Into the Woods

As you can see I did not finish the bible in the year. I’m changing my goal a little bit. I’m still going to finish it, but it’s going to take me some time. I’ll read a book whenever I feel like it. I’ve started Numbers now. It is starting out as insanely boring as the previous books, but there you go.

"Careful the things you say; children will listen." --Into the Woods

Old Testament
Book Four: Numbers
Israel in the Wilderness of Sinai
Chapter 1: A boring census of the tribes
Chapter 2: The boring arrangement of the tribes for encampment or march
Chapter 3: The boring appointment and enumeration of the Levites
Chapter 4: A boring alternative account of the assignment of Levitical duties

There is really nothing to talk about for these chapters. After about 12 chapters in this book, they will take a journey, so hopefully something interesting will happen then, but for the time being we’re just taking censuses and delegating duties. Let me just describe what this book is about. Moses and the tribes are still in the wilderness, around the “Tent of the Presence.” God gives them new sets of rules about how to take down and set up the tent, what tribes are responsible for what, and so on. Then later I think there are going to be more, random rules.

For a scholar, as with several parts previously, I think this book might be interesting. But what is important to note is that the book is interesting as a historical document, but as always, as the word of God it is absurd. Even at this late date, book four, it still contradicts itself from page to page. At one place, for instance, Moses counts 2300 people, then the next page he counts 2270. Going forward, some calculations will be based on the 2300 number, some the 2270!

Here’s another question: why in the world does God need Moses to do a census? Is this one of the many things that Mr. All-mighty is incapable of doing for himself? At any rate, the rules are apparently a little contradictory regarding who is supposed to do what. The notes say this may point to an internal struggle between the various factions of the priestly tribe. That kind of stuff is interesting, an archaeological study of the politics of the time.

Anyway, I won’t bore you or myself with any details of these four chapters. The tribes are arranged around the tent. The Levites are mostly in charge of taking care of the Ark and the tent. Anyone else who even lays eyes on it is put to death. Then there is another group, the Kohathites (Kohath was the son of one of them, I’m not going to bother finding it) that is responsible for carrying the Ark, but they aren’t allowed to look at or touch it. So the Levites first must wrap it up. One interesting detail, they wrap it in porpoise skin. Where one gets a porpoise skin in the middle of the desert is a mystery.

One last interesting detail. “Numbers” is the name of this book in Christian bibles, so named based on the numerical “accuracy” of the book. In the Jewish version, however, this book is called “In the Wilderness,” after the first line of the book.

Oh, and one last last thing. Moses counts an absurd 600,000 people in the group traveling around. It is utterly impossible for that many people to be traveling around the desert. The note says that the census was possibly taken well after the conquest of Canaan.

Anyway, I won’t bore you further.


--bibletoenail