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82-508: The red heifer offering instructions are described in Numbers 19 , which states that Israelites and Moses were told by Yahweh to obtain a red heifer without spots, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came a yoke , was never milked , never pregnant and sacrifice it as in a purification ritual. The red heifer is then slaughtered and burned outside of the camp. Cedarwood , an herb called ezov , and wool dyed scarlet are added to

164-467: A Kafir (non-believer) since Nifaq (hypocrisy) in belief is kufr. 26 Commences with ۞ ( rubʿ al-ḥizb ), an Islamic symbol. 87-105 is preserved in the Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text . Condemnation of alcoholic beverages and gambling is also first found in the chapter, and it is one of only four chapters in the Quran to refer to Christians as Nazarenes instead of the more frequent terms People of

246-411: A biological anomaly. For example, the heifer must be entirely brownish red (a series of tests listed by the sages must be performed to ensure this) and the hair of the cow must be absolutely straight (to ensure that the cow had not previously been yoked, as this is a disqualifier). In Jewish history, only nine red heifers were actually slaughtered and burned in the period extending from the time of Moses to

328-838: A bright yellow cow or heifer is mentioned, as if coloured by saffron. There is no mention of a red cow or heifer. The second and the longest Surah (chapter) in the Quran is named " Al-Baqara " ( Arabic : البقرة "the heifer") after the heifer as the law is related in the surah. Quran, Al Baqara, Verses 67-71 Remember when Moses said to his people, “God commands you to sacrifice a heifer.” They replied, “Are you mocking us?” Moses responded, “I seek refuge in God from acting foolishly!” They said, “Call upon God to clarify for us what type of heifer it should be!” He replied, “God says, ‘The heifer should neither be old nor young but in between. So do as you are commanded!’” They said, “Call upon God to specify for us its color.” He replied, “God says, ‘It should be

410-546: A bright yellow heifer—pleasant to see.’” Again they said, “Call upon God so that he may make clear to us which cow, for all cows look the same to us. Then, God willing, we will be guided to the correct one.” He replied, “God says, ‘It should have been used neither to till the soil nor water the fields; wholesome and without blemish.’” They said, “Now you have come with the truth.” Yet they still slaughtered and burnt it to ashes hesitantly! Ibn Kathir explains that, according to Ibn Abbas and Ubayda ibn al-Harith , it displayed

492-541: A corpse: There were courtyards in Jerusalem built over the virgin rock and below them a hollow was made lest there might be a grave in the depths, and pregnant women were brought and bore their children there, and there they reared them. And oxen were brought, and on their backs were laid doors on top of which sat the children with cups of stone in their hands. When they arrived in Shiloah the children alighted, and filled

574-409: A description of the kafirs and munafiqs . The first of these verses uses the word kafir to describe one who conceals the truth, and Muhammad is advised that they will not believe despite his efforts because God has sealed their hearts and hearing, and covered their eyes (so that they will not be able to see, hear, or comprehend guidance), and that they will be punished with a great torment. Next

656-489: A fire and feels safe in its immediate surrounding, but God extinguishes the fire and the person is covered in darkness. The Quran then calls them deaf, dumb, and blind. Another example given is that of a person wandering in rain, thunder and lightning in darkness, such that they would have to thrust their fingers into their ears out of the fear of death. The lightning is so bright that it almost takes away their sight, but they walk toward it whenever it strikes, and stay put when it

738-584: A great many of the ordinances concerning interest or usury. Quran 2 includes many verses which have virtues like the special Verse of the Throne (Aayatul Kursi) . Muhammad is reported to have said, "Do not turn your houses into graves. Verily, Satan does not enter the house where Surat Al-Baqarah is recited." [Muslim, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmed] Ad-Darimi also recorded that Ash-Sha'bi said that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said, "Whoever recites ten Ayat from Surat Al-Baqarah in

820-474: A hypocrite are lying, breaking promises, not keeping an amaanah or trust and when they argue they curse or use bad language. According to a prominent scholar, Kamaluddin Ahmed, Nifaq is something that is within the heart, hence no one knows of its existence except God. Therefore, no one can be called a hypocrite or Munaafiq through one's own self-assessment. This would amount to making Takfeer i.e. calling someone

902-456: A monotheist, who submitted to Allah (2:131-136). Later verses discuss the story of Abraham with the Nimrud (Nemrod) who refused to believe and professed himself to be God. Abraham brings forth to him the parable that Allah can bring the dead to life and let those alive be dead, and Nimrud responds by claiming he can do the same by killing someone. Abraham then brings the parable of how God raises

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984-606: A night, then Satan will not enter his house that night. (These ten Ayat are) four from the beginning, Ayat Al-Kursi ( 2:255 ), the following two Ayat ( 2:256-257 ) and the last three Ayat." Verse 255 is " The Throne Verse " ( آية الكرسي ʾāyatu-l-kursī ). It is the most famous verse of the Quran and is widely memorized and displayed in the Islamic world due to its emphatic description of God's omnipotence in Islam. Verse 256

1066-468: A prayer to Allah that Mecca would be safe and prosperous for its people until the end of time (2:126). The next verses then talk about how Abraham and Ishmail built the Kaaba and their prayer that their offspring would be righteous Muslims and Allah would send to them prophets so that they may be guided (2:127-130). This chapter also reaffirms that Abraham was neither a Christian, Jew, nor polytheist, but rather

1148-584: A red heifer that is genetically based on the Red Angus cattle. In September 2018, the institute announced a red heifer candidate was born, saying the heifer is currently a viable candidate and will be examined to see whether it possesses the necessary qualifications for the red heifer. In September 2022, five red heifers were imported from the United States and transferred to a breeding farm in Israel for

1230-605: A series of covenants (meaning treaties, legally binding agreements) stretching from Genesis to Deuteronomy and beyond. The first is the covenant between God and Noah immediately after the Deluge in which God agrees never again to destroy the Earth with water. The next is between God and Abraham, and the third between God and all Israel at Mount Sinai. In this third covenant, unlike the first two, God hands down an elaborate set of laws (scattered through Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers), which

1312-597: A spear through them. God rewards him by giving his descendants an everlasting priesthood. God also tells the Israelites to consider the Midianites their enemies. A new census gives the total number of men from twenty years and upward as 601,730, and the number of the Levites from the age of one month and upward as 23,000. The land shall be divided by lot. The daughters of Zelophehad , who had no sons, are to share in

1394-404: A special relationship with him, and that they shall take possession of the land of Canaan . Numbers also demonstrates the importance of holiness, faithfulness, and trust: despite God's presence and his priests , Israel lacks in faith and the possession of the land is left to a new generation. Most commentators divide Numbers into three sections based on locale ( Mount Sinai , Kadesh-Barnea and

1476-468: A system familiar to the ancients but unknown to moderns. According to Harrison the figures are to be taken as "symbols of relative power, triumph, importance, and the like and are not meant to be understood either strictly literally or as extant in a corrupt textual form." Jewish translations: Christian translations: Al-Baqara Al-Baqarah ( Arabic : الْبَقَرَة , ’al-baqarah ; lit. "The Heifer" or "The Cow"), also spelled as Al-Baqara ,

1558-407: A theological book and not a historical one. On the other hand, some Biblical scholars speculate that the literature is not referring to the actual number, and that the word for "thousand" is actually referring to a noun signifying a group or clan. However, this interpretation poses a problem, as it undermines the validity of the text, "assumes a misunderstanding and mistrasmission of the text in all

1640-401: A total population of 1.5 to 2.5 million Israelites. However, scholars have proposed multiple alternatives, as such a large number of Israelites does not conform to modern historical knowledge of the period or archaeological evidence. Some scholars see the book of Numbers as unhistorical, and the figures given as either greatly exaggerated or simply fabricated, opting instead to focus on Numbers as

1722-473: Is "red". However, Saadia Gaon translates this word as Judeo-Arabic : صفرا , romanized:  safra , a word translated to English as "yellow". In addition, the Quran shows Moses being told about a yellow heifer ( Al-Baqara 2:69). To explain this discrepancy, Yosef Qafih in his Hebrew translation and commentary on Saadia's work argues that the Bible requires the heifer to be red in color, which he says

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1804-515: Is a detailed description of munafiqs, defined here as those who say they believe in God and the Last Judgment , but do not actually believe in them. It is said that they try to deceive God and the mumins (believers) but they deceive themselves without perception, that in their hearts is a disease which God increases, and that they will be punished with a painful torment. The munafiqs are also said to spread fasad (disorder/mischief) in

1886-502: Is a stronger requirement than for a mikveh or ritual bath; rainwater accumulated in a cistern is permitted for a mikveh but cannot be used in the red heifer ceremony. The Mishnah reports that in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem , water for the ritual came from the Pool of Siloam . The ceremony involved was complex and detailed. To ensure the complete ritual purity of those involved, care

1968-470: Is clear: failure was not due to any fault in the preparation, because Yahweh had foreseen everything, but due to Israel's sin of unfaithfulness. In the final section, the Israelites of the new generation follow Yahweh's instructions as given through Moses and are successful in all they attempt. The last five chapters are exclusively concerned with land: instructions for the extermination of the Canaanites,

2050-409: Is dark. Mankind is then asked to worship God to acquire taqwa , and a description of God's creations follows: the earth as a resting place, the sky as a canopy, and rain sent from the sky to bring forth fruit and provision. They are then advised to not set up others in worship beside God. Those who doubt that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad are then challenged to produce a surah similar to it. It

2132-747: Is exempted from military service and therefore not included in the census. Moses consecrates the Levites for the service of the Tabernacle in the place of the first-born sons, who hitherto had performed that service. The Levites are divided into three families, the Gershonites, the Kohathites, and the Merarites, each under a chief. The Kohathites were headed by Eleazar , son of Aaron , while the Gershonites and Merarites were headed by Aaron's other son, Ithamar . Preparations are then made for resuming

2214-478: Is grammatically linked to the triliteral root w-q-y evoking wariness, a sense of care and protection. These people, known as God-fearing ( muttaqin ), are defined as those who believe in al-ghaib (Unseen, ghayb, lit. “absent”), offer salah , spend zakat from what is provided to them, believe in Muhammad 's prophethood and that of the other prophets , and the books revealed to them. There follows

2296-587: Is made to ward off these serpents. The Israelites arrive on the plains of Moab, across the River Jordan from Jericho . Here, the Israelites find themselves in conflict with the Amorites and Og , king of Bashan , both of whom they defeat. Balak , king of Moab decides to fight the Israelites as well, and summons a local diviner named Balaam to curse the Israelites. However, God tells Balaam not to curse them, and when Balaam attempts to travel to Balak with

2378-471: Is one of the most quoted verses in the Quran. It famously notes that "There is no compulsion in religion". Verse 2:282 covers two specific Islamic jurisprudence issues: (1) undertaking a loan and (2) the status of women's testimony. Amin Ahsan Islahi in his Tafsir of Surah al-Baqarah says when there is a loan transaction for a specific period of time, it must be formally written down. Both

2460-535: Is referring to an actual account of a numerical tally of the Israelite people. A more likely explanation for the large number stated in the book is that the actual numerical metrics cannot really be established today. This requires us to take the values given as they are, as any other alternatives raises more problems than solutions. In his commentary on the book of Numbers, John Calvin acknowledged that even among his contemporaries, "certain sceptics" had questioned

2542-539: Is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah . The book has a long and complex history; its final form is possibly due to a Priestly redaction (i.e., editing) of a Yahwistic source made sometime in the early Persian period (5th century BC). The name of the book comes from the two censuses taken of the Israelites. Numbers is one of the better-preserved books of

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2624-571: Is the normal color of a heifer. He says this color is in general described as אדום ‎ in Hebrew and yellow in Arabic, resolving the discrepancy in the color words. He explains the Biblical requirement to mean that the heifer be entirely of this color, and not have blotches or blemishes of a different color. A red heifer that conforms with all of the requirements imposed by halakha is practically

2706-417: Is the second and longest chapter ( surah ) of the Quran . It consists of 286 verses ( āyāt ) which begin with the " muqatta'at " letters alif ( ا ) , lām ( ل ) , and mīm ( م ). The Verse of Loan , the longest single verse in the Quran, is in this chapter. The sūrah encompasses a variety of topics and contains several commands for Muslims such as enjoining fasting on the believer during

2788-563: Is then said that they will never be able to fulfill this challenge and are asked to fear Hell , which is described as being fueled with men and stones and specifically prepared for the kafirs . The stories in this chapter are told to help the reader understand the theological conception of truth in Islam. Q2:8-20 in Surah Al Baqarah refer to the hypocrites ( Munafiqun ). In the Meccan phase of Muhammad, there existed two groups,

2870-530: Is used, have given the red heifer special status in Jewish tradition. It is cited as the paradigm of a ḥoq , a Jewish law for which there is no logic. Because the state of ritual purity obtained through the ashes of a red heifer is a necessary prerequisite for participating in Temple service, efforts have been made in modern times by Jews wishing for Jewish ritual purity (see tumah and taharah ) and in anticipation of

2952-636: The Jews of Medina to embrace Islam , and warning them and the hypocrites ( Munafiqun ) of the fate God had visited in the past on those who failed to heed his call. Al-Baqara is believed by Muslims to have been revealed in a span of 10 years starting from 622 in Medina after the Hijrah , with the exception of the riba verses which Muslims believe were revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage ,

3034-631: The New Testament , the phrases "without the gate" ( Hebrews 13:12 ) and "without the camp" ( Numbers 19:3 , Hebrews 13:13 ) have been taken to be not only an identification of Jesus with the red heifer, but an indication as to the location of his crucifixion and death in Calvary . The Temple Institute, an organization dedicated to the reconstruction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, Israel, has identified red heifer candidates consistent with

3116-639: The Pentateuch . Fragments of the Ketef Hinnom scrolls containing verses from Numbers have been dated as far back as the late seventh or early sixth century BC. These verses are the earliest known artifacts to be found in the Hebrew Bible text. Numbers begins at Mount Sinai , where the Israelites have received their laws and covenant from God and God has taken up residence among them in

3198-478: The sanctuary . The task before them is to take possession of the Promised Land . The people are counted and preparations are made for resuming their march. The Israelites begin the journey, but complain about the hardships along the way and about the authority of Moses and Aaron . They arrive at the borders of Canaan and send twelve spies into the land. Upon hearing the spies' fearful report concerning

3280-582: The Believers and the Mushrikeen (non-believers). However, after Hijrah (Emigration to Medina) Muhammad had to deal with the opposition of those who openly accepted Islam while secretly plotting against Muslims. Their leader was Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy who was about to be crowned king before the arrival of Muhammad in Medina . The hypocrites benefitted from the Muslims while not losing their association with

3362-492: The Book or "Helpers of Christ." Al-Baqarah contains several verses dealing with the subject of warfare. Q 2:190-194 are quoted on the nature of battle in Islam . The surah includes a few Islamic rules related to varying subjects, such as: prayers, fasting, striving on the path of God, the pilgrimage to Mecca, the change of the direction of prayer ( Qiblah ) from Jerusalem to Mecca , marriage and divorce, commerce, debt, and

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3444-506: The Gemara for other tractates of the Talmud . According to Mishnah's tractate Parah, the presence of two black hairs invalidates a red heifer, in addition to the usual requirements of an unblemished animal for sacrifice . There are various other requirements, such as natural birth (The caesarian section renders a heifer candidate invalid). The water must be "living" (ie., spring water ). This

3526-594: The Israelite army. The Reubenites and the Gadites request Moses to assign them the land east of the Jordan . Moses grants their request after they promise to help in the conquest of the land west of the Jordan. The land east of the Jordan is divided among the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh . Moses recalls the stations at which the Israelites halted during their forty years' wanderings and instructs

3608-434: The Israelites are to observe; they are also to remain faithful to Yahweh, the god of Israel, meaning, among other things, that they must put their trust in his help. It is important to note that among the reasons this law was given was to establish the Israelite people as Yahweh's people. The laws and instructions were as much for identity as they were for obedience. Yahweh by providing all the different instructions and laws

3690-701: The Israelites to exterminate the Canaanites and destroy their idols. The boundaries of the land are spelled out; the land is to be divided under the supervision of Eleazar , Joshua, and twelve princes, one of each tribe. The majority of modern biblical scholars believe that the Torah —the books of Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers, and Deuteronomy —reached its present form in the post-Exilic period (i.e., after c. 520 BC), based on preexisting written and oral traditions, as well as contemporary geographical and political realities. The five books are often described as being drawn from four "sources", generally regarded as

3772-509: The Moabite officials God sends an angel to stop his donkey. Realising that he cannot curse the Israelites, Balaam blesses them instead, and foresees a figure whom he identifies as 'the Star of Jacob' who will defeat Israel's enemies. This angers Balak, but Balaam informs Balak that he cannot say anything except what God tells him to say. The longer the Israelites stay on the plains of Shittim ,

3854-773: The Third Temple for a far-right messianic fundamentalist in the movie Red Cow , set in an illegal religious settlement in East Jerusalem. The coming-of-age LGBTQ film by Israeli director and screenwriter Tsivia Barkai-Yacov premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won three awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2018. Book of Numbers The Book of Numbers (from Greek Ἀριθμοί, Arithmoi , lit.   ' numbers ' Biblical Hebrew : בְּמִדְבַּר , Bəmīḏbar , lit.   ' In [the] desert ' ; Latin : Liber Numeri )

3936-546: The allotment. God orders Moses to appoint Joshua as his successor. Prescriptions for the observance of the feasts and the offerings for different occasions are enumerated. Moses orders the Israelites to massacre the people of Midian , in retaliation for the Baal-Peor incident. Specifically, all Midianite men and boys and women who are not virgins are killed. Virgin Midianite women and girls are spared, but kept as prizes for

4018-468: The building of the Third Temple to locate a red heifer and recreate the ritual sacrifice and burning. However, multiple candidates have been disqualified and multiple candidates were found at the same time also for the sacrifice and burning. Also, all red heifer ashes were still in use as late as the time of Jeremiah (III) in the fourth century CE and then were exhausted completely. In the Quran,

4100-419: The census lists of Exodus and Numbers (not to mention other texts)" and produces several inconsistencies in the book of Numbers that cannot be resolved. Most scholars who hold this view posit a much lower number for the fighting men of Israel, closer to 20,000. Another theory is that of an error in transmission, with J.W. Wenham arguing that "biblical texts are often corrupted by the simple addition of zeroes to

4182-459: The conditions in Canaan, the Israelites refuse to take possession of it. God condemns them to death in the wilderness until a new generation can grow up and carry out the task. Furthermore, there were some who rebelled against Moses and for these acts, God destroyed approximately 15,000 of them through various means. The book ends with the new generation of Israelites in the plains of Moab ready for

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4264-640: The crossing of the Jordan River . Numbers is the culmination of the story of Israel's exodus from oppression in Egypt and their journey to take possession of the land God promised their fathers . As such it draws to a conclusion the themes introduced in Genesis and played out in Exodus and Leviticus : God has promised the Israelites that they shall become a great (i.e. numerous) nation, that they will have

4346-628: The cups with water, and mounted, and again sat on the doors. Various other devices were used, including a causeway from the Temple Mount to the Mount of Olives so that the heifer and accompanying priests would not come into contact with a grave. According to the Mishnah, the ceremony of the sacrifice and burning of the red heifer took place on the Mount of Olives. A ritually pure kohen slaughtered

4428-652: The day he sprinkled the water of lustration. The Mishnah , the central compilation of the Oral Torah in Rabbinic Judaism , the oral component of the Written Torah , contains a tractate on the red heifer sacrifice and burning, which is the tractate Parah ("cow") in Tohorot , which explains the procedures involved. The tractate has no existing Gemara , although commentary on the procedure appears in

4510-540: The demarcation of the boundaries of the land, how the land is to be divided, holy cities for the Levites and "cities of refuge", the problem of pollution of the land by blood, and regulations for inheritance when a male heir is lacking. A large part of the theological theme in Numbers is the righteousness and holiness of God being met with human rebellion. The two censuses not only show the different response of two generations but rather that God had remained faithful despite

4592-597: The destruction of the Second Temple . Mishnah's tractate Parah recounts them, stating that Moses prepared the first, Ezra prepared the second, Simeon the Just and Johanan the High Priest prepared the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and Elioenai ben HaQayaph , Ananelus , and Ishmael ben Fabus prepared the seventh, eighth, ninth. The extreme rarity of the red heifer, combined with the detailed ritual in which it

4674-425: The disbelievers. They were considered disloyal to both parties and inclined towards those who benefited them the most in the worldly sense The surah also sheds light on the concept of Nifaq , which is opposite of sincerity. It is of two types: 1) Nifaq in belief: outwardly showing belief however in reality there is no belief 2) Nifaq in practice: where people believe however they act like hypocrites. The signs of

4756-407: The doubtful questioning of the Israelites, who asked multiple questions to Moses without readily following any law from Allah; had they slaughtered a heifer, any heifer, it would have been sufficient for them - but instead, as they made the matter more specified, Allah made it even more specified for them. The non-canonical Epistle of Barnabas (8:1) explicitly equates the red heifer with Jesus . In

4838-478: The end of which the Israelites proceed to the desert of Paran on the border of Canaan . Twelve spies are sent out into Canaan and come back to report to Moses. Joshua and Caleb , two of the spies, report that the land is abundant and is "flowing with milk and honey", but the other spies say that it is inhabited by giants, and the Israelites refuse to enter the land. Yahweh decrees that the Israelites will be punished for their loss of faith by having to wander in

4920-409: The fire, and the remaining ashes are placed in a vessel containing pure spring water. To purify a person, water from the vessel is sprinkled on them using a bunch of ezov, on the third and seventh day of the purification process. The Kohen who performs the ritual then himself becomes ritually impure and must then wash himself and his clothes in spring waters. He remains impure until the evening of

5002-463: The fore: these chapters describe how Israel is to be organized around the Sanctuary, God's dwelling-place in their midst, under the charge of the Levites and priests, in preparation for the conquest of the land. The Israelites then set out to conquer the land, but almost immediately they refuse to enter it, and Yahweh condemns the whole generation who left Egypt to die in the wilderness. The message

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5084-480: The heifer and sprinkled its blood in the direction of the Temple seven times. The red heifer was then burned on a pyre , together with wool dyed scarlet, hyssop, and cedarwood to ashes. In recent years, the site of the sacrifice and burning of the red heifer on the Mount of Olives has been tentatively located by archaeologist Yonatan Adler. The heifer's color is described in the Torah as adumah ( אדומה ‎), which

5166-617: The keeping of the Tabernacle. The Levites are ordered to surrender to the priests a part of the tithes taken to them. Miriam dies at Kadesh Barnea and the Israelites set out for Moab , on Canaan's eastern border. The Israelites blame Moses for the lack of water. Moses is ordered by God to speak to a rock but initially disobeys, and is punished by the announcement that he shall not enter Canaan. The king of Edom refuses permission to pass through his land and they go around it. Aaron dies on Mount Hor. The Israelites are bitten by fiery flying serpents for speaking against God and Moses. A brazen serpent

5248-416: The land, while claiming to spread peace, and to call the believers fools. To the believers they say they believe, but when they go back to their devils, they tell confess their disbelief, but they do not know that God deceives them and increases their deviation. They are then called those who engage in a profitless trade, the purchase of error with guidance. The munafiqs are then likened to a person who starts

5330-430: The last Hajj of Muhammad. In particular, verse 281 in this chapter is believed to be the last verse of the Quran to be revealed, on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijja 10 A.H., when Muhammad was in the course of performing his last Hajj, 80 or 90 days before he died. Following the muqatta'at , Al-Baqara begins with the declaration that the Quran is free of doubt and contains guidance for those who possess taqwa . Taqwā

5412-476: The lender and the debtor must trust the writer. There must be two witnesses: two men, or one man and two women. The security of the writer must be guaranteed. The length of the contract should be stated exactly. al-Jalalayn says, "summon to bear witness the debt two witnesses men mature Muslim free men; or if the two witnesses be not men then one man and two women". Page 19-21 tells the story of Abraham and his relationship with Mecca and his son. Abraham made

5494-436: The march to the Promised Land . Various ordinances and laws are decreed. The Israelites set out from Sinai. The people murmur against God and are punished by fire; Moses complains of their stubbornness and God orders him to choose seventy elders to assist him in the government of the people. Miriam and Aaron insult Moses at Hazeroth, which angers God; Miriam is punished with leprosy and is shut out of camp for seven days, at

5576-399: The month of Ramadan ; forbidding interest or usury ( riba ); and several famous verses such as The Throne Verse , Al-Baqara 256 , and the final two or three verses. The sūrah addresses a wide variety of topics, including substantial amounts of law , and retells stories of Adam , Ibrahim (Abraham) and Mūsa (Moses). A major theme is guidance: urging the pagans ( Al-Mushrikeen ) and

5658-418: The more they intermarry with the local Moabites, and the more they participate in the local religion , worshipping a deity known as Baal-Peor. God sends a plague in retaliation, and Moses tells the judges to kill anyone participating in this practice. When one of Aaron's grandsons, Phinehas , finds out a Simeonite prince named Zimri has married a Midianite woman named Cozbi , he enters their tent and runs

5740-419: The numbers", although the flaw in this suggestion "is that the mistake in zeroes would easily occur only where numbers were represented by figures rather than by words", and there is "little or no evidence that figures were used in the biblical texts during the biblical period." Based on the nature of the book and the many accounts of tax payment and records of animals and persons, it is most likely that Numbers

5822-464: The patriarchs, Abraham , Isaac and Jacob . The promise has three elements: posterity (i.e., descendants – Abraham is told that his descendants will be as innumerable as the stars), divine-human relationship (Israel is to be God's chosen people), and land (the land of Canaan, cursed by Noah immediately after the Deluge). The theme of the divine-human relationship is expressed, or managed, through

5904-399: The plains of Moab ), linked by two travel sections; an alternative is to see it as structured around the two generations of those condemned to die in the wilderness and the new generation who will enter Canaan, making a theological distinction between the disobedience of the first generation and the obedience of the second. Despite the strong chronological order and the clear distinction of

5986-480: The plausibility of a pre-exilic written tradition of the passage from Numbers 6 and Deuteronomy 7. Although this does not decisively prove that there was a canonical written tradition it does point to a possibility of such a tradition. David A. Clines, in his influential The Themes of the Pentateuch (1978), identified the overarching theme of the five books as the partial fulfilment of a promise made by God to

6068-409: The rebellion of the Israelites. The theme of the book should seem to be more centrally focused on the faithfulness and holiness of God as this is a common theme that runs through the whole of the Pentateuch, not just the book of Numbers. The book of Numbers records in some detail the population of the fighting men in Israel, providing a figure of approximately 600,000 soldiers. This would translate to

6150-418: The requirements of Numbers 19:1–22 and Mishnah's tractate Parah. In recent years, the institute thought to have identified two candidates, one in 1997 and another in 2002. The Temple Institute had initially declared both blemishless for sacrifice and burning but later found to be defective and were removed from sacrifice and burning. The institute has been raising funds in order to use modern technology to produce

6232-511: The sacrifice and burning. Rabbis have found the cows blemishless for sacrifice and burning. A red heifer plays an important role in the plot of Michael Chabon 's novel The Yiddish Policemen's Union , a detective story set in an alternative-history Jewish state in Alaska. The novel won multiple awards including the Hugo , Nebula , and Locus . The birth of a red heifer is a sign of the coming of

6314-494: The three geographic locations, the key theme of censuses among the Israelites and the parallels between the old and new generation seem to be a better fit for this book if seen as a theological account rather than a purely historical one. God orders Moses , in the wilderness of Sinai , to number those able to bear arms—of all the men twenty years and older and to appoint princes over each tribe. A total of 603,550 Israelites are found to be fit for military service. The tribe of Levi

6396-468: The veracity of the figures quoted, but defended the inerrancy of the text by invoking the miraculous "interference of God". According to Timothy R. Ashley's analysis: "No one system answers all the questions or solves all the problems. [...] In short, we lack the materials in the text to solve this problem. When all is said and done, one must admit that the answer is elusive. Perhaps it is best to take these numbers as R.K. Harrison has done — as based on

6478-403: The wilderness for 40 years. God orders Moses to make plates to cover the altar. The children of Israel murmur against Moses and Aaron on account of the destruction of Korah 's men and are stricken with the plague, with 14,700 perishing. Aaron and his family are declared by God to be responsible for any iniquity committed in connection with the sanctuary. The Levites are again appointed to help in

6560-693: The works of schools of writers rather than individuals: the Yahwist and the Elohist (frequently treated as a single source), the Priestly source , and the Deuteronomist . There is an ongoing dispute over the origins of the non-Priestly source(s), but it is generally agreed that the Priestly source is post-exilic. Below is an outline of the hypothesis: However, the Ketef Hinnom scrolls do point to

6642-444: Was affirming that the Israelite people were his and would bear his identity. The theme of descendants marks the first event in Numbers, the census of Israel's fighting men: the huge number which results (over 600,000) demonstrates the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham of innumerable descendants, as well as serving as God's guarantee of victory in Canaan. As chapters 1–10 progress, the theme of God's presence with Israel comes to

6724-455: Was taken to ensure that no one involved in the red heifer ceremony could have had any contact with the dead or any form of tumah , and implements were made of materials such as stone, which in halakha do not act as carriers for ritual impurities. The Mishnah recounts that children were used to draw and carry the water for the ceremony, children born and reared in isolation for the specific purpose of ensuring that they never came into contact with

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