Numbers.

Name. It is named from the two enumerations of the people, at Sinai,
Ch. 1. and at Moab, Ch. 26.

Connection with Former Books. Genesis tells of Creation, Exodus of
redemption, Leviticus of worship and fellowship, and Numbers of
service and work. In Leviticus Israel is assigned a lesson and in
Numbers she is getting that lesson. In this book as in Exodus and
Leviticus Moses is the central figure.

Central Thought. Service which involves journeying, which in turn
implies walk as a secondary thought. All the types of the books bear
upon this two-fold idea of service and walk.

Key-Phrase. "All that are able to go forth to war" occurs fourteen
times in the first chapter. There was fighting ahead and all who could
fight must muster in.

The History Covered is a period of a little more than thirty-eight
years (Num. 1:1; Deut. 1:3) and is a record (1) of how Israel marched
to the border of Canaan, (2) wandered thirty-eight years in the
wilderness while the old nation died and a new nation was trained in
obedience to God, (3) then returned to the border of the promised
land.

Analysis.

I. The Preparation at Sinai, 1:1-10:10.