{N}1,{/}1: What is the meaning of this census, with its many repetitions and orderly arrangement of the camps of the twelve tribes? It seems like scenes from a play: Israel appears as an orderly people, Yahweh's armies on their way to conquer the Promised Land. First come those of the tribe of Levi, or the Levites, responsible for worship: thus we know that this is a "holy" people, consecrated to God.

{N}3,{/}1: {C}Chapters 3, 4 and 8 refer to the priests or Levites.{/}
At the time of Abraham, each family head was "priest" for his own group: he himself was responsible for the sacrifices (Gen 15:10) and sacred rituals (Gen 28:18); he also gave blessings on behalf of God (Gen 27:27).
Possibly, Moses appointed men in charge of teaching Yahweh's laws to Israel. The group called the tribe of Levi, perhaps a tribe of warriors at first, became responsible for this mission. In the episode of the Golden Calf they supported Moses in restoring order.
Still, heads of families as well as priests kept on celebrating without laws or control (Jdg 17).
David and Solomon established the Jewish clergy: from then on, only men from the tribe of Levi could be priests. It was perhaps with Josiah's reform that a distinction was made among the Levites. Those of a higher rank were called {C}priests{/} and those of a lower rank were {C}Levites {/}(see 2 K 22:8). Those who returned to Jerusalem at Josiah's command and were forbidden to officiate in the Temple may have been the first "Levites" of a lower rank, while the Jerusalem clergy saw their privileges confirmed. They, the "priests" of the Temple, began to form a superior class and, to differentiate themselves within the tribe of Levi, they claimed to be descendants of Aaron, Moses' brother.
The Book of Numbers attributes to Moses himself, in a fictitious way, all this organization.
The Levites represent the firstborn of Israel, the ones whom Yahweh saved in the first Passover when the firstborn of Egypt died. Since they were saved by Yahweh, from that time on they belonged to God.

{N}4,{/}1: In Israel, every male born into the tribe of Levi was automatically a priest. Besides, each family of that tribe was destined for some form of service. This is the lesson taught in the description of the census taking of the tribe of Levi. The Levites, consecrated to God's service for their whole lives (and that of their sons) were, by their very presence, reminding Israel that they were a people destined for the service of God.
This Israelite clergy still had its place in the Temple at the time of Christ. From the very beginning the Church was free of this type of priesthood. For her there was no longer a "House of God" among the houses of the people (Jn 2:19; Rev 21:22): Jesus was the New Temple "where the plenitude of the divinity dwells" (Col 2:9). From then on the church no longer needs a "clergy" assuring the service of the Temple, it no longer needs "Levites." What the church needs now are "ministers" who by their different services assure the growth of the entire Body (Eph 4:11-12).
But through the centuries the Church developed; entire nations following their king or prince joined the new religion and were baptized. The great majority of humans feel the need of a religion, without having heard the call to faith. So a majority was Christian simply because Christianity had dethroned ancient beliefs. In christiandom centuries, the Church became what the ancient Israel had been: a religious people animated by an invisible network of believers. Already the extension of Christian communities, those who worship in churches replacing meetings in private houses, had prepared the ground for more demanding ministries: the new situation originated a return to the perspectives of the Old Testament. From then on "priests" and "clergy" were needed to serve the "faithful," those who "were only baptized."
It was not until the twentieth century that baptism was reevaluated. Then it became clearer that ministries were needed but not all the ministries had to be entrusted to a celibate clergy, recruited in their youth and formed in seminaries, rather than being chosen within the Christian community for the gifts they proved to have.
{C}Expel from the camp... {/}(5:2). Let us not forget that all of this was written in figurative language. The camp stood for the Holy Place, for the Temple. It was a way of saying which people were not allowed to enter the Temple.

{N}6,{/}1: The {C}Nazirites{/} were men who consecrated themselves to God for a while or for life. Samson was a Nazirite (Jdg 13:5) and John the Baptist may have also been one (see Lk 1:15). There were also Nazirites among the first Christians of Jewish descent (Acts 21:23). See also Paul's vow (Acts 18:18).
We do not know of any religious congregations in Israel as we now have in the church. Therefore the law concerning the Nazirites enabled any believer to dedicate himself to God in a personal way.

{N}6,{/}22: Blessing of Moses which St. Francis of Assisi always used.

{N}10,{/}29: {C}This is the beginning of a series of ancient traditions which form the best of chapters 11-14. In this section we use the normal print for these ancient stories and italics for the parts coming from the priest-editors of the book of Numbers.{/}

{N}11,{/}1: In this chapter two traditions are merged:
- one referring to the quails and the manna, similar to Exodus 16;
- the other, about the gift of the "spirit of Yahweh" to the elders, that is, to the leaders of Israel.

{N}11,{/}24: The first awareness that the Israelites had of the {C}Spirit of God {/}came to them through the prophets' deeds. The prophets were those persons who knew something of God's secrets, and with whom God had shared some of his wisdom, and who on certain occasions possessed an irresistible power. By the way the prophets acted, the Israelites came to understand that God communicated his spirit like a violent and sudden wind (in Hebrew the same word {C}ruah{/} means {C}spirit {/}and {C}wind{/}).
In order to better understand this story, it would help to compare it with 1 S 10:1-13 and 19:18-24.
This story teaches us that the Spirit acts in various ways (see 1 Cor 12 and 14). It is one thing to say and do strange things, to speak in tongues, etc; quite another and more important to have received the responsibility to guide and teach God's people. It is the spirit of Moses, God's representative (who did not speak in tongues nor prophesy in ecstasies) who will produce in the seventy elders strange prophetic manifestations.
The episode of Eldad and Medad also shows that God does not always give his Spirit through official channels. Eldad and Medad were on the list, but not near Moses. Thus the authorities of the people of God should not be surprised when the Spirit is given where they are not: such will be the case with Cornelius (Acts 10) and Paul (Acts 9).
{C}Would that all Yahweh's people were prophets{/} (see Jl 3:1 and Acts 2:17).

{N}12,{/}1: In the Gospel Jesus would declare that no prophet is accepted by his own family (see Mk 6:4). Miriam and Aaron, the "relatives" of Moses, criticized what he was doing and may have been right. However, it was an attempt to make themselves equal to Moses and God intervened to defend his prophet. God's answer clarifies two things:
- Moses has a special place in revelation: he is to establish the foundations of faith in a Liberating, Just, Holy and Merciful God and no prophet will be able to change that. What is more, prophets who actually are Moses' successors will have to be accepted by the religious leaders of God's people.
- {C}To him I speak face to face{/}. Visions and dreams can be one of God's ways of revealing himself to prophets, though these ways are of an inferior nature, since all kind of spirits may be involved and may even be illusions from the devil.
{C}Moses was a very humble man{/}, a clear sign that he had encountered God.

{N}13,{/}16: In those days, the land promised to the Hebrews was called Canaan. Later, it would be called Israel since the Israelites became its owners. Its name would also be Palestine. In their dreams they looked upon this land as a paradise. {C}They cut a branch with a cluster of grapes which two of them carried on a pole{/}. This fabulous detail shows a beautiful land "of milk and honey." This image is used by today's Israelites as the symbol of their country.
Here, the Bible describes one of the great sins of Israel, as in Exodus 32. It would not have been difficult for Israel to believe in Yahweh if he had not required that they conquer the land, a challenge which frightened them. In the same way today, many Christians filled with spiritual fervor get scared when the church asks them to commit themselves to the task of justice and reconciliation in every area of the world.

{N}14,{/}1: We can recall experiences very similar to this rebellion.
Fear is a bad adviser; it turns cowards into violent people.
Mediocre people kill the prophets either to preserve their peace, or to return "to the slavery of Egypt."
Yet, God comes to the rescue of the person who confronts the crowds for the sake of God.
{C}How long will this people spurn me?{/} The fear of acting is an insult to God. These words are also addressed to all those who today, faced with the wounds of our society, say: nothing can be done.
{C}Pardon then, I pray you, the sin of this people.{/} Once again Moses appears in his role as intercessor. Moses has learned from God himself that God is rich in kindness and mercy.
God forgives, but this does not exempt people from having to pay the price of their errors. The rebellion of Kadesh and the following defeat are given as the reason for the long time spent by the Hebrews in the desert. They did, in fact, spend a fairly long time, forty years, not far from Kadesh as if prevented from entering the land of Canaan. The word is harsh: all who have refused to take part in the conquest will die at the gate of the Promised Land.

{N}15,{/}1: In chapters 15-19 we again have laws and customs of Israel. 
- 15:17. Instructions about offering the first batch of bread - the first loaves from flour of the harvest. The people of God will be a well-trained and courteous people: they will not eat without giving thanks nor serve themselves first, but will offer the first part to the Levite or the poor, which means offering it to God.
- 15:37. The {C}purple cord{/} can be compared to the badges which many people wear today: an external sign which is good insofar as it corresponds to an interior disposition. Jesus accepted this prescription (Mt 9:20) but he criticized those who wore these tassels only for show (Mt 23:5).

{N}16,{/}1: {C}The whole community is consecrated to Yahweh and he lives among them.{/} That is true but there is a hierarchy which comes from God. This is the lesson in this chapter and Paul will recall it later: "One cannot claim the honor of being a priest: he must be called by God as Aaron was" (Heb 5:4).
Several stories are combined in this text:
-     in the first, the Levite Korah claimed for himself the privileges of the priests, sons of Aaron; and fire from heaven devoured him along with his two hundred partisans;
in the second, Dathan and Abiram, from the tribe of Reuben, rebelled against Moses and the earth swallowed them up.

{N}16,{/}28: Compare Numbers 16:28 with John 5:19 and 5:36

{N}17,{/}1: Various miracles show Aaron's authority, and the effectiveness of his prayer because he is a priest chosen by God. Aaron's staff (17:23) reflects the fruitfulness that God grants to every action done in response to his command and to every person who dedicates himself to him (Jer 17:8; Ps 92:15). 

{N}19,{/}1: The letter to the Hebrews refers specifically to this chapter when it speaks of the sacrifices of the Old Testament which could not really give interior purity to anyone and only prefigured the perfect sacrifice of Christ (see Heb 9:13; and 13:11).
Verses 17-21 deal with water for purification. Many people used water in their religious rituals. Here we see how the Jews used it.
After washing us through baptism, the Church also uses holy water. The Church does not attribute magical power to it but is aware that visible signs help bring about proper dispositions in us: making the sign of the cross with holy water, attentively and with faith, helps us to set aside our daily preoccupations at the entrance to the church.

{N}20,{/}1: This account is part of texts drawn up by the priests after their return from captivity. It takes up the episode related in Ex 17:1-7 but with the addition of a "sin of Moses!" Why? Rereading the history of their forebears these priests faced a question: how was it possible that Moses, this prophet with whom "God spoke face to face" (Ex 33:11), had been excluded from the Promised Land? Moses had mysteriously died on Mt. Nebo. A certitude, however, remained: God is just! If Moses had not entered the Promised Land, it was because he had sinned. They then rewrote the account but charging Moses with sin: he had doubted God!
We have a similar case in comparing the two accounts of the death of Josiah, the just king (2 K 22:2 and 23:29 compared with 2 Chr 35:19-25).
Only the fulfillment of Scripture in Jesus could fully enlighten us on the mission of Moses. His mission was to guide the people of God to the entrance of the Promised Land. Once there, he could step aside and say with John the Baptist, the last prophet of the Old Testament: "He must increase, I must decrease." Joshua's ministry was now beginning: to open the gates of the Promised Land to the people of God and let them take possession of it. The double vocation of Moses and Joshua prefigures and throws light on the mission of the Old Testament and that of Jesus (in Hebrew, the names Joshua and Jesus are the same).

{N}21,{/}4: With regard to this bronze serpent, two quite different questions may be asked. The first: what is the historical origin of this account? An easy answer: near the Sinai mines a healing god was honored and little bronze serpents were offered in thanksgiving. The stories of travellers must have inspired the narrative. But the important question is the second: what does this page of the holy book intend to say?{C}
The people complained.{/} The Israelites complain again: this is the inner rebellion of those who do not accept sacrifices and will not exert themselves in order to become better and who would rather blame others.
{C}Make a bronze serpent{/}. A strange command to the Israelites, but the bronze serpent will be a prophetic sign: God intends to cure the sin with the very instrument of the sin.
{C}Whoever looks at it shall live{/}: another pro-phetic statement. Sinners will not have to follow strict prescriptions: let them merely look with faith at the sign God sends for their healing. Jesus will say: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up (on the cross) so that he who believes in him will have eternal life" (Jn 3:14).
The story of the serpent is one of those biblical images with a hidden meaning, and people had to wait for the day when Christ would give them meaning. The same is true of the story of Mel-chizedek (Gen 14) and the story of Joseph.
The same is true in our own lives; in our past there have been some incidents which we did not understand at that time. Why did this happen to me? Some day, the light of Christ will reveal the meaning.

{N}21,{/}21: After their years of confinement in Kadesh were over, the Israelites together with Moses started their march toward the land of Canaan.
They surrounded the country to the south and the east and temporarily settled in the territories east of the Jordan. Two victories occurred there and, once again, the Israelites saw that God saves his people. In Psalm 136, after praising God "who made them cross the Red Sea because his love is everlasting" they recall that "he struck great kings to death, Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan."

{N}22,{/}2: Here begins the very meaningful story of Balaam, developed in the form of a legend (about Balaam, see commentary on Gen 32:22). When they set out on the way to freedom, the people of God faced several enemies, as well as their own cowardice about the sacrifices asked of them. But an even greater danger threatens them now without their knowing it: Balaam has been called and paid to bring curses upon them. Everyone knows, though we may use more modern words to express this curse - that our own demons can lead us to disaster: radicalization of conflicts, refusal of risk and sins against life.
Later, God will remind the Israelites of the way he protected them in the Balaam incident: not only did God shield them from their visible human enemies, but also from invisible ones which neither ordinary people nor rulers could foresee or detain (see Jos 24:9 and Mic 6:5).
{C}I did not want to sin, I did not know you were posted against me on the road{/} (22:34). What a likable sorcerer Balaam is. He is obstinate in his wicked project until he discovers that God himself blocks the way!

{N}24,{/}15: It would seem that God wants to proclaim the marvelous destiny of his people to the whole world, even through Balaam's mouth. We single out the most famous of the poems, or prophecies of Balaam (24:15-19) announcing the {C}star of Jacob.{/} This star referred to king David, chosen by God to begin the Rule of God in Israel. Through him we recognize another one, Christ, the truly chosen one of God.

{N}25,{/}1: Sexual licentiousness is not without effect on people's welfare. It is not merely a question of private morality, but it also seriously impedes social development insofar as it is related to the level of responsibility and capacity for self-sacrifice. In the Bible, the struggle against sexual immorality always goes hand in hand with faithfulness to God.
When the Israelites took over the land of Canaan, the pagan cults of that country were a constant temptation for them. One of the most common practices of these cults consisted in having relations with prostitutes consecrated to the god Baal. The pagan practice of sacred prostitution, severely condemned by the Bible, was still widely developed at the time of Paul, particularly in Corinth (1 Cor 6:16). As a lesson, we are told here that the people had already fallen into that sin at the time of Moses, and what the punishment was. To unite with a prostitute was to be united with the god Baal, and God does not tolerate such treason: a double prostitution, the physical one and the infidelity of a person betraying his Savior.
{C}He was zealous fo\u00da\u0087his God:{/} he was not afraid of being called a puritan, a person with outdated ideas, and an intolerant mind. He did not resign himself to merely laughing it off and taking pictures.

{N}25,{/}14: Here conclude the ancient traditions referring to the time of Moses. Yet, in Deuteronomy 34, we find the remembrance of Moses' death.
The numbers of this census on leaving the desert are no truer to history than those of the first chapter. But neither are they pure caprice. These numbers, taken separately, or as a whole, had a symbolic value and served as a pretext for religious teaching.

{N}31,{/}1: The present chapter refers to the "holy war." It is important to remember that all of this was written when Israel no longer had the means of attacking any other people. See the commentary on Joshua 6 to that effect. The killing of women is not described in this fictitious episode... The author of the story only wanted to insist on how dangerous it was for the Israelites to marry or go near women of pagan nations.

{N}32,{/}1: Not all the Israelites left Kadesh, the oasis in the desert where they stayed "forty years," as one people. The traditional image of the Israelites leaving as a united group to conquer the land of Canaan is more poetic than historical. These people were independent and each group wandered freely with their flocks except in the most difficult times when they gathered, as happened in the time of Moses. Some left Kadesh before or after Moses: the most important group was the one who went to Gilead, on the other side of the Jordan. There, they settled peacefully in the midst of other nations.
32:20-22 emphasizes solidarity among the Israelites.

{N}32,{/}28: Compare Numbers 16:28 with John 5:19 and 5:36

{N}17,{/}1: Various miracles show Aaron's authority, and the effectiveness of his prayer because he is a priest chosen by God. Aaron's staff (17:23) reflects the fruitfulness that God grants to every action done in response to his command and to every person who dedicates himself to him (Jer 17:8; Ps 92:15). 

{N}19,{/}1: The letter to the Hebrews refers specifically to this chapter when it speaks of the sacrifices of the Old Testament which could not really give interior purity to anyone and only prefigured the perfect sacrifice of Christ (see Heb 9:13; and 13:11).
Verses 17-21 deal with water for purification. Many people used water in their religious rituals. Here we see how the Jews used it.
After washing us through baptism, the Church also uses holy water. The Church does not attribute magical power to it but is aware that visible signs help bring about proper dispositions in us: making the sign of the cross with holy water, attentively and with faith, helps us to set aside our daily preoccupations at the entrance to the church.

{N}20,{/}1: This account is part of texts drawn up by the priests after their return from captivity. It takes up the episode related in Ex 17:1-7 but with the addition of a "sin of Moses!" Why? Rereading the history of their forebears these priests faced a question: how was it possible that Moses, this prophet with whom "God spoke face to face" (Ex 33:11), had been excluded from the Promised Land? Moses had mysteriously died on Mt. Nebo. A certitude, however, remained: God is just! If Moses had not entered the Promised Land, it was because he had sinned. They then rewrote the account but charging Moses with sin: he had doubted God!
We have a similar case in comparing the two accounts of the death of Josiah, the just king (2 K 22:2 and 23:29 compared with 2 Chr 35:19-25).
Only the fulfillment of Scripture in Jesus could fully enlighten us on the mission of Moses. His mission was to guide the people of God to the entrance of the Promised Land. Once there, he could step aside and say with John the Baptist, the last prophet of the Old Testament: "He must increase, I must decrease." Joshua's ministry was now beginning: to open the gates of the Promised Land to the people of God and let them take possession of it. The double vocation of Moses and Joshua prefigures and throws light on the mission of the Old Testament and that of Jesus (in Hebrew, the names Joshua and Jesus are the same).

{N}21,{/}4: With regard to this bronze serpent, two quite different questions may be asked. The first: what is the historical origin of this account? An easy answer: near the Sinai mines a healing god was honored and little bronze serpents were offered in thanksgiving. The stories of travellers must have inspired the narrative. But the important question is the second: what does this page of the holy book intend to say? 
{C}The people complained.{/} The Israelites complain again: this is the inner rebellion of those who do not accept sacrifices and will not exert themselves in order to become better and who would rather blame others.
{C}Make a bronze serpent{/}. A strange command to the Israelites, but the bronze serpent will be a prophetic sign: God intends to cure the sin with the very instrument of the sin.
{C}Whoever looks at it shall live{/}: another pro-phetic statement. Sinners will not have to follow strict prescriptions: let them merely look with faith at the sign God sends for their healing. Jesus will say: "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up (on the cross) so that he who believes in him will have eternal life" (Jn 3:14).
The story of the serpent is one of those biblical images with a hidden meaning, and people had to wait for the day when Christ would give them meaning. The same is true of the story of Mel-chizedek (Gen 14) and the story of Joseph.
The same is true in our own lives; in our past there have been some incidents which we did not understand at that time. Why did this happen to me? Some day, the light of Christ will reveal the meaning.

{N}21,{/}21: After their years of confinement in Kadesh were over, the Israelites together with Moses started their march toward the land of Canaan.
They surrounded the country to the south and the east and temporarily settled in the territories east of the Jordan. Two victories occurred there and, once again, the Israelites saw that God saves his people. In Psalm 136, after praising God "who made them cross the Red Sea because his love is everlasting" they recall that "he struck great kings to death, Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan."

{N}22,{/}2: Here begins the very meaningful story of Balaam, developed in the form of a legend (about Balaam, see commentary on Gen 32:22). When they set out on the way to freedom, the people of God faced several enemies, as well as their own cowardice about the sacrifices asked of them. But an even greater danger threatens them now without their knowing it: Balaam has been called and paid to bring curses upon them. Everyone knows, though we may use more modern words to express this curse - that our own demons can lead us to disaster: radicalization of conflicts, refusal of risk and sins against life.
Later, God will remind the Israelites of the way he protected them in the Balaam incident: not only did God shield them from their visible human enemies, but also from invisible ones which neither ordinary people nor rulers could foresee or detain (see Jos 24:9 and Mic 6:5).
{C}I did not want to sin, I did not know you were posted against me on the road{/} (22:34). What a likable sorcerer Balaam is. He is obstinate in his wicked project until he discovers that God himself blocks the way!

{N}24,{/}15: It would seem that God wants to proclaim the marvelous destiny of his people to the whole world, even through Balaam's mouth. We single out the most famous of the poems, or prophecies of Balaam (24:15-19) announcing the {C}star of Jacob.{/} This star referred to king David, chosen by God to begin the Rule of God in Israel. Through him we recognize another one, Christ, the truly chosen one of God.

{N}25,{/}1: Sexual licentiousness is not without effect on people's welfare. It is not merely a question of private morality, but it also seriously impedes social development insofar as it is related to the level of responsibility and capacity for self-sacrifice. In the Bible, the struggle against sexual immorality always goes hand in hand with faithfulness to God.
When the Israelites took over the land of Canaan, the pagan cults of that country were a constant temptation for them. One of the most common practices of these cults consisted in having relations with prostitutes consecrated to the god Baal. The pagan practice of sacred prostitution, severely condemned by the Bible, was still widely developed at the time of Paul, particularly in Corinth (1 Cor 6:16). As a lesson, we are told here that the people had already fallen into that sin at the time of Moses, and what the punishment was. To unite with a prostitute was to be united with the god Baal, and God does not tolerate such treason: a double prostitution, the physical one and the infidelity of a person betraying his Savior.
{C}He was zealous fo\u00da\u0087his God:{/} he was not afraid of being called a puritan, a person with outdated ideas, and an intolerant mind. He did not resign himself to merely laughing it off and taking pictures.

{N}25,{/}14: Here conclude the ancient traditions referring to the time of Moses. Yet, in Deuteronomy 34, we find the remembrance of Moses' death.
The numbers of this census on leaving the desert are no truer to history than those of the first chapter. But neither are they pure caprice. These numbers, taken separately, or as a whole, had a symbolic value and served as a pretext for religious teaching.

{N}31,{/}1: The present chapter refers to the "holy war." It is important to remember that all of this was written when Israel no longer had the means of attacking any other people. See the commentary on Joshua 6 to that effect. The killing of women is not described in this fictitious episode... The author of the story only wanted to insist on how dangerous it was for the Israelites to marry or go near women of pagan nations.

{N}32,{/}1: Not all the Israelites left Kadesh, the oasis in the desert where they stayed "forty years," as one people. The traditional image of the Israelites leaving as a united group to conquer the land of Canaan is more poetic than historical. These people were independent and each group wandered freely with their flocks except in the most difficult times when they gathered, as happened in the time of Moses. Some left Kadesh before or after Moses: the most important group was the one who went to Gilead, on the other side of the Jordan. There, they settled peacefully in the midst of other nations.
32:20-22 emphasizes solidarity among the Israelites.

