But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. An Old Testament book that traces the Israelites through their long period of wandering in the wilderness as they prepared to enter the promised land. But Numbers contains a great deal more than a listing of names and figures. Structure of the Book.
Numbers is actually a sequel to the Book of Exodus.
Exodus follows the Hebrew people as they escape from slavery in Egypt and cross the wilderness, arriving finally at Mount Sinai, where they receive the Ten Commandments and other parts of GOD'S Law. The Book of Numbers picks up this story with the people still encamped at Sinai. It follows their wanderings through the Wilderness of Sinai for the next 40 years until they finally arrive at Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan River, ready to occupy the land of Canaan. Thus, the books of Exodus and Numbers together show how an enslaved people were prepared to take possession of the land that GOD himself had promised many centuries earlier to Abraham AND His descendants. The Book of Numbers clearly shows why the Israelites did not proceed immediately to take the land after leaving Mount Sinai.