Numbers - 'Its very title puts the modern reader off', writes Gordon Wenham. 'In ancient times numbers were seen as mysterious and symbolic, a key to reality and the mind of God himself. Today they are associated with computers and the depersonalization that threatens our society.'

In his effort to bridge the great gulf between the book and our own age, Wenham first explains the background of Numbers, discussing its structure, sources, date and authorship as well as its theology and Christian use. A passage-by-passage analysis follows, drawing on social anthropology to offer helpful insights into Old Testament ritual.

This classic commentary has been completely retypeset and presented in a fresh, vibrant new large paperback format.

The Tyndale Bible Commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting and purpose. Following a structural Analysis, the Commentary takes the book section-by-section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. The aim throughout is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain.

Gordon J. Wenham is lecturer in Old Testament, Trinity College Bristol. He was formerly Professor of Old Testament at the University of Gloucestershire.