Numbers 8:15

8:15 “After this, the Levites will go in ¹  to do the work ²  of the tent of meeting. So you must cleanse them ³  and offer them like a wave offering. ⁴ 

Numbers 35:28

35:28 because the slayer ⁵  should have stayed in his town of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may return to the land of his possessions.

Numbers 4:15

4:15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished ⁶  covering ⁷  the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to journey, then ⁸  the Kohathites will come to carry them; ⁹  but they must not touch ¹⁰  any ¹¹  holy thing, or they will die. ¹²  These are the responsibilities ¹³  of the Kohathites with the tent of meeting.

Numbers 8:22

8:22 After this, the Levites went in to do their work in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons. As the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did.

Numbers 9:17

9:17 Whenever the cloud was taken up ¹⁴  from the tabernacle, then after that the Israelites would begin their journey; and in whatever place ¹⁵  the cloud settled, there the Israelites would make camp.

Numbers 15:39

15:39 You must have this tassel so that you may look at it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and obey them and so that you do not follow ¹⁶  after your own heart and your own eyes that lead you to unfaithfulness. ¹⁷ 

¹ tn The imperfect tense could also be given the nuance of the imperfect of permission: “the Levites may go in.”

² tn Heb “to serve.”

³ tn The two verbs in the rest of this verse are perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutive constructions, making them equal to the imperfect. Some commentators try to get around the difficulty of repetition by making these future perfects, “and you will have cleansed,” as opposed to a summary statement, “for thus you will cleanse….”

⁴ tc The Greek text adds “before the Lord.”

⁵ tn Heb “he.”

⁹ tn 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.

¹⁰ tn 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.

¹¹ tn Heb “after this.”

¹² tn The form is the Qal infinitive construct from נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift, carry”); here it indicates the purpose clause after the verb “come.”

¹³ tn The imperfect tense may be given the nuance of negated instruction (“they are not to”) or negated obligation (“they must not”).

¹⁴ tn Here the article expresses the generic idea of any holy thing (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §92).

¹⁵ tn 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.

¹⁶ tn 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.

¹³ tn The verb in this initial temporal clause is the Niphal infinitive construct.

¹⁴ tn Heb “in the place where it settled there”; the relative clause modifies the noun “place,” and the resumptive adverb completes the related idea – “which it settled there” means “where it settled.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “seek out, look into.”

¹⁸ tn This last clause is a relative clause explaining the influence of the human heart and physical sight. It literally says, “which you go whoring after them.” The verb for “whoring” may be interpreted to mean “act unfaithfully.” So, the idea is these influences lead to unfaithful activity: “after which you act unfaithfully.”