Best Commentaries on Numbers

Concise and clear, Wenham gets to the meat of each passage right away. His short and informative commentary also provides helpful applications for the Christian reader.

With a background in Syro-Palestinian archaeology and an evangelical Reformed perspective, Currid’s commentary is thorough, practical, and straightforward. He helps the reader grasp the text’s meaning and make simple applications.

Brown shows how Numbers’ message speaks to our contemporary world—a world that lacks firm spiritual and moral foundations. Through Numbers, God’s people see how God journeys with us as he provides love, freedom, and certainty.

Duguid’s understanding of the flow of Numbers is masterful. His division of the book reflects not its geographical progress (the traditional view) but its spiritual progress. This rich understanding leads Duguid to a number of helpful applications.

Allen provides more exegesis than other preaching commentaries. He sees Numbers as a necessary component in the building of a balanced and informed biblical theology.

Reynolds sees Numbers’ relevance for a present-day wandering generation. He highlights how the text points readers to return to Christ.

A clear and concise exegetical discussion that keeps larger issues of biblical theology in view. Sklar offers ample application and demonstrates sensitivity to Numbers’ apologetic issues, providing helpful comments on how they might be addressed.

One of the most thorough exegetical treatments of the Hebrew text from an evangelical perspective. Ashley aids readers by interacting well with both the Hebrew text and scholarly debates while remaining true to the book’s divine purpose and authorship. He possesses the unusual ability to engage readers in these areas even when his readers’ language skills are not up to his considerable level. Note that Ashley is less sure of Mosaic authorship in his second edition.

Budd divides the book of Numbers into three sections: the community at Sinai (1:1–9:14); the journey―its setbacks and success (9:15–25:18); and final preparations for settlement (26:1–35:34). From this outline, the author shows the formative influence the Jewish ceremonial laws had in transforming the children of Abraham into the nation of Israel.

Jewish commentators are incredibly helpful for Christians working in the Pentateuch. The rabbis have thought about these texts for centuries and often have insightful things to say. Among Jewish readers of Numbers, there’s no one more helpful than Jacob Milgrom. He has insights on every page. Note that while he’s often commenting on the final form of the text, he is working broadly from a higher critical perspective.