Mark A. Awabdy

Explore the contemporary significance of the Old Testament and hear the Word of God afreshThis substantive and useful commentary on the book of Numbers is both critically engaged and sensitive to the theological contributions of the text. It is grounded in rigorous scholarship but useful for those who preach and teach.In addition to paragraph-level commentary, all volumes of the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament series feature:? A fresh translation of the Hebrew text? Incisive comments based on the author's translation? Linguistic, historical, and canonical insights? Concluding reflections? Footnotes addressing technical mattersPastors, teachers, and all serious students of the Bible will find here an accessible commentary that will serve as an excellent resource for their study.This is the second volume in a new series on the Pentateuch, which complements other Baker Commentary on the Old Testament series: Historical Books, Wisdom and Psalms, and Prophets. Each series volume covers one book of the Pentateuch, addressing important issues and problems that flow from the text and exploring the contemporary relevance of the Pentateuch.The series editor is Bill T. Arnold, the Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Mark A. Awabdy provides a nuanced and extensive understanding of the noun ?? ( ger, engl. immigrant) in the book of Deuteronomy (D). He argues that a precise reconstruction of the historical referents of D's ger is impossible and has led scholars to misread or overlook literary, theological, and sociological determinants. By analyzing D's ger texts and contexts, evidence emerges for: the non-Israelite and non-Judahite origins of D's ger ; the distinction between the ger in D's prologue-epilogue and legal core; and the different meanings and origins of D's "ger -in-Egypt" and "'ebed -in-Egypt" formulae. Awabdy further contends that D's revision of Exodus' Decalogue and Covenant Code and independence from H reveal D's tendencies to accommodate the ger and interface the ger with YHWH's redemption of Israel. He concludes by defining how D integrates the ger into the community of YHWH's people.