ABSTRACT
Numbers expands the Law, and restarts the story of the wandering Israelites in the desert, probably in the thirteenth century bc (Ussher’s date for the events and for Moses’ supposed writing of the book is 1446). It takes its name from the ‘numbering’ (as an army) of the tribes and their officers; the formal rituals described are, on the whole, of interest only to the specialist. The episodic narrative portions do little to advance the main action of the Old Testament from Sinai to the Promised Land; the central argument of the book is that God holds the Israelites back for many years because they have doubted his power to give them these rich, powerful and well-guarded cities (Num 14–17). The book contains repeated exhortations to the people, based on fifth-century fears for national religious purity, to shun contact with the tribes they meet. One effect of this fear is that the narrative portions are often xenophobic as well as bloodthirsty (e.g. 25:1–14).
