Bilangan 1:3

1:3 You and Aaron are to number ¹  all in Israel who can serve in the army, ²  those who are ³  twenty years old or older, ⁴  by their divisions. ⁵ 

Bilangan 1:22

1:22 From the descendants of Simeon: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males numbered of them ⁶  twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually.

Bilangan 1:24

1:24 ⁷ From the descendants of Gad: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:26

1:26 From the descendants of Judah: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:28

1:28 From the descendants of Issachar: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:30

1:30 From the descendants of Zebulun: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:32

1:32 From the sons of Joseph:

From the descendants of Ephraim: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:34

1:34 From the descendants of Manasseh: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:36

1:36 From the descendants of Benjamin: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:38

1:38 From the descendants of Dan: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:40

1:40 From the descendants of Asher: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:42

1:42 From ⁸  the descendants of Naphtali: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:45

1:45 All the Israelites who were twenty years old or older, who could serve in Israel’s army, were numbered ⁹  according to their families.

Bilangan 2:2

2:2 “Every one ¹⁰  of the Israelites must camp ¹¹  under his standard with the emblems of his family; ¹²  they must camp at some distance ¹³  around the tent of meeting. ¹⁴ 

Bilangan 2:16

2:16 All those numbered of the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, are 151,450. They will travel second.

Bilangan 3:8-9

3:8 And they are responsible for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and for the needs of the Israelites, as they serve ¹⁵  in the tabernacle. 3:9 You are to assign ¹⁶  the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned exclusively ¹⁷  to him out of all ¹⁸  the Israelites.

Bilangan 3:15

3:15 “Number the Levites by their clans ¹⁹  and their families; every male from a month old and upward you are to number.” ²⁰ 

Bilangan 3:17

The Summary of Families

3:17 These were the sons ²¹  of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Bilangan 3:22

3:22 Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and upward, were 7,500.

Bilangan 3:26

3:26 the hangings of the courtyard, ²²  the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounded the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, plus all the service connected with these things. ²³ 

Bilangan 3:28

3:28 Counting every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600. They were responsible for the care ²⁴  of the sanctuary.

Bilangan 3:32

3:32 Now the head of all the Levitical leaders ²⁵  was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible ²⁶  for the sanctuary.

Bilangan 3:35

3:35 Now the leader of the clan of the families of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

Bilangan 4:31

4:31 This is what they are responsible to carry as their entire service in the tent of meeting: the frames ²⁷  of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets,

Bilangan 4:39

4:39 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting –

Bilangan 4:41

4:41 These were those numbered from the families of the Gershonites, everyone who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord.

Bilangan 4:43

4:43 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting –

Bilangan 4:47

4:47 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered to do the work of service and the work of carrying ²⁸  relating to the tent of meeting –

Bilangan 5:6

5:6 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When ²⁹  a man or a woman commits any sin that people commit, ³⁰  thereby breaking faith ³¹  with the Lord, and that person is found guilty, ³² 

Bilangan 5:10

5:10 Every man’s holy things ³³  will be his; whatever any man gives the priest will be his.’”

Bilangan 5:22

5:22 and this water that causes the curse will go ³⁴  into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh rot.” ³⁵  Then the woman must say, “Amen, amen.” ³⁶ 

Bilangan 6:2

6:2 “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them, ‘When either a man or a woman ³⁷  takes a special vow, ³⁸  to take a vow ³⁹  as a Nazirite, ⁴⁰  to separate ⁴¹  himself to the Lord,

Bilangan 6:7

6:7 He must not defile himself even ⁴²  for his father or his mother or his brother or his sister if they die, ⁴³  because the separation ⁴⁴  for ⁴⁵  his God is on his head.

Bilangan 7:5

7:5 “Receive these gifts ⁴⁶  from them, that they may be ⁴⁷  used in doing the work ⁴⁸  of the tent of meeting; and you must give them to the Levites, to every man ⁴⁹  as his service requires.” ⁵⁰ 

Bilangan 7:23

7:23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

Bilangan 7:29

7:29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

Bilangan 7:35

7:35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

Bilangan 7:41

7:41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Sheloumiel son of Zurishaddai.

Bilangan 7:47

7:47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

Bilangan 7:53

7:53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

Bilangan 7:55

7:55 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

Bilangan 7:59

7:59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

Bilangan 7:61

7:61 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering;

Bilangan 7:65

7:65 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

Bilangan 7:71

7:71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Amishaddai.

Bilangan 7:77

7:77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.

Bilangan 7:83

7:83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

Bilangan 7:85-86

7:85 Each silver platter weighed 130 shekels, and each silver sprinkling bowl weighed 70 shekels. All the silver of the vessels weighed 2,400 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 7:86 The twelve gold pans full of incense weighed 10 shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel; all the gold of the pans weighed 120 shekels.

Bilangan 8:24

8:24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: ⁵¹  At the age of twenty-five years ⁵²  and upward one may begin to join the company ⁵³  in the work of the tent of meeting,

Bilangan 9:3

9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, ⁵⁴  you are to observe it at its appointed time; you must keep ⁵⁵  it in accordance with all its statutes and all its customs.” ⁵⁶ 

Bilangan 10:2

10:2 “Make ⁵⁷  two trumpets of silver; you are to make ⁵⁸  them from a single hammered piece. ⁵⁹  You will use them ⁶⁰  for assembling the community and for directing the traveling of the camps.

Bilangan 10:6

10:6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that are located on the south side must begin to travel. ⁶¹  An alarm must be sounded ⁶²  for their journeys.

Bilangan 11:5

11:5 We remember ⁶³  the fish we used to eat ⁶⁴  freely ⁶⁵  in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.

Bilangan 12:2

12:2 They ⁶⁶  said, “Has the Lord only ⁶⁷  spoken through Moses? Has he not also spoken through us?” ⁶⁸  And the Lord heard it. ⁶⁹ 

Bilangan 14:27

14:27 “How long must I bear ⁷⁰  with this evil congregation ⁷¹  that murmurs against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites that they murmured against me.

Bilangan 15:4

15:4 then the one who presents his offering to the Lord must bring ⁷²  a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour mixed with one fourth of a hin of olive oil. ⁷³ 

Bilangan 15:20

15:20 You must offer up a cake of the first of your finely ground flour ⁷⁴  as a raised offering; as you offer the raised offering of the threshing floor, so you must offer it up.

Bilangan 15:38

15:38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make ⁷⁵  tassels ⁷⁶  for themselves on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and put a blue thread ⁷⁷  on the tassel of the corners.

Bilangan 18:29

18:29 From all your gifts you must offer up every raised offering due ⁷⁸  the Lord, from all the best of it, and the holiest part of it.’ ⁷⁹ 

Bilangan 19:3

19:3 You must give it to Eleazar the priest so that he can take it outside the camp, and it must be slaughtered before him. ⁸⁰ 

Bilangan 21:26

21:26 For Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites. Now he had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all of his land from his control, ⁸¹  as far as the Arnon.

Bilangan 21:32

21:32 Moses sent spies to reconnoiter ⁸²  Jaazer, and they captured its villages ⁸³  and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.

Bilangan 22:17

22:17 For I will honor you greatly, ⁸⁴  and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.’”

Bilangan 23:10

23:10 Who ⁸⁵  can count ⁸⁶  the dust ⁸⁷  of Jacob,

Or number ⁸⁸  the fourth part of Israel?

Let me ⁸⁹  die the death of the upright, ⁹⁰ 

and let the end of my life ⁹¹  be like theirs.” ⁹² 

Bilangan 24:4

24:4 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,

who sees a vision from the Almighty,

although falling flat on the ground ⁹³  with eyes open: ⁹⁴ 

Bilangan 24:16

24:16 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,

and who knows the knowledge of the Most High,

who sees a vision from the Almighty,

although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:

Bilangan 25:13

25:13 So it will be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of a permanent priesthood, because he has been zealous for his God, ⁹⁵  and has made atonement ⁹⁶  for the Israelites.’”

Bilangan 26:4

26:4 “Number the people ⁹⁷  from twenty years old and upward, just as the Lord commanded Moses and the Israelites who went out from the land of Egypt.”

Bilangan 26:33

26:33 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Bilangan 26:37

26:37 These were the families of the Ephraimites, according to those numbered of them, 32,500. ⁹⁸  These were the descendants of Joseph by their families.

Bilangan 27:2

27:2 And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said,

Bilangan 27:4

27:4 Why should the name of our father be lost from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession ⁹⁹  among the relatives ¹⁰⁰  of our father.”

Bilangan 29:27

29:27 and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, according to their number as prescribed,

Bilangan 31:5

31:5 So a thousand from every tribe, twelve thousand armed for battle in all, were provided out of the thousands of Israel.

Bilangan 31:49

31:49 and said to him, ¹⁰¹  “Your servants have taken a count ¹⁰²  of the men who were in the battle, who were under our authority, ¹⁰³  and not one is missing.

Bilangan 31:52

31:52 All the gold of the offering they offered up to the Lord from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds weighed 16,750 shekels. ¹⁰⁴ 

Bilangan 33:4

33:4 Now the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them; the Lord also executed judgments on their gods.

Bilangan 34:2

34:2 “Give these instructions ¹⁰⁵  to the Israelites, and tell them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that has been assigned to you as an inheritance, ¹⁰⁶  the land of Canaan with its borders,

Bilangan 34:11

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. ¹⁰⁷ 

Bilangan 34:19

34:19 These are the names of the men: from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

Bilangan 35:14

35:14 “You must give three towns on this side of the Jordan, and you must give three towns in the land of Canaan; they must be towns of refuge.

Bilangan 36:12

36:12 They were married into the families of the Manassehites, the descendants of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s family.

[1:3]  ¹ tn The verb (פָּקַד, paqad) means “to visit, appoint, muster, number.” The word is a common one in scripture. It has as its basic meaning the idea of “determining the destiny” of someone, by appointing, mustering, or visiting. When God “visits,” it is a divine intervention for either blessing or cursing. Here it is the taking of a census for war (see G. André, Determining the Destiny [ConBOT], 16).

[1:3]  ² tn The construction uses the participle “going out” followed by the noun “army.” It describes everyone “going out in a military group,” meaning serving in the army. It was the duty of every able-bodied Israelite to serve in this “peoples” army. There were probably exemptions for the infirm or the crippled, but every male over twenty was chosen. For a discussion of warfare, see P. C. Craigie, The Problem of War in the Old Testament, and P. D. Miller, “The Divine Council and the Prophetic Call to War,” VT 18 (1968): 100-107.

[1:3]  ³ tn The text simply has “from twenty years old and higher.”

[1:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “and up.”

[1:3]  ⁵ tn The noun (צָבָא, tsava’) means “army” or “military group.” But the word can also be used for nonmilitary divisions of labor (Num 4:3).

[1:22]  ⁶ tc Some witnesses have omitted “those that were numbered of them,” to preserve the literary pattern of the text. The omission is supported by the absence of the expression in the Greek as well as in some MT mss. Most modern commentators follow this.

[1:24]  ⁷ tc The LXX has vv. 24-35 after v. 37.

[1:42]  ⁸ tc The verse does not have the preposition, only “the descendants of Naphtali.”

[1:45]  ⁹ tn Literally the text has, “and all the numbered of the Israelites were according to their families.” The verb in the sentence is actually without a complement (see v. 46).

[2:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a man by his own standard.”

[2:2]  ¹¹ tn The imperfect tense is to be taken in the nuance of instruction.

[2:2]  ¹² tn Heb “of/for the house of their fathers.”

[2:2]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew expression מִנֶּגֶד (minneged) means “from before” or “opposite; facing” and “at some distance” or “away from the front of” (see BDB 617 s.v. נֶגֶד 2.c.a; DCH 5:603-4 s.v. 3.b).

[2:2]  ¹⁴ sn The Israelites were camping as a military camp, each tribe with the standards and emblems of the family. The standard was the symbol fastened to the end of a pole and carried to battle. It served to rally the tribe to the battle. The Bible nowhere describes these, although the serpent emblem of Numbers 21:8-9 may give a clue. But they probably did not have shapes of animals in view of the prohibition in the Decalogue. The standards may have been smaller for the families than the ones for the tribes. See further K. A. Kitchen, “Some Egyptian Background to the Old Testament,” TynBul 5 (1960): 11; and T. W. Mann, Divine Presence and Guidance in Israelite Tradition, 169-73.

[3:8]  ¹⁵ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct (epexegetically) followed by its cognate accusative. It would convey “to serve the service of the tabernacle,” but more simply it may be rendered as “serving.” Their spiritual and practical service is to serve.

[3:8]  sn The Levites had the duty of taking care of all the tabernacle and its furnishings, especially in times when it was to be moved. But they were also appointed to be gate-keepers (2 Kgs 22:4; 1 Chr 9:19) in order to safeguard the purity of the place and the activities that went on there. Their offices seem to have then become hereditary in time (1 Sam 1:3); they even took on more priestly functions, such as pronouncing the benediction (Deut 10:8). See further R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 348-49.

[3:9]  ¹⁶ tn The verb וְנָתַתָּה (vÿnatattah) is normally “give.” Here, though, the context refers to the assignment of the Levites to the priests for their duties. The form is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive, continuing the sequence for the imperfect of instruction.

[3:9]  ¹⁷ tn This emphasis is derived from the simple repetition of the passive participle, נְתוּנִם נְתוּנִם (nÿtunim nÿtunim). See GKC 396 §123.e. The forms serve as the predicate with the subject pronoun.

[3:9]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew text simply has the preposition, “from the Israelites.”

[3:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” So also in v. 20.

[3:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “you are to/shall number them.”

[3:17]  ²¹ tn The word “sons of” does at the outset refer to the sons of Levi. But as the listing continues the expression refers more to the family groups of the various descendants.

[3:26]  ²² tc The phrases in this verse seem to be direct objects without verbs. BHS suggests deleting the sign of the accusative (for which see P. P. Saydon, “Meanings and Uses of the Particle אֵת,” VT 14 [1964]: 263-75).

[3:26]  ²³ tn Heb “for all the service of it [them].”

[3:28]  ²⁴ tn The construction here is a little different. The Hebrew text uses the participle in construct plural: שֹׁמְרֵי (shomÿrey, literally “keepers of”). The form specifies the duties of the 8,600 Kohathites. The genitive that follows this participle is the cognate מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret) that has been used before. So the expression indicates that they were responsible for the care of this part of the cult center. There is no reason to delete one of the forms (as does J. A. Paterson, Numbers, 42), for the repetition stresses the central importance of their work.

[3:32]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew construction has “the leader of the leaders of” (וּנְשִׂיא נְשִׂיאֵי, unÿsi’ nÿsi’ey).

[3:32]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the keepers of the responsibility” (שֹׁמְרֵי מִשְׁמֶרֶת, shomÿrey mishmeret). The participle is a genitive specifying the duty to which he was appointed (thing possessed); its cognate genitive emphasizes that their responsibility was over the holy place.

[4:31]  ²⁷ sn More recent studies have concluded that these “boards” were made of two long uprights joined by cross-bars (like a ladder). They were frames rather than boards, meaning that the structure under the tent was not a solid building. It also meant that the “boards” would have been lighter to carry.

[4:47]  ²⁸ tn The text multiplies the vocabulary of service here in the summary. In the Hebrew text the line reads literally: “everyone who came to serve the service of serving, and the service of burden.” The Levites came into service in the shrine, and that involved working in the sanctuary as well as carrying it from one place to the next.

[5:6]  ²⁹ sn This type of law is known as casuistic. The law is introduced with “when/if” and then the procedure to be adopted follows it. The type of law was common in the Law Code of Hammurabi.

[5:6]  ³⁰ tn The verse simply says “any sin of a man,” but the genitive could mean that it is any sin that a man would commit (subjective genitive), or one committed against a man (objective genitive). Because of the similarity with Lev 5:22, the subjective is better. The sin is essentially “missing the mark” which is the standard of the Law of the Lord. The sin is not in this case accidental or inadvertent. It means here simply failing to live up to the standard of the Lord. Since both men and women are mentioned in the preceding clause, the translation uses “people” here.

[5:6]  ³¹ tn The verb is מַעַל (ma’al), which means to “defraud, violate, trespass against,” or “to deal treacherously, do an act of treachery.” In doing any sin that people do, the guilty have been unfaithful to the Lord, and therefore must bring him a sacrifice.

[5:6]  ³² tn The word used here for this violation is אָשָׁם (’asham). It can be translated “guilt, to be guilty”; it can also be used for the reparation offering. The basic assumption here is that the individual is in a state of sin – is guilty. In that state he or she feels remorse for the sin and seeks forgiveness through repentance. See further P. P. Saydon, “Sin Offering and Trespass Offering,” CBQ 8 (1946): 393-98; H. C. Thompson, “The Significance of the Term ’Asham in the Old Testament,” TGUOS 14 (1953): 20-26.

[5:10]  ³³ sn The “holy gifts” are described with the root of קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh) to convey that they were separate. Such things had been taken out of the ordinary and normal activities of life.

[5:22]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ tn Heb “fall away.”

[5:22]  ³⁶ 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.

[6:2]  ³⁷ tn The formula is used here again: “a man or a woman – when he takes.” The vow is open to both men and women.

[6:2]  ³⁸ tn The vow is considered special in view of the use of the verb יַפְלִא (yafli’), the Hiphil imperfect of the verb “to be wonderful, extraordinary.”

[6:2]  ³⁹ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct followed by the cognate accusative: “to vow a vow.” This intensifies the idea that the vow is being taken carefully.

[6:2]  ⁴⁰ tn The name of the vow is taken from the verb that follows; נָזַר (nazar) means “to consecrate oneself,” and so the Nazirite is a consecrated one. These are folks who would make a decision to take an oath for a time or for a lifetime to be committed to the Lord and show signs of separation from the world. Samuel was to be a Nazirite, as the fragment of the text from Qumran confirms – “he will be a נָזִיר (nazir) forever” (1 Sam 1:22).

[6:2]  ⁴¹ tn The form of the verb is an Hiphil infinitive construct, forming the wordplay and explanation for the name Nazirite. The Hiphil is here an internal causative, having the meaning of “consecrate oneself” or just “consecrate to the Lord.”

[6:7]  ⁴² tn The vav (ו) conjunction at the beginning of the clause specifies the cases of corpses that are to be avoided, no matter how painful it might be.

[6:7]  ⁴³ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffixed subjective genitive – “in the dying of them” – to form the adverbial clause of time.

[6:7]  sn The Nazirite would defile himself, i.e., ruin his vow, by contacting their corpses. Jesus’ hard saying in Matt 8:22, “let the dead bury their own dead,” makes sense in the light of this passage – Jesus was calling for commitment to himself.

[6:7]  ⁴⁴ tn The word “separation” here is metonymy of adjunct – what is on his head is long hair that goes with the vow.

[6:7]  ⁴⁵ tn The genitive could perhaps be interpreted as possession, i.e., “the vow of his God,” but it seems more likely that an objective genitive would be more to the point.

[7:5]  ⁴⁶ tn The object is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied.

[7:5]  ⁴⁷ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; following the imperative, this could be given an independent volitive translation (“they shall be”), but more fittingly a subordinated translation expressing the purpose of receiving the gifts.

[7:5]  ⁴⁸ tn The sentence uses the infinitive construct expressing purpose, followed by its cognate accusative: “[that they may be] for doing the work of” (literally, “serving the service of”).

[7:5]  ⁴⁹ tn The noun אִישׁ (’ish) is in apposition to the word “Levites,” and is to be taken in a distributive sense: “to the Levites, [to each] man according to his service.”

[7:5]  ⁵⁰ tn The expression כְּפִי (kÿfi) is “according to the mouth of.” Here, it would say “according to the mouth of his service,” which would mean “what his service calls for.”

[8:24]  ⁵¹ tn The Hebrew text has “this [is that] which [pertains] to the Levites.” “This is what concerns the Levites, meaning, the following rulings are for them.

[8:24]  ⁵² tc The age of twenty-five indicated in v. 24 should be compared with the age of thirty indicated in Num 4:3,23,30. In order to harmonize the numbers given in chapter 4 with the number given in Num 8:24 the LXX (and perhaps its Hebrew Vorlage) has thirty in all of these references. See further G. J. Wenham, Numbers (TOTC 4), 97-98.

[8:24]  ⁵³ tn The infinitive is לִצְבֹא (litsvo’), related to the word for “host, army, company,” and so “to serve as a company.” The meaning is strengthened by the cognate accusative following it.

[9:3]  ⁵⁴ tn The literal Hebrew expression is “between the evenings” (so also in vv. 5, 11). Sunset is certainly one evening; the other may refer to the change in the middle of the afternoon to the late afternoon, or the beginning of dusk. The idea is probably just at twilight, or dusk (see R. B. Allen, TWOT 2:694).

[9:3]  ⁵⁵ tn The two verbs in this verse are identical; they are imperfects of instruction. The English translation has been modified for stylistic variation.

[9:3]  ⁵⁶ tn The two words in this last section are standard “Torah” words. The word חֹק (khoq) is a binding statute, something engraved and monumental. The word מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) means “judgment, decision,” but with a more general idea of “custom” at its core. The verse is making it very clear that the Passover had to follow the custom and form that was legislated in Egypt.

[10:2]  ⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew text uses what is called the “ethical dative” – “make [for] you two trumpets.” It need not be translated, but can simply be taken to underscore the direct imperative.

[10:2]  ⁵⁸ tn The imperfect tense is again instruction or legislation.

[10:2]  ⁵⁹ sn The instructions are not clearly spelled out here. But the trumpets were to be made of silver ingots beaten out into a sheet of silver and then bent to form a trumpet. There is archaeological evidence of silver smelting as early as 3000 b.c. Making silver trumpets would have been a fairly easy thing for the Israelites to do. The trumpet would have been straight, with a tapered form, very unlike the “ram’s horn” (שׁוֹפָר, shofar). The trumpets were used by the priests in Israel from the outset, but later were used more widely. The sound would be sharp and piercing, but limited in scope to a few notes. See further C. Sachs, The History of Musical Instruments.

[10:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and they shall be for you for assembling,” which is the way of expressing possession. Here the intent concerns how Moses was to use them.

[10:6]  ⁶¹ tc The MT does not mention the departures of the northerly and westerly tribes. The Greek text completes the description by adding them, making a full schedule of the departure of the groups of tribes. The Greek is not likely to be original, however, since it carries all the signs of addition to complete the text, making a smooth, full reading. The MT is to be preferred; it apparently used two of the groups to give the idea.

[10:6]  ⁶² tn The Hebrew text has “they shall blow an alarm”; the sentence without a formal subject should be taken as a passive idea.

[11:5]  ⁶³ tn The perfect tense here expresses the experience of a state of mind.

[11:5]  sn As with all who complain in such situations, their memory was selective. It was their bitter cries to the Lord from the suffering in bondage that God heard and answered. And now, shortly after being set free, their memory of Egypt is for things they do not now have. It is also somewhat unlikely that they as slaves had such abundant foods in Egypt.

[11:5]  ⁶⁴ tn The imperfect tense would here be the customary imperfect, showing continual or incomplete action in past time.

[11:5]  ⁶⁵ tn The adverb “freely” is from the word חָנַן (khanan, “to be gracious”), from which is derived the noun “grace.” The word underscores the idea of “free, without cost, for no reason, gratis.” Here the simple sense is “freely,” without any cost. But there may be more significance in the choice of the words in this passage, showing the ingratitude of the Israelites to God for His deliverance from bondage. To them now the bondage is preferable to the salvation – this is what angered the Lord.

[12:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Now the text changes to use a plural form of the verb. The indication is that Miriam criticized the marriage, and then the two of them raised questions about his sole leadership of the nation.

[12:2]  ⁶⁷ tn The use of both רַק and אַךְ (raq and ’akh) underscore the point that the issue is Moses’ uniqueness.

[12:2]  ⁶⁸ tn There is irony in the construction in the text. The expression “speak through us” also uses דִּבֵּר + בְּ(dibber + bÿ). They ask if God has not also spoken through them, after they have spoken against Moses. Shortly God will speak against them – their words are prophetic, but not as they imagined.

[12:2]  sn The questions are rhetorical. They are affirming that God does not only speak through Moses, but also speaks through them. They see themselves as equal with Moses. The question that was asked of the earlier presumptuous Moses – “Who made you a ruler over us?” – could also be asked of them. God had not placed them as equals with Moses. The passage is relevant for today when so many clamor for equal authority and leadership with those whom God has legitimately called.

[12:2]  ⁶⁹ sn The statement is striking. Obviously the Lord knows all things. But the statement of the obvious here is meant to indicate that the Lord was about to do something about this.

[14:27]  ⁷⁰ tn The figure is aposiopesis, or sudden silence. The main verb is deleted from the line, “how long…this evil community.” The intensity of the emotion is the reason for the ellipsis.

[14:27]  ⁷¹ sn It is worth mentioning in passing that this is one of the Rabbinic proof texts for having at least ten men to form a congregation and have prayer. If God called ten men (the bad spies) a “congregation,” then a congregation must have ten men. But here the word “community/congregation” refers in this context to the people of Israel as a whole, not just to the ten spies.

[15:4]  ⁷² tn The three words at the beginning of this verse are all etymologically related: “the one who offers his offering shall offer.”

[15:4]  ⁷³ 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.

[15:20]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “the first of your dough.” The phrase is not very clear. N. H. Snaith thinks it means a batch of loaves from the kneading trough – the first batch of the baking (Leviticus and Numbers [NCB], 251).

[15:38]  ⁷⁵ tn The construction uses the imperative followed by perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutives. The first perfect tense may be translated as the imperative, but the second, being a third common plural form, has to be subordinated as a purpose clause, or as the object of the preceding verb: “speak…and say…that they make.”

[15:38]  ⁷⁶ sn This is a reference to the צִיצִת (tsitsit), the fringes on the borders of the robes. They were meant to hang from the corners of the upper garment (Deut 22:12), which was worn on top of the clothing. The tassel was probably made by twisting the overhanging threads of the garment into a knot that would hang down. This was a reminder of the covenant. The tassels were retained down through history, and today more elaborate prayer shawls with tassels are worn during prayer. For more information, see F. J. Stephens, “The Ancient Significance of Sisith,” JBL 50 (1931): 59-70; and S. Bertman, “Tasselled Garments in the Ancient East Mediterranean,” BA 24 (1961): 119-28.

[15:38]  ⁷⁷ sn The blue color may represent the heavenly origin of the Law, or perhaps, since it is a royal color, the majesty of the Lord.

[18:29]  ⁷⁸ tn The construction is “every raised offering of the Lord”; the genitive here is probably to be taken as a genitive of worth – the offering that is due the Lord.

[18:29]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “its hallowed thing.”

[19:3]  ⁸⁰ tc The clause is a little ambiguous. It reads “and he shall slaughter it before him.” It sounds as if someone else will kill the heifer in the priest’s presence. Since no one is named as the subject, it may be translated as a passive. Some commentators simply interpret that Eleazar was to kill the animal personally, but that is a little forced for “before him.” The Greek text gives a third person plural sense to the verb; the Vulgate follows that reading.

[21:26]  ⁸¹ sn There is a justice, always, in the divine plan for the conquest of the land. Modern students of the Bible often think that the conquest passages are crude and unjust. But an understanding of the ancient Near East is critical here. This Sihon was not a part of the original population of the land. He himself invaded the territory and destroyed the population of Moab that was indigenous there and established his own kingdom. The ancient history is filled with such events; it is the way of life they chose – conquer or be conquered. For Israel to defeat them was in part a turning of their own devices back on their heads – “those that live by the sword will die by the sword.” Sihon knew this, and he did not wait, but took the war to Israel. Israel wanted to pass through, not fight. But now they would either fight or be pushed into the gorge. So God used Israel to defeat Sihon, who had no claim to the land, as part of divine judgment.

[21:32]  ⁸² tn Heb “Moses sent to spy out.”

[21:32]  ⁸³ tn Heb “daughters.”

[22:17]  ⁸⁴ tn The construction uses the Piel infinitive כַּבֵּד (kabbed) to intensify the verb, which is the Piel imperfect/cohortative אֲכַבֶּדְךָ (’akhabbedkha). The great honor could have been wealth, prestige, or position.

[23:10]  ⁸⁵ tn The question is again rhetorical; it means no one can count them – they are innumerable.

[23:10]  ⁸⁶ tn The perfect tense can also be classified as a potential nuance. It does not occur very often, but does occur several times.

[23:10]  ⁸⁷ sn The reference in the oracle is back to Gen 13:16, which would not be clear to Balaam. But God had described their growth like the dust of the earth. Here it is part of the description of the vast numbers.

[23:10]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “and as a number, the fourth part of Israel.” The noun in the MT is not in the construct state, and so it should be taken as an adverbial accusative, forming a parallel with the verb “count.” The second object of the verse then follows, “the fourth part of Israel.” Smr and the LXX have “and who has numbered” (וּמִסְפָּר, umispar), making this colon more parallel to the preceding one. The editor of BHS prefers this reading.

[23:10]  ⁸⁹ tn The use of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) for the subject of the verb stresses the personal nature – me.

[23:10]  ⁹⁰ sn Here the seer’s words link with the promise of Gen 12:3, that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed. Since the blessing belongs to them, the upright (and not Balak), Balaam would like his lot to be with them.

[23:10]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “my latter end.”

[23:10]  ⁹² tn Heb “his.”

[24:4]  ⁹³ tn The phrase “flat on the ground” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The Greek version interprets the line to mean “falling asleep.” It may mean falling into a trance.

[24:4]  ⁹⁴ tn The last colon simply has “falling, but opened eyes.” The falling may simply refer to lying prone; and the opened eyes may refer to his receiving a vision. See H. E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets, 37-41.

[25:13]  ⁹⁵ tn The motif is reiterated here. Phinehas was passionately determined to maintain the rights of his God by stopping the gross sinful perversions.

[25:13]  ⁹⁶ sn The atonement that he made in this passage refers to the killing of the two obviously blatant sinners. By doing this he dispensed with any animal sacrifice, for the sinners themselves died. In Leviticus it was the life of the substitutionary animal that was taken in place of the sinners that made atonement. The point is that sin was punished by death, and so God was free to end the plague and pardon the people. God’s holiness and righteousness have always been every bit as important as God’s mercy and compassion, for without righteousness and holiness mercy and compassion mean nothing.

[26:4]  ⁹⁷ tn “Number the people” is added here to the text for a smooth reading.

[26:37]  ⁹⁸ sn This is a significant reduction from the first count of 40,500.

[27:4]  ⁹⁹ tn That is, the possession of land, or property, among the other families of their tribe.

[27:4]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The word is “brothers,” but this can be interpreted more loosely to relatives. So also in v. 7.

[31:49]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “to Moses”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:49]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “lifted up the head.”

[31:49]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “in our hand.”

[31:52]  ¹⁰⁴ sn Or about 420 imperial pounds.

[34:2]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “command.”

[34:2]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance.”

[34:11]  ¹⁰⁷ 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.