Bible History
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6-8. When a man or a woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do
a trespass against the Lord--This is a wrong or injury done by one man
to the property of another, and as it is called "a trespass against the
Lord," it is implied, in the case supposed, that the offense has been
aggravated by prevaricating--by a false oath, or a fraudulent lie in
denying it, which is a "trespass" committed against God, who is the
sole judge of what is falsely sworn or spoken
(Ac 5:3, 4).
and that person be guilty--that is, from the obvious tenor of the
passage, conscience-smitten, or brought to a sense and conviction of
his evil conduct.
(See on
Le 6:2).
In that case, there must be: first, confession, a penitential
acknowledgment of sin; secondly, restitution of the property, or the
giving of an equivalent, with the additional fine of a fifth part, both
as a compensation to the person defrauded, and as a penalty inflicted
on the injurer, to deter others from the commission of similar
trespasses. (See on
Ex 22:1).
The difference between the law recorded in that passage and this is
that the one was enacted against flagrant and determined thieves, the
other against those whose necessities might have urged them into fraud,
and whose consciences were distressed by their sin. This law also
supposes the injured party to be dead, in which case, the compensation
due to his representatives was to be paid to the priest, who, as God's
deputy, received the required satisfaction.
JFB.
The Book of Numbers
Numbers 14:14 - And they will tell [it] to the inhabitants of this land: [for] they have heard that thou LORD [art] among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and [that] thy cloud standeth over them, and [that] thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
The Old Testament - A Brief Overview
Bible Survery - Numbers
Hebrew Name - Bemidhbar "in the wilderness"
Greek Name - Numbers "numberings"
Author - Moses
Date - From 1490-1451 BC Approximately
Theme - The Journey to the Promised Land
Types and Shadows - In Numbers Jesus is the Pillar of Cloud by
Day and the Pillar of Fire by Night
Photo of the Sinai Wilderness
The book of Numbers takes its name from the account of the census that happened two times among the congregation of Israel in Numbers 1-4 and Numbers 26. The Greek title was used even though there is really no connection with the "numberings." The original Hebrew title which means "in the wilderness," is much more accurate, because the book of Numbers is it's really an accurate history of the events that happened during the period of wandering in the wilderness and not necessarily a book about statistics. The book of Numbers seems to follow naturally after the book of Leviticus in the order of the books of Moses in the Old Testament. After the children of Israel received the laws at Mount Sinai, they began the journey as described in the book of Exodus, and they were ready to march directly into the land of Canaan. The book of Numbers reveals how the children of Israel became prepared, and went to various trials, and how they were sinful in not trusting the Lord. Their sinful ways resulted in 37 years of wandering through the harsh wilderness. The book of Numbers concludes with the children of Israel once again at the edge of the land of Canaan, where they received instructions for the conquest of Canaan and the division of the land.
Quick Reference Map
Map of the Possible Route of the
Exodus (Click to Enlarge)
The principle divisions of the book are as follows:
Outline of the Book of Numbers
1) The preparation for the departure from Sinai (1:1-10:10). The events described here took place in nineteen days. In this time a census was taken of all men who were over twenty and who could serve in military efforts (1-4). The total obtained was 603,550 (1:46). This would indicate that the total population of the group was probably near three million. The census was followed by the cleansing and blessing of the congregation (5-6), the offering of gifts from the various tribes (7), the consecration of the Levites (8) and the observance of the Passover at Sinai (9:1-14).
2 ) The journey from Sinai to Kadesh-barnea (10:11-14:45). This section includes the account of the coming of the quail (11), the rebellion against Moses by Miriam and Aaron (12), and the fateful mission of the spies (13, 14).
3) The wanderings of the desert wilderness (15-19). As noted above, this covered a period of thirty-seven years, from the end of the second to the beginning of the fortieth year in the wilderness. Ch. 15 includes various laws and a record of capital punishment for Sabbath breaking. The rebellion of Korah (ch. 16) and the budding of Aaron's rod (ch. 17) are also mentioned here.
4 ) The history of the last year, from the second arrival of the Israelites at Kadesh till they reach "the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho" (20-36: 13). Notable sections of this are the story of Balaam (22:2-24:25), the zeal of Phinehas (ch. 25), the second census (26:1-51) , instructions for dividing the land (26:52-27: 11), the appointment of Joshua as Moses' successor (27: 12-23), various laws concerning offerings and vows ( 28-30 ), the war with Midian (ch. 31), the settlement of the tribes east of the Jordan (ch. 32), a review of the locations at which Israel had camped during their wanderings (33: 1-49), more instructions concerning the conquest and division of Canaan (33:50-34:29 ), the appointment of the cities of refuge (ch. 35) and instructions concerning the marriage of land-owning Israelite women (ch. 36).
ARCHAEOLOGYAncient Bronze Snake
Bronze Snake from Lachish, Late Bronze Age
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