4:27 “All the service of the Gershonites, whether 3 carrying loads 4 or for any of their work, will be at the direction of 5 Aaron and his sons. You will assign them all their tasks 6 as their responsibility.
45:21 So the sons of Israel did as he said. 10 Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, 11 and he gave them provisions for the journey.
1 tn Here again the Hebrew has “at the mouth of,” meaning in accordance with what the
2 tn The total is a rounded off number; it does not duplicate the precise total of 22,300. Some modern scholars try to explain it by positing an error in v. 28, suggesting that “six” should be read as “three” (שֵׁשׁ [shesh] as שָׁלֹשׁ [shalosh]).
3 tn The term “whether” is supplied to introduce the enumerated parts of the explanatory phrase.
4 tn Here again is the use of the noun “burden” in the sense of the loads they were to carry (see the use of carts in Num 7:7).
5 tn The expression is literally “upon/at the mouth of” (עַל־פִּי, ’al-pi); it means that the work of these men would be under the direct orders of Aaron and his sons.
6 tn Or “burden.”
7 tn The verb is the simple perfect tense – “he numbered them.” There is no expressed subject; therefore, the verb can be rendered as a passive.
8 tn Or “his burden.”
9 tn The passive form simply reads “those numbered by him.” Because of the cryptic nature of the word, some suggest reading a preterite, “and they were numbered.” This is supported by the Greek, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate. It would follow in the emendation that the relative pronoun be changed to “just as” (כַּאֲשֶׁר, ka’asher). The MT is impossible the way it stands; it can only be rendered into smooth English by adding something that is missing.
10 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel did so.”
11 tn Heb “according to the mouth of Pharaoh.”
12 tn Heb “the priests, the sons of Levi.”
13 tn Heb “in the name of the
14 tn Heb “by their mouth.”
15 tn Heb “every controversy and every blow.”