Discovery BoxNumbers 9:15 
Context9:15 1 On 2 the day that the tabernacle was set up, 3 the cloud 4 covered the tabernacle – the tent of the testimony 5 – and from evening until morning there was 6 a fiery appearance 7 over the tabernacle.
Numbers 9:21
Context9:21 And when 8 the cloud remained only 9 from evening until morning, when the cloud was taken up 10 the following morning, then they traveled on. Whether by day or by night, when the cloud was taken up they traveled.
Numbers 11:20
Context11:20 but a whole month, 11 until it comes out your nostrils and makes you sick, 12 because you have despised 13 the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why 14 did we ever come out of Egypt?”’”
Numbers 14:18
Context14:18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love, 15 forgiving iniquity and transgression, 16 but by no means clearing 17 the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generations.’ 18
Numbers 19:7
Context19:7 Then the priest must wash 19 his clothes and bathe himself 20 in water, and afterward he may come 21 into the camp, but the priest will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
Numbers 19:10
Context19:10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be ceremonially unclean until evening. This will be a permanent ordinance both for the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them.
Numbers 19:21
Context19:21 “‘So this will be a perpetual ordinance for them: The one who sprinkles 22 the water of purification must wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water of purification will be unclean until evening. 23
Numbers 22:30
Context22:30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am not I your donkey that you have ridden ever since I was yours until this day? Have I ever attempted 24 to treat you this way?” 25 And he said, “No.”
Numbers 23:24
Context23:24 Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness,
and like a lion raises himself up;
they will not lie down until they eat their 26 prey,
and drink the blood of the slain.” 27
Numbers 32:13
Context32:13 So the Lord’s anger was kindled against the Israelites, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all that generation that had done wickedly before 28 the Lord was finished. 29
Numbers 32:17
Context32:17 but we will maintain ourselves in armed readiness 30 and go before the Israelites until whenever we have brought them to their place. Our descendants will be living in fortified towns as a protection against 31 the inhabitants of the land.
Numbers 35:28
Context35:28 because the slayer 32 should have stayed in his town of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to the land of his possessions.
1 sn This section (Num 9:15-23) recapitulates the account in Exod 40:34 but also contains some additional detail about the cloud that signaled Israel’s journeys. Here again material from the book of Exodus is used to explain more of the laws for the camp in motion.
2 tn Heb “and/now on the day.”
3 tn The construction uses the temporal expression with the Hiphil infinitive construct followed by the object, the tabernacle. “On the day of the setting up of the tabernacle” leaves the subject unstated, and so the entire clause may be expressed in the passive voice.
4 sn The explanation and identification of this cloud has been a subject of much debate. Some commentators have concluded that it was identical with the cloud that led the Israelites away from Egypt and through the sea, but others have made a more compelling case that this is a different phenomenon (see ZPEB 4:796). A number of modern scholars see the description as a retrojection from later, perhaps Solomonic times (see G. H. Davies, IDB 3:817). Others have tried to connect it with Ugaritic terminology, but unconvincingly (see T. W. Mann, “The Pillar of Cloud in the Reed Sea Narrative,” JBL 90 [1971]: 15-30; G. E. Mendenhall, The Tenth Generation, 32-66, 209-13; and R. Good, “Cloud Messengers?” UF 10 [1978]: 436-37).
5 sn The cloud apparently was centered over the tent, over the spot of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. It thereafter spread over the whole tabernacle.
6 tn The imperfect tense in this and the next line should be classified as a customary imperfect, stressing incomplete action but in the past time – something that used to happen, or would happen.
7 tn Heb “like the appearance of fire.”
8 tn The construction is the same in the preceding verse.
9 tn “Only” is supplied to reflect the contrast between the two verses.
10 tn The construction in this half of the verse uses two vav (ו) consecutive clauses. The first is subordinated to the second as a temporal clause: “when…then….”
11 tn Heb “a month of days.” So also in v. 21.
12 tn The expression לְזָרָה (lÿzarah) has been translated “ill” or “loathsome.” It occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. The Greek text interprets it as “sickness.” It could be nausea or vomiting (so G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 112) from overeating.
13 sn The explanation is the interpretation of their behavior – it is in reality what they have done, even though they would not say they despised the
14 tn The use of the demonstrative pronoun here (“why is this we went out …”) is enclitic, providing emphasis to the sentence: “Why in the world did we ever leave Egypt?”
15 tn The expression is רַב־חֶסֶד (rav khesed) means “much of loyal love,” or “faithful love.” Some have it “totally faithful,” but that omits the aspect of his love.
16 tn Or “rebellion.”
17 tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the verbal activity of the imperfect tense, which here serves as a habitual imperfect. Negated it states what God does not do; and the infinitive makes that certain.
18 sn The Decalogue adds “to those who hate me.” The point of the line is that the effects of sin, if not the sinful traits themselves, are passed on to the next generation.
19 tn The sequence continues with the perfect tense and vav (ו) consecutive.
20 tn Heb “his flesh.”
21 tn This is the imperfect of permission.
22 tn The form has the conjunction with it: וּמַזֵּה (umazzeh). The conjunction subordinates the following as the special law. It could literally be translated “and this shall be…that the one who sprinkles.”
23 sn This gives the indication of the weight of the matter, for “until the evening” is the shortest period of ritual uncleanness in the Law. The problem of contamination had to be taken seriously, but this was a relatively simple matter to deal with – if one were willing to obey the Law.
24 tn Here the Hiphil perfect is preceded by the Hiphil infinitive absolute for emphasis in the sentence.
25 tn Heb “to do thus to you.”
26 tn The pronoun “their” has been supplied for clarity; it is not present in the Hebrew text.
27 sn The oracle compares Israel first to a lion, or better, lioness, because she does the tracking and hunting of food while the lion moves up and down roaring and distracting the prey. But the lion is also the traditional emblem of Judah, Dan and Gad, as well as the symbol of royalty. So this also supports the motif of royalty as well as power for Israel.
28 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
29 tn The verb is difficult to translate, since it has the idea of “complete, finish” (תָּמָם, tamam). It could be translated “consumed” in this passage (so KJV, ASV); NASB “was destroyed.”
30 tn The MT has חֻשִׁים (khushim); the verbal root is חוּשׁ (khush, “to make haste” or “hurry”). But in light of the Greek and Latin Vulgate the Hebrew should probably be emended to חֲמֻשִׁים (hamushim), a qal passive participle meaning “in battle array.” See further BDB 301 s.v. I חוּשׁ, BDB 332 s.v. חֲמֻשִׁים; HALOT 300 s.v. I חושׁ, חישׁ; HALOT 331 s.v. I חמשׁ.
31 tn Heb “from before.”
32 tn Heb “he.”
