Numbers 12:14

12:14 The Lord said to Moses, “If her father had only spit ¹  in her face, would she not have been disgraced for seven days? Shut her out from the camp seven days, and afterward she can be brought back in again.”

Numbers 16:14

16:14 Moreover, ²  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 ³  these men? We will not come up.”

Numbers 23:10

23:10 Who ⁴  can count ⁵  the dust ⁶  of Jacob,

Or number ⁷  the fourth part of Israel?

Let me ⁸  die the death of the upright, ⁹ 

and let the end of my life ¹⁰  be like theirs.” ¹¹ 

Numbers 23:13

23:13 Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there.”

Numbers 24:9

24:9 They crouch and lie down like a lion,

and as a lioness, ¹²  who can stir him?

Blessed is the one who blesses you,

and cursed is the one who curses you!’”

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¹ tn The form is intensified by the infinitive absolute, but here the infinitive strengthens not simply the verbal idea but the conditional cause construction as well.

² tn Here אַף (’af) has the sense of “in addition.” It is not a common use.

³ 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.

⁴ tn The question is again rhetorical; it means no one can count them – they are innumerable.

⁵ tn The perfect tense can also be classified as a potential nuance. It does not occur very often, but does occur several times.

⁶ 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.

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn The use of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) for the subject of the verb stresses the personal nature – me.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ tn Heb “my latter end.”

¹¹ tn Heb “his.”

¹² tn On the usage of this word see HALOT 517 s.v. לָבִיא.