Discovery BoxNumbers 12:6 
Context12:6 The Lord 1 said, “Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, 2 I the Lord 3 will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a dream.
Numbers 12:8
Context12:8 With him I will speak face to face, 4 openly, 5 and not in riddles; and he will see the form 6 of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
Numbers 14:24
Context14:24 Only my servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit and has followed me fully – I will bring him into the land where he had gone, and his descendants 7 will possess it.
Numbers 16:28
Context16:28 Then Moses said, “This is how 8 you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 9
Numbers 18:8
Context18:8 The Lord spoke to Aaron, “See, I have given you the responsibility for my raised offerings; I have given all the holy things of the Israelites to you as your priestly portion 10 and to your sons as a perpetual ordinance.
Numbers 20:24
Context20:24 “Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors, 11 for he will not enter into the land I have given to the Israelites because both of you 12 rebelled against my word 13 at the waters of Meribah.
Numbers 22:18
Context22:18 Balaam replied 14 to the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment 15 of the Lord my God 16 to do less or more.
Numbers 22:38
Context22:38 Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you. Now, am I able 17 to speak 18 just anything? I must speak 19 only the word that God puts in my mouth.”
Numbers 23:10
Context23:10 Who 20 can count 21 the dust 22 of Jacob,
Or number 23 the fourth part of Israel?
Let me 24 die the death of the upright, 25
and let the end of my life 26 be like theirs.” 27
Numbers 24:10
Context24:10 Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together. 28 Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have done nothing but bless 29 them these three times!
Numbers 24:13-14
Context24:13 ‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond 30 the commandment 31 of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will, 32 but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak’? 24:14 And now, I am about to go 33 back to my own people. Come now, and I will advise you as to what this people will do to your people in the future.” 34
Numbers 27:14
Context27:14 For 35 in the wilderness of Zin when the community rebelled against me, you 36 rebelled against my command 37 to show me as holy 38 before their eyes over the water – the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.”
1 tn Heb “he.”
2 tn The form of this construction is rare: נְבִיאֲכֶם (nÿvi’akhem) would normally be rendered “your prophet.” The singular noun is suffixed with a plural pronominal suffix. Some commentators think the MT has condensed “a prophet” with “to you.”
3 tn The Hebrew syntax is difficult here. “The Lord” is separated from the verb by two intervening prepositional phrases. Some scholars conclude that this word belongs with the verb at the beginning of v. 6 (“And the Lord spoke”).
4 tn The emphasis of the line is clear enough – it begins literally “mouth to mouth” I will speak with him. In human communication this would mean equality of rank, but Moses is certainly not equal in rank with the
5 tn The word מַרְאֶה (mar’eh) refers to what is seen, a vision, an appearance. Here it would have the idea of that which is clearly visible, open, obvious.
6 tn The word “form” (תְּמוּנָה, tÿmunah) means “shape, image, form.” The Greek text took it metaphorically and rendered it “the glory of the
7 tn Heb “seed.”
8 tn Heb “in this.”
9 tn The Hebrew text simply has כִּי־לֹא מִלִּבִּי (ki-lo’ millibbi, “for not from my heart”). The heart is the center of the will, the place decisions are made (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament). Moses is saying that the things he has done have not come “from the will of man” so to speak – and certainly not from some secret desire on his part to seize power.
10 tn This is an uncommon root. It may be connected to the word “anoint” as here (see RSV). But it may also be seen as an intended parallel to “perpetual due” (see Gen 47:22; Exod 29:28; Lev 6:11 [HT]).
11 sn This is the standard poetic expression for death. The bones would be buried, often with the bones of relatives in the same tomb, giving rise to the expression.
12 tn The verb is in the second person plural form, and so it is Moses and Aaron who rebelled, and so now because of that Aaron first and then Moses would die without going into the land.
13 tn Heb “mouth.”
14 tn Heb “answered and said.”
15 tn Heb “mouth.”
16 sn In the light of subsequent events one should not take too seriously that Balaam referred to Yahweh as his God. He is referring properly to the deity for which he is acting as the agent.
17 tn The verb is אוּכַל (’ukhal) in a question – “am I able?” But emphasizing this is the infinitive absolute before it. So Balaam is saying something like, “Can I really say anything?”
18 tn The Piel infinitive construct (without the preposition) serves as the object of the verb “to be able.” The whole question is rhetorical – he is saying that he will not be able to say anything God does not allow him to say.
19 tn The imperfect tense is here taken as an obligatory imperfect.
20 tn The question is again rhetorical; it means no one can count them – they are innumerable.
21 tn The perfect tense can also be classified as a potential nuance. It does not occur very often, but does occur several times.
22 sn The reference in the oracle is back to Gen 13:16, which would not be clear to Balaam. But God had described their growth like the dust of the earth. Here it is part of the description of the vast numbers.
23 tn Heb “and as a number, the fourth part of Israel.” The noun in the MT is not in the construct state, and so it should be taken as an adverbial accusative, forming a parallel with the verb “count.” The second object of the verse then follows, “the fourth part of Israel.” Smr and the LXX have “and who has numbered” (וּמִסְפָּר, umispar), making this colon more parallel to the preceding one. The editor of BHS prefers this reading.
24 tn The use of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) for the subject of the verb stresses the personal nature – me.
25 sn Here the seer’s words link with the promise of Gen 12:3, that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed. Since the blessing belongs to them, the upright (and not Balak), Balaam would like his lot to be with them.
26 tn Heb “my latter end.”
27 tn Heb “his.”
28 sn This is apparently a sign of contempt or derision (see Job 27:23; and Lam 2:15).
29 tn The construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the perfect tense for “bless.”
30 tn Heb “I am not able to go beyond.”
31 tn Heb “mouth.”
32 tn Heb “from my heart.”
33 tn The construction is the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) suffixed followed by the active participle. This is the futur instans use of the participle, to express something that is about to happen: “I am about to go.”
34 tn Heb “in the latter days.” For more on this expression, see E. Lipinski, “באחרית הימים dans les textes préexiliques,” VT 20 (1970): 445-50.
35 tn The preposition on the relative pronoun has the force of “because of the fact that.”
36 tn The verb is the second masculine plural form.
37 tn Heb “mouth.”
38 sn Using the basic meaning of the word קָדַשׁ (qadash, “to be separate, distinct, set apart”), we can understand better what Moses failed to do. He was supposed to have acted in a way that would have shown God to be distinct, different, holy. Instead, he gave the impression that God was capricious and hostile – very human. The leader has to be aware of what image he is conveying to the people.
