An Atheist Explores the Bible Part 30: Into the doldrums, in which the reader finds little to discuss (Numbers 26-30)

Numbers 26-30
Into the doldrums, in which the reader finds little to discuss.


Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version).

In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. 
For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT
For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP

And now:

Numbers 26
“And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.”

Oh Numbers, you are a book sorely in need of editing. This chapter is yet another census of the tribes of Israel, although it differs slightly from those we’ve had before in that there is mention of those who were swallowed up by the earth for complaining, and of those who didn’t make it through the desert. Just as it seemed like the plot was moving with the duo of comedy villains, Balak and Balaam, we go backwards again, like a particularly pedantic version of Rashomon.

Only thing I wanted to point out here in the quoted verse is that “Noah” is given as a female name. Guess it can be either.

Numbers 27
“And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.”

Funny I mentioned Noah last chapter as she and her sisters start off this chapter. With their father dead, and no brothers, they ask Moses not to let their inheritance be lost, so God expands the inheritance laws to allow women to inherit, if there are no brothers.

The chapter then jumps to Moses appointing Joshua as a leader of the Israelites, and that’s about it for this chapter.

Numbers 28
“Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season.”

Did we really need more detail on burnt offerings? Have we not covered this in complete detail already? Maybe these are specific offerings for this particular point in time, I don’t know. Nothing more to say here.

Numbers 29
“And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.”

And more. I mean, way to bring the narrative to a crashing halt. Why is this bit even here? I can't help but think that a whole day of "blowing the trumpets" can be anything but annoying. We're unlikely to be talking Dizzy Gillespie here, more like the constant drone of a vuvuzela.

Numbers 30
“But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the LORD shall forgive her.”

Numbers here has reverted to being Leviticus. This small chapter concerns the making of oaths, in particular oaths sworn by women. Patronisingly (literally), a woman’s father or husband can make any oath she swears void, if he so wishes. And that’s it. This book really is a strange patchwork of narrative, with the Israelites slowly, slowly, approaching the promised land, interspersed with random rules.

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