Bilangan 3:6

3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, ¹  and present ²  them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. ³ 

Bilangan 7:7

7:7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their service required;

Bilangan 7:84

Summary

7:84 This was the dedication for the altar from the leaders of Israel, when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver sprinkling bowls, and twelve gold pans.

Bilangan 11:27

11:27 And a ⁴  young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

Bilangan 11:35

11:35 The people traveled from Kibroth Hattaavah to Hazeroth, and they stayed at Hazeroth.

Bilangan 15:7

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

Bilangan 16:8

16:8 Moses said to Korah, “Listen now, you sons of Levi!

Bilangan 18:18

18:18 And their meat will be yours, just as the breast and the right hip of the raised offering is yours.

Bilangan 22:10

22:10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message to me, saying,

Bilangan 23:12

23:12 Balaam replied, ⁵  “Must I not be careful ⁶  to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?” ⁷ 

Bilangan 27:10

27:10 and if he has no brothers, then you are to give his inheritance to his father’s brothers;

Bilangan 31:18

31:18 But all the young women ⁸  who have not had sexual intercourse with a man ⁹  will be yours. ¹⁰ 

Bilangan 31:29

31:29 You are to take it from their half-share and give it to Eleazar the priest for a raised offering to the Lord.

Bilangan 32:18

32:18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has his inheritance.

Bilangan 33:53

33:53 You must dispossess the inhabitants of the land and live in it, for I have given you the land to possess it.

[3:6]  ¹ sn The use of the verb קָרַב (qarav) forms an interesting wordplay in the passage. The act of making an offering is described by this verb, as was the reference to the priests’ offering of strange fire. Now the ceremonial presentation of the priests is expressed by the same word – they are being offered to God.

[3:6]  ² tn The verb literally means “make it [the tribe] stand” (וְהַעֲמַדְתָּ אֹתוֹ, vÿha’amadta ’oto). The verb is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it will take the same imperative nuance as the form before it, but follow in sequence (“and then”). This refers to the ceremonial presentation in which the tribe would take its place before Aaron, that is, stand before him and await their assignments. The Levites will function more like a sacred guard than anything else, for they had to protect and care for the sanctuary when it was erected and when it was transported (see J. Milgrom, Studies in Levitical Terminology, 8-10).

[3:6]  ³ tn The verb וְשֵׁרְתוּ (vÿsherÿtu) is the Piel perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it carries the same volitional force as the preceding verb forms, but may here be subordinated in the sequence to express the purpose or result of the preceding action.

[11:27]  ⁴ tn The article indicates that the “young man” was definite in the mind of the writer, but indefinite in English.

[23:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “he answered and said.” The referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:12]  ⁶ tn The verb שָׁמַר (shamar) means “to guard, watch, observe” and so here with a sense of “be careful” or even “take heed” (so KJV, ASV). The nuance of the imperfect tense would be obligatory: “I must be careful” – to do what? to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth. The infinitive construct “to speak” is therefore serving as the direct object of שָׁמַר.

[23:12]  ⁷ tn The clause is a noun clause serving as the direct object of “to speak.” It begins with the sign of the accusative, and then the relative pronoun that indicates the whole clause is the accusative.

[31:18]  ⁸ tn Or “girls.” The Hebrew indicates they would be female children, making the selection easy.

[31:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “who have not known [a] man by lying with a man.”

[31:18]  ¹⁰ sn Many contemporary scholars see this story as fictitious, composed by the Jews during the captivity. According to this interpretation, the spoils of war here indicate the wealth of the Jews in captivity, which was to be given to the Levites and priests for the restoration of the sanctuary in Jerusalem. The conclusion drawn from this interpretation is that returning Jews had the same problem as the earlier ones: to gain a foothold in the land. Against this interpretation of the account is a lack of hard evidence, a lack which makes this interpretation appear contrived and subjective. If this was the intent of a later writer, he surely could have stated this more clearly than by making up such a story.