9:6 It happened that some men 23 who were ceremonially defiled 24 by the dead body of a man 25 could not keep 26 the Passover on that day, so they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. 9:7 And those men said to him, “We are ceremonially defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back from offering the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?”
19:14 “‘This is the law: When a man dies 35 in a tent, anyone who comes into the tent and all who are in the tent will be ceremonially unclean seven days.
23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a human being, 36 that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen? 37
30:16 These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses, relating to 44 a man and his wife, and a father and his young daughter who is still living in her father’s house.
1 tn The form הַכֹּתִי (hakkoti) is the Hiphil infinitive construct of the verb נָכָה (nakhah, “to strike, smite, attack”). Here, after the idiomatic “in the day of,” the form functions in an adverbial clause of time – “when I destroyed.”
2 sn In the Exodus event of the Passover night the principle of substitution was presented. The firstborn child was redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and so belonged to God, but then God chose the Levites to serve in the place of the firstborn. The ritual of consecrating the firstborn son to the
3 tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text: Do this…and they will live. Consequently, the verb “and they will live” is a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive to express the future consequence of “doing this” for them.
4 tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive continues the instruction for Aaron.
5 tn The distributive sense is obtained by the repetition, “a man” and “a man.”
6 tn Heb “you shall assign by names the vessels of the responsibility of their burden.”
7 tn Heb “and a man lies with her with the emission of semen.” This makes it clear that there was adultery involved, so that the going astray is going astray morally. The indication in the text is that if she had never behaved suspiciously the sin might not have been detected.
8 tc The sign of the accusative אֹתָהּ (’otah) is probably to be repointed to the preposition with the suffix, אִתָּהּ (’ittah).
9 tn Heb “and it is concealed from the eyes of her husband.”
10 tn The noun clause beginning with the simple conjunction is here a circumstantial clause, explaining that there was no witness to the sin.
11 tn The pronoun is emphatic – “but you, if you have gone astray.”
12 tn This is an example of the rhetorical device known as aposiopesis, or “sudden silence.” The sentence is broken off due to the intensity or emphasis of the moment. The reader is left to conclude what the sentence would have said.
13 tn The formula is used here again: “a man or a woman – when he takes.” The vow is open to both men and women.
14 tn The vow is considered special in view of the use of the verb יַפְלִא (yafli’), the Hiphil imperfect of the verb “to be wonderful, extraordinary.”
15 tn The construction uses the infinitive construct followed by the cognate accusative: “to vow a vow.” This intensifies the idea that the vow is being taken carefully.
16 tn The name of the vow is taken from the verb that follows; נָזַר (nazar) means “to consecrate oneself,” and so the Nazirite is a consecrated one. These are folks who would make a decision to take an oath for a time or for a lifetime to be committed to the
17 tn The form of the verb is an Hiphil infinitive construct, forming the wordplay and explanation for the name Nazirite. The Hiphil is here an internal causative, having the meaning of “consecrate oneself” or just “consecrate to the
18 tn The object is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied.
19 tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; following the imperative, this could be given an independent volitive translation (“they shall be”), but more fittingly a subordinated translation expressing the purpose of receiving the gifts.
20 tn The sentence uses the infinitive construct expressing purpose, followed by its cognate accusative: “[that they may be] for doing the work of” (literally, “serving the service of”).
21 tn The noun אִישׁ (’ish) is in apposition to the word “Levites,” and is to be taken in a distributive sense: “to the Levites, [to each] man according to his service.”
22 tn The expression כְּפִי (kÿfi) is “according to the mouth of.” Here, it would say “according to the mouth of his service,” which would mean “what his service calls for.”
23 tn In the Hebrew text the noun has no definite article, and so it signifies “some” or “certain” men.
24 tn The meaning, of course, is to be ceremonially unclean, and therefore disqualified from entering the sanctuary.
25 tn Or “a human corpse” (so NAB, NKJV). So also in v.7; cf. v. 10.
26 tn This clause begins with the vav (ו) conjunction and negative before the perfect tense. Here is the main verb of the sentence: They were not able to observe the Passover. The first part of the verse provides the explanation for their problem.
27 tn The imperfect tense with the conjunction is here subordinated to the preceding imperative to form the purpose clause. It can thus be translated “send…to investigate.”
28 tn The participle here should be given a future interpretation, meaning “which I am about to give” or “which I am going to give.”
29 tn Heb “one man one man of the tribe of his fathers.”
30 sn It is Moses and Aaron who prostrate themselves; they have the good of the people at heart.
31 tn The expression “the God of the spirits of all humanity [flesh]” is somewhat difficult. The Hebrew text says אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר (’elohey harukhot lÿkhol-basar). This expression occurs in Num 27:16 again. It also occurs in some postbiblical texts, a fact which has prompted some scholars to conclude that it is a late addition. The words clearly show that Moses is interceding for the congregation. The appeal in the verse is that it is better for one man to die for the whole nation than the whole nation for one man (see also John 11:50).
32 tn The verb is the Qal imperfect יֶחֱטָא (yekheta’); it refers to the sinful rebellion of Korah, but Moses is stating something of a principle: “One man sins, and will you be angry….” A past tense translation would assume that this is a preterite use of the imperfect (without vav [ו] consecutive).
33 tn Heb “receive from them a rod, a rod from the house of a father.”
34 tn Heb “from every leader of them according to their fathers’ house.”
35 tn The word order gives the classification and then the condition: “a man, when he dies….”
36 tn Heb “son of man.”
37 tn The verb is the Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “to cause to rise; to make stand”). The meaning here is more of the sense of fulfilling the promises made.
38 tn “who had been” is added to clarify the text.
39 tn The legal construction states the class to which the law applies, and then lays down the condition: “men [man] – if….”
40 tn The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative construction to express this: “a man if he vows a vow.”
41 tn The expression is “swear an oath” (הִשָּׁבַע שְׁבֻעָה, hishava’ shÿvu’ah). The vow (נֵדֶר, neder) was a promise to donate something of oneself or one’s substance to the
42 tn The Hebrew text hasלֶאְסֹר אִסָּר (le’sor ’issar), meaning “to take a binding obligation.” This is usually interpreted to mean a negative vow, i.e., the person attempts to abstain from something that is otherwise permissible. It might involve fasting, or abstaining from marital sex, but it might also involve some goal to be achieved, and the abstaining from distractions until the vow is fulfilled (see Ps 132). The נֶדֶר (neder) may have been more for religious matters, and the אִסָּר more for social concerns, but this cannot be documented with certainty.
43 tn Heb “according to all that goes out of his mouth.”
44 tn Heb “between.”
45 tn Heb “our souls.”
46 sn The expression here may include the idea of finding protection from divine wrath, which is so common to Leviticus, but it may also be a thank offering for the fact that their lives had been spared.