Book of the Wars of the Lord

Biblical Text

The book is mentioned only once in Scripture, in Numbers 21:14. As the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness, they went around the land of Moab and encamped on the other side of the Arnon River. Numbers 21:13 explains that the Arnon was the border between Moab and the Amorites. The text then quotes a brief poetic fragment from this book in support. The quoted lines speak of Waheb in Suphah and the valleys of the Arnon, whose slope extends toward the dwelling of Ar and lies along the border of Moab (Numbers 21:14-15). Beyond the book's title and this single passage, the Bible says nothing about it.

Name and Background

The Hebrew title, Sefer Milhamot YHWH, means "the book of the wars of the LORD." On the basis of the title and the poetic form of the quotation, scholars believe it was a collection of ancient poems celebrating the victories God won in battle on Israel's behalf. Who compiled it, when, and how long it was remain unknown. The quoted lines are terse and difficult to interpret, and translations therefore differ on whether "Waheb" and "Suphah" should be read as place names or rendered in some other way.

The Bible names and quotes several other books in a similar manner. Examples include the book of Jasher in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18, and the book of the acts of Solomon in 1 Kings 11:41. These books are understood to have been sources consulted by the biblical authors.

Significance Within Scripture as a Whole

The conviction that the LORD fights for his people appears throughout the Old Testament. The song sung after the crossing of the Red Sea confesses, "The LORD is a man of war" (Exodus 15:3). David, facing Goliath, declares that "the battle is the LORD's" (1 Samuel 17:47). The title of this book is likewise thought to reflect this conviction.

The New Testament does not mention this book directly. Many interpreters, however, see the theme of "the wars of God" continuing in the New Testament in the following ways:

• The struggle not against flesh and blood but against evil spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
• Christ's triumph over the powers through the cross (Colossians 2:15)
• The victory at the last day (Revelation 19:11-16)

Interpretation and Issues

• The question of canon: Being quoted in Scripture does not make a book part of the canon. Protestants understand this citation as an instance of a biblical author using existing sources, and they do not regard the loss of such books as rendering the Bible incomplete. In critical scholarship, the citation is sometimes treated as evidence that multiple sources were used in the formation of the Pentateuch.
• Speculation about its contents: Several conjectures have been proposed. One view connects the command to "write this for a memorial in a book" concerning the battle with Amalek (Exodus 17:14) with this book. Another holds that the Song of the Well (Numbers 21:17-18) and the song about Heshbon (Numbers 21:27-30) in the same chapter also came from it. The text, however, identifies only verses 14-15 as quoted from this book.
• War and God: How to understand the Old Testament's depiction of God's involvement in warfare is a subject on which denominations and scholars differ. Some regard it as confined to a particular period of redemptive history, while others read it in light of ancient Near Eastern modes of expression.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, the phrase "the battle is the LORD's" is widely quoted in sermons and prayers. The Book of the Wars of the Lord itself, by contrast, is mainly introduced in Bible study as an example of a "lost book mentioned in the Bible."