9:20 When 2 the cloud remained over the tabernacle a number of days, 3 they remained camped according to the Lord’s commandment, 4 and according to the Lord’s commandment they would journey.
11:21 Moses said, “The people around me 5 are 600,000 on foot; 6 but you say, ‘I will give them meat, 7 that they may eat 8 for a whole month.’
19:14 “‘This is the law: When a man dies 9 in a tent, anyone who comes into the tent and all who are in the tent will be ceremonially unclean seven days.
1 tn This is the same Hebrew expression that was used earlier for the Levites “keeping their charge” or more clearly, “fulfilling their obligations” to take care of the needs of the people and the sanctuary. It is a general expression using שָׁמַר (shamar) followed by its cognate noun מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret).
2 tn The sentence uses וְיֵשׁ (vÿyesh) followed by a noun clause introduced with אֲשֶׁר (’asher) to express an existing situation; it is best translated as an adverbial clause of time: “and it was when the cloud was….”
3 tn The word “number” is in apposition to the word “days” to indicate that their stay was prolonged for quite a few days.
4 tn Heb “mouth of the
3 tn Heb “the people who I am in their midst,” i.e., among whom I am.
4 tn The Hebrew sentence stresses the number. The sentence begins “600,000….”
5 tn The word order places the object first here: “Meat I will give them.” This adds to the contrast between the number and the statement of the
6 tn The verb is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the sequence from the preceding imperfect tense. However, this verb may be subordinated to the preceding to express a purpose clause.
4 tn The word order gives the classification and then the condition: “a man, when he dies….”
5 tn The expression for “in the open field” is literally “upon the face of the field” (עַל־פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה, ’al pÿne hassadeh). This ruling is in contrast now to what was contacted in the tent.
6 tn Heb “a dead body”; but in contrast to the person killed with a sword, this must refer to someone who died of natural causes.
7 sn See Matt 23:27 and Acts 23:3 for application of this by the time of Jesus.
6 tc So many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, Smr, Syriac, and Latin Vulgate. Other witnesses have “from before Hahiroth.”