The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  10:8 an ordinance forever. The blowing of the horns was to be a perpetual ordinance in Israel, calling the people to worship or to war.

  10:11–36 Finally, in an orderly and obedient fashion, Israel departed from Sinai as the Lord commanded through Moses.

  10:11 day…month…year. Only 13 months after the Exodus from Egypt and 11 months after the arrival at Sinai, Israel began to march toward Canaan.

  10:12 the Wilderness of Paran. According to 13:26, Kadesh was in the Wilderness of Paran, probably at its northern border. This verse gives a summary of God’s leading from Sinai to Kadesh.

  10:14–28 The order of march followed by Israel in these verses is in exact conformity to the details given in 2:1–34.

  10:14 standard. See note on 2:2. Nahshon. For the fourth, and final time in the book of Numbers, the 12 leaders of the first generation of Israel were noted (see chaps. 1, 2 and 7). In accordance with Gen. 49:8–12, the tribe of Judah was given preeminence as the ruling tribe. It led the march into the Promised Land.

  10:29 Hobab. As the son of Reuel, Hobab was Moses’ brother-in-law. Reuel. Reuel was the father-in-law of Moses (see Ex. 2:18). Come with us. Moses sought Hobab’s help in leading Israel through the wilderness. He promised Hobab a portion of the inheritance of Israel within the Land if he would come. The text of Numbers does not explicitly state whether Hobab responded to Moses or not. But Judg. 1:16 implies that Hobab agreed to Moses’ request. Later, he joined with Judah in the conquest of the Land and did receive the blessing of dwelling in the land.

  10:33 journey…three days. The Israelites traveled for 3 days from Sinai before they encamped for more than one night.

  10:35, 36 As Israel traveled and encamped, Moses prayed that the Lord would give victory and that His presence would be among her.

  Numbers 11

  11:1—25:18 In contrast to Num. 1–10, a major change takes place at 11:1. Obedient Israel became complaining (11:1; 14:2, 27, 29, 36; 16:1–3, 41; 17:5) and rebellious (14:9; 17:10) Israel. Ultimately, Moses and Aaron rebelled against the Lord as well (20:10, 24). In response to Israel’s disobedience, the Lord’s anger was aroused (11:1, 10, 33; 12:9; 14:18; 25:3, 4) and He plagued His people (14:37; 16:46, 47, 48, 49, 50; 25:8, 9, 18) as He had Pharaoh and the Egyptians (Ex. 9:14; 12:13; 30:12). Nevertheless, even though God judged that generation of Israel, He will still fulfill His promises to Abraham in the future (23:5–24:24).

  11:1—12:16 The complaining of the people and leaders began on the journey from Sinai to Kadesh.

  11:1 the LORD heard it. Their complaining was outward and loud. the outskirts of the camp. God in His grace consumed only those who were on the very edges of the encampment of Israel.

  11:4 the mixed multitude. The word only occurs here in the OT. However, another word, “mixed company,” was used in Ex. 12:38. The “mixed multitude” here are non-Israelites who left Egypt with Israel in the Exodus. meat. After over a year of eating manna in the wilderness, the mixed multitude wanted the spicy food of Egypt once again.

  11:7 manna. See Ex. 16:14. bdellium. This refers more to appearance than color, i.e., it had the appearance of a pale resin.

  11:13, 14 Moses confessed to God that he was not able to provide meat for the people as they demanded. Their complaining was discouraging him so that because of this great burden, Moses desired death from the hand of the Lord.

  11:16–30 In response to Moses’ despair in leading the people, the Lord gave him 70 men to help.

  11:16 seventy men. These aides to Moses might be the same 70 referred to in Ex. 18:21–26.

  11:17 the Spirit. This refers to the Spirit of God. It was by means of the Holy Spirit that Moses was able to lead Israel. In v. 25, the Lord gave the Spirit to the 70 men in fulfillment of the Word He gave to Moses.

  11:21 six hundred thousand. Moses rounded off the 603,550 of 1:46; 2:32.

  11:23 Has the LORD’s arm been shortened? A figure of speech indicating that the Lord was able to do as He had said and provide meat for the 600,000 men of Israel and their families for one month.

  11:25 prophesied. Here the prophesying refers to the giving of praise and similar expressions of worship to the Lord without prior training. The text is clear that this was a one-time event as far as these men were concerned.

  11:29 that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them. Moses desired and anticipated the day when all of God’s people would have His Spirit within them. By this, he looked forward to the New Covenant. See Ezek. 36:22–27; Jer. 31:31ff.; Joel 2:28.

  11:31 a day’s journey. The Lord, using a wind, brought a great quantity of quail that surrounded the encampment within one day’s journey. about two cubits above the…ground. The birds flew at a height of about 3 ft. where they were able to be easily captured or clubbed to the ground by the people.

  11:32 ten homers. About 60–70 bu.

  Numbers 12

  12:1–16 The brother and sister of Moses opposed his leadership. The immediate occasion was the prophesying of the elders. Moses’ position as the spokesman for God to Israel was called into question.

  12:1 Ethiopian. Ethiopia, S of Egypt, was inhabited by the descendants of Cush, the firstborn son of Ham (Gen. 10:6, 7). Although the term “Ethiopian” could have been used concerning Zipporah, Moses’ first wife, it seems more likely that Moses had remarried after the death of Zipporah. The marriage to the Ethiopian woman had been recent and furnished the pretext for the attack of Miriam and Aaron. Since Miriam is mentioned first, she probably was the instigator of the attack against Moses.

  12:2 spoken only through Moses. Miriam and Aaron asserted that God had spoken to them in the same way that He had spoken to Moses.

  12:3 very humble. This statement is often cited as evidence that Moses could not have written the book of Numbers, for he would not have boasted in his own humility. However, the Holy Spirit certainly could inspire Moses to make an accurate statement about himself, probably against his own natural inclination. In this context, Moses was asserting there was nothing that he had done to provoke this attack by Miriam and Aaron.

  12:5 the LORD came down. As in Gen. 11:5, this clause states that the Lord knows and deals with situations on earth. Here the Lord came down and, in v. 10, departed. This was God’s answer to the attack against Moses.

  12:7 My servant Moses. This phrase is also repeated in v. 9. A servant of the Lord in the OT is one who responded in faith by obedience to the Word of the Lord. faithful in all My house. A reference to Moses’ loyal performance of his role as covenant mediator between the Lord and Israel.

  12:8 face to face. God spoke to Moses without mediation. Also the Lord did not speak to Moses through visions and dreams, but plainly. It was not that Moses saw the full glory of God (cf. John 1:18), but rather that he had the most explicit, intimate encounters (cf. Deut. 34:10). the form of the LORD. This is the likeness or representation of the Lord which Moses was privileged to see. See Ex. 33:23.

  12:10 leprous. In judgment of Miriam’s opposition to Moses, the Lord struck her with leprosy. For the treatment of a leper, see Lev. 13–14. A public sin required a public response from the Lord.

  12:16 Wilderness of Paran. See note on 10:12.

  Numbers 13

  13:1—14:45 These chapters record the massive failure of Israel at Kadesh. The people failed to believe the Lord (14:11) and take the Promised Land. Their lack of faith was open rebellion against the Lord (14:9). The NT looks back to these times as an illustration of apostasy (cf. 1 Cor. 10:5; Heb. 3:16–19).

  13:1 the LORD spoke to Moses. According to Deut. 1:22, 23, the people had first requested the spies be sent out after Moses challenged them to take the land. Here, the Lord affirmed the peoples’ desire and commanded Moses to send them.

  13:2 spy out the land of Canaan. The spies were specifically called to explore the Land that God had promised to Israel. This exploration gave valuable information to Moses for the conquest of the Land.

  13:3 heads of the children of Israel. These leaders were d
ifferent than those mentioned in Num. 1, 2, 7, 10. Presumably the tribal leaders in the 4 earlier lists were older men. The task for the spies called for some leaders who were younger, probably about 40 years of age, based on the ages of Caleb and Joshua.

  13:16 Hoshea…Joshua. For reasons not made clear, Moses changed the name of Hoshea, meaning “desire for salvation,” to Joshua, meaning “the Lord is salvation.”

  13:17–20 The spies were to determine the nature of the Land itself, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the people.

  13:20 the season of the first ripe grapes. Mid-summer (mid to late July).

  13:21 from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob. These were the southernmost and northernmost borders of the land.

  13:22 Hebron. The first major city the spies came to in Canaan. Abram had earlier built an altar to the Lord here (cf. Gen. 13:18). Abraham and Isaac were buried here (Gen. 49:31). The city had been fortified at about 1730 B.C., 7 years before the building of Zoan in Egypt, and later became the inheritance of Caleb (Josh. 14:13–15) and then David’s capital when he reigned over Judah (2 Sam. 2:1–4). the descendants of Anak. Cf. 13:28. Anak was probably the ancestor of Ahiman, Sheshiai, and Talmai, who were living at Hebron. They were noted for their height (Deut. 2:21; 9:2).

  13:23 the Valley of Eshcol. Eshcol means “cluster.”

  13:28 the people…are strong. The spies reported that the Land was good; however, the people were too strong to be conquered.

  13:30 Caleb quieted the people. The verb “quieted” usually occurs in the form of the interjection “Hush!” This implies that the spies report evoked a vocal reaction from the people. Caleb concurred with the report of the other spies, but called the people to go up and take the Land, knowing that with God’s help they were able to overcome the strong people.

  13:32 a bad report. The report of the 10 spies was evil because it exaggerated the dangers of the people in the Land, sought to stir up and instill fear in the people of Israel and, most importantly, it expressed their faithless attitude toward God and His promises.

  13:33 giants. This term was used in Gen. 6:4 for a group of strong men who lived on the earth before the Flood. The descendants of Anak were, in exaggeration, compared to these giants, which led the spies to view themselves as grasshoppers before them.

  Numbers 14

  14:1 all the congregation…wept. All of Israel bewailed the circumstances.

  14:2 complained. The term means “to murmur.” Specifically they wished they had died in Egypt or the wilderness.

  14:4 select a leader and return to Egypt. The faithless people were ready to reject God’s leader, Moses.

  14:6 tore their clothes. This was an indication of distress (see Gen. 37:29).

  14:7–9 Joshua and Caleb reaffirmed their appraisal that the Land was good and their confidence that the Lord would deliver it and its people into their hands.

  14:10 the glory of the LORD appeared. In response to the people’s violent rejection of Joshua and Caleb’s challenge, God appeared.

  14:11 reject…not believe Me. They had refused to trust or rely on God and His power to give them the land of Canaan in spite of the signs that He had done in their midst.

  14:12 I will make of you a nation. As in Ex. 32:9, 10, God threatened to wipe out the people and start over again with Moses’ “son.” This justifiable threat showed the seriousness with which God took rebellion on the part of His people.

  14:13–19 As in Ex. 32:11–13, Moses interceded for Israel to protect the Lord’s reputation with the Egyptians, who would charge the Lord with inability to complete His deliverance of Israel and thus deny His power. Second, the Lord’s loyal love was the basis on which the Lord could forgive His people.

  14:22 ten times. Taken literally this includes: 1) Ex. 14:10–12; 2) Ex. 15:22–24; 3) Ex. 16:1–3; 4) Ex. 16:19, 20; 5) Ex. 16:27–30; 6) Ex. 17:1–4; 7) Ex. 32:1–35; 8) Num. 11:1–3; 9) Num. 11:4–34; 10) Num. 14:3.

  14:24 My servant Caleb. Since Caleb was recognized as one who feared and trusted the Lord, He later rewarded his faith (cf. Josh. 14).

  14:25 turn and move out into the wilderness. Because of Israel’s refusal to enter the Land, instead of continuing northward, God commanded they move southward toward the Gulf of Aqabah.

  14:26–35 The Lord granted the Israelites their wish, i.e., their judgment was that they would die in the wilderness (vv. 29, 35: cf. v. 2). Their children, however, whom they thought would become victims (v. 3), God would bring into the land of Canaan (vv. 30–32). The present generation of rebels would die in the wilderness until 40 years were completed. The 40 years were calculated as one year for each day the spies were in Canaan.

  14:37 died by the plague. As an indication of the certainty of the coming judgment, the 10 spies who undermined the people’s faith were struck by the plague and died.

  14:44 they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. With characteristic obstinacy, the people rejected Moses’ counsel and the Lord’s command and went to attack the Amalekites in the hill country. Since the Lord was not with them, they were defeated.

  Numbers 15

  15:1–41 Even though the Israelites had rebelled against the Lord and were under his judgment, the Lord still planned to give the land of Canaan to them. These laws assumed Israel’s entrance into the Land (15:2, 17).

  15:1–16 The law of the grain offering recorded here differs from that given in Lev. 2. The grain offerings in Leviticus were offered separately as a gift to the Lord. Here, for the first time, grain and drink offerings were allowed to be offered along with either a burnt or a peace offering.

  15:4 ephah…hin. Measurements equal to 4 to 6 gallons and 6 to 8 pints.

  15:17–21 This regulation pertained to the offering of the firstfruits of the harvest. When the people entered the land of Canaan and began to enjoy its produce, they were to show their devotion to the Lord by presenting to Him a cake baked from the first cuttings of the grain.

  15:22 sin unintentionally. Sin offerings were prescribed whenever any of the Lord’s commands were unwittingly disobeyed, i.e., by unintentional neglect or omission. In vv. 24–26, the offerings for the whole community were given. In vv. 27–29, the offerings for the individual person who sinned unintentionally were stated.

  15:30 does anything presumptuously. Lit. “with a high hand.” These sins, committed knowingly and deliberately were described as blasphemous because they were an arrogant act of insubordination against the Lord. Anyone guilty of presumptuous sin was to be excommunicated from Israel and put to death.

  15:32–36 This was an illustration of defiant sin. When it was determined that there was a premeditated violation of the Sabbath law, death was required.

  15:37, 38 tassels. These blue tassels were in the form of a flower or petal and were attached to the garments of the Israelites to remind them of their need to trust and obey God’s commands.

  15:41 the LORD. This reminder harkens back to Moses’ first encounter with the Lord in the desert (Ex. 3:13–22).

  Numbers 16

  16:1—18:32 In 16:1–40, Korah (a Levite), allied with some Reubenites and other leaders of Israel, instigated an organized opposition to the authority of Aaron and the priests. Their argument against Moses and Aaron was that by claiming the unique right and responsibility to represent the people before God, they took “too much upon themselves” based on the promise that “all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them” (16:3). The Lord dealt with these rebels (16:4–40) and reaffirmed His choice of Aaron (16:41–17:13). Finally, the Lord restated the duties and support of both the priests and Levites (18:1–32). These events took place at some unidentified place and time during Israel’s wilderness wanderings.

  16:1 Korah. Korah was descended from Levi through Kohath. Being a son of Kohath, he already had significant duties at the tabernacle (see 4:1–20). However, he desired further to be a priest (see v. 10).

  16:8 sons of Levi. Other Levites were involved in this rebellion w
ith Korah.

  16:12 Dathan and Abiram. These two men of the tribe of Reuben despised Moses, blaming him for taking Israel out of the land of Egypt and failing to bring them into the land of Canaan. Because of Moses’ perceived failure, they attacked him, joining with Korah in the rebellion against Moses and Aaron.

  16:15 nor have I hurt one of them. Moses pled his innocence before the Lord, claiming to have been a true servant-leader. This confirms that Num. 12:3 could have been written by Moses.

  16:16–35 God judged those who rebelled against Moses and Aaron by putting them to death.

  16:21 The Lord answered Moses’ intercession by calling the people to depart from the tents of the rebels so that only they would be judged.

  16:22 the God of the spirits of all flesh. This phrase appears only here and in 27:16. Moses called on omniscient God who knows the heart of everyone to judge those who had sinned, and those only.

  16:30 a new thing. This supernatural opening of the earth to swallow the rebels was a sign of God’s wrath and the vindication of Moses and Aaron.

  16:32 their households. Numbers 26:11 indicates that this did not include their children.

  16:36–40 The 250 leaders of Israel had brought censers filled with fire before the Lord (16:17, 18). The censers were holy to the Lord since they had been used in the tabernacle. Therefore, Eleazar was commanded to hammer out the metal censers into a covering for the altar. That covering was to be a perpetual reminder that God had chosen Aaron and his descendants for the priesthood.

  16:41–50 Instead of bringing about the repentance of the people, the Lord’s wrath only led to more complaining. Though the children of Israel held Moses and Aaron accountable for the people who had been killed by the Lord, it was the intervention of Moses and Aaron for the entire nation that saved them from destruction because of their opposition to God.