Meaning of NUMBER (Book)

Fourth book of the Pentateuch. Its Heb. designation is: "In the desert" (cf. Num. 1:1). The modern title comes from the trans. gr., who gave this title because of the two censuses:
(a) at Sinai, in the second year after the exodus;

(b) before the Jordan, in the fortieth year.

(a) Division.
The book can be divided into three essential sections:

(A) In the desert of Sinai (Num. 1:1-10:11).
Census of the people, except for the Levites.
Order of the camp of the tribes (Num. 1; 2).

Particular census of the Levites; his place in the camp; his particular service (Num. 3; 4).
Exclusion of the impure (Num. 5:1-4).
Law of restitution (Num. 5:5-10).


Laws about jealousy, about the Nazirite; formula of priestly blessing (Num. 5:11-6:27).
Offerings of the princes during the dedication of the Tabernacle (Num. 7).
Ordinance concerning the arrangement of the seven lamps of the lampstand (Num. 8:1-4).
Consecration of the Levites (Num. 8:5-22),

age of his entry into office (Num. 8:23-26; (see LEVITES).
Law regarding the celebration of the Passover and the supplementary Passover of the second month (Num. 9:1-14).
The direction given by the pillar of cloud (Num. 9:15, 23);
use of silver trumpets (Num. 10:1-10).

(B) The itinerary from Sinai to Jordan (Num. 10:11-21:35).
Marching order (Num. 10:11-28).
Moses invites Hobab to accompany the Israelites (Num. 10:29-32).
A stage of travel (Num. 10:33, 34).

Words of Moses to Jehovah when he broke the ark, and when he stopped (Num. 10:35, 36).
Murmurings of the people against the manna;
seventy elders help Moses;
Jehovah sends the quails (Num. 11).

Mary (Miriam) contracts leprosy by speaking against her brother Moses, and she is healed (Num. 12).
She arrived at Cades, a town in the Paran desert.
The spies and their return from Canaan.

Disbelief of the people;
punishment: death in the desert (Num. 13; 14).
Supplementary legal ordinances (Nm. 15).

Revolt of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; consecutive events (Num. 16; 17).
The duties of support of the priests and the Levites (Num. 18).
Ritual of purification of contamination contracted by touching a dead person (Num. 19).
Return to Kadesh:

death of Mary;
sin of Moses and Aaron on Mount Hor.
Israel surrounds the country of Edom;
episode of the fiery serpents.

Arrival at the fields of Moab;
conquest of the country located east of the Jordan (Num. 20:22-21:35).
(C) Camp at Shittim (Abel-sitim),
in front of Jericho (Num. 22:1-36:13).
Balaam (Num. 22-24).

Israel, falling into idolatry, worships Baal-peor (Num. 25).
Census of the new generation (Num. 26).
Laws Concerning the Succession Rights of Daughters (Num. 27:1-11).

Joshua is proclaimed leader of the people by Moses (Num. 27:12-23).
Rules about daily sacrifices and vows (Num. 28-30).
War against Midian (Num. 31).

The conquered regions east of the Jordan are attributed to the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh (Num. 32).
Enumeration of the camps of the Israelites, from Egypt to Abel-shitim. It is difficult to specify this itinerary, since twelve of the twenty-two names of the stages have not been able to be identified (Num. 33).

Boundaries of the country of Canaan;
princes appointed to carry out the distribution of the land (Num. 34).
Laws of the cities of refuge (Num. 35).
Supplementary laws regarding heirs (Num. 36).

(b) Author, date and composition.
For the mosaicity of the Pentateuch, and consequently the book of Numbers, see PENTATEUCH. Like Exodus and Leviticus, this book incorporates both stories and laws. This combination is an additional argument in favor of the unity of the Pentateuch and the contemporaneity of its parts.

The story told by Numbers goes from the second year after the exodus to the fortieth, without specifying the intermediate dates. Mention is made of people and names later forgotten; A fragment of undoubtedly ancient song appears (Num. 21:17-18), as well as laws that fully agree with a situation that changed after Moses.

The text contains frequent allusions to Egypt and its material advantages recently lost by the people; It does not hide the difficulty of finding the necessary materials for the Tabernacle, and it explains well the need for the two censuses before and after the forty years in the desert. All of this indicates that the book truly dates back to the time he talks about.

A problem has been seen in the number of Israelites over twenty years old who left Egypt: 603,550 (Num. 1:46; Ex. 12:37-38), which would correspond to a total population of around two million. . The difficulty of survival for a large mass of people in the desert arises.

However, one should not think that this expression denotes a large area of sand. The Sinai Peninsula currently preserves oases and rivers. It is known, from archaeological studies and historical records, that in the past it was provided with more abundant vegetation than at present (cf. the recent discoveries of the Sahara).

The order indicated for the camp (Num. 2) did not prevent more or less numerous groups from temporarily separating in search of pasture. (See PILGRIMAGE THROUGH THE DESERT.). The reported figures of 22,000 Levites (Num. 3:39) and 22,273 (Num. 3:43) have been accused of being unsustainable.

Professor Flinders Petrie theorized that the term thousand or thousand can be taken in the sense of families or groups (cf. Josh. 22:14; Judges 6:15; Mi. 5:1). However, this assumption raises more difficulties than it solves. Others have proposed that it could be a copyist's error.

Be that as it may, these figures have not been invented, and it is very possible that there are elements that we are missing. It must be very clear that throughout this entire episode the supernatural and special activity of God plays a determining role. Whatever the interpretation of the details, the miracle of the people's subsistence in the desert is still there, and it must be kept in mind that the Word of God affirms it unequivocally (cf. Deut. 8:2-5).

(c) Spiritual message.
Two essential elements must be highlighted:
(A) Numbers is the book of murmurings par excellence.
(I) The people rebel and lament asking for meat to eat (Num. 11).

(II) Mary speaks against Moses, and she is punished (Num. 12).
(III) All the people revolt upon hearing the message of the ten cowardly spies (Num. 13; 14).
(IV) Korah's revolt against Aaron and his priesthood (Num. 16; 17).

(V) There is again murmuring in Meribah, and Moses is carried away by his anger (Num. 20).
(VI) The people become impatient with God, who sends them fiery serpents (Num. 21).
(VII) Idolatry and debauchery in the fields of Moab (Num. 25). In all this, God's patience with the character of the people, so rebellious and ungrateful (and so similar in everything to us as God's people today), is evident.

(B) Types and prophecies about Jesus Christ.
Paul, alluding to various events in Exodus and Numbers, affirms that those things happened to serve as examples for us and sees in the struck rock a type of Christ (1 Cor. 10:1-12; cf. v. 4). In fact, here you can see:

(I) The cloud (Num. 9: 15-23) image of Him who leads us through his presence and by his spirit (Jn. 10: 4; 16:13).
(II) Manna, figure of the true bread of life (Num. 11:4-9; Jn. 6:31 ff.).

(III) Moses, who saves the people through his intercession, type of our true Mediator (Num. 14: 13-19; Heb. 3: 1-6).
(IV) Aaron's rod that blossomed, a symbol of Christ's resurrection proving his divinity and messiahship (Num. 17:1-11; Rom. 1:4).

(V) The chestnut heifer sacrificed to make the water of purification, an image of the atonement sacrifice that cleanses us from sin (Num. 19:1-10; Heb. 9:13, 14).
(VI) The bronze serpent that the Lord Jesus himself takes as a type of Himself in his death on the cross made sin for us (Num. 21: 4-9; Jn. 3: 14-16; cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13).
(VII) The star and the sovereign that will emerge from Israel, according to the prophecy of Balaam (Num. 24:17-19; Gen. 49:10; Is. 9:5).

(VIII) The city of refuge where the unintentional murderer finds safety, just as we find our only refuge in the salvation offered by Christ, our high priest (Num. 35:9-28; Heb. 6:18).