Numbers 8:2-3

8:2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you set up ¹  the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light ²  in front of the lampstand.’”

8:3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Numbers 10:12-14

10:12 So the Israelites set out ³  on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran.

Judah Begins the Journey

10:13 This was the first time they set out on their journey according to the commandment ⁴  of the Lord, by the authority ⁵  of Moses.

10:14 The standard ⁶  of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.

Numbers 10:18

Journey Arrangements for the Tribes

10:18 The standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their companies; over his company was Elizur son of Shedeur.

Numbers 10:22

10:22 And the standard of the camp of the Ephraimites set out according to their companies; over his company was Elishama son of Ammihud.

Numbers 16:18

16:18 So everyone took his censer, put fire in it, and set incense on it, and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.

Numbers 21:8

21:8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks ⁷  at it, he will live.”

Numbers 24:21

24:21 Then he looked on the Kenites and uttered this oracle:

“Your dwelling place seems strong,

and your nest ⁸  is set on a rocky cliff.

Numbers 27:22

27:22 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him; he took Joshua and set ⁹  him before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community.

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¹ tn The verb is עָלָה (’alah). The Hiphil infinitive construct functions in a temporal clause. The idea of arranging the lamps on the lampstand certainly involved raising the lamps and placing them on the tops of each shaft and branch. Some have taken the idea to mean cause the flame to go up, or light the lamps.

² tn The imperfect tense forms part of the instruction, and so the translation has to indicate that. The instruction would seem obvious, but the light was to shine in the area immediately in front of the lampstand, so that it would illumine the way and illumine the table that was across the room (hence, “in front of”).

³ sn The verb is the same as the noun: “they journeyed on their journeyings.” This underscores the point of their continual traveling.

⁴ tn Heb “mouth.”

⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

⁶ sn The “standard” (דֶּגֶל, degel) was apparently some kind of a symbol put up on a pole to signify the tribal hosts. R. de Vaux thought it simply referred to a pole or a mast, but that would not distinguish tribes (Ancient Israel, 226-27).

⁷ tn The word order is slightly different in Hebrew: “and it shall be anyone who is bitten when he looks at it he shall live.”

⁸ sn A pun is made on the name Kenite by using the word “your nest” (קִנֶּךָ, qinnekha); the location may be the rocky cliffs overlooking Petra.

⁹ tn Heb “stood.”