Commentary - Numbers 36:13

Bird's-eye view

Numbers 36:13 serves as the great concluding summary, the final seal set upon the entire book. After the long and often turbulent journey through the wilderness, after the detailed instructions concerning sacrifices, purity, and civil order, and after the specific problem of female inheritance has been settled, this verse brings it all to a close. It is a formal colophon, a statement of authorship and authority. Yahweh is the source, Moses is the instrument, the sons of Israel are the recipients, and the plains of Moab are the location. This is not just a historical footnote; it is a covenantal declaration. The law has been given, clarified, and now ratified on the very doorstep of the Promised Land. This generation, which survived the judgments of the wilderness, is now being told that they have everything they need to go in and possess the land in a manner that is pleasing to God. The book ends not with a question mark, but with a firm period. The commandments have been delivered.

This verse emphasizes the mediated nature of God's revelation. God commanded, but He did so "by the hand of Moses." It also roots this revelation in a specific time and place. This is not abstract philosophy; this is covenant law for a real nation in a real place, about to undertake a real conquest. The "plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho" is a place of transition. They are looking across the river at their inheritance. Behind them lies forty years of failure and judgment; before them lies the task of faithful obedience. This final verse, therefore, functions as both a summary of all that has passed and the foundational charter for all that is to come in the books of Joshua and Judges.

Outline

Context In Numbers

This verse is the capstone of the entire book of Numbers. The book began at Sinai with the census of the first generation, which was destined to die in the wilderness. It ends here on the plains of Moab with the second generation, numbered and prepared for conquest. The preceding chapters (27 and 36) have dealt with a very practical issue that arose from the new situation: the inheritance of daughters in the absence of male heirs. The case of Zelophehad's daughters showed that God's law is not a rigid, unthinking code, but a living word that can be applied with wisdom to new circumstances. Chapter 36 provides the necessary clarification to protect tribal allotments, showing the balance between justice for individuals and the preservation of the covenantal order. This final verse, then, confirms that this specific ruling, along with everything else recorded in the book since leaving Sinai, carries the full weight of divine authority. It is the final word from Moses before he ascends Mount Nebo to die, and before the leadership passes to Joshua.

Key Issues

The Final Word Before the Conquest

There is a finality to this verse that we must not miss. It is the end of an era. For forty years, the word of the Lord had come to Israel through Moses. Now, on the banks of the Jordan, that ministry is concluding. This verse is like the signing of a treaty. All the terms have been laid out, the stipulations have been made clear, and the case law has been applied to specific situations. Now comes the final signature of the sovereign King: "These are the commandments and the judgments which Yahweh commanded."

This is not simply a collection of good ideas or religious suggestions. This is the constitution of the nation of Israel. It is their civil code, their ceremonial directory, and their moral compass, all wrapped up in one covenant document. The distinction we often make between civil, ceremonial, and moral law is a helpful theological tool, but for Israel, it was all one seamless garment of law from their covenant Lord. And it was given to them at this precise moment, in this precise place, for a reason. They were about to face the temptations of Canaan, and they needed to be armed not just with swords and spears, but with the very word of God. This verse is their marching order and their national charter.

Verse by Verse Commentary

13 These are the commandments and the judgments which Yahweh commanded to the sons of Israel by the hand of Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho.

We should walk through this clause by clause, because every piece of it is freighted with meaning.

These are the commandments and the judgments. The law is summarized under two headings here. "Commandments" refers to the direct, positive stipulations of God. "Judgments" refers to the case-law applications, the rulings that flow from the core principles of the commandments. This shows us something crucial about the nature of biblical law. It is not an exhaustive list of every possible scenario. Rather, God gives foundational principles (the commandments) and then provides examples of how to apply them wisely (the judgments), like the recent case of Zelophehad's daughters. This is a case-law system, which requires wisdom and righteousness from the judges who apply it. It is not a system for robots, but for men made in the image of God.

which Yahweh commanded. Here is the ultimate source of authority. These are not the good ideas of Moses. They are not the collected wisdom of the elders of Israel. They are the direct commands of Yahweh, the covenant God who brought them out of Egypt. Their authority rests on His character, His power, and His covenant promise. To disobey these laws was not to disagree with Moses' leadership style; it was to rebel against the living God.

to the sons of Israel. This law was given to a specific people. It was their national covenant. While the underlying moral principles, what the Westminster Confession calls the "general equity," are for all time and all people, the specific application of these statutes was for the nation of Israel as they prepared to enter the land. This is their identity marker. To be a son of Israel was to be under this law. This is what separated them from the Canaanites, the Egyptians, and all the other nations of the world.

by the hand of Moses. God speaks, but He uses a man to do it. The law is divine in origin but mediated in its delivery. This points to the necessity of a mediator between a holy God and a sinful people. Moses was the great mediator of the Old Covenant, a typological figure who pointed forward to the one great Mediator of the New Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ. Moses' authority came not from himself, but from the fact that he was the faithful hand and voice of God to the people.

in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho. The location is pregnant with significance. They are out of the wilderness but not yet in the land. They are in enemy territory, the plains of Moab, the very place where Balaam had tried to curse them and where the Midianites had seduced them into idolatry and immorality. It is a place of testing and temptation. And they are looking right across the river at Jericho, the first great obstacle to their conquest. God gives them His law right here, in this liminal space, to remind them that their victory will not come through military might alone, but through covenant faithfulness. Obedience to these commands is the key to taking that city, and the entire land.

Application

This verse, though a summary of a bygone administrative era for Israel, still rings with application for the Christian today. First, it reminds us that God's Word is authoritative. Our faith is not based on vague spiritual feelings, but on the objective, revealed commandments and judgments of God. We are a people under authority, and that authority is the Word of God, the Bible.

Second, it reminds us of the importance of place and time. God does not save us out of the world, but in it. He gives us His commands for our lives right here, in the plains of our own Moab, as we face our own Jericho. We are not to wait until we have achieved some kind of spiritual perfection before we begin to obey. We are to obey right where we are, in the midst of the battle, on the edge of the promises.

Finally, and most importantly, this verse makes us long for a better mediator. Moses was a faithful servant, but he was a sinner. He himself was barred from entering the Promised Land because of his own disobedience. The law he delivered was holy, just, and good, but it could not give life because the people were sinful and could not keep it. It could only condemn. "These are the commandments" should drive us to our knees, because we have not kept them. But this realization should then drive us to Christ, the better Moses, who not only delivered the law but fulfilled it perfectly for us. He is the true law-giver and the only law-keeper. He crossed the Jordan of death for us, and He leads us into the true Promised Land, not by our obedience to the law, but by His. The law given by Moses closes the book of Numbers with a demand. The grace given by Jesus Christ opens the book of life with a declaration: "It is finished."