Bilangan 24:7

24:7 He will pour the water out of his buckets, ¹ 

and their descendants will be like abundant ²  water; ³ 

their king will be greater than Agag, ⁴ 

and their kingdom will be exalted.

Bilangan 5:24

5:24 He will make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings a curse will enter her to produce bitterness.

Bilangan 19:21

19:21 “‘So this will be a perpetual ordinance for them: The one who sprinkles ⁵  the water of purification must wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water of purification will be unclean until evening. ⁶ 

Bilangan 5:17

5:17 The priest will then take holy water ⁷  in a pottery jar, and take some ⁸  of the dust ⁹  that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and put it into the water.

Bilangan 19:8

19:8 The one who burns it ¹⁰  must wash his clothes in water and bathe himself in water. He will be ceremonially unclean until evening.

Bilangan 5:23

5:23 “‘Then the priest will write these curses on a scroll and then scrape them off into the bitter water. ¹¹ 

Bilangan 20:13

20:13 These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and his holiness was maintained ¹²  among them.

Bilangan 33:14

33:14 They traveled from Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

Bilangan 20:2

20:2 And there was no water for the community, and so they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron.

Bilangan 15:7

15:7 and for a drink offering you must offer one-third of a hin of wine as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Bilangan 31:23

31:23 everything that may stand the fire, you are to pass through the fire, ¹³  and it will be ceremonially clean, but it must still be purified with the water of purification. Anything that cannot withstand the fire you must pass through the water.

Bilangan 27:14

27:14 For ¹⁴  in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you ¹⁵  rebelled against my command ¹⁶  to show me as holy ¹⁷  before their eyes over the water – the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”

Bilangan 21:16

21:16 And from there they traveled ¹⁸  to Beer; ¹⁹  that is the well where the Lord spoke to Moses, “Gather the people and I will give them water.”

Bilangan 19:17

19:17 “‘For a ceremonially unclean person you must take ²⁰  some of the ashes of the heifer ²¹  burnt for purification from sin and pour ²²  fresh running ²³  water over them in a vessel.

Bilangan 15:10

15:10 and you must present as the drink offering half a hin of wine with the fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Bilangan 5:22

5:22 and this water that causes the curse will go ²⁴  into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh rot.” ²⁵  Then the woman must say, “Amen, amen.” ²⁶ 

Bilangan 20:8

20:8 “Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak ²⁷  to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth ²⁸  its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink.”

Bilangan 24:6

24:6 They are like ²⁹  valleys ³⁰  stretched forth,

like gardens by the river’s side,

like aloes ³¹  that the Lord has planted,

and like cedar trees beside the waters.

Bilangan 8:7

8:7 And do this ³²  to them to purify them: Sprinkle water of purification ³³  on them; then have them shave ³⁴  all their body ³⁵  and wash ³⁶  their clothes, and so purify themselves. ³⁷ 

Bilangan 20:10-11

20:10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, ³⁸  must we bring ³⁹  water out of this rock for you?” 20:11 Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock twice with his staff. And water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts drank too.

Bilangan 33:9

33:9 They traveled from Marah and came to Elim; in Elim there are twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees, so they camped there.

Bilangan 6:3

6:3 he must separate ⁴⁰  himself from wine and strong drink, he must drink neither vinegar ⁴¹  made from wine nor vinegar made from strong drink, nor may he drink any juice ⁴²  of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. ⁴³ 

Bilangan 18:12

18:12 “All the best of the olive oil and all the best of the wine and of the wheat, the first fruits of these things that they give to the Lord, I have given to you. ⁴⁴ 

Bilangan 5:27

5:27 When he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter her to produce bitterness – her abdomen will swell, her thigh will fall away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

Bilangan 19:7

19:7 Then the priest must wash ⁴⁵  his clothes and bathe himself ⁴⁶  in water, and afterward he may come ⁴⁷  into the camp, but the priest will be ceremonially unclean until evening.

Bilangan 20:24

20:24 “Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors, ⁴⁸  for he will not enter into the land I have given to the Israelites because both of you ⁴⁹  rebelled against my word ⁵⁰  at the waters of Meribah.

Bilangan 5:18-19

5:18 Then the priest will have the woman stand before the Lord, uncover the woman’s head, and put the grain offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of suspicion. The priest will hold in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse. ⁵¹  5:19 Then the priest will put the woman under oath and say to the her, “If no other ⁵²  man has had sexual relations with you, and if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. ⁵³ 

Bilangan 19:9

19:9 “‘Then a man who is ceremonially clean must gather up the ashes of the red heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They must be kept ⁵⁴  for the community of the Israelites for use in the water of purification ⁵⁵  – it is a purification for sin. ⁵⁶ 

Bilangan 19:13

19:13 Anyone who touches the corpse of any dead person and does not purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the Lord. And that person must be cut off from Israel, ⁵⁷  because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him. He will be unclean; his uncleanness remains on him.

Bilangan 19:20

19:20 But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person must be cut off from among the community, because he has polluted the sanctuary of the Lord; the water of purification was not sprinkled on him, so he is unclean.

Bilangan 20:5

20:5 Why ⁵⁸  have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring us to ⁵⁹  this dreadful place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink!”

Bilangan 20:19

20:19 Then the Israelites said to him, “We will go along the highway, and if we ⁶⁰  or our cattle drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We will only pass through on our feet, without doing anything else.”

Bilangan 21:22

21:22 “Let us ⁶¹  pass through your land; ⁶²  we will not turn aside into the fields or into the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well, but we will go along the King’s Highway until we pass your borders.”

Bilangan 19:18

19:18 Then a ceremonially clean person must take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all its furnishings, and on the people who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, or one killed, or one who died, or a grave.

Bilangan 6:20

6:20 then the priest must wave them as a wave offering ⁶³  before the Lord; it is a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the raised offering. ⁶⁴  After this the Nazirite may drink ⁶⁵  wine.’

Bilangan 20:17

20:17 Please let us pass through ⁶⁶  your country. We will not pass through the fields or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well. We will go by the King’s Highway; ⁶⁷  we will not turn to the right or the left until we have passed through your region.’” ⁶⁸ 

Bilangan 19:12

19:12 He must purify himself ⁶⁹  with water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and the seventh day, then he will not be clean.

Bilangan 19:19

19:19 And the clean person must sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he must purify him, ⁷⁰  and then he must wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and he will be clean in the evening.

Bilangan 21:5

21:5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we ⁷¹  detest this worthless ⁷²  food.”

Bilangan 15:4

15:4 then the one who presents his offering to the Lord must bring ⁷³  a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one fourth of a hin of olive oil. ⁷⁴ 

Bilangan 6:4

6:4 All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine, from seed ⁷⁵  to skin. ⁷⁶ 

Bilangan 21:17

21:17 Then Israel sang ⁷⁷  this song:

“Spring up, O well, sing to it!

Bilangan 5:26

5:26 Then the priest will take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water.

Bilangan 15:5

15:5 You must also prepare one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering ⁷⁸  with the burnt offering or the sacrifice for each lamb. ⁷⁹ 

Bilangan 31:22

31:22 ‘Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Bilangan 13:27

13:27 They told Moses, ⁸⁰  “We went to the land where you sent us. ⁸¹  It is indeed flowing with milk and honey, ⁸²  and this is its fruit.

Bilangan 14:8

14:8 If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us – a land that is flowing with milk and honey. ⁸³ 

Bilangan 28:7

28:7 “‘And its drink offering must be one quarter of a hin for each lamb. ⁸⁴  You must pour out the strong drink ⁸⁵  as a drink offering to the Lord in the holy place.

Bilangan 15:12

15:12 You must do so for each one according to the number that you prepare.

Bilangan 28:10

28:10 This is the burnt offering for every Sabbath, ⁸⁶  besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

Bilangan 29:15

29:15 and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs,

Bilangan 33:11

33:11 They traveled from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Zin.

Bilangan 28:14

28:14 For their drink offerings, include ⁸⁷  half a hin of wine with each bull, one-third of a hin for the ram, and one-fourth of a hin for each lamb. This is the burnt offering for each month ⁸⁸  throughout the months of the year.

Bilangan 18:27

18:27 And your raised offering will be credited ⁸⁹  to you as though it were grain from the threshing floor or as new wine ⁹⁰  from the winepress.

Bilangan 29:16

29:16 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and its drink offering.

Bilangan 34:11-12

34:11 The border will run down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain, and the border will descend and reach the eastern side of the Sea of Chinnereth. ⁹¹  34:12 Then the border will continue down the Jordan River ⁹²  and its direction will be to the Salt Sea. This will be your land by its borders that surround it.’”

Bilangan 16:13-14

16:13 Is it a small thing ⁹³  that you have brought us up out of the land that flows with milk and honey, ⁹⁴  to kill us in the wilderness? Now do you want to make yourself a prince ⁹⁵  over us? 16:14 Moreover, ⁹⁶  you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you think you can blind ⁹⁷  these men? We will not come up.”

Bilangan 14:31

14:31 But I will bring in your little ones, whom you said would become victims of war, ⁹⁸  and they will enjoy ⁹⁹  the land that you have despised.

Bilangan 15:22

Rules for Unintentional Offenses

15:22 ¹⁰⁰ “‘If you ¹⁰¹  sin unintentionally and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses –

Bilangan 28:8

28:8 And the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon; just as you offered the grain offering and drink offering in the morning, ¹⁰²  you must offer it as an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Bilangan 28:15

28:15 And one male goat ¹⁰³  must be offered to the Lord as a purification offering, in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

Bilangan 28:24

28:24 In this manner you must offer daily throughout the seven days the food of the sacrifice made by fire as a sweet aroma to the Lord. It is to be offered in addition to the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

Bilangan 29:11

29:11 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the purification offering for atonement and the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.

Bilangan 34:3

34:3 your southern border ¹⁰⁴  will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the Edomite border, and your southern border will run eastward to the extremity of the Salt Sea,

Bilangan 4:7

4:7 “On the table of the presence ¹⁰⁵  they must spread a blue ¹⁰⁶  cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for pouring, and the Bread of the Presence must be on it continually.

Bilangan 28:9

Weekly Offerings

28:9 “‘On the Sabbath day, you must offer ¹⁰⁷  two unblemished lambs a year old, and two-tenths of an ephah ¹⁰⁸  of finely ground flour as a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, along with its drink offering.

Bilangan 29:6

29:6 this is in addition to the monthly burnt offering and its grain offering, and the daily burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings as prescribed, as a sweet aroma, a sacrifice made by fire to the Lord.

Bilangan 29:39

29:39 “‘These things you must present to the Lord at your appointed times, in addition to your vows and your freewill offerings, as your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, your drink offerings, and your peace offerings.’”

[24:7]  ¹ tc For this colon the LXX has “a man shall come out of his seed.” Cf. the Syriac Peshitta and Targum.

[24:7]  ² tn Heb “many.”

[24:7]  ³ sn These two lines are difficult, but the general sense is that of irrigation buckets and a well-watered land. The point is that Israel will be prosperous and fruitful.

[24:7]  ⁴ sn Many commentators see this as a reference to Agag of 1 Sam 15:32-33, the Amalekite king slain by Samuel, for that is the one we know. But that is by no means clear, for this text does not identify this Agag. If it is that king, then this poem, or this line in this poem, would have to be later, unless one were to try to argue for a specific prophecy. Whoever this Agag is, he is a symbol of power.

[19:21]  ⁵ tn The form has the conjunction with it: וּמַזֵּה (umazzeh). The conjunction subordinates the following as the special law. It could literally be translated “and this shall be…that the one who sprinkles.”

[19:21]  ⁶ sn This gives the indication of the weight of the matter, for “until the evening” is the shortest period of ritual uncleanness in the Law. The problem of contamination had to be taken seriously, but this was a relatively simple matter to deal with – if one were willing to obey the Law.

[5:17]  ⁷ tn This is probably water taken from the large bronze basin in the courtyard. It is water set apart for sacred service. “Clean water” (so NEB) does not capture the sense very well, but it does have the support of the Greek that has “pure running water.” That pure water would no doubt be from the bronze basin anyway.

[5:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “from.” The preposition is used here with a partitive sense.

[5:17]  ⁹ sn The dust may have come from the sanctuary floor, but it is still dust, and therefore would have all the pollutants in it.

[19:8]  ¹⁰ sn Here the text makes clear that he had at least one assistant.

[5:23]  ¹¹ sn The words written on the scroll were written with a combination of ingredients mixed into an ink. The idea is probably that they would have been washed or flaked off into the water, so that she drank the words of the curse – it became a part of her being.

[20:13]  ¹² tn The form is unusual – it is the Niphal preterite, and not the normal use of the Piel/Pual stem for “sanctify/sanctified.” The basic idea of “he was holy” has to be the main idea, but in this context it refers to the fact that through judging Moses God was making sure people ensured his holiness among them. The word also forms a wordplay on the name Kadesh.

[31:23]  ¹³ sn Purification by fire is unique to this event. Making these metallic objects “pass through the fire” was not only a way of purifying (burning off impurities), but it seems to be a dedicatory rite as well to the Lord and his people. The aspect of passing through the fire is one used by these pagans for child sacrifice.

[27:14]  ¹⁴ tn The preposition on the relative pronoun has the force of “because of the fact that.”

[27:14]  ¹⁵ tn The verb is the second masculine plural form.

[27:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “mouth.”

[27:14]  ¹⁷ sn Using the basic meaning of the word קָדַשׁ (qadash, “to be separate, distinct, set apart”), we can understand better what Moses failed to do. He was supposed to have acted in a way that would have shown God to be distinct, different, holy. Instead, he gave the impression that God was capricious and hostile – very human. The leader has to be aware of what image he is conveying to the people.

[21:16]  ¹⁸ tn The words “they traveled” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied here because of English style. The same phrase is supplied at the end of v. 18.

[21:16]  ¹⁹ sn Isa 15:8 mentions a Moabite Beerelim, which Simons suggests is Wadi Ettemed.

[19:17]  ²⁰ tn The verb is the perfect tense, third masculine plural, with a vav (ו) consecutive. The verb may be worded as a passive, “ashes must be taken,” but that may be too awkward for this sentence. It may be best to render it with a generic “you” to fit the instruction of the text.

[19:17]  ²¹ tn The word “heifer” is not in the Hebrew text, but it is implied.

[19:17]  ²² tn Here too the verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; rather than make this passive, it is here left as a direct instruction to follow the preceding one. For the use of the verb נָתַן (natan) in the sense of “pour,” see S. C. Reif, “A Note on a Neglected Connotation of ntn,” VT 20 (1970): 114-16.

[19:17]  ²³ tn The expression is literally “living water.” Living water is the fresh, flowing spring water that is clear, life-giving, and not the collected pools of stagnant or dirty water.

[5:22]  ²⁴ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. It could be taken as a jussive following the words of the priest in the previous section, but it is more likely to be a simple future.

[5:22]  ²⁵ tn Heb “fall away.”

[5:22]  ²⁶ tn The word “amen” carries the idea of “so be it,” or “truly.” The woman who submits to this test is willing to have the test demonstrate the examination of God.

[20:8]  ²⁷ tn The verb is the Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive, following the two imperatives in the verse. Here is the focus of the instruction for Moses.

[20:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “give.” The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive, as are the next two in the verse. These are not now equal to the imperatives, but imperfects, showing the results of speaking to the rock: “speak…and it will…and so you will….”

[24:6]  ²⁹ tn Heb “as valleys they spread forth.”

[24:6]  ³⁰ tn Or “rows of palms.”

[24:6]  ³¹ sn The language seems to be more poetic than precise. N. H. Snaith notes that cedars do not grow beside water; he also connects “aloes” to the eaglewood that is more exotic, and capable of giving off an aroma (Leviticus and Numbers [NCB], 298).

[8:7]  ³² tn Or, more literally, “and thus you shall do.” The verb is the imperfect tense of instruction or legislation. Here it introduces the procedures to be followed.

[8:7]  ³³ tn The genitive in this expression indicates the purpose of the water – it is for their purification. The expression is literally “the waters of sin.” The word “purification” is the same as for the “sin/purification offering” – חַטָּאת (khatta’at). This water seems to have been taken from the main laver and is contrasted with the complete washing of the priests in Lev 8:6.

[8:7]  ³⁴ tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) of sequence. This verb, and those to follow, has the force of a jussive since it comes after the imperative. Here the instruction is for them to remove the hair from their bodies (“flesh”). There is no indication that this was repeated (as the Egyptian priests did every few days). It seems to have been for this special occasion only. A similar requirement was for the leper (Lev 14:7-9).

[8:7]  ³⁵ tn Heb “flesh.”

[8:7]  ³⁶ tn Or “let/have them wash”; the priests were given new clothes (Lev 8:13), but the Levites simply washed their own.

[8:7]  ³⁷ tn The verb is a reflexive (or possibly passive) in this verse, indicating the summary of the process. The ritual steps that have been prescribed will lead to this conclusion. The verb could be treated as a final imperfect (being a perfect with vav [ו] consecutive), and so translated “that they may….” The major difference here is that the ritual made the Levites “clean,” whereas the ritual for the priests made them “holy” or “sanctified” (Lev 8:12).

[20:10]  ³⁸ tn The word is הַמֹּרִים (hammorim, “the rebels”), but here as a vocative: “you rebels.” It was a harsh address, although well-earned.

[20:10]  ³⁹ tn The word order and the emphasis of the tense are important to this passage. The word order is “from this rock must we bring out to you water?” The emphasis is clearly on “from this rock!” The verb is the imperfect tense; it has one of the modal nuances here, probably obligatory – “must we do this?”

[6:3]  ⁴⁰ tn The operative verb now will be the Hiphil of נָזַר (nazar); the consecration to the Lord meant separation from certain things in the world. The first will be wine and strong drink – barley beer (from Akkadian sikaru, a fermented beer). But the second word may be somewhat wider in its application than beer. The Nazirite, then, was to avoid all intoxicants as a sign of his commitment to the Lord. The restriction may have proved a hardship in the daily diet of the one taking the vow, but it spoke a protest to the corrupt religious and social world that used alcohol to excess.

[6:3]  ⁴¹ tn The “vinegar” (חֹמֶץ, homets) is some kind of drink preparation that has been allowed to go sour.

[6:3]  ⁴² tn This word occurs only here. It may come from the word “to water, to be moist,” and so refer to juice.

[6:3]  ⁴³ tn Heb “dried” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[18:12]  ⁴⁴ tn This form may be classified as a perfect of resolve – he has decided to give them to them, even though this is a listing of what they will receive.

[19:7]  ⁴⁵ tn The sequence continues with the perfect tense and vav (ו) consecutive.

[19:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “his flesh.”

[19:7]  ⁴⁷ tn This is the imperfect of permission.

[20:24]  ⁴⁸ sn This is the standard poetic expression for death. The bones would be buried, often with the bones of relatives in the same tomb, giving rise to the expression.

[20:24]  ⁴⁹ tn The verb is in the second person plural form, and so it is Moses and Aaron who rebelled, and so now because of that Aaron first and then Moses would die without going into the land.

[20:24]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “mouth.”

[5:18]  ⁵¹ tn The expression has been challenged. The first part, “bitter water,” has been thought to mean “water of contention” (so NEB), but this is not convincing. It has some support in the versions which read “contention” and “testing,” no doubt trying to fit the passage better. N. H. Snaith (Leviticus and Numbers [NCB], 129) suggests from an Arabic word that it was designed to cause an abortion – but that would raise an entirely different question, one of who the father of a child was. And that has not been introduced here. The water was “bitter” in view of the consequences it held for her if she was proven to be guilty. That is then enforced by the wordplay with the last word, the Piel participle הַמְאָרֲרִים (ham’ararim). The bitter water, if it convicted her, would pronounce a curse on her. So she was literally holding her life in her hands.

[5:18]  sn This ancient ritual seems to have functioned like a lie detector test, with all the stress and tension involved. It can be compared to water tests in the pagan world, with the exception that in Israel it was stacked more toward an innocent verdict. It seems to have been a temporary provision, for this is the only place that it appears, and no provision is made for its use later. It may have served as a didactic force, warning more than actually legislating. No provision is made in it for a similar charge to be brought against the man, but in the case of the suspicion of the woman the man would be very hesitant to demand this test given the harshness on false witnessing in Israel. The passage remains a rather strange section of the Law.

[5:19]  ⁵² tn The word “other” is implied, since the woman would not be guilty of having sexual relations with her own husband.

[5:19]  ⁵³ sn Although there would be stress involved, a woman who was innocent would have nothing to hide, and would be confident. The wording of the priest’s oath is actually designed to enable the potion to keep her from harm and not produce the physical effects it was designed to do.

[19:9]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “it will be.”

[19:9]  ⁵⁵ tn The expression לְמֵי נִדָּה (lÿme niddah) is “for waters of impurity.” The genitive must designate the purpose of the waters – they are for cases of impurity, and so serve for cleansing or purifying, thus “water of purification.” The word “impurity” can also mean “abhorrent” because it refers to so many kinds of impurities. It is also called a purification offering; Milgrom notes that this is fitting because the sacrificial ritual involved transfers impurity from the purified to the purifier (pp. 62-72).

[19:9]  ⁵⁶ sn The ashes were to be stored somewhere outside the camp to be used in a water portion for cleansing someone who was defiled. This is a ritual that was enacted in the wilderness; it is something of a restoring rite for people alienated from community.

[19:13]  ⁵⁷ sn It is in passages like this that the view that being “cut off” meant the death penalty is the hardest to support. Would the Law prescribe death for someone who touches a corpse and fails to follow the ritual? Besides, the statement in this section that his uncleanness remains with him suggests that he still lives on.

[20:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and why.”

[20:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Here also the infinitive construct (Hiphil) forms the subordinate clause of the preceding interrogative clause.

[20:19]  ⁶⁰ tn The Hebrew text uses singular pronouns, “I” and “my,” but it is the people of Israel that are intended, and so it may be rendered in the plural. Similarly, Edom speaks in the first person, probably from the king. But it too could be rendered “we.”

[21:22]  ⁶¹ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular in these verses to match the reference to “Israel.”

[21:22]  ⁶² tc Smr has “by the King’s way I will go. I will not turn aside to the right or the left.”

[6:20]  ⁶³ sn The ritual of lifting the hands filled with the offering and waving them in the presence of the Lord was designed to symbolize the transfer of the offering to God in the sight of all. This concludes the worshiper’s part; the offering now becomes the property of the priest – his priest’s due (or “raised/heave offering”).

[6:20]  ⁶⁴ sn The “wave offering” may be interpreted as a “special gift” to be transferred to the Lord, and the “heave offering” as a “special contribution” to God – the priest’s due. These two offerings have also inspired a good deal of study.

[6:20]  ⁶⁵ tn The imperfect tense here would then have the nuance of permission. It is not an instruction at this point; rather, the prohibition has been lifted and the person is free to drink wine.

[20:17]  ⁶⁶ tn The request is expressed by the use of the cohortative, “let us pass through.” It is the proper way to seek permission.

[20:17]  ⁶⁷ sn This a main highway running from Damascus in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba, along the ridge of the land. Some scholars suggest that the name may have been given by the later Assyrians (see B. Obed, “Observations on Methods of Assyrian Rule in Transjordan after the Palestinian Campaign of Tiglathpileser III,” JNES 29 [1970]: 177-86). Bronze Age fortresses have been discovered along this highway, attesting to its existence in the time of Moses. The original name came from the king who developed the highway, probably as a trading road (see S. Cohen, IDB 3:35-36).

[20:17]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “borders.”

[19:12]  ⁶⁹ tn The verb is the Hitpael of חָטָא (khata’), a verb that normally means “to sin.” But the Piel idea in many places is “to cleanse; to purify.” This may be explained as a privative use (“to un-sin” someone, meaning cleanse) or denominative (“make a sin offering for someone”). It is surely connected to the purification offering, and so a sense of purify is what is wanted here.

[19:19]  ⁷⁰ tn The construction uses a simple Piel of חָטָא (khata’, “to purify”) with a pronominal suffix – “he shall purify him.” Some commentators take this to mean that after he sprinkles the unclean then he must purify himself. But that would not be the most natural way to read this form.

[21:5]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “our souls.”

[21:5]  ⁷² tn The Israelites’ opinion about the manna was clear enough – “worthless.” The word used is קְלֹקֵל (qÿloqel, “good for nothing, worthless, miserable”).

[15:4]  ⁷³ tn The three words at the beginning of this verse are all etymologically related: “the one who offers his offering shall offer.”

[15:4]  ⁷⁴ sn Obviously, as the wording of the text affirms, this kind of offering would be made after they were in the land and able to produce the grain and oil for the sacrifices. The instructions anticipated their ability to do this, and this would give hope to them. The amounts are difficult to determine, but it may be that they were to bring 4.5 liters of flour and 1.8 liters each of oil and wine.

[6:4]  ⁷⁵ tn This word also is rare, occurring only here.

[6:4]  ⁷⁶ sn Here is another hapax legomenon, a word only found here. The word seems linked to the verb “to be clear,” and so may mean the thin skin of the grape. The reason for the strictness with these two words in this verse is uncertain. We know the actual meanings of the words, and the combination must form a merism here, meaning no part of the grape could be eaten. Abstaining from these common elements of food was to be a mark of commitment to the Lord. Hos 3:1 even denounces the raisin cakes as part of a pagan world, and eating them would be a violation of the oath.

[21:17]  ⁷⁷ tn After the adverb “then” the prefixed conjugation has the preterite force. For the archaic constructions, see D. N. Freedman, “Archaic Forms in Early Hebrew Poetry,” ZAW 72 (1960): 101-7. The poem shows all the marks of being ancient.

[15:5]  ⁷⁸ sn The drink-offering was an ancient custom, mentioned in the Ugaritic tablets of Ras Shamra (14th century b.c.). The drink offering was poured out at the base of the altar (see Sir 50:15 and Josephus, Ant. 3.9.4 [3.234]).

[15:5]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “for the one lamb,” but it clearly means “for each lamb.”

[13:27]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “told him and said.” The referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27]  ⁸¹ tn The relative clause modifies “the land.” It is constructed with the relative and the verb: “where you sent us.”

[13:27]  ⁸² sn This is the common expression for the material abundance of the land (see further, F. C. Fensham, “An Ancient Tradition of the Fertility of Palestine,” PEQ 98 [1966]: 166-67).

[14:8]  ⁸³ tn The subjective genitives “milk and honey” are symbols of the wealth of the land, second only to bread. Milk was a sign of such abundance (Gen 49:12; Isa 7:21,22). Because of the climate the milk would thicken quickly and become curds, eaten with bread or turned into butter. The honey mentioned here is the wild honey (see Deut 32:13; Judg 14:8-9). It signified sweetness, or the finer things of life (Ezek 3:3).

[28:7]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “the one lamb,” but it is meant to indicate for “each lamb.”

[28:7]  ⁸⁵ tn The word שֵׁכָר (shekhar) is often translated “strong drink.” It can mean “barley beer” in the Akkadian cognate, and also in the Hebrew Bible when joined with the word for wine. English versions here read “wine” (NAB, TEV, CEV); “strong wine” (KJV); “fermented drink” (NIV, NLT); “strong drink” (ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[28:10]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “the burnt offering of the Sabbath by its Sabbath.”

[28:14]  ⁸⁷ tn The word “include” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied. It is supplied in the translation to make a complete English sentence.

[28:14]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “a month in its month.”

[18:27]  ⁸⁹ tn The verb is חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon; to count; to think”); it is the same verb used for “crediting” Abram with righteousness. Here the tithe of the priests will be counted as if it were a regular tithe.

[18:27]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “fullness,” meaning the fullness of the harvest, i.e., a full harvest.

[34:11]  ⁹¹ tn Or “the Sea of Galilee” (so NLT); NCV, TEV, CEV “Lake Galilee.”

[34:11]  sn The word means “harp.” The lake (or sea) of Galilee was so named because it is shaped somewhat like a harp.

[34:12]  ⁹² tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[16:13]  ⁹³ tn The question is rhetorical. It was not a small thing to them – it was a big thing.

[16:13]  ⁹⁴ tn The modern scholar who merely sees these words as belonging to an earlier tradition about going up to the land of Canaan that flows with milk and honey misses the irony here. What is happening is that the text is showing how twisted the thinking of the rebels is. They have turned things completely around. Egypt was the land flowing with milk and honey, not Canaan where they will die. The words of rebellion are seldom original, and always twisted.

[16:13]  ⁹⁵ tn The verb הִשְׂתָּרֵר (histarer) is the Hitpael infinitive absolute that emphasizes the preceding תִשְׂתָּרֵר (tistarer), the Hitpael imperfect tense (both forms having metathesis). The verb means “to rule; to act like a prince; to make oneself a prince.” This is the only occurrence of the reflexive for this verb. The exact nuance is difficult to translate into English. But they are accusing Moses of seizing princely power for himself, perhaps making a sarcastic reference to his former status in Egypt. The rebels here are telling Moses that they had discerned his scheme, and so he could not “hoodwink” them (cf. NEB).

[16:14]  ⁹⁶ tn Here אַף (’af) has the sense of “in addition.” It is not a common use.

[16:14]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “will you bore out the eyes of these men?” The question is “Will you continue to mislead them?” (or “hoodwink” them). In Deut 16:19 it is used for taking a bribe; something like that kind of deception is intended here. They are simply stating that Moses is a deceiver who is misleading the people with false promises.

[14:31]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “plunder.”

[14:31]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “know.”

[15:22]  ¹⁰⁰ sn These regulations supplement what was already ruled on in the Levitical code for the purification and reparation offerings. See those rulings in Lev 4-7 for all the details. Some biblical scholars view the rules in Leviticus as more elaborate and therefore later. However, this probably represents a misunderstanding of the purpose of each collection.

[15:22]  ¹⁰¹ tn The verb is the plural imperfect; the sin discussed here is a sin committed by the community, or the larger part of the community.

[28:8]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “as the grain offering of the morning and as its drink offering.”

[28:15]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “one kid of the goats.”

[34:3]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The expression refers to the corner or extremity of the Negev, the South.

[4:7]  ¹⁰⁵ sn The Hebrew actually has the “table of faces,” and this has been traditionally rendered “table of shewbread.”

[4:7]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The Greek has “violet” instead of blue. This is also the case in vv. 8, 10, and 14.

[28:9]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The words “you must offer” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied. They have been supplied in the translation to make a complete English sentence.

[28:9]  ¹⁰⁸ sn That is, about 4 quarts.