Quick Information on Numbers

Author: Moses
Original audience: Israelites who came out of Egypt under Moses
Date written: 1300s or 1500s
Genre(s): Historical narrative, legal code
Theme(s): Fulfillment of God’s promises to the patriarchs
Chapters: 36
Verses: 1288

Outline of Numbers

1. Law giving at Sinai (1:1-10:10)
   1. Census (1:1-1:54)
      1. The first eleven tribes (1:1-1:46)
      2. Levities not counted in census (1:47-1:54)
   2. Camp arranged by tribe (2:1-2:34)
   3. Levitical census (3:1-4:49)
      1. Aaron’s sons (3:1-3:4)
      2. Duties of the Levites (3:5-3:39)
      3. Redemption of the first born (3:40-3:51)
      4. The Kohathites (4:1-4:20)
      5. The Gershonites (4:21-4:28)
      6. The Merarites (4:29-4:33)
      7. The Levitical census finished (4:34-4:49)
   4. Laws (5:1-5:31)
      1. Clean and unclean laws (5:1-5:4)
      2. Perjury and restitution laws (5:5-5:10)
      3. Adultery laws (5:11-5:31)
   5. Nazirite Vow (6:1-6:21)
   6. Aaron’s priestly blessing (6:22-6:27)
   7. Consecration of (and offerings at) the tabernacle (7:1-7:89)
   8. The lampstand (8:1-8:4)
   9. Cleansing of the Levites (8:5-8:22)
   10. Retirement for Levites (8:23-8:26)
   11. Passover celebrated (9:1-9:14)
   12. Cloud covered the tabernacle (9:15-9:23)
   13. Silver trumpets (10:1-10:10)
2. JOURNEY: Sinai to Kadesh (10:11-12:16)
   1. Departure from Sinai (10:11-36)
   2. Israel complains (11:1-12:16)
      1. Complaint of misfortune (11:1-11:3)
      2. Complaint about food (11:4-11:35)
         1. The people complain (11:4-11:15)
         2. 70 elders appointed (11:16-11:30)
         3. Quail come (11:31-32)
         4. A great plague (11:33-11:35)
      3. Opposition to Moses (12:1-12:16)
3. Law giving at Kadesh (13:1-19:22)
   1. Spies sent into Canaan (13:1-13:33)
      1. Moses sends spies (13:1-13:24)
      2. Spies return (13:25-13:29)
      3. Caleb’s assessment meets opposition (13:30-13:33)
   2. Israel rebels (14:1-14:45)
      1. Israel rebels (14:1-14:12)
      2. Moses prays (14:13-14:19)
      3. God answers and judges (14:20-14:38)
      4. Israel defeated in battle (14:39-14:45)
   3. Laws about sacrifice (15:1-15:21)
   4. Laws about unintentional sins (15:22-15:31)
   5. Death of a Sabbath breaker (15:32-15:36)
   6. Laws about tassels (15:37-15:41)
   7. Korah’s Rebellion (16:1-16:50)
   8. Aaron’s staff (17:1-17:13)
   9. Levitical income (18:1-18:32)
   10. Purification (19:1-19:22)
4. JOURNEY: Kadesh to the Plains of Moab (20:1-22:1)
   1. Miriam’s death (20:1)
   2. Israel at the waters of Meribah (20:2-20:13)
      1. Israel thirsts & complains (20:2-20:5)
      2. God speaks to Moses (20:6-20:9)
      3. Moses disobeys (20:10-20:13)
   3. Edom does not let Israel pass through their territory (20:14-20:21)
   4. Aaron’s death (20:22-20:29)
   5. Arad is destroyed (21:1-21:3)
   6. Moses’ bronze serpent (21:4-21:9)
   7. Israel camps and sings (21:10-21:20)
   8. Sihon defeate3d in battle (21:21-21:30)
   9. Og defeated (21:31-21:35)
   10. Israel camps in the plains of Moab (22:1)
5. Law giving on the Plains of Moab(22:2-36:13)
   1. Story of Balaam (22:2-24:25)
      1. Balak tells Balaam to curse Israel (22:2-22:6)
      2. Balaam speaks to God (22:7-22:14)
      3. Balak speaks again to Balaam (22:15-22:21)
      4. Balaam’s donkey speaks (22:22-22:30)
      5. The Lord speaks to Balaam (22:31-22:41)
      6. Oracle #1 (23:1-23:12)
      7. Oracle #2 (23:13-23:30)
      8. Oracle #3 (24:1-24:14)
      9. Oracle #4 (24:15-24:25)
   2. Israel worships Baal (25:1-25:9)
   3. Phinehas (25:10-25:18)
   4. Census of Israel (26:1-26:65)
   5. Daughters of Zelophehad (27:1-27:11)
   6. Joshua will succeed Moses (27:12-27:23)
   7. Various offerings (28:1-29:40)
      1. Daily offerings (28:1-28:8)
      2. Sabbath offerings (28:9-28:10)
      3. Monthly offerings (28:11-28:15)
      4. Passover offerings (28:16-28:25)
      5. Feast of Weeks offerings (28:26-28:31)
      6. Feast of Trumpets offerings (29:1-29:6)
      7. Day of Atonement offerings (29:7-29:11)
      8. Feast of Booths offerings (29:12-29:40)
   8. Vows (30:1-30:16)
   9. War with Midianites (31:1-31:54)
      1. Israel defeats Midian army (31:1-31:24)
      2. Spoils of war (31:25-31:54)
   10. Reuben and Gad settle east of the Jordan (32:1-32:42)
   11. Summary of the Israelites’ journey to Moab (33:1-33:49)
   12. God tells Moses to drive out the inhabitants of the land (33:50-33:56)
   13. Land boundaries (34:1-34:15)
   14. Chiefs from each tribe (34:16-34:29)
   15. Cities for special purposes (35:1-35:34)
       1. Cities for Levites (35:1-35:8)
       2. The cities of refuge (35:9-35:34)
   16. Zelophehad’s daughters marry (36:1-36:13)