Discovery BoxNumbers 9:6-7 
Context9:6 It happened that some men 1 who were ceremonially defiled 2 by the dead body of a man 3 could not keep 4 the Passover on that day, so they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. 9:7 And those men said to him, “We are ceremonially defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back from offering the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?”
Numbers 11:24
Context11:24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He then gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tabernacle.
Numbers 13:2
Context13:2 “Send out men to investigate 5 the land of Canaan, which I am giving 6 to the Israelites. You are to send one man from each ancestral tribe, 7 each one a leader among them.”
Numbers 13:23
Context13:23 When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a staff 8 between two men, as well as some of the pomegranates and the figs.
Numbers 16:1
Context16:1 9 Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, who were Reubenites, 10 took men 11
Numbers 16:14
Context16:14 Moreover, 12 you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you think you can blind 13 these men? We will not come up.”
Numbers 16:26
Context16:26 And he said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked 14 men, and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because 15 of all their sins.” 16
Numbers 22:20
Context22:20 God came to Balaam that night, and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but the word that I will say to you, that you must do.”
Numbers 22:35
Context22:35 But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you may only speak 17 the word that I will speak to you.” 18 So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Numbers 31:28
Context31:28 “You must exact 19 a tribute for the Lord from the fighting men who went out to battle: one life out of five hundred, from the people, the cattle, and from the donkeys and the sheep.
Numbers 32:11
Context32:11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, 20 not 21 one of the men twenty years old and upward 22 who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore to give 23 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
1 tn In the Hebrew text the noun has no definite article, and so it signifies “some” or “certain” men.
2 tn The meaning, of course, is to be ceremonially unclean, and therefore disqualified from entering the sanctuary.
3 tn Or “a human corpse” (so NAB, NKJV). So also in v.7; cf. v. 10.
4 tn This clause begins with the vav (ו) conjunction and negative before the perfect tense. Here is the main verb of the sentence: They were not able to observe the Passover. The first part of the verse provides the explanation for their problem.
5 tn The imperfect tense with the conjunction is here subordinated to the preceding imperative to form the purpose clause. It can thus be translated “send…to investigate.”
6 tn The participle here should be given a future interpretation, meaning “which I am about to give” or “which I am going to give.”
7 tn Heb “one man one man of the tribe of his fathers.”
8 tn The word is related etymologically to the verb for “slip, slide, bend, totter.” This would fit the use very well. A pole that would not bend would be hard to use to carry things, but a pole or stave that was flexible would serve well.
9 sn There are three main movements in the story of ch. 16. The first is the rebellion itself (vv. 1-19). The second is the judgment (vv. 20-35). Third is the atonement for the rebels (vv. 36-50). The whole chapter is a marvelous account of a massive rebellion against the leaders that concludes with reconciliation. For further study see G. Hort, “The Death of Qorah,” ABR 7 (1959): 2-26; and J. Liver, “Korah, Dathan and Abiram,” Studies in the Bible (ScrHier 8), 189-217.
10 tc The MT reading is plural (“the sons of Reuben”); the Smr and LXX have the singular (“the son of Reuben”).
11 tn In the Hebrew text there is no object for the verb “took.” The translation presented above supplies the word “men.” However, it is possible that the MT has suffered damage here. The LXX has “and he spoke.” The Syriac and Targum have “and he was divided.” The editor of BHS suggests that perhaps the MT should be emended to “and he arose.”
12 tn Here אַף (’af) has the sense of “in addition.” It is not a common use.
13 tn Heb “will you bore out the eyes of these men?” The question is “Will you continue to mislead them?” (or “hoodwink” them). In Deut 16:19 it is used for taking a bribe; something like that kind of deception is intended here. They are simply stating that Moses is a deceiver who is misleading the people with false promises.
14 tn The word רָשָׁע (rasha’) has the sense of a guilty criminal. The word “wicked” sometimes gives the wrong connotation. These men were opposing the
15 tn The preposition bet (בְּ) in this line is causal – “on account of their sins.”
16 sn The impression is that the people did not hear what the
17 tn The imperfect tense here can be given the nuance of permission.
18 tn The Hebrew word order is a little more emphatic than this: “but only the word which I speak to you, it you shall speak.”
19 tn The verb is the Hiphil, “you shall cause to be taken up.” The perfect with vav (ו) continues the sequence of the instructions. This raised offering was to be a tax of one-fifth of one percent for the
20 tn The clause is difficult; it means essentially that “they have not made full [their coming] after” the
21 tn The sentence begins with “if they see….” This is the normal way for Hebrew to express a negative oath – “they will by no means see….” The sentence is elliptical; it is saying something like “[May God do so to me] if they see,” meaning they won’t see. Of course here God is taking the oath, which is an anthropomorphic act. He does not need to take an oath, and certainly could not swear by anyone greater, but it communicates to people his resolve.
22 tc The LXX adds “those knowing bad and good.”
23 tn The words “to give” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
