Numbers 4:15

4:15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished¹ covering² the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to journey, then³ the Kohathites will come to carry them;⁴ but they must not touch⁵ any⁶ holy thing, or they will die.⁷ These are the responsibilities⁸ of the Kohathites with the tent of meeting.

Deuteronomy 31:9

The Deposit of the Covenant Text

31:9 Then Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and to all Israel’s elders.

Joshua 3:6

3:6 Joshua told the priests, “Pick up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

Joshua 3:14-15

3:14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went⁹ ahead of them. 3:15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface¹⁰ of the water – (the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time)¹¹ –

Joshua 4:9

4:9 Joshua also set up twelve stones¹² in the middle of the Jordan in the very place where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood. They remain there to this very day.

Joshua 6:6

6:6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them, “Pick up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.”

Joshua 6:1

6:1 Now Jericho¹³ was shut tightly¹⁴ because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter.¹⁵

Joshua 15:2

15:2 Their southern border started at the southern tip of the Salt Sea,¹⁶

Joshua 15:11-15

15:11 It then extended to the slope of Ekron to the north, went toward Shikkeron, crossed to Mount Baalah, extended to Jabneel, and ended at the sea.

15:12 The western border was the Mediterranean Sea.¹⁷ These were the borders of the tribe of Judah and its clans.¹⁸

15:13 Caleb son of Jephunneh was assigned Kiriath Arba (that is Hebron) within the tribe of Judah, according to the Lord’s instructions to Joshua. (Arba was the father of Anak.)¹⁹ 15:14 Caleb drove out²⁰ from there three Anakites – Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. 15:15 From there he attacked the people of Debir.²¹ (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.)

Joshua 15:2

15:2 Their southern border started at the southern tip of the Salt Sea,²²

Joshua 5:5-8

5:5 Now²³ all the men²⁴ who left were circumcised, but all the sons²⁵ born on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt were uncircumcised. 5:6 Indeed, for forty years the Israelites traveled through the desert until all the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt, the ones who had disobeyed the Lord, died off.²⁶ For the Lord had sworn a solemn oath to them that he would not let them see the land he had sworn on oath to give them,²⁷ a land rich in²⁸ milk and honey. 5:7 He replaced them with their sons,²⁹ whom Joshua circumcised. They were uncircumcised; their fathers had not circumcised them along the way. 5:8 When all the men³⁰ had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they had healed.

¹tn The verb form is the Piel perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the future sequence, but in this verse forms a subordinate clause to the parallel sequential verb to follow.

²tn The Piel infinitive construct with the preposition serves as the direct object of the preceding verbal form, answering the question of what it was that they finished.

³tn Heb “after this.”

⁴tn The form is the Qal infinitive construct from נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift, carry”); here it indicates the purpose clause after the verb “come.”

⁵tn The imperfect tense may be given the nuance of negated instruction (“they are not to”) or negated obligation (“they must not”).

⁶tn Here the article expresses the generic idea of any holy thing (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §92).

⁷tn The verb is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, following the imperfect tense warning against touching the holy thing. The form shows the consequence of touching the holy thing, and so could be translated “or they will die” or “lest they die.” The first is stronger.

⁸tn The word מַשָּׂא (massa’) is normally rendered “burden,” especially in prophetic literature. It indicates the load that one must carry, whether an oracle, or here the physical responsibility.

⁹tn The verb, though not in the Hebrew, is added for clarification.

¹⁰tn Heb “dipped into the edge.”

¹¹tn Heb “and the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest.”

¹²tn Here “also” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear (as indicated by v. 20) that these are not the same stones the men took from the river bed.

¹³map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.

¹⁴tn Heb “was shutting and shut up.” HALOT 2:743 paraphrases, “blocking [any way of access] and blocked [against any who would leave].”

¹⁵tn Heb “there was no one going out and there was no one coming in.”

¹⁶tn Heb “Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the tongue that faces to the south.”

¹⁷tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.

¹⁸tn Heb “this was the border of the sons of Judah round about, by their clans.”

¹⁹tn Heb “To Caleb son of Jephunneh he gave a portion in the midst of the sons of Judah according to the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord to Joshua, Kiriath Arba (the father of Anak), it is Hebron.”

²⁰tn Or “dispossessed.”

²¹tn Heb “he went up against the inhabitants of Debir.”

²²tn Heb “Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the tongue that faces to the south.”

²³tn Or “indeed.”

²⁴tn Heb “people.”

²⁵tn Heb “all the people.”

²⁶tn Heb “all the nation, the men of war who went out from Egypt, who did not listen to the voice of the Lord, came to an end.”

²⁷tn Some Hebrew mss, as well as the Syriac version, support this reading. Most ancient witnesses read “us.”

²⁸tn Heb “flowing with.”

²⁹tn Heb “their sons he raised up in their place.”

³⁰tn Heb “nation.”