The purpose of the Book of Numbers in relation to the rest of the Pentateuch and post-exilic Judaism

A mosquito once landed in a nudist colony. "How very excellent," he was heard to remark, "But just where do I begin?" This is the dilemma faced by any critic dealing with tne Pentateuch. If he examines the whole, then he is open to the charge that he has carried his conclusions about one book over into his consideration of the others. On the other hand, when he treats one book by itself, he is always in danger of a certain off-balance. This thesis falls into the letter class of investigation; it is therefore admitted that there are a certain number of loose ends, although every attempt will be made to see Numbers in the context of the Pentateuch as a whole. Nonetheless it is apparent that it is legitimate to consider a book of the Pentateuch by itself. For example, Genesis, although written as part of a series in its present form, can be dealt with as a book having meaning in itself. The theory that the present division of the Pentateuch into five books is a result of a mechanical process after the work was completed is not axiomatic. To the contrary it will be argued that the Book of Numbers is a book in the same sense that Genesis is a book, namely a part of a series, but with a specific theme and purpose of its own.