Discovery BoxNumbers 8:7 
Context8:7 And do this 1 to them to purify them: Sprinkle water of purification 2 on them; then have them shave 3 all their body 4 and wash 5 their clothes, and so purify themselves. 6
Numbers 19:7
Context19:7 Then the priest must wash 7 his clothes and bathe himself 8 in water, and afterward he may come 9 into the camp, but the priest will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
Numbers 19:17
Context19:17 “‘For a ceremonially unclean person you must take 10 some of the ashes of the heifer 11 burnt for purification from sin and pour 12 fresh running 13 water over them in a vessel.
Numbers 20:5
Context20:5 Why 14 have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring us to 15 this dreadful place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink!”
Numbers 20:10
Context20:10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, 16 must we bring 17 water out of this rock for you?”
Numbers 20:19
Context20:19 Then the Israelites said to him, “We will go along the highway, and if we 18 or our cattle drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We will only pass through on our feet, without doing anything else.”
Numbers 21:5
Context21:5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we 19 detest this worthless 20 food.”
1 tn Or, more literally, “and thus you shall do.” The verb is the imperfect tense of instruction or legislation. Here it introduces the procedures to be followed.
2 tn The genitive in this expression indicates the purpose of the water – it is for their purification. The expression is literally “the waters of sin.” The word “purification” is the same as for the “sin/purification offering” – חַטָּאת (khatta’at). This water seems to have been taken from the main laver and is contrasted with the complete washing of the priests in Lev 8:6.
3 tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) of sequence. This verb, and those to follow, has the force of a jussive since it comes after the imperative. Here the instruction is for them to remove the hair from their bodies (“flesh”). There is no indication that this was repeated (as the Egyptian priests did every few days). It seems to have been for this special occasion only. A similar requirement was for the leper (Lev 14:7-9).
4 tn Heb “flesh.”
5 tn Or “let/have them wash”; the priests were given new clothes (Lev 8:13), but the Levites simply washed their own.
6 tn The verb is a reflexive (or possibly passive) in this verse, indicating the summary of the process. The ritual steps that have been prescribed will lead to this conclusion. The verb could be treated as a final imperfect (being a perfect with vav [ו] consecutive), and so translated “that they may….” The major difference here is that the ritual made the Levites “clean,” whereas the ritual for the priests made them “holy” or “sanctified” (Lev 8:12).
7 tn The sequence continues with the perfect tense and vav (ו) consecutive.
8 tn Heb “his flesh.”
9 tn This is the imperfect of permission.
10 tn The verb is the perfect tense, third masculine plural, with a vav (ו) consecutive. The verb may be worded as a passive, “ashes must be taken,” but that may be too awkward for this sentence. It may be best to render it with a generic “you” to fit the instruction of the text.
11 tn The word “heifer” is not in the Hebrew text, but it is implied.
12 tn Here too the verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; rather than make this passive, it is here left as a direct instruction to follow the preceding one. For the use of the verb נָתַן (natan) in the sense of “pour,” see S. C. Reif, “A Note on a Neglected Connotation of ntn,” VT 20 (1970): 114-16.
13 tn The expression is literally “living water.” Living water is the fresh, flowing spring water that is clear, life-giving, and not the collected pools of stagnant or dirty water.
14 tn Heb “and why.”
15 tn Here also the infinitive construct (Hiphil) forms the subordinate clause of the preceding interrogative clause.
16 tn The word is הַמֹּרִים (hammorim, “the rebels”), but here as a vocative: “you rebels.” It was a harsh address, although well-earned.
17 tn The word order and the emphasis of the tense are important to this passage. The word order is “from this rock must we bring out to you water?” The emphasis is clearly on “from this rock!” The verb is the imperfect tense; it has one of the modal nuances here, probably obligatory – “must we do this?”
18 tn The Hebrew text uses singular pronouns, “I” and “my,” but it is the people of Israel that are intended, and so it may be rendered in the plural. Similarly, Edom speaks in the first person, probably from the king. But it too could be rendered “we.”
19 tn Heb “our souls.”
20 tn The Israelites’ opinion about the manna was clear enough – “worthless.” The word used is קְלֹקֵל (qÿloqel, “good for nothing, worthless, miserable”).
