Numbers 14:15

14:15 If you kill ¹  this entire people at once, ²  then the nations that have heard of your fame will say,

Numbers 23:22

23:22 God brought them ³  out of Egypt.

They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull. ⁴ 

Numbers 28:25

28:25 On the seventh day you are to have a holy assembly, you must do no regular work.

Numbers 29:35

29:35 “‘On the eighth day you are to have a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work on it.

Numbers 31:18

31:18 But all the young women ⁵  who have not had sexual intercourse with a man ⁶  will be yours. ⁷ 

Numbers 32:4

32:4 the land that the Lord subdued ⁸  before the community of Israel, is ideal for cattle, and your servants have cattle.”

Numbers 32:24

32:24 So build cities for your descendants and pens for your sheep, but do what you have said ⁹  you would do.”

Numbers 33:51

33:51 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

Numbers 34:6

The Western Border of the Land

34:6 “‘And for a western border ¹⁰  you will have the Great Sea. ¹¹  This will be your western border.

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¹ tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect of מוּת (mut), וְהֵמַתָּה (vÿhemattah). The vav (ו) consecutive makes this also a future time sequence verb, but again in a conditional clause.

² tn Heb “as one man.”

³ tn The form is the Hiphil participle from יָצַא (yatsa’) with the object suffix. He is the one who brought them out.

⁴ sn The expression is “the horns of the wild ox” (KJV “unicorn”). The point of the image is strength or power. Horns are also used in the Bible to represent kingship (see Pss 89 and 132).

⁵ tn Or “girls.” The Hebrew indicates they would be female children, making the selection easy.

⁶ tn Heb “who have not known [a] man by lying with a man.”

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect of נָכָה (nakhah), a term that can mean “smite, strike, attack, destroy.”

⁹ tn Heb “that which goes out/has gone out of your mouth.”

¹⁰ tn The word for west is simply “sea,” because the sea is west of Israel.

¹¹ sn That is, the Mediterranean Sea (also in the following verse).