The book of Numbers has had something of a renaissance in scholarly engagement in recent years - and this careful and contemporary commentary by Altmann and Peres distils that conversation with sensitivity and rigour.
The joint nature of this commentary by two authors from different contexts helps to illuminate Numbers for the contemporary reader, as it seeks to make God's word a source of blessing, nourishment and hope for all.
The Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text of the book of Numbers says and what it means. The introduction to this commentary gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting and purpose.
Following a structural analysis, the commentary takes the book of Numbers section by section, drawing out its main themes and also commenting on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. In the new Old Testament volumes, the commentary on each section of the text is structured under three headings: Context, Comment and Theology. The goal is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain.
Reviews
"I can wholeheartedly endorse this comprehensive and fresh commentary on Numbers. Altmann and Peres offer other scholars, clergy and laypeople a collaborative, ethical and inclusive approach to Numbers in our increasingly pluralistic and complex world. They clearly appreciate and cite numerous scholars, as their bibliography suggests, who are now accessible in this one commentary. The reader can easily discover engaging intertextual references to other parts of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, as well as a detailed outline for major sections of Numbers. While explicitly stating their readings as shaped by their Christian faith, the enlightening comments of Altmann and Peres are useful to people of any faith or none." - Dr Adriane Leveen, Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Union College
"Despite containing some of the most memorable texts of the Old Testament - the priestly blessing, the manna, the spies, the bronze serpent, Balaam and his donkey - Numbers is often avoided by modern readers. Altmann and Peres interpret this intriguing and beautiful book with historical and theological sensitivity, explaining its unfamiliar concepts and unravelling its difficulties. Pastors, teachers and missionaries, among others, will find it a sure-footed guide to the contemporary understanding of this text." - Nathan MacDonald, Professor of the Interpretation of the Old Testament, Divinity faculty, and Fellow of St John's College, University of Cambridge
"Altmann and Peres expertly guide the reader through the challenging wilderness landscape of the book of Numbers. They combine an impressive array of perspectives: engagement with the best and most recent scholarship on Numbers, skilful literary sensitivity to how Numbers works as an ancient "book", generative "readings in concert" between two or more biblical texts, theological and pedagogical insights for faith and life, and a Majority World postcolonial lens around issues of identity, empire and justice. One of the best commentaries on Numbers now available." - Dennis Olson, Charles Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey
Peter Altmann presently serves as David Allan Hubbard Associate Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, California.
Caio Peres is an independent scholar and missionary in Brazil, his home country, with his wife and two children. He holds an MA in Theology and Religious Studies from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
