The document discusses the Book of the Wars of the Lord, which is mentioned in Numbers 21:14. It was a book referred to in the Bible but has since been lost. The only information known about it comes from the single biblical reference. The document speculates that the book may have documented geographical boundaries and described battles, based on the context of its mention in Numbers. It is unclear exactly what the lost book contained, as ancient Hebrew book titles did not always reflect the full contents.

1. What book is mentioned in Numbers 21:14?
Is it a Bible book?
“Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord, What he did in the
Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon,” Numbers 21:14
The Book of the Wars of the Lord is a book referred to in Scripture but
now lost to us. The only information we have about the Book of the
Wars of the Lord is what is found in one passage of Scripture. The
way it is mentioned in Scripture indicates that it was somewhat well-
known or accessible to the people of ancient Israel.
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2. Such “lost books” are not uncommon, because very few ancient books
have survived to the present day. Given the impermanency of most
ancient writings, it is a testament to the miracle of Scripture that the
books of the Bible have done more than survive—there are so many
ancient copies that we can, with great certainty, discern what the
originals said.
The biblical passage that mentions the Book of the Wars of the Lord
concerns the Israelites’ trek through the wilderness on their way to the
Promised Land:
“And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth. And they
journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is
before Moab, toward the sunrising. From thence they removed, and pitched in
the valley of Zared. From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side
of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the
Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord, What he did in the
Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon, And at the stream of the brooks that
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3. goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the border of Moab.”
Numbers 21:10–15
According to Numbers 21, Israel was careful to stay out of Edomite,
Moabite, and Amorite territory, camping along the Arnon River. Edom
was descended from Esau, and Moab from Lot; these were not part of
the Canaanite people that Israel was supposed to destroy. In Numbers
20, Moses had requested permission to pass through the land of
Edom, since it was a more direct route to the land of Canaan. Edom
refused permission and mustered an army to keep Israel out, but
Israel simply withdrew and traveled another direction.
Ancient borders were often a source of contention, and Israel was very
careful to stay out of Moabite territory. Moses sent messengers to King
Sihon of the Amorites, requesting passage through their territory,
promising..
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4. “Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the
vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by
the king's high way, until we be past thy borders.” Numbers 21:22.
However, Sihon refused to allow the Israelites into his land and
mustered the Amorite army against Israel. By the power of the Lord,
the Israelites defeated the Amorites and camped in their territory
(verses 23–26). If the citation of “the poets” in verse 27 is a reference to
the authors of the Book of the Wars of the Lord, then another passage
from that book is used to poetically relate the overthrow of the
Amorite kingdom (verses 27–30).
From the title, “The Book of the Wars of the Lord,” some assume that
this was a book about battles in which the Lord fought or perhaps
were fought on His behalf; and it may have been just such a book.
However, Hebrew books were often named by the first word or
phrase in the book and were not a summary of the book’s contents.
For instance the book of Exodus is called Shemot in Hebrew, which
means “names.” The book of Exodus begins, “These are the names of
the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob.” Thus, the title of an
ancient book might tell very little about the content of the book.
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5. In summary, we know little about the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
but we may assume that this ancient work documented geographical
boundaries between nations and possibly related poetic descriptions
of particular battles. It is even possible that the Moabites may have
known about the Book of the Wars of the Lord. In any case, the work
is cited in Numbers to help substantiate the claim that Israel did not
encroach on Moabite territory.
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