Sheffield Old Testament Guides: Numbers
Overview
Wenham states that the purpose of this guide is to introduce modern readers to a book that, at first glance, appears droll and unexciting, but upon further reading and reflection, contains some of the most gripping stories in Scripture. The book of Numbers is comprised of stories containing humor, magic, prophecy, drama, solemn ritual and practical laws, yet many miss these interesting tales by failing to press through the droll beginning. The author examines this vital volume in six chapters entitled “The Arrangement of Numbers,” “The Genres of Numbers,” “The Sources of Numbers,” “Numbers and History,” “The Theology of Numbers,” and “Later Interpretation of Numbers.”
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Top Highlights
“This surely makes it plain that the editor of Numbers conceived it as a work analogous to Leviticus.” (Page 15)
“More promising for an insight into the book’s arrangement are analyses based on the geographical setting” (Page 16)
“It is therefore inappropriate to see the new age dawning in ch. 26 as Olson does: it is already high noon when Israel waits in the plains of Moab in ch. 22–25.” (Page 21)
“What does Numbers say about God and his relationship to Israel? What is its theme and how does it relate to the broader context of the Pentateuch?” (Page 12)
“Numbers is preoccupied with the fulfilment of the land promise: Canaan is the goal to which Israel is driving.” (Page 27)
- Title: Numbers
- Author: Gordon J. Wenham
- Publisher: Sheffield Academic
- Publication Date: 1997
- Pages: 123
Gordon J. Wenham (1943–) is recognized as an expert on the Pentateuch. He studied theology at Cambridge University and went on to do Old Testament research at King’s College, London. He also spent time at Harvard University and in Jerusalem at the Ecole Biblique and the Hebrew University. Along with currently teaching Old Testament at Trinity College, Wenham leads Trinity’s pilgrimages and study tours to the Holy Land. He has held teaching positions and served as visiting lecturer at several institutions around the world.
From 1995 to 2005, Wenham was Professor of Old Testament at the University of Gloucestershire, where he now holds the title Professor Emeritis. Wenham also taught Old Testament at Queen’s University in Belfast.
Some of Wenham’s publications include the volume on Genesis in Word Biblical Commentary, the Numbers volume in the Tyndale Commentaries, the Pentatech volume of Exploring the Old Testament, and the volume on Leviticus in The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testament.
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11/30/2014
