Experts Recommend OT Commentaries: Numbers
Dr. Matthew Schlimm on Leviticus
OT Commentary Recommendations: Rebooted!
A handful of years ago, I had a blog series where I asked OT experts to weigh in on their recommendations for OT commentaries. For one reason or another (during the pandemic), I left the series incomplete, and lately I have been motivated to do a reboot! So, for a while we will repost the originals (we had gotten through Psalms), and then add brand new ones to complete the series. So, to be clear, if you followed the old series, you will notice we are reposting them with slight updates and modifications to fit Substack.
Experts Recommend OT Commentaries: Numbers (Dr. Matthew Schlimm)
Matthew Schlimm is Professor of Old Testament at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. He has written several books, including This Strange and Sacred Scripture and 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know. His own commentary on Numbers appears as part of the Wesley One Volume Commentary. I profiled Matthew in this SERIES.
Commentaries on Numbers
Technical
Timothy R. Ashley (NICOT): This work has some of the best resources when it comes to establishing the text. So, if you’re working with textual criticism or translation, this commentary is a great one to open.
Baruch Levine (Anchor Bible): This two-volume commentary is especially helpful in understanding Numbers in its ancient Near Eastern context. Written by a leading Jewish scholar, it also interacts heavily with the Hebrew.
Jacob Milgrom (JPS Torah): This commentary also provides a Jewish perspective on the text. It’s filled with insights. Milgrom is one of the best scholars ever to study books like Numbers. So, while the commentary came out in 1990, it’s still very good.
Semi-Technical
Carolyn Pressler (Abingdon OT): This commentary has a lot going for it. It’s fairly new (2017). It interacts with Hebrew without getting too technical. It’s one of the few commentaries on Numbers written by a woman. Especially helpful are its sections on “Theological and Ethical Analysis.”
David L. Stubbs (Brazos Theological): While this commentary goes into a fair amount of depth and has extensive footnotes, it is geared toward guiding pastors. It’s especially helpful for understanding Numbers in relation to the rest of the Christian Bible.
Non-Technical
Katharine Doob Sakenfeld (ITC): This commentary, called Journeying with God, is engaging, accessible, and concise. Focusing on the book’s final form, it gives particular attention to theological ideas like God’s loyalty and human leadership.
Nijay’s Notes
Matthew’s recommendations were first published in 2021, and since then a slew of Numbers commentaries have come out. So, to add to his excellent recommendations, I want to just note the following:
