Bilangan 1:50

1:50 But appoint ¹  the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, ²  over all its furnishings and over everything in it. They must carry ³  the tabernacle and all its furnishings; and they ⁴  must attend to it and camp around it. ⁵ 

Bilangan 3:12

3:12 “Look, ⁶  I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of ⁷  every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong to me,

Bilangan 3:25

3:25 And ⁸  the responsibilities of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the curtain at the entrance of the tent of meeting,

Bilangan 6:14

6:14 and he must present his offering ⁹  to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish for a purification offering, one ram without blemish for a peace offering, ¹⁰ 

Bilangan 7:12

The Tribal Offerings

7:12 The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah. ¹¹ 

Bilangan 11:20

11:20 but a whole month, ¹²  until it comes out your nostrils and makes you sick, ¹³  because you have despised ¹⁴  the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why ¹⁵  did we ever come out of Egypt?”’”

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. ¹⁶  Their protection ¹⁷  has turned aside from them, but the Lord is with us. Do not fear them!”

Bilangan 14:22

14:22 For all the people have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tempted ¹⁸  me now these ten times, ¹⁹  and have not obeyed me, ²⁰ 

Bilangan 14:36

14:36 The men whom Moses sent to investigate the land, who returned and made the whole community murmur against him by producing ²¹  an evil report about the land,

Bilangan 16:14

16:14 Moreover, ²²  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 ²³  these men? We will not come up.”

Bilangan 18:8

The Portion of the Priests

18:8 The Lord spoke to Aaron, “See, I have given you the responsibility for my raised offerings; I have given all the holy things of the Israelites to you as your priestly portion ²⁴  and to your sons as a perpetual ordinance.

Bilangan 18:19

18:19 All the raised offerings of the holy things that the Israelites offer to the Lord, I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual ordinance. It is a covenant of salt ²⁵  forever before the Lord for you and for your descendants with you.”

Bilangan 20:17

20:17 Please let us pass through ²⁶  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; ²⁷  we will not turn to the right or the left until we have passed through your region.’” ²⁸ 

Bilangan 22:6

22:6 So ²⁹  now, please come and curse this nation ³⁰  for me, for they are too powerful for me. Perhaps I will prevail so that we may conquer them ³¹  and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, ³²  and whoever you curse is cursed.”

Bilangan 22:18

22:18 Balaam replied ³³  to the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment ³⁴  of the Lord my God ³⁵  to do less or more.

Bilangan 26:5

Reuben

26:5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The Reubenites: from ³⁶  Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; from Pallu, the family of the Palluites;

Bilangan 27:3

27:3 “Our father died in the wilderness, although ³⁷  he was not part of ³⁸  the company of those that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah; but he died for his own sin, ³⁹  and he had no sons.

Bilangan 27:14

27:14 For ⁴⁰  in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you ⁴¹  rebelled against my command ⁴²  to show me as holy ⁴³  before their eyes over the water – the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”

Bilangan 28:9

Weekly Offerings

28:9 “‘On the Sabbath day, you must offer ⁴⁴  two unblemished lambs a year old, and two-tenths of an ephah ⁴⁵  of finely ground flour as a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, along with its drink offering.

Bilangan 29:8

29:8 But you must offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish. ⁴⁶ 

Bilangan 29:36

29:36 But you must offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, one bull, one ram, seven lambs one year old, all of them without blemish,

Bilangan 31:36

31:36 The half-portion of those who went to war numbered 337,500 sheep;

Bilangan 31:47

31:47 From the Israelites’ share Moses took one of every fifty people and animals and gave them to the Levites who were responsible for the care of the Lord’s tabernacle, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Bilangan 32:17

32:17 but we will maintain ourselves in armed readiness ⁴⁷  and go before the Israelites until whenever we have brought them to their place. Our descendants will be living in fortified towns as a protection against ⁴⁸  the inhabitants of the land.

[1:50]  ¹ tn The same verb translated “number” (פָּקַד, paqad) is now used to mean “appoint” (הַפְקֵד, hafqed), which focuses more on the purpose of the verbal action of numbering people. Here the idea is that the Levites were appointed to take care of the tabernacle. On the use of this verb with the Levites’ appointment, see M. Gertner, “The Masorah and the Levites,” VT 10 (1960): 252.

[1:50]  ² tn The Hebrew name used here is מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת (mishkan ha’edut). The tabernacle or dwelling place of the Lord was given this name because it was here that the tablets of the Law were kept. The whole shrine was therefore a reminder (הָעֵדוּת, a “warning sign” or “testimony”) of the stipulations of the covenant. For the ancient Near Eastern customs of storing the code in the sanctuaries, see M. G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King, 14-19, and idem, The Structure of Biblical Authority, 35-36. Other items were in the ark in the beginning, but by the days of Solomon only the tablets were there (1 Kgs 8:9).

[1:50]  ³ tn The imperfect tense here is an obligatory imperfect telling that they are bound to do this since they are appointed for this specific task.

[1:50]  ⁴ tn The addition of the pronoun before the verb is emphatic – they are the ones who are to attend to the tabernacle. The verb used is שָׁרַת (sharat) in the Piel, indicating that they are to serve, minister to, attend to all the details about this shrine.

[1:50]  ⁵ tn Heb “the tabernacle.” The pronoun (“it”) was used in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

[3:12]  ⁶ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) here carries its deictic force, calling attention to the fact that is being declared. It is underscoring the fact that the Lord himself chose Levi.

[3:12]  ⁷ tn Literally “in the place of.”

[3:25]  ⁸ tn The disjunctive vav (ו) here introduces a new section, listing the various duties of the clan in the sanctuary. The Gershonites had a long tradition of service here. In the days of David Asaph and his family were prominent as musicians. Others in the clan controlled the Temple treasuries. But in the wilderness they had specific oversight concerning the tent structure, which included the holy place and the holy of holies.

[6:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “he shall offer his offering” – the object is a cognate accusative.

[6:14]  ¹⁰ sn The peace offering שְׁלָמִים (shÿlamim) is instructed in Lev 3 and 7. The form is always in the plural. It was a sacrifice that celebrated the fact that the worshiper was at peace with God, and was not offered in order to make peace with God. The peace offering was essentially a communal meal in the presence of God. Some have tried to equate this offering with similar sounding names in Akkadian and Ugaritic (see B. A. Levine, In the Presence of the Lord [SJLA], 3-52), but the unique features of the Israelite sacrifice make this connection untenable.

[7:12]  ¹¹ sn The tribe of Judah is listed first. It seems that it had already achieved a place of prominence based on the patriarchal promise of the Messiahship in Judah (Gen 49:10).

[11:20]  ¹² tn Heb “a month of days.” So also in v. 21.

[11:20]  ¹³ tn The expression לְזָרָה (lÿzarah) has been translated “ill” or “loathsome.” It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. The Greek text interprets it as “sickness.” It could be nausea or vomiting (so G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 112) from overeating.

[11:20]  ¹⁴ sn The explanation is the interpretation of their behavior – it is in reality what they have done, even though they would not say they despised the Lord. They had complained and shown a lack of faith and a contempt for the program, which was in essence despising the Lord.

[11:20]  ¹⁵ tn The use of the demonstrative pronoun here (“why is this we went out …”) is enclitic, providing emphasis to the sentence: “Why in the world did we ever leave Egypt?”

[14:9]  ¹⁶ sn The expression must indicate that they could destroy the enemies as easily as they could eat bread.

[14:9]  ¹⁷ 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.

[14:22]  ¹⁸ tn The verb נָסָה (nasah) means “to test, to tempt, to prove.” It can be used to indicate things are tried or proven, or for testing in a good sense, or tempting in the bad sense, i.e., putting God to the test. In all uses there is uncertainty or doubt about the outcome. Some uses of the verb are positive: If God tests Abraham in Genesis 22:1, it is because there is uncertainty whether he fears the Lord or not; if people like Gideon put out the fleece and test the Lord, it is done by faith but in order to be certain of the Lord’s presence. But here, when these people put God to the test ten times, it was because they doubted the goodness and ability of God, and this was a major weakness. They had proof to the contrary, but chose to challenge God.

[14:22]  ¹⁹ tn “Ten” is here a round figure, emphasizing the complete testing. But see F. V. Winnett, The Mosaic Tradition, 121-54.

[14:22]  ²⁰ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

[14:36]  ²¹ tn The verb is the Hiphil infinitive construct with a lamed (ל) preposition from the root יָצָא (yatsa’, “to bring out”). The use of the infinitive here is epexegetical, that is, explaining how they caused the people to murmur.

[16:14]  ²² tn Here אַף (’af) has the sense of “in addition.” It is not a common use.

[16:14]  ²³ 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.

[18:8]  ²⁴ tn This is an uncommon root. It may be connected to the word “anoint” as here (see RSV). But it may also be seen as an intended parallel to “perpetual due” (see Gen 47:22; Exod 29:28; Lev 6:11 [HT]).

[18:19]  ²⁵ sn Salt was used in all the offerings; its importance as a preservative made it a natural symbol for the covenant which was established by sacrifice. Even general agreements were attested by sacrifice, and the phrase “covenant of salt” speaks of such agreements as binding and irrevocable. Note the expression in Ezra 4:14, “we have been salted with the salt of the palace.” See further J. F. Ross, IDB 4:167.

[20:17]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Heb “borders.”

[22:6]  ²⁹ tn The two lines before this verse begin with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), and so they lay the foundation for these imperatives. In view of those circumstances, this is what should happen.

[22:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “people.” So also in vv. 10, 17, 41.

[22:6]  ³¹ tn The construction uses the imperfect tense אוּכַל (’ukhal, “I will be able”) followed by the imperfect tense נַכֶּה (nakkeh, “we will smite/attack/defeat”). The second verb is clearly the purpose or the result of the first, even though there is no conjunction or particle.

[22:6]  ³² tn The verb is the Piel imperfect of בָּרַךְ (barakh), with the nuance of possibility: “whomever you may bless.” The Pual participle מְבֹרָךְ (mÿvorakh) serves as the predicate.

[22:18]  ³³ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[22:18]  ³⁴ tn Heb “mouth.”

[22:18]  ³⁵ sn In the light of subsequent events one should not take too seriously that Balaam referred to Yahweh as his God. He is referring properly to the deity for which he is acting as the agent.

[26:5]  ³⁶ tc The Hebrew text has no preposition here, but one has been supplied in the translation for clarity. Cf. vv. 23, 30, 31, 32.

[27:3]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn Heb “in the midst of.”

[27:3]  ³⁹ tn The word order is emphatic: “but in/on account of his own sins he died.”

[27:14]  ⁴⁰ tn The preposition on the relative pronoun has the force of “because of the fact that.”

[27:14]  ⁴¹ tn The verb is the second masculine plural form.

[27:14]  ⁴² tn Heb “mouth.”

[27:14]  ⁴³ 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.

[28:9]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ sn That is, about 4 quarts.

[29:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “they shall be to you without blemish.”

[32:17]  ⁴⁷ tn The MT has חֻשִׁים (khushim); the verbal root is חוּשׁ (khush, “to make haste” or “hurry”). But in light of the Greek and Latin Vulgate the Hebrew should probably be emended to חֲמֻשִׁים (hamushim), a qal passive participle meaning “in battle array.” See further BDB 301 s.v. I חוּשׁ, BDB 332 s.v. חֲמֻשִׁים; HALOT 300 s.v. I חושׁ, חישׁ; HALOT 331 s.v. I חמשׁ.

[32:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “from before.”