Numbers 19:3-4

19:3 You must give it to Eleazar the priest so that he can take it outside the camp, and it must be slaughtered before him. ¹  19:4 Eleazar the priest is to take ²  some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times ³  directly in front of the tent of meeting.

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¹ tc The clause is a little ambiguous. It reads “and he shall slaughter it before him.” It sounds as if someone else will kill the heifer in the priest’s presence. Since no one is named as the subject, it may be translated as a passive. Some commentators simply interpret that Eleazar was to kill the animal personally, but that is a little forced for “before him.” The Greek text gives a third person plural sense to the verb; the Vulgate follows that reading.

² tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it functions here as the equivalent of the imperfect of instruction.

³ sn Seven is a number with religious significance; it is often required in sacrificial ritual for atonement or for purification.