Like probably most of you reading this, the book of Numbers is one that doesn’t exactly jump to mind when thinking of books of the Bible that we turn to regularly, or can even begin to claim to fully understand. In fact, had I not learned the canonical order as a child, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you where it was, let alone what’s in it. So when, in the space of two years, I realized I would be the in-publisher editor of not one but two commentaries on Numbers and not two but three books on the book, I figured I’d better try and get up to speed with the book and scholarship on it. Fortunately for me, recent years have seen a trio of new commentaries on Numbers appear. I’ve reviewed Ashley (second edition NICOT) and Awabdy (BECOT) on my blog and hope to get to Sklar’s Story of God series entry soon. But – and you might expect me to write this, as I’ve worked on it, these somewhat pale into comparison with the magisterial new commentary on Numbers from L. Michael Morales in the Apollos Old Testament Commentary series.
L. Michael Morales is probably best known as the author of a stunningly good NSBT volume on Leviticus – but his doctoral supervisor Gordon Wenham recruited him for the Numbers volume in the Inter-Varsity Press Apollos Old Testament Commentary series. Wenham and Baker’s invitation is one that Morales has responded to with aplomb. In two volumes of translation and commentary – the initial draft would have been closer to three – Morales has, in the words of Joshua Berman of Bar-Ilan University:
“marshaled a breathtaking spectrum of Jewish, Christian, and critical perspectives unprecedented in commentary to Numbers – or to any book of the Hebrew Bible. His attention to the ways structure, themes and vocabulary create a unified whole within chapters and across the book makes this an indispensable resource.“
Personally, it was a privilege to see tens of thousands of words from both the introduction and the commentary which aren’t in the final book – we hope that some will see the light of day in a different form soon. Put simply, if you’ve been looking forward to this commentary, there is more to come from Morales on Numbers, but this is a masterclass in the commentary genre.
If you’ve not encountered the AOTC before, here’s a chunk of the series description:
The Apollos Old Testament Commentary aims to take with equal seriousness the divine and human aspects of Scripture. It expounds the books of the Old Testament in a scholarly manner, accessible to non-experts, and it shows the relevance of the Old Testament to modern readers. Written by an international team of scholars, these commentaries are intended to serve the needs of those who preach from the Old Testament, as well as scholars and all serious students of the Bible.
Morales does an admirable job of doing this, offering a readable and fresh translation of Numbers, a stellar introduction, and demonstrating the kind of biblical-theological acumen that his regular readers have come to expect. This new commentary, I believe, sets the standard not just for evangelical commentary on Numbers, but for Christian commentary on Numbers. It’s been a delight to have had a front row seat to this project, the first alongside new series co-editor Beth M. Stovell, and David Baker – it is our prayer that this book will reignite and resource the church’s preaching and teaching of Numbers. You can find out more about Volume 1 (Intro and chapters 1-19) here, and Volume 2 (chapters 20-36, bibliography and indices for both volumes) here. If you are in the USA it should be available by all the normal outlets – Volume 1 is available now, Volume 2 is due in a couple of months (October/November).
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