Walking in the Wilderness: Best Commentaries on Numbers
The graveyard of many a Bible in a Year program, Numbers is an often overlooked and seldom preached book of the Bible, yet it has so much to teach us as New Testament believers
Numbers just doesn’t come to mind when we’re planning an Old Testament sermon series. It seems so distant to us. It’s full of long lists. There are lots of numbers (shocker!). There’s plenty of laws and strange stories. And it all feels discouraging as over and over again we see the People of God rebel and fall. The book itself seems to tell us to stay away – unfruitful sermonic material present, but nothing could be further from the truth! No doubt there is the challenge of unfamiliarity, relevance, obscurity and violence, but there are riches galore to be unearthed, if one persists.
Dane Ortlund has written about Numbers:
Numbers shows God’s grace in patiently sustaining his grumbling people in the wilderness and bringing them to the border of the Promised Land not because of them, but in spite of them.
We, too, are on our journey, as God’s People and can learn much. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this in 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 where all the incidents referred to are mentioned in Numbers!
I have found a number of commentaries very helpful as I have preached from this book. I hope that this list will serve as a good start for expositors seeking to grapple with the text of this amazing Old Testament travelogue. I have indicated with a ** notation the volumes that I’d prioritize in purchasing, even a couple that I’d wished I’d bought.
Note: As previous entries have done in this blog series have done, I have organized the commentaries categorically in terms of commentary type or style (Academic/Scholarly, Verse by Verse/Accessible, Homiletical/Popular Level).
Academic/Scholarly – Commentaries that have extensive historical analysis and research behind them as they also deal extensively with the text in the original language, and have clearly consulted the bulk of the available and relevant literature, both critical and evangelical.
**Timothy R. Ashley, The Book of Numbers, 2nd Edition – New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT)
This is the first of the two more scholarly works that I used in my preparation. Former professor of Old Testament at Acadia Divinity College, Ashley has given us a wonderfully written commentary based on the text of the book, rather than getting tangled up in critical text issues and documentary hypothesis. You don’t have to be proficient in Hebrew to be able to use this volume. Ashley helps along the way and successfully engages readers in his task of working through this oftentimes dense and complex book. It is a treasure trove of information, both in footnotes and bibliography. Warning – Ashley seems less convinced of Mosaic authorship that in the First Edition. Still useful.
R. Dennis Cole, Numbers – The New American Commentary, Vol. 3B (NAC)
If you don’t want to buy Ashley because of the cost and want save a few ‘shekels’ purchase this volume. Based on the NIV 1984, Cole does a nice job of helping make sense of the text. He seems more interested in the structural piece than does Ashley, but nonetheless it is a very helpful volume in the NAC series.
[If you have the budget buy both!]
Verse by Verse/Accessible – Commentaries that provide helpful and enlightening historical insights while commenting in fair depth on every verse in the book, without going too deep into text criticism or the original languages. These commentaries deal helpfully with the theology of the books at hand.
**Gordon J. Wenham – Numbers, Volume 4 - Tyndale Old Testament Commentary (TOTC)
If you’re going to buy just one affordable commentary on Numbers get this one. Though brief, this volume is clear, compact and very helpful. He makes many helpful applications and always points us to Christ. Everyone recommends this one and everyone needs this one.
**ESV Study Notes (Gordon J. Wenham)
A lovely distillation of his commentary in the ESV Study Bible to aid the lay person in person study. Helpful to the pastor also!
Homiletical/Popular Level – Commentaries that provide summarizing insights that read more like a sermon and deal more with application than interpretation. These can be particularly helpful to reference toward the end of the sermon preparation process.
**Iain Duguid, Numbers: God’s Presence in the Wilderness - Preaching the Word Series
More of a collection of sermons than a commentary. There are no Hebrew word studies or textual analysis, but there’s loads of application and relevance for Bible teaching. Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t shy away from the difficult texts, but has a wonderful way of making contemporary applications. Well worth picking up.
**Adrian Reynolds, Teaching Numbers – From Text to Message, Teach the Bible Series
Part of a series done by Christian Focus and The Proclamation Trust, this volume from Adrian Reynolds, former Director of Ministry there, is a wonderful addition to this list. It is helpful in every way to the preacher. Introductory matters summarize succinctly just what a preacher needs to know in the limited time that they have. Suggestions are made with regards to a potential preaching series. Commentary is then followed by a ‘Text to message’ section, suggestions for preaching, and even questions to help apply the passage. This is such a practical volume. Buy this one!
Martin Pakula, Numbers, Homeward Bound - Reading the Bible Today Series
Australian author – a wonderful Christ-centered overview of the book of Numbers, perfect for the person in the pew who wants to go a bit deeper, but not too deep.
Other Helpful Numbers Resources
With limited time (and an even more limited budget!) I was only able to purchase a small number of commentaries on Numbers for my sermon preparation. Others were available and others have been released more recently. I include these for your consideration:
L. Michael Morales, Numbers - Apollos Old Testament Commentary (2 vols) (2024)
**Jay A. Sklar, Numbers - The Story of God Bible Commentary (2023)
**Raymond Brown, The Message of Numbers - The Bible Speaks Today series (BST) (2022)
Mark A. Awabday, Numbers - Baker Commentary on the Old Testament. (2024)
John D. Currid, Numbers - An Evangelical Press Study Commentary (2009)
David L. Stubbs, Numbers - Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible (2009)
