Numbers–Ruth (2) (The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Band 2) - Hardcover

Buch 12 von 49: The Expositor's Bible Commentary

Zondervan

 
9780310234944: Numbers–Ruth (2) (The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Band 2)

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Continuing a Gold Medallion Award-winning legacy, the completely revised Expositor's Bible Commentary puts world-class biblical scholarship in your hands.

A staple for students, teachers, and pastors worldwide, The Expositor's Bible Commentary (EBC) offers comprehensive yet succinct commentary from scholars committed to the authority of the Holy Scriptures. The EBC uses the New International Version of the Bible, but the contributors work from the original Hebrew and Greek languages and refer to other translations when useful.

Each section of the commentary includes:

  • An introduction: background information, a short bibliography, and an outline
  • An overview of Scripture to illuminate the big picture
  • The complete NIV text
  • Extensive commentary
  • Notes on textual questions, key words, and concepts
  • Reflections to give expanded thoughts on important issues

The series features 56 contributors, who:

  • Believe in the divine inspiration, complete trustworthiness, and full authority of the Bible
  • Have demonstrated proficiency in the biblical book that is their specialty
  • Are committed to the church and the pastoral dimension of biblical interpretation
  • Represent geographical and denominational diversity
  • Use a balanced and respectful approach toward marked differences of opinion
  • Write from an evangelical viewpoint

For insightful exposition, thoughtful discussion, and ease of use—look no further than The Expositor's Bible Commentary.

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Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is a distinguished scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He is on the advisory council of the BioLogos Foundation, and is the Old Testament editor for the revised Expositor's Bible Commentary and general editor for the Story of God Bible Commentary Old Testament, and has authored many articles and books on the Psalms and other Old Testament books.



David E. Garland (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor emeritus of Christian Scriptures George W. Truett Seminary, Baylor University. He is the author of A Theology of Mark’s Gospel and has written commentaries on each of the Synoptic Gospels, Acts, Romans, both Corinthian epistles, Colossians, and Philemon. He also serves as the New Testament editor for the revised Expositor's Bible Commentary.



Ronald B. Allen is senior professor of Bible exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. He earned a Th.M. degree (1968) and Th.D. degree (1973) from Dallas in studies in biblical Hebrew. He has also been awarded the D.D. degree from Rocky Mountain Bible College and Seminary (2009). Dr. Allen has written more than a dozen books, principally on the Psalms and worship, as well as the commentary on the book of Numbers (EBC Revised). Ron has been married to Beverly for forty-nine years. They have four grown children, three of whom are married, and ten grandchildren.

Michael A. Grisanti is Professor of Old Testament at The Master’s Seminary. He has written numerous journal and periodical articles and assisted in various editorial projects including contributions to The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis (Zondervan, 1997) and Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.

Hélène M. Dallaire (PhD, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) is the Earl S. Kalland Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Denver Seminary. She is the author of The Syntax of Volitives in Biblical Hebrew and Amarna Canaanite Prose, Joshua (EBC),editor of 200 Devotionals from the Hebrew Bible,and has contributed numerous articles to academic books and journals in her field.

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Numbers-Ruth

The Expositor's Bible Commentary

ZONDERVAN

Copyright © 2012 Ronald B. Allen
All right reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-310-23494-4

Contents

Contributors to Volume Two.....................6Preface........................................7Abbreviations..................................9Numbers........................................23Deuteronomy....................................457Joshua.........................................815Judges.........................................1043Ruth...........................................1289

Chapter One

NUMBERS

RONALD B. ALLEN

Introduction

1. Background

2. The Book of Numbers as Scripture

3. The Book of Numbers as Torah

4. Text

5. Historical Background and Purpose

6. Authorship and Date

7. Unity and Organization

8. Theological Themes

9. The Problem of the Large Numbers

10. The Large Numbers—Toward a Solution

11. Bibliography

12. Outline

1. BACKGROUND

Commentators on the book of Numbers tend to begin with a survey of the problems this book presents and even express a sense of ennui concerning the matter of the numbers in the book. At the beginning of his sterling work, Raymond Brown admits, "Numbers might not score a high rating in a 'favourite book of the Bible' competition." Nonetheless, we begin where Arnold M. Goldberg concludes. In his summary he asserts the importance of the book of Numbers to Heilsgeschichte, the "salvation history" of the people of God. Going beyond him we contend that the book of Numbers is sublime. It forms an essential link in that forward-directedness from Adam to Jesus. In the most unusual of ways, it heightens our appreciation of and response to the person of Yahweh. For Christians this book is rewarding, for in it we find ourselves confronting in new ways the meaning of our salvation in Jesus Christ. He who is the goal of all history is the goal of the book of Numbers.

God has time; the wilderness has sand. In this aphorism we find the heart of the book of Numbers. All true biblical understanding is based on a solid conviction of the overwhelming grace of God (see Ex 34:5–7). When the people of Israel whom God had redeemed, those whom he had delivered from Egypt and made alive in him—when these people rebelled against him in the wilderness, when they said "No" to action and "No thanks" to his leadership, they risked destruction. But God, who is rich in mercy, did not annihilate them. He did not make an end of them. Rather, he allowed his erring people to live out the rest of their lives in the wilderness—for God has time. And he allowed their children to bury them—for the wilderness has sand.

Then, to the next generation the challenge was to be given: Would they like their parents say "No" to God? Or would they follow him as he would lead them into the land of promise? Well, God has time and the wilderness has sand. If the second generation behaved as their mothers and fathers had, then they too would be buried in the sands of the wilderness. But one day there would be a generation that would rise up and follow God, follow him all the way to Canaan. This idea is the heart of the book of Numbers. It describes how God chastened in wrath his disobedient people, while he waited for their children to accept the challenge of his gracious gift in leading them to Canaan.

Worship is an emphasis in the book of Numbers that has not been given sufficient attention. It is generally known that the book contains important materials for the worship patterns of Israel. Documentary-critical scholars, for example, are convinced that much of the book is the work of priests, so pervasive are "priestly" elements in this book. But it is not just that the book of Numbers contains worship materials such as the celebrated Aaronic Benediction (Nu 6) or instructions about Passover (Nu 9). In the end we may discover that the pulse of the book is worship; the book of Numbers may be viewed as a worship document. It was a text for the worship of God by Moses and those who aligned themselves with him. By God's grace it may become a book of worship for us as well.

However, before the book of Numbers will become a book of worship for us, we will find it to be a book of trouble. The introduction to this book is longer than some in this series because of the (sometimes baffling) problems it presents to the modern reader.

The book of Numbers yields significant rewards for the patient reader. In a day marked by pop art, quick fixes, and fast foods, the book of Numbers is troublesome. It simply does not appeal to the person who is unwilling to invest time and energy in the study of Scripture. The modern reader will be discouraged first just by the name of the book. "Numbers" seems to be a particularly inappropriate title for a part of the revelation of God. The title seems as interesting as a book named, for example, "Telephone Directory." A suspicion of increasing dullness may settle in long before the reader finishes the first chapter. By the fifth chapter he or she may have dropped out altogether. Numbers is not "fast food" literature! Indeed, some wonder whether it is any kind of literature at all. Ashley notes, "The Book of Numbers will never replace the Psalms at the heart of Christian devotion nor the Gospel of John and the Epistle to the Romans at the heart of Christian theology, nor should it." But he continues, "The book of Numbers tells a story." The story is the thing, for the chief actor is God.

Once a reader braves these murky waters, she or he will discover that there are four major problems to face in the book of Numbers: (1) its seeming lack of coherence as a book, (2) the dizzying variety of its contents, (3) the problematic large numbers of the tribes of Israel, and (4) the fascinating but confusing story of Balaam (Nu 22–24). These factors may combine to arrest the interest of even the most pious readers.

In the nonevangelical, critical study of the Bible—the schools of European, British, and American biblical scholarship that have pursued "J-E-D-P source criticism" in the Pentateuch, or some of the more recent forms of redaction criticism—the book of Numbers has provided a fruitful source for analysis. The book is something of a "garden of flowers," each to be plucked, placed in a different vase, and then labeled according to critical ideas of source criticism. Many of the commentaries on the book of Numbers attempt to trace several supposed sources in the varied materials in the book. Surprisingly, a commentary on the book of Numbers published by a major evangelical house is one of the most critical of all. Philip J. Budd's commentary is marked by an aggressive appeal to source criticism and a theology that appears to be Unitarian in nature. He is entirely negative concerning the historical value of the book of Numbers. Budd writes, "The book appears to lack the kind of information the historian of the second millenium [sic] requires." In view of these difficulties, then, it is not surprising that many Bible readers do not come to the book of Numbers with noticeable enthusiasm.

This commentary seeks to provide a modest reason for a reassessment of the book of Numbers as an important contribution to the Torah, as an integral part of Holy Scripture, and as a necessary component in the building of a balanced and informed biblical theology. It also endeavors to rescue this book for worshiping believers. We need to rediscover reverence, recital, and reality as elements of our worship today.

2. THE BOOK OF NUMBERS...

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