Numbers 6:25

6:25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you,

and be gracious to you; 1 

Numbers 10:13

Judah Begins the Journey

10:13 This was the first time they set out on their journey according to the commandment 2  of the Lord, by the authority 3  of Moses.

Numbers 14:21

14:21 But truly, as I live, 4  all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Numbers 17:7

17:7 Then Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony. 5 

Numbers 20:9

20:9 So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as he commanded him.

1 tn Whereas the first line of the blessing had three Hebrew words, the second has five, and the third has seven. In this second line and the following third, the blessing takes the form of an emblem followed by the truth. For the Lord to make his face shine on them would mean to be gracious to them. M. Noth rightly calls this image of the shining face “a figure of speech for benevolence and favour” (Numbers [OTL], 59); see, for example, Pss 4:7; 31:17; 44:4; 67:2; 80:4, 8, 20; 119:135; Dan 9:17). The image may have its inspiration in the theophanies. The picture is of divine favor – the beaming face of a parent for his beloved.

2 tn Heb “mouth.”

3 tn Heb “hand.”

4 sn This is the oath formula, but in the Pentateuch it occurs here and in v. 28.

5 tn The name of the tent now attests to the centrality of the ark of the covenant. Instead of the “tent of meeting” (מוֹעֵד, mo’ed) we now find the “the tent of the testimony” (הָעֵדֻת, ha’edut).