THE C4MBRIDGE BIBLE FOR S(JHOOLS AND COLLEGES GENERAL EDITOR FOR THE Ou:i,_ TESTAMENT :­ A. F. KIRKPATRICK1 D.D. THE BOOK OF NUMBERS t!rambritigr: PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, M.A. AT 'l'HE UNlVERSlTY PRESS, PREFACE BY THE GENERAL EDITOR FOR THE OLD TESTAMENT. THE present General Editor for the Old Testament in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges desires to say that, in accordance with the policy of his predecessor the Bishop of Worcester, he does not hold himself responsible for the particular interpreta­ tions adopted or for the opinions expressed by the editors of the several Books, nor has he endeavoured to bring them into agreement with one another. It is inevitable that there should be differences of opinion in regard to many questions of criticism and interpretation, and it seems best that these differences should find free expression in different volumes. He has endeavoured to secure, as far as possible, that the general scope and character of the series should be observed, and that views which have a reasonable clai~ to consideration should not be ignored, but he has felt it best that the final responsibility should, in general, rest with the individual contributors. A F. KIRKPATRICK. CAMBRIDGE. S6 CONTENTS PAGES I. INTRODUCTION I. The Book of Numbers ... ix, X II. Analysis .. xi-xiv III. The Levites xiv-xviii IV. The Historical Value of the Book of Numbers xix-xxii V. The Religious Value of the Book of Numbers xxii-xxvi VI. The Book of Numbers in the New Testament xxvii II. TEXT AND NOTES ... 1-I<)O III. INDEX 19r-196 MAPS: Egypt and Sinai At end Gilead and Moab .~.• " ABBREVIATIONS Aq. The Greek translation by Aquila. A.V. The Authorised Version. Cf. Compare. D The Deuteronomic document. DB. Dictionary if the Bible. E The Elohistic document. Enc. Bib!. Encyclopaedia Biblica. E.VV. The English Versions, i.e. Authorised ·and Revised. Heb. The Hebrew text. H. G. Historical Geography if the Holy Land. id. idem, 'the same,' referring to the book last mentionP.<I. Numbers C.B.S. ERRATUM The title of the book referred to'on p. ix, line 6, is An Introduction to the Pentateuch, by the Rev. A. T. Chapman, M.A., published in The Cambridge Bi/Jle for Schools and Colleges. INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER I. THE BOOK OF NUMBERS, The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the six writings which modern students have grouped together under the name of 'the Hexateuch'.(see Chapman, Introduction to the Hexateuck, p. 6). The Greek title cip10p.ol, of which 'Numbers' is a translation, was given to the book on account of the numberings of the Israelites recorded in it. The Hebrew title is Bammidhbiir ('In the wilderness'), taken from the words bemidhbar Sinai ('in the wilderness of Sinai') in i. 1. The book of Exodus leaves the Israelites at Sinai, and Leviticus is entirely composed of ritual and other regulations ascribed to Moses at Sinai. Numbers opens with further regulations at Sinai, and then carries forward the history of the journeys to the point when the steppes of Moab opposite Jericho were reached; in the midst of this history it contains another group of regulations: it relates some events which occurred during the stax of the Israelites in Moab, and ends with yet another group of regulations. The composition of the book is of the same nature as that of Exodus. Two early writings, known as J and E, at first existed separately, but were afterwards fused into the composite work JE; and this was at a later time combined with priestly material P. (On these symbols, the justification for their use, and an account of the distinctive characteristics of the several writings, see Chapman, lntrod.) The priestly material is to a large X INTRODUCTION extent collected in the three groups of regulations mentioned above, which are assigned by the compiler respectively to the stay at Siuai (i.-x. 28), the stay at Kadesh (xv.-xix.), and the stay in Moab (xxv. 6-xxxi., xxxiii. 50-xxxvi.). But parts of the remainder of the book are also from P, including a detailed itinerary of the Israelites from Egypt to Moab (eh. xxxiii.). One passage only (xxi. 33-35)appears to be incorporated from Deuteronomy. The JE portions will thus be seen to amount to less than a quarter of the whole. And these portions deal exclusively with the journey from Sinai to Kadesh before the forty years wandering to which the people were condemned, and with the journey to Moab after the forty years had elapsed. The history of the forty years themselves is a complete blank. It must not be supposed that either J, E, or P was a simple homogeneous composition. J and E both preserve material of a much earlier date, some parts of which may have existed merely in the form of floating oral tradition, but some must probably have been available in a written form which was incorporated by the narrators. Similarly the compiler of P preserves certain ritual ceremonies, which, though he colours them with his own late language and ideas, must have been handed down from a far past by those whose duty it was to preside over the sanctuaries of Israel, and to perpetuate the ancient ritual customs of the nation. But P not only preserved past traditions but was enriched with supplementary matter by later hands. In this commentary the symbol P is employed to denote all the priestly material, but it must be remembered that, as it stands, it is composed of different strata. Thus the book of Numbers was a gradual growth, containing elements which range from the earliest days of Israel's history down to a period later than Nehemiah. Its long and complicated growth was guided by the Holy Spirit in such a way that the completed result, as it lies before us, could fulfil His purpose of illustrating God's self-revelation and the gradual training and development of the Israelite nation for their appointed work in the world. .ANALYSIS xi CHAPTER II. ANALYSIS. A. i. 1-x. 10 (P). AT SINAI, (i) i.-iv. The census of the tribes, their arrangement in camp and on the march, and the duties of the tribe of Levi. (ii) v.-x. 10. Miscellaneous regulations and other priestly traditions. (a) Exclusion of unclean persons from the camp. v. 1-4, (b) Payments in compensation for wrongs. 5-10. (c) Ordeal of jealousy. 11-31, (d) Nazirites. vi. I-•u. (e) Triple formula of priestly blessing. 1111-27. (f) Offerings of the princes for the tabernacle. vii, (g-) The golden lampstand. viii. 1-4. (k) The Levites:- 5-116. their purification and dedication (vv. 5-1111), the age of service (vv. 23-116). (1) Supplementary Passover. ix. 1-14. (j) Fiery cloud upon the tabernacle. 15-113, {k) Two silver clarions. x. r-ro. B. x. JI-xxii. I (JEP). JOURNEYS BETWEEN SINAI AND MOAB. (i) x. II-xii. 16. Events between Sinai and the Wilderness of Paran. (a) Departure from Sinai; Moses' request to I;Iobab. x. 11-118, 34 (P); 119-33 (J). (b) Prayers connected with the movements of the ark. 35, 36 (J). (c) Murmurers destroyed by fire at Taberah. xi. 1-3 (E). (a') Manna and Quails. 4-10, 13, 18-24•, 31-34 (J). (e) The burden of the people too heavy for Moses. 11, 12, 14, 15 (J). (/) Spirit of ecstasy upon the elders. 16, 17, 141,_30 (E). (g) Journey to Hazeroth. 35 (J). (h) Miriam and Aaron complain of Moses' Cushite wife. xii. 1 {E). {i) Moses vroved uni4ue as a prophet of J1rnovAH, 11-16 (E). xii INTRODUCTION (ii) xiii., xiv. Narrative of the spies. Israel condemned to wander forty years. (a) Spies sent out, who search the land. xiii. 1-17•, 21b (P), 17b-2r•, 22-24 (JE). (b) Report of the spies. 25, 26•, 32 (P), 26b-3 1, 33 (JE). (c) Mutiny of the people. xiv. r (partly), 2, 5-7, ro (P); r (partly), 3, 4, 8, 9 (JE). (d) Moses' intercession averts destruction, but all except Caleb forbidden to enter Canaan. u-24 (JE), [v. 25 redactional.] (e) People condemned to wander forty years. Spies die by a plague. 26-30, 32-39• (P), 31, 39b (JE). (/) Attempted attack on the Negeb, and defeat by the natives. 39b-45 (JE). (iii) xv.-xix. (P, except parts of xvi.). Miscellaneous laws and narratives. (a) Meal-offerings and Libations. xv. 1-16. (b) Contribution of the ' first of 'arisiJtk.' 17-2 r. (c) Propitiatory offerings for inadvertent transgressions. 22-31. {d) Punishment of the man working on the Sabbath. 32--36. (e) Tassels to be worn at the corners of garments. 37-41. (/} Rebellion of Dathan and Abiram. xvi. 1 (partly), 2•, 12-15, 2 5-34 (JE). (g) Self-assertion of Korab and his followers against the tribe of Levi. 1 (partly}, 2h-7, 18-24, ;l5, 41-50 (P). [Self-assertion of Levites, Korah and his followers, against the pn·ests. 1 (partly), 8-rr, r6, 17, 36-40 (P2).] (k) Supet"i □ rity of the tribe of Levi proved by the blossoming of Aaron's staff. xvii. (t) Duties of priests and Levites. xviii. 1-7. 1/) Priests' dues. 8-20. (k) Levites' dues. 2r-24. (/) A further payment to the priests. 25-32. (m) Pm-ification by the ashes of a red cow. xix. (iv) xx.-xxii. 1. Journeys and events at the close of the wanderings until the arrival at Moab. (a) Arrival at the Wilderness of Zin.