Just a short blog entry this time, to finish off my reading of Numbers. Chapter 26 deals with how the promised land will be divided up among the tribes and peoples of Israel, and (at 26:11) we find out that the children of Korah have in fact survived the disaster that befell their father (earth opening up and swallowing him and others). We're told at 26:54 that the land will be divided according to the size of each tribe, so as to avoid any inequalities. This theme of equality among the people of Israel continues in chapter 27, when the daughters of Zelophehad fight for their right to an inheritance, despite having no brothers. God is favourable to their cause, and creates a new inheritance law (at 27:8) in their honour, which stipulates that when there's no son to inherit, the first-born daughter shall inherit instead. At the end of chapter 27, the "God of the spirits of all flesh", as Moses calls him (27:16), anoints Joshua as Israel's new leader-elect, and so the people lay hands on him (27:23).
Chapter 28 gets bogged down in the detail of offerings, a theme that has dominated in recent books, and the only discernible innovation I could spot this time was the "drink offering" (28:7) of wine. Chapter 29 also has more detail about offerings related to the Passover feast, while chapter 30 explores the laws around making a vow with God, which boils down to men shouldn't break vows to God, while a woman should also abide by her vow unless her husband or father disallows it. The vow of widowers stands in all circumstances. As well as the sexist overtones, I'm not really sure what these vows entail, or what the benefits were of making them (surely best to keep intentions quiet).
The action recommences in chapter 31, when the nation of Israel sets out to war against the Midianites, involving one thousand men from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. We're told that all the Midianite men, including Balaam (31:8) are killed, however Moses is cross that the returning soldiers brought back all the women and children with them. At 31:17, Moses instructs the army that all the young Midianite boys should be slaughtered, and that all the women who slept with Israeli men at Peor (on the plains of Moab, under Balaam's blessing) be killed too. There's also lots of detail about the "booty" (31:32) that the army brought back, including 675,000 sheep and lots of "beeves" (cows).
In chapter 32, the children of Reuben and Gad suggest staying where they are in Gilead and raising cattle, which angers God, so to make amends they are told to go into battle eastwards of Jordan. This ploy works and the two tribes get to inherit Gilead and extend the boundaries of the promised land. At 33:2, there's a reference in the text that asserts that Moses has written this account (for thousands of years, people – especially Jews – believed that the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Bible, were written by Moses, however academics refute this). Chapter 33 then goes on to provide a recap of the journey so far, starting with the Exodus from Egypt and listing various place names before ending up in the "plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho". The question of whether the exodus actually happened historically is a vexed one – I recommend this essay from a Jewish perspective.
At the end of chapter 33 (verse 55), there's a poetic passage that details the pitfalls of not driving out all the natives of your promised land, lest they become "thorns in your sides" or "pricks in your eyes", followed by a warning at 33:56, "Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them", if they ignore this advice. In chapter 34, the contours of the promised land are set, with the western border determined rather vaguely as the "great sea" (Mediterranean) and the eastern border a little more specific, going from the source of the river Jordan down to the Red Sea. I really struggled to understand the northern and southern limits though.
At 34:17-29, we're given the names of the men in each of the 12 tribes who will inherit the land, and they are told (at 35:3) they should create "suburbs" around their cities for cattle and beasts. Chapter 35 is a little odd in that it instructs the people to also create refuge cities for anyone who has killed accidentally, while intentional "manslayers" (35:12) should be killed. The Book of Numbers closes with chapter 36, in which the people are told (at 36:8) that inheriting daughters must marry within their tribe. Of minor interest to me was the fact that, one of the five daughters of Zelophehad, who have to marry their "father's brothers' sons" (cousins), is called Noah.
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| Giovanni Lanfranco's depiction of Joshua (centre) |
The action recommences in chapter 31, when the nation of Israel sets out to war against the Midianites, involving one thousand men from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. We're told that all the Midianite men, including Balaam (31:8) are killed, however Moses is cross that the returning soldiers brought back all the women and children with them. At 31:17, Moses instructs the army that all the young Midianite boys should be slaughtered, and that all the women who slept with Israeli men at Peor (on the plains of Moab, under Balaam's blessing) be killed too. There's also lots of detail about the "booty" (31:32) that the army brought back, including 675,000 sheep and lots of "beeves" (cows).
In chapter 32, the children of Reuben and Gad suggest staying where they are in Gilead and raising cattle, which angers God, so to make amends they are told to go into battle eastwards of Jordan. This ploy works and the two tribes get to inherit Gilead and extend the boundaries of the promised land. At 33:2, there's a reference in the text that asserts that Moses has written this account (for thousands of years, people – especially Jews – believed that the Pentateuch, or first five books of the Bible, were written by Moses, however academics refute this). Chapter 33 then goes on to provide a recap of the journey so far, starting with the Exodus from Egypt and listing various place names before ending up in the "plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho". The question of whether the exodus actually happened historically is a vexed one – I recommend this essay from a Jewish perspective.
At the end of chapter 33 (verse 55), there's a poetic passage that details the pitfalls of not driving out all the natives of your promised land, lest they become "thorns in your sides" or "pricks in your eyes", followed by a warning at 33:56, "Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them", if they ignore this advice. In chapter 34, the contours of the promised land are set, with the western border determined rather vaguely as the "great sea" (Mediterranean) and the eastern border a little more specific, going from the source of the river Jordan down to the Red Sea. I really struggled to understand the northern and southern limits though.
At 34:17-29, we're given the names of the men in each of the 12 tribes who will inherit the land, and they are told (at 35:3) they should create "suburbs" around their cities for cattle and beasts. Chapter 35 is a little odd in that it instructs the people to also create refuge cities for anyone who has killed accidentally, while intentional "manslayers" (35:12) should be killed. The Book of Numbers closes with chapter 36, in which the people are told (at 36:8) that inheriting daughters must marry within their tribe. Of minor interest to me was the fact that, one of the five daughters of Zelophehad, who have to marry their "father's brothers' sons" (cousins), is called Noah.
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