Bilangan 1:3

1:3 You and Aaron are to number ¹  all in Israel who can serve in the army, ²  those who are ³  twenty years old or older, ⁴  by their divisions. ⁵ 

Bilangan 1:22

1:22 From the descendants of Simeon: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males numbered of them ⁶  twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually.

Bilangan 1:24

1:24 ⁷ From the descendants of Gad: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:26

1:26 From the descendants of Judah: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:28

1:28 From the descendants of Issachar: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:30

1:30 From the descendants of Zebulun: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:32

1:32 From the sons of Joseph:

From the descendants of Ephraim: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:34

1:34 From the descendants of Manasseh: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:36

1:36 From the descendants of Benjamin: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:38

1:38 From the descendants of Dan: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:40

1:40 From the descendants of Asher: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:42

1:42 From ⁸  the descendants of Naphtali: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name.

Bilangan 1:47

The Exemption of the Levites

1:47 But ⁹  the Levites, according to the tribe of their fathers, ¹⁰  were not numbered ¹¹  among them.

Bilangan 2:9

2:9 All those numbered of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, are 186,400. They will travel ¹²  at the front.

Bilangan 3:8

3:8 And they are responsible for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and for the needs of the Israelites, as they serve ¹³  in the tabernacle.

Bilangan 3:35

3:35 Now the leader of the clan of the families of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

Bilangan 4:15

4:15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished ¹⁴  covering ¹⁵  the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to journey, then ¹⁶  the Kohathites will come to carry them; ¹⁷  but they must not touch ¹⁸  any ¹⁹  holy thing, or they will die. ²⁰  These are the responsibilities ²¹  of the Kohathites with the tent of meeting.

Bilangan 4:35

4:35 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting;

Bilangan 4:37

4:37 These were those numbered from the families of the Kohathites, everyone who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the authority of Moses.

Bilangan 4:39

4:39 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting –

Bilangan 4:41

4:41 These were those numbered from the families of the Gershonites, everyone who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord.

Bilangan 4:43

4:43 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting –

Bilangan 4:46

4:46 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered by their families and by their clans,

Bilangan 5:28

5:28 But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she will be free of ill effects ²²  and will be able to bear children.

Bilangan 5:31

5:31 Then the man will be free from iniquity, but that woman will bear the consequences ²³  of her iniquity.’” ²⁴ 

Bilangan 8:15

8:15 “After this, the Levites will go in ²⁵  to do the work ²⁶  of the tent of meeting. So you must cleanse them ²⁷  and offer them like a wave offering. ²⁸ 

Bilangan 8:25

8:25 and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work.

Bilangan 10:14

10:14 The standard ²⁹  of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.

Bilangan 10:21

10:21 And the Kohathites set out, carrying the articles for the sanctuary; ³⁰  the tabernacle was to be set up ³¹  before they arrived. ³² 

Bilangan 12:12

12:12 Do not let her be like a baby born dead, whose flesh is half-consumed when it comes out of its ³³  mother’s womb!”

Bilangan 14:27

14:27 “How long must I bear ³⁴  with this evil congregation ³⁵  that murmurs against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites that they murmured against me.

Bilangan 15:13

15:13 “‘Every native-born person must do these things in this way to present an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Bilangan 15:31

15:31 Because he has despised ³⁶  the word of the Lord and has broken ³⁷  his commandment, that person ³⁸  must be completely cut off. ³⁹  His iniquity will be on him.’” ⁴⁰ 

Bilangan 15:38

15:38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them to make ⁴¹  tassels ⁴²  for themselves on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and put a blue thread ⁴³  on the tassel of the corners.

Bilangan 16:32

16:32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with their households, and all Korah’s men, and all their goods.

Bilangan 16:49

16:49 Now 14,700 people died in the plague, in addition to those who died in the event with Korah.

Bilangan 19:4

19:4 Eleazar the priest is to take ⁴⁴  some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times ⁴⁵  directly in front of the tent of meeting.

Bilangan 20:13

20:13 These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and his holiness was maintained ⁴⁶  among them.

Bilangan 21:17

21:17 Then Israel sang ⁴⁷  this song:

“Spring up, O well, sing to it!

Bilangan 21:27

21:27 That is why those who speak in proverbs ⁴⁸  say,

“Come to Heshbon, let it be built.

Let the city of Sihon be established! ⁴⁹ 

Bilangan 22:1

Balaam Refuses to Curse Israel

22:1 ⁵⁰ The Israelites traveled on ⁵¹  and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River ⁵²  across from Jericho. ⁵³ 

Bilangan 23:5

23:5 Then the Lord put a message ⁵⁴  in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” ⁵⁵ 

Bilangan 23:16

23:16 Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message ⁵⁶  in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.”

Bilangan 24:21

24:21 Then he looked on the Kenites and uttered this oracle:

“Your dwelling place seems strong,

and your nest ⁵⁷  is set on a rocky cliff.

Bilangan 25:5

25:5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must execute those of his men ⁵⁸  who were joined to Baal-peor.”

Bilangan 26:37

26:37 These were the families of the Ephraimites, according to those numbered of them, 32,500. ⁵⁹  These were the descendants of Joseph by their families.

Bilangan 27:17

27:17 who will go out before them, and who will come in before them, ⁶⁰  and who will lead them out, and who will bring them in, so that ⁶¹  the community of the Lord may not be like sheep that have no shepherd.”

Bilangan 28:18

28:18 And on the first day there is to be a holy assembly; you must do no ordinary work ⁶²  on it.

Bilangan 31:22

31:22 ‘Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Bilangan 32:7

32:7 Why do you frustrate the intent ⁶³  of the Israelites to cross over into the land which the Lord has given them?

Bilangan 32:30

32:30 But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must receive possessions among you in Canaan.”

Bilangan 33:1

Wanderings from Egypt to Sinai

33:1 ⁶⁴ These are the journeys of the Israelites, who went out of the land of Egypt by their divisions under the authority ⁶⁵  of Moses and Aaron.

Bilangan 33:40-41

33:40 The king of Arad, the Canaanite king who lived in the south of the land of Canaan, heard about the approach of the Israelites.

33:41 They traveled from Mount Hor and camped in Zalmonah.

Bilangan 34:2

34:2 “Give these instructions ⁶⁶  to the Israelites, and tell them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that has been assigned to you as an inheritance, ⁶⁷  the land of Canaan with its borders,

Bilangan 35:24

35:24 then the community must judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these decisions.

Bilangan 36:11

36:11 For the daughters of Zelophehad – Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah – were married to the sons of their uncles. ⁶⁸ 

[1:3]  ¹ tn The verb (פָּקַד, paqad) means “to visit, appoint, muster, number.” The word is a common one in scripture. It has as its basic meaning the idea of “determining the destiny” of someone, by appointing, mustering, or visiting. When God “visits,” it is a divine intervention for either blessing or cursing. Here it is the taking of a census for war (see G. André, Determining the Destiny [ConBOT], 16).

[1:3]  ² tn The construction uses the participle “going out” followed by the noun “army.” It describes everyone “going out in a military group,” meaning serving in the army. It was the duty of every able-bodied Israelite to serve in this “peoples” army. There were probably exemptions for the infirm or the crippled, but every male over twenty was chosen. For a discussion of warfare, see P. C. Craigie, The Problem of War in the Old Testament, and P. D. Miller, “The Divine Council and the Prophetic Call to War,” VT 18 (1968): 100-107.

[1:3]  ³ tn The text simply has “from twenty years old and higher.”

[1:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “and up.”

[1:3]  ⁵ tn The noun (צָבָא, tsava’) means “army” or “military group.” But the word can also be used for nonmilitary divisions of labor (Num 4:3).

[1:22]  ⁶ tc Some witnesses have omitted “those that were numbered of them,” to preserve the literary pattern of the text. The omission is supported by the absence of the expression in the Greek as well as in some MT mss. Most modern commentators follow this.

[1:24]  ⁷ tc The LXX has vv. 24-35 after v. 37.

[1:42]  ⁸ tc The verse does not have the preposition, only “the descendants of Naphtali.”

[1:47]  ⁹ tn The vav (ו) on this word indicates a disjunction with the previous sequence of reports. It may be taken as a contrastive clause, translated “but” or “however.”

[1:47]  ¹⁰ tn The construction is unexpected, for Levites would be from the tribe of Levi. The note seems more likely to express that all these people were organized by tribal lineage, and so too the Levites, according to the tribe of their fathers – individual families of Levites.

[1:47]  ¹¹ tc The form in the text is הָתְפָּקְדוּ (hotpaqÿdu); if this is correct, then it is an isolated instance of the reflexive of the Qal of פָּקַד (paqad). Some, however, explain the form as the Hitpael without the doubling of the middle letter and with a compensatory lengthening of the vowel before it (G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 10).

[2:9]  ¹² tn The verb is נָסָע (nasa’): “to journey, travel, set out,” and here, “to move camp.” Judah will go first, or, literally, at the head of the nation, when they begin to travel.

[3:8]  ¹³ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct (epexegetically) followed by its cognate accusative. It would convey “to serve the service of the tabernacle,” but more simply it may be rendered as “serving.” Their spiritual and practical service is to serve.

[3:8]  sn The Levites had the duty of taking care of all the tabernacle and its furnishings, especially in times when it was to be moved. But they were also appointed to be gate-keepers (2 Kgs 22:4; 1 Chr 9:19) in order to safeguard the purity of the place and the activities that went on there. Their offices seem to have then become hereditary in time (1 Sam 1:3); they even took on more priestly functions, such as pronouncing the benediction (Deut 10:8). See further R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 348-49.

[4:15]  ¹⁴ tn The verb form is the Piel perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the future sequence, but in this verse forms a subordinate clause to the parallel sequential verb to follow.

[4:15]  ¹⁵ tn The Piel infinitive construct with the preposition serves as the direct object of the preceding verbal form, answering the question of what it was that they finished.

[4:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “after this.”

[4:15]  ¹⁷ tn The form is the Qal infinitive construct from נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift, carry”); here it indicates the purpose clause after the verb “come.”

[4:15]  ¹⁸ tn The imperfect tense may be given the nuance of negated instruction (“they are not to”) or negated obligation (“they must not”).

[4:15]  ¹⁹ tn Here the article expresses the generic idea of any holy thing (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §92).

[4:15]  ²⁰ tn The verb is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, following the imperfect tense warning against touching the holy thing. The form shows the consequence of touching the holy thing, and so could be translated “or they will die” or “lest they die.” The first is stronger.

[4:15]  ²¹ tn The word מַשָּׂא (massa’) is normally rendered “burden,” especially in prophetic literature. It indicates the load that one must carry, whether an oracle, or here the physical responsibility.

[5:28]  ²² tn Heb “will be free”; the words “of ill effects” have been supplied as a clarification.

[5:31]  ²³ sn The text does not say what the consequences are. Presumably the punishment would come from God, and not from those administering the test.

[5:31]  ²⁴ tn The word “iniquity” can also mean the guilt for the iniquity as well as the punishment of consequences for the iniquity. These categories of meanings grew up through figurative usage (metonymies). Here the idea is that if she is guilty then she must “bear the consequences.”

[8:15]  ²⁵ tn The imperfect tense could also be given the nuance of the imperfect of permission: “the Levites may go in.”

[8:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to serve.”

[8:15]  ²⁷ tn The two verbs in the rest of this verse are perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutive constructions, making them equal to the imperfect. Some commentators try to get around the difficulty of repetition by making these future perfects, “and you will have cleansed,” as opposed to a summary statement, “for thus you will cleanse….”

[8:15]  ²⁸ tc The Greek text adds “before the Lord.”

[10:14]  ²⁹ sn The “standard” (דֶּגֶל, degel) was apparently some kind of a symbol put up on a pole to signify the tribal hosts. R. de Vaux thought it simply referred to a pole or a mast, but that would not distinguish tribes (Ancient Israel, 226-27).

[10:21]  ³⁰ tn Heb “carrying the sanctuary,” a metonymy of whole for parts, representing all the holy objects that were located in the sanctuary.

[10:21]  ³¹ tn The verb is the third person plural form; without an expressed subject it is treated as a passive.

[10:21]  ³² tn Heb “against their coming.”

[12:12]  ³³ tc The words “its mother” and “its flesh” are among the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” According to this tradition the text originally had here “our mother” and “our flesh,” but the ancient scribes changed these pronouns from the first person to the third person. Apparently they were concerned that the image of Moses’ mother giving birth to a baby with physical defects of the sort described here was somehow inappropriate, given the stature and importance of Moses.

[14:27]  ³⁴ tn The figure is aposiopesis, or sudden silence. The main verb is deleted from the line, “how long…this evil community.” The intensity of the emotion is the reason for the ellipsis.

[14:27]  ³⁵ sn It is worth mentioning in passing that this is one of the Rabbinic proof texts for having at least ten men to form a congregation and have prayer. If God called ten men (the bad spies) a “congregation,” then a congregation must have ten men. But here the word “community/congregation” refers in this context to the people of Israel as a whole, not just to the ten spies.

[15:31]  ³⁶ tn The verb בָּזָה (bazah, “to despise”) means to treat something as worthless, to treat it with contempt, to look down the nose at something as it were.

[15:31]  ³⁷ tn The verb פָּרַר (parar, “to break”) can mean to nullify, break, or violate a covenant.

[15:31]  ³⁸ tn Heb “soul.”

[15:31]  ³⁹ tn The construction uses the Niphal imperfect with the modifying Niphal infinitive absolute. The infinitive makes the sentence more emphatic. If the imperfect tense is taken as an instruction imperfect, then the infinitive makes the instruction more binding. If it is a simple future, then the future is certain. In either case, there is no exclusion from being cut off.

[15:31]  ⁴⁰ sn The point is that the person’s iniquity remains with him – he must pay for his sin. The judgment of God in such a case is both appropriate and unavoidable.

[15:38]  ⁴¹ tn The construction uses the imperative followed by perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutives. The first perfect tense may be translated as the imperative, but the second, being a third common plural form, has to be subordinated as a purpose clause, or as the object of the preceding verb: “speak…and say…that they make.”

[15:38]  ⁴² sn This is a reference to the צִיצִת (tsitsit), the fringes on the borders of the robes. They were meant to hang from the corners of the upper garment (Deut 22:12), which was worn on top of the clothing. The tassel was probably made by twisting the overhanging threads of the garment into a knot that would hang down. This was a reminder of the covenant. The tassels were retained down through history, and today more elaborate prayer shawls with tassels are worn during prayer. For more information, see F. J. Stephens, “The Ancient Significance of Sisith,” JBL 50 (1931): 59-70; and S. Bertman, “Tasselled Garments in the Ancient East Mediterranean,” BA 24 (1961): 119-28.

[15:38]  ⁴³ sn The blue color may represent the heavenly origin of the Law, or perhaps, since it is a royal color, the majesty of the Lord.

[19:4]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it functions here as the equivalent of the imperfect of instruction.

[19:4]  ⁴⁵ sn Seven is a number with religious significance; it is often required in sacrificial ritual for atonement or for purification.

[20:13]  ⁴⁶ tn The form is unusual – it is the Niphal preterite, and not the normal use of the Piel/Pual stem for “sanctify/sanctified.” The basic idea of “he was holy” has to be the main idea, but in this context it refers to the fact that through judging Moses God was making sure people ensured his holiness among them. The word also forms a wordplay on the name Kadesh.

[21:17]  ⁴⁷ tn After the adverb “then” the prefixed conjugation has the preterite force. For the archaic constructions, see D. N. Freedman, “Archaic Forms in Early Hebrew Poetry,” ZAW 72 (1960): 101-7. The poem shows all the marks of being ancient.

[21:27]  ⁴⁸ sn Proverbs of antiquity could include pithy sayings or longer songs, riddles, or poems composed to catch the significance or the irony of an event. This is a brief poem to remember the event, like an Egyptian victory song. It may have originated as an Amorite war taunt song; it was sung to commemorate this victory. It was cited later by Jeremiah (48:45-46). The composer invites his victorious people to rebuild the conquered city as a new capital for Sihon. He then turns to address the other cities which his God(s) has/have given to him. See P. D. Hanson, “The Song of Heshbon and David’s Nir,” HTR 61 (1968): 301.

[21:27]  ⁴⁹ tn Meaning, “rebuilt and restored.”

[22:1]  ⁵⁰ sn The fifth section of the book (22:1-33:56) traces the Israelite activities in Transjordan. It is hard to determine how long they were in Transjordan, but a good amount of time must have elapsed for the number of moves they made and the wars they fought. There is a considerable amount of information available on this section of the book. Some of the most helpful works include: H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS); E. Burrows, The Oracles of Jacob and Balaam; G. W. Coats, “Balaam, Sinner or Saint?” BR 18 (1973): 21-29; P. C. Craigie, “The Conquest and Early Hebrew Poetry,” TynBul 20 (1969): 76-94; I. Parker, “The Way of God and the Way of Balaam,” ExpTim 17 (1905): 45; and J. A. Wharton, “The Command to Bless: An Exposition of Numbers 22:41–23:25,” Int 13 (1959): 37-48. This first part introduces the characters and sets the stage for the oracles. It can be divided into four sections: the invitation declined (vv. 1-14), the second invitation extended (vv. 15-21), God opposes Balaam (vv. 22-35), and Balaam meets Balak (vv. 36-41).

[22:1]  ⁵¹ tn The verse begins with the vav (ו) consecutive.

[22:1]  ⁵² tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:1]  ⁵³ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[23:5]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “word.”

[23:5]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and thus you shall speak.”

[23:16]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “word.”

[24:21]  ⁵⁷ sn A pun is made on the name Kenite by using the word “your nest” (קִנֶּךָ, qinnekha); the location may be the rocky cliffs overlooking Petra.

[25:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “slay – a man his men.” The imperative is plural, and so “man” is to be taken collectively as “each of you men.”

[26:37]  ⁵⁹ sn This is a significant reduction from the first count of 40,500.

[27:17]  ⁶⁰ sn This is probably technical terminology for a military leader (Josh 14:11; 1 Sam 18:13-16; 1 Kgs 3:7; 2 Kgs 11:9). The image of a shepherd can also be military in nature (1 Kgs 22:17).

[27:17]  ⁶¹ tn The Hebrew text has the conjunction with the negated imperfect tense, “and it will not be.” This clause should be subordinated to the preceding to form a result clause, and the imperfect then function as a final imperfect.

[28:18]  ⁶² tn Heb “any work [of] service”; this means any occupational work, that is, the ordinary service.

[32:7]  ⁶³ tn Heb “heart.” So also in v. 9.

[33:1]  ⁶⁴ sn This material can be arranged into four sections: from Egypt to Sinai (vv. 1-15), the wilderness wanderings (vv. 16-36), from Kadesh to Moab (vv. 37-49), and final orders for Canaan (vv. 50-56).

[33:1]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

[34:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “command.”

[34:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance.”

[36:11]  ⁶⁸ tn They married in the family as they were instructed. But the meaning of דּוֹד (dod) is not necessarily restricted to “uncle.”