6:5 “‘All the days of the vow 1 of his separation no razor may be used on his head 2 until the time 3 is fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord. He will be holy, 4 and he must let 5 the locks of hair on his head grow long.
11:16 6 The Lord said to Moses, “Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know are elders of the people and officials 7 over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting; let them take their position there with you.
11:31 Now a wind 8 went out 9 from the Lord and brought quail 10 from the sea, and let them fall 11 near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about three feet 12 high on the surface of the ground.
21:22 “Let us 16 pass through your land; 17 we will not turn aside into the fields or into the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well, but we will go along the King’s Highway until we pass your borders.”
1 tc The parallel expression in v. 8 (“all the days of his separation”) lacks the word “vow.” This word is also absent in v. 5 in a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts. The presence of the word in v. 5 may be due to dittography.
2 sn There is an interesting parallel between this prohibition and the planting of trees. They could not be pruned or trimmed for three years, but allowed to grow free (Lev 20:23). Only then could the tree be cut and the fruit eaten. The natural condition was to be a sign that it was the
3 tn Heb “days.”
4 tn The word “holy” here has the sense of distinct, different, set apart.
5 tn The Piel infinitive absolute functions as a verb in this passage; the Piel carries the sense of “grow lengthy” or “let grow long.”
6 sn The
7 tn The “officials” (שֹׁטְּרִים, shottÿrim) were a group of the elders who seem to have had some administrative capacities. The LXX used the word “scribes.” For further discussion, see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 69-70.
8 sn The irony in this chapter is expressed in part by the use of the word רוּחַ (ruakh). In the last episode it clearly meant the Spirit of the
9 tn The verb means “burst forth” or “sprang up.” See the ways it is used in Gen 33:12, Judg 16:3, 14; Isa 33:20.
10 sn The “quail” ordinarily cross the Sinai at various times of the year, but what is described here is not the natural phenomenon. Biblical scholars looking for natural explanations usually note that these birds fly at a low height and can be swatted down easily. But the description here is more of a supernatural supply and provision. See J. Gray, “The Desert Sojourn of the Hebrews and the Sinai Horeb Tradition,” VT 4 (1954): 148-54.
11 tn Or “left them fluttering.”
12 tn Heb “two cubits.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about eighteen inches (45 cm) in length.
13 tn The request is expressed by the use of the cohortative, “let us pass through.” It is the proper way to seek permission.
14 sn This a main highway running from Damascus in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba, along the ridge of the land. Some scholars suggest that the name may have been given by the later Assyrians (see B. Obed, “Observations on Methods of Assyrian Rule in Transjordan after the Palestinian Campaign of Tiglathpileser III,” JNES 29 [1970]: 177-86). Bronze Age fortresses have been discovered along this highway, attesting to its existence in the time of Moses. The original name came from the king who developed the highway, probably as a trading road (see S. Cohen, IDB 3:35-36).
15 tn Heb “borders.”
16 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular in these verses to match the reference to “Israel.”
17 tc Smr has “by the King’s way I will go. I will not turn aside to the right or the left.”