Bilangan 3:1

The Sons of Aaron

3:1 ¹ Now these are the records ²  of Aaron and Moses when ³  the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

Bilangan 6:16

6:16 “‘Then the priest must present all these ⁴  before the Lord and offer ⁵  his purification offering and his burnt offering.

Bilangan 22:15

Balaam Accompanies the Moabite Princes

22:15 Balak again sent princes, ⁶  more numerous and more distinguished than the first. ⁷ 

Bilangan 23:18

Balaam Prophesies Again

23:18 Balaam ⁸  uttered ⁹  his oracle, and said,

“Rise up, ¹⁰  Balak, and hear;

Listen to me, son of Zippor:

Bilangan 24:23

24:23 Then he uttered this oracle:

“O, who will survive when God does this! ¹¹ 

Bilangan 26:1

A Second Census Required

26:1 ¹² After the plague the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, ¹³ 

[3:1]  ¹ sn For significant literature for this chapter, see M. Aberbach and L. Smolar, “Aaron, Jeroboam, and their Golden Calves,” JBL 86 (1967): 129-40; G. Brin, “The First-born in Israel in the Biblical Period” (Ph.D. diss., University of Tel Aviv, 1971); S. H. Hooke, “Theory and Practice of Substitution,” VT 2 (1952): 2-17; and J. Morgenstern, “A Chapter in the History of the High Priesthood,” AJSL 55 (1938): 1-24.

[3:1]  ² tn The construction is וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (vÿ’elleh tolÿdot), which was traditionally translated “now these are the generations,” much as it was translated throughout the book of Genesis. The noun can refer to records, stories, genealogies, names, and accounts of people. Here it is the recorded genealogical list with assigned posts included. Like Genesis, it is a heading of a section, and not a colophon as some have suggested. It is here similar to Exodus: “these are the names of.” R. K. Harrison, Numbers (WEC), 62, insists that it is a colophon and should end chapter 2, but if that is followed in the Pentateuch, it creates difficulty throughout the narratives. See the discussion by A. P. Ross, Creation and Blessing, 69-74.

[3:1]  ³ tn The expression in the Hebrew text (“in the day of”) is idiomatic for “when.”

[6:16]  ⁴ tn “all these” is supplied as the object.

[6:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “make.”

[22:15]  ⁶ tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys. It uses the Hiphil preterite of the verb “to add” followed by the Qal infinitive “to send.” The infinitive becomes the main verb, and the preterite an adverb: “he added to send” means “he sent again.”

[22:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “than these.”

[23:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “he.” The antecedent has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “took up.”

[23:18]  ¹⁰ tn The verb probably means “pay attention” in this verse.

[24:23]  ¹¹ tc Because there is no parallel line, some have thought that it dropped out (see de Vaulx, Les Nombres, 296).

[26:1]  ¹² sn The breakdown of ch. 26 for outlining purposes will be essentially according to the tribes of Israel. The format and structure is similar to the first census, and so less comment is necessary here.

[26:1]  ¹³ tc The MT has also “saying.”