Numbers 13

Numbers 13:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 13:2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers, you will send a man, each one a leader among them.”

Numbers 13:3 So Moses sent them from the open country of Paran, according to the command of Yahveh, all of them men who were leaders of the people of Israel.

Numbers 13:4 And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur;

Numbers 13:5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori;

Numbers 13:6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh;

Numbers 13:7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph;

Numbers 13:8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun;

Numbers 13:9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti, the son of Raphu;

Numbers 13:10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi;

Numbers 13:11 from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi the son of Susi;

Numbers 13:12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli;

Numbers 13:13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur, the son of Michael;

Numbers 13:14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;

Numbers 13:15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel, the son of Machi.

Numbers 13:16 These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.

Numbers 13:17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negev and go up into the hill country,

Numbers 13:18 and see what the land is, and whether the people who stay in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many,

Numbers 13:19 and whether the land that they stay in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they stay in are camps or strongholds,

Numbers 13:20 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be strong[1] and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

Numbers 13:21 So they went up and spied out the land from the open country of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath.

Numbers 13:22 They went up into the Negev and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

Numbers 13:23 And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs.

Numbers 13:24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.

Numbers 13:25 At the end of forty days, they returned from spying out the land.

Numbers 13:26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the people of Israel in the open country of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.

Numbers 13:27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

Numbers 13:28 However, the people who stay in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.

Numbers 13:29 The Amalekites stay in the land of the Negev. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites stay in the hill country. And the Canaanites stay by the sea and along the Jordan.”

Numbers 13:30 But Caleb quieted the people in the sight of Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it because we are well able to overcome it.”

Numbers 13:31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people because they are stronger than we are.”

Numbers 13:32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, and this is what he said: “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.

Numbers 13:33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

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[1] חָזָק  = be strong.

Numbers 13 quotes:

“God knows the greatest threat to this mission is not the people and the walled cities of this land of milk and honey, no matter how well “fortified” (Num. 13:19). No, the greatest threat to the forward motion of this story is the fear ever welling up in the hearts of these travelers. God’s people were and still are far more proficient at sitting and wailing, than at marching and praising. We quickly grow nostalgic for the past, even a past of slavery, whenever “the future” is uncertain, even that future as far out as our next cup of water, or our next bite of bread. As this people gets ready to face their greatest test of the future (their entry into a new land of promise), the Lord only knows that they will need some help, a lot of help, and the more tangible the better. So God offers them a “foretaste of.the future,” in word (the report) and in sacrament (the fruit), so that they might “be bold,” as were these leaders, when the time to “cross over” arrives.”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 156.

“Out of that vast crowd, only four people acknowledged the importance of seeking God’s mind and trusting his word. The rest, tortured by uncertainty, plagued with inadequacy and paralysed by fear, refused to press on with their journey. Christian readers will learn from their mistakes and trace their path into the future with the landmarks clearly portrayed in this graphic narrative. There may be times when, like them, we are genuinely fearful about the way ahead. Some have discovered they are seriously unwell or have heard that someone they love has a terminal illness. Security at work is threatened; redundancy and unemployment become a grim probability. Church relationships may have become soured by the damaging example of an admired leader or the defection of valued friends. Family stability has been jeopardized by a partner’s unfaithfulness, or parents may be deeply troubled about tensions in the lives of their married children. What seemed a reasonably tranquil and secure life is suddenly tossed into agonizing turmoil. How does the believer react to such a dramatic and unwelcome change of circumstances?”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 114.

“The report must have struck paralyzing fear in the tribes that stood and listened. Terror seized their hearts, and Caleb must have immediately sized up the situation. He replied with a swift conclusion without taking the time to build up his case: They should take possession of the land, he said, for we can certainly do it. Caleb’s response was the response of faith. God’s words stirred up his heart in believing faith, and the empirical evidence he had gained by witnessing the land for himself corroborated this conclusion.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 308.

“Their request for spies reveals a lack of faith on their part. They are not trusting Him. God had already been in and spied out the land. He knew all about it. He would not have sent them into the land unless He knew they could take it. When they finally did enter the land, the giants were still there; all the difficulties and problems were still there, yet they took the land.”

McGee J. Vernon. Numbers. T. Nelson 1991. p. 86.

“From Deuteronomy 1:22 it seems that the purpose of the mission was to strengthen the Israelites’ faith, not to bring back tactical information.”

Wenham, Gordon J.. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 4) (p. 131). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Numbers 13 links:

an obedient walk
scout’s dishonor
the grasshopper report
what you see hiking

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The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Numbers 12

Numbers 12:1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married.

Numbers 12:2 And they said, “Has Yahveh really spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And Yahveh heard it.

Numbers 12:3 Now, the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the land.

Numbers 12:4 And suddenly Yahveh said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the conference tent.” And the three of them came out.

Numbers 12:5 And Yahveh came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.

Numbers 12:6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I Yahveh make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.

Numbers 12:7 That is not the case with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.

Numbers 12:8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he notices the form of Yahveh. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

Numbers 12:9 And the anger of Yahveh was kindled against them, and he departed.

Numbers 12:10 When the cloud lifted from over the tent, Aaron noticed that Miriam had diseased skin, like snow. He turned toward Miriam and noticed that she was diseased.

Numbers 12:11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.

Numbers 12:12 Let her not be as a dead one, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s uterus.”

Numbers 12:13 And Moses cried to Yahveh, “O God, please heal her — please.”

Numbers 12:14 But Yahveh said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp for seven days, and after that, she may be brought in again.”

Numbers 12:15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not advance on the march till Miriam was brought in again.

Numbers 12:16 After that, the people advanced from Hazeroth and camped in the open country of Paran.

Numbers 12 quotes:

“What had first been a complaint by the people, then a complaint by the people and Moses, now becomes a personal complaint against Moses lodged by the members of his inner cabinet: Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ sister and brother, his fellow leaders.

Their complaint begins with an attack on Moses on account of his wife (probably Zipporah, a Midianite with links to Cush; cf. Hab. 3:7), then moves to a more substantive charge regarding authority (“Has the LorD spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” v. 2). (Ironically, the narrative has just dealt with God’s inclusion of another Midianite, Hobab [Num. 10:29-32] and with Moses’ defense of shared leadership [11:29].) Moses opens not his mouth against his accusers (cf. Isa. 53:7), but the Lord does, through a personal arbitration at the tent of meeting. Undoubtedly, the Lord’s words are only salt in the wound, pointing out the superiority of words to visions (Moses is always viewed as far more than a “seer”), the comprehensive nature of Moses’ authority (“He is entrusted with all my house”; Num. 12:7), and the face-to-face (or“mouth-to-mouth” in the Hebrew) nature of their relationship (v. 8). The Lord then “departs” (v. 9).

However, the Lord is not yet through. The “insider” now becomes the “outsider”—Miriam is made leprous, as white as snow (cf. Lev. 13). Aaron cries out, Moses intercedes, and the Lord pronounces a judgment with a limited term (“Let her be shut out of the camp for seven days”; Num. 12:14).”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 152.

“The offence of Aaron and Miriam had held them up in their desert travels, but it would be a week well spent if it taught them to honour God and to shun sin.”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p, 112.

“It was not just a case of petty family jealousy, for Aaron, Moses’ brother, was also the high priest and therefore supreme religious leader and most holy man in Israel; while Miriam, his sister, was a prophetess and thus head of the spirit-filled women (Exod. 15:20f.). Here, then, is an alliance of priest and prophet, the two archetypes of Israelite religion, challenging Moses’ position as sole mediator between God and Israel. His vindication is at once decisive and dramatic: indeed the description of his position and office clearly prefigures that of our Lord in the New Testament.”

Wenham, Gordon J.. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 4) (p. 124). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

a respectful walk
snow white

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Maranatha Daily Devotional – Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Numbers 11

Numbers 11:1 The people complained in the hearing of Yahveh about their misfortunes, and when Yahveh heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of Yahveh burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

Numbers 11:2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to Yahveh, and the fire died down.

Numbers 11:3 So the name of that place was called Taberah,[1] because the fire of Yahveh burned among them.

Numbers 11:4 Now the riffraff[2] that was among them had a strong craving. The people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh, that we had meat to eat!”

Numbers 11:5 We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, as well as the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.

Numbers 11:6 But now our throat is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this man[3] to look at.”

Numbers 11:7 Now, the man was like coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of bdellium.

Numbers 11:8 The people went about and gathered it, ground it in hand mills or beat it in mortars, boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it. The taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.

Numbers 11:9 When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the man fell with it.

Numbers 11:10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of Yahveh blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.

Numbers 11:11 Moses said to Yahveh, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight that you lay the burden of all these people on me?

Numbers 11:12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers?

Numbers 11:13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? Because they weep in the sight of me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat.’

Numbers 11:14 I am not able to carry all these people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.

Numbers 11:15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my misery.”

Numbers 11:16 Then Yahveh said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers[4] over them, and bring them to the conference tent, and let them take their stand there with you.

Numbers 11:17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Breath that is on you and put it on them, and they will carry the burden of the people with you so that you may not have it yourself alone.

Numbers 11:18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, because you have wept in the hearing of Yahveh, and this is what you said: “Who will give us meat to eat? Because it was better for us in Egypt.” That is why Yahveh will give you meat, and you will eat.

Numbers 11:19 You will not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,

Numbers 11:20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes repulsive to you, because you have rejected Yahveh who is among you and have wept in the sight of him, and this is what he said, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”‘”

Numbers 11:21 But Moses said, “The people I am among number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat to eat a whole month!’

Numbers 11:22 will flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or will all the fish of the sea be collected for them and be enough for them?”

Numbers 11:23 And Yahveh said to Moses, “Is Yahveh’s hand shortened? Now you will see whether my word will come true for you or not.”

Numbers 11:24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of Yahveh. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and positioned them around the tent.

Numbers 11:25 Then Yahveh came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took some of the Breath that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Breath rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

Numbers 11:26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Breath rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp.

Numbers 11:27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

Numbers 11:28 And Joshua, the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My master Moses, stop them.”

Numbers 11:29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all Yahveh’s people were prophets, that Yahveh would put his Breath on them!”

Numbers 11:30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Numbers 11:31 Then a wind from Yahveh advanced, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground.

Numbers 11:32 And the people went out all that day and all night and all the next day and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least scored ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

Numbers 11:33 While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was swallowed, the anger of Yahveh was kindled against the people, and Yahveh struck down the people with a very great plague.

Numbers 11:34 Therefore, that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah because there they buried the people who had the craving.

Numbers 11:35 From Kibroth-hattaavah, the people advanced to Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

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[1] תַּבְעֵרָה = burning.

[2] אֲסַפְסֻף = riffraff.

[3] מָן = man (a type of bread). Numbers 11:6, 7, 9.

[4] שֹׁטֵר = officer.

Numbers 11 quotes:

“Although we have covered countless regulations for lesser sins, here no Purification or Reparation Offering will suffice. It is bad enough to dishonor your parents (Lev. 19:3). It is worse to dishonor your leaders (Num. 12:1). It is worst of all to dishonor your God (again, Num. 15:30). The Lord must act, and God does. Like the fire team that intentionally sets a “fire line” to keep the larger fire from spreading, the Holy Lord steps in with “refining” fire. And “some outlying parts of the camp” are “consumed” (11:1). Given the people’s history, it’s a wonder that God doesn’t do more.”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 145.

“If only those Israelites could have seen that those tough days in the bleak desert were God’s training days, encouraging them to believe that, having delivered them from their Egyptian captors, he would go on to deliver them from their malevolent moods, ungrateful attitudes and churlish dissatisfaction!”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 88.

“Complaints are a reflection upon the one who is responsible. If the almighty God is responsible and people complain, they are casting aspersions upon Him. For this reason, Israel’s complaining distressed Moses.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 86.

“11:26-30. We now see a glimpse of Moses’ true character and also a trait necessary for anyone who would be used of the Lord: humility. Apparently two people who had been absent when the seventy received their spiritual endowment from God now also received this same grace and were prophesying in the camp. Evidently the Lord had given them these gifts without informing anyone else. This activity alerted the loyal Joshua, who told Moses to stop them. Moses responded by voicing approval for these two servants, Eldad and Medad. He stated that he wished all the LORD’s people were prophets and would display similar gifts. He reasoned that God’s influence would spread with more prophets such as them.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 298.

“From the time the Israelites arrived at Sinai (Ex. 19) until the time they depart (Num. 10) we have for the most part been hearing God’s voice in instruction. But with Num. 11, we are again called upon to consider the people, and as usual it is very disappointing. Notice the opening words, “And when the people complained.” What they were complaining about, we are not told, as the cause was probably too insignificant to mention. Under the circumstances one would expect to see them joyous and thankful. A little more than a year before they had been downtrodden slaves. At this time they were a perfectly organized nation, having for their government laws which could not be improved upon ; they were under the protection and leadership of Almighty God, who made and upholds the universe; and they had the Divine assurance that no people could stand before them, and that they were marching toward a glorious land not far distant which was to be their future home. Yet, instead of being filled with thoughts of these things, they are spending their time complaining about some little thing which did not suit their fancy. How is it they enter so little into God’s great thoughts for them? They seem unable to learn except by the most severe chastisement.”

Saxe, Grace. Studies in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Grace Saxe, 1921. p. 32.

“Fire is a sign of divine activity, either in blessing or in judgment (cf. Lev. 9:24; 10:1). The text does not make clear what was burnt on this occasion, whether it was just shrubs near the tents, or some of the tents themselves. However, the people realized the danger they were in and appealed to Moses to pray for them. As on previous occasions God heeded his intercession (Exod. 15:25; 32:11–14). To commemorate the event the place was called Taberah, ‘burning’.”

Wenham, Gordon J.. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 4) (p. 120). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Numbers 11 links:

a prayerful walk
craving cemetery
divine overkill
introducing the breath of God
rose colored memories
tested at Taberah
this strange thing

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The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Numbers 10

Numbers 10:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 10:2 “Make two silver trumpets. You will make them of hammered work, and you will use them for convening the congregation and for breaking camp.

Numbers 10:3 And when both are blown, all the congregation will gather themselves to you at the entrance of the conference tent.

Numbers 10:4 But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the tribes of Israel, should gather themselves to you.

Numbers 10:5 When you blow an alarm, the camps that are on the east side will advance.

Numbers 10:6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are on the south side will advance. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out.

Numbers 10:7 But when the assembly is to be collected, you will blow a long blast, but you will not sound an alarm.

Numbers 10:8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, will blow the trumpets. The trumpets will be to you for a permanent prescription throughout your generations.

Numbers 10:9 And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you will sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered in the sight of Yahveh your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.

Numbers 10:10 On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you will blow the trumpets over your ascending offerings and over the sacrifices of your offering for healthy relationships. They will be a reminder of you in the sight of your God: I am Yahveh your God.”

Numbers 10:11 Then in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, this happened: the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the reminder,

Numbers 10:12 and the sons of Israel advanced by stages from the Sinai open country. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran.

Numbers 10:13 They advanced for the first time at the command of Yahveh by Moses.

Numbers 10:14 The standard of the camp of the people of Judah advanced first by their companies, and over their company was Nachshon the son of Amminadab.

Numbers 10:15 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.

Numbers 10:16 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

Numbers 10:17 And when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, advanced.

Numbers 10:18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben advanced by their companies, and over their company was Elitsur the son of Shedeur.

Numbers 10:19 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

Numbers 10:20 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was Elyasaph the son of Deuel.

Numbers 10:21 Then the Kohathites advanced, carrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival.

Numbers 10:22 And the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim advanced by their companies, and over their company was Elishama the son of Ammihud.

Numbers 10:23 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

Numbers 10:24 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

Numbers 10:25 Then the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the rear guard of all the camps, advanced by their companies, and over their company was Achiezer the son of Ammishaddai.

Numbers 10:26 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ochran.

Numbers 10:27 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was Achira the son of Enan.

Numbers 10:28 This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they advanced.

Numbers 10:29 And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are advancing for the place of which Yahveh said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, because Yahveh has promised good to Israel.”

Numbers 10:30 But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.”

Numbers 10:31 And he said, “Please do not leave us, because you know where we should camp in the open country, and you will serve as eyes for us.

Numbers 10:32 And if you do go with us, whatever good Yahveh will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

Numbers 10:33 So they advanced from the mount of Yahveh for a three days’ journey. And the ark of the covenant of Yahveh went before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them.

Numbers 10:34 And the cloud of Yahveh was over them by day, whenever they advanced from the camp.

Numbers 10:35 And whenever the ark advanced, Moses said, “Arise, O Yahveh, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you run away before you.”

Numbers 10:36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Yahveh, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”

Numbers 10 quotes:

“Every now and then, a hymn is sung the way it’s supposed to be sung, a day is lived the way it’s supposed to be lived, a congregation moves out in service the way it’s supposed to move out in service. This day, for Israel, is just such a day. For once, everything and everyone is in order. For once, no one is arguing about what they should do. Like that great day when God said, “Go,” and Abram went, or when Jesus said, “Come, follow,” and the disciples came and followed, this is a time when God’s creatures do what they are created to do.”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 140.

“Whatever the soldiers’ frame of mind, valiant or diffident, all needed to be assured of the Lord’s promised help; and that blast on the trumpets was to remind them that they were remembered by the LorD … and rescued from their enemies (9). The Lord had given his word that he would be alongside them in every conflict situation, assuring them that they would be rescued from their enemies. With the sound of that cheering trumpet blast, reminding them of the divine promise, they could go out to face the worst of oppressors.”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. pp. 78-79.

“Both the reconciling of people to God by the Lord Jesus Christ and the giving of the Holy Spirit into their hearts to comfort them and to guide them must eventuate in action. We need to pay attention to the message of James that faith without works is dead. We must put our ideas into practice.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 82.

“Whenever both trumpets sounded, the entire community would assemble before Moses at the tent of meeting. But if one trumpet sounded, only the leaders would be summoned to appear before Moses. When the tribes were to break camp and move on, the signal was a blast, evidently a different sound than the signal for gathering them together, which required a blow. The latter was probably a longer sound.
Aaron and his sons were to blow the trumpets. The Lord directed them to observe this procedure as a lasting ordinance. He also provided two other uses of the trumpet—a battle cry to arms when attacked by an enemy and a summons to feast days. The first alarm looked forward to the nation residing in the land. Before they drew arms, they would sound the trumpets as a means of asking for God’s help in engaging their enemies. The other use of the trumpet came during the observance of important feast days.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 295.

“They were straight pipes, a little less than 18 in. (45cm) long with a flared opening at the end. They could be blown in various ways to give different signals. What distinguished blowing and sounding an alarm is uncertain. But if we follow Jewish tradition, long blasts (Hebrew tāqa‘, RSV blow) were used to assemble people to Moses, to the tent of meeting and for worship (3–4, 10).”

Wenham, Gordon J.. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 4) (pp. 114-115). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Numbers 10 links:

a confident walk
passing on the blessing
ready to go
trademark trumpets

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The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library