THE BOOK OF NUMBERS

Descripción

To call up from the past and reproduce in any detail the story of Israel’s life in the wilderness is now impossible. Only the outlines, severe, neglected of almost everything that has nothing to do with religion, remain. The tribes pass from one «wilderness» to another.

The hardships of the time of wandering appear without relief, for throughout history the deeds of God, and not the achievements or sufferings of the people, are the great theme. The patriotism of the Book of Numbers is of a type which continually reminds us of the prophecies.

Here the style is simple, often severe, with little emotion, hardly any rhetoric. The legislative purpose reacts upon the historical and makes the spirit of the book severe.

Seldom does the writer allow himself a respite from the grave task of presenting the duties and crimes of Israel, and exalting the majesty of God.

We are continually made to feel the burden with which the affairs of the people are burdened; and yet the book is not a poem: to excite sympathy or to lead to a grand climax does not enter into its design.