Bilangan 6:9

Contingencies for Defilement

6:9 “‘If anyone dies very suddenly ¹  beside him and he defiles ²  his consecrated head, ³  then he must shave his head on the day of his purification – on the seventh day he must shave it.

Bilangan 19:7

19:7 Then the priest must wash ⁴  his clothes and bathe himself ⁵  in water, and afterward he may come ⁶  into the camp, but the priest will be ceremonially unclean until evening.

Bilangan 19:10

19:10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer must wash his clothes and be ceremonially unclean until evening. This will be a permanent ordinance both for the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them.

[6:9]  ¹ tn The construction uses the imperfect tense followed by the infinitive absolute, יָמוּת מֵת (yamut met). Because the verb is in a conditional clause, the emphasis that is to be given through the infinitive must stress the contingency. The point is “if someone dies – unexpectedly.” The next words underscore the suddenness of this.

[6:9]  ² tn The verb is the Piel perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the idea within the conditional clause.

[6:9]  ³ sn The expression is figurative for the vow that he took; the figure is the metonymy because the reference to the head is a reference to the long hair that symbolizes the oath.

[19:7]  ⁴ tn The sequence continues with the perfect tense and vav (ו) consecutive.

[19:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “his flesh.”

[19:7]  ⁶ tn This is the imperfect of permission.