Under the guidelines of the FOTL series, the primary task of this commentary is not to reconstruct the historical growth of the book of Numbers itself. In this commentary, the growth process is presupposed in principle, but referred to in specifics with restraint. The form-critical interpretation reveals the active involvement of many generations of Israelite narrators and writers in the ongoing adaptation of their most important ancient story, and their conceptualization of its significance for their own and for future generations. - Publisher.