jordan River and settle in the Cisjordan, or what would be called the West Bank today. True, those tribes would be separated from the rest of the nation by the Jordan, but they saw this as a minor concern.

The negative response of Moses (32:6-15): Moses may have reacted too quickly, because his first thought was that these tribes were deserting the cause. He probably thought they were ready to settle down. Moshe always had the entire nation at heart as well as the great challenge of conquering and claiming the Promised Land. To him, it was a terrible sin for any of the tribes to retreat from the conflict and fail to do their part in conquering the Land. Just as the ten spies had discouraged the whole nation at Kadesh-barnea and led the people into thirty-eight wasted years, so those two tribes could discourage Isra’el by quitting at the very borders of their inheritance. More than that, their selfish attitude could arouse the anger of Ha’Shem, and He might send judgment as He had done before when the people sinned. Even worse, God might just abandon the nation and let them die in the wilderness.⁷³⁴ Therefore, Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites. There is a subtle shift in the wording from verse 2, where Reuben proceeds Gad. Here the order is reversed. Perhaps this is a subtle way of suggesting that both tribes had an equal stake in the decision. Only later do we find that some of the clans of Manasseh were also involved (Numbers 32:33; Joshua 13:8ff).⁷³⁵

Moses said: Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the Land the LORD has given them? Then Moshe raged: This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to look over the Land. After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, the ten spies discouraged the Israelites from entering the land ADONAI had given them (see By – The Report of the Spies). Moses believed that the tribes of Gad and Reuben would be guilty of the same sin that the ten spies had been guilty of. Ha’Shem’s anger was aroused that day and He swore this oath, “Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – not one except Caleb from the tribe of Judah (Numbers 13:6 and 34:19) and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed ADONAI wholeheartedly.” God’s anger burned against Isra’el and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole Exodus generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone” (see Cb – God’s Response).

The application to the Wilderness Generation: Moses feared a repetition of the sin of the Exodus Generation, and punishment of Kadesh-barnea. And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the LORD even more angry with Isra’el. If you turn away from following Him, He will again leave all these people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your very gracious love that accepts as family, all who trust You as their Lord and Savior (John 1:12). Important decisions need to be carefully prayed over and considered in light of how it will affect their relationship with You. Though the Reubenites and Gadites saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for their very large herds and flocks, more importantly was how would this decision would affect their worship of God? Though the land is very suitable for their flocks on the east side of the Jordan, that would separate them from most of the rest of the Israelits. What may look good in the short run may be very unwise for future generations to follow.

Worshiping with others is very important. A single light/match can be easily extinguished, but a handful of matches burn longer. So also, a single worshiper may get discouraged, but a family that praises God together, stays together! It is helpful to live close to others who can influence in worshiping You with all our hearts. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds. And do not neglect our own meetings, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another – and all the more so as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). May you guide Your children to make decisions that draw them closer to You and keep their eyes focused on living for You in all they say, do and think. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Reuben and Gad in the Transjordan
32: 1-42

As Isra’el prepared to cross the Jordan River to take the Promised Land, the tribes of Rueben and Gad petition Moses for the Transjordan territory of the Amorites. Apparently, some of the tribe of Manasseh were also interested in those territories. They were pleased enough with the conquered kingdoms of Sihon (to see link click Dk – The Defeat of Sihon of Heshbon) and Og (see Dl – The Defeat of Og of Basham), and preferred to settle there. The rich grazing land of Bashan and Gilead was especially attractive for their flocks and herds. Some negotiations ensued whereby Moses required them to pledge to assist in the conquest of the Land. Having secured their word: Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Joseph’s son Manasseh, the kingdom of Sihon, the king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, the land with its cities with their territories, and the cities of the surrounding land (32:33).⁷³¹

A Reuben and Gad request land (32:1-15)

B The promise of Reuben and Gad (32:16-24)

C Gad and Reuben accept Moshe’s revisions (32:25-27)

B Reuben and Gad repeat acceptance of Moshe’s revisions (32:28-32)

A Moshe grants the land (32:33-42)

The Ransom
31: 48-54

The ransom DIG: What need does ADONAI have of this spoil? How might giving God a share of the spoils enhance the Israelites fellowship with Him? Why did the elite units want to give extra atonement money? What did they give? How much did they give?

REFLECT: Which do you think brings greater joy to the Lord and the giver: Giving by assessed quotas, or by voluntary donations? Why are both needed to run the congregations of God? How do you share your triumphs with God? What spoils do you give Him?

The twelve elite units of soldiers paid a ransom as a free-will offering for their lives.

For a chapter that begins with such a grim story, there is a perfectly wonderful ending. This is the account of a spontaneous free-will offering to the LORD by the twelve elite units that fought against the Midianites. Beyond the tribute they were required to give of the animals and persons that had been distributed to them in the sharing of the spoils of war, there were innumerable objects the soldiers had taken for their own use as they looted the Midianites (to see link click Fv – The Spoils of War for the Soldiers).⁷²⁸

The officers in charge of the elite units who fought, the generals and commanders of the elite units (see Fq – Report of the Battle), approached Moshe and said to him, “Your servants have counted all the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing (31:48-49). This was a miracle. The only explanation for this was the presence of YHVH among His people. When a census revealed that not a single Israelite had been lost, the twelve elite units raised a free-will offering of golden vessels from their spoils to give to the Tabernacle. The soldiers made a special gift to the LORD because He had made a special gift of life to them. This was a mark of gratitude from the Wilderness Generation. A share of the spoils for ADONAI, if you will. They said: We have brought a free-will offering for ADONAI, what every man has obtained in the way of gold jewelry – armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and belts – to make atonement (Hebrew: kafar, meaning a ransom paid for a life) for ourselves before ADONAI (31:50).⁷²⁹ When God told Noah to coat the ark with pitch inside and out, the word for pitch is kafir (Genesis 6:14). The word kafar can also be seen in Exodus to describe the coating of tar and pitch that covered the papyrus basket that Jochebed placed Moses in when she defiled Pharaoh’s decree and hid baby Moses (Exodus 2:3).

We have no reason to believe that the protection of the lives of every soldier in the wars of Isra’el ever happened again. This is certainly not the case in Isra’el’s war with Hamas after the October 7^th massacre. Isra’el’s war with the Midianites must have been a singular event in her history. Therefore, it rightfully points us to Messiah’s middle-east peace plan (see the commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon), where there will be no casualties when we return with Him. Our gratitude to the LORD will be even greater than the Israeli soldiers so long ago.

When the commanders spoke of making atonement for themselves before ADONAI, they weren’t suggesting that their gifts of gold could in any way save their souls (Psalm 49:6-9; First Peter 1:18-19). According to Exodus 30:11-16, each time there was a census in Isra’el (see Ec – The Second Census: The New Generation of Hope), the men twenty years and older were each to give a half shekel of silver as an offering to the LORD. This was known as atonement money (see the commentary on Exodus Eu – The Atonement Money for the Tabernacle) and was originally used to make the sockets for the posts that helped to form the Tabernacle frame (Exodus 38:21-28). Realizing that their lives had graciously been spared, the elite units from each tribe wanted to give extra atonement money in thanksgiving to ADONAI. Ransoms saved those sentenced to death. Instead of bringing silver, they brought over 600 pounds of gold, which Moshe and Eleazar received and put into the Tabernacle.⁷³⁰

Moshe and Eleazar the high priest accepted their gold, all the jewelry. All the gold in this gift which the generals of thousands and the commanders of hundreds set apart for ADONAI weighed 600 pounds. For the soldiers had taken spoils, every man for himself, now they gave a free-will offering back. They were thankful that not one of them was killed in battle. Moshe and Eleazar took the gold from the generals of thousands and the commanders of hundreds and brought it into the Tabernacle as a reminder for the people of Isra’el before ADONAI, thus paying the ransom price to support the Tabernacle (31:51-54). This was an enormous gift – and it came from grateful men to an all-protecting God.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that no one can outdo You in being generous and loving! It is a joy to give back to You a free-will offering of our time, money and thoughts. Though someone may be poor in the eyes of the world, they are really rich, if they have Your abiding presence in their lives as well as the indwelling of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). Giving back to You our time by meditating on your awesome attributes and then praising You, is a wonderful way to both please You and refresh our own spirits. Praising You not only rightfully exalts You, our awesome and mighty heavenly Father, it also blesses the one who does the praising. It is so uplifting to think of You as our perfect bridegroom whom we shall spend all eternity with! What a wonderful and comforting thought! It is like when just engaged and thoughts of the future spouse fill one’s mind all day long, so also thoughts of how worthy and wonderful You are fill the minds of Your children. You are worthy of all our praise! We delight to give You our love! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen