Numbers 3:7

3:7 They are responsible for his needs ¹  and the needs of the whole community before the tent of meeting, by attending ²  to the service of the tabernacle.

Numbers 11:21

11:21 Moses said, “The people around me ³  are 600,000 on foot; ⁴  but you say, ‘I will give them meat, ⁵  that they may eat ⁶  for a whole month.’

Numbers 14:7

14:7 They said to the whole community of the Israelites, “The land we passed through to investigate is an exceedingly ⁷  good land.

Numbers 14:10

14:10 However, the whole community threatened to stone them. ⁸  But ⁹  the glory ¹⁰  of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent ¹¹  of meeting.

Numbers 14:36

14:36 The men whom Moses sent to investigate the land, who returned and made the whole community murmur against him by producing ¹²  an evil report about the land,

Numbers 15:26

15:26 And the whole community ¹³  of the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them will be forgiven, since all the people were involved in the unintentional offense.

Numbers 15:35

15:35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; the whole community must stone ¹⁴  him with stones outside the camp.”

Numbers 16:41

16:41 But on the next day the whole community of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!” ¹⁵ 

Numbers 26:2

26:2 “Take a census of the whole community of Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their clans, ¹⁶  everyone who can serve in the army of Israel.” ¹⁷ 

Numbers 27:2

27:2 And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said,

Numbers 27:20

27:20 Then you must delegate ¹⁸  some of your authority ¹⁹  to him, so that the whole community of the Israelites will be obedient. ²⁰ 

Numbers 27:22

27:22 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him; he took Joshua and set ²¹  him before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community.

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¹ tn The Hebrew text uses the perfect tense of שָׁמַר(shamar) with a vav (ו) consecutive to continue the instruction of the preceding verse. It may be translated “and they shall keep” or “they must/are to keep,” but in this context it refers to their appointed duties. The verb is followed by its cognate accusative – “they are to keep his keeping,” or as it is often translated, “his charge.” This would mean whatever Aaron needed them to do. But the noun is also used for the people in the next phrase, and so “charge” cannot be the meaning here. The verse is explaining that the Levites will have duties to perform to meet the needs of Aaron and the congregation.

² tn The form is the Qal infinitive construct from עָבַד (’avad, “to serve, to work”); it is taken here as a verbal noun and means “by (or in) serving” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 36, §195). This explains the verb “keep [his charge].” Here too the form is followed by a cognate accusative; they will be there to “serve the service” or “work the work.”

³ tn Heb “the people who I am in their midst,” i.e., among whom I am.

⁴ tn The Hebrew sentence stresses the number. The sentence begins “600,000….”

⁵ tn The word order places the object first here: “Meat I will give them.” This adds to the contrast between the number and the statement of the Lord.

⁶ tn The verb is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the sequence from the preceding imperfect tense. However, this verb may be subordinated to the preceding to express a purpose clause.

⁷ tn The repetition of the adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od) is used to express this: “very, very [good].”

⁸ tn Heb “said to stone them with stones.” The verb and the object are not from the same root, but the combination nonetheless forms an emphasis equal to the cognate accusative.

⁹ tn The vav (ו) on the noun “glory” indicates a strong contrast, one that interrupts their threatened attack.

¹⁰ sn The glory of the Lord refers to the reality of the Lord’s presence in a manifestation of his power and splendor. It showed to all that God was a living God. The appearance of the glory indicated blessing for the obedient, but disaster for the disobedient.

¹¹ tc The Greek, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “in the cloud over the tent.”

¹² tn The verb is the Hiphil infinitive construct with a lamed (ל) preposition from the root יָצָא (yatsa’, “to bring out”). The use of the infinitive here is epexegetical, that is, explaining how they caused the people to murmur.

¹³ tn Again, rather than translate literally “and it shall be forgiven [to] them” (all the community), one could say, “they (all the community) will be forgiven.” The meaning is the same.

¹⁴ tn The sentence begins with the emphatic use of the infinitive absolute with the verb in the Hophal imperfect: “he shall surely be put to death.” Then, a second infinitive absolute רָגוֹם (ragom) provides the explanatory activity – all the community is to stone him with stones. The punishment is consistent with other decrees from God (see Exod 31:14,15; 35:2). Moses had either forgotten such, or they had simply neglected to (or were hesitant to) enact them.

¹⁵ sn The whole congregation here is trying to project its guilt on Moses and Aaron. It was they and their rebellion that brought about the deaths, not Moses and Aaron. The Lord had punished the sinners. The fact that the leaders had organized a rebellion against the Lord was forgotten by these people. The point here is that the Israelites had learned nothing of spiritual value from the event.

¹⁶ tn Heb “house of their fathers.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “everyone who goes out in the army in Israel.”

¹⁸ tn The verb is simply “give,” but in this context giving some of Moses’ honor to Joshua in the presence of the people is essentially passing the leadership to him, or delegating the authority to him with the result that people would follow him.

¹⁹ tc The Greek, Syriac, and Vulgate read “glory” for this form that occurs only here in the Pentateuch. Elsewhere it is rendered “majesty, splendor” (see Ps 96:6). It could even be “vitality” here. The authority being transferred here is both spiritual and civil.

²⁰ tn Heb “hear.”

²¹ tn Heb “stood.”