The Book of the Wars of the Lord is a lost book of the Bible that is referenced in Numbers 21:14. The verse reads: “Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord, ‘Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon.'” This brief mention is the only information we have about this mysterious book.
Based on the context, it seems the Book of the Wars of the Lord may have been a collection of victory songs, poems, or oral traditions celebrating the Israelite conquest of Canaan. The reference made is to a place called Waheb, which means “place of gushing water.” This could be describing an event where God provided water for the Israelites in the wilderness. The Arnon valley marked the northern boundary of Moab. So this verse may be recording a song about an Israelite victory over the Moabites.
Some key things to note about the Book of the Wars of the Lord:
- It is one of several lost books mentioned in the Old Testament, others being the Book of Jashar (Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18) and potentially the Book of the Acts of Solomon (1 Kings 11:41).
- It was likely written during Israel’s wilderness wanderings or the period of conquest and settlement.
- It may have functioned as a compilation of poetry, songs, and oral traditions praising God for victories in battle.
- The title implies it recounted Israel’s battles and attributed their victories ultimately to the work of the Lord rather than human strength.
- It is classified as part of the “non-canonical” writings, meaning it was not included in the canon of inspired Scripture even though it is referenced in the Bible.
- No copy of the book has ever been discovered, so its specific contents remain a mystery.
In summary, the Book of the Wars of the Lord was probably an ancient Israelite collection of victory hymns and battle accounts memorializing the Lord’s work in securing the Promised Land for the Israelites. The brief reference in Numbers gives us a glimpse into celebratory writings we no longer have access to. While intriguing, the book was likely left out of the biblical canon because its contents focused more on nationalistic battle accounts than revelation from God.
The Reference in Numbers 21:14
The single reference to the Book of the Wars of the Lord is found in Numbers 21:14:
Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord: “Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon, and the slope of the valleys that extends to the dwelling of Ar, and leans to the border of Moab.”
This passage comes in the context of Moses and the Israelites wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. The Canaanite king of Arad had attacked them, but the Israelites made a vow to God that if He allowed them to defeat Arad, they would completely destroy his cities (Numbers 21:1-3). God enabled them to do just that.
Verse 14 seems to be quoting from the Book of the Wars of the Lord in remembrance of another victory, this time over Sihon the Amorite king of Heshbon. In the preceding verses, Moses explains how the Israelites requested passage through Sihon’s land. He refused and came out to battle against them. The Israelites were again victorious, thanks to the Lord who “delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel” (Numbers 21:10).
The geographical references in verse 14 are to the northern Moabite cities of Waheb, Ar, and the Arnon valley. Ar was an important fortified city just north of Moab. The Book of the Wars of the Lord appears to be quoting a poem or song celebrating Israel’s conquest of this region from the Amorites under Sihon and their establishment of the Arnon as the border with Moab.
Possible Contents and Themes
Since access to the actual Book of the Wars of the Lord has been lost, we can only speculate on its contents based on the title, genre, and context. Here are some possibilities:
- Songs celebrating Israel’s victories: As a collection of victory hymns, it likely contained various songs and poems describing and praising God for accomplishments in battle during Israel’s wilderness journeys and the conquest of Canaan.
- Accounts of key battles: More than just celebrating victories, it may have included prose accounts detailing certain battles, the circumstances leading up to them, principal characters, and the outcome.
- Focus on God’s deliverance: Given Israel’s tendency toward idolatry with other ancient Near Eastern gods, the book seems to emphasize God’s work in securing victory, attributing success to Him rather than solely to human prowess.
- Liturgical use: Some scholars believe it may have been read during festival gatherings and used liturgically in worship services as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and power.
- Geography and boundaries: The reference in Numbers gives descriptions of geographical places and boundary lines, so the book likely detailed geography relating to various battles and their aftermath.
Overall, the content seems to have carried a nationalistic tone, praising God’s acts while recording events that helped shape Israelite conquest and identity. The title itself explicitly attributes the wars to the Lord rather than the people. So thematically, it conveyed how Israel’s victories came by God’s power rather than their own merits.
Relationship to Other “Lost” Books
The Book of the Wars of the Lord was not the only ancient Israelite document mentioned in the Old Testament that has not survived. There are references to a few other “lost books” including:
- Book of Jashar – Referenced in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18. It appears to have been a collection of poems praising heroes of Israel.
- Book of the Acts of Solomon – 1 Kings 11:41 refers to this as a further source of information about Solomon’s reign. It may have contained details of Solomon’s policies and administration.
- Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel/Judah – 1-2 Kings frequently cite these as sources, perhaps official state records of the royal courts.
These books likely originated from the same time period as the Book of the Wars of the Lord – the centuries of Israel’s conquering of Canaan, the period of the judges, and the early kingdom era. They seem to represent a body of Israelite writings that was not included in Scripture, either because their contents were not considered divinely inspired or because they were lost relatively early.
The existence of these citations and references gives us insight into the wider literary world of ancient Israel that has not survived. They had other writings detailing cultural heritage, battles, and important figures in addition to what has been preserved in the biblical canon. However, the loss of these books takes nothing away from the completeness of Scripture.
Reasons It Was Excluded from the Canon
Although the Book of the Wars of the Lord is mentioned in the biblical text, it was not included in the compilation of books that make up the inspired Scriptures. There are several reasons why it and other ancient writings did not make it into the canon:
- Emphasis on national history, not revelation – It appears to have been more of a detailed nationalistic history book rather than containing divine revelation directly from God. Its contents focused on cultural heritage and human battles rather than conveying prophecy, theological truth, or instruction from God.
- Loss and destruction over time – Some books references in the Old Testament, like this one, simply did not survive well over centuries and were lost or destroyed, making their inclusion impossible.
- Not authored by a prophet – Most of the Old Testament books were written by those clearly recognized as prophets inspired by God. This book may have just been poetic accounts of various battles written by unidentified authors.
- Not mentioned by Jesus or the apostles – The New Testament never refers to or quotes from the Book of the Wars of the Lord or other lost books, whereas the Old Testament books included in the canon are frequently cited in the New Testament.
- Lack of divine authority – For a book to be included in the canon, it had to be recognized as having divine authority and coming from God Himself. Any writings that seemed merely cultural, historical, or secular in origin were not included.
While the Book of the Wars of the Lord is interesting historically, it did not meet the criteria for canonization like the books that do make up the Old and New Testaments. So while intriguing, its exclusion does not undermine the Scriptures we have been given through divine inspiration.
The Significance of Not Having Access to It
Since we no longer have a copy of the Book of the Wars of the Lord, does that omission carry any significance or impact our understanding of the Bible? There are a few key things to note:
- It does not “break” the Bible or call other books into question simply because this ancient text was lost over time.
- The loss does not detract from the books that were included in the canon according to divine preparation and human recognition.
- The reference in Numbers gives us a small glimpse into additional ancient writings, even though we do not have the resources themselves.
- It provides insight into how the Israelites constructed accounts of their own history and cultural heritage apart from inspired revelation.
- The loss of this book does not affect major biblical doctrines or theology derived from books that were included in the canon.
Had God intended the Book of the Wars of the Lord to be central to understanding His full revelation to mankind, He could have easily preserved it along with the biblical books He provided through divine inspiration. But its loss does not alter the doctrinal content and authority of the canonical books. We do not need access to this particular ancient resource in order to grasp the Scriptures.
Conclusion
The tantalizing but brief reference to the Book of the Wars of the Lord in Numbers 21 provides a small window into celebratory writings that ancient Israelites used to commemorate their journey and victories. It demonstrates their cultural heritage extended beyond just the texts preserved in Scripture. But ultimately, the Book of the Wars of the Lord was not included in the canon for good reasons. While intriguing historically, its absence does not detract from the Old and New Testament books that have been recognized as divinely inspired and authoritative for faith and doctrine. The obscurity and loss of this particular war hymnal does not undermine or alter the witness of biblical revelation that has been passed down to us.