Why Was God Angry with Balaam?

In Numbers 22:20 God told Balaam to go with the men from Balak. Why is God angry in verse 22 when Balaam does go?

It would appear that God knew something about the attitude of Balaam’s heart that we do not. Balaam was clearly told he could not go to curse these people because they had been blessed. Yet, when presented with more tempting offers, Balaam asked again to see if God might reconsider. Perhaps God allowed Balaam to go so that he could show his displeasure for Balaam’s craving. The Bible later says that Balaam (loved the wages of wickedness–2 Peter 2:15).

–The Quest Study Bible

If So Many People Died During the 40 Years of Wandering, Where are Their Graves?

If nearly the whole adult generation of Israel died during the forty years' wandering, why is not that whole region full of their graves (Numbers 14:34-35)?

Under the nomadic conditions of the wilderness journey, with a constant shifting from one site to another, there is no way that sturdy or well constructed graves could have been made as the adult generation passed away. Shallow burials beneath the surface of the sand or gravel would have failed to preserve any of the skeletons for a very long period, even though they might have escaped disturbance by carrion-eating wild animals (which is doubtful). No excavations conducted anywhere in the world have ever exhumed identifiable burials of this type, and in the nature of the case it would be very surprising if they did.

–Dictionary of Bible Difficulties

When Did Moses Give Joshua His Name?

How could Moses be said to have given Hoshea the name Joshua in Numbers 13:16 when he has already been referred to as “Joshua” in Exodus 17:9 and 24:13?

There is no difficulty here, for the final composition of Exodus by Moses undoubtedly occurred toward the end of the forty years' wandering. Even though Joshua may not have acquired the name from Moses until later in the journey from Egypt to Canaan, nevertheless in retrospect it would have been only natural to refer to Joshua by the name he bore at the time Exodus was composed by Moses. It should be added that Yehosua‘ ("Jehovah is salvation") is virtually the same name as Hosea‘ ("salvation"), both being derived from the root yasa‘.

–Dictionary of Bible Difficulties

Where Did the Mission of the 12 Spies Begin?

Did the mission of the twelve spies start from Paran (Numbers 13:3) or from Kadesh Barnea (Numbers 20:1)?

Both statements are true. The Wilderness of Paran extends from the port of Eloth (Eilat) on the Gulf of Aqabah in a north-northeast direction across the the Nahal Paran and Har Ramon to include the site of Kadesh Barnea, which lies on the same latitude as Punon. The spies therefore set out from Kadesh, which is located in the Wilderness of Paran (Numbers 13:26: “in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh").

–Dictionary of Bible Difficulties