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"Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah" is one of the best-known hymns in the world. Yet the book of numbers, whose story that hymn summarizes, is seldom read. Why?"Its very title puts the modern reader off," writes Gordon Wenham. "In ancient time numbers were seen as mysterious and symbolic, a key to reality and the mind of God himself. Today they are associated with computers and the depersonalization that threatens our society."In his effort to bridge the great gulf between the book and our age, Wenham first explains the background of Numbers, discussing its structure, sources, date and authorship as well as its theology and Christian use. A passage-by-passage analysis follows, which draws useful insights on Old Testament ritual from modern social anthropology.
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1981
47 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Gordon J. Wenham
47 books26 followersGordon J. Wenham was a Reformed British Old Testament scholar and writer. He has authored several books about the Bible. Tremper Longman has called him "one of the finest evangelical commentators today."
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 7, 2021
This was an excellent introduction to the book of Numbers, capturing its central themes. It's not a detailed commentary and wasn't meant to be, so if you need a much more thorough commentary, I would recommend Timothy Ashley's work. However, I still enjoyed how Wenham applied many of the themes to the person and work of Christ.
April 8, 2021
The Introduction alone is worth the price of the book. It sets an excellent frame for viewing the book of Numbers, and more broadly, understanding the culture, rituals, and worship of Israel.
In his preface, however, Wenham confesses, "Most of this commentary has been written during a year's sabbatical leave." It shows. The chapters are brief and formulaic, and the writing feels rushed. The content is solid, but by halfway through I had picked up a palpable sense that he was going through the motions rather than truly pouring himself into the work.
Still, this is a good survey of Numbers from a trusted source and great authority on OT study. Wenham's commentary on Leviticus is superb and makes a perfect prologue to this work.
In his preface, however, Wenham confesses, "Most of this commentary has been written during a year's sabbatical leave." It shows. The chapters are brief and formulaic, and the writing feels rushed. The content is solid, but by halfway through I had picked up a palpable sense that he was going through the motions rather than truly pouring himself into the work.
Still, this is a good survey of Numbers from a trusted source and great authority on OT study. Wenham's commentary on Leviticus is superb and makes a perfect prologue to this work.
August 29, 2025
I read a couple of pages of commentary to choose one to read cover to cover before bed as a devotion ish, wanting to especially get my head around the Pentateuch.
this had some helpful bits, but the intro is definitely dry and skippable at points!
but his noticing of connections to other parts of Pentateuch and other little details did help me read the text closer.
this had some helpful bits, but the intro is definitely dry and skippable at points!
but his noticing of connections to other parts of Pentateuch and other little details did help me read the text closer.
May 28, 2022
This is a long review, tl;dr version: Some people just know how to write commentaries, and Gordon Wenham is one of those people.
Pity the book of Numbers, not only is it rarely read by Christians, but it is probably even more rarely preached by pastors. I mean, you've got lists of people and weird rituals, and even more lists of people and more weird rituals, sandwiched between a travelogue with some recalcitrant people who don't really seem to enjoy being in the wilderness. Why IS this book in the Bible? After you finish reading Gordon Wenham's commentary, you will understand why Numbers is there and very much worth reading and studying.
Three things stood out to me as I read through Mr. Wenham's commentary:
1. The importance of ritual. In the introduction and then some in the body of the commentary, Mr. Wenham points out the importance of ritual (or rather he points us to an anthropologist who points us to its importance). A society's rituals reveal its most deeply held beliefs and customs, the only problem is, the rituals are so well known and understood to that particular culture, no one ever feels the need to explain them. (Example A: Why does everyone sing the exact same song at every sporting event in America? What is that all about?)
We have the exact problem in Numbers. There are all these rituals and ways of approaching and worshipping God, but no one ever stops to explain why the rituals are important or how exactly they do what they do. This is part of the difficulty of understanding Numbers, and if we miss this, we will miss the entire book. Mr. Wenham helps us here.
2. The flow of thought through the book. I cannot believe how often this is neglected by many commentators; Mr. Wenham is constantly asking the question, "why is this ritual, or list of people, or historical event, recorded in this particular place in the book?" This helps us understand that Numbers was written as a particular literary piece with a theme and format in mind and everything contained in it, fits into that theme and has its specific place in Numbers for a reason.
3. Numbers point us forward to Christ. Mr. Wenham constantly asks the question, "how does this ritual or event or list fit into the coming of Christ in the New Testament? How did the NT writers use this book?" Numbers wasn't written in a vacuum and the NT authors believed it was there for a reason beyond just recounting how the children of Israel survived in the wilderness. Mr. Wenham's references to the NT help us understand Numbers in light of future revelation and the advent of Christ.
It's a good commentary and blessedly spare to boot.
Pity the book of Numbers, not only is it rarely read by Christians, but it is probably even more rarely preached by pastors. I mean, you've got lists of people and weird rituals, and even more lists of people and more weird rituals, sandwiched between a travelogue with some recalcitrant people who don't really seem to enjoy being in the wilderness. Why IS this book in the Bible? After you finish reading Gordon Wenham's commentary, you will understand why Numbers is there and very much worth reading and studying.
Three things stood out to me as I read through Mr. Wenham's commentary:
1. The importance of ritual. In the introduction and then some in the body of the commentary, Mr. Wenham points out the importance of ritual (or rather he points us to an anthropologist who points us to its importance). A society's rituals reveal its most deeply held beliefs and customs, the only problem is, the rituals are so well known and understood to that particular culture, no one ever feels the need to explain them. (Example A: Why does everyone sing the exact same song at every sporting event in America? What is that all about?)
We have the exact problem in Numbers. There are all these rituals and ways of approaching and worshipping God, but no one ever stops to explain why the rituals are important or how exactly they do what they do. This is part of the difficulty of understanding Numbers, and if we miss this, we will miss the entire book. Mr. Wenham helps us here.
2. The flow of thought through the book. I cannot believe how often this is neglected by many commentators; Mr. Wenham is constantly asking the question, "why is this ritual, or list of people, or historical event, recorded in this particular place in the book?" This helps us understand that Numbers was written as a particular literary piece with a theme and format in mind and everything contained in it, fits into that theme and has its specific place in Numbers for a reason.
3. Numbers point us forward to Christ. Mr. Wenham constantly asks the question, "how does this ritual or event or list fit into the coming of Christ in the New Testament? How did the NT writers use this book?" Numbers wasn't written in a vacuum and the NT authors believed it was there for a reason beyond just recounting how the children of Israel survived in the wilderness. Mr. Wenham's references to the NT help us understand Numbers in light of future revelation and the advent of Christ.
It's a good commentary and blessedly spare to boot.
August 5, 2019
The Tyndale series is a balancing act between keeping commentaries conservative and accessible yet answering questions about the text in an intellectually honest way. Doctor Wenham does a great job of answering lots of questions that come to mind when reading Numbers while still defending the inspiration of the text.
It is fairly natural to wonder how many people were in that desert? Why are so many sacrifices so similar and what makes each type different? What was with this Balaam fellow anyway? What route did Israel take across the desert? The author anticipates these types of questions and offers answers from several perspectives. While he might suggest that one answer fits the facts or the spirit of the Scripture better than others, he doesn't cram a single one down your throat.
At the same time you are aware that you are studying God's Word and not simply taking an ancient lit course on say the Epic of Gilgamesh. There are thoughts of application and as always with the series how the text looks forward to the Christ. I suspect this volume could be used the basis for sermons on Numbers without fear of going astray theologically.
I came away from reading Numbers and this commentary feeling that I had a significantly better understanding of the book and even the Pentateuch as a whole than I had going in. There were some times when I had to re-read some pages and look up some new words, but it was worth the effort. This is a fine read for a layman dedicated to learning more about the Lord and his Covenant with Israel and the World.
It is fairly natural to wonder how many people were in that desert? Why are so many sacrifices so similar and what makes each type different? What was with this Balaam fellow anyway? What route did Israel take across the desert? The author anticipates these types of questions and offers answers from several perspectives. While he might suggest that one answer fits the facts or the spirit of the Scripture better than others, he doesn't cram a single one down your throat.
At the same time you are aware that you are studying God's Word and not simply taking an ancient lit course on say the Epic of Gilgamesh. There are thoughts of application and as always with the series how the text looks forward to the Christ. I suspect this volume could be used the basis for sermons on Numbers without fear of going astray theologically.
I came away from reading Numbers and this commentary feeling that I had a significantly better understanding of the book and even the Pentateuch as a whole than I had going in. There were some times when I had to re-read some pages and look up some new words, but it was worth the effort. This is a fine read for a layman dedicated to learning more about the Lord and his Covenant with Israel and the World.
September 10, 2020
Numbers is a difficult book for many people because of all the, well, numbers. How should we interpret the lists in the two censuses? How should we interpret the lists of identical offerings from each tribe? Why are there abrupt jumps from narrative sections into lists of laws? Wenham calmly and systematically answers the problems as he exposits the text of Numbers.
This commentary is aimed at giving the big-picture view of the book and as such, there isn’t an in depth, verse-by-verse examination of the text. Rather, the text is broken down into logical sections and the overall meaning is explained, while answering difficulties and objections to the material. Wenham does an excellent job explaining the significance behind both narrative and law.
This commentary is aimed at giving the big-picture view of the book and as such, there isn’t an in depth, verse-by-verse examination of the text. Rather, the text is broken down into logical sections and the overall meaning is explained, while answering difficulties and objections to the material. Wenham does an excellent job explaining the significance behind both narrative and law.
September 22, 2024
Somewhere between a 4 and a 4.5.
Succinct yet brimming with insightful observations and helpful explanations—an especially tricky task when dealing with a book like Numbers. My only complaint is that occasionally, the author appears more sympathetic with aspects of Pentateuchal source criticism than I am typically comfortable with. Nevertheless, this volume proves to be yet another excellent, user-friendly commentary from the ever-reliable Gordon Wenham.
Succinct yet brimming with insightful observations and helpful explanations—an especially tricky task when dealing with a book like Numbers. My only complaint is that occasionally, the author appears more sympathetic with aspects of Pentateuchal source criticism than I am typically comfortable with. Nevertheless, this volume proves to be yet another excellent, user-friendly commentary from the ever-reliable Gordon Wenham.
January 28, 2019
A wonderful and in-depth/introductory level commentary on Numbers. Wenham does a great job and explaining the text without getting bogged down. He commentary will serve the lay, the pastor, and the student. If you are interested at getting your foot in the door with the book of Numbers I highly suggest this book.
February 23, 2022
I mean. It's Numbers. Extremely difficult to make it an exciting subject matter. But the descriptions of the reasoning behind the rituals and sacrifices are good. Also the parts acknowledging and wrestling with the concept of the large numbers of people in the wilderness at this time. I'd suggest it to folks for a beginning overview.
December 31, 2019
I read this commentary cover to cover - a first for me. And I am very glad I did so. I have a much better understanding of the whole of Numbers as well as the bits. As a result, the book of Numbers is now one of my favorite books of the Bible. I highly recommend it.
January 13, 2021
4.5 stars | A scholarly, accessible commentary which connects the material to New Testament teaching and application to the Christian where suitable. Especially insightful when it comes to the meaning and importance of Israel’s ritual or religious life.
August 13, 2020
good introductory commentary though i found some chapters a little lengthy
July 17, 2022
Very helpful companion when walking through the book of numbers. Great commentary!
July 20, 2025
An excellent commentary that raises and addresses insightful questions
March 27, 2014
Reading this book on the heels of the commentary from the same series on Leviticus as I make my way through the Old Testament, I found the Wenham book helpful but not as interesting or engaging as Harrison's "Leviticus." Wenham is even more technical and detailed (including footnotes which abound here) than Harrison (footnotes used much more sparingly) making this book likely more interesting to Bible scholars than the average engaged Bible studier. Nevertheless, he does provide valuable insights ("Additional Notes," diagrams, and tables throughout are welcome) so I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from using it for study but there are certainly more digestible commentaries on Numbers for the person in the pew.
March 20, 2015
Wenham gives us a good solid exegesis of Numbers in this volume, but it's not as good as his commentaries on Genesis and Leviticus. That's mainly due to the fact that these Tyndale commentaries are geared to be more introductory than exhaustive. Wenham's strength as a commentator, getting to the theological heart of the text, is on full display though. If you are looking for an accessible introduction to Numbers, this this a good place to start.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews