Numbers 12:8

12:8 With him I will speak face to face, ¹  openly, ²  and not in riddles; and he will see the form ³  of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

Numbers 19:2

19:2 “This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded: ‘Instruct ⁴  the Israelites to bring ⁵  you a red ⁶  heifer ⁷  without blemish, which has no defect ⁸  and has never carried a yoke.

Numbers 22:35

22:35 But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you may only speak ⁹  the word that I will speak to you.” ¹⁰  So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

Numbers 36:6

36:6 This is what ¹¹  the Lord has commanded for Zelophehad’s daughters: ‘Let them marry ¹²  whomever they think best, ¹³  only they must marry within the family of their father’s tribe.

¹ tn The emphasis of the line is clear enough – it begins literally “mouth to mouth” I will speak with him. In human communication this would mean equality of rank, but Moses is certainly not equal in rank with the Lord. And yet God is here stating that Moses has an immediacy and directness with communication with God. It goes beyond the idea of friendship, almost to that of a king’s confidant.

² tn The word מַרְאֶה (mar’eh) refers to what is seen, a vision, an appearance. Here it would have the idea of that which is clearly visible, open, obvious.

³ tn The word “form” (תְּמוּנָה, tÿmunah) means “shape, image, form.” The Greek text took it metaphorically and rendered it “the glory of the Lord.” This line expresses even more the uniqueness of Moses. The elders saw God on one special occasion (Exod 24:10), and the people never (Deut 4:12, 15), but Moses has direct and familiar contact with God.

⁴ tn Heb “speak to.”

⁵ tn The line literally reads, “speak to the Israelites that [and] they bring [will bring].” The imperfect [or jussive] is subordinated to the imperative either as a purpose clause, or as the object of the instruction – speak to them that they bring, or tell them to bring.

⁶ tn The color is designated as red, although the actual color would be a tanned red-brown color for the animal (see the usage in Isa 1:18 and Song 5:10). The reddish color suggested the blood of ritual purification; see J. Milgrom, “The Paradox of the Red Cow (Num 19),” VT 31 (1981): 62-72.

⁷ sn Some modern commentators prefer “cow” to “heifer,” thinking that the latter came from the influence of the Greek. Young animals were usually prescribed for the ritual, especially here, and so “heifer” is the better translation. A bull could not be given for this purification ritual because that is what was given for the high priests or the community according to Lev 4.

⁸ tn Heb “wherein there is no defect.”

⁷ tn The imperfect tense here can be given the nuance of permission.

⁸ tn The Hebrew word order is a little more emphatic than this: “but only the word which I speak to you, it you shall speak.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “the word that.”

¹¹ tn The idiom again is “let them be for wives for….”

¹² tn Heb “to the one who is good in their eyes.”