Numbers 6:13

Fulfilling the Vows

6:13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he must be brought ¹  to the entrance of the tent of meeting,

Numbers 6:15

6:15 and a basket of bread made without yeast, cakes of fine flour mixed with olive oil, wafers made without yeast and smeared with olive oil, and their ²  grain offering and their drink offerings. ³ 

Numbers 8:24

8:24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: ⁴  At the age of twenty-five years ⁵  and upward one may begin to join the company ⁶  in the work of the tent of meeting,

Numbers 10:31

10:31 Moses ⁷  said, “Do not leave us, ⁸  because you know places for us to camp in the wilderness, and you could be our guide. ⁹ 

Numbers 13:20

13:20 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether or not there are forests in it. And be brave, ¹⁰  and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” Now it was the time of year ¹¹  for the first ripe grapes. ¹² 

Numbers 16:22

16:22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ¹³  and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all people, ¹⁴  will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?” ¹⁵ 

Numbers 18:4

18:4 They must join ¹⁶  with you, and they will be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent, but no unauthorized person ¹⁷  may approach you.

Numbers 18:21

18:21 See, I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they perform – the service of the tent of meeting.

Numbers 20:18

20:18 But Edom said to him, “You will not pass through me, ¹⁸  or I will come out against ¹⁹  you with the sword.”

Numbers 25:18

25:18 because they bring trouble to you by their treachery with which they have deceived ²⁰  you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, ²¹  their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague that happened as a result of Peor.”

Numbers 29:11

29:11 along with one male goat for a purification offering, in addition to the purification offering for atonement and the continual burnt offering with its grain offering and their drink offerings.

Numbers 32:15

32:15 For if you turn away from following him, he will once again abandon ²²  them in the wilderness, and you will be the reason for their destruction.” ²³ 

Numbers 35:12

35:12 And they must stand as your towns of refuge from the avenger in order that the killer may not die until he has stood trial before the community.

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¹ tn The Hebrew text has “he/one shall bring him”; since there is no expressed subject, this verb should be taken in the passive sense – “he shall be brought.” Since the context suggests an obligatory nuance, the translation “he must be brought” has been used. Some scholars solve the problem by emending the Hebrew text here, but there is no manuscript evidence to support the emendation.

² tn The suffixes in the MT are plural in this verse, whereas in v. 17 they are singular. This seems to be a matter of stylistic choice, referring to whomever may be taking the vow.

³ sn The offerings for the termination of the Nazirite vow would not have been inexpensive. This indicates that the person making the short term vow may have had income, or have come from a wealthier section of society. Short term vows had to be considered carefully as this ruling required a good amount of food to be brought.

⁴ tn The Hebrew text has “this [is that] which [pertains] to the Levites.” “This is what concerns the Levites, meaning, the following rulings are for them.

⁵ tc The age of twenty-five indicated in v. 24 should be compared with the age of thirty indicated in Num 4:3,23,30. In order to harmonize the numbers given in chapter 4 with the number given in Num 8:24 the LXX (and perhaps its Hebrew Vorlage) has thirty in all of these references. See further G. J. Wenham, Numbers (TOTC 4), 97-98.

⁶ tn The infinitive is לִצְבֹא (litsvo’), related to the word for “host, army, company,” and so “to serve as a company.” The meaning is strengthened by the cognate accusative following it.

⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn The form with אַל־נָא (’al-na’) is a jussive; negated it stresses a more immediate request, as if Hobab is starting to leave, or at least determined to leave.

⁹ tn In the Hebrew text the expression is more graphic: “you will be for us for eyes.” Hobab was familiar with the entire Sinai region, and he could certainly direct the people where they were to go. The text does not record Hobab’s response. But the fact that Kenites were in Canaan as allies of Judah (Judg 1:16) would indicate that he gave in and came with Moses. The first refusal may simply be the polite Semitic practice of declining first so that the appeal might be made more urgently.

¹⁰ tn The verb is the Hitpael perfect with vav (ו) consecutive, from the root חָזַק (khazaq, “to be strong”). Here it could mean “strengthen yourselves” or “be courageous” or “determined.” See further uses in 2 Sam 10:12; 1 Kgs 20:22; 1 Chr 19:13.

¹¹ tn Heb “Now the days were the days of.”

¹² sn The reference to the first ripe grapes would put the time somewhere at the end of July.

¹³ sn It is Moses and Aaron who prostrate themselves; they have the good of the people at heart.

¹⁴ 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).

¹⁵ 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).

¹⁶ tn Now the sentence uses the Niphal perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive from the same root לָוָה (lavah).

¹⁷ tn The word is “stranger, alien,” but it can also mean Israelites here.

¹⁸ tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of prohibition.

¹⁹ tn Heb “to meet.”

²⁰ tn This is the same word as that translated “treachery.”

²¹ sn Cozbi’s father, Zur, was one of five Midianite kings who eventually succumbed to Israel (Num 31:8). When the text gives the name and family of a woman, it is asserting that she is important, at least for social reasons, among her people.

²² tn The construction uses a verbal hendiadys with the verb “to add” serving to modify the main verb.

²³ tn Heb “and you will destroy all this people.”