Numbers 6:12

6:12 He must rededicate ¹  to the Lord the days of his separation and bring a male lamb in its first year as a reparation offering, ²  but the former days will not be counted ³  because his separation ⁴  was defiled.

Numbers 16:13-14

16:13 Is it a small thing ⁵  that you have brought us up out of the land that flows with milk and honey, ⁶  to kill us in the wilderness? Now do you want to make yourself a prince ⁷  over us? 16:14 Moreover, ⁸  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 ⁹  these men? We will not come up.”

Numbers 16:47

16:47 So Aaron did ¹⁰  as Moses commanded ¹¹  and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague was just beginning among the people. So he placed incense on the coals and made atonement for the people.

Numbers 32:11

32:11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, ¹²  not ¹³  one of the men twenty years old and upward ¹⁴  who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore to give ¹⁵  to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

---

¹ tn The same idea is to be found now in the use of the word נָזַר (nazar), which refers to a recommitment after the vow was interrupted.

² tn The necessity of bringing the reparation offering was due to the reinstatement into the vow that had been interrupted.

³ tn Heb “will fall”; KJV “shall be lost”; ASV, NASB, NRSV “shall be void.”

⁴ tc The similar expression in v. 9 includes the word “head” (i.e., “his consecrated head”). The LXX includes this word in v. 12 as well.

⁵ tn The question is rhetorical. It was not a small thing to them – it was a big thing.

⁶ tn The modern scholar who merely sees these words as belonging to an earlier tradition about going up to the land of Canaan that flows with milk and honey misses the irony here. What is happening is that the text is showing how twisted the thinking of the rebels is. They have turned things completely around. Egypt was the land flowing with milk and honey, not Canaan where they will die. The words of rebellion are seldom original, and always twisted.

⁷ tn The verb הִשְׂתָּרֵר (histarer) is the Hitpael infinitive absolute that emphasizes the preceding תִשְׂתָּרֵר (tistarer), the Hitpael imperfect tense (both forms having metathesis). The verb means “to rule; to act like a prince; to make oneself a prince.” This is the only occurrence of the reflexive for this verb. The exact nuance is difficult to translate into English. But they are accusing Moses of seizing princely power for himself, perhaps making a sarcastic reference to his former status in Egypt. The rebels here are telling Moses that they had discerned his scheme, and so he could not “hoodwink” them (cf. NEB).

⁸ tn Here אַף (’af) has the sense of “in addition.” It is not a common use.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ tn Heb “took.”

¹¹ tn Or “had spoken” (NASB); NRSV “had ordered.”

¹² tn The clause is difficult; it means essentially that “they have not made full [their coming] after” the Lord.

¹³ tn The sentence begins with “if they see….” This is the normal way for Hebrew to express a negative oath – “they will by no means see….” The sentence is elliptical; it is saying something like “[May God do so to me] if they see,” meaning they won’t see. Of course here God is taking the oath, which is an anthropomorphic act. He does not need to take an oath, and certainly could not swear by anyone greater, but it communicates to people his resolve.

¹⁴ tc The LXX adds “those knowing bad and good.”

¹⁵ tn The words “to give” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.