Numbers

by Mark A Awabdy

This substantive and useful commentary on the book of Numbers is both critically engaged and sensitive to the theological contributions of the text. It is grounded in rigorous scholarship but useful for those who preach and teach.

This is the second volume in a new series on the Pentateuch, which complements other Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Historical Books, Wisdom and Psalms, and Prophets. Each series volume covers one book of the Pentateuch, addressing important issues and problems that flow from the text and exploring the contemporary relevance of the Pentateuch.

The series editor is Bill T. Arnold, the Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary.

673 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

[I received a free eBook from the publisher through NetGalley.]

Awabdy's commentary on Numbers wasn't entirely satisfying to me, although I wouldn't say it was a waste of my time either. At the very least, I familiarized myself better with the content of Numbers. More than that, I learned some things. However, this work has some serious flaws and shortcomings.

One important caveat: Because of the way the footnotes were formatted in this eBook (as endnote at the very back), I didn't read most of them. There could have been a wealth of valuable insight in Awabdy's copious translation notes, but I didn't see most of them simply because I didn't want to constantly flip back and forth on my Kindle and risk losing my place (there were no hyperlinks in the table of contents).

The Good

Awabdy is conversant with many areas of research: historical criticism, literary analysis, ancient near eastern history, biblical theology, etc. He provides quite a lot of translation notes. He doesn't shy away from making direct application to the church today. His writing is clear and concise, and he avoids tedious tangents. His translations are pleasantly readable, if a little more dynamic than I think is entirely suited to the genre of commentary.

The Bad

Although Awabdy brings in research from several fields, he doesn't do so enough for any one field to make this commentary stand out. His discussions of form, redaction, and source criticism are much too brief to be of use. His utilization of ANE material is inconsistent -- often only mildly relevant to the text, usually not detailed enough to warrant reference. His biblical-theological analysis is limited to only some passages. The end result is that, in the end, I don't feel like there's any particular strength to this commentary.

Each chapter has a section set aside for "implications." Sometimes Awabdy uses this section for application (which is good), but not always. At times he uses it to reflect on a broader theme or as an excursus on some problem of interpretation (such as the relationship between the inheritance laws of chs 27, 36 and the law of levirate marriage in Deuteronomy). When he does engage in comtemporary application, he's frankly not very thoughtful. The most egregious illustration is in the chapter on the Nazirite vow. Awabdy's application amounts to little more than a hypothetical reflection on what a Christian Nazirite vow might look like, should such a thing ever be appropriate -- and one gets the impression that he really isn't quite sure. I wouldn't be surprised if Awabdy has very little experience in local church ministry.

Awabdy's engagement with higher criticism was hampered by the fact that he often left crucial questions unexplored. He clearly holds to some form of the Documentary Hypothesis, but clarifies in his introduction that he believes the entire process of composition and editing was guided by the Holy Spirit such that the resulting text is genuinely the inspired word of God. That's all well and good, but his terse comments on the subject in the body of the commentary often left me wondering about his thoughts on the historicity of the text or the text's agreement with other parts of Scripture. An evangelical commentator doesn't have the freedom to skirt those issues.

In the end I just don't have any particular reason to recommend Awabdy's work here. His comments are sometimes insightful, but not often enough to warrant a place on a pastor's shelf. His engagement with scholarly issues is broad, but not deep enough to warrant a place on an academic's shelf. The weaknesses I mentioned earlier serve to detract from what is otherwise only an okay resource.

[Conrade Yap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite its dated content, the Old Testament continues to be revered and cherished by many people, especially believers. The challenge for modern readers is how such ancient writings relate to contemporary times. Most people would know Genesis as the first book of the Bible. Many might also know about Exodus, given the popularity of the classic movie "The Ten Commandments" usually screened during the Easter and Christmas seasons. As one moves further down the Pentateuch, so does familiarity. This series of Baker commentaries focuses on the Pentateuch of which the book of Numbers is the fourth. The intent is to provide a reliable resource for modern readers to understand "the nature of God, creation, humankind, sin, salvation, atonement, sacrifice, holiness, and righteousness." This is done through multiple bridging of the old and the new. The author helps bring to life the ancient meaning and contemporary relevance of the texts; to help modern readers dialogue through themes that flow consistently throughout the Bible. One important aspect of this commentary is how the author addresses the issue of reader boredom or reader confusion when reading Numbers. Sharing the "grief" that many people might have experienced in this fourth book of the Pentateuch, author-professor Mark Awabdy guides us through each chapter with the help of primary Hebrew manuscripts, Qumran/Dead Sea scrolls, Samaritan fragments, Early and Modern Translations, and many other exegetical tools. He laments how the title Numbers is a misnomer which often misleads readers into downplaying its importance. After all, only four out of 36 chapters contain statistics. Instead, he prefers the Jewish title "In the Wilderness." I concur as that is a lot more representative than mere "Numbers." Why the misleading label? The reason is partly historical reliance on the translators of the Septuagint which results in a literal translation of the Greek word "Arithmoi" into its title. That said, the numerical sections of the book are deemed "theological," not simply statistical facts. He calls the book an "unfolding story" of literary forms that consists of one whole story and a series of individual units embedded within it. The challenge is to try to interpret it as coherent as possible, according to the literary Hebrew narratives and cultural uniqueness.
Awabdy makes an astute insight concerning interpreters and readers. Readers tend to see the book's substructures as separate units while the interpreters need to sense an overarching theme. Getting at the unity of the various compositions is a key purpose in this book. He gives us five pointers on how to do that:

1) Identify the intertexts while exegeting any passage
2) Recognize the contrasting materials
3) Summarize the discrete theology of each layer
4) Describe the different theologies in tension with one another
5) Explain the overarching theological message

Understanding the ancient contexts requires a knowledge of the land, familiarity with the literature, iconography, awareness of archaeology, and an identification of the theological themes. This is what Awabdy has tried to do in this commentary. With the knowledge of geography, we understand why things happen in various terrains. Like camping in a place without much rainfall or water sources, leading to a desperate reliance only on the LORD. Archaeology helps us piece together the history of the texts. Literature and iconography provide additional contexts for a more accurate interpretation. Theologically, the author helps us to understand Numbers' portrayal of God and contrasts it with the other gods of the Ancient Near East.

Three Thoughts
=================
First, the commentary clarifies a number of misconceptions, especially about "Numbers" being a misnomer. Many people commonly believe that "Numbers" is simply about mundane statistics and repetitive numerical details. That is far from the Truth. Yet, this is how many people let titles guide their reading or studying choices. If in the past a reading generation still gets misled by titles and erroneous synopses, the problem might be even more acute for today's browsing and TLDR generations. The age-old maxim bears repeating: Do not judge a book by its cover. In this instance, do not judge the Book of Numbers by its title. Thankfully, Awabdy helps us debunk such ideas in favour of the Hebrew title, "In the desert." Such an insight should help teachers and preachers in promoting the study of the Book of Numbers.

Secondly, the commentary is not strictly verse-by-verse but follows the chapter flow of the Book. This makes it a quick and helpful reference resource. Each chapter comes with an Introduction, a translation, interpretation, and Implications. While the Interpretation happens at the exegesis level, the theological aspects are mostly located in the implications section. Many of the intertextual comparisons are done at the Interpretation section.

Finally, I like the way the author is sensitive to modern minds. As many of the ancient texts are based on the Ancient Near East cultural origins, it can be difficult to make sense of it for the modern person. Awabdy helps us to understand not only what it means then but also what it means for us at the present time. He does this by asking questions that we are all familiar with. Questions like:

- Is taking a census in the Army a test of trust in human power or in God?
- Is there a hierarchy within the people of God?
- How do we understand the Theology of the Passover then and now?
- Why is Sabbath breaking taken so seriously in Numbers 15?
- What was the sin of Moses and Aaron?
- How do we make sense of bizarre passages in Numbers 5, 11, 31?
- .....

The Book of Numbers is definitely one of the least read and understood. Have no fear. If there is ever any doubt or uncertainty, this commentary can be a helpful guide to help us read, study, and apply its theological implications.

Mark A. Awabdy (PhD, Asbury Theological Seminary) is a professor of Old Testament and biblical languages, who teaches in the Arabian Gulf and South Asia. He is the author of Immigrants and Innovative Law and a commentary on LXX Leviticus.

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Kristjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Numbers can be a bit challenges to read on your own; at least for me the mind numbing census data makes it hard to focus on what is important. This commentary is part of the Baker series on the Old Testament and was a welcome addition to my study of the Pentateuch. After a lengthy Introduction where the author provided context on History, Translations, Genres, Structure and Composition, each chapter broke it down a section from Numbers (typically chapter by chapter) into an overview, translation, interpretation and implications. I got the most out of the interpretation section; however, the others still very helpful in providing context or better understanding. The fact that this was not verse by verse interpretation and was written in very accessible language (limited theological buzz words/phrases) makes this a welcome addition for any study of the text. Additionally, the author highlights where some of the material was referenced within the New Testament, making it particular helpful for understanding the how the Christian faith connect the two (and potentially where it may diverge from Jewish interpretation).

Some of the other points that really got my attention are:

The term “Nephilim” is transliterated in English translations since it reflects the name of a legendary people group (Gen. 6:4), but the Greek translator, presumably thinking that such a transliteration would not be understood by his readers, describes them as “giants” (tous gigantas, v. 34a), a synonym of the preceding genitive “very tall” (hypermēkeis for Hb. middôt “great stature,” v. 32c).

Finally, because literature and iconography always communicate some aspect of the worldview of its culture, temple, or royal institutions, we can often discern when Numbers is assuming, adapting, or rejecting the ethical values and theologies of Israel’s neighbors.

Against this backdrop, there are two ways to interpret Num. 2:17: (1) the sanctuary and not the king is to be the center of Israel’s society; or (2) in light of the glory of Yahweh that fills and appears from the meeting tent, Yahweh is the king who has taken up residence in the center of his people’s military encampment. Either way, if Yahweh not only possesses Israel as his people (Lev. 20:26) but also created the heavens and earth (Exod. 19:5; 20:11; 31:17), then wherever he pitches his tent becomes the axis mundi (axis of the world), a continuum that extends from heaven through earth and into the abyss below.

The Nazirite’s consecration to Yahweh could presumably be for any length of time that they choose up front (vv. 12–13). Their devotion to Yahweh becomes apparent to all by their new lifestyle of abstaining from consuming grapes in any form (vv. 3–4), not cutting any hair on their head (v. 5), and not touching a corpse (v. 6). The prohibition of these three in particular is intriguing since grape products were associated with fertility, hair with sympathetic magic, and corpse defilement with the cult of the dead.

In the ANE—Mesopotamia, for example—the cult image enshrined deep inside the deity’s temple structure was thought to be “a semipermanent theophany.” By contrast, the Israelites were never to represent Yahweh in any form (Exod. 20:4; Deut. 5:8–9), and they could not manipulate him by their ritual services. Yet, like the ANE deities, Yahweh holds the prerogative to take on any form he so chooses.

Surveying the Hebrew terminology in the OT, Kitz clarifies the process of lot casting: “Each lot ‘thrown into’ (hûṭal bě-) a container. Someone ‘shakes’ (qilqal) the lots in a receptacle until one of them ‘comes up’ (ʿālâ) and ‘goes out’ (yāṣāʾ). When the shaker has ‘cast out’ (hišlîk) a lot, it ‘falls’ (nāpal) to the ground. The meaning applied to that lot constitutes the mišpaṭ yhwh, ‘the decision of Yahweh.’”

Against the ANE and Israelite stigma and vulnerability of being a widow or divorced, v. 9 [10] elucidates that these classes of women are under no patriarch’s authority, such as an uncle or brother, and so their formal commitments are always binding, just as those of Israelite males (v. 2 [3]). Beyond this, what is shocking is that in contrast to Torah texts that limit divorced women, here the divorced woman is endowed with the privilege to make unchecked, binding vows to Yahweh or commitments to others. The conception is implicit: As with the widow and orphan in Deut. 10:18, so also the divorced woman is under the protective authority of Yahweh as her divine paterfamilias.

However, three special classes of daughters could become heiresses along with her brothers: “If, during a father’s lifetime, his daughter becomes an ugbabtu, a nadîtu, or a qadištu, they (her brothers) shall divide the estate considering her as an equal heir.” An ugbabtu was a “female devotee of a male deity”; a nadîtu was a “woman dedicated to a god, usually unmarried, not allowed to have children”; a qadištu was a “woman of special status.” Since a nadîtu would be without a biological heir, she had the prerogative of choosing someone else to inherit her estate.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#Numbers #BCOT #NetGalley

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark A. Awabdy is likely a new name to those who read biblical commentaries. He received his PhD from Asbury Theological Seminary and is a professor of Old Testament and biblical languages in the Arabian Gulf and South Asia. He is the author of Immigrants and Innovative Law and a commentary on LXX Leviticus. The reader though will quickly realize the competency of this author especially since Bill Arnold oversaw this entry in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Pentateuch series.

To get readers acclimated and ready for his commentary, Awabdy states in his Preface: "Some are repelled especially by Numbers because it seems pedantic and redundant in its censuses (chaps. 1, 26), layout of the wilderness camps (chap. 2), dedication of the altar (chap. 7), and sacrificial calendar (chaps. 28–29), to name a few texts. It is precisely this scrupulous repetition, however, that reveals how contextual Yahweh is—­resolved to make himself known to people embedded in culture—­by using ANE conventions of literary repetition to stress the authors’ theological convictions."

It can be argued that Awabdy employs this method of relating to his audience in his commentary. He goes on to state: I have approached each dimension of this commentary as an evangelical and critical student of Numbers. My translation style vacillates between formal-­equivalence (“Yahweh said to Moses”) and dynamic-­equivalence (“the ark containing the witness”) to communicate the form and function of the Hebrew text in perspicuous, contemporary English. He uses tools of grammar/syntax, the global church present and past, and whatever at this disposal to add value to make Numbers less of an often-neglected book for English speakers.

Ultimately his heart goal is to get Christians excited to read and to be impacted by Numbers like those before him like John Calvin and John Wesley.

For, just as no healing was conveyed from the serpent to any who did not turn their eyes towards it, when set up on high, so the look of faith only causes the death of Christ to bring salvation to us. (John Calvin)

That hereby he may purchase salvation for all believers: all those who look to him by faith recover spiritual health, even as all that looked at that serpent recovered bodily health. (John Wesley)

A sampling of the way he connects readers to Chris is when we explores 35:22–29: The theological message of this unit reverberates throughout both Testaments: just as God, by this law, protects those who faithfully remain in a town of refuge, he protects his covenant people who remain under his protection,3039 and he ultimately protects those who faithfully remain in his Son, Jesus the Messiah (John 10:1–18; Jude 21–25).

This commentary may become one of the top Numbers commentaries for English speaking Christian Church no matter the denomination or tribe; be it Arminian or Calvinist, high church or low church. Well done to Mr. Awabdy as this is a strong entry in the Baker Seriers.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think of all the people you know that see Numbers as their favorite book in scripture. In that blank space, I should find a nice opportunity to divert your attention to this review. Baker now has a second book of the Pentateuch covered in this newly emerging series. Clearly, this is going to be a major series.

I am not familiar with Mark Awabdy. It didn’t take me long to realize that he has a very distinct writing style for these types of works. In fact, it is almost as if the tone even was different. I’ll be curious to find out later if he strikes other people besides me in that same way.

Outside of style, he is clearly an accomplished scholar. He does write a tad bit more in a scholarly style than is my preference, but he has a lot of depth and shares a lot of information. In my view, he is solid on most fronts, whether that be exegesis or structural analysis of the text or even theology. On the negative side, he’s more accommodating to redaction criticism than I am comfortable to see. There’s a lot more to this book than that, but it is still distinctly noticeable to me. It’s like having a pretty good dish and adding the wrong spice. Were you to agree with his approach to redaction criticism this might be one of your favorite commentaries.

The introduction has a lot to ponder. The concentric rings of genre shown on page 11 do not seem particularly plausible to me while his overall ideas of structure were on target. As you might expect, I could not get on with his section entitled “composition” at all. Getting past that discussion will lead you to some pretty good theology.

When you get into the commentary proper, the trends of the introduction are still plainly seen. His reaction criticism is his escape hatch to get away from the question of the historical validity of the numbers given in this book. Look at, for example, his commentary on 1:44-54. That analysis won’t float for me.

Still, the mixture of exegesis and theology mitigate some of the criticism and renders this volume an asset. I would not make it my first choice on the book of Numbers, but it is still a nice book to have, and can teach you much. Mark my word, this is going to be a major series, and we are going to want to have all of its volumes.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Numbers (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Pentateuch) by Mark Awabdy (galley received as part of early review program).

The Baker series presents itself as trying to find a middle way between the most scholarly and the most accessible type of commentary, providing verse by verse textual exposition with critical engagement with a view to theological insights and applications for preaching and teaching. The author does as best he can at this middle way in his exposition.

The author did well at considering the text as presented and as reflecting the views of what happened in Israel’s past. He did not get bogged down in all the modern arguments about who wrote what and when. He respected the text in its attempt to provide a coherent narrative of Israel’s experience in the wilderness.

He also did quite well at bringing the Book of Numbers to life. Many find the book challenging and a bit dry at times, but this commentary well presents the narrative events and also explains well how and why the legal instructions are presented as they are and how they relate to the events taking place in context.

This is an excellent commentary for consideration when exploring the Book of Numbers.