Another Bible Commentary: Numbers

The Hebrew title of this book amounts to “In the Wilderness”. This book contains the laws pertaining to the camp on the move in addition to advancing the story.

Before we get started, let us remind ourselves of Ezekiel 18:23: “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?”

1:3 This headcount is just the military. Including their families and the Levites makes an estimated population more than two million. 

1:53 Earthly kings have guards. God is more of a “Hold Me back!” type. 

Numbers 2 – The camps formed a cross.      

3:27-32 See Numbers 26:57-59 Moses’ relatives got to take care of the holiest stuff. If you volunteer in a church office, serve on church committees, operate the sound board, sing in the choir, etc., sometimes “seeing how the sausage is made” can take the awe out of worship.

3:47 For whatever reason, they’re all priced like little boys (Leviticus 27:6). A shekel was about 2 to 2.1 ounces of silver, so this was about six months’ pay for a day laborer. 

4:3 Priests began serving at age 30, like David and Christ. Levites that helped priests began serving at age 25 (Numbers 8:24).

5:2-4 These are the exact people Jesus made contact with when He did miracles for them (Matthew 8:1-4, Matthew 9:20-22, and Luke 7:12-15 are a few examples).      

5:15 Animal feed for suspected animal acts. No oil because there is no greatness in this.

5:17 The “holy water” might have been from the bronze basin (Exodus 30:17-21) or maybe from the Numbers 19:17 procedure; special baptismal font water that has been prayed over and that was perhaps sourced from the Jordan River (and also sold for off-label uses such as vampire repellent) is a later innovation.

5:22 Perhaps uterine prolapse. He gets to judge, and this is not a blessing of routine abortion; see 2 Samuel 12:14. Saving a mother’s life from a nonviable ectopic pregnancy is the same as shooting a guy trying to murder her in an alley. Do we have any evidence in Scripture of this procedure ever harming anyone? No. Would floor dirt unaided by divine intervention cause any permanent harm? Probably not. Did a lot of jealous husbands publicly look like schmucks? Probably. Rather than risk that embarrassment, did a lot of guys learn to assume the best of their mates, and therefore to be kinder, or at least to be quiet about it? 

5:23 Since the curses to be erased contained the Name of God, this verse stands against human rules about where to write, place, dispose of, handle, or read holy books. In the old days, they buried old or miswritten scrolls; now people have superstitions about not laying Bibles face down, putting other things on top of them, writing in margins, reading in the bathroom, etc. Respect God and the text by reading and memorization, letting the words change how you think, feel, and act. Intermittent repetition is great for this. Giving God your downtime throughout the day is life-changing.

6:1-21 High priests, priests, kings, etc., have special qualifications, but any layman committed enough could be what 2 Timothy 2:1-21 calls “instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” (John 15:3 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 say listening to the Indwelling Christ and studying the Scriptures is how we become this useful on this side of the Cross, so let me encourage you to keep reading. Jesus said John the Baptist was great but every believer since Pentecost is greater because you have the Holy Spirit inside you forever.) There were “Sister Bertha Better-Than-You” types even before the Pharisees, but people who did this vow for at least some of their lives that were useful to God include Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist, Paul (finishing the vow required the Temple that’s not there now, so don’t get any ideas), etc.  Remember how the priests and the high priest were in part defined by what they were not? No drinking on the job, no cutting/shaving portions of hair for the dead or for pagan rituals, and not becoming contaminated by touching dead human bodies except for certain close relatives (for priests)? This vow is an attempt to out-holy the high priest. It screamed “Here I am Lord, use me!” No wine on duty for priests? No wine ever for Nazirites, and no grapes either. No shaving or beard grooming for priests? No haircuts at all for Nazirites. Some Nazirites are chosen by God to be devoted from birth through death, special people like Samson and John the Baptist, to whom God assigns one rule; volunteers had to deal with all the rules but they only served for a limited time. (Your one rule is to believe in Jesus Christ.) Samson was set apart by God for the purpose of killing Philistines, so the death avoidance in Numbers 6:6 was not required of him, just like marching around Jericho on the Sabbath at God’s command wasn’t a sin, either. To end the period of dedication, they offered everything but the guilt offering just like when the priesthood was inaugurated (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8 through Leviticus 9) as if passing through the gate back to normal life going the other way. The burning of the hair (the symbol of dedication in verses 5 and 7) as part of the fellowship offering to end their service in verse 18 can be seen as the Nazirite as an offering as well. (Our High Priest, the Branch (Hebrew “NZR”) of David, Jesus of NaZaReth (emphasis mine), is our Lamb.) Finally, Nazirites represent an alternative way God used in scenarios in which the Temple system or the whole land of Israel was corrupted, providing a pool from which to draft prophets, judges, etc. 

6:22-26 A traditional blessing still used in churches today. The Hebrew word for “peace” shalom connotes not only the absence of strife but well-being, health, safety, prosperity, and all-around wholeness. Not that prosperity is the focus of the Gospel, but when Hebrew authors (including Paul) say “Peace be with you” that includes “I hope y’all’s money is right.” 

7:11 There used to be a daytime talk show that, around Christmastime, would have “12 Days of Giveaways”. God gets that here. The offerings are the same because all the tribes are equal before God. 

7:17 “oxen” here are male bovines, because God didn’t accept castrated offerings (Leviticus 22:24). 

8:7 Wet and bald like a newborn. 

9:14 Not that they must celebrate Passover, but that they must obey the regulations (convert, as in Esther 8:17) if they wish to celebrate it (Exodus 12:48). 

9:15-23 Life under the Law was a lethal game of Simon Says. Even their travels taught obedience. Stability is not lack of change, but going with God and God going with you. He will never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). 

10:9 reminds me of the trumpets in Revelation 8:6. He remembers us and He rescues us from our enemies.

10:31-34 They follow God’s cloud, God’s fire, and Hobab. 

10:35-36 Christ rose, and Christ will return. 

11:1 This is faithless complaining about God to each other, not complaining to God in faith (Psalm 142, or even Moses in Numbers 11:11-15). 

11:6 They are sick of and ungrateful for the miraculous desert food in year 2. They will eat it for 40 years.

11:10 Righteous indignation exists. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires (James 1:20), but Matthew 5:22 must contain the “without cause” exception to avoid accusing sinless Jesus of anger in His Temple table-flipping or creating a contradiction with Paul’s advice in Ephesians 4:26-27 (in which he quotes Psalm 4:4), etc.

11:15 See 1 Kings 19:4.  Elijah got Elisha as a helper after giving up and asking God to kill him; Moses is about to get 70 elders.

11:17,25 In the Old Testament, the power of the Spirit is “on” (sometimes translated “in”) a person for a specific task for a limited time and can be lost by sin. The Holy Spirit is within you, Believer, forever thanks to Christ’s finished work. Some of the “laying on of hands to confer authority” language hangs around in churches as tradition left over from when the apostles had the Spirit both ways in Acts. 

11:29 See Ezekiel 36:27  

11:31 This is a different quail incident two years after Exodus 16:11 per Numbers 10:11-12. 

11:34 They looked back to Egypt like Lot’s wife (Genesis 19:26) did to Sodom. 

Numbers 12 – See Leviticus 13 note. 

12:1 While polygamy was legal according to God’s Law and an additional Cushite (Ethiopian) wife wouldn’t be out of the question, this may be simply Zipporah the Midianite (of Cushan in Arabia). See Habakkuk 3:7. Undermining Moses is dangerous (Exodus 22:28).     

12:3 Writes Moses. 😊     

12:6-8 Priests roll dice and prophets have dreams. Some like Samuel heard a few words.  Moses experienced clear verbal conversation, and Moses saw something of Him (Exodus 33:23). Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:16 says Christians have the mind of Christ. Well-intentioned, humble people mistake this for having the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17) which are great, but we have promises in Ezekiel 36:26-27 and Jeremiah 31:33-34 that were reiterated by Jesus in John 14:16-17 and John 16:12-15. They came true at Pentecost, and still come true today (Galatians 3:2,5) when we believe. We have a new heart, a new spirit, and the Holy Spirit living within us forever. Anything you do (except getting tricked into sinning) can be an expression of the life of Jesus Christ in you. Rather than chasing the grand experience of hearing from God like Moses, realize that wanting what God wants and not wanting what God doesn't want for you is going to feel a lot like being yourself (Philippians 2:13). God is a “local call” for us, not “long distance”. 

The New Covenant’s new heart, new human spirit, and the Holy Spirit living within us will come up over and over, so I should probably elaborate. You have a body, a soul, and a spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12). Think of three concentric circles, or a snowman from overhead. The outermost circle is your body. You interact with physical reality through it, but “you” are not merely your body. If you lose part of it, your life is different, but you didn’t lose “you”. You have a soul, the next layer in. The word the New Testament uses for it is the Greek psyche from which we derive words like psychology. A soul is a personality. Your mind, will, emotions, etc., are soulish. The Hebrew notion of “heart” as the core of your being includes your mind. However, you can be aware of your own thoughts and feelings, so “you” are not the sum of your thoughts. Sin, the power that was lurking near Cain, etc., can give you thoughts that you may think are your own. The reins of Sin’s control were cut away at salvation (Colossians 2:11-12), but this influence will continue to be a problem until this reality gets replaced with a better one and you get your new body. Your mental state is affected by both your body and your spirit. You have a spirit at the center of it all. Unbelievers have spirits that are dead to God and alive to sin. Believers have new spirits that are alive to God as well as the Holy Spirit motivating us from within. In conclusion, believers’ inner selves are Heaven-ready, but our bodies will be replaced (1 Corinthians 15). We’re growing into maturity as our minds are renewed (Romans 12:2). Unbelievers cannot help but sin all the time, but you have the ability to choose the godly way of life that is the only way your new self will feel fulfilled. We will be physically resurrected and have bodies for eternity; the popular notion of being incorporeal in the afterlife is Platonist.      

12:9-10 is another instance that seems like Deuteronomy 31:16-17 to me. People sin, God's character makes Him look away (Habakkuk 1:13), and the destroyer (Exodus 12:23, Hebrews 2:14) acts. Jesus healed diseases rather than causing them; if you’ve seen Him, you’ve seen the Father (John 14:9) and His usual tendencies. Is this “flaky as snow” procedure still going on? No. Christ bought all sin at the Cross, and He wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). We’ll discuss the leftover wrath (John 3:36) later. We live in a fallen world, demons are still active, evil/misguided people still have free will, and we have the freedom to make mistakes. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them from them all (Psalm 34:19) eventually. 

12:14 Seems harsh, but putting Miriam in “time out” for a week as an example to the others not to challenge God's chosen shepherd (Numbers 12:2 sounds like Numbers 16:3) for them was intended to prevent the deaths and suffering the people brought on themselves in Numbers 14 though Numbers 16.     

13:1-2 In Deuteronomy 1:22-23, it is made clear that the plan to scout is born of unbelief. Here, God's just telling them whom to send. 

13:6,8 See Numbers 14:30. 

13:30-31 Focus on the power of your God instead of the size of your problems. 

13:32 They slander God's good land (Exodus 3:8, Deuteronomy 8:7), so this happens to some of them in Numbers 16:31. They were standing on land near where Eden used to be holding fruit and arguing with God about what is good, so exile to the wilderness would be the next step in the story. 

13:33 See Genesis 6:1-4. Although most Nephilim drowned in the Flood, there are still giants to face like King Og of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:11) and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Genesis 6:4 says in addition to giants, angel/human mating produced heroes and men of renown; "and after that" means the only thing preventing it now is the angels' fear of punishment. 

14:3 Joseph and Moses had it good in Egypt and still chose Hebrew identity. These backsliding slaves must sound terribly ungrateful to Moses. 

14:4 That’s an implied threat to Moses’ life (see verse 10) and another Exodus 22:28 violation, even after Miriam's week as a leper. Be positive or be quiet. 

14:13 See Exodus 32:10 note. 

14:17-19 Moses prays the promises. 

14:20 God wants to save everyone, so pray for everyone. 

14:28 Not to endorse the entirety of the Word of Faith movement, “word curses”, etc., but God has been known to give people what they ask for. Speak faith in God, not in problems. 

14:29 These would be those deemed fit for military service in Numbers 1:20. 

14:30 Moses isn’t mentioned. God already knew that Moses wouldn’t be allowed in. 

14:31 See Numbers 14:3. 

14:33 “shepherds” with the parents being the dwindling flock. 

14:34 “You will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have Me against you,” is a good summary of the Old Testament. We have it so much better under the New Covenant. Jesus takes our sins away, and God is our Father. Romans 5:10: “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!”  Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” 

14:40 The desert they wandered isn’t “see for miles” wasteland and dunes, but rocky “can’t see around the bend” canyon-esque get-lost-easily desert.  Exile/wandering/wasteland experiences can teach us to listen to the Shepherd for guidance.

15:4-5 God again orders the combo meal. Communion is fellowship with bread and wine with Christ as the Lamb. As many drink offerings as God gets in the Old Testament, is Matthew 11:19 any wonder? 

15:30-31 The sacrificial system of the Old Covenant is geared toward unintentional sins. Intentional sin was blasphemy in practice and required intercession by someone like Moses or death was certain. Jesus is the best ever at intercession (Hebrews 7:25).

15:32-36 There has been much ink spilled for this man killed for picking up sticks the wrong day.  Consider the placement of this story in the text. This is a malcontent making a statement by sinning intentionally, a challenger to Moses’ authority, and a preview of Korah in Numbers 16. I say this because it appears to be an application of Numbers 15:30-31 instead of Numbers 15:27-28. 

15:38 “Here; wear some thingies on your clothes so you can maybe remember not to get stoned to death.” These tassels are also called tzitzit. The costly blue dye was a constant reminder of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:1), to be holy because God is holy (Leviticus 19:2).

15:39-40 “so you will remember all the commands of the Lord…obey them, and not…the lusts of your own hearts and eyes” There has been plenty of focus on the lusts of peoples’ hearts and eyes, but many have forgotten that they’re only a problem when they reach outside God’s explicit commands. 

15:41 Some translations say “I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt that I might be your God. I am the LORD your God!” This “might be” is not a maybe, it’s “for the purpose of”. I went to work so that I might earn some money. In that sentence, work was attended and money was earned. This phrasing comes up frequently in some translations, and I won’t address all of them, so I wanted to explain this at least once here.

16:1-2 The Kohathites were relatives of Moses trusted to carry the holiest stuff (Numbers 4). The Reubenites were descended from Jacob’s disqualified heir (Genesis 49:3-4). These groups and the middle management community leaders were all easily tempted to think they knew better how to run things.

16:3 Compare their pride and grasping for position to Satan’s. 

16:6-7 “You think the rules ought to be different? Repeat Leviticus 10 again and see what happens.”

16:14 “gouge out the eyes of these men” is a Hebrew colloquialism meaning approximately to blind them so they follow blindly, making you capable of figuratively urinating on their legs and telling them it’s raining. 

16:21 A good time to remember Ezekiel 22:30 and Ezekiel 18:23.      

16:26 Cyprian (210-258 AD) used this verse to tell people to flee sinful leaders. Sounds like Reformation talk to me. 

16:27 Notice Korah’s wee ones are not mentioned. Grown married children (Genesis 2:24) elsewhere in the camp opting out of the rebellion are also possible. Numbers 26:11 mentions his line did not end, and some of his descendants wrote some Psalms.  

16:30 like the Kohathite job of swallowing up the holy objects with cloth to keep them from sight.     

16:31-34 See Numbers 13:32 and Numbers 14:28.      

16:35 On this side of the Cross, remember Luke 9:54-56, John 14:9, and John 3:17. Old Testament believers had such a high regard for God’s sovereignty that they saw even the devil’s activities (2 Samuel 24:1, 1 Chronicles 21:1) as being on behalf of God; compare with Hebrews 2:14 and 1 John 3:8. Revelation 16 talks about God’s wrath, but Revelation 1 says that book is an angelic vision, and therefore may be more like the Old Testament etc. God is nice (to us, surely); don’t overthink it. 

16:39 added to the bronze in Exodus 27 and Exodus 38. There’s a chair made of swords in the popular imagination at the time of this writing that may help visualize this.

16:40 The Sons of Korah went on to be song leaders. Song leaders carry on the tradition of saying all manner of unbiblical stuff even to this day. “Stand and sing as the light of Christ enters the sanctuary,” even though that entered when you did, Believer. “Come Holy Spirit, fall fresh on us, enter this place,” even though you are one spirit with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17) and He never leaves you. You’ll hear all manner of “get right/stay right” pleading even though Jesus’ finished work at the cross satisfied God completely (1 John 2:1-2). Moreover, He remains faithful to us even if we are not (2 Timothy 2:13). It can be easy to get caught up in the emotion of a worship experience, but verify any big insights they give you with the Bible. 

16:41 The mercy Moses asked for on their behalf in verse 22 is now revoked (Job 1:22, Job 2:9).      

16:48 Now, it is Christ who stands between the living and the dead. This is a pikuach nefesh  move for Aaron (Leviticus 21:11). 

16:49 See Numbers 16:41 note.

Before we move on to Numbers 17, there is a traditional Jewish parable attributed to Korah (that he most likely didn’t write) that is still of interest in highlighting the impossibility of life under the Law: 

"A widow, the mother of two young daughters (fatherless, therefore reckoned “orphans” by the ancients), had a field. When she came to plow it, Moses told her not to plow it with an ox and an ass together (Deuteronomy 22:10); when she came to sow it, Moses told her not to sow it with mingled seeds (Leviticus 19:19). She had to leave unharvested the edges of the field for the poor to gather for themselves, while she had to give the priest grain he didn’t help harvest. The woman despaired of farming, sold the field, and bought two sheep with the money. She had to give the firstborn to Aaron the priest; later, she had to give him the first of the fleece too (Deuteronomy 18:4). The widow got sick of obeying rules and decided to eat the sheep. But Aaron came for the shoulder, internal organs, and head meat (Deuteronomy 18:3). Exasperated, she tried to donate everything to God instead but then Aaron got everything (Numbers 18:14), leaving the widow and her two “orphan” daughters with nothing (Exodus 22:22, Mark 12:40). 

17:5 Dead wood bringing forth new life, like the Cross.  

17:8 like the Exodus 25 lampstand.

17:13 Paul’s right, Law kills (Romans 7:8-11, 2 Corinthians 3:4-11).     

18:7 “a gift” Undeserving people receive things by grace from God; no one earns anything. Let’s take a moment to consider the Old Testament priesthood and all its rigamarole – appreciate that thanks to Jesus, you are always welcome in God’s presence (Ephesians 3:12), and He lives in you (John 17:20-26). They spent so much time and effort trying not to defile a replica Sinai experience, but you are holier than any Old Testament worship site just as you are right now reading this as a believer in Christ. 

18:14 Again, our deal is better. In Christ, we are co-heirs of the universe.

18:19 That’s “everlasting” as long as there are Old Testament-style offerings. See Hebrews 8 and 2 Corinthians 3. The Law remains to drive people to Christ for grace. Adherence to the Mosaic Law to show God as set apart from the world is attempted by some Jewish Christians, but it does not save. The New Covenant is the way to go. 

19:2 This rare genetic anomaly was also sacred to the worshipers of Apollo.    

19:3 During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the altar for this was atop the Mount of Olives.  

19:10 In summary, a bunch of red stuff (red heifer, blood, red cedar wood, scarlet wool) gets purified by fire and absorbs the cleanliness of three men to become white ash. See Isaiah 1:18.  Since death is the ultimate effect of sin, this is an amplification of Leviticus 14:6.

19:12 The seventh day was already special to them, but I feel like emphasizing the third day for someone coming back from an encounter with death is another hint at Christ. 

19:16 Numbers 31:19 suggests this applies to killers (soldiers, etc.), too.

19:17 The ashes mixed with “living” water (moved by God in a stream, etc.) become an Old Covenant quasi-”Blood of Christ” to provide a whiff of resurrection to those too near the grave.

19:21 Even the water of cleansing rendered people temporarily unclean under the persnickety Law of Moses. Other liquids more associated with life than death were treated similarly (Leviticus 15:16). 

20:1 Back to the setting of the scout report in Numbers 13:25-26. 

20:2 This is this generation’s Exodus 17:1-7.

20:8,11 The Rock (struck once in Exodus 17) was to foreshadow the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:4). Numbers 20:11 ruins the symbolism.

20:10 Moses and Aaron aren’t God. It is said that by saying “we”, they took credit, but God told them “you will bring water out” in verse 8, so that isn’t the issue.

20:12 Moses didn’t set foot in Israel until the Transfiguration; Law won’t get you to the Promised Land, we all need Jesus.

20:17 The King’s Highway (Transjordanian route from Syria to the gulf) is still used.

20:25 Reminds me of Genesis 22.

20:28 Back in Exodus 17, the water from a rock was followed by a victory over Amalekites. Now, after more water from a rock obtained badly, other descendants of Esau have intimidated them. Miriam and Aaron are dead, so Moses might not feel up to holding his arms up. The rules of narrative demand another big fight soon in the story (Numbers 21:3). Aaron’s death on a mountaintop foreshadows Moses’ death.

21:3 The site of defeat in Numbers 14:45.      

21:5-6 See Exodus 22:28, Job 1:22, Job 2:9, and don’t be an ingrate for miraculous desert food.  This might be another Deuteronomy 31:16-17 scenario. As in Genesis, doubting God’s good nature leads to death by way of a snake.

21:8-9 See John 3:14-16. Fix your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2). This graven image is fine, because they were commanded to make it by God, and they didn’t worship it (yet – 2 Kings 18:4). You can tell me the Caduceus symbol for medicine is supposed to be Asclepius’ rod or a Guinea worm wound up on a stick, but I see it here: Christ became Sin on the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:21), like the snake on the stick. The bronze of the altar and the snake hint at Him coming in the likeness of sinful flesh.

21:14 Mentions of books we don’t have, like the Book of the Wars of the LORD and Jasher, let us know that editors can be inspired, as well. The Spirit gave us the Bible we need (in the original languages). I’ve spent time reading related material for context, but doing that keeps reaffirming that all we really need is what we already have in the Bible.

22:4 This story pertains to a Moabite/Midianite coalition. Forgetting this fact leads some people to see a nonexistent contradiction in Numbers 25. 

22:5 I’m told this is about a 25-day walking trip each way, which makes parts of the story funnier.

22:8 In this tale, a pagan wizard functions as a quasi-Moses. Some have found God post-Babel, but that doesn’t mean Balaam worships Him exclusively as we will see later with Nebuchadnezzar, etc. Since Noahides don’t do divination (this is what gets him killed – Joshua 13:22), and putting curses on people is consistently a no-no in the New Testament, let’s just say Balaam is more unorthodox than, say, Melchizedek.

22:12 Please see Ephesians 1:3. In Christ, we are too blessed to be cursed.

22:20-22 Because “since” and “if” can be fuzzy in Hebrew, I suppose God’s anger in verse 22 is for not waiting for yet another request from them on their way out of town instead of saddling up first thing in the morning in an apparent eagerness to curse people. Jude 11 and 2 Peter 2:15 make it clear Balaam is a bad guy. Even though Balaam defers to God’s will in verse 18, he wants to violate Genesis 12:3 for money, or his refusals would have been less “I can’t” and more “I won’t”. Joshua 24:10 implies something he did amounts to asking for the curse. 

22:23 The seer can’t see, and the donkey does. Comedy.

22:28 Notice he’s not fazed by Edenic talking animals. 

22:33 “but I would have spared it” This is why I think the donkey’s fine when Balaam gets killed in Numbers 31:8.

22:35 Despite being warned twice, Balaam resorts to divination twice before giving Spirit-led prophecy.

23:5 but Numbers 24:1 said this still counted as divination. Augury could consist of the use of sacrificial animals (entrail divination), bird movements, cloud patterns, etc.

23:8-9 Balak used this information from Balaam’s divination (Numbers 24:1) to concoct the plan in Numbers 31:16. 

23:12 It’s like Balaam is claiming to be equivalent to the talking donkey. 

23:13-15 “top of Pisgah” The site of Moses’ view in Deuteronomy 34:1-2 and Joshua’s commission in Numbers 27:12-23. People thought they could manipulate pagan gods with sacrifices, so “try again over there” seemed to be a sensible approach to Balak.

23:16 Again, Numbers 24:1 says there was divination going on.

23:19 God’s omnipotence is constrained by His character. The Jeremiah 18:5-10 principle applies, but since they seem to be on the good half of that per Numbers 23:8-9 they are safe for now. Even better for us, Jesus takes our sins away. Same God, different covenant. 

23:22 “wild ox” is “unicorn” in the KJV, some say a rhinoceros. 

23:24 This verse has been used for blood libel, casting Abraham’s descendants as blood-drinkers. It was derived from divination rather than Spirit-led prophecy (Numbers 24:1). 

23:26 Thrice, like the donkey.

23:28 Remember, the camp is cross-shaped. That is how God sees us. They were not even aware how God was turning their opposition into blessings, and neither are we most of the time (Psalm 23:5, Romans 8:28).

24:1-4 Finally, Balaam is to give a Spirit-led prophecy instead of resorting to divination, which is forbidden to Noahides (Deuteronomy 18:9-12). 

24:9 like Judah’s blessing in Genesis 49 (which Jacob stole from Esau. See Numbers 24:18).  Genesis 12:3 is reiterated. 

24:17 Still prophesying in the Spirit, a pagan wizard foretells David (2 Samuel 8:1-2). The wise men remember Balaam’s words when they follow the star to Jesus the Messiah, the promised descendant of David. 

24:18 Prophecies can be fulfilled more than once. Herod was an Edomite; see Matthew 2.

24:20 Amalekites are among Esau’s descendants (Genesis 36:12).  

24:21-22 Kenites are Midianites.  

24:24 The Greek portion of Philistine/Palestinian heritage. 

25:1-2 They eat for idols while God is still giving them manna. 

25:1,6 Much has been made about the shift from “Moabite” to “Midianite”, but Numbers 22:4,7 already told us we’re looking at a Moabite/Midianite coalition. 

25:4 “expose” may be “impale” as in Deuteronomy 21:22-23. See that note for why this was done. 

25:6-13 Moses is still married to a Midianite woman, so this is still about idolatry. Psalm 106:28-31 summarized the events of Numbers 25:1-13. 

25:16-18 Jethro and his family blessed them unlike these other Midianites intent on cursing them (Genesis 12:3), so I don’t think the death warrant extended to them. God can save righteous individuals in the midst of general catastrophe, like Lot and his family.

26:1-2 The plague has killed the last of the Exodus generation doomed to die in the wilderness (Numbers 26:65).

26:51 See Numbers 1:46. The army is a bit smaller than the first batch of cowards.

27:17 The sheep/shepherd simile comes up frequently. Jesus is the Good Shepherd as opposed to the bad shepherds (religious and political leaders).

27:18 Joshua’s name in Greek is Jesus.

27:21 instead of talking directly like Moses. See Exodus 28:30.

28:7 See Matthew 11:19.

28:11 The New Moon is a symbol of resurrection as well as the coming new heavens and new Earth. Plus, don’t worship the moon. What better way to demonstrate that principle than partying when it’s “gone” during the New Moon?

28:16-25 Sometimes, the Festival of Unleavened Bread week and Passover are just called Passover. This is how Jesus and His disciples ate “Passover” (or eretz Peshach, depending on whom you ask) together, and yet Jesus died as the Passover lambs were being slain (John 19:14-16) and the Jewish leaders were anxious about being able to eat the Passover (John 18:28).

29:1 See the Leviticus 23:24 note if you want a reminder.

29:7 See the Leviticus 16 notes if you want a reminder. 

29:12-40 A big end-of-the-year harvest festival with sacrifices dwindling to ease back to normalcy? Various significances have been attributed to the 71 bulls (with the last one frequently omitted) from verses 13 through 36, but not so much about the 15 rams or 105 lambs. The restoration of David’s “tent” in Amos 9:11-12 to rule the nations was referenced by the apostles in Acts 15:15-18 to refer to the culmination of the promised Gentile inclusion with the coming of Christianity. All nations are required to celebrate the ingathering in Zechariah 14:16-19, and this seems to symbolize all peoples being called to worship Christ. The similar number of bulls in Numbers 29:12-40 to the number of the nations of mankind in Genesis 10 brings to mind the promises of Genesis 12:3 and Revelation 7:9-10.

30:1-2 Oaths were taken in His Name. Casual use of “I swear to God…” is not good. Jesus said to have enough integrity to let your “yes” mean “yes” and your “no” mean “no” without involving Him.

30:3-8,10-15 Rather than focusing on the misogyny and paternalism in Iron Age texts, I take comfort in being able to claim that as part of the Bride of Christ (the Church) and as a child of God, any rash vows I have ever made were already nullified by the Omniscient One. 

31:2,8 Unless otherwise specified, God saves righteous individuals even in general judgments.  Think about Noah and Lot and see Jeremiah 39:18 and Jeremiah 45:5. Moses’ wife and in-laws serve God, not Baal-Peor, so they’re safe. Even Balaam’s donkey is fine (Numbers 22:33). 

31:16-18 in reference to the Numbers 25 incident. Idolatry and the related sexual immorality were capital offenses (and attempting to curse Abraham’s descendants thusly gets paid back per Genesis 12:3), but the virgins were not temple prostitutes (and not Canaanites) and therefore eligible for the captive concubine laws in Deuteronomy 21.

31:25 This verse is a reminder that this section is during the time God was speaking clearly to Moses, not through priest dice or prophet dreams. 

31:28,35,40,46 God demands good offerings. For example, He doesn’t accept money from temple prostitutes (Deuteronomy 23:18). The Lord called dibs on 32 young girls (Numbers 31:7, 17-18). Ergo, wanting a lot of concubines is not evil. God is not stingy (Psalm 37:4, Romans 8:32). We will discuss the translation history of Matthew 5:28 in English Bibles and its influence on New Testament passages about “lust” (really, “inordinate lust”) later. Also, despite all the “uncovering the nakedness” euphemisms we employ in other parts of some of our Bible translations, nothing about the invasive and intimate mass physical examinations required for them to obey Numbers 31:17-18 is presented as morally wrong for any of the people involved.

31:40-41 Being incorporeal at the moment, God hooks Eleazar up with 32 women. That’s pretty much a whole sorority. The “one man with one woman” people are unbiblical unless they’re referring to obeying local antipolygamy laws per Romans 13. 

31:41,47 “as the LORD commanded” More reminders that this is legitimate. 

31:49, 50 When the Israelites have sin in the camp, they lose, so everything is going according to plan here. The “atonement” here is paying God back for saving their lives like in Genesis 14:20. 

32:1 Lands taken from Sihon and Og back in Numbers 21.

32:13 A biblical “generation” is postulated to last 40 years. For example, Jesus said in the early 30s AD that the generation listening to Him would witness the destruction of the Temple, and it fell in 70 AD.

32:14-15 In the New Testament, a father (symbolizing God in a parable in Luke 15) welcomes the return of the prodigal son.

32:33 Manasseh’s land straddled the Jordan, maintaining a symbolic link between Gad, Reuben, and the rest of the tribes.

Numbers 33 can be a helpful itinerary to keep a “big picture” view while reading about Israel’s wilderness wandering years. 

33:11 Quail miracle #1 happened here in Exodus 16.

33:14 See Exodus 17.

33:15 where the Law was given.

33:16 See Numbers 11. “The Graves of Craving” was the site of quail miracle #2, approximately two years after the first one.  

33:17 Miriam’s “leprosy” in Numbers 12.

33:18 The stop in Kadesh associated with the failed entry to the Promised Land is omitted.  God gracefully remembers our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12).

33:36 This is the second visit to Kadesh. See Numbers 20. Miriam died…

33:37-39 …and so did Aaron.

33:51-56 They disobeyed these instructions (Hebrews 2:2), and this prophecy was fulfilled for Israel in 722 BC and for Judah in 586 BC. 

Numbers 34 – Matter-of-fact material like this keeps us connected to the fact that this is really history. I don’t have anything to add to this passage. When an old grocer in the film Raising Arizona was asked whether a brand of diapers needed pins or fasteners, he replied, “Well, no, they got them tape-ettes already on there. It's self-contained and fairly explanatory.” Someone mentioned that a placeholder would help people avoid confusion.

35:16-18 “put to death” if there are at least two eyewitnesses (Numbers 35:30). 

35:19 Unless the legitimate government had an executioner, the responsibility (Genesis 9:6) fell to the same sort of close relative (“kinsman redeemer”) that could buy people or property back (Leviticus 25:25,48) or impregnate a widow (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) to keep their dead husband’s memory alive. Our Redeemer bought us back from sin and death, and He gave us His eternal life, too. Deuteronomy 32:35 and Revelation cover the rest of the analogy.

35:22-23 “without seeing them”, “unintentionally, and “without enmity” are distinct. A shove “without enmity” could be, for example, a well-intentioned but failed rescue attempt from a cattle stampede. An exception in the Torah for playfully knocking people over seems weird. Then again, we humans think in black and white, and God’s ways might be blue and orange (Isaiah 55:8-9) to us.

35:25,28 The death of the high priest cleaned the slate. The death of our High Priest takes our sins away forevermore (Hebrews 10:14); He bore our guilt (Exodus 28:38).

35:30 Eyewitness testimony is unreliable compared to other forms of evidence. Human memory is not perfect, it fades with time, and it can be influenced by stress, suggestive questioning, talking to others, media coverage, etc. Limited visibility or perspective, the amount of light, obscuring weather conditions, etc., can lead to incomplete or inaccurate observation, especially if events happen quickly. Independently questioning two witnesses whose stories have to line up is a check against some of these problems (unless they’re false witnesses) .

35:31 Only the Image of God is worth the Image of God (Genesis 9:6). Other sleights (maiming, etc.) were frequently settled with a cash equivalent.

35:33 like Genesis 4:10.

36:11 It’s apparently okay to name a girl “Noah”. I point this out so the more rigid among the “gender defenders” can consider what the absolutes actually are.

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