Bilangan 5:1

Separation of the Unclean

5:1 ¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

Bilangan 5:19

5:19 Then the priest will put the woman under oath and say to the her, “If no other ²  man has had sexual relations with you, and if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. ³ 

Bilangan 6:22

The Priestly Benediction

6:22 ⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses:

Bilangan 8:23

The Work of the Levites

8:23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

Bilangan 15:21

15:21 You must give to the Lord some of the first of your finely ground flour as a raised offering in your future generations.

Bilangan 15:37

Rules for Tassels

15:37 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Bilangan 16:36

The Atonement for the Rebellion

16:36 (17:1) ⁵  The Lord spoke to Moses:

Bilangan 17:1

The Budding of Aaron’s Staff

17:1 ⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses:

Bilangan 20:8

20:8 “Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak ⁷  to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth ⁸  its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink.”

Bilangan 28:30

28:30 as well as one male goat to make an atonement for you.

Bilangan 35:29

35:29 So these things must be a statutory ordinance ⁹  for you throughout your generations, in all the places where you live.

[5:1]  ¹ sn The fifth chapter falls into four main parts: separation of the unclean (vv. 1-4), restitution for sin (vv. 5-10), the jealousy ordeal (vv. 11-28), and the summary (vv. 29-31). There is a good deal of literature on the biblical theme of holiness (for which see the notes on Leviticus primarily). But with regard to this chapter, see (with caution), Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger; J. Neusner, The Idea of Purity in Ancient Judaism; and K. Milgrom, “Two Kinds of h£at£t£a„át,” VT 26 (1976): 333-37.

[5:19]  ² tn The word “other” is implied, since the woman would not be guilty of having sexual relations with her own husband.

[5:19]  ³ sn Although there would be stress involved, a woman who was innocent would have nothing to hide, and would be confident. The wording of the priest’s oath is actually designed to enable the potion to keep her from harm and not produce the physical effects it was designed to do.

[6:22]  ⁴ sn This brief section records the blessing of the priest, especially the high priest after he emerges from the holy of holies to bless the people (see Lev 9:22). The two main elements in the oracle are “grace and peace.” It is probable that the Apostle Paul based his salutations on this oracle. For additional information, see L. J. Liebreich, “The Songs of Ascent and the Priestly Blessing,” JBL 74 (1955): 33-36; P. D. Miller, “The Blessing of God: An Interpretation of Num 6:22-27,” Int 29 (1975): 240-51; and A. Murtonen, “The Use and Meaning of the Words lébarek and bérakah in the Old Testament,” VT 9 (1959): 158-77.

[16:36]  ⁵ sn Beginning with 16:36, the verse numbers through 17:13 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 16:36 ET = 17:1 HT, 16:37 ET = 17:2 HT, 17:1 ET = 17:16 HT, etc., through 17:13 ET = 17:28 HT. With 18:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same. But in the English chap. 17 there are two parts: Aaron’s rod budding (1-9), and the rod preserved as a memorial (10-13). Both sections begin with the same formula.

[17:1]  ⁶ sn Num 17:1 in the English Bible is 17:16 in the Hebrew text (BHS). See also the note on 16:36.

[20:8]  ⁷ tn The verb is the Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive, following the two imperatives in the verse. Here is the focus of the instruction for Moses.

[20:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “give.” The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive, as are the next two in the verse. These are not now equal to the imperatives, but imperfects, showing the results of speaking to the rock: “speak…and it will…and so you will….”

[35:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “a statute of judgment” (so KJV).