BOOK OF NUMBERS: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Numbers 11:18-20 Do the Israelite not know why God took them out of Egypt!? Again in these verses they say, "We were better off in Egypt."

This is just one of seven times (according to the Talmud) that the Israelites rebelled against God and Moses in the wilderness. These rebellions seem strange to us since we would like to feel that in their place we would be grateful to have escaped a life of slavery and have the promise of a brand new land to settle in. However, before we judge them too harshly, it is wise to consider several aspects of common human nature illustrated in this story that may strike a chord with us personally:

1. We often look at the past through rose-colored glasses and remember the good times while conveniently ignoring all the difficult ones.

2. There is an old saying: “Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know.” Even though the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt and had to work hard, their basic needs of food, water and shelter were all met. In the wilderness, they faced nothing but uncertainties UNLESS they chose to place all their faith in God's promises of a better future in the promised land.

3. Many of us act as “practical atheists” in our everyday life. We trade in long-term, eternal rewards in favor of immediate pleasures, not unlike Esau trading his blessing for a pot of stew.

Numbers 13:4-16 In Exodus 24:12-14 it is written that Moses set out with Joshua his aide to go up on the mountain of God. Much later in Numbers 13:4-16 Moses gave Hoshea, son of Nun, the name Joshua. What is the significance of changing his name when he had already been referred to as Joshua much earlier?

NIV and other translations of Numbers 13:16 do give the impression that Moses renamed Hoshea (“he saved”) as Joshua (“Yahweh saves”) at the occasion of the spies being sent out. However, several commentators specifically point out that this is not the meaning of the Hebrew text. For example, Timothy Ashley states, “The text does not say that it was at this point that the renaming took place. The author here wished the reader to note that the Hoshea of the list just previous [Numbers 13:8] is the famous Joshua. At some unknown point, Moses put the Yahwistic element in hosea.” (The Book of Numbers, p. 233)

The New English Bible makes this point clear by translating verse 16, “But Moses called the son of Nun Joshua, not Hoshea.” In other words, Joshua was Moses' pet name for Hoshea.

Conversely, the earlier mention of Joshua as his name in Exodus 24 does not necessarily mean that Moses had already renamed him by that time. As George Wenham points out, “Though some earlier passages (e.g. Exodus 24:13) use the name Joshua, they must be anticipating his subsequent change of name.” (Numbers, p. 116-117)

Just to add to the confusion, at an even later time period, Deuteronomy 32:44 refers to Hoshea son of Nun in the Hebrew text while the early Aramaic, Greek and Latin translations of this verse all give his name as Joshua. (NRSV textual note)

Jumping to the New Testament, although Simon is renamed as Peter by Jesus at one point, there are still some subsequent references to him as Simon or Simon Peter. Having multiple names is not uncommon in either Old Testament or New Testament times, and often the context determines which name will be used in which setting. One prominent example is that of Saul (his Jewish name) being called Paul (his Gentile name) when he is predominantly interacting with the Gentile world.

Numbers 30:16 What kind of vows would be made between father and daughter, husband and wife?

This verse, taken by itself in the fairly literal NIV translation, does seem to imply that there might be vows between family members. However, that is not at all the intent.

Today's English Version renders the underlying thought of this verse better: “These are the rules that the LORD gave Moses concerning vows made by an unmarried woman living in her father's house or by a married woman.” In other words, verse 16 is simply a summary of the rules outlined in verses 1-15. These all deal with vows made to God. As a matter of fact, when the Bible speaks about vows, they are always made between human beings and God, not between two people. (New Bible Dictionary, p.1313)

Reviewing the regulations in Numbers 30, one could easily get the idea that a woman's vows were not taken as seriously as a man's vows because a woman was not considered mature enough to make responsible decisions by herself. That is obviously not the case since verse 9 states that vows made by a widow or divorced woman are to be fully binding. And no one would argue that a divorced woman is necessarily more mature than a married one.

Then why could a father or husband overrule a woman's vows if he wished? Robin Wakely gives the most probable reason: “Given the economic dependence of women on men in ancient Israelite society, it was felt necessary to protect fathers and husbands from excessive commitments made by women who were not ultimately responsible for finding the resources necessary to fulfill those commitments.” (Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Vol. 1, p. 474) Nevertheless, the man had the responsibility to speak now or forever hold his peace regarding his daughter's or wife's vow as soon as he learned of it. If he later changed his mind and did not let her go ahead with the vow, he would be the guilty party in God's eyes, not her.