Imamat 1:1-17
Konteks1:1 Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him 1 from the Meeting Tent: 2 1:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When 3 someone 4 among you presents an offering 5 to the Lord, 6 you 7 must present your offering from the domesticated animals, either from the herd or from the flock. 8
1:3 “‘If his offering is a burnt offering 9 from the herd he must present it as a flawless male; he must present it at the entrance 10 of the Meeting Tent for its 11 acceptance before the Lord. 1:4 He must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make atonement 12 on his behalf. 1:5 Then the one presenting the offering 13 must slaughter the bull 14 before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must present the blood and splash 15 the blood against the sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 1:6 Next, the one presenting the offering 16 must skin the burnt offering and cut it into parts, 1:7 and the sons of Aaron, the priest, 17 must put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 1:8 Then the sons of Aaron, the priests, must arrange the parts with the head and the suet 18 on the wood that is in the fire on the altar. 19 1:9 Finally, the one presenting the offering 20 must wash its entrails and its legs in water and the priest must offer all of it up in smoke on the altar 21 – it is 22 a burnt offering, a gift 23 of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
1:10 “‘If his offering is from the flock for a burnt offering 24 – from the sheep or the goats – he must present a flawless male, 1:11 and must slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, will splash its blood against the altar’s sides. 1:12 Next, the one presenting the offering 25 must cut it into parts, with its head and its suet, and the priest must arrange them on the wood which is in the fire, on the altar. 1:13 Then the one presenting the offering must wash the entrails and the legs in water, and the priest must present all of it and offer it up in smoke on the altar – it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
1:14 “‘If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering from the birds, 26 he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from the young pigeons. 27 1:15 The priest must present it at the altar, pinch off 28 its head and offer the head 29 up in smoke on the altar, and its blood must be drained out against the side of the altar. 1:16 Then the priest 30 must remove its entrails by cutting off its tail feathers, 31 and throw them 32 to the east side of the altar into the place of fatty ashes, 1:17 and tear it open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. 33 Finally, the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is in the fire – it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
Hakim-hakim 7:1-25
Konteks7:1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men 34 got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. 35 The Midianites 36 were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. 37 Israel might brag, 38 ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 39 7:3 Now, announce to the men, 40 ‘Whoever is shaking with fear 41 may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” 42 Twenty-two thousand men 43 went home; 44 ten thousand remained. 7:4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. 45 Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. 46 When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; 47 when I say, 48 ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” 49 7:5 So he brought the men 50 down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” 51 7:6 Three hundred men lapped; 52 the rest of the men 53 kneeled to drink water. 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army 54 and I will hand Midian over to you. 55 The rest of the men should go home.” 56 7:8 The men 57 who were chosen 58 took supplies 59 and their trumpets. Gideon 60 sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; 61 he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites 62 were camped down below 63 in the valley.
7:9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, 64 “Get up! Attack 65 the camp, for I am handing it over to you. 66 7:10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 7:11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave 67 and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. 68 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. 69 Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. 70 The man 71 said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw 72 a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” 73 7:14 The other man said, 74 “Without a doubt this symbolizes 75 the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.”
7:15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. 76 Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. 77 He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. 78 7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! 79 I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp 80 at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. 81 7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. 82 Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order 83 all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 84 7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords 85 throughout 86 the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went 87 to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. 88
7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. 89 Take control of the fords of the streams 90 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” 91 When all the Ephraimites had assembled, 92 they took control of the fords 93 all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 7:25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. 94 They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb 95 in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites 96 and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River. 97
[1:1] 1 tn Heb “And he (the
[1:1] sn The best explanation for the MT of Lev 1:1 arises from its function as a transition from Exod 40 to Lev 1. The first clause, “And he (the
[1:1] 2 sn The second clause of v. 1, “and the
[1:2] 3 tn “When” here translates the MT’s כִּי (ki, “if, when”), which regularly introduces main clauses in legislative contexts (see, e.g., Lev 2:1, 4; 4:2, etc.) in contrast to אִם (’im, “if”), which usually introduces subordinate sections (see, e.g., Lev 1:3, 10, 14; 2:5, 7, 14; 4:3, 13, etc.; cf. כִּי in Exod 21:2 and 7 as opposed to אִם in vv. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11).
[1:2] sn Lev 1:1-2 serves as a heading for Lev 1-3 (i.e., the basic regulations regarding the presentation of the burnt, grain, and peace offerings) and, at the same time, leads directly into the section on “burnt offerings” in Lev 1:3. In turn, Lev 1:3-17 divides into three subsections, all introduced by אִם “if” (Lev 1:3-9, 10-13, and 14-17, respectively). Similar patterns are discernible throughout Lev 1:2-6:7 [5:26 HT].
[1:2] 4 tn Heb “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ’adam), which in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female, since women could also bring such offerings (see, e.g., Lev 12:6-8; 15:29-30; cf. HALOT 14 s.v. I אָדָם); cf. NIV “any of you.”
[1:2] 5 tn The verb “presents” is cognate to the noun “offering” in v. 2 and throughout the book of Leviticus (both from the root קרב [qrb]). One could translate the verb “offers,” but this becomes awkward and, in fact, inaccurate in some passages. For example, in Lev 9:9 this verb is used for the presenting or giving of the blood to Aaron so that he could offer it to the
[1:2] 6 tn The whole clause reads more literally, “A human being (אָדָם, ’adam), if he brings from among you an offering to the
[1:2] 7 tn The shift to the second person plural verb here corresponds to the previous second person plural pronoun “among you.” It is distinct from the regular pattern of third person singular verbs throughout the rest of Lev 1-3. This too labels Lev 1:1-2 as an introduction to all of Lev 1-3, not just the burnt offering regulations in Lev 1 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:146; cf. note 3 above).
[1:2] 8 tn Heb “from the domesticated animal, from the herd, and from the flock.” It is clear from the subsequent division between animals from the “herd” (בָּקָר, baqar, in Lev 1:3-9) and the “flock” (צֹאן, tso’n; see Lev 1:10-13) that the term for “domesticated animal” (בְּהֵמָה, bÿhemah) is a general term meant to introduce the category of pastoral quadrupeds. The stronger disjunctive accent over בְּהֵמָה in the MT as well as the lack of a vav (ו) between it and בָּקָר also suggest בְּהֵמָה is an overall category that includes both “herd” and “flock” quadrupeds.
[1:2] sn The bird category (Lev 1:14-17) is not included in this introduction because bird offerings were, by and large, concessions to the poor (cf., e.g., Lev 5:7-10; 12:8; 14:21-32) and, therefore, not considered to be one of the primary categories of animal offerings.
[1:3] 9 sn The burnt offering (עֹלָה, ’olah) was basically a “a gift of a soothing aroma to the
[1:3] 10 tn Heb “door” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “doorway” (likewise throughout the book of Leviticus). The translation “door” or “doorway” may suggest a framed door in a casing to the modern reader, but here the term refers to the entrance to a tent.
[1:3] 11 tn The NIV correctly has “it” in the text, referring to the acceptance of the animal (cf., e.g., RSV, NEB, NLT), but “he” in the margin, referring to the acceptance of the offerer (cf. ASV, NASB, JB). The reference to a “flawless male” in the first half of this verse suggests that the issue here is the acceptability of the animal to make atonement on behalf of the offerer (Lev 1:4; cf. NRSV “for acceptance in your behalf”).
[1:4] 12 tn “To make atonement” is the standard translation of the Hebrew term כִּפֶּר, (kipper); cf. however TEV “as a sacrifice to take away his sins” (CEV similar). The English word derives from a combination of “at” plus Middle English “one[ment],” referring primarily to reconciliation or reparation that is made in order to accomplish reconciliation. The primary meaning of the Hebrew verb, however, is “to wipe [something off (or on)]” (see esp. the goal of the sin offering, Lev 4, “to purge” the tabernacle from impurities), but in some cases it refers metaphorically to “wiping away” anything that might stand in the way of good relations by bringing a gift (see, e.g., Gen 32:20 [21 HT], “to appease; to pacify” as an illustration of this). The translation “make atonement” has been retained here because, ultimately, the goal of either purging or appeasing was to maintain a proper relationship between the
[1:5] 13 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The LXX has “they” rather than “he,” suggesting that the priests, not the offerer, were to slaughter the bull (cf. the notes on vv. 6a and 9a).
[1:5] 14 tn Heb “the son of the herd”; cf. KJV “bullock”; NASB, NIV “young bull.”
[1:5] 15 tn “Splash” (cf. NAB) or “dash” (cf. NRSV) is better than “sprinkle,” which is the common English translation of this verb (זָרַק, zaraq; see, e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). “Sprinkle” is not strong enough (contrast נָזָה [nazah], which does indeed mean “to sprinkle” or “to splatter”; cf. Lev 4:6).
[1:6] 16 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The LXX and Smr have “they” rather than “he” in both halves of this verse, suggesting that the priests, not the offerer, were to skin and cut the carcass of the bull into pieces (cf. the notes on vv. 5a and 9a).
[1:7] 17 tc A few medieval Hebrew
[1:8] 18 tc A few Hebrew
[1:8] sn “Suet” is the specific term used for the hard, fatty tissues found around the kidneys of sheep and cattle. A number of modern English versions have simplified this to “fat” (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
[1:8] 19 tn Heb “on the wood, which is on the fire, which is on the altar.” Cf. NIV “on the burning wood”; NLT “on the wood fire.”
[1:9] 20 tn Heb “Finally, he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Once again, the MT assigns the preparation of the offering (here the entrails and legs) to the offerer because it did not bring him into direct contact with the altar, but reserves the actual placing of the sacrifice on the altar for the officiating priest (cf. the notes on vv. 5a and 6a).
[1:9] 21 tn Heb “toward the altar,” but the so-called locative ה (hey) attached to the word for “altar” can indicate the place where something is or happens (GKC 250 §90.d and GKC 373-74 §118.g; cf. also J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:161). This is a standard way of expressing “on/at the altar” with the verb “to offer up in smoke” (Hiphil of קָטַר [qatar]; cf. also Exod 29:13, 18, 25; Lev 1:9, 13, 15, 17; 2:2, etc.).
[1:9] 22 tc A few Hebrew
[1:9] 23 sn The standard English translation of “gift” (אִשֶּׁה, ’isheh) is “an offering [made] by fire” (cf. KJV, ASV). It is based on a supposed etymological relationship to the Hebrew word for “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) and is still maintained in many versions (e.g., NIV, RSV, NRSV, NLT; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 7-8). For various reasons, including the fact that some offerings referred to by this term are not burned on the altar (see, e.g., Lev 24:9), it is probably better to understand the term to mean “gift” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 22) or “food gift” (“food offering” in NEB and TEV; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:161-62). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:540-49 for a complete discussion.
[1:10] 24 tn Heb “And if from the flock is his offering, from the sheep or from the goats, for a burnt offering.” Here “flock” specifies the broad category, with “sheep or goats” giving specific examples.
[1:12] 25 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also in v. 13).
[1:14] 26 tn Heb “from the [category] ‘bird.’”
[1:14] 27 tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT) or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168, with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14).
[1:15] 28 tn The action here seems to involve both a twisting action, breaking the neck of the bird and severing its vertebrae, as well as pinching or nipping the skin to sever the head from the main body. Cf. NASB, NRSV “wring off its head”; NAB “snap its head loose”; NLT “twist off its head.”
[1:15] 29 tn Many English versions have “it” here, referring to the head of the bird, which the priest immediately tossed on the altar fire. However, “it” could be misunderstood to refer to the bird’s body, so “head” is repeated in the present translation for clarity. As the following lines show, certain things needed to be done to the body of the bird before it could be placed on the altar.
[1:16] 30 tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (apparently still the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:16] 31 tn This translation (“remove its entrails by [cutting off] its tail feathers”) is based on the discussion in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:169-71, although he translates, “remove its crissum by its feathers.” Others possibilities include “its crop with its contents” (Tg. Onq., cf. NIV, NRSV; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 23) or “its crop with its feathers” (LXX, NASB, RSV; “crop” refers to the enlarged part of a bird’s gullet that serves a pouch for the preliminary maceration of food).
[1:16] 32 tn The pronoun “them” here is feminine singular in Hebrew and refers collectively to the entrails and tail wing which have been removed.
[1:17] 33 tn Heb “he shall not divide it.” Several Hebrew
[7:1] 34 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him.”
[7:1] 35 sn The name Harod means, ironically, “trembling.”
[7:1] 36 tn Heb “Midian.” The LXX reads “and Amalek” (cf. v. 12; 6:33).
[7:2] 37 tn Heb “the people who are with you are too numerous for me to give Midian into their hand.”
[7:2] 38 tn Heb “might glorify itself against me.”
[7:2] 39 tn Heb “my hand has delivered me.”
[7:3] 40 tn Heb “call into the ears of the people.”
[7:3] 41 tn Heb “afraid and shaking.”
[7:3] 42 tc Many interpreters reject the MT reading “and leave Mount Gilead” for geographical reasons. A possible alternative, involving rather radical emendation of the Hebrew text, would be, “So Gideon tested them” (i.e., thinned the ranks in this manner).
[7:3] 43 tn Heb “people.” The translation uses “men” because warriors are in view, and in ancient Israelite culture these would be only males. (This is also the case in vv. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.)
[7:3] 44 tn Or “turned around, back.”
[7:4] 45 tn Heb “too many people.”
[7:4] 46 tn Heb “test them for you there.”
[7:4] 47 tn Heb “he should go with you.”
[7:4] 48 tn Heb also has “to you.”
[7:4] 49 tn Heb “he should not go.”
[7:5] 51 tn Heb “Everyone who laps with his tongue from the water, as a dog laps, put him by himself, as well as the one who gets down on his knees to drink.”
[7:6] 52 tc The Hebrew text adds, “with their hands to their mouths,” This makes no sense in light of v. 5, which distinguishes between dog-like lappers (who would not use their hands to drink) and those who kneel (who would use their hands). It seems likely that the words “with their hands to their mouths” have been misplaced from v. 6. They fit better at the end of v. 5 or v. 6. Perhaps these words were originally a marginal scribal note which was later accidentally inserted into the text in the wrong place.
[7:7] 54 tn Heb “you.” The Hebrew pronoun is masculine plural, probably referring to the entire army.
[7:7] 55 tn The Hebrew pronoun here is singular.
[7:7] 56 tn Heb “All the people should go, each to his place.”
[7:8] 58 tn The words “who were chosen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[7:8] 59 tn The Hebrew text has “in their hands.”
[7:8] 60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:8] 63 tn The Hebrew text adds “him” (i.e., Gideon).
[7:9] 64 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:9] 65 tn Heb “Go down against.”
[7:9] 66 tn The Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, emphasizing the certainty of the promise.
[7:11] 67 tn Heb “your hands will be strengthened.”
[7:11] 68 tn Heb “to the edge of the ones in battle array who were in the camp.”
[7:12] 69 tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east were falling in the valley like locusts in great number.”
[7:13] 70 tn Heb “And Gideon came, and, look, a man was relating to his friend a dream.”
[7:13] 71 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man mentioned in the previous clause) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:13] 72 tn Heb “Look!” The repetition of this interjection, while emphatic in Hebrew, would be redundant in the English translation.
[7:13] 73 tn Heb “It came to the tent and struck it and it fell. It turned it upside down and the tent fell.”
[7:14] 74 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[7:14] 75 tn Heb “This can be nothing but.”
[7:15] 76 tn Heb “he bowed down” or “worshiped.”
[7:16] 78 tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:16] sn They hid the torches inside the earthenware jars to disguise their approach and to keep the torches from being extinguished by the breeze.
[7:19] 80 tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”
[7:19] 81 tn Heb “that were in their hands.”
[7:20] 82 tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:21] 83 tn Heb “each in his place.”
[7:22] 85 tn Heb “the
[7:22] 86 tc MT has “and throughout the camp,” but the conjunction (“and”) is due to dittography and should be dropped. Compare the ancient versions, which lack the conjunction here.
[7:22] 87 tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[7:24] 89 tn Heb “to meet Midian.”
[7:24] 90 tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”
[7:24] 91 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).
[7:24] 92 tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”
[7:24] 93 tn Heb “they captured the waters.”
[7:25] 94 sn The names Oreb and Zeeb, which mean “Raven” and “Wolf” respectively, are appropriate because the Midianites had been like scavengers and predators to Israel.
[7:25] 95 tn The Hebrew text repeats the verb “executed.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:25] 97 tn Heb “beyond the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in 8:4).