NICOT Book of Numbers, The (Second Edition)

The book of Numbers tells a story with two main characters—God and Israel. The way the story is told sounds odd and often harsh to readers today. The main point of the book is nevertheless of immense importance for God’s people in any age: exact obedience to God is crucial.

This comprehensive and erudite commentary presents a thorough explication of this significant Hebrew text. Timothy Ashley’s introduction discusses such questions as structure, authorship, and theological themes, and it features an extended bibliography of major works on the book of Numbers. Then, dividing the text of Numbers into five major sections, Ashley elucidates the theological themes of obedience and disobedience, which run throughout. His detailed verse-by-verse comments primarily explain the Hebrew text of Numbers as it stands rather than speculate on how the book came to be in its present form. 

This second edition includes revisions that reflect Ashley’s decades of experience with the book of Numbers, as well as updates to the footnotes and bibliography, which add many important works published in the last thirty years. With these new features, Ashley’s commentary solidifies its place as the church’s most faithful and definitive reference on the book of Numbers.

656 pages.

Table of Contents

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INTRODUCTION
          I. Title and Contents
          II. Structure
          III. Authorship, Composition, and Interpretation of the Text
          IV. Theological Themes
          V. Text and Versions
          VI. Analysis of Contents
TEXT AND COMMENTARY
          I. Preparation for Departure (1:1–10:10)
          II. The Journey from Mt. Sinai to Kadesh-barnea (10:11–12:16)
          III. In and Around Kadesh-barnea (13:1–19:22)
          IV. The Journey from Kadesh-barnea to the Plains of Moab (20:1–22:1)
          V. On the Plains of Moab (22:2–36:13)
INDEXES
          Index of Subjects
          Index of Authors
          Index of Scripture References