Bilangan 1:18

1:18 and they assembled ¹  the entire community together on the first day of the second month. ²  Then the people recorded their ancestry ³  by their clans and families, and the men who were twenty years old or older were listed ⁴  by name individually,

Bilangan 2:34

2:34 So the Israelites did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way ⁵  they camped under their standards, and that is the way they traveled, each with his clan and family.

Bilangan 3:4

3:4 Nadab and Abihu died ⁶  before the Lord ⁷  when they offered ⁸  strange ⁹  fire ¹⁰  before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. ¹¹  So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests ¹²  in the presence of ¹³  Aaron their father.

Bilangan 3:39

3:39 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the word ¹⁴  of the Lord, according to their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000. ¹⁵ 

Bilangan 4:12

4:12 Then they must take all the utensils of the service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of fine leather, and put them on a carrying beam.

Bilangan 4:19

4:19 but in order that they will live ¹⁶  and not die when they approach the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons will go in and appoint ¹⁷  each man ¹⁸  to his service and his responsibility.

Bilangan 5:18

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. ¹⁹ 

Bilangan 5:30

5:30 or when jealous feelings come over a man and he becomes suspicious of his wife; then he must have the woman stand before the Lord, and the priest will carry out all this law upon her.

Bilangan 6:5

6:5 “‘All the days of the vow ²⁰  of his separation no razor may be used on his head ²¹  until the time ²²  is fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord. He will be holy, ²³  and he must let ²⁴  the locks of hair on his head grow long.

Bilangan 6:18-19

6:18 “‘Then the Nazirite must shave his consecrated head ²⁵  at the entrance to the tent of meeting and must take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire ²⁶  where the peace offering is burning. ²⁷  6:19 And the priest must take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one cake made without yeast from the basket, and one wafer made without yeast, and put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head; ²⁸ 

Bilangan 7:3

7:3 They brought ²⁹  their offering before the Lord, six covered carts ³⁰  and twelve oxen – one cart for every two of the leaders, and an ox for each one; and they presented them in front of the tabernacle.

Bilangan 8:19

8:19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary.” ³¹ 

Bilangan 8:22

8:22 After this, the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did.

Bilangan 9:17

9:17 Whenever the cloud was taken up ³²  from the tabernacle, then after that the Israelites would begin their journey; and in whatever place ³³  the cloud settled, there the Israelites would make camp.

Bilangan 10:29

The Appeal to Hobab

10:29 ³⁴ Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel, the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, ³⁵  “We are journeying to the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, ³⁶  for the Lord has promised good things ³⁷  for Israel.”

Bilangan 11:11-12

11:11 And Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you afflicted ³⁸  your servant? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that ³⁹  you lay the burden of this entire people on me? 11:12 Did I conceive this entire people? ⁴⁰  Did I give birth to ⁴¹  them, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your arms, as a foster father ⁴²  bears a nursing child,’ to the land which you swore to their fathers?

Bilangan 11:26

Eldad and Medad

11:26 But two men remained in the camp; one’s name was Eldad, and the other’s name was Medad. And the spirit rested on them. (Now they were among those in the registration, ⁴³  but had not gone to the tabernacle.) So they prophesied in the camp.

Bilangan 14:9

14:9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. ⁴⁴  Their protection ⁴⁵  has turned aside from them, but the Lord is with us. Do not fear them!”

Bilangan 14:14

14:14 then they will tell it to the inhabitants ⁴⁶  of this land. They have heard that you, Lord, are among this people, that you, Lord, are seen face to face, ⁴⁷  that your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them by day in a pillar of cloud and in a pillar of fire by night.

Bilangan 16:7

16:7 put fire in them, and set incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses will be holy. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!”

Bilangan 16:26

16:26 And he said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked ⁴⁸  men, and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because ⁴⁹  of all their sins.” ⁵⁰ 

Bilangan 16:47

16:47 So Aaron did ⁵¹  as Moses commanded ⁵²  and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague was just beginning among the people. So he placed incense on the coals and made atonement for the people.

Bilangan 17:2

17:2 “Speak to the Israelites, and receive from them a staff from each tribe, ⁵³  one from every tribal leader, ⁵⁴  twelve staffs; you must write each man’s name on his staff.

Bilangan 17:10

The Memorial

17:10 The Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end ⁵⁵  before me, that they will not die.” ⁵⁶ 

Bilangan 18:17

18:17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow or a sheep or a goat; they are holy. You must splash ⁵⁷  their blood on the altar and burn their fat for an offering made by fire for a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Bilangan 18:24

18:24 But I have given ⁵⁸  to the Levites for an inheritance the tithes of the Israelites that are offered ⁵⁹  to the Lord as a raised offering. That is why I said to them that among the Israelites they are to have no inheritance.”

Bilangan 19:2

19:2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded: ‘Instruct ⁶⁰  the Israelites to bring ⁶¹  you a red ⁶²  heifer ⁶³  without blemish, which has no defect ⁶⁴  and has never carried a yoke.

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, ⁶⁵  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 20:24

20:24 “Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors, ⁶⁶  for he will not enter into the land I have given to the Israelites because both of you ⁶⁷  rebelled against my word ⁶⁸  at the waters of Meribah.

Bilangan 21:7

21:7 Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he would take away ⁶⁹  the snakes from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

Bilangan 22:5

22:5 And he sent messengers to Balaam ⁷⁰  son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates River ⁷¹  in the land of Amaw, ⁷²  to summon him, saying, “Look, a nation has come out of Egypt. They cover the face ⁷³  of the earth, and they are settling next to me.

Bilangan 22:22

God Opposes Balaam

22:22 Then God’s anger was kindled ⁷⁴  because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose ⁷⁵  him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.

Bilangan 22:30

22:30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am not I your donkey that you have ridden ever since I was yours until this day? Have I ever attempted ⁷⁶  to treat you this way?” ⁷⁷  And he said, “No.”

Bilangan 22:32

22:32 The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you because what you are doing ⁷⁸  is perverse before me. ⁷⁹ 

Bilangan 25:8

25:8 and went after the Israelite man into the tent ⁸⁰  and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman’s abdomen. ⁸¹  So the plague was stopped from the Israelites. ⁸² 

Bilangan 25:11

25:11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites, when he manifested such zeal ⁸³  for my sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal. ⁸⁴ 

Bilangan 27:3

27:3 “Our father died in the wilderness, although ⁸⁵  he was not part of ⁸⁶  the company of those that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but he died for his own sin, ⁸⁷  and he had no sons.

Bilangan 30:2

30:2 If a man ⁸⁸  makes a vow ⁸⁹  to the Lord or takes an oath ⁹⁰  of binding obligation on himself, ⁹¹  he must not break his word, but must do whatever he has promised. ⁹² 

Bilangan 30:5

30:5 But if her father overrules her when he hears ⁹³  about it, then none ⁹⁴  of her vows or her obligations which she has pledged for herself will stand. And the Lord will release ⁹⁵  her from it, because her father overruled her.

Bilangan 30:14

30:14 But if her husband remains completely silent ⁹⁶  about her from day to day, he thus confirms all her vows or all her obligations which she is under; he confirms them because he remained silent about when he heard them.

Bilangan 31:8

31:8 They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain – Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba – five Midianite kings. ⁹⁷  They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. ⁹⁸ 

Bilangan 31:12

31:12 They brought the captives and the spoils and the plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the Israelite community, to the camp on the plains ⁹⁹  of Moab, along the Jordan River ¹⁰⁰  across from Jericho. ¹⁰¹ 

Bilangan 31:50

31:50 So we have brought as an offering for the Lord what each man found: gold ornaments, armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves ¹⁰²  before the Lord.” ¹⁰³ 

Bilangan 33:38

33:38 Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor at the command ¹⁰⁴  of the Lord, and he died there in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt on the first day of the fifth month.

Bilangan 33:55

33:55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then those whom you allow to remain will be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your side, and will cause you trouble in the land where you will be living.

Bilangan 35:6

35:6 Now from these towns that you will give to the Levites you must select six towns of refuge to which a person who has killed someone may flee. ¹⁰⁵  And you must give them forty-two other towns.

Bilangan 36:3

36:3 Now if they should be married to one of the men ¹⁰⁶  from another Israelite tribe, their inheritance would be taken from the inheritance of our fathers and added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry. ¹⁰⁷  As a result, it will be taken from the lot of our inheritance.

[1:18]  ¹ tn The verb is the Hiphil of the root קָהַל (qahal), meaning “to call, assemble”; the related noun is an “assembly.”

[1:18]  ² tc The LXX adds “of the second year.”

[1:18]  ³ tn The verb is the Hitpael preterite form וַיִּתְיַלְדוּ (vayyityaldu). The cognate noun תּוֹלְדוֹת (tolÿdot) is the word that means “genealogies, family records, records of ancestry.” The root is יָלַד (yalad, “to bear, give birth to”). Here they were recording their family connections, and not, of course, producing children. The verbal stem seems to be both declarative and reflexive.

[1:18]  ⁴ tn The verb is supplied. The Hebrew text simply has “in/with the number of names of those who are twenty years old and higher according to their skulls.”

[2:34]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew word is כֵּן (ken, “thus, so”).

[3:4]  ⁶ tn The verb form is the preterite with vav (ו) consecutive, literally “and Nadab died.” Some commentators wish to make the verb a past perfect, rendering it “and Nadab had died,” but this is not necessary. In tracing through the line from Aaron it simply reports that the first two sons died. The reference is to the event recorded in Lev 10 where the sons brought “strange” or foreign” fire to the sanctuary.

[3:4]  ⁷ tc This initial clause is omitted in one Hebrew ms, Smr, and the Vulgate.

[3:4]  ⁸ tn The form בְּהַקְרִבָם (bÿhaqrivam) is the Hiphil infinitive construct functioning as a temporal clause: “when they brought near,” meaning, “when they offered.” The verb קָרַב (qarav) is familiar to students of the NT because of “corban” in Mark 7:11.

[3:4]  ⁹ tn Or “prohibited.” See HALOT 279 s.v. זָר 3.

[3:4]  ¹⁰ tn The expression אֵשׁ זָרָה (’esh zarah, “strange fire”) seems imprecise and has been interpreted numerous ways (see the helpful summary in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC 4], 132-33). The infraction may have involved any of the following or a combination thereof: (1) using coals from some place other than the burnt offering altar (i.e., “unauthorized coals” according to J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:598; cf. Lev 16:12 and cf. “unauthorized person” [אִישׁ זָר, ’ish zar] in Num 16:40 [17:5 HT], NASB “layman”), (2) using the wrong kind of incense (cf. the Exod 30:9 regulation against “strange incense” [קְטֹרֶת זָרָה, qÿtoret zarah] on the incense altar and the possible connection to Exod 30:34-38), (3) performing an incense offering at an unprescribed time (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 59), or (4) entering the Holy of Holies at an inappropriate time (Lev 16:1-2).

[3:4]  sn This event is narrated in Lev 10:1-7.

[3:4]  ¹¹ sn The two young priests had been cut down before they had children; the ranks of the family of Aaron were thereby cut in half in one judgment from God. The significance of the act of judgment was to show that the priests had to sanctify the Lord before the people – they were to be examples that the sanctuary and its contents were distinct.

[3:4]  ¹² tn The verb is the Piel preterite from the root כָּהַן (kahan): “to function as a priest” or “to minister.”

[3:4]  ¹³ tn The expression “in the presence of” can also mean “during the lifetime of” (see Gen 11:28; see also BDB 818 s.v. פָּנֶה II.7.a; cf. NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV).

[3:39]  ¹⁴ tn Here again the Hebrew has “at the mouth of,” meaning in accordance with what the Lord said. So also in v. 51.

[3:39]  ¹⁵ tn The total is a rounded off number; it does not duplicate the precise total of 22,300. Some modern scholars try to explain it by positing an error in v. 28, suggesting that “six” should be read as “three” (שֵׁשׁ [shesh] as שָׁלֹשׁ [shalosh]).

[4:19]  ¹⁶ tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text: Do this…and they will live. Consequently, the verb “and they will live” is a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive to express the future consequence of “doing this” for them.

[4:19]  ¹⁷ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive continues the instruction for Aaron.

[4:19]  ¹⁸ tn The distributive sense is obtained by the repetition, “a man” and “a man.”

[5:18]  ¹⁹ 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.

[6:5]  ²⁰ tc The parallel expression in v. 8 (“all the days of his separation”) lacks the word “vow.” This word is also absent in v. 5 in a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts. The presence of the word in v. 5 may be due to dittography.

[6:5]  ²¹ sn There is an interesting parallel between this prohibition and the planting of trees. They could not be pruned or trimmed for three years, but allowed to grow free (Lev 20:23). Only then could the tree be cut and the fruit eaten. The natural condition was to be a sign that it was the Lord’s. It was to be undisturbed by humans. Since the Nazirite was to be consecrated to the Lord, that meant his whole person, hair included. In the pagan world the trimming of the beard and the cutting of the hair was often a sign of devotion to some deity.

[6:5]  ²² tn Heb “days.”

[6:5]  ²³ tn The word “holy” here has the sense of distinct, different, set apart.

[6:5]  ²⁴ tn The Piel infinitive absolute functions as a verb in this passage; the Piel carries the sense of “grow lengthy” or “let grow long.”

[6:18]  ²⁵ tn Some versions simply interpret this to say that he shaves his hair, for it is the hair that is the sign of the consecration to God. But the text says he shaves his consecrated head. The whole person is obviously consecrated to God – not just the head. But the symbolic act of cutting the hair shows that the vow has been completed (see Acts 21:23-24). The understanding of the importance of the hair in the ancient world has been the subject of considerable study over the years (see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 436; and J. A. Thompson, “Numbers,” New Bible Commentary: Revised, 177).

[6:18]  ²⁶ sn Some commentators see this burning of the hair as an offering (McNeile, Numbers, 35; G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 68). But others probably with more foundation see it as destroying something that has served a purpose, something that if left alone might be venerated (see R. de Vaux, Israel, 436).

[6:18]  ²⁷ tn Heb “which is under the peace offering.” The verse does not mean that the hair had to be put under that sacrifice and directly on the fire.

[6:19]  ²⁸ tn The line does not include the word “head”; it literally has “after the consecrating of himself his consecrated [head].” The infinitive construct is here functioning in the temporal clause with the suffix as the subject and the object following.

[7:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and they brought.”

[7:3]  ³⁰ sn For a discussion and drawings, see W. S. McCullough, IDB 1:540. But see also D. J. Wiseman, IBD 1:254.

[8:19]  ³¹ sn The firstborn were those that were essentially redeemed from death in Egypt when the blood was put on the doors. So in the very real sense they belonged to God (Exod 13:2,12). The firstborn was one who stood in special relationship to the father, being the successive offspring. Here, the Levites would stand in for the firstborn in that special role and special relationship. God also made it clear that the nation of Israel was his firstborn son (Exod 4:22-23), and so they stood in that relationship before all the nations. The tribe of Reuben was to have been the firstborn tribe, but in view of the presumptuous attempt to take over the leadership through pagan methods (Gen 35:22; 49:3-4), was passed over. The tribes of Levi and Simeon were also put down for their ancestors’ activities, but sanctuary service was still given to Levi.

[9:17]  ³² tn The verb in this initial temporal clause is the Niphal infinitive construct.

[9:17]  ³³ tn Heb “in the place where it settled there”; the relative clause modifies the noun “place,” and the resumptive adverb completes the related idea – “which it settled there” means “where it settled.”

[10:29]  ³⁴ sn For additional bibliography for this short section, see W. F. Albright, “Jethro, Hobab, and Reuel in Early Hebrew Tradition,” CBQ 25 (1963): 1-11; G. W. Coats, “Moses in Midian,” JBL 92 (1973): 3-10; B. Mazar, “The Sanctuary of Arad and the Family of Hobab the Kenite,” JNES 24 (1965): 297-303; and T. C. Mitchell, “The Meaning of the Noun h£tn in the Old Testament,” VT 19 (1969): 93-112.

[10:29]  ³⁵ sn There is a problem with the identity of Hobab. The MT says that he is the son of Reuel, making him the brother-in-law of Moses. But Judg 4:11 says he is the father-in-law. In Judg 1:16; 4:11 Hobab is traced to the Kenites, but in Exod 3:1 and 18:1 Jethro (Reuel) is priest of Midian. Jethro is identified with Reuel on the basis of Exod 2:18 and 3:1, and so Hobab becomes Moses’ חֹתֵן (khoten), a relative by marriage and perhaps brother-in-law. There is not enough information to decide on the identity and relationships involved here. Some suggest that there is one person with the three names (G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 93); others suggest Hobab is a family name (R. F. Johnson, IDB 2:615), and some suggest that the expression “the son of Reuel the Midianite” had dropped out of the genealogy of Judges, leading to the conflict (J. Crichton, ISBE 2:1055). If Hobab is the same as Jethro, then Exod 18:27 does not make much sense, for Jethro did go home. On this basis many conclude Hobab is a brother-in-law. This would mean that after Jethro returned home, Moses conversed with Hobab, his brother-in-law. For more discussion, see the articles and the commentaries.

[10:29]  ³⁶ tn The verb is the Hiphil of the root “to be good” (יָטַב, yatav); it may be translated “treat well, deal favorably, generously with.” Here it is a perfect tense with vav (ו) following the imperative, showing a sequence in the verbal ideas.

[10:29]  ³⁷ tn The Hebrew text simply has “has spoken good” for Israel.

[11:11]  ³⁸ tn The verb is the Hiphil of רָעַע (ra’a’, “to be evil”). Moses laments (with the rhetorical question) that God seems to have caused him evil.

[11:11]  ³⁹ tn The infinitive construct with the preposition is expressing the result of not finding favor with God (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 12-13, §57). What Moses is claiming is that because he has been given this burden God did not show him favor.

[11:12]  ⁴⁰ sn The questions Moses asks are rhetorical. He is actually affirming that they are not his people, that he did not produce them, but now is to support them. His point is that God produced this nation, but has put the burden of caring for their needs on him.

[11:12]  ⁴¹ tn The verb means “to beget, give birth to.” The figurative image from procreation completes the parallel question, first the conceiving and second the giving birth to the nation.

[11:12]  ⁴² tn The word אֹמֵן (’omen) is often translated “nurse,” but the form is a masculine form and would better be rendered as a “foster parent.” This does not work as well, though, with the יֹנֵק (yoneq), the “sucking child.” The two metaphors are simply designed to portray the duty of a parent to a child as a picture of Moses’ duty for the nation. The idea that it portrays God as a mother pushes it too far (see M. Noth, Numbers [OTL], 86-87).

[11:26]  ⁴³ tn The form of the word is the passive participle כְּתֻבִים (kÿtuvim, “written”). It is normally taken to mean “among those registered,” but it is not clear if that means they were to be among the seventy or not. That seems unlikely since there is no mention of the seventy being registered, and vv. 24-25 says all seventy went out and prophesied. The registration may be to eldership, or the role of the officer.

[14:9]  ⁴⁴ sn The expression must indicate that they could destroy the enemies as easily as they could eat bread.

[14:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “their shade.” The figure compares the shade from the sun with the protection from the enemy. It is also possible that the text is alluding to their deities here.

[14:14]  ⁴⁶ tn The singular participle is to be taken here as a collective, representing all the inhabitants of the land.

[14:14]  ⁴⁷ tn “Face to face” is literally “eye to eye.” It only occurs elsewhere in Isa 52:8. This expresses the closest communication possible.

[16:26]  ⁴⁸ tn The word רָשָׁע (rasha’) has the sense of a guilty criminal. The word “wicked” sometimes gives the wrong connotation. These men were opposing the Lord, and so were condemned as criminals – they were guilty. The idea of “wickedness” therefore applies in that sense.

[16:26]  ⁴⁹ tn The preposition bet (בְּ) in this line is causal – “on account of their sins.”

[16:26]  ⁵⁰ sn The impression is that the people did not hear what the Lord said to Moses, but only what Moses said to the people as a result. They saw the brilliant cloud, and perhaps heard the sound of his voice, but the relaying of the instructions indicates they did not hear the actual instruction from the Lord himself.

[16:47]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “took.”

[16:47]  ⁵² tn Or “had spoken” (NASB); NRSV “had ordered.”

[17:2]  ⁵³ tn Heb “receive from them a rod, a rod from the house of a father.”

[17:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “from every leader of them according to their fathers’ house.”

[17:10]  ⁵⁵ tn The verb means “to finish; to complete” and here “to bring to an end.” It is the imperfect following the imperative, and so introduces a purpose clause (as a final imperfect).

[17:10]  ⁵⁶ tn This is another final imperfect in a purpose clause.

[18:17]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “throw, toss.”

[18:24]  ⁵⁸ tn The classification of the perfect tense here too could be the perfect of resolve, since this law is declaring what will be their portion – “I have decided to give.”

[18:24]  ⁵⁹ tn In the Hebrew text the verb has no expressed subject (although the “Israelites” is certainly intended), and so it can be rendered as a passive.

[19:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “speak to.”

[19:2]  ⁶¹ tn The line literally reads, “speak to the Israelites that [and] they bring [will bring].” The imperfect [or jussive] is subordinated to the imperative either as a purpose clause, or as the object of the instruction – speak to them that they bring, or tell them to bring.

[19:2]  ⁶² tn The color is designated as red, although the actual color would be a tanned red-brown color for the animal (see the usage in Isa 1:18 and Song 5:10). The reddish color suggested the blood of ritual purification; see J. Milgrom, “The Paradox of the Red Cow (Num 19),” VT 31 (1981): 62-72.

[19:2]  ⁶³ sn Some modern commentators prefer “cow” to “heifer,” thinking that the latter came from the influence of the Greek. Young animals were usually prescribed for the ritual, especially here, and so “heifer” is the better translation. A bull could not be given for this purification ritual because that is what was given for the high priests or the community according to Lev 4.

[19:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “wherein there is no defect.”

[19:13]  ⁶⁵ 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.

[20:24]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ 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]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “mouth.”

[21:7]  ⁶⁹ tn The verb is the Hiphil jussive with a vav (ו) consecutive from the verb סוּר (sur); after the imperative this form may be subordinated to become a purpose clause.

[22:5]  ⁷⁰ sn There is much literature on pagan diviners and especially prophecy in places in the east like Mari (see, for example, H. B. Huffmon, “Prophecy in the Mari Letters,” BA 31 [1968]: 101-24). Balaam appears to be a pagan diviner who was of some reputation; he was called to curse the Israelites, but God intervened and gave him blessings only. The passage forms a nice complement to texts that deal with blessings and curses. It shows that no one can curse someone whom God has blessed.

[22:5]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “by the river”; in most contexts this expression refers to the Euphrates River (cf. NAB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[22:5]  ⁷² tn Heb “in the land of Amaw” (cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV); traditionally “in the land of the sons of his people.” The LXX has “by the river of the land.”

[22:5]  ⁷³ tn Heb “eye.” So also in v. 11.

[22:22]  ⁷⁴ sn God’s anger now seems to contradict the permission he gave Balaam just before this. Some commentators argue that God’s anger is a response to Balaam’s character in setting out – which the Bible does not explain. God saw in him greed and pleasure for the riches, which is why he was so willing to go.

[22:22]  ⁷⁵ tn The word is שָׂטָן (satan, “to be an adversary, to oppose”).

[22:30]  ⁷⁶ tn Here the Hiphil perfect is preceded by the Hiphil infinitive absolute for emphasis in the sentence.

[22:30]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “to do thus to you.”

[22:32]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “your way.”

[22:32]  ⁷⁹ tn The verb יָרַט (yarat) occurs only here and in Job 16:11. Balaam is embarking on a foolish mission with base motives. The old rendering “perverse” is still acceptable.

[25:8]  ⁸⁰ tn The word קֻבָּה (qubbah) seems to refer to the innermost part of the family tent. Some suggest it was in the tabernacle area, but that is unlikely. S. C. Reif argues for a private tent shrine (“What Enraged Phinehas? A Study of Numbers 25:8,” JBL 90 [1971]: 200-206).

[25:8]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “and he thrust the two of them the Israelite man and the woman to her belly [lower abdomen].” Reif notes the similarity of the word with the previous “inner tent,” and suggests that it means Phinehas stabbed her in her shrine tent, where she was being set up as some sort of priestess or cult leader. Phinehas put a quick end to their sexual immorality while they were in the act.

[25:8]  ⁸² sn Phinehas saw all this as part of the pagan sexual ritual that was defiling the camp. He had seen that the Lord himself had had the guilty put to death. And there was already some plague breaking out in the camp that had to be stopped. And so in his zeal he dramatically put an end to this incident, that served to stop the rest and end the plague.

[25:11]  ⁸³ tn Heb “he was zealous with my zeal.” The repetition of forms for “zeal” in the line stresses the passion of Phinehas. The word “zeal” means a passionate intensity to protect or preserve divine or social institutions.

[25:11]  ⁸⁴ tn The word for “zeal” now occurs a third time. While some English versions translate this word here as “jealousy” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), it carries the force of God’s passionate determination to defend his rights and what is right about the covenant and the community and parallels the “zeal” that Phinehas had just demonstrated.

[27:3]  ⁸⁵ tn This clause begins with a vav (ו) on a pronoun, marking it out as a disjunctive vav. In this context it fits best to take it as a circumstantial clause introducing concession.

[27:3]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “in the midst of.”

[27:3]  ⁸⁷ tn The word order is emphatic: “but in/on account of his own sins he died.”

[30:2]  ⁸⁸ tn The legal construction states the class to which the law applies, and then lays down the condition: “men [man] – if….”

[30:2]  ⁸⁹ tn The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative construction to express this: “a man if he vows a vow.”

[30:2]  ⁹⁰ tn The expression is “swear an oath” (הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה, hishava’ shÿvu’ah). The vow (נֵדֶר, neder) was a promise to donate something of oneself or one’s substance to the Lord. The solemn oath seals the vow before the Lord, perhaps with sacrifice. The vocabulary recalls Abraham’s treaty with Abimelech and the naming of Beer Sheba with the word (see Gen 21).

[30:2]  ⁹¹ tn The Hebrew text hasלֶאְסֹר אִסָּר (le’sor ’issar), meaning “to take a binding obligation.” This is usually interpreted to mean a negative vow, i.e., the person attempts to abstain from something that is otherwise permissible. It might involve fasting, or abstaining from marital sex, but it might also involve some goal to be achieved, and the abstaining from distractions until the vow is fulfilled (see Ps 132). The נֶדֶר (neder) may have been more for religious matters, and the אִסָּר more for social concerns, but this cannot be documented with certainty.

[30:2]  ⁹² tn Heb “according to all that goes out of his mouth.”

[30:5]  ⁹³ tn The idiom is “in the day of,” but it is used in place of a preposition before the infinitive construct with its suffixed subjective genitive. The clause is temporal.

[30:5]  ⁹⁴ tn The Hebrew “all will not stand” is best rendered “none will stand.”

[30:5]  ⁹⁵ tn The verb has often been translated “forgive” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV, NLT), but that would suggest a sin that needed forgiving. The idea of “release from obligation” is better; the idea is like that of having a debt “forgiven” or “retired.” In other words, she is free from the vow she had made. The Lord will not hold the woman responsible to do what she vowed.

[30:14]  ⁹⁶ tn The sentence uses the infinitive absolute to strengthen the idea.

[31:8]  ⁹⁷ sn Here again we see that there was no unified empire, but Midianite tribal groups.

[31:8]  ⁹⁸ sn And what was Balaam doing among the Midianites? The implication is strong. This pagan diviner had to submit to the revealed will of God in the oracles, but he nonetheless could be hired. He had been a part of the attempt to destroy Israel that failed; he then apparently became part of the plan, if not the adviser, to destroy them with sexual immorality and pagan ritual.

[31:12]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “steppes.”

[31:12]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[31:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn Again this expression, “the Jordan of Jericho,” is used. It describes the intended location along the Jordan River, the Jordan next to or across from Jericho.

[31:12]  map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[31:50]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “our souls.”

[31:50]  ¹⁰³ sn The expression here may include the idea of finding protection from divine wrath, which is so common to Leviticus, but it may also be a thank offering for the fact that their lives had been spared.

[33:38]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “mouth.”

[35:6]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The “manslayer” is the verb “to kill” in a participial form, providing the subject of the clause. The verb means “to kill”; it can mean accidental killing, premeditated killing, or capital punishment. The clause uses the infinitive to express purpose or result: “to flee there the manslayer,” means “so that the manslayer may flee there.”

[36:3]  ¹⁰⁶ tn “Men” is understood; it says “to one from the sons of the tribes of the Israelites for a wife,” or if he has her for a wife.

[36:3]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “which they will be to them,” meaning, to those who have them, i.e., the marriages.