9:1 1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out 2 of the land of Egypt:
10:13 This was the first time they set out on their journey according to the commandment 3 of the Lord, by the authority 4 of Moses.
10:14 The standard 5 of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.
20:1 6 Then the entire community of Israel 7 entered the wilderness of Zin in the first month, 8 and the people stayed in Kadesh. 9 Miriam died and was buried there. 10
24:20 Then Balaam 11 looked on Amalek and delivered this oracle: 12
“Amalek was the first 13 of the nations,
but his end will be that he will perish.”
1 sn The chapter has just the two sections, the observance of the Passover (vv. 1-14) and the cloud that led the Israelites in the wilderness (vv. 15-23). It must be remembered that the material in vv. 7-9 is chronologically earlier than vv. 1-6, as the notices in the text will make clear. The two main discussions here are the last major issues to be reiterated before dealing with the commencement of the journey.
2 tn The temporal clause is formed with the infinitive construct of יָצָא (yatsa’, “to go out; to leave”). This verse indicates that a full year had passed since the exodus and the original Passover; now a second ruling on the Passover is included at the beginning of the second year. This would have occurred immediately after the consecration of the tabernacle, in the month before the census at Sinai.
3 tn Heb “mouth.”
4 tn Heb “hand.”
5 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).
6 sn This chapter is the account of how Moses struck the rock in disobedience to the
7 tn The Hebrew text stresses this idea by use of apposition: “the Israelites entered, the entire community, the wilderness.”
8 sn The text does not indicate here what year this was, but from comparing the other passages about the itinerary, this is probably the end of the wanderings, the fortieth year, for Aaron died some forty years after the exodus. So in that year the people come through the wilderness of Zin and prepare for a journey through the Moabite plains.
9 sn The Israelites stayed in Kadesh for some time during the wandering; here the stop at Kadesh Barnea may have lasted several months. See the commentaries for the general itinerary.
10 sn The death of Miriam is recorded without any qualifications or epitaph. In her older age she had been self-willed and rebellious, and so no doubt humbled by the vivid rebuke from God. But she had made her contribution from the beginning.
11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “and he lifted up his oracle and said.” So also in vv. 21, 23.
13 sn This probably means that it held first place, or it thought that it was “the first of the nations.” It was not the first, either in order or greatness.