The Camp of the Twelve Tribes of Isra’el
Numbers 2: 1-34

The camp of the twelve tribes of Isra’el DIG: Describe the order in which the tribes were placed in the camp. Was there any significance to that order? How does the camp of Isra’el compare to the camp of God? Why was the tribe of Judah so favored?

RELECT: The book of Numbers records 150 occurrences of ADONAI speaking to Moshe. How does God speak to you today? Do you think God is concerned about the everyday aspects of your life? Why? Why not? How much organization do you need in your life?

ADONAI said to Moses and Aaron His servants: The Israelites are to camp around the Tabernacle some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family (Numbers 2:1-2). It was important for God’s army to be orderly and disciplined. Jewish tradition suggests that the standard for the tribe of Judah was a lion; the standard for the tribe of Reuben was the face of a man; the standard for the tribe of Ephraim was an ox; and the standard for the tribe of Dan was an eagle. These were the same as the faces of the cherubim that Ezeki’el saw in his vision during the Babylonian captivity (Ezekiel 1:10), and that John saw around the throne of God (Revelation 4:6b-8). So as far as the positioning of the standards are concerned, you would see the lion on the east, an ox on the west, an eagle on the north and the face of a man on the south. Like the New Jerusalem with three gates on each side (Revelation 21:13), there will be three tribes on each side of the Tabernacle.

The choice of Judah and Ephraim for the heads of encampments is fairly obvious in that those two houses represent the powerful houses of Judah and Joseph, recipients of the “rulership” and firstborn rights, respectively. Less obvious is the choice of Reuben and Dan. Perhaps their rank is also, in some measure, derived from the firstborn privilege. Reuben was the natural firstborn of Jacob, though his status as such was revoked (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Ik – Reuben Slept with His Father’s Concubine Bilhah). Dan was the actual firstborn of Rachel’s house, the son of the maidservant Bilhah.³³

To enter the Tabernacle you had to go through the tribe of Judah, because the entrance was on its eastern side. On the east, toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard of a lion. And we see in the book of Revelation that Yeshua is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (see the commentary on Revelation Ce – The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David Has Triumphed). The lion represents His strength, authority, and royalty. But it is also given to us that He would come from the tribe of Judah. He would be the son of David who would reign on the throne. In Solomon’s porch there were six steps that led up to his throne. On each step were two lions, one on each side. There were twelve lions all together. This represented all twelve tribes under one king. This corresponds to the book of Matthew that pictures Jesus as the King. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab who appears in later genealogies in the messianic line (Ruth 4:20 and Matthew 1:4). His division numbers 74,600 (Numbers 2:3-4). The tribe of Issachar will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. His division is 54,400 (Numbers 2:5-6). The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. His division numbers 57,400 (Numbers 2:7-8). All the men assigned to the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. The tribes in this division represented the fourth, fifth and sixth sons of Leah. When they marched, the standard of a lion went out first (Numbers 2:9).

On the south were the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard of the face of a man. Ezekiel was standing on the Kebar River looking north when he saw the four living creatures and the Shechinah glory. They were coming out of the north, and that meant that the face of a man was facing south and would be Rueben’s standard (Ezekiel 1:4 and 10). This corresponds to the book of Luke that pictures Yeshua as the Son of Man. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. His division numbers 46,500 (Numbers 2:10-11). The tribe of Simeon will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. His division numbers 59,300 (Numbers 2:12-13). The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. His division numbers 45,650 (Numbers 2:14-15). All the men assigned to the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, number 151,450. Reuben and Simeon were the first and second sons of Leah. Levi was the third son, but that tribe could not make up part of the Reuben division because of its religious duties. So Gad, the oldest son of Leah’s handmaid, was aligned with Reuben. In the line of march, this division set out second, under the face of a man as its standard, behind Judah (Numbers 2:16).

Then the Tabernacle and the camp of the Levites will dwell in the middle of the twelve tribes of Isra’el (Numbers 2:17a). The tribe of Levi was divided into three families, under his three sons, Gershon, Lohath and Merari. Each had his own separate place of encampment around the Tabernacle, and to each was committed a specific responsibility. The Merarites, who encamped on the north, watched over, erected, and carried all the solid framework of the Tabernacle, the pillars of the surrounding courts, together with the sockets of silver and brass. The weight might have been as much as fifteen tons. The Gershonites pitched towards the west, and had under their care the curtains, hangings and coverings of the Tabernacle and court, which they also carried on their journeys. To the Kohathites, whose camp was south, were given the duty of carrying the seven pieces of the Tabernacle furniture. Thus, it was all distributed among these three families of Levites, and each family had its own responsibility.³⁴ This was the way the tribes of Isra’el camped, but in the line of march they followed Reuben’s division.

                                                                                                                  EAST

                                                                                                                 Judah

                                                                       Zebulun                                                Issachar

                                                      Asher                                                                                                                Simeon
                                                                                   

                                                                            Moshe, Aaron and the Priests

                 NORTH   Dan               Merarites    the Tabernacle    Kohathites                Reuben  SOUTH

                                                                                                Gershonites

                                                   Naphtali                                                                                                             Gad

                                                                                 Benjamin                                              Manasseh

                                                                                                                     Ephraim

                                                                                                                       WEST

On the west were the divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard an ox. As the lion is the sign for the tribe of Judah, the ox is the sign for the tribe of Ephraim (Deuteronomy 33:13-17; Jeremiah 31:18; Hosea 10:11). In Solomon’s temple there were twelve oxen sitting beneath a huge water tank called the sea. These twelve oxen were facing north, south, east and west. They represented Isra’el under the leadership of the tribe of Ephraim. Isra’el would soon be divided into two nations, the northern Kingdom and the southern Kingdom. The kings from the tribe of Ephraim would rule the northern Kingdom, and the kings from the tribe of Judah would lead the southern Kingdom. But the sign of the tribe of Ephraim was an ox. This corresponds to the book of Mark that pictures Yeshua as a Servant (Mark 10:45). The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. His division numbers 40,500 (Numbers 2:18-19). The tribe of Manasseh will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. His division numbers 32,200 (Numbers 2:20-21). The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. His division numbers 35,400 (Numbers 2:22-23). All the men assigned to the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, number 108,100. These three tribes traced their ancestry to Jacob through his wife Rachael. In the line of march, they set out third and followed the Levites with the standard of an ox leading the way (Numbers 2:24).

On the north were the divisions of the camp of Dan, under their standard an eagle. Jacob had compared Dan to a serpent (Genesis 49:17), but that was changed later to an eagle. The leader of the people of Dan is Shiezer son of Ammishaddai. His division numbers 62,700 (Numbers 2:25-26). The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. His division numbers 62,700 (Numbers 2:27-28). The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira, son of Enan. His division numbers 53,400 (Numbers 2:29-30). All the men assigned to the camp of Dan numbered 157,600. Dan and Naphtali were the sons of Rachel’s handmaid, whereas, Asher was the second son of Leah’s handmaid. In the line of march, they set out last, under their standard of an eagle (Numbers 2:31).

These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All those in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550 (Numbers 2:32). The Levites, however, were not counted along with the women and children, as God commanded Moses (Numbers 2:32-33). A certain rationale may be seen in the arrangement of the tribes on ancestral grounds, with the exception of Asher. But with the grouping of the Rachel tribes together and the elimination of Levi, there is hardly any other place for Asher to fit, so the overall pattern does appear to reflect maternal origins (see Ak – The Numbering of the Tribes).

So the Israelites did everything ADONAI commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each with his own clan, family, and each under his own standard (Numbers 2:34; 2:17b). The order of the line of march was according to the following diagram, all parties retaining as nearly as possible the relative position of the encampment. In this anticipatory passage (see Ac – Numbers from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: Anticipatory Passages) the fact that the camp traveled in the same formation at rest, anticipates the description of the camp in motion (see Bn – Leaving Sinai: The grand procession of tribes and Levites).³

Moses
Aaron and his sons

1. Judah

2. Issachar

3. Zebulon

Levites from the family of Gershon
(with the curtains, hangings and coverings on two wagons)

Levites from the family of Merari
(with the solid framework, silver and gold sockets on four wagons)

4. Reuben

5. Simeon

6. Gad

Levites of the family of Kohath
(with the Tabernacle furniture on their shoulders)

7. Ephraim

8. Manasseh

9. Benjamin

10. Dan

11. Asher

12. Naphtali

The Camp of God: This organization of the camp teaches us about God’s priorities. Three tribes were camped to the east, three to the north, three to the south, and three to the west. At the center of the camp of Isra’el was the camp of the Levites. At the center of the camp of the Israelites was the Tabernacle. Within the Tabernacle was the Most Holy Place; within the Most Holy Place was the ark of the Covenant; within the ark of the Covenant were the Tablets of the Testimony, in other words, the Torah.

Thus, the Torah is at the center of Isra’el.

In John’s Revelation, he sees the New Jerusalem descend from heaven. The entire city is holy. It is the camp of the Sh’khinah glory. The City is accessed by twelve gates, three on each side. Upon each gate is written one of the tribal names. It had a great high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Isra’el. There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west (see the commentary on Revelation Fu – A Great High Wall with Twelve Gates). Therefore, the camp of Isra’el foreshadows the New Jerusalem, or perhaps the New Jerusalem is patterned after the camp of Isra’el in the wilderness. In either case, we see the obvious relationship between Numbers 2 and Revelation 21. The gates of the City of God are accessed only by the names of the tribes of Isra’el. They are the gates of His people.³⁶

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that for nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37). To redeem mankind and take them to heaven is a huge task, but for the Almighty Sovereign God of the universe, it is a sure victory. The gates of heaven will be open to all who love Messiah as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). Thank You that I can live a life in absolute confidence that when this short earthly life is over, the gates of heaven will be open for me (John 14:23). Messiah has conquered death and it is a joy that He is now in heaven preparing a place for me. Yeshua said: 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

The Status of the Levites
1: 47-54

The status of the Levites DIG: What importance were the Levites? What could the Levites do that was prohibited for anyone else? Why do you think God wanted the Levites separated from the people? How would this affect the way the people viewed them?

REFLECT: How much distance do we need to keep from God today? In this chapter we see the importance of not neglecting our spiritual responsibilities. What keeps us from our time with the Lord? Do you sometimes find yourself too busy? What was the result?

The Levites were not counted among the tribes,
but were set apart as holy for the priestly service of ADONAI.

But those who were Levites, according to the clan of their fathers, were not counted in this census; because ADONAI had told Moshe, “Do not include the tribe of Levi when you take the census of the people of Isra’el (1:47-49). When the prophet of the nations, the wicked Balaam, saw the people of Isra’el, he prophesied over them, “Behold, a people who dwells apart, and will not be numbered among the nations’ ‘ (23:9). So too, the Levites dwell apart from the other tribes; and therefore, not counted among census taken.²³ In this anticipatory passage (see Ac – Numbers from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: Anticipatory Passages) description of the Levites’ responsibilities is clearly irrelevant to the fact that they were not included in the census of the people of Isra’el, but summarizes and anticipates the Levitical duties delineated in Chapters 3 and 4.²⁴

Set apart (1:47-50): Based upon the zealous actions of the Levites who sided with Moses in the golden calf incident (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Gq – The Golden Calf Incident), the tribe of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam was set apart for special service in the Tabernacle. Thus, they were not to be counted among the potential military personnel.²⁵ In one sense, the Levites’ relationship to the other tribes is analogous to Isra’el’s relationship to the nations. The Levites were not counted among the tribes, and Isra’el is not counted among the nations. The Levites were set apart as holy for the priestly service of ADONAI, and Isra’el is set apart to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6).

Instead, give the Levites charge over the Tabernacle of the testimony, its equipment and everything else connected with it. In Exodus 38:21, the Sanctuary is called the Tabernacle of the testimony. The testimony refers to the Ten Words (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bk – The Ten Words). These tablets were placed in the ark, leading to the phrase the ark of the Testimony (Exodus 25:22, 26:33-34, 40:3 and 20).²⁶ The Ten Words served as the foundation from which all the mitzvot of Judaism were derived; hence, later the term testimony alluded to the Torah in general. They are to carry the Tabernacle and all its equipment, serve in it and set up their camp around it (1:50).

Their separation provides for us a glimpse of the Messianic Age when all the nations will be under the commonwealth of Isra’el (see the commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom). Even then, the descendants of Isra’el will be set apart, a holy nation in the midst of a holy people. And from within their midst, the Levites will be set apart, a holy tribe with a holy nation, within a holy people.²⁷And from with the Levites there will be holy, set apart order of priests who are descendants of Zodok. They will be honored with a special ministry in the Millennial Temple. They were the ones who guarded God’s Sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Him. In First Samuel 2:31-36 we read how YHVH through Samuel prophesied that the house of Eli was to be deposed and replaced by a faithful priest. That was finally fulfilled in First Kings 2:26-27. Then in Second Samuel 8:17 we read that Zadok became the high priest under King David and remained loyal to David after Absalom revolted (2 Samuel 15:24-29). Furthermore, Zadok was also loyal to Solomon (First Kings 1:8, 32-39, 2:26-27, 35) and the descendants of Zadok remained faithful during the days of Isra’el’s apostasy. As a result of their past faithfulness, they will be given a superior role in the ministry of the Temple during the Kingdom. The Zadokites are to come near to minister before Me; they are to stand before Me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares Adonai ELOHIM (Ezeki’el 44:15-31).²⁸

Death and wrath (1:51-53): The Levites were charged with assembling and disassembling the Tabernacle. They alone were sanctioned to handle the holy articles. When the Tabernacle is to be moved onward, it is the Levites who are to take it down and set it up in the new location. They created a buffer zone around the Tabernacle, protecting it from the people and protecting the people from the Tabernacle. With the living God in their midst, a wrong step might prove to be fatal (see the commentary on Leviticus Bh – The Death of Nadab and Abihu). A non-Levite who trespassed in the sacred grounds of the Tabernacle was to be put to death (1:51). Therefore, their encampment protected the Tabernacle from defilement and sacrilege. Joshua 3:4 tells us that the tribes were to keep a distance of about a thousand yards away from the Tabernacle. How much distance do we need to keep from YHVH today? Zero! Because Yeshua tabernacled among us (John 1:14) and the inner veil has been torn from top to bottom. Therefore, there is no longer any separation between the believer and the throne of ADONAI (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lw – The Accompanying Signs of Jesus’ Death).²⁹

The three camps (1:52-53): The encampment of Isra’el was composed of ascending spheres of holiness. The Sages teach that there were three camps: first, within the curtains of the courtyard of the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus Ex – The Courtyard and Gate of the Tabernacle), that is, the camp of the Sh’khinah; secondly, the camp of the Levites around the Tabernacle; and thirdly, the camp of the tribes of Isra’el. The rest of Isra’el are to set up camp, company by company, each man with his own banner. But the Levites are to camp around the Tabernacle of the testimony to prevent unauthorized Israelites from interfering with the services, so that no anger will come upon the assembly of the people of Isra’el. They were also to be in charge of the Tabernacle of the testimony. The most important thing about the Israelite encampment was that the Sh’khinah was in the middle of it.³⁰

But please note that the word Sh’kinah is not found in the Bible. It is a word used by the rabbis to describe the Glory of the LORD as it was manifested in the Most Holy Place (see the commentary on Isaiah Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You). To say that it’s not a word found in the Bible however, does not mean it’s a bad or wrong word to use. On the contrary, it’s a convenient word which describes in short-hand that manifested itself in the Most Holy Place. So the image being formed is that this was not really Isra’el’s camp. It was really God’s camp! The other two camps surrounding it were merely guarding His Presence. And just as the Sh’khinah was the physical manifestation of God as seen in the Tabernacle, so was Yeshua the physical manifestation of the unseen God made visible on planet earth. Moreover, just as the Sh’khinah was in the center of Isra’el’s camp, so is Messiah at the center of everything in God’s spiritual camp – the called-out ones who believe in Yeshua. In fact, the B’rit Chadashah refers to His Body of believers as the temple of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (First Corinthians 6:19). Yeshua is in the center of the Temple, glorifying Himself through us, just as ADONAI was in the center of the camp of Isra’el, glorifying Himself in the Sh’khinah.³¹ The distinction between the different uses of the term “camp” becomes important to remember when we read about people being sent out of “the camp” for various reasons. One must consider the context to determine if it means they were sent out of the camp of the Sh’khinah, the camp of the Levites, or the camp of Isra’el.³²

Summary (1:54): This is what the people of Isra’el did – they did everything that ADONAI had ordered Moshe and did not touch the Tabernacle. In view of Isra’el’s great disobedience (see By – The Report of the Spies), these words of initial compliance to God’s Word have a special sadness. Isra’el began so well, then failed so horribly; her experience remains a potent lesson to all people of faith who follow them. Ending well is the point. To run the race well (see the commentary on Hebrews Cy – We Are Surrounded by a Great Cloud of Witnesses), means to finish well.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that as I run the race of life with my eyes focused on You, I am assured of victory and eternal life in heaven with You! You keep in perfect peace one whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3). Praise You that You, my Almighty, the All-Powerful Sovereign of the universe, are unstoppable unbeatable and nothing can hinder You from redeeming those who love You (Ephesians 1:7). You are all-wise and know even the future (Daniel 2, 7, Revelation 19). It is a comfort to know that You not only have all-power, but You are also always loving and perfectly holy. Your Almighty power is wrapped in Your love. When I run to you for protection and advice, whatever You say to do is always the best and wisest action to take for me at that time.

Thank you that even problems and trials are all under Your control. In Your infinite wisdom You have allowed problems as an opportunity for me to trust in You and seek Your care and advice. You have allowed the trials in my life to refine me and to bring You glory and honor. So that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Yeshua Messiah (Second Peter 1:7). You are always walking with me, even in trials, to bring me comfort and help. Thank You for being such a wise and wonderful Heavenly Father. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Numbering the Tribes
1: 20-46

Numbering the tribes DIG: How might Isra’el’s staggering numerical growth in the previous 400 years be related to ADONAI’s promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:2, 15:5, 17:4-6, and 22:17)? How do the numbers of the tribes point to God’s faithfulness? How are worship and warfare related?

REFLECT: The phrase “able to go to war” is used fourteen times in Chapter 1. What makes us “able to go to war” (see the commentary on Ephesians Ca – The Spiritual Battle)? What is the Hebrew Roots Movement? Why is their doctrine false? How can you thank the Lord that He desires to give us wisdom and guidance for our lives and ministries.

The lists of names and numbers are the material and tangible signs of God’s blessing, God’s faithfulness to past promises, and the surety of God’s future promise keeping.

The tribal names are important. They are etched into the breastplate of the High Priest (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ga – Fashion a Breastplate for Making Decisions), carved onto the gates of the New Jerusalem (see the commentary on Revelation Fu – The New Jerusalem had a Great High Wall with Twelve Gates), and represent the totality of Isra’el.

For modern readers, the first chapters of Numbers are almost mind-numbing, with all its roll call of tribal leaders and the repetitive listing of the twelve tribes and their census numbers. We may find it hard to get enamored with the story that seems to have such a mechanical and numerical beginning. But for the ancient readers of the book, such lists and numbers bore crucial insights into the very soul of their identity, their unity, their relationship with YHVH, and their place within the community of God’s people.

Many today are fascinated with their own brand of numbers, censuses, polls, market indicators, interest rates, stock market averages, statistics, and number-crunching machines called computers. Many define their identity and value and future by computing numbers that measure our human accomplishments, whether political strength, or material possessions, or military hardware, or number of square feet. But the census list in Numbers reminds us that the identity, value, and future hope lie in the tangible and concrete way in which ADONAI is working and stirring among us in this world. What is YHVH accomplishing in and through us? What are the beginnings of the real fulfillment of God’s intentions for us and our community in this time and place? In what ways might we gain confidence in where we are right now? In what ways might we gain confidence to pursue our vocations as God’s people by taking a realistic look at God’s real fulfillments of promises already partially fulfilled?

The promise first given to Abraham (see the commentary on Genesis Dt – I Will Bless Those Who Bless You and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse) involved both the promise of the Land and the promise that God would make Abraham a great nation. In the near historical sense, both promises come to partial and tangible fulfillment in the census list shown here. The vast number of Israelites in the census totals suggest that Isra’el was indeed moving toward becoming a great nation. And the purpose of the first census (see Ai – The First Census: The Old Generation of Rebellion), counting warriors to take part in the conquest of the Land, points toward progress if fulfilling the promise of the Land. These are signs that God’s promise is in the process of coming true.

Even Abraham himself, in Genesis 15, sought tangible signs that ADONAI would be true to the promise of descendants. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). But in Genesis 15:8, Abraham asked for a more visible sign: O ADONAI, how am I to know that I shall possess it? In response, God’s presence moved as a flaming torch between the split carcasses of animals in a ceremony whereby Ha’Shem pledged to fulfill the promise to Abraham or else be split in half like those animals (see the commentary on Genesis Eg – I Am the LORD, Who Brought You Out of Ur of the Chaldeans). The census lists are not nearly as dramatic a sign, but they are nonetheless real and concrete indications that YHVY intends to make good on the promises given to Isra’el long ago.²⁰

The men twenty years old and over who were subject to military service were recorded by name, family and clan, starting with the descendants of Reuben, Isra’el’s firstborn. Reuben’s title is given to account for the fact that he heads the list even though Judah is to lead the march (10:14). These lists follow the birth order and mothers’ status to some extent. The sons of Leah came first, then Rachel’s offspring came next, and the handmaid’s children came last. The exception comes when Gad, a larger military power, replaced third-born Levi, whose priestly tribe did not serve in the military.²¹ Since the handmaid’s children were placed last, and Gad was placed with Reuben, there was nowhere else for Asher to be placed other than with Dan. The census was used to facilitate the division of the Israelites into four camps of three tribes each: Reuben was camped to the south, Judah was camped to the east, Ephraim was camped to the west, and Dan was camped to the north (see Am – The Camp of the Twelve Tribes of Isra’el). Notice that all the numbers below (and in fact all the figures in the book of Numbers) are even numbers with the exception in 3:43 where there were 22,273 first born Israelite men over twenty (see As – The Census and the Redemption of the Firstborn). Because the census was taken primarily for military purposes, it would naturally be arranged by hundreds, fifties, etc. Here are the totals (1:20):

Census summary and total (1:44-46): Moshe, Aaron and the twelve leaders of Isra’el, each from a clan, counted the people of Isra’el by their clans, those twenty years old and over and were able to go to war; and the grand total came to 603,550. The lists of names and numbers are the material and tangible signs of God’s blessing, God’s faithfulness to past promises, and the surety of God’s future promise keeping (see Ae – Stars of Heaven, Grains of Sand, and the Promises of God).

The names of the twelve tribes have always allured Gentiles. Historically, innumerable sects have arisen, associating themselves with the tribes. In the Hebrew Roots movement today (see the commentary on Galatians Ak – The Hebrew Roots Movement: A Different Gospel), there are some Gentiles who believe they descended from the tribes of Isra’el, though they can provide no substantive evidence to prove it. Of course, it is possible that any person might have Israelite blood coursing through their veins. It is equally possible that they do not. When Messiah returns, He will certainly restore all twelve tribes, whoever or wherever they might be. In the meantime, we should avoid foolish controversies and genealogies (Titus 3:9). It does a person no good to assert that he “might” be something! Instead, we should focus on what we certainly are: new creatures in Messiah (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Bd – A New Creation). We are fellow heirs, citizens in the Kingdom of Messiah. We have all been brought near by the same atonement and given the same Torah.²²

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that You deeply desire a loving relationship with all who will humbly come to You as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). Heaven’s door is open to Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:26-28, Ephesians 2:13-18) who choose to come to You in repentance and find rest for their souls. You called out to the crowds: Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Though all are offered the opportunity to choose You, it is so sad that many people are full of pride and choose to put themselves on the throne of their lives, rather than to exalt You as their Lord.

Peace is greatly sought after and will be found by following You, the Prince of Peace. I will have peace that lasts for all eternity! For to us a child is born, a son will be given to us, and the government will be upon His shoulder. His Name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, My Father of Eternity, and Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and shalom there will be no end – on the throne of David and over His kingdom – to establish it and uphold it through justice and righteousness from now until forevermore. The zeal of ADONAI-Tzva’ot (Isaiah 9:6-7). Peace will come when Messiah Yeshua reigns. Yeshua will be great and will be called Ben-Elyon. ADONAI Elohim will give Him the throne of David, His father.  He shall reign over the house of Jacob for all eternity, and His kingdom will be without end (Luke 1:31d-33).

It is so wise and wonderful to love You and follow You in complete faith, for You have promised Your children an eternal heavenly home of peace and rest.  For we who have trusted are entering into that rest (Hebrews 4:3a). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Command to Number
1: 1-19

The command to number DIG: Why did God have Moshe take the census? Why so many names? Why do we need all of this? What is significant to you about the results of the census: (a) the large numbers? (b) The manpower it took to complete such a census? (c) The explosive increase of numbers from the time 400 years earlier when Isra’el entered Egypt with only 70 people? Other than the military, what other purpose did the census serve?

REFLECT: God chose men to help Moshe in taking the census. Who are those who stand with you in your service to the Lord? We see in this passage how Moses spent time with the Lord, seeking His wisdom and guidance to lead the people. How important is your time with the Lord? Do you find direction and guidance in the Lord for your life and ministry in that time? Take a moment to thank the Lord for the people He has put in your path.

Parashah 34: B’Midbar (In the wilderness) 1:1 to 4:20
(See my commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key People are Moshe, Aaron, the heads of the tribes (1:5-15), Aaron’s sons Nadab and Ithamar, Levi’s sons Gershon, Korah and Merari, and all their sons, the firstborn males.

The Scene is B’Midbar Sinai, in the wilderness of Sinai.

The Main Events include a census for the army, tent arrangement in the camp, Levites replacing firstborns as God’s own, then set apart for Tabernacle service, Kohahites counted, and instructions for Aaron and his sons to cover the holy items, so Kohathites carrying them wouldn’t see them and die.¹⁴

Many are the words of the Torah, and there are many places in which they have been given. When ADONAI first spoke to the children of Isra’el, He spoke through Moshe while they were still slaves in Egypt. He next spoke to them after the Exodus at Mount Sinai. This is where the teachings of the second half of Exodus and all of Leviticus originated. Now, in Numbers, or Bamidbar (“in the wilderness”), YHVH once again spoke to the second generation of Israelites. Only this time, it was from within the Tabernacle, from between the two cherubim that flanked the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:22). From here, as Isra’el would travel, Ha’Shem would periodically give them more instruction.

The book of Numbers is the record of the revelation from God in the wilderness of Sinai, up to the border of the Promised Land, on the plains of Mo’ab. Numbers is a combination of history and legislation. Its legislation pertains to the Sanctuary, the camp, purification of life, and includes many well-known teachings such as the Nazarite vow, the wearing of fringes, the Aaronic Blessing, the ashes of the red heifer, and more. Its history tells the story of how the new nation of freed slaves found themselves wandering in the desert for forty years before they were permitted to enter Canaan. But, Numbers is no mere chronicle of the outstanding events during their journey. It interprets those events, and shows the faithful watchfulness of ADONAI in every difficulty and danger, as well as the stern severity of divine judgments against rebellion and apostasy.¹⁵

As the book of Numbers begins, Isra’el had been encamped at Sinai for ten months. Most of the time had been spent working on the Tabernacle. It took 40 days for Moses to receive the full instructions for the Tabernacle. Six months were spent on building the Tabernacle. One month was spent on learning the mitzvot of the Tabernacle and instituting its worship. Finally, nine months after their arrival at Mount Sinai, the Tabernacle was completed. The outer camp was called the camp of the Israelites, the middle one was the camp of the Levites, and the innermost one was called the camp of the Presence, or the Sh’khinah.

The Tabernacle was to function as a portable Mount Sinai. God’s presence had come to rest on Mount Sinai. The children of Isra’el were unwilling to leave Mount Sinai unless the LORD would go with them. Moshe had said: If Your Presence doesn’t go with us, don’t make us go from here (Exodus 33:15). Therefore, until the Tabernacle was completed, they were unable to leave Mount Sinai, for God’s Presence was to accompany them in the midst of the Tabernacle. Having completed the Tabernacle, the children of Isra’el were ready to begin their preparations for departure. The trip through the wilderness was to be a short one. After leaving Mount Sinai, it would be a matter of only a few weeks until they arrived on the borders of the Promised Land. Then they were to begin a military invasion, ousting the Canaanites and settling in their lands. As part of the preparations for departure and war, Ha’Shem ordered that a census was to be taken of the children of Isra’el.

The names of all the men twenty years old and older were recorded.
The census (1:1-4): Then ADONAI spoke to Moshe in the wilderness from the Tabernacle. One of the most numerous emphases in the book of Numbers is that YHVH spoke to Moses, and through him, to Isra’el. From the opening words of the book (1:1) to its closing words (36:13), this concept is stated over a hundred-and-fifty times and in more than twenty ways. One Hebrew name for the book of Numbers is “And ADONAI spoke,” the first word in the Hebrew text. This name is highly appropriate, given the strong emphasis on God’s revelation to Moshe in Numbers.

ADONAI spoke to Moshe on the first day of the second month of the second year, one month after setting up the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Hg – So the Tabernacle was Set Up on the First Day of the First Month), and the appearance of the Divine Presence (see Exodus Hh – The Glory of the LORD Filled the Tabernacle), after they had left the land of Egypt (1:1). The book begins with the word “then.” In Hebrew, the word then is a sequential conjunction, and relates to what happened before. The Israelites had been given the Torah in Exodus and Leviticus. Now, what were they going to do with it?¹⁶

God said: Take a census of the entire assembly of the people of Isra’el, by clans and families. Record the names of all the men twenty years old and older who are subject to military service in Isra’el, with only a few exceptions (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Dp – Regulations for a Holy War). You and Aaron are to count those who are able to bear arms. Take with you from each tribe someone who is head of a clan (1:2-4). Moses and Aaron were to complete this task together, but the primary responsibility lay with Moshe. There is a remarkable specificity in the numbering process, moving from the broadest grouping to the individual. The census was counted in decreasing size: tribe, clan, household, individual. This stylistic device, common in Hebrew prose, moves from the most general to the specific, thus giving a sense of the totality and the enormity of the task.¹⁷

From 10:11, it is clear that the census was completed in fewer than twenty days. By contrast, David’s census, which likewise encompassed some 600,000 names, took nine months and twenty days to complete (Second Samuel 24:8)! The difference can be explained by the different methods of counting. David’s census was conducted with much effort from tribe by tribe, clan by clan, family by family, person by person. Moses, on the other hand, made each clan responsible for its own count; he and the chiefs of their fathers’ clans (see below) merely supervised. In this way, all the clans were mustered simultaneously, and their individual totals had only to be counted.

However, our knowledge of the end of the story makes this a sad record to read. Ha’Shem would later declare to the Exodus generation: Your carcasses will fall in the desert! Every single one of you (over the age of twenty) who are included in the first census (see Ai – The First Census: The Old Generation of Rebellion) over the age of twenty, you who complained against Me (see By – The Report of the Spies), will certainly not enter the Land about which I raised My hand to swear that I would have you live in it – except for Caleb and Joshua (14:29-30). All died in the dry, barren wilderness, though God had intended for them to enjoy the good life in the Good Land under His generous hand.

The tribal heads (1:5-16): Why so many names? Why so many details? Since we know that the Word of God is inspired, how do we read these names? There are thirty-seven names listed here. If the names are translated into their meaning, then reading them would be edifying. Even refreshing. It gives us a sense of the yearning the people had in Egypt for their God to name their sons in this manner. Every name has a message, a story about the struggle and triumph of their family. ADONAI cares deeply about each and every name here. We don’t know who these men are, but the Ruach Ha’Kodesh knows them and counted them worthy enough to be included in the Scriptures. We see the same thing in Romans 16 where people are mentioned that we do not even know. But the point is that God knows them.

These are the men to take with you:
From Reuben, Elitzur the son of Sh’de’ur translated: Behold the son, my God is a rock, son of Sh’de’ur who gives light (1:5);
From Simeon, Shlumi’el the son of Tzurishaddai translated: The One who heard me, the friend of God, son of the Rock, my Almighty (1:6);
From Judah, Nachshon the son of ‘Amminadan, grandfather of Boaz (1:7) is mentioned in the book Ruth (see the commentary on Ruth Bd – Coda: The Genealogy of David);
From Issachar, N’tan’el the son of Tzu‘ar (1:8);
From Zebulun, Eli’av the son of Helon translated: From the One who lifted me up, God is my Father, son of the power of God (1:9).
Of the children of Joseph:
From Ephraim, Elishama the son of ‘Ammihud translated: From the One who shall make me doubly fruitful, My God has heard, son of my kinsmen, His majesty;
From Manasseh, Gamli’el the son of P’dahtzur translated: From the One who will cause me to remember the reward of God, son of the Rock who has redeemed me (1:10).
From Benjamin, Avidan the son of Gid‘oni translated: From the Son of My right hand, My Father is Judge, son of the man of war (1:11);
From Dan, Achi‘ezer the son of ‘Ammishaddai translated: My brother is a Helper, my people are from Shaddai (1:12);
From Asher, Pag‘i’el the son of ‘Okhran translated: Encountered by God (1:13);
From Gad, Elyasaf the son of De‘u’el (1:14), but if you go to 2:14, his name is Re’u’el translated: One who walks with God. Why the change? He was called De’u’el because he merely knew God, but then he was changed to Re’u’el because his relationship with God grew into a personal relationship, and like Enoch (see the commentary on Genesis Bv – Enoch Walked with God for 300 years), he walked with God.
From Naftali, Achira the son of ‘Enan” translated: The One who sees (1:15).¹⁸ These were the ones called from the assembly, the chiefs of their fathers’ clans and heads of thousands in Isra’el (1:16). 

The summary of the census (1:17-19): Moshe was anxious to carry out the order he had received, so, he and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, and on the first day of the second month since the Exodus, they gathered the whole assembly to state their genealogies by clans and families and recorded the names of all those twenty years old and over, as well as their total numbers. Moshe counted them in the Sinai Desert, just as ADONAI had ordered him. Hebrew prose often gives a summary statement and follows with details that explain the summary. This verse is that summary, and the next file (see Ak – Numbering the Tribes) presents the details. Besides its primary military purpose, taking the census also served to demonstrate the miracle that YHVH had performed to fulfill His promises to Isra’el (see Ae – Stars of Heaven, Grains of Sand, and the Promises of God).

Numbers is a very important book for us today. In First Corinthians 10:1-5, 8-9, Rabbi Sha’ul says: I don’t want you to miss the significance of what happened to your fathers. All of them were guided by the pillar of cloud, and they all passed through the sea; they all immersed themselves into Moshe, (in reference to Numbers 33). Also they all ate the same food from the Spirit (in reference to Numbers 11). And they all drank the same drink from the Spirit – for they all drank from the Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah (in reference to Numbers 20). Yet with the majority of them God was not pleased, so their bodies were strewn across the desert (in reference to Numbers 14). These are warnings for us. And let us not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, with the consequence that 23,000 died in a single day (in reference to Numbers 25). And let us not put the Messiah to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes (in reference to Numbers 21). So, the book of Numbers is really Moshe’s letter to the congregations of God today. And the book spares us much sorrow because it describes only the first three years of the wilderness wanderings, and the last, the fortieth, year. Only four of the forty years, enough to get the point.¹⁹

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that You are all-knowing and can even number the hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30). You love all and want to have a relationship with everyone, but You force Yourself on no one, so it is important to seek after You and follow You. You so graciously offer eternal love to all who love and fear You. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so Adonai has compassion on those who fear Him (Psalm 103:11-13)

The point of living on earth is not to move to some place or land for a better earthly life, nor to store up money for an earthly retirement, but rather to joyfully love and serve You for an eternal life in heaven. May we live our life on earth with our eyes fixed on You and how we can please You. This life will be over soon, and for those who have chosen to love You as their Lord and Savior – Heaven’s eternal joys await (Romans 10:9-10)! How Awesome Your wondrous love that so mercifully paid the price for our sin, the awful penalty of death! You are forever to be praised. Bless ADONAI my God, from everlasting to everlasting! May Your glorious Name be blessed; may it be exalted above all blessing and praise (Nehemiah 9:5c). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The First Census:
The Old Generation of Rebellion
1: 1-54

After making the covenant (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Dd – The Mosaic Covenant) and giving the Torah at Mount Sinai (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Bi – The Stipulations of the Covenant), ADONAI instructed Moshe to take a census of all the tribes of Isra’el by clans and families. Their encampment and order of march was likened to a military formation and operation. Up to this point in the Torah the metaphor of a husband and wife has been used to describe that relationship between YHVH and His people. But now, the picture changes to an army. Isra’el is the army of Ha’Shem! He is the Commander-in-Chief who speaks from the midst of His “command post,” the Tabernacle. To take the Promised Land, there needed to be a war a holy war (see Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). But Isra’el was not able to fight this war on her own. The Divine Presence dwelled in their midst to give command, direction, and encouragement to the people of Isra’el.¹¹

As such, they would only count the men deemed fit for military service, those who were twenty years old or older on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Exodus. One man from each tribe was to assist Moses. After careful research of clan and family records, the qualified males were listed by their respective tribes. However, the Levites were not counted, for they were exempt from military service in the sense of bearing arms. This is implied in the fact that they were set apart for the service of the Tabernacle and all its furnishings. Only they could erect and dismantle it; any others who touched it would die. Moreover, the Levites pitched their tents adjacent to the Tabernacle, and the other tribes in the outer perimeter.¹² Thus, by using these numbers, the Holy One was demonstrating the miracle of Isra’el’s survival that He had accomplished.

One more critical point needs to be made here. The war that Isra’el was to fight was not just a physical war where people would die and blood would be shed. On the contrary, it was primarily a spiritual battle. Isra’el was commissioned by God to make His name known throughout the earth. He gave them a piece of property in which to carry our these “operations.” There were strong spiritual forces set in opposition against Isra’el – the gods of the Canaanites. Therefore, the God of this universe, the Commander of ADONAI’s army (Joshua 5:14) decided to pitch His tent in the midst of Isra’el and direct the battle Himself. Isra’el needed Him to war against the powers and principalities, which were demons and idols of the Canaanites.

Things have changed very little since the Israelites went against the gods of the Canaanites. Believers everywhere are commanded to put on the full armor of God, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:10-12). Moreover, just as ancient Isra’el needed to have the camp of the Sh’khinah among them, so do we. But how can the Divine Presence rest in our midst today? We find the answer to this in the rest of Ephesians 6 (see the commentary on Ephesians Ca – The Spiritual Battle). When we, as individuals, and as a community of believers, continually wear the armor which God gave us, we are allowing Him to dwell through us. Having this kind of uniform, we can rest assured that His Presence will be with us in each and every battle into which He leads us.¹³

Isra’el at Sinai: Preparation for the Departure
1:1 to 10:10

This first section of Numbers in Chapters 1 through 10 is dominated by a positive tone. The people of Isra’el obediently followed God’s instructions to prepare for the march from Sinai to the Promised Land. The twelve tribes of Isra’el undergo a census in which all warriors are counted and then organized into a four-sided military camp with three tribes on each of the four sides. Mitzvot are given that preserve the holiness of the camp. The people dutifully prepare for a holy war against the pagan Canaanite inhabitants of the Promised Land. These preparations for the journey through the wilderness dominate this section.¹⁰

The Rebellion of the Exodus Generation
1:1 to 25:18

The first half of Numbers recounts the fate of the old generation of Israelites who have been eyewitnesses to the exodus out of Egypt and the covenant with God made on Mount Sinai. The birth of this first wilderness generation had been marked by a census list already back in the book of Exodus. The members of Jacob’s family who had come down from Egypt were recorded (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ae – The Descendants of Jacob Numbered Seventy in All). The new census lists of the twelve tribes of Isra’el that appears in Numbers marks a major transition in the people’s wandering (see Ai – The First Census: The Old Generation of Rebellion). They had been liberated from the bondage of slavery; they had received the mitzvot of YHVH and entered into a covenant with Him at Sinai (see Exodus Dd – The Mosaic Covenant). Now, the exodus generation was ready to organize and begin its march in earnest toward the promised land of Canaan.⁹

Why Read Numbers?

The later traditions of both Jewish and Gentile communities have taken up the book of Numbers in important ways. Rabbi Sha’ul in the B’rit Chadashah letter to First Corinthians recalls the story of the wilderness generation in Numbers as an example for his contemporary readers: These things happened to them as an example, and were written down for our instruction (1 Cor 10:11). The Aaronic blessing (to see link click Bb – The Aaronic Blessing) has formed an important part of both Jewish and Gentile worship practices throughout the centuries.

The book wrestles with the transition from the old Exodus generation of rebellion (see Ag – The Rebellion of the Exodus Generation) to the new wilderness generation of hope (see Ec – The Second Census: The New Generation of Hope). How is faith transferred from one generation to another? How does the story of the past become fresh and alive for a new generation?

The book of Numbers helps us to understand boundaries, in a wide variety of ways: boundaries between old and new generations; boundaries between Isra’el and the Gentile nations; boundaries between God’s holy presence and a sinful Isra’el; boundaries of authority between leaders and followers; boundaries that divide tribal territories; boundaries between wilderness and the Promised Land; boundaries between being ritually clean and unclean; boundaries between blessings and curses; boundaries between intentional sin and accidental transgression; boundaries between Ha’Shem’s judgment and ADONAI’s forgiveness.

The conflicts and struggles over these boundaries create a dialogue of varied voices. The dominant voice of Numbers Chapters 1 through 10 is obedience and order, but the underlying voice of danger and death lurks just under the surface. In Numbers 11 through 25, death, disorder, and rebellion suddenly overwhelm us with the dead bodies of the Exodus generation strewn all over the desert floor of Isra’el’s forty-year wilderness wanderings. But the same chapters are also mixed with the whispers of hope for a new generation and its eventual arrival in the Promised Land of Canaan.

Chapters 26 through 36 focus on the story of the people of this new generation of hope as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, much as their parents had done a generation earlier. The overall voice in these concluding chapters is positive and hopeful. But the reader also hears lingering threats, warnings, and conflicts over boundaries that are negotiated and temporarily resolved. By the end of Numbers, the holy camp of God’s people is set to continue its march toward the Promised Land with the warnings of the past and the promises of the future in a dynamic dialogue of warning and promise.

The experience of the Church today has many notable parallels that were faced by the Israelites in the book of Numbers. As has often been true throughout history, the Church struggles to move forward in a cultural wilderness filled with competing temptations, conflicts over authority, and both the potential promise and problems involved in facing people from other cultures, other faiths and other concerns. Scripture provides an important resource for a time such as today. Numbers may be especially appropriate to help guide us through the contemporary wilderness of pluralism, the downgrade into worldliness, transgenderism, homosexuality and the shifting foundation of God’s people in this century.⁸

Stars of Heaven, Grains of Sand,
and the Promises of God

The exceedingly high numbers of the able-bodied men over the age of twenty conscripted into the armies of Isra’el in Chapters 1 and 26 are troublesome, to say the least. The numbers of soldiers in each list total in excess of six hundred thousand (603,550 in 1:46 and 601,730 in 26:51). These numbers of able-bodied men mustered for warfare might require a total population of Isra’el estimated to be at least five million. Such numbers seem to be excessively large for the times, the locale, the wilderness journey and in comparison to what we now judge to have been the numbers of the inhabitants of the land of Canaan whom the Israelites set out to conquer.

Many faithful readers of the TaNaKh have taken these large numbers at face value and without question. In fact many people who have broad knowledge of the Bible have never considered the numbers of the chapters to be a problem; the concepts of an army of six hundred thousand and a consequent population of two-and-a-half-million (or more) in this account are often just considered to be a part of the routine data from the story of the TaNaKh . . . to be believed, not questioned. Yet, others, when looking at the numbers in the book of Numbers, believe that they are simply impossibly large.

Some have argued that these numbers may have been corrupted in translation. However, for that to have happened, there would have to be a significant reduction of the numbers in these census lists of Chapters 1 and 26. Thus, the scribal errors would have had to be massive in scope. The entire list in both chapters would have to be in error. It seems that it would take more faith to believe in a corrupted text in these lists than it does to work out the logistics of the numbers as they are presently presented.

The Bible student who does not have skills in reading biblical Hebrew may be surprised to learn that numbers in the Hebrew Bible are not presented in numerical characters, but in words. Thus, the sum for the fighting men of the tribe Reuben in 1:21 does not appear in the Masoretic Text as in English versions (46,500); rather, the numbers are words, written out in a laborious but serviceable pattern. Here are the words in transliteration, “six and [plus] forty thousand and [plus] five hundreds,” woodenly expressed.

Considerable focus has been given to the word ‘elep, translated “thousand” in these two lists. Many scholars have felt that this word for “thousand” might have a different meaning here than the usual numerical idea. The issue is made more complex in that there may be three homonyms (words with the same spelling) that could be confused, either in ancient times or today. First, Hebrew word ‘elep certainly means “thousand” and is correctly translated. Secondly, another Hebrew word ‘elep is a graphic term derived from pastoral language that was used to number herds. As one would look out over many cattle, one might speak in approximate terms of animals numbering ‘elep (“a thousand”). Thirdly, in some biblical passages the Hebrew word for “thousand” (‘elep) is a technical term for a company of men that may or may not equal one thousand, for example Numbers 31:5, Joshua 33:14 and First Samuel 23:33).

One might argue that the term ‘elep has lost all sense of a specific numerical value and means simply a “troop.” Each tribe might be composed of thirty to seventy troops, and the total of the fighting men for these troops would number in the hundreds. This would mean that for Reuben, instead of an actual count of forty-six thousand five hundred men (Numbers 1:21), there were perhaps forty-six troops with five hundred fighting men; for Simeon, instead of fifty-nine thousand three hundred men (Numbers 1:23), there were fifty-nine troops with three hundred fighting men, etc. This would yield a total of 589 troops and some 5,550 fighting men, with each troop having about nine or ten men. This is the preferred conclusion of Numbers 22-23. Others believe in dual meanings and some get into symbolic meanings.⁵

However, the promise of ADONAI in Genesis to Abraham and Sarah that they would have innumerable descendants are clearly in view here. In these Genesis texts, ADONAI promises descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven (see the commentary on Genesis Ef – Abram Believed the LORD and He Credited It to Him as Righteousness) and the grains of sand on the seashore (see Genesis Fp – The Abrahamic Covenant). The sheer number of stars or grains of sand are impossible to count. In addition, the Exodus generation increased so much and grew so strong that Pharaoh said: Look, the Israelites have become much too numerous for us; thus, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous. The war against the Hyksos had just recently been won, but the Egyptians worried that if war with the Hittites broke out, the Israelites would join their enemies, fight against the Egyptians and leave the country (see the commentary on Exodus Ag – Then a New King Who Did Not Know About Joseph Came to Power). The remarkably high numbers in the census lists in Numbers Chapters 1 and 26 represent God’s significant down payment on the promise of countless descendants. But the census totals also underscore the partial character of the fulfillment of the ancestral promises. God is not finished with Isra’el yet. The Promised Land still would lie in the future.⁶

John Calvin (1509 to 1564 noted for his Institutes of Christian Religion 1536) noted the enormous size of the numbers, but argued against anyone who would deny God’s miraculous ability to increase God’s people from one family to some five million in some two-hundred-and-fifty years. It seems to me that if ADONAI can make the walls of Jericho fall (Joshua 6:20), have Noah’s ark survive the Flood (Genesis 6-8), cause the ten plagues in Egypt (Exodus 7-12), allow the Israelites to cross the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14), rescue Dani’el and his three friends from the fiery furnace (Dani’el 3:8-27), send manna from heaven (Exodus 16), create a pillar of cloud and fire (Exodus 13:21-22, 14:19-20), rescue Dani’el from the lion’s den (Daniel 6), rescue Jonah from the belly of a whale (Jonah 2:10), still the moon and the sun (Joshua 10:12-14), consume the burnt offering on Mount Carmel (First Kings 18:20-20), float an iron ax head (Second Kings 6:1-6), cure leprosy (Second Kings 5:1-19), cause the Israelites cross the Jordan on dry ground (Joshua 3:1-17), have water flow from a rock (Exodus 17:5-6; Numbers 20:11), give a donkey the ability to speak (Numbers 22:21-35), allow Enoch and Elijah not to experience death (Genesis 5:24; Second Kings 2:11), sweeten the waters of Marah (Exodus 15:25), end a drought (First Kings 18:41-45), raise the son of the Shunammite (Second Kings 4:8-37), raise a widow’s son from the dead (First Kings 17:22-23), part the Jordan River (Second Kings 2:14-15), multiply the widows oil (Second Kings 4:1-7), destroy 185,000 Assyrian troops in a single night (Second Kings 19:35), confuse the language of all the earth at Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), cause Aaron’s rod to bud (Numbers 17:1-11), feed one-hundred men with twenty loaves (Second Kings 4:42-44), have the earth open its mouth and swallow up Korah and his men (Numbers 16:1-40), turn Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26), and speak from a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-4),⁷ that He could raise up an army in excess of six hundred thousand. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

Abba: An Aramaic word used as an affectionate term of address to someone’s father. Yeshua used it to refer to God as His Father, and believers in Jesus also use it today to address God as Father. In modern Hebrew, this common name means Dad, Daddy, or Papa (also see Mark 14:36 and Romans 8:15).

Adar: the twelfth month of the Jewish biblical calendar.

Adonai: literally, my Lord, a word the TaNaKh uses to refer to God.

ADONAI: The Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of YHVH (Yud Hay Vav Hay). Since its pronunciation is not known, and also out of respect for God’s name, Jews traditionally substitute the words ADONAI and Ha’Shem. ADONAI, however, is more of an affectionate name like daddy (also see Exodus 3:15; Jeremiah 1:9; Psalm 1:2, Matthew 1:22; Mark 5:19; Luke 1:5; John 1:23).

ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot: the LORD God of heaven’s angelic armies . God does not have many names, as seen here and below, He has only one name – YHVH (Yud Hay Vav Hay). All the other names in the Bible describe His characteristics and His attributes.

ADONAI Elohim: This is the Hebrew word for LORD God. This title links Isra’el’s God, the God of the Covenant, with God as Creator of the universe (also see Genesis 2:4; Isaiah 48:16; Psalm 72:18; Luke 1:32; Revelation 1:8).

ADONAI Nissi: the LORD my Banner (see Exodus 17:15; Psalm 20:1).

ADONAI Shalom: the LORD of Peace.

ADONAI Tzidkenu: the LORD our Righteousness.

ADONAI-Tzva’ot: The LORD of heaven’s angelic armies (see Joshua 5:13-15; Second Kings 19:31; Psalm 24:10; Second Corinthians 6:18).

Adversary: Satan, the devil, the prince of the power of the air, and the old dragon.

Afikomen: Literally, “That which comes after.” Piece of matzah that is hidden during the Seder, to be found and eaten after the third cup of redemption.

Amen: At the end of a prayer, this word means, “It is true,” or “Let it be so,” or “May it become true,” indicating that the readers or listeners agree with what has just been said. Although everything Yeshua said was true, “amen” adds special emphasis (also see Deuteronomy 27:25; Jeremiah 28:6; Psalm 41:14; Nehemiah 8:6; Matthew 5:26; Mark 10:15; Luke 23:43; John 10:1).

Anti-missionaries: Today they are Orthodox Jews who champion Jews for Judaism. They do not limit their mischief to harassing missionaries; any Jewish believer is a target. It is unfortunate that so many of these anti-missionaries feel their ends justify certain unethical means. In order to “protect” Judaism, they do or encourage others to do what Judaism condemns. In Paul’s day, they were the Judaizers who wanted Gentile believers to add obedience to the 613 commandments of Moshe, circumcision, and eating kosher to Paul’s salvation equals faith-plus-nothing gospel.

Antinomian: A person who maintains that believers, by virtue of Divine grace, are freed not only from biblical mitzvot and biblical behavior, but also from all moral law.

Ariel: lion of God, fireplace on God’s altar.

Aviv: the first month of the biblical year, corresponding to the modern Jewish month of Nisan.

Avraham: Abraham

Azazel: a scapegoat or goat demon sent out in the wilderness on Yom Kippur.

Ba’al: the chief male god of the Phoenicians and Canaanites. The word means lord or master.

Bar Mitzvah: Hebrew for “Son of the Commandment.” Although not specifically mentioned in the Bible, it is a Jewish coming of age ritual in which a young man, or Bat Mitzvah for a young woman, chooses to follow the commandments of their forefathers and takes responsibility for their own relationship with the God of Isra’el. This ceremony normally takes place at age 13 for boys or age 12 for girls. Afterwards, he/she is theoretically considered to be an adult, but in modern Judaism this is mostly symbolic, and a twelve-year-old is not treated like an adult.

Beit-Lechem: Bethlehem, the birthplace of David and Yeshua, meaning house of bread.

Bnei-Yisrael: The children of Isra’el.

B’rit Chadashah: Hebrew for the New Covenant. Christians commonly call it the New Testament.

Challah: Challah is a special bread of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays. Ritually acceptable challah is made of dough from which a small portion has been set aside as an offering.

Cherem: Set apart for destruction, as seen in the incident with Achan taking items from Jericho that Ha’Shem had declared cherem (Joshua 7:1-26).

Chesed: “mercy,” “lovingkindness,” and/or “covenant-loyalty.” It is a complex word that summarizes God’s complex and overwhelming love for His people, going beyond the concepts of love, mercy or kindness all together (also see Isaiah 63:7; Zechariah 7:1; Psalm 13:1; Psalm 86:1; Psalm 107:1; Psalm 118:1; Psalm 136:1).

Clear oil: In the oil pressing process this would have been oil from the first of three or pressings. The first pressing, most likely done by adding one stone weight to a wooden bean which then put pressure onto a bag of olives by being forced downward by the weight, was the one which produced the purest oil. This was traditionally the oil used in the Temple.

Cohen of Ha’Elyon: Priest of the God Most High.

Cohen Rosh Gadol: The Great High Priest who served as the head religious official, the only one to enter the Most Holy Place. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was the first man appointed as the Cohen Gadol. In later times, the Cohen Gadol was in charge of the Temple and its administration. The Cohen Gadol Caiaphas, played a key role in questioning Yeshua at His trial. The writer of Hebrews describes Messiah as our great Cohen Gadol, who gives us access to God’s throne in the heavenly sanctuary (also see Leviticus 21:10; Haggai 1:14; Nehemiah 3:1; Matthew 26:57ff; Mark 14:61ff; John 18:19ff; Hebrews 4:14ff and 10:19-22).

Cohen: A priest, a man who offered sacrifices and performed other religious rituals at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Cohanim: The Cohanim were descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. The Sadducees were from the priestly sect of Judaism.

Covenant: Theologically, it speaks of the contractual relationship between God and His people. The Hebrew term is b’rit. Also see B’rit Chadashah, Hebrew for New Covenant (see Genesis 6:18 and 17:2; Jeremiah 31:30; Nehemiah 9:32; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 1:72).

Defile, or tam’ei in Hebrew: This is not a sinful condition, but a condition of life. From this we can see that being tam’ei is merely a state of being unable to participate in the Temple service until cleansed because the person has come into contact with the realm of sin and/or death, not necessarily because the person has sinned himself.

Diaspora, the Dispersion: the scattering of the Jewish people in exile throughout the world. Today almost 7 million Jews live in Isra’el, and over 8 million more Jews live in the Diaspora (also see Isaiah 11:10; John 7:35).

Drash: A drash is a long d’var.

D’var: Is a short talk on topics relating to a parashah, the weekly Torah portion.

Echad: The Hebrew word for “one” or “unity.” Echad is used in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Elyon: A title for God, meaning the Most High God (see Luke 1:35 and 76; Acts 7:48). A longer form is El Elyon, God Most High (also see Deuteronomy 32:8; Isaiah 14:14; Psalm 91:1; Acts 16:17).

Elohim: “God” in general terms, or as Creator. Compared with ADONAI, God’s “covenant name” used especially in His relationship to the Jewish people. Elohim is the plural form of El, also found in the Bible occasionally with the same meaning. Yeshua is sometimes called Ben-Elohim, the Son of God (also see Genesis 2:19; Isaiah 61:11; Matthew 4:3; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35; John 11:4).

El Shaddai: God Almighty

Emissaries: Apostles

God-fearers: These were Gentiles who became convinced that ADONAI was the only true God, they abandoned their paganism and idolatry, but they did not choose to become a proselyte in any form, and hence there was no adoption of Jewish customs or practices (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Bb – An Ethiopian Asks about Isaiah).

Goyim: Nations, non-Jews, Gentiles

Gehenna: The word for “hell,” the place of perpetual misery and suffering after this life. It comes from the Greek word Genna and the Hebrew word Gei-Hinnom, which means the valley of Hinnom. There was actually such a valley by that name south of the Temple in Jerusalem. It was used as a garbage dump, and fires were always burning there, making it a suitable picture of life in hell. In Jewish sources, the term is used as the opposite of Gan-Eden, or the Garden of Eden or Paradise (Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43).

Gentiles: A term for individuals or groups who are not Jewish. In Hebrew a common word for Gentile is goy or goyim is the plural form (see Isaiah 8:23; Matthew 10:18; Mark 10:33).

Go’el: Literally, a redeemer, used both for God and of people. In the book of Ruth, go’el means the kinsman-redeemer, a close relative obligated to defend and protect his kin. The go’el could buy back (redeem) land or someone who sold himself into slavery, and could marry a widow in the family in order to protect her future. The human go’el is a picture of God the greater Go’el who protects and redeems us, the members of His family (see Ruth 3:9-12).

Hag ha’Matzah: The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Halakhah: are mitzvot governing Jewish life and comes from the Hebrew root to walk. The rabbis used the term to refer to the legal way to walk out the commandments of the Torah. It can also refer to the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law). A (one) halakhah is a specific ruling given regarding a particular issue, “the halakhah” being the ruling accepted and observed by the Jewish community.

Hametz or Chametz: The Hebrew word for leaven, or yeast, which makes bread rise. God commanded Isra’el not to eat hametz during Passover, Yeshua teaches that both good and evil spread, the same way hametz leavens the whole batch of dough (Also see 16:6-12; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1 Exodus 12:20; Leviticus 7:13; Amos 4:5; Matthew 13:33 and 13:21).

Hanukkah: Meaning dedication, the feast commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over the armies of Antiochus Epiphanes in 165 BC and the rebuilding and dedication of the Temple after its desecration by Syrian invaders.

Ha’Shem: The Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of YHVH. Since its pronunciation is not known, and also out of respect for God’s name, Jews traditionally substitute the words ADONAI and Ha’Shem. While ADONAI is more of an affectionate name like daddy, Ha’Shem is a more formal name like sir (also see Exodus 3:15; Jeremiah 1:9; Psalm 1:2, Matthew 1:22; Mark 5:19; Luke 1:5; John 1:23).

Hellenist: In the B’rit Chadashah, it refers to Jews who lived in the Diaspora, or had moved to Isra’el from the Diaspora, spoke Greek, and were more Greek in their culture, than traditional Jewish people brought up in Isra’el (Acts 6:1, 9:29, 11:20). For example, Luke was a Hellenistic Jew.

Immerse: To dip the whole body under water as an act of dedication to the LORD, or as a profession of faith in Yeshua. The word is often seen in other translations as “baptize.” The ceremony of dipping is called “immersion” or “baptism.” Yeshua’s cousin was known as John the Immerser (Matthew 3:1; Mark 6:14; Luke 7:20).

Imputation: To reckon or charge to one’s account. When the Spirit gives life (John 6:63a), that means that all the righteousness of Christ is transferred to your spiritual account at the moment of faith. What is true of Messiah is true of you, minus His deity.

Incarnation: The divine revelation (Hebrews 1:1-2) of YHVH becoming one with humanity as an ordinary human being in the person of Yeshua Messiah. He was one-hundred percent man and one-hundred present God. The Triune God knew that the Second Person would come to earth to be subject to numerous evils: hunger, ridicule, rejection, and death. He did this in order to negate sin, and therefore, its evil effects.

Judaizers: Jewish false teachers, who taught that obedience to the 613 commandments of the Torah were necessary to have a relationship with God, and opposed Paul at every turn. Everywhere Paul went, the Judaizers were sure to follow. Once Paul established a church in Galatia, as soon as he left, they would come in and distort the gospel of Messiah (1:7).

Justification: The act of God whereby, negatively, He forgives the sins of believers and, positively, He declares them righteous by imputing the obedience and righteousness of Messiah to them through faith (Luke 18:9-14). It is not a reward for anything good we have done. It is not something we cooperate with God in (in other words, it is not sanctification). It is an utterly undeserved free gift of the mercy of ADONAI (Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7). It is entirely accomplished by God, once and for all, at the moment of salvation. It results in good deeds (James 2:14-26) and sanctification over our lifetime.

Kadosh: The Hebrew word for ‘holy.” This term describes the people set apart for God. ADONAI Himself is kodosh (Leviticus 19:1-2). Many letters to Christ’s newly formed communities (churches) address Yeshua’s followers as the Kedoshim (also see Jeremiah 2:3; Nehemiah 8:10; First Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2).

Kedoshim: The holy ones

Kippahs: Known as a yarmulke or skullcap, a kippah is a head covering for Jews. The tradition to wear a kippah does not come from any biblical passage. Rather, it is a custom which evolved as a sign of recognition that there is Someone “above” who watches our every act.

Korban: The root of the word korban, can be translated to bring near. A korban, then, should be defined as something brought near. The reason it is so named is that the person bringing an offering did so in order to be brought near to God. It was a sacrifice or offering dedicated to God, especially to fulfill a vow. If something was to be dedicated to God, it generally could not be used for other purposes. Some Pharisees and teachers of the Torah wrongly used this as an excuse not to provide for their parents in their old age, even though Jewish teaching insisted that the commandment to honor one’s father and mother extended to providing for their physical needs (see The Life of Christ Fs – Who Do Your Disciples Break the Tradition of the Elders).

Kosher: Kosher foods are those that conform to the Jewish dietary regulations of kashrut, primarily derived from Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Food that may be consumed according to halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér, meaning “fit”.

Levite: Descendants of the tribe of Levi, who served in the Tabernacle and Temple as gatekeepers, musicians, teachers, and assistants to the priests. The scribes, or Torah-teachers, originally came only from among the Levites and were the forerunners of the Pharisees. They later expanded to include members who were from all tribes, with no affiliation with Levi required. (Also see Exodus 4:14; Ezeki’el 48:12; Ezra 1:5; John 1:19).

LORD: When the translators of the King James Bible in the 1600’s came to the Hebrew word YHVH, they needed to distinguish it from the word Lord, meaning master. So, they capitalized it. Therefore, LORD is actually the Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of YHVH.

LXX (Septuagint): The “official” Greek translation of the TaNaKh, dating from the third century BC through the fourth century AD. The original translation was of the Torah (the five books of Moshe), which the Letter of Aristeas records was allegedly made by seventy Jewish scholars in Alexandria (Egypt) from which it gained its name (Septuaginta). It is commonly referred to by the abbreviation, LXX (70).

Malki-Tzedek: Melchizedek.

Mashiach (Hebrew): Messiah, the Anointed One (Matthew 26:63; Mark 1:1; John 20:31).

Matzah (singular) or Matzot (plural): Unleavened bread, which is made without yeast, eaten especially during the feast of Passover. Also see hametz (also see Exodus 13:6; Leviticus 2:5; Ezeki’el 45:21; Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; John 13:26).

Masoretic Text: The official text of the TaNaKh edited by the Massoretes, or Jewish grammarians, during the sixth to tenth centuries AD. This text is “pointed” with various vowel signs and accents which were lacking in the previous texts.

M’chitzah, the: The middle wall of separation (see the commentary on Acts Cn – Paul’s Advice from Jacob and the Elders at Jerusalem).

Megillah (singular) or Megillot (plural): The five books in the Writings used for special readings during the holidays: Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther.

Menorah (singular) or Menorot (plural): The seven branched lampstand(s) designed and commanded by God for service in the Tabernacle/Temple (Exodus 25:32; First Kings 7:49; Zechariah 4:2).

Messiah (Greek): Christ, the Anointed One, often used in speaking of a Redeemer sent from God to free His people from exile and oppression (also see Matthew 1:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 2:11 and John 1:41).

Midrash (singular) or Midrashim (plural): allegorical interpretation or application of a text. The listener is expected to understand that the writer of the midrash is not expounding the plain meaning of the text, but introducing his own ideas.

Mikveh: a bath or pool with a flow of fresh water; used in Orthodox Judaism to this day for ritual purification or ceremonial cleansing, performed at various times in a person’s life (see Matthew 3:13 and Titus 3:5).

Mishnah, The: is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Law (see below). 

Mishkan: the Tabernacle, comes from the Hebrew root to dwell.

Mitzvah (singular) or mitzvot (plural): Primarily a commandment from God in the Torah (Deuteronomy 11:22; Second Kings 17:37; Proverbs 6:20; Matthew 26:10; Mark 14:6). Today, more modern meaning would be “a good deed,” more broadly, a general principle for living.

Moshe: Moses.

Musaf Offerings: Additional Offerings.

Olam haba: “The age to come,” or “the world to come.” It describes a time after the world is perfected under the rulership of Messiah. This term also refers to the afterlife, where the soul passes after death. It can be contrasted with olam ha-zeh, “this world” (Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30 and 20:35; Ephesians 1:21; Hebrews 6:5; Revelation 20-21).

Omer: Meaning “sheaf,” the bundle of barley used in the Firstfruits offering. After the Temple period it came to be identified with Sefirat ha’Omer, or the counting of the omer, the counting of the days from Firstfruits to Shavu’ot.

Oracle: What are the oracles of God? There are several places in the Bible that mention the oracles of God, which refer to the words of God.

Oral Law: The Oral Law refers to the Talmud, which is a compilation of rabbinic commentaries on the first five books of Moses, called the Torah. The Talmud, completed around 500 AD, consists of the Mishnah and a commentary on the Mishnah called Gemara (Mishnah + Gemara = Talmud). The tradition grew to include a further compendium called Midrash until about the 12^th century. The rabbis taught that when the Messiah came, He would not only believe in the Oral Law, but He would participate in the making of new Oral Laws (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law).

Pesach: Passover. The Jewish festival commemorating deliverance from Egyptian bondage. In Biblical times Jews used to journey to the Temple, sacrifice lambs there, and eat a special meal commemorating the departure of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. It was one of the three “pilgrimage festivals” that all able-bodied Jews were expected to celebrate before YHVH in Yerushalayim. Today, Passover is celebrated at home with a special meal called a seder. Yeshua celebrated Passover with His apostles (Matthew 26:18; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7; John 13:1).

Pharisees: One of the sects of Judaism in the first century. The Pharisees had their own views of how exactly to keep Torah. They were especially concerned with ritual impurity and (unlike the Sadducees) they believed in the resurrection of the dead. While the Sadducees were more involved with the Temple, the Pharisees were concerned more with home and synagogue life.

Progressive revelation: refers to the teaching that God revealed various aspects of His will and overall plan for humanity over different periods of time, which have been referred to as dispensations (see the commentary on Genesis Ap – The Dispensations of God). God revealed only certain aspects of Himself and His plan of salvation in each dispensation, with each new dispensation building upon the prior one.

Propitiation: The averting of God’s wrath by means of the substitutionary and efficacious (producing the desired effect) sacrifice (death) of Yeshua Messiah (the atonement). It is the work of Messiah that satisfies every claim of God’s holiness and justice so that Ha’Shem is free to act on behalf of sinners.

Proselytes at the Gate: There were three levels of Gentile relationship to Judaism. After God-fearers and proselytes of the Gate were the second level. The Gate was the middle wall of separation (Ephesians 2:14) in the Temple compound that Gentiles were not allowed to go beyond under penalty of death (see the commentary on Acts Bb – An Ethiopian Asks about Isaiah 53). These were Gentiles who adopted many Jewish practices like celebrating Shabbat and the feast of Isra’el, but did not become a full proselyte. Most of these were men because it didn’t require circumcision.

Proselytes of the Covenant: In the third level of Gentile relationship to Judaism (see above), there were proselytes of the Covenant. They entered into the Covenant of Sinai as a full Jew, so to speak. Most of these were women because this level required circumcision.

Purim: Meaning “lots,” is the holiday based on the story of Esther.

Qumran: A site overlooking the Dead Sea where Jewish sects lived in religious communities from 135 BC to 70 AD and from which we have numerous documents which are frequently referred to as the Dead Sea Scrolls. These texts include partial copies and fragments of most of the biblical books (the only whole copy is Isaiah), apocryphal writings such as Enoch, and texts produced by the community itself (the manual of Discipline and the Thanksgiving Hymns). The texts are referred to according to the number of the cave in which they were discovered (for example, 1Qs [Community Rule], 11Q Temp [Temple Scroll]).

Rasheet: One of several names for the Festival of First Fruits.

Redeemed: Setting free from slavery, buying back something lost, for a price.

Righteous of the TaNaKh: Old Testament believers.

Rosh Ha’Shanah: Hebrew for “Head of the Year.” Known as the Jewish New Year, or the Feast of Trumpets.

Ruach: The Hebrew word for “spirit,” “breath,” or “wind.” Yeshua explains wind and Spirit to Nicodemus in John 3:5-8. Scripture frequently refers to the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, the Holy Spirit (Exodus 35:31; Numbers 11:25; Malachi 2:15; Acts 2:2 and 10:44; Romans 8:4-17).

Ruach Ha’Kodesh: The Hebrew name for the Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:11; Psalm 51:13; Matthew 1:20; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:16; John 14:26).

Sadducees: One of the sects of Judaism in the first century. From the Sadducees came the leading priests who managed the affairs of the Temple. In contrast to the Pharisees, they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (Matthew 16:12; Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27).

Sanhedrin: Literally, the gathering of the seated, like being a judge seated on a bench – a legal term for an officiating judge. This was the Supreme Court of ancient Isra’el. It exercised legislative and judicial authority (Matthew 26:59; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66; John 11:47).

Sanctification: To be set apart, specifically, to the holy use and purposes of God. It is a process that takes a whole lifetime. It is the work of God in which you cooperate (Romans 12:1-2; First Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 12:3-4; First Peter 5:8-9); and is a process Ephesians 4:11-16), trusting in God, apart from whom we can do nothing (John 15:5; Ephesians 3:16; Colossians 1:11; Hebrews 2:18 and 4:14). He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).

Septuagint: The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures and was presumably made for the Jewish community in Egypt when Greek was the common language throughout the region. It is also called the translation of the Seventy because tradition states that the Septuagint was translated by seventy rabbis. In academia, the Septuagint is often abbreviated as LXX (the Roman numeral for seventy) in honor of this translation.

Shabbat: The Sabbath Day, the seventh day of the week, when work ceases. On this day God’s people are beckoned to rest and renew our relationship with our Creator, who also rested on the seventh day. Shabbat begins on Friday evening at sundown and ends Saturday evening after three stars appear (Exodus 20:10; Nehemiah 9:14; Matthew 12:10; Mark 1:21; Luke 23:56; John 9:14).

Shaddai: A common name for God in the TaNaKh, usually translated as Almighty. The name is often used in a combination such as El Shaddai, or God Almighty (Genesis 17:1; Ezeki’el 1:24; Job 11:7).

Shall be cut off: This phrase may mean that the person is stoned to death, or that he is barred from returning to the Tabernacle or Temple to offer sacrifices. This person would be cherem, literally set apart for destruction, either physically or culturally.

Shaliach: A legal representative, meaning one who is sent.

Shalom: The Hebrew word for peace, wholeness, wellness and true happiness; it is a greeting used when meeting or departing (Genesis 26:31; First Samuel 16:4; Second Chronicles 18:16; Matthew 10:13; Mark 9:50; Luke 1:28; John 14:27).

Sh’khinah: The visual manifestation of the glory of God.

Shavu’ot: the festival of Weeks (Hebrew) or Pentecost (Greek), since it comes seven weeks after Pesach; also called Pentecost, from the Greek word for fifty because one counts fifty days after Passover. It is one of the three “pilgrimage festivals” that all able-bodied Jews were expected to celebrate before YHVH in Yerushalayim. It originally celebrated the harvest, but later commemorated the day God gave the Torah to Isra’el. After Yeshua’s resurrection, the disciples waited for God’s gift of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, which also came on Shavu’ot (Exodus 34:22; Second Chronicles 8:13; Acts 2:1 and 20:16; First Corinthians 16:8).

Sh’ol: The Hebrew equivalent of the Greek “Hades,” the place where the dead exist.

Shofar: A ram’s horn, used in the Bible for summoning armies, calling to repentance, and in other situations. Blasts of various lengths and numbers signified different instructions. Metal trumpets were also used for similar purposes, but exclusively by the cohanim. Today, the shofar is used on Rosh ha-Shanah of Yom Kippur, the Jewish High Holy Days. The shofar also ushers in the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:9-10; Zechariah 9:14; Matthew 24:31; First Corinthians 15:52; First Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Sinai: the mountain in the desert between Egypt and the land of Isra’el.

Shuwb: turn, turning, and the big idea of Jeremiah.

Son of Man: A name that Yeshua commonly used to refer to Himself. It comes from Dani’el 7:13-14, in which the Son of Man is given all authority. This name sometimes emphasizes Yeshua’s humanity and sometimes His deity (Matthew 9:6; Mark 9:31; Luke 21:36; John 6:27).

Sukkot: the festival of Booths or Tabernacles, celebrating the forty years when the people of Isra’el lived in booths, tents, shacks, in the desert between Egypt and the land of Isra’el. The Hebrew word sukkah means booth and sukkot is the plural and means booths. Sukkot is one of the three “pilgrimage festivals” that all able-bodied Jews were expected to celebrate before YHVH in Yerushalayim (Leviticus 23:34; Zechariah 14:16; Second Chronicles 8:13; Matthew 17:4; Mark 9:5; Luke 9:33).

Synagogue: A place of assembly for Jews for hearing the Torah, praying and worshipping God. There were many synagogues throughout Isra’el and the Greco-Roman world (Matthew 4:23; Mark 5:22; Luke 4:16; John 9:22).

Syncretism: Perversion of the Gospel occurs when aspects of the world are blended with it. Syncretism believes that there are many paths to God, like the hub of a wheel with many spokes protruding out from it. So you have a Mormon spoke, a Hindu spoke, a Buddhist spoke, an Islam spoke, and a Jehovah Witness spoke, each leading to God. But Yeshua contradicted this saying: No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).

Tabernacle: A temporary dwelling, such as the booths constructed during Sukkot. It is also used in the TaNaKh of the tent in which God dwelt among the Jewish people, both in the wilderness and in the land of Isra’el. When the word is used as a verb, it refers to Yeshua coming to dwell among His people (John 1:14), reminding us of the wilderness Tabernacle and also of the Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 25:9; First Chronicles 6:17; John 1:14 and 7:2).

Talmid (singular) or Talmudim (plural): Student or students.

Talmud: The codified body of Jewish Oral Law; includes literary creations, legends, scriptural interpretations, comprised of the Mishnah and the Gemara.

Tamid, the (Hebrew: continual) offering was a regular daily feature in the Temple service. Each morning a one-year-old male lamb without defect was sacrificed as a regular burnt offering. One lamb was offered in the morning to make atonement for the sins of the night and the other lamb was offered in the afternoon to make atonement for the sins of the day.

TaNaKh: The Hebrew word TaNaKh is an acronym, based on the letters T for “Torah,” N for “Nevi’im” (Prophets), and K for “Ketuv’im” (Sacred Writings). It is a collection of the teachings of God to human beings in document form. This term is used instead of the phrase, “the Old Testament,” which sounds “old” and outdated.

Terumah: The gifts offered by the Israelites for the inauguration of the Tabernacle (Mishkan). Portion of gift offerings, of slaughter offerings, which were allocated to the priests.

Torah: Literally, this Hebrew word means teaching or instruction (Exodus 13:9; Isaiah 2:3; Psalm 1:2; Matthew 5:17; Mark 1:22; Luke 24:44; John 7:19; Romans 7:1ff; First Corinthians 9:20-21; Galatians 3:21). It can be used for the five books of Moshe, or more generally to God’s commandments, or the whole TaNaKh (John 10:34). Uncapitalized, torah can be understood generally as a law or principle (Romans 7:21-8:2).

Torah-Teacher: A Torah scribe engaged in interpreting and transmitting the Torah. They wrote Torah scrolls, bills of divorce, and other legal documents. The Hebrew term is sofer.

Tree of Life: The tree at the center of the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9, 3:24), the source of eternal life. Scripture points to a future in the B’rit Chadashah, with access to the Tree of Life. In the meantime, the Torah is like the Tree of Life to those who embrace her, and blessed will be all who hold firmly to her (Proverbs 3:18 also see Revelation 2:7, 22:2 and 14).

Tzedakah: Is a Hebrew word meaning righteousness, but commonly used to signify an ethical obligation to do what is right, and is commonly used to signify charity.

Tzitzit: A fringe that was put on a garment in accordance with Numbers 15:37-41.

Tziyon: Zion, Mount Zion, was originally the City of David, south of the modern Old City of Yerushalayim. Later the name Tziyon came to refer metaphorically to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, or the people of Isra’el. The hill now called Mount Tziyon was given its name in the fourth century AD (Isaiah 1:27; Psalm 65:2; Matthew 21:5; John 12:15).

Yarmelkes: see Kippah.

Yeshivah: The Hebrew word yeshivah comes from the word that means sit and it signifies a place for learning Torah. The Greek word schole, which gives us the English word school means lecture hall. No English word really comes close to the real meaning of yeshivah, but the Yiddish word shul, or school, comes the closest.

Yeshua: The Hebrew name for our Messiah, known in English as Jesus, and is a masculine form, and a word play on yeshu’ah (salvation) (Matthew 1:21; Mark 6:14; Luke 2:21; John 19:19).

Yerushalayim: Jerusalem.

Y’hudah: Judah.

YHVH: The Tetragrammaton, meaning the Name, the four-letter name of God. Therefore, God does not have many names, He has only one name – YHVH (Yud Hay Vav Hay). All the other names in the Bible describe His characteristics and His attributes.

Yisra’el: Isra’el.

Yochanan: John.

Yom ha’Bikkurim: One of several names for The Feast of Firstfruits.

Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement, the close of the High Holy Days, and considered the holiest day of the year in traditional Judaism.

Numbers from a Messianic Jewish Perspective

To Arnold Fruchtenbaum, who introduced me to a Jewish Messianic perspective when approaching the Scriptures.
I will forever be indebted.

The book of Numbers takes its English name from the Septuagint which calls it Arithmoi, or Numbers. The reason for this is that the book contains many statistics such as tribal population figures, the totals of the priests and Levites, and other numerical data. The Hebrew name is b^emidbar, the fifth word in the book, and means in the wilderness. To see a short video summarizing the book of Numbers click here.

Authorship: Universal Jewish and Christian tradition attributes the book of Numbers (along with the rest of the Pentateuch) to Moses, though little in Numbers explicitly confirms it, with the exception of 33:2 and 36:13. Even critical scholars admit that Numbers is an inseparable part of the Pentateuch though, as is well known, they deny its Mosaic authorship. Moses is certainly the principal figure in the book and throughout he is a participant in and eyewitness to most of its major events. Without the subject and circular arguments employed by most source critics and redaction critics it is unlikely that any view of authorship other than Mosaic would ever have occurred to most readers.

Date: The last verse in the book of Numbers states: These are the mitzvot and rulings which ADONAI gave through Moshe to the people of Isra’el in the plains of Mo’av by the Jorden, across from Jericho (36:13). This implies that the journey through the wilderness had been completed and that Isra’el was about to enter the land of Canaan. Crossing the Jordan occurred forty years after the Exodus (Joshua 5:6), an event to be dated 1446 BC. Therefore, the book of Numbers must be dated about 1406 BC, obviously before Moses’ death which also took place in that year.

Purpose: The book of Numbers seems to be an instruction manual to post-Sinai Isra’el. The “manual” deals with three areas: (1) how the nation was to order itself in its wilderness wanderings; (2) how the priests and Levites were to function with the Tabernacle moving from place to place, and (3) how they were to prepare themselves for the conquest of Canaan and their settled lives there. The narrative sections, of which there are many, demonstrate the successes and failures of ADONAI’s people as they conformed and did not conform to the mitzvot of the Torah. The fact that the book covers the nearly forty-year period from the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai until the eve of the Conquest, points to its character as history. But it is more than a mere recording of history. It’s history with the purpose of describing God’s expectations and Isra’el’s reactions in a unique era, when the nation had the LORD’s promise of the Land but had not yet experienced its fulfillment.¹ This book is really about God’s faithfulness, despite our shortcomings. Numbers is a very practical book, so it not only needs to be read, but lived.

Chiasm and Introversion: The main structural device, to judge by its attention in nearly every chapter of Numbers, is chiasm and introversion. Chiasm is named after the Greek letter X and denotes a pair of items that reverses itself, yielding the structure A-B-B-A. When there is a series of more than two members -for example A-B-C-C-B-A, then the term is purely an aesthetic device, the introversion can have teaching implications. In the scheme of A-B-C-B-A, the central member frequently contains the main point, climaxing what precedes and anticipating what follows. There are simple chiasms (14:2), chiasms in subsequent repetition (32:16 and 32:24), chiasms in summation (30:17), chiasms with introversion in a speech (11:11-15), introversion in poetry (12:6-8), chiasms within introversion (33:52-56), and larger units (6:1-21) and (5:11-31) for example.²

Anticipatory Passages: Another distinctive literary technique seen in Numbers is the divulging of information that is clearly irrelevant to its context but that prepares the reader for what follows. They should be considered integral to the composition of the book. There can be no doubt that anticipation is a key technique in the book. It piques the curiosity of the reader, sustains his attentiveness, and prods him to read on so that he can discover the full meaning later in the text.³

Key verse: For I, ADONAI, live among the people of Isra’el (35:34).

Composition: The simplest way to look at the book is to recognize that it is divided into five sections – three wilderness locations broken up by two road trips that tie everything together: Sinai (Chapters 1-10) . . . travel (Chapters 10-12) . . . Paran (Chapters 13-19) . . . travel (Chapters 20-21) . . . Mo’ab (Chapters 22-36).

Journey through the Wilderness: a Contemporary Theme: The book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Torah, derives its name from the census lists of the number of people in each of the twelve tribes of Isra’el in Numbers Chapters 1 and 26. It is the story of the people of Isra’el in the wilderness as they travel from the slavery of Egypt toward the freedom of Canaan. The image of “wilderness” has been a powerful metaphor for describing the experience of many people and communities, both ancient and modern. Isaiah used the image to describe the promise of Isra’el’s return from its Babylonian exile. YHVH promised something new: I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:19). In the B’rit Chadashah, John the Immerser was a voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. John spoke from the outer margins of the wilderness into a world where power was concentrated in the hands of the few (Luke 3:1-2). Yeshua was tested and tempted in the wilderness by Satan for forty days, an echo of ancient Isra’el’s sojourn and testing in the wilderness for forty years (Luke). Jews throughout the centuries have found a resonance with the theme of living in the wilderness in times of exile, persecution, and diaspora. The wilderness theme has reemerged as a way of capturing the experience of many people in our world today. Among all the books of the Bible, the book of Numbers is a particularly helpful resource for recapturing this wilderness concept and its many implications for a postmodern world.⁴

The Use of the Complete Jewish Bible: Because I am writing this commentary on the book of Numbers from a Jewish perspective, I will be using the Complete Jewish Bible unless otherwise indicated.

The use of ADONAI: Long before Yeshua’s day, the word ADONAI had, out of respect, been substituted in speaking and in reading aloud for God’s personal name, the four Hebrew letters yod-heh-vav-heh, variously written in English as YHVH. The Talmud (Pesachim 50a) made it a requirement not to pronounce the Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of the LORD, Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, since the ancient manuscripts do not give any vowel sounds, and this remains the rule in most modern Jewish settings. In deference to this tradition, which is unnecessary but harmless, I will be using ADONAI where YHVH is meant. In ancient times when the scribes were translating the Hebrew Scriptures, they revered the name of YHVH so much that they would use a quill to make one stroke of the name and then throw it away. Then they would make another stroke and throw that quill away until the name was completed. His name became so sacred to them that they started to substitute the phrase the Name, instead of writing or pronouncing His Name. Over centuries of doing this, the actual letters and pronunciation of His Name were lost. The closest we can come is YHVH, with no vowels. The pronunciation has been totally lost. Therefore, the name Yahweh is only a guess of what the original name sounded like. Both ADONAI and Ha’Shem are substitute names for YHVH. ADONAI is more of an affectionate name like daddy, while Ha’Shem is a more formal name like sir. Therefore, Jews, being respectful of the Third Commandment, use these words as replacements. The Talmud explains, “In the Sanctuary, the Name was pronounced as written; but beyond its confines a substitute Name was employed (Tractate Sotah VII.6). God has only one name, YHVH. All His other “names” like ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot, ADONAI Elohim, ADONAI Nissi, ADONAI Tzidkenu, and ADONAI-Tzva’ot, merely reflect His attributes.

Contrary to what some religious groups say today, no one can say with confidence how to pronounce God’s Name. The “name” Jehovah, for example, is a made up word by a Franciscan monk in the dark ages. He took YHVH, and inserted vowels between the known letters to invent a new word: YeHoVaH. Jews never, NEVER, use this made up word. The last book of the B’rit Chadashah tells us that when Yeshua returns to the earth, He will reveal the Name that no one knew but Himself (Revelation 19:12). It seems best to leave this lost pronunciation unresolved until the Messiah comes.

The use of TaNaKh: The Hebrew word TaNaKh is an acronym, based on the letters T (for “Torah”), N (for “Nevi’im,” the Prophets), and K (for “Ketuvim,” the Sacred Writings). It is the collection of the teachings of God to human beings in document form. The term “Old Covenant” implies that it is no longer valid, or at the very least outdated. Something old, to be either ignored or discarded. But Jesus Himself said: Don’t think I have come to abolish the Torah and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish but to complete (Matthew 5:17 CJB). I will be using the Hebrew acronym TaNaKh instead of the phrase the Old Testament, throughout this devotional commentary.

The Use of the phrase, “the righteous of the TaNaKh,” rather than using Old Testament saints: Messianic synagogues, and the Jewish messianic community in general, never use the phrase Old Testament saints. From a Jewish perspective, they prefer to use the phrase, “righteous of the TaNaKh.” Therefore, I will be using “the righteous of the TaNaKh,” rather than Old Testament saints throughout this devotional commentary.

Genesis is the book of beginnings; Exodus shows the giving of the Torah and exit from Egypt; Leviticus is an addendum to Exodus, giving the sacrifices and allowing the Israelites to draw near to God; Numbers records the death of the rebellious Exodus generation, and the hope of a new wilderness generation.

The Outline of the Book of Numbers

Introduction of Numbers from a Messianic Jewish Perspective (Ac)

Glossary (Ad)

Grains of Sand, Stars of Heaven, and the Promises of God (Ae)

Why Read Numbers (Af)

I. The Rebellion of the Exodus Generation – 1:1 to 25:18 (Ag)

II. Isra’el at Sinai: The Preparation for the Departure – 1:1 to 10:10 (Ah)

A. The First Census – 1:1-54 (Ai)

1. The Command to Number – 1:1-19 (Aj)

2. Numbering the Tribes – 1:20-46 (Ak)

3. The Status of the Levites – 1:47-54 (Al)

B. The Camp of the Twelve Tribes of Isra’el – 2:1-34 (Am)

C. The Levitical Census – 3:1 to 4:49 (An)

1. The Levites – 3:1-4 (Ao)

2. Redeeming the Firstborn – 3:5-13 (Ap)

3. The First Numbering of the Levites – 3:14-20 (Aq)

4. The Four Camps of Levites – 3:21-39 (Ar)

5. The Census and the Redemption of the Firstborn – 3:40-51 (As)

6. The Clan of Kohath – 4:1-20 (At)

7. The Clan of Gershom – 4:21-28 (Au)

8. The Clan of Merari – 4:29-49 (Av)

D. Preparing for the Triumphal March – 5:1 to 10:10 (Aw)

1. The Purification of the Camp – 5:1-4 (Ax)

2. Restitution and Repentance – 5:5-10 (Ay)

3. The Suspected Adulteress – 5:11-31 (Az)

4. The Nazirite Vow – 6:1-21 (Ba)

5. The Aaronic Blessing – 6:22-27 (Bb)

6. The Offerings at the Dedication of the Tabernacle 7:1-89 (Bc)

a. Carts and Oxen for the Levites – 7:1-9 (Bd)

b. Gifts of the Twelve Tribes – 7:10-88 (Be)

7. The Voice of God – 7:89 (Bf)

8. The Menorah – 8:1-4 (Bg)

9. The Separation of the Levites – 8:5-26 (Bh)

10. Pesach in the Wilderness – 9:1-14 (Bi)

11. The Preparation for the Departure – 9:15 to 10:10 (Bj)

a. The Pillar of Cloud and Fire – 9:15-23 (Bk)

b. Two Silver Trumpets – 10:1-10 (Bl)

III. The Journey from Mount Sinai to Kadesh Barnea – 10:11 to 12:16 (Bm)

A. Leaving Sinai – 10:11-36 (Bn)

B. The Abrupt Slide into Rebellion (Bo)

C. Complaining at Tav’erah – 11:1-3 (Bp)

D. Graves of Greediness – 11:4-35 (Bq)

1. Quail and Manna from ADONAI – 11:4-9 (Br)

2. Moshe’s Complaint about the People – 11:10-15 (Bs)

3. ADONAI’s Response – 11:16-35 (Bt)

4. The Rebellion of Miryam and Aaron – 12:1-16 (Bu)

IV. The Sin of Kadesh-barnea – 13:1 to 14:45 (Bv)

A. The Selection of the Spies – 13:1-16 (Bw)

B. Spying Out the Land – 13:17-25 (Bx)

C. The Report of the Spies – 13:26-33 (By)

D. Faith and Obedience – 14:1-4 (Bz)

E. Moses Intercedes – 14:5-20 (Ca)

F. God’s Response – 14:20-38 (Cb)

G. Defeat by the Canaanites and Amalekites – 14:39-45 (Cc)

H. Theological Reflections on the Spy Story (Cd)

V. Isra’el’s Wilderness Wanderings – 15:1 to 22:1 (Ce)

A. The Interconnections between Numbers 11-14 and Numbers 15 (Cf)

B. A Whisper of Hope – 15:1-41 (Cg)

1. Grain and Drink Offerings – 15:1-16 (Ch)

2. The Challah – 15:17-21 (Ci)

3. Unintentional Sin – 15:22-31 (Cj)

4. The Sabbath-Breaker – 15:32-36 (Ck)

5. Tzit-tzit and Blue Thread – 15:37-41 (Cl)

C. The Interconnections between Numbers 15 and Number 16 (Cm)

D. Korah’s Rebellion – 16:1-50 (Cn)

1. The Rebellion of Korah – 16:1-3 (Co)

2. The Response of Moshe – 16:4-11 (Cp)

3. The Rebellion of Dathan and Abiram – 16:12-17 (Cq)

4. The Response of God – 16:18-40 (Cr)

5. The Rebellion of All the People – 16:41-50 (Cs)

6. Echoes Elsewhere in Numbers (Ct)

E. Aaron’s Staff Budded – 17:1-13 (Cu)

F. Mutual Obligations – 18:1-32 (Cv)

1. The Duties of the Priests and the Levites – 18:1-7 (Cw)

2. The Salt Covenant – 18:8-20 (Cx)

3. The Portion for the Levites – 18:21-24 (Cy)

4. A Tenth of the Tithe – 18:25-32 (Cz)

G. The Red Heifer – 19:1-22 (Da)

H. The Death of Isra’el’s Leaders – 20:1-29 (Db)

1. The Death of Miryam – 20:1 (Dc)

2. The Sin of Moses and Aaron – 20:2-13 (Dd)

3. The Resistance of Edom – 20:14-21 (De)

4. The Death of Aaron – 20:22-29 (Df)

I. The Journey from Kadesh-barnea to the Plains of Mo’av 21:1 to 22:1 (Dg)

J. Signs of Hope and Faith (Dh)

1. The Healing Snake – 21:1-9 (Di)

2. The Book of the Wars of the LORD – 21:10-20 (Dj)

3. The Defeat of Sihon of Heshbon – 21:21-32 (Dk)

4. The Defeat of Og of Basham – 21:33 to 22:1 (Dl)

VI. The Story of Balaam – 22:2 to 24:25 (Dm)

A. Balaam’s Three Encounters with God – 22:2-40 (Dn)

1. Balak’s dilemma – 22:2-6 (Do)

2. Balaam’s First Encounter with God – 22:7-14 (Dp)

3. Balaam’s Second Encounter with God – 22:15-20 (Dq)

4. Balaam and the Donkey – 22:21-40 (Dr)

B. Balaam’s Seven Oracles – 22:41 to 24:24 (Ds)

1. Balaam’s First Oracle – 22:41 to 23:12 (Dt)

2. Balaam’s Second Oracle – 23:13-26 (Du)

3. Balaam’s Third Oracle – 23:27 to 24:14 (Dv)

4. Balaam’s Fourth Oracle – 24:15-19 (Dw)

5. Balaam’s Fifth Oracle – 24:20 (Dx)

6. Balaam’s Sixth Oracle – 24:21-22 (Dy)

7. Balaam’s Seventh Oracle – 24:23-25 (Dz)

8. Taking a Stand for God – 25:1-9 (Ea)

C. God’s Eternal Covenant with Phinehas – 25:10-18 (Eb)

VII. The Second Census: The New Generation of Hope – 26:1-65 (Ec)

A. The Numbering of the Soldiers – 26:1-4 (Ed)

1. The Tribe of Reuben – 26:5-11 (Ee)

2. The Tribe of Simeon – 26:12-14 (Ef)

3. The Tribe of Gad – 26:15-18 (Eg)

4. The Tribe of Judah – 26:19-22 (Eh)

5. The Tribe of Issachar – 26:23-25 (Ei)

6. The Tribe of Zebulun – 26:26-27 (Ej)

7. The Tribe of Joseph – 26:28-37 (Ek)

8. The Tribe of Benjamin – 26:38-41 (El)

9. The Tribe of Dan – 26:42-43 (Em)

10. The Tribe of Asher – 26:44-47 (En)

11. The Tribe of Naphtali – 26:48-50 (Eo)

12. The Numbering of the Eleven Tribes – 26:51 (Ep)

B. The Division of Land – 26:52-56 (Eq)

C. The Second Numbering of the Levites – 26:57-62 (Er)

D. The Wilderness Generation – 26:63-65 (Es)

VIII. Change in Isra’el – 27:1-23 (Et)

A. The Daughters of Zelophehad – 27:1-11 (Eu)

B. The Successor to Moshe – 27:12-23 (Ev)

IX. God’s Ordering of Time and Space – 28:1 to 29:40 (Ew)

A. Tamid: From Start to Finish – 28:1-8 (Ex)

B. The Sabbath Offerings – 28:9-10 (Ey)

C. The New Moon Offerings – 28:11-15 (Ez)

D. The Festival Offerings – 28:16 to 29:40 (Fa)

1. The Pesach Offering – 28:16 (Fb)

2. The Hag ha’Matzah Offering – 28:17-25 (Fc)

3. The Shavu’ot Offering – 28:26-31 (Fd)

4. The Rosh ha’Shanah Offering – 29:1-6 (Fe)

5. The Yom Kippur Offering – 29:7-11 (Ff)

6. The Sukkot Offering – 29:12-34 (Fg)

7. The Eighth Day Assembly – 29:35-40 and 30:1 (Fh)

X. The Fulfillment of Vows – 30:2-16 (Fi)

A. The Male Vow – 30:2 (Fj) 

B. The Single Female Vow – 30:3-5 (Fk)

C. The Betrothed Female Vow – 30:6-8 (Fl)

D. The Vows of a Widow or Divorced Woman – 30:9 (Fm)

E. The Vows of a Married Woman – 30:10-15 (Fn)

F. The General Principle of Vows – 30:16 (Fo)

XI. The War Against Midian – 31:1-54 (Fp)

A. Report of the Battle – 31:1-12 (Fq)

B. The Destruction of Women and Boys – 31:13-18 (Fr)

C. The Purification of the Soldiers and the Spoil – 31:19-24 (Fs)

D. Excursus: Hand Washing – Luke 11:37-41 and Mark 7:1-5 (Ft)

E. The Division of the Spoils of War – 31:25-54 (Fu) 

1. The Division of the Soils for the Soldiers – 31:25-41 (Fv)

2. The Division of the Spoils for the People – 31:42-47 (Fw)

3. The Extra Share for ADONAI – 31:48-54 (Fx)

XII. Reuben and Gad in the Transjordan – 32:1-42 (Fy)

A. Reuben and Gad Request Land – 32:1-15 (Fz)

B. The Promise of Reuben and Gad – 32:16-24 (Ga)

C. The Divisions of the Transjordan – 32:25-42 (Gb) 

XIII. Isra’el’s Travel Log – 33:1-49 (Gc) 

A. The Departure from Egypt – 33:1-4 (Gd)

B. From Egypt to Mount Hor – 33:5-37 (Ge)

C. From Mount Hor to the Plains of Mo’ab – 33:38-49 (Gf)

XIV. Words of Warning and Encouragement to the Second Gen – 33:50 to 36:13 (Gg)

A. The Destruction of the Canaanites – 33:50-56 (Gh)

B. The Boundaries of the Promised Land – 34:1-29 (Gi)

C. Cities for the Levites – 35:1-8 (Gj)

D. Cities of Refuge – 35:9-34 (Gk)

1. Taking a Life in the Cities of Refuge – 35:9-21 (Gl)

2. Cases to be Decided Concerning Taking a Life in Cities of Refuge – 35:22-34 (Gm)

E. A Review of the Inheritance of Women – 36:1-13 (Gn)

F. Concluding Reflections of Numbers 26 to 36 (Go)

End Notes (Gp)

Bibliography (Gq)

Numbers,  Where Life and the Bible Meet . . .

1. Look at the outline (Ab), and the Introduction (Ac) before starting on the commentary itself.

2. The DIG and REFLECT questions are in bold teal and will help to give you a deeper understanding of the book and make it more personal to you. Go slowly and give yourself time to answer these questions. They really strike at the heart of the commentary. What are the DIG questions for? To dig into the Scripture “story.” To find out what’s going on, to figure out the main idea, the plot, the argument, the spiritual principle, and so on. What are the REFLECT questions for? To apply the “story” in the Scripture to your own life; to take personal inventory and to decide what you are going to do about it! Many of the DIG and REFLECT questions are taken from the Serendipity Bible.

3. I would strongly suggest that you look up the references that are given in each section. Many times, this will greatly enhance the background, and hence, your understanding of the Scriptures that you are reading on a particular day. Take your time, read only as much as you can digest.

There are times when I refer you to either another file in Romans, or a file in another book of the Bible, to give you more detail on a particular person, topic, concept or theology. An example might be something like the Great Sanhedrin (see my commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin). If you feel you already know enough about the Great Sanhedrin, you can skip the reference and continue reading. But if it interests you, or if you don’t know what the Great Sanhedrin is, you can go to that file and read it first before continuing. It’s your choice. 

4. All Scripture is in bold print. The NIV is used unless indicated otherwise. However, sometimes the purpose of the bold print is merely for emphasizing a certain point. When bold maroon is used, it is for special emphasis. The words of Yeshua are bolded in red.

5. When bold teal is used in the text, it is quoted from one of the two Jewish commentaries listed in the bibliography. This will give you the moderate Orthodox Jewish interpretation. It is useful for word studies, but its Christology is obviously entirely wrong. Where rabbinical interpretation is cited, I will add, “The rabbis teach. . .” in front of the passage. Although it is not a Christian interpretation, I think it is interesting to see how the rabbis interpret these passages.

6. Read the Scriptures for a particular day first, then skim the DIG or REFLECT questions, read the commentary and reflect on it; answer the DIG or REFLECT questions, then read your Bible again. Hopefully, it will have greater meaning for you the second time you read it. Then live it out.

7. You can download anything you want from this devotional commentary for bible study. Nothing can be sold © 2024 all rights are reserved by Jay David Mack, M.Div.