Bilangan 5:17

5:17 The priest will then take holy water ¹  in a pottery jar, and take some ²  of the dust ³  that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and put it into the water.

Bilangan 23:10

23:10 Who ⁴  can count ⁵  the dust ⁶  of Jacob,

Or number ⁷  the fourth part of Israel?

Let me ⁸  die the death of the upright, ⁹ 

and let the end of my life ¹⁰  be like theirs.” ¹¹ 

[5:17]  ¹ tn This is probably water taken from the large bronze basin in the courtyard. It is water set apart for sacred service. “Clean water” (so NEB) does not capture the sense very well, but it does have the support of the Greek that has “pure running water.” That pure water would no doubt be from the bronze basin anyway.

[5:17]  ² tn Heb “from.” The preposition is used here with a partitive sense.

[5:17]  ³ sn The dust may have come from the sanctuary floor, but it is still dust, and therefore would have all the pollutants in it.

[23:10]  ⁴ tn The question is again rhetorical; it means no one can count them – they are innumerable.

[23:10]  ⁵ tn The perfect tense can also be classified as a potential nuance. It does not occur very often, but does occur several times.

[23:10]  ⁶ sn The reference in the oracle is back to Gen 13:16, which would not be clear to Balaam. But God had described their growth like the dust of the earth. Here it is part of the description of the vast numbers.

[23:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “and as a number, the fourth part of Israel.” The noun in the MT is not in the construct state, and so it should be taken as an adverbial accusative, forming a parallel with the verb “count.” The second object of the verse then follows, “the fourth part of Israel.” Smr and the LXX have “and who has numbered” (וּמִסְפָּר, umispar), making this colon more parallel to the preceding one. The editor of BHS prefers this reading.

[23:10]  ⁸ tn The use of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) for the subject of the verb stresses the personal nature – me.

[23:10]  ⁹ sn Here the seer’s words link with the promise of Gen 12:3, that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed. Since the blessing belongs to them, the upright (and not Balak), Balaam would like his lot to be with them.

[23:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my latter end.”

[23:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his.”