16:44 The Lord spoke to Moses: 16:45 “Get away from this community, so that I can consume them in an instant!” But they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 7 16:46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer, put burning coals from the altar in it, place incense on it, and go quickly into the assembly and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord – the plague has begun!” 16:47 So Aaron did 8 as Moses commanded 9 and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague was just beginning among the people. So he placed incense on the coals and made atonement for the people.
7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. 10 Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, 11 son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. 12 The Lord was furious with the Israelites. 13
24:1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God.
24:16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can 30 worship 31 other gods! 24:17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery 32 in the land of Egypt 33 and performed these awesome miracles 34 before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 35
1 sn It is Moses and Aaron who prostrate themselves; they have the good of the people at heart.
2 tn The expression “the God of the spirits of all humanity [flesh]” is somewhat difficult. The Hebrew text says אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר (’elohey harukhot lÿkhol-basar). This expression occurs in Num 27:16 again. It also occurs in some postbiblical texts, a fact which has prompted some scholars to conclude that it is a late addition. The words clearly show that Moses is interceding for the congregation. The appeal in the verse is that it is better for one man to die for the whole nation than the whole nation for one man (see also John 11:50).
3 tn The verb is the Qal imperfect יֶחֱטָא (yekheta’); it refers to the sinful rebellion of Korah, but Moses is stating something of a principle: “One man sins, and will you be angry….” A past tense translation would assume that this is a preterite use of the imperfect (without vav [ו] consecutive).
4 sn The whole congregation here is trying to project its guilt on Moses and Aaron. It was they and their rebellion that brought about the deaths, not Moses and Aaron. The
5 tn The temporal clause is constructed with the temporal indicator (“and it was”) followed by the Niphal infinitive construct and preposition.
6 tn The verse uses וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and behold”). This is the deictic particle – it is used to point things out, suddenly calling attention to them, as if the reader were there. The people turned to look toward the tent – and there is the cloud!
7 tn Heb “they fell on their faces.”
8 tn Heb “took.”
9 tn Or “had spoken” (NASB); NRSV “had ordered.”
10 tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
11 tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).
12 tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the
13 tn Heb “the anger of the
14 tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”
15 tn Heb “what was set apart [to the
16 tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”
17 tn Heb “you are turning back.”
18 tn Or “he will be angry with.”
19 tn Heb “Is it not [true that] Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
20 tn The second half of the verse reads literally, “and he [was] one man, he did not die for his sin.” There are at least two possible ways to explain this statement: (1) One might interpret the statement to mean that Achan was not the only person who died for his sin. In this case it could be translated, “and he was not the only one to die because of his sin.” (2) Another option, the one reflected in the translation, is to take the words וְהוּא אִישׁ אֶחָד (vÿhu’ ’ish ’ekhad, “and he [was] one man”) as a concessive clause and join it with what precedes. The remaining words (לֹא גָוַע בַּעֲוֹנוֹ, lo’ gava’ ba’avono) must then be taken as a rhetorical question (“Did he not die for his sin?”). Taking the last sentence as interrogative is consistent with the first part of the verse, a rhetorical question introduced with the interrogative particle. The present translation has converted these rhetorical questions into affirmative statements to bring out more clearly the points they are emphasizing. For further discussion, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 240.
21 tn Heb “You have kept all which Moses, the
22 tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”
23 tn Or “to serve.”
24 tn Or “will serve.”
25 tn Heb “your fathers.”
26 tn Or “served.”
27 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.
28 tn Heb “house.”
29 tn Or “will serve.”
30 tn Heb “to.”
31 tn Or “can serve.”
32 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
33 tn Heb “for the
34 tn Or “great signs.”
35 tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.”