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Introduction
to Numbers
INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS
This
book has its name from the account it gives of the "numbers" of the
children of Israel
twice taken particularly; which name it has with this
Greeks and Latins
and so with the Syriac and Arabic versions; but with the
Jews it is called sometimes "Vajedabber"
from the first word of it
"and the Lord spake"; and sometimes "Bemidbar"
from the
fifth word of the first verse
"in the wilderness"
and sometimes
"Sepher Pikkudim"; or
as with OrigenF1
"Ammesph‚kodim"
the book of musters or surveys. That it was written
by Moses is not to be doubted; and is indeed suggested by our Lord himself
John 5:46 compared
with Numbers 3:14
and
the references to it
in the New Testament
fully ascertain to us Christians
the authenticity of it
as that of our Lord hinted at
and those of the apostle
in 1 Corinthians 10:4.
It contains an history of the affairs of the Israelites
and of their travel in
the wilderness for the space of thirty eight years; though the principal facts
it relates were done in the second year of their coming out of Egypt
and in the
last of their being in the wilderness; and it is not merely historical
but
gives a particular account of several laws
ceremonial and judicial
to be
observed by the people of Israel
as well as has many things in it very
instructive
both of a moral and evangelical nature.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
Commentator
John Gill (November 23
1697-October 14
1771) was an English Baptist
a biblical scholar
and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering
Northamptonshire.
In his youth
he attended Kettering Grammar School
mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve
Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor
William Wallis
on the text
"And the Lord called
unto Adam
and said unto him
where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel
Horsleydown
Southwark in 1719. In 1757
his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane
St. Olave's Street
Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748
Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist
which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself
which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
New King James Version Bible
NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars
church leaders
and lay Christians
worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and grammar of
the King James Version
while preserving the classic style of the of the 1611
version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order
grammar
vocabulary
and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou"
"thee"
"ye
" "thy
" and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example
"speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young
who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House
Grand Rapids
Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.