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The Rational Bible
The Rational Bible: Numbers: God and Man in the Wilderness
If you think the Bible is irrelevant, irrational, or even, at times, immoral—and you have an open mind—The Rational Bible will change your mind and influence your outlook on life.
You will come to understand why the Bible and especially its first five books, the Torah, are the most influential books ever written. Equally important, you will understand how they apply to your life.
The Rational Bible, Dennis Prager’s commentary and explanation of these five books—rooted in his expertise in biblical Hebrew and its grammar—is widely considered the most important modern Bible commentary. Read the thousands of reviews on Amazon—written by people of many faiths and of no faith—and you will appreciate why this is so.
The Book of Numbers—“In the Wilderness” in the original Hebrew—is the fourth book of the Bible. Among the many compelling issues addressed in this volume are the Doubting God. What produces faith—miracles or effort? And if effort, what efforts work? Arguing with God. Ingratitude as a source of evil. Why only men could be priests. Why the conscience is not morally reliable. Is fanaticism ever justified? Is there luck in life, or is everything determined by God’s will? The title of this five-volume commentary is The Rational Bible because its approach is entirely reason-based. The reader is never asked to accept anything on faith alone. In Dennis Prager’s words, “If something I write is not rational, I have not done my job.”
Few people alive today have influenced as many people as has Dennis Prager. In the words of the website, Powerline, “Dennis Prager is probably the foremost public intellectual of our time.” Read The Rational Bible and you will understand why.
You will come to understand why the Bible and especially its first five books, the Torah, are the most influential books ever written. Equally important, you will understand how they apply to your life.
The Rational Bible, Dennis Prager’s commentary and explanation of these five books—rooted in his expertise in biblical Hebrew and its grammar—is widely considered the most important modern Bible commentary. Read the thousands of reviews on Amazon—written by people of many faiths and of no faith—and you will appreciate why this is so.
The Book of Numbers—“In the Wilderness” in the original Hebrew—is the fourth book of the Bible. Among the many compelling issues addressed in this volume are the Doubting God. What produces faith—miracles or effort? And if effort, what efforts work? Arguing with God. Ingratitude as a source of evil. Why only men could be priests. Why the conscience is not morally reliable. Is fanaticism ever justified? Is there luck in life, or is everything determined by God’s will? The title of this five-volume commentary is The Rational Bible because its approach is entirely reason-based. The reader is never asked to accept anything on faith alone. In Dennis Prager’s words, “If something I write is not rational, I have not done my job.”
Few people alive today have influenced as many people as has Dennis Prager. In the words of the website, Powerline, “Dennis Prager is probably the foremost public intellectual of our time.” Read The Rational Bible and you will understand why.
638 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2024
70 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Dennis Prager
48 books469 followersDennis Prager is a best-selling author, columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show host based in Los Angeles and heard on 150 stations across the country.
A Fellow at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, where he did graduate work at the Middle East and Russian Institutes, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Review Conference on the Helsinki Accords, and by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. He holds an honorary doctorate of law from Pepperdine University.
A highly sought-after speaker and frequent cable news show guest, Dennis has lectured all over the world. His New York Times best-selling books include Think a Second Time, Happiness is a Serious Problem and Still the Best Hope: Why American Values Must Triumph. His newest book is The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code.
A Fellow at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, where he did graduate work at the Middle East and Russian Institutes, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Delegation to the Vienna Review Conference on the Helsinki Accords, and by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. He holds an honorary doctorate of law from Pepperdine University.
A highly sought-after speaker and frequent cable news show guest, Dennis has lectured all over the world. His New York Times best-selling books include Think a Second Time, Happiness is a Serious Problem and Still the Best Hope: Why American Values Must Triumph. His newest book is The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 5, 2025
"You have, as it were to be nowhere to encounter the God of everywhere. In the silence of the desert you hear the voice of God. In the isolation of the desert you find yourself alone with God.”
“The nation of Israel did not march with a banner, flag, or any other national symbol. Israel marched and fought for a moral code: The Ten Commandments.”
“I regard reason as more powerful than miracles in bringing people to God.”
“The nation of Israel did not march with a banner, flag, or any other national symbol. Israel marched and fought for a moral code: The Ten Commandments.”
“I regard reason as more powerful than miracles in bringing people to God.”
February 21, 2025
Wow. I’d read the Old Testament on many occasions throughout my life but Prager’s comments & essays have given me a whole new perspective. Just one example, learning about God’s view on women’s right to inherit land & to choose her own husband.
December 28, 2025
Dennis Prager supplies his typical wise, rational explanation of the Torah, with key contextual explanations. Perhaps my memory is flawed, but this seems to have the most practical advice for how to live in this series of commentaries (as opposed to advice on what to believe). He also provides the clearest explanations for some of his personal conclusions that are themes throughout his books - such as the importance of the U.S.A. as a nation founded with Judeo-Christian values.
January 6, 2025
An outstanding work of remarkable scholarship. There are a few times that there are more questions than answers in this book.
February 20, 2025
Prager's commentary is enlightening and wise.
September 4, 2025
My thoughts here are largely the same as my thoughts about the rest of Prager’s series so far. Indeed, even calling it a series is kind of a misnomer. Really, it’s one long work divided into five volumes (of which four have been published so far, and we’re all hoping for Prager’s full recovery from his recent injury both for his own sake and so he can finish Leviticus). When I’ve read previous volumes, I’ve pointed out that obviously, readers will come at this book from a variety of perspectives. There are certain passages atheists will struggle to understand even despite Prager’s best attempts to explain (atheists might argue explain away) some of the difficult passages. Christians will notice a lack of commentary pointing toward what they believe are foreshadowings of the New Testament. And though Prager’s Jewish commentary will feel most comfortable to the Jewish people, different movements within Judaism might agree or disagree on a variety of points.
But what’s been particularly useful for me as I read the series, and the same is true here in Numbers, is that it’s helpful to get the Jewish perspective on these stories. Coming from a Christian background and also having read a fair amount of non-religious biblical criticism, I was largely aware of those arguments and perspectives. Because Christians and Jews share these books in common, the Jewish and Christian perspectives are quite similar but not identical and it's been useful for me to see how Prager has connected the stories to Talmudic commentaries as well as how he has tied many of the issues to modern social problems. Herein lies deep wisdom and it’s well worth studying.
My biggest criticism is barely a criticism but it needs to be mentioned: this is quite repetitive. This is not the author’s fault. He set out to write a line-by-line commentary, and because the Bible itself often repeats points, many of Prager’s commentaries additionally become quite repetitive. For his longer points—the ones about which he wrote entire essays—he solves this problem simply and effectively by pointing the reader to those essays whenever a repeated point comes up rather than actually rewriting the whole thing. That said, small points are often repeated, and if you come into this book shortly after reading his Exodus commentary (again, because his Leviticus hasn’t been published yet), the repetition will be even more noticeable because Numbers does deal with a lot of the same themes as Exodus.
That said, though Prager’s commentaries won’t offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking for those who are well versed in Torah or Bible scholarship, those readers who have only ever read the Bible superficially before will find his insights quite useful, especially when it comes to somewhat strange or potentially confusing stories like the test of bitter water or the story of Baalam and his donkey. I’m not going to say Prager’s commentary is the final word on those or any other matters, but I did find it quite useful. I probably didn’t like this commentary quite as much as I did the Exodus volume—but then again, I personally find the Exodus narrative itself even more engaging, so that’s probably as much to do with the source material as with the commentary itself.
But what’s been particularly useful for me as I read the series, and the same is true here in Numbers, is that it’s helpful to get the Jewish perspective on these stories. Coming from a Christian background and also having read a fair amount of non-religious biblical criticism, I was largely aware of those arguments and perspectives. Because Christians and Jews share these books in common, the Jewish and Christian perspectives are quite similar but not identical and it's been useful for me to see how Prager has connected the stories to Talmudic commentaries as well as how he has tied many of the issues to modern social problems. Herein lies deep wisdom and it’s well worth studying.
My biggest criticism is barely a criticism but it needs to be mentioned: this is quite repetitive. This is not the author’s fault. He set out to write a line-by-line commentary, and because the Bible itself often repeats points, many of Prager’s commentaries additionally become quite repetitive. For his longer points—the ones about which he wrote entire essays—he solves this problem simply and effectively by pointing the reader to those essays whenever a repeated point comes up rather than actually rewriting the whole thing. That said, small points are often repeated, and if you come into this book shortly after reading his Exodus commentary (again, because his Leviticus hasn’t been published yet), the repetition will be even more noticeable because Numbers does deal with a lot of the same themes as Exodus.
That said, though Prager’s commentaries won’t offer anything particularly new or groundbreaking for those who are well versed in Torah or Bible scholarship, those readers who have only ever read the Bible superficially before will find his insights quite useful, especially when it comes to somewhat strange or potentially confusing stories like the test of bitter water or the story of Baalam and his donkey. I’m not going to say Prager’s commentary is the final word on those or any other matters, but I did find it quite useful. I probably didn’t like this commentary quite as much as I did the Exodus volume—but then again, I personally find the Exodus narrative itself even more engaging, so that’s probably as much to do with the source material as with the commentary itself.
November 30, 2024
About the Book:
If you think the Bible is irrelevant, irrational, or even, at times, immoral—and you have an open mind—The Rational Bible will change your mind and influence your outlook on life.
You will come to understand why the Bible and especially its first five books, the Torah, are the most influential books ever written. Equally important, you will understand how they apply to your life.
The Rational Bible, Dennis Prager’s commentary and explanation of these five books—rooted in his expertise in biblical Hebrew and its grammar—is widely considered the most important modern Bible commentary. Read the thousands of reviews on Amazon—written by people of many faiths and of no faith—and you will appreciate why this is so.
The Book of Numbers—“In the Wilderness” in the original Hebrew—is the fourth book of the Bible. Among the many compelling issues addressed in this volume are the Doubting God. What produces faith—miracles or effort? And if effort, what efforts work? Arguing with God. Ingratitude as a source of evil. Why only men could be priests. Why the conscience is not morally reliable. Is fanaticism ever justified? Is there luck in life, or is everything determined by God’s will? The title of this five-volume commentary is The Rational Bible because its approach is entirely reason-based. The reader is never asked to accept anything on faith alone. In Dennis Prager’s words, “If something I write is not rational, I have not done my job.”
Few people alive today have influenced as many people as has Dennis Prager. In the words of the website, Powerline, “Dennis Prager is probably the foremost public intellectual of our time.” Read The Rational Bible and you will understand why.
My Review:
Not all commentaries are created equal. You do have to be careful the commentaries you align yourself with I just have to say that first. Dennis Prager--the author of this commentary The Rational Bible is a best-selling author, columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show host based in Los Angeles and heard on 150 stations across the country. He is known across the nation.
This commentary in my opinion wasn't just some boring book. I like how it was laid out in a sort of question answer format. I like tat the author answers many of the question I have long since had about the Bible and different things that happened therein. It was full of facts backed by scripture which is also a very good thing to have in a commentary.
This along with a Bible study on the book of Numbers is a good thing to have close by. It helps explain a lot of the things you are reading and will open up the Bible in a lot of ways to you.
Great study material!
**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher.
If you think the Bible is irrelevant, irrational, or even, at times, immoral—and you have an open mind—The Rational Bible will change your mind and influence your outlook on life.
You will come to understand why the Bible and especially its first five books, the Torah, are the most influential books ever written. Equally important, you will understand how they apply to your life.
The Rational Bible, Dennis Prager’s commentary and explanation of these five books—rooted in his expertise in biblical Hebrew and its grammar—is widely considered the most important modern Bible commentary. Read the thousands of reviews on Amazon—written by people of many faiths and of no faith—and you will appreciate why this is so.
The Book of Numbers—“In the Wilderness” in the original Hebrew—is the fourth book of the Bible. Among the many compelling issues addressed in this volume are the Doubting God. What produces faith—miracles or effort? And if effort, what efforts work? Arguing with God. Ingratitude as a source of evil. Why only men could be priests. Why the conscience is not morally reliable. Is fanaticism ever justified? Is there luck in life, or is everything determined by God’s will? The title of this five-volume commentary is The Rational Bible because its approach is entirely reason-based. The reader is never asked to accept anything on faith alone. In Dennis Prager’s words, “If something I write is not rational, I have not done my job.”
Few people alive today have influenced as many people as has Dennis Prager. In the words of the website, Powerline, “Dennis Prager is probably the foremost public intellectual of our time.” Read The Rational Bible and you will understand why.
My Review:
Not all commentaries are created equal. You do have to be careful the commentaries you align yourself with I just have to say that first. Dennis Prager--the author of this commentary The Rational Bible is a best-selling author, columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show host based in Los Angeles and heard on 150 stations across the country. He is known across the nation.
This commentary in my opinion wasn't just some boring book. I like how it was laid out in a sort of question answer format. I like tat the author answers many of the question I have long since had about the Bible and different things that happened therein. It was full of facts backed by scripture which is also a very good thing to have in a commentary.
This along with a Bible study on the book of Numbers is a good thing to have close by. It helps explain a lot of the things you are reading and will open up the Bible in a lot of ways to you.
Great study material!
**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher.
January 16, 2025
The Rational Bible series written by Prager is well-researched, and the Hebraic scholarship regarding Numbers is superb. This is regarding the print edition. I was thankful to receive the audio version from NetGalley, but it fell flat. Audio commentary versions of commentaries are great for the visually impaired or for listening for tidbits of trivia; however, the usual commentary research and study need further chapter indexes.
June 21, 2025
This is the fourth book by Dennis Prager in the Rational Bible series and at least in my opinion is the least interesting of the four. Is Dennis getting tired; does he have less to say? I am not sure but i have given this book four stars when I gave the others five stars
August 22, 2025
Another excellent commentary in which Dennis Prager presents the Torah perspective, his essays regarding pertinent topics, and many of the connections to the Christian faith within the entire book of Numbers. A great reference for readers of the Old Testament.
December 16, 2024
A wonderful look at the Old Testament book of Numbers. Highly recommended reading for all who struggle with today's politics and society.
March 5, 2025
What a great analysis of a much misunderstood book of the Bible. Really great!!!
April 7, 2025
very interesting as always, I love this series and its one of the best ways to read the first 5 books of the bible. He relates the stories to modern life in the best way I have seen
May 5, 2025
As always, Prager's commentary on Torah is interesting and thought-provoking. It makes a good study guide for regular reading of the Torah portions.
July 20, 2025
An ecclectic Jewish commentary that is marred by the author's political diversions
July 30, 2025
Some thoughtful commentary and interesting articles. Nothing ground shaking, but if you're a fan of the Bible, and especially if you're conservative in your politics, you'll enjoy this volume.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews