Numbers 27:21

27:21 And he will stand before Eleazar the priest, who ¹  will seek counsel ²  for him before the Lord by the decision of the Urim. ³  At his command ⁴  they will go out, and at his command they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him, the whole community.”

Numbers 27:1

Special Inheritance Laws

27:1 ⁵ Then the daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh of the families of Manasseh, ⁶  the son Joseph came forward. Now these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Numbers 30:8

30:8 But if when her husband hears it he overrules her, then he will nullify ⁷  the vow she has taken, ⁸  and whatever she uttered impulsively which she has pledged for herself. And the Lord will release her from it.

Psalms 28:2

28:2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,

when I lift my hands ⁹  toward your holy temple! ¹⁰ 

Psalms 28:1

Psalm 28 ¹¹ 

By David.

28:1 To you, O Lord, I cry out!

My protector, ¹²  do not ignore me! ¹³ 

If you do not respond to me, ¹⁴ 

I will join ¹⁵  those who are descending into the grave. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 4:1

Psalm 4 ¹⁷ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of David.

4:1 When I call out, answer me,

O God who vindicates me! ¹⁸ 

Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place. ¹⁹ 

Have mercy on me ²⁰  and respond to ²¹  my prayer!

¹ tn The passage simply has “and he will ask,” but Eleazar is clearly the subject now.

² tn Heb “ask.”

³ sn The new leader would not have the privilege that Moses had in speaking to God face to face. Rather, he would have to inquire of the Lord through the priest, and the priest would seek a decision by means of the Urim. The Urim and the Thummim were the sacred lots that the priest had in his pouch, the “breastplate” as it has traditionally been called. Since the Law had now been fully established, there would be fewer cases that the leader would need further rulings. Now it would simply be seeking the Lord’s word for matters such as whether to advance or not. The size, shape or substance of these objects is uncertain. See further C. Van Dam, The Urim and Thummim.

⁴ tn Heb “mouth,” meaning what he will say.

⁵ sn For additional information on this section, see N. H. Snaith, “The Daughters of Zelophehad,” VT 16 (1966): 124-27; and J. Weingreen, “The Case of the Daughters of Zelophehad,” VT 16 (1966): 518-22.

⁶ tc The phrase “of the families of Manasseh” is absent from the Latin Vulgate.

⁷ tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive from the verb פָּרַר (parar, “to annul”). The verb functions here as the equivalent of an imperfect tense; here it is the apodosis following the conditional clause – if this is the case, then this is what will happen.

⁸ tn Heb “which [she is] under it.”

⁹ sn I lift my hands. Lifting one’s hands toward God was a gesture of prayer.

¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term דְּבִיר (dÿvir, “temple”) actually refers to the most holy place within the sanctuary.

¹¹ sn Psalm 28. The author looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.

¹² tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.

¹³ tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.

¹⁷ sn Psalm 4. The psalmist asks God to hear his prayer, expresses his confidence that the Lord will intervene, and urges his enemies to change their ways and place their trust in God. He concludes with another prayer for divine intervention and again affirms his absolute confidence in God’s protection.

¹⁸ tn Heb “God of my righteousness.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “in distress (or “a narrow place”) you make (a place) large for me.” The function of the Hebrew perfect verbal form here is uncertain. The translation above assumes that the psalmist is expressing his certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer, he can describe God’s deliverance as if it had already happened. Such confidence is consistent with the mood of the psalm (vv. 3, 8). Another option is to take the perfects as precative, expressing a wish or request (“lead me”). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.

²⁰ tn Or “show me favor.”

²¹ tn Heb “hear.”