Wars of the Lord, The Book of the

The Book of the Wars of the LORD is an ancient document cited once in the Old Testament (Numbers 21:14–15) in a brief poetic fragment about the borders of Arnon. The citation — "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" — is our only evidence that such a book existed. It was apparently a collection of songs or accounts celebrating Israel's military victories under divine leadership during the wilderness period and conquest of Transjordan. Like the Book of Jasher (referenced in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18) and the book mentioned in Numbers 21:27, it represents a class of early Israelite literary sources that did not enter the canonical collection but were known to the biblical authors. Nothing further is known of its contents, date, or authors. The existence of such collections suggests a rich tradition of military poetry celebrating divine warfare in early Israel, of which the Song of Moses (Exodus 15) and the Song of Deborah (Judges 5) are canonical examples.