Text -- Numbers 10:30-36 (NET)

10:30 But Hobab said to him, “I will not go, but I will go instead to my own land and to my kindred.” 10:31 Moses said, “Do not leave us, because you know places for us to camp in the wilderness, and you could be our guide. 10:32 And if you come with us, it is certain that whatever good things the Lord will favor us with, we will share with you as well.” 10:33 So they traveled from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord was traveling before them during the three days’ journey, to find a resting place for them. 10:34 And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, when they traveled from the camp. 10:35 And when the ark traveled, Moses would say, “Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered, and may those who hate you flee before you!” 10:36 And when it came to rest he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel!”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Num 10:30

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hobab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

NET Notes: Num 10:31

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn The form with אַל־נָא (’al-na’) is a jussive; negated it stresses a more immediate request, as if Hobab is starting to leave, or at least determined to leave.

³ tn In the Hebrew text the expression is more graphic: “you will be for us for eyes.” Hobab was familiar with the entire Sinai region, and he could certainly direct the people where they were to go. The text does not record Hobab’s response. But the fact that Kenites were in Canaan as allies of Judah (Judg 1:16) would indicate that he gave in and came with Moses. The first refusal may simply be the polite Semitic practice of declining first so that the appeal might be made more urgently.

NET Notes: Num 10:32

¹ tn Heb “and it shall be.”

NET Notes: Num 10:33

¹ tn The phrase “a journey of three days” is made up of the adverbial accusative qualified with the genitives.

NET Notes: Num 10:34

¹ tc The scribes sensed that there was a dislocation with vv. 34-36, and so they used the inverted letters nun (נ) as brackets to indicate this.

² tn The adverbial clause of time is composed of the infinitive construct with a temporal preposition and a suffixed subjective genitive.

NET Notes: Num 10:36

¹ sn These two formulaic prayers were offered by Moses at the beginning and at the end of the journeys. They prayed for the Lord to fight ahead of the nation when it was on the move, and to protect them when they camped. The theme of the first is found in Ps 68:1. The prayers reflect the true mentality of holy war, that it was the Lord who fought for Israel and defended her. The prayers have been included in the prayer book for synagogue services.