Exodus 19:1--40:38

Israel at Sinai

19:1 ¹ In the third month after the Israelites went out ²  from the land of Egypt, on the very day, ³  they came to the Desert of Sinai. 19:2 After they journeyed ⁴  from Rephidim, they came to the Desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. ⁵ 

19:3 Moses ⁶  went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people ⁷  of Israel: 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings ⁸  and brought you to myself. ⁹  19:5 And now, if you will diligently listen to me ¹⁰  and keep ¹¹  my covenant, then you will be my ¹²  special possession ¹³  out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, 19:6 and you will be to me ¹⁴  a kingdom of priests ¹⁵  and a holy nation.’ ¹⁶  These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”

19:7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him, 19:8 and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!” ¹⁷  So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.

19:9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come ¹⁸  to you in a dense cloud, ¹⁹  so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.” ²⁰  And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

19:10 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them ²¹  today and tomorrow, and make them wash ²²  their clothes 19:11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 19:12 You must set boundaries ²³  for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed ²⁴  to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death! 19:13 No hand will touch him ²⁵  – but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being; ²⁶  he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they may ²⁷  go up on the mountain.”

19:14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 19:15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.” ²⁸ 

19:16 On ²⁹  the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense ³⁰  cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud ³¹  horn; ³²  all the people who were in the camp trembled. 19:17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace, ³³  and the whole mountain shook ³⁴  violently. 19:19 When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, ³⁵  Moses was speaking ³⁶  and God was answering him with a voice. ³⁷ 

19:20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 19:21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warn ³⁸  the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish. ³⁹  19:22 Let the priests also, who approach the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break through ⁴⁰  against them.”

19:23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us, ⁴¹  ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’” ⁴²  19:24 The Lord said to him, “Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them.” 19:25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. ⁴³ 

The Decalogue

20:1 ⁴⁴ God spoke all these words: ⁴⁵ 

20:2 “I, ⁴⁶  the Lord, am your God, ⁴⁷  who brought you ⁴⁸  from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. ⁴⁹ 

20:3 “You shall have no ⁵⁰  other gods before me. ⁵¹ 

20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image ⁵²  or any likeness ⁵³  of anything ⁵⁴  that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below. ⁵⁵  20:5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, ⁵⁶  for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous ⁵⁷  God, responding to ⁵⁸  the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations ⁵⁹  of those who reject me, ⁶⁰  20:6 and showing covenant faithfulness ⁶¹  to a thousand generations ⁶²  of those who love me and keep my commandments.

20:7 “You shall not take ⁶³  the name of the Lord your God in vain, ⁶⁴  for the Lord will not hold guiltless ⁶⁵  anyone who takes his name in vain.

20:8 “Remember ⁶⁶  the Sabbath ⁶⁷  day to set it apart as holy. ⁶⁸  20:9 For six days ⁶⁹  you may labor ⁷⁰  and do all your work, ⁷¹  20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it ⁷²  you shall not do any work, you, ⁷³  or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. ⁷⁴  20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

20:12 “Honor ⁷⁵  your father and your mother, that you may live a long time ⁷⁶  in the land ⁷⁷  the Lord your God is giving to you.

20:13 “You shall not murder. ⁷⁸ 

20:14 “You shall not commit adultery. ⁷⁹ 

20:15 “You shall not steal. ⁸⁰ 

20:16 “You shall not give ⁸¹  false testimony ⁸²  against your neighbor.

20:17 “You shall not covet ⁸³  your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.” ⁸⁴ 

20:18 All the people were seeing ⁸⁵  the thundering and the lightning, and heard ⁸⁶  the sound of the horn, and saw ⁸⁷  the mountain smoking – and when ⁸⁸  the people saw it they trembled with fear ⁸⁹  and kept their distance. ⁹⁰  20:19 They said to Moses, “You speak ⁹¹  to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.” 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, ⁹²  that the fear of him ⁹³  may be before you so that you do not ⁹⁴  sin.” 20:21 The people kept ⁹⁵  their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness ⁹⁶  where God was. ⁹⁷ 

The Altar

20:22 ⁹⁸ The Lord said ⁹⁹  to Moses: “Thus you will tell the Israelites: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven. 20:23 You must not make gods of silver alongside me, ¹⁰⁰  nor make gods of gold for yourselves. ¹⁰¹ 

20:24 ‘You must make for me an altar made of earth, ¹⁰²  and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, ¹⁰³  your sheep and your cattle. In every place ¹⁰⁴  where I cause my name to be honored ¹⁰⁵  I will come to you and I will bless you. 20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it ¹⁰⁶  of stones shaped with tools, ¹⁰⁷  for if you use your tool on it you have defiled it. ¹⁰⁸  20:26 And you must not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed.’ ¹⁰⁹ 

The Decisions

21:1 ¹¹⁰ “These are the decisions that you will set before them:

Hebrew Servants

21:2 ¹¹¹ “If you buy ¹¹²  a Hebrew servant, ¹¹³  he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he will go out free ¹¹⁴  without paying anything. ¹¹⁵  21:3 If he came ¹¹⁶  in by himself ¹¹⁷  he will go out by himself; if he had ¹¹⁸  a wife when he came in, then his wife will go out with him. 21:4 If his master gave ¹¹⁹  him a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself. 21:5 But if the servant should declare, ¹²⁰  ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out ¹²¹  free,’ 21:6 then his master must bring him to the judges, ¹²²  and he will bring him to the door or the doorposts, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever. ¹²³ 

21:7 “If a man sells his daughter ¹²⁴  as a female servant, ¹²⁵  she will not go out as the male servants do. 21:8 If she does not please ¹²⁶  her master, who has designated her ¹²⁷  for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. ¹²⁸  He has no right ¹²⁹  to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfully ¹³⁰  with her. 21:9 If he designated her for his son, then he will deal with her according to the customary rights ¹³¹  of daughters. 21:10 If he takes another wife, ¹³²  he must not diminish the first one’s food, ¹³³  her clothing, or her marital rights. ¹³⁴  21:11 If he does not provide her with these three things, then she will go out free, without paying money. ¹³⁵ 

Personal Injuries

21:12 ¹³⁶ “Whoever strikes someone ¹³⁷  so that he dies ¹³⁸  must surely be put to death. ¹³⁹  21:13 But if he does not do it with premeditation, ¹⁴⁰  but it happens by accident, ¹⁴¹  then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. 21:14 But if a man willfully attacks his neighbor to kill him cunningly, ¹⁴²  you will take him even from my altar that he may die.

21:15 “Whoever strikes ¹⁴³  his father or his mother must surely be put to death.

21:16 “Whoever kidnaps someone ¹⁴⁴  and sells him, ¹⁴⁵  or is caught still holding him, ¹⁴⁶  must surely be put to death.

21:17 “Whoever treats his father or his mother disgracefully ¹⁴⁷  must surely be put to death.

21:18 “If men fight, and one strikes his neighbor with a stone or with his fist and he does not die, but must remain in bed, ¹⁴⁸  21:19 and then ¹⁴⁹  if he gets up and walks about ¹⁵⁰  outside on his staff, then the one who struck him is innocent, except he must pay ¹⁵¹  for the injured person’s ¹⁵²  loss of time ¹⁵³  and see to it that he is fully healed.

21:20 “If a man strikes his male servant or his female servant with a staff so that he or she ¹⁵⁴  dies as a result of the blow, ¹⁵⁵  he will surely be punished. ¹⁵⁶  21:21 However, if the injured servant ¹⁵⁷  survives one or two days, the owner ¹⁵⁸  will not be punished, for he has suffered the loss. ¹⁵⁹ 

21:22 “If men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, ¹⁶⁰  but there is no serious injury, he will surely be punished in accordance with what the woman’s husband demands of him, and he will pay what the court decides. ¹⁶¹  21:23 But if there is serious injury, then you will give a life for a life, 21:24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 21:25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. ¹⁶² 

21:26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male servant or his female servant so that he destroys it, ¹⁶³  he will let the servant ¹⁶⁴  go free ¹⁶⁵  as compensation for the eye. 21:27 If he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or his female servant, he will let the servant ¹⁶⁶  go free as compensation for the tooth.

Laws about Animals

21:28 ¹⁶⁷ “If an ox ¹⁶⁸  gores a man or a woman so that either dies, ¹⁶⁹  then the ox must surely ¹⁷⁰  be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be acquitted. 21:29 But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned, ¹⁷¹  and he did not take the necessary precautions, ¹⁷²  and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned and the man must be put to death. 21:30 If a ransom is set for him, ¹⁷³  then he must pay the redemption for his life according to whatever amount was set for him. 21:31 If the ox ¹⁷⁴  gores a son or a daughter, the owner ¹⁷⁵  will be dealt with according to this rule. ¹⁷⁶  21:32 If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the owner ¹⁷⁷  must pay thirty shekels of silver, ¹⁷⁸  and the ox must be stoned. ¹⁷⁹ 

21:33 “If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 21:34 the owner of the pit must repay ¹⁸⁰  the loss. He must give money ¹⁸¹  to its owner, and the dead animal ¹⁸²  will become his. 21:35 If the ox of one man injures the ox of his neighbor so that it dies, then they will sell the live ox and divide its proceeds, ¹⁸³  and they will also divide the dead ox. ¹⁸⁴  21:36 Or if it is known that the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner did not take the necessary precautions, he must surely pay ¹⁸⁵  ox for ox, and the dead animal will become his. ¹⁸⁶ 

Laws about Property

22:1 ¹⁸⁷ (21:37) ¹⁸⁸  “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay back ¹⁸⁹  five head of cattle for the ox, and four sheep for the one sheep. ¹⁹⁰ 

22:2 “If a thief is caught ¹⁹¹  breaking in ¹⁹²  and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guilt for him. ¹⁹³  22:3 If the sun has risen on him, then there is blood guilt for him. A thief ¹⁹⁴  must surely make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he will be sold for his theft. 22:4 If the stolen item should in fact be found ¹⁹⁵  alive in his possession, ¹⁹⁶  whether it be an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he must pay back double. ¹⁹⁷ 

22:5 “If a man grazes ¹⁹⁸  his livestock ¹⁹⁹  in a field or a vineyard, and he lets the livestock loose and they graze in the field of another man, he must make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

22:6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads ²⁰⁰  to thorn bushes, ²⁰¹  so that stacked grain or standing grain or the whole field is consumed, the one who started ²⁰²  the fire must surely make restitution.

22:7 “If a man gives his neighbor money or articles ²⁰³  for safekeeping, ²⁰⁴  and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is caught, ²⁰⁵  he must repay double. 22:8 If the thief is not caught, ²⁰⁶  then the owner of the house will be brought before the judges ²⁰⁷  to see ²⁰⁸  whether he has laid ²⁰⁹  his hand on his neighbor’s goods. 22:9 In all cases of illegal possessions, ²¹⁰  whether for an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any kind of lost item, about which someone says ‘This belongs to me,’ ²¹¹  the matter of the two of them will come before the judges, ²¹²  and the one whom ²¹³  the judges declare guilty ²¹⁴  must repay double to his neighbor. 22:10 If a man gives his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep, and it dies or is hurt ²¹⁵  or is carried away ²¹⁶  without anyone seeing it, ²¹⁷  22:11 then there will be an oath to the Lord ²¹⁸  between the two of them, that he has not laid his hand on his neighbor’s goods, and its owner will accept this, and he will not have to pay. 22:12 But if it was stolen ²¹⁹  from him, ²²⁰  he will pay its owner. 22:13 If it is torn in pieces, then he will bring it for evidence, ²²¹  and he will not have to pay for what was torn.

22:14 “If a man borrows an animal ²²²  from his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies when its owner was not with it, the man who borrowed it ²²³  will surely pay. 22:15 If its owner was with it, he will not have to pay; if it was hired, what was paid for the hire covers it. ²²⁴ 

Moral and Ceremonial Laws

22:16 ²²⁵ “If a man seduces a virgin ²²⁶  who is not engaged ²²⁷  and has sexual relations with her, he must surely endow ²²⁸  her to be his wife. 22:17 If her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay money for the bride price of virgins.

22:18 “You must not allow a sorceress to live. ²²⁹ 

22:19 “Whoever has sexual relations ²³⁰  with a beast must surely be put to death.

22:20 “Whoever sacrifices to a god other than the Lord ²³¹  alone must be utterly destroyed. ²³² 

22:21 “You must not wrong ²³³  a foreigner ²³⁴  nor oppress him, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

22:22 “You must not afflict ²³⁵  any widow or orphan. 22:23 If you afflict them ²³⁶  in any way ²³⁷  and they cry to me, I will surely hear ²³⁸  their cry, 22:24 and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless. ²³⁹ 

22:25 “If you lend money to any of ²⁴⁰  my people who are needy among you, do not be like a moneylender ²⁴¹  to him; do not charge ²⁴²  him interest. ²⁴³  22:26 If you do take ²⁴⁴  the garment of your neighbor in pledge, you must return it to him by the time the sun goes down, ²⁴⁵  22:27 for it is his only covering – it is his garment for his body. ²⁴⁶  What else can he sleep in? ²⁴⁷  And ²⁴⁸  when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

22:28 “You must not blaspheme ²⁴⁹  God ²⁵⁰  or curse the ruler of your people.

22:29 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. ²⁵¹  You must give me the firstborn of your sons. 22:30 You must also do this for your oxen and for your sheep; seven days they may remain with their mothers, but give them to me on the eighth day.

22:31 “You will be holy ²⁵²  people to me; you must not eat any meat torn by animals in the field. ²⁵³  You must throw it to the dogs.

Justice

23:1 ²⁵⁴ “You must not give ²⁵⁵  a false report. ²⁵⁶  Do not make common cause ²⁵⁷  with the wicked ²⁵⁸  to be a malicious ²⁵⁹  witness.

23:2 “You must not follow a crowd ²⁶⁰  in doing evil things; ²⁶¹  in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice, ²⁶²  23:3 and you must not show partiality ²⁶³  to a poor man in his lawsuit.

23:4 “If you encounter ²⁶⁴  your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return ²⁶⁵  it to him. 23:5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him, ²⁶⁶  but be sure to help ²⁶⁷  him with it. ²⁶⁸ 

23:6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits. 23:7 Keep your distance ²⁶⁹  from a false charge ²⁷⁰  – do not kill the innocent and the righteous, ²⁷¹  for I will not justify the wicked. ²⁷² 

23:8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see ²⁷³  and subverts the words of the righteous.

23:9 “You must not oppress ²⁷⁴  a foreigner, since you know the life ²⁷⁵  of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Sabbaths and Feasts

23:10 ²⁷⁶ “For six years ²⁷⁷  you are to sow your land and gather in its produce. 23:11 But in the seventh year ²⁷⁸  you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field ²⁷⁹  may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove. 23:12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant’s son and any hired help ²⁸⁰  may refresh themselves. ²⁸¹ 

23:13 “Pay attention to do ²⁸²  everything I have told you, and do not even mention ²⁸³  the names of other gods – do not let them be heard on your lips. ²⁸⁴ 

23:14 “Three times ²⁸⁵  in the year you must make a pilgrim feast ²⁸⁶  to me. 23:15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days ²⁸⁷  you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that time ²⁸⁸  you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before ²⁸⁹  me empty-handed.

23:16 “You are also to observe ²⁹⁰  the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year ²⁹¹  when you have gathered in ²⁹²  your harvest ²⁹³  out of the field. 23:17 At ²⁹⁴  three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord God. ²⁹⁵ 

23:18 “You must not offer ²⁹⁶  the blood of my sacrifice with bread containing yeast; the fat of my festal sacrifice must not remain until morning. ²⁹⁷  23:19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. ²⁹⁸ 

The Angel of the Presence

23:20 ²⁹⁹ “I am going to send ³⁰⁰  an angel ³⁰¹  before you to protect you as you journey ³⁰²  and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. ³⁰³  23:21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name ³⁰⁴  is in him. 23:22 But if you diligently obey him ³⁰⁵  and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23:23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely. ³⁰⁶ 

23:24 “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones ³⁰⁷  to pieces. ³⁰⁸  23:25 You must serve ³⁰⁹  the Lord your God, and he ³¹⁰  will bless your bread and your water, ³¹¹  and I will remove sickness from your midst. 23:26 No woman will miscarry her young ³¹²  or be barren in your land. I will fulfill ³¹³  the number of your days.

23:27 “I will send my terror ³¹⁴  before you, and I will destroy ³¹⁵  all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backs ³¹⁶  to you. 23:28 I will send ³¹⁷  hornets before you that will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you. 23:29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals ³¹⁸  multiply against you. 23:30 Little by little ³¹⁹  I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land. 23:31 I will set ³²⁰  your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River, ³²¹  for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

23:32 “You must make no covenant with them or with their gods. 23:33 They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare ³²²  to you.”

The Lord Ratifies the Covenant

24:1 ³²³ But to Moses the Lord ³²⁴  said, “Come up ³²⁵  to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. ³²⁶  24:2 Moses alone may come ³²⁷  near the Lord, but the others ³²⁸  must not come near, ³²⁹  nor may the people go up with him.”

24:3 Moses came ³³⁰  and told the people all the Lord’s words ³³¹  and all the decisions. All the people answered together, ³³²  “We are willing to do ³³³  all the words that the Lord has said,” 24:4 and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning he built ³³⁴  an altar at the foot ³³⁵  of the mountain and arranged ³³⁶  twelve standing stones ³³⁷  – according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 24:5 He sent young Israelite men, ³³⁸  and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls for peace offerings ³³⁹  to the Lord. 24:6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and half of the blood he splashed on the altar. ³⁴⁰  24:7 He took the Book of the Covenant ³⁴¹  and read it aloud ³⁴²  to the people, and they said, “We are willing to do and obey ³⁴³  all that the Lord has spoken.” 24:8 So Moses took the blood and splashed it on ³⁴⁴  the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant ³⁴⁵  that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

24:9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up, ³⁴⁶  24:10 and they saw ³⁴⁷  the God of Israel. Under his feet ³⁴⁸  there was something like a pavement ³⁴⁹  made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself. ³⁵⁰  24:11 But he did not lay a hand ³⁵¹  on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God, ³⁵²  and they ate and they drank. ³⁵³ 

24:12 ³⁵⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me to the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets ³⁵⁵  with ³⁵⁶  the law and the commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.” ³⁵⁷  24:13 So Moses set out ³⁵⁸  with ³⁵⁹  Joshua his attendant, and Moses went up the mountain of God. 24:14 He told the elders, “Wait for us in this place until we return to you. Here are ³⁶⁰  Aaron and Hur with you. Whoever has any matters of dispute ³⁶¹  can approach ³⁶²  them.”

24:15 Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 24:16 The glory of the Lord resided ³⁶³  on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. ³⁶⁴  On the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud. 24:17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in plain view ³⁶⁵  of the people. 24:18 Moses went into the cloud when he went up ³⁶⁶  the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. ³⁶⁷ 

The Materials for the Sanctuary

25:1 ³⁶⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses: 25:2 “Tell the Israelites to take ³⁶⁹  an offering ³⁷⁰  for me; from every person motivated by a willing ³⁷¹  heart you ³⁷²  are to receive my offering. 25:3 This is the offering you ³⁷³  are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze, 25:4 blue, ³⁷⁴  purple, ³⁷⁵  scarlet, ³⁷⁶  fine linen, ³⁷⁷  goat’s hair, ³⁷⁸  25:5 ram skins dyed red, ³⁷⁹  fine leather, ³⁸⁰  acacia ³⁸¹  wood, 25:6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense, 25:7 onyx stones, and other gems to be set in the ephod and in the breastpiece. 25:8 Let them make ³⁸²  for me a sanctuary, ³⁸³  so that I may live among them. 25:9 According to all that I am showing you ³⁸⁴  – the pattern of the tabernacle ³⁸⁵  and the pattern of all its furnishings – you ³⁸⁶  must make it exactly so. ³⁸⁷ 

The Ark of the Covenant

25:10 ³⁸⁸ “They are to make an ark ³⁸⁹  of acacia wood – its length is to be three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet three inches. ³⁹⁰  25:11 You are to overlay ³⁹¹  it with pure gold – both inside and outside you must overlay it, ³⁹²  and you are to make a surrounding border ³⁹³  of gold over it. 25:12 You are to cast four gold rings for it and put them on its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 25:13 You are to make poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold, 25:14 and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. 25:15 The poles must remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. 25:16 You are to put into the ark the testimony ³⁹⁴  that I will give to you.

25:17 “You are to make an atonement lid ³⁹⁵  of pure gold; ³⁹⁶  its length is to be three feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches. 25:18 You are to make two cherubim ³⁹⁷  of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid. 25:19 Make ³⁹⁸  one cherub on one end ³⁹⁹  and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid ⁴⁰⁰  you are to make the cherubim on the two ends. 25:20 The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing ⁴⁰¹  the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, ⁴⁰²  looking ⁴⁰³  toward the atonement lid. 25:21 You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you. 25:22 I will meet with you there, ⁴⁰⁴  and ⁴⁰⁵  from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites.

The Table for the Bread of the Presence

25:23 ⁴⁰⁶ “You are to make a table of acacia wood; its length is to be three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. 25:24 You are to overlay it with ⁴⁰⁷  pure gold, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for it. 25:25 You are to make a surrounding frame ⁴⁰⁸  for it about three inches broad, and you are to make a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 25:26 You are to make four rings of gold for it and attach ⁴⁰⁹  the rings at the four corners where its four legs are. ⁴¹⁰  25:27 The rings are to be close to the frame to provide places ⁴¹¹  for the poles to carry the table. 25:28 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them. ⁴¹²  25:29 You are to make its plates, ⁴¹³  its ladles, ⁴¹⁴  its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings; ⁴¹⁵  you are to make them of pure gold. 25:30 You are to set the Bread of the Presence ⁴¹⁶  on the table before me continually.

The Lampstand

25:31 ⁴¹⁷ “You are to make a lampstand ⁴¹⁸  of pure gold. The lampstand is to be made of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, ⁴¹⁹  its buds, and its blossoms are to be from the same piece. ⁴²⁰  25:32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand, ⁴²¹  three branches of the lampstand from one side of it and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. ⁴²²  25:33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on the next ⁴²³  branch, and the same ⁴²⁴  for the six branches extending from the lampstand. 25:34 On the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 25:35 with a bud under the first ⁴²⁵  two branches from it, and a bud under the next ⁴²⁶  two branches from it, and a bud under the third ⁴²⁷  two branches from it, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 25:36 Their buds and their branches will be one piece, ⁴²⁸  all of it one hammered piece of pure gold.

25:37 “You are to make its seven lamps, ⁴²⁹  and then set ⁴³⁰  its lamps up on it, so that it will give light ⁴³¹  to the area in front of it. 25:38 Its trimmers and its trays ⁴³²  are to be ⁴³³  of pure gold. 25:39 About seventy-five pounds ⁴³⁴  of pure gold is to be used for it ⁴³⁵  and for all these utensils. 25:40 Now be sure to make ⁴³⁶  them according to the pattern you were shown ⁴³⁷  on the mountain. ⁴³⁸ 

The Tabernacle

26:1 ⁴³⁹ “The tabernacle itself ⁴⁴⁰  you are to make with ⁴⁴¹  ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; ⁴⁴²  you are to make them with ⁴⁴³  cherubim that are the work of an artistic designer. 26:2 The length of each ⁴⁴⁴  curtain is to be forty-two feet, and the width of each curtain is to be six feet ⁴⁴⁵  – the same size for each of the curtains. 26:3 Five curtains are to be joined, ⁴⁴⁶  one to another, ⁴⁴⁷  and the other ⁴⁴⁸  five curtains are to be joined, one to another. 26:4 You are to make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and in the same way you are to make loops ⁴⁴⁹  in the outer edge of the end curtain in the second set. 26:5 You are to make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you are to make fifty loops on the end curtain which is on the second set, so that the loops are opposite one to another. ⁴⁵⁰  26:6 You are to make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle is a unit. ⁴⁵¹ 

26:7 “You are to make curtains of goats’ hair ⁴⁵²  for a tent over the tabernacle; ⁴⁵³  you are to make ⁴⁵⁴  eleven curtains. 26:8 The length of each ⁴⁵⁵  curtain is to be forty-five feet, and the width of each curtain is to be six feet – the same size for the eleven curtains. 26:9 You are to join five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. You are to double over ⁴⁵⁶  the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. 26:10 You are to make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that joins the second set. 26:11 You are to make fifty bronze clasps and put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it is a unit. ⁴⁵⁷  26:12 Now the part that remains of the curtains of the tent – the half curtain that remains will hang over at the back of the tabernacle. ⁴⁵⁸  26:13 The foot and a half ⁴⁵⁹  on the one side and the foot and a half on the other side of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent will hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on one side and the other side, to cover it. ⁴⁶⁰ 

26:14 “You are to make a covering ⁴⁶¹  for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a covering of fine leather. ⁴⁶² 

26:15 “You are to make the frames ⁴⁶³  for the tabernacle out of ⁴⁶⁴  acacia wood as uprights. ⁴⁶⁵  26:16 Each ⁴⁶⁶  frame is to be fifteen feet long, and each frame is to be two feet three inches wide, 26:17 with two projections ⁴⁶⁷  per frame parallel one to another. ⁴⁶⁸  You are to make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 26:18 So you are to make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side, ⁴⁶⁹  26:19 and you are to make forty silver bases to go under the twenty frames – two bases under the first frame for its two projections, and likewise ⁴⁷⁰  two bases under the next frame for its two projections; 26:20 and for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, twenty frames, 26:21 and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first frame, and two bases under the next frame. 26:22 And for the back of the tabernacle on the west ⁴⁷¹  you will make six frames. 26:23 You are to make two frames for the corners ⁴⁷²  of the tabernacle on the back. 26:24 At the two corners ⁴⁷³  they must be doubled at the lower end and finished together at the top in one ring. So it will be for both. 26:25 So there are to be eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases under the first frame, and two bases under the next frame.

26:26 “You are to make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, 26:27 and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames on the back of the tabernacle on the west. 26:28 The middle bar in the center of the frames will reach from end to end. ⁴⁷⁴  26:29 You are to overlay the frames with gold and make their rings of gold to provide places for the bars, and you are to overlay the bars with gold. 26:30 You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan ⁴⁷⁵  that you were shown on the mountain.

26:31 “You are to make a special curtain ⁴⁷⁶  of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made ⁴⁷⁷  with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer. 26:32 You are to hang it ⁴⁷⁸  with gold hooks ⁴⁷⁹  on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold, set in ⁴⁸⁰  four silver bases. 26:33 You are to hang this curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony in there behind the curtain. ⁴⁸¹  The curtain will make a division for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. ⁴⁸²  26:34 You are to put the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. 26:35 You are to put the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table, and you are to place the table on the north side.

26:36 “You are to make a hanging ⁴⁸³  for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. ⁴⁸⁴  26:37 You are to make for the hanging five posts of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and their hooks will be ⁴⁸⁵  gold, and you are to cast five bronze bases for them. ⁴⁸⁶ 

The Altar

27:1 “You are to make the ⁴⁸⁷  altar of acacia wood, seven feet six inches long, ⁴⁸⁸  and seven feet six inches wide; the altar is to be square, ⁴⁸⁹  and its height is to be ⁴⁹⁰  four feet six inches. 27:2 You are to make its four horns ⁴⁹¹  on its four corners; its horns will be part of it, ⁴⁹²  and you are to overlay it with bronze. 27:3 You are to make its pots for the ashes, ⁴⁹³  its shovels, its tossing bowls, ⁴⁹⁴  its meat hooks, and its fire pans – you are to make all ⁴⁹⁵  its utensils of bronze. 27:4 You are to make a grating ⁴⁹⁶  for it, a network of bronze, and you are to make on the network four bronze rings on its four corners. 27:5 You are to put it under the ledge of the altar below, so that the network will come ⁴⁹⁷  halfway up the altar. ⁴⁹⁸  27:6 You are to make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you are to overlay them with bronze. 27:7 The poles are to be put ⁴⁹⁹  into the rings so that the poles will be on two sides of the altar when carrying it. ⁵⁰⁰  27:8 You are to make the altar hollow, out of boards. Just as it was shown you ⁵⁰¹  on the mountain, so they must make it. ⁵⁰² 

The Courtyard

27:9 “You are to make the courtyard ⁵⁰³  of the tabernacle. For the south side ⁵⁰⁴  there are to be hangings ⁵⁰⁵  for the courtyard of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long for one side, ⁵⁰⁶  27:10 with ⁵⁰⁷  twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 27:11 Likewise ⁵⁰⁸  for its length on the north side, there are to be ⁵⁰⁹  hangings for one hundred fifty feet, with twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands ⁵¹⁰  on the posts. 27:12 The width of the court on the west side is to be seventy-five feet with hangings, with their ten posts and their ten bases. 27:13 The width of the court on the east side, toward the sunrise, is to be seventy-five feet. 27:14 The hangings on one side ⁵¹¹  of the gate are to be ⁵¹²  twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 27:15 On the second side ⁵¹³  there are to be ⁵¹⁴  hangings twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 27:16 For the gate of the courtyard there is to be a curtain of thirty feet, of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer, with four posts and their four bases. 27:17 All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands; ⁵¹⁵  their hooks are to be ⁵¹⁶  silver, and their bases bronze. 27:18 The length of the courtyard is to be one hundred fifty feet ⁵¹⁷  and the width seventy-five feet, ⁵¹⁸  and the height of the fine twisted linen hangings ⁵¹⁹  is to be ⁵²⁰  seven and a half feet, with their bronze bases. 27:19 All ⁵²¹  the utensils of the tabernacle used ⁵²²  in all its service, all its tent pegs, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze. ⁵²³ 

Offering the Oil

27:20 “You are to command the Israelites that they bring ⁵²⁴  to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, so that the lamps ⁵²⁵  will burn ⁵²⁶  regularly. ⁵²⁷  27:21 In the tent of meeting ⁵²⁸  outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons are to arrange it from evening ⁵²⁹  to morning before the Lord. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for generations to come. ⁵³⁰ 

The Clothing of the Priests

28:1 ⁵³¹ “And you, bring near ⁵³²  to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites, so that they may minister as my priests ⁵³³  – Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. 28:2 You must make holy garments ⁵³⁴  for your brother Aaron, for glory and for beauty. ⁵³⁵  28:3 You ⁵³⁶  are to speak to all who are specially skilled, ⁵³⁷  whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, ⁵³⁸  so that they may make ⁵³⁹  Aaron’s garments to set him apart ⁵⁴⁰  to minister as my priest. 28:4 Now these are the garments that they are to make: a breastpiece, ⁵⁴¹  an ephod, ⁵⁴²  a robe, a fitted ⁵⁴³  tunic, a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons, that they may minister as my priests. 28:5 The artisans ⁵⁴⁴  are to use ⁵⁴⁵  the gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen.

28:6 “They are to make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen, the work of an artistic designer. 28:7 It is to have two shoulder pieces attached to two of its corners, so it can be joined together. ⁵⁴⁶  28:8 The artistically woven waistband ⁵⁴⁷  of the ephod that is on it is to be like it, of one piece with the ephod, ⁵⁴⁸  of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

28:9 “You are to take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, ⁵⁴⁹  28:10 six ⁵⁵⁰  of their names on one stone, and the six remaining names on the second stone, according to the order of their birth. ⁵⁵¹  28:11 You are to engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel with the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a seal; ⁵⁵²  you are to have them set ⁵⁵³  in gold filigree ⁵⁵⁴  settings. 28:12 You are to put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod, stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron will bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for a memorial. ⁵⁵⁵  28:13 You are to make filigree settings of gold 28:14 and two braided chains of pure gold, like a cord, and attach the chains to the settings.

28:15 “You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, ⁵⁵⁶  the work of an artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 28:16 It is to be square ⁵⁵⁷  when ⁵⁵⁸  doubled, nine inches ⁵⁵⁹  long and nine inches wide. 28:17 You are to set in it a setting for stones, four rows of stones, a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 28:18 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 28:19 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 28:20 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. ⁵⁶⁰  They are to be enclosed in gold in their filigree settings. 28:21 The stones are to be for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to the number of ⁵⁶¹  their names. Each name according to the twelve tribes is to be like ⁵⁶²  the engravings of a seal.

28:22 “You are to make for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 28:23 and you are to make for the breastpiece two gold rings and attach ⁵⁶³  the two rings to the upper ⁵⁶⁴  two ends of the breastpiece. 28:24 You are to attach the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 28:25 the other ⁵⁶⁵  two ends of the two chains you will attach to the two settings and then attach them ⁵⁶⁶  to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 28:26 You are to make two rings of gold and put them on the other ⁵⁶⁷  two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that is on the inner side of the ephod. 28:27 You are to make two more ⁵⁶⁸  gold rings and attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 28:28 They are to tie the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it may be above the waistband of the ephod, and so that the breastpiece will not be loose from the ephod. 28:29 Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of decision over his heart ⁵⁶⁹  when he goes into the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

28:30 “You are to put the Urim and the Thummim ⁵⁷⁰  into the breastpiece of decision; and they are to be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. Aaron is to bear the decisions ⁵⁷¹  of the Israelites over his heart before the Lord continually.

28:31 “You are to make the robe ⁵⁷²  of the ephod completely blue. 28:32 There is to be an opening ⁵⁷³  in its top ⁵⁷⁴  in the center of it, with an edge all around the opening, the work of a weaver, ⁵⁷⁵  like the opening of a collar, ⁵⁷⁶  so that it cannot be torn. ⁵⁷⁷  28:33 You are to make pomegranates ⁵⁷⁸  of blue, purple, and scarlet all around its hem ⁵⁷⁹  and bells of gold between them all around. 28:34 The pattern is to be ⁵⁸⁰  a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe. 28:35 The robe ⁵⁸¹  is to be on Aaron as he ministers, ⁵⁸²  and his sound will be heard ⁵⁸³  when he enters the Holy Place before the Lord and when he leaves, so that he does not die.

28:36 “You are to make a plate ⁵⁸⁴  of pure gold and engrave on it the way a seal is engraved: ⁵⁸⁵  “Holiness to the Lord.” ⁵⁸⁶  28:37 You are to attach to it a blue cord so that it will be ⁵⁸⁷  on the turban; it is to be ⁵⁸⁸  on the front of the turban, 28:38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron will bear the iniquity of the holy things, ⁵⁸⁹  which the Israelites are to sanctify by all their holy gifts; ⁵⁹⁰  it will always be on his forehead, for their acceptance ⁵⁹¹  before the Lord. 28:39 You are to weave ⁵⁹²  the tunic of fine linen and make the turban of fine linen, and make the sash the work of an embroiderer.

28:40 “For Aaron’s sons you are to make tunics, sashes, and headbands ⁵⁹³  for glory and for beauty.

28:41 “You are to clothe them – your brother Aaron and his sons with him – and anoint them ⁵⁹⁴  and ordain them ⁵⁹⁵  and set them apart as holy, ⁵⁹⁶  so that they may minister as my priests. 28:42 Make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked bodies; ⁵⁹⁷  they must cover ⁵⁹⁸  from the waist to the thighs. 28:43 These must be on Aaron and his sons when they enter ⁵⁹⁹  to the tent of meeting, or when they approach ⁶⁰⁰  the altar to minister in the Holy Place, so that they bear no iniquity and die. ⁶⁰¹  It is to be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants ⁶⁰²  after him. ⁶⁰³ 

The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

29:1 ⁶⁰⁴ “Now this is what ⁶⁰⁵  you are to do for them to consecrate them so that they may minister as my priests. Take a young ⁶⁰⁶  bull and two rams without blemish; ⁶⁰⁷  29:2 and ⁶⁰⁸  bread made without yeast, and perforated cakes without yeast mixed with oil, and wafers without yeast spread ⁶⁰⁹  with oil – you are to make them using ⁶¹⁰  fine wheat flour. 29:3 You are to put them in one basket and present ⁶¹¹  them in the basket, along with ⁶¹²  the bull and the two rams.

29:4 “You are to present ⁶¹³  Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the tent of meeting. You are to wash ⁶¹⁴  them with water 29:5 and take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, ⁶¹⁵  the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece; you are to fasten the ephod on him by using the skillfully woven waistband. ⁶¹⁶  29:6 You are to put the turban on his head and put the holy diadem ⁶¹⁷  on the turban. 29:7 You are to take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. ⁶¹⁸  29:8 You are to present his sons and clothe them with tunics 29:9 and wrap the sashes around Aaron and his sons ⁶¹⁹  and put headbands on them, and so the ministry of priesthood will belong to them by a perpetual ordinance. Thus you are to consecrate ⁶²⁰  Aaron and his sons.

29:10 “You are to present the bull at the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to put ⁶²¹  their hands on the head ⁶²²  of the bull. 29:11 You are to kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting 29:12 and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar ⁶²³  with your finger; all the rest of ⁶²⁴  the blood you are to pour out at the base of the altar. 29:13 You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe ⁶²⁵  that is above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them ⁶²⁶  on the altar. 29:14 But the meat of the bull, its skin, and its dung you are to burn up ⁶²⁷  outside the camp. ⁶²⁸  It is the purification offering. ⁶²⁹ 

29:15 “You are to take one ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head, 29:16 and you are to kill the ram and take its blood and splash it all around on the altar. 29:17 Then you are to cut the ram into pieces and wash the entrails and its legs and put them on its pieces and on its head 29:18 and burn ⁶³⁰  the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering ⁶³¹  to the Lord, a soothing aroma; it is an offering made by fire ⁶³²  to the Lord. ⁶³³ 

29:19 “You are to take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on the ram’s head, 29:20 and you are to kill the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron, on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot, ⁶³⁴  and then splash the blood all around on the altar. 29:21 You are to take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it ⁶³⁵  on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on his sons’ garments with him, so that he may be holy, ⁶³⁶  he and his garments along with his sons and his sons’ garments.

29:22 “You are to take from the ram the fat, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe ⁶³⁷  of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and the right thigh – for it is the ram for consecration ⁶³⁸  – 29:23 and one round flat cake of bread, one perforated cake of oiled bread, and one wafer from the basket of bread made without yeast that is before the Lord. 29:24 You are to put all these ⁶³⁹  in Aaron’s hands ⁶⁴⁰  and in his sons’ hands, and you are to wave them as a wave offering ⁶⁴¹  before the Lord. 29:25 Then you are to take them from their hands and burn ⁶⁴²  them ⁶⁴³  on the altar for a burnt offering, for a soothing aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord. 29:26 You are to take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration; you are to wave it as a wave offering before the Lord, and it is to be your share. 29:27 You are to sanctify the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution, ⁶⁴⁴  which were waved and lifted up as a contribution from the ram of consecration, from what belongs to Aaron and to his sons. 29:28 It is to belong to Aaron and to his sons from the Israelites, by a perpetual ordinance, for it is a contribution. It is to be a contribution from the Israelites from their peace offerings, their contribution to the Lord.

29:29 “The holy garments that belong to Aaron are to belong to his sons after him, so that they may be anointed ⁶⁴⁵  in them and consecrated ⁶⁴⁶  in them. 29:30 The priest who succeeds him ⁶⁴⁷  from his sons, when he first comes ⁶⁴⁸  to the tent of meeting to minister in the Holy Place, is to wear them for seven days. ⁶⁴⁹ 

29:31 “You are to take the ram of the consecration and cook ⁶⁵⁰  its meat in a holy place. ⁶⁵¹  29:32 Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that was in the basket at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 29:33 They are to eat those things by which atonement was made ⁶⁵²  to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else ⁶⁵³  may eat them, for they are holy. 29:34 If any of the meat from the consecration offerings ⁶⁵⁴  or any of the bread is left over ⁶⁵⁵  until morning, then you are to burn up ⁶⁵⁶  what is left over. It must not be eaten, ⁶⁵⁷  because it is holy.

29:35 “Thus you are to do for Aaron and for his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you are to consecrate them ⁶⁵⁸  for ⁶⁵⁹  seven days. 29:36 Every day you are to prepare a bull for a purification offering ⁶⁶⁰  for atonement. ⁶⁶¹  You are to purge ⁶⁶²  the altar by making atonement ⁶⁶³  for it, and you are to anoint it to set it apart as holy. 29:37 For seven days ⁶⁶⁴  you are to make atonement for the altar and set it apart as holy. Then the altar will be most holy. ⁶⁶⁵  Anything that touches the altar will be holy. ⁶⁶⁶ 

29:38 “Now this is what you are to prepare ⁶⁶⁷  on the altar every day continually: two lambs a year old. 29:39 The first lamb you are to prepare in the morning, and the second lamb you are to prepare around sundown. ⁶⁶⁸  29:40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah ⁶⁶⁹  of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a hin ⁶⁷⁰  of oil from pressed olives, and a fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 29:41 The second lamb you are to offer around sundown; you are to prepare for it the same meal offering as for the morning and the same drink offering, for a soothing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

29:42 “This will be a regular ⁶⁷¹  burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet ⁶⁷²  with you to speak to you there. 29:43 There I will meet ⁶⁷³  with the Israelites, and it will be set apart as holy by my glory. ⁶⁷⁴ 

29:44 “So I will set apart as holy ⁶⁷⁵  the tent of meeting and the altar, and I will set apart as holy Aaron and his sons, that they may minister as priests to me. 29:45 I will reside ⁶⁷⁶  among the Israelites, and I will be their God, 29:46 and they will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt, so that I may reside among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar of Incense

30:1 ⁶⁷⁷ “You are to make an altar for burning incense; ⁶⁷⁸  you are to make it of ⁶⁷⁹  acacia wood. ⁶⁸⁰  30:2 Its length is to be a foot and a half ⁶⁸¹  and its width a foot and a half; it will be square. Its height is to be three feet, ⁶⁸²  with its horns of one piece with it. ⁶⁸³  30:3 You are to overlay it with pure gold – its top, ⁶⁸⁴  its four walls, ⁶⁸⁵  and its horns – and make a surrounding border of gold for it. ⁶⁸⁶  30:4 You are to make two gold rings for it under its border, on its two flanks; you are to make them on its two sides. ⁶⁸⁷  The rings ⁶⁸⁸  will be places ⁶⁸⁹  for poles to carry it with. 30:5 You are to make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.

30:6 “You are to put it in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the testimony (before the atonement lid that is over the testimony), where I will meet you. 30:7 Aaron is to burn sweet incense ⁶⁹⁰  on it morning by morning; when he attends ⁶⁹¹  to the lamps he is to burn incense. ⁶⁹²  30:8 When Aaron sets up the lamps around sundown he is to burn incense on it; it is to be a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. 30:9 You must not offer strange incense on it, nor burnt offering, nor meal offering, and you must not pour out a drink offering on it. 30:10 Aaron is to make atonement on its horns once in the year with some of the blood of the sin offering for atonement; ⁶⁹³  once in the year ⁶⁹⁴  he is to make atonement on it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.” ⁶⁹⁵ 

The Ransom Money

30:11 ⁶⁹⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁶⁹⁷  30:12 “When you take a census ⁶⁹⁸  of the Israelites according to their number, ⁶⁹⁹  then each man is to pay a ransom ⁷⁰⁰  for his life to the Lord when you number them, ⁷⁰¹  so that there will be no plague among them when you number them. 30:13 Everyone who crosses over to those who are numbered ⁷⁰²  is to pay this: a half shekel ⁷⁰³  according to the shekel of the sanctuary ⁷⁰⁴  (a shekel weighs twenty gerahs). The half shekel is to be an offering ⁷⁰⁵  to the Lord. 30:14 Everyone who crosses over to those numbered, from twenty years old and up, is to pay an offering to the Lord. 30:15 The rich are not to increase it, ⁷⁰⁶  and the poor are not to pay less than the half shekel when giving ⁷⁰⁷  the offering of the Lord, to make atonement ⁷⁰⁸  for your lives. 30:16 You are to receive the atonement money ⁷⁰⁹  from the Israelites and give it for the service ⁷¹⁰  of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial ⁷¹¹  for the Israelites before the Lord, to make atonement ⁷¹²  for your lives.”

The Bronze Laver

30:17 ⁷¹³ The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁷¹⁴  30:18 “You are also to make a large bronze ⁷¹⁵  basin with a bronze stand ⁷¹⁶  for washing. You are to put it between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it, ⁷¹⁷  30:19 and Aaron and his sons must wash their hands and their feet from it. ⁷¹⁸  30:20 When they enter ⁷¹⁹  the tent of meeting, they must wash with ⁷²⁰  water so that they do not die. ⁷²¹  Also, when they approach ⁷²²  the altar to minister by burning incense ⁷²³  as an offering made by fire ⁷²⁴  to the Lord, 30:21 they must wash ⁷²⁵  their hands and their feet so that they do not die. And this ⁷²⁶  will be a perpetual ordinance for them and for their descendants ⁷²⁷  throughout their generations.” ⁷²⁸ 

Oil and Incense

30:22 ⁷²⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁷³⁰  30:23 “Take ⁷³¹  choice spices: ⁷³²  twelve and a half pounds ⁷³³  of free-flowing myrrh, ⁷³⁴  half that – about six and a quarter pounds – of sweet-smelling cinnamon, six and a quarter pounds of sweet-smelling cane, 30:24 and twelve and a half pounds of cassia, all weighed ⁷³⁵  according to the sanctuary shekel, and four quarts ⁷³⁶  of olive oil. 30:25 You are to make this ⁷³⁷  into ⁷³⁸  a sacred anointing oil, a perfumed compound, ⁷³⁹  the work of a perfumer. It will be sacred anointing oil.

30:26 “With it you are to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, 30:27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense, 30:28 the altar for the burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 30:29 So you are to sanctify them, ⁷⁴⁰  and they will be most holy; ⁷⁴¹  anything that touches them will be holy. ⁷⁴² 

30:30 “You are to anoint Aaron and his sons and ⁷⁴³  sanctify them, so that they may minister as my priests. 30:31 And you are to tell the Israelites: ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil throughout your generations. 30:32 It must not be applied ⁷⁴⁴  to people’s bodies, and you must not make any like it with the same recipe. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. 30:33 Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts any of it on someone not a priest ⁷⁴⁵  will be cut off ⁷⁴⁶  from his people.’”

30:34 The Lord said to Moses: “Take ⁷⁴⁷  spices, gum resin, ⁷⁴⁸  onycha, ⁷⁴⁹  galbanum, ⁷⁵⁰  and pure frankincense ⁷⁵¹  of equal amounts ⁷⁵²  30:35 and make it into an incense, ⁷⁵³  a perfume, ⁷⁵⁴  the work of a perfumer. It is to be finely ground, ⁷⁵⁵  and pure and sacred. 30:36 You are to beat some of it very fine and put some of it before the ark of the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it is to be most holy to you. 30:37 And the incense that you are to make, you must not make for yourselves using the same recipe; it is to be most holy to you, belonging to the Lord. 30:38 Whoever makes anything like it, to use as perfume, ⁷⁵⁶  will be cut off from his people.”

Willing Artisans

31:1 ⁷⁵⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁷⁵⁸  31:2 “See, I have chosen ⁷⁵⁹  Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31:3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God ⁷⁶⁰  in skill, ⁷⁶¹  in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds ⁷⁶²  of craftsmanship, 31:4 to make artistic designs ⁷⁶³  for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze, 31:5 and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 31:6 Moreover, ⁷⁶⁴  I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, ⁷⁶⁵  that they may make ⁷⁶⁶  everything I have commanded you: 31:7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishings ⁷⁶⁷  of the tent, 31:8 the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 31:9 the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with its base, 31:10 the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests, 31:11 the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all these things just as I have commanded you.”

Sabbath Observance

31:12 ⁷⁶⁸ The Lord said to Moses, ⁷⁶⁹  31:13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, ⁷⁷⁰  for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. ⁷⁷¹  31:14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it ⁷⁷²  must surely be put to death; indeed, ⁷⁷³  if anyone does ⁷⁷⁴  any ⁷⁷⁵  work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his ⁷⁷⁶  people. 31:15 Six days ⁷⁷⁷  work may be done, ⁷⁷⁸  but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, ⁷⁷⁹  holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. 31:16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 31:17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days ⁷⁸⁰  the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’” ⁷⁸¹ 

31:18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God. ⁷⁸² 

The Sin of the Golden Calf

32:1 ⁷⁸³ When the people saw that Moses delayed ⁷⁸⁴  in coming down ⁷⁸⁵  from the mountain, they ⁷⁸⁶  gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, ⁷⁸⁷  make us gods ⁷⁸⁸  that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, ⁷⁸⁹  the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what ⁷⁹⁰  has become of him!”

32:2 So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ⁷⁹¹  32:3 So all ⁷⁹²  the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. 32:4 He accepted the gold ⁷⁹³  from them, ⁷⁹⁴  fashioned ⁷⁹⁵  it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. ⁷⁹⁶  Then they said, “These are your gods, ⁷⁹⁷  O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

32:5 When ⁷⁹⁸  Aaron saw this, ⁷⁹⁹  he built an altar before it, ⁸⁰⁰  and Aaron made a proclamation ⁸⁰¹  and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast ⁸⁰²  to the Lord.” 32:6 So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, ⁸⁰³  and they rose up to play. ⁸⁰⁴ 

32:7 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go quickly, descend, ⁸⁰⁵  because your ⁸⁰⁶  people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. 32:8 They have quickly turned aside ⁸⁰⁷  from the way that I commanded them – they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”

32:9 Then the Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people. ⁸⁰⁸  Look ⁸⁰⁹  what a stiff-necked people they are! ⁸¹⁰  32:10 So now, leave me alone ⁸¹¹  so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”

32:11 But Moses sought the favor ⁸¹²  of the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 32:12 Why ⁸¹³  should the Egyptians say, ⁸¹⁴  ‘For evil ⁸¹⁵  he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy ⁸¹⁶  them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relent ⁸¹⁷  of this evil against your people. 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, ‘I will multiply your descendants ⁸¹⁸  like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about ⁸¹⁹  I will give to your descendants, ⁸²⁰  and they will inherit it forever.’” 32:14 Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.

32:15 Moses turned and went down from the mountain with ⁸²¹  the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides – they were written on the front and on the back. 32:16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 32:17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, ⁸²²  he said to Moses, “It is the sound of war in the camp!” 32:18 Moses ⁸²³  said, “It is not the sound of those who shout for victory, ⁸²⁴  nor is it the sound of those who cry because they are overcome, ⁸²⁵  but the sound of singing ⁸²⁶  I hear.” ⁸²⁷ 

32:19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. ⁸²⁸  He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain. ⁸²⁹  32:20 He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it ⁸³⁰  to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. ⁸³¹ 

32:21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?” 32:22 Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; ⁸³²  you know these people, that they tend to evil. ⁸³³  32:23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 32:24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it ⁸³⁴  to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.” ⁸³⁵ 

32:25 Moses saw that the people were running wild, ⁸³⁶  for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. ⁸³⁷  32:26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come ⁸³⁸  to me.” ⁸³⁹  All the Levites gathered around him, 32:27 and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Each man fasten ⁸⁴⁰  his sword on his side, and go back and forth ⁸⁴¹  from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” ⁸⁴² 

32:28 The Levites did what Moses ordered, ⁸⁴³  and that day about three thousand men of the people died. ⁸⁴⁴  32:29 Moses said, “You have been consecrated ⁸⁴⁵  today for the Lord, for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today.” ⁸⁴⁶ 

32:30 The next day Moses said to the people, ⁸⁴⁷  “You have committed a very serious sin, ⁸⁴⁸  but now I will go up to the Lord – perhaps I can make atonement ⁸⁴⁹  on behalf of your sin.”

32:31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin, ⁸⁵⁰  and they have made for themselves gods of gold. 32:32 But now, if you will forgive their sin…, ⁸⁵¹  but if not, wipe me out ⁸⁵²  from your book that you have written.” ⁸⁵³  32:33 The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me – that person I will wipe out of my book. 32:34 So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See, ⁸⁵⁴  my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin.” ⁸⁵⁵ 

32:35 And the Lord sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf ⁸⁵⁶  – the one Aaron made. ⁸⁵⁷ 

33:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up ⁸⁵⁸  from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath ⁸⁵⁹  to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ ⁸⁶⁰  33:2 I will send an angel ⁸⁶¹  before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ⁸⁶²  33:3 Go up ⁸⁶³  to a land flowing with milk and honey. But ⁸⁶⁴  I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you ⁸⁶⁵  on the way.”

33:4 When the people heard this troubling word ⁸⁶⁶  they mourned; ⁸⁶⁷  no one put on his ornaments. 33:5 For ⁸⁶⁸  the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment, ⁸⁶⁹  I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments, ⁸⁷⁰  that I may know ⁸⁷¹  what I should do to you.’” ⁸⁷²  33:6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

The Presence of the Lord

33:7 ⁸⁷³ Moses took ⁸⁷⁴  the tent ⁸⁷⁵  and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distance ⁸⁷⁶  from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone ⁸⁷⁷  seeking ⁸⁷⁸  the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.

33:8 And when Moses went out ⁸⁷⁹  to the tent, all the people would get up ⁸⁸⁰  and stand at the entrance to their tents ⁸⁸¹  and watch ⁸⁸²  Moses until he entered the tent. ⁸⁸³  33:9 And ⁸⁸⁴  whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord ⁸⁸⁵  would speak with Moses. ⁸⁸⁶  33:10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship. ⁸⁸⁷  33:11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, ⁸⁸⁸  the way a person speaks ⁸⁸⁹  to a friend. Then Moses ⁸⁹⁰  would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent. ⁸⁹¹ 

33:12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’ ⁸⁹²  but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name, ⁸⁹³  and also you have found favor in my sight.’ 33:13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me ⁸⁹⁴  your way, that I may know you, ⁸⁹⁵  that I may continue to find ⁸⁹⁶  favor in your sight. And see ⁸⁹⁷  that this nation is your people.”

33:14 And the Lord ⁸⁹⁸  said, “My presence ⁸⁹⁹  will go with you, ⁹⁰⁰  and I will give you rest.” ⁹⁰¹ 

33:15 And Moses ⁹⁰²  said to him, “If your presence does not go ⁹⁰³  with us, ⁹⁰⁴  do not take us up from here. ⁹⁰⁵  33:16 For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?” ⁹⁰⁶ 

33:17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know ⁹⁰⁷  you by name.”

33:18 And Moses ⁹⁰⁸  said, “Show me your glory.” ⁹⁰⁹ 

33:19 And the Lord ⁹¹⁰  said, “I will make all my goodness ⁹¹¹  pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name ⁹¹²  before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” ⁹¹³  33:20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can ⁹¹⁴  see me and live.” ⁹¹⁵  33:21 The Lord said, “Here ⁹¹⁶  is a place by me; you will station yourself ⁹¹⁷  on a rock. 33:22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover ⁹¹⁸  you with my hand ⁹¹⁹  while I pass by. ⁹²⁰  33:23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, ⁹²¹  but my face must not be seen.” ⁹²² 

The New Tablets of the Covenant

34:1 ⁹²³ The Lord said to Moses, “Cut out ⁹²⁴  two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write ⁹²⁵  on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. 34:2 Be prepared ⁹²⁶  in the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and station yourself ⁹²⁷  for me there on the top of the mountain. 34:3 No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain.” 34:4 So Moses ⁹²⁸  cut out two tablets of stone like the first; ⁹²⁹  early in the morning he went up ⁹³⁰  to Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.

34:5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the Lord by name. ⁹³¹  34:6 The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: ⁹³²  “The Lord, the Lord, ⁹³³  the compassionate and gracious ⁹³⁴  God, slow to anger, ⁹³⁵  and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, ⁹³⁶  34:7 keeping loyal love for thousands, ⁹³⁷  forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression ⁹³⁸  of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

34:8 Moses quickly bowed ⁹³⁹  to the ground and worshiped 34:9 and said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord ⁹⁴⁰  go among us, for we ⁹⁴¹  are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

34:10 He said, “See, I am going to make ⁹⁴²  a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done ⁹⁴³  in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. ⁹⁴⁴ 

34:11 “Obey ⁹⁴⁵  what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out ⁹⁴⁶  before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 34:12 Be careful not to make ⁹⁴⁷  a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare ⁹⁴⁸  among you. 34:13 Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles. ⁹⁴⁹  34:14 For you must not worship ⁹⁵⁰  any other god, ⁹⁵¹  for the Lord, whose name ⁹⁵²  is Jealous, is a jealous God. 34:15 Be careful ⁹⁵³  not to make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when ⁹⁵⁴  they prostitute themselves ⁹⁵⁵  to their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone invites you, ⁹⁵⁶  you will eat from his sacrifice; 34:16 and you then take ⁹⁵⁷  his daughters for your sons, and when his daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons prostitute themselves to their gods as well. 34:17 You must not make yourselves molten gods.

34:18 “You must keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days ⁹⁵⁸  you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you; do this ⁹⁵⁹  at the appointed time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt.

34:19 “Every firstborn of the womb ⁹⁶⁰  belongs to me, even every firstborn ⁹⁶¹  of your cattle that is a male, ⁹⁶²  whether ox or sheep. 34:20 Now the firstling ⁹⁶³  of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck. ⁹⁶⁴  You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons.

“No one will appear before me empty-handed. ⁹⁶⁵ 

34:21 “On six days ⁹⁶⁶  you may labor, but on the seventh day you must rest; ⁹⁶⁷  even at the time of plowing and of harvest ⁹⁶⁸  you are to rest. ⁹⁶⁹ 

34:22 “You must observe ⁹⁷⁰  the Feast of Weeks – the firstfruits of the harvest of wheat – and the Feast of Ingathering at the end ⁹⁷¹  of the year. 34:23 At three times ⁹⁷²  in the year all your men ⁹⁷³  must appear before the Lord God, ⁹⁷⁴  the God of Israel. 34:24 For I will drive out ⁹⁷⁵  the nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one will covet ⁹⁷⁶  your land when you go up ⁹⁷⁷  to appear before the Lord your God three times ⁹⁷⁸  in the year.

34:25 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning. ⁹⁷⁹ 

34:26 “The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.

You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.” ⁹⁸⁰ 

34:27 The Lord said to Moses, “Write down ⁹⁸¹  these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 34:28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; ⁹⁸²  he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. ⁹⁸³ 

The Radiant Face of Moses

34:29 ⁹⁸⁴ Now when Moses came down ⁹⁸⁵  from Mount Sinai with ⁹⁸⁶  the two tablets of the testimony in his hand ⁹⁸⁷  – when he came down ⁹⁸⁸  from the mountain, Moses ⁹⁸⁹  did not know that the skin of his face shone ⁹⁹⁰  while he talked with him. 34:30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone; ⁹⁹¹  and they were afraid to approach him. 34:31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and Moses spoke to them. 34:32 After this all the Israelites approached, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 34:33 When Moses finished ⁹⁹²  speaking ⁹⁹³  with them, he would ⁹⁹⁴  put a veil on his face. 34:34 But when Moses went in ⁹⁹⁵  before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. ⁹⁹⁶  Then he would come out and tell the Israelites what he had been commanded. ⁹⁹⁷  34:35 When the Israelites would see ⁹⁹⁸  the face of Moses, that ⁹⁹⁹  the skin of Moses’ face shone, Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord. ¹⁰⁰⁰ 

Sabbath Regulations

35:1 Moses assembled the whole community of the Israelites and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. ¹⁰⁰¹  35:2 In six days ¹⁰⁰²  work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a holy day ¹⁰⁰³  for you, a Sabbath of complete rest to the Lord. ¹⁰⁰⁴  Anyone who does work on it will be put to death. 35:3 You must not kindle a fire ¹⁰⁰⁵  in any of your homes ¹⁰⁰⁶  on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁰⁰⁷ 

Willing Workers

35:4 ¹⁰⁰⁸ Moses spoke to the whole community of the Israelites, “This is the word that the Lord has commanded: 35:5 ‘Take ¹⁰⁰⁹  an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who has a willing heart ¹⁰¹⁰  bring ¹⁰¹¹  an offering to the Lord: ¹⁰¹²  gold, silver, bronze, 35:6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, fine linen, goat’s hair, 35:7 ram skins dyed red, fine leather, ¹⁰¹³  acacia wood, 35:8 olive oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 35:9 onyx stones, and other gems ¹⁰¹⁴  for mounting ¹⁰¹⁵  on the ephod and the breastpiece. 35:10 Every skilled person ¹⁰¹⁶  among you is to come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 35:11 the tabernacle with ¹⁰¹⁷  its tent, its covering, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, its posts, and its bases; 35:12 the ark, with its poles, the atonement lid, and the special curtain that conceals it; 35:13 the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the Bread of the Presence; 35:14 the lampstand for ¹⁰¹⁸  the light and its accessories, its lamps, and oil for the light; 35:15 and the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; the hanging for the door at the entrance of the tabernacle; 35:16 the altar for the burnt offering with its bronze grating that is on it, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin and its pedestal; 35:17 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway to the courtyard; 35:18 tent pegs for the tabernacle and tent pegs for the courtyard and their ropes; 35:19 the woven garments for serving in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.”

35:20 So the whole community of the Israelites went out from the presence of Moses. 35:21 Everyone ¹⁰¹⁹  whose heart stirred him to action ¹⁰²⁰  and everyone whose spirit was willing ¹⁰²¹  came and brought the offering for the Lord for the work of the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. ¹⁰²²  35:22 They came, men and women alike, ¹⁰²³  all who had willing hearts. They brought brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments, all kinds of gold jewelry, ¹⁰²⁴  and everyone came who waved ¹⁰²⁵  a wave offering of gold to the Lord.

35:23 Everyone who had ¹⁰²⁶  blue, purple, or ¹⁰²⁷  scarlet yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, ram skins dyed red, or fine leather ¹⁰²⁸  brought them. ¹⁰²⁹  35:24 Everyone making an offering of silver or bronze brought it as ¹⁰³⁰  an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood ¹⁰³¹  for any work of the service brought it. ¹⁰³²  35:25 Every woman who was skilled ¹⁰³³  spun with her hands and brought what she had spun, blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen, 35:26 and all the women whose heart stirred them to action and who were skilled ¹⁰³⁴  spun goats’ hair.

35:27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted ¹⁰³⁵  for the ephod and the breastpiece, 35:28 and spices and olive oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

35:29 The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, every man and woman whose heart was willing to bring materials for all the work that the Lord through ¹⁰³⁶  Moses had commanded them ¹⁰³⁷  to do.

35:30 Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen ¹⁰³⁸  Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 35:31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God – with skill, with understanding, with knowledge, and in all kinds of work, 35:32 to design artistic designs, to work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 35:33 and in cutting stones for their setting, ¹⁰³⁹  and in cutting wood, to do work in every artistic craft. ¹⁰⁴⁰  35:34 And he has put it in his heart ¹⁰⁴¹  to teach, he and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35:35 He has filled them with skill ¹⁰⁴²  to do all kinds of work ¹⁰⁴³  as craftsmen, as designers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and in fine linen, and as weavers. They are ¹⁰⁴⁴  craftsmen in all the work ¹⁰⁴⁵  and artistic designers. ¹⁰⁴⁶  36:1 So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person ¹⁰⁴⁷  in whom the Lord has put skill ¹⁰⁴⁸  and ability ¹⁰⁴⁹  to know how ¹⁰⁵⁰  to do all the work for the service ¹⁰⁵¹  of the sanctuary are to do the work ¹⁰⁵²  according to all that the Lord has commanded.”

36:2 Moses summoned ¹⁰⁵³  Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom ¹⁰⁵⁴  the Lord had put skill – everyone whose heart stirred him ¹⁰⁵⁵  to volunteer ¹⁰⁵⁶  to do the work, 36:3 and they received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to do ¹⁰⁵⁷  the work for the service of the sanctuary, and they still continued to bring him a freewill offering each morning. ¹⁰⁵⁸  36:4 So all the skilled people who were doing all the work on the sanctuary came from the work ¹⁰⁵⁹  they were doing 36:5 and told Moses, “The people are bringing much more than ¹⁰⁶⁰  is needed for the completion ¹⁰⁶¹  of the work which the Lord commanded us to do!” ¹⁰⁶² 

36:6 Moses instructed them to take ¹⁰⁶³  his message ¹⁰⁶⁴  throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman do any more work for the offering for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more. ¹⁰⁶⁵  36:7 Now the materials were more than enough ¹⁰⁶⁶  for them to do all the work. ¹⁰⁶⁷ 

The Building of the Tabernacle

36:8 All the skilled among those who were doing the work made the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet; they were made with cherubim that were the work of an artistic designer. 36:9 The length of one curtain was forty-two feet, and the width of one curtain was six feet – the same size for each of the curtains. 36:10 He joined ¹⁰⁶⁸  five of the curtains to one another, and the other ¹⁰⁶⁹  five curtains he joined to one another. 36:11 He made loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in the first set; he did the same along the edge of the end curtain in the second set. 36:12 He made fifty loops on the first curtain, and he made fifty loops on the end curtain that was in the second set, with the loops opposite one another. 36:13 He made fifty gold clasps and joined the curtains together to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle was a unit. ¹⁰⁷⁰ 

36:14 He made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; he made eleven curtains. ¹⁰⁷¹  36:15 The length of one curtain was forty-five feet, and the width of one curtain was six feet – one size for all eleven curtains. 36:16 He joined five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves. 36:17 He made fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in the first set and fifty loops along the edge of the curtain that joined the second set. 36:18 He made fifty bronze clasps to join the tent together so that it might be a unit. ¹⁰⁷²  36:19 He made a covering for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a covering of fine leather. ¹⁰⁷³ 

36:20 He made the frames ¹⁰⁷⁴  for the tabernacle of acacia wood ¹⁰⁷⁵  as uprights. ¹⁰⁷⁶  36:21 The length of each ¹⁰⁷⁷  frame was fifteen feet, the width of each ¹⁰⁷⁸  frame was two and a quarter feet, 36:22 with ¹⁰⁷⁹  two projections per frame parallel one to another. ¹⁰⁸⁰  He made all the frames of the tabernacle in this way. 36:23 So he made frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side. 36:24 He made forty silver bases under the twenty frames – two bases under the first frame for its two projections, and likewise ¹⁰⁸¹  two bases under the next frame for its two projections, 36:25 and for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty frames 36:26 and their forty silver bases, two bases under the first frame and two bases under the next ¹⁰⁸²  frame. 36:27 And for the back of the tabernacle on the west he made six frames. 36:28 He made two frames for the corners of the tabernacle on the back. 36:29 At the two corners ¹⁰⁸³  they were doubled at the lower end and ¹⁰⁸⁴  finished together at the top in one ring. So he did for both. 36:30 So there were eight frames and their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases under each frame.

36:31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle 36:32 and five bars for the frames on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle for the back side on the west. 36:33 He made the middle bar to reach from end to end in the center of the frames. 36:34 He overlaid the frames with gold and made their rings of gold to provide places ¹⁰⁸⁵  for the bars, and he overlaid the bars with gold.

36:35 He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; he made ¹⁰⁸⁶  it with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer. 36:36 He made for it four posts of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, with gold hooks, ¹⁰⁸⁷  and he cast for them four silver bases.

36:37 He made a hanging for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer, 36:38 and its five posts and their hooks. He overlaid their tops ¹⁰⁸⁸  and their bands with gold, but their five bases were bronze. ¹⁰⁸⁹ 

The Making of the Ark

37:1 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was three feet nine inches, its width two feet three inches, and its height two feet three inches. 37:2 He overlaid it with pure gold, inside and out, and he made a surrounding border ¹⁰⁹⁰  of gold for it. 37:3 He cast four gold rings for it that he put ¹⁰⁹¹  on its four feet, with ¹⁰⁹²  two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. 37:4 He made poles of acacia wood, overlaid them with gold, 37:5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark.

37:6 He made ¹⁰⁹³  an atonement lid of pure gold; its length was three feet nine inches, and its width was two feet three inches. 37:7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid, 37:8 one cherub on one end ¹⁰⁹⁴  and one cherub on the other end. ¹⁰⁹⁵  He made the cherubim from the atonement lid on its two ends. 37:9 The cherubim were spreading their wings ¹⁰⁹⁶  upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings. The cherubim ¹⁰⁹⁷  faced each other, ¹⁰⁹⁸  looking toward the atonement lid. ¹⁰⁹⁹ 

The Making of the Table

37:10 He made the table of acacia wood; its length was three feet, its width one foot six inches, and its height two feet three inches. 37:11 He overlaid it with pure gold, and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. 37:12 He made a surrounding frame for it about three inches wide, and he made a surrounding border of gold for its frame. 37:13 He cast four gold rings for it and attached the rings at the four corners where its four legs were. 37:14 The rings were close to the frame to provide places for the poles to carry the table. 37:15 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold, to carry the table. 37:16 He made the vessels which were on the table out of pure gold, its ¹¹⁰⁰  plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings.

The Making of the Lampstand

37:17 He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered metal; its base and its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its blossoms were from the same piece. ¹¹⁰¹  37:18 Six branches were extending from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from one side of it, and three branches of the lampstand from the other side of it. 37:19 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the first branch, and three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms were on the next ¹¹⁰²  branch, and the same ¹¹⁰³  for the six branches that were extending from the lampstand. 37:20 On the lampstand there were four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms, 37:21 with a bud under the first two branches from it, and a bud under the next two branches from it, and a bud under the third two branches from it; according to the six branches that extended from it. ¹¹⁰⁴  37:22 Their buds and their branches were of one piece; ¹¹⁰⁵  all of it was one hammered piece of pure gold. 37:23 He made its seven lamps, its trimmers, and its trays of pure gold. 37:24 He made the lampstand ¹¹⁰⁶  and all its accessories with seventy-five pounds of pure gold.

The Making of the Altar of Incense

37:25 He made the incense altar of acacia wood. Its length was a foot and a half and its width a foot and a half – a square – and its height was three feet. Its horns were of one piece with it. ¹¹⁰⁷  37:26 He overlaid it with pure gold – its top, ¹¹⁰⁸  its four walls, ¹¹⁰⁹  and its horns – and he made a surrounding border of gold for it. ¹¹¹⁰  37:27 He also made ¹¹¹¹  two gold rings for it under its border, on its two sides, on opposite sides, ¹¹¹²  as places ¹¹¹³  for poles to carry it with. 37:28 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

37:29 He made the sacred anointing oil and the pure fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.

The Making of the Altar for the Burnt Offering

38:1 He made the altar for the burnt offering of acacia wood seven feet six inches long and seven feet six inches wide – it was square – and its height was four feet six inches. 38:2 He made its horns on its four corners; its horns were part of it, ¹¹¹⁴  and he overlaid it with bronze. 38:3 He made all the utensils of the altar – the pots, the shovels, the tossing bowls, the meat hooks, and the fire pans – he made all its utensils of bronze. 38:4 He made a grating for the altar, a network of bronze under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom. 38:5 He cast four rings for the four corners of the bronze grating, to provide places for the poles. 38:6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 38:7 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made the altar ¹¹¹⁵  hollow, out of boards.

38:8 He made the large basin of bronze and its pedestal of bronze from the mirrors of the women who served ¹¹¹⁶  at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

The Construction of the Courtyard

38:9 He made the courtyard. For the south side ¹¹¹⁷  the hangings of the courtyard were of fine twisted linen, one hundred fifty feet long, 38:10 with ¹¹¹⁸  their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:11 For the north side the hangings were ¹¹¹⁹  one hundred fifty feet, with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:12 For the west side there were ¹¹²⁰  hangings seventy-five feet long, with ¹¹²¹  their ten posts and their ten bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver. 38:13 For the east side, toward the sunrise, it was seventy-five feet wide, ¹¹²²  38:14 with hangings on one side ¹¹²³  of the gate that were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases, 38:15 and for the second side of the gate of the courtyard, just like the other, ¹¹²⁴  the hangings were twenty-two and a half feet long, with their three posts and their three bases. 38:16 All the hangings around the courtyard were of fine twisted linen. 38:17 The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks of the posts and their bands were silver, their tops were overlaid with silver, and all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands. ¹¹²⁵  38:18 The curtain ¹¹²⁶  for the gate of the courtyard was of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. It was thirty feet long, and like the hangings in the courtyard, it was seven and a half feet high, 38:19 with four posts and their four bronze bases. Their hooks and their bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. 38:20 All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the courtyard all around were bronze.

The Materials of the Construction

38:21 This is the inventory ¹¹²⁷  of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, which was counted ¹¹²⁸  by the order ¹¹²⁹  of Moses, being the work ¹¹³⁰  of the Levites under the direction ¹¹³¹  of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 38:22 Now Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the Lord had commanded Moses; 38:23 and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an artisan, a designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.

38:24 All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary ¹¹³²  (namely, ¹¹³³  the gold of the wave offering) was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels, ¹¹³⁴  according to the sanctuary shekel.

38:25 The silver of those who were numbered of the community was one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, ¹¹³⁵  according to the sanctuary shekel, 38:26 one beka per person, that is, a half shekel, ¹¹³⁶  according to the sanctuary shekel, for everyone who crossed over to those numbered, from twenty years old or older, ¹¹³⁷  603,550 in all. ¹¹³⁸  38:27 The one hundred talents of silver were used for casting the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the special curtain – one hundred bases for one hundred talents, one talent per base. 38:28 From the remaining 1,775 shekels ¹¹³⁹  he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and made bands for them.

38:29 The bronze of the wave offering was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels. ¹¹⁴⁰  38:30 With it he made the bases for the door of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar, the bronze grating for it, and all the utensils of the altar, 38:31 the bases for the courtyard all around, the bases for the gate of the courtyard, all the tent pegs of the tabernacle, and all the tent pegs of the courtyard all around. ¹¹⁴¹ 

The Making of the Priestly Garments

39:1 From the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for serving in the sanctuary; they made holy garments that were for Aaron, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹¹⁴² 

The Ephod

39:2 He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 39:3 They hammered the gold into thin sheets and cut it into narrow strips to weave ¹¹⁴³  them into the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and into the fine linen, the work of an artistic designer. 39:4 They made shoulder pieces for it, attached to two of its corners, so it could be joined together. 39:5 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it, ¹¹⁴⁴  of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

39:6 They set the onyx stones in gold filigree settings, engraved as with the engravings of a seal ¹¹⁴⁵  with the names of the sons of Israel. ¹¹⁴⁶  39:7 He put ¹¹⁴⁷  them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece of Decision

39:8 He made the breastpiece, the work of an artistic designer, in the same fashion as the ephod, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twisted linen. 39:9 It was square – they made the breastpiece doubled, nine inches long and nine inches wide when doubled. 39:10 They set on it ¹¹⁴⁸  four rows of stones: a row with a ruby, a topaz, and a beryl – the first row; 39:11 and the second row, a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald; 39:12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 39:13 and the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in gold filigree settings. 39:14 The stones were for the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, corresponding to the number of ¹¹⁴⁹  their names. Each name corresponding to one of the twelve tribes was like the engravings of a seal.

39:15 They made for the breastpiece braided chains like cords of pure gold, 39:16 and they made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and they attached the two rings to the upper ¹¹⁵⁰  two ends of the breastpiece. 39:17 They attached the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece; 39:18 the other ¹¹⁵¹  two ends of the two chains they attached to the two settings, and they attached them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. 39:19 They made two rings of gold and put them on the other ¹¹⁵²  two ends of the breastpiece on its edge, which is on the inner side of the ephod. ¹¹⁵³  39:20 They made two more ¹¹⁵⁴  gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod. 39:21 They tied the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod by blue cord, so that it was above the waistband of the ephod, so that the breastpiece would not be loose from the ephod, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Other Garments

39:22 He made the robe of the ephod completely blue, the work of a weaver. 39:23 There was an opening in the center of the robe, like the opening of a collar, with an edge all around the opening so that it could not be torn. 39:24 They made pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and twisted linen ¹¹⁵⁵  around the hem of the robe. 39:25 They made bells of pure gold and attached the bells between the pomegranates around the hem of the robe between the pomegranates. 39:26 There was ¹¹⁵⁶  a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe, to be used in ministering, ¹¹⁵⁷  just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

39:27 They made tunics of fine linen – the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons – 39:28 and the turban of fine linen, the headbands of fine linen, and the undergarments of fine twisted linen. 39:29 The sash was of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, the work of an embroiderer, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:30 They made a plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold and wrote on it an inscription, as on the engravings of a seal, “Holiness to the Lord.” 39:31 They attached to it a blue cord, to attach it to the turban above, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Moses Inspects the Sanctuary

39:32 ¹¹⁵⁸ So all the work of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed, and the Israelites did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses – they did it exactly so. 39:33 They brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings, clasps, frames, bars, posts, and bases; 39:34 and the coverings of ram skins dyed red, the covering of fine leather, ¹¹⁵⁹  and the protecting ¹¹⁶⁰  curtain; 39:35 the ark of the testimony and its poles, and the atonement lid; 39:36 the table, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; 39:37 the pure ¹¹⁶¹  lampstand, its lamps, with the lamps set in order, and all its accessories, and oil for the light; 39:38 and the gold altar, and the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; 39:39 the bronze altar and its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin with its pedestal; 39:40 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway of the courtyard, its ropes and its tent pegs, and all the furnishings ¹¹⁶²  for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting; 39:41 the woven garments for serving ¹¹⁶³  in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.

39:42 The Israelites did all the work according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses. 39:43 Moses inspected ¹¹⁶⁴  all the work – and ¹¹⁶⁵  they had done it just as the Lord had commanded – they had done it exactly – and Moses blessed them. ¹¹⁶⁶ 

Setting Up the Sanctuary

40:1 ¹¹⁶⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹¹⁶⁸  40:2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up ¹¹⁶⁹  the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 40:3 You are to place the ark of the testimony in it and shield the ark with the special curtain. 40:4 You are to bring in the table and set out the things that belong on it; ¹¹⁷⁰  then you are to bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 40:5 You are to put ¹¹⁷¹  the gold altar for incense in front of the ark of the testimony and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 40:6 You are to put the altar for the burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting. 40:7 You are to put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. ¹¹⁷²  40:8 You are to set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the gate of the courtyard. 40:9 And take ¹¹⁷³  the anointing oil, and anoint ¹¹⁷⁴  the tabernacle and all that is in it, and sanctify ¹¹⁷⁵  it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. 40:10 Then you are to anoint the altar for the burnt offering with ¹¹⁷⁶  all its utensils; you are to sanctify the altar, and it will be the most holy altar. 40:11 You must also anoint the large basin and its pedestal, and you are to sanctify it. ¹¹⁷⁷ 

40:12 “You are to bring ¹¹⁷⁸  Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 40:13 Then you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him and sanctify him so that he may minister as my priest. 40:14 You are to bring ¹¹⁷⁹  his sons and clothe them with tunics 40:15 and anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may minister as my priests; their anointing will make them a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.” 40:16 This is what Moses did, according to all the Lord had commanded him – so he did.

40:17 So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month, in the second year. 40:18 When Moses set up the tabernacle and put its bases in place, he set up its frames, attached its bars, and set up its posts. 40:19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 40:20 He took the testimony and put it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark, and then put the atonement lid on the ark. 40:21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung ¹¹⁸⁰  the protecting curtain, ¹¹⁸¹  and shielded the ark of the testimony from view, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:22 And he put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the curtain. 40:23 And he set the bread in order on it ¹¹⁸²  before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:24 And he put the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle. 40:25 Then he set up the lamps before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:26 And he put the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain, 40:27 and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:28 Then he put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 40:29 He also put the altar for the burnt offering by the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the meal offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:30 Then he put the large basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it ¹¹⁸³  for washing. 40:31 Moses and Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and their feet from it. 40:32 Whenever they entered ¹¹⁸⁴  the tent of meeting, and whenever they approached ¹¹⁸⁵  the altar, they would wash, ¹¹⁸⁶  just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

40:33 And he set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and put the curtain at the gate of the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

40:34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 40:35 Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 40:36 But when the cloud was lifted up ¹¹⁸⁷  from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out ¹¹⁸⁸  on all their journeys; 40:37 but if the cloud was not lifted up, then they would not journey further until the day it was lifted up. ¹¹⁸⁹  40:38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, but fire would be ¹¹⁹⁰  on it at night, in plain view ¹¹⁹¹  of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

Numbers 1:1--10:36

Introduction to the Sacrificial Regulations

1:1 Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him ¹¹⁹²  from the Meeting Tent: ¹¹⁹³  1:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When ¹¹⁹⁴  someone ¹¹⁹⁵  among you presents an offering ¹¹⁹⁶  to the Lord, ¹¹⁹⁷  you ¹¹⁹⁸  must present your offering from the domesticated animals, either from the herd or from the flock. ¹¹⁹⁹ 

Burnt Offering Regulations: Animal from the Herd

1:3 “‘If his offering is a burnt offering ¹²⁰⁰  from the herd he must present it as a flawless male; he must present it at the entrance ¹²⁰¹  of the Meeting Tent for its ¹²⁰²  acceptance before the Lord. 1:4 He must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him to make atonement ¹²⁰³  on his behalf. 1:5 Then the one presenting the offering ¹²⁰⁴  must slaughter the bull ¹²⁰⁵  before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must present the blood and splash ¹²⁰⁶  the blood against the sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 1:6 Next, the one presenting the offering ¹²⁰⁷  must skin the burnt offering and cut it into parts, 1:7 and the sons of Aaron, the priest, ¹²⁰⁸  must put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 1:8 Then the sons of Aaron, the priests, must arrange the parts with the head and the suet ¹²⁰⁹  on the wood that is in the fire on the altar. ¹²¹⁰  1:9 Finally, the one presenting the offering ¹²¹¹  must wash its entrails and its legs in water and the priest must offer all of it up in smoke on the altar ¹²¹²  – it is ¹²¹³  a burnt offering, a gift ¹²¹⁴  of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

Animal from the Flock

1:10 “‘If his offering is from the flock for a burnt offering ¹²¹⁵  – from the sheep or the goats – he must present a flawless male, 1:11 and must slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, will splash its blood against the altar’s sides. 1:12 Next, the one presenting the offering ¹²¹⁶  must cut it into parts, with its head and its suet, and the priest must arrange them on the wood which is in the fire, on the altar. 1:13 Then the one presenting the offering must wash the entrails and the legs in water, and the priest must present all of it and offer it up in smoke on the altar – it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

From the Birds

1:14 “‘If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering from the birds, ¹²¹⁷  he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from the young pigeons. ¹²¹⁸  1:15 The priest must present it at the altar, pinch off ¹²¹⁹  its head and offer the head ¹²²⁰  up in smoke on the altar, and its blood must be drained out against the side of the altar. 1:16 Then the priest ¹²²¹  must remove its entrails by cutting off its tail feathers, ¹²²²  and throw them ¹²²³  to the east side of the altar into the place of fatty ashes, 1:17 and tear it open by its wings without dividing it into two parts. ¹²²⁴  Finally, the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is in the fire – it is a burnt offering, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.

Grain Offering Regulations: Offering of Raw Flour

2:1 “‘When a person presents a grain offering ¹²²⁵  to the Lord, his offering must consist of choice wheat flour, ¹²²⁶  and he must pour olive oil on it and put frankincense ¹²²⁷  on it. 2:2 Then he must bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and the priest ¹²²⁸  must scoop out from there a handful of its choice wheat flour and some of its olive oil in addition to all of its frankincense, and the priest must offer its memorial portion ¹²²⁹  up in smoke on the altar – it is ¹²³⁰  a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 2:3 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons ¹²³¹  – it is ¹²³²  most holy ¹²³³  from the gifts of the Lord.

Processed Grain Offerings

2:4 “‘When you present an offering of grain baked in an oven, it must be made of ¹²³⁴  choice wheat flour baked into unleavened loaves ¹²³⁵  mixed with olive oil or ¹²³⁶  unleavened wafers smeared ¹²³⁷  with olive oil. 2:5 If your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it must be choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil, unleavened. 2:6 Crumble it in pieces ¹²³⁸  and pour olive oil on it – it is a grain offering. 2:7 If your offering is a grain offering made in a pan, ¹²³⁹  it must be made of choice wheat flour deep fried in olive oil. ¹²⁴⁰ 

2:8 “‘You must bring the grain offering that must be made from these to the Lord. Present it to the priest, ¹²⁴¹  and he will bring it to the altar. 2:9 Then the priest must take up ¹²⁴²  from the grain offering its memorial portion and offer it up in smoke on the altar – it is ¹²⁴³  a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 2:10 The remainder of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and to his sons – it is ¹²⁴⁴  most holy from the gifts of the Lord.

Additional Grain Offering Regulations

2:11 “‘No grain offering which you present to the Lord can be made with yeast, ¹²⁴⁵  for you must not offer up in smoke any yeast or honey as a gift to the Lord. ¹²⁴⁶  2:12 You can present them to the Lord as an offering of first fruit, ¹²⁴⁷  but they must not go up to the altar for a soothing aroma. 2:13 Moreover, you must season every one of your grain offerings with salt; you must not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be missing from your grain offering ¹²⁴⁸  – on every one of your grain offerings you must present salt.

2:14 “‘If you present a grain offering of first ripe grain to the Lord, you must present your grain offering of first ripe grain as soft kernels roasted in fire – crushed bits of fresh grain. ¹²⁴⁹  2:15 And you must put olive oil on it and set frankincense on it – it is a grain offering. 2:16 Then the priest must offer its memorial portion up in smoke – some of its crushed bits, some of its olive oil, in addition to all of its frankincense – it is ¹²⁵⁰  a gift to the Lord.

Peace Offering Regulations: Animal from the Herd

3:1 “‘Now if his offering is a peace offering sacrifice, ¹²⁵¹  if he presents an offering from the herd, he must present before the Lord a flawless male or a female. ¹²⁵²  3:2 He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron, the priests, must splash the blood against the altar’s sides. ¹²⁵³  3:3 Then the one presenting the offering ¹²⁵⁴  must present a gift to the Lord from the peace offering sacrifice: He must remove the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that surrounds the entrails, ¹²⁵⁵  3:4 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys). ¹²⁵⁶  3:5 Then the sons of Aaron must offer it up in smoke on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the wood in the fire as a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. ¹²⁵⁷ 

Animal from the Flock

3:6 “‘If his offering for a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord is from the flock, he must present a flawless male or female. ¹²⁵⁸  3:7 If he presents a sheep as his offering, he must present it before the Lord. 3:8 He must lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it before the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron must splash ¹²⁵⁹  its blood against the altar’s sides. 3:9 Then he must present a gift to the Lord from the peace offering sacrifice: He must remove all the fatty tail up to the end of the spine, the fat covering the entrails, and all the fat on the entrails, ¹²⁶⁰  3:10 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys). ¹²⁶¹  3:11 Then the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar as a food gift to the Lord. ¹²⁶² 

3:12 “‘If his offering is a goat he must present it before the Lord, 3:13 lay his hand on its head, and slaughter it before the Meeting Tent, and the sons of Aaron must splash its blood against the altar’s sides. 3:14 Then he must present from it his offering as a gift to the Lord: the fat which covers the entrails and all the fat on the entrails, ¹²⁶³  3:15 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys). ¹²⁶⁴  3:16 Then the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar as a food gift for a soothing aroma – all the fat belongs to the Lord. 3:17 This is ¹²⁶⁵  a perpetual statute throughout your generations ¹²⁶⁶  in all the places where you live: You must never eat any fat or any blood.’” ¹²⁶⁷ 

Sin Offering Regulations

4:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹²⁶⁸  4:2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When a person sins by straying unintentionally ¹²⁶⁹  from any of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated, and violates any ¹²⁷⁰  one of them ¹²⁷¹  –

For the Priest

4:3 “‘If the high priest ¹²⁷²  sins so that the people are guilty, ¹²⁷³  on account of the sin he has committed he must present a flawless young bull to the Lord ¹²⁷⁴  for a sin offering. ¹²⁷⁵  4:4 He must bring the bull to the entrance of the Meeting Tent before the Lord, lay his hand on the head of the bull, and slaughter the bull before the Lord. 4:5 Then that high priest must take some of the blood ¹²⁷⁶  of the bull and bring it to the Meeting Tent. 4:6 The priest must dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle ¹²⁷⁷  some of it ¹²⁷⁸  seven times before the Lord toward ¹²⁷⁹  the front of the veil-canopy ¹²⁸⁰  of the sanctuary. 4:7 The priest must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent, and all the rest of the bull’s blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.

4:8 “‘Then he must take up all the fat from the sin offering bull: ¹²⁸¹  the fat covering the entrails ¹²⁸²  and all the fat surrounding the entrails, ¹²⁸³  4:9 the two kidneys with the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he is to remove along with the kidneys) ¹²⁸⁴  4:10 – just as it is taken from the ox of the peace offering sacrifice ¹²⁸⁵  – and the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. 4:11 But the hide of the bull, all its flesh along with its head and its legs, its entrails, and its dung – 4:12 all the rest of the bull ¹²⁸⁶  – he must bring outside the camp ¹²⁸⁷  to a ceremonially clean place, ¹²⁸⁸  to the fatty ash pile, ¹²⁸⁹  and he must burn ¹²⁹⁰  it on a wood fire; it must be burned on the fatty ash pile.

For the Whole Congregation

4:13 “‘If the whole congregation of Israel strays unintentionally ¹²⁹¹  and the matter is not noticed by ¹²⁹²  the assembly, and they violate one of the Lord’s commandments, which must not be violated, ¹²⁹³  so they become guilty, 4:14 the assembly must present a young bull for a sin offering when the sin they have committed ¹²⁹⁴  becomes known. They must bring it before the Meeting Tent, 4:15 the elders of the congregation must lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and someone must slaughter ¹²⁹⁵  the bull before the Lord. 4:16 Then the high priest ¹²⁹⁶  must bring some of the blood of the bull to the Meeting Tent, 4:17 and that priest must dip his finger in the blood ¹²⁹⁷  and sprinkle ¹²⁹⁸  some of the blood seven times ¹²⁹⁹  before the Lord toward ¹³⁰⁰  the front of the veil-canopy. ¹³⁰¹  4:18 He must put some of the blood on the horns of the altar ¹³⁰²  which is before the Lord in the Meeting Tent, and all the rest of the blood he must pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.

4:19 “‘Then the priest ¹³⁰³  must take all its fat ¹³⁰⁴  and offer the fat ¹³⁰⁵  up in smoke on the altar. 4:20 He must do with the rest of the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; this is what he must do with it. ¹³⁰⁶  So the priest will make atonement ¹³⁰⁷  on their behalf and they will be forgiven. ¹³⁰⁸  4:21 He ¹³⁰⁹  must bring the rest of the bull outside the camp ¹³¹⁰  and burn it just as he burned the first bull – it is the sin offering of the assembly.

For the Leader

4:22 “‘Whenever ¹³¹¹  a leader, by straying unintentionally, ¹³¹²  sins and violates one of the commandments of the Lord his God which must not be violated, ¹³¹³  and he pleads guilty, 4:23 or his sin that he committed ¹³¹⁴  is made known to him, ¹³¹⁵  he must bring a flawless male goat as his offering. ¹³¹⁶  4:24 He must lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slaughter ¹³¹⁷  it in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord – it is a sin offering. 4:25 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 4:26 Then the priest ¹³¹⁸  must offer all of its fat up in smoke on the altar like the fat of the peace offering sacrifice. So the priest will make atonement ¹³¹⁹  on his behalf for ¹³²⁰  his sin and he will be forgiven. ¹³²¹ 

For the Common Person

4:27 “‘If an ordinary individual ¹³²²  sins by straying unintentionally ¹³²³  when he violates one of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated, ¹³²⁴  and he pleads guilty 4:28 or his sin that he committed ¹³²⁵  is made known to him, ¹³²⁶  he must bring a flawless female goat ¹³²⁷  as his offering for the sin ¹³²⁸  that he committed. 4:29 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter ¹³²⁹  the sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 4:30 Then the priest must take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 4:31 Then he must remove all of its fat (just as fat was removed from the peace offering sacrifice) and the priest must offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the Lord. So the priest will make atonement ¹³³⁰  on his behalf and he will be forgiven. ¹³³¹ 

4:32 “‘But if he brings a sheep as his offering, for a sin offering, he must bring a flawless female. 4:33 He must lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it for a sin offering in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 4:34 Then the priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he must pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 4:35 Then the one who brought the offering ¹³³²  must remove all its fat (just as the fat of the sheep is removed from the peace offering sacrifice) and the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts of the Lord. So the priest will make atonement ¹³³³  on his behalf for his sin which he has committed and he will be forgiven. ¹³³⁴ 

Additional Sin Offering Regulations

5:1 “‘When a person sins ¹³³⁵  in that he hears a public curse against one who fails to testify ¹³³⁶  and he is a witness (he either saw or knew what had happened ¹³³⁷ ) and he does not make it known, ¹³³⁸  then he will bear his punishment for iniquity. ¹³³⁹  5:2 Or when there is ¹³⁴⁰  a person who touches anything ceremonially ¹³⁴¹  unclean, whether the carcass of an unclean wild animal, or the carcass of an unclean domesticated animal, or the carcass of an unclean creeping thing, even if he did not realize it, ¹³⁴²  but he himself has become unclean and is guilty; ¹³⁴³  5:3 or when he touches human uncleanness with regard to anything by which he can become unclean, ¹³⁴⁴  even if he did not realize it, but he himself has later come to know it and is guilty; 5:4 or when a person swears an oath, speaking thoughtlessly ¹³⁴⁵  with his lips, whether to do evil or to do good, with regard to anything which the individual might speak thoughtlessly in an oath, even if he did not realize it, but he himself has later come to know it and is guilty with regard to one of these oaths ¹³⁴⁶  – 5:5 when an individual becomes guilty with regard to one of these things ¹³⁴⁷  he must confess how he has sinned, ¹³⁴⁸  5:6 and he must bring his penalty for guilt ¹³⁴⁹  to the Lord for his sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, whether a female sheep or a female goat, for a sin offering. So the priest will make atonement ¹³⁵⁰  on his behalf for ¹³⁵¹  his sin.

5:7 “‘If he cannot afford an animal from the flock, ¹³⁵²  he must bring his penalty for guilt for his sin that he has committed, ¹³⁵³  two turtledoves or two young pigeons, ¹³⁵⁴  to the Lord, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering. 5:8 He must bring them to the priest and present first the one that is for a sin offering. The priest ¹³⁵⁵  must pinch ¹³⁵⁶  its head at the nape of its neck, but must not sever the head from the body. ¹³⁵⁷  5:9 Then he must sprinkle ¹³⁵⁸  some of the blood of the sin offering on the wall of the altar, and the remainder of the blood ¹³⁵⁹  must be squeezed out at the base of the altar – it is a sin offering. 5:10 The second bird ¹³⁶⁰  he must make a burnt offering according to the standard regulation. ¹³⁶¹  So the priest will make atonement ¹³⁶²  on behalf of this person for ¹³⁶³  his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven. ¹³⁶⁴ 

5:11 “‘If he cannot afford ¹³⁶⁵  two turtledoves or two young pigeons, ¹³⁶⁶  he must bring as his offering for his sin which he has committed ¹³⁶⁷  a tenth of an ephah ¹³⁶⁸  of choice wheat flour ¹³⁶⁹  for a sin offering. He must not place olive oil on it and he must not put frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering. 5:12 He must bring it to the priest and the priest must scoop out from it a handful as its memorial portion ¹³⁷⁰  and offer it up in smoke on the altar on top of the other gifts of the Lord – it is a sin offering. 5:13 So the priest will make atonement ¹³⁷¹  on his behalf for his sin which he has committed by doing one of these things, ¹³⁷²  and he will be forgiven. ¹³⁷³  The remainder of the offering ¹³⁷⁴  will belong to the priest like the grain offering.’” ¹³⁷⁵ 

Guilt Offering Regulations: Known Trespass

5:14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹³⁷⁶  5:15 “When a person commits a trespass ¹³⁷⁷  and sins by straying unintentionally ¹³⁷⁸  from the regulations about the Lord’s holy things, ¹³⁷⁹  then he must bring his penalty for guilt ¹³⁸⁰  to the Lord, a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels according to the standard of the sanctuary shekel, ¹³⁸¹  for a guilt offering. ¹³⁸²  5:16 And whatever holy thing he violated ¹³⁸³  he must restore and must add one fifth to it and give it to the priest. So the priest will make atonement ¹³⁸⁴  on his behalf with the guilt offering ram and he will be forgiven.” ¹³⁸⁵ 

Unknown trespass

5:17 “If a person sins and violates any of the Lord’s commandments which must not be violated ¹³⁸⁶  (although he did not know it at the time, ¹³⁸⁷  but later realizes he is guilty), then he will bear his punishment for iniquity ¹³⁸⁸  5:18 and must bring a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels, ¹³⁸⁹  for a guilt offering to the priest. So the priest will make atonement ¹³⁹⁰  on his behalf for his error which he committed ¹³⁹¹  (although he himself had not known it) and he will be forgiven. ¹³⁹²  5:19 It is a guilt offering; he was surely guilty before the Lord.”

Trespass by Deception and False Oath

6:1 (5:20) ¹³⁹³  Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹³⁹⁴  6:2 “When a person sins and commits a trespass ¹³⁹⁵  against the Lord by deceiving his fellow citizen ¹³⁹⁶  in regard to something held in trust, or a pledge, or something stolen, or by extorting something from his fellow citizen, ¹³⁹⁷  6:3 or has found something lost and denies it and swears falsely ¹³⁹⁸  concerning any one of the things that someone might do to sin ¹³⁹⁹  – 6:4 when it happens that he sins and he is found guilty, ¹⁴⁰⁰  then he must return whatever he had stolen, or whatever he had extorted, or the thing that he had held in trust, ¹⁴⁰¹  or the lost thing that he had found, 6:5 or anything about which he swears falsely. ¹⁴⁰²  He must restore it in full ¹⁴⁰³  and add one fifth to it; he must give it to its owner when he is found guilty. ¹⁴⁰⁴  6:6 Then he must bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a flawless ram from the flock, convertible into silver shekels, ¹⁴⁰⁵  for a guilt offering to the priest. 6:7 So the priest will make atonement ¹⁴⁰⁶  on his behalf before the Lord and he will be forgiven ¹⁴⁰⁷  for whatever he has done to become guilty.” ¹⁴⁰⁸ 

Sacrificial Instructions for the Priests: The Burnt Offering

6:8 (6:1) ¹⁴⁰⁹  Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴¹⁰  6:9 “Command Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth ¹⁴¹¹  on the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar must be kept burning on it. ¹⁴¹²  6:10 Then the priest must put on his linen robe and must put linen leggings ¹⁴¹³  over his bare flesh, and he must take up the fatty ashes of the burnt offering that the fire consumed on the altar, ¹⁴¹⁴  and he must place them ¹⁴¹⁵  beside the altar. 6:11 Then he must take off his clothes and put on other clothes, and he must bring the fatty ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially ¹⁴¹⁶  clean place, 6:12 but the fire which is on the altar must be kept burning on it. ¹⁴¹⁷  It must not be extinguished. So the priest must kindle wood on it morning by morning, and he must arrange the burnt offering on it and offer the fat of the peace offering up in smoke on it. 6:13 A continual fire must be kept burning on the altar. It must not be extinguished.

The Grain Offering of the Common Person

6:14 “‘This is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron are to present it ¹⁴¹⁸  before the Lord in front of the altar, 6:15 and the priest ¹⁴¹⁹  must take up with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering ¹⁴²⁰  and some of its olive oil, and all of the frankincense that is on the grain offering, and he must offer its memorial portion ¹⁴²¹  up in smoke on the altar ¹⁴²²  as a soothing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁴²³  6:16 Aaron and his sons are to eat what is left over from it. It must be eaten unleavened in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Meeting Tent. 6:17 It must not be baked with yeast. ¹⁴²⁴  I have given it as their portion from my gifts. It is most holy, ¹⁴²⁵  like the sin offering and the guilt offering. 6:18 Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. It is a perpetual allotted portion ¹⁴²⁶  throughout your generations ¹⁴²⁷  from the gifts of the Lord. Anyone who touches these gifts ¹⁴²⁸  must be holy.’” ¹⁴²⁹ 

The Grain Offering of the Priests

6:19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴³⁰  6:20 “This is the offering of Aaron and his sons which they must present to the Lord on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah ¹⁴³¹  of choice wheat flour ¹⁴³²  as a continual grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 6:21 It must be made with olive oil on a griddle and you must bring it well soaked, ¹⁴³³  so you must present a grain offering of broken pieces ¹⁴³⁴  as a soothing aroma to the Lord. 6:22 The high priest who succeeds him ¹⁴³⁵  from among his sons must do it. It is a perpetual statute; it must be offered up in smoke as a whole offering to the Lord. 6:23 Every grain offering of a priest must be a whole offering; it must not be eaten.”

The Sin Offering

6:24 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴³⁶  6:25 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered the sin offering must be slaughtered before the Lord. It is most holy. ¹⁴³⁷  6:26 The priest who offers it for sin is to eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the Meeting Tent. 6:27 Anyone who touches its meat must be holy, and whoever spatters some of its blood on a garment, ¹⁴³⁸  you must wash ¹⁴³⁹  whatever he spatters it on in a holy place. 6:28 Any clay vessel it is boiled in must be broken, and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then that vessel ¹⁴⁴⁰  must be rubbed out and rinsed in water. 6:29 Any male among the priests may eat it. It is most holy. ¹⁴⁴¹  6:30 But any sin offering from which some of its blood is brought into the Meeting Tent to make atonement in the sanctuary must not be eaten. It must be burned up in the fire. ¹⁴⁴² 

The Guilt Offering

7:1 “‘This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy. 7:2 In the place where they slaughter the burnt offering they must slaughter the guilt offering, and the officiating priest ¹⁴⁴³  must splash ¹⁴⁴⁴  the blood against the altar’s sides. 7:3 Then the one making the offering ¹⁴⁴⁵  must present all its fat: the fatty tail, the fat covering the entrails, 7:4 the two kidneys and the fat on their sinews, and the protruding lobe on the liver (which he must remove along with the kidneys). ¹⁴⁴⁶  7:5 Then the priest must offer them up in smoke on the altar ¹⁴⁴⁷  as a gift to the Lord. It is a guilt offering. 7:6 Any male among the priests may eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. ¹⁴⁴⁸  7:7 The law is the same for the sin offering and the guilt offering; ¹⁴⁴⁹  it belongs to the priest who makes atonement with it.

Priestly Portions of Burnt and Grain Offerings

7:8 “‘As for the priest who presents someone’s burnt offering, the hide of that burnt offering which he presented belongs to him. 7:9 Every grain offering which is baked in the oven or ¹⁴⁵⁰  made in the pan ¹⁴⁵¹  or on the griddle belongs to the priest who presented it. 7:10 Every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs to all the sons of Aaron, each one alike. ¹⁴⁵² 

The Peace Offering

7:11 “‘This is the law of the peace offering sacrifice which he ¹⁴⁵³  is to present to the Lord. 7:12 If he presents it on account of thanksgiving, ¹⁴⁵⁴  along with the thank offering sacrifice he must present unleavened loaves mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers smeared with olive oil, ¹⁴⁵⁵  and well soaked ¹⁴⁵⁶  ring-shaped loaves made of choice wheat flour ¹⁴⁵⁷  mixed with olive oil. 7:13 He must present this grain offering ¹⁴⁵⁸  in addition to ring-shaped loaves of leavened bread which regularly accompany ¹⁴⁵⁹  the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offering. 7:14 He must present one of each kind of grain offering ¹⁴⁶⁰  as a contribution offering ¹⁴⁶¹  to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the peace offering. 7:15 The meat of his ¹⁴⁶²  thanksgiving peace offering must be eaten on the day of his offering; he must not set any of it aside until morning.

7:16 “‘If his offering is a votive or freewill sacrifice, ¹⁴⁶³  it may be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, and also the leftovers from it may be eaten on the next day, ¹⁴⁶⁴  7:17 but the leftovers from the meat of the sacrifice must be burned up in the fire ¹⁴⁶⁵  on the third day. 7:18 If some of the meat of his peace offering sacrifice is ever eaten on the third day it will not be accepted; it will not be accounted to the one who presented it, since it is spoiled, ¹⁴⁶⁶  and the person who eats from it will bear his punishment for iniquity. ¹⁴⁶⁷  7:19 The meat which touches anything ceremonially ¹⁴⁶⁸  unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up in the fire. As for ceremonially clean meat, ¹⁴⁶⁹  everyone who is ceremonially clean may eat the meat. 7:20 The person who eats meat from the peace offering sacrifice which belongs to the Lord while his uncleanness persists ¹⁴⁷⁰  will be cut off from his people. ¹⁴⁷¹  7:21 When a person touches anything unclean (whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or an unclean detestable creature) ¹⁴⁷²  and eats some of the meat of the peace offering sacrifice which belongs to the Lord, that person will be cut off from his people.’” ¹⁴⁷³ 

Sacrificial Instructions for the Common People: Fat and Blood

7:22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴⁷⁴  7:23 “Tell the Israelites, ‘You must not eat any fat of an ox, sheep, or goat. 7:24 Moreover, the fat of an animal that has died of natural causes ¹⁴⁷⁵  and the fat of an animal torn by beasts may be used for any other purpose, ¹⁴⁷⁶  but you must certainly never eat it. 7:25 If anyone eats fat from the animal from which he presents a gift to the Lord, that person will be cut off from his people. ¹⁴⁷⁷  7:26 And you must not eat any blood of the birds or the domesticated land animals in any of the places where you live. ¹⁴⁷⁸  7:27 Any person who eats any blood – that person will be cut off from his people.’” ¹⁴⁷⁹ 

Priestly Portions of Peace Offerings

7:28 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴⁸⁰  7:29 “Tell the Israelites, ‘The one who presents his peace offering sacrifice to the Lord must bring his offering to the Lord from his peace offering sacrifice. 7:30 With his own hands he must bring the Lord’s gifts. He must bring the fat with the breast ¹⁴⁸¹  to wave the breast as a wave offering before the Lord, ¹⁴⁸²  7:31 and the priest must offer the fat up in smoke on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons. 7:32 The right thigh you must give as a contribution offering ¹⁴⁸³  to the priest from your peace offering sacrifices. 7:33 The one from Aaron’s sons who presents the blood of the peace offering and fat will have the right thigh as his share, 7:34 for the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution offering I have taken from the Israelites out of their peace offering sacrifices and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the people of Israel as a perpetual allotted portion.’” ¹⁴⁸⁴ 

7:35 This is the allotment of Aaron and the allotment of his sons from the Lord’s gifts on the day Moses ¹⁴⁸⁵  presented them to serve as priests ¹⁴⁸⁶  to the Lord. 7:36 This is what the Lord commanded to give to them from the Israelites on the day Moses ¹⁴⁸⁷  anointed them ¹⁴⁸⁸  – a perpetual allotted portion throughout their generations. ¹⁴⁸⁹ 

Summary of Sacrificial Regulations in Leviticus 6:8-7:36

7:37 This is the law ¹⁴⁹⁰  for the burnt offering, the grain offering, ¹⁴⁹¹  the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, ¹⁴⁹²  and the peace offering sacrifice, 7:38 which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai.

Ordination of the Priests

8:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴⁹³  8:2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, the sin offering bull, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, 8:3 and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.” ¹⁴⁹⁴  8:4 So Moses did just as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation assembled at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 8:5 Then Moses said to the congregation: “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.”

Clothing Aaron

8:6 So Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water. 8:7 Then he ¹⁴⁹⁵  put the tunic ¹⁴⁹⁶  on Aaron, ¹⁴⁹⁷  wrapped the sash around him, ¹⁴⁹⁸  and clothed him with the robe. ¹⁴⁹⁹  Next he put the ephod on him ¹⁵⁰⁰  and placed on him ¹⁵⁰¹  the decorated band of the ephod, and fastened the ephod closely to him with the band. ¹⁵⁰²  8:8 He then set the breastpiece ¹⁵⁰³  on him and put the Urim and Thummim ¹⁵⁰⁴  into the breastpiece. 8:9 Finally, he set the turban ¹⁵⁰⁵  on his head and attached the gold plate, the holy diadem, ¹⁵⁰⁶  to the front of the turban just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Anointing the Tabernacle and Aaron, and Clothing Aaron’s Sons

8:10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, and so consecrated them. ¹⁵⁰⁷  8:11 Next he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and so anointed the altar, all its vessels, and the wash basin and its stand to consecrate them. 8:12 He then poured some of the anointing oil on the head of Aaron and anointed him to consecrate him. 8:13 Moses also brought forward Aaron’s sons, clothed them with tunics, wrapped sashes around them, ¹⁵⁰⁸  and wrapped headbands on them ¹⁵⁰⁹  just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Consecration Offerings

8:14 Then he brought near the sin offering bull ¹⁵¹⁰  and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the sin offering bull, 8:15 and he slaughtered it. ¹⁵¹¹  Moses then took the blood and put it all around on the horns of the altar with his finger and decontaminated the altar, ¹⁵¹²  and he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and so consecrated it to make atonement on it. ¹⁵¹³  8:16 Then he ¹⁵¹⁴  took all the fat on the entrails, the protruding lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, ¹⁵¹⁵  and Moses offered it all up in smoke on the altar, ¹⁵¹⁶  8:17 but the rest of the bull – its hide, its flesh, and its dung – he completely burned up ¹⁵¹⁷  outside the camp just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹⁵¹⁸ 

8:18 Then he presented the burnt offering ram and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 8:19 and he slaughtered it. ¹⁵¹⁹  Moses then splashed the blood against the altar’s sides. 8:20 Then he ¹⁵²⁰  cut the ram into parts, ¹⁵²¹  and Moses offered the head, the parts, and the suet up in smoke, 8:21 but the entrails and the legs he washed with water, ¹⁵²²  and Moses offered the whole ram up in smoke on the altar – it was a burnt offering for a soothing aroma, a gift to the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹⁵²³ 

8:22 Then he presented the second ram, the ram of ordination, ¹⁵²⁴  and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram 8:23 and he slaughtered it. ¹⁵²⁵  Moses then took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, ¹⁵²⁶  on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe ¹⁵²⁷  of his right foot. 8:24 Next he brought Aaron’s sons forward, and Moses put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on their right thumbs, and on the big toes of their right feet, and Moses splashed the rest of the blood against the altar’s sides.

8:25 Then he took the fat (the fatty tail, ¹⁵²⁸  all the fat on the entrails, the protruding lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat ¹⁵²⁹ ) and the right thigh, ¹⁵³⁰  8:26 and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one unleavened loaf, one loaf of bread mixed with olive oil, and one wafer, ¹⁵³¹  and placed them on the fat parts and on the right thigh. 8:27 He then put all of them on the palms ¹⁵³²  of Aaron and his sons, who waved ¹⁵³³  them as a wave offering before the Lord. ¹⁵³⁴  8:28 Moses then took them from their palms and offered them up in smoke on the altar ¹⁵³⁵  on top of the burnt offering – they were an ordination offering for a soothing aroma; it was a gift to the Lord. 8:29 Finally, Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before the Lord from the ram of ordination. It was Moses’ share just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Anointing Aaron, his Sons, and their Garments

8:30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. So he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him. 8:31 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and there you are to eat it and the bread which is in the ordination offering basket, just as I have commanded, ¹⁵³⁶  saying, ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it,’ 8:32 but the remainder of the meat and the bread ¹⁵³⁷  you must burn with fire. 8:33 And you must not go out from the entrance of the Meeting Tent for seven days, until the day when your days of ordination are completed, because you must be ordained over a seven-day period. ¹⁵³⁸  8:34 What has been done ¹⁵³⁹  on this day the Lord has commanded to be done ¹⁵⁴⁰  to make atonement for you. 8:35 You must reside at the entrance of the Meeting Tent day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the Lord so that you will not die, for this is what I have been commanded.” 8:36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things the Lord had commanded through ¹⁵⁴¹  Moses.

Inauguration of Tabernacle Worship

9:1 On the eighth day ¹⁵⁴²  Moses summoned ¹⁵⁴³  Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel, 9:2 and said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both flawless, and present them before the Lord. 9:3 Then tell the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat ¹⁵⁴⁴  for a sin offering and a calf and lamb, both a year old and flawless, ¹⁵⁴⁵  for a burnt offering, 9:4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil, for today the Lord is going to appear ¹⁵⁴⁶  to you.’” 9:5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of ¹⁵⁴⁷  the Meeting Tent and the whole congregation presented them and stood before the Lord. 9:6 Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do ¹⁵⁴⁸  so that the glory of the Lord may appear ¹⁵⁴⁹  to you.” 9:7 Moses then said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and make your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement on behalf of yourself and on behalf of the people; ¹⁵⁵⁰  and also make the people’s offering and make atonement on behalf of them just as the Lord has commanded.”

The Sin Offering for the Priests

9:8 So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the sin offering calf which was for himself. 9:9 Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, and the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar. 9:10 The fat and the kidneys and the protruding lobe of ¹⁵⁵¹  the liver from the sin offering he offered up in smoke on the altar just as the Lord had commanded Moses, 9:11 but the flesh and the hide he completely burned up ¹⁵⁵²  outside the camp. ¹⁵⁵³ 

The Burnt Offering for the Priests

9:12 He then slaughtered the burnt offering, and his sons ¹⁵⁵⁴  handed ¹⁵⁵⁵  the blood to him and he splashed ¹⁵⁵⁶  it against the altar’s sides. 9:13 The burnt offering itself they handed ¹⁵⁵⁷  to him by its parts, including the head, ¹⁵⁵⁸  and he offered them up in smoke on the altar, 9:14 and he washed the entrails and the legs and offered them up in smoke on top of the burnt offering on the altar.

The Offerings for the People

9:15 Then he presented the people’s offering. He took the sin offering male goat which was for the people, slaughtered it, and performed a decontamination rite with it ¹⁵⁵⁹  like the first one. ¹⁵⁶⁰  9:16 He then presented the burnt offering, and did it according to the standard regulation. ¹⁵⁶¹  9:17 Next he presented the grain offering, filled his hand with some of it, and offered it up in smoke on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering. ¹⁵⁶²  9:18 Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram – the peace offering sacrifices which were for the people – and Aaron’s sons handed ¹⁵⁶³  the blood to him and he splashed it against the altar’s sides. 9:19 As for the fat parts from the ox and from the ram ¹⁵⁶⁴  (the fatty tail, the fat covering the entrails, ¹⁵⁶⁵  the kidneys, and the protruding lobe of the liver), 9:20 they ¹⁵⁶⁶  set those on the breasts and he offered the fat parts up in smoke on the altar. 9:21 Finally Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the Lord just as Moses had commanded.

9:22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them and descended from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. 9:23 Moses and Aaron then entered into the Meeting Tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 9:24 Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord ¹⁵⁶⁷  and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground. ¹⁵⁶⁸ 

Nadab and Abihu

10:1 Then ¹⁵⁶⁹  Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan and put fire in it, set incense on it, and presented strange fire ¹⁵⁷⁰  before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. 10:2 So fire went out from the presence of the Lord ¹⁵⁷¹  and consumed them so that they died before the Lord. 10:3 Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke: ‘Among the ones close to me I will show myself holy, ¹⁵⁷²  and in the presence of all the people I will be honored.’” ¹⁵⁷³  So Aaron kept silent. 10:4 Moses then called to Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and said to them, “Come near, carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” 10:5 So they came near and carried them away in their tunics to a place outside the camp just as Moses had spoken. 10:6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his other two sons, “Do not ¹⁵⁷⁴  dishevel the hair of your heads ¹⁵⁷⁵  and do not tear your garments, so that you do not die and so that wrath does not come on the whole congregation. Your brothers, all the house of Israel, are to mourn the burning which the Lord has caused, ¹⁵⁷⁶  10:7 but you must not go out from the entrance of the Meeting Tent lest you die, for the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they acted according to the word of Moses.

Perpetual Statutes the Lord Spoke to Aaron

10:8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, 10:9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink, you and your sons with you, when you enter into the Meeting Tent, so that you do not die, which is a perpetual statute throughout your generations, ¹⁵⁷⁷  10:10 as well as ¹⁵⁷⁸  to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, ¹⁵⁷⁹  10:11 and to teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through ¹⁵⁸⁰  Moses.”

Perpetual Statutes Moses spoke to Aaron

10:12 Then Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his remaining sons, “Take the grain offering which remains from the gifts of the Lord and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. 10:13 You must eat it in a holy place because it is your allotted portion ¹⁵⁸¹  and the allotted portion of your sons from the gifts ¹⁵⁸²  of the Lord, for this is what I have been commanded. ¹⁵⁸³  10:14 Also, the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution offering you must eat in a ceremonially ¹⁵⁸⁴  clean place, you and your sons and daughters with you, for they have been given as your allotted portion and the allotted portion of your sons from the peace offering sacrifices of the Israelites. ¹⁵⁸⁵  10:15 The thigh of the contribution offering and the breast of the wave offering they must bring in addition to the gifts of the fat parts to wave them as a wave offering before the Lord, and it will belong to you and your sons with you for a perpetual statute just as the Lord has commanded.”

The Problem with the Inaugural Sin Offering

10:16 Later Moses sought diligently for the sin offering male goat, ¹⁵⁸⁶  but it had actually been burnt. ¹⁵⁸⁷  So he became angry at Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, saying, 10:17 “Why did you not eat the sin offering in the sanctuary? For it is most holy and he gave it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, ¹⁵⁸⁸  to make atonement on their behalf before the Lord. 10:18 See here! ¹⁵⁸⁹  Its blood was not brought into the holy place within! ¹⁵⁹⁰  You should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary just as I commanded!” 10:19 But Aaron spoke to Moses, “See here! ¹⁵⁹¹  Just today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord and such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten a sin offering today would the Lord have been pleased?” ¹⁵⁹²  10:20 When Moses heard this explanation, he was satisfied. ¹⁵⁹³ 

Clean and Unclean Land Creatures

11:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 11:2 “Tell the Israelites: ‘This is the kind of creature you may eat from among all the animals ¹⁵⁹⁴  that are on the land. 11:3 You may eat any among the animals that has a divided hoof (the hooves are completely split in two ¹⁵⁹⁵ ) and that also chews the cud. ¹⁵⁹⁶  11:4 However, you must not eat these ¹⁵⁹⁷  from among those that chew the cud and have divided hooves: The camel is unclean to you ¹⁵⁹⁸  because it chews the cud ¹⁵⁹⁹  even though its hoof is not divided. ¹⁶⁰⁰  11:5 The rock badger ¹⁶⁰¹  is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided. 11:6 The hare is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided. 11:7 The pig is unclean to you because its hoof is divided (the hoof is completely split in two ¹⁶⁰² ), even though it does not chew the cud. ¹⁶⁰³  11:8 You must not eat from their meat and you must not touch their carcasses; ¹⁶⁰⁴  they are unclean to you.

Clean and Unclean Water Creatures

11:9 “‘These you can eat from all creatures that are in the water: Any creatures in the water that have both fins and scales, ¹⁶⁰⁵  whether in the seas or in the streams, ¹⁶⁰⁶  you may eat. 11:10 But any creatures that do not have both fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the streams, from all the swarming things of the water and from all the living creatures that are in the water, are detestable to you. 11:11 Since they are detestable to you, you must not eat their meat and their carcass you must detest. 11:12 Any creature in the water that does not have both fins and scales is detestable to you.

Clean and Unclean Birds

11:13 “‘These you are to detest from among the birds – they must not be eaten, because they are detestable: ¹⁶⁰⁷  the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 11:14 the kite, the buzzard of any kind, ¹⁶⁰⁸  11:15 every kind of crow, ¹⁶⁰⁹  11:16 the eagle owl, ¹⁶¹⁰  the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, the hawk of any kind, 11:17 the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl, 11:18 the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey, 11:19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

Clean and Unclean Insects

11:20 “‘Every winged swarming thing that walks on all fours ¹⁶¹¹  is detestable to you. 11:21 However, this you may eat from all the winged swarming things that walk on all fours, which have jointed legs ¹⁶¹²  to hop with on the land. 11:22 These you may eat from them: ¹⁶¹³  the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, the grasshopper of any kind. 11:23 But any other winged swarming thing that has four legs is detestable to you.

Carcass Uncleanness

11:24 “‘By these ¹⁶¹⁴  you defile yourselves; anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 11:25 and anyone who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until the evening.

Inedible Land Quadrupeds

11:26 “‘All ¹⁶¹⁵  animals that divide the hoof but it is not completely split in two ¹⁶¹⁶  and do not chew the cud ¹⁶¹⁷  are unclean to you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean. ¹⁶¹⁸  11:27 All that walk on their paws among all the creatures that walk on all fours ¹⁶¹⁹  are unclean to you. Anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, 11:28 and the one who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

Creatures that Swarm on the Land

11:29 “‘Now this is what is unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the land: ¹⁶²⁰  the rat, the mouse, the large lizard of any kind, 11:30 the Mediterranean gecko, the spotted lizard, the wall gecko, the skink, and the chameleon. 11:31 These are the ones that are unclean to you among all the swarming things. Anyone who touches them when they die will be unclean until evening. 11:32 Also, anything they fall on ¹⁶²¹  when they die will become unclean – any wood vessel or garment or article of leather or sackcloth. Any such vessel with which work is done must be immersed in water ¹⁶²²  and will be unclean until the evening. Then it will become clean. 11:33 As for any clay vessel they fall into, ¹⁶²³  everything in it ¹⁶²⁴  will become unclean and you must break it. 11:34 Any food that may be eaten which becomes soaked with water ¹⁶²⁵  will become unclean. Anything drinkable ¹⁶²⁶  in any such vessel will become unclean. ¹⁶²⁷  11:35 Anything their carcass may fall on will become unclean. An oven or small stove must be smashed to pieces; they are unclean, and they will stay unclean ¹⁶²⁸  to you. 11:36 However, a spring or a cistern which collects water ¹⁶²⁹  will be clean, but one who touches their carcass will be unclean. 11:37 Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, ¹⁶³⁰  it is clean, 11:38 but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Edible Land Quadrupeds

11:39 “‘Now if an animal ¹⁶³¹  that you may eat dies, ¹⁶³²  whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening. 11:40 One who eats from its carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening, and whoever carries its carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. 11:41 Every swarming thing that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten. 11:42 You must not eat anything that crawls ¹⁶³³  on its belly or anything that walks on all fours or on any number of legs ¹⁶³⁴  of all the swarming things that swarm on the land, because they are detestable. 11:43 Do not make yourselves detestable by any of the swarming things. ¹⁶³⁵  You must not defile yourselves by them and become unclean by them, 11:44 for I am the Lord your God and you are to sanctify yourselves and be holy because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any of the swarming things that creep on the ground, 11:45 for I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, ¹⁶³⁶  and you are to be holy because I am holy. 11:46 This is the law ¹⁶³⁷  of the land animals, the birds, all the living creatures that move in the water, and all the creatures ¹⁶³⁸  that swarm on the land, 11:47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the living creatures that may be eaten and the living creatures that must not be eaten.’”

Purification of a Woman after Childbirth

12:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 12:2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When a woman produces offspring ¹⁶³⁹  and bears a male child, ¹⁶⁴⁰  she will be unclean seven days, as she is unclean during the days of her menstruation. ¹⁶⁴¹  12:3 On ¹⁶⁴²  the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin ¹⁶⁴³  must be circumcised. 12:4 Then she will remain ¹⁶⁴⁴  thirty-three days in blood purity. ¹⁶⁴⁵  She must not touch anything holy and she must not enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. ¹⁶⁴⁶  12:5 If she bears a female child, she will be impure fourteen days as during her menstrual flow, and she will remain sixty-six days in ¹⁶⁴⁷  blood purity. ¹⁶⁴⁸ 

12:6 “‘When ¹⁶⁴⁹  the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she must bring a one year old lamb ¹⁶⁵⁰  for a burnt offering ¹⁶⁵¹  and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering ¹⁶⁵²  to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to the priest. 12:7 The priest ¹⁶⁵³  is to present it before the Lord and make atonement ¹⁶⁵⁴  on her behalf, and she will be clean ¹⁶⁵⁵  from her flow of blood. ¹⁶⁵⁶  This is the law of the one who bears a child, for the male or the female child. 12:8 If she cannot afford a sheep, ¹⁶⁵⁷  then she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, ¹⁶⁵⁸  one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest is to make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.’” ¹⁶⁵⁹ 

Infections on the Skin

13:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 13:2 “When someone has ¹⁶⁶⁰  a swelling ¹⁶⁶¹  or a scab ¹⁶⁶²  or a bright spot ¹⁶⁶³  on the skin of his body ¹⁶⁶⁴  that may become a diseased infection, ¹⁶⁶⁵  he must be brought to Aaron the priest or one of his sons, the priests. ¹⁶⁶⁶  13:3 The priest must then examine the infection ¹⁶⁶⁷  on the skin of the body, and if the hair ¹⁶⁶⁸  in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of the body, ¹⁶⁶⁹  then it is a diseased infection, ¹⁶⁷⁰  so when the priest examines it ¹⁶⁷¹  he must pronounce the person unclean. ¹⁶⁷² 

A Bright Spot on the Skin

13:4 “If ¹⁶⁷³  it is a white bright spot on the skin of his body, but it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ¹⁶⁷⁴  and the hair has not turned white, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the infection for seven days. ¹⁶⁷⁵  13:5 The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if, ¹⁶⁷⁶  as far as he can see, the infection has stayed the same ¹⁶⁷⁷  and has not spread on the skin, ¹⁶⁷⁸  then the priest is to quarantine the person for another seven days. ¹⁶⁷⁹  13:6 The priest must then examine it again on the seventh day, ¹⁶⁸⁰  and if ¹⁶⁸¹  the infection has faded and has not spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person clean. ¹⁶⁸²  It is a scab, ¹⁶⁸³  so he must wash his clothes ¹⁶⁸⁴  and be clean. 13:7 If, however, the scab is spreading further ¹⁶⁸⁵  on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his purification, then he must show himself to the priest a second time. 13:8 The priest must then examine it, ¹⁶⁸⁶  and if ¹⁶⁸⁷  the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ¹⁶⁸⁸  It is a disease.

A Swelling on the Skin

13:9 “When someone has a diseased infection, ¹⁶⁸⁹  he must be brought to the priest. 13:10 The priest will then examine it, ¹⁶⁹⁰  and if ¹⁶⁹¹  a white swelling is on the skin, it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, ¹⁶⁹²  13:11 it is a chronic ¹⁶⁹³  disease on the skin of his body, ¹⁶⁹⁴  so the priest is to pronounce him unclean. ¹⁶⁹⁵  The priest ¹⁶⁹⁶  must not merely quarantine him, for he is unclean. ¹⁶⁹⁷  13:12 If, however, the disease breaks out ¹⁶⁹⁸  on the skin so that the disease covers all the skin of the person with the infection ¹⁶⁹⁹  from his head to his feet, as far as the priest can see, ¹⁷⁰⁰  13:13 the priest must then examine it, ¹⁷⁰¹  and if ¹⁷⁰²  the disease covers his whole body, he is to pronounce the person with the infection clean. ¹⁷⁰³  He has turned all white, so he is clean. ¹⁷⁰⁴  13:14 But whenever raw flesh appears in it ¹⁷⁰⁵  he will be unclean, 13:15 so the priest is to examine the raw flesh ¹⁷⁰⁶  and pronounce him unclean ¹⁷⁰⁷  – it is diseased. 13:16 If, however, ¹⁷⁰⁸  the raw flesh once again turns white, ¹⁷⁰⁹  then he must come to the priest. 13:17 The priest will then examine it, ¹⁷¹⁰  and if ¹⁷¹¹  the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the person with the infection clean ¹⁷¹²  – he is clean.

A Boil on the Skin

13:18 “When someone’s body has a boil on its skin ¹⁷¹³  and it heals, 13:19 and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a reddish white bright spot, he must show himself to the priest. ¹⁷¹⁴  13:20 The priest will then examine it, ¹⁷¹⁵  and if ¹⁷¹⁶  it appears to be deeper than the skin ¹⁷¹⁷  and its hair has turned white, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ¹⁷¹⁸  It is a diseased infection that has broken out in the boil. ¹⁷¹⁹  13:21 If, however, ¹⁷²⁰  the priest examines it, and ¹⁷²¹  there is no white hair in it, it is not deeper than the skin, and it has faded, then the priest is to quarantine him for seven days. ¹⁷²²  13:22 If ¹⁷²³  it is spreading further ¹⁷²⁴  on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him unclean. ¹⁷²⁵  It is an infection. 13:23 But if the bright spot stays in its place and has not spread, ¹⁷²⁶  it is the scar of the boil, so the priest is to pronounce him clean. ¹⁷²⁷ 

A Burn on the Skin

13:24 “When a body has a burn on its skin ¹⁷²⁸  and the raw area of the burn becomes a reddish white or white bright spot, 13:25 the priest must examine it, ¹⁷²⁹  and if ¹⁷³⁰  the hair has turned white in the bright spot and it appears to be deeper than the skin, ¹⁷³¹  it is a disease that has broken out in the burn. ¹⁷³²  The priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ¹⁷³³  It is a diseased infection. ¹⁷³⁴  13:26 If, however, ¹⁷³⁵  the priest examines it and ¹⁷³⁶  there is no white hair in the bright spot, it is not deeper than the skin, ¹⁷³⁷  and it has faded, then the priest is to quarantine him for seven days. ¹⁷³⁸  13:27 The priest must then examine it on the seventh day, and if it is spreading further ¹⁷³⁹  on the skin, then the priest is to pronounce him unclean. It is a diseased infection. ¹⁷⁴⁰  13:28 But if the bright spot stays in its place, has not spread on the skin, ¹⁷⁴¹  and it has faded, then it is the swelling of the burn, so the priest is to pronounce him clean, ¹⁷⁴²  because it is the scar of the burn.

Scall on the Head or in the Beard

13:29 “When a man or a woman has an infection on the head or in the beard, ¹⁷⁴³  13:30 the priest is to examine the infection, ¹⁷⁴⁴  and if ¹⁷⁴⁵  it appears to be deeper than the skin ¹⁷⁴⁶  and the hair in it is reddish yellow and thin, then the priest is to pronounce the person unclean. ¹⁷⁴⁷  It is scall, ¹⁷⁴⁸  a disease of the head or the beard. ¹⁷⁴⁹  13:31 But if the priest examines the scall infection and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ¹⁷⁵⁰  and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to quarantine the person with the scall infection for seven days. ¹⁷⁵¹  13:32 The priest must then examine the infection on the seventh day, and if ¹⁷⁵²  the scall has not spread, there is no reddish yellow hair in it, and the scall does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ¹⁷⁵³  13:33 then the individual is to shave himself, ¹⁷⁵⁴  but he must not shave the area affected by the scall, ¹⁷⁵⁵  and the priest is to quarantine the person with the scall for another seven days. ¹⁷⁵⁶  13:34 The priest must then examine the scall on the seventh day, and if ¹⁷⁵⁷  the scall has not spread on the skin and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ¹⁷⁵⁸  then the priest is to pronounce him clean. ¹⁷⁵⁹  So he is to wash his clothes and be clean. 13:35 If, however, the scall spreads further ¹⁷⁶⁰  on the skin after his purification, 13:36 then the priest is to examine it, and if ¹⁷⁶¹  the scall has spread on the skin the priest is not to search further for reddish yellow hair. ¹⁷⁶²  The person ¹⁷⁶³  is unclean. 13:37 If, as far as the priest can see, the scall has stayed the same ¹⁷⁶⁴  and black hair has sprouted in it, the scall has been healed; the person is clean. So the priest is to pronounce him clean. ¹⁷⁶⁵ 

Bright White Spots on the Skin

13:38 “When a man or a woman has bright spots – white bright spots – on the skin of their body, 13:39 the priest is to examine them, ¹⁷⁶⁶  and if ¹⁷⁶⁷  the bright spots on the skin of their body are faded white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin. The person is clean. ¹⁷⁶⁸ 

Baldness on the Head

13:40 “When a man’s head is bare so that he is balding in back, ¹⁷⁶⁹  he is clean. 13:41 If his head is bare on the forehead ¹⁷⁷⁰  so that he is balding in front, ¹⁷⁷¹  he is clean. 13:42 But if there is a reddish white infection in the back or front bald area, it is a disease breaking out in his back or front bald area. 13:43 The priest is to examine it, ¹⁷⁷²  and if ¹⁷⁷³  the swelling of the infection is reddish white in the back or front bald area like the appearance of a disease on the skin of the body, ¹⁷⁷⁴  13:44 he is a diseased man. He is unclean. The priest must surely pronounce him unclean because of his infection on his head. ¹⁷⁷⁵ 

The Life of the Person with Skin Disease

13:45 “As for the diseased person who has the infection, ¹⁷⁷⁶  his clothes must be torn, the hair of his head must be unbound, he must cover his mustache, ¹⁷⁷⁷  and he must call out ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ 13:46 The whole time he has the infection ¹⁷⁷⁸  he will be continually unclean. He must live in isolation, and his place of residence must be outside the camp.

Infections in Garments, Cloth, or Leather

13:47 “When a garment has a diseased infection in it, ¹⁷⁷⁹  whether a wool or linen garment, ¹⁷⁸⁰  13:48 or in the warp or woof ¹⁷⁸¹  of the linen or the wool, or in leather or anything made of leather, ¹⁷⁸²  13:49 if the infection ¹⁷⁸³  in the garment or leather or warp or woof or any article of leather is yellowish green or reddish, it is a diseased infection and it must be shown to the priest. 13:50 The priest is to examine and then quarantine the article with the infection for seven days. ¹⁷⁸⁴  13:51 He must then examine the infection on the seventh day. If the infection has spread in the garment, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in the leather – whatever the article into which the leather was made ¹⁷⁸⁵  – the infection is a malignant disease. It is unclean. 13:52 He must burn the garment or the warp or the woof, whether wool or linen, or any article of leather which has the infection in it. Because it is a malignant disease it must be burned up in the fire. 13:53 But if the priest examines it and ¹⁷⁸⁶  the infection has not spread in the garment or in the warp or in the woof or in any article of leather, 13:54 the priest is to command that they wash whatever has the infection and quarantine it for another seven days. ¹⁷⁸⁷  13:55 The priest must then examine it after the infection has been washed out, and if ¹⁷⁸⁸  the infection has not changed its appearance ¹⁷⁸⁹  even though the infection has not spread, it is unclean. You must burn it up in the fire. It is a fungus, whether on the back side or front side of the article. ¹⁷⁹⁰  13:56 But if the priest has examined it and ¹⁷⁹¹  the infection has faded after it has been washed, he is to tear it out of ¹⁷⁹²  the garment or the leather or the warp or the woof. 13:57 Then if ¹⁷⁹³  it still appears again in the garment or the warp or the woof, or in any article of leather, it is an outbreak. Whatever has the infection in it you must burn up in the fire. 13:58 But the garment or the warp or the woof or any article of leather which you wash and infection disappears from it ¹⁷⁹⁴  is to be washed a second time and it will be clean.”

Summary of Infection Regulations

13:59 This is the law ¹⁷⁹⁵  of the diseased infection in the garment of wool or linen, or the warp or woof, or any article of leather, for pronouncing it clean or unclean. ¹⁷⁹⁶ 

Purification of Diseased Skin Infections

14:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 14:2 “This is the law of the diseased person on the day of his purification, when ¹⁷⁹⁷  he is brought to the priest. ¹⁷⁹⁸  14:3 The priest is to go outside the camp and examine the infection. ¹⁷⁹⁹  If the infection of the diseased person has been healed, ¹⁸⁰⁰  14:4 then the priest will command that two live clean birds, a piece of cedar wood, a scrap of crimson fabric, ¹⁸⁰¹  and some twigs of hyssop ¹⁸⁰²  be taken up ¹⁸⁰³  for the one being cleansed. ¹⁸⁰⁴  14:5 The priest will then command that one bird be slaughtered ¹⁸⁰⁵  into a clay vessel over fresh water. ¹⁸⁰⁶  14:6 Then ¹⁸⁰⁷  he is to take the live bird along with the piece of cedar wood, the scrap of crimson fabric, and the twigs of hyssop, and he is to dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird slaughtered over the fresh water, 14:7 and sprinkle it seven times on the one being cleansed ¹⁸⁰⁸  from the disease, pronounce him clean, ¹⁸⁰⁹  and send the live bird away over the open countryside. ¹⁸¹⁰ 

The Seven Days of Purification

14:8 “The one being cleansed ¹⁸¹¹  must then wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe in water, and so be clean. ¹⁸¹²  Then afterward he may enter the camp, but he must live outside his tent seven days. 14:9 When the seventh day comes ¹⁸¹³  he must shave all his hair – his head, his beard, his eyebrows, all his hair – and he must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and so be clean. ¹⁸¹⁴ 

The Eighth Day Atonement Rituals

14:10 “On the eighth day he ¹⁸¹⁵  must take two flawless male lambs, one flawless yearling female lamb, three-tenths of an ephah of choice wheat flour as a grain offering mixed with olive oil, ¹⁸¹⁶  and one log of olive oil, ¹⁸¹⁷  14:11 and the priest who pronounces him clean will have the man who is being cleansed stand along with these offerings ¹⁸¹⁸  before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent.

14:12 “The priest is to take one male lamb ¹⁸¹⁹  and present it for a guilt offering ¹⁸²⁰  along with the log of olive oil and present them as a wave offering before the Lord. ¹⁸²¹  14:13 He must then slaughter ¹⁸²²  the male lamb in the place where ¹⁸²³  the sin offering ¹⁸²⁴  and the burnt offering ¹⁸²⁵  are slaughtered, ¹⁸²⁶  in the sanctuary, because, like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; ¹⁸²⁷  it is most holy. 14:14 Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, ¹⁸²⁸  on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe ¹⁸²⁹  of his right foot. 14:15 The priest will then take some of the log of olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. ¹⁸³⁰  14:16 Then the priest is to dip his right forefinger into the olive oil ¹⁸³¹  that is in his left hand, and sprinkle some of the olive oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 14:17 The priest will then put some of the rest of the olive oil that is in his hand ¹⁸³²  on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the guilt offering, 14:18 and the remainder of the olive oil ¹⁸³³  that is in his hand the priest is to put on the head of the one being cleansed. So the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord.

14:19 “The priest must then perform the sin offering ¹⁸³⁴  and make atonement for the one being cleansed from his impurity. After that he ¹⁸³⁵  is to slaughter the burnt offering, 14:20 and the priest is to offer ¹⁸³⁶  the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest is to make atonement for him and he will be clean.

The Eighth Day Atonement Rituals for the Poor Person

14:21 “If the person is poor and does not have sufficient means, ¹⁸³⁷  he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering for a wave offering to make atonement for himself, one-tenth of an ephah of choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, ¹⁸³⁸  14:22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, ¹⁸³⁹  which are within his means. ¹⁸⁴⁰  One will be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. ¹⁸⁴¹ 

14:23 “On the eighth day he must bring them for his purification to the priest at the entrance ¹⁸⁴²  of the Meeting Tent before the Lord, 14:24 and the priest is to take the male lamb of the guilt offering and the log of olive oil and wave them ¹⁸⁴³  as a wave offering before the Lord. 14:25 Then he is to slaughter the male lamb of the guilt offering, and the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, ¹⁸⁴⁴  on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe ¹⁸⁴⁵  of his right foot. 14:26 The priest will then pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand, ¹⁸⁴⁶  14:27 and sprinkle some of the olive oil that is in his left hand with his right forefinger ¹⁸⁴⁷  seven times before the Lord. 14:28 Then the priest is to put some of the olive oil that is in his hand ¹⁸⁴⁸  on the right earlobe of the one being cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the guilt offering, 14:29 and the remainder of the olive oil that is in the hand ¹⁸⁴⁹  of the priest he is to put ¹⁸⁵⁰  on the head of the one being cleansed to make atonement for him before the Lord.

14:30 “He will then make one of the turtledoves ¹⁸⁵¹  or young pigeons, which are within his means, ¹⁸⁵²  14:31 a sin offering and the other a burnt offering along with the grain offering. ¹⁸⁵³  So the priest is to make atonement for the one being cleansed before the Lord. 14:32 This is the law of the one in whom there is a diseased infection, ¹⁸⁵⁴  who does not have sufficient means for his purification.” ¹⁸⁵⁵ 

Purification of Disease-Infected Houses

14:33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 14:34 “When you enter the land of Canaan which I am about to give ¹⁸⁵⁶  to you for a possession, and I put ¹⁸⁵⁷  a diseased infection in a house in the land you are to possess, ¹⁸⁵⁸  14:35 then whoever owns the house ¹⁸⁵⁹  must come and declare to the priest, ‘Something like an infection is visible to me in the house.’ 14:36 Then the priest will command that the house be cleared ¹⁸⁶⁰  before the priest enters to examine the infection ¹⁸⁶¹  so that everything in the house ¹⁸⁶²  does not become unclean, ¹⁸⁶³  and afterward ¹⁸⁶⁴  the priest will enter to examine the house. 14:37 He is to examine the infection, and if ¹⁸⁶⁵  the infection in the walls of the house consists of yellowish green or reddish eruptions, ¹⁸⁶⁶  and it appears to be deeper than the surface of the wall, ¹⁸⁶⁷  14:38 then the priest is to go out of the house to the doorway of the house and quarantine the house for seven days. ¹⁸⁶⁸  14:39 The priest must return on the seventh day and examine it, and if ¹⁸⁶⁹  the infection has spread in the walls of the house, 14:40 then the priest is to command that the stones that had the infection in them be pulled and thrown ¹⁸⁷⁰  outside the city ¹⁸⁷¹  into an unclean place. 14:41 Then he is to have the house scraped ¹⁸⁷²  all around on the inside, ¹⁸⁷³  and the plaster ¹⁸⁷⁴  which is scraped off ¹⁸⁷⁵  must be dumped outside the city ¹⁸⁷⁶  into an unclean place. 14:42 They are then to take other stones and replace those stones, ¹⁸⁷⁷  and he is to take other plaster and replaster the house.

14:43 “If the infection returns and breaks out in the house after he has pulled out the stones, scraped the house, and it is replastered, ¹⁸⁷⁸  14:44 the priest is to come and examine it, and if ¹⁸⁷⁹  the infection has spread in the house, it is a malignant disease in the house. It is unclean. 14:45 He must tear down the house, ¹⁸⁸⁰  its stones, its wood, and all the plaster of the house, and bring all of it ¹⁸⁸¹  outside the city to an unclean place. 14:46 Anyone who enters ¹⁸⁸²  the house all the days the priest ¹⁸⁸³  has quarantined it will be unclean until evening. 14:47 Anyone who lies down in the house must wash his clothes. Anyone who eats in the house must wash his clothes.

14:48 “If, however, the priest enters ¹⁸⁸⁴  and examines it, and the ¹⁸⁸⁵  infection has not spread in the house after the house has been replastered, then the priest is to pronounce the house clean because the infection has been healed. 14:49 Then he ¹⁸⁸⁶  is to take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a scrap of crimson fabric, and some twigs of hyssop ¹⁸⁸⁷  to decontaminate ¹⁸⁸⁸  the house, 14:50 and he is to slaughter one bird into a clay vessel over fresh water. ¹⁸⁸⁹  14:51 He must then take the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, the scrap of crimson fabric, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 14:52 So he is to decontaminate the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, and the scrap of crimson fabric, 14:53 and he is to send the live bird away outside the city ¹⁸⁹⁰  into the open countryside. So he is to make atonement for the house and it will be clean.

Summary of Purification Regulations for Infections

14:54 “This is the law for all diseased infections, for scall, ¹⁸⁹¹  14:55 for the diseased garment, ¹⁸⁹²  for the house, ¹⁸⁹³  14:56 for the swelling, ¹⁸⁹⁴  for the scab, ¹⁸⁹⁵  and for the bright spot, ¹⁸⁹⁶  14:57 to teach when something is unclean and when it is clean. ¹⁸⁹⁷  This is the law for dealing with infectious disease.” ¹⁸⁹⁸ 

Male Bodily Discharges

15:1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 15:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When any man ¹⁸⁹⁹  has a discharge ¹⁹⁰⁰  from his body, ¹⁹⁰¹  his discharge is unclean. 15:3 Now this is his uncleanness in regard to his discharge ¹⁹⁰²  – whether his body secretes his discharge or blocks his discharge, he is unclean. All the days that his body has a discharge or his body blocks his discharge, ¹⁹⁰³  this is his uncleanness. ¹⁹⁰⁴ 

15:4 “‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, ¹⁹⁰⁵  and any furniture he sits on will be unclean. ¹⁹⁰⁶  15:5 Anyone who touches his bed ¹⁹⁰⁷  must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ¹⁹⁰⁸  15:6 The one who sits on the furniture the man with a discharge sits on must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:7 The one who touches the body ¹⁹⁰⁹  of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:8 If the man with a discharge spits on a person who is ceremonially clean, ¹⁹¹⁰  that person must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:9 Any means of riding ¹⁹¹¹  the man with a discharge rides on will be unclean. 15:10 Anyone who touches anything that was under him ¹⁹¹²  will be unclean until evening, and the one who carries those items ¹⁹¹³  must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:11 Anyone whom the man with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water ¹⁹¹⁴  must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:12 A clay vessel ¹⁹¹⁵  which the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.

Purity Regulations for Male Bodily Discharges

15:13 “‘When the man with the discharge becomes clean from his discharge he is to count off for himself seven days for his purification, and he must wash his clothes, bathe in fresh water, ¹⁹¹⁶  and be clean. 15:14 Then on the eighth day he is to take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, ¹⁹¹⁷  and he is to present himself ¹⁹¹⁸  before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent and give them to the priest, 15:15 and the priest is to make one of them a sin offering ¹⁹¹⁹  and the other a burnt offering. ¹⁹²⁰  So the priest ¹⁹²¹  is to make atonement for him before the Lord for ¹⁹²²  his discharge.

15:16 “‘When a man has a seminal emission, ¹⁹²³  he must bathe his whole body in water ¹⁹²⁴  and be unclean until evening, 15:17 and he must wash in water any clothing or leather that has semen on it, and it will be unclean until evening. 15:18 When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman and there is a seminal emission, ¹⁹²⁵  they must bathe in water and be unclean until evening.

Female Bodily Discharges

15:19 “‘When a woman has a discharge ¹⁹²⁶  and her discharge is blood from her body, ¹⁹²⁷  she is to be in her menstruation ¹⁹²⁸  seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 15:20 Anything she lies on during her menstruation will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 15:21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:22 Anyone who touches any furniture she sits on must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 15:23 If there is something on the bed or on the furniture she sits on, ¹⁹²⁹  when he touches it ¹⁹³⁰  he will be unclean until evening, 15:24 and if a man actually has sexual intercourse with her so that her menstrual impurity touches him, ¹⁹³¹  then he will be unclean seven days and any bed he lies on will be unclean.

15:25 “‘When a woman’s discharge of blood flows ¹⁹³²  many days not at the time of her menstruation, or if it flows beyond the time of her menstruation, ¹⁹³³  all the days of her discharge of impurity will be like the days of her menstruation – she is unclean. 15:26 Any bed she lies on all the days of her discharge will be to her like the bed of her menstruation, any furniture she sits on will be unclean like the impurity of her menstruation, 15:27 and anyone who touches them will be unclean, and he must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. ¹⁹³⁴ 

Purity Regulations from Female Bodily Discharges

15:28 “‘If ¹⁹³⁵  she becomes clean from her discharge, then she is to count off for herself seven days, and afterward she will be clean. 15:29 Then on the eighth day she must take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons ¹⁹³⁶  and she must bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 15:30 and the priest is to make one a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. ¹⁹³⁷  So the priest ¹⁹³⁸  is to make atonement for her before the Lord from her discharge of impurity.

Summary of Purification Regulations for Bodily Discharges

15:31 “‘Thus you ¹⁹³⁹  are to set the Israelites apart from their impurity so that they ¹⁹⁴⁰  do not die in their impurity by defiling my tabernacle which is in their midst. 15:32 This is the law of the one with a discharge: the one who has a seminal emission ¹⁹⁴¹  and becomes unclean by it, ¹⁹⁴²  15:33 the one who is sick in her menstruation, the one with a discharge, whether male or female, ¹⁹⁴³  and a man ¹⁹⁴⁴  who has sexual intercourse with an unclean woman.’”

The Day of Atonement

16:1 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord ¹⁹⁴⁵  and died, 16:2 and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil-canopy ¹⁹⁴⁶  in front of the atonement plate ¹⁹⁴⁷  that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement plate.

Day of Atonement Offerings

16:3 “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary – with a young bull ¹⁹⁴⁸  for a sin offering ¹⁹⁴⁹  and a ram for a burnt offering. ¹⁹⁵⁰  16:4 He must put on a holy linen tunic, ¹⁹⁵¹  linen leggings are to cover his body, ¹⁹⁵²  and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash ¹⁹⁵³  and wrap his head with a linen turban. ¹⁹⁵⁴  They are holy garments, so he must bathe ¹⁹⁵⁵  his body in water and put them on. 16:5 He must also take ¹⁹⁵⁶  two male goats ¹⁹⁵⁷  from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 16:6 Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. 16:7 He must then take the two goats ¹⁹⁵⁸  and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 16:8 and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, ¹⁹⁵⁹  one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel. ¹⁹⁶⁰  16:9 Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, ¹⁹⁶¹  and he is to make it a sin offering, 16:10 but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive ¹⁹⁶²  before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away to Azazel into the wilderness. ¹⁹⁶³ 

The Sin Offering Sacrificial Procedures

16:11 “Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin offering bull which is for himself, 16:12 and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord ¹⁹⁶⁴  and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense, ¹⁹⁶⁵  and bring them inside the veil-canopy. ¹⁹⁶⁶  16:13 He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement plate which is above the ark of the testimony, ¹⁹⁶⁷  so that he will not die. ¹⁹⁶⁸  16:14 Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement plate, ¹⁹⁶⁹  and in front of the atonement plate he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger. ¹⁹⁷⁰ 

16:15 “He must then slaughter the sin offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the veil-canopy, ¹⁹⁷¹  and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement plate and in front of the atonement plate. 16:16 So ¹⁹⁷²  he is to make atonement for the holy place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins, ¹⁹⁷³  and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities. 16:17 Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent ¹⁹⁷⁴  when he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.

16:18 “Then ¹⁹⁷⁵  he is to go out to the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take ¹⁹⁷⁶  some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar. 16:19 Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times, and cleanse and consecrate it ¹⁹⁷⁷  from the impurities of the Israelites.

The Live Goat Ritual Procedures

16:20 “When he has finished purifying the holy place, ¹⁹⁷⁸  the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. 16:21 Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins, ¹⁹⁷⁹  and thus he is to put them ¹⁹⁸⁰  on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man standing ready. ¹⁹⁸¹  16:22 The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land, ¹⁹⁸²  so he is to send the goat away ¹⁹⁸³  in the wilderness.

The Concluding Rituals

16:23 “Aaron must then enter ¹⁹⁸⁴  the Meeting Tent and take off the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there. 16:24 Then he must bathe his body in water in a holy place, put on his clothes, and go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is to make atonement ¹⁹⁸⁵  on behalf of himself and the people. ¹⁹⁸⁶ 

16:25 “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering ¹⁹⁸⁷  in smoke on the altar, 16:26 and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel ¹⁹⁸⁸  must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 16:27 The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the holy place, must be brought outside the camp ¹⁹⁸⁹  and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up, ¹⁹⁹⁰  16:28 and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.

Review of the Day of Atonement

16:29 “This is to be a perpetual statute for you. ¹⁹⁹¹  In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves ¹⁹⁹²  and do no work of any kind, ¹⁹⁹³  both the native citizen and the foreigner who resides ¹⁹⁹⁴  in your midst, 16:30 for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord. ¹⁹⁹⁵  16:31 It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves. ¹⁹⁹⁶  It is a perpetual statute. ¹⁹⁹⁷ 

16:32 “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of his father ¹⁹⁹⁸  is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 16:33 and he is to purify ¹⁹⁹⁹  the Most Holy Place, ²⁰⁰⁰  he is to purify the Meeting Tent and the altar, ²⁰⁰¹  and he is to make atonement for ²⁰⁰²  the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 16:34 This is to be a perpetual statute for you ²⁰⁰³  to make atonement for the Israelites for ²⁰⁰⁴  all their sins once a year.” ²⁰⁰⁵  So he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁰⁰⁶ 

The Slaughter of Animals

17:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 17:2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and tell them: ‘This is the word that the Lord has commanded: 17:3 “Blood guilt ²⁰⁰⁷  will be accounted to any man ²⁰⁰⁸  from the house of Israel ²⁰⁰⁹  who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp, ²⁰¹⁰  17:4 but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent ²⁰¹¹  to present it as ²⁰¹²  an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord. He has shed blood, so that man will be cut off from the midst of his people. ²⁰¹³  17:5 This is so that ²⁰¹⁴  the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field ²⁰¹⁵  to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent to the priest and sacrifice them there as peace offering sacrifices to the Lord. 17:6 The priest is to splash ²⁰¹⁶  the blood on the altar ²⁰¹⁷  of the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and offer the fat up in smoke for a soothing aroma to the Lord. 17:7 So they must no longer offer ²⁰¹⁸  their sacrifices to the goat demons, ²⁰¹⁹  acting like prostitutes by going after them. ²⁰²⁰  This is to be a perpetual statute for them throughout their generations. ²⁰²¹ 

17:8 “You are to say to them: ‘Any man ²⁰²²  from the house of Israel or ²⁰²³  from the foreigners who reside ²⁰²⁴  in their ²⁰²⁵  midst, who offers ²⁰²⁶  a burnt offering or a sacrifice 17:9 but does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it ²⁰²⁷  to the Lord – that person will be cut off from his people. ²⁰²⁸ 

Prohibition against Eating Blood

17:10 “‘Any man ²⁰²⁹  from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside ²⁰³⁰  in their ²⁰³¹  midst who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, ²⁰³²  17:11 for the life of every living thing ²⁰³³  is in the blood. ²⁰³⁴  So I myself have assigned it to you ²⁰³⁵  on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life. ²⁰³⁶  17:12 Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat blood, ²⁰³⁷  and no resident foreigner who lives among you is to eat blood. ²⁰³⁸ 

17:13 “‘Any man from the Israelites ²⁰³⁹  or from the foreigners who reside ²⁰⁴⁰  in their ²⁰⁴¹  midst who hunts a wild animal ²⁰⁴²  or a bird that may be eaten ²⁰⁴³  must pour out its blood and cover it with soil, 17:14 for the life of all flesh is its blood. ²⁰⁴⁴  So I have said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any living thing ²⁰⁴⁵  because the life of every living thing is its blood – all who eat it will be cut off. ²⁰⁴⁶ 

Regulations for Eating Carcasses

17:15 “‘Any person ²⁰⁴⁷  who eats an animal that has died of natural causes ²⁰⁴⁸  or an animal torn by beasts, whether a native citizen or a foreigner, ²⁰⁴⁹  must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; then he becomes clean. 17:16 But if he does not wash his clothes ²⁰⁵⁰  and does not bathe his body, he will bear his punishment for iniquity.’” ²⁰⁵¹ 

Exhortation to Obedience and Life

18:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 18:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God! 18:3 You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living, ²⁰⁵²  and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you; ²⁰⁵³  you must not ²⁰⁵⁴  walk in their statutes. 18:4 You must observe my regulations ²⁰⁵⁵  and you must be sure to walk in my statutes. ²⁰⁵⁶  I am the Lord your God. 18:5 So you must keep ²⁰⁵⁷  my statutes and my regulations; anyone who does so will live by keeping them. ²⁰⁵⁸  I am the Lord.

Laws of Sexual Relations

18:6 “‘No man is to approach any close relative ²⁰⁵⁹  to have sexual intercourse with her. ²⁰⁶⁰  I am the Lord. ²⁰⁶¹  18:7 You must not ²⁰⁶²  expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual intercourse with your mother. ²⁰⁶³  She is your mother; you must not have intercourse with her. 18:8 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness. ²⁰⁶⁴  18:9 You must not have sexual intercourse with your sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, ²⁰⁶⁵  whether she is born in the same household or born outside it; ²⁰⁶⁶  you must not have sexual intercourse with either of them. ²⁰⁶⁷  18:10 You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter by having sexual intercourse with them, because they are your own nakedness. ²⁰⁶⁸  18:11 You must not have sexual intercourse with the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father; she is your sister. You must not have intercourse with her. ²⁰⁶⁹  18:12 You must not have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister; she is your father’s flesh. ²⁰⁷⁰  18:13 You must not have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s flesh. 18:14 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not approach his wife to have sexual intercourse with her. ²⁰⁷¹  She is your aunt. ²⁰⁷²  18:15 You must not have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. You must not have intercourse with her. 18:16 You must not have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness. ²⁰⁷³  18:17 You must not have sexual intercourse with both a woman and her daughter; you must not take as wife either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to have intercourse with them. ²⁰⁷⁴  They are closely related to her ²⁰⁷⁵  – it is lewdness. ²⁰⁷⁶  18:18 You must not take a woman in marriage and then marry her sister as a rival wife ²⁰⁷⁷  while she is still alive, ²⁰⁷⁸  to have sexual intercourse with her.

18:19 “‘You must not approach a woman in her menstrual impurity ²⁰⁷⁹  to have sexual intercourse with her. 18:20 You must not have sexual intercourse ²⁰⁸⁰  with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her. 18:21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, ²⁰⁸¹  so that you do not profane ²⁰⁸²  the name of your God. I am the Lord! 18:22 You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman; ²⁰⁸³  it is a detestable act. ²⁰⁸⁴  18:23 You must not have sexual intercourse ²⁰⁸⁵  with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it; ²⁰⁸⁶  it is a perversion. ²⁰⁸⁷ 

Warning against the Abominations of the Nations

18:24 “‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you ²⁰⁸⁸  have been defiled with all these things. 18:25 Therefore ²⁰⁸⁹  the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it, ²⁰⁹⁰  so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants. 18:26 You yourselves must obey ²⁰⁹¹  my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in your midst, ²⁰⁹²  18:27 for the people who were in the land before you have done all these abominations, ²⁰⁹³  and the land has become unclean. 18:28 So do not make the land vomit you out because you defile it ²⁰⁹⁴  just as it has vomited out the nations ²⁰⁹⁵  that were before you. 18:29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, the persons who do them will be cut off from the midst of their people. ²⁰⁹⁶  18:30 You must obey my charge to not practice any of the abominable statutes ²⁰⁹⁷  that have been done before you, so that you do not ²⁰⁹⁸  defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.’”

Religious and Social Regulations

19:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 19:2 “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites and tell them, ‘You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. 19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and his father, ²⁰⁹⁹  and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. 19:4 Do not turn to idols, ²¹⁰⁰  and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God.

Eating the Peace Offering

19:5 “‘When you sacrifice a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you. ²¹⁰¹  19:6 It must be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and on the following day, ²¹⁰²  but what is left over until the third day must be burned up. ²¹⁰³  19:7 If, however, it is eaten ²¹⁰⁴  on the third day, it is spoiled, ²¹⁰⁵  it will not be accepted, 19:8 and the one who eats it will bear his punishment for iniquity ²¹⁰⁶  because he has profaned ²¹⁰⁷  what is holy to the Lord. ²¹⁰⁸  That person will be cut off from his people. ²¹⁰⁹ 

Leaving the Gleanings

19:9 “‘When you gather in the harvest ²¹¹⁰  of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, ²¹¹¹  and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. 19:10 You must not pick your vineyard bare, ²¹¹²  and you must not gather up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.

Dealing Honestly

19:11 “‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen. ²¹¹³  19:12 You must not swear falsely ²¹¹⁴  in my name, so that you do not profane ²¹¹⁵  the name of your God. I am the Lord. 19:13 You must not oppress your neighbor or commit robbery against him. ²¹¹⁶  You must not withhold ²¹¹⁷  the wages of the hired laborer overnight until morning. 19:14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person. ²¹¹⁸  You must fear ²¹¹⁹  your God; I am the Lord.

Justice, Love, and Propriety

19:15 “‘You ²¹²⁰  must not deal unjustly in judgment: ²¹²¹  you must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich. ²¹²²  You must judge your fellow citizen fairly. ²¹²³  19:16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people. ²¹²⁴  You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake. ²¹²⁵  I am the Lord. 19:17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him. ²¹²⁶  19:18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge ²¹²⁷  against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. ²¹²⁸  I am the Lord. 19:19 You must keep my statutes. You must not allow two different kinds of your animals to breed, ²¹²⁹  you must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed, and you must not wear ²¹³⁰  a garment made of two different kinds of fabric. ²¹³¹ 

Lying with a Slave Woman

19:20 “‘When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman, ²¹³²  although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be an obligation to pay compensation. ²¹³³  They must not be put to death, because she was not free. 19:21 He must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, a guilt offering ram, ²¹³⁴  19:22 and the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed, ²¹³⁵  and he will be forgiven ²¹³⁶  of his sin ²¹³⁷  that he has committed.

The Produce of Fruit Trees

19:23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any fruit tree, ²¹³⁸  you must consider its fruit to be forbidden. ²¹³⁹  Three years it will be forbidden to you; ²¹⁴⁰  it must not be eaten. 19:24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, praise offerings ²¹⁴¹  to the Lord. 19:25 Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit to add its produce to your harvest. ²¹⁴²  I am the Lord your God.

Blood, Hair, and Body

19:26 “‘You must not eat anything with the blood still in it. ²¹⁴³  You must not practice either divination or soothsaying. ²¹⁴⁴  19:27 You must not round off the corners of the hair on your head or ruin the corners of your beard. ²¹⁴⁵  19:28 You must not slash your body for a dead person ²¹⁴⁶  or incise a tattoo on yourself. ²¹⁴⁷  I am the Lord. 19:29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, ²¹⁴⁸  so that the land does not practice prostitution and become full of lewdness. ²¹⁴⁹ 

Purity, Honor, Respect, and Honesty

19:30 “‘You must keep my Sabbaths and fear my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 19:31 Do not turn to the spirits of the dead and do not seek familiar spirits ²¹⁵⁰  to become unclean by them. I am the Lord your God. 19:32 You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an elder, and fear your God. I am the Lord. 19:33 When a foreigner resides ²¹⁵¹  with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 19:34 The foreigner who resides with you must be to you like a native citizen among you; so ²¹⁵²  you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 19:35 You must not do injustice in the regulation of measures, whether of length, weight, or volume. ²¹⁵³  19:36 You must have honest balances, ²¹⁵⁴  honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. ²¹⁵⁵  I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 19:37 You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations. ²¹⁵⁶  I am the Lord.’”

Prohibitions against Illegitimate Family Worship

20:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 20:2 “You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man from the Israelites or from the foreigners who reside in Israel ²¹⁵⁷  who gives any of his children ²¹⁵⁸  to Molech ²¹⁵⁹  must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones. ²¹⁶⁰  20:3 I myself will set my face ²¹⁶¹  against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people, ²¹⁶²  because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. ²¹⁶³  20:4 If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes ²¹⁶⁴  to that man ²¹⁶⁵  when he gives some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death, 20:5 I myself will set my face against that man and his clan. I will cut off from the midst of their people both him and all who follow after him in spiritual prostitution, ²¹⁶⁶  to commit prostitution by worshiping Molech. ²¹⁶⁷ 

Prohibition against Spiritists and Mediums ²¹⁶⁸ 

20:6 “‘The person who turns to the spirits of the dead and familiar spirits ²¹⁶⁹  to commit prostitution by going after them, I will set my face ²¹⁷⁰  against that person and cut him off from the midst of his people.

Exhortation to Holiness and Obedience

20:7 “‘You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 20:8 You must be sure to obey my statutes. ²¹⁷¹  I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

Family Life and Sexual Prohibitions ²¹⁷² 

20:9 “‘If anyone ²¹⁷³  curses his father and mother ²¹⁷⁴  he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself. ²¹⁷⁵  20:10 If a man ²¹⁷⁶  commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, ²¹⁷⁷  both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 20:11 If a man has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness. ²¹⁷⁸  Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. ²¹⁷⁹  20:12 If a man has sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have committed perversion; ²¹⁸⁰  their blood guilt is on themselves. 20:13 If a man has sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman, ²¹⁸¹  the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. 20:14 If a man has sexual intercourse with both a woman and her mother, ²¹⁸²  it is lewdness. ²¹⁸³  Both he and they must be burned to death, ²¹⁸⁴  so there is no lewdness in your midst. 20:15 If a man has sexual intercourse ²¹⁸⁵  with any animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal. 20:16 If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual intercourse with it, ²¹⁸⁶  you must kill the woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.

20:17 “‘If a man has sexual intercourse with ²¹⁸⁷  his sister, whether the daughter of his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. ²¹⁸⁸  He has exposed his sister’s nakedness; he will bear his punishment for iniquity. ²¹⁸⁹  20:18 If a man has sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her fountain of blood and she has exposed the fountain of her blood, so both of them ²¹⁹⁰  must be cut off from the midst of their people. 20:19 You must not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister and your father’s sister, for such a person has laid bare his own close relative. ²¹⁹¹  They must bear their punishment for iniquity. ²¹⁹²  20:20 If a man has sexual intercourse with his aunt, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness; they must bear responsibility for their sin, they will die childless. 20:21 If a man has sexual intercourse with ²¹⁹³  his brother’s wife, it is indecency. He has exposed his brother’s nakedness; ²¹⁹⁴  they will be childless.

Exhortation to Holiness and Obedience

20:22 “‘You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations, ²¹⁹⁵  so that ²¹⁹⁶  the land to which I am about to bring you to take up residence there does not vomit you out. 20:23 You must not walk in the statutes of the nation ²¹⁹⁷  which I am about to drive out before you, because they have done all these things and I am filled with disgust against them. 20:24 So I have said to you: You yourselves will possess their land and I myself will give it to you for a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who has set you apart from the other peoples. ²¹⁹⁸  20:25 Therefore you must distinguish ²¹⁹⁹  between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, and you must not make yourselves detestable by means of an animal or bird or anything that creeps on the ground – creatures ²²⁰⁰  I have distinguished for you as unclean. ²²⁰¹  20:26 You must be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the other peoples to be mine.

Prohibition against Spiritists and Mediums

20:27 “‘A man or woman who ²²⁰²  has in them a spirit of the dead or a familiar spirit ²²⁰³  must be put to death. They must pelt them with stones; ²²⁰⁴  their blood guilt is on themselves.’”

Rules for the Priests

21:1 The Lord said to Moses: “Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron – say to them, ‘For a dead person ²²⁰⁵  no priest ²²⁰⁶  is to defile himself among his people, ²²⁰⁷  21:2 except for his close relative who is near to him: ²²⁰⁸  his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 21:3 and his virgin sister who is near to him, ²²⁰⁹  who has no husband; he may defile himself for her. 21:4 He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself. ²²¹⁰  21:5 Priests ²²¹¹  must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body. ²²¹² 

21:6 “‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane ²²¹³  the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord’s gifts, ²²¹⁴  the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy. ²²¹⁵  21:7 They must not take a wife defiled by prostitution, ²²¹⁶  nor are they to take a wife divorced from her husband, ²²¹⁷  for the priest ²²¹⁸  is holy to his God. ²²¹⁹  21:8 You must sanctify him because he presents the food of your God. He must be holy to you because I, the Lord who sanctifies you all, ²²²⁰  am holy. 21:9 If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death. ²²²¹ 

Rules for the High Priest

21:10 “‘The high ²²²²  priest – who is greater than his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, who has been ordained ²²²³  to wear the priestly garments – must neither dishevel the hair of his head nor tear his garments. ²²²⁴  21:11 He must not go where there is any dead person; ²²²⁵  he must not defile himself even for his father and his mother. 21:12 He must not go out from the sanctuary and must not profane ²²²⁶  the sanctuary of his God, because the dedication of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord. 21:13 He must take a wife who is a virgin. ²²²⁷  21:14 He must not marry ²²²⁸  a widow, a divorced woman, or one profaned by prostitution; he may only take a virgin from his people ²²²⁹  as a wife. 21:15 He must not profane his children among his people, ²²³⁰  for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.’”

Rules for the Priesthood

21:16 The Lord spoke to Moses: 21:17 “Tell Aaron, ‘No man from your descendants throughout their generations ²²³¹  who has a physical flaw ²²³²  is to approach to present the food of his God. 21:18 Certainly ²²³³  no man who has a physical flaw is to approach: a blind man, or one who is lame, or one with a slit nose, ²²³⁴  or a limb too long, 21:19 or a man who has had a broken leg or arm, ²²³⁵  21:20 or a hunchback, or a dwarf, ²²³⁶  or one with a spot in his eye, ²²³⁷  or a festering eruption, or a feverish rash, ²²³⁸  or a crushed testicle. 21:21 No man from the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a physical flaw may step forward ²²³⁹  to present the Lord’s gifts; he has a physical flaw, so he must not step forward to present the food of his God. 21:22 He may eat both the most holy and the holy food of his God, 21:23 but he must not go into the veil-canopy ²²⁴⁰  or step forward to the altar because he has a physical flaw. Thus ²²⁴¹  he must not profane my holy places, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”

21:24 So ²²⁴²  Moses spoke these things ²²⁴³  to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites.

Regulations for the Eating of Priestly Stipends

22:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:2 “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must deal respectfully with the holy offerings ²²⁴⁴  of the Israelites, which they consecrate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name. ²²⁴⁵  I am the Lord. 22:3 Say to them, ‘Throughout your generations, ²²⁴⁶  if any man from all your descendants approaches the holy offerings which the Israelites consecrate ²²⁴⁷  to the Lord while he is impure, ²²⁴⁸  that person must be cut off from before me. ²²⁴⁹  I am the Lord. 22:4 No man ²²⁵⁰  from the descendants of Aaron who is diseased or has a discharge ²²⁵¹  may eat the holy offerings until he becomes clean. The one ²²⁵²  who touches anything made unclean by contact with a dead person, ²²⁵³  or a man who has a seminal emission, ²²⁵⁴  22:5 or a man who touches a swarming thing by which he becomes unclean, ²²⁵⁵  or touches a person ²²⁵⁶  by which he becomes unclean, whatever that person’s impurity ²²⁵⁷  – 22:6 the person who touches any of these ²²⁵⁸  will be unclean until evening and must not eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body in water. 22:7 When the sun goes down he will be clean, and afterward he may eat from the holy offerings, because they are his food. 22:8 He must not eat an animal that has died of natural causes ²²⁵⁹  or an animal torn by beasts and thus become unclean by it. I am the Lord. 22:9 They must keep my charge so that they do not incur sin on account of it ²²⁶⁰  and therefore die ²²⁶¹  because they profane it. I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

22:10 “‘No lay person ²²⁶²  may eat anything holy. Neither a priest’s lodger ²²⁶³  nor a hired laborer may eat anything holy, 22:11 but if a priest buys a person with his own money, ²²⁶⁴  that person ²²⁶⁵  may eat the holy offerings, ²²⁶⁶  and those born in the priest’s ²²⁶⁷  own house may eat his food. ²²⁶⁸  22:12 If a priest’s daughter marries a lay person, ²²⁶⁹  she may not eat the holy contribution offerings, ²²⁷⁰  22:13 but if a priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and she has no children so that she returns to live in ²²⁷¹  her father’s house as in her youth, ²²⁷²  she may eat from her father’s food, but no lay person may eat it.

22:14 “‘If a man eats a holy offering by mistake, ²²⁷³  he must add one fifth to it and give the holy offering to the priest. ²²⁷⁴  22:15 They ²²⁷⁵  must not profane the holy offerings which the Israelites contribute ²²⁷⁶  to the Lord, ²²⁷⁷  22:16 and so cause them to incur a penalty for guilt ²²⁷⁸  when they eat their holy offerings, ²²⁷⁹  for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”

Regulations for Offering Votive and Freewill Offerings

22:17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:18 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘When any man ²²⁸⁰  from the house of Israel or from the foreigners in Israel ²²⁸¹  presents his offering for any of the votive or freewill offerings which they present to the Lord as a burnt offering, 22:19 if it is to be acceptable for your benefit ²²⁸²  it must be a flawless male from the cattle, sheep, or goats. 22:20 You must not present anything that has a flaw, ²²⁸³  because it will not be acceptable for your benefit. ²²⁸⁴  22:21 If a man presents a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering ²²⁸⁵  or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable; ²²⁸⁶  it must have no flaw. ²²⁸⁷ 

22:22 “‘You must not present to the Lord something blind, or with a broken bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore, ²²⁸⁸  or with a festering eruption, or with a feverish rash. ²²⁸⁹  You must not give any of these as a gift ²²⁹⁰  on the altar to the Lord. 22:23 As for an ox ²²⁹¹  or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted, ²²⁹²  you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering. ²²⁹³  22:24 You must not present to the Lord something with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut off; ²²⁹⁴  you must not do this in your land. 22:25 Even from a foreigner ²²⁹⁵  you must not present the food of your God from such animals as these, for they are ruined and flawed; ²²⁹⁶  they will not be acceptable for your benefit.’”

22:26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 22:27 “When an ox, lamb, or goat is born, it must be under the care of ²²⁹⁷  its mother seven days, but from the eighth day onward it will be acceptable as an offering gift ²²⁹⁸  to the Lord. 22:28 You must not slaughter an ox or a sheep and its young ²²⁹⁹  on the same day. ²³⁰⁰  22:29 When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is acceptable for your benefit. ²³⁰¹  22:30 On that very day ²³⁰²  it must be eaten; you must not leave any part of it ²³⁰³  over until morning. I am the Lord.

22:31 “You must be sure to do my commandments. ²³⁰⁴  I am the Lord. 22:32 You must not profane my holy name, and I will be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 22:33 the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God. ²³⁰⁵  I am the Lord.”

Regulations for Israel’s Appointed Times

23:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘These are the Lord’s appointed times which you must proclaim as holy assemblies – my appointed times: ²³⁰⁶ 

The Weekly Sabbath

23:3 “‘Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest, ²³⁰⁷  a holy assembly. You must not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all the places where you live.

The Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread

23:4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time. 23:5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, ²³⁰⁸  is a Passover offering to the Lord. 23:6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month ²³⁰⁹  will be the festival of unleavened bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 23:7 On the first day there will be a holy assembly for you; you must not do any regular work. ²³¹⁰  23:8 You must present a gift to the Lord for seven days, and the seventh day is a holy assembly; you must not do any regular work.’”

The Presentation of First Fruits

23:9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am about to give to you and you gather in its harvest, ²³¹¹  then you must bring the sheaf of the first portion of your harvest ²³¹²  to the priest, 23:11 and he must wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for your benefit ²³¹³  – on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it. ²³¹⁴  23:12 On the day you wave the sheaf you must also offer ²³¹⁵  a flawless yearling lamb ²³¹⁶  for a burnt offering to the Lord, 23:13 along with its grain offering, two tenths of an ephah of ²³¹⁷  choice wheat flour ²³¹⁸  mixed with olive oil, as a gift to the Lord, a soothing aroma, ²³¹⁹  and its drink offering, one fourth of a hin of wine. ²³²⁰  23:14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this very day, ²³²¹  until you bring the offering of your God. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations ²³²²  in all the places where you live.

The Festival of Weeks

23:15 “‘You must count for yourselves seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day you bring the wave offering sheaf; they must be complete weeks. ²³²³  23:16 You must count fifty days – until the day after the seventh Sabbath – and then ²³²⁴  you must present a new grain offering to the Lord. 23:17 From the places where you live you must bring two loaves of ²³²⁵  bread for a wave offering; they must be made from two tenths of an ephah of fine wheat flour, baked with yeast, ²³²⁶  as first fruits to the Lord. 23:18 Along with the loaves of bread, ²³²⁷  you must also present seven flawless yearling lambs, ²³²⁸  one young bull, ²³²⁹  and two rams. ²³³⁰  They are to be a burnt offering to the Lord along with their grain offering ²³³¹  and drink offerings, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord. ²³³²  23:19 You must also offer ²³³³  one male goat ²³³⁴  for a sin offering and two yearling lambs for a peace offering sacrifice, 23:20 and the priest is to wave them – the two lambs ²³³⁵  – along with the bread of the first fruits, as a wave offering before the Lord; they will be holy to the Lord for the priest.

23:21 “‘On this very day you must proclaim an assembly; it is to be a holy assembly for you. ²³³⁶  You must not do any regular work. This is a perpetual statute in all the places where you live throughout your generations. ²³³⁷  23:22 When you gather in the harvest ²³³⁸  of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field, ²³³⁹  and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.’” ²³⁴⁰ 

The Festival of Horn Blasts

23:23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:24 “Tell the Israelites, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a complete rest, a memorial announced by loud horn blasts, ²³⁴¹  a holy assembly. 23:25 You must not do any regular work, but ²³⁴²  you must present a gift to the Lord.’”

The Day of Atonement

23:26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:27 “The ²³⁴³  tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. ²³⁴⁴  It is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must humble yourselves ²³⁴⁵  and present a gift to the Lord. 23:28 You must not do any work on this particular day, ²³⁴⁶  because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for yourselves ²³⁴⁷  before the Lord your God. 23:29 Indeed, ²³⁴⁸  any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day will be cut off from his people. ²³⁴⁹  23:30 As for any person ²³⁵⁰  who does any work on this particular day, I will exterminate ²³⁵¹  that person from the midst of his people! ²³⁵²  23:31 You must not do any work. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations ²³⁵³  in all the places where you live. 23:32 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening, from evening until evening you must observe your Sabbath.” ²³⁵⁴ 

The Festival of Booths

23:33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23:34 “Tell the Israelites, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Temporary Shelters ²³⁵⁵  for seven days to the Lord. 23:35 On the first day is a holy assembly; you must do no regular work. ²³⁵⁶  23:36 For seven days you must present a gift to the Lord. On the eighth day there is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must present a gift to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly day; ²³⁵⁷  you must not do any regular work.

23:37 “‘These are the appointed times of the Lord that you must proclaim as holy assemblies to present a gift to the Lord – burnt offering, grain offering, sacrifice, and drink offerings, ²³⁵⁸  each day according to its regulation, ²³⁵⁹  23:38 besides ²³⁶⁰  the Sabbaths of the Lord and all your gifts, votive offerings, and freewill offerings which you must give to the Lord.

23:39 “‘On ²³⁶¹  the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the produce of the land, you must celebrate a pilgrim festival of the Lord for seven days. On the first day is a complete rest and on the eighth day is complete rest. 23:40 On the first day you must take for yourselves branches from majestic trees ²³⁶²  – palm branches, branches of leafy trees, and willows of the brook – and you must rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 23:41 You must celebrate it as a pilgrim festival to the Lord for seven days in the year. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations; ²³⁶³  you must celebrate it in the seventh month. 23:42 You must live in temporary shelters ²³⁶⁴  for seven days; every native citizen in Israel must live in temporary shelters, 23:43 so that your future generations may know that I made the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

23:44 So Moses spoke to the Israelites about the appointed times of the Lord. ²³⁶⁵ 

Regulations for the Lampstand and Table of Bread

24:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 24:2 “Command the Israelites to bring ²³⁶⁶  to you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. ²³⁶⁷  24:3 Outside the veil-canopy ²³⁶⁸  of the congregation in the Meeting Tent Aaron ²³⁶⁹  must arrange it from evening until morning before the Lord continually. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations. ²³⁷⁰  24:4 On the ceremonially pure lampstand ²³⁷¹  he must arrange the lamps before the Lord continually.

24:5 “You must take choice wheat flour ²³⁷²  and bake twelve loaves; ²³⁷³  there must be two tenths of an ephah of flour in ²³⁷⁴  each loaf, 24:6 and you must set them in two rows, six in a row, ²³⁷⁵  on the ceremonially pure table before the Lord. 24:7 You must put pure frankincense ²³⁷⁶  on each row, ²³⁷⁷  and it will become a memorial portion ²³⁷⁸  for the bread, a gift ²³⁷⁹  to the Lord. 24:8 Each Sabbath day ²³⁸⁰  Aaron ²³⁸¹  must arrange it before the Lord continually; this portion ²³⁸²  is from the Israelites as a perpetual covenant. 24:9 It will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they must eat it in a holy place because it is most holy to him, a perpetual allotted portion ²³⁸³  from the gifts of the Lord.”

A Case of Blaspheming the Name

24:10 Now ²³⁸⁴  an Israelite woman’s son whose father was an Egyptian went out among the Israelites, and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man ²³⁸⁵  had a fight in the camp. 24:11 The Israelite woman’s son misused the Name and cursed, ²³⁸⁶  so they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 24:12 So they placed him in custody until they were able ²³⁸⁷  to make a clear legal decision for themselves based on words from the mouth of the Lord. ²³⁸⁸ 

24:13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 24:14 “Bring the one who cursed outside the camp, and all who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the whole congregation is to stone him to death. ²³⁸⁹  24:15 Moreover, ²³⁹⁰  you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If any man curses his God ²³⁹¹  he will bear responsibility for his sin, 24:16 and one who misuses ²³⁹²  the name of the Lord must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must surely stone him, whether he is a foreigner or a native citizen; when he misuses the Name he must be put to death.

24:17 “‘If a man beats any person to death, ²³⁹³  he must be put to death. 24:18 One who beats an animal to death ²³⁹⁴  must make restitution for it, life for life. ²³⁹⁵  24:19 If a man inflicts an injury on ²³⁹⁶  his fellow citizen, ²³⁹⁷  just as he has done it must be done to him – 24:20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth – just as he inflicts an injury on another person ²³⁹⁸  that same injury ²³⁹⁹  must be inflicted on him. 24:21 One who beats an animal to death ²⁴⁰⁰  must make restitution for it, but ²⁴⁰¹  one who beats a person to death must be put to death. 24:22 There will be one regulation ²⁴⁰²  for you, whether a foreigner or a native citizen, for I am the Lord your God.’”

24:23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him with stones. So the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Regulations for the Sabbatical Year

25:1 The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai: 25:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must observe a Sabbath ²⁴⁰³  to the Lord. 25:3 Six years you may sow your field, and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather the produce, ²⁴⁰⁴  25:4 but in the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath of complete rest ²⁴⁰⁵  – a Sabbath to the Lord. You must not sow your field or ²⁴⁰⁶  prune your vineyard. 25:5 You must not gather in the aftergrowth of your harvest and you must not pick the grapes of your unpruned ²⁴⁰⁷  vines; the land must have a year of complete rest. 25:6 You may have the Sabbath produce ²⁴⁰⁸  of the land to eat – you, your male servant, your female servant, your hired worker, the resident foreigner who stays with you, ²⁴⁰⁹  25:7 your cattle, and the wild animals that are in your land – all its produce will be for you ²⁴¹⁰  to eat.

Regulations for the Jubilee Year of Release

25:8 “‘You must count off ²⁴¹¹  seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, ²⁴¹²  and the days of the seven weeks of years will amount to forty-nine years. ²⁴¹³  25:9 You must sound loud horn blasts ²⁴¹⁴  – in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, on the Day of Atonement – you must sound the horn in your entire land. 25:10 So you must consecrate the fiftieth year, ²⁴¹⁵  and you must proclaim a release ²⁴¹⁶  in the land for all its inhabitants. That year will be your jubilee; ²⁴¹⁷  each one of you must return ²⁴¹⁸  to his property and each one of you must return to his clan. 25:11 That fiftieth year will be your jubilee; you must not sow the land, harvest its aftergrowth, or pick the grapes of its unpruned vines. ²⁴¹⁹  25:12 Because that year is a jubilee, it will be holy to you – you may eat its produce ²⁴²⁰  from the field.

Release of Landed Property

25:13 “‘In this year of jubilee you must each return ²⁴²¹  to your property. 25:14 If you make a sale ²⁴²²  to your fellow citizen ²⁴²³  or buy ²⁴²⁴  from your fellow citizen, no one is to wrong his brother. ²⁴²⁵  25:15 You may buy it from your fellow citizen according to the number of years since ²⁴²⁶  the last jubilee; he may sell it to you according to the years of produce that are left. ²⁴²⁷  25:16 The more years there are, ²⁴²⁸  the more you may make its purchase price, and the fewer years there are, ²⁴²⁹  the less you must make its purchase price, because he is only selling to you a number of years of ²⁴³⁰  produce. 25:17 No one is to oppress his fellow citizen, ²⁴³¹  but you must fear your God, because I am the Lord your God. 25:18 You must obey my statutes and my regulations; you must be sure to keep them ²⁴³²  so that you may live securely in the land. ²⁴³³ 

25:19 “‘The land will give its fruit and you may eat until you are satisfied, ²⁴³⁴  and you may live securely in the land. 25:20 If you say, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow and gather our produce?’ 25:21 I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year so that it may yield ²⁴³⁵  the produce ²⁴³⁶  for three years, 25:22 and you may sow the eighth year and eat from that sixth year’s produce ²⁴³⁷  – old produce. Until you bring in the ninth year’s produce, ²⁴³⁸  you may eat old produce. 25:23 The land must not be sold without reclaim ²⁴³⁹  because the land belongs to me, for you are foreigners and residents with me. ²⁴⁴⁰  25:24 In all your landed property ²⁴⁴¹  you must provide for the right of redemption of the land. ²⁴⁴² 

25:25 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his near redeemer is to come to you and redeem what his brother sold. ²⁴⁴³  25:26 If a man has no redeemer, but he prospers ²⁴⁴⁴  and gains enough for its redemption, ²⁴⁴⁵  25:27 he is to calculate the value of the years it was sold, ²⁴⁴⁶  refund the balance ²⁴⁴⁷  to the man to whom he had sold it, and return to his property. 25:28 If he has not prospered enough to refund ²⁴⁴⁸  a balance to him, then what he sold ²⁴⁴⁹  will belong to ²⁴⁵⁰  the one who bought it until the jubilee year, but it must revert ²⁴⁵¹  in the jubilee and the original owner ²⁴⁵²  may return to his property.

Release of Houses

25:29 “‘If a man sells a residential house in a walled city, ²⁴⁵³  its right of redemption must extend ²⁴⁵⁴  until one full year from its sale; ²⁴⁵⁵  its right of redemption must extend to a full calendar year. ²⁴⁵⁶  25:30 If it is not redeemed before the full calendar year is ended, ²⁴⁵⁷  the house in the walled city ²⁴⁵⁸  will belong without reclaim ²⁴⁵⁹  to the one who bought it throughout his generations; it will not revert in the jubilee. 25:31 The houses of villages, however, ²⁴⁶⁰  which have no wall surrounding them ²⁴⁶¹  must be considered as the field ²⁴⁶²  of the land; they will have the right of redemption and must revert in the jubilee. 25:32 As for ²⁴⁶³  the cities of the Levites, the houses in the cities which they possess, ²⁴⁶⁴  the Levites must have a perpetual right of redemption. 25:33 Whatever someone among the Levites might redeem – the sale of a house which is his property in a city – must revert in the jubilee, ²⁴⁶⁵  because the houses of the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the Israelites. 25:34 Moreover, ²⁴⁶⁶  the open field areas of their cities ²⁴⁶⁷  must not be sold, because that is their perpetual possession.

Debt and Slave Regulations

25:35 “‘If your brother ²⁴⁶⁸  becomes impoverished and is indebted to you, ²⁴⁶⁹  you must support ²⁴⁷⁰  him; he must live ²⁴⁷¹  with you like a foreign resident. ²⁴⁷²  25:36 Do not take interest or profit from him, ²⁴⁷³  but you must fear your God and your brother must live ²⁴⁷⁴  with you. 25:37 You must not lend him your money at interest and you must not sell him food for profit. ²⁴⁷⁵  25:38 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan – to be your God. ²⁴⁷⁶ 

25:39 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service. ²⁴⁷⁷  25:40 He must be with you as a hired worker, as a resident foreigner; ²⁴⁷⁸  he must serve with you until the year of jubilee, 25:41 but then ²⁴⁷⁹  he may go free, ²⁴⁸⁰  he and his children with him, and may return to his family and to the property of his ancestors. ²⁴⁸¹  25:42 Since they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they must not be sold in a slave sale. ²⁴⁸²  25:43 You must not rule over him harshly, ²⁴⁸³  but you must fear your God.

25:44 “‘As for your male and female slaves ²⁴⁸⁴  who may belong to you – you may buy male and female slaves from the nations all around you. ²⁴⁸⁵  25:45 Also you may buy slaves ²⁴⁸⁶  from the children of the foreigners who reside with you, and from their families that are ²⁴⁸⁷  with you, whom they have fathered in your land, they may become your property. 25:46 You may give them as inheritance to your children after you to possess as property. You may enslave them perpetually. However, as for your brothers the Israelites, no man may rule over his brother harshly. ²⁴⁸⁸ 

25:47 “‘If a resident foreigner who is with you prospers ²⁴⁸⁹  and your brother becomes impoverished with regard to him so that ²⁴⁹⁰  he sells himself to a resident foreigner who is with you or to a member ²⁴⁹¹  of a foreigner’s family, 25:48 after he has sold himself he retains a right of redemption. ²⁴⁹²  One of his brothers may redeem him, 25:49 or his uncle or his cousin ²⁴⁹³  may redeem him, or anyone of the rest of his blood relatives – his family ²⁴⁹⁴  – may redeem him, or if ²⁴⁹⁵  he prospers he may redeem himself. 25:50 He must calculate with the one who bought him the number of years ²⁴⁹⁶  from the year he sold himself to him until the jubilee year, and the cost of his sale must correspond to the number of years, according to the rate of wages a hired worker would have earned while with him. ²⁴⁹⁷  25:51 If there are still many years, in keeping with them ²⁴⁹⁸  he must refund most of the cost of his purchase for his redemption, 25:52 but if only a few years remain ²⁴⁹⁹  until the jubilee, he must calculate for himself in keeping with the remaining years and refund it for his redemption. 25:53 He must be with the one who bought him ²⁵⁰⁰  like a yearly hired worker. ²⁵⁰¹  The one who bought him ²⁵⁰²  must not rule over him harshly in your sight. 25:54 If, however, ²⁵⁰³  he is not redeemed in these ways, he must go free ²⁵⁰⁴  in the jubilee year, he and his children with him, 25:55 because the Israelites are my own servants; ²⁵⁰⁵  they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Exhortation to Obedience

26:1 “‘You must not make for yourselves idols, ²⁵⁰⁶  so you must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before ²⁵⁰⁷  it, for I am the Lord your God. 26:2 You must keep my Sabbaths and reverence ²⁵⁰⁸  my sanctuary. I am the Lord.

The Benefits of Obedience

26:3 “‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments, ²⁵⁰⁹  26:4 I will give you your rains in their time so that ²⁵¹⁰  the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. ²⁵¹¹  26:5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes, ²⁵¹²  and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so ²⁵¹³  you will eat your bread until you are satisfied, ²⁵¹⁴  and you will live securely in your land. 26:6 I will grant peace in the land so that ²⁵¹⁵  you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you. ²⁵¹⁶  I will remove harmful animals ²⁵¹⁷  from the land, and no sword of war ²⁵¹⁸  will pass through your land. 26:7 You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword. ²⁵¹⁹  26:8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 26:9 I will turn to you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and maintain ²⁵²⁰  my covenant with you. 26:10 You will still be eating stored produce from the previous year ²⁵²¹  and will have to clean out what is stored from the previous year to make room for new. ²⁵²² 

26:11 “‘I will put my tabernacle ²⁵²³  in your midst and I will not abhor you. ²⁵²⁴  26:12 I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you will be my people. 26:13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves, ²⁵²⁵  and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright. ²⁵²⁶ 

The Consequences of Disobedience

26:14 “‘If, however, ²⁵²⁷  you do not obey me and keep ²⁵²⁸  all these commandments – 26:15 if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep ²⁵²⁹  all my commandments and you break my covenant – 26:16 I for my part ²⁵³⁰  will do this to you: I will inflict horror on you, consumption and fever, which diminish eyesight and drain away the vitality of life. ²⁵³¹  You will sow your seed in vain because ²⁵³²  your enemies will eat it. ²⁵³³  26:17 I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one pursuing you.

26:18 “‘If, in spite of all these things, ²⁵³⁴  you do not obey me, I will discipline you seven times more on account of your sins. ²⁵³⁵  26:19 I will break your strong pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze. 26:20 Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and the trees of the land ²⁵³⁶  will not produce their fruit.

26:21 “‘If you walk in hostility against me ²⁵³⁷  and are not willing to obey me, I will increase your affliction ²⁵³⁸  seven times according to your sins. 26:22 I will send the wild animals ²⁵³⁹  against you and they will bereave you of your children, ²⁵⁴⁰  annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population ²⁵⁴¹  so that your roads will become deserted.

26:23 “‘If in spite of these things ²⁵⁴²  you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me, ²⁵⁴³  26:24 I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you ²⁵⁴⁴  seven times on account of your sins. 26:25 I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance. ²⁵⁴⁵  Although ²⁵⁴⁶  you will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you will be given into enemy hands. ²⁵⁴⁷  26:26 When I break off your supply of bread, ²⁵⁴⁸  ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight, ²⁵⁴⁹  and you will eat and not be satisfied.

26:27 “‘If in spite of this ²⁵⁵⁰  you do not obey me but walk in hostility against me, ²⁵⁵¹  26:28 I will walk in hostile rage against you ²⁵⁵²  and I myself will also discipline you seven times on account of your sins. 26:29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. ²⁵⁵³  26:30 I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars, ²⁵⁵⁴  and I will stack your dead bodies on top of the lifeless bodies of your idols. ²⁵⁵⁵  I will abhor you. ²⁵⁵⁶  26:31 I will lay your cities waste ²⁵⁵⁷  and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will refuse to smell your soothing aromas. 26:32 I myself will make the land desolate and your enemies who live in it will be appalled. 26:33 I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword ²⁵⁵⁸  after you, so your land will become desolate and your cities will become a waste.

26:34 “‘Then the land will make up for ²⁵⁵⁹  its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land will rest and make up its Sabbaths. 26:35 All the days of the desolation it will have the rest it did not have ²⁵⁶⁰  on your Sabbaths when you lived on it.

26:36 “‘As for ²⁵⁶¹  the ones who remain among you, I will bring despair into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a blowing leaf will pursue them, and they will flee as one who flees the sword and fall down even though there is no pursuer. 26:37 They will stumble over each other as those who flee before a sword, though ²⁵⁶²  there is no pursuer, and there will be no one to take a stand ²⁵⁶³  for you before your enemies. 26:38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will consume you.

Restoration through Confession and Repentance

26:39 “‘As for the ones who remain among you, they will rot away because of ²⁵⁶⁴  their iniquity in the lands of your enemies, and they will also rot away because of their ancestors’ ²⁵⁶⁵  iniquities which are with them. 26:40 However, when ²⁵⁶⁶  they confess their iniquity and their ancestors’ iniquity which they committed by trespassing against me, ²⁵⁶⁷  by which they also walked ²⁵⁶⁸  in hostility against me ²⁵⁶⁹  26:41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and ²⁵⁷⁰  then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for ²⁵⁷¹  their iniquity, 26:42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, ²⁵⁷²  and I will remember the land. 26:43 The land will be abandoned by them ²⁵⁷³  in order that it may make up for ²⁵⁷⁴  its Sabbaths while it is made desolate ²⁵⁷⁵  without them, ²⁵⁷⁶  and they will make up for their iniquity because ²⁵⁷⁷  they have rejected my regulations and have abhorred ²⁵⁷⁸  my statutes. 26:44 In spite of this, however, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not reject them and abhor them to make a complete end of them, to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God. 26:45 I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors ²⁵⁷⁹  whom I brought out from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”

Summary Colophon

26:46 These are the statutes, regulations, and instructions which the Lord established ²⁵⁸⁰  between himself and the Israelites at Mount Sinai through ²⁵⁸¹  Moses.

Redemption of Vowed People

27:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 27:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When a man makes a special votive offering ²⁵⁸²  based on the conversion value of persons to the Lord, ²⁵⁸³  27:3 the conversion value of the male ²⁵⁸⁴  from twenty years old up to sixty years old ²⁵⁸⁵  is fifty shekels by the standard of the sanctuary shekel. ²⁵⁸⁶  27:4 If the person is a female, the conversion value is thirty shekels. 27:5 If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the conversion value of the male is twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 27:6 If the person is one month old up to five years old, the conversion value of the male is five shekels of silver, ²⁵⁸⁷  and for the female the conversion value is three shekels of silver. 27:7 If the person is from sixty years old and older, if he is a male the conversion value is fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 27:8 If he is too poor to pay the conversion value, he must stand the person before the priest and the priest will establish his conversion value; ²⁵⁸⁸  according to what the man who made the vow can afford, ²⁵⁸⁹  the priest will establish his conversion value.

Redemption of Vowed Animals

27:9 “‘If what is vowed is a kind of animal from which an offering may be presented ²⁵⁹⁰  to the Lord, anything which he gives to the Lord from this kind of animal ²⁵⁹¹  will be holy. 27:10 He must not replace or exchange it, good for bad or bad for good, and if he does indeed exchange one animal for another animal, then both the original animal ²⁵⁹²  and its substitute will be holy. 27:11 If what is vowed is an unclean animal from which an offering must not be presented to the Lord, then he must stand the animal before the priest, 27:12 and the priest will establish its conversion value, ²⁵⁹³  whether good or bad. According to the assessed conversion value of the priest, thus it will be. 27:13 If, however, the person who made the vow redeems the animal, ²⁵⁹⁴  he must add one fifth to ²⁵⁹⁵  its conversion value.

Redemption of Vowed Houses

27:14 “‘If a man consecrates his house as holy to the Lord, the priest will establish its conversion value, whether good or bad. Just as the priest establishes its conversion value, thus it will stand. ²⁵⁹⁶  27:15 If the one who consecrates it redeems his house, he must add to it one fifth of its conversion value in silver, and it will belong to him. ²⁵⁹⁷ 

Redemption of Vowed Fields

27:16 “‘If a man consecrates to the Lord some of his own landed property, the conversion value must be calculated in accordance with the amount of seed needed to sow it, ²⁵⁹⁸  a homer of barley seed being priced at fifty shekels of silver. ²⁵⁹⁹  27:17 If he consecrates his field in the jubilee year, ²⁶⁰⁰  the conversion value will stand, 27:18 but if ²⁶⁰¹  he consecrates his field after the jubilee, the priest will calculate the price ²⁶⁰²  for him according to the years that are left until the next jubilee year, and it will be deducted from the conversion value. 27:19 If, however, the one who consecrated the field redeems it, ²⁶⁰³  he must add to it one fifth of the conversion price ²⁶⁰⁴  and it will belong to him. ²⁶⁰⁵  27:20 If he does not redeem the field, but sells ²⁶⁰⁶  the field to someone else, he may never redeem it. 27:21 When it reverts ²⁶⁰⁷  in the jubilee, the field will be holy to the Lord like a permanently dedicated field; ²⁶⁰⁸  it will become the priest’s property. ²⁶⁰⁹ 

27:22 “‘If he consecrates to the Lord a field he has purchased, ²⁶¹⁰  which is not part of his own landed property, 27:23 the priest will calculate for him the amount of its conversion value until the jubilee year, and he must pay ²⁶¹¹  the conversion value on that jubilee day as something that is holy to the Lord. 27:24 In the jubilee year the field will return to the one from whom he bought it, the one to whom it belongs as landed property. 27:25 Every conversion value must be calculated by the standard of the sanctuary shekel; ²⁶¹²  twenty gerahs to the shekel.

Redemption of the Firstborn

27:26 “‘Surely no man may consecrate a firstborn that already belongs to the Lord as a firstborn among the animals; whether it is an ox or a sheep, it belongs to the Lord. ²⁶¹³  27:27 If, however, ²⁶¹⁴  it is among the unclean animals, he may ransom it according to ²⁶¹⁵  its conversion value and must add one fifth to it, but if it is not redeemed it must be sold according to its conversion value.

Things Permanently Dedicated to the Lord

27:28 “‘Surely anything which a man permanently dedicates to the Lord ²⁶¹⁶  from all that belongs to him, whether from people, animals, or his landed property, must be neither sold nor redeemed; anything permanently dedicated is most holy to the Lord. 27:29 Any human being who is permanently dedicated ²⁶¹⁷  must not be ransomed; such a person must be put to death.

Redemption of the Tithe

27:30 “‘Any tithe ²⁶¹⁸  of the land, from the grain of the land or from the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 27:31 If a man redeems ²⁶¹⁹  part of his tithe, however, he must add one fifth to it. ²⁶²⁰  27:32 All the tithe of herd or flock, everything which passes under the rod, the tenth one will be holy to the Lord. ²⁶²¹  27:33 The owner ²⁶²²  must not examine the animals to distinguish between good and bad, and he must not exchange it. If, however, he does exchange it, ²⁶²³  both the original animal ²⁶²⁴  and its substitute will be holy. ²⁶²⁵  It must not be redeemed.’”

Final Colophon

27:34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites ²⁶²⁶  at Mount Sinai.

Organizing the Census of the Israelites

1:1 ²⁶²⁷ Now the Lord ²⁶²⁸  spoke ²⁶²⁹  to Moses in the tent of meeting ²⁶³⁰  in the wilderness ²⁶³¹  of Sinai ²⁶³²  on the first day of the second month of the second year after ²⁶³³  the Israelites ²⁶³⁴  departed from the land of Egypt. ²⁶³⁵  He said: ²⁶³⁶  1:2 “Take a census ²⁶³⁷  of the entire ²⁶³⁸  Israelite community ²⁶³⁹  by their clans and families, ²⁶⁴⁰  counting the name of every individual male. ²⁶⁴¹  1:3 You and Aaron are to number ²⁶⁴²  all in Israel who can serve in the army, ²⁶⁴³  those who are ²⁶⁴⁴  twenty years old or older, ²⁶⁴⁵  by their divisions. ²⁶⁴⁶  1:4 And to help you ²⁶⁴⁷  there is to be a man from each ²⁶⁴⁸  tribe, each man ²⁶⁴⁹  the head ²⁶⁵⁰  of his family. ²⁶⁵¹  1:5 Now these are the names of the men who are to help ²⁶⁵²  you:

from ²⁶⁵³  Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

1:6 from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; ²⁶⁵⁴ 

1:7 from Judah, Nahshon ²⁶⁵⁵  son of Amminadab;

1:8 from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;

1:9 from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;

1:10 from the sons of Joseph:

from Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud;

from Manasseh, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur;

1:11 from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

1:12 from Dan, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai;

1:13 from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;

1:14 from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel; ²⁶⁵⁶ 

1:15 from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

The Census of the Tribes

1:16 These were the ones chosen ²⁶⁵⁷  from the community, leaders ²⁶⁵⁸  of their ancestral tribes. ²⁶⁵⁹  They were the heads of the thousands ²⁶⁶⁰  of Israel.

1:17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned specifically by name, 1:18 and they assembled ²⁶⁶¹  the entire community together on the first day of the second month. ²⁶⁶²  Then the people recorded their ancestry ²⁶⁶³  by their clans and families, and the men who were twenty years old or older were listed ²⁶⁶⁴  by name individually, 1:19 just as the Lord had commanded Moses. And so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.

1:20 And they were as follows:

The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually. 1:21 Those of them who were numbered ²⁶⁶⁵  from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500. ²⁶⁶⁶ 

1:22 From the descendants of Simeon: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males numbered of them ²⁶⁶⁷  twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name individually. 1:23 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.

1:24 ²⁶⁶⁸ From the descendants of Gad: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:25 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Gad were 45,650.

1:26 From the descendants of Judah: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:27 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Judah were 74,600.

1:28 From the descendants of Issachar: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:29 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.

1:30 From the descendants of Zebulun: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:31 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.

1:32 From the sons of Joseph:

From the descendants of Ephraim: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:33 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500. 1:34 From the descendants of Manasseh: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:35 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.

1:36 From the descendants of Benjamin: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:37 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.

1:38 From the descendants of Dan: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:39 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Dan were 62,700.

1:40 From the descendants of Asher: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:41 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Asher were 41,500.

1:42 From ²⁶⁶⁹  the descendants of Naphtali: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:43 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.

1:44 These were the men whom Moses and Aaron numbered ²⁶⁷⁰  along with the twelve leaders of Israel, each of whom ²⁶⁷¹  was from his own family. 1:45 All the Israelites who were twenty years old or older, who could serve in Israel’s army, were numbered ²⁶⁷²  according to their families. 1:46 And all those numbered totaled 603,550.

The Exemption of the Levites

1:47 But ²⁶⁷³  the Levites, according to the tribe of their fathers, ²⁶⁷⁴  were not numbered ²⁶⁷⁵  among them. 1:48 The Lord had said to Moses, ²⁶⁷⁶  1:49 “Only the tribe of Levi ²⁶⁷⁷  you must not number ²⁶⁷⁸  or count ²⁶⁷⁹  with ²⁶⁸⁰  the other Israelites. 1:50 But appoint ²⁶⁸¹  the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, ²⁶⁸²  over all its furnishings and over everything in it. They must carry ²⁶⁸³  the tabernacle and all its furnishings; and they ²⁶⁸⁴  must attend to it and camp around it. ²⁶⁸⁵  1:51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, ²⁶⁸⁶  the Levites must take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be reassembled, ²⁶⁸⁷  the Levites must set it up. ²⁶⁸⁸  Any unauthorized person ²⁶⁸⁹  who approaches it must be killed.

1:52 “The Israelites will camp according to their divisions, each man in his camp, and each man by his standard. 1:53 But the Levites must camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that the Lord’s anger ²⁶⁹⁰  will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are responsible for the care ²⁶⁹¹  of the tabernacle of the testimony.”

1:54 The Israelites did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses ²⁶⁹²  – that is what they did.

The Arrangement of the Tribes

2:1 ²⁶⁹³ The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron: 2:2 “Every one ²⁶⁹⁴  of the Israelites must camp ²⁶⁹⁵  under his standard with the emblems of his family; ²⁶⁹⁶  they must camp at some distance ²⁶⁹⁷  around the tent of meeting. ²⁶⁹⁸ 

The Tribes on the East

2:3 “Now those who will be camping ²⁶⁹⁹  on the east, toward the sunrise, ²⁷⁰⁰  are the divisions ²⁷⁰¹  of the camp of Judah under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is ²⁷⁰²  Nahshon son of Amminadab. 2:4 Those numbered in his division ²⁷⁰³  are 74,600. 2:5 Those who will be camping next to them ²⁷⁰⁴  are the tribe of Issachar. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. 2:6 Those numbered in his division are 54,400. 2:7 Next will be ²⁷⁰⁵  the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. 2:8 Those numbered in his division are 57,400. 2:9 All those numbered of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, are 186,400. They will travel ²⁷⁰⁶  at the front.

The Tribes on the South

2:10 “On the south will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. ²⁷⁰⁷  The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. 2:11 Those numbered in his division are 46,500. 2:12 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Simeon. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 2:13 Those numbered in his division are 59,300. 2:14 Next will be ²⁷⁰⁸  the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. ²⁷⁰⁹  2:15 Those numbered in his division are 45,650. 2:16 All those numbered of the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, are 151,450. They will travel second.

The Tribe in the Center

2:17 “Then the tent of meeting with the camp of the Levites will travel in the middle of the camps. They will travel in the same order as they camped, each in his own place ²⁷¹⁰  under his standard.

The Tribes on the West

2:18 “On the west will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Amihud. 2:19 Those numbered in his division are 40,500. 2:20 Next to them will be the tribe of Manasseh. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 2:21 Those numbered in his division are 32,200. 2:22 Next will be ²⁷¹¹  the tribe of Benjamin. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. 2:23 Those numbered in his division are 35,400. 2:24 All those numbered of the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, are 108,100. They will travel third.

The Tribes on the North

2:25 “On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan, under their standards. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 2:26 Those numbered in his division are 62,700. 2:27 Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Asher. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. 2:28 Those numbered in his division are 41,500. 2:29 Next will be ²⁷¹²  the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. 2:30 Those numbered in his division are 53,400. 2:31 All those numbered of the camp of Dan are 157,600. They will travel last, under their standards.”

Summary

2:32 These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families. ²⁷¹³  All those numbered in the camps, by their divisions, are 603,550. 2:33 But the Levites were not numbered among the other Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.

2:34 So the Israelites did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way ²⁷¹⁴  they camped under their standards, and that is the way they traveled, each with his clan and family.

The Sons of Aaron

3:1 ²⁷¹⁵ Now these are the records ²⁷¹⁶  of Aaron and Moses when ²⁷¹⁷  the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 3:2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3:3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed ²⁷¹⁸  priests, whom he consecrated ²⁷¹⁹  to minister as priests. ²⁷²⁰ 

3:4 Nadab and Abihu died ²⁷²¹  before the Lord ²⁷²²  when they offered ²⁷²³  strange ²⁷²⁴  fire ²⁷²⁵  before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. ²⁷²⁶  So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests ²⁷²⁷  in the presence of ²⁷²⁸  Aaron their father.

The Assignment of the Levites

3:5 The Lord spoke to Moses: 3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, ²⁷²⁹  and present ²⁷³⁰  them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. ²⁷³¹  3:7 They are responsible for his needs ²⁷³²  and the needs of the whole community before the tent of meeting, by attending ²⁷³³  to the service of the tabernacle. 3:8 And they are responsible for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and for the needs of the Israelites, as they serve ²⁷³⁴  in the tabernacle. 3:9 You are to assign ²⁷³⁵  the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned exclusively ²⁷³⁶  to him out of all ²⁷³⁷  the Israelites. 3:10 So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for their priesthood; ²⁷³⁸  but the unauthorized person ²⁷³⁹  who comes near must be put to death.”

3:11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 3:12 “Look, ²⁷⁴⁰  I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of ²⁷⁴¹  every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong to me, 3:13 because all the firstborn are mine. When I destroyed ²⁷⁴²  all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They belong to me. I am the Lord.” ²⁷⁴³ 

The Numbering of the Levites

3:14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai: 3:15 “Number the Levites by their clans ²⁷⁴⁴  and their families; every male from a month old and upward you are to number.” ²⁷⁴⁵  3:16 So Moses numbered them according to the word ²⁷⁴⁶  of the Lord, just as he had been commanded. ²⁷⁴⁷ 

The Summary of Families

3:17 These were the sons ²⁷⁴⁸  of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

3:18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. 3:19 The sons of Kohath by their families were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3:20 The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans.

The Numbering of the Gershonites

3:21 From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 3:22 Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and upward, were 7,500. 3:23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle toward the west. 3:24 Now the leader ²⁷⁴⁹  of the clan ²⁷⁵⁰  of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.

3:25 And ²⁷⁵¹  the responsibilities of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the curtain at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 3:26 the hangings of the courtyard, ²⁷⁵²  the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounded the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, plus all the service connected with these things. ²⁷⁵³ 

The Numbering of the Kohathites

3:27 From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. ²⁷⁵⁴  3:28 Counting every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600. They were responsible for the care ²⁷⁵⁵  of the sanctuary. 3:29 The families of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. 3:30 Now the leader of the clan of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

3:31 Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, ²⁷⁵⁶  the curtain, and all their service. ²⁷⁵⁷  3:32 Now the head of all the Levitical leaders ²⁷⁵⁸  was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible ²⁷⁵⁹  for the sanctuary.

The Numbering of Merari

3:33 From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were ²⁷⁶⁰  the families of Merari. 3:34 Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200. 3:35 Now the leader of the clan of the families of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

3:36 The appointed responsibilities of the Merarites included the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets, its utensils, plus all the service connected with these things, ²⁷⁶¹  3:37 and the pillars of the courtyard all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their ropes.

3:38 But those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, ²⁷⁶²  and his sons. They were responsible for the needs ²⁷⁶³  of the sanctuary and for the needs of the Israelites, but the unauthorized person who approached was to be put to death. 3:39 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the word ²⁷⁶⁴  of the Lord, according to their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000. ²⁷⁶⁵ 

The Substitution for the Firstborn

3:40 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Number all the firstborn males of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and take ²⁷⁶⁶  the number of their names. 3:41 And take ²⁷⁶⁷  the Levites for me – I am the Lord – instead of all the firstborn males among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.” 3:42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn males among the Israelites, as the Lord had commanded him. 3:43 And all the firstborn males, by the number of the names from a month old and upward, totaled 22,273.

3:44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 3:45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn males among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. And the Levites will be mine. I am the Lord. 3:46 And for the redemption of the 273 firstborn males of the Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, 3:47 collect ²⁷⁶⁸  five shekels for each ²⁷⁶⁹  one individually; you are to collect ²⁷⁷⁰  this amount ²⁷⁷¹  in the currency of the sanctuary shekel (this shekel is twenty gerahs). ²⁷⁷²  3:48 And give the money for the redemption of the excess number of them to Aaron and his sons.”

3:49 So Moses took the redemption money ²⁷⁷³  from those who were in excess of those redeemed by the Levites. 3:50 From the firstborn males of the Israelites he collected the money, 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 3:51 Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Service of the Kohathites

4:1 ²⁷⁷⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 4:2 “Take a census ²⁷⁷⁵  of the Kohathites from among the Levites, by their families and by their clans, 4:3 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all who enter the company ²⁷⁷⁶  to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4:4 This is the service of the Kohathites in the tent of meeting, relating to the most holy things. ²⁷⁷⁷  4:5 When it is time for the camp to journey, ²⁷⁷⁸  Aaron and his sons must come and take down the screening curtain and cover the ark of the testimony with it. 4:6 Then they must put over it a covering of fine leather ²⁷⁷⁹  and spread over that a cloth entirely of blue, and then they must insert its poles.

4:7 “On the table of the presence ²⁷⁸⁰  they must spread a blue ²⁷⁸¹  cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for pouring, and the Bread of the Presence must be on it continually. 4:8 They must spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of fine leather; and they must insert its poles.

4:9 “They must take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand of the light, with its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil vessels, with which they service it. 4:10 Then they must put it with all its utensils in a covering of fine leather, and put it on a carrying beam. ²⁷⁸² 

4:11 “They must spread a blue cloth on the gold altar, and cover it with a covering of fine leather; and they must insert its poles. 4:12 Then they must take all the utensils of the service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of fine leather, and put them on a carrying beam. 4:13 Also, they must take away the ashes from the altar ²⁷⁸³  and spread a purple cloth over it. 4:14 Then they must place on it all its implements with which they serve there – the trays, the meat forks, the shovels, the basins, and all the utensils of the altar – and they must spread on it a covering of fine leather, and then insert its poles. ²⁷⁸⁴ 

4:15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished ²⁷⁸⁵  covering ²⁷⁸⁶  the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is ready to journey, then ²⁷⁸⁷  the Kohathites will come to carry them; ²⁷⁸⁸  but they must not touch ²⁷⁸⁹  any ²⁷⁹⁰  holy thing, or they will die. ²⁷⁹¹  These are the responsibilities ²⁷⁹²  of the Kohathites with the tent of meeting.

4:16 “The appointed responsibility of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest is for the oil for the light, and the spiced incense, and the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil; he also has ²⁷⁹³  the appointed responsibility over all the tabernacle with ²⁷⁹⁴  all that is in it, over the sanctuary and over all its furnishings.” ²⁷⁹⁵ 

4:17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 4:18 “Do not allow the tribe of the families of the Kohathites to be cut off ²⁷⁹⁶  from among the Levites; 4:19 but in order that they will live ²⁷⁹⁷  and not die when they approach the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons will go in and appoint ²⁷⁹⁸  each man ²⁷⁹⁹  to his service and his responsibility. 4:20 But the Kohathites ²⁸⁰⁰  are not to go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, or they will die.”

The Service of the Gershonites

4:21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 4:22 “Also take a census of the Gershonites, by their clans and by their families. 4:23 You must number them from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all who enter the company to do the work of the tent of meeting. 4:24 This is the service of the families of Gershonites, as they serve ²⁸⁰¹  and carry it. 4:25 They must carry the curtains for the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering, the covering of fine leather that is over it, the curtains for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 4:26 the hangings for the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance of the gate of the court, ²⁸⁰²  which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, along with all the furnishings for their service and everything that is made for them. So they are to serve. ²⁸⁰³ 

4:27 “All the service of the Gershonites, whether ²⁸⁰⁴  carrying loads ²⁸⁰⁵  or for any of their work, will be at the direction of ²⁸⁰⁶  Aaron and his sons. You will assign them all their tasks ²⁸⁰⁷  as their responsibility. 4:28 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites concerning the tent of meeting. Their responsibilities will be under the authority ²⁸⁰⁸  of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. ²⁸⁰⁹ 

The Service of the Merarites

4:29 “As for the sons of Merari, you are to number them by their families and by their clans. 4:30 You must number them from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, all who enter the company to do the work of the tent of meeting. 4:31 This is what they are responsible to carry as their entire service in the tent of meeting: the frames ²⁸¹⁰  of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets, 4:32 and the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their sockets, tent pegs, and ropes, along with all their furnishings and everything for their service. You are to assign by names the items that each man is responsible to carry. ²⁸¹¹  4:33 This is the service of the families of the Merarites, their entire service concerning the tent of meeting, under the authority of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”

Summary

4:34 So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community numbered the Kohathites by their families and by clans, 4:35 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting; 4:36 and those of them numbered by their families were 2,750. 4:37 These were those numbered from the families of the Kohathites, everyone who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the authority of Moses.

4:38 Those numbered from the Gershonites, by their families and by their clans, 4:39 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting – 4:40 those of them numbered by their families, by their clans, were 2,630. 4:41 These were those numbered from the families of the Gershonites, everyone who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord.

4:42 Those numbered from the families of the Merarites, by their families, by their clans, 4:43 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered the company for the work in the tent of meeting – 4:44 those of them numbered by their families were 3,200. 4:45 These are those numbered from the families of the Merarites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the authority of Moses.

4:46 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered by their families and by their clans, 4:47 from thirty years old and upward to fifty years old, everyone who entered to do the work of service and the work of carrying ²⁸¹²  relating to the tent of meeting – 4:48 those of them numbered were 8,580. 4:49 According to the word of the Lord they were numbered, ²⁸¹³  by the authority of Moses, each according to his service and according to what he was to carry. ²⁸¹⁴  Thus were they numbered by him, ²⁸¹⁵  as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Separation of the Unclean

5:1 ²⁸¹⁶ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 5:2 “Command the Israelites to expel ²⁸¹⁷  from the camp every leper, ²⁸¹⁸  everyone who has a discharge, ²⁸¹⁹  and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse. ²⁸²⁰  5:3 You must expel both men and women; you must put them outside the camp, so that ²⁸²¹  they will not defile their camps, among which I live.” 5:4 So the Israelites did so, and expelled them outside the camp. As the Lord had spoken ²⁸²²  to Moses, so the Israelites did.

Restitution for Sin

5:5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 5:6 “Tell the Israelites, ‘When ²⁸²³  a man or a woman commits any sin that people commit, ²⁸²⁴  thereby breaking faith ²⁸²⁵  with the Lord, and that person is found guilty, ²⁸²⁶  5:7 then he must confess ²⁸²⁷  his sin that he has committed and must make full reparation, ²⁸²⁸  add one fifth to it, and give it to whomever he wronged. ²⁸²⁹  5:8 But if the individual has no close relative ²⁸³⁰  to whom reparation can be made for the wrong, the reparation for the wrong must be paid to the Lord ²⁸³¹  for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement by which atonement is made for him. 5:9 Every offering ²⁸³²  of all the Israelites’ holy things that they bring to the priest will be his. 5:10 Every man’s holy things ²⁸³³  will be his; whatever any man gives the priest will be his.’”

The Jealousy Ordeal

5:11 ²⁸³⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses: 5:12 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him, 5:13 and a man has sexual relations ²⁸³⁵  with her ²⁸³⁶  without her husband knowing it, ²⁸³⁷  and it is hidden that she has defiled herself, since ²⁸³⁸  there was no witness against her, nor was she caught – 5:14 and if jealous feelings ²⁸³⁹  come over him and he becomes suspicious ²⁸⁴⁰  of his wife, when she is defiled; ²⁸⁴¹  or if jealous feelings come over him and he becomes suspicious of his wife, when she is not defiled – 5:15 then ²⁸⁴²  the man must bring his wife to the priest, and he must bring the offering required for her, one tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he must not pour olive oil on it or put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of suspicion, ²⁸⁴³  a grain offering for remembering, ²⁸⁴⁴  for bringing ²⁸⁴⁵  iniquity to remembrance.

5:16 “‘Then the priest will bring her near and have her stand ²⁸⁴⁶  before the Lord. 5:17 The priest will then take holy water ²⁸⁴⁷  in a pottery jar, and take some ²⁸⁴⁸  of the dust ²⁸⁴⁹  that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and put it into the water. 5:18 Then the priest will have the woman stand before the Lord, uncover the woman’s head, and put the grain offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of suspicion. The priest will hold in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse. ²⁸⁵⁰  5:19 Then the priest will put the woman under oath and say to the her, “If no other ²⁸⁵¹  man has had sexual relations with you, and if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. ²⁸⁵²  5:20 But if you ²⁸⁵³  have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has had sexual relations with you….” ²⁸⁵⁴  5:21 Then the priest will put the woman under the oath of the curse ²⁸⁵⁵  and will say ²⁸⁵⁶  to the her, “The Lord make you an attested curse ²⁸⁵⁷  among your people, ²⁸⁵⁸  if the Lord makes ²⁸⁵⁹  your thigh fall away ²⁸⁶⁰  and your abdomen swell; ²⁸⁶¹  5:22 and this water that causes the curse will go ²⁸⁶²  into your stomach, and make your abdomen swell and your thigh rot.” ²⁸⁶³  Then the woman must say, “Amen, amen.” ²⁸⁶⁴ 

5:23 “‘Then the priest will write these curses on a scroll and then scrape them off into the bitter water. ²⁸⁶⁵  5:24 He will make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings a curse will enter her to produce bitterness. 5:25 The priest will take the grain offering of suspicion from the woman’s hand, wave the grain offering before the Lord, and bring it to the altar. 5:26 Then the priest will take a handful of the grain offering as its memorial portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water. 5:27 When he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter her to produce bitterness – her abdomen will swell, her thigh will fall away, and the woman will become a curse among her people. 5:28 But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she will be free of ill effects ²⁸⁶⁶  and will be able to bear children.

5:29 “‘This is the law for cases of jealousy, ²⁸⁶⁷  when a wife, while under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself, 5:30 or when jealous feelings come over a man and he becomes suspicious of his wife; then he must have the woman stand before the Lord, and the priest will carry out all this law upon her. 5:31 Then the man will be free from iniquity, but that woman will bear the consequences ²⁸⁶⁸  of her iniquity.’” ²⁸⁶⁹ 

The Nazirite Vow

6:1 ²⁸⁷⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 6:2 “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them, ‘When either a man or a woman ²⁸⁷¹  takes a special vow, ²⁸⁷²  to take a vow ²⁸⁷³  as a Nazirite, ²⁸⁷⁴  to separate ²⁸⁷⁵  himself to the Lord, 6:3 he must separate ²⁸⁷⁶  himself from wine and strong drink, he must drink neither vinegar ²⁸⁷⁷  made from wine nor vinegar made from strong drink, nor may he drink any juice ²⁸⁷⁸  of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. ²⁸⁷⁹  6:4 All the days of his separation he must not eat anything that is produced by the grapevine, from seed ²⁸⁸⁰  to skin. ²⁸⁸¹ 

6:5 “‘All the days of the vow ²⁸⁸²  of his separation no razor may be used on his head ²⁸⁸³  until the time ²⁸⁸⁴  is fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord. He will be holy, ²⁸⁸⁵  and he must let ²⁸⁸⁶  the locks of hair on his head grow long.

6:6 “‘All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he must not contact ²⁸⁸⁷  a dead body. ²⁸⁸⁸  6:7 He must not defile himself even ²⁸⁸⁹  for his father or his mother or his brother or his sister if they die, ²⁸⁹⁰  because the separation ²⁸⁹¹  for ²⁸⁹²  his God is on his head. 6:8 All the days of his separation he must be holy to the Lord.

Contingencies for Defilement

6:9 “‘If anyone dies very suddenly ²⁸⁹³  beside him and he defiles ²⁸⁹⁴  his consecrated head, ²⁸⁹⁵  then he must shave his head on the day of his purification – on the seventh day he must shave it. 6:10 On the eighth day he is to bring ²⁸⁹⁶  two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the entrance to the tent of meeting. 6:11 Then the priest will offer one for a purification offering ²⁸⁹⁷  and the other ²⁸⁹⁸  as a burnt offering, ²⁸⁹⁹  and make atonement ²⁹⁰⁰  for him, because of his transgression ²⁹⁰¹  in regard to the corpse. So he must reconsecrate ²⁹⁰²  his head on that day. 6:12 He must rededicate ²⁹⁰³  to the Lord the days of his separation and bring a male lamb in its first year as a reparation offering, ²⁹⁰⁴  but the former days will not be counted ²⁹⁰⁵  because his separation ²⁹⁰⁶  was defiled.

Fulfilling the Vows

6:13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he must be brought ²⁹⁰⁷  to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 6:14 and he must present his offering ²⁹⁰⁸  to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish for a purification offering, one ram without blemish for a peace offering, ²⁹⁰⁹  6:15 and a basket of bread made without yeast, cakes of fine flour mixed with olive oil, wafers made without yeast and smeared with olive oil, and their ²⁹¹⁰  grain offering and their drink offerings. ²⁹¹¹ 

6:16 “‘Then the priest must present all these ²⁹¹²  before the Lord and offer ²⁹¹³  his purification offering and his burnt offering. 6:17 Then he must offer the ram as a peace offering ²⁹¹⁴  to the Lord, with the basket of bread made without yeast; the priest must also offer his grain offering and his drink offering.

6:18 “‘Then the Nazirite must shave his consecrated head ²⁹¹⁵  at the entrance to the tent of meeting and must take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire ²⁹¹⁶  where the peace offering is burning. ²⁹¹⁷  6:19 And the priest must take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one cake made without yeast from the basket, and one wafer made without yeast, and put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head; ²⁹¹⁸  6:20 then the priest must wave them as a wave offering ²⁹¹⁹  before the Lord; it is a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the raised offering. ²⁹²⁰  After this the Nazirite may drink ²⁹²¹  wine.’

6:21 “This is the law ²⁹²²  of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord his offering according to his separation, as well as whatever else he can provide. ²⁹²³  Thus he must fulfill ²⁹²⁴  his vow that he makes, according to the law of his separation.”

The Priestly Benediction

6:22 ²⁹²⁵ The Lord spoke to Moses: 6:23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the way ²⁹²⁶  you are to bless ²⁹²⁷  the Israelites. Say ²⁹²⁸  to them:

6:24 “The Lord bless you ²⁹²⁹  and protect ²⁹³⁰  you;

6:25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you,

and be gracious to you; ²⁹³¹ 

6:26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you ²⁹³² 

and give you peace.”’

6:27 So they will put my name ²⁹³³  on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

The Leader’s Offerings

7:1 ²⁹³⁴ When Moses had completed setting up the tabernacle, ²⁹³⁵  he anointed it and consecrated it and all its furnishings, and he anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils. 7:2 Then the leaders of Israel, the heads of their clans, ²⁹³⁶  made an offering. They were the leaders of the tribes; they were the ones who had been supervising ²⁹³⁷  the numbering. 7:3 They brought ²⁹³⁸  their offering before the Lord, six covered carts ²⁹³⁹  and twelve oxen – one cart for every two of the leaders, and an ox for each one; and they presented them in front of the tabernacle.

The Distribution of the Gifts

7:4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 7:5 “Receive these gifts ²⁹⁴⁰  from them, that they may be ²⁹⁴¹  used in doing the work ²⁹⁴²  of the tent of meeting; and you must give them to the Levites, to every man ²⁹⁴³  as his service requires.” ²⁹⁴⁴ 

7:6 So Moses accepted the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. 7:7 He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their service required; 7:8 and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their service required, under the authority ²⁹⁴⁵  of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. 7:9 But to the Kohathites he gave none, because the service of the holy things, which they carried ²⁹⁴⁶  on their shoulders, was their responsibility. ²⁹⁴⁷ 

The Time of Presentation

7:10 The leaders offered ²⁹⁴⁸  gifts ²⁹⁴⁹  for ²⁹⁵⁰  the dedication ²⁹⁵¹  of the altar when it was anointed. ²⁹⁵²  And the leaders presented ²⁹⁵³  their offering before the altar. 7:11 For the Lord said to Moses, “They must present their offering, one leader for each day, ²⁹⁵⁴  for the dedication of the altar.”

The Tribal Offerings

7:12 The one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah. ²⁹⁵⁵  7:13 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels, ²⁹⁵⁶  and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:14 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:15 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:16 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:17 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

7:18 On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering. 7:19 He offered for his offering one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:20 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:21 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:22 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:23 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

7:24 On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the Zebulunites, presented an offering. ²⁹⁵⁷  7:25 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:26 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:27 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:28 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:29 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

7:30 On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the Reubenites, presented an offering. 7:31 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:32 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:33 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:34 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:35 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

7:36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the Simeonites, presented an offering. 7:37 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:38 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels; 7:39 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:40 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:41 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Sheloumiel son of Zurishaddai.

7:42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the Gadites, presented an offering. 7:43 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:44 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels; 7:45 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:46 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:47 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

7:48 On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the Ephraimites, presented an offering. 7:49 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:50 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:51 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:52 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:53 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.

7:54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the Manassehites, presented an offering. 7:55 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:56 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:57 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:58 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:59 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.

7:60 On the ninth day Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the Benjaminites, presented an offering. 7:61 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:62 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:63 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:64 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:65 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.

7:66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of Amishaddai, leader of the Danites, presented an offering. 7:67 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:68 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:69 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:70 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:71 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahiezer son of Amishaddai.

7:72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of Ocran, leader of the Asherites, presented an offering. 7:73 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:74 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels, full of incense; 7:75 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:76 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:77 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.

7:78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of Enan, leader of the Naphtalites, presented an offering. 7:79 His offering was one silver platter weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel, each of them full of fine flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering; 7:80 one gold pan weighing 10 shekels; 7:81 one young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; 7:82 one male goat for a purification offering; 7:83 and for the sacrifice of peace offerings: two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.

Summary

7:84 This was the dedication for the altar from the leaders of Israel, when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver sprinkling bowls, and twelve gold pans. 7:85 Each silver platter weighed 130 shekels, and each silver sprinkling bowl weighed 70 shekels. All the silver of the vessels weighed 2,400 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 7:86 The twelve gold pans full of incense weighed 10 shekels each, according to the sanctuary shekel; all the gold of the pans weighed 120 shekels. 7:87 All the animals for the burnt offering were 12 young bulls, 12 rams, 12 male lambs in their first year, with their grain offering, and 12 male goats for a purification offering. 7:88 All the animals for the sacrifice for the peace offering were 24 young bulls, 60 rams, 60 male goats, and 60 lambs in their first year. These were the dedication offerings for the altar after it was anointed. ²⁹⁵⁸ 

7:89 Now when Moses went into ²⁹⁵⁹  the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, ²⁹⁶⁰  he heard the voice speaking to him from above the atonement lid ²⁹⁶¹  that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. ²⁹⁶²  Thus he spoke to him.

Lighting the Lamps

8:1 ²⁹⁶³ The Lord spoke to Moses: 8:2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you set up ²⁹⁶⁴  the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light ²⁹⁶⁵  in front of the lampstand.’”

8:3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses. 8:4 This is how the lampstand was made: ²⁹⁶⁶  It was beaten work in gold; ²⁹⁶⁷  from its shaft to its flowers it was beaten work. According to the pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

The Separation of the Levites

8:5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 8:6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and purify ²⁹⁶⁸  them. 8:7 And do this ²⁹⁶⁹  to them to purify them: Sprinkle water of purification ²⁹⁷⁰  on them; then have them shave ²⁹⁷¹  all their body ²⁹⁷²  and wash ²⁹⁷³  their clothes, and so purify themselves. ²⁹⁷⁴  8:8 Then they are to take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil; and you are to take a second young bull for a purification offering. ²⁹⁷⁵  8:9 You are to bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire community of the Israelites. 8:10 Then you are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites; ²⁹⁷⁶  8:11 and Aaron is to offer ²⁹⁷⁷  the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, that they may do the work ²⁹⁷⁸  of the Lord. 8:12 When ²⁹⁷⁹  the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer ²⁹⁸⁰  the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the Lord, ²⁹⁸¹  to make atonement for the Levites. 8:13 You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron ²⁹⁸²  and his sons, and then offer them as a wave offering to the Lord. 8:14 And so ²⁹⁸³  you are to separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.

8:15 “After this, the Levites will go in ²⁹⁸⁴  to do the work ²⁹⁸⁵  of the tent of meeting. So you must cleanse them ²⁹⁸⁶  and offer them like a wave offering. ²⁹⁸⁷  8:16 For they are entirely given ²⁹⁸⁸  to me from among the Israelites. I have taken them for myself instead of ²⁹⁸⁹  all who open the womb, the firstborn sons of all the Israelites. 8:17 For all the firstborn males among the Israelites are mine, both humans and animals; when I destroyed ²⁹⁹⁰  all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I set them apart for myself. 8:18 So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons among the Israelites. 8:19 I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the work for the Israelites in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, so there will be no plague among the Israelites when the Israelites come near the sanctuary.” ²⁹⁹¹ 

8:20 So Moses and Aaron and the entire community of the Israelites did this with the Levites. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, this is what the Israelites did with them. 8:21 The Levites purified themselves ²⁹⁹²  and washed their clothing; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the Lord, and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them. 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.

The Work of the Levites

8:23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 8:24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: ²⁹⁹³  At the age of twenty-five years ²⁹⁹⁴  and upward one may begin to join the company ²⁹⁹⁵  in the work of the tent of meeting, 8:25 and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work. 8:26 They may assist ²⁹⁹⁶  their colleagues ²⁹⁹⁷  in the tent of meeting, to attend to needs, but they must do no work. This is the way you must establish ²⁹⁹⁸  the Levites regarding their duties.”

Passover Regulations

9:1 ²⁹⁹⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out ³⁰⁰⁰  of the land of Egypt:

9:2 “The Israelites are to observe ³⁰⁰¹  the Passover ³⁰⁰²  at its appointed time. ³⁰⁰³  9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, ³⁰⁰⁴  you are to observe it at its appointed time; you must keep ³⁰⁰⁵  it in accordance with all its statutes and all its customs.” ³⁰⁰⁶  9:4 So Moses instructed ³⁰⁰⁷  the Israelites to observe ³⁰⁰⁸  the Passover. 9:5 And they observed the Passover ³⁰⁰⁹  on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight in the wilderness of Sinai; in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.

9:6 It happened that some men ³⁰¹⁰  who were ceremonially defiled ³⁰¹¹  by the dead body of a man ³⁰¹²  could not keep ³⁰¹³  the Passover on that day, so they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. 9:7 And those men said to him, “We are ceremonially defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back from offering the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?” 9:8 So Moses said to them, “Remain ³⁰¹⁴  here and I will hear ³⁰¹⁵  what the Lord will command concerning you.”

9:9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 9:10 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If any ³⁰¹⁶  of you or of your posterity become ceremonially defiled by touching a dead body, or are on a journey far away, then he may ³⁰¹⁷  observe the Passover to the Lord. 9:11 They may observe it on the fourteenth day of the second month ³⁰¹⁸  at twilight; they are to eat it with bread made without yeast and with bitter herbs. 9:12 They must not leave any of it until morning, nor break any of its bones; they must observe it in accordance with every statute of the Passover.

9:13 But ³⁰¹⁹  the man who is ceremonially clean, and was not on a journey, and fails ³⁰²⁰  to keep the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people. ³⁰²¹  Because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time, that man must bear his sin. ³⁰²²  9:14 If a resident foreigner lives ³⁰²³  among you and wants to keep ³⁰²⁴  the Passover to the Lord, he must do so according to the statute of the Passover, and according to its custom. You must have ³⁰²⁵  the same ³⁰²⁶  statute for the resident foreigner ³⁰²⁷  and for the one who was born in the land.’”

The Leading of the Lord

9:15 ³⁰²⁸ On ³⁰²⁹  the day that the tabernacle was set up, ³⁰³⁰  the cloud ³⁰³¹  covered the tabernacle – the tent of the testimony ³⁰³²  – and from evening until morning there was ³⁰³³  a fiery appearance ³⁰³⁴  over the tabernacle. 9:16 This is the way it used to be continually: The cloud would cover it by day, ³⁰³⁵  and there was a fiery appearance by night. 9:17 Whenever the cloud was taken up ³⁰³⁶  from the tabernacle, then after that the Israelites would begin their journey; and in whatever place ³⁰³⁷  the cloud settled, there the Israelites would make camp. 9:18 At the commandment ³⁰³⁸  of the Lord the Israelites would begin their journey, and at the commandment of the Lord they would make camp; as long as ³⁰³⁹  the cloud remained settled over the tabernacle they would camp. 9:19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle many days, then the Israelites obeyed the instructions ³⁰⁴⁰  of the Lord and did not journey.

9:20 When ³⁰⁴¹  the cloud remained over the tabernacle a number of days, ³⁰⁴²  they remained camped according to the Lord’s commandment, ³⁰⁴³  and according to the Lord’s commandment they would journey. 9:21 And when ³⁰⁴⁴  the cloud remained only ³⁰⁴⁵  from evening until morning, when the cloud was taken up ³⁰⁴⁶  the following morning, then they traveled on. Whether by day or by night, when the cloud was taken up they traveled. 9:22 Whether it was for two days, or a month, or a year, ³⁰⁴⁷  that the cloud prolonged its stay ³⁰⁴⁸  over the tabernacle, the Israelites remained camped without traveling; ³⁰⁴⁹  but when it was taken up, they traveled on. 9:23 At the commandment of the Lord they camped, and at the commandment of the Lord they traveled on; they kept the instructions of the Lord according to the commandment of the Lord, by the authority ³⁰⁵⁰  of Moses.

The Blowing of Trumpets

10:1 ³⁰⁵¹ The Lord spoke to Moses: 10:2 “Make ³⁰⁵²  two trumpets of silver; you are to make ³⁰⁵³  them from a single hammered piece. ³⁰⁵⁴  You will use them ³⁰⁵⁵  for assembling the community and for directing the traveling of the camps. 10:3 When ³⁰⁵⁶  they blow ³⁰⁵⁷  them both, all the community must come ³⁰⁵⁸  to you to the entrance of the tent of meeting.

10:4 “But if they blow with one trumpet, then the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, must come to you. ³⁰⁵⁹  10:5 When you blow an alarm, ³⁰⁶⁰  then the camps that are located ³⁰⁶¹  on the east side must begin to travel. ³⁰⁶²  10:6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that are located on the south side must begin to travel. ³⁰⁶³  An alarm must be sounded ³⁰⁶⁴  for their journeys. 10:7 But when you assemble the community, ³⁰⁶⁵  you must blow, but you must not sound an alarm. ³⁰⁶⁶  10:8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, must blow the trumpets; and they will be to you for an eternal ordinance throughout your generations. 10:9 If you go to war in your land against an adversary who opposes ³⁰⁶⁷  you, then you must sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved ³⁰⁶⁸  from your enemies.

10:10 “Also in the time when you rejoice, such as ³⁰⁶⁹  on your appointed festivals or ³⁰⁷⁰  at the beginnings of your months, you must blow with your trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, so that they may ³⁰⁷¹  become ³⁰⁷²  a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”

The Journey From Sinai to Kadesh

10:11 ³⁰⁷³ On the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle of the testimony. ³⁰⁷⁴  10:12 So the Israelites set out ³⁰⁷⁵  on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran.

Judah Begins the Journey

10:13 This was the first time they set out on their journey according to the commandment ³⁰⁷⁶  of the Lord, by the authority ³⁰⁷⁷  of Moses.

10:14 The standard ³⁰⁷⁸  of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.

10:15 Over the company of the tribe of Issacharites was Nathanel son of Zuar, 10:16 and over the company of the tribe of the Zebulunites was Elion son of Helon. 10:17 Then the tabernacle was dismantled, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle.

Journey Arrangements for the Tribes

10:18 The standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their companies; over his company was Elizur son of Shedeur. 10:19 Over the company of the tribe of the Simeonites was Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, 10:20 and over the company of the tribe of the Gadites was Eliasaph son of Deuel. 10:21 And the Kohathites set out, carrying the articles for the sanctuary; ³⁰⁷⁹  the tabernacle was to be set up ³⁰⁸⁰  before they arrived. ³⁰⁸¹  10:22 And the standard of the camp of the Ephraimites set out according to their companies; over his company was Elishama son of Ammihud. 10:23 Over the company of the tribe of the Manassehites was Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, 10:24 and over the company of the tribe of Benjaminites was Abidan son of Gideoni.

10:25 The standard of the camp of the Danites set out, which was the rear guard ³⁰⁸²  of all the camps by their companies; over his company was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 10:26 Over the company of the tribe of the Asherites was Pagiel son of Ocran, 10:27 and over the company of the tribe of the Naphtalites was Ahira son of Enan. 10:28 These were the traveling arrangements ³⁰⁸³  of the Israelites according to their companies when they traveled. ³⁰⁸⁴ 

The Appeal to Hobab

10:29 ³⁰⁸⁵ Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel, the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, ³⁰⁸⁶  “We are journeying to the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, ³⁰⁸⁷  for the Lord has promised good things ³⁰⁸⁸  for Israel.” 10:30 But Hobab ³⁰⁸⁹  said to him, “I will not go, but I will go instead to my own land and to my kindred.” 10:31 Moses ³⁰⁹⁰  said, “Do not leave us, ³⁰⁹¹  because you know places for us to camp in the wilderness, and you could be our guide. ³⁰⁹²  10:32 And if you come with us, it is certain ³⁰⁹³  that whatever good things the Lord will favor us with, we will share with you as well.”

10:33 So they traveled from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey; ³⁰⁹⁴  and the ark of the covenant of the Lord was traveling before them during the three days’ journey, to find a resting place for them. 10:34 ³⁰⁹⁵  And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, when they traveled ³⁰⁹⁶  from the camp. 10:35 And when the ark traveled, Moses would say, “Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered, and may those who hate you flee before you!” 10:36 And when it came to rest he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel!” ³⁰⁹⁷ 

[19:1]  ¹ sn This chapter is essentially about mediation. The people are getting ready to meet with God, receive the Law from him, and enter into a covenant with him. All of this required mediation and preparation. Through it all, Israel will become God’s unique possession, a kingdom of priests on earth – if they comply with his Law. The chapter can be divided as follows: vv. 1-8 tell how God, Israel’s great deliverer promised to make them a kingdom of priests; this is followed by God’s declaration that Moses would be the mediator (v. 9); vv. 10-22 record instructions for Israel to prepare themselves to worship Yahweh and an account of the manifestation of Yahweh with all the phenomena; and the chapter closes with the mediation of Moses on behalf of the people (vv. 23-25). Having been redeemed from Egypt, the people will now be granted a covenant with God. See also R. E. Bee, “A Statistical Study of the Sinai Pericope,” Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 135 (1972): 406-21.

[19:1]  ² tn The construction uses the infinitive construct followed by the subjective genitive to form a temporal clause.

[19:1]  ³ tn Heb “on this day.”

[19:2]  ⁴ tn The form is a preterite with vav (ו) consecutive, “and they journeyed.” It is here subordinated to the next clause as a temporal clause. But since the action of this temporal clause preceded the actions recorded in v. 1, a translation of “after” will keep the sequence in order. Verse 2 adds details to the summary in v. 1.

[19:2]  ⁵ sn The mountain is Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, the place where God had met and called Moses and had promised that they would be here to worship him. If this mountain is Jebel Musa, the traditional site of Sinai, then the plain in front of it would be Er-Rahah, about a mile and a half long by half a mile wide, fronting the mountain on the NW side (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 169). The plain itself is about 5000 feet above sea level. A mountain on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula has also been suggested as a possible site.

[19:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “and Moses went up.”

[19:3]  ⁷ tn This expression is normally translated as “Israelites” in this translation, but because in this place it is parallel to “the house of Jacob” it seemed better to offer a fuller rendering.

[19:4]  ⁸ tn The figure compares the way a bird would teach its young to fly and leave the nest with the way Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt. The bird referred to could be one of several species of eagles, but more likely is the griffin-vulture. The image is that of power and love.

[19:4]  ⁹ sn The language here is the language of a bridegroom bringing the bride to the chamber. This may be a deliberate allusion to another metaphor for the covenant relationship.

[19:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “listen to my voice.” The construction uses the imperfect tense in the conditional clause, preceded by the infinitive absolute from the same verb. The idiom “listen to the voice of” implies obedience, not just mental awareness of sound.

[19:5]  ¹¹ tn The verb is a perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the idea in the protasis of the sentence: “and [if you will] keep.”

[19:5]  ¹² tn The lamed preposition expresses possession here: “to me” means “my.”

[19:5]  ¹³ tn The noun is סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah), which means a special possession. Israel was to be God’s special possession, but the prophets will later narrow it to the faithful remnant. All the nations belong to God, but Israel was to stand in a place of special privilege and enormous responsibility. See Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps 135:4; and Mal 3:17. See M. Greenburg, “Hebrew sÿgulla: Akkadian sikiltu,” JAOS 71 (1951): 172ff.

[19:6]  ¹⁴ tn Or “for me” (NIV, NRSV), or, if the lamed (ל) preposition has a possessive use, “my kingdom” (so NCV).

[19:6]  ¹⁵ tn The construction “a kingdom of priests” means that the kingdom is made up of priests. W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:417) offers four possible renderings of the expression: 1) apposition, viz., “kings, that is, priests; 2) as a construct with a genitive of specification, “royal priesthood”; 3) as a construct with the genitive being the attribute, “priestly kingdom”; and 4) reading with an unexpressed “and” – “kings and priests.” He takes the latter view that they were to be kings and priests. (Other references are R. B. Y. Scott, “A Kingdom of Priests (Exodus xix. 6),” OTS 8 [1950]: 213-19; William L. Moran, “A Kingdom of Priests,” The Bible in Current Catholic Thought, 7-20). However, due to the parallelism of the next description which uses an adjective, this is probably a construct relationship. This kingdom of God will be composed of a priestly people. All the Israelites would be living wholly in God’s service and enjoying the right of access to him. And, as priests, they would have the duty of representing God to the nations, following what they perceived to be the duties of priests – proclaiming God’s word, interceding for people, and making provision for people to find God through atonement (see Deut 33:9,10).

[19:6]  ¹⁶ tn They are also to be “a holy nation.” They are to be a nation separate and distinct from the rest of the nations. Here is another aspect of their duty. It was one thing to be God’s special possession, but to be that they had to be priestly and holy. The duties of the covenant will specify what it would mean to be a holy nation. In short, they had to keep themselves free from everything that characterized pagan people (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 171). So it is a bilateral covenant: they received special privileges but they must provide special services by the special discipline. See also H. Kruse, “Exodus 19:5 and the Mission of Israel,” North East Asian Journal of Theology 24/25 (1980): 239-42.

[19:8]  ¹⁷ tn The verb is an imperfect. The people are not being presumptuous in stating their compliance – there are several options open for the interpretation of this tense. It may be classified as having a desiderative nuance: “we are willing to do” or, “we will do.”

[19:9]  ¹⁸ tn The construction uses the deictic particle and the participle to express the imminent future, what God was about to do. Here is the first announcement of the theophany.

[19:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the thickness of the cloud”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT “in a thick cloud.”

[19:9]  ²⁰ tn Since “and also in you” begins the clause, the emphasis must be that the people would also trust Moses. See Exod 4:1-9, 31; 14:31.

[19:10]  ²¹ tn This verb is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the force of the imperative preceding it. This sanctification would be accomplished by abstaining from things that would make them defiled or unclean, and then by ritual washings and ablutions.

[19:10]  ²² tn The form is a perfect 3cpl with a vav (ו) consecutive. It is instructional as well, but now in the third person it is like a jussive, “let them wash, make them wash.”

[19:12]  ²³ tn The verb is a Hiphil perfect (“make borders”) with vav (ו) consecutive, following the sequence of instructions.

[19:12]  ²⁴ tn The Niphal imperative (“guard yourselves, take heed to yourselves”) is followed by two infinitives construct that provide the description of what is to be avoided – going up or touching the mountain.

[19:13]  ²⁵ sn There is some ambiguity here. The clause either means that no man will touch the mountain, so that if there is someone who is to be put to death he must be stoned or shot since they could not go into the mountain region to get him, or, it may mean no one is to touch the culprit who went in to the region of the mountain.

[19:13]  ²⁶ tn Heb “a man.”

[19:13]  ²⁷ tn The nuance here is permissive imperfect, “they may go up.” The ram’s horn would sound the blast to announce that the revelation period was over and it was permitted then to ascend the mountain.

[19:15]  ²⁸ tn Heb “do not go near a woman”; NIV “Abstain from sexual relations.”

[19:16]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and it was on.”

[19:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “heavy” (כָּבֵד, kaved).

[19:16]  ³¹ tn Literally “strong” (חָזָק, khazaq).

[19:16]  ³² tn The word here is שֹׁפָר (shofar), the normal word for “horn.” This word is used especially to announce something important in a public event (see 1 Kgs 1:34; 2 Sam 6:15). The previous word used in the context (v. 16) was יֹבֵל (yovel, “ram’s horn”).

[19:18]  ³³ sn The image is that of a large kiln, as in Gen 19:28.

[19:18]  ³⁴ tn This is the same word translated “trembled” above (v. 16).

[19:19]  ³⁵ tn The active participle הוֹלֵךְ (holekh) is used to add the idea of “continually” to the action of the sentence; here the trumpet became very loud – continually. See GKC 344 §113.u.

[19:19]  ³⁶ tn The two verbs here (“spoke” and “answered”) are imperfect tenses; they emphasize repeated action but in past time. The customary imperfect usually is translated “would” or “used to” do the action, but here continuous action in past time is meant. S. R. Driver translates it “kept speaking” and “kept answering” (Exodus, 172).

[19:19]  ³⁷ tn The text simply has בְּקוֹל (bÿqol); it could mean “with a voice” or it could mean “in thunder” since “voice” was used in v. 16 for thunder. In this context it would be natural to say that the repeated thunderings were the voice of God – but how is that an answer? Deut 4:12 says that the people heard the sound of words. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 232-33) rightly comments, “He was answering him with a loud voice so that it was possible for Moses to hear His words clearly in the midst of the storm.” He then draws a parallel from Ugaritic where it tells that one of the gods was speaking in a loud voice.

[19:21]  ³⁸ tn The imperative הָעֵד (ha’ed) means “charge” them – put them under oath, or solemnly warn them. God wished to ensure that the people would not force their way past the barriers that had been set out.

[19:21]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and fall”; NAB “be struck down.”

[19:22]  ⁴⁰ tn The verb יִפְרֹץ (yifrots) is the imperfect tense from פָּרַץ (parats, “to make a breach, to break through”). The image of Yahweh breaking forth on them means “work destruction” (see 2 Sam 6:8; S. R. Driver, Exodus, 174).

[19:23]  ⁴¹ tn The construction is emphatic: “because you – you solemnly warned us.” Moses’ response to God is to ask how they would break through when God had already charged them not to. God knew them better than Moses did.

[19:23]  ⁴² tn Heb “sanctify it.”

[19:25]  ⁴³ sn The passage has many themes and emphases that could be developed in exposition. It could serve for meditation: the theology drawn from the three parts could be subordinated to the theme of holiness: God is holy, therefore adhere to his word for service, approach him through a mediator, and adore him in purity and fearful reverence. A developed outline for the exposition could be: I. If the people of God will obey him, they will be privileged to serve in a unique way (1-8); II. If the people of God are to obey, they must be convinced of the divine source of their commands (9); and finally, III. If the people of God are convinced of the divine approval of their mediator, and the divine source of their instructions, they must sanctify themselves before him (vv. 10-25). In sum, the manifestation of the holiness of Yahweh is the reason for sanctification and worship. The correlation is to be made through 1 Peter 2 to the church. The Church is a kingdom of priests; it is to obey the Word of God. What is the motivation for this? Their mediator is Jesus Christ; he has the approval of the Father and manifests the glory of God to his own; and he declares the purpose of their calling is to display his glory. God’s people are to abstain from sin so that pagans can see their good works and glorify God.

[20:1]  ⁴⁴ sn This chapter is the heart of the Law of Israel, and as such is well known throughout the world. There is so much literature on it that it is almost impossible to say anything briefly and do justice to the subject. But the exposition of the book must point out that this is the charter of the new nation of Israel. These ten commands (words) form the preamble; they will be followed by the decisions (judgments). And then in chap. 24 the covenant will be inaugurated. So when Israel entered into covenant with God, they entered into a theocracy by expressing their willingness to submit to his authority. The Law was the binding constitution for the nation of Israel under Yahweh their God. It was specifically given to them at a certain time and in a certain place. The Law legislated how Israel was to live in order to be blessed by God and used by him as a kingdom of priests. In the process of legislating their conduct and their ritual for worship, the Law revealed God. It revealed the holiness of Yahweh as the standard for all worship and service, and in revealing that it revealed or uncovered sin. But what the Law condemned, the Law (Leviticus) also made provision for in the laws of the sacrifice and the feasts intended for atonement. The NT teaches that the Law was good, and perfect, and holy. But it also teaches that Christ was the end (goal) of the Law, that it ultimately led to him. It was a pedagogue, Paul said, to bring people to Christ. And when the fulfillment of the promise came in him, believers were not to go back under the Law. What this means for Christians is that what the Law of Israel revealed about God and his will is timeless and still authoritative over faith and conduct, but what the Law regulated for Israel in their existence as the people of God has been done away with in Christ. The Ten Commandments reveal the essence of the Law; the ten for the most part are reiterated in the NT because they reflect the holy and righteous nature of God. The NT often raises them to a higher standard, to guard the spirit of the Law as well as the letter.

[20:1]  ⁴⁵ sn The Bible makes it clear that the Law was the revelation of God at Mount Sinai. And yet study has shown that the law code’s form follows the literary pattern of covenant codes in the Late Bronze Age, notably the Hittite codes. The point of such codes is that all the covenant stipulations are appropriate because of the wonderful things that the sovereign has done for the people. God, in using a well-known literary form, was both drawing on the people’s knowledge of such to impress their duties on them, as well as putting new wine into old wineskins. The whole nature of God’s code was on a much higher level. For this general structure, see M. G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King. For the Ten Commandments specifically, see J. J. Stamm and M. E. Andrew, The Ten Commandments in Recent Research (SBT). See also some of the general articles: M. Barrett, “God’s Moral Standard: An Examination of the Decalogue,” BV 12 (1978): 34-40; C. J. H. Wright, “The Israelite Household and the Decalogue: The Social Background and Significance of Some Commandments,” TynBul 30 (1979): 101-24; J. D. Levenson, “The Theologies of Commandment in Biblical Israel,” HTR 73 (1980): 17-33; M. B. Cohen and D. B. Friedman, “The Dual Accentuation of the Ten Commandments,” Masoretic Studies 1 (1974): 7-190; D. Skinner, “Some Major Themes of Exodus,” Mid-America Theological Journal 1 (1977): 31-42; M. Tate, “The Legal Traditions of the Book of Exodus,” RevExp 74 (1977): 483-509; E. C. Smith, “The Ten Commandments in Today’s Permissive Society: A Principleist Approach,” SwJT 20 (1977): 42-58; and D. W. Buck, “Exodus 20:1-17,” Lutheran Theological Journal 16 (1982): 65-75.

[20:2]  ⁴⁶ sn The revelation of Yahweh here begins with the personal pronoun. “I” – a person, a living personality, not an object or a mere thought. This enabled him to address “you” – Israel, and all his people, making the binding stipulations for them to conform to his will (B. Jacob, Exodus, 544).

[20:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Most English translations have “I am Yahweh your God.” But the preceding chapters have again and again demonstrated how he made himself known to them. Now, the emphasis is on “I am your God” – and what that would mean in their lives.

[20:2]  ⁴⁸ tn The suffix on the verb is second masculine singular. It is this person that will be used throughout the commandments for the whole nation. God addresses them all as his people, but he addresses them individually for their obedience. The masculine form is not, thereby, intended to exclude women.

[20:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the house of slaves” meaning “the land of slavery.”

[20:3]  ⁵⁰ tn The possession is expressed here by the use of the lamed (ל) preposition and the verb “to be”: לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ (lo’ yihyeh lÿkha, “there will not be to you”). The negative with the imperfect expresses the emphatic prohibition; it is best reflected with “you will not” and has the strongest expectation of obedience (see GKC 317 §107.o). As an additional way of looking at this line, U. Cassuto suggests that the verb is in the singular in order to say that they could not have even one other god, and the word “gods” is plural to include any gods (Exodus, 241).

[20:3]  ⁵¹ tn The expression עַל־פָּנָי (’al-panay) has several possible interpretations. S. R. Driver suggests “in front of me,” meaning obliging me to behold them, and also giving a prominence above me (Exodus, 193-94). W. F. Albright rendered it “You shall not prefer other gods to me” (From the Stone Age to Christianity, 297, n. 29). B. Jacob (Exodus, 546) illustrates it with marriage: the wife could belong to only one man while every other man was “another man.” They continued to exist but were not available to her. The point is clear from the Law, regardless of the specific way the prepositional phrase is rendered. God demands absolute allegiance, to the exclusion of all other deities. The preposition may imply some antagonism, for false gods would be opposed to Yahweh. U. Cassuto adds that God was in effect saying that anytime Israel turned to a false god they had to know that the Lord was there – it is always in his presence, or before him (Exodus, 241).

[20:4]  ⁵² tn A פֶּסֶל (pesel) is an image that was carved out of wood or stone. The Law was concerned with a statue that would be made for the purpose of worship, an idol to be venerated, and not any ordinary statue.

[20:4]  ⁵³ tn The word תְּמוּנָה (tÿmunah) refers to the mental pattern from which the פֶּסֶל (pesel) is constructed; it is a real or imagined resemblance. If this is to stand as a second object to the verb, then the verb itself takes a slightly different nuance here. It would convey “you shall not make an image, neither shall you conceive a form” for worship (B. Jacob, Exodus, 547). Some simply make the second word qualify the first: “you shall not make an idol in the form of…” (NIV).

[20:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Here the phrase “of anything” has been supplied.

[20:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “under the earth” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[20:5]  ⁵⁶ tn The combination of these two verbs customarily refers to the worship of pagan deities (e.g., Deut 17:3: 30:17; Jer 8:2; see J. J. Stamm and M. E. Andrew, The Ten Commandments in Recent Research [SBT], 86). The first verb is לאֹ־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה (lo’ tishtakhaveh), now to be classified as a hishtaphel imperfect from חָוָה (khavah; BDB 1005 s.v. שׁחה), “to cause oneself to be low to the ground.” It is used of the true worship of God as well. The second verb is וְלֹא תָעָבְדֵם (vÿlo’ to’ovdem). The two could be taken as a hendiadys: “you will not prostrate yourself to serve them.” In an interesting side comment U. Cassuto (Exodus, 242) offers an explanation of the spelling of the second verb: he suggests that it was spelled with the qamets khatuf vowel to show contempt for pagan worship, as if their conduct does not even warrant a correct spelling of the word “serve.” Gesenius says that the forms like this are anomalous, but he wonders if they were pointed as if the verb was a Hophal with the meaning “you shall not allow yourself to be brought to worship them” (GKC 161 §60.b). But this is unlikely.

[20:5]  ⁵⁷ sn The word “jealous” is the same word often translated “zeal” or “zealous.” The word describes a passionate intensity to protect or defend something that is jeopardized. The word can also have the sense of “envy,” but in that case the object is out of bounds. God’s zeal or jealousy is to protect his people or his institutions or his honor. Yahweh’s honor is bound up with the life of his people.

[20:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Verses 5 and 6 are very concise, and the word פָּקַד (paqad) is difficult to translate. Often rendered “visiting,” it might here be rendered “dealing with” in a negative sense or “punishing,” but it describes positive attention in 13:19. When used of God, it essentially means that God intervenes in the lives of people for blessing or for cursing. Some would simply translate the participle here as “punishing” the children for the sins of the fathers (cf. Lev 18:25; Isa 26:21; Jer 29:32; 36:31; Hos 1:4; Amos 3:2). That is workable, but may not say enough. The verse may indicate that those who hate Yahweh and do not keep his commandments will repeat the sins their fathers committed and suffer for them. Deut 24:16 says that individuals will die for their own sins and not their father’s sins (see also Deut 7:10 and Ezek 18). It may have more to do with patterns of sin being repeated from generation to generation; if the sin and the guilt were not fully developed in the one generation, then left unchecked they would develop and continue in the next. But it may also indicate that the effects of the sins of the fathers will be experienced in the following generations, especially in the case of Israel as a national entity (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 243). God is showing here that his ethical character is displayed in how he deals with sin and righteousness, all of which he describes as giving strong motivation for loyalty to him and for avoiding idolatry. There is a justice at work in the dealings of God that is not present in the pagan world.

[20:5]  ⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew word for “generations” is not found in v. 5 or 6. The numbers are short for a longer expression, which is understood as part of the description of the children already mentioned (see Deut 7:9, where “generation” [דּוֹר, dor] is present and more necessary, since “children” have not been mentioned).

[20:5]  ⁶⁰ tn This is an important qualification to the principle. The word rendered “reject” is often translated “hate” and carries with it the idea of defiantly rejecting and opposing God and his word. Such people are doomed to carry on the sins of their ancestors and bear guilt with them.

[20:6]  ⁶¹ tn Literally “doing loyal love” (עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד, ’oseh khesed). The noun refers to God’s covenant loyalty, his faithful love to those who belong to him. These are members of the covenant, recipients of grace, the people of God, whom God will preserve and protect from evil and its effects.

[20:6]  ⁶² tn Heb “to thousands” or “to thousandth.” After “tenth,” Hebrew uses cardinal numbers for ordinals also. This statement is the antithesis of the preceding line. The “thousands” or “thousandth [generation]” are those who love Yahweh and keep his commands. These are descendants from the righteous, and even associates with them, who benefit from the mercy that God extends to his people. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 195) says that this passage teaches that God’s mercy transcends his wrath; in his providence the beneficial consequences of a life of goodness extend indefinitely further than the retribution that is the penalty for persisting in sin. To say that God’s loyal love extends to thousands of generations or the thousandth generation is parallel to saying that it endures forever (Ps. 118). See also Exod 34:7; Deut 5:10; 7:9; Ps 18:51; Jer 32:18.

[20:7]  ⁶³ tn Or “use” (NCV, TEV); NIV, CEV, NLT “misuse”; NRSV “make wrongful use of.”

[20:7]  ⁶⁴ tn שָׁוְא (shav’, “vain”) describes “unreality.” The command prohibits use of the name for any idle, frivolous, or insincere purpose (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 196). This would include perjury, pagan incantations, or idle talk. The name is to be treated with reverence and respect because it is the name of the holy God.

[20:7]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “leave unpunished.”

[20:8]  ⁶⁶ tn The text uses the infinitive absolute זָכוֹר (zakhor) for the commandment for the Sabbath day, which is the sign of the Sinaitic Covenant. The infinitive absolute functions in place of the emphatic imperative here (see GKC 346 §113.bb); the absolute stresses the basic verbal idea of the root – remembering. The verb includes the mental activity of recalling and pondering as well as the consequent actions for such remembering.

[20:8]  ⁶⁷ tn The word “Sabbath” is clearly connected to the verb שָׁבַת (shavat, “to cease, desist, rest”). There are all kinds of theories as to the origin of the day, most notably in the Babylonian world, but the differences are striking in so far as the pagan world had these days filled with magic. Nevertheless, the pagan world does bear witness to a tradition of a regular day set aside for special sacrifices. See, for example, H. W. Wolff, “The Day of Rest in the Old Testament,” LTQ 7 (1972): 65-76; H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-6; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the OT and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-42; and M. Tsevat, “The Basic Meaning of the Biblical Sabbath,” ZAW 84 (1972): 447-59.

[20:8]  ⁶⁸ tn The Piel infinitive construct provides the purpose of remembering the Sabbath day – to set it apart, to make it distinct from the other days. Verses 9 and 10 explain in part how this was to be done. To set this day apart as holy taught Israel the difference between the holy and the profane, that there was something higher than daily life. If an Israelite bent down to the ground laboring all week, the Sabbath called his attention to the heavens, to pattern life after the Creator (B. Jacob, Exodus, 569-70).

[20:9]  ⁶⁹ tn The text has simply “six days,” but this is an adverbial accusative of time, answering how long they were to work (GKC 374 §118.k).

[20:9]  ⁷⁰ tn The imperfect tense has traditionally been rendered as a commandment, “you will labor.” But the point of this commandment is the prohibition of work on the seventh day. The permission nuance of the imperfect works well here.

[20:9]  ⁷¹ tn This is the occupation, or business of the work week.

[20:10]  ⁷² tn The phrase “on it” has been supplied for clarity.

[20:10]  ⁷³ sn The wife is omitted in the list, not that she was considered unimportant, nor that she was excluded from the rest, but rather in reflecting her high status. She was not man’s servant, not lesser than the man, but included with the man as an equal before God. The “you” of the commandments is addressed to the Israelites individually, male and female, just as God in the Garden of Eden held both the man and the woman responsible for their individual sins (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 567-68).

[20:10]  ⁷⁴ sn The Sabbath day was the sign of the Sinaitic Covenant. It required Israel to cease from ordinary labors and devote the day to God. It required Israel to enter into the life of God, to share his Sabbath. It gave them a chance to recall the work of the Creator. But in the NT the apostolic teaching for the Church does not make one day holier than another, but calls for the entire life to be sanctified to God. This teaching is an application of the meaning of entering into the Sabbath of God. The book of Hebrews declares that those who believe in Christ cease from their works and enter into his Sabbath rest. For a Christian keeping Saturday holy is not a requirement from the NT; it may be a good and valuable thing to have a day of rest and refreshment, but it is not a binding law for the Church. The principle of setting aside time to worship and serve the Lord has been carried forward, but the strict regulations have not.

[20:12]  ⁷⁵ tn The verb כַּבֵּד (kabbed) is a Piel imperative; it calls for people to give their parents the respect and honor that is appropriate for them. It could be paraphrased to say, give them the weight of authority that they deserve. Next to God, parents were to be highly valued, cared for, and respected.

[20:12]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “that your days may be long.”

[20:12]  ⁷⁷ sn The promise here is national rather than individual, although it is certainly true that the blessing of life was promised for anyone who was obedient to God’s commands (Deut 4:1, 8:1, etc.). But as W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:424) summarizes, the land that was promised was the land of Canaan, and the duration of Israel in the land was to be based on morality and the fear of God as expressed in the home (Deut 4:26, 33, 40; 32:46-47). The captivity was in part caused by a breakdown in this area (Ezek 22:7, 15). Malachi would announce at the end of his book that Elijah would come at the end of the age to turn the hearts of the children and the parents toward each other again.

[20:13]  ⁷⁸ tn The verb רָצַח (ratsakh) refers to the premeditated or accidental taking of the life of another human being; it includes any unauthorized killing (it is used for the punishment of a murderer, but that would not be included in the prohibition). This commandment teaches the sanctity of all human life. See J. H. Yoder, “Exodus 20,13: ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’,” Int 34 (1980): 394-99; and A. Phillips, “Another Look at Murder,” JJS 28 (1977): 105-26.

[20:14]  ⁷⁹ sn This is a sin against the marriage of a fellow citizen – it destroys the home. The Law distinguished between adultery (which had a death penalty) and sexual contact with a young woman (which carried a monetary fine and usually marriage if the father was willing). So it distinguished fornication and adultery. Both were sins, but the significance of each was different. In the ancient world this sin is often referred to as “the great sin.”

[20:15]  ⁸⁰ sn This law protected the property of the Israelite citizen. See D. Little, “Exodus 20,15: ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’,” Int 34 (1980): 399-405.

[20:16]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “answer” as in a court of law.

[20:16]  ⁸² tn The expression עֵד שָׁקֶר (’ed shaqer) means “a lying witness” (B. S. Childs, Exodus [OTL], 388). In this verse the noun is an adverbial accusative, “you will not answer as a lying witness.” The prohibition is against perjury. While the precise reference would be to legal proceedings, the law probably had a broader application to lying about other people in general (see Lev 5:1; Hos 4:2).

[20:17]  ⁸³ tn The verb חָמַד (khamad) focuses not on an external act but on an internal mental activity behind the act, the motivation for it. The word can be used in a very good sense (Ps 19:10; 68:16), but it has a bad connotation in contexts where the object desired is off limits. This command is aimed at curtailing the greedy desire for something belonging to a neighbor, a desire that leads to the taking of it or the attempt to take it. It was used in the story of the Garden of Eden for the tree that was desired.

[20:17]  ⁸⁴ sn See further G. Wittenburg, “The Tenth Commandment in the Old Testament,” Journal for Theology in South Africa 21 (1978): 3-17: and E. W. Nicholson, “The Decalogue as the Direct Address of God,” VT 27 (1977): 422-33.

[20:18]  ⁸⁵ tn The participle is used here for durative action in the past time (GKC 359 §116.o).

[20:18]  ⁸⁶ tn The verb “to see” (רָאָה, ra’ah) refers to seeing with all the senses, or perceiving. W. C. Kaiser suggests that this is an example of the figure of speech called zeugma because the verb “saw” yokes together two objects, one that suits the verb and the other that does not. So, the verb “heard” is inserted here to clarify (“Exodus,” EBC 2:427).

[20:18]  ⁸⁷ tn The verb “saw” is supplied here because it is expected in English (see the previous note on “heard”).

[20:18]  ⁸⁸ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the following clause, which receives the prominence.

[20:18]  ⁸⁹ tn The meaning of נוּעַ (nua’) is “to shake, sway to and fro” in fear. Compare Isa 7:2 – “and his heart shook…as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”

[20:18]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “and they stood from/at a distance.”

[20:19]  ⁹¹ tn The verb is a Piel imperative. In this context it has more of the sense of a request than a command. The independent personal pronoun “you” emphasizes the subject and forms the contrast with God’s speaking.

[20:20]  ⁹² tn נַסּוֹת (nassot) is the Piel infinitive construct; it forms the purpose of God’s coming with all the accompanying phenomena. The verb can mean “to try, test, prove.” The sense of “prove” fits this context best because the terrifying phenomena were intended to put the fear of God in their hearts so that they would obey. In other words, God was inspiring them to obey, not simply testing to see if they would.

[20:20]  ⁹³ tn The suffix on the noun is an objective genitive, referring to the fear that the people would have of God (GKC 439 §135.m).

[20:20]  ⁹⁴ tn The negative form לְבִלְתִּי (lÿvilti) is used here with the imperfect tense (see for other examples GKC 483 §152.x). This gives the imperfect the nuance of a final imperfect: that you might not sin. Others: to keep you from sin.

[20:21]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and they stood”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:21]  ⁹⁶ sn The word עֲרָפֶל (’arafel) is used in poetry in Ps 18:9 and 1 Kgs 8:12; and it is used in Deut 4:11, 5:22 [19].

[20:21]  ⁹⁷ sn It will not be hard to expound the passage on the Ten Commandments once their place in scripture has been determined. They, for the most part, are reiterated in the NT, in one way or another, usually with a much higher standard that requires attention to the spirit of the laws. Thus, these laws reveal God’s standard of righteousness by revealing sin. No wonder the Israelites were afraid when they saw the manifestation of God and heard his laws. When the whole covenant is considered, preamble and all, then it becomes clear that the motivation for obeying the commands is the person and the work of the covenant God – the one who redeemed his people. Obedience then becomes a response of devotion and adoration to the Redeemer who set them free. It becomes loyal service, not enslavement to laws. The point could be worded this way: God requires that his covenant people, whom he has redeemed, and to whom he has revealed himself, give their absolute allegiance and obedience to him. This means they will worship and serve him and safeguard the well-being of each other.

[20:22]  ⁹⁸ sn Based on the revelation of the holy sovereign God, this pericope instructs Israel on the form of proper worship of such a God. It focuses on the altar, the centerpiece of worship. The point of the section is this: those who worship this holy God must preserve holiness in the way they worship – they worship where he permits, in the manner he prescribes, and with the blessings he promises. This paragraph is said to open the Book of the Covenant, which specifically rules on matters of life and worship.

[20:22]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “and Yahweh said.”

[20:23]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The direct object of the verb must be “gods of silver.” The prepositional phrase modifies the whole verse to say that these gods would then be alongside the one true God.

[20:23]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “neither will you make for you gods of gold.”

[20:24]  ¹⁰² sn The instructions here call for the altar to be made of natural things, not things manufactured or shaped by man. The altar was either to be made of clumps of earth or natural, unhewn rocks.

[20:24]  ¹⁰³ sn The “burnt offering” is the offering prescribed in Lev 1. Everything of this animal went up in smoke as a sweet aroma to God. It signified complete surrender by the worshiper who brought the animal, and complete acceptance by God, thereby making atonement. The “peace offering” is legislated in Lev 3 and 7. This was a communal meal offering to celebrate being at peace with God. It was made usually for thanksgiving, for payment of vows, or as a freewill offering.

[20:24]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Gesenius lists this as one of the few places where the noun in construct seems to be indefinite in spite of the fact that the genitive has the article. He says בְּכָל־הַמָּקוֹם (bÿkhol-hammaqom) means “in all the place, sc. of the sanctuary, and is a dogmatic correction of “in every place” (כָּל־מָקוֹם, kol-maqom). See GKC 412 §127.e.

[20:24]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The verb is זָכַר (zakhar, “to remember”), but in the Hiphil especially it can mean more than remember or cause to remember (remind) – it has the sense of praise or honor. B. S. Childs says it has a denominative meaning, “to proclaim” (Exodus [OTL], 447). The point of the verse is that God will give Israel reason for praising and honoring him, and in every place that occurs he will make his presence known by blessing them.

[20:25]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “them” referring to the stones.

[20:25]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “of hewn stones.” Gesenius classifies this as an adverbial accusative – “you shall not build them (the stones of the altar) as hewn stones.” The remoter accusative is in apposition to the nearer (GKC 372 §117.kk).

[20:25]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The verb is a preterite with vav (ו) consecutive. It forms the apodosis in a conditional clause: “if you lift up your tool on it…you have defiled it.”

[20:26]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “uncovered” (so ASV, NAB).

[21:1]  ¹¹⁰ sn There follows now a series of rulings called “the decisions” or “the judgments” (הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים, hammishpatim). A precept is stated, and then various cases in which the law is applicable are examined. These rulings are all in harmony with the Decalogue that has just been given and can be grouped into three categories: civil or criminal laws, religious or cultic laws, and moral or humanitarian laws. The civil and criminal laws make up most of chap. 21; the next two chapters mix the other kinds of laws. Among the many studies of this section of the book are F. C. Fensham, “The Role of the Lord in the Legal Sections of the Covenant Code,” VT 26 (1976): 262-74; S. Paul, “Unrecognized Biblical Legal Idioms in Light of Comparative Akkadian Expressions,” RB 86 (1979): 231-39; M. Galston, “The Purpose of the Law According to Maimonides,” JQR 69 (1978): 27-51.

[21:2]  ¹¹¹ sn See H. L. Elleson, “The Hebrew Slave: A Study in Early Israelite Society,” EvQ 45 (1973): 30-35; N. P. Lemche, “The Manumission of Slaves – The Fallow Year – The Sabbatical Year – The Jobel Year,” VT 26 (1976): 38-59, and “The ‘Hebrew Slave,’ Comments on the Slave Law – Ex. 21:2-11,” VT 25 (1975): 129-44.

[21:2]  ¹¹² tn The verbs in both the conditional clause and the following ruling are imperfect tense: “If you buy…then he will serve.” The second imperfect tense (the ruling) could be taken either as a specific future or an obligatory imperfect. Gesenius explains how the verb works in the conditional clauses here (see GKC 497 §159.bb).

[21:2]  ¹¹³ sn The interpretation of “Hebrew” in this verse is uncertain: (l) a gentilic ending, (2) a fellow Israelite, (3) or a class of mercenaries of the population (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:431). It seems likely that the term describes someone born a Hebrew, as opposed to a foreigner (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 210). The literature on this includes: M. P. Gray, “The Habiru-Hebrew Problem,” HUCA 29 (1958): 135-202.

[21:2]  ¹¹⁴ sn The word חָפְשִׁי (khofshi) means “free.” It is possible that there is some connection between this word and a technical term used in other cultures for a social class of emancipated slaves who were freemen again (see I. Mendelsohn, “New Light on the Hupsu,” BASOR 139 [1955]: 9-11).

[21:2]  ¹¹⁵ tn The adverb חִנָּם (hinnam) means “gratis, free”; it is related to the verb “to be gracious, show favor” and the noun “grace.”

[21:3]  ¹¹⁶ tn The tense is imperfect, but in the conditional clause it clearly refers to action that is anterior to the action in the next clause. Heb “if he comes in single, he goes out single,” that is, “if he came in single, he will go out single.”

[21:3]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “with his back” meaning “alone.”

[21:3]  ¹¹⁸ tn The phrase says, “if he was the possessor of a wife”; the noun בַּעַל (ba’al) can mean “possessor” or “husband.” If there was a wife, she shared his fortunes or his servitude; if he entered with her, she would accompany him when he left.

[21:4]  ¹¹⁹ sn The slave would not have the right or the means to acquire a wife. Thus, the idea of the master’s “giving” him a wife is clear – the master would have to pay the bride price and make the provision. In this case, the wife and the children are actually the possession of the master unless the slave were to pay the bride price – but he is a slave because he got into debt. The law assumes that the master was better able to provide for this woman than the freed slave and that it was most important to keep the children with the mother.

[21:5]  ¹²⁰ tn The imperfect with the infinitive absolute means that the declaration is unambiguous, that the servant will clearly affirm that he wants to stay with the master. Gesenius says that in a case like this the infinitive emphasizes the importance of the condition on which some consequence depends (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[21:5]  ¹²¹ tn Or taken as a desiderative imperfect, it would say, “I do not want to go out free.”

[21:6]  ¹²² tn The word is הָאֱלֹהִים (ha’elohim). S. R. Driver (Exodus, 211) says the phrase means “to God,” namely the nearest sanctuary in order that the oath and the ritual might be made solemn, although he does say that it would be done by human judges. That the reference is to Yahweh God is the view also of F. C. Fensham, “New Light on Exodus 21:7 and 22:7 from the Laws of Eshnunna,” JBL 78 (1959): 160-61. Cf. also ASV, NAB, NASB, NCV, NRSV, NLT. Others have made a stronger case that it refers to judges who acted on behalf of God; see C. Gordon, “אלהים in its Reputed Meaning of Rulers, Judges,” JBL 54 (1935): 134-44; and A. E. Draffkorn, “Ilani/Elohim,” JBL 76 (1957): 216-24; cf. KJV, NIV.

[21:6]  ¹²³ tn Or “till his life’s end” (as in the idiom: “serve him for good”).

[21:7]  ¹²⁴ sn This paragraph is troubling to modern readers, but given the way that marriages were contracted and the way people lived in the ancient world, it was a good provision for people who might want to find a better life for their daughter. On the subject in general for this chapter, see W. M. Swartley, Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women, 31-64.

[21:7]  ¹²⁵ tn The word אָמָה (’amah) refers to a female servant who would eventually become a concubine or wife; the sale price included the amount for the service as well as the bride price (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 621). The arrangement recognized her honor as an Israelite woman, one who could be a wife, even though she entered the household in service. The marriage was not automatic, as the conditions show, but her treatment was safeguarded come what may. The law was a way, then, for a poor man to provide a better life for a daughter.

[21:8]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “and if unpleasant (רָעָה, ra’ah) in the eyes of her master.”

[21:8]  ¹²⁷ tn The verb יָעַד (ya’ad) does not mean “betroth, espouse” as some of the earlier translations had it, but “to designate.” When he bought the girl, he designated her for himself, giving her and her family certain expectations.

[21:8]  ¹²⁸ tn The verb is a Hiphil perfect with vav (ו) consecutive from פָדָה (padah, “to redeem”). Here in the apodosis the form is equivalent to an imperfect: “let someone redeem her” – perhaps her father if he can, or another. U. Cassuto says it can also mean she can redeem herself and dissolve the relationship (Exodus, 268).

[21:8]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “he has no authority/power,” for the verb means “rule, have dominion.”

[21:8]  ¹³⁰ sn The deceit is in not making her his wife or concubine as the arrangement had stipulated.

[21:9]  ¹³¹ tn Or “after the manner of” (KJV, ASV); NRSV “shall deal with her as with a daughter.”

[21:10]  ¹³² tn “wife” has been supplied.

[21:10]  ¹³³ tn The translation of “food” does not quite do justice to the Hebrew word. It is “flesh.” The issue here is that the family she was to marry into is wealthy, they ate meat. She was not just to be given the basic food the ordinary people ate, but the fine foods that this family ate.

[21:10]  ¹³⁴ sn See S. Paul, “Exodus 21:10, A Threefold Maintenance Clause,” JNES 28 (1969): 48-53. Paul suggests that the third element listed is not marital rights but ointments since Sumerian and Akkadian texts list food, clothing, and oil as the necessities of life. The translation of “marital rights” is far from certain, since the word occurs only here. The point is that the woman was to be cared for with all that was required for a woman in that situation.

[21:11]  ¹³⁵ sn The lessons of slavery and service are designed to bring justice to existing customs in antiquity. The message is: Those in slavery for one reason or another should have the hope of freedom and the choice of service (vv. 2-6). For the rulings on the daughter, the message could be: Women, who were often at the mercy of their husbands or masters, must not be trapped in an unfortunate situation, but be treated well by their masters or husbands (vv. 7-11). God is preventing people who have power over others from abusing it.

[21:12]  ¹³⁶ sn The underlying point of this section remains vital today: The people of God must treat all human life as sacred.

[21:12]  ¹³⁷ tn The construction uses a Hiphil participle in construct with the noun for “man” (or person as is understood in a law for the nation): “the one striking [of] a man.” This is a casus pendens (independent nominative absolute); it indicates the condition or action that involves further consequence (GKC 361 §116.w).

[21:12]  ¹³⁸ tn The Hebrew word וָמֵת (vamet) is a Qal perfect with vav consecutive; it means “and he dies” and not “and killed him” (which require another stem). Gesenius notes that this form after a participle is the equivalent of a sentence representing a contingent action (GKC 333 §112.n). The word shows the result of the action in the opening participle. It is therefore a case of murder or manslaughter.

[21:12]  ¹³⁹ sn See A. Phillips, “Another Look at Murder,” JJS 28 (1977): 105-26.

[21:13]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “if he does not lie in wait” (NASB similar).

[21:13]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “and God brought into his hand.” The death is unintended, its circumstances outside human control.

[21:14]  ¹⁴² tn The word עָרְמָה (’ormah) is problematic. It could mean with prior intent, which would be connected with the word in Prov 8:5, 12 which means “understanding” (or “prudence” – fully aware of the way things are). It could be connected also to an Arabic word for “enemy” which would indicate this was done with malice or evil intentions (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 270). The use here seems parallel to the one in Josh 9:4, an instance involving intentionality and clever deception.

[21:15]  ¹⁴³ sn This is the same construction that was used in v. 12, but here there is no mention of the parents’ death. This attack, then, does not lead to their death – if he killed one of them then v. 12 would be the law. S. R. Driver says that the severity of the penalty was in accord with the high view of parents (Exodus, 216).

[21:16]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “a stealer of a man,” thus “anyone stealing a man.”

[21:16]  ¹⁴⁵ sn The implication is that it would be an Israelite citizen who was kidnapped and sold to a foreign tribe or country (like Joseph). There was always a market for slaves. The crime would be in forcibly taking the individual away from his home and religion and putting him into bondage or death.

[21:16]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Literally “and he is found in his hand” (KJV and ASV both similar), being not yet sold.

[21:17]  ¹⁴⁷ tn The form is a Piel participle from קָלַל (qalal), meaning in Qal “be light,” in Piel “treat lightly, curse, revile, declare contemptible, treat shamefully.” (See its use in Lev 19:14; Josh 24:9; Judg 9:26-28; 1 Sam 3:13; 17:43; 2 Sam 16:5-13; Prov 30:10-11; Eccl 7:21-22; 10:20.) It is opposite of “honor” (כָּבֵד, kaved; Qal “be heavy”; Piel “honor,” as in 20:12) and of “bless.” This verse then could refer to any act contrary to the commandment to honor the parents. B. Jacob (Exodus, 640) cites parallels in Sumerian where people were severely punished for publicly disowning their parents. “21:15, 17 taken together evoke the picture of parents who, physically and verbally, are forcibly turned out of the house (cf. Prov. 19:26)” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:148).

[21:18]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “falls to bed.”

[21:19]  ¹⁴⁹ tn “and then” has been supplied.

[21:19]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The verb is a Hitpael perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; it follows the sequence of the imperfect before it – “if he gets up and walks about.” This is proof of recovery.

[21:19]  ¹⁵¹ tn The imperfect tense carries a nuance of obligatory imperfect because this is binding on the one who hit him.

[21:19]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “his”; the referent (the injured person) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ¹⁵³ tn The word appears to be the infinitive from the verb “to sit” with a meaning of “his sitting down”; some suggest it is from the verb “to rest” with a meaning “cease.” In either case the point in the context must mean compensation is due for the time he was down.

[21:20]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “so that he”; the words “or she” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:20]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “under his hand.”

[21:20]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “will be avenged” (how is not specified).

[21:21]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “if he”; the referent (the servant struck and injured in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:21]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner of the injured servant) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[21:21]  ¹⁵⁹ tn This last clause is a free paraphrase of the Hebrew, “for he is his money” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “his property.” It seems that if the slave survives a couple of days, it is probable that the master was punishing him and not intending to kill him. If he then dies, there is no penalty other than that the owner loses the slave who is his property – he suffers the loss.

[21:22]  ¹⁶⁰ tn This line has occasioned a good deal of discussion. It may indicate that the child was killed, as in a miscarriage; or it may mean that there was a premature birth. The latter view is taken here because of the way the whole section is written: (1) “her children come out” reflects a birth and not the loss of children, (2) there is no serious damage, and (3) payment is to be set for any remuneration. The word אָסוֹן (’ason) is translated “serious damage.” The word was taken in Mekilta to mean “death.” U. Cassuto says the point of the phrase is that neither the woman or the children that are born die (Exodus, 275). But see among the literature on this: M. G. Kline, “Lex Talionis and the Human Fetus,” JETS 20 (1977): 193-201; W. House, “Miscarriage or Premature Birth: Additional Thoughts on Exodus 21:22-25,” WTJ 41 (1978): 108-23; S. E. Loewenstamm, “Exodus XXI 22-25,” VT 27 (1977): 352-60.

[21:22]  ¹⁶¹ tn The word בִּפְלִלִים (biflilim) means “with arbitrators.” The point then seems to be that the amount of remuneration for damages that was fixed by the husband had to be approved by the courts. S. R. Driver mentions an alternative to this unusual reading presented by Budde, reading בנפלים as “untimely birth” (Exodus, 219). See also E. A. Speiser, “The Stem PLL in Hebrew,” JBL 82 (1963): 301-6.

[21:25]  ¹⁶² sn The text now introduces the Lex Talionis with cases that were not likely to have applied to the situation of the pregnant woman. See K. Luke, “Eye for Eye, Tooth for Tooth,” Indian Theological Studies 16 (1979): 326-43.

[21:26]  ¹⁶³ tn The form וְשִׁחֲתָהּ (vÿshikhatah) is the Piel perfect with the vav (ל) consecutive, rendered “and destroys it.” The verb is a strong one, meaning “to ruin, completely destroy.”

[21:26]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the male or female servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:26]  ¹⁶⁵ sn Interestingly, the verb used here for “let him go” is the same verb throughout the first part of the book for “release” of the Israelites from slavery. Here, an Israelite will have to release the injured slave.

[21:27]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the male or female servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:28]  ¹⁶⁷ sn The point that this section of the laws makes is that one must ensure the safety of others by controlling the circumstances.

[21:28]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Traditionally “ox,” but “bull” would also be suitable. The term may refer to one of any variety of large cattle.

[21:28]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he dies”; KJV “that they die”; NAB, NASB “to death.”

[21:28]  ¹⁷⁰ tn The text uses סָקוֹל יִסָּקֵל (saqol yissaqel), a Qal infinitive absolute with a Niphal imperfect. The infinitive intensifies the imperfect, which here has an obligatory nuance or is a future of instruction.

[21:29]  ¹⁷¹ tn The Hophal perfect has the idea of “attested, testified against.”

[21:29]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “he was not keeping it” or perhaps guarding or watching it (referring to the ox).

[21:30]  ¹⁷³ sn The family of the victim would set the amount for the ransom of the man guilty of criminal neglect. This practice was common in the ancient world, rare in Israel. If the family allowed the substitute price, then the man would be able to redeem his life.

[21:31]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the ox) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:31]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:31]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “according to this judgment it shall be done to him.”

[21:32]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ¹⁷⁸ sn A shekel was a unit for measure by means of a scale. Both the weight and the value of a shekel of silver are hard to determine. “Though there is no certainty, the shekel is said to weigh about 11,5 grams” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:181). Over four hundred years earlier, Joseph was sold into Egypt for 20 shekels. The free Israelite citizen was worth about 50 shekels (Lev 27:3f.).

[21:32]  ¹⁷⁹ sn See further B. S. Jackson, “The Goring Ox Again [Ex. 21,28-36],” JJP 18 (1974): 55-94.

[21:34]  ¹⁸⁰ tn The verb is a Piel imperfect from שָׁלַם (shalam); it has the idea of making payment in full, making recompense, repaying. These imperfects could be given a future tense translation as imperfects of instruction, but in the property cases an obligatory imperfect fits better – this is what he is bound or obliged to do – what he must do.

[21:34]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “silver.”

[21:34]  ¹⁸² tn Here the term “animal” has been supplied.

[21:35]  ¹⁸³ tn Literally “its silver” or “silver for it.”

[21:35]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “divide the dead.” The noun “ox” has been supplied.

[21:36]  ¹⁸⁵ tn The construction now uses the same Piel imperfect (v. 34) but adds the infinitive absolute to it for emphasis.

[21:36]  ¹⁸⁶ sn The point of this section (21:28-36) seems to be that one must ensure the safety of others by controlling one’s property and possessions. This section pertained to neglect with animals, but the message would have applied to similar situations. The people of God were to take heed to ensure the well-being of others, and if there was a problem, it had to be made right.

[22:1]  ¹⁸⁷ sn The next section of laws concerns property rights. These laws protected property from thieves and oppressors, but also set limits to retribution. The message could be: God’s laws demand that the guilty make restitution for their crimes against property and that the innocent be exonerated.

[22:1]  ¹⁸⁸ sn Beginning with 22:1, the verse numbers through 22:31 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 22:1 ET = 21:37 HT, 22:2 ET = 22:1 HT, etc., through 22:31 ET = 22:30 HT. Thus in the English Bible ch. 22 has 31 verses, while in the Hebrew Bible it has 30 verses, with the one extra verse attached to ch. 21 in the Hebrew Bible.

[22:1]  ¹⁸⁹ tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of obligatory imperfect – he must pay back.

[22:1]  ¹⁹⁰ tn בָּקַר (baqar) and צֹאן (tso’n) are the categories to which the ox and the sheep belonged, so that the criminal had some latitude in paying back animals.

[22:2]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “found” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[22:2]  ¹⁹² tn The word בַּמַּחְתֶּרֶת (bammakhteret) means “digging through” the walls of a house (usually made of mud bricks). The verb is used only a few times and has the meaning of dig in (as into houses) or row hard (as in Jonah 1:13).

[22:2]  ¹⁹³ tn The text has “there is not to him bloods.” When the word “blood” is put in the plural, it refers to bloodshed, or the price of blood that is shed, i.e., blood guiltiness.

[22:3]  ¹⁹⁴ tn The words “a thief” have been added for clarification. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 224) thinks that these lines are out of order, since some of them deal with killing the thief and then others with the thief making restitution, but rearranging the clauses is not a necessary way to bring clarity to the paragraph. The idea here would be that any thief caught alive would pay restitution.

[22:4]  ¹⁹⁵ tn The construction uses a Niphal infinitive absolute and a Niphal imperfect: if it should indeed be found. Gesenius says that in such conditional clauses the infinitive absolute has less emphasis, but instead emphasizes the condition on which some consequence depends (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[22:4]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “in his hand.”

[22:4]  ¹⁹⁷ sn He must pay back one for what he took, and then one for the penalty – his loss as he was inflicting a loss on someone else.

[22:5]  ¹⁹⁸ tn The verb בָּעַר (ba’ar, “graze”) as a denominative from the word “livestock” is not well attested. So some have suggested that with slight changes this verse could be read: “If a man cause a field or a vineyard to be burnt, and let the burning spread, and it burnt in another man’s field” (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 225).

[22:5]  ¹⁹⁹ tn The phrase “his livestock” is supplied from the next clause.

[22:6]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “if a fire goes out and finds”; NLT “if a fire gets out of control.”

[22:6]  ²⁰¹ sn Thorn bushes were used for hedges between fields, but thorn bushes also burned easily, making the fire spread rapidly.

[22:6]  ²⁰² tn This is a Hiphil participle of the verb “to burn, kindle” used substantivally. This is the one who caused the fire, whether by accident or not.

[22:7]  ²⁰³ tn The word usually means “vessels” but can have the sense of household goods and articles. It could be anything from jewels and ornaments to weapons or pottery.

[22:7]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “to keep.” Here “safekeeping,” that is, to keep something secure on behalf of a third party, is intended.

[22:7]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “found.”

[22:8]  ²⁰⁶ tn Heb “found.”

[22:8]  ²⁰⁷ tn Here again the word used is “the gods,” meaning the judges who made the assessments and decisions. In addition to other works, see J. R. Vannoy, “The Use of the Word ha’elohim in Exodus 21:6 and 22:7,8,” The Law and the Prophets, 225-41.

[22:8]  ²⁰⁸ tn The phrase “to see” has been supplied.

[22:8]  ²⁰⁹ tn The line says “if he has not stretched out his hand.” This could be the oath formula, but the construction here would be unusual, or it could be taken as “whether” (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:438). U. Cassuto (Exodus, 286) does not think the wording can possibly fit an oath; nevertheless, an oath would be involved before God (as he takes it instead of “judges”) – if the man swore, his word would be accepted, but if he would not swear, he would be guilty.

[22:9]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “concerning every kind [thing] of trespass.”

[22:9]  ²¹¹ tn The text simply has “this is it” (הוּא זֶה, hu’ zeh).

[22:9]  ²¹² tn Again, or “God.”

[22:9]  ²¹³ tn This kind of clause Gesenius calls an independent relative clause – it does not depend on a governing substantive but itself expresses a substantival idea (GKC 445-46 §138.e).

[22:9]  ²¹⁴ tn The verb means “to be guilty” in Qal; in Hiphil it would have a declarative sense, because a causative sense would not possibly fit.

[22:10]  ²¹⁵ tn The form is a Niphal participle from the verb “to break” – “is broken,” which means harmed, maimed, or hurt in any way.

[22:10]  ²¹⁶ tn This verb is frequently used with the meaning “to take captive.” The idea here then is that raiders or robbers have carried off the animal.

[22:10]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “there is no one seeing.”

[22:11]  ²¹⁸ tn The construct relationship שְׁבֻעַת יְהוָה (shÿvu’at yÿhvah, “the oath of Yahweh”) would require a genitive of indirect object, “an oath [to] Yahweh.” U. Cassuto suggests that it means “an oath by Yahweh” (Exodus, 287). The person to whom the animal was entrusted would take a solemn oath to Yahweh that he did not appropriate the animal for himself, and then his word would be accepted.

[22:12]  ²¹⁹ tn Both with this verb “stolen” and in the next clauses with “torn in pieces,” the text uses the infinitive absolute construction with less than normal emphasis; as Gesenius says, in conditional clauses, an infinitive absolute stresses the importance of the condition on which some consequence depends (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[22:12]  ²²⁰ sn The point is that the man should have taken better care of the animal.

[22:13]  ²²¹ tn The word עֵד (’ed) actually means “witness,” but the dead animal that is returned is a silent witness, i.e., evidence. The word is an adverbial accusative.

[22:14]  ²²² tn Heb “if a man asks [an animal] from his neighbor” (see also Exod 12:36). The ruling here implies an animal is borrowed, and if harm comes to it when the owner is not with it, the borrower is liable. The word “animal” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:14]  ²²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who borrowed the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:15]  ²²⁴ tn Literally “it came with/for its hire,” this expression implies that the owner who hired it out and was present was prepared to take the risk, so there would be no compensation.

[22:16]  ²²⁵ sn The second half of the chapter records various laws of purity and justice. Any of them could be treated in an expository way, but in the present array they offer a survey of God’s righteous standards: Maintain the sanctity of marriage (16-17); maintain the purity of religious institutions (18-20), maintain the rights of human beings (21-28), maintain the rights of Yahweh (29-31).

[22:16]  ²²⁶ tn This is the word בְּתוּלָה (bÿtulah); it describes a young woman who is not married or a young woman engaged to be married; in any case, she is presumed to be a virgin.

[22:16]  ²²⁷ tn Or “pledged” for marriage.

[22:16]  ²²⁸ tn The verb מָהַר (mahar) means “pay the marriage price,” and the related noun is the bride price. B. Jacob says this was a proposal gift and not a purchase price (Exodus, 700). This is the price paid to her parents, which allowed for provision should there be a divorce. The amount was usually agreed on by the two families, but the price was higher for a pure bride from a noble family. Here, the one who seduces her must pay it, regardless of whether he marries her or not.

[22:18]  ²²⁹ sn There still were many who wished to follow pagan beliefs and consort with the dead (see Deut 18:10-11). The sorceress was someone who dealt with drugs or herbs for occult purposes.

[22:19]  ²³⁰ tn Heb “lies with.”

[22:20]  ²³¹ tn Heb “not to Yahweh.”

[22:20]  ²³² tn The verb חָרַם (kharam) means “to be devoted” to God or “to be banned.” The idea is that it would be God’s to do with as he liked. What was put under the ban was for God alone, either for his service or for his judgment. But it was out of human control. Here the verb is saying that the person will be utterly destroyed.

[22:21]  ²³³ tn Or “oppress.”

[22:21]  ²³⁴ tn Or “alien,” both here and in 23:9. This individual is a resident foreigner; he lives in the land but, aside from provisions such as this, might easily be without legal rights.

[22:22]  ²³⁵ tn The verb “afflict” is a Piel imperfect from עָנָה (’anah); it has a wide range of meanings: “afflict, oppress, humiliate, rape.” These victims are at the mercy of the judges, businessmen, or villains. The righteous king and the righteous people will not mistreat them (see Isa 1:17; Job 31:16, 17, 21).

[22:23]  ²³⁶ tn The accusative here is the masculine singular pronoun, which leads S. R. Driver to conclude that this line is out of place, even though the masculine singular can be used in places like this (Exodus, 232). U. Cassuto says its use is to refer to certain classes (Exodus, 292).

[22:23]  ²³⁷ tn Here again and with “cry” the infinitive absolute functions with a diminished emphasis (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[22:23]  ²³⁸ tn Here is the normal use of the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense to emphasize the verb: “I will surely hear,” implying, “I will surely respond.”

[22:24]  ²³⁹ sn The punishment will follow the form of talionic justice, an eye for an eye, in which the punishment matches the crime. God will use invading armies (“sword” is a metonymy of adjunct here) to destroy them, making their wives widows and their children orphans.

[22:25]  ²⁴⁰ tn “any of” has been supplied.

[22:25]  ²⁴¹ sn The moneylender will be demanding and exacting. In Ps 109:11 and 2 Kgs 4:1 the word is rendered as “extortioner.”

[22:25]  ²⁴² tn Heb “set.”

[22:25]  ²⁴³ sn In ancient times money was lent primarily for poverty and not for commercial ventures (H. Gamoran, “The Biblical Law against Loans on Interest,” JNES 30 [1971]: 127-34). The lending to the poor was essentially a charity, and so not to be an opportunity to make money from another person’s misfortune. The word נֶשֶׁךְ (neshekh) may be derived from a verb that means “to bite,” and so the idea of usury or interest was that of putting out one’s money with a bite in it (See S. Stein, “The Laws on Interest in the Old Testament,” JTS 4 [1953]: 161-70; and E. Neufeld, “The Prohibition against Loans at Interest in the Old Testament,” HUCA 26 [1955]: 355-412).

[22:26]  ²⁴⁴ tn The construction again uses the infinitive absolute with the verb in the conditional clause to stress the condition.

[22:26]  ²⁴⁵ tn The clause uses the preposition, the infinitive construct, and the noun that is the subjective genitive – “at the going in of the sun.”

[22:27]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “his skin.”

[22:27]  ²⁴⁷ tn Literally the text reads, “In what can he lie down?” The cloak would be used for a covering at night to use when sleeping. The garment, then, was the property that could not be taken and not given back – it was the last possession. The modern idiom of “the shirt off his back” gets at the point being made here.

[22:27]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “and it will be.”

[22:28]  ²⁴⁹ tn The two verbs in this verse are synonyms: קָלַל (qalal) means “to treat lightly, curse,” and אָרַר (’arar) means “to curse.”

[22:28]  ²⁵⁰ tn The word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is “gods” or “God.” If taken as the simple plural, it could refer to the human judges, as it has in the section of laws; this would match the parallelism in the verse. If it was taken to refer to God, then the idea of cursing God would be more along the line of blasphemy. B. Jacob says that the word refers to functioning judges, and that would indirectly mean God, for they represented the religious authority, and the prince the civil authority (Exodus, 708).

[22:29]  ²⁵¹ tn The expressions are unusual. U. Cassuto renders them: “from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses” (Exodus, 294). He adds the Hittite parallel material to show that the people were to bring the offerings on time and not let them overlap, because the firstfruits had to be eaten first by the priest.

[22:31]  ²⁵² sn The use of this word here has to do with the laws of the sanctuary and not some advanced view of holiness. The ritual holiness at the sanctuary would prohibit eating anything torn to pieces.

[22:31]  ²⁵³ tn Or “by wild animals.”

[23:1]  ²⁵⁴ sn People who claim to worship and serve the righteous judge of the universe must preserve equity and justice in their dealings with others. These verses teach that God’s people must be honest witnesses (1-3); God’s people must be righteous even with enemies (4-5); and God’s people must be fair in dispensing justice (6-9).

[23:1]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “take up, lift, carry” (נָשָׂא, nasa’). This verb was also used in the prohibition against taking “the name of Yahweh in vain.” Sometimes the object of this verb is physical, as in Jonah 1:12 and 15. Used in this prohibition involving speech, it covers both originating and repeating a lie.

[23:1]  ²⁵⁶ tn Or “a groundless report” (see Exod 20:7 for the word שָׁוְא, shav’).

[23:1]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “do not put your hand” (cf. KJV, ASV); NASB “join your hand.”

[23:1]  ²⁵⁸ tn The word “wicked” (רָשָׁע, rasha’) refers to the guilty criminal, the person who is doing something wrong. In the religious setting it describes the person who is not a member of the covenant and may be involved in all kinds of sin, even though there is the appearance of moral and spiritual stability.

[23:1]  ²⁵⁹ tn The word חָמָס (khamas) often means “violence” in the sense of social injustices done to other people, usually the poor and needy. A “malicious” witness would do great harm to others. See J. W. McKay, “Exodus 23:1-43, 6-8: A Decalogue for Administration of Justice in the City Gate,” VT 21 (1971): 311-25.

[23:2]  ²⁶⁰ tn The word רָבִּים (rabbim), here rendered “crowd,” is also used infrequently to refer to the “mighty,” people of importance in society (Job 35:9; cf. Lev 19:15).

[23:2]  ²⁶¹ tn For any individual to join a group that is bent on acting wickedly would be a violation of the Law and would incur personal responsibility.

[23:2]  ²⁶² tn Heb “you will not answer in a lawsuit to turn after the crowd to turn.” The form translated “agrees with” (Heb “to turn after”) is a Qal infinitive construct from נָטָה (natah); the same root is used at the end of the verse but as a Hiphil infinitive construct, “to pervert [justice].”

[23:3]  ²⁶³ tn The point here is one of false sympathy and honor, the bad sense of the word הָדַר (hadar; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 237).

[23:4]  ²⁶⁴ tn Heb “meet” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[23:4]  ²⁶⁵ tn The construction uses the imperfect tense (taken here as an obligatory imperfect) and the infinitive absolute for emphasis.

[23:5]  ²⁶⁶ tn The line reads “you will cease to forsake him” – refrain from leaving your enemy without help.

[23:5]  ²⁶⁷ tn The law is emphatic here as well, using the infinitive absolute and the imperfect of instruction (or possibly obligation). There is also a wordplay here: two words עָזַב (’azav) are used, one meaning “forsake” and the other possibly meaning “arrange” based on Arabic and Ugaritic evidence (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 297-98).

[23:5]  ²⁶⁸ sn See H. B. Huffmon, “Exodus 23:4-5: A Comparative Study,” A Light Unto My Path, 271-78.

[23:7]  ²⁶⁹ tn Or “stay away from,” or “have nothing to do with.”

[23:7]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “a false matter,” this expression in this context would have to be a case in law that was false or that could only be won by falsehood.

[23:7]  ²⁷¹ tn The two clauses probably should be related: the getting involved in the false charge could lead to the death of an innocent person (so, e.g., Naboth in 1 Kgs 21:10-13).

[23:7]  ²⁷² sn God will not declare right the one who is in the wrong. Society should also be consistent, but it cannot see the intents and motives, as God can.

[23:8]  ²⁷³ tn Heb “blinds the open-eyed.”

[23:9]  ²⁷⁴ tn The verb means “to crush.” S. R. Driver notes that in this context this would probably mean with an unfair judgment in the courts (Exodus, 239).

[23:9]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “soul, life” – “you know what it feels like.”

[23:10]  ²⁷⁶ sn This section concerns religious duties of the people of God as they worship by giving thanks to God for their blessings. The principles here are: God requires his people to allow the poor to share in their bounty (10-11); God requires his people to provide times of rest and refreshment for those who labor for them (12); God requires allegiance to himself (13); God requires his people to come before him in gratitude and share their bounty (14-17); God requires that his people safeguard proper worship forms (18-19).

[23:10]  ²⁷⁷ tn Heb “and six years”; this is an adverbial accusative telling how long they can work their land. The following references to years and days in vv. 10-12 function similarly.

[23:11]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “and the seventh year”; an adverbial accusative with a disjunctive vav (ו).

[23:11]  ²⁷⁹ tn Heb “living thing/creature/beast of the field.” A general term for animals, usually wild animals, including predators (cf. v. 29; Gen 2:19-20; Lev 26:22; Deut 7:22; 1 Sam 17:46; Job 5:22-23; Ezek 29:5; 34:5).

[23:12]  ²⁸⁰ tn Heb “alien,” or “resident foreigner.” Such an individual would have traveled out of need and depended on the goodwill of the people around him. The rendering “hired help” assumes that the foreigner is mentioned in this context because he is working for an Israelite and will benefit from the Sabbath rest, along with his employer.

[23:12]  ²⁸¹ tn The verb is וְיִּנָּפֵשׁ (vÿyyinnafesh); it is related to the word usually translated “soul” or “life.”

[23:13]  ²⁸² tn The phrase “to do” is added; in Hebrew word order the line says, “In all that I have said to you you will watch yourselves.” The verb for paying attention is a Niphal imperfect with an imperatival force.

[23:13]  ²⁸³ tn Or “honor,” Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar). See also Exod 20:25; Josh 23:7; Isa 26:13.

[23:13]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “mouth.”

[23:14]  ²⁸⁵ tn The expression rendered “three times” is really “three feet,” or “three foot-beats.” The expression occurs only a few times in the Law. The expressing is an adverbial accusative.

[23:14]  ²⁸⁶ tn This is the word תָּחֹג (takhog) from the root חָגַג (khagag); it describes a feast that was accompanied by a pilgrimage. It was first used by Moses in his appeal that Israel go three days into the desert to hold such a feast.

[23:15]  ²⁸⁷ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[23:15]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “in it.”

[23:15]  ²⁸⁹ tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect; the nuance of permission works well here – no one is permitted to appear before God empty (Heb “and they will not appear before me empty”).

[23:16]  ²⁹⁰ tn The words “you are also to observe” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:16]  ²⁹¹ tn An infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make a temporal clause: “in the going in of the year.” The word “year” is the subjective genitive, the subject of the clause.

[23:16]  ²⁹² tn An infinitive construct with a preposition and a pronominal suffix is used to make a temporal clause: “in the ingathering of you.”

[23:16]  ²⁹³ tn Heb “gathered in your labors.” This is a metonymy of cause put for the effect. “Labors” are not gathered in, but what the labors produced – the harvest.

[23:17]  ²⁹⁴ tn Adverbial accusative of time: “three times” becomes “at three times.”

[23:17]  ²⁹⁵ tn Here the divine Name reads in Hebrew הָאָדֹן יְהוָה (ha’adon yÿhvah), which if rendered according to the traditional scheme of “Lord” for “Yahweh” would result in “Lord Lord.” A number of English versions therefore render this phrase “Lord God,” and that convention has been followed here.

[23:18]  ²⁹⁶ tn The verb is תִּזְבַּח (tizbbakh), an imperfect tense from the same root as the genitive that qualifies the accusative “blood”: “you will not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice.” The verb means “to slaughter”; since one cannot slaughter blood, a more general translation is required here. But if the genitive is explained as “my blood-sacrifice” (a genitive of specification; like “the evil of your doings” in Isa 1:16), then a translation of sacrifice would work (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 304).

[23:18]  ²⁹⁷ sn See N. Snaith, “Exodus 23:18 and 34:25,” JTS 20 (1969): 533-34; see also M. Haran, “The Passover Sacrifice,” Studies in the Religion of Ancient Israel (VTSup), 86-116.

[23:19]  ²⁹⁸ sn On this verse, see C. M. Carmichael, “On Separating Life and Death: An Explanation of Some Biblical Laws,” HTR 69 (1976): 1-7; J. Milgrom, “You Shall Not Boil a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk,” BRev 1 (1985): 48-55; R. J. Ratner and B. Zuckerman, “In Rereading the ‘Kid in Milk’ Inscriptions,” BRev 1 (1985): 56-58; and M. Haran, “Seething a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk,” JJS 30 (1979): 23-35. Here and at 34:26, where this command is repeated, it ends a series of instructions about procedures for worship.

[23:20]  ²⁹⁹ sn This passage has some of the most interesting and perplexing expressions and constructions in the book. It is largely promise, but it is part of the Law and so demands compliance by faith. Its points are: God promises to send his angel to prepare the way before his obedient servants (20-23); God promises blessing for his loyal servants (24-33). So in the section one learns that God promises his protection (victory) and blessing (through his angel) for his obedient and loyal worshipers.

[23:20]  ³⁰⁰ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with the active participle indicates imminent future, something God is about to do.

[23:20]  ³⁰¹ sn The word is מַלְאָךְ (mal’akh, “messenger, angel”). This angel is to be treated with the same fear and respect as Yahweh, for Yahweh will be speaking in him. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 305-6) says that the words of the first clause do not imply a being distinct from God, for in the ancient world the line of demarcation between the sender and the sent is liable easily to be blurred. He then shows how the “Angel of Yahweh” in Genesis is Yahweh. He concludes that the words here mean “I will guide you.” Christian commentators tend to identify the Angel of Yahweh as the second person of the Trinity (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:446). However, in addition to being a preincarnate appearance, the word could refer to Yahweh – some manifestation of Yahweh himself.

[23:20]  ³⁰² tn Heb “protect you in the way.”

[23:20]  ³⁰³ tn The form is the Hiphil perfect of the verb כּוּן (kun, “to establish, prepare”).

[23:21]  ³⁰⁴ sn This means “the manifestation of my being” is in him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 247). Driver quotes McNeile as saying, “The ‘angel’ is Jehovah Himself ‘in a temporary descent to visibility for a special purpose.’” Others take the “name” to represent Yahweh’s “power” (NCV) or “authority” (NAB, CEV).

[23:22]  ³⁰⁵ tn The infinitive absolute here does not add as great an emphasis as normal, but emphasizes the condition that is being set forth (see GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[23:23]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “will cut them off” (so KJV, ASV).

[23:24]  ³⁰⁷ tn The Hebrew is מַצֵּבֹתֵיהֶם (matsevotehem, “their standing stones”); these long stones were erected to represent the abode of the numen or deity. They were usually set up near the altar or the high place. To destroy these would be to destroy the centers of Canaanite worship in the land.

[23:24]  ³⁰⁸ tn Both verbs are joined with their infinitive absolutes to provide the strongest sense to these instructions. The images of the false gods in Canaan were to be completely and utterly destroyed. This could not be said any more strongly.

[23:25]  ³⁰⁹ tn The perfect tense, masculine plural, with vav (ו) consecutive is in sequence with the preceding: do not bow down to them, but serve Yahweh. It is then the equivalent of an imperfect of instruction or injunction.

[23:25]  ³¹⁰ tn The LXX reads “and I will bless” to make the verb conform with the speaker, Yahweh.

[23:25]  ³¹¹ sn On this unusual clause B. Jacob says that it is the reversal of the curse in Genesis, because the “bread and water” represent the field work and ground suitability for abundant blessing of provisions (Exodus, 734).

[23:26]  ³¹² tn Or “abort”; Heb “cast.”

[23:26]  ³¹³ sn No one will die prematurely; this applies to the individual or the nation. The plan of God to bless was extensive, if only the people would obey.

[23:27]  ³¹⁴ tn The word for “terror” is אֵימָתִי (’emati); the word has the thought of “panic” or “dread.” God would make the nations panic as they heard of the exploits and knew the Israelites were drawing near. U. Cassuto thinks the reference to “hornets” in v. 28 may be a reference to this fear, an unreasoning dread, rather than to another insect invasion (Exodus, 308). Others suggest it is symbolic of an invading army or a country like Egypt or literal insects (see E. Neufeld, “Insects as Warfare Agents in the Ancient Near East,” Or 49 [1980]: 30-57).

[23:27]  ³¹⁵ tn Heb “kill.”

[23:27]  ³¹⁶ tn The text has “and I will give all your enemies to you [as] a back.” The verb of making takes two accusatives, the second being the adverbial accusative of product (see GKC 371-72 §117.ii, n. 1).

[23:28]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “and I will send.”

[23:29]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “the beast of the field.”

[23:30]  ³¹⁹ tn The repetition expresses an exceptional or super-fine quality (see GKC 396 §123.e).

[23:31]  ³²⁰ tn The form is a perfect tense with vav consecutive.

[23:31]  ³²¹ tn In the Hebrew Bible “the River” usually refers to the Euphrates (cf. NASB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT). There is some thought that it refers to a river Nahr el Kebir between Lebanon and Syria. See further W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:447; and G. W. Buchanan, The Consequences of the Covenant (NovTSup), 91-100.

[23:33]  ³²² tn The idea of the “snare” is to lure them to judgment; God is apparently warning about contact with the Canaanites, either in worship or in business. They were very syncretistic, and so it would be dangerous to settle among them.

[24:1]  ³²³ sn Exod 24 is the high point of the book in many ways, but most importantly, here Yahweh makes a covenant with the people – the Sinaitic Covenant. The unit not only serves to record the event in Israel’s becoming a nation, but it provides a paradigm of the worship of God’s covenant people – entering into the presence of the glory of Yahweh. See additionally W. A. Maier, “The Analysis of Exodus 24 According to Modern Literary, Form, and Redaction Critical Methodology,” Springfielder 37 (1973): 35-52. The passage may be divided into four parts for exposition: vv. 1-2, the call for worship; vv. 3-8, the consecration of the worshipers; vv. 9-11, the confirmation of the covenant; and vv. 12-18, the communication with Yahweh.

[24:1]  ³²⁴ tn Heb “And he;” the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:1]  ³²⁵ sn They were to come up to the Lord after they had made the preparations that are found in vv. 3-8.

[24:1]  ³²⁶ sn These seventy-four people were to go up the mountain to a certain point. Then they were to prostrate themselves and worship Yahweh as Moses went further up into the presence of Yahweh. Moses occupies the lofty position of mediator (as Christ in the NT), for he alone ascends “to Yahweh” while everyone waits for his return. The emphasis of “bowing down” and that from “far off” stresses again the ominous presence that was on the mountain. This was the holy God – only the designated mediator could draw near to him.

[24:2]  ³²⁷ tn The verb is a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive; it and the preceding perfect tense follow the imperative, and so have either a force of instruction, or, as taken here, are the equivalent of an imperfect tense (of permission).

[24:2]  ³²⁸ tn Heb “they.”

[24:2]  ³²⁹ tn Now the imperfect tense negated is used; here the prohibition would fit (“they will not come near”), or the obligatory (“they must not”) in which the subjects are obliged to act – or not act in this case.

[24:3]  ³³⁰ sn The general consensus among commentators is that this refers to Moses’ coming from the mountain after he made the ascent in 20:21. Here he came and told them the laws (written in 20:22-23:33), and of the call to come up to Yahweh.

[24:3]  ³³¹ sn The Decalogue may not be included here because the people had heard those commands themselves earlier.

[24:3]  ³³² tn The text simply has “one voice” (קוֹל אֶחָד, qol ’ekhad); this is an adverbial accusative of manner, telling how the people answered – “in one voice,” or unanimously (see GKC 375 §118.q).

[24:3]  ³³³ tn The verb is the imperfect tense (נַעֲשֶׂה, na’aseh), although the form could be classified as a cohortative. If the latter, they would be saying that they are resolved to do what God said. If it is an imperfect, then the desiderative would make the most sense: “we are willing to do.” They are not presumptuously saying they are going to do all these things.

[24:4]  ³³⁴ tn The two preterites quite likely form a verbal hendiadys (the verb “to get up early” is frequently in such constructions). Literally it says, “and he got up early [in the morning] and he built”; this means “early [in the morning] he built.” The first verb becomes the adverb.

[24:4]  ³³⁵ tn “under.”

[24:4]  ³³⁶ tn The verb “arranged” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied to clarify exactly what Moses did with the twelve stones.

[24:4]  ³³⁷ tn The thing numbered is found in the singular when the number is plural – “twelve standing-stone.” See GKC 433 §134.f. The “standing-stone” could be a small piece about a foot high, or a huge column higher than men. They served to commemorate treaties (Gen 32), or visions (Gen 28) or boundaries, or graves. Here it will function with the altar as a place of worship.

[24:5]  ³³⁸ tn The construct has “young men of the Israelites,” and so “Israelite” is a genitive that describes them.

[24:5]  ³³⁹ tn The verbs and their respective accusatives are cognates. First, they offered up burnt offerings (see Lev 1), which is וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת (vayya’alu ’olot); then they sacrificed young bulls as peace sacrifices (Lev 3), which is in Hebrew וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים (vayyizbÿkhu zÿvakhim). In the first case the cognate accusative is the direct object; in the second it is an adverbial accusative of product. See on this covenant ritual H. M. Kamsler, “The Blood Covenant in the Bible,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 94-98; E. W. Nicholson, “The Covenant Ritual in Exodus 24:3-8,” VT 32 (1982): 74-86.

[24:6]  ³⁴⁰ sn The people and Yahweh through this will be united by blood, for half was spattered on the altar and the other half spattered on/toward the people (v. 8).

[24:7]  ³⁴¹ tn The noun “book” would be the scroll just written containing the laws of chaps. 20-23. On the basis of this scroll the covenant would be concluded here. The reading of this book would assure the people that it was the same that they had agreed to earlier. But now their statement of willingness to obey would be more binding, because their promise would be confirmed by a covenant of blood.

[24:7]  ³⁴² tn Heb “read it in the ears of.”

[24:7]  ³⁴³ tn A second verb is now added to the people’s response, and it is clearly an imperfect and not a cohortative, lending support for the choice of desiderative imperfect in these commitments – “we want to obey.” This was their compliance with the covenant.

[24:8]  ³⁴⁴ tn Given the size of the congregation, the preposition might be rendered here “toward the people” rather than on them (all).

[24:8]  ³⁴⁵ sn The construct relationship “the blood of the covenant” means “the blood by which the covenant is ratified” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 254). The parallel with the inauguration of the new covenant in the blood of Christ is striking (see, e.g., Matt 26:28, 1 Cor 11:25). When Jesus was inaugurating the new covenant, he was bringing to an end the old.

[24:9]  ³⁴⁶ tn The verse begins with “and Moses went up, and Aaron….” This verse may supply the sequel to vv. 1-2. At any rate, God was now accepting them into his presence.

[24:10]  ³⁴⁷ sn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 254) wishes to safeguard the traditional idea that God could not be seen by reading “they saw the place where the God of Israel stood” so as not to say they saw God. But according to U. Cassuto there is not a great deal of difference between “and they saw the God” and “the Lord God appeared” (Exodus, 314). He thinks that the word “God” is used instead of “Yahweh” to say that a divine phenomenon was seen. It is in the LXX that they add “the place where he stood.” In v. 11b the LXX has “and they appeared in the place of God.” See James Barr, “Theophany and Anthropomorphism in the Old Testament,” VTSup 7 (1959): 31-33. There is no detailed description here of what they saw (cf. Isa 6; Ezek 1). What is described amounts to what a person could see when prostrate.

[24:10]  ³⁴⁸ sn S. R. Driver suggests that they saw the divine Glory, not directly, but as they looked up from below, through what appeared to be a transparent blue sapphire pavement (Exodus, 254).

[24:10]  ³⁴⁹ tn Or “tiles.”

[24:10]  ³⁵⁰ tn Heb “and like the body of heaven for clearness.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven” or “sky” depending on the context; here, where sapphire is mentioned (a blue stone) “sky” seems more appropriate, since the transparent blueness of the sapphire would appear like the blueness of the cloudless sky.

[24:11]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “he did not stretch out his hand,” i.e., to destroy them.

[24:11]  ³⁵² tn The verb is חָזָה (khazah); it can mean “to see, perceive” or “see a vision” as the prophets did. The LXX safeguarded this by saying, “appeared in the place of God.” B. Jacob says they beheld – prophetically, religiously (Exodus, 746) – but the meaning of that is unclear. The fact that God did not lay a hand on them – to kill them – shows that they saw something that they never expected to see and live. Some Christian interpreters have taken this to refer to a glorious appearance of the preincarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity. They saw the brilliance of this manifestation – but not the detail. Later, Moses will still ask to see God’s glory – the real presence behind the phenomena.

[24:11]  ³⁵³ sn This is the covenant meal, the peace offering, that they are eating there on the mountain. To eat from the sacrifice meant that they were at peace with God, in covenant with him. Likewise, in the new covenant believers draw near to God on the basis of sacrifice, and eat of the sacrifice because they are at peace with him, and in Christ they see the Godhead revealed.

[24:12]  ³⁵⁴ sn Now the last part is recorded in which Moses ascends to Yahweh to receive the tablets of stone. As Moses disappears into the clouds, the people are given a vision of the glory of Yahweh.

[24:12]  ³⁵⁵ sn These are the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments would be written. This is the first time they are mentioned. The commandments were apparently proclaimed by God first and then proclaimed to the people by Moses. Now that they have been formally agreed on and ratified, they will be written by God on stone for a perpetual covenant.

[24:12]  ³⁵⁶ tn Or “namely”; or “that is to say.” The vav (ו) on the noun does not mean that this is in addition to the tablets of stone; the vav is explanatory. Gesenius has “to wit”; see GKC 484-85 §154.a, n. 1(b).

[24:12]  ³⁵⁷ tn The last word of the verse is לְהוֹרֹתָם (lÿhorotam), the Hiphil infinitive construct of יָרָה (yarah). It serves as a purpose clause, “to teach them,” meaning “I am giving you this Law and these commands in order that you may teach them.” This duty to teach the Law will be passed especially to parents (Deut 6:6-9, 20-25) and to the tribe of Levi as a whole (Deut 33:9-10; Mal 2:1-9).

[24:13]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “and he arose” meaning “started to go.”

[24:13]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “and.”

[24:14]  ³⁶⁰ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh) calls attention to the presence of Aaron and Hur to answer the difficult cases that might come up.

[24:14]  ³⁶¹ tn Or “issues to resolve.” The term is simply דְּבָרִים (dÿvarim, “words, things, matters”).

[24:14]  ³⁶² tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of potential imperfect. In the absence of Moses and Joshua, Aaron and Hur will be available.

[24:16]  ³⁶³ sn The verb is וַיִּשְׁכֹּן (vayyishkon, “and dwelt, abode”). From this is derived the epithet “the Shekinah Glory,” the dwelling or abiding glory. The “glory of Yahweh” was a display visible at a distance, clearly in view of the Israelites. To them it was like a consuming fire in the midst of the cloud that covered the mountain. That fire indicated that Yahweh wished to accept their sacrifice, as if it were a pleasant aroma to him, as Leviticus would say. This “appearance” indicated that the phenomena represented a shimmer of the likeness of his glory (B. Jacob, Exodus, 749). The verb, according to U. Cassuto (Exodus, 316), also gives an inkling of the next section of the book, the building of the “tabernacle,” the dwelling place, the מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan). The vision of the glory of Yahweh confirmed the authority of the revelation of the Law given to Israel. This chapter is the climax of God’s bringing people into covenant with himself, the completion of his revelation to them, a completion that is authenticated with the miraculous. It ends with the mediator going up in the clouds to be with God, and the people down below eagerly awaiting his return. The message of the whole chapter could be worded this way: Those whom God sanctifies by the blood of the covenant and instructs by the book of the covenant may enjoy fellowship with him and anticipate a far more glorious fellowship. So too in the NT the commandments and teachings of Jesus are confirmed by his miraculous deeds and by his glorious manifestation on the Mount of the Transfiguration, where a few who represented the disciples would see his glory and be able to teach others. The people of the new covenant have been brought into fellowship with God through the blood of the covenant; they wait eagerly for his return from heaven in the clouds.

[24:16]  ³⁶⁴ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[24:17]  ³⁶⁵ tn Heb “to the eyes of” which could mean in their opinion.

[24:18]  ³⁶⁶ tn The verb is a preterite with vav (ו) consecutive; here, the second clause, is subordinated to the first preterite, because it seems that the entering into the cloud is the dominant point in this section of the chapter.

[24:18]  ³⁶⁷ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 750) offers this description of some of the mystery involved in Moses’ ascending into the cloud: Moses ascended into the presence of God, but remained on earth. He did not rise to heaven – the ground remained firmly under his feet. But he clearly was brought into God’s presence; he was like a heavenly servant before God’s throne, like the angels, and he consumed neither bread nor water. The purpose of his being there was to become familiar with all God’s demands and purposes. He would receive the tablets of stone and all the instructions for the tabernacle that was to be built (beginning in chap. 25). He would not descend until the sin of the golden calf.

[25:1]  ³⁶⁸ sn Now begin the detailed instructions for constructing the tabernacle of Yahweh, with all its furnishings. The first paragraph introduces the issue of the heavenly pattern for the construction, calls for the people to make willing offerings (vv. 2-7), and explains the purpose for these offerings (vv. 8-9). The message here is that God calls his people to offer of their substance willingly so that his sanctuary may be made.

[25:2]  ³⁶⁹ tn The verb is וְיִקְחוּ (vÿyiqkhu), the Qal imperfect or jussive with vav; after the imperative “speak” this verb indicates the purpose or result: “speak…that they may take” and continues with the force of a command.

[25:2]  ³⁷⁰ tn The “offering” (תְּרוּמָה, tÿrumah) is perhaps better understood as a contribution since it was a freewill offering. There is some question about the etymology of the word. The traditional meaning of “heave-offering” derives from the idea of “elevation,” a root meaning “to be high” lying behind the word. B. Jacob says it is something sorted out of a mass of material and designated for a higher purpose (Exodus, 765). S. R. Driver (Exodus, 263) corrects the idea of “heave-offering” by relating the root to the Hiphil form of that root, herim, “to lift” or “take off.” He suggests the noun means “what is taken off” from a larger mass and so designated for sacred purposes. The LXX has “something taken off.”

[25:2]  ³⁷¹ tn The verb יִדְּבֶנּוּ (yiddÿvennu) is related to the word for the “freewill offering” (נְדָבָה, nÿdavah). The verb is used of volunteering for military campaigns (Judg 5:2, 9) and the willing offerings for both the first and second temples (see 1 Chr 29:5, 6, 9, 14, 17).

[25:2]  ³⁷² tn The pronoun is plural.

[25:3]  ³⁷³ tn The pronoun is plural.

[25:4]  ³⁷⁴ sn The blue refers to dye made from shellfish. It has a dark blue or purple-blue, almost violet color. No significance for the color is attached.

[25:4]  ³⁷⁵ sn Likewise this color dye was imported from Phoenicia, where it was harvested from the shellfish or snail. It is a deep purple-red color.

[25:4]  ³⁷⁶ sn This color is made from the eggs and bodies of the worm coccus ilicus, which is found with the holly plant – so Heb “worm of brilliance.” The powder made from the dried maggots produces a bright red-yellow color (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:452). B. Jacob takes the view that these are not simply colors that are being introduced here, but fabrics dyed with these colors (Exodus, 765). At any rate, the sequence would then be metals, fabrics, and leathers (v. 5).

[25:4]  ³⁷⁷ sn This is generally viewed as a fine Egyptian linen that had many more delicate strands than ordinary linen.

[25:4]  ³⁷⁸ sn Goat’s hair was spun into yarn (35:26) and used to make the material for the first tent over the dwelling. It is ideal for tenting, since it is loosely woven and allows breezes to pass through, but with rain the fibers expand and prevent water from seeping through.

[25:5]  ³⁷⁹ sn W. C. Kaiser compares this to morocco leather (“Exodus,” EBC 2:453); it was skin that had all the wool removed and then was prepared as leather and dyed red. N. M. Sarna, on the other hand, comments, “The technique of leather production is never described [in ancient Hebrew texts]. Hence, it is unclear whether Hebrew me’oddamim (מְאָדָּמִים), literally ‘made red,’ refers to the tanning or dyeing process” (Exodus [JPSTC], 157).

[25:5]  ³⁸⁰ tn The meaning of the word תְּחָשִׁים (tÿkhashim) is debated. The Arabic tuhas or duhas is a dolphin, and so some think a sea animal is meant – something like a dolphin or porpoise (cf. NASB; ASV “sealskins”; NIV “hides of sea cows”). Porpoises are common in the Red Sea; their skins are used for clothing by the bedouin. The word has also been connected to an Egyptian word for “leather” (ths); see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 265. Some variation of this is followed by NRSV (“fine leather”) and NLT (“fine goatskin leather”). Another suggestion connects this word to an Akkadian one that describes a precious stone that is yellow or ornge and also leather died with the color of this stone (N. M. Sarna, Exodus [JPSTC], 157-58).

[25:5]  ³⁸¹ sn The wood of the acacia is darker and harder than oak, and so very durable.

[25:8]  ³⁸² tn The verb is a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; it follows in the sequence initiated by the imperative in v. 2 and continues with the force of a command.

[25:8]  ³⁸³ tn The word here is מִקְדּשׁ (miqdash), “a sanctuary” or “holy place”; cf. NLT “sacred residence.” The purpose of building it is to enable Yahweh to reside (וְשָׁכַנְתִּי, vÿshakhanti) in their midst. U. Cassuto reminds the reader that God did not need a place to dwell, but the Israelites needed a dwelling place for him, so that they would look to it and be reminded that he was in their midst (Exodus, 327).

[25:9]  ³⁸⁴ tn The pronoun is singular.

[25:9]  ³⁸⁵ sn The expression “the pattern of the tabernacle” (תַּבְנִית הַמִּשְׁכָּן, tavnit hammiskan) has been the source of much inquiry. The word rendered “pattern” is related to the verb “to build”; it suggests a model. S. R. Driver notes that in ancient literature there is the account of Gudea receiving in a dream a complete model of a temple he was to erect (Exodus, 267). In this passage Moses is being shown something on the mountain that should be the pattern of the earthly sanctuary. The most plausible explanation of what he was shown comes from a correlation with comments in the Letter to the Hebrews and the book of Revelation, which describe the heavenly sanctuary as the true sanctuary, and the earthly as the copy or shadow. One could say that Moses was allowed to see what John saw on the island of Patmos, a vision of the heavenly sanctuary. That still might not explain what it was, but it would mean he saw a revelation of the true tent, and that would imply that he learned of the spiritual and eternal significance of all of it. The fact that Israel’s sanctuary resembled those of other cultures does not nullify this act of revelation; rather, it raises the question of where the other nations got their ideas if it was not made known early in human history. One can conclude that in the beginning there was much more revealed to the parents in the garden than Scripture tells about (Cain and Abel did know how to make sacrifices before Leviticus legislated it). Likewise, one cannot but guess at the influence of the fallen Satan and his angels in the world of pagan religion. Whatever the source, at Sinai God shows the true, and instructs that it all be done without the pagan corruptions and additions. U. Cassuto notes that the existence of these ancient parallels shows that the section on the tabernacle need not be dated in the second temple period, but fits the earlier period well (Exodus, 324).

[25:9]  ³⁸⁶ tn The pronoun is plural.

[25:9]  ³⁸⁷ sn Among the many helpful studies on the tabernacle, include S. M. Fish, “And They Shall Build Me a Sanctuary,” Gratz College of Jewish Studies 2 (1973): 43-59; I. Hart, “Preaching on the Account of the Tabernacle,” EvQ 54 (1982): 111-16; D. Skinner, “Some Major Themes of Exodus,” Mid-America Theological Journal 1 (1977): 31-42; S. McEvenue, “The Style of Building Instructions,” Sem 4 (1974): 1-9; M. Ben-Uri, “The Mosaic Building Code,” Creation Research Society Quarterly 19 (1982): 36-39.

[25:10]  ³⁸⁸ sn This section begins with the ark, the most sacred and important object of Israel’s worship. Verses 10-15 provide the instructions for it, v. 16 has the placement of the Law in it, vv. 17-21 cover the mercy lid, and v. 22 the meeting above it. The point of this item in the tabernacle is to underscore the focus: the covenant people must always have God’s holy standard before them as they draw near to worship. A study of this would focus on God’s nature (he is a God of order, precision, and perfection), on the usefulness of this item for worship, and on the typology intended.

[25:10]  ³⁸⁹ tn The word “ark” has long been used by English translations to render אָרוֹן (’aron), the word used for the wooden “box,” or “chest,” made by Noah in which to escape the flood and by the Israelites to furnish the tabernacle.

[25:10]  ³⁹⁰ tn The size is two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. The size in feet and inches is estimated on the assumption that the cubit is 18 inches (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 267).

[25:11]  ³⁹¹ tn The verbs throughout here are perfect tenses with the vav (ו) consecutives. They are equal to the imperfect tense of instruction and/or injunction.

[25:11]  ³⁹² tn Here the verb is an imperfect tense; for the perfect sequence to work the verb would have to be at the front of the clause.

[25:11]  ³⁹³ tn The word זֵר (zer) is used only in Exodus and seems to describe something on the order of a crown molding, an ornamental border running at the top of the chest on all four sides. There is no indication of its appearance or function.

[25:16]  ³⁹⁴ sn The “testimony” is the Decalogue (Exod 24:12; 31:18; Deut 4:13; 9:9; 1 Kgs 8:9); the word identifies it as the witness or affirmation of God’s commandments belonging to his covenant with Israel. It expressed God’s will and man’s duty. In other cultures important documents were put at the feet of the gods in the temples.

[25:17]  ³⁹⁵ tn The noun is כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet), translated “atonement lid” or “atonement plate.” The traditional translation “mercy-seat” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) came from Tyndale in 1530 and was also used by Luther in 1523. The noun is formed from the word “to make atonement.” The item that the Israelites should make would be more than just a lid for the ark. It would be the place where atonement was signified. The translation of “covering” is probably incorrect, for it derives from a rare use of the verb, if the same verb at all (the evidence shows “cover” is from another root with the same letters as this). The value of this place was that Yahweh sat enthroned above it, and so the ark essentially was the “footstool.” Blood was applied to the lid of the box, for that was the place of atonement (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 269-270).

[25:17]  ³⁹⁶ tn After verbs of making or producing, the accusative (like “gold” here) may be used to express the material from which something is made (see GKC 371 §117.hh).

[25:18]  ³⁹⁷ tn The evidence suggests that the cherubim were composite angelic creatures that always indicated the nearness of God. So here images of them were to be crafted and put on each end of the ark of the covenant to signify that they were there. Ezekiel 1 describes four cherubim as each having human faces, four wings, and parts of different animals for their bodies. Traditions of them appear in the other cultures as well. They serve to guard the holy places and to bear the throne of God. Here they were to be beaten out as part of the lid.

[25:19]  ³⁹⁸ tn The text now shifts to use an imperative with the vav (ו) conjunction.

[25:19]  ³⁹⁹ tn The use of זֶה (zeh) repeated here expresses the reciprocal ideas of “the one” and “the other” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 26, §132).

[25:19]  ⁴⁰⁰ sn The angels were to form one piece with the lid and not be separated. This could be translated “of one piece with” the lid, but it is likely the angels were simply fastened to it permanently.

[25:20]  ⁴⁰¹ tn The verb means “overshadowing, screening” in the sense of guarding (see 1 Kgs 8:7; 1 Chr 28:18; see also the account in Gen 3:24). The cherubim then signify two things here: by their outstretched wings they form the throne of God who sits above the ark (with the Law under his feet), and by their overshadowing and guarding they signify this as the place of atonement where people must find propitiation to commune with God. Until then they are barred from his presence. See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 330-35.

[25:20]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “their faces a man to his brother.”

[25:20]  ⁴⁰³ tn Heb “the faces of the cherubim will be” (“the cherubim” was moved to the preceding clause for smoother English).

[25:22]  ⁴⁰⁴ sn Here then is the main point of the ark of the covenant, and the main point of all worship – meeting with God through atonement. The text makes it clear that here God would meet with Moses (“you” is singular) and then he would speak to the people – he is the mediator of the covenant. S. R. Driver (Exodus, 272) makes the point that the verb here is not the word that means “to meet by chance” (as in Exod 3:18), but “to meet” by appointment for a purpose (וְנוֹעַדְתִּי, vÿno’adti). The parallel in the NT is Jesus Christ and his work. The theology is that the Law condemns people as guilty of sin, but the sacrifice of Christ makes atonement. So he is the “place of propitiation (Rom 3:25) who gains communion with the Father for sinners. A major point that could be made from this section is this: At the center of worship must be the atoning work of Christ – a perpetual reminder of God’s righteous standard (the testimony in the ark) and God’s gracious provision (the atonement lid).

[25:22]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn The verb is placed here in the text: “and I will speak”; it has been moved in this translation to be closer to the direct object clause.

[25:23]  ⁴⁰⁶ sn The Table of the Bread of the Presence (Tyndale’s translation, “Shewbread,” was used in KJV and influenced ASV, NAB) was to be a standing acknowledgment that Yahweh was the giver of daily bread. It was called the “presence-bread” because it was set out in his presence. The theology of this is that God provides, and the practice of this is that the people must provide for constant thanks. So if the ark speaks of communion through atonement, the table speaks of dedicatory gratitude.

[25:24]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn “Gold” is an adverbial accusative of material.

[25:25]  ⁴⁰⁸ sn There is some debate as to the meaning of מִסְגֶּרֶת (misgeret). This does not seem to be a natural part of the table and its legs. The drawing on the Arch of Titus shows two cross-stays in the space between the legs, about halfway up. It might have been nearer the top, but the drawing of the table of presence-bread from the arch shows it half-way up. This frame was then decorated with the molding as well.

[25:26]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Heb “give.”

[25:26]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “which [are] to four of its feet.”

[25:27]  ⁴¹¹ tn Heb “houses”; NAB, NASB “holders.”

[25:28]  ⁴¹² tn The verb is a Niphal perfect with vav consecutive, showing here the intended result: “so that [the table] might be lifted up [by them].” The noun “the table” is introduced by what looks like the sign of the accusative, but here it serves to introduce or emphasize the nominative (see GKC 365 §117.i).

[25:29]  ⁴¹³ tn Or “a deep gold dish.” The four nouns in this list are items associated with the table and its use.

[25:29]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Or “cups” (NAB, TEV).

[25:29]  ⁴¹⁵ tn The expression “for pouring out offerings” represents Hebrew אֲשֶׁר יֻסַּךְ בָּהֵן (’asher yussakh bahen). This literally says, “which it may be poured out with them,” or “with which [libations] may be poured out.”

[25:30]  ⁴¹⁶ sn The name basically means that the bread is to be set out in the presence of Yahweh. The custom of presenting bread on a table as a thank offering is common in other cultures as well. The bread here would be placed on the table as a symbol of the divine provision for the twelve tribes – continually, because they were to express their thanksgiving continually. Priests could eat the bread after certain times. Fresh bread would be put there regularly.

[25:31]  ⁴¹⁷ sn Clearly the point here is to provide light in the tent for access to God. He provided for his worshipers a light for the way to God, but he also wanted them to provide oil for the lamp to ensure that the light would not go out. Verses 31-36 describe the piece. It was essentially one central shaft, with three branches on either side turned out and upward. The stem and the branches were ornamented every so often with gold that was formed into the shape of the calyx and corolla of the almond flower. On top of the central shaft and the six branches were the lamps.

[25:31]  ⁴¹⁸ tn The word is מְנֹרָה (mÿnorah) – here in construct to a following genitive of material. The main piece was one lampstand, but there were seven lamps on the shaft and its branches. See E. Goodenough, “The Menorah among the Jews of the Roman World,” HUCA 23 (1950/51): 449-92.

[25:31]  ⁴¹⁹ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 342-44) says that the description “the cups, knobs and flowers” is explained in vv. 32-36 as three decorations in the form of a cup, shaped like an almond blossom, to be made on one branch. Every cup will have two parts, (a) a knob, that is, the receptacle at the base of the blossom, and (b) a flower, which is called the corolla, so that each lamp rests on top of a flower.

[25:31]  ⁴²⁰ tn Heb “will be from/of it”; the referent (“the same piece” of wrought metal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:32]  ⁴²¹ tn Heb “from the sides of it.”

[25:32]  ⁴²² tn Heb “from the second side.”

[25:33]  ⁴²³ tn The text uses “one” again; “the one…the one” means “the one…and the next” in the distributive sense.

[25:33]  ⁴²⁴ tn Heb “thus.”

[25:35]  ⁴²⁵ tn For clarity the phrase “the first” has been supplied.

[25:35]  ⁴²⁶ tn For clarity the phrase “the next” has been supplied.

[25:35]  ⁴²⁷ tn For clarity the phrase “the third” has been supplied.

[25:36]  ⁴²⁸ tn Heb “will be from it.”

[25:37]  ⁴²⁹ tn The word for “lamps” is from the same root as the lampstand, of course. The word is נֵרוֹת (nerot). This probably refers to the small saucer-like pottery lamps that are made very simply with the rim pinched over to form a place to lay the wick. The bowl is then filled with olive oil as fuel.

[25:37]  ⁴³⁰ tn The translation “set up on” is from the Hebrew verb “bring up.” The construction is impersonal, “and he will bring up,” meaning “one will bring up.” It may mean that people were to fix the lamps on to the shaft and the branches, rather than cause the light to go up (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 277).

[25:37]  ⁴³¹ tn This is a Hiphil perfect with vav consecutive, from אוֹר (’or, “light”), and in the causative, “to light, give light.”

[25:38]  ⁴³² sn The first word refers to something like small tongs or tweezers used to pull up and trim the wicks; the second word refers to fire-pans or censers.

[25:38]  ⁴³³ tn “are to be” has been supplied.

[25:39]  ⁴³⁴ tn Heb “a talent.”

[25:39]  ⁴³⁵ tn The text has “he will make it” or “one will make it.” With no expressed subject it is given a passive translation.

[25:40]  ⁴³⁶ tn The text uses two imperatives: “see and make.” This can be interpreted as a verbal hendiadys, calling for Moses and Israel to see to it that they make these things correctly.

[25:40]  ⁴³⁷ tn The participle is passive, “caused to see,” or, “shown.”

[25:40]  ⁴³⁸ sn The message of this section surely concerns access to God. To expound this correctly, though, since it is an instruction section for building the lampstand, the message would be: God requires that his people ensure that light will guide the way of access to God. The breakdown for exposition could be the instructions for preparation for light (one lamp, several branches), then instructions for the purpose and maintenance of the lamps, and then the last verse telling the divine source for the instructions. Naturally, the metaphorical value of light will come up in the study, especially from the NT. So in the NT there is the warning that if churches are unfaithful God will remove their lampstand, their ministry (Rev 2-3).

[26:1]  ⁴³⁹ sn This chapter is given over to the details of the structure itself, the curtains, coverings, boards and walls and veil. The passage can be studied on one level for its function both practically and symbolically for Israel’s worship. On another level it can be studied for its typology, for the tabernacle and many of its parts speak of Christ. For this one should see the commentaries.

[26:1]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn The word order in Hebrew thrusts the direct object to the front for particular emphasis. After the first couple of pieces of furniture are treated (chap. 25), attention turns to the tabernacle itself.

[26:1]  ⁴⁴¹ tn This is for the adverbial accusative explaining how the dwelling place is to be made.

[26:1]  ⁴⁴² sn S. R. Driver suggests that the curtains were made with threads dyed with these colors (Exodus, 280). Perhaps the colored threads were used for embroidering the cherubim in the curtains.

[26:1]  ⁴⁴³ tn The construction is difficult in this line because of the word order. “Cherubim” is an adverbial accusative explaining how they were to make the curtains. And מַעֲשֵׂה חֹשֵׁב (ma’aseh khoshev) means literally “work of a designer”; it is in apposition to “cherubim.” The Hebrew participle means “designer” or “deviser” so that one could render this “of artistic designs in weaving” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 280-81). B. Jacob says that it refers to “artistic weavers” (Exodus, 789).

[26:2]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Heb “one” (so KJV).

[26:2]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “twenty-eight cubits” long and “four cubits” wide.

[26:3]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn This is the active participle, not the passive. It would normally be rendered “joining together.” The Bible uses the active because it has the result of the sewing in mind, namely, that every curtain accompanies another (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 348).

[26:3]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “a woman to her sister,” this form of using nouns to express “one to another” is selected because “curtains” is a feminine noun (see GKC 448 §139.e).

[26:3]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn The phrase “the other” has been supplied.

[26:4]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Here “loops” has been supplied.

[26:5]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “a woman to her sister.”

[26:6]  ⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “one”; KJV “it shall be one tabernacle”; NRSV “that the tabernacle may be one whole”; NLT “a single unit.”

[26:7]  ⁴⁵² sn This chapter will show that there were two sets of curtains and two sets of coverings that went over the wood building to make the tabernacle or dwelling place. The curtains of fine linen described above could be seen only by the priests from inside. Above that was the curtain of goats’ hair. Then over that were the coverings, an inner covering of rams’ skins dyed red and an outer covering of hides of fine leather. The movement is from the inside to the outside because it is God’s dwelling place; the approach of the worshiper would be the opposite. The pure linen represented the righteousness of God, guarded by the embroidered cherubim; the curtain of goats’ hair was a reminder of sin through the daily sin offering of a goat; the covering of rams’ skins dyed red was a reminder of the sacrifice and the priestly ministry set apart by blood, and the outer covering marked the separation between God and the world. These are the interpretations set forth by Kaiser; others vary, but not greatly (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:459).

[26:7]  ⁴⁵³ sn This curtain will serve “for a tent over the tabernacle,” as a dwelling place.

[26:7]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “you will make them”

[26:8]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Heb “one”

[26:9]  ⁴⁵⁶ sn The text seems to describe this part as being in front of the tabernacle, hanging down to form a valence at the entrance (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 284).

[26:11]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “one”

[26:12]  ⁴⁵⁸ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 353) cites b. Shabbat 98b which says, “What did the tabernacle resemble? A woman walking on the street with her train trailing behind her.” In the expression “the half of the curtain that remains,” the verb agrees in gender with the genitive near it.

[26:13]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Literally “cubit.”

[26:13]  ⁴⁶⁰ sn U. Cassuto states the following: “To the north and to the south, since the tent curtains were thirty cubits long, there were ten cubits left over on each side; these covered the nine cubits of the curtains of the tabernacle and also the bottom cubit of the boards, which the tabernacle curtains did not suffice to cover. It is to this that v. 13 refers” (Exodus, 353).

[26:14]  ⁴⁶¹ sn Two outer coverings made of stronger materials will be put over the tent and the curtain, the two inner layers.

[26:14]  ⁴⁶² tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[26:15]  ⁴⁶³ tn There is debate whether the word הַקְּרָשִׁים (haqqÿrashim) means “boards” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB) or “frames” (NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV) or “planks” (see Ezek 27:6) or “beams,” given the size of them. The literature on this includes M. Haran, “The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle,” HUCA 36 (1965): 192; B. A. Levine, “The Description of the Tabernacle Texts of the Pentateuch,” JAOS 85 (1965): 307-18; J. Morgenstern, “The Ark, the Ephod, and the Tent,” HUCA 17 (1942/43): 153-265; 18 (1943/44): 1-52.

[26:15]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn “Wood” is an adverbial accusative.

[26:15]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn The plural participle “standing” refers to how these items will be situated; they will be vertical rather than horizontal (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 354).

[26:16]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn Heb “the frame.”

[26:17]  ⁴⁶⁷ sn Heb “hands,” the reference is probably to projections that served as stays or supports. They may have been tenons, or pegs, projecting from the bottom of the frames to hold the frames in their sockets (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 286).

[26:17]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn Or “being joined each to the other.”

[26:18]  ⁴⁶⁹ tn Heb “on the south side southward.”

[26:19]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn The clause is repeated to show the distributive sense; it literally says, “and two bases under the one frame for its two projections.”

[26:22]  ⁴⁷¹ tn Or “westward” (toward the sea).

[26:23]  ⁴⁷² sn The term rendered “corners” is “an architectural term for some kind of special corner structure. Here it seems to involve two extra supports, one at each corner of the western wall” (N. M. Sarna, Exodus [JPSTC], 170).

[26:24]  ⁴⁷³ tn Heb “they will be for the two corners.” This is the last clause of the verse, moved forward for clarity.

[26:28]  ⁴⁷⁴ sn These bars served as reinforcements to hold the upright frames together. The Hebrew term for these bars is also used of crossbars on gates (Judg 16:3; Neh 3:3).

[26:30]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn The noun is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), often translated “judgment” or “decision” in other contexts. In those settings it may reflect its basic idea of custom, which here would be reflected with a rendering of “prescribed norm” or “plan.”

[26:31]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn Although translated “curtain” (traditionally “veil,” so ASV, NAB, NASB) this is a different word from the one used earlier of the tent curtains, so “special curtain” is used. The word פָרֹכֶת (farokhet) seems to be connected with a verb that means “to shut off” and was used with a shrine. This curtain would form a barrier in the approach to God (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 289).

[26:31]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn The verb is the third masculine singular form, but no subject is expressed. It could be translated “one will make” or as a passive. The verb means “to make,” but probably has the sense of embroidering both here and in v. 1.

[26:32]  ⁴⁷⁸ tn Heb “put it.”

[26:32]  ⁴⁷⁹ tn This clause simply says “and their hooks gold,” but is taken as a circumstantial clause telling how the veil will be hung.

[26:32]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn Heb “on four silver bases.”

[26:33]  ⁴⁸¹ tn The traditional expression is “within the veil,” literally “into the house (or area) of the (special) curtain.”

[26:33]  ⁴⁸² tn Or “the Holy of Holies.”

[26:36]  ⁴⁸³ sn This was another curtain, serving as a screen in the entrance way. Since it was far away from the special curtain screening the Most Holy Place, it was less elaborate. It was not the work of the master designer, but of the “embroiderer,” and it did not have the cherubim on it.

[26:36]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn The word רֹקֵם (roqem) refers to someone who made cloth with colors. It is not certain, however, whether the colors were woven into the fabric on the loom or applied with a needle; so “embroiderer” should be understood as an approximation (cf. HALOT 1290-91 s.v. רקם).

[26:37]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn “will be” has been supplied.

[26:37]  ⁴⁸⁶ sn In all the details of this chapter the expositor should pay attention to the overall message rather than engage in speculation concerning the symbolism of the details. It is, after all, the divine instruction for the preparation of the dwelling place for Yahweh. The point could be said this way: The dwelling place of Yahweh must be prepared in accordance with, and by the power of, his divine word. If God was to fellowship with his people, then the center of worship had to be made to his specifications, which were in harmony with his nature. Everything was functional for the approach to God through the ritual by divine provisions. But everything also reflected the nature of God, the symmetry, the order, the pure wood, the gold overlay, or (closer to God) the solid gold. And the symbolism of the light, the table, the veil, the cherubim – all of it was revelatory. All of it reflected the reality in heaven. Churches today do not retain the pattern and furnishings of the old tabernacle. However, they would do well to learn what God was requiring of Israel, so that their structures are planned in accordance with the theology of worship and the theology of access to God. Function is a big part, but symbolism and revelation instruct the planning of everything to be used. Christians live in the light of the fulfillment of Christ, and so they know the realities that the old foreshadowed. While a building is not necessary for worship (just as Israel worshiped in places other than the sanctuary), it is practical, and if there is going to be one, then the most should be made of it in the teaching and worshiping of the assembly. This chapter, then, provides an inspiration for believers on preparing a functional, symbolical, ordered place of worship that is in harmony with the word of God. And there is much to be said for making it as beautiful and uplifting as is possible – as a gift of freewill offering to God. Of course, the most important part of preparing a place of worship is the preparing of the heart. Worship, to be acceptable to God, must be in Christ. He said that when the temple was destroyed he would raise it up in three days. While he referred to his own body, he also alluded to the temple by the figure. When they put Jesus to death, they were destroying the temple; at his resurrection he would indeed begin a new form of worship. He is the tent, the curtain, the atonement, that the sanctuary foreshadowed. And then, believers also (when they receive Christ) become the temple of the Lord. So the NT will take the imagery and teaching of this chapter in a number of useful ways that call for more study. This does not, however, involve allegorization of the individual tabernacle parts.

[27:1]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn The article on this word identifies this as the altar, meaning the main high altar on which the sacrifices would be made.

[27:1]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn The dimensions are five cubits by five cubits by three cubits high.

[27:1]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn Heb “four”; this refers to four sides. S. R. Driver says this is an archaism that means there were four equal sides (Exodus, 291).

[27:1]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn Heb “and three cubits its height.”

[27:2]  ⁴⁹¹ sn The horns of the altar were indispensable – they were the most sacred part. Blood was put on them; fugitives could cling to them, and the priests would grab the horns of the little altar when making intercessory prayer. They signified power, as horns on an animal did in the wild (and so the word was used for kings as well). The horns may also represent the sacrificial animals killed on the altar.

[27:2]  ⁴⁹² sn The text, as before, uses the prepositional phrase “from it” or “part of it” to say that the horns will be part of the altar – of the same piece as the altar. They were not to be made separately and then attached, but made at the end of the boards used to build the altar (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 363).

[27:3]  ⁴⁹³ sn The word is literally “its fat,” but sometimes it describes “fatty ashes” (TEV “the greasy ashes”). The fat would run down and mix with the ashes, and this had to be collected and removed.

[27:3]  ⁴⁹⁴ sn This was the larger bowl used in tossing the blood at the side of the altar.

[27:3]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn The text has “to all its vessels.” This is the lamed (ל) of inclusion according to Gesenius, meaning “all its utensils” (GKC 458 §143.e).

[27:4]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn The noun מִכְבָּר (mikhbar) means “a grating”; it is related to the word that means a “sieve.” This formed a vertical support for the ledge, resting on the ground and supporting its outer edge (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 292).

[27:5]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn The verb is the verb “to be,” here the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. It is “and it will be” or “that it may be,” or here “that it may come” halfway up.

[27:5]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “to the half of the altar.”

[27:7]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn The verb is a Hophal perfect with vav consecutive: וְהוּבָא (vÿhuva’, “and it will be brought”). The particle אֶת (’et) here introduces the subject of the passive verb (see a similar use in 21:28, “and its flesh will not be eaten”).

[27:7]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn The construction is the infinitive construct with bet (ב) preposition: “in carrying it.” Here the meaning must be that the poles are not left in the rings, but only put into the rings when they carried it.

[27:8]  ⁵⁰¹ tn The verb is used impersonally; it reads “just as he showed you.” This form then can be made a passive in the translation.

[27:8]  ⁵⁰² tn Heb “thus they will make.” Here too it could be given a passive translation since the subject is not expressed. But “they” would normally refer to the people who will be making this and so can be retained in the translation.

[27:9]  ⁵⁰³ tn Or “enclosure” (TEV).

[27:9]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Heb “south side southward.”

[27:9]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Or “curtains.”

[27:9]  ⁵⁰⁶ sn The entire courtyard of 150 feet by 75 feet was to be enclosed by a curtain wall held up with posts in bases. All these hangings were kept in place by a cord and tent pegs.

[27:10]  ⁵⁰⁷ tn Heb “and.”

[27:11]  ⁵⁰⁸ tn Heb “and thus.”

[27:11]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn Here the phrase “there will be” has been supplied.

[27:11]  ⁵¹⁰ sn These bands have been thought by some to refer to connecting rods joining the tops of the posts. But it is more likely that they are bands or bind rings surrounding the posts at the base of the capitals (see 38:17).

[27:14]  ⁵¹¹ tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here and in v. 15. The east end would contain the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 16).

[27:14]  ⁵¹² tn Here “will be” has been supplied.

[27:15]  ⁵¹³ tn Heb “shoulder.”

[27:15]  ⁵¹⁴ tn Here the phrase “there will be” has been supplied.

[27:17]  ⁵¹⁵ tn The text uses the passive participle here: they are to “be filleted with silver” or “bound round” with silver.

[27:17]  ⁵¹⁶ tn Here the phrase “are to be” has been supplied.

[27:18]  ⁵¹⁷ tn Heb “a hundred cubits.”

[27:18]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Heb “fifty.” The text has “and the width fifty [cubits] with fifty.” This means that it is fifty cubits wide on the western end and fifty cubits wide on the eastern end.

[27:18]  ⁵¹⁹ tn Here “hangings” has been supplied.

[27:18]  ⁵²⁰ tn Here the phrase “is to be” has been supplied.

[27:19]  ⁵²¹ tn Heb “to all”; for use of the preposition lamed (ל) to show inclusion (all belonging to) see GKC 458 §143.e.

[27:19]  ⁵²² tn Here “used” has been supplied.

[27:19]  ⁵²³ sn The tabernacle is an important aspect of OT theology. The writer’s pattern so far has been: ark, table, lamp, and then their container (the tabernacle); then the altar and its container (the courtyard). The courtyard is the place of worship where the people could gather – they entered God’s courts. Though the courtyard may not seem of much interest to current readers, it did interest the Israelites. Here the sacrifices were made, the choirs sang, the believers offered their praises, they had their sins forgiven, they came to pray, they appeared on the holy days, and they heard from God. It was sacred because God met them there; they left the “world” (figuratively speaking) and came into the very presence of God.

[27:20]  ⁵²⁴ tn The form is the imperfect tense with the vav showing a sequence with the first verb: “you will command…that they take.” The verb “take, receive” is used here as before for receiving an offering and bringing it to the sanctuary.

[27:20]  ⁵²⁵ tn Heb “lamp,” which must be a collective singular here.

[27:20]  ⁵²⁶ tn The verb is unusual; it is the Hiphil infinitive construct of עָלָה (’alah), with the sense here of “to set up” to burn, or “to fix on” as in Exod 25:37, or “to kindle” (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 370).

[27:20]  ⁵²⁷ sn The word can mean “continually,” but in this context, as well as in the passages on the sacrifices, “regularly” is better, since each morning things were cleaned and restored.

[27:21]  ⁵²⁸ tn The LXX has mistakenly rendered this name “the tent of the testimony.”

[27:21]  ⁵²⁹ sn The lamps were to be removed in the morning so that the wicks could be trimmed and the oil replenished (30:7) and then lit every evening to burn through the night.

[27:21]  ⁵³⁰ sn This is the first of several sections of priestly duties. The point is a simple one here: those who lead the worship use the offerings of the people to ensure that access to God is illumined regularly. The NT will make much of the symbolism of light.

[28:1]  ⁵³¹ sn Some modern scholars find this and the next chapter too elaborate for the wilderness experience. To most of them this reflects the later Zadokite priesthood of the writer’s (P’s) day that was referred to Mosaic legislation for authentication. But there is no compelling reason why this should be late; it is put late because it is assumed to be P, and that is assumed to be late. But both assumptions are unwarranted. This lengthy chapter could be divided this way: instructions for preparing the garments (1-5), details of the apparel (6-39), and a warning against deviating from these (40-43). The subject matter of the first part is that God requires that his chosen ministers reflect his holy nature; the point of the second part is that God requires his ministers to be prepared to fulfill the tasks of the ministry, and the subject matter of the third part is that God warns all his ministers to safeguard the holiness of their service.

[28:1]  ⁵³² tn The verb is the Hiphil imperative of the root קָרַב (qarav, “to draw near”). In the present stem the word has religious significance, namely, to present something to God, like an offering.

[28:1]  ⁵³³ tn This entire clause is a translation of the Hebrew לְכַהֲנוֹ־לִי (lÿkhahano-li, “that he might be a priest to me”), but the form is unusual. The word means “to be a priest” or “to act as a priest.” The etymology of the word for priest, כֹּהֵן (kohen), is uncertain.

[28:2]  ⁵³⁴ sn The genitive “holiness” is the attribute for “garments” – “garments of holiness.” The point of the word “holy” is that these garments would be distinctive from ordinary garments, for they set Aaron apart to sanctuary service and ministry.

[28:2]  ⁵³⁵ tn The expression is לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְארֶת (lÿkhavod ulÿtif’aret, “for glory and for beauty”). W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:465), quoting the NIV’s “to give him dignity and honor,” says that these clothes were to exalt the office of the high priest as well as beautify the worship of God (which explains more of what the text has than the NIV rendering). The meaning of the word “glory” has much to do with the importance of the office, to be sure, but in Exodus the word has been used also for the brilliance of the presence of Yahweh, and so the magnificence of these garments might indeed strike the worshiper with the sense of the exaltation of the service.

[28:3]  ⁵³⁶ tn Heb “And you, you will speak to.”

[28:3]  ⁵³⁷ tn Heb “wise of heart.” The word for “wise” (חַכְמֵי, khakhme, the plural construct form) is from the word group that is usually translated “wisdom, wise, be wise,” but it has as its basic meaning “skill” or “skillful.” This is the way it is used in 31:3, 6 and 35:10 etc. God gave these people “wisdom” so that they would know how to make these things. The “heart” for the Hebrews is the locus of understanding, the mind and the will. To be “wise of heart” or “wise in heart” means that they had the understanding to do skillful work, they were talented artisans and artists.

[28:3]  ⁵³⁸ sn There is no necessity to take this as a reference to the Holy Spirit who produces wisdom in these people, although that is not totally impossible. A number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) do not even translate the word “spirit.” It probably refers to their attitude and ability. U. Cassuto has “to all the artisans skilled in the making of stately robes, in the heart [i.e., mind] of each of whom I have implanted sagacity in his craft so that he may do his craft successfully” (Exodus, 371).

[28:3]  ⁵³⁹ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; after the instruction to speak to the wise, this verb, equal to an imperfect, will have the force of purpose.

[28:3]  ⁵⁴⁰ tn Or “to sanctify him” (ASV) or “to consecrate him” (KJV, NASB, NRSV). It is the garments that will set Aaron apart, or sanctify him, not the workers. The expression could be taken to mean “for his consecration” (NIV) since the investiture is part of his being set apart for service.

[28:4]  ⁵⁴¹ sn The breastpiece seems to have been a pouch of sorts or to have had a pocket, since it was folded in some way (28:16; 39:9) and contained the Urim and Thummim (Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8).

[28:4]  ⁵⁴² sn The word “ephod” is taken over directly from Hebrew, because no one knows how to translate it, nor is there agreement about its design. It refers here to a garment worn by the priests, but the word can also refer to some kind of image for a god (Judg 8:27).

[28:4]  ⁵⁴³ tn The word תָּשְׁבֵּץ (tashbets), which describes the tunic and which appears only in this verse, is related to a verb (also rare) of the same root in 28:39 that describes making the tunic. Their meaning is uncertain (see the extended discussion in C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:473-75). A related noun describes gold fasteners and the “settings,” or “mountings,” for precious stones (28:11, 13, 14, 20, 25; 36:18; 39:6, 13, 16, 18; cf. Ps 45:14). The word “fitted” in 28:4 reflects the possibility that “the tunic is to be shaped by sewing, … so that it will fit tightly around the body” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:475).

[28:5]  ⁵⁴⁴ tn Heb “and they.” The word “artisans” is supplied as the referent of the pronoun, a connection that is clearer in Hebrew than in English.

[28:5]  ⁵⁴⁵ tn Heb “receive” or “take.”

[28:7]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn Here the Pual perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive provides the purpose clause (equal to a final imperfect); the form follows the use of the active participle, “attached” or more Heb “joining.”

[28:8]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn This is the rendering of the word חֵשֶׁב (kheshev), cognate to the word translated “designer” in v. 6. Since the entire ephod was of the same material, and this was of the same piece, it is unclear why this is singled out as “artistically woven.” Perhaps the word is from another root that just describes the item as a “band.” Whatever the connection, this band was to be of the same material, and the same piece, as the ephod, but perhaps a different pattern (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 301). It is this sash that attaches the ephod to the priest’s body, that is, at the upper border of the ephod and clasped together at the back.

[28:8]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Heb “from it” but meaning “of one [the same] piece”; the phrase “the ephod” has been supplied.

[28:9]  ⁵⁴⁹ tn Although this is normally translated “Israelites,” here a more literal translation is clearer because it refers to the names of the twelve tribes – the actual sons of Israel.

[28:10]  ⁵⁵⁰ tn This is in apposition to the direct object of the verb “engrave.” It further defines how the names were to be engraved – six on one and the other six on the other.

[28:10]  ⁵⁵¹ tn Heb “according to their begettings” (the major word in the book of Genesis). What is meant is that the names would be listed in the order of their ages.

[28:11]  ⁵⁵² sn Expert stone or gem engravers were used to engrave designs and names in identification seals of various sizes. It was work that skilled artisans did.

[28:11]  ⁵⁵³ tn Or “you will mount them” (NRSV similar).

[28:11]  ⁵⁵⁴ tn Or “rosettes,” shield-like frames for the stones. The Hebrew word means “to plait, checker.”

[28:12]  ⁵⁵⁵ sn This was to be a perpetual reminder that the priest ministers on behalf of the twelve tribes of Israel. Their names would always be borne by the priests.

[28:15]  ⁵⁵⁶ tn Heb “a breastpiece of decision” (חֹשֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט, khoshen mishpat; so NAB). The first word, rendered “breastpiece,” is of uncertain etymology. This item was made of material similar to the ephod. It had four rows of three gems on it, bearing the names of the tribes. In it were the urim and thummim. J. P. Hyatt refers to a similar object found in the Egyptian reliefs, including even the twisted gold chains used to hang it from the priest (Exodus [NCBC], 282).

[28:16]  ⁵⁵⁷ tn Heb “four.”

[28:16]  ⁵⁵⁸ tn “when” is added for clarification (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 375).

[28:16]  ⁵⁵⁹ tn The word זֶרֶת (zeret) is half a cubit; it is often translated “span.”

[28:20]  ⁵⁶⁰ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 375-76) points out that these are the same precious stones mentioned in Ezek 28:13 that were to be found in Eden, the garden of God. So the priest, when making atonement, was to wear the precious gems that were there and symbolized the garden of Eden when man was free from sin.

[28:21]  ⁵⁶¹ tn For clarity the words “the number of” have been supplied.

[28:21]  ⁵⁶² tn The phrase translated “the engravings of a seal” is an adverbial accusative of manner here.

[28:23]  ⁵⁶³ tn Heb “give, put.”

[28:23]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn Here “upper” has been supplied.

[28:25]  ⁵⁶⁵ tn Here “the other” has been supplied.

[28:25]  ⁵⁶⁶ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[28:26]  ⁵⁶⁷ tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[28:27]  ⁵⁶⁸ tn Here “more” has been supplied.

[28:29]  ⁵⁶⁹ sn So Aaron will have the names of the tribes on his shoulders (v. 12) which bear the weight and symbol of office (see Isa 9:6; 22:22), and over his heart (implying that they have a constant place in his thoughts [Deut 6:6]). Thus he was to enter the presence of God as the nation’s representative, ever mindful of the nation’s interests, and ever bringing the remembrance of it before God (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 306).

[28:30]  ⁵⁷⁰ sn The Urim and the Thummim were two objects intended for determining the divine will. There is no clear evidence of their size or shape or the material of which they were made, but they seem to have been familiar items to Moses and the people. The best example of their use comes from 1 Sam 14:36-42. Some have suggested from the etymologies that they were light and dark objects respectively, perhaps stones or sticks or some other object. They seem to have fallen out of use after the Davidic period when the prophetic oracles became popular. It may be that the title “breastpiece of judgment” indicates that these objects were used for making “decisions” (J. P. Hyatt, Exodus [NCBC], 283-84). U. Cassuto has the most thorough treatment of the subject (Exodus, 378-82); he lists several very clear rules for their uses gathered from their instances in the Bible, including that they were a form of sacred lot, that priests or leaders of the people only could use them, and that they were used for discovering the divine will in areas that were beyond human knowledge.

[28:30]  ⁵⁷¹ tn Or “judgment” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). The term is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), the same word that describes the breastpiece that held the two objects. Here it is translated “decisions” since the Urim and Thummim contained in the breastpiece represented the means by which the Lord made decisions for the Israelites. The high priest bore the responsibility of discerning the divine will on matters of national importance.

[28:31]  ⁵⁷² tn The מְעִיל (mÿ’il), according to S. R. Driver (Exodus, 307), is a long robe worn over the ephod, perhaps open down the front, with sleeves. It is made of finer material than ordinary cloaks because it was to be worn by people in positions of rank.

[28:32]  ⁵⁷³ tn Heb “mouth” or “opening” (פִּי, pi; in construct).

[28:32]  ⁵⁷⁴ tn The “mouth of its head” probably means its neck; it may be rendered “the opening for the head,” except the pronominal suffix would have to refer to Aaron, and that is not immediately within the context.

[28:32]  ⁵⁷⁵ tn Or “woven work” (KJV, ASV, NASB), that is, “the work of a weaver.” The expression suggests that the weaving was from the fabric edges itself and not something woven and then added to the robe. It was obviously intended to keep the opening from fraying.

[28:32]  ⁵⁷⁶ tn The expression כְּפִי תַחְרָא (kÿfi takhra’) is difficult. It was early rendered “like the opening of a coat of mail.” It occurs only here and in the parallel 39:23. Tg. Onq. has “coat of mail.” S. R. Driver suggests “a linen corselet,” after the Greek (Exodus, 308). See J. Cohen, “A Samaritan Authentication of the Rabbinic Interpretation of kephi tahra’,” VT 24 (1974): 361-66.

[28:32]  ⁵⁷⁷ tn The verb is the Niphal imperfect, here given the nuance of potential imperfect. Here it serves in a final clause (purpose/result), introduced only by the negative (see GKC 503-4 §165.a).

[28:33]  ⁵⁷⁸ sn This must mean round balls of yarn that looked like pomegranates. The fruit was very common in the land, but there is no indication of the reason for its choice here. Pomegranates are found in decorative schemes in Ugarit, probably as signs of fertility. It may be that here they represent the blessing of God on Israel in the land. The bells that are between them possibly have the intent of drawing God’s attention as the priest moves and the bells jingle (anthropomorphic, to be sure), or that the people would know that the priest was still alive and moving inside. Some have suggested that the pomegranate may have recalled the forbidden fruit eaten in the garden (the gems already have referred to the garden), the reason for the priest entering for atonement, and the bells would divert the eye (of God) to remind him of the need. This is possible but far from supportable, since nothing is said of the reason, nor is the fruit in the garden identified.

[28:33]  ⁵⁷⁹ tn The text repeats the idea: “you will make for its hem…all around its hem.”

[28:34]  ⁵⁸⁰ tn The words “the pattern is to be” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[28:35]  ⁵⁸¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the robe) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:35]  ⁵⁸² tn The form is a Piel infinitive construct with the lamed (ל) preposition: “to minister” or “to serve.” It may be taken epexegetically here, “while serving,” although S. R. Driver takes it as a purpose, “in order that he may minister” (Exodus, 308). The point then would be that he dare not enter into the Holy Place without wearing it.

[28:35]  ⁵⁸³ sn God would hear the bells and be reminded that this priest was in his presence representing the nation and that the priest had followed the rules of the sanctuary by wearing the appropriate robes with their attachments.

[28:36]  ⁵⁸⁴ tn The word צִּיץ (tsits) seems to mean “a shining thing” and so here a plate of metal. It originally meant “flower,” but they could not write on a flower. So it must have the sense of something worn openly, visible, and shining. The Rabbinic tradition says it was two fingers wide and stretched from ear to ear, but this is an attempt to give details that the Law does not give (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 818).

[28:36]  ⁵⁸⁵ tn Heb “the engravings of a seal”; this phrase is an adverbial accusative of manner.

[28:36]  ⁵⁸⁶ sn The engraving was a perpetual reminder of the holiness that was due the Lord (Heb “Yahweh”), that all the clothing, the furnishings, and the activities were to come under that description. This corresponded to the symbolism for the whole nation of binding the law between the eyes. It was to be a perpetual reminder of commitment.

[28:37]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn The verb is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it follows the same at the beginning of the verse. Since the first verb is equal to the imperfect of instruction, this could be as well, but it is more likely to be subordinated to express the purpose of the former.

[28:37]  ⁵⁸⁸ tn Heb “it will be,” an instruction imperfect.

[28:38]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn The construction “the iniquity of the holy things” is difficult. “Holy things” is explained in the passage by all the gifts the people bring and consecrate to Yahweh. But there will inevitably be iniquity involved. U. Cassuto explains that Aaron “will atone for all the transgressions committed in connection with the order of the service, the purity of the consecrated things, or the use of the holy gifts, for the declaration engraved on the plate will prove that everything was intended to be holy to the Lord, and if aught was done irregularly, the intention at least was good” (Exodus, 385).

[28:38]  ⁵⁹⁰ tn The clause reads: “according to/by all the gifts of their holiness.” The genitive is an attributive genitive, the suffix on it referring to the whole bound construction – “their holy gifts.” The idea of the line is that the people will consecrate as holy things gifts they bring to the sanctuary.

[28:38]  ⁵⁹¹ tn This clause is the infinitive construct with the lamed preposition, followed by the prepositional phrase: “for acceptance for them.” This infinitive provides the purpose or result of the act of wearing the dedicatory frontlet – that they will be acceptable.

[28:39]  ⁵⁹² tn It is difficult to know how to translate וְשִׁבַּצְּתָּ (vÿshibbatsta); it is a Piel perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive, and so equal to the imperfect of instruction. Some have thought that this verb describes a type of weaving and that the root may indicate that the cloth had something of a pattern to it by means of alternate weaving of the threads. It was the work of a weaver (39:27) and not so detailed as certain other fabrics (26:1), but it was more than plain weaving (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 310). Here, however, it may be that the fabric is assumed to be in existence and that the action has to do with sewing (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:475, 517).

[28:40]  ⁵⁹³ sn This refers to a band of linen wrapped around the head, forming something like a brimless convex cap, resembling something like a half egg. It refers to the headgear of ordinary priests only (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 310-11).

[28:41]  ⁵⁹⁴ sn The instructions in this verse anticipate chap. 29, as well as the ordination ceremony described in Lev 8 and 9. The anointing of Aaron is specifically required in the Law, for he is to be the High Priest. The expression “ordain them” might also be translated as “install them” or “consecrate them”; it literally reads “and fill their hands,” an expression for the consecration offering for priesthood in Lev 8:33. The final instruction to sanctify them will involve the ritual of the atoning sacrifices to make the priests acceptable in the sanctuary.

[28:41]  ⁵⁹⁵ tn Heb “fill their hand.” As a result of this installation ceremony they will be officially designated for the work. It seems likely that the concept derives from the notion of putting the priestly responsibilities under their control (i.e., “filling their hands” with work). See note on the phrase “ordained seven days” in Lev 8:33.

[28:41]  ⁵⁹⁶ tn Traditionally “sanctify them” (KJV, ASV).

[28:42]  ⁵⁹⁷ tn Heb “naked flesh” (so NAB, NRSV); KJV “nakedness.”

[28:42]  ⁵⁹⁸ tn Heb “be.”

[28:43]  ⁵⁹⁹ tn The construction for this temporal clause is the infinitive construct with the temporal preposition bet (ב) and the suffixed subjective genitive.

[28:43]  ⁶⁰⁰ tn This construction is also the temporal clause with the infinitive construct and the temporal preposition bet (ב) and the suffixed subjective genitive.

[28:43]  ⁶⁰¹ tn The text has וְלאֹ־יִשְׂאוּ עָוֹן וָמֵתוּ (vÿlo’-yis’u ’avon vametu). The imperfect tense here introduces a final clause, yielding a purpose or result translation (“in order that” or “so that”). The last verb is the perfect tense with the vav consecutive, and so it too is equal to a final imperfect – but it would show the result of bearing the iniquity. The idea is that if they approached the holy things with a lack of modesty, perhaps like the pagans who have nakedness and sexuality as part of the religious ritual, they would pollute the holy things, and it would be reckoned to them for iniquity and they would die.

[28:43]  ⁶⁰² tn Heb “seed.”

[28:43]  ⁶⁰³ sn So the priests were to make intercession for the people, give decisions from God’s revealed will, enter his presence in purity, and represent holiness to Yahweh. The clothing of the priests provided for these functions, but in a way that brought honor and dignity. A priest was, therefore, to serve in purity, holiness, and fear (Malachi). There is much that can be derived from this chapter to form principles of spiritual leadership, but the overall point can be worded this way: Those whom God selects to minister to the congregation through intercessory prayer, divine counsel, and sacrificial worship, must always represent the holiness of Yahweh in their activities and demeanor.

[29:1]  ⁶⁰⁴ sn Chap. 29 is a rather long, involved discussion of the consecration of Aaron the priest. It is similar to the ordination service in Lev 8. In fact, the execution of what is instructed here is narrated there. But these instructions must have been formulated after or in conjunction with Lev 1-7, for they presuppose a knowledge of the sacrifices. The bulk of the chapter is the consecration of the priests: 1-35. It has the preparation (1-3), washing (4), investiture and anointing (5-9), sin offering (10-14), burnt offering (15-18), installation peace offering (19-26, 31-34), other offerings’ rulings (27-30), and the duration of the ritual (35). Then there is the consecration of the altar (36-37), and the oblations (38-46). There are many possibilities for the study and exposition of this material. The whole chapter is the consecration of tabernacle, altar, people, and most of all the priests. God was beginning the holy operations with sacral ritual. So the overall message would be: Everyone who ministers, everyone who worships, and everything they use in the presence of Yahweh, must be set apart to God by the cleansing, enabling, and sanctifying work of God.

[29:1]  ⁶⁰⁵ tn Heb “the thing.”

[29:1]  ⁶⁰⁶ tn Literally: “take one bull, a ‘son’ of the herd.”

[29:1]  ⁶⁰⁷ tn The word תָּמִים (tamim) means “perfect.” The animals could not have diseases or be crippled or blind (see Mal 1). The requirement was designed to ensure that the people would give the best they had to Yahweh. The typology pointed to the sinless Messiah who would fulfill all these sacrifices in his one sacrifice on the cross.

[29:2]  ⁶⁰⁸ sn This will be for the minkhah (מִנְחָה) offering (Lev 2), which was to accompany the animal sacrifices.

[29:2]  ⁶⁰⁹ tn Or “anointed” (KJV, ASV).

[29:2]  ⁶¹⁰ tn The “fine flour” is here an adverbial accusative, explaining the material from which these items were made. The flour is to be finely sifted, and from the wheat, not the barley, which was often the material used by the poor. Fine flour, no leaven, and perfect animals, without blemishes, were to be gathered for this service.

[29:3]  ⁶¹¹ tn The verb קָרַב (qarav) in the Hiphil means to “bring near” to the altar, or, to offer something to God. These gifts will, therefore, be offered to him for the service of this ritual.

[29:3]  ⁶¹² tn Heb “and with.”

[29:4]  ⁶¹³ tn Here too the verb is Hiphil (now imperfect) meaning “bring near” the altar. The choice of this verb indicates that they were not merely being brought near, but that they were being formally presented to Yahweh as the offerings were.

[29:4]  ⁶¹⁴ sn This is the washing referred to in Lev 8:6. This is a complete washing, not just of the hands and feet that would follow in the course of service. It had to serve as a symbolic ritual cleansing or purifying as the initial stage in the consecration. The imagery of washing will be used in the NT for regeneration (Titus 3:5).

[29:5]  ⁶¹⁵ tn The Hiphil of לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe”) will take double accusatives; so the sign of the accusative is with Aaron, and then with the articles of clothing. The translation will have to treat Aaron as the direct object and the articles as indirect objects, because Aaron receives the prominence in the verse – you will clothe Aaron.

[29:5]  ⁶¹⁶ tn The verb used in this last clause is a denominative verb from the word for ephod. And so “ephod the ephod on him” means “fasten as an ephod the ephod on him” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 316).

[29:6]  ⁶¹⁷ sn This term does not appear in chap. 28, but it can only refer to the plate with the inscription on it that was tied to the turban. Here it is called a “holy diadem,” a diadem that is distinctly set apart for this service. All the clothing was described as “holy garments,” and so they were all meant to mark the separation of the priests to this holy service. The items of clothing were each intended for different aspects of ministry, and so this step in the consecration was designed to symbolize being set apart for those duties, or, prepared (gifted) to perform the ministry.

[29:7]  ⁶¹⁸ sn The act of anointing was meant to set him apart for this holy service within the house of Yahweh. The psalms indicate that no oil was spared in this ritual, for it ran down his beard and to the hem of his garment. Oil of anointing was used for all major offices (giving the label with the passive adjective “mashiah” (or “messiah”) to anyone anointed. In the further revelation of Scripture, the oil came to signify the enablement as well as the setting apart, and often the Holy Spirit came on the person at the anointing with oil. The olive oil was a symbol of the Spirit in the OT as well (Zech 4:4-6). And in the NT “anointing” signifies empowerment by the Holy Spirit for service.

[29:9]  ⁶¹⁹ tc Hebrew has both the objective pronoun “them” and the names “Aaron and his sons.” Neither the LXX nor Leviticus 8:13 has “Aaron and his sons,” suggesting that this may have been a later gloss in the text.

[29:9]  ⁶²⁰ tn Heb “and you will fill the hand” and so “consecrate” or “ordain.” The verb draws together the individual acts of the process.

[29:10]  ⁶²¹ tn The verb is singular, agreeing with the first of the compound subject – Aaron.

[29:10]  ⁶²² sn The details of these offerings have to be determined from a careful study of Leviticus. There is a good deal of debate over the meaning of laying hands on the animals. At the very least it identifies the animal formally as their sacrifice. But it may very well indicate that the animal is a substitute for them as well, given the nature and the effect of the sacrifices.

[29:12]  ⁶²³ sn This act seems to have signified the efficacious nature of the blood, since the horns represented power. This is part of the ritual of the sin offering for laity, because before the priests become priests they are treated as laity. The offering is better described as a purification offering rather than a sin offering, because it was offered, according to Leviticus, for both sins and impurities. Moreover, it was offered primarily to purify the sanctuary so that the once-defiled or sinful person could enter (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB]).

[29:12]  ⁶²⁴ tn The phrase “rest of” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[29:13]  ⁶²⁵ tn S. R. Driver suggests that this is the appendix or an appendix, both here and in v. 22 (Exodus, 320). “The surplus, the appendage of liver, found with cow, sheep, or goat, but not with humans: Lobus caudatus” (HALOT 453 s.v. יֹתֶרֶת).

[29:13]  ⁶²⁶ tn Heb “turn [them] into sweet smoke” since the word is used for burning incense.

[29:14]  ⁶²⁷ tn Heb “burn with fire.”

[29:14]  ⁶²⁸ sn This is to be done because there is no priesthood yet. Once they are installed, then the sin/purification offering is to be eaten by the officiating priests as a sign that the offering was received. But priests could not consume their own sin offering.

[29:14]  ⁶²⁹ sn There were two kinds of “purification offering,” those made with confession for sin and those made without. The title needs to cover both of them, and if it is called in the traditional way “the sin offering,” that will convey that when people offered it for skin diseases, menstruation, or having babies, they had sinned. That was not the case. Moreover, it is usual to translate the names of the sacrifices by what they do more than what they cover – so peace offering, reparation offering, and purification offering.

[29:18]  ⁶³⁰ tn Heb “turn to sweet smoke.”

[29:18]  ⁶³¹ sn According to Lev 1 the burnt offering (often called whole burnt offering, except that the skins were usually given to the priests for income) was an atoning sacrifice. By consuming the entire animal, God was indicating that he had completely accepted the worshiper, and as it was a sweet smelling fire sacrifice, he was indicating that he was pleased to accept it. By offering the entire animal, the worshiper was indicating on his part a complete surrender to God.

[29:18]  ⁶³² tn The word אִשֶּׁה (’isheh) has traditionally been translated “an offering made with fire” or the like, because it appears so obviously connected with fire. But further evidence from Ugaritic suggests that it might only mean “a gift” (see Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16, 161).

[29:18]  ⁶³³ sn These sections show that the priest had to be purified or cleansed from defilement of sin and also be atoned for and accepted by the Lord through the blood of the sacrifice. The principles from these two sacrifices should be basic to anyone seeking to serve God.

[29:20]  ⁶³⁴ sn By this ritual the priests were set apart completely to the service of God. The ear represented the organ of hearing (as in “ears you have dug” in Ps 40 or “awakens my ear” in Isa 50), and this had to be set apart to God so that they could hear the Word of God. The thumb and the hand represented the instrument to be used for all ministry, and so everything that they “put their hand to” had to be dedicated to God and appropriate for his service. The toe set the foot apart to God, meaning that the walk of the priest had to be consecrated – where he went, how he conducted himself, what life he lived, all belonged to God now.

[29:21]  ⁶³⁵ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[29:21]  ⁶³⁶ tn The verb in this instance is Qal and not Piel, “to be holy” rather than “sanctify.” The result of all this ritual is that Aaron and his sons will be set aside and distinct in their life and their service.

[29:22]  ⁶³⁷ tn S. R. Driver suggests that this is the appendix or an appendix, both here and in v. 13 (Exodus, 320). “The surplus, the appendage of liver, found with cow, sheep, or goat, but not with humans: Lobus caudatus” (HALOT 453 s.v. יֹתֶרֶת).

[29:22]  ⁶³⁸ tn Heb “filling.”

[29:24]  ⁶³⁹ tn Heb “the whole” or “the all.”

[29:24]  ⁶⁴⁰ tn Heb “palms.”

[29:24]  ⁶⁴¹ tn The “wave offering” is תְּנוּפָה (tÿnufah); it is, of course, cognate with the verb, but an adverbial accusative rather than the direct object. In Lev 23 this seems to be a sacrificial gesture of things that are for the priests – but they present them first to Yahweh and then receive them back from him. So the waving is not side to side, but forward to Yahweh and then back to the priest. Here it is just an induction into that routine, since this is the ordination of the priests and the gifts are not yet theirs. So this will all be burned on the altar.

[29:25]  ⁶⁴² tn “turn to sweet smoke.”

[29:25]  ⁶⁴³ tn “them” has been supplied.

[29:27]  ⁶⁴⁴ sn These are the two special priestly offerings: the wave offering (from the verb “to wave”) and the “presentation offering” (older English: heave offering; from a verb “to be high,” in Hiphil meaning “to lift up,” an item separated from the offering, a contribution). The two are then clarified with two corresponding relative clauses containing two Hophals: “which was waved and which was presented.” In making sacrifices, the breast and the thigh belong to the priests.

[29:29]  ⁶⁴⁵ tn The construction is an infinitive construct with a lamed (ל) preposition. The form simply means “for anointing,” but it serves to express the purpose or result of their inheriting the sacred garments.

[29:29]  ⁶⁴⁶ tn This form is a Piel infinitive construct with a lamed (ל) preposition. It literally reads “for filling the hands,” the idiom used throughout this chapter for ordination or installation. Here too it has a parallel use of purpose or result.

[29:30]  ⁶⁴⁷ tn Heb “after him”; NCV, NLT “after Aaron.”

[29:30]  ⁶⁴⁸ tn The text just has the relative pronoun and the imperfect tense. It could be translated “who comes/enters.” But the context seems to indicate that this would be when he first comes to the tent to begin his tenure as High Priest, and so a temporal clause makes this clear. “First” has been supplied.

[29:30]  ⁶⁴⁹ tn “Seven days” is an adverbial accusative of time. The ritual of ordination is to be repeated for seven days, and so they are to remain there in the court in full dress.

[29:31]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn Or “boil” (see Lev 8:31).

[29:31]  ⁶⁵¹ sn The “holy place” must be in the courtyard of the sanctuary. Lev 8:31 says it is to be cooked at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Here it says it will be eaten there as well. This, then, becomes a communion sacrifice, a peace offering which was a shared meal. Eating a communal meal in a holy place was meant to signify that the worshipers and the priests were at peace with God.

[29:33]  ⁶⁵² tn The clause is a relative clause modifying “those things,” the direct object of the verb “eat.” The relative clause has a resumptive pronoun: “which atonement was made by them” becomes “by which atonement was made.” The verb is a Pual perfect of כִּפֵּר (kipper, “to expiate, atone, pacify”).

[29:33]  ⁶⁵³ tn The Hebrew word is “stranger, alien” (זָר, zar). But in this context it means anyone who is not a priest (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 324).

[29:34]  ⁶⁵⁴ tn Or “ordination offerings” (Heb “fillings”).

[29:34]  ⁶⁵⁵ tn The verb in the conditional clause is a Niphal imperfect of יָתַר (yatar); this verb is repeated in the next clause (as a Niphal participle) as the direct object of the verb “you will burn” (a Qal perfect with a vav [ו] consecutive to form the instruction).

[29:34]  ⁶⁵⁶ tn Heb “burn with fire.”

[29:34]  ⁶⁵⁷ tn The verb is a Niphal imperfect negated. It expresses the prohibition against eating this, but in the passive voice: “it will not be eaten,” or stronger, “it must not be eaten.”

[29:35]  ⁶⁵⁸ tn Heb “you will fill their hand.”

[29:35]  ⁶⁵⁹ tn The “seven days” is the adverbial accusative explaining that the ritual of the filling should continue daily for a week. Leviticus makes it clear that they are not to leave the sanctuary.

[29:36]  ⁶⁶⁰ tn The construction uses a genitive: “a bull of the sin offering,” which means, a bull that is designated for a sin (or better, purification) offering.

[29:36]  ⁶⁶¹ sn It is difficult to understand how this verse is to be harmonized with the other passages. The ceremony in the earlier passages deals with atonement made for the priests, for people. But here it is the altar that is being sanctified. The “sin [purification] offering” seems to be for purification of the sanctuary and altar to receive people in their worship.

[29:36]  ⁶⁶² tn The verb is וְחִטֵּאתָ (vÿhitte’ta), a Piel perfect of the word usually translated “to sin.” Here it may be interpreted as a privative Piel (as in Ps 51:7 [9]), with the sense of “un-sin” or “remove sin.” It could also be interpreted as related to the word for “sin offering,” and so be a denominative verb. It means “to purify, cleanse.” The Hebrews understood that sin and contamination could corrupt and pollute even things, and so they had to be purged.

[29:36]  ⁶⁶³ tn The construction is a Piel infinitive construct in an adverbial clause. The preposition bet (ב) that begins the clause could be taken as a temporal preposition, but in this context it seems to express the means by which the altar was purged of contamination – “in your making atonement” is “by [your] making atonement.”

[29:37]  ⁶⁶⁴ tn Once again this is an adverbial accusative of time. Each day for seven days the ritual at the altar is to be followed.

[29:37]  ⁶⁶⁵ tn The construction is the superlative genitive: “holy of holies,” or “most holy.”

[29:37]  ⁶⁶⁶ sn This line states an unusual principle, meant to preserve the sanctity of the altar. S. R. Driver explains it this way (Exodus, 325): If anything comes in contact with the altar, it becomes holy and must remain in the sanctuary for Yahweh’s use. If a person touches the altar, he likewise becomes holy and cannot return to the profane regions. He will be given over to God to be dealt with as God pleases. Anyone who was not qualified to touch the altar did not dare approach it, for contact would have meant that he was no longer free to leave but was God’s holy possession – and might pay for it with his life (see Exod 30:29; Lev 6:18b, 27; and Ezek 46:20).

[29:38]  ⁶⁶⁷ tn The verb is “you will do,” “you will make.” It clearly refers to offering the animals on the altar, but may emphasize all the preparation that was involved in the process.

[29:39]  ⁶⁶⁸ tn Heb “between the two evenings” or “between the two settings” (בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם, ben ha’arbayim). This expression has had a good deal of discussion. (1) Tg. Onq. says “between the two suns,” which the Talmud explains as the time between the sunset and the time the stars become visible. More technically, the first “evening” would be the time between sunset and the appearance of the crescent moon, and the second “evening” the next hour, or from the appearance of the crescent moon to full darkness (see Deut 16:6 – “at the going down of the sun”). (2) Saadia, Rashi, and Kimchi say the first evening is when the sun begins to decline in the west and cast its shadows, and the second evening is the beginning of night. (3) The view adopted by the Pharisees and the Talmudists (b. Pesahim 61a) is that the first evening is when the heat of the sun begins to decrease, and the second evening begins at sunset, or, roughly from 3-5 p.m. The Mishnah (m. Pesahim 5:1) indicates the lamb was killed about 2:30 p.m. – anything before noon was not valid. S. R. Driver concludes from this survey that the first view is probably the best, although the last view was the traditionally accepted one (Exodus, 89-90). Late afternoon or early evening seems to be intended, the time of twilight perhaps.

[29:40]  ⁶⁶⁹ tn The phrase “of an ephah” has been supplied for clarity (cf. Num 28:5). The ephah was a commonly used dry measure whose capacity is now uncertain: “Quotations given for the ephah vary from ca. 45 to 20 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 2:340-41).

[29:40]  ⁶⁷⁰ tn “Hin” is a transliterated Hebrew word that seems to have an Egyptian derivation. The amount of liquid measured by a hin is uncertain: “Its presumed capacity varies from about 3,5 liters to 7,5 liters” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:550).

[29:42]  ⁶⁷¹ tn The translation has “regular” instead of “continually,” because they will be preparing this twice a day.

[29:42]  ⁶⁷² tn The relative clause identifies the place in front of the Tent as the place that Yahweh would meet Moses. The main verb of the clause is אִוָּעֵד (’ivva’ed), a Niphal imperfect of the verb יָעַד (ya’ad), the verb that is cognate to the name “tent of meeting” – hence the name. This clause leads into the next four verses.

[29:43]  ⁶⁷³ tn The verb now is a Niphal perfect from the same root, with a vav (ו) consecutive. It simply continues the preceding verb, announcing now that he would meet the people.

[29:43]  ⁶⁷⁴ tn Or “will be sanctified by my glory” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[29:44]  ⁶⁷⁵ tn This verse affirms the same point as the last, but now with an active verb: “I will set apart as holy” (or “I will sanctify”). This verse, then, probably introduces the conclusion of the chapter: “So I will….”

[29:45]  ⁶⁷⁶ tn The verb has the root שָׁכַן (shakan), from which came the word for the dwelling place, or sanctuary, itself (מִשְׁכָּן, mishkan). It is also used for the description of “the Shekinah glory.” God is affirming that he will reside in the midst of his people.

[30:1]  ⁶⁷⁷ sn Why this section has been held until now is a mystery. One would have expected to find it with the instructions for the other furnishings. The widespread contemporary view that it was composed later does not answer the question, it merely moves the issue to the work of an editor rather than the author. N. M. Sarna notes concerning the items in chapter 30 that “all the materials for these final items were anticipated in the list of invited donations in 25:3-6” and that they were not needed for installing Aaron and his sons (Exodus [JPSTC], 193). Verses 1-10 can be divided into three sections: the instructions for building the incense altar (1-5), its placement (6), and its proper use (7-10).

[30:1]  ⁶⁷⁸ tn The expression is מִזְבֵּחַ מִקְטַר קְטֹרֶת (mizbeakh miqtar qÿtoret), either “an altar, namely an altar of incense,” or “an altar, [for] burning incense.” The second noun is “altar of incense,” although some suggest it is an active noun meaning “burning.” If the former, then it is in apposition to the word for “altar” (which is not in construct). The last noun is “incense” or “sweet smoke.” It either qualifies the “altar of incense” or serves as the object of the active noun. B. Jacob says that in order to designate that this altar be used only for incense, the Torah prepared the second word for this passage alone. It specifies the kind of altar this is (Exodus, 828).

[30:1]  ⁶⁷⁹ tn This is an adverbial accusative explaining the material used in building the altar.

[30:1]  ⁶⁸⁰ sn See M. Haran, “The Uses of Incense in Ancient Israel Ritual,” VT 10 (1960): 113-15; N. Glueck, “Incense Altars,” Translating and Understanding the Old Testament, 325-29.

[30:2]  ⁶⁸¹ tn Heb “a cubit.”

[30:2]  ⁶⁸² tn Heb “two cubits.”

[30:2]  ⁶⁸³ tn Heb “its horns from it.”

[30:3]  ⁶⁸⁴ tn Heb “roof.”

[30:3]  ⁶⁸⁵ tn Heb “its walls around.”

[30:3]  ⁶⁸⁶ tn Heb “and make for it border gold around.” The verb is a consecutive perfect. See Exod 25:11, where the ark also has such a molding.

[30:4]  ⁶⁸⁷ sn Since it was a small altar, it needed only two rings, one on either side, in order to be carried. The second clause clarifies that the rings should be on the sides, the right and the left, as you approach the altar.

[30:4]  ⁶⁸⁸ tn Heb “And it”; this refers to the rings collectively in their placement on the box, and so the word “rings” has been used to clarify the referent for the modern reader.

[30:4]  ⁶⁸⁹ tn Heb “for houses.”

[30:7]  ⁶⁹⁰ tn The text uses a cognate accusative (“incense”) with the verb “to burn” or “to make into incense/sweet smoke.” Then, the noun “sweet spices” is added in apposition to clarify the incense as sweet.

[30:7]  ⁶⁹¹ tn The Hebrew is בְּהֵיטִיבוֹ (bÿhetivo), a Hiphil infinitive construct serving in a temporal clause. The Hebrew verb means “to make good” and so in this context “to fix” or “to dress.” This refers to cleansing and trimming the lamps.

[30:7]  ⁶⁹² sn The point of the little golden altar of incense is normally for intercessory prayer, and then at the Day of Atonement for blood applied atonement. The instructions for making it show that God wanted his people to make a place for prayer. The instructions for its use show that God expects that the requests of his people will be pleasing to him.

[30:10]  ⁶⁹³ tn The word “atonements” (plural in Hebrew) is a genitive showing the result or product of the sacrifice made.

[30:10]  ⁶⁹⁴ sn This ruling presupposes that the instruction for the Day of Atonement has been given, or at the very least, is to be given shortly. That is the one day of the year that all sin and all ritual impurity would be removed.

[30:10]  ⁶⁹⁵ sn The phrase “most holy to the Lord” means that the altar cannot be used for any other purpose than what is stated here.

[30:11]  ⁶⁹⁶ sn This brief section has been interpreted a number of ways by biblical scholars (for a good survey and discussion, see B. Jacob, Exodus, 829-35). In this context the danger of erecting and caring for a sanctuary may have been in view. A census would be taken to count the losses and to cover the danger of coming into such proximity with the holy place; payment was made to ransom the lives of the people numbered so that they would not die. The money collected would then be used for the care of the sanctuary. The principle was fairly straightforward: Those numbered among the redeemed of the Lord were to support the work of the Lord to maintain their fellowship with the covenant. The passage is fairly easy to outline: I. Every covenant member must give a ransom for his life to avoid death (11-12); II. The ransom is the same for all, whether rich or poor (13-15); and III. The ransom money supports the sanctuary as a memorial for the ransomed (16).

[30:11]  ⁶⁹⁷ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.” This full means for introducing a quotation from the Lord is used again in 30:17, 22; 31:1; and 40:1. It appears first in 6:10. Cynthia L. Miller discusses its use in detail (The Representation of Speech in Biblical Hebrew Narrative, 373-86).

[30:12]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn The expression is “when you take [lift up] the sum [head] of the Israelites.”

[30:12]  ⁶⁹⁹ tn The form is לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם (lifqudehem, “according to those that are numbered of/by them”) from the verb פָּקַד (paqad, “to visit”). But the idea of this word seems more to be that of changing or determining the destiny, and so “appoint” and “number” become clear categories of meaning for the word. Here it simply refers to the census, but when this word is used for a census it often involves mustering an army for a military purpose. Here there is no indication of a war, but it may be laying down the principle that when they should do this, here is the price. B. Jacob (Exodus, 835) uses Num 31 as a good illustration, showing that the warrior was essentially a murderer, if he killed anyone in battle. For this reason his blood was forfeit; if he survived he must pay a כֹּפֶר (kofer) because every human life possesses value and must be atoned for. The payment during the census represented a “presumptive ransom” so that they could not be faulted for what they might do in war.

[30:12]  ⁷⁰⁰ tn The “ransom” is כֹּפֶר (kofer), a word related to words translated “atone” and “atonement.” Here the noun refers to what is paid for the life. The idea is that of delivering or redeeming by a substitute – here the substitute is the money. If they paid the amount, their lives would be safe (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:473).

[30:12]  ⁷⁰¹ tn The temporal clause uses a preposition, an infinitive construct, and then an accusative. The subject is supplied: “in numbering them” means “when [you] number them.” The verb could also be rendered “when you muster them.”

[30:13]  ⁷⁰² sn Each man was to pass in front of the counting officer and join those already counted on the other side.

[30:13]  ⁷⁰³ sn The half shekel weight of silver would be about one-fifth of an ounce (6 grams).

[30:13]  ⁷⁰⁴ sn It appears that some standard is in view for the amount of a shekel weight. The sanctuary shekel is sometimes considered to be twice the value of the ordinary shekel. The “gerah,” also of uncertain meaning, was mentioned as a reference point for the ancient reader to understand the value of the required payment. It may also be that the expression meant “a sacred shekel” and looked at the purpose more – a shekel for sanctuary dues. This would mean that the standard of the shekel weight was set because it was the traditional amount of sacred dues (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 333). “Though there is no certainty, the shekel is said to weigh about 11,5 grams…Whether an official standard is meant [by ‘sanctuary shekel’] or whether the sanctuary shekel had a different weight than the ‘ordinary’ shekel is not known” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:181).

[30:13]  ⁷⁰⁵ tn Or “contribution” (תְּרוּמָה, tÿrumah).

[30:15]  ⁷⁰⁶ tn Or “pay more.”

[30:15]  ⁷⁰⁷ tn The form is לָתֵת (latet), the Qal infinitive construct with the lamed preposition. The infinitive here is explaining the preceding verbs. They are not to increase or diminish the amount “in paying the offering.” The construction approximates a temporal clause.

[30:15]  ⁷⁰⁸ tn This infinitive construct (לְכַפֵּר, lÿkhapper) provides the purpose of the giving the offering – to atone.

[30:16]  ⁷⁰⁹ tn Heb “the silver of the atonements.” The genitive here is the result (as in “sheep of slaughter”) telling what the money will be used for (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 11, §44).

[30:16]  ⁷¹⁰ sn The idea of “service” is maintenance and care of the sanctuary and its service, meaning the morning and evening sacrifices and the other elements to be used.

[30:16]  ⁷¹¹ sn S. R. Driver says this is “to keep Jehovah in continual remembrance of the ransom which had been paid for their lives” (Exodus, 334).

[30:16]  ⁷¹² tn The infinitive could be taken in a couple of ways here. It could be an epexegetical infinitive: “making atonement.” Or it could be the infinitive expressing result: “so that atonement will be made for your lives.”

[30:17]  ⁷¹³ sn Another piece of furniture is now introduced, the laver, or washing basin. It was a round (the root means to be round) basin for holding water, but it had to be up on a pedestal or base to let water run out (through taps of some kind) for the priests to wash – they could not simply dip dirty hands into the basin. This was for the priests primarily to wash their hands and feet before entering the tent. It stood in the courtyard between the altar and the tent. No dimensions are given. The passage can be divided into three sections: the instructions (17-18), the rules for washing (19-20), and the reminder that this is a perpetual statute.

[30:17]  ⁷¹⁴ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[30:18]  ⁷¹⁵ sn The metal for this object was obtained from the women from their mirrors (see Exod 38:8).

[30:18]  ⁷¹⁶ tn Heb “and its stand bronze.”

[30:18]  ⁷¹⁷ tn The form is the adverb “there” with the directive qamets-he ( ָה).

[30:19]  ⁷¹⁸ tn That is, from water from it.

[30:20]  ⁷¹⁹ tn The form is an infinitive construct with the temporal preposition bet (ב), and a suffixed subjective genitive: “in their going in,” or, whenever they enter.

[30:20]  ⁷²⁰ tn “Water” is an adverbial accusative of means, and so is translated “with water.” Gesenius classifies this with verbs of “covering with something.” But he prefers to emend the text with a preposition (see GKC 369 §117.y, n. 1).

[30:20]  ⁷²¹ tn The verb is a Qal imperfect with a nuance of final imperfect. The purpose/result clause here is indicated only with the conjunction: “and they do not die.” But clearly from the context this is the intended result of their washing – it is in order that they not die.

[30:20]  ⁷²² tn Here, too, the infinitive is used in a temporal clause construction. The verb נָגַשׁ (nagash) is the common verb used for drawing near to the altar to make offerings – the official duties of the priest.

[30:20]  ⁷²³ tn The text uses two infinitives construct: “to minister to burn incense”; the first is the general term and expresses the purpose of the drawing near, and the second infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first infinitive.

[30:20]  ⁷²⁴ tn The translation “as an offering made by fire” is a standard rendering of the one word in the text that appears to refer to “fire.” Milgrom and others contend that it simply means a “gift” (Leviticus 1-16, 161).

[30:21]  ⁷²⁵ tn Heb “and [then] they will wash.”

[30:21]  ⁷²⁶ tn The verb is “it will be.”

[30:21]  ⁷²⁷ tn Heb “for his seed.”

[30:21]  ⁷²⁸ tn Or “for generations to come”; it literally is “to their generations.”

[30:22]  ⁷²⁹ sn The chapter ends with these two sections. The oil (22-33) is the mark of consecration, and the incense (34-38) is a mark of pleasing service, especially in prayer. So the essence of the message of the chapter is that the servants of God must be set apart by the Spirit for ministry and must be pleasing to God in the ministry.

[30:22]  ⁷³⁰ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[30:23]  ⁷³¹ tn The construction uses the imperative “take,” but before it is the independent pronoun to add emphasis to it. After the imperative is the ethical dative (lit. “to you”) to stress the task to Moses as a personal responsibility: “and you, take to yourself.”

[30:23]  ⁷³² tn Heb “spices head.” This must mean the chief spices, or perhaps the top spice, meaning fine spices or choice spices. See Song 4:14; Ezek 27:22.

[30:23]  ⁷³³ tn Or “500 shekels.” Verse 24 specifies that the sanctuary shekel was the unit for weighing the spices. The total of 1500 shekels for the four spices is estimated at between 77 and 100 pounds, or 17 to 22 kilograms, depending on how much a shekel weighed (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:576).

[30:23]  ⁷³⁴ sn Myrrh is an aromatic substance that flows from the bark of certain trees in Arabia and Africa and then hardens. “The hardened globules of the gum appear also to have been ground into a powder that would have been easy to store and would have been poured from a container” (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).

[30:24]  ⁷³⁵ tn The words “all weighed” are added for clarity in English.

[30:24]  ⁷³⁶ tn Or “a hin.” A hin of oil is estimated at around one gallon (J. Durham, Exodus [WBC], 3:406).

[30:25]  ⁷³⁷ tn Heb “it.”

[30:25]  ⁷³⁸ tn The word “oil” is an adverbial accusative, indicating the product that results from the verb (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, §52).

[30:25]  ⁷³⁹ tn The somewhat rare words rendered “a perfumed compound” are both associated with a verbal root having to do with mixing spices and other ingredients to make fragrant ointments. They are used with the next phrase, “the work of a perfumer,” to describe the finished oil as a special mixture of aromatic spices and one requiring the knowledge and skills of an experienced maker.

[30:29]  ⁷⁴⁰ tn The verb is a Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive; in this verse it is summarizing or explaining what the anointing has accomplished. This is the effect of the anointing (see Exod 29:36).

[30:29]  ⁷⁴¹ tn This is the superlative genitive again, Heb “holy of holies.”

[30:29]  ⁷⁴² tn See Exod 29:37; as before, this could refer to anything or anyone touching the sanctified items.

[30:30]  ⁷⁴³ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive follows the imperfect of instruction; it may be equal to the instruction, but more likely shows the purpose or result of the act.

[30:32]  ⁷⁴⁴ tn Without an expressed subject, the verb may be treated as a passive. Any common use, as in personal hygiene, would be a complete desecration.

[30:33]  ⁷⁴⁵ tn Heb “a stranger,” meaning someone not ordained a priest.

[30:33]  ⁷⁴⁶ sn The rabbinic interpretation of this is that it is a penalty imposed by heaven, that the life will be cut short and the person could die childless.

[30:34]  ⁷⁴⁷ tn The construction is “take to you,” which could be left in that literal sense, but more likely the suffix is an ethical dative, stressing the subject of the imperative.

[30:34]  ⁷⁴⁸ sn This is from a word that means “to drip”; the spice is a balsam that drips from a resinous tree.

[30:34]  ⁷⁴⁹ sn This may be a plant, or it may be from a species of mollusks; it is mentioned in Ugaritic and Akkadian; it gives a pungent odor when burnt.

[30:34]  ⁷⁵⁰ sn This is a gum from plants of the genus Ferula; it has an unpleasant odor, but when mixed with others is pleasant.

[30:34]  ⁷⁵¹ tn The word “spice is repeated here, suggesting that the first three formed half of the ingredient and this spice the other half – but this is conjecture (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 400).

[30:34]  ⁷⁵² tn Heb “of each part there will be an equal part.”

[30:35]  ⁷⁵³ tn This is an accusative of result or product.

[30:35]  ⁷⁵⁴ tn The word is in apposition to “incense,” further defining the kind of incense that is to be made.

[30:35]  ⁷⁵⁵ tn The word מְמֻלָּח (mÿmullakh), a passive participle, is usually taken to mean “salted.” Since there is no meaning like that for the Pual form, the word probably should be taken as “mixed,” as in Rashi and Tg. Onq. Seasoning with salt would work if it were food, but since it is not food, if it means “salted” it would be a symbol of what was sound and whole for the covenant. Some have thought that it would have helped the incense burn quickly with more smoke.

[30:38]  ⁷⁵⁶ tn Or to smell it, to use for the maker’s own pleasure.

[31:1]  ⁷⁵⁷ sn The next unit describes the preparation of skilled workers to build all that has been listed now for several chapters. This chapter would have been the bridge to the building of the sanctuary (35-39) if it were not for the idolatrous interlude. God called individuals and prepared them by his Spirit to be skilled to do the work for the tabernacle. If this were the substance of an exposition, it would clearly be a message on gifted people doing the work – close to the spiritual lesson of Ephesians 4. There would be two levels of meaning: the physical, which looks at the skilled artisans providing for a place to worship Yahweh, and the spiritual, which would bring in the Spirit-filled servants of God participating in building up his kingdom.

[31:1]  ⁷⁵⁸ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[31:2]  ⁷⁵⁹ tn Heb “called by name.” This expression means that the person was specifically chosen for some important task (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 342). See the expression with Cyrus in Isa 45:3-4.

[31:3]  ⁷⁶⁰ sn The expression in the Bible means that the individual was given special, supernatural enablement to do what God wanted done. It usually is said of someone with exceptional power or ability. The image of “filling” usually means under the control of the Spirit, so that the Spirit is the dominant force in the life.

[31:3]  ⁷⁶¹ sn The following qualities are the ways in which the Spirit’s enablement will be displayed. “Skill” is the ability to produce something valuable to God and the community, “understanding” is the ability to distinguish between things, to perceive the best way to follow, and “knowledge” is the experiential awareness of how things are done.

[31:3]  ⁷⁶² tn Heb “and in all work”; “all” means “all kinds of” here.

[31:4]  ⁷⁶³ tn The expression is לַחְשֹׁב מַחֲשָׁבֹת (lakhshov makhashavot, “to devise devices”). The infinitive emphasizes that Bezalel will be able to design or plan works that are artistic or skillful. He will think thoughts or devise the plans, and then he will execute them in silver or stone or whatever other material he uses.

[31:6]  ⁷⁶⁴ tn The expression uses the independent personal pronoun (“and I”) with the deictic particle (“behold”) to enforce the subject of the verb – “and I, indeed I have given.”

[31:6]  ⁷⁶⁵ tn Heb “and in the heart of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom.”

[31:6]  ⁷⁶⁶ tn The form is a perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. The form at this place shows the purpose or the result of what has gone before, and so it is rendered “that they may make.”

[31:7]  ⁷⁶⁷ tn Heb “all the vessels of the tent.”

[31:12]  ⁷⁶⁸ sn There are some questions about the arrangement of the book. The placement of this section here, however, should come as no surprise. After the instructions and preparation for work, a Sabbath day when work could not be done had to be legislated. In all that they were going to do, they must not violate the Sabbath,

[31:12]  ⁷⁶⁹ tn Heb “and Yahweh said (אָמַר, ’amar) to Moses, saying.”

[31:13]  ⁷⁷⁰ sn The instruction for the Sabbath at this point seems rather abrupt, but it follows logically the extended plans of building the sanctuary. B. Jacob, following some of the earlier treatments, suggests that these are specific rules given for the duration of the building of the sanctuary (Exodus, 844). The Sabbath day is a day of complete cessation; no labor or work could be done. The point here is that God’s covenant people must faithfully keep the sign of the covenant as a living commemoration of the finished work of Yahweh, and as an active part in their sanctification. See also H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-6; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the OT and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-42; M. Tsevat, “The Basic Meaning of the Biblical Sabbath, ZAW 84 (1972): 447-59; M. T. Willshaw, “A Joyous Sign,” ExpTim 89 (1978): 179-80.

[31:13]  ⁷⁷¹ tn Or “your sanctifier.”

[31:14]  ⁷⁷² tn This clause is all from one word, a Piel plural participle with a third, feminine suffix: מְחַלְלֶיהָ (mÿkhalleha, “defilers of it”). This form serves as the subject of the sentence. The word חָלַל (khalal) is the antonym of קָדַשׁ (qadash, “to be holy”). It means “common, profane,” and in the Piel stem “make common, profane” or “defile.” Treating the Sabbath like an ordinary day would profane it, make it common.

[31:14]  ⁷⁷³ tn This is the asseverative use of כִּי (ki) meaning “surely, indeed,” for it restates the point just made (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §449).

[31:14]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn Heb “the one who does.”

[31:14]  ⁷⁷⁵ tn “any” has been supplied.

[31:14]  ⁷⁷⁶ tn Literally “her” (a feminine pronoun agreeing with “soul/life,” which is grammatically feminine).

[31:15]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time, indicating that work may be done for six days out of the week.

[31:15]  ⁷⁷⁸ tn The form is a Niphal imperfect; it has the nuance of permission in this sentence, for the sentence is simply saying that the six days are work days – that is when work may be done.

[31:15]  ⁷⁷⁹ tn The expression is שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן (shabbat shabbaton), “a Sabbath of entire rest,” or better, “a sabbath of complete desisting” (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 404). The second noun, the modifying genitive, is an abstract noun. The repetition provides the superlative idea that complete rest is the order of the day.

[31:17]  ⁷⁸⁰ tn The expression again forms an adverbial accusative of time.

[31:17]  ⁷⁸¹ sn The word “rest” essentially means “to cease, stop.” So describing God as “resting” on the seventh day does not indicate that he was tired – he simply finished creation and then ceased or stopped. But in this verse is a very bold anthropomorphism in the form of the verb וַיִּנָּפַשׁ (vayyinnafash), a Niphal preterite from the root נָפַשׁ (nafash), the word that is related to “life, soul” or more specifically “breath, throat.” The verb is usually translated here as “he was refreshed,” offering a very human picture. It could also be rendered “he took breath” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 345). Elsewhere the verb is used of people and animals. The anthropomorphism is clearly intended to teach people to stop and refresh themselves physically, spiritually, and emotionally on this day of rest.

[31:18]  ⁷⁸² sn The expression “the finger of God” has come up before in the book, in the plagues (Exod 8:15) to express that it was a demonstration of the power and authority of God. So here too the commandments given to Moses on stone tablets came from God. It too is a bold anthropomorphism; to attribute such a material action to Yahweh would have been thought provoking to say the least. But by using “God” and by stating it in an obviously figurative way, balance is maintained. Since no one writes with one finger, the expression simply says that the Law came directly from God.

[32:1]  ⁷⁸³ sn This narrative is an unhappy interlude in the flow of the argument of the book. After the giving of the Law and the instructions for the tabernacle, the people get into idolatry. So this section tells what the people were doing when Moses was on the mountain. Here is an instant violation of the covenant that they had just agreed to uphold. But through it all Moses shines as the great intercessor for the people. So the subject matter is the sin of idolatry, its effects and its remedy. Because of the similarities to Jeroboam’s setting up the calves in Dan and Bethel, modern critics have often said this passage was written at that time. U. Cassuto shows how the language of this chapter would not fit an Iron Age setting in Dan. Rather, he argues, this story was well enough known for Jeroboam to imitate the practice (Exodus, 407-10). This chapter can be divided into four parts for an easier exposition: idolatry (32:1-6), intercession (32:7-14), judgment (32:15-29), intercession again (32:30-33:6). Of course, these sections are far more complex than this, but this gives an overview. Four summary statements for expository points might be: I. Impatience often leads to foolish violations of the faith, II. Violations of the covenant require intercession to escape condemnation, III. Those spared of divine wrath must purge evil from their midst, and IV. Those who purge evil from their midst will find reinstatement through intercession. Several important studies are available for this. See, among others, D. R. Davis, “Rebellion, Presence, and Covenant: A Study in Exodus 32-34,” WTJ 44 (1982): 71-87; M. Greenberg, “Moses’ Intercessory Prayer,” Ecumenical Institute for Advanced Theological Studies (1978): 21-35; R. A. Hamer, “The New Covenant of Moses,” Judaism 27 (1978): 345-50; R. L. Honeycutt, Jr., “Aaron, the Priesthood, and the Golden Calf,” RevExp 74 (1977): 523-35; J. N. Oswalt, “The Golden Calves and the Egyptian Concept of Deity,” EvQ 45 (1973): 13-20.

[32:1]  ⁷⁸⁴ tn The meaning of this verb is properly “caused shame,” meaning cause disappointment because he was not coming back (see also Judg 5:28 for the delay of Sisera’s chariots [S. R. Driver, Exodus, 349]).

[32:1]  ⁷⁸⁵ tn The infinitive construct with the lamed (ל) preposition is used here epexegetically, explaining the delay of Moses.

[32:1]  ⁷⁸⁶ tn Heb “the people.”

[32:1]  ⁷⁸⁷ tn The imperative means “arise.” It could be serving here as an interjection, getting Aaron’s attention. But it might also have the force of prompting him to get busy.

[32:1]  ⁷⁸⁸ tn The plural translation is required here (although the form itself could be singular in meaning) because the verb that follows in the relative clause is a plural verb – that they go before us).

[32:1]  ⁷⁸⁹ tn The text has “this Moses.” But this instance may find the demonstrative used in an earlier deictic sense, especially since there is no article with it.

[32:1]  ⁷⁹⁰ tn The interrogative is used in an indirect question (see GKC 443-44 §137.c).

[32:2]  ⁷⁹¹ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 937-38) argues that Aaron simply did not have the resolution that Moses did, and wanting to keep peace he gave in to the crowd. He also tries to explain that Aaron was wanting to show their folly through the deed. U. Cassuto also says that Aaron’s request for the gold was a form of procrastination, but that the people quickly did it and so he had no alternative but to go through with it (Exodus, 412). These may be right, since Aaron fully understood what was wrong with this, and what the program was all about. The text gives no strong indication to support these ideas, but there are enough hints from the way Aaron does things to warrant such a conclusion.

[32:3]  ⁷⁹² tn This “all” is a natural hyperbole in the narrative, for it means the large majority of the people.

[32:4]  ⁷⁹³ tn Here “the gold” has been supplied.

[32:4]  ⁷⁹⁴ tn Heb “from their hand.”

[32:4]  ⁷⁹⁵ tn The verb looks similar to יָצַר (yatsar), “to form, fashion” by a plan or a design. That is the verb used in Gen 2:7 for Yahweh God forming the man from the dust of the ground. If it is here, it is the reverse, a human – the dust of the ground – trying to form a god or gods. The active participle of this verb in Hebrew is “the potter.” A related noun is the word יֵצֶּר (yetser), “evil inclination,” the wicked designs or intent of the human heart (Gen 6:5). But see the discussion by B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 555-56) on a different reading, one that links the root to a hollow verb meaning “to cast out of metal” (as in 1 Kgs 7:15).

[32:4]  ⁷⁹⁶ sn The word means a “young bull” and need not be translated as “calf” (although “calf” has become the traditional rendering in English). The word could describe an animal three years old. Aaron probably made an inner structure of wood and then, after melting down the gold, plated it. The verb “molten” does not need to imply that the image was solid gold; the word is used in Isa 30:22 for gold plating. So it was a young bull calf that was overlaid with gold, and the gold was fashioned with the stylus.

[32:4]  ⁷⁹⁷ tn The word could be singular here and earlier; here it would then be “this is your god, O Israel.” However, the use of “these” indicates more than one god was meant by the image. But their statement and their statue, although they do not use the holy name, violate the first two commandments.

[32:5]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn The preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive is subordinated as a temporal clause to the next preterite.

[32:5]  ⁷⁹⁹ tn The word “this” has been supplied.

[32:5]  ⁸⁰⁰ tn “Before it” means before the deity in the form of the calf. Aaron tried to redirect their worship to Yahweh, but the people had already broken down the barrier and were beyond control (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 413).

[32:5]  ⁸⁰¹ tn Heb “called.”

[32:5]  ⁸⁰² sn The word is חַג (khag), the pilgrim’s festival. This was the word used by Moses for their pilgrimage into the wilderness. Aaron seems here to be trying to do what Moses had intended they do, make a feast to Yahweh at Sinai, but his efforts will not compete with the idol. As B. Jacob says, Aaron saw all this happening and tried to rescue the true belief (Exodus, 941).

[32:6]  ⁸⁰³ tn The second infinitive is an infinitive absolute. The first is an infinitive construct with a lamed (ל) preposition, expressing the purpose of their sitting down. The infinitive absolute that follows cannot take the preposition, but with the conjunction follows the force of the form before it (see GKC 340 §113.e).

[32:6]  ⁸⁰⁴ tn The form is לְצַחֵק (lÿtsakheq), a Piel infinitive construct, giving the purpose of their rising up after the festal meal. On the surface it would seem that with the festival there would be singing and dancing, so that the people were celebrating even though they did not know the reason. W. C. Kaiser says the word means “drunken immoral orgies and sexual play” (“Exodus,” EBC 2:478). That is quite an assumption for this word, but is reflected in some recent English versions (e.g., NCV “got up and sinned sexually”; TEV “an orgy of drinking and sex”). The word means “to play, trifle.” It can have other meanings, depending on its contexts. It is used of Lot when he warned his sons-in-law and appeared as one who “mocked” them; it is also used of Ishmael “playing” with Isaac, which Paul interprets as mocking; it is used of Isaac “playing” with his wife in a manner that revealed to Abimelech that they were not brother and sister, and it is used by Potiphar’s wife to say that her husband brought this slave Joseph in to “mock” them. The most that can be gathered from these is that it is playful teasing, serious mocking, or playful caresses. It might fit with wild orgies, but there is no indication of that in this passage, and the word does not mean it. The fact that they were festive and playing before an idol was sufficient.

[32:7]  ⁸⁰⁵ tn The two imperatives could also express one idea: “get down there.” In other words, “Make haste to get down.”

[32:7]  ⁸⁰⁶ sn By giving the people to Moses in this way, God is saying that they have no longer any right to claim him as their God, since they have shared his honor with another. This is God’s talionic response to their “These are your gods who brought you up.” The use of these pronoun changes also would form an appeal to Moses to respond, since Moses knew that God had brought them up from Egypt.

[32:8]  ⁸⁰⁷ tn The verb is a perfect tense, reflecting the present perfect nuance: “they have turned aside” and are still disobedient. But the verb is modified with the adverb “quickly” (actually a Piel infinitive absolute). It has been only a matter of weeks since they heard the voice of God prohibiting this.

[32:9]  ⁸⁰⁸ sn This is a bold anthropomorphism; it is as if God has now had a chance to get to know these people and has discovered how rebellious they are. The point of the figure is that there has been discernible evidence of their nature.

[32:9]  ⁸⁰⁹ tn Heb “and behold” or “and look.” The expression directs attention in order to persuade the hearer.

[32:9]  ⁸¹⁰ sn B. Jacob says the image is that of the people walking before God, and when he called to them the directions, they would not bend their neck to listen; they were resolute in doing what they intended to do (Exodus, 943). The figure describes them as refusing to submit, but resisting in pride.

[32:10]  ⁸¹¹ tn The imperative, from the word “to rest” (נוּחַ, nuakh), has the sense of “leave me alone, let me be.” It is a directive for Moses not to intercede for the people. B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 567) reflects the Jewish interpretation that there is a profound paradox in God’s words. He vows the severest punishment but then suddenly conditions it on Moses’ agreement. “Let me alone that I may consume them” is the statement, but the effect is that he has left the door open for intercession. He allows himself to be persuaded – that is what a mediator is for. God could have slammed the door (as when Moses wanted to go into the promised land). Moreover, by alluding to the promise to Abraham God gave Moses the strongest reason to intercede.

[32:11]  ⁸¹² tn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 351) draws on Arabic to show that the meaning of this verb (חָלָה, khalah) was properly “make sweet the face” or “stroke the face”; so here “to entreat, seek to conciliate.” In this prayer, Driver adds, Moses urges four motives for mercy: 1) Israel is Yahweh’s people, 2) Israel’s deliverance has demanded great power, 3) the Egyptians would mock if the people now perished, and 4) the oath God made to the fathers.

[32:12]  ⁸¹³ tn The question is rhetorical; it really forms an affirmation that is used here as a reason for the request (see GKC 474 §150.e).

[32:12]  ⁸¹⁴ tn Heb “speak, saying.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[32:12]  ⁸¹⁵ tn The word “evil” means any kind of life-threatening or fatal calamity. “Evil” is that which hinders life, interrupts life, causes pain to life, or destroys it. The Egyptians would conclude that such a God would have no good intent in taking his people to the desert if now he destroyed them.

[32:12]  ⁸¹⁶ tn The form is a Piel infinitive construct from כָּלָה (kalah, “to complete, finish”) but in this stem, “bring to an end, destroy.” As a purpose infinitive this expresses what the Egyptians would have thought of God’s motive.

[32:12]  ⁸¹⁷ tn The verb “repent, relent” when used of God is certainly an anthropomorphism. It expresses the deep pain that one would have over a situation. Earlier God repented that he had made humans (Gen 6:6). Here Moses is asking God to repent/relent over the judgment he was about to bring, meaning that he should be moved by such compassion that there would be no judgment like that. J. P. Hyatt observes that the Bible uses so many anthropomorphisms because the Israelites conceived of God as a dynamic and living person in a vital relationship with people, responding to their needs and attitudes and actions (Exodus [NCBC], 307). See H. V. D. Parunak, “A Semantic Survey of NHM,” Bib 56 (1975): 512-32.

[32:13]  ⁸¹⁸ tn Heb “your seed.”

[32:13]  ⁸¹⁹ tn “about” has been supplied.

[32:13]  ⁸²⁰ tn Heb “seed.”

[32:15]  ⁸²¹ tn The disjunctive vav (ו) serves here as a circumstantial clause indicator.

[32:17]  ⁸²² sn See F. C. Fensham, “New Light from Ugaritica V on Ex, 32:17 (br’h),” JNSL 2 (1972): 86-7.

[32:18]  ⁸²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:18]  ⁸²⁴ tn Heb “the sound of the answering of might,” meaning it is not the sound of shouting in victory (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 418).

[32:18]  ⁸²⁵ tn Heb “the sound of the answering of weakness,” meaning the cry of the defeated (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 415).

[32:18]  ⁸²⁶ tn Heb “answering in song” (a play on the twofold meaning of the word).

[32:18]  ⁸²⁷ sn See A. Newman, “Compositional Analysis and Functional Ambiguity Equivalence: Translating Exodus 32, 17-18,” Babel 21 (1975): 29-35.

[32:19]  ⁸²⁸ tn Heb “and the anger of Moses burned hot.”

[32:19]  ⁸²⁹ sn See N. M. Waldham, “The Breaking of the Tablets,” Judaism 27 (1978): 442-47.

[32:20]  ⁸³⁰ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[32:20]  ⁸³¹ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[32:22]  ⁸³² sn “My lord” refers to Moses.

[32:22]  ⁸³³ tn Heb “that on evil it is.”

[32:24]  ⁸³⁴ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[32:24]  ⁸³⁵ sn Aaron first tried to blame the people, and then he tried to make it sound like a miracle – was it to sound like one of the plagues where out of the furnace came life? This text does not mention it, but Deut 9:20 tells how angry God was with Aaron. Only intercession saved his life.

[32:25]  ⁸³⁶ tn The word is difficult to interpret. There does not seem to be enough evidence to justify the KJV’s translation “naked.” It appears to mean something like “let loose” or “lack restraint” (Prov 29:18). The idea seems to be that the people had broken loose, were undisciplined, and were completely given over to their desires.

[32:25]  ⁸³⁷ tn The last two words of the verse read literally “for a whispering among those who rose up against them.” The foes would have mocked and derided them when they heard that they had abandoned the God who had led them out of Egypt (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 354).

[32:26]  ⁸³⁸ tn “come” is not in the text, but has been supplied.

[32:26]  ⁸³⁹ tn S. R. Driver suggests that the command was tersely put: “Who is for Yahweh? To me!” (Exodus, 354).

[32:27]  ⁸⁴⁰ tn Heb “put.”

[32:27]  ⁸⁴¹ tn The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys: “pass over and return,” meaning, “go back and forth” throughout the camp.

[32:27]  ⁸⁴² tn The phrases have “and kill a man his brother, and a man his companion, and a man his neighbor.” The instructions were probably intended to mean that they should kill leaders they knew to be guilty because they had been seen or because they failed the water test – whoever they were.

[32:28]  ⁸⁴³ tn Heb “did according to the word of Moses.”

[32:28]  ⁸⁴⁴ tn Heb “fell.”

[32:29]  ⁸⁴⁵ tn Heb “Your hand was filled.” The phrase “fill your hands” is a familiar expression having to do with commissioning and devotion to a task that is earlier used in 28:41; 29:9, 29, 33, 35. This has usually been explained as a Qal imperative. S. R. Driver explains it “Fill your hand today,” meaning, take a sacrifice to God and be installed in the priesthood (Exodus, 355). But it probably is a Piel perfect, meaning “they have filled your hands today,” or, “your hand was filled today.” This was an expression meant to say that they had been faithful to God even though it turned them against family and friends – but God would give them a blessing.

[32:29]  ⁸⁴⁶ tn The text simply has “and to give on you today a blessing.” Gesenius notes that the infinitive construct seems to be attached with a vav (ו; like the infinitive absolute) as the continuation of a previous finite verb. He reads the verb “fill” as an imperative: “fill your hand today…and that to bring a blessing on you, i.e., that you may be blessed” (see GKC 351 §114.p). If the preceding verb is taken as perfect tense, however, then this would also be perfect – “he has blessed you today.”

[32:30]  ⁸⁴⁷ tn Heb “and it was on the morrow and Moses said to the people.”

[32:30]  ⁸⁴⁸ tn The text uses a cognate accusative: “you have sinned a great sin.”

[32:30]  ⁸⁴⁹ tn The form אֲכַפְּרָה (’akhappÿrah) is a Piel cohortative/imperfect. Here with only a possibility of being successful, a potential imperfect nuance works best.

[32:31]  ⁸⁵⁰ tn As before, the cognate accusative is used; it would literally be “this people has sinned a great sin.”

[32:32]  ⁸⁵¹ tn The apodosis is not expressed; it would be understood as “good.” It is not stated because of the intensity of the expression (the figure is aposiopesis, a sudden silence). It is also possible to take this first clause as a desire and not a conditional clause, rendering it “Oh that you would forgive!”

[32:32]  ⁸⁵² tn The word “wipe” is a figure of speech indicating “remove me” (meaning he wants to die). The translation “blot” is traditional, but not very satisfactory, since it does not convey complete removal.

[32:32]  ⁸⁵³ sn The book that is referred to here should not be interpreted as the NT “book of life” which is portrayed (figuratively) as a register of all the names of the saints who are redeemed and will inherit eternal life. Here it refers to the names of those who are living and serving in this life, whose names, it was imagined, were on the roster in the heavenly courts as belonging to the chosen. Moses would rather die than live if these people are not forgiven (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 356).

[32:34]  ⁸⁵⁴ tn Heb “behold, look.” Moses should take this fact into consideration.

[32:34]  ⁸⁵⁵ sn The Law said that God would not clear the guilty. But here the punishment is postponed to some future date when he would revisit this matter. Others have taken the line to mean that whenever a reckoning was considered necessary, then this sin would be included (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 957). The repetition of the verb traditionally rendered “visit” in both clauses puts emphasis on the certainty – so “indeed.”

[32:35]  ⁸⁵⁶ tn The verse is difficult because of the double reference to the making of the calf. The NJPS’s translation tries to reconcile the two by reading “for what they did with the calf that Aaron had made.” B. S. Childs (Exodus [OTL], 557) explains in some detail why this is not a good translation based on syntactical grounds; he opts for the conclusion that the last three words are a clumsy secondary addition. It seems preferable to take the view that both are true, Aaron is singled out for his obvious lead in the sin, but the people sinned by instigating the whole thing.

[32:35]  ⁸⁵⁷ sn Most commentators have difficulty with this verse. W. C. Kaiser says the strict chronology is not always kept, and so the plague here may very well refer to the killing of the three thousand (“Exodus,” EBC 2:481).

[33:1]  ⁸⁵⁸ tn The two imperatives underscore the immediacy of the demand: “go, go up,” meaning “get going up” or “be on your way.”

[33:1]  ⁸⁵⁹ tn Or “the land which I swore.”

[33:1]  ⁸⁶⁰ tn Heb “seed.”

[33:2]  ⁸⁶¹ sn This seems not to be the same as the Angel of the Presence introduced before.

[33:2]  ⁸⁶² sn See T. Ishida, “The Structure and Historical Implications of Lists of Pre-Israelite Nations,” Bib (1979): 461-90.

[33:3]  ⁸⁶³ tn This verse seems to be a continuation of the command to “go up” since it begins with “to a land….” The intervening clauses are therefore parenthetical or relative. But the translation is made simpler by supplying the verb.

[33:3]  ⁸⁶⁴ tn This is a strong adversative here, “but.”

[33:3]  ⁸⁶⁵ tn The clause is “lest I consume you.” It would go with the decision not to accompany them: “I will not go up with you…lest I consume (destroy) you in the way.” The verse is saying that because of the people’s bent to rebellion, Yahweh would not remain in their midst as he had formerly said he would do. Their lives would be at risk if he did.

[33:4]  ⁸⁶⁶ tn Or “bad news” (NAB, NCV).

[33:4]  ⁸⁶⁷ sn The people would rather have risked divine discipline than to go without Yahweh in their midst. So they mourned, and they took off the ornaments. Such had been used in making the golden calf, and so because of their association with all of that they were to be removed as a sign of remorse.

[33:5]  ⁸⁶⁸ tn The verse simply begins “And Yahweh said.” But it is clearly meant to be explanatory for the preceding action of the people.

[33:5]  ⁸⁶⁹ tn The construction is formed with a simple imperfect in the first half and a perfect tense with vav (ו) in the second half. Heb “[in] one moment I will go up in your midst and I will destroy you.” The verse is certainly not intended to say that God was about to destroy them. That, plus the fact that he has announced he will not go in their midst, leads most commentators to take this as a conditional clause: “If I were to do such and such, then….”

[33:5]  ⁸⁷⁰ tn The Hebrew text also has “from on you.”

[33:5]  ⁸⁷¹ tn The form is the cohortative with a vav (ו) following the imperative; it therefore expresses the purpose or result: “strip off…that I may know.” The call to remove the ornaments must have been perceived as a call to show true repentance for what had happened. If they repented, then God would know how to deal with them.

[33:5]  ⁸⁷² tn This last clause begins with the interrogative “what,” but it is used here as an indirect interrogative. It introduces a noun clause, the object of the verb “know.”

[33:7]  ⁸⁷³ sn This unit of the book could actually include all of chap. 33, starting with the point of the Lord’s withdrawal from the people. If that section is not part of the exposition, it would have to be explained as the background. The point is that sinfulness prevents the active presence of the Lord leading his people. But then the rest of chap. 33 forms the development. In vv. 7-11 there is the gracious provision: the Lord reveals through his faithful mediator. The Lord was leading his people, but now more remotely because of their sin. Then, in vv. 12-17 Moses intercedes for the people, and the intercession of the mediator guarantees the Lord’s presence. The point of all of this is that God wanted the people to come to know that if he was not with them they should not go. Finally, the presence of the Lord is verified to the mediator by a special revelation (18-23). The point of the whole chapter is that by his grace the Lord renews the promise of his presence by special revelation.

[33:7]  ⁸⁷⁴ tn Heb “and Moses took.”

[33:7]  ⁸⁷⁵ sn A widespread contemporary view is that this section represents a source that thought the tent of meeting was already erected (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 359). But the better view is that this is a temporary tent used for meeting the Lord. U. Cassuto explains this view very well (Exodus, 429-30), namely, that because the building of the tabernacle was now in doubt if the Lord was not going to be in their midst, another plan seemed necessary. Moses took this tent, his tent, and put some distance between the camp and it. Here he would use the tent as the place to meet God, calling it by the same name since it was a surrogate tent. Thus, the entire section was a temporary means of meeting God, until the current wrath was past.

[33:7]  ⁸⁷⁶ tn The infinitive absolute is used here as an adverb (see GKC 341 §113.h).

[33:7]  ⁸⁷⁷ tn The clause begins with “and it was,” the perfect tense with the vav conjunction. The imperfect tenses in this section are customary, describing what used to happen (others describe the verbs as frequentative). See GKC 315 §107.e.

[33:7]  ⁸⁷⁸ tn The form is the Piel participle. The seeking here would indicate seeking an oracle from Yahweh or seeking to find a resolution for some difficulty (as in 2 Sam 21:1) or even perhaps coming with a sacrifice. B. Jacob notes that the tent was even here a place of prayer, for the benefit of the people (Exodus, 961). It is not known how long this location was used.

[33:8]  ⁸⁷⁹ tn The clause is introduced again with “and it was.” The perfect tense here with the vav (ו) is used to continue the sequence of actions that were done repeatedly in the past (see GKC 331-32 §112.e). The temporal clause is then formed with the infinitive construct of יָצָא (yatsa’), with “Moses” as the subjective genitive: “and it was according to the going out of Moses.”

[33:8]  ⁸⁸⁰ tn Or “rise up.”

[33:8]  ⁸⁸¹ tn The subject of this verb is specified with the individualizing use of “man”: “and all Israel would station themselves, each person (man) at the entrance to his tent.”

[33:8]  ⁸⁸² tn The perfect tense with the vav (ו) continues the sequence of the customary imperfect. The people “would gaze” (after) Moses until he entered the tent.

[33:8]  ⁸⁸³ tn This is a temporal clause using an infinitive construct with a suffixed subject.

[33:9]  ⁸⁸⁴ tn Heb “and it was when.”

[33:9]  ⁸⁸⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:9]  ⁸⁸⁶ tn Both verbs, “stand” and “speak,” are perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutive.

[33:10]  ⁸⁸⁷ tn All the main verbs in this verse are perfect tenses continuing the customary sequence (see GKC 337 §112.kk). The idea is that the people would get up (rise) when the cloud was there and then worship, meaning in part bow down. When the cloud was not there, there was access to seek God.

[33:11]  ⁸⁸⁸ tn “Face to face” is circumstantial to the action of the verb, explaining how they spoke (see GKC 489-90 §156.c). The point of this note of friendly relationship with Moses is that Moses was “at home” in this tent speaking with God. Moses would derive courage from this when he interceded for the people (B. Jacob, Exodus, 966).

[33:11]  ⁸⁸⁹ tn The verb in this clause is a progressive imperfect.

[33:11]  ⁸⁹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:11]  ⁸⁹¹ sn Moses did not live in the tent. But Joshua remained there most of the time to guard the tent, it seems, lest any of the people approach it out of curiosity.

[33:12]  ⁸⁹² tn The Hiphil imperative is from the same verb that has been used before for bringing the people up from Egypt and leading them to Canaan.

[33:12]  ⁸⁹³ tn That is, “chosen you.”

[33:13]  ⁸⁹⁴ tn The prayer uses the Hiphil imperative of the verb “to know.” “Cause me to know” is “show me, reveal to me, teach or inform me.” Moses wanted to know more of God’s dealings with people, especially after all that has happened in the preceding chapter.

[33:13]  ⁸⁹⁵ tn The imperfect tense of the verb “to know” with the vav follows the imperative of this root, and so this indicates the purpose clause (final imperfect): “in order that I may know you.” S. R. Driver summarizes it this way: that I may understand what your nature and character is, and shape my petitions accordingly, so that I may find grace in your sight, and my future prayers may be answered (Exodus, 361).

[33:13]  ⁸⁹⁶ tn The purpose clause simply uses the imperfect, “that I may find.” But since he already has found favor in God’s eyes, he is clearly praying that it be so in the future as well as now.

[33:13]  ⁸⁹⁷ tn The verb “see” (an imperative) is a request for God to acknowledge Israel as his people by providing the divine leadership needed. So his main appeal will be for the people and not himself. To underscore this, he repeats “see” the way the section opened.

[33:14]  ⁸⁹⁸ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:14]  ⁸⁹⁹ sn Heb “my face.” This represents the presence of Yahweh going with the people (see 2 Sam 17:11 for an illustration). The “presence” probably refers to the angel of the presence or some similar manifestation of God’s leading and caring for his people.

[33:14]  ⁹⁰⁰ tn The phrase “with you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[33:14]  ⁹⁰¹ sn The expression certainly refers to the peace of mind and security of knowing that God was with them. But the expression came to mean “settle them in the land of promise” and give them rest and peace from their enemies. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 434) observes how in 32:10 God had told Moses, “Leave me alone” (“give me rest”), but now he promises to give them rest. The parallelism underscores the great transition through intercession.

[33:15]  ⁹⁰² tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:15]  ⁹⁰³ tn The construction uses the active participle to stress the continual going of the presence: if there is not your face going.

[33:15]  ⁹⁰⁴ tn “with us” has been supplied.

[33:15]  ⁹⁰⁵ tn Heb “from this.”

[33:16]  ⁹⁰⁶ sn See W. Brueggemann, “The Crisis and Promise of Presence in Israel,” HBT 1 (1979): 47-86; and N. M. Waldman, “God’s Ways – A Comparative Note,” JQR 70 (1979): 67-70.

[33:17]  ⁹⁰⁷ tn The verb in this place is a preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive, judging from the pointing. It then follows in sequence the verb “you have found favor,” meaning you stand in that favor, and so it means “I have known you” and still do (equal to the present perfect). The emphasis, however, is on the results of the action, and so “I know you.”

[33:18]  ⁹⁰⁸ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:18]  ⁹⁰⁹ sn Moses now wanted to see the glory of Yahweh, more than what he had already seen and experienced. He wanted to see God in all his majesty. The LXX chose to translate this without a word for “glory” or “honor”; instead they used the pronoun seautou, “yourself” – show me the real You. God tells him that he cannot see it fully, but in part. It will be enough for Moses to disclose to him the reality of the divine presence as well as God’s moral nature. It would be impossible for Moses to comprehend all of the nature of God, for there is a boundary between God and man. But God would let him see his goodness, the sum of his nature, pass by in a flash. B. Jacob (Exodus, 972) says that the glory refers to God’s majesty, might, and glory, as manifested in nature, in his providence, his laws, and his judgments. He adds that this glory should and would be made visible to man – that was its purpose in the world.

[33:19]  ⁹¹⁰ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:19]  ⁹¹¹ sn The word “goodness” refers to the divine appearance in summary fashion.

[33:19]  ⁹¹² tn The expression “make proclamation in the name of Yahweh” (here a perfect tense with vav [ו] consecutive for future) means to declare, reveal, or otherwise make proclamation of who Yahweh is. The “name of Yahweh” (rendered “the name of the Lord” throughout) refers to his divine attributes revealed to his people, either in word or deed. What will be focused on first will be his grace and compassion.

[33:19]  ⁹¹³ sn God declares his mercy and grace in similar terms to his earlier self-revelation (“I am that I am”): “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, the grace and mercy of God are bound up in his own will. Obviously, in this passage the recipients of that favor are the penitent Israelites who were forgiven through Moses’ intercession. The two words are at the heart of God’s dealings with people. The first is חָנַן (khanan, “to be gracious, show favor”). It means to grant favor or grace to someone, grace meaning unmerited favor. All of God’s dealings are gracious, but especially in forgiving sins and granting salvation it is critical. Parallel to this is רָחַם (rakham), a word that means “show compassion, tender mercy.” It is a word that is related to the noun “womb,” the connection being in providing care and protection for that which is helpless and dependent – a motherly quality. In both of these constructions the verbs simply express what God will do, without explaining why. See further, J. R. Lundbom, “God’s Use of the Idem per idem to Terminate Debate,” HTR 71 (1978): 193-201; and J. Piper, “Prolegomena to Understanding Romans 9:14-15: An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19,” JETS 22 (1979): 203-16.

[33:20]  ⁹¹⁴ tn In view of the use of the verb “can, be able to” in the first clause, this imperfect tense is given a potential nuance.

[33:20]  ⁹¹⁵ tn Gesenius notes that sometimes a negative statement takes the place of a conditional clause; here it is equal to “if a man sees me he does not live” (GKC 498 §159.gg). The other passages that teach this are Gen 32:30; Deut 4:33, 5:24, 26; Judg 6:22, 13:22, and Isa 6:5.

[33:21]  ⁹¹⁶ tn The deictic particle is used here simply to call attention to a place of God’s knowing and choosing.

[33:21]  ⁹¹⁷ tn Heb “and you will,” or interpretively, “where you will.”

[33:22]  ⁹¹⁸ sn Note the use in Exod 40:3, “and you will screen the ark with the curtain.” The glory is covered, veiled from being seen.

[33:22]  ⁹¹⁹ tn The circumstantial clause is simply, “my hand [being] over you.” This protecting hand of Yahweh represents a fairly common theme in the Bible.

[33:22]  ⁹²⁰ tn The construction has a preposition with an infinitive construct and a suffix: “while [or until] I pass by” (Heb “in the passing by of me”).

[33:23]  ⁹²¹ tn The plural “my backs” is according to Gesenius an extension plural (compare “face,” a dual in Hebrew). The word denotes a locality in general, but that is composed of numerous parts (see GKC 397 §124.b). W. C. Kaiser says that since God is a spirit, the meaning of this word could just as easily be rendered “after effects” of his presence (“Exodus,” EBC 2:484). As S. R. Driver says, though, while this may indicate just the “afterglow” that he leaves behind him, it was enough to suggest what the full brilliancy of his presence must be (Exodus, 363; see also Job 26:14).

[33:23]  ⁹²² tn The Niphal imperfect could simply be rendered “will not be seen,” but given the emphasis of the preceding verses, it is more binding than that, and so a negated obligatory imperfect fits better: “it must not be seen.” It would also be possible to render it with a potential imperfect tense: “it cannot be seen.”

[34:1]  ⁹²³ sn The restoration of the faltering community continues in this chapter. First, Moses is instructed to make new tablets and take them to the mountain (1-4). Then, through the promised theophany God proclaims his moral character (5-8). Moses responds with the reiteration of the intercession (8), and God responds with the renewal of the covenant (10-28). To put these into expository form, as principles, the chapter would run as follows: I. God provides for spiritual renewal (1-4), II. God reminds people of his moral standard (5-9), III. God renews his covenant promises and stipulations (10-28).

[34:1]  ⁹²⁴ tn The imperative is followed by the preposition with a suffix expressing the ethical dative; it strengthens the instruction for Moses. Interestingly, the verb “cut out, chisel, hew,” is the same verb from which the word for a “graven image” is derived – פָּסַל (pasal).

[34:1]  ⁹²⁵ tn The perfect tense with vav consecutive makes the value of this verb equal to an imperfect tense, probably a simple future here.

[34:2]  ⁹²⁶ tn The form is a Niphal participle that means “be prepared, be ready.” This probably means that Moses was to do in preparation what the congregation had to do back in Exod 19:11-15.

[34:2]  ⁹²⁷ sn The same word is used in Exod 33:21. It is as if Moses was to be at his post when Yahweh wanted to communicate to him.

[34:4]  ⁹²⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified here and the name “Moses,” which occurs later in this verse, has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”), both for stylistic reasons.

[34:4]  ⁹²⁹ sn Deuteronomy says that Moses was also to make an ark of acacia wood before the tablets, apparently to put the tablets in until the sanctuary was built. But this ark may not have been the ark built later; or, it might be the wood box, but Bezalel still had to do all the golden work with it.

[34:4]  ⁹³⁰ tn The line reads “and Moses got up early in the morning and went up.” These verbs likely form a verbal hendiadys, the first one with its prepositional phrase serving in an adverbial sense.

[34:5]  ⁹³¹ tn Some commentaries wish to make Moses the subject of the second and the third verbs, the first because he was told to stand there and this verb suggests he did it, and the last because it sounds like he was worshiping Yahweh (cf. NASB). But it is clear from v. 6 that Yahweh was the subject of the last clause of v. 5 – v. 6 tells how he did it. So if Yahweh is the subject of the first and last clauses of v. 5, it seems simpler that he also be the subject of the second. Moses took his stand there, but God stood by him (B. Jacob, Exodus, 981; U. Cassuto, Exodus, 439). There is no reason to make Moses the subject in any of the verbs of v. 5.

[34:6]  ⁹³² tn Here is one of the clearest examples of what it means “to call on the name of the Lord,” as that clause has been translated traditionally (וַיִּקְרָא בְשֵׁם יְהוָה, vayyiqra’ vÿshem yÿhvah). It seems more likely that it means “to make proclamation of Yahweh by name.” Yahweh came down and made a proclamation – and the next verses give the content of what he said. This cannot be prayer or praise; it is a proclamation of the nature or attributes of God (which is what his “name” means throughout the Bible). Attempts to make Moses the subject of the verb are awkward, for the verb is repeated in v. 6 with Yahweh clearly doing the proclaiming.

[34:6]  ⁹³³ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 439) suggests that these two names be written as a sentence: “Yahweh, He is Yahweh.” In this manner it reflects “I am that I am.” It is impossible to define his name in any other way than to make this affirmation and then show what it means.

[34:6]  ⁹³⁴ tn See Exod 33:19.

[34:6]  ⁹³⁵ sn This is literally “long of anger.” His anger prolongs itself, allowing for people to repent before punishment is inflicted.

[34:6]  ⁹³⁶ sn These two words (“loyal love” and “truth”) are often found together, occasionally in a hendiadys construction. If that is the interpretation here, then it means “faithful covenant love.” Even if they are left separate, they are dual elements of a single quality. The first word is God’s faithful covenant love; the second word is God’s reliability and faithfulness.

[34:7]  ⁹³⁷ tn That is, “for thousands of generations.”

[34:7]  ⁹³⁸ sn As in the ten commandments (20:5-6), this expression shows that the iniquity and its punishment will continue in the family if left unchecked. This does not go on as long as the outcomes for good (thousands versus third or fourth generations), and it is limited to those who hate God.

[34:8]  ⁹³⁹ tn The first two verbs form a hendiadys: “he hurried…he bowed,” meaning “he quickly bowed down.”

[34:9]  ⁹⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” two times here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[34:9]  ⁹⁴¹ tn Heb “it is.” Hebrew uses the third person masculine singular pronoun here in agreement with the noun “people.”

[34:10]  ⁹⁴² tn Here again is a use of the futur instans participle; the deictic particle plus the pronoun precedes the participle, showing what is about to happen.

[34:10]  ⁹⁴³ tn The verb here is בָּרָא (bara’, “to create”). The choice of this verb is to stress that these wonders would be supernaturally performed, for the verb is used only with God as the subject.

[34:10]  ⁹⁴⁴ sn The idea is that God will be doing awesome things in dealing with them, i.e., to fulfill his program.

[34:11]  ⁹⁴⁵ tn The covenant duties begin with this command to “keep well” what is being commanded. The Hebrew expression is “keep for you”; the preposition and the suffix form the ethical dative, adding strength to the imperative.

[34:11]  ⁹⁴⁶ tn Again, this is the futur instans use of the participle.

[34:12]  ⁹⁴⁷ tn The exact expression is “take heed to yourself lest you make.” It is the second use of this verb in the duties, now in the Niphal stem. To take heed to yourself means to watch yourself, be sure not to do something. Here, if they failed to do this, they would end up making entangling treaties.

[34:12]  ⁹⁴⁸ sn A snare would be a trap, an allurement to ruin. See Exod 23:33.

[34:13]  ⁹⁴⁹ tn Or “images of Asherah”; ASV, NASB “their Asherim”; NCV “their Asherah idols.”

[34:14]  ⁹⁵⁰ tn Heb “bow down.”

[34:14]  ⁹⁵¹ sn In Exod 20:3 it was “gods.”

[34:14]  ⁹⁵² sn Here, too, the emphasis on God’s being a jealous God is repeated (see Exod 20:5). The use of “name” here is to stress that this is his nature, his character.

[34:15]  ⁹⁵³ tn The sentence begins simply “lest you make a covenant”; it is undoubtedly a continuation of the imperative introduced earlier, and so that is supplied here.

[34:15]  ⁹⁵⁴ tn The verb is a perfect with a vav consecutive. In the literal form of the sentence, this clause tells what might happen if the people made a covenant with the inhabitants of the land: “Take heed…lest you make a covenant…and then they prostitute themselves…and sacrifice…and invite…and you eat.” The sequence lays out an entire scenario.

[34:15]  ⁹⁵⁵ tn The verb זָנָה (zanah) means “to play the prostitute; to commit whoredom; to be a harlot” or something similar. It is used here and elsewhere in the Bible for departing from pure religion and engaging in pagan religion. The use of the word in this figurative sense is fitting, because the relationship between God and his people is pictured as a marriage, and to be unfaithful to it was a sin. This is also why God is described as a “jealous” or “impassioned” God. The figure may not be merely a metaphorical use, but perhaps a metonymy, since there actually was sexual immorality at the Canaanite altars and poles.

[34:15]  ⁹⁵⁶ tn There is no subject for the verb. It could be rendered “and one invites you,” or it could be made a passive.

[34:16]  ⁹⁵⁷ tn In the construction this verb would follow as a possible outcome of the last event, and so remain in the verbal sequence. If the people participate in the festivals of the land, then they will intermarry, and that could lead to further involvement with idolatry.

[34:18]  ⁹⁵⁸ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[34:18]  ⁹⁵⁹ tn The words “do this” have been supplied.

[34:19]  ⁹⁶⁰ tn Heb “everything that opens the womb.”

[34:19]  ⁹⁶¹ tn Here too: everything that “opens [the womb].”

[34:19]  ⁹⁶² tn The verb basically means “that drops a male.” The verb is feminine, referring to the cattle.

[34:20]  ⁹⁶³ tn Heb “and the one that opens [the womb of] the donkey.”

[34:20]  ⁹⁶⁴ sn See G. Brin, “The Firstling of Unclean Animals,” JQR 68 (1971): 1-15.

[34:20]  ⁹⁶⁵ tn The form is the adverb “empty.”

[34:21]  ⁹⁶⁶ tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[34:21]  ⁹⁶⁷ tn Or “cease” (i.e., from the labors).

[34:21]  ⁹⁶⁸ sn See M. Dahood, “Vocative lamed in Exodus 2,4 and Merismus in 34,21,” Bib 62 (1981): 413-15.

[34:21]  ⁹⁶⁹ tn The imperfect tense expresses injunction or instruction.

[34:22]  ⁹⁷⁰ tn The imperfect tense means “you will do”; it is followed by the preposition with a suffix to express the ethical dative to stress the subject.

[34:22]  ⁹⁷¹ tn The expression is “the turn of the year,” which is parallel to “the going out of the year,” and means the end of the agricultural season.

[34:23]  ⁹⁷² tn “Three times” is an adverbial accusative.

[34:23]  ⁹⁷³ tn Heb “all your males.”

[34:23]  ⁹⁷⁴ tn Here the divine name reads in Hebrew הָאָדֹן יְהוָה (ha’adon yÿhvah), which if rendered according to the traditional scheme of “Lord” for “Yahweh” would result in “Lord Lord.” A number of English versions therefore render this phrase “Lord God,” and that convention has been followed here.

[34:24]  ⁹⁷⁵ tn The verb is a Hiphil imperfect of יָרַשׁ (yarash), which means “to possess.” In the causative stem it can mean “dispossess” or “drive out.”

[34:24]  ⁹⁷⁶ sn The verb “covet” means more than desire; it means that some action will be taken to try to acquire the land that is being coveted. It is one thing to envy someone for their land; it is another to be consumed by the desire that stops at nothing to get it (it, not something like it).

[34:24]  ⁹⁷⁷ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffixed subject to form the temporal clause.

[34:24]  ⁹⁷⁸ tn The expression “three times” is an adverbial accusative of time.

[34:25]  ⁹⁷⁹ sn See M. Haran, “The Passover Sacrifice,” Studies in the Religion of Ancient Israel (VTSup), 86-116.

[34:26]  ⁹⁸⁰ sn See the note on this same command in 23:19.

[34:27]  ⁹⁸¹ tn Once again the preposition with the suffix follows the imperative, adding some emphasis to the subject of the verb.

[34:28]  ⁹⁸² tn These too are adverbial in relation to the main clause, telling how long Moses was with Yahweh on the mountain.

[34:28]  ⁹⁸³ tn Heb “the ten words,” though “commandments” is traditional.

[34:29]  ⁹⁸⁴ sn Now, at the culmination of the renewing of the covenant, comes the account of Moses’ shining face. It is important to read this in its context first, holding off on the connection to Paul’s discussion in 2 Corinthians. There is a delicate balance here in Exodus. On the one hand Moses’ shining face served to authenticate the message, but on the other hand Moses prevented the people from seeing more than they could handle. The subject matter in the OT, then, is how to authenticate the message. The section again can be subdivided into three points that develop the whole idea: I. The one who spends time with God reflects his glory (29-30). It will not always be as Moses; rather, the glory of the Lord is reflected differently today, but nonetheless reflected. II. The glory of Yahweh authenticates the message (31-32). III. The authentication of the message must be used cautiously with the weak and immature (33-35).

[34:29]  ⁹⁸⁵ tn The temporal clause is composed of the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), followed by the temporal preposition, infinitive construct, and subjective genitive (“Moses”).

[34:29]  ⁹⁸⁶ tn The second clause begins with “and/now”; it is a circumstantial clause explaining that the tablets were in his hand. It repeats the temporal clause at the end.

[34:29]  ⁹⁸⁷ tn Heb “in the hand of Moses.”

[34:29]  ⁹⁸⁸ tn The temporal clause parallels the first temporal clause; it uses the same infinitive construct, but now with a suffix referring to Moses.

[34:29]  ⁹⁸⁹ tn Heb “and Moses.”

[34:29]  ⁹⁹⁰ tn The word קָרַן (qaran) is derived from the noun קֶרֶן (qeren) in the sense of a “ray of light” (see Hab 3:4). Something of the divine glory remained with Moses. The Greek translation of Aquila and the Latin Vulgate convey the idea that he had horns, the primary meaning of the word from which this word is derived. Some have tried to defend this, saying that the glory appeared like horns or that Moses covered his face with a mask adorned with horns. But in the text the subject of the verb is the skin of Moses’ face (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 449).

[34:30]  ⁹⁹¹ tn This clause is introduced by the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh); it has the force of pointing to something surprising or sudden.

[34:33]  ⁹⁹² tn Heb “and Moses finished”; the clause is subordinated as a temporal clause to the next clause.

[34:33]  ⁹⁹³ tn The Piel infinitive construct is the object of the preposition; the whole phrase serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[34:33]  ⁹⁹⁴ tn Throughout this section the actions of Moses and the people are frequentative. The text tells what happened regularly.

[34:34]  ⁹⁹⁵ tn The construction uses a infinitive construct for the temporal clause; it is prefixed with the temporal preposition: “and in the going in of Moses.”

[34:34]  ⁹⁹⁶ tn The temporal clause begins with the temporal preposition “until,” followed by an infinitive construct with the suffixed subjective genitive.

[34:34]  ⁹⁹⁷ tn The form is the Pual imperfect, but since the context demands a past tense here, in fact a past perfect tense, this is probably an old preterite form without a vav consecutive.

[34:35]  ⁹⁹⁸ tn Now the perfect tense with vav consecutive is subordinated to the next clause, “Moses returned the veil….”

[34:35]  ⁹⁹⁹ tn Verbs of seeing often take two accusatives. Here, the second is the noun clause explaining what it was about the face that they saw.

[34:35]  ¹⁰⁰⁰ tn Heb “with him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:1]  ¹⁰⁰¹ tn Heb “to do them”; this is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[35:2]  ¹⁰⁰² tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.

[35:2]  ¹⁰⁰³ tn The word is קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holiness”). S. R. Driver suggests that the word was transposed, and the line should read: “a sabbath of entire rest, holy to Jehovah” (Exodus, 379). But the word may simply be taken as a substitution for “holy day.”

[35:2]  ¹⁰⁰⁴ sn See on this H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of the Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-6; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the Old Testament and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-43.

[35:3]  ¹⁰⁰⁵ sn Kindling a fire receives special attention here because the people thought that kindling a fire was not work, but only a preparation for some kind of work. The Law makes sure that this too was not done. But see also G. Robinson, “The Prohibition of Strange Fire in Ancient Israel: A Look at the Case of Gathering Wood and Kindling Fire on the Sabbath,” VT 28 (1978): 301-17.

[35:3]  ¹⁰⁰⁶ tn Heb “dwelling places”; KJV, ASV “habitations.”

[35:3]  ¹⁰⁰⁷ sn The presence of these three verses in this place has raised all kinds of questions. It may be that after the renewal of the covenant the people needed a reminder to obey God, and obeying the sign of the covenant was the starting point. But there is more to it than this; it is part of the narrative design of the book. It is the artistic design that puts the filling of the Spirit section (31:1-11) prior to the Sabbath laws (31:12-18) before the idolatry section, and then after the renewal there is the Sabbath reminder (35:1-3) before the filling of the Spirit material (35:4-36:7).

[35:4]  ¹⁰⁰⁸ sn The book now turns to record how all the work of the sanctuary was done. This next unit picks up on the ideas in Exod 31:1-11. But it adds several features. The first part is the instruction of God for all people to give willingly (35:4-19); the next section tells how the faithful brought an offering for the service of the tabernacle (35:20-29); the next section tells how God set some apart with special gifts (35:30-35), and finally, the narrative reports how the faithful people of God enthusiastically began the work (36:1-7).

[35:5]  ¹⁰⁰⁹ tn Heb “from with you.”

[35:5]  ¹⁰¹⁰ tn “Heart” is a genitive of specification, clarifying in what way they might be “willing.” The heart refers to their will, their choices.

[35:5]  ¹⁰¹¹ tn The verb has a suffix that is the direct object, but the suffixed object is qualified by the second accusative: “let him bring it, an offering.”

[35:5]  ¹⁰¹² tn The phrase is literally “the offering of Yahweh”; it could be a simple possessive, “Yahweh’s offering,” but a genitive that indicates the indirect object is more appropriate.

[35:7]  ¹⁰¹³ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[35:9]  ¹⁰¹⁴ tn Heb “and stones.”

[35:9]  ¹⁰¹⁵ tn Heb “filling.”

[35:10]  ¹⁰¹⁶ tn Heb “wise of heart”; here also “heart” would be a genitive of specification, showing that there were those who could make skillful decisions.

[35:11]  ¹⁰¹⁷ tn In Hebrew style all these items are typically connected with a vav (ו) conjunction, but English typically uses commas except between the last two items in a series or between items in a series that are somehow related to one another. The present translation follows contemporary English style in lists such as this.

[35:14]  ¹⁰¹⁸ tn “for” has been supplied.

[35:21]  ¹⁰¹⁹ tn Heb “man.”

[35:21]  ¹⁰²⁰ tn The verb means “lift up, bear, carry.” Here the subject is “heart” or will, and so the expression describes one moved within to act.

[35:21]  ¹⁰²¹ tn Heb “his spirit made him willing.” The verb is used in Scripture for the freewill offering that people brought (Lev 7).

[35:21]  ¹⁰²² tn Literally “the garments of holiness,” the genitive is the attributive genitive, marking out what type of garments these were.

[35:22]  ¹⁰²³ tn The expression in Hebrew is “men on/after the women,” meaning men with women, to ensure that it was clear that the preceding verse did not mean only men. B. Jacob takes it further, saying that the men came after the women because the latter had taken the initiative (Exodus, 1017).

[35:22]  ¹⁰²⁴ tn Heb “all gold utensils.”

[35:22]  ¹⁰²⁵ tn The verb could be translated “offered,” but it is cognate with the following noun that is the wave offering. This sentence underscores the freewill nature of the offerings people made. The word “came” is supplied from v. 21 and v. 22.

[35:23]  ¹⁰²⁶ tn The text uses a relative clause with a resumptive pronoun for this: “who was found with him,” meaning “with whom was found.”

[35:23]  ¹⁰²⁷ tn The conjunction in this verse is translated “or” because the sentence does not intend to say that each person had all these things. They brought what they had.

[35:23]  ¹⁰²⁸ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[35:23]  ¹⁰²⁹ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[35:24]  ¹⁰³⁰ tn This translation takes “offering” as an adverbial accusative explaining the form or purpose of their bringing things. It could also be rendered as the direct object, but that would seem to repeat without much difference what had just been said.

[35:24]  ¹⁰³¹ sn U. Cassuto notes that the expression “with whom was found” does not rule out the idea that these folks went out and cut down acacia trees (Exodus, 458). It is unlikely that they had much wood in their tents.

[35:24]  ¹⁰³² tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[35:25]  ¹⁰³³ tn Heb “wisdom of heart,” which means that they were skilled and could make all the right choices about the work.

[35:26]  ¹⁰³⁴ tn The text simply uses a prepositional phrase, “with/in wisdom.” It seems to be qualifying “the women” as the relative clause is.

[35:27]  ¹⁰³⁵ tn Heb “and stones of the filling.”

[35:29]  ¹⁰³⁶ tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[35:29]  ¹⁰³⁷ tn Here “them” has been supplied.

[35:30]  ¹⁰³⁸ tn Heb “called by name” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). This expression means that the person was specifically chosen for some important task (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 342). See the expression with Cyrus in Isa 45:3-4.

[35:33]  ¹⁰³⁹ tn Heb “to set.”

[35:33]  ¹⁰⁴⁰ tn Heb “in every work of thought,” meaning, every work that required the implementation of design or plan.

[35:34]  ¹⁰⁴¹ sn The expression means that God has given them the ability and the desire to teach others how to do the work. The infinitive construct “to teach” is related to the word Torah, “instruction, guide, law.” They will be able to direct others in the work.

[35:35]  ¹⁰⁴² tn The expression “wisdom of heart,” or “wisdom in heart,” means artistic skill. The decisions and plans they make are skilled. The expression forms a second accusative after the verb of filling.

[35:35]  ¹⁰⁴³ tn The expression “all the work” means “all kinds of work.”

[35:35]  ¹⁰⁴⁴ tn Here “They are” has been supplied.

[35:35]  ¹⁰⁴⁵ tn Heb “doers of all work.”

[35:35]  ¹⁰⁴⁶ tn Heb “designers of designs.”

[36:1]  ¹⁰⁴⁷ tn Heb “wise of [in] heart.”

[36:1]  ¹⁰⁴⁸ tn Heb “wisdom.”

[36:1]  ¹⁰⁴⁹ tn Heb “understanding, discernment.”

[36:1]  ¹⁰⁵⁰ tn The relative clause includes this infinitive clause that expresses either the purpose or the result of God’s giving wisdom and understanding to these folk.

[36:1]  ¹⁰⁵¹ tn This noun is usually given an interpretive translation. B. Jacob renders the bound relationship as “the holy task” or “the sacred task” (Exodus, 1019). The NIV makes it “constructing,” so read “the work of constructing the sanctuary.”

[36:1]  ¹⁰⁵² tn The first word of the verse is a perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it is singular because it agrees with the first of the compound subject. The sentence is a little cumbersome because of the extended relative clause in the middle.

[36:2]  ¹⁰⁵³ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) plus the preposition “to” – “to call to” someone means “to summon” that person.

[36:2]  ¹⁰⁵⁴ tn Here there is a slight change: “in whose heart Yahweh had put skill.”

[36:2]  ¹⁰⁵⁵ tn Or “whose heart was willing.”

[36:2]  ¹⁰⁵⁶ sn The verb means more than “approach” or “draw near”; קָרַב (qarav) is the word used for drawing near the altar as in bringing an offering. Here they offer themselves, their talents and their time.

[36:3]  ¹⁰⁵⁷ tn In the Hebrew text the infinitive “to do it” comes after “sanctuary”; it makes a smoother rendering in English to move it forward, rather than reading “brought for the work.”

[36:3]  ¹⁰⁵⁸ tn Heb “in the morning, in the morning.”

[36:4]  ¹⁰⁵⁹ tn Heb “a man, a man from his work”; or “each one from his work.”

[36:5]  ¹⁰⁶⁰ tn The construction uses the verbal hendiadys: מַרְבִּים לְהָבִיא (marbim lÿhavi’) is the Hiphil participle followed (after the subject) by the Hiphil infinitive construct. It would read, “they multiply…to bring,” meaning, “they bring more” than is needed.

[36:5]  ¹⁰⁶¹ tn Heb “for the service” (so KJV, ASV).

[36:5]  ¹⁰⁶² tn The last clause is merely the infinitive with an object – “to do it.” It clearly means the skilled workers are to do it.

[36:6]  ¹⁰⁶³ tn The verse simply reads, “and Moses commanded and they caused [a voice] to cross over in the camp.” The second preterite with the vav may be subordinated to the first clause, giving the intent (purpose or result).

[36:6]  ¹⁰⁶⁴ tn Heb “voice.”

[36:6]  ¹⁰⁶⁵ tn The verse ends with the infinitive serving as the object of the preposition: “from bringing.”

[36:7]  ¹⁰⁶⁶ tn This part of the sentence comes from the final verb, the Hiphil infinitive – leave over, meaning, have more than enough (see BDB 451 s.v. יָתַר).

[36:7]  ¹⁰⁶⁷ tn Heb “for all the work, to do it.”

[36:10]  ¹⁰⁶⁸ tn The verb is singular since it probably is referring to Bezalel, but since he would not do all the work himself, it may be that the verbs could be given a plural subject: “they joined.”

[36:10]  ¹⁰⁶⁹ tn The words “the other” have been supplied.

[36:13]  ¹⁰⁷⁰ tn Heb “one.”

[36:14]  ¹⁰⁷¹ tn Heb “eleven curtains he made them.”

[36:18]  ¹⁰⁷² tn The construction uses the infinitive construct from the verb “to be” to express this purpose clause: “to be one,” or, “so that it might be a unit.”

[36:19]  ¹⁰⁷³ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[36:20]  ¹⁰⁷⁴ tn There is debate whether the word הַקְּרָשִׁים (haqqÿrashim) means “boards” or “frames” or “planks” (see Ezek 27:6) or “beams,” given the size of them. The literature on this includes M. Haran, “The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle,” HUCA 36 (1965): 192; B. A. Levine, “The Description of the Tabernacle Texts of the Pentateuch,” JAOS 85 (1965): 307-18; J. Morgenstern, “The Ark, the Ephod, and the Tent,” HUCA 17 (1942/43): 153-265; 18 (1943/44): 1-52.

[36:20]  ¹⁰⁷⁵ tn “Wood” is an adverbial accusative.

[36:20]  ¹⁰⁷⁶ tn The plural participle “standing” refers to how these items will be situated; they will be vertical rather than horizontal (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 354).

[36:21]  ¹⁰⁷⁷ tn Heb “the frame.”

[36:21]  ¹⁰⁷⁸ tn Heb “the one.”

[36:22]  ¹⁰⁷⁹ tn Heb “two hands to the one frame.”

[36:22]  ¹⁰⁸⁰ tn Heb “joined one to one.”

[36:24]  ¹⁰⁸¹ tn The clause is repeated to show the distributive sense; it literally says, “and two bases under the one frame for its two projections.”

[36:26]  ¹⁰⁸² tn Heb “under the one frame” again.

[36:29]  ¹⁰⁸³ tn This is the last phrase of the verse, moved forward for clarity.

[36:29]  ¹⁰⁸⁴ tn This difficult verse uses the perfect tense at the beginning, and the second clause parallels it with יִהְיוּ (yihyu), which has to be taken here as a preterite without the consecutive vav (ו). The predicate “finished” or “completed” is the word תָּמִּים (tammim); it normally means “complete, sound, whole,” and related words describe the sacrifices as without blemish.

[36:34]  ¹⁰⁸⁵ tn Literally “houses”; i.e., places to hold the bars.

[36:35]  ¹⁰⁸⁶ tn The verb is simply “he made” but as in Exod 26:31 it probably means that the cherubim were worked into the curtain with the yarn, and so embroidered on the curtain.

[36:36]  ¹⁰⁸⁷ tn Heb “and their hooks gold.”

[36:38]  ¹⁰⁸⁸ tn The word is “their heads”; technically it would be “their capitals” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV). The bands were bands of metal surrounding these capitals just beneath them. These are not mentioned in Exod 26:37, and it sounds like the posts are to be covered with gold. But the gradation of metals is what is intended: the posts at the entrance to the Most Holy Place are all of gold; the posts at the entrance to the tent are overlaid with gold at the top; and the posts at the entrance to the courtyard are overlaid with silver at the top (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 387, citing Dillmann without reference).

[36:38]  ¹⁰⁸⁹ sn For a good summary of the differences between the instruction section and the completion section, and the reasons for the changes and the omissions, see B. Jacob, Exodus, 1022-23.

[37:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁰ tn Or “molding.”

[37:3]  ¹⁰⁹¹ tn “that he put” has been supplied.

[37:3]  ¹⁰⁹² tn This is taken as a circumstantial clause; the clause begins with the conjunction vav.

[37:6]  ¹⁰⁹³ tn Heb “and he made.”

[37:8]  ¹⁰⁹⁴ tn Heb “from/at [the] end, from this.”

[37:8]  ¹⁰⁹⁵ tn The repetition of the expression indicates it has the distributive sense.

[37:9]  ¹⁰⁹⁶ tn The construction is a participle in construct followed by the genitive “wings” – “spreaders of wings.”

[37:9]  ¹⁰⁹⁷ tn “The cherubim” has been placed here instead of in the second clause to produce a smoother translation.

[37:9]  ¹⁰⁹⁸ tn Heb “and their faces a man to his brother.”

[37:9]  ¹⁰⁹⁹ tn Heb “to the atonement lid were the faces of the cherubim.”

[37:16]  ¹¹⁰⁰ tn The suffixes on these could also indicate the indirect object (see Exod 25:29).

[37:17]  ¹¹⁰¹ tn Heb “from it”; the referent (“the same piece” of wrought metal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:19]  ¹¹⁰² tn Heb “the one branch.” But the repetition of “one…one” means here one after another, or the “first” and then the “next.”

[37:19]  ¹¹⁰³ tn Heb “thus for six branches….”

[37:21]  ¹¹⁰⁴ tn As in Exod 26:35, the translation of “first” and “next” and “third” is interpretive, because the text simply says “under two branches” in each of three places.

[37:22]  ¹¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “were from it.”

[37:24]  ¹¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the lampstand) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:25]  ¹¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “from it were its horns,” meaning that they were made from the same piece.

[37:26]  ¹¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “roof.”

[37:26]  ¹¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “its walls around.”

[37:26]  ¹¹¹⁰ tn Heb “and he made for it border gold around.”

[37:27]  ¹¹¹¹ tn Heb “and he made.”

[37:27]  ¹¹¹² sn Since it was a small altar, it needed only two rings, one on either side, in order to be carried. The second mention of their location clarifies that they should be on the sides, the right and the left, as one approached the altar.

[37:27]  ¹¹¹³ tn Heb “for houses.”

[38:2]  ¹¹¹⁴ tn Heb “its horns were from it,” meaning from the same piece.

[38:7]  ¹¹¹⁵ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the altar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:8]  ¹¹¹⁶ sn The word for “serve” is not the ordinary one. It means “to serve in a host,” especially in a war. It appears that women were organized into bands and served at the tent of meeting. S. R. Driver thinks that this meant “no doubt” washing, cleaning, or repairing (Exodus, 391). But there is no hint of that (see 1 Sam 2:22; and see Ps 68:11 [12 Hebrew text]). They seem to have had more to do than what Driver said.

[38:9]  ¹¹¹⁷ tn Heb “south side southward.”

[38:10]  ¹¹¹⁸ tn While this verse could be translated as an independent sentence, it is probably to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause in line with Exod 27:10-12, as well as v. 12 of this passage.

[38:11]  ¹¹¹⁹ tn Here the phrase “the hangings were” has been supplied.

[38:12]  ¹¹²⁰ tn The phrase “there were” has been supplied.

[38:12]  ¹¹²¹ tn The text simply has “their posts ten and their bases ten”; this may be added here as a circumstantial clause with the main sentence in order to make sense out of the construction.

[38:13]  ¹¹²² tn The text simply says “seventy-five feet.”

[38:14]  ¹¹²³ tn The word literally means “shoulder.” The next words, “of the gate,” have been supplied here. The east end contained the courtyard’s entry with a wall of curtains on each side of the entry (see v. 15).

[38:15]  ¹¹²⁴ tn Heb “from this and from this” (cf, 17:12; 25:19; 26:13; 32:15; Josh 8:22, 33; 1 Kgs 10:19-20; Ezek 45:7).

[38:17]  ¹¹²⁵ tn Heb “they were banded with silver.”

[38:18]  ¹¹²⁶ tn This word is different from the word for hangings; it has more of the idea of a screen, shielding or securing the area.

[38:21]  ¹¹²⁷ tn The Hebrew word is פְּקוּדֵי (pÿqude), which in a slavishly literal way would be “visitations of” the tabernacle. But the word often has the idea of “numbering” or “appointing” as well. Here it is an accounting or enumeration of the materials that people brought, so the contemporary term “inventory” is a close approximation. By using this Hebrew word there is also the indication that whatever was given, i.e., appointed for the tabernacle, was changed forever in its use. This is consistent with this Hebrew root, which does have a sense of changing the destiny of someone (“God will surely visit you”). The list in this section will also be tied to the numbering of the people.

[38:21]  ¹¹²⁸ tn The same verb is used here, but now in the Pual perfect tense, third masculine singular. A translation “was numbered” or “was counted” works. The verb is singular because it refers to the tabernacle as a unit. This section will list what made up the tabernacle.

[38:21]  ¹¹²⁹ tn Heb “at/by the mouth of.”

[38:21]  ¹¹³⁰ tn The noun is “work” or “service.” S. R. Driver explains that the reckonings were not made for the Levites, but that they were the work of the Levites, done by them under the direction of Ithamar (Exodus, 393).

[38:21]  ¹¹³¹ tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[38:24]  ¹¹³² tn These words form the casus pendens, or independent nominative absolute, followed by the apodosis beginning with the vav (ו; see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 469).

[38:24]  ¹¹³³ tn Heb “and it was.”

[38:24]  ¹¹³⁴ sn There were 3000 shekels in a talent, and so the total weight here in shekels would be 87,730 shekels of gold. If the sanctuary shekel was 224 grs., then this was about 40,940 oz. troy. This is estimated to be a little over a ton (cf. NCV “over 2,000 pounds”; TEV “a thousand kilogrammes”; CEV “two thousand two hundred nine pounds”; NLT “about 2,200 pounds”), although other widely diverging estimates are also given.

[38:25]  ¹¹³⁵ sn This would be a total of 301,775 shekels (about 140,828 oz), being a half shekel exacted per person from 605,550 male Israelites 20 years old or more (Num 1:46). The amount is estimated to be around 3.75 tons.

[38:26]  ¹¹³⁶ sn The weight would be about half an ounce.

[38:26]  ¹¹³⁷ tn Heb “upward.”

[38:26]  ¹¹³⁸ tn The phrase “in all” has been supplied.

[38:28]  ¹¹³⁹ tn Here the word “shekels” is understood; about 45 pounds.

[38:29]  ¹¹⁴⁰ sn The total shekels would have been 212,400 shekels, which would be about 108,749 oz. This would make about 2.5 to 3 tons.

[38:31]  ¹¹⁴¹ sn The bronze altar is the altar for the burnt offering; the large bronze basin is not included here in the list.

[39:1]  ¹¹⁴² sn This chapter also will be almost identical to the instructions given earlier, with a few changes along the way.

[39:3]  ¹¹⁴³ tn The verb is the infinitive that means “to do, to work.” It could be given a literal rendering: “to work [them into] the blue….” Weaving or embroidering is probably what is intended.

[39:5]  ¹¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “from it” or the same.

[39:6]  ¹¹⁴⁵ tn Or “as seals are engraved.”

[39:6]  ¹¹⁴⁶ sn The twelve names were those of Israel’s sons. The idea was not the remembrance of the twelve sons as such, but the twelve tribes that bore their names.

[39:7]  ¹¹⁴⁷ tn Or “attached.”

[39:10]  ¹¹⁴⁸ tn That is, they set in mountings.

[39:14]  ¹¹⁴⁹ tn The phrase “the number of” has been supplied.

[39:16]  ¹¹⁵⁰ tn Here “upper” has been supplied.

[39:18]  ¹¹⁵¹ tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[39:19]  ¹¹⁵² tn Here “other” has been supplied.

[39:19]  ¹¹⁵³ tn Heb “homeward side.”

[39:20]  ¹¹⁵⁴ tn Here “more” has been supplied.

[39:24]  ¹¹⁵⁵ tn The word is simply “twined” or “twisted.” It may refer to the twisted linen that so frequently is found in these lists; or, it may refer to the yarn twisted. The LXX reads “fine twined linen.” This is not found in the text of Exod 28:33, except in Smr and LXX.

[39:26]  ¹¹⁵⁶ tn The words “there was” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:26]  ¹¹⁵⁷ tn The infinitive “to minister” is present; “to be used” is supplied from the context.

[39:32]  ¹¹⁵⁸ sn The last sections of the book bring several themes together to a full conclusion. Not only is it the completion of the tabernacle, it is the fulfillment of God’s plan revealed at the beginning of the book, i.e., to reside with his people.

[39:34]  ¹¹⁵⁹ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[39:34]  ¹¹⁶⁰ tn Or “shielding” (NIV); NASB “the screening veil.”

[39:37]  ¹¹⁶¹ tn Possibly meaning “pure gold lampstand.”

[39:40]  ¹¹⁶² tn Heb “utensils, vessels.”

[39:41]  ¹¹⁶³ tn The form is the infinitive construct; it means the clothes to be used “to minister” in the holy place.

[39:43]  ¹¹⁶⁴ tn Or “examined” (NASB, TEV); NCV “looked closely at.”

[39:43]  ¹¹⁶⁵ tn The deictic particle draws attention to what he saw in such a way as to give the reader Moses’ point of view and a sense of his pleasure: “and behold, they…”

[39:43]  ¹¹⁶⁶ sn The situation and wording in Exod 39:43 are reminiscent of Gen 1:28 and 31, with the motifs of blessing people and inspecting what has been made.

[40:1]  ¹¹⁶⁷ sn All of Exod 39:32-40:38 could be taken as a unit. The first section (39:32-43) shows that the Israelites had carefully and accurately completed the preparation and brought everything they had made to Moses: The work of the Lord builds on the faithful obedience of the people. In the second section are the instruction and the implementation (40:1-33): The work of the Lord progresses through the unifying of the work. The last part (40:34-38) may take the most attention: When the work was completed, the glory filled the tabernacle: By his glorious presence, the Lord blesses and directs his people in their worship.

[40:1]  ¹¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying.”

[40:2]  ¹¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “you will raise,” an imperfect of instruction.

[40:4]  ¹¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “and you will set in order its setting” or “arrange its arrangement.” See 25:29-30 for items that belonged on the table.

[40:5]  ¹¹⁷¹ tn Heb “give” (also four additional times in vv. 6-8).

[40:7]  ¹¹⁷² tn Heb “there.”

[40:9]  ¹¹⁷³ tn Heb “you will take” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:9]  ¹¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “and you will anoint” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:9]  ¹¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “and you will sanctify” (perfect with vav, ו).

[40:10]  ¹¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “and.”

[40:11]  ¹¹⁷⁷ sn U. Cassuto (Exodus, 480) notes that the items inside the tent did not need to be enumerated since they were already holy, but items in the courtyard needed special attention. People needed to know that items outside the tent were just as holy.

[40:12]  ¹¹⁷⁸ tn The verb is “bring near,” or “present,” to Yahweh.

[40:14]  ¹¹⁷⁹ tn The verb is also “bring near” or “present.”

[40:21]  ¹¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “set up,” if it includes more than the curtain.

[40:21]  ¹¹⁸¹ tn Or “shielding” (NIV); Heb “the veil of the covering” (cf. KJV).

[40:23]  ¹¹⁸² tn Heb uses a cognate accusative construction, “he arranged the arrangement.”

[40:30]  ¹¹⁸³ tn Heb “there.”

[40:32]  ¹¹⁸⁴ tn The construction is the infinitive construct with the temporal preposition and the suffixed subjective genitive. This temporal clause indicates that the verb in the preceding verse was frequentative.

[40:32]  ¹¹⁸⁵ tn This is another infinitive construct in a temporal clause.

[40:32]  ¹¹⁸⁶ tn In this explanatory verse the verb is a customary imperfect.

[40:36]  ¹¹⁸⁷ tn The construction uses the Niphal infinitive construct to form the temporal clause.

[40:36]  ¹¹⁸⁸ tn The imperfect tense in this context describes a customary action.

[40:37]  ¹¹⁸⁹ tn The clause uses the Niphal infinitive construct in the temporal clause: “until the day of its being taken up.”

[40:38]  ¹¹⁹⁰ tn Here is another imperfect tense of the customary nuance.

[40:38]  ¹¹⁹¹ tn Heb “to the eyes of all”; KJV, ASV, NASB “in the sight of all”; NRSV “before the eyes of all.”

[1:1]  ¹¹⁹² tn Heb “And he (the Lord) called (וַיִּקְרָא, vayyiqra’) to Moses and the Lord spoke (וַיְדַבֵּר, vayÿdabber) to him from the tent of meeting.” The MT assumes “Lord” in the first clause but places it in the second clause (after “spoke”). This is somewhat awkward, especially in terms of English style; most English versions reverse this and place “Lord” in the first clause (right after “called”). The Syriac version does the same.

[1:1]  ¹¹⁹³ sn The second clause of v. 1, “and the Lord spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying,” introduces the following discourse. This is a standard introductory formula (see, e.g., Exod 20:1; 25:1; 31:1; etc.). The combination of the first and second clauses is, therefore, “bulky” because of the way they happen to be juxtaposed in this transitional verse (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 8). The first clause of v. 1 connects the book back to the end of the Book of Exodus while the second looks forward the ritual legislation that follows in Lev 1:2ff. There are two “Tents of Meeting”: the one that stood outside the camp (see, e.g., Exod 33:7) and the one that stood in the midst of the camp (Exod 40:2; Num 2:2ff) and served as the Lord’s residence until the construction of the temple in the days of Solomon (Exod 27:21; 29:4; 1 Kgs 8:4; 2 Chr 5:5, etc.; cf. 2 Sam 7:6). Exod 40:35 uses both “tabernacle” and “tent of meeting” to refer to the same tent: “Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” It is clear that “tent of meeting” in Lev 1:1 refers to the “tabernacle.” The latter term refers to the tent as a “residence,” while the former refers to it as a divinely appointed place of “meeting” between God and man (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:873-77 and 2:1130-34). This corresponds to the change in terms in Exod 40:35, where “tent of meeting” is used when referring to Moses’ inability to enter the tent, but “tabernacle” when referring to the Lord taking up residence there in the form of the glory cloud. The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 1:2 through 3:17, and encompasses the burnt, grain, and peace offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 4:1; 5:14; and 6:1 [5:20 HT] below.

[1:2]  ¹¹⁹⁴ tn “When” here translates the MT’s כִּי (ki, “if, when”), which regularly introduces main clauses in legislative contexts (see, e.g., Lev 2:1, 4; 4:2, etc.) in contrast to אִם (’im, “if”), which usually introduces subordinate sections (see, e.g., Lev 1:3, 10, 14; 2:5, 7, 14; 4:3, 13, etc.; cf. כִּי in Exod 21:2 and 7 as opposed to אִם in vv. 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11).

[1:2]  ¹¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ’adam), which in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female, since women could also bring such offerings (see, e.g., Lev 12:6-8; 15:29-30; cf. HALOT 14 s.v. I אָדָם); cf. NIV “any of you.”

[1:2]  ¹¹⁹⁶ tn The verb “presents” is cognate to the noun “offering” in v. 2 and throughout the book of Leviticus (both from the root קרב [qrb]). One could translate the verb “offers,” but this becomes awkward and, in fact, inaccurate in some passages. For example, in Lev 9:9 this verb is used for the presenting or giving of the blood to Aaron so that he could offer it to the Lord. The blood is certainly not being “offered” as an offering to Aaron there.

[1:2]  ¹¹⁹⁷ tn The whole clause reads more literally, “A human being (אָדָם, ’adam), if he brings from among you an offering to the Lord.”

[1:2]  ¹¹⁹⁸ tn The shift to the second person plural verb here corresponds to the previous second person plural pronoun “among you.” It is distinct from the regular pattern of third person singular verbs throughout the rest of Lev 1-3. This too labels Lev 1:1-2 as an introduction to all of Lev 1-3, not just the burnt offering regulations in Lev 1 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:146; cf. note 3 above).

[1:2]  ¹¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “from the domesticated animal, from the herd, and from the flock.” It is clear from the subsequent division between animals from the “herd” (בָּקָר, baqar, in Lev 1:3-9) and the “flock” (צֹאן, tso’n; see Lev 1:10-13) that the term for “domesticated animal” (בְּהֵמָה, bÿhemah) is a general term meant to introduce the category of pastoral quadrupeds. The stronger disjunctive accent over בְּהֵמָה in the MT as well as the lack of a vav (ו) between it and בָּקָר also suggest בְּהֵמָה is an overall category that includes both “herd” and “flock” quadrupeds.

[1:3]  ¹²⁰⁰ sn The burnt offering (עֹלָה, ’olah) was basically a “a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord” (vv. 9, 13, 17). It could serve as a votive or freewill offering (e.g., Lev 22:18-20), an accompaniment of prayer and supplication (e.g., 1 Sam 7:9-10), part of the regular daily, weekly, monthly, and festival cultic pattern (e.g., Num 28-29), or to make atonement either alone (e.g., Lev 1:4; 16:24) or in combination with the grain offering (e.g., Lev 14:20) or sin offering (e.g., Lev 5:7; 9:7). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:996-1022.

[1:3]  ¹²⁰¹ tn Heb “door” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “doorway” (likewise throughout the book of Leviticus). The translation “door” or “doorway” may suggest a framed door in a casing to the modern reader, but here the term refers to the entrance to a tent.

[1:3]  ¹²⁰² tn The NIV correctly has “it” in the text, referring to the acceptance of the animal (cf., e.g., RSV, NEB, NLT), but “he” in the margin, referring to the acceptance of the offerer (cf. ASV, NASB, JB). The reference to a “flawless male” in the first half of this verse suggests that the issue here is the acceptability of the animal to make atonement on behalf of the offerer (Lev 1:4; cf. NRSV “for acceptance in your behalf”).

[1:4]  ¹²⁰³ tn “To make atonement” is the standard translation of the Hebrew term כִּפֶּר, (kipper); cf. however TEV “as a sacrifice to take away his sins” (CEV similar). The English word derives from a combination of “at” plus Middle English “one[ment],” referring primarily to reconciliation or reparation that is made in order to accomplish reconciliation. The primary meaning of the Hebrew verb, however, is “to wipe [something off (or on)]” (see esp. the goal of the sin offering, Lev 4, “to purge” the tabernacle from impurities), but in some cases it refers metaphorically to “wiping away” anything that might stand in the way of good relations by bringing a gift (see, e.g., Gen 32:20 [21 HT], “to appease; to pacify” as an illustration of this). The translation “make atonement” has been retained here because, ultimately, the goal of either purging or appeasing was to maintain a proper relationship between the Lord (who dwelt in the tabernacle) and Israelites in whose midst the tabernacle was pitched (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:689-710 for a full discussion of the Hebrew word meaning “to make atonement” and its theological significance).

[1:5]  ¹²⁰⁴ tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The LXX has “they” rather than “he,” suggesting that the priests, not the offerer, were to slaughter the bull (cf. the notes on vv. 6a and 9a).

[1:5]  ¹²⁰⁵ tn Heb “the son of the herd”; cf. KJV “bullock”; NASB, NIV “young bull.”

[1:5]  ¹²⁰⁶ tn “Splash” (cf. NAB) or “dash” (cf. NRSV) is better than “sprinkle,” which is the common English translation of this verb (זָרַק, zaraq; see, e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). “Sprinkle” is not strong enough (contrast נָזָה [nazah], which does indeed mean “to sprinkle” or “to splatter”; cf. Lev 4:6).

[1:6]  ¹²⁰⁷ tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The LXX and Smr have “they” rather than “he” in both halves of this verse, suggesting that the priests, not the offerer, were to skin and cut the carcass of the bull into pieces (cf. the notes on vv. 5a and 9a).

[1:7]  ¹²⁰⁸ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Onq. have plural “priests” here (cf. 1:5, 8) rather than the MT singular “priest” (cf. NAB). The singular “priest” would mean (1) Aaron, the (high) priest, or (2) the officiating priest, as in Lev 1:9 (cf. 6:10 [3 HT], etc.). “The sons of Aaron” is probably a textual corruption caused by conflation with Lev 1:5, 8 (cf. the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 13).

[1:8]  ¹²⁰⁹ tc A few Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Onq. have the conjunction “and” before “the head,” which would suggest the rendering “and the head and the suet” rather than the rendering of the MT here, “with the head and the suet.”

[1:8]  ¹²¹⁰ tn Heb “on the wood, which is on the fire, which is on the altar.” Cf. NIV “on the burning wood”; NLT “on the wood fire.”

[1:9]  ¹²¹¹ tn Heb “Finally, he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Once again, the MT assigns the preparation of the offering (here the entrails and legs) to the offerer because it did not bring him into direct contact with the altar, but reserves the actual placing of the sacrifice on the altar for the officiating priest (cf. the notes on vv. 5a and 6a).

[1:9]  ¹²¹² tn Heb “toward the altar,” but the so-called locative ה (hey) attached to the word for “altar” can indicate the place where something is or happens (GKC 250 §90.d and GKC 373-74 §118.g; cf. also J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:161). This is a standard way of expressing “on/at the altar” with the verb “to offer up in smoke” (Hiphil of קָטַר [qatar]; cf. also Exod 29:13, 18, 25; Lev 1:9, 13, 15, 17; 2:2, etc.).

[1:9]  ¹²¹³ tc A few Hebrew mss and possibly the Leningrad B19a ms itself (the basis of the BHS Hebrew text of the MT), under an apparent erasure, plus Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. suggest that Hebrew הוּא (hu’, translated as “it is”) should be added here as in vv. 13 and 17. Whether or not the text should be changed, the meaning is the same as in vv. 13 and 17, so it has been included in the translation here.

[1:9]  ¹²¹⁴ sn The standard English translation of “gift” (אִשֶּׁה, ’isheh) is “an offering [made] by fire” (cf. KJV, ASV). It is based on a supposed etymological relationship to the Hebrew word for “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) and is still maintained in many versions (e.g., NIV, RSV, NRSV, NLT; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 7-8). For various reasons, including the fact that some offerings referred to by this term are not burned on the altar (see, e.g., Lev 24:9), it is probably better to understand the term to mean “gift” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 22) or “food gift” (“food offering” in NEB and TEV; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:161-62). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:540-49 for a complete discussion.

[1:10]  ¹²¹⁵ tn Heb “And if from the flock is his offering, from the sheep or from the goats, for a burnt offering.” Here “flock” specifies the broad category, with “sheep or goats” giving specific examples.

[1:12]  ¹²¹⁶ tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also in v. 13).

[1:14]  ¹²¹⁷ tn Heb “from the [category] ‘bird.’”

[1:14]  ¹²¹⁸ tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT) or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168, with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14).

[1:15]  ¹²¹⁹ tn The action here seems to involve both a twisting action, breaking the neck of the bird and severing its vertebrae, as well as pinching or nipping the skin to sever the head from the main body. Cf. NASB, NRSV “wring off its head”; NAB “snap its head loose”; NLT “twist off its head.”

[1:15]  ¹²²⁰ tn Many English versions have “it” here, referring to the head of the bird, which the priest immediately tossed on the altar fire. However, “it” could be misunderstood to refer to the bird’s body, so “head” is repeated in the present translation for clarity. As the following lines show, certain things needed to be done to the body of the bird before it could be placed on the altar.

[1:16]  ¹²²¹ tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (apparently still the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:16]  ¹²²² tn This translation (“remove its entrails by [cutting off] its tail feathers”) is based on the discussion in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:169-71, although he translates, “remove its crissum by its feathers.” Others possibilities include “its crop with its contents” (Tg. Onq., cf. NIV, NRSV; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 23) or “its crop with its feathers” (LXX, NASB, RSV; “crop” refers to the enlarged part of a bird’s gullet that serves a pouch for the preliminary maceration of food).

[1:16]  ¹²²³ tn The pronoun “them” here is feminine singular in Hebrew and refers collectively to the entrails and tail wing which have been removed.

[1:17]  ¹²²⁴ tn Heb “he shall not divide it.” Several Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, and Syriac have a vav on the negative, yielding the translation, “but he shall not divide it into two parts.” Cf. NIV “not severing it completely” (NRSV similar).

[2:1]  ¹²²⁵ sn The “grain offering” ( מִנְחָה[minkhah]; here קָרְבַּן מִנְחָה, [qorbban minkhah], “an offering of a grain offering”) generally accompanied a burnt or peace offering to supplement the meat with bread (the libation provided the drink; cf. Num 15:1-10), thus completing the food “gift” to the Lord. It made atonement (see the note on Lev 1:4) along with the burnt offering (e.g., Lev 14:20) or alone as a sin offering for the poor (Lev 5:11-13).

[2:1]  ¹²²⁶ tn The Hebrew term for “choice wheat flour” (סֹלֶת, selet) is often translated “fine flour” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NCV), but it refers specifically to wheat as opposed to barley (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 10). Moreover, the translation “flour” might be problematic, since the Hebrew term may designate the “grits” rather than the more finely ground “flour” (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:179 as opposed to Levine, 10, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 30).

[2:1]  ¹²²⁷ sn This is not just any “incense” (קְטֹרֶת, qÿtoret; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:913-16), but specifically “frankincense” (לְבֹנָה, lÿvonah; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:756-57).

[2:2]  ¹²²⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. The syntax is strange here and might suggest that it was the offerer who scooped out a handful of the grain offering for the memorial portion (G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 66), but based on v. 9 below it should be understood that it was the priest who performed this act (see, e.g., NRSV “After taking from it a handful of the choice flour and oil…the priest shall…”; see also J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:177, 181 and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 30).

[2:2]  ¹²²⁹ sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָרָה, ’azkharah) was the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (see the previous clause), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (v. 3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23[7-16]). It was probably intended to call to mind (i.e., memorialize) before the Lord the reason for the presentation of the particular offering (see the remarks in R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:335-39).

[2:2]  ¹²³⁰ tn The words “it is” have been supplied. See the notes on Lev 1:9 and 2:3. There is no text critical problem here, but the syntax suggests the same translation.

[2:3]  ¹²³¹ tn Heb “…is to Aaron and to his sons.” The preposition “to” (לְ, lamed) indicates ownership. Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV and other English versions.

[2:3]  ¹²³² tn The words “it is” (הוּא, hu’) are not in the MT, but are supplied for the sake of translation into English. The Syriac also for translational reasons adds it between “most holy” and “from the gifts” (cf. 1:13, 17).

[2:3]  ¹²³³ tn Heb “holy of holies”; KJV, NASB “a thing most holy.”

[2:4]  ¹²³⁴ tn The insertion of the words “it must be made of” is justified by the context and the expressed words “it shall be made of” in vv. 7 and 8 below.

[2:4]  ¹²³⁵ sn These “loaves” were either “ring-shaped” (HALOT 317 s.v. חַלָּה) or “perforated” (BDB 319 s.v. חַלָּה; cf. J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:184).

[2:4]  ¹²³⁶ tn Heb “and.” Here the conjunction vav (ו) has an alternative sense (“or”).

[2:4]  ¹²³⁷ tn The Hebrew word מְשֻׁחִים (mÿshukhim) translated here as “smeared” is often translated “anointed” in other contexts. Cf. TEV “brushed with olive oil” (CEV similar).

[2:6]  ¹²³⁸ tn There is no vav (ו, “and”) in the MT at the beginning of v. 6 and the verb is pointed as an infinite absolute. The present translation has rendered it as an imperative (see GKC 346 §113.bb) and, therefore, the same for the following vav consecutive perfect verb (cf. NIV “Crumble it and pour oil on it”; cf. also NRSV, NEB, NLT, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:185, but note the objections to this rendering in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 26). The LXX seems to suggest adding a vav (“and”) and pointing the verb as a consecutive perfect, which yields “and you shall break it in pieces” (cf. the BHS textual note; Hartley, 26, prefers the LXX rendering).

[2:7]  ¹²³⁹ tn Heb “a grain offering of a pan”; cf. KJV “fryingpan”; NAB “pot”; CEV “pan with a lid on it.”

[2:7]  ¹²⁴⁰ sn Lev 7:9 makes it clear that one cooked “on” a griddle but “in” a pan. This suggests that the oil in the pan served for deep fat frying, hence the translation “deep fried in olive oil” (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:185); cf. also NAB.

[2:8]  ¹²⁴¹ tc There are several person, gender, and voice verb problems in this verse. First, the MT has “And you shall bring the grain offering,” but the LXX and Qumran have “he” rather than “you” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:185). Second, the MT has “which shall be made” (i.e., the 3rd person masculine Niphal passive verb which, in fact, does not agree with its feminine subject, מִנְחָה, minkhah, “grain offering”), while the LXX has “which he shall make” (3rd person Qal), thus agreeing with the LXX 3rd person verb at the beginning of the verse (see above). Third, the MT has a 3rd person vav consecutive verb “and he shall present it to the priest,” which agrees with the LXX but is not internally consistent with the 2nd person verb at the beginning of the verse in the MT. The BHS editors conjecture that the latter might be repointed to an imperative verb yielding “present it to the priest.” This would require no change of consonants and corresponds to the person of the first verb in the MT. This solution has been tentatively accepted here (cf. also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 26-27), even though it neither resolves the gender problem of the second verb nor fits the general grammatical pattern of the chapter in the MT.

[2:9]  ¹²⁴² tn The Hebrew verb הֵרִים (herim, “to take up”; cf. NAB “lift”) is commonly used for setting aside portions of an offering (see, e.g., Lev 4:8-10 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335-36). A number of English versions employ the more normal English idiom “take out” here (e.g., NIV, NCV); cf. NRSV “remove.”

[2:9]  ¹²⁴³ tn The words “it is” (הוּא, hu’) both here and in vv. 10 and 16 are not in the MT, but are assumed. (cf. vv. 2b and 3b and the notes there).

[2:10]  ¹²⁴⁴ tn See the note on “it is” in v. 9b.

[2:11]  ¹²⁴⁵ tn Heb “Every grain offering which you offer to the Lord must not be made leavened.” The noun “leaven” is traditional in English versions (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but “yeast” is more commonly used today.

[2:11]  ¹²⁴⁶ tc A few Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the verb “present” rather than “offer up in smoke,” but the MT is clearly correct. One could indeed present leavened and honey sweetened offerings as first fruit offerings, which were not burned on the altar (see v. 12 and the note there), but they could not be offered up in fire on the altar. Cf. the TEV’s ambiguous “you must never use yeast or honey in food offered to the Lord.”

[2:12]  ¹²⁴⁷ sn The “first fruit” referred to here was given to the priests as a prebend for their service to the Lord, not offered on the altar (Num 18:12).

[2:13]  ¹²⁴⁸ tn Heb “from upon your grain offering.”

[2:14]  ¹²⁴⁹ tn The translation of this whole section of the clause is difficult. Theoretically, it could describe one, two, or three different ways of preparing first ripe grain offerings (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 27). The translation here takes it as a description of only one kind of prepared grain. This is suggested by the fact that v. 16 uses only one term “crushed bits” (גֶּרֶשׂ, geres) to refer back to the grain as it is prepared in v. 14 (a more technical translation is “groats”; see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:178, 194). Cf. NAB “fresh grits of new ears of grain”; NRSV “coarse new grain from fresh ears.”

[2:16]  ¹²⁵⁰ tn See the note on “it is” in 2:9b.

[3:1]  ¹²⁵¹ sn The peace offering sacrifice primarily enacted and practiced communion between God and man (and between the people of God). This was illustrated by the fact that the fat parts of the animal were consumed on the altar of the Lord but the meat was consumed by the worshipers in a meal before God. This is the only kind of offering in which common worshipers partook of the meat of the animal. When there was a series of offerings that included a peace offering (see, e.g., Lev 9:8-21, sin offerings, burnt offerings, and afterward the peace offerings in vv. 18-21), the peace offering was always offered last because it expressed the fact that all was well between God and his worshiper(s). There were various kinds of peace offerings, depending on the worship intended on the specific occasion. The “thank offering” expressed thanksgiving (e.g., Lev 7:11-15; 22:29-30), the “votive offering” fulfilled a vow (e.g., Lev 7:16-18; 22:21-25), and the “freewill offering” was offered as an expression of devotion and praise to God (e.g., Lev 7:16-18; 22:21-25). The so-called “ordination offering” was also a kind of peace offering that was used to consecrate the priests at their ordination (e.g., Exod 29:19-34; Lev 7:37; 8:22-32). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:1066-73 and 4:135-43.

[3:1]  ¹²⁵² tn Heb “if a male if a female, perfect he shall present it before the Lord.” The “or” in the present translation (and most other English versions) is not present in the Hebrew text here, but see v. 6 below.

[3:2]  ¹²⁵³ tn See the remarks on Lev 1:3-5 above for some of the details of translation here.

[3:3]  ¹²⁵⁴ tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the person presenting the offering) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. the note on Lev 1:5).

[3:3]  ¹²⁵⁵ tn Heb “and all the fat on the entrails.” The fat layer that covers the entrails as a whole (i.e., “that covers the entrails”) is different from the fat that surrounds and adheres to the various organs (“on the entrails,” i.e., surrounding them; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:205-7).

[3:4]  ¹²⁵⁶ tn Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.” Cf. NRSV “the appendage of the liver”; NIV “the covering of the liver” (KJV “the caul above the liver”).

[3:5]  ¹²⁵⁷ tn Or “on the fire – [it is] a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord” (see Lev 1:13b, 17b, and the note on 1:9b).

[3:6]  ¹²⁵⁸ tn Heb “a male or female without defect he shall present it”; cf. NLT “must have no physical defects.”

[3:8]  ¹²⁵⁹ tn See the note on this term at 1:5.

[3:9]  ¹²⁶⁰ sn See the note on this phrase in 3:3.

[3:10]  ¹²⁶¹ tn Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.”

[3:11]  ¹²⁶² tn Heb “food, a gift to the Lord.”

[3:14]  ¹²⁶³ sn See the note on this phrase in 3:3.

[3:15]  ¹²⁶⁴ tn Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.”

[3:17]  ¹²⁶⁵ tn The words “This is” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied due to requirements of English style.

[3:17]  ¹²⁶⁶ tn Heb “for your generations”; NAB “for your descendants”; NLT “for you and all your descendants.”

[3:17]  ¹²⁶⁷ tn Heb “all fat and all blood you must not eat.”

[4:1]  ¹²⁶⁸ sn The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 4:2 through 5:13, and encompasses all the sin offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1 above, and 5:14 and 6:1 [5:20 HT] below.

[4:2]  ¹²⁶⁹ tn Heb “And a person, when he sins in straying.” The English translation of “by straying” (בִּשְׁגָגָה [bishgagah] literally, “in going astray; in making an error”) varies greatly, but almost all suggest that this term refers to sins that were committed by mistake or done not knowing that the particular act was sinful (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:228-29). See, e.g., LXX “involuntarily”; Tg. Onq. “by neglect”; KJV “through ignorance”; ASV, RSV, NJPS “unwittingly”; NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “unintentionally”; NAB, NEB “inadvertently”; NCV “by accident.” However, we know from Num 15:27-31 that committing a sin “by straying” is the opposite of committing a sin “defiantly” (i.e., בְּיַד רָמָה [bÿyad ramah] “with a raised hand,” v. 30). In the latter case the person, as it were, raises his fist in presumptuous defiance against the Lord. Thus, he “blasphemes” the Lord and has “despised” his word, for which he should be “cut off from among his people” (Num 15:30-31). One could not bring an offering for such a sin. The expression here in Lev 4:2 combines “by straying” with the preposition “from” which fits naturally with “straying” (i.e., “straying from” the Lord’s commandments). For sins committed “by straying” from the commandments (Lev 4 throughout) or other types of transgressions (Lev 5:1-6) there was indeed forgiveness available through the sin offering. See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:94-95.

[4:2]  ¹²⁷⁰ tn This is an emphatic use of the preposition מִן (min; see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 56-57, §325).

[4:2]  ¹²⁷¹ tn The “when” clause (כִּי, ki) breaks off here before its resolution, thus creating an open-ended introduction to the following subsections, which are introduced by “if” (אִם [’im] vv. 3, 13, 27, 32). Also, the last part of the verse reads literally, “which must not be done and does from one from them.”

[4:3]  ¹²⁷² tn Heb “the anointed priest” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the high priest (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).

[4:3]  ¹²⁷³ tn Heb “to the guilt of the people”; NRSV “thus bringing guilt on the people.”

[4:3]  ¹²⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he shall offer on his sin which he sinned, a bull, a son of the herd, flawless.”

[4:3]  ¹²⁷⁵ sn The word for “sin offering” (sometimes translated “purification offering”) is the same as the word for “sin” earlier in the verse. One can tell which rendering is intended only by the context. The primary purpose of the “sin offering” (חַטָּאת, khatta’t) was to “purge” (כִּפֶּר, kipper, “to make atonement,” see 4:20, 26, 31, 35, and the notes on Lev 1:4 and esp. Lev 16:20, 33) the sanctuary or its furniture in order to cleanse it from any impurities and/or (re)consecrate it for holy purposes (see, e.g., Lev 8:15; 16:19). By making this atonement the impurities of the person or community were cleansed and the people became clean. See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:93-103.

[4:5]  ¹²⁷⁶ tn Heb “from the blood of the bull” (and similarly throughout this chapter).

[4:6]  ¹²⁷⁷ tn The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (vÿhizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter.” Contrast the different Hebrew verb meaning “splash” in Lev 1:5 (זָרָק, zaraq).

[4:6]  ¹²⁷⁸ tn Heb “of the blood.” The relative pronoun (“it”) has been used in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

[4:6]  ¹²⁷⁹ tn The particle here translated “toward” usually serves as a direct object indicator or a preposition meaning “with.” With the verb of motion it probably means “toward,” “in the direction of” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:234; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 60); cf. NAB, CEV.

[4:6]  ¹²⁸⁰ tn The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB) or “curtain” (e.g., NIV, NRSV), but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).

[4:8]  ¹²⁸¹ tn Heb “all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall take up from it.”

[4:8]  ¹²⁸² tc The MT has here the preposition עַל (’al, “on, upon” [i.e., “which covers on the entrails,” as awkward in Hebrew as it is in English]), but Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Targums read אֶת (’et), which is what would be expected (i.e., “which covers the entrails”; cf. Lev 3:3, 9, 14). It may have been mistakenly inserted here under the influence of “on (עַל) the entrails” at the end of the verse.

[4:8]  ¹²⁸³ tn Heb “and all the fat on the entrails.” The fat layer that covers the entrails as a whole (i.e., “that covers the entrails”) is different from the fat that surrounds and adheres to the various organs (“on the entrails,” i.e., surrounding them; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:205-7).

[4:9]  ¹²⁸⁴ tn Heb “and the protruding lobe on the liver on the kidneys he shall remove it.”

[4:10]  ¹²⁸⁵ tn Heb “taken up from”; KJV, ASV “taken off from”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “removed.” See the notes on Lev 3:3-4 above (cf. also 3:9-10, 14-15).

[4:12]  ¹²⁸⁶ tn All of v. 11 is a so-called casus pendens (also known as an extraposition or a nominative absolute), which means that it anticipates the next verse, being the full description of “all (the rest of) the bull” (lit. “all the bull”) at the beginning of v. 12 (actually after the first verb of the verse; see the next note below).

[4:12]  ¹²⁸⁷ tn Heb “And he (the offerer) shall bring out all the bull to from outside to the camp to a clean place.”

[4:12]  ¹²⁸⁸ tn Heb “a clean place,” but referring to a place that is ceremonially clean. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:12]  ¹²⁸⁹ tn Heb “the pouring out [place] of fatty ash.”

[4:12]  ¹²⁹⁰ tn Heb “burn with fire.” This expression is somewhat redundant in English, so the translation collocates “fire” with “wood,” thus “a wood fire.”

[4:13]  ¹²⁹¹ tn Heb “strays”; KJV “sin through ignorance.” The verb “strays” here is the verbal form of the noun in the expression “by straying” (see the note on Lev 4:2 above).

[4:13]  ¹²⁹² tn Heb “is concealed from the eyes of”; NASB, NRSV, NLT “escapes the notice of.”

[4:13]  ¹²⁹³ tn Heb “and they do one from all the commandments of the Lord which must not be done” (cf. v. 2).

[4:14]  ¹²⁹⁴ tn Heb “and the sin which they committed on it becomes known”; KJV “which they have sinned against it.” The Hebrew עָלֶיהָ (’aleha, “on it”) probably refers back to “one of the commandments” in v. 13 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:243).

[4:15]  ¹²⁹⁵ tn Heb “and he shall slaughter.” The singular verb seems to refer to an individual who represents the whole congregation, perhaps one of the elders referred to at the beginning of the verse, or the officiating priest (cf. v. 21). The LXX and Syriac make the verb plural, referring to “the elders of the congregation.”

[4:16]  ¹²⁹⁶ tn Heb “the anointed priest” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the high priest (cf. TEV).

[4:17]  ¹²⁹⁷ tn The words “in the blood” are not repeated in the Hebrew text at this point, but must be supplied in the English translation for clarity.

[4:17]  ¹²⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (vÿhizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter.” Contrast the different Hebrew verb translated “splash” in Lev 1:5 (זָרָק, zaraq).

[4:17]  ¹²⁹⁹ tc The MT reads literally, “and the priest shall dip his finger from the blood and sprinkle seven times.” This is awkward. Compare v. 6, which has literally, “and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle from the blood seven times.” The MT appears to be corrupt by haplography (i.e., assuming v. 6 to be the correct form, in v. 17 the scribe skipped from “his finger” to “from the blood,” thus missing “in the blood”) and metathesis (i.e., this also resulted in a text where “from the blood” stands before “sprinkle” rather than after it; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 47).

[4:17]  ¹³⁰⁰ tn See the note on v. 6 above.

[4:17]  ¹³⁰¹ tn See the note on v. 6 above.

[4:18]  ¹³⁰² sn See v. 7, where this altar is identified as the altar of fragrant incense.

[4:19]  ¹³⁰³ tn Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Based on the parallel statement in 4:10 and 4:31, it is the priest who performs this action rather than the person who brought the offering.

[4:19]  ¹³⁰⁴ tn Heb “take up all its fat from it”; NASB “shall remove all its fat from it.”

[4:19]  ¹³⁰⁵ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fat) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Only the fat is meant here, since the “rest” of the bull is mentioned in v. 21.

[4:20]  ¹³⁰⁶ sn Cf. Lev 4:11-12 above for the disposition of “the [rest of] the bull.”

[4:20]  ¹³⁰⁷ sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

[4:20]  ¹³⁰⁸ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to them” or “it shall be forgiven to them.”

[4:21]  ¹³⁰⁹ sn See the note on the word “slaughter” in v. 15.

[4:21]  ¹³¹⁰ tn Heb “And he shall bring out the bull to from outside to the camp.”

[4:22]  ¹³¹¹ tn This section begins with the relative pronoun אֲשֶׁר (’asher) which usually means “who” or “which,” but here means “whenever.”

[4:22]  ¹³¹² tn See the Lev 4:2 note on “straying.”

[4:22]  ¹³¹³ tn Heb “and does one from all the commandments of the Lord his God which must not be done”; cf. NRSV “ought not to be done”; NIV “does what is forbidden in any of the commands.”

[4:23]  ¹³¹⁴ tn Heb “or his sin which he sinned in it is made known to him”; NAB “if he learns of the sin he committed.”

[4:23]  ¹³¹⁵ tn Lev 4:22b-23a is difficult. The present translation suggests that there are two possible legal situations envisioned, separated by the Hebrew אוֹ (’o, “or”) at the beginning of v. 23. Lev 4:22b refers to any case in which the leader readily admits his guilt (i.e., “pleads guilty”), whereas v. 23a refers to cases where the leader is convicted of his guilt by legal action (“his sin…is made known to him”). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:95-96; Lev 4:27-28; and esp. the notes on Lev 5:1 below.

[4:23]  ¹³¹⁶ tn Heb “a he-goat of goats, a male without defect”; cf. NLT “with no physical defects.”

[4:24]  ¹³¹⁷ tn The LXX has a plural form here and also for the same verb later in the verse. See the note on Lev 1:5a.

[4:26]  ¹³¹⁸ tn Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Based on the parallel statements in 4:10 and 4:31, it is the priest who performs this action rather than the person who brought the offering.

[4:26]  ¹³¹⁹ sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

[4:26]  ¹³²⁰ tn Heb “from.” In this phrase the preposition מִן (min) may be referring to the reason or cause (“on account of, because of”; GKC 383 §119.z). As J. E. Hartley (Leviticus [WBC], 47) points out, “from” may refer to the removal of the sin, but is an awkward expression. Hartley also suggests that the phrasing might be “an elliptical expression for יְכַפֵּר עַל־לְטַהֵר אֶת־מִן, ‘he will make expiation for…to cleanse…from…,’ as in 16:30.”

[4:26]  ¹³²¹ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

[4:27]  ¹³²² tn Heb “an individual from the people of the land”; cf. NASB “anyone of the common people” (KJV, ASV both similar); NAB “a private person.”

[4:27]  ¹³²³ tn Heb “If one person sins by straying, from the people of the land.” See Lev 4:2 for a note on “straying.”

[4:27]  ¹³²⁴ tn Heb “by doing it, one from the commandments of the Lord which must not be done.”

[4:28]  ¹³²⁵ tn Heb “or his sin which he sinned is made known to him”; cf. NCV “when that person learns about his sin.”

[4:28]  ¹³²⁶ tn Lev 4:27b-28a is essentially the same as 4:22b-23a (see the notes there).

[4:28]  ¹³²⁷ tn Heb “a she-goat of goats, a female without defect”; NAB “an unblemished she-goat.”

[4:28]  ¹³²⁸ tn Heb “on his sin.”

[4:29]  ¹³²⁹ tc The LXX has a plural form here (see v. 24 above and the note on Lev 1:5a).

[4:31]  ¹³³⁰ sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

[4:31]  ¹³³¹ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

[4:35]  ¹³³² tn Heb “Then he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here “he” refers to the offerer rather than the priest (contrast the clauses before and after).

[4:35]  ¹³³³ sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

[4:35]  ¹³³⁴ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

[5:1]  ¹³³⁵ tn Heb “And a person when he sins.” Most English versions translate this as the protasis of a conditional clause: “if a person sins” (NASB, NIV).

[5:1]  ¹³³⁶ tn The words “against one who fails to testify” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to make sense of the remark about the “curse” (“imprecation” or “oath”; cf. ASV “adjuration”; NIV “public charge”) for the modern reader. For the interpretation of this verse reflected in the present translation see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:292-97.

[5:1]  ¹³³⁷ tn The words “what had happened” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[5:1]  ¹³³⁸ tn Heb “and hears a voice of curse, and he is a witness or he saw or he knew, if he does not declare.”

[5:1]  ¹³³⁹ tn Heb “and he shall bear his iniquity.” The rendering “bear the punishment (for the iniquity)” reflects the use of the word “iniquity” to refer to the punishment for iniquity (cf. NRSV, NLT “subject to punishment”). It is sometimes referred to as the consequential use of the term (cf. Lev 5:17; 7:18; 10:17; etc.).

[5:2]  ¹³⁴⁰ tc The insertion of the words “when there is” is a reflection of the few Hebrew mss, Smr, and LXX that have כִּי (ki, “when, if”; cf. vv. 3 and esp. 4) rather than the MT’s אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “who”). Many English versions render this as a conditional clause (“if”).

[5:2]  ¹³⁴¹ tn The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the uncleanness involved is ritual or ceremonial in nature.

[5:2]  ¹³⁴² tn Heb “and it is hidden from him,” meaning that the person who contracted the ceremonial uncleanness was not aware at the time what had happened, but later found out that he had become ceremonially unclean. This same phrase occurs again in both vv. 3 and 4.

[5:2]  ¹³⁴³ sn Lev 5:2-3 are parallel laws of uncleanness (contracted from animals and people, respectively), and both seem to assume that the contraction of uncleanness was originally unknown to the person (vv. 2 and 3) but became known to him or her at a later time (v. 3; i.e., “has come to know” in v. 3 is to be assumed for v. 2 as well). Uncleanness itself did not make a person “guilty” unless he or she failed to handle it according to the normal purification regulations (see, e.g., “wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening,” Lev 15:5 NIV; cf. Lev 11:39-40; 15:5-12, 16-24; Num 19, etc.). The problem here in Lev 5:2-3 is that, because the person had not been aware of his or her uncleanness, he or she had incurred guilt for not carrying out these regular procedures, and it would now be too late for that. Thus, the unclean person needs to bring a sin offering to atone for the contamination caused by his or her neglect of the purity regulations.

[5:3]  ¹³⁴⁴ tn Heb “or if he touches uncleanness of mankind to any of his uncleanness which he becomes unclean in it.”

[5:4]  ¹³⁴⁵ tn Heb “to speak thoughtlessly”; cf. NAB “rashly utters an oath.”

[5:4]  ¹³⁴⁶ tn Heb “and is guilty to one from these,” probably referring here to any of “these” things about which one might swear a thoughtless oath (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 45), with the word “oath” supplied in the translation for clarity. Another possibility is that “to one from these” is a dittography from v. 5 (cf. the note on v. 5a), and that v. 4 ends with “and is guilty” like vv. 2 and 3 (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:300).

[5:5]  ¹³⁴⁷ tn Heb “and it shall happen when he becomes guilty to one from these,” referring to any of “these” possible transgressions in Lev 5:1-4. Tg. Onq., the original Greek translation, and the Latin Vulgate omit this clause, possibly due to homoioteleuton because of the repetition of “to one from these” from the end of v. 4 in v. 5a (cf. the note on v. 4b).

[5:5]  ¹³⁴⁸ tn Heb “which he sinned on it”; cf. ASV “confess that wherein he hath sinned”; NCV “must tell how he sinned.”

[5:6]  ¹³⁴⁹ tn In this context the word for “guilt” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) refers to the “penalty” for incurring guilt, the so-called consequential אָשָׁם (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:303; cf. the note on Lev 5:1).

[5:6]  ¹³⁵⁰ sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

[5:6]  ¹³⁵¹ tn See the note on 4:26 regarding the use of מִן (min).

[5:7]  ¹³⁵² tn Heb “and if his hand does not reach enough of a flock animal” (see the note on v. 11 below). The term translated “animal from the flock” (שֶׂה, seh) is often translated “lamb” (e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NCV) or “sheep” (e.g., NRSV, TEV, NLT), but it clearly includes either a sheep or a goat here (cf. v. 6), referring to the smaller pasture animals as opposed to the larger ones (i.e., cattle; cf. 4:3). Some English versions use the more generic “animal” (e.g., NAB, CEV).

[5:7]  ¹³⁵³ tn Heb “and he shall bring his guilt which he sinned,” which is an abbreviated form of Lev 5:6, “and he shall bring his [penalty for] guilt to the Lord for his sin which he committed.” The words “for his sin” have been left out in v. 7, and “to the Lord” has been moved so that it follows the mention of the birds.

[5:7]  ¹³⁵⁴ tn See the note on Lev 1:14 above.

[5:8]  ¹³⁵⁵ tn Heb “he.” The subject (“he”) refers to the priest here, not the offerer who presented the birds to the priest (cf. v. 8a).

[5:8]  ¹³⁵⁶ sn The action seems to involve both a twisting action, breaking the neck of the bird and severing its vertebrae, as well as pinching or nipping the skin, but in this case not severing the head from the main body (note the rest of this verse).

[5:8]  ¹³⁵⁷ tn Heb “he shall not divide [it]” (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:305).

[5:9]  ¹³⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew verb וְהִזָּה (vÿhizzah, Hiphil of נָזָה, nazah) does indeed mean “sprinkle” or “splatter” (cf. Lev 4:6, 17). Contrast “splash” in Lev 1:5, etc. (זָרָק, zaraq).

[5:9]  ¹³⁵⁹ tn Heb “the remainder in the blood.” The Heb. preposition “in” (בְּ, bÿ) is used here to mean “some among” a whole collection of something.

[5:10]  ¹³⁶⁰ tn The word “bird” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:10]  ¹³⁶¹ sn The term “[standard] regulation” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishppat) here refers to the set of regulations for burnt offering birds in Lev 1:14-17.

[5:10]  ¹³⁶² sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

[5:10]  ¹³⁶³ tn See the note on 4:26 with regard to מִן, min.

[5:10]  ¹³⁶⁴ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

[5:11]  ¹³⁶⁵ tn Heb “and if his hand does not reach [or is not sufficient] to”; cf. NASB “if his means are insufficient for.” The expression is the same as that in Lev 5:7 above except for the verb: נָשַׂג (nasag, “to collect, to reach, to be sufficient”) is used here, but נָגַע (nagah, “to touch, to reach”) is used in v. 7. Smr has the former in both v. 7 and 11.

[5:11]  ¹³⁶⁶ tn See the note on Lev 1:14 above (cf. also 5:7).

[5:11]  ¹³⁶⁷ tn Heb “and he shall bring his offering which he sinned.” Like the similar expression in v. 7 above (see the note there), this is an abbreviated form of Lev 5:6, “and he shall bring his [penalty for] guilt to the Lord for his sin which he committed.” Here the words “to the Lord for his sin” have been left out, and “his [penalty for] guilt” has been changed to “his offering.”

[5:11]  ¹³⁶⁸ sn A tenth of an ephah would be about 2.3 liters, one day’s ration for a single person (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:306). English versions handle the amount somewhat differently, cf. NCV “about two quarts”; TEV “one kilogramme”; CEV “two pounds.”

[5:11]  ¹³⁶⁹ tn See the note on Lev 2:1 above.

[5:12]  ¹³⁷⁰ sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָּרָה, ’azkkarah) was the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (Lev 2:2), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (Lev 2:3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23 [6:7-16 HT]). It was probably intended to call to mind (i.e., memorialize) before the Lord the reason for the presentation of the particular offering (see the remarks in R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:335-39).

[5:13]  ¹³⁷¹ sn The focus of sin offering “atonement” was purging impurities from the tabernacle (see the note on Lev 1:4).

[5:13]  ¹³⁷² tn Heb “from one from these,” referring to the four kinds of violations of the law delineated in Lev 5:1-4 (see the note on Lev 5:5 above and cf. Lev 4:27).

[5:13]  ¹³⁷³ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

[5:13]  ¹³⁷⁴ tn Heb “and it”; the referent (the remaining portion of the offering) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:13]  ¹³⁷⁵ tn Heb “and it shall be to the priest like the grain offering,” referring to the rest of the grain that was not offered on the altar (cf. the regulations in Lev 2:3, 10).

[5:14]  ¹³⁷⁶ sn The quotation introduced here extends from Lev 5:14 through 5:19, encompassing the first main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 6:1 [5:20 HT].

[5:15]  ¹³⁷⁷ tn Heb “trespasses a trespass” (verb and direct object from the same Hebrew root, מַעַל, ma’al); cf. NIV “commits a violation.” The word refers to some kind of overstepping of the boundary between that which is common (i.e., available for common use by common people) and that which is holy (i.e., to be used only for holy purposes because it has been consecrated to the Lord, see further below). See the note on Lev 10:10.

[5:15]  ¹³⁷⁸ tn See Lev 4:2 above for a note on “straying.”

[5:15]  ¹³⁷⁹ sn Heb “from the holy things of the Lord.” The Hebrew expression here has the same structure as Lev 4:2, “from any of the commandments of the Lord.” The latter introduces the sin offering regulations and the former the guilt offering regulations. The sin offering deals with violations of “any of the commandments,” whereas the guilt offering focuses specifically on violations of regulations regarding “holy things” (i.e., things that have been consecrated to the Lord; see the full discussion in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:320-27).

[5:15]  ¹³⁸⁰ tn Here the word for “guilt” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) refers to the “penalty” for incurring guilt, the so-called consequential use of אָשָׁם (’asham; see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:303).

[5:15]  ¹³⁸¹ tn Heb “in your valuation, silver of shekels, in the shekel of the sanctuary.” The translation offered here suggests that, instead of a ram, the guilt offering could be presented in the form of money (see, e.g., NRSV; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:326-27). Others still maintain the view that it refers to the value of the ram that was offered (see, e.g., NIV “of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel”; also NAB, NLT; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 72-73, 81).

[5:15]  ¹³⁸² tn The word for “guilt offering” (sometimes translated “reparation offering”) is the same as “guilt” earlier in the verse (rendered there “[penalty for] guilt”). One can tell which is intended only by the context.

[5:16]  ¹³⁸³ tn Heb “and which he sinned from the holy thing.”

[5:16]  ¹³⁸⁴ sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.

[5:16]  ¹³⁸⁵ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

[5:17]  ¹³⁸⁶ tn Heb “and does one from all of the commandments of the Lord which must not be done.”

[5:17]  ¹³⁸⁷ tn The words “at the time” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[5:17]  ¹³⁸⁸ tn Heb “and he did not know, and he shall be guilty and he shall bear his iniquity” (for the rendering “bear his punishment [for iniquity]”) see the note on Lev 5:1.) This portion of v. 17 is especially difficult. The translation offered here suggests (as in many other English versions) that the offender did not originally know that he had violated the Lord’s commandments, but then came to know it and dealt with it accordingly (cf. the corresponding sin offering section in Lev 5:1-4). Another possibility is that it refers to a situation where a person suspects that he violated something although he does not recollect it. Thus, he brings a guilt offering for his suspected violation (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:331-34, 361-63). See also R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:561-62.

[5:18]  ¹³⁸⁹ tn The statement here is condensed. See the full expression in 5:15 and the note there.

[5:18]  ¹³⁹⁰ sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.

[5:18]  ¹³⁹¹ tn Heb “on his straying which he strayed.” See the note on Lev 4:2.

[5:18]  ¹³⁹² tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV and NASB both similar).

[6:1]  ¹³⁹³ sn Beginning with 6:1, the verse numbers through 6:30 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 6:1 ET = 5:20 HT, 6:2 ET = 5:21 HT, 6:8 ET = 6:1 HT, etc., through 6:30 ET = 6:23 HT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English text and Hebrew text are again the same.

[6:1]  ¹³⁹⁴ sn This paragraph is Lev 6:1-7 in the English Bible but Lev 5:20-26 in the Hebrew text. The quotation introduced by v. 1 extends from Lev 6:2 (5:21 HT) through 6:7 (5:26 HT), encompassing the third main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 5:14 above.

[6:2]  ¹³⁹⁵ tn Heb “trespasses a trespass” (verb and direct object from the same Hebrew root מַעַל, ma’al). See the note on 5:15.

[6:2]  ¹³⁹⁶ tn Or “neighbor” (ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NASB “companion”; TEV “a fellow-Israelite.”

[6:2]  ¹³⁹⁷ tn Heb “has extorted his neighbor”; ASV “oppressed”; NRSV “defrauded.”

[6:3]  ¹³⁹⁸ tn Heb “and swears on falsehood”; cf. CEV “deny something while under oath.”

[6:3]  ¹³⁹⁹ tn Heb “on one from all which the man shall do to sin in them.”

[6:4]  ¹⁴⁰⁰ tn Heb “and it shall happen, when he sins and becomes guilty,” which is both resumptive of the previous (vv. 2-3) and the conclusion to the protasis (cf. “then” introducing the next clause as the apodosis). In this case, “becomes guilty” (cf. NASB, NIV) probably refers to his legal status as one who has been convicted of a crime in court; thus the translation “he is found guilty.” See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:559-61.

[6:4]  ¹⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “that had been held in trust with him.”

[6:5]  ¹⁴⁰² tn Heb “or from all which he swears on it to falsehood.”

[6:5]  ¹⁴⁰³ tn Heb “in its head.” This refers “the full amount” in terms of the “principal,” the original item or amount obtained illegally (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:338; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 84).

[6:5]  ¹⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “to whom it is to him he shall give it in the day of his being guilty.” The present translation is based on the view that he has been found guilty through the legal process (see the note on v. 4 above; cf., e.g., TEV and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 33-34). Others translate the latter part as “in the day he offers his guilt [reparation] offering” (e.g., NIV and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 73, 84), or “in the day he realizes his guilt” (e.g., NRSV and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:319, 338).

[6:6]  ¹⁴⁰⁵ tn The words “into silver shekels” are supplied here. See the full expression in Lev 5:15, and compare 5:18. Cf. NRSV “or its equivalent”; NLT “or the animal’s equivalent value in silver.”

[6:7]  ¹⁴⁰⁶ sn Regarding “make atonement” see the note on Lev 1:4.

[6:7]  ¹⁴⁰⁷ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him” (KJV similar).

[6:7]  ¹⁴⁰⁸ tn Heb “on one from all which he does to become guilty in it”; NAB “whatever guilt he may have incurred.”

[6:8]  ¹⁴⁰⁹ sn Lev 6:8 in the English Bible = 6:1 in the Hebrew text. See also the note on 6:1.

[6:8]  ¹⁴¹⁰ sn The following paragraphs are Lev 6:8-30 in the English Bible but 6:1-23 in the Hebrew text. This initial verse makes the special priestly regulations for the people’s burnt and grain offerings into a single unit (i.e., Lev 6:8-18 [6:1-11 HT]; cf. Lev 1-2 above). Note also the separate introductions for various priestly regulations in Lev 6:19 [12 HT], 24 [17 HT], and for the common people in Lev 7:22, 28 below.

[6:9]  ¹⁴¹¹ tn Heb “It is the burnt offering on the hearth.”

[6:9]  ¹⁴¹² tn Heb “in it.” In this context “in it” apparently refers to the “hearth” which was on top of the altar.

[6:10]  ¹⁴¹³ tn The exact nature of this article of the priest’s clothing is difficult to determine. Cf. KJV, ASV “breeches”; NAB “drawers”; NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “undergarments”; NCV “underclothes”; CEV “underwear”; TEV “shorts.”

[6:10]  ¹⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “he shall lift up the fatty ashes which the fire shall consume the burnt offering on the altar.”

[6:10]  ¹⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “it,” referring the “fatty ashes” as a single unit.

[6:11]  ¹⁴¹⁶ tn The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the uncleanness of the place involved is ritual or ceremonial in nature.

[6:12]  ¹⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “in it,” apparently referring to the “hearth” which was on top of the altar (cf. the note on v. 9).

[6:14]  ¹⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “offering it, the sons of Aaron.” The verb is a Hiphil infinitive absolute, which is used here in place of the finite verb as either a jussive (GKC 346 §113.cc, “let the sons of Aaron offer”) or more likely an injunctive in light of the verbs that follow (Joüon 2:430 §123.v, “the sons of Aaron shall/must offer”).

[6:15]  ¹⁴¹⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. The “he” refers to the officiating priest. A similar shift between singular and plural occurs in Lev 1:7-9, but see the note on Lev 1:7 and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 89 for the possibility of textual corruption.

[6:15]  ¹⁴²⁰ tn Heb “shall take up from it with his hand some of the choice wheat flour of the grain offering.”

[6:15]  ¹⁴²¹ sn See the note on Lev 2:2.

[6:15]  ¹⁴²² tc Smr reading, which includes the locative ה (hey, translated “on” the altar), is preferred here. This is the normal construction with the verb “offer up in smoke” in Lev 1-7 (see the note on Lev 1:9).

[6:15]  ¹⁴²³ tn Heb “and he shall offer up in smoke [on] the altar a soothing aroma, its memorial portion, to the Lord.”

[6:17]  ¹⁴²⁴ tn Heb “It must not be baked leavened” (cf. Lev 2:11). The noun “leaven” is traditional in English versions (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but “yeast” is more commonly used today.

[6:17]  ¹⁴²⁵ tn Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is”; cf. NAB “most sacred.”

[6:18]  ¹⁴²⁶ tn Or “a perpetual regulation”; cf. NASB “a permanent ordinance”; NRSV “as their perpetual due.”

[6:18]  ¹⁴²⁷ tn Heb “for your generations”; cf. NIV “for the generations to come.”

[6:18]  ¹⁴²⁸ tn Heb “touches them”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. In this context “them” must refer to the “gifts” of the Lord.

[6:18]  ¹⁴²⁹ tn Or “anyone/anything that touches them shall become holy” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:443-56). The question is whether this refers to the contagious nature of holy objects (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or whether it simply sets forth a demand that anyone who touches the holy gifts of the Lord must be a holy person (cf. CEV). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:900-902.

[6:19]  ¹⁴³⁰ sn See the note on Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT] above.

[6:20]  ¹⁴³¹ sn A tenth of an ephah is about 2.3 liters, one day’s ration for a single person (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:306).

[6:20]  ¹⁴³² tn For the rendering “choice wheat flour” see the note on Lev 2:1.

[6:21]  ¹⁴³³ tn The term rendered here “well soaked” (see, e.g., NRSV; the Hebrew term is מֻרְבֶּכֶת, murbbekhet) occurs only three times (here; 7:12, and 1 Chr 23:29), and is sometimes translated “well-mixed” (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT; NASB “well stirred”; NAB “well kneaded”). The meaning is uncertain (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:399-400), but in Lev 7:12 it stands parallel to already prepared grain offerings either “mixed” (the Hebrew term is בְּלוּלֹת (bÿlulot), not מֻרְבֶּכֶת as in Lev 6:21 [6:14 HT]) or anointed with oil.

[6:21]  ¹⁴³⁴ tn Heb “broken bits [?] of a grain offering of pieces,” but the meaning of the Hebrew term rendered here “broken bits” (תֻּפִינֵי, tufiney) is quite uncertain. Some take it from the Hebrew verb “to break up, to crumble” (פַּת [pat]; e.g., the Syriac, NAB, NIV, NLT “broken” pieces) and others from “to bake” (אָפַה, ’afah; e.g., NRSV “baked pieces”). For a good summary of other proposed options, see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 90. Compare Lev 2:5-6 for the general regulations regarding this manner of grain offering. Similar but less problematic terminology is used there.

[6:22]  ¹⁴³⁵ tn Heb “And the anointed priest under him.”

[6:24]  ¹⁴³⁶ sn See the note on Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT].

[6:25]  ¹⁴³⁷ tn Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is.” Cf. NAB “most sacred”; CEV “very sacred”; TEV “very holy.”

[6:27]  ¹⁴³⁸ tn Heb “on the garment”; NCV “on any clothes”; CEV “on the clothes of the priest.”

[6:27]  ¹⁴³⁹ tc The translation “you must wash” is based on the MT as it stands (cf. NASB, NIV). Smr, LXX, Syriac, Tg. Ps.-J., and the Vulgate have a third person masculine singular passive form (Pual), “[the garment] must be washed” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). This could also be supported from the verbs in the following verse, and it requires only a repointing of the Hebrew text with no change in consonants. See the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 90 and J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:404.

[6:28]  ¹⁴⁴⁰ tn Heb “it”; the words “that vessel” are supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.

[6:29]  ¹⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is” (also in 7:1).

[6:30]  ¹⁴⁴² tn Heb “burned with fire,” an expression which is sometimes redundant in English, but here means “burned up,” “burned up entirely.”

[7:2]  ¹⁴⁴³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the officiating priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity. This priest was responsible for any actions involving direct contact with the altar (e.g., the splashing of the blood).

[7:2]  ¹⁴⁴⁴ tn See the note on Lev 1:5.

[7:3]  ¹⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “then he.” This pronoun refers to the offerer, who was responsible for slaughtering the animal. Contrast v. 2 above and v. 5 below.

[7:4]  ¹⁴⁴⁶ tn See the notes on Lev 3:3-4.

[7:5]  ¹⁴⁴⁷ tn See the note on Lev 1:9 above.

[7:6]  ¹⁴⁴⁸ tn Heb “holiness of holinesses [or holy of holies] it is”; NAB “most sacred”; TEV “very holy.”

[7:7]  ¹⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “like the sin offering like the guilt offering, one law to them.”

[7:9]  ¹⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “and” rather than “or” (cf. also the next “or”).

[7:9]  ¹⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “and all made in the pan”; cf. KJV “fryingpan”; NAB “deep-fried in a pot.”

[7:10]  ¹⁴⁵² tn Heb “a man like his brother.”

[7:11]  ¹⁴⁵³ tn This “he” pronoun refers to the offerer. Smr and LXX have plural “they.”

[7:12]  ¹⁴⁵⁴ tn Or “for a thank offering.”

[7:12]  ¹⁴⁵⁵ tn See the notes on Lev 2:4.

[7:12]  ¹⁴⁵⁶ tn See the note on Lev 6:21 [6:14 HT].

[7:12]  ¹⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “choice wheat flour well soaked ring-shaped loaves.” See the note on Lev 2:1.

[7:13]  ¹⁴⁵⁸ tn The rendering “this [grain] offering” is more literally “his offering,” but it refers to the series of grain offerings listed just previously in v. 12.

[7:13]  ¹⁴⁵⁹ tn The words “which regularly accompany” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity.

[7:14]  ¹⁴⁶⁰ tn Here the Hebrew text reads “offering” (קָרְבָּן, qorbban), not “grain offering” (מִנְחָה, minkhah), but in this context the term refers once again to the list in 7:12.

[7:14]  ¹⁴⁶¹ tn The term rendered “contribution offering” is תְּרוּמָה (tÿrumah), which generally refers to that which is set aside from the offerings to the Lord as prebends for the officiating priests (cf. esp. Lev 7:28-34 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335-37). Cf. TEV “as a special contribution.”

[7:15]  ¹⁴⁶² tn In the verse “his” refers to the offerer.

[7:16]  ¹⁴⁶³ tn For the distinction between votive and freewill offerings see the note on Lev 22:23 and the literature cited there.

[7:16]  ¹⁴⁶⁴ tn Heb “and on the next day and the left over from it shall be eaten.”

[7:17]  ¹⁴⁶⁵ tn Heb “burned with fire,” an expression which is sometimes redundant in English, but here means “burned up,” “burned up entirely” (likewise in v. 19).

[7:18]  ¹⁴⁶⁶ tn Or “desecrated,” or “defiled,” or “forbidden.” For this difficult term see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:422. Cf. NIV “it is impure”; NCV “it will become unclean”; NLT “will be contaminated.”

[7:18]  ¹⁴⁶⁷ tn Heb “his iniquity he shall bear” (cf. Lev 5:1); NIV “will be held responsible”; NRSV “shall incur guilt”; TEV “will suffer the consequences.”

[7:19]  ¹⁴⁶⁸ tn The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation both here and in the following sentence to clarify that the uncleanness involved is ritual or ceremonial in nature.

[7:19]  ¹⁴⁶⁹ tn The Hebrew has simply “the flesh,” but this certainly refers to “clean” flesh in contrast to the unclean flesh in the first half of the verse.

[7:20]  ¹⁴⁷⁰ tn Heb “and his unclean condition is on him.”

[7:20]  ¹⁴⁷¹ sn The exact meaning of this penalty clause is not certain. It could mean that he will be executed, whether by God or by man, he will be excommunicated from sanctuary worship and/or community benefits (cf. TEV, CEV), or his line will be terminated by God (i.e., extirpation), etc. See J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 100; J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:457-60; and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 241-42 for further discussion.

[7:21]  ¹⁴⁷² sn For these categories of unclean animals see Lev 11.

[7:21]  ¹⁴⁷³ sn For the interpretation of this last clause see the note on Lev 7:20.

[7:22]  ¹⁴⁷⁴ sn See the note on Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT] above.

[7:24]  ¹⁴⁷⁵ tn Heb “carcass,” referring to the carcass of an animal that has died on its own, not the carcass of an animal slaughtered for sacrifice or killed by wild beasts. This has been clarified in the translation by supplying the phrase “of natural causes”; cf. NAB, TEV “that has died a natural death.”

[7:24]  ¹⁴⁷⁶ tn Heb “shall be used for any work”; cf. NIV, NLT “may be used for any other purpose.”

[7:25]  ¹⁴⁷⁷ sn See the note on Lev 7:20.

[7:26]  ¹⁴⁷⁸ tn Heb “and any blood you must not eat in any of your dwelling places, to the bird and to the animal.”

[7:27]  ¹⁴⁷⁹ sn See the note on Lev 7:20.

[7:28]  ¹⁴⁸⁰ sn See the note on Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT].

[7:30]  ¹⁴⁸¹ tn Heb “on the breast.”

[7:30]  ¹⁴⁸² tc Many Hebrew mss and some versions (esp. the LXX) limit the offerings in the last part of this verse to the fat portions, specifically, the fat and the fat lobe of the liver (see the BHS footnote). The verse is somewhat awkward in Hebrew but nevertheless correct.

[7:32]  ¹⁴⁸³ tn Older English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV) translate this Hebrew term (תְּרוּמָה, tÿrumah) “heave offering,” derived from the idea of “to raise, to lift” found in the verbal root (cf. NAB “a raised offering”). “Contribution offering” is a better English rendering because it refers to something “taken out from” (i.e., “lifted up from”; cf. the Hebrew term הֵרִים (herim) in, e.g., Lev 2:9; 4:8, etc.) the offering as a special contribution to the specific priest who presided over the offering procedures in any particular instance (see the next verse and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335-37). Cf. TEV “as a special contribution”; NCV, NLT “as a gift.”

[7:34]  ¹⁴⁸⁴ tn Or “a perpetual regulation”; cf. NASB “as their due forever”; NRSV “as a perpetual due”; NLT “their regular share.”

[7:35]  ¹⁴⁸⁵ tn Heb “the day he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:35]  ¹⁴⁸⁶ tn Heb “in the day of he presented them to serve as priests to the Lord.” The grammar here is relatively unusual. First, the verb “presented” appears to be in the perfect rather than the infinitive (but see GKC 531), the latter being normal in such temporal expressions. Second, the active verb form appears to be used as a passive plural (“they were presented”). However, if it is translated active and singular then Moses would be the subject: “on the day he [Moses] offered them [Aaron and his sons].”

[7:36]  ¹⁴⁸⁷ tn Heb “the day he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:36]  ¹⁴⁸⁸ tn Heb “which the Lord commanded to give to them in the day he anointed them from the children of Israel.” Thus v. 36 is tied syntactically to v. 35 (see the note there).

[7:36]  ¹⁴⁸⁹ tn Heb “for your generations”; cf. NIV “for the generations to come”; TEV “for all time to come.”

[7:37]  ¹⁴⁹⁰ sn The Hebrew term translated “law” (תוֹרָה [torah]) occurs up to this point in the book only in Lev 6:9 [6:2 HT], 14 [7 HT], 25 [18 HT], 7:1, 7, 11, and here in 7:37. This suggests that Lev 7:37-38 is a summary of only this section of the book (i.e., Lev 6:8 [6:1 HT]-7:36), not all of Lev 1-7.

[7:37]  ¹⁴⁹¹ tc In the MT only “the grain offering” lacks a connecting ו (vav). However, many Hebrew , Smr, LXX, Syriac, and some mss of Tg. Onq. have the ו (vav) on “the grain offering” as well.

[7:37]  ¹⁴⁹² sn The inclusion of the “ordination offering” (מִלּוּאִים, milu’im; the term apparently comes from the notion of “filling [of the hand],” cf. Lev 8:33) here anticipates Lev 8. It is a kind of peace offering, as the regulations in Lev 8:22-32 will show (cf. Exod 29:19-34). In the context of the ordination ritual for the priests it fits into the sequence of offerings as a peace offering would: sin offering (Lev 8:14-17), burnt and grain offering (Lev 8:18-21), and finally peace (i.e., ordination) offering (Lev 8:22-32). Moreover, in this case, Moses received the breast of the ordination offering as his due since he was the presiding priest over the sacrificial procedures (Lev 8:29; cf. Lev 7:30-31), while Aaron and his sons ate the portions that would have been consumed by the common worshipers in a regular peace offering procedure (Exod 29:31-34; cf. Lev 7:15-18). For a general introduction to the peace offering see the note on Lev 3:1.

[8:1]  ¹⁴⁹³ sn Lev 8 is the fulfillment account of the ordination legislation recorded in Exod 29, and is directly connected to the command to ordain the tabernacle and priesthood in Exod 40:1-16 as well as the partial record of its fulfillment in Exod 40:17-38.

[8:3]  ¹⁴⁹⁴ sn For “tent of meeting” see the note on Lev 1:1 above.

[8:7]  ¹⁴⁹⁵ sn Here Moses actually clothes Aaron (cf. v. 13 below for Aaron’s sons). Regarding the various articles of clothing see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 111-12 and esp. J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:501-13.

[8:7]  ¹⁴⁹⁶ sn The term “tunic” refers to a shirt-like garment worn next to the skin and, therefore, put on first (cf. Exod 28:4, 39-40; 29:5, 8; 39:27). Traditionally this has been translated “coat” (so KJV, ASV), but that English word designates an outer garment.

[8:7]  ¹⁴⁹⁷ tn Heb “on him”; the referent (Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:7]  ¹⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “girded him with the sash” (so NASB); NCV “tied the cloth belt around him.”

[8:7]  ¹⁴⁹⁹ sn The robe was a long shirt-like over-garment that reached down below the knees. Its hem was embroidered with pomegranates and golden bells around the bottom (Exod 28:4, 31-35; 29:5; 39:22-26).

[8:7]  ¹⁵⁰⁰ sn The ephod was an apron like garment suspended from shoulder straps. It draped over the robe and extended from the chest down to the thighs (Exod 28:4, 6-14, 25-28; 29:5; 39:2-7).

[8:7]  ¹⁵⁰¹ tn Heb “girded him with.”

[8:7]  ¹⁵⁰² sn The decorated band of the ephod served as a sort of belt around Aaron’s body that would hold the ephod closely to him rather than allowing it to hang loosely across his front (Exod 28:8, 27; 29:5; 39:5, 20).

[8:8]  ¹⁵⁰³ sn The breastpiece was made of the same material as the ephod and was attached to it by means of gold rings and chains on its four corners (Exod 28:15-30; 29:5; 39:8-21). It had twelve stones attached to it (representing the twelve tribes of Israel), and a pocket in which the Urim and Thummim were kept (see following).

[8:8]  ¹⁵⁰⁴ sn The Urim and Thummim were two small objects used in the casting of lots to discern the will of God (see Exod 28:30; Num 27:21; Deut 33:8; 1 Sam 14:41 in the LXX and 28:6; Ezra 2:63 and Neh 7:65). It appears that by casting them one could obtain a yes or no answer, or no answer at all (1 Sam 28:6; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 111-12). See the extensive discussion in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:507-11.

[8:9]  ¹⁵⁰⁵ tn Although usually thought to be a “turban” (and so translated by the majority of English versions) this object might be only a “turban-like headband” wound around the forehead area (HALOT 624 s.v. מִצְנֶפֶת).

[8:9]  ¹⁵⁰⁶ sn The gold plate was attached as a holy diadem to the front of the turban by means of a blue cord, and had written on it “Holy to the Lord” (Exod 28:36-37; 39:30-31). This was a particularly important article of high priestly clothing in that it served as the main emblem indicating Aaron’s acceptable representation of Israel before the Lord (Exod 28:38).

[8:10]  ¹⁵⁰⁷ sn The expression “and consecrated it” refers to the effect of the anointing earlier in the verse (cf. “to consecrate them/him” in vv. 11 and 12). “To consecrate” means “to make holy” or “make sacred”; i.e., put something into the category of holy/sacred as opposed to common/profane (see Lev 10:10 below). Thus, the person or thing consecrated is put into the realm of God’s holy things.

[8:13]  ¹⁵⁰⁸ tc The MT has here “sash” (singular), but the context is clearly plural and Smr has it in the plural.

[8:13]  ¹⁵⁰⁹ tn Heb “wrapped headdresses to them”; cf. KJV “bonnets”; NASB, TEV “caps”; NIV, NCV “headbands”; NAB, NLT “turbans.”

[8:14]  ¹⁵¹⁰ sn See Lev 4:3-12 above for the sin offering of the priests. In this case, however, the blood manipulation is different because Moses, not Aaron (and his sons), is functioning as the priest. On the one hand, Aaron and his sons are, in a sense, treated as if they were commoners so that the blood manipulation took place at the burnt offering altar in the court of the tabernacle (see v. 15 below), not at the incense altar inside the tabernacle tent itself (contrast Lev 4:5-7 and compare 4:30). On the other hand, since it was a sin offering for the priests, therefore, the priests themselves could not eat its flesh (Lev 4:11-12; 6:30 [23 HT]), which was the normal priestly practice for sin offerings of commoners (Lev 6:26[19], 29[22]).

[8:15]  ¹⁵¹¹ sn Contrary to some English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT), Aaron (not Moses) most likely slaughtered the bull, possibly with the help of his sons, although the verb is singular, not plural. Moses then performed the ritual procedures that involved direct contact with the altar. Compare the pattern in Lev 1:5-9, where the offerer does the slaughtering and the priests perform the procedures that involve direct contact with the altar. In Lev 8 Moses is functioning as the priest in order to consecrate the priesthood. The explicit reintroduction of the name of Moses as the subject of the next verb seems to reinforce this understanding of the passage (cf. also vv. 19 and 23 below).

[8:15]  ¹⁵¹² tn The verb is the Piel of חָטָא (khata’, “to sin”) and means “to de-sin” the altar. This verse is important for confirming the main purpose of the sin offering, which was to decontaminate the tabernacle and its furniture from any impurities. See the note on Lev 4:3.

[8:15]  ¹⁵¹³ tn Similar to v. 10 above, “and consecrated it” refers to the effect of the blood manipulation earlier in the verse. The goal here was to consecrate the altar in order that it might become a place on which it would be appropriate “to make atonement” before the Lord.

[8:16]  ¹⁵¹⁴ tn Again, Aaron probably performed the slaughter and collected the fat parts (v. 16a), but Moses presented it all on the altar (v. 16b; cf. the note on v. 15 above).

[8:16]  ¹⁵¹⁵ sn See Lev 3:3-4 for the terminology of fat and kidneys here.

[8:16]  ¹⁵¹⁶ tn Heb “toward the altar” (see the note on Lev 1:9).

[8:17]  ¹⁵¹⁷ tn Heb “he burned with fire,” an expression which is sometimes redundant in English, but here means “burned up,” “burned up entirely.”

[8:17]  ¹⁵¹⁸ sn See Lev 4:11-12, 21; 6:30 [23 HT].

[8:19]  ¹⁵¹⁹ tn Aaron probably did the slaughtering (cf. the notes on Lev 8:15-16 above).

[8:20]  ¹⁵²⁰ tn Again, Aaron probably cut the ram up into parts (v. 20a), but Moses presented them on the altar (v. 20b; cf. the note on v. 15 above).

[8:20]  ¹⁵²¹ tn Heb “cut it into its parts.” One could translate here, “quartered it” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:133; cf. Lev 1:6, 12 above).

[8:21]  ¹⁵²² tn Again, Aaron probably did the washing (v. 21a), but Moses presented the portions on the altar (v. 21b; cf. the note on v. 15 above).

[8:21]  ¹⁵²³ tn See Lev 1:9, 13.

[8:22]  ¹⁵²⁴ tn For “ordination offering” see Lev 7:37

[8:23]  ¹⁵²⁵ tn Again, Aaron probably did the slaughtering (cf. the notes on Lev 8:15-16 above).

[8:23]  ¹⁵²⁶ tn Heb “on the lobe of the ear of Aaron, the right one.”

[8:23]  ¹⁵²⁷ tn The term for “big toe” (בֹּהֶן, bohen) is the same as that for “thumb.” It refers to the larger appendage on either the hand or the foot.

[8:25]  ¹⁵²⁸ tn See Lev 3:9.

[8:25]  ¹⁵²⁹ tn See Lev 8:16.

[8:25]  ¹⁵³⁰ tn See Lev 7:32-34.

[8:26]  ¹⁵³¹ tn See Lev 2:4.

[8:27]  ¹⁵³² sn The “palms” refer to the up-turned hands, positioned in such a way that the articles of the offering could be placed on them.

[8:27]  ¹⁵³³ tn Heb “and he waved.” The subject of the verb “he waved” is Aaron, but Aaron’s sons also performed the action (see “Aaron and his sons” just previously). See the similar shifts from Moses to Aaron as the subject of the action above (vv. 15, 16, 19, 20, 23), and esp. the note on Lev 8:15. In the present translation this is rendered as an adjectival clause (“who waved”) to indicate that the referent is not Moses but Aaron and his sons. Cf. CEV “who lifted it up”; NAB “whom he had wave” (with “he” referring to Moses here).

[8:27]  ¹⁵³⁴ sn See Lev 7:30-31, 34.

[8:28]  ¹⁵³⁵ tn Heb “toward the altar” (see the note on Lev 1:9).

[8:31]  ¹⁵³⁶ tn Several major ancient versions have the passive form of the verb (see BHS v. 31 note c; cf. Lev 8:35; 10:13). In that case we would translate, “just as I was commanded.”

[8:32]  ¹⁵³⁷ tn Heb “but the remainder in the flesh and in the bread”; NAB, CEV “what is left over”; NRSV “what remains.”

[8:33]  ¹⁵³⁸ tn Heb “because seven days he shall fill your hands”; KJV “for seven days shall he consecrate you”; CEV “ends seven days from now.”

[8:34]  ¹⁵³⁹ tn Heb “just as he has done” (cf. the note on v. 33).

[8:34]  ¹⁵⁴⁰ tn Heb “the Lord has commanded to do” (cf. the note on v. 33).

[8:36]  ¹⁵⁴¹ tn Heb “by the hand of” (so KJV).

[9:1]  ¹⁵⁴² sn This eighth day is the one after the seven days of ordination referred to in Lev 8:33-35.

[9:1]  ¹⁵⁴³ tn Heb “called to”; CEV, NLT “called together.”

[9:3]  ¹⁵⁴⁴ tn Heb “a he-goat of goats.”

[9:3]  ¹⁵⁴⁵ tn Heb “and a calf and a lamb, sons of a year, flawless”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “without blemish”; NASB, NIV “without defect”; NLT “with no physical defects.”

[9:4]  ¹⁵⁴⁶ tn The verb is either a prophetic perfect (“will appear to you”) as in the MT (cf. IBHS §30.5.1.e; so many English versions), or a futurum instans participle (“is going to appear to you”) as in the LXX and several other versions (see the BHS footnote; cf. IBHS 627 §37.6f). In either case, the point is that Moses was anticipating that the Lord would indeed appear to them on this day (cf. vv. 6, 22-24).

[9:5]  ¹⁵⁴⁷ tn Heb “to the faces of.”

[9:6]  ¹⁵⁴⁸ tn Heb “which the Lord commanded you shall/should do.”

[9:6]  ¹⁵⁴⁹ tn Heb “and the glory of the Lord will appear,” but the construction with the simple vav (ו) plus the imperfect/jussive (וְיֵרָא, vÿyera’; literally, “and he will appear”) suggests purpose in this context, not just succession of events (i.e., “so that he might appear”).

[9:7]  ¹⁵⁵⁰ tn Instead of “on behalf of the people,” the LXX has “on behalf of your house” as in the Hebrew text of Lev 16:6, 11, 17. Many commentaries follow the LXX here (e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:578; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 118) as do a few English versions (e.g., NAB), but others argue that, as on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16), the offerings of the priests also effected the people, even though there was still the need to have special offerings made on behalf of the people as reflected in the second half of the verse (e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 56).

[9:10]  ¹⁵⁵¹ tn Heb “from.”

[9:11]  ¹⁵⁵² tn Heb “he burned with fire,” an expression which is sometimes redundant in English, but here means “burned up,” “burned up entirely.”

[9:11]  ¹⁵⁵³ sn See Lev 4:5-12 and the notes there regarding the sin offering for priest(s). The distinction here is that the blood of the sin offering for the priests was applied to the horns of the burnt offering altar in the court of the tabernacle, not the incense altar inside the tabernacle tent itself. See the notes on Lev 8:14-15.

[9:12]  ¹⁵⁵⁴ tn For smoothness in the English translation, “his” was used in place of “Aaron’s.”

[9:12]  ¹⁵⁵⁵ tn The verb is a Hiphil form of מָצָא, matsa’, “to find” (i.e., causative, literally “to cause to find,” but here the meaning is “to hand to” or “pass to”; see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 117-18, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:581-82). The distinction between this verb and “presented” in v. 9 above (see the note there) is that in v. 9 Aaron’s sons held the bowl while Aaron manipulated some of the blood at the altar, while here in v. 12 they simply handed the bowl to him so he could splash all the blood around on the altar (Milgrom, 581).

[9:12]  ¹⁵⁵⁶ tn For “splashed” (also in v. 18) see the note on Lev 1:5.

[9:13]  ¹⁵⁵⁷ tn See the note on v. 12.

[9:13]  ¹⁵⁵⁸ tn Heb “and the burnt offering they handed to him to its parts and the head.”

[9:15]  ¹⁵⁵⁹ tn The expression “and performed a decontamination rite [with] it” reads literally in the MT, “and decontaminated [with] it.” The verb is the Piel of חטא (kht’, Qal = “to sin”), which means “to decontaminate, purify” (i.e., “to de-sin”; see the note on Lev 8:15).

[9:15]  ¹⁵⁶⁰ sn The phrase “like the first one” at the end of the verse refers back to the sin offering for the priests described in vv. 8-11 above. The blood of the sin offering of the common people was applied to the burnt offering altar just like that of the priests.

[9:16]  ¹⁵⁶¹ tn The term “standard regulation” (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpat) here refers to the set of regulations for burnt offering goats in Lev 1:10-13. Cf. KJV “according to the manner”; ASV, NASB “according to the ordinance”; NIV, NLT “in the prescribed way”; CEV “in the proper way.”

[9:17]  ¹⁵⁶² sn The latter part of the verse (“in addition to the morning burnt offering”) refers to the complex of morning (and evening) burnt and grain offerings that was the daily regulation for the tabernacle from the time of its erection (Exod 40:29). The regulations for it were appended to the end of the section of priestly consecration regulations in Exod 29 (see Exod 29:38-40) precisely because they were to be maintained throughout the priestly consecration period and beyond (Lev 8:33-36). Thus, the morning burnt and grain offerings would already have been placed on the altar before the inaugural burnt and grain offerings referred to here.

[9:18]  ¹⁵⁶³ tn See the note on Lev 9:12.

[9:19]  ¹⁵⁶⁴ tn Heb “And the fat from the ox and from the ram.”

[9:19]  ¹⁵⁶⁵ tn The text here has only the participle “the cover” or “that which covers,” which is elliptical for “the fat which covers the entrails” (see Lev 3:3, 9, 14; 7:3).

[9:20]  ¹⁵⁶⁶ tn The plural “they” refers to the sons of Aaron (cf. v. 18). The LXX, Smr, and Syriac have singular “he,” referring to Aaron alone as in the latter half of the verse (the singular is followed here by NLT). Cf. NCV “Aaron’s sons put them.”

[9:24]  ¹⁵⁶⁷ tn Heb “from to the faces of the Lord.” The rendering here is based on the use of “my faces” and “your faces” referring to the very “presence” of the Lord in Exod 33:14-15.

[9:24]  ¹⁵⁶⁸ tn Heb “fell on their faces.” Many English versions and commentaries render here “shouted for joy” (e.g., NIV; cf. NCV, NLT) or “shouted joyfully,” but the fact the people “fell on their faces” immediately afterward suggests that they were frightened as, for example, in Exod 19:16b; 20:18-21.

[10:1]  ¹⁵⁶⁹ tn Although it has been used elsewhere in this translation as an English variation from the ubiquitous use of vav in Hebrew, in this instance “then” as a rendering for vav is intended to show that the Nadab and Abihu catastrophe took place on the inauguration day described in Lev 9. The tragic incident in Lev 10 happened in close temporal connection to the Lord’s fire that consumed the offerings at the end of Lev 9. Thus, for example, the “sin offering” male goat referred to in Lev 10:16-19 is the very one referred to in Lev 9:15.

[10:1]  ¹⁵⁷⁰ tn The expression “strange fire” (אֵשׁ זָרָה, ’esh zarah) seems imprecise (cf. NAB “profane fire”; NIV “unauthorized fire”; NRSV “unholy fire”; NLT “a different kind of fire”) and has been interpreted numerous ways (see the helpful summary in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 132-33). The infraction may have involved any of the following or a combination thereof: (1) using coals from someplace other than the burnt offering altar (i.e., “unauthorized coals” according to J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:598; cf. Lev 16:12 and cf. “unauthorized person” אִישׁ זָר (’ish zar) in Num 16:40 [17:5 HT], NASB “layman”), (2) using the wrong kind of incense (cf. the Exod 30:9 regulation against “strange incense” קְטֹרֶת זָרָה (qÿtoreh zarah) on the incense altar and the possible connection to Exod 30:34-38), (3) performing an incense offering at an unprescribed time (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 59), or (4) entering the Holy of Holies at an inappropriate time (Lev 16:1-2).

[10:2]  ¹⁵⁷¹ tn See the note on 9:24a.

[10:3]  ¹⁵⁷² tn The Niphal verb of the Hebrew root קָדַשׁ (qadash) can mean either “to be treated as holy” (so here, e.g., BDB 873 s.v. קָּדַשׁ, LXX, NASB, and NEB) or “to show oneself holy” (so here, e.g., HALOT 1073 s.v. קדשׁnif.1, NIV, NRSV, NLT; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:595, 601-3; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 133-34). The latter rendering seems more likely here since, in the immediate context, the Lord himself had indeed shown himself to be holy by the way he responded to the illegitimate incense offering of Nadab and Abihu. They had not treated the Lord as holy, so the Lord acted on his own behalf to show that he was indeed holy.

[10:3]  ¹⁵⁷³ tn In this context the Niphal of the Hebrew root כָּבֵד (kaved) can mean “to be honored” (e.g., NASB and NIV here), “be glorified” (ASV, NRSV and NLT here), or “glorify oneself, show one’s glory” (cf. NAB; e.g., specifically in this verse HALOT 455 s.v. כבדnif.3; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:595, 603-4; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 126, 134). Comparing this clause with the previous one (see the note above), the point may be that when the Lord shows himself to be holy as he has done in 10:1-2, this results in him being honored (i.e., reverenced, feared, treated with respect) among the people. This suggests the passive rendering. It is possible, however, that one should use the reflexive rendering here as in the previous clause. If so, the passage means that the Lord showed both his holiness and his glory in one outbreak against Nadab and Abihu.

[10:6]  ¹⁵⁷⁴ tc Smr has “you must not” (לֹא, lo’) rather than the MT’s “do not” (אַל, ’al; cf. the following negative לֹא, lo’, in the MT).

[10:6]  ¹⁵⁷⁵ tn Heb “do not let free your heads.” Some have taken this to mean, “do not take off your headgear” (cf. NAB, NASB), but it probably also involves leaving one’s hair unkempt as a sign of mourning (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:608-9; cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[10:6]  ¹⁵⁷⁶ tn Heb “shall weep [for] the burning which the Lord has burned”; NIV “may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire.”

[10:9]  ¹⁵⁷⁷ tn Heb “a perpetual statute for your generations”; NAB “a perpetual ordinance”; NRSV “a statute forever”; NLT “a permanent law.” The Hebrew grammar here suggests that the last portion of v. 9 functions as both a conclusion to v. 9 and an introduction to vv. 10-11. It is a pivot clause, as it were. Thus, it was a “perpetual statute” to not drink alcoholic beverages when ministering in the tabernacle, but it was also a “perpetual statue” to distinguish between holy and profane and unclean and clean (v. 10) as well as to teach the children of Israel all such statutes (v. 11).

[10:10]  ¹⁵⁷⁸ tn Heb “and,” but regarding the translation “as well as,” see the note at the end of v. 9.

[10:10]  ¹⁵⁷⁹ sn The two pairs of categories in this verse refer to: (1) the status of a person, place, thing, or time – “holy” (קֹדֶשׁ, qodesh) versus “common” (חֹל, khol); as opposed to (2) the condition of a person, place, or thing – “unclean” (טָמֵא, tame’) versus “clean” (טָהוֹר, tahor). Someone or something could gain “holy” status by being “consecrated” (i.e., made holy; e.g., the Hebrew Piel קִדֵּשׁ (qiddesh) in Lev 8:15, 30), and to treat someone or something that was holy as if it were “common” would be to “profane” that person or thing (the Hebrew Piel הִלֵּל [hillel], e.g., in Lev 19:29 and 22:15). Similarly, on another level, someone or something could be in a “clean” condition, but one could “defile” (the Hebrew Piel טִמֵּא [timme’], e.g., in Gen 34:5 and Num 6:9) that person or thing and thereby make it “unclean.” To “purify” (the Hebrew Piel טִהֵר [tiher], e.g., in Lev 16:19 and Num 8:6, 15) that unclean person or thing would be to make it “clean” once again. With regard to the animals (Lev 11), some were by nature “unclean,” so they could never be eaten, but others were by nature “clean” and, therefore, edible (Lev 11:2, 46-47). The meat of clean animals could become inedible by too long of a delay in eating it, in which case the Hebrew term פִּגּוּל (pigul) “foul, spoiled” is used to describe it (Lev 7:18; 19:7; cf. also Ezek 4:14 and Isa 65:4), not the term for “unclean” (טָהוֹר, tahor). Strictly speaking, therefore, unclean meat never becomes clean, and clean meat never becomes unclean.

[10:11]  ¹⁵⁸⁰ tn Heb “by the hand of” (so KJV).

[10:13]  ¹⁵⁸¹ tn Heb “statute” (cf. 10:9, 11); cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV “due”; NIV “share”; NLT “regular share.”

[10:13]  ¹⁵⁸² tn For the rendering of the Hebrew אִשֶׁה (’isheh) as “gift” rather than “offering [made] by fire,” see the note on Lev 1:9.

[10:13]  ¹⁵⁸³ sn Cf. Lev 2:3 and 6:14-18 [6:7-11 HT] for these regulations.

[10:14]  ¹⁵⁸⁴ tn The word “ceremonially” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the cleanness of the place specified is ritual or ceremonial in nature.

[10:14]  ¹⁵⁸⁵ sn Cf. Lev 7:14, 28-34 for these regulations.

[10:16]  ¹⁵⁸⁶ sn This is the very same male goat offered in Lev 9:15 (cf. the note on Lev 10:1 above).

[10:16]  ¹⁵⁸⁷ tn Heb “but behold, it had been burnt” (KJV and NASB both similar).

[10:17]  ¹⁵⁸⁸ sn This translation is quite literal. On the surface it appears to mean that the priests would “bear the iniquity” of the congregation by the act of eating the sin offering (so J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:622-25, 635-40). Such a notion is, however, found nowhere else in the Levitical regulations and seems unlikely (so J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 136). A more likely interpretation is reflected in this interpretive rendering: “he gave it to you [as payment] for [your work of] bearing the iniquity of the congregation.” The previous section of the chapter deals with the prebends that the priests received for performing the ministry of the tabernacle (Lev 10:12-15). Lev 10:16-18, therefore, seems to continue the very same topic in the light of the most immediate situation (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:702-4).

[10:18]  ¹⁵⁸⁹ tn Or “Behold!” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[10:18]  ¹⁵⁹⁰ sn The term here rendered “within” refers to the bringing of the blood inside the holy place for application to the altar of incense rather than to the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard of the tabernacle (cf. Lev 4:7, 16-18; 6:30 [23 HT]).

[10:19]  ¹⁵⁹¹ tn Or “Behold!” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NRSV “See.”

[10:19]  ¹⁵⁹² tn Heb “today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, and like these things have happened to me, and (if) I had eaten sin offering today would it be good in the eyes of the Lord?” The idiom “would it be good in the eyes of [the Lord]” has been translated “would [the Lord] have been pleased.” Cf. NRSV “would it have been agreeable to the Lord?”; CEV, NLT “Would the Lord have approved?”

[10:20]  ¹⁵⁹³ tn Heb “it was good in his eyes” (an idiom). Cf. KJV “he was content”; NLT “he approved.”

[11:2]  ¹⁵⁹⁴ tn Heb “the animal,” but as a collective plural, and so throughout this chapter.

[11:3]  ¹⁵⁹⁵ tn Heb “every divider of hoof and cleaver of the cleft of hooves”; KJV, ASV “parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted.”

[11:3]  ¹⁵⁹⁶ tn Heb “bringer up of the cud” (a few of the ancient versions include the conjunction “and,” but it does not appear in the MT). The following verses make it clear that both dividing the hoof and chewing the cud were required; one of these conditions would not be enough to make the animal suitable for eating without the other.

[11:4]  ¹⁵⁹⁷ tn Heb “this,” but as a collective plural (see the following context).

[11:4]  ¹⁵⁹⁸ sn Regarding “clean” versus “unclean,” see the note on Lev 10:10.

[11:4]  ¹⁵⁹⁹ tn Heb “because a chewer of the cud it is” (see also vv. 5 and 6).

[11:4]  ¹⁶⁰⁰ tn Heb “and hoof there is not dividing” (see also vv. 5 and 6).

[11:5]  ¹⁶⁰¹ sn A small animal generally understood to be Hyrax syriacus; KJV, ASV, NIV “coney”; NKJV “rock hyrax.”

[11:7]  ¹⁶⁰² tn See the note on Lev 11:3.

[11:7]  ¹⁶⁰³ tn The meaning and basic rendering of this clause is quite certain, but the verb for “chewing” the cud here is not the same as the preceding verses, where the expression is “to bring up the cud” (see the note on v. 3 above). It appears to be a cognate verb for the noun “cud” (גֵּרָה, gerah) and could mean either “to drag up” (i.e., from the Hebrew Qal of גָרָר [garar] meaning “to drag,” referring to the dragging the cud up and down between the stomach and mouth of the ruminant animal; so J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:647, 653) or “to chew” (i.e., from the Hebrew Niphal [or Qal B] of גָרָר used in a reciprocal sense; so J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 149, and compare BDB 176 s.v. גָרַר, “to chew,” with HALOT 204 s.v. גרר qal.B, “to ruminate”).

[11:8]  ¹⁶⁰⁴ sn The regulations against touching the carcasses of dead unclean animals (contrast the restriction against eating their flesh) is treated in more detail in Lev 11:24-28 (cf. also vv. 29-40). For the time being, this chapter continues to develop the issue of what can and cannot be eaten.

[11:9]  ¹⁶⁰⁵ tn Heb “all which have fin and scale” (see also vv. 10 and 12).

[11:9]  ¹⁶⁰⁶ tn Heb “in the water, in the seas and in the streams” (see also vv. 10 and 12).

[11:13]  ¹⁶⁰⁷ tn For zoological remarks on the following list of birds see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:662-64; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 159-60.

[11:14]  ¹⁶⁰⁸ tn Heb “and the buzzard to its kind” (see also vv. 16 and 19 for the same expression “of any kind”).

[11:15]  ¹⁶⁰⁹ tn Heb “every crow to its kind.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) render this as “raven.”

[11:16]  ¹⁶¹⁰ tn Literally, “the daughter of the wasteland.” Various proposals for the species of bird referred to here include “owl” (KJV), “horned owl” (NIV, NCV), and “ostrich” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

[11:20]  ¹⁶¹¹ tn Heb “the one walking on four” (cf. vv. 21-23 and 27-28).

[11:21]  ¹⁶¹² tn Heb “which to it are lower legs from above to its feet” (reading the Qere “to it” rather than the Kethib “not”).

[11:22]  ¹⁶¹³ tn For entomological remarks on the following list of insects see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:665-66; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 160-61.

[11:24]  ¹⁶¹⁴ tn Heb “and to these.”

[11:26]  ¹⁶¹⁵ tn Heb “to all” (cf. the note on v. 24). This and the following verses develop more fully the categories of uncleanness set forth in principle in vv. 24-25.

[11:26]  ¹⁶¹⁶ tn Heb “divides hoof and cleft it does not cleave”; KJV “divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted”; NLT “divided but unsplit hooves.”

[11:26]  ¹⁶¹⁷ tn See the note on Lev 11:3.

[11:26]  ¹⁶¹⁸ sn Compare the regulations in Lev 11:2-8.

[11:27]  ¹⁶¹⁹ tn Heb “the one walking on four.” Compare Lev 11:20-23.

[11:29]  ¹⁶²⁰ tn For zoological analyses of the list of creatures in vv. 29-30, see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:671-72; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 161-62.

[11:32]  ¹⁶²¹ tn Heb “And all which it shall fall on it from them.”

[11:32]  ¹⁶²² tn Heb “in water it shall be brought.”

[11:33]  ¹⁶²³ tn Heb “And any earthenware vessel which shall fall from them into its midst.”

[11:33]  ¹⁶²⁴ tn Heb “all which is in its midst.”

[11:34]  ¹⁶²⁵ tn Heb “which water comes on it.”

[11:34]  ¹⁶²⁶ tn Heb “any drink which may be drunk”; NASB “any liquid which may be drunk”; NLT “any beverage that is in such an unclean container.”

[11:34]  ¹⁶²⁷ tn This half of the verse assumes that the unclean carcass has fallen into the food or drink (cf. v. 33 and also vv. 35-38).

[11:35]  ¹⁶²⁸ tn Heb “be unclean.”

[11:36]  ¹⁶²⁹ tn Heb “a spring and a cistern collection of water”; NAB, NIV “for collecting water.”

[11:37]  ¹⁶³⁰ tn Heb “And if there falls from their carcass on any seed of sowing which shall be sown.”

[11:39]  ¹⁶³¹ tn This word for “animal” refers to land animal quadrupeds, not just any beast that dwells on the land (cf. 11:2).

[11:39]  ¹⁶³² tn Heb “which is food for you” or “which is for you to eat.”

[11:42]  ¹⁶³³ tn Heb “goes” (KJV, ASV “goeth”); NIV “moves about”; NLT “slither along.” The same Hebrew term is translated “walks” in the following clause.

[11:42]  ¹⁶³⁴ tn Heb “until all multiplying of legs.”

[11:43]  ¹⁶³⁵ tn Heb “by any of the swarming things that swarm.”

[11:45]  ¹⁶³⁶ tn Heb “to be to you for a God.”

[11:46]  ¹⁶³⁷ sn The Hebrew term translated “law” (תוֹרָה, torah) introduces here a summary or colophon for all of Lev 11. Similar summaries are found in Lev 7:37-38; 13:59; 14:54-57; and 15:32-33.

[11:46]  ¹⁶³⁸ tn Heb “for all the creatures.”

[12:2]  ¹⁶³⁹ tn Heb “produces seed” (Hiphil of זָרַע, zara’; used only elsewhere in Gen 1:11-12 for plants “producing” their own “seed”), referring to the process of childbearing as a whole, from conception to the time of birth (H. D. Preuss, TDOT 4:144; cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 164-65; and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:742-43). Smr and LXX have Niphal “be impregnated” (see, e.g., Num 5:28); note KJV “If a woman have conceived seed” (cf. ASV, NAB, NRSV; also NIV, NLT “becomes pregnant”).

[12:2]  ¹⁶⁴⁰ sn The regulations for the “male child” in vv. 2-4 contrast with those for the “female child” in v. 5 (see the note there).

[12:2]  ¹⁶⁴¹ tn Heb “as the days of the menstrual flow [nom.] of her menstruating [q. inf.] she shall be unclean” (R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:925-26; the verb appears only in this verse in the OT). Cf. NASB “as in the days of her menstruation”; NLT “during her menstrual period”; NIV “during her monthly period.”

[12:3]  ¹⁶⁴² tn Heb “and in….”

[12:3]  ¹⁶⁴³ tn This rendering, “the flesh of his foreskin,” is literal. Based on Lev 15:2-3, one could argue that the Hebrew word for “flesh” here (בָּשָׂר, basar) is euphemistic for the male genitals and therefore translate “the foreskin of his member” (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:748). A number of English versions omit this reference to the foreskin and mention only circumcision, presumably for euphemistic reasons (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

[12:4]  ¹⁶⁴⁴ tn Heb “sit, dwell” (יָשָׁב, yashav) normally means “to sit, to dwell”), but here it means “to remain, to stay” in the same condition for a period of time (cf., e.g., Gen 24:55).

[12:4]  ¹⁶⁴⁵ tn Heb “in bloods of purification” or “purifying” or “purity”; NASB “in the blood of her purification”; NRSV “her time of blood purification.” See the following note.

[12:4]  ¹⁶⁴⁶ tn The initial seven days after the birth of a son were days of blood impurity for the woman as if she were having her menstrual period. Her impurity was contagious during this period, so no one should touch her or even furniture on which she has sat or reclined (Lev 15:19-23), lest they too become impure. Even her husband would become impure for seven days if he had sexual intercourse with her during this time (Lev 15:24; cf. 18:19). The next thirty-three days were either “days of purification, purifying” or “days of purity,” depending on how one understands the abstract noun טֹהֳרָה (toharah, “purification, purity”) in this context. During this time the woman could not touch anything holy or enter the sanctuary, but she was no longer contagious like she had been during the first seven days. She could engage in normal everyday life, including sexual intercourse, without fear of contaminating anyone else (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 73-74; cf. J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:749-50). Thus, in a sense, the thirty-three days were a time of blood “purity” (cf. the present translation) as compared to the previous seven days of blood “impurity,” but they were also a time of blood “purification” (or “purifying”) as compared to the time after the thirty-three days, when the blood atonement had been made and she was pronounced “clean” by the priest (see vv. 6-8 below). In other words, the thirty-three day period was a time of “blood” (flow), but this was “pure blood,” as opposed to the blood of the first seven days.

[12:5]  ¹⁶⁴⁷ tn Heb “on purity blood.” The preposition here is עַל (’al) rather than בְּ (bÿ, as it is in the middle of v. 4), but no doubt the same meaning is intended.

[12:5]  ¹⁶⁴⁸ tn For clarification of the translation here, see the notes on vv. 2-4 above.

[12:6]  ¹⁶⁴⁹ tn Heb “And when” (so KJV, NASB). Many recent English versions leave the conjunction untranslated.

[12:6]  ¹⁶⁵⁰ tn Heb “a lamb the son of his year”; KJV “a lamb of the first year” (NRSV “in its first year”); NAB “a yearling lamb.”

[12:6]  ¹⁶⁵¹ sn See the note on Lev 1:3 regarding the “burnt offering.”

[12:6]  ¹⁶⁵² sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”

[12:7]  ¹⁶⁵³ tn Heb “and he” (i.e., the priest mentioned at the end of v. 6). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:7]  ¹⁶⁵⁴ sn See the note on Lev 1:4 “make atonement.” The purpose of sin offering “atonement,” in particular, was to purge impurities from the tabernacle (see Lev 15:31 and 16:5-19, 29-34), whether they were caused by physical uncleannesses or by sins and iniquities. In this case, the woman has not “sinned” morally by having a child. Even Mary brought such offerings for giving birth to Jesus (Luke 2:22-24), though she certainly did not “sin” in giving birth to him. Note that the result of bringing this “sin offering” was “she will be clean,” not “she will be forgiven” (cf. Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13). The impurity of the blood flow has caused the need for this “sin offering,” not some moral or relational infringement of the law (contrast Lev 4:2, “When a person sins by straying unintentionally from any of the commandments of the Lord”).

[12:7]  ¹⁶⁵⁵ tn Or “she will be[come] pure.”

[12:7]  ¹⁶⁵⁶ tn Heb “from her source [i.e., spring] of blood,” possibly referring to the female genital area, not just the “flow of blood” itself (as suggested by J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:761). Cf. ASV “from the fountain of her blood.”

[12:8]  ¹⁶⁵⁷ tn Heb “If her hand cannot find the sufficiency of a sheep.” Many English versions render this as “lamb.”

[12:8]  ¹⁶⁵⁸ tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168, with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).

[12:8]  ¹⁶⁵⁹ tn Or “she will be[come] pure.”

[13:2]  ¹⁶⁶⁰ tn Heb “A man, if [or when] he has….” The term for “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female, since either could be afflicted with infections on the skin.

[13:2]  ¹⁶⁶¹ tn Some of the terms for disease or symptoms of disease in this chapter present difficulties for the translator. Most modern English versions render the Hebrew term שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et) as “swelling,” which has been retained here (see the explanation in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 189). Some have argued that “deeper (עָמֹק, ’amoq) than the skin of his body” in v. 3 means that “this sore was lower than the surrounding skin” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:773), in which case “swelling” would be an inappropriate translation of שְׂאֵת in v. 2. Similarly, שְׂאֵת also occurs in v. 19, and then v. 20 raises the issue of whether or not it appears to be “lower (שָׁפָל, shafal) than the skin” (cf. also 14:37 for a mark on the wall of a house), which may mean that the sore sinks below the surface of the skin rather than protruding above it as a swelling would (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 76-77). Thus, one could translate here, for example, “discoloration” (so Milgrom and II שְׂאֵת “spot, blemish on the skin” in HALOT 1301 s.v. II שְׂאֵת) or “local inflammation, boil, mole” (so Levine). However, one could interpret “lower” as “deeper,” i.e., visibly extending below the surface of the skin into the deeper layers as suggested by J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 188, 192. “Swelling” often extends deeply below the surface of the skin, it is certainly a common symptom of skin diseases, and the alternation of these two terms (i.e., “deeper” and “lower”) in vv. 25-26 below shows that they both refer to the same phenomenon (see also the note on v. 20 below), so it is retained in the present translation.

[13:2]  ¹⁶⁶² tn The etymology and meaning of this term is unknown. It could mean “scab” (KJV, ASV, NASB) or possibly “rash” (NIV, NLT), “flaking skin,” or an “eruption” (NRSV) of some sort.

[13:2]  ¹⁶⁶³ tn Heb “shiny spot” or “white spot,” but to render this term “white spot” in this chapter would create redundancy in v. 4 where the regular term for “white” occurs alongside this word for “bright spot.”

[13:2]  ¹⁶⁶⁴ tn Heb “in the skin of his flesh” as opposed to the head or the beard (v. 29).

[13:2]  ¹⁶⁶⁵ tn Heb “a mark [or stroke; or plague] of disease.” In some places in this context (vv. 2, 3) it could be translated “a contagious skin disease.” Although the Hebrew term צָרָעַת (tsara’at) rendered here “diseased” is translated in many English versions as “leprosy,” it does not refer to Hanson’s disease, which is the modern technical understanding of the term “leprosy” (HALOT 1057 s.v. צָרְעַת a). There has been much discussion of the proper meaning of the term and the disease(s) to which it may refer (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:774-76, 816-26; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 187-89; and the literature cited by them). The further description of the actual condition in the text suggests that the regulations are concerned with any kind of infectious diseases that are observable on the surface of the skin and, in addition to that, penetrate below the surface of the skin (vv. 3-4) or spread further across the surface of the skin (vv. 5-8). It is true that, in the OT, the term “disease” is often associated specifically with white “scaly” skin diseases that resemble the wasting away of the skin after death (see Milgrom who, in fact, translates “scale disease”; cf., e.g., Exod 4:6-7 and Num 12:9-12, esp. v. 12), but here it appears to be a broader term for any skin disease that penetrates deep or spreads far on the body. Scaly skin diseases would be included in this category, but also other types. Thus, a “swelling,” “scab,” or “bright spot” on the skin might be a symptom of disease, but not necessarily so. In this sense, “diseased” is a technical term. The term “infection” can apply to any “mark” on the skin whether it belongs to the category of “disease” or not (compare and contrast v. 3, where the “infection” is not “diseased,” with v. 4, where the “infection” is found to be “diseased”).

[13:2]  ¹⁶⁶⁶ tn Or “it shall be reported to Aaron the priest.” This alternative rendering may be better in light of the parallel use of the same expression in Lev 14:2, where the priest had to go outside the camp in order to inspect the person who had been diseased. Since the rendering “he shall be brought to Aaron the priest” might confuse matters there, this expression should be rendered “it shall be reported” both here in 13:2 (cf. also v. 9) and in 14:2. See, however, the further note on 14:2 below, where it is argued that the diseased person would still need to “be brought” to the priest even if this happened outside the camp. Most English versions retain the idea of the afflicted person being “brought” to the priest for inspection.

[13:3]  ¹⁶⁶⁷ tn Heb “and the priest shall see the infection.”

[13:3]  ¹⁶⁶⁸ tn There is no “if” expressed, but the contrast between the priestly finding in this verse and the next verse clearly implies it.

[13:3]  ¹⁶⁶⁹ tn Heb “and the appearance of the infection is deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “deeper than”) the skin of the his flesh.” See the note on v. 20 below.

[13:3]  ¹⁶⁷⁰ tn For the translation “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. TEV “a dreaded skin disease”; NIV “an infectious skin disease”; NLT “a contagious skin disease.”

[13:3]  ¹⁶⁷¹ tn The pronoun “it” here refers to the “infection,” not the person who has the infection (cf. the object of “examine” at the beginning of the verse).

[13:3]  ¹⁶⁷² tn Heb “he shall make him unclean.” The verb is the Piel of טָמֵא (tame’) “to be unclean.” Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare unclean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of actually being “unclean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 175; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 6 below).

[13:4]  ¹⁶⁷³ tn Heb “and if.”

[13:4]  ¹⁶⁷⁴ tn Heb “and deep is not its appearance from the skin”; cf. NAB “does not seem to have penetrated below the skin.”

[13:4]  ¹⁶⁷⁵ tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the infection seven days.”

[13:5]  ¹⁶⁷⁶ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:5]  ¹⁶⁷⁷ tn Heb “the infection has stood in his eyes”; ASV “if in his eyes the plague be at a stay.”

[13:5]  ¹⁶⁷⁸ tn Although there is no expressed “and” at the beginning of this clause, there is in the corresponding clause of v. 6, so it should be assumed here as well.

[13:5]  ¹⁶⁷⁹ tn Heb “a second seven days.”

[13:6]  ¹⁶⁸⁰ tn That is, at the end of the second set of seven days referred to at the end of v. 5, a total of fourteen days after the first appearance before the priest.

[13:6]  ¹⁶⁸¹ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:6]  ¹⁶⁸² tn Heb “he shall make him clean.” The verb is the Piel of טָהֵר (taher, “to be clean”). Here it is a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare clean”), but it also implies that the person is put into the category of being “clean” by the pronouncement itself (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 176; cf. the corresponding opposite in v. 3 above).

[13:6]  ¹⁶⁸³ tn On the term “scab” see the note on v. 2 above. Cf. NAB “it was merely eczema”; NRSV “only an eruption”; NLT “only a temporary rash.”

[13:6]  ¹⁶⁸⁴ tn Heb “and he shall wash his clothes.”

[13:7]  ¹⁶⁸⁵ tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[13:8]  ¹⁶⁸⁶ tn The “it” is not expressed but is to be understood. It refers to the “infection” (cf. the note on v. 2 above).

[13:8]  ¹⁶⁸⁷ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:8]  ¹⁶⁸⁸ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:9]  ¹⁶⁸⁹ tn Heb “When there is an infection of disease in a man.” The term for “a man; a human being” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2 and cf. v. 2 above) refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female. For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.

[13:10]  ¹⁶⁹⁰ tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).

[13:10]  ¹⁶⁹¹ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:10]  ¹⁶⁹² tn Heb “and rawness [i.e., something living] of living flesh is in the swelling”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “quick raw flesh.”

[13:11]  ¹⁶⁹³ tn The term rendered here “chronic” is a Niphal participle meaning “grown old” (HALOT 448 s.v. II ישׁן nif.2). The idea is that this is an old enduring skin disease that keeps on developing or recurring.

[13:11]  ¹⁶⁹⁴ tn Heb “in the skin of his flesh” as opposed to the head or the beard (v. 29; cf. v. 2 above).

[13:11]  ¹⁶⁹⁵ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:11]  ¹⁶⁹⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:11]  ¹⁶⁹⁷ sn Instead of just the normal quarantine isolation, this condition calls for the more drastic and enduring response stated in Lev 13:45-46. Raw flesh, of course, sometimes oozes blood to one degree or another, and blood flows are by nature impure (see, e.g., Lev 12 and 15; cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 191).

[13:12]  ¹⁶⁹⁸ tn Heb “And if spreading [infinitive absolute] it spreads out [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[13:12]  ¹⁶⁹⁹ tn Heb “all the skin of the infection,” but see v. 4 above.

[13:12]  ¹⁷⁰⁰ tn Heb “to all the appearance of the eyes of the priest.”

[13:13]  ¹⁷⁰¹ tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).

[13:13]  ¹⁷⁰² tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[13:13]  ¹⁷⁰³ tn Heb “he shall pronounce the infection clean,” but see v. 4 above. Also, this is another use of the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher; cf. the note on v. 6 above).

[13:13]  ¹⁷⁰⁴ tn Heb “all of him has turned white, and he is clean.”

[13:14]  ¹⁷⁰⁵ tn Heb “and in the day of there appears in it living flesh.” Some English versions render this as “open sores” (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).

[13:15]  ¹⁷⁰⁶ tn Heb “and the priest shall see the living flesh.”

[13:15]  ¹⁷⁰⁷ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’; cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:16]  ¹⁷⁰⁸ tn Heb “Or if/when.”

[13:16]  ¹⁷⁰⁹ tn Heb “the living flesh returns and is turned/changed to white.” The Hebrew verb “returns” is שׁוּב (shuv), which often functions adverbially when combined with a second verb as it is here (cf. “and is turned”) and, in such cases, is usually rendered “again” (see, e.g., GKC 386-87 §120.g). Another suggestion is that here שׁוּב means “to recede” (cf., e.g., 2 Kgs 20:9), so one could translate “the raw flesh recedes and turns white.” This would mean that the new “white” skin “has grown over” the raw flesh (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 79).

[13:17]  ¹⁷¹⁰ tn Heb “and the priest shall see it.”

[13:17]  ¹⁷¹¹ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[13:17]  ¹⁷¹² tn Heb “the priest shall pronounce the infection clean,” but see v. 4 above. Also, this is another use of the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).

[13:18]  ¹⁷¹³ tc Heb (MT) reads, “And flesh if/when there is in it, in its skin, a boil.” Smr has only “in it,” not “in its skin,” and a few medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have only “in its skin” (cf. v. 24 below), not “in it.” It does not effect the meaning of the verse, but one is tempted to suggest that “in it” (בוֹ, vo) was added in error as a partial dittography from the beginning of “in its skin” (בְעֹרוֹ, vÿ’oro).

[13:19]  ¹⁷¹⁴ tn Some English versions translate “it shall be shown to [or “be seen by”] the priest,” taking the infection to be the subject of the verb (e.g., KJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV). Based on the Hebrew grammar there is no way to be sure which is intended.

[13:20]  ¹⁷¹⁵ tn Heb “and the priest shall see.” The pronoun “it” is unexpressed, but it should be assumed and it refers to the infection (cf. the note on v. 8 above).

[13:20]  ¹⁷¹⁶ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:20]  ¹⁷¹⁷ tn Heb “and behold its appearance is low (שָׁפָל, shafal) ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “lower than”) the skin.” Compare “deeper” in v. 3 above where, however, a different word is used (עָמֹק, ’amoq), and see the note on “swelling” in v. 1 above (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 192; note that, contrary to the MT, Tg. Onq. has עָמֹק in this verse as well as v. 4). The alternation of these two terms (i.e., “deeper” and “lower”) in vv. 25-26 below shows that they both refer to the same phenomenon. Some have argued that “this sore was lower than the surrounding skin” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:773, 788), in which case “swelling” would be an inappropriate translation of שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et) in v. 19. It seems unlikely, however, that the surface of a “boil” would sink below the surface of the surrounding skin. The infectious pus etc. that makes up a boil normally causes swelling.

[13:20]  ¹⁷¹⁸ tn The declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:20]  ¹⁷¹⁹ tn Heb “It is an infection of disease. In the boil it has broken out.” For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.

[13:21]  ¹⁷²⁰ tn Heb “and if.”

[13:21]  ¹⁷²¹ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[13:21]  ¹⁷²² tn Heb “and the priest will shut him up seven days.”

[13:22]  ¹⁷²³ tn Heb “and if.”

[13:22]  ¹⁷²⁴ tn Heb “is indeed spreading.”

[13:22]  ¹⁷²⁵ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’, cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:23]  ¹⁷²⁶ tn Heb “and if under it the bright spot stands, it has not spread.”

[13:23]  ¹⁷²⁷ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).

[13:24]  ¹⁷²⁸ tn Heb “Or a body, if there is in its skin a burn of fire.”

[13:25]  ¹⁷²⁹ tn Heb “and the priest shall see it.”

[13:25]  ¹⁷³⁰ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:25]  ¹⁷³¹ tn Heb “and its appearance is deep ‘from’ [comparative מִן (min) meaning ‘deeper than’] the skin.”

[13:25]  ¹⁷³² tn Heb “it is a disease. In the burn it has broken out.”

[13:25]  ¹⁷³³ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’; cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:25]  ¹⁷³⁴ tn For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.

[13:26]  ¹⁷³⁵ tn Heb “and if.”

[13:26]  ¹⁷³⁶ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “and indeed.”

[13:26]  ¹⁷³⁷ tn Heb “and low it is not ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “lower than”) the skin.” See the note on v. 20 above. Cf. TEV “not deeper than the surrounding skin.”

[13:26]  ¹⁷³⁸ tn Heb “and the priest will shut him up seven days.”

[13:27]  ¹⁷³⁹ tn Heb “is indeed spreading.”

[13:27]  ¹⁷⁴⁰ tn For the rendering “diseased infection” see the note on v. 2 above.

[13:28]  ¹⁷⁴¹ tn Heb “and if under it the bright spot stands, it has not spread in the skin.”

[13:28]  ¹⁷⁴² tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher; cf. the note on v. 6 above).

[13:29]  ¹⁷⁴³ tn Heb “And a man or a woman if there is in him an infection in head or in beard.”

[13:30]  ¹⁷⁴⁴ tn Heb “and the priest shall see the infection.”

[13:30]  ¹⁷⁴⁵ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:30]  ¹⁷⁴⁶ tn Heb “its appearance is deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, “deeper than”) the skin.”

[13:30]  ¹⁷⁴⁷ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָמֵא (tame’; cf. the note on v. 3 above).

[13:30]  ¹⁷⁴⁸ tn The exact identification of this disease is unknown. Cf. KJV “dry scall”; NASB “a scale”; NIV, NCV, NRSV “an itch”; NLT “a contagious skin disease.” For a discussion of “scall” disease in the hair, which is a crusty scabby disease of the skin under the hair that also affects the hair itself, see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 192-93, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:793-94. The Hebrew word rendered “scall” (נֶתֶק, neteq) is related to a verb meaning “to tear; to tear out; to tear apart.” It may derive from the scratching and/or the tearing out of the hair or the scales of the skin in response to the itching sensation caused by the disease.

[13:30]  ¹⁷⁴⁹ tn Heb “It is scall. It is the disease of the head or the beard.”

[13:31]  ¹⁷⁵⁰ tn Heb “and behold there is not its appearance deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”

[13:31]  ¹⁷⁵¹ tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the infection of the scall seven days.”

[13:32]  ¹⁷⁵² tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:32]  ¹⁷⁵³ tn Heb “and the appearance of the scall is not deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”

[13:33]  ¹⁷⁵⁴ tn The shaving is done by the one who has the infection. Although KJV, ASV have the passive “he shall be shaven” here, most modern English versions have the reflexive “shall shave himself” (so NAB).

[13:33]  ¹⁷⁵⁵ tn Heb “but the scall shall he not shave” (so KJV, ASV); NIV “except for the diseased area.”

[13:33]  ¹⁷⁵⁶ tn Heb “and the priest will shut up the scall a second seven days.”

[13:34]  ¹⁷⁵⁷ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:34]  ¹⁷⁵⁸ tn Heb “and its appearance is not deep ‘from’ (comparative מִן, min, meaning “deeper than”) the skin.”

[13:34]  ¹⁷⁵⁹ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).

[13:35]  ¹⁷⁶⁰ tn Heb “And if spreading (infinitive absolute) it spreads further (finite verb).” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[13:36]  ¹⁷⁶¹ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:36]  ¹⁷⁶² tn Heb “the priest shall not search to the reddish yellow hair.”

[13:36]  ¹⁷⁶³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the affected person) is specified in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).

[13:37]  ¹⁷⁶⁴ tn Heb “and if in his eyes the infection has stood.”

[13:37]  ¹⁷⁶⁵ tn This is the declarative Piel of the verb טָהֵר (taher, cf. the note on v. 6 above).

[13:39]  ¹⁷⁶⁶ tn Heb “and the priest shall see.”

[13:39]  ¹⁷⁶⁷ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:39]  ¹⁷⁶⁸ tn Heb “he,” but the regulation applies to a man or a woman (v. 38a). In the translation “the person” is used to specify the referent more clearly.

[13:40]  ¹⁷⁶⁹ tn Heb “And a man, when his head is rubbed bare, he is bald-headed.” The translation offered here, referring to the back of the head (i.e., the area from the top of the head sloping backwards), is based on the contrast between this condition and that of the following verse. See also B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 82.

[13:41]  ¹⁷⁷⁰ tn Heb “And if from the front edge of his face, his head is rubbed bare.” See the note on v. 40 above.

[13:41]  ¹⁷⁷¹ tn The rendering “balding in front” corresponds to the location of the bareness at the beginning of the verse.

[13:43]  ¹⁷⁷² tn Heb “and the priest shall see it” (cf. KJV). The MT has “him/it” which some take to refer to the person as a whole (i.e., “him”; see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:770; NIV, NRSV, etc.), while others take it as a reference to the “infection” (נֶגַע, nega’) in v. 42 (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 172, 177). Smr has “her/it,” which would probably refer to “disease” (צָרַעַת, tsara’at) in v. 42. The general pattern in the chapter suggests that “it,” either the infection or the disease, is the object of the examination (see, e.g., v. 3 above and v. 50 below).

[13:43]  ¹⁷⁷³ tn Heb “and behold.”

[13:43]  ¹⁷⁷⁴ tn Heb “like appearance of disease of skin of flesh.”

[13:44]  ¹⁷⁷⁵ tn Or perhaps translate, “His infection [is] on his head,” as a separate independent sentence (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). There is no causal expression in the Hebrew text connecting these two clauses, but the logical relationship between them seems to be causal.

[13:45]  ¹⁷⁷⁶ tn Heb “And the diseased one who in him is the infection.”

[13:45]  ¹⁷⁷⁷ tn Heb “and his head shall be unbound, and he shall cover on [his] mustache.” Tearing one’s clothing, allowing the hair to hang loose rather than bound up in a turban, and covering the mustache on the upper lip are all ways of expressing shame, grief, or distress (cf., e.g., Lev 10:6 and Micah 3:7).

[13:46]  ¹⁷⁷⁸ tn Heb “All the days which the infection is in him.”

[13:47]  ¹⁷⁷⁹ tn Heb “And the garment, if there is in it a mark of disease.”

[13:47]  ¹⁷⁸⁰ tn Heb “in a wool garment or in a linen garment.”

[13:48]  ¹⁷⁸¹ sn The warp (vertical) and woof (horizontal) thread may be two different sets of thread not yet woven together, or they may refer to two different kinds of thread already woven, in which case one might have the disease in it while the other does not. See the explanation in J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:809-10.

[13:48]  ¹⁷⁸² tn Heb “in any handiwork of skin” (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV); most other modern English versions have “leather.”

[13:49]  ¹⁷⁸³ tn Heb “and the infection is.” This clause is conditional in force, and is translated as such by almost all English versions.

[13:50]  ¹⁷⁸⁴ tn Heb “And the priest shall see the infection and he shall shut up the infection seven days.”

[13:51]  ¹⁷⁸⁵ tn Heb “to all which the leather was made into a handiwork.”

[13:53]  ¹⁷⁸⁶ tn Heb “And if the priest sees and behold”; NASB “and indeed.”

[13:54]  ¹⁷⁸⁷ tn Heb “a second seven days.”

[13:55]  ¹⁷⁸⁸ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[13:55]  ¹⁷⁸⁹ tn Heb “the infection has not changed its eye.” Smr has “its/his eyes,” as in vv. 5 and 37, but here it refers to the appearance of the article of cloth or leather, unlike vv. 5 and 37 where there is a preposition attached and it refers to the eyes of the priest.

[13:55]  ¹⁷⁹⁰ tn The terms “back side” and “front side” are the same as those used in v. 42 for the “back or front bald area” of a man’s head. The exact meaning of these terms when applied to articles of cloth or leather is uncertain. It could refer, for example, to the inside versus the outside of a garment, or the back versus the front side of an article of cloth or leather. See J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:814, for various possibilities.

[13:56]  ¹⁷⁹¹ tn Heb “And if the priest saw and behold….”

[13:56]  ¹⁷⁹² tn Heb “and he shall tear it from.”

[13:57]  ¹⁷⁹³ tn Heb “And if”; NIV, NCV “But if”; NAB “If, however.”

[13:58]  ¹⁷⁹⁴ tn Heb “and the infection turns aside from them.”

[13:59]  ¹⁷⁹⁵ sn The Hebrew term translated “law” (תוֹרָה, torah) introduces here a summary or colophon for all of Lev 13. Similar summaries are found in Lev 7:37-38; 11:46-47; 14:54-57; and 15:32-33.

[13:59]  ¹⁷⁹⁶ tn These are declarative Piel forms of the verbs טָהֵר (taher) and טָמֵא (tame’) respectively (cf. the notes on vv. 3 and 6 above).

[14:2]  ¹⁷⁹⁷ tn Heb “and.” Here KJV, ASV use a semicolon; NASB begins a new sentence with “Now.”

[14:2]  ¹⁷⁹⁸ tn The alternative rendering, “when it is reported to the priest” may be better in light of the fact that the priest had to go outside the camp. Since he or she had been declared “unclean” by a priest (Lev 13:3) and was, therefore, required to remain outside the camp (13:46), the formerly diseased person could not reenter the camp until he or she had been declared “clean” by a priest (cf. Lev 13:6 for “declaring clean.”). See especially J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:831, who supports this rendering both here and in Lev 13:2 and 9. B. A. Levine, however, prefers the rendering in the text (Leviticus [JPSTC], 76 and 85). It is the most natural meaning of the verb (i.e., “to be brought” from בּוֹא [bo’, “to come”] in the Hophal stem, which means “to be brought” in all other occurrences in Leviticus other than 13:2, 9, and 14:2; see only 6:30; 10:18; 11:32; and 16:27), it suits the context well in 13:2, and the rendering “to be brought” is supported by 13:7b, “he shall show himself to the priest a second time.” Although it is true that the priest needed to go outside the camp to examine such a person, the person still needed to “be brought” to the priest there. The translation of vv. 2-3 employed here suggests that v. 2 introduces the proceeding and then v. 3 goes on to describe the specific details of the examination and purification.

[14:3]  ¹⁷⁹⁹ tn Heb “and he shall be brought to the priest and the priest shall go out to from outside to the camp and the priest shall see [it].” The understood “it” refers to the skin infection itself (see the note on 13:3 above). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:3]  ¹⁸⁰⁰ tn Heb “And behold, the diseased infection has been healed from the diseased person.” The expression “diseased infection” has been translated as simply “infection” to avoid redundancy here in terms of English style.

[14:4]  ¹⁸⁰¹ tn The term rendered here “crimson fabric” consists of two Hebrew words and means literally, “crimson of worm” (in this order only in Lev 14:4, 6, 49, 51, 52 and Num 19:6; for the more common reverse order, “worm of crimson,” see, e.g., the colored fabrics used in making the tabernacle, Exod 25:4, etc.). This particular “worm” is an insect that lives on the leaves of palm trees, the eggs of which are the source for a “crimson” dye used to color various kinds of cloth (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 86). That a kind of dyed “fabric” is intended, not just the dye substance itself, is made certain by the dipping of it along with the other ritual materials listed here into the blood and water mixture for sprinkling on the person being cleansed (Lev 14:6; cf. also the burning of it in the fire of the red heifer in Num 19:6). Both the reddish color of cedar wood and the crimson colored fabric seem to correspond to the color of blood and may, therefore, symbolize either “life,” which is in the blood, or the use of blood to “make atonement” (see, e.g., Gen 9:4 and Lev 17:11). See further the note on v. 7 below.

[14:4]  ¹⁸⁰² sn Twigs of hyssop (probably one or several species of marjoram thymus), a spice and herb plant that grows out of walls in Palestine (see 1 Kgs 4:33 [5:13 HT], HALOT 27 s.v. אֵזוֹב, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 195), were particularly leafy and therefore especially useful for sprinkling the purifying liquid (cf. vv. 5-7). Many of the details of the ritual procedure are obscure. It has been proposed, for example, that the “cedar wood” was a stick to which the hyssop was bound with the crimson material to make a sort of sprinkling instrument (Hartley, 195). In light of the burning of these three materials as part of the preparation of the ashes of the red heifer in Num 19:5-6, however, this seems unlikely.

[14:4]  ¹⁸⁰³ tn The MT reads literally, “And the priest shall command and he shall take.” Clearly, the second verb (“and he shall take”) contains the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that he take” (cf. also v. 5a). Since the priest issues the command here, he cannot be the subject of the second verb because he cannot be commanding himself to “take” up these ritual materials. Moreover, since the ritual is being performed “for the one being cleansed,” the antecedent of the pronoun “he” cannot refer to him. The LXX, Smr, and Syriac versions have the third person plural here and in v. 5a, which corresponds to other combinations with the verb וְצִוָּה (vÿtsivvah) “and he (the priest) shall command” in this context (see Lev 13:54; 14:36, 40). This suggests an impersonal (i.e., “someone shall take” and “someone shall slaughter,” respectively) or perhaps even passive rendering of the verbs in 14:4, 5 (i.e., “there shall be taken” and “there shall be slaughtered,” respectively). The latter option has been chosen here.

[14:4]  ¹⁸⁰⁴ tn Heb “the one cleansing himself” (i.e., Hitpael participle of טָהֵר, taher, “to be clean”).

[14:5]  ¹⁸⁰⁵ tn Heb “And the priest shall command and he shall slaughter.” See the note on “be taken up” (v. 4).

[14:5]  ¹⁸⁰⁶ tn Heb “into a vessel of clay over living water.” The expression “living [i.e., ‘fresh’] water” (cf. Lev 14:50; 15:13; Num 19:17) refers to water that flows. It includes such water sources as artesian wells (Gen 26:19; Song of Songs 4:15), springs (Jer 2:13, as opposed to cisterns; cf. 17:13), and flowing streams (Zech 14:8). In other words, this is water that has not stood stagnant as, for example, in a sealed-off cistern.

[14:6]  ¹⁸⁰⁷ tc Heb “the live bird he [i.e., the priest] shall take it.” Although the MT has no ו (vav, “and”) at the beginning of this clause, a few medieval Hebrew mss and Smr have one and the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate translate as if it is there. The “but” in the present translation reflects this text critical background, the object-first word order in the clause with the resumptive pronoun at the end, and the obvious contrast between the slaughtered bird in v. 5 and the live bird in v. 6.

[14:7]  ¹⁸⁰⁸ tn Heb “the one cleansing himself” (i.e., Hitpael participle of טָהֵר [taher, “to be clean”]).

[14:7]  ¹⁸⁰⁹ tn Heb “and he shall make him clean.” The verb is the Piel of טָהֵר (taher, “to be clean”), here used as a so-called “declarative” Piel (i.e., “to declare clean”; cf. 13:6, etc.).

[14:7]  ¹⁸¹⁰ sn The reddish color of cedar wood and the crimson colored fabric called for in v. 4 (see the note there, esp. the association with the color of blood) as well as the priestly commands to bring “two live” birds (v. 4a), to slaughter one of them “over fresh water” (literally “living water,” v. 5b), and the subsequent ritual with the (second) “live” bird (vv. 6-7) combine to communicate the concept of “life” and “being alive” in this passage. This contrasts with the fear of death associated with the serious skin diseases in view here (see, e.g., Aaron’s description of Miriam’s skin disease in Num 12:12, “Do not let her be like the dead one when it goes out from its mother’s womb and its flesh half eaten away”). Since the slaughtered bird here is not sacrificed at the altar and is not designated as an expiatory “sin offering,” this ritual procedure probably symbolizes the renewed life of the diseased person and displays it publicly for all to see. It is preparatory to the expiatory rituals that will follow (vv. 10-20, esp. vv. 18-20), but is not itself expiatory. Thus, although there are important similarities between the bird ritual here, the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:20-22), and the red heifer for cleansing from corpse contamination (Num 19), this bird ritual is different in that the latter two constitute “sin offerings” (Lev 16:5, 8-10; Num 19:9, 17). Neither of the birds in Lev 14:4-7 is designated or treated as a “sin offering.” Nevertheless, the very nature of the live bird ritual itself and its obvious similarity to the scapegoat ritual suggests that the patient’s disease has been removed far away so that he or she is free from its effects both personally and communally.

[14:8]  ¹⁸¹¹ tn Heb “the one cleansing himself” (i.e., Hitpael participle of טָהֵר [taher, “to be clean”]).

[14:8]  ¹⁸¹² tn Heb “and he shall be clean” (so ASV). The end result of the ritual procedures in vv. 4-7 and the washing and shaving in v. 8a is that the formerly diseased person has now officially become clean in the sense that he can reenter the community (see v. 8b; contrast living outside the community as an unclean diseased person, Lev 13:46). There are, however, further cleansing rituals and pronouncements for him to undergo in the tabernacle as outlined in vv. 10-20 (see Qal “be[come] clean” in vv. 9 and 20, Piel “pronounce clean” in v. 11, and Hitpael “the one being cleansed” in vv. 11, 14, 17, 18, and 19). Obviously, in order to enter the tabernacle he must already “be clean” in the sense of having access to the community.

[14:9]  ¹⁸¹³ tn Heb “And it shall be on the seventh day.”

[14:9]  ¹⁸¹⁴ tn Heb “and he shall be clean” (see the note on v. 8).

[14:10]  ¹⁸¹⁵ tn The subject “he” probably refers to the formerly diseased person in this case (see the notes on Lev 1:5a, 6a, and 9a).

[14:10]  ¹⁸¹⁶ tn This term is often rendered “fine flour,” but it refers specifically to wheat as opposed to barley (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 10) and, although the translation “flour” is used here, it may indicate “grits” rather than finely ground flour (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:179; see the note on Lev 2:1). The unit of measure is most certainly an “ephah” even though it is not stated explicitly (see, e.g., Num 28:5; cf. 15:4, 6, 8), and three-tenths of an ephah would amount to about a gallon, or perhaps one-third of a bushel (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 196; Milgrom, 845). Since the normal amount of flour for a lamb is one-tenth of an ephah (Num 28:4-5; cf. 15:4), three-tenths is about right for the three lambs offered in Lev 14:10-20.

[14:10]  ¹⁸¹⁷ tn A “log” (לֹג, log) of oil is about one-sixth of a liter, or one-third of a pint, or two-thirds of a cup.

[14:11]  ¹⁸¹⁸ tn The MT here is awkward to translate into English. It reads literally, “and the priest who pronounces clean (Piel participle of טָהֵר, taher) shall cause to stand (Hiphil of עָמַד, ’amad) the man who is cleansing himself (Hitpael participle of טָהֵר) and them” (i.e., the offerings listed in v. 10; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity). Alternatively, the Piel of טָהֵר could be rendered “who performs the cleansing/purification” (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:827), perhaps even as a technical term for one who holds the office of “purification priest” (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 87). It is probably better, however, to retain the same meaning here as in v. 7 above (see the note there regarding the declarative Piel use of this verb).

[14:12]  ¹⁸¹⁹ tn Heb “And the priest shall take the one lamb.”

[14:12]  ¹⁸²⁰ tn See the note on Lev 5:15 above. The primary purpose of the “guilt offering” (אָשָׁם, ’asham) was to “atone” (כִּפֶּר, kipper, “to make atonement,” see v. 18 below and the note on Lev 1:4) for “trespassing” on the Lord’s “holy things,” whether sacred objects or sacred people. It is, therefore, closely associated with the reconsecration of the Lord’s holy people as, for example, here and in the case of the corpse contaminated Nazirite (Num 6:11b-12). Since the nation of Israel was “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” to the Lord (Exod 19:6; cf. the blood splashed on all the people in Exod 24:8), the skin diseased person was essentially a member of the “holy nation” who had been expelled from the community. Therefore, he or she had been desecrated and the guilt offering was essential to restoring him or her to the community. In fact, the manipulation of blood and oil in the guilt offering ritual procedure for the healed person (see vv. 14-18 below) is reminiscent of that employed for the ordination offering in the consecration of the holy Aaronic priests of the nation (Exod 29:19-21; Lev 8:22-30).

[14:12]  ¹⁸²¹ tn Heb “wave them [as] a wave offering before the Lord” (NAB similar). See the note on Lev 7:30 and the literature cited there. Other possible translations include “elevate them [as] an elevation offering before the Lord” (cf. NRSV) or “present them [as] a presentation offering before the Lord.” To be sure, the actual physical “waving” of a male lamb seems unlikely, but some waving gesture may have been performed in the presentation of the offering (cf. also the “waving” of the Levites as a “wave offering” in Num 8:11, etc.).

[14:13]  ¹⁸²² tn Heb “And he shall slaughter.”

[14:13]  ¹⁸²³ tn Heb “in the place which.”

[14:13]  ¹⁸²⁴ sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”

[14:13]  ¹⁸²⁵ sn See the note on Lev 1:3 regarding the “burnt offering.”

[14:13]  ¹⁸²⁶ tn Since the priest himself presents this offering as a wave offering (v. 12), it would seem that the offering is already in his hands and he would, therefore, be the one who slaughtered the male lamb in this instance rather than the offerer. Smr and LXX make the second verb “to slaughter” plural rather than singular, which suggests that it is to be taken as an impersonal passive (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:852).

[14:13]  ¹⁸²⁷ tn Heb “the guilt offering, it [is] to the Lord.” Regarding the “guilt offering,” see the note on Lev 5:15.

[14:14]  ¹⁸²⁸ tn Heb “and the priest shall put [literally ‘give’] on the lobe of the ear of the one being cleansed, the right one.”

[14:14]  ¹⁸²⁹ tn The term for “big toe” (בֹּהֶן, bohen) is the same as that for “thumb.” It refers to the larger appendage on either the hand or the foot.

[14:15]  ¹⁸³⁰ tn Heb “And the priest…shall pour on the left hand of the priest.” As the Rabbis observe, the repetition of “priest” as the expressed subject of both verbs in this verse may suggest that two priests were involved in this ritual (see m. Nega’im 14:8, referred to by J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:852), but the seemingly unnecessary repetition of “priest” in several verses throughout the chapter argues against this (see esp. vv. 3, 14, 18, 20, 24, and 26). Moreover, in this case, “priest” may be repeated to avoid confusing the priest’s hand with that of the one being cleansed (cf. v. 14).

[14:16]  ¹⁸³¹ tn Heb “his right finger from the oil.”

[14:17]  ¹⁸³² tn Heb “on his hand.”

[14:18]  ¹⁸³³ tn Heb “and the remainder in the oil.”

[14:19]  ¹⁸³⁴ tn Heb “do [or “make”] the sin offering.”

[14:19]  ¹⁸³⁵ tn Heb “And after[ward] he [i.e., the offerer] shall slaughter.” The LXX adds “the priest” as the subject of the verb (as do several English versions, e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT), but the offerer is normally the one who does the actually slaughtering of the sacrificial animal (cf. the notes on Lev 1:5a, 6a, and 9a).

[14:20]  ¹⁸³⁶ tn Heb “cause to go up.”

[14:21]  ¹⁸³⁷ tn Heb “and his hand does not reach”; NAB, NRSV “and cannot afford so much (afford these NIV).”

[14:21]  ¹⁸³⁸ tn See the notes on v. 10 above.

[14:22]  ¹⁸³⁹ tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).

[14:22]  ¹⁸⁴⁰ tn Heb “which his hand reaches”; NRSV “such as (which NIV) he can afford.”

[14:22]  ¹⁸⁴¹ tn Heb “and one shall be a sin offering and the one a burnt offering.” The versions struggle with whether or not “one” should or should not have the definite article in its two occurrences in this verse (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB all have the English definite article with both). The MT has the first without and the second with the article.

[14:23]  ¹⁸⁴² tn Heb “to the doorway of”; KJV, ASV “unto the door of.”

[14:24]  ¹⁸⁴³ tn Heb “and the priest shall wave them.” In the present translation “priest” is not repeated a second time in the verse for stylistic reasons. With regard to the “waving” of the “wave offering,” see the note on v. 12 above.

[14:25]  ¹⁸⁴⁴ tn Heb “and the priest shall put [literally ‘give’] on the lobe of the ear of the one being cleansed, the right one.”

[14:25]  ¹⁸⁴⁵ tn The term for “big toe” (בֹּהֶן, bohen) is the same as that for “thumb.” It refers to the larger appendage on either the hand or the foot.

[14:26]  ¹⁸⁴⁶ tn Heb “And from the oil the priest shall pour out on the left hand of the priest.” Regarding the repetition of “priest” in this verse see the note on v. 15 above.

[14:27]  ¹⁸⁴⁷ tn Heb “and the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger from the oil which is on his left hand.”

[14:28]  ¹⁸⁴⁸ tn Heb “on his hand.”

[14:29]  ¹⁸⁴⁹ tn Heb “on the hand.”

[14:29]  ¹⁸⁵⁰ tn Heb “give.”

[14:30]  ¹⁸⁵¹ tn Heb “the one from the turtledoves.”

[14:30]  ¹⁸⁵² tc Heb “from which his hand reaches.” The repetition of virtually the same expression at the beginning of v. 31 in the MT is probably due to dittography (cf. the LXX and Syriac). However, the MT may be retained if it is understood as “one of the turtledoves or young pigeons that are within his means – whichever he can afford” (see J. Milgrom’s translation in Leviticus [AB], 1:828, contra his commentary, 862; cf. REB).

[14:31]  ¹⁸⁵³ tn Heb “and the one a burnt offering on the grain offering.”

[14:32]  ¹⁸⁵⁴ tn Heb “This is the law of who in him [is] a diseased infection.”

[14:32]  ¹⁸⁵⁵ tn Heb “who his hand does not reach in his purification”; NASB “whose means are limited for his cleansing”; NIV “who cannot afford the regular offerings for his cleansing.”

[14:34]  ¹⁸⁵⁶ tn Heb “which I am giving” (so NAB, NIV).

[14:34]  ¹⁸⁵⁷ tn Heb “give.”

[14:34]  ¹⁸⁵⁸ tn Heb “in the house of the land of your possession” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[14:35]  ¹⁸⁵⁹ tn Heb “who to him the house.”

[14:36]  ¹⁸⁶⁰ tn Heb “And the priest shall command and they shall clear the house.” The second verb (“and they shall clear”) states the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that they clear” (cf. also vv. 4a and 5a above), and for the impersonal passive rendering of the active verb (“that the house be cleared”) see the note on v. 4 above.

[14:36]  ¹⁸⁶¹ tn Heb “to see the infection”; KJV “to see the plague”; NASB “to look at the mark (mildew NCV).”

[14:36]  ¹⁸⁶² tn Heb “all which [is] in the house.”

[14:36]  ¹⁸⁶³ sn Once the priest pronounced the house “unclean” everything in it was also officially unclean. Therefore, if they emptied the house of its furniture, etc. before the official pronouncement by the priest those possessions would thereby remain officially “clean” and avoid destruction or purification procedures.

[14:36]  ¹⁸⁶⁴ tn Heb “and after thus.”

[14:37]  ¹⁸⁶⁵ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV).

[14:37]  ¹⁸⁶⁶ tn For “yellowish green and reddish” see Lev 13:49. The Hebrew term translated “eruptions” occurs only here and its meaning is uncertain. For a detailed summary of the issues and views see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:870. The suggestions include, among others: (1) “depressions” from Hebrew שׁקע (“sink”) or קער as the root of the Hebrew term for “bowl” (LXX, Targums, NAB, NASB, NIV; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 90), (2) “streaks” (ASV, NJPS), (3) and “eruptions” as a loan-word from Egyptian sqr r rwtj (“eruption; rash”); cf. Milgrom, 870; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 198-99. The latter view is taken here.

[14:37]  ¹⁸⁶⁷ tn The Hebrew term קִיר (qir,“wall”) refers to the surface of the wall in this case, which normally consisted of a coating of plaster made of limestone and sand (see HALOT 1099 s.v. קִיר 1.a; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:871; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 199).

[14:38]  ¹⁸⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he shall shut up the house seven days.”

[14:39]  ¹⁸⁶⁹ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “If the mark has indeed spread.”

[14:40]  ¹⁸⁷⁰ tn Heb “and the priest shall command and they shall pull out the stones which in them is the infection, and they shall cast them.” The second and third verbs (“they shall pull out” and “they shall throw”) state the thrust of the priest’s command, which suggests the translation “that they pull out…and throw” (cf. also vv. 4a, 5a, and 36a above), and for the impersonal passive rendering of the active verb (“be pulled and thrown”) see the note on v. 4 above.

[14:40]  ¹⁸⁷¹ tn Heb “into from outside to the city.”

[14:41]  ¹⁸⁷² tn Or, according to the plurality of the verb in Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Targums, “Then the house shall be scraped” (cf. NAB, NLT, and the note on v. 40).

[14:41]  ¹⁸⁷³ tn Heb “from house all around.”

[14:41]  ¹⁸⁷⁴ tn Heb “dust” (so KJV) or “rubble”; NIV “the material”; NLT “the scrapings.”

[14:41]  ¹⁸⁷⁵ tn Heb “which they have scraped off.” The MT term קִיר (qir, “wall” from קָצָה, qatsah, “to cut off”; BDB 892), the original Greek does not have this clause, Smr has הקיצו (with uncertain meaning), and the BHS editors and HALOT 1123-24 s.v. I קצע hif.a suggest emending the verb to הִקְצִעוּ (hiqtsi’u, see the same verb at the beginning of this verse; cf. some Greek mss, Syriac, and the Targums). The emendation seems reasonable and is accepted by many commentators, but the root קָצָה (qatsah, “to cut off”) does occur in the Bible (2 Kgs 10:32; Hab 2:10) and in postbiblical Hebrew (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 179, notes 41c and 43d; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:873; cf. also קָצַץ, qatsats, “to cut off”).

[14:41]  ¹⁸⁷⁶ tn Heb “into from outside to the city.”

[14:42]  ¹⁸⁷⁷ tn Heb “and bring into under the stones.”

[14:43]  ¹⁸⁷⁸ tn Heb “after he has pulled out the stones, and after scraping (variant form of the Hiphil infinitive construct, GKC 531) the house, and after being replastered (Niphal infinitive construct).”

[14:44]  ¹⁸⁷⁹ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “If he sees that the mark has indeed spread.”

[14:45]  ¹⁸⁸⁰ tn Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the plural verb, perhaps suggesting a passive translation, “The house…shall be torn down” (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT, and see the note on v. 4b above).

[14:45]  ¹⁸⁸¹ tn Once again, Smr, LXX, and Syriac have the plural verb, perhaps to be rendered passive, “shall be brought.”

[14:46]  ¹⁸⁸² tn Heb “the one who comes into.”

[14:46]  ¹⁸⁸³ tn Heb “he,” referring to the priest (see v. 38). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:48]  ¹⁸⁸⁴ tn Heb “And if the priest entering [infinitive absolute] enters [finite verb]” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[14:48]  ¹⁸⁸⁵ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “and the mark has not indeed spread.”

[14:49]  ¹⁸⁸⁶ tn The pronoun “he” refers to the priest mentioned in the previous verse.

[14:49]  ¹⁸⁸⁷ tn Regarding these ritual materials, see the note on v. 4 above.

[14:49]  ¹⁸⁸⁸ tn Regarding the Piel of חָטָא (khata’, cf. v. 52) meaning to “decontaminate” or “perform a decontamination,” see the notes on Lev 8:15 and 9:15.

[14:50]  ¹⁸⁸⁹ tn See the note on v. 5 above.

[14:53]  ¹⁸⁹⁰ tn Heb “to from outside to the city.”

[14:54]  ¹⁸⁹¹ tn Heb “and for the scall”; NASB “a scale”; NIV “any infectious skin disease.” Cf. Lev 13:29-37.

[14:55]  ¹⁸⁹² sn Cf. Lev 13:47-59.

[14:55]  ¹⁸⁹³ sn Cf. Lev 14:33-53.

[14:56]  ¹⁸⁹⁴ sn Cf. Lev 13:9-28, 43.

[14:56]  ¹⁸⁹⁵ sn Cf. Lev 13:2.

[14:56]  ¹⁸⁹⁶ sn Cf. Lev 13:4, 18-28, 38-39. For explanations of all these terms for disease in Lev 14:56 see 13:2.

[14:57]  ¹⁸⁹⁷ tn Heb “to teach in the day of the unclean and in the day of the clean.”

[14:57]  ¹⁸⁹⁸ tn Heb “This is the law of the disease.” Some English versions specify this as “skin disease” (e.g., NIV, NLT), but then have to add “and (+ infectious NLT) mildew” (so NIV) because a house would not be infected with a skin disease.

[15:2]  ¹⁸⁹⁹ tn Heb “Man man.” The reduplication is a way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 17:3; 22:18, etc.; see the distributive repetition of the noun in GKC 395-96 §123.c).

[15:2]  ¹⁹⁰⁰ tn The term “discharge” actually means “to flow,” whether referring to a full flow as at a spring of water (Ps 78:20 and parallels) or in reference to the promised land as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exod 3:8 and parallels).

[15:2]  ¹⁹⁰¹ tn Heb “man, man when there is a discharge from his flesh.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any [or “every”] man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c). It is well-recognized that the term “flesh” (i.e., “body”) in this chapter refers regularly and euphemistically to the male and female genital members or areas of the body (HALOT 164 s.v. בָּשָׂר 5.b; see also, e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 93). The euphemism has been retained in this translation since it is, in fact, intended in the Hebrew text. Some English versions partially remove the euphemism (e.g., NAB “from his private parts”; NRSV “from his member”) while some remove it completely (e.g., NLT “a genital discharge”; TEV “from his penis”; CEV “with an infected penis”).

[15:3]  ¹⁹⁰² tn The LXX has “this the law of his uncleanness…” (cf. v. 32 and compare, e.g., 13:59; 14:2, 56).

[15:3]  ¹⁹⁰³ tc Smr, LXX, and the Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll from Qumran (11QpaleoLev; Fragment G contains Lev 14:52-15:5 and 16:2-4, and agrees with the LXX of Lev 15:3b) are in essential (although not complete) agreement against the MT in Lev 15:3b and are to be preferred in this case. The shorter MT text has probably arisen due to a lengthy haplography. See K. A. Mathews, “The Leviticus Scroll (11QpaleoLev) and the Text of the Hebrew Bible,” CBQ 48 (1986): 177-78, 198; D. N. Freedman, “Variant Readings in the Leviticus Scroll from Qumran Cave 11,” CBQ 36 (1974): 528-29; D. N. Freedman and K. A. Mathews, The Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll, 32. The MT of Lev 15:3 reads: “Now this is his uncleanness in [regard to] his discharge – whether his body secretes his discharge or blocks his discharge, this is his uncleanness.” Smr adds after MT’s “blocks his discharge” the following: “he is unclean; all the days that his body has a discharge or his body blocks his discharge, this is his uncleanness.” Thus, the MT appears to skip from Smr טמא הוא “he is unclean” in the middle of the verse to יא/טמאתו הו “this is his uncleanness” at the end of the verse, leaving out “he is unclean; all the days that his body has a discharge or his body blocks his discharge” (cf. the BHS footnote). 11Q1 (paleoLev^a frag. G) is indeed fragmentary, but it does have ימי ז בו כל “…in him, all the days of the fl[ow],” supporting Smr and LXX tradition. The LXX adds after MT “blocks his discharge” the following: “all the days of the flow of his body, by which his body is affected by the flow,” followed by “it is his uncleanness” (i.e., the last two words of the MT).

[15:3]  ¹⁹⁰⁴ tn Heb “it is his uncleanness,” but the last clause recapitulates the effect of the first clause in this verse, both of which introduce the regulations for such uncleanness in the following verses. In other words, whether his discharge flows from his penis or is blocked in it, he is still unclean and must proceed according to the following regulations (vv. 4ff).

[15:4]  ¹⁹⁰⁵ tn Heb “All the bed which the man with a discharge sits on it shall be unclean”; cf. NLT “Any bedding.”

[15:4]  ¹⁹⁰⁶ tn Heb “and all the vessel which he sits on it shall be unclean”; NASB “everything on which he sits.”

[15:5]  ¹⁹⁰⁷ tn Heb “And a man who touches in his bed”; NLT “touch the man’s bedding.”

[15:5]  ¹⁹⁰⁸ tn Heb “he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until the evening” (cf. also vv. 6-8, 10-11, etc.).

[15:7]  ¹⁹⁰⁹ tn Heb “And the one who touches in the flesh.” In this instance, “flesh” (or “body”) probably refers literally to any part of the body, not the genitals specifically (see the discussion in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:914).

[15:8]  ¹⁹¹⁰ tn Heb “And if the man with a discharge spits in the clean one.”

[15:9]  ¹⁹¹¹ tn The Hebrew term for “means of riding” is a cognate noun from the verb “ride” later in this verse. It refers to anything on which one may ride without the feet touching the ground including, for example, a saddle, a (saddle) blanket, or a seat on a chariot (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:916).

[15:10]  ¹⁹¹² tn Heb “which shall be under him.” The verb is perhaps a future perfect, “which shall have been.”

[15:10]  ¹⁹¹³ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the previously mentioned items which were under the unclean person) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:11]  ¹⁹¹⁴ tn Heb “And all who the man with the discharge touches in him and his hands he has not rinsed in water.”

[15:12]  ¹⁹¹⁵ tn The Hebrew term כְּלִי (kÿli) can mean “vessel” (v. 12a) or “utensil, implement, article” (v. 12b). An article of clay would refer to a vessel or container of some sort, while one made of wood would refer to some kind of tool or instrument.

[15:13]  ¹⁹¹⁶ tn For the expression “fresh water” see the note on Lev 14:5 above.

[15:14]  ¹⁹¹⁷ tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).

[15:14]  ¹⁹¹⁸ tc The MT has the Qal form of the verb בּוֹא (bo’) “to come” here, but the LXX (followed generally by the Syriac and Tg. Ps.-J.) reflects the Hiphil form of the same verb, “to bring” as in v. 29 below. In v. 29, however, there is no additional clause “and give them to the priest,” so the Hiphil is necessary in that context while it is not necessary here in v. 14.

[15:15]  ¹⁹¹⁹ sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”

[15:15]  ¹⁹²⁰ tn Heb “and the priest shall make them one a sin offering and the one a burnt offering.” See the note on Lev 1:3 regarding the “burnt offering.”

[15:15]  ¹⁹²¹ tn Heb “And the priest.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[15:15]  ¹⁹²² tn Heb “from”; see the note on 4:26.

[15:16]  ¹⁹²³ tn Heb “And a man when a lying of seed goes out from him”; KJV, ASV “any man’s seed of copulation”; NIV, NRSV, TEV, NLT “an emission of semen.”

[15:16]  ¹⁹²⁴ tn Heb “and he shall bathe all his flesh in water.”

[15:18]  ¹⁹²⁵ tn Heb “And a woman who a man lies with her a lying of seed.”

[15:19]  ¹⁹²⁶ tn See the note on Lev 15:2 above.

[15:19]  ¹⁹²⁷ tn Heb “blood shall be her discharge in her flesh.” The term “flesh” here refers euphemistically to the female sexual area (cf. the note on v. 2 above).

[15:19]  ¹⁹²⁸ tn See the note on Lev 12:2 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:925-27.

[15:23]  ¹⁹²⁹ tn Heb “and if on the bed it (הוּא, hu’) is or on the vessel which she sits on it, when he touches it….” The translation and meaning of this verse is a subject of much debate in the commentaries (see the summary in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:938-40). It is difficult to determine what הוּא refers to, whether it means “he” referring to the one who does the touching, “it” for the furniture or the seat in v. 22, “she” referring to the woman herself (see Smr היא rather than הוא), or perhaps anything that was lying on the furniture or the bed of vv. 21-22. The latter view is taken here (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 202).

[15:23]  ¹⁹³⁰ tn The MT accent suggest that “when he touches it” goes with the preceding line, but it seems to be better to take it as an introduction to what follows (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 202).

[15:24]  ¹⁹³¹ tn Heb “and if a man indeed lies with her and her menstrual impurity is on him.”

[15:25]  ¹⁹³² tn Heb “And a woman when the flow of her blood flows.”

[15:25]  ¹⁹³³ tn Heb “in not the time of her menstruation or when it flows on her menstruation.”

[15:27]  ¹⁹³⁴ tn See the note on v. 5 above.

[15:28]  ¹⁹³⁵ tn Heb “And if…” Although this clause is parallel to v. 13 above, it begins with וְאִם (vÿ’im, “and if”) here rather than וְכִי (vÿkhi, “and when/if”) there.

[15:29]  ¹⁹³⁶ tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).

[15:30]  ¹⁹³⁷ tn Heb “And the priest shall make the one a sin offering and the one a burnt offering.”

[15:30]  ¹⁹³⁸ tn Heb “And the priest.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[15:31]  ¹⁹³⁹ tn Heb “And you shall.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV).

[15:31]  ¹⁹⁴⁰ tn Heb “and they.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) indicates a negative purpose (“lest,” so NAB, NASB).

[15:32]  ¹⁹⁴¹ tn Heb “and who a lying of seed goes out from him.”

[15:32]  ¹⁹⁴² tn Heb “to become unclean in it.”

[15:33]  ¹⁹⁴³ tn Heb “and the one with a discharge, his discharge to the male and the female.”

[15:33]  ¹⁹⁴⁴ tn Heb “and for a man.”

[16:1]  ¹⁹⁴⁵ tn Heb “in their drawing near to the faces of the Lord.” The rendering here relies on the use of this expression for the very “presence” of God in Exod 33:14-15 and in the Lev 9:24-10:2 passage, where the Nadab and Abihu catastrophe referred to here is narrated.

[16:2]  ¹⁹⁴⁶ tn Heb “into the holy place from house to the veil-canopy.” In this instance, the Hebrew term “the holy place” refers to “the most holy place” (lit. “holy of holies”), since it is the area “inside the veil-canopy” (cf. Exod 26:33-34). The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” or “curtain,” but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place, and thus formed more of a canopy than simply a curtain (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).

[16:2]  ¹⁹⁴⁷ tn Heb “to the faces of the atonement plate.” The exact meaning of the Hebrew term כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet) here rendered “atonement plate” is much debated. The traditional “mercy seat” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) does not suit the cognate relationship between this term and the Piel verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement, to make expiation”). The translation of the word should also reflect the fact that the most important atonement procedures on the Day of Atonement were performed in relation to it. Since the Lord would “appear in the cloud over the atonement plate,” and since it was so closely associated with the ark of the covenant (the ark being his “footstool”; cf. 1 Chr 28:2 and Ps 132:7-8), one could take it to be the place of his throne at which he accepts atonement. See J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:1014; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 234-35; and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:691, 699. Cf. NIV “the atonement cover”; NCV “the lid on the Ark”; NLT “the Ark’s cover – the place of atonement.”

[16:3]  ¹⁹⁴⁸ tn Heb “with a bull, a son of the herd.”

[16:3]  ¹⁹⁴⁹ sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”

[16:3]  ¹⁹⁵⁰ sn For the “burnt offering” see the note on Lev 1:3.

[16:4]  ¹⁹⁵¹ sn The term “tunic” refers to a shirt-like garment worn next to the skin and, therefore, put on first (cf. Exod 28:4, 39-40; 29:5, 8; 39:27). It covered the upper body only. For detailed remarks on the terminology for the priestly clothing in this verse (except the “linen leggings”) see the notes on Lev 8:7-9 and the literature cited there.

[16:4]  ¹⁹⁵² tn Heb “shall be on his flesh.” As in many instances in Lev 15, the term “flesh” or “body” here is euphemistic for the male genitals (J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1017, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 222; cf. the note on Lev 15:2), which the priest must be careful not to expose during such ritual procedures (see Exod 20:26 with 28:42-43).

[16:4]  ¹⁹⁵³ sn The sash fastened the tunic around the waist (Exod 28:4, 39; 29:9; 39:29).

[16:4]  ¹⁹⁵⁴ tn Heb “and in a turban of linen he shall wrap.”

[16:4]  ¹⁹⁵⁵ tn Heb “and he shall bathe….”

[16:5]  ¹⁹⁵⁶ tn Heb “And he shall take.”

[16:5]  ¹⁹⁵⁷ tn Heb “he-goats of goats”; CEV “two goats, both of them males.”

[16:7]  ¹⁹⁵⁸ tn Heb “the two he-goats,” referred to as “two he-goats of goats” in v. 5.

[16:8]  ¹⁹⁵⁹ tn Heb “and Aaron shall give lots on the two he-goats.” See the note on Lev 8:8 for the priestly casting of lots in Israel and the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 102, on Lev 16:8-9. J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:1019-20, suggests, however, that the expression here signifies that, the lots having been cast, the priest was to literally “place” (Heb “give”) the one marked “for the Lord” on the head of the goat to be sacrificed and the one marked “for Azazel” on the head of the one to be released in the wilderness in order to avoid confusing them later in the ritual sequence.

[16:8]  ¹⁹⁶⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲזָאזֵל (’aza’zel, four times in the OT, all of them in this chapter; vv. 8, 10 [2 times], and 26) is much debated. There are three or perhaps four major views (see the summaries and literature cited in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1020-21; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 102; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 237-38; D. P. Wright, The Disposal of Impurity [SBLDS], 21-25; M. V. Van Pelt and W. C. Kaiser, NIDOTTE 3:362-63; and M. S. Moore, NIDOTTE 4:421-22). (1) Some derive the term from a combination of the Hebrew word עֵז (’ez, “goat”; i.e., the word for “goats” in v. 5) and אָזַל (’azal, “to go away”), meaning “the goat that departs” or “scapegoat” (cf., e.g., the LXX and KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). This meaning suits the ritual practice of sending the so-called “scapegoat” away into the wilderness (vv. 10, 21-22, 26). Similarly, some derive the term from Arabic ’azala (“to banish, remove”), meaning “entire removal” as an abstract concept (see BDB 736 s.v. עֲזָאזֵל). (2) Some see the term as a description of the wilderness area to which the goat was dispatched, deriving it somehow from Arabic ’azazu (“rough ground”) or perhaps עָזָז, (’azaz, “to be strong, fierce”). (3) The most common view among scholars today is that it is the proper name of a particular demon (perhaps even the Devil himself) associated with the wilderness desert regions. Levine has proposed that it may perhaps derive from a reduplication of the ז (zayin) in עֵז combined with אֵל (’el, “mighty”), meaning “mighty goat.” The final consonantal form of עֲזָאזֵל would have resulted from the inversion of the א (aleph) with the second ז. He makes the point that the close association between עֵז and שְׂעִירִים (shÿ’irim), which seems to refer to “goat-demons” of the desert in Lev 17:7 (cf. Isa 13:21, etc.), should not be ignored in the derivation of Azazel, although the term ultimately became the name of “the demonic ruler of the wilderness.” The latter view is supported by the parallel between the one goat “for (לְ, lamed preposition) the Lord” and the one “for (לְ) Azazel” here in v. 8. The rendering as a proper name has been tentatively accepted here (cf. ASV, NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV). Perhaps a play on words between the proper name and the term for “goat” has occurred so that the etymology has become obscure. Even if a demon or the demonic realm is the source for the name, however, there is no intention here of appeasing the demons. The goal is to remove the impurity and iniquity from the community in order to avoid offending the Lord and the repercussions of such (see esp. vv. 21-22 and cf. Lev 15:31).

[16:9]  ¹⁹⁶¹ tn Heb “which the lot has gone up on it for the Lord.”

[16:10]  ¹⁹⁶² tn The LXX has “he shall stand it” (cf. v. 7).

[16:10]  ¹⁹⁶³ tn Heb “to make atonement on it to send it away to Azazel toward the wilderness.”

[16:12]  ¹⁹⁶⁴ tn Heb “and he shall take the fullness of the censer, coals of fire, from on the altar from to the faces of the Lord.”

[16:12]  ¹⁹⁶⁵ tn Heb “and the fullness of the hollow of his two hands, finely ground fragrant incense.”

[16:12]  ¹⁹⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he shall bring from house to the veil-canopy.”

[16:13]  ¹⁹⁶⁷ tn The text here has only “above the testimony,” but this is surely a shortened form of “above the ark of the testimony” (see Exod 25:22 etc.; cf. Lev 16:2). The term “testimony” in this expression refers to the ark as the container of the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them (see Exod 25:16 with Deut 10:1, 5, etc.).

[16:13]  ¹⁹⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he will not die,” but it is clear that the purpose for the incense cloud was to protect the priest from death in the presence of the Lord (cf. vv. 1-2 above).

[16:14]  ¹⁹⁶⁹ tn Heb “on the faces of the atonement plate toward the east.” Some have taken this to mean that the ark was stationed just behind the veil-canopy on the eastern side of the most holy place. Thus, the high priest would need to enter and walk toward the west end of the most holy place and then turn eastward in order to face the ark and sprinkle the blood in an eastward direction. The rendering here, however, requires that the ark was stationed on the western end, or perhaps in the middle of the area, so that as the priest entered he was already facing the ark and would sprinkle the blood on the eastern face of the atonement plate, in a westward direction (see, e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 239 versus J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1032).

[16:14]  ¹⁹⁷⁰ sn Presumably in this case the blood was sprinkled seven times on the ground in front of the ark on which the atonement plate was mounted.

[16:15]  ¹⁹⁷¹ tn Heb “and he shall bring its blood into from house to the veil-canopy.”

[16:16]  ¹⁹⁷² tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.

[16:16]  ¹⁹⁷³ tn Heb “to all their sins.”

[16:17]  ¹⁹⁷⁴ tn Heb “And all man shall not be in the tent of meeting.” The term for “a man, human being” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female.

[16:18]  ¹⁹⁷⁵ tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) indicates the sequence of events here.

[16:18]  ¹⁹⁷⁶ tn Heb “And he shall take.”

[16:19]  ¹⁹⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he shall purify it and he shall consecrate it.”

[16:20]  ¹⁹⁷⁸ tn Heb “And he shall finish from atoning the holy place.” In this case, the “holy place” etc. are direct objects of the verb “to atone” (cf. v. 33a below). In this case, therefore, the basic meaning of the verb (i.e., “to purge” or “wipe clean”) comes to the forefront. When the prepositions עַל (’al) or בֲּעַד (ba’ad) occur with the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper) the purging is almost always being done “for” or “on behalf of” priests or people (see the note on Lev 1:4 as well as R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:698, the literature cited there, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 110, for more details).

[16:21]  ¹⁹⁷⁹ tn Heb “transgressions to all their sins.”

[16:21]  ¹⁹⁸⁰ tn Heb “and he shall give them.”

[16:21]  ¹⁹⁸¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term עִתִּי (’itti) is uncertain. It is apparently related to עֵת (’et, “time”), and could perhaps mean either that he has been properly “appointed” (i.e., designated) for the task (e.g., NIV and NRSV) or “ready” (e.g., NASB and NEB).

[16:22]  ¹⁹⁸² tn The Hebrew term rendered “inaccessible” derives from a root meaning “to cut off” (cf. NAB “an isolated region”). Another possible translation would be “infertile land” (see HALOT 187 s.v. *גָּזֵּר and cf. NRSV “a barren region”; NLT “a desolate land.”

[16:22]  ¹⁹⁸³ tn Heb “and he [the man (standing) ready, v. 21] shall send the goat away.”

[16:23]  ¹⁹⁸⁴ tn Heb “And Aaron shall enter.”

[16:24]  ¹⁹⁸⁵ tn Heb “And he shall make atonement.”

[16:24]  ¹⁹⁸⁶ tn Heb “on behalf of himself and on behalf of the people.” After “on behalf of himself” the LXX adds the expected “and on behalf of his household” (cf. vv. 6, 11, and 17).

[16:25]  ¹⁹⁸⁷ tn Heb “And the fat of the sin offering he is to offer up.”

[16:26]  ¹⁹⁸⁸ tn For “Azazel” see the note on v. 8 above.

[16:27]  ¹⁹⁸⁹ tn Heb “he shall bring into from outside to the camp.”

[16:27]  ¹⁹⁹⁰ tn Heb “they shall burn with fire”; KJV “burn in the fire.” Because “to burn with fire” is redundant in contemporary English the present translation simply has “must be burned up.”

[16:29]  ¹⁹⁹¹ tn Heb “And it [feminine] shall be for you a perpetual statute.” Verse 34 begins with the same clause except for the missing demonstrative pronoun “this” here in v. 29. The LXX has “this” in both places and it suits the sense of the passage, although both the verb and the pronoun are sometimes missing in this clause elsewhere in the book (see, e.g., Lev 3:17).

[16:29]  ¹⁹⁹² tn Heb “you shall humble your souls.” The verb “to humble” here refers to various forms of self-denial, including but not limited to fasting (cf. Ps 35:13 and Isa 58:3, 10). The Mishnah (m. Yoma 8:1) lists abstentions from food and drink, bathing, using oil as an unguent to moisten the skin, wearing leather sandals, and sexual intercourse (cf. 2 Sam 12:16-17, 20; see the remarks in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1054; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 109; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 242).

[16:29]  ¹⁹⁹³ tn Heb “and all work you shall not do.”

[16:29]  ¹⁹⁹⁴ tn Heb “the native and the sojourner who sojourns.”

[16:30]  ¹⁹⁹⁵ tn The phrase “from all your sins” could go with the previous clause as the verse is rendered here (see, e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 109, and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1011), or it could go with the following clause (i.e., “you shall be clean from all your sins before the Lord”; see the MT accents as well as J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 221, and recent English versions, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[16:31]  ¹⁹⁹⁶ tn See the note on v. 29 above.

[16:31]  ¹⁹⁹⁷ tn Compare v. 29a above.

[16:32]  ¹⁹⁹⁸ tn Heb “And the priest whom he shall anointed him and whom he shall fill his hand to act as priest under his father.” Imperfect active verbs are often used as passives (see, e.g., v. 27 above and the note on Lev 14:4).

[16:33]  ¹⁹⁹⁹ tn Heb “to atone” (also later in this verse); see the note on “purifying the holy place” in 16:20.

[16:33]  ²⁰⁰⁰ tn Heb “the sanctuary of the holy place.” Although this is the only place this expression occurs in the OT, it clearly refers to the innermost shrine behind the veil-canopy, where the ark of the covenant was located.

[16:33]  ²⁰⁰¹ tn Heb “and the tent of meeting and the alter he shall atone.” The repetition of the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to atone”) at the beginning and end of the sequence appears to be strange, but the MT accents suggest that only “the Most Holy Place” goes with the verb at the beginning of the verse. Of course, the purging of “the Most Holy Place” has been the main emphasis of this chapter from the start (see vv. 2-3 and 11-17).

[16:33]  ²⁰⁰² tn At this point in the verse the verb כִּפֶּר (kipper, “to make atonement”) takes its object with the preposition עַל (’al, “for”; literally, “upon”; contrast the first part of the verse and cf. the notes on Lev 1:4 and 16:20 above).

[16:34]  ²⁰⁰³ tn Heb “And this shall be for you to a statute of eternity” (cf. v. 29a above). cf. NASB “a permanent statute”; NIV “a lasting ordinance.”

[16:34]  ²⁰⁰⁴ tn Heb “from”; see note on 4:26.

[16:34]  ²⁰⁰⁵ tn Heb “one [feminine] in the year.”

[16:34]  ²⁰⁰⁶ tn The MT of Lev 16:34b reads literally, “and he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” This has been retained here in spite of the fact that it suggests that Aaron immediately performed the rituals outlined in Lev 16 (see, e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 224 and 243; J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:1059; note that Aaron was the one to whom Moses was to speak the regulations in this chapter, v. 2). The problem is that the chapter presents these procedures as regulations for “the tenth day of the seventh month” and calls for their fulfillment at that time (Lev 16:29; cf. Lev 23:26-32 and the remarks in P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 237), not during the current (first) month (Exod 40:2; note also that they left Sinai in the second month, long before the next seventh month, Num 10:11). The LXX translates, “once in the year it shall be done as the Lord commanded Moses,” attaching “once in the year” to this clause rather than the former one, and rendering the verb as passive, “it shall be done” (cf. NAB, NIV, etc.). We have already observed the passive use of active verbs in this context (see the note on v. 32 above). The RSV (cf. also the NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) translates, “And Moses did as the Lord commanded him,” ignoring the fact that the name Moses in the Hebrew text has the direct object indicator. Passive verbs, however, regularly take subjects with direct object indicators (see, e.g., v. 27 above). The NIV renders it “And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses,” following the LXX passive translation. The NASB translates, “And just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so he did,” transposing the introductory verb to the end of the sentence and supplying “so” in order to make it fit the context.

[17:3]  ²⁰⁰⁷ tn The complex wording of vv. 3-4 requires stating “blood guilt” at the beginning of v. 3 even though it is not mentioned until the middle of v. 4. The Hebrew text has simply “blood,” but in this case it refers to the illegitimate shedding of animal blood, similar to the shedding of the blood of an innocent human being (Deut 19:10, etc.). In order for it to be legitimate the animal must be slaughtered at the tabernacle and its blood handled by the priests in the prescribed way (see, e.g., Lev 1:5; 3:2, 17; 4:5-7; 7:26-27, etc.; cf. vv. 10-16 below for more details).

[17:3]  ²⁰⁰⁸ tn Heb “Man man.” The reduplication is way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 15:2; 22:18, etc.). See the note on Lev 15:2.

[17:3]  ²⁰⁰⁹ tn The original LXX adds “or the sojourners who sojourn in your midst” (cf. Lev 16:29, etc., and note esp. 17:8, 10, and 13 below).

[17:3]  ²⁰¹⁰ tn Heb “or who slaughters from outside to the camp.”

[17:4]  ²⁰¹¹ tn Smr and LXX add after “tent of meeting” the following: “to make it a burnt offering or a peace offering to the Lord for your acceptance as a soothing aroma, and slaughters it outside, and at the doorway of the tent of meeting has not brought it.”

[17:4]  ²⁰¹² tc Smr includes the suffix “it,” which is needed in any case in the translation to conform to English style.

[17:4]  ²⁰¹³ sn The exact meaning of this penalty clause is not certain. It could mean (1) that he will be executed, whether by God or by man, (2) that he will be excommunicated from sanctuary worship and/or community benefits, or (3) that his line will be terminated by God (i.e., extirpation). See also the note on Lev 7:20.

[17:5]  ²⁰¹⁴ tn Heb “So that which.”

[17:5]  ²⁰¹⁵ tn Heb “on the faces of the field.”

[17:6]  ²⁰¹⁶ tn For the translation “splash” see the note on Lev 1:5.

[17:6]  ²⁰¹⁷ tn The LXX adds “all around” (i.e., Hebrew סָבִיב [saviv, “all around”]), which is normal for this overall construction (see, e.g., Lev 1:5; 3:8, etc.).

[17:7]  ²⁰¹⁸ tn Heb “sacrifice.” This has been translated as “offer” for stylistic reasons to avoid the redundancy of “sacrifice their sacrifices.”

[17:7]  ²⁰¹⁹ tn On “goat demons” of the desert regions see the note on Lev 16:8.

[17:7]  ²⁰²⁰ tn Heb “which they are committing harlotry after them.”

[17:7]  ²⁰²¹ tn Heb “for your generations.”

[17:8]  ²⁰²² tn Heb “Man, man.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any [or “every”] man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2).

[17:8]  ²⁰²³ tn Heb “and.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has an alternative sense (“or”).

[17:8]  ²⁰²⁴ tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”

[17:8]  ²⁰²⁵ tc The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have “your” (plural) rather than “their.”

[17:8]  ²⁰²⁶ tn Heb “causes to go up.”

[17:9]  ²⁰²⁷ tn Heb “to make it,” meaning “to make the sacrifice.”

[17:9]  ²⁰²⁸ tn For remarks on the “cut off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above.

[17:10]  ²⁰²⁹ tn Heb “And man, man.” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or every) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2).

[17:10]  ²⁰³⁰ tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”

[17:10]  ²⁰³¹ tc The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate have “your” (plural) rather than “their.”

[17:10]  ²⁰³² tn Heb “I will give my faces against [literally “in”] the soul/person/life [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh, feminine] who eats the blood and I will cut it [i.e., that נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] off from the midst of its people.” The uses of נֶפֶשׁ in this and the following verse are most significant for the use of animal blood in Israel’s sacrificial system. Unfortunately, it is a most difficult word to translate accurately and consistently, and this presents a major problem for the rendering of these verses (see, e.g., G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 244-45). No matter which translation of נֶפֶשׁ one uses here, it is important to see that both man and animal have נֶפֶשׁ and that this נֶפֶשׁ is identified with the blood. See the further remarks on v. 11 below. On the “cutting off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above. In this instance, God takes it on himself to “cut off” the person (i.e., extirpation).

[17:11]  ²⁰³³ tn Heb “the life of the flesh.” Here “flesh” stands for “every living thing,” that is, all creatures (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT “every creature”; CEV “every living creature.”

[17:11]  ²⁰³⁴ tn Heb “for the soul/life (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) of the flesh, it is in the blood” (cf. the note of v. 10 above and v. 14 below). Although most modern English versions begin a new sentence in v. 11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (see, e.g., NJPS, NASB, NIV, NRSV), the כִּי (ki, “for, because”) at the beginning of the verse suggests continuation from v. 10, as the rendering here indicates (see, e.g., NEB, NLT; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 261; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 239).

[17:11]  ²⁰³⁵ tn Heb “And I myself have given it to you.”

[17:11]  ²⁰³⁶ tn Heb “for the blood, it by (בְּ, bet preposition, “in”] the life makes atonement.” The interpretation of the preposition is pivotal here. Some scholars have argued that it is a bet of exchange; that is, “the blood makes atonement in exchange for the life [of the slaughtered animal]” (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:694-95, 697 for analysis and criticism of this view). It is more likely that, as in the previous clause (“your lives”), “life/soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) here refers to the person who makes the offering, not the animal offered. The blood of the animal makes atonement for the person who offers it either “by means of” (instrumental bet) the “life/soul” of the animal, which it symbolizes or embodies (the meaning of the translation given here); or perhaps the blood of the animal functions as “the price” (bet of price) for ransoming the “life/soul” of the person.

[17:12]  ²⁰³⁷ tn Heb “all/any person from you shall not eat blood.”

[17:12]  ²⁰³⁸ tn Heb “and the sojourner, the one sojourning in your midst, shall not eat blood.”

[17:13]  ²⁰³⁹ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “from the house of Israel” as in vv. 3, 8, and 10, but the LXX agrees with the MT.

[17:13]  ²⁰⁴⁰ tn Heb “from the sojourner who sojourns.”

[17:13]  ²⁰⁴¹ tc The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain mss of Smr have “your” (plural) rather than “their” (cf. v. 10 above).

[17:13]  ²⁰⁴² tn Heb “[wild] game of animal.”

[17:13]  ²⁰⁴³ tn That is, it must be a clean animal, not an unclean animal (cf. Lev 11).

[17:14]  ²⁰⁴⁴ tn Heb “for the life/soul (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) of all flesh, its blood in its life/soul (נֶפֶשׁ) it is.” The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate leave out “in its life/soul,” which would naturally yield “for the life of all flesh, its blood it is” (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 261, 263). The present translation is something of an oversimplification, but the meaning is basically the same in any case. Cf. NRSV “For the life of every creature – its blood is its life.”

[17:14]  ²⁰⁴⁵ tn Heb “of all flesh” (also later in this verse). See the note on “every living thing” in v. 11.

[17:14]  ²⁰⁴⁶ tn For remarks on the “cut off” penalty see the note on v. 4 above.

[17:15]  ²⁰⁴⁷ tn Heb “And any soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh).

[17:15]  ²⁰⁴⁸ tn Heb “carcass,” referring to the carcass of an animal that has died on its own, not the carcass of an animal slaughtered for sacrifice or killed by wild beasts. This has been clarified in the translation by supplying the phrase “of natural causes”; cf. NAB “that died of itself”; TEV “that has died a natural death.”

[17:15]  ²⁰⁴⁹ tn Heb “in the native or in the sojourner.”

[17:16]  ²⁰⁵⁰ tn The words “his clothes” are not in the Hebrew text, but are repeated in the translation for clarity.

[17:16]  ²⁰⁵¹ tn Heb “and he shall bear his iniquity.” The rendering “bear the punishment for the iniquity” reflects the use of the word “iniquity” to refer to the punishment for iniquity. This is sometimes referred to as the consequential use of the term (cf. Lev 5:17; 7:18; 10:17; etc.).

[18:3]  ²⁰⁵² tn Heb “As the work [or “deed”] of the land of Egypt, which you were dwelling in it, you must not do.”

[18:3]  ²⁰⁵³ tn Heb “and as the work [or “deed”] of the land of Canaan which I am bringing you to there, you must not do.” The participle “I am bringing” is inceptive; the Lord is “about to” bring them into the land of Canaan, as opposed to their having dwelt previously in the land of Egypt (see the first part of the verse).

[18:3]  ²⁰⁵⁴ tn Heb “and you shall not walk.”

[18:4]  ²⁰⁵⁵ tn Heb “My regulations you shall do”; KJV, NASB “my judgments”; NRSV “My ordinances”; NIV, TEV “my laws.”

[18:4]  ²⁰⁵⁶ tn Heb “and my statutes you shall keep [or “watch; guard”] to walk in them.”

[18:5]  ²⁰⁵⁷ tn Heb “And you shall keep.”

[18:5]  ²⁰⁵⁸ tn Heb “which the man shall do them and shall live in them.” The term for “a man, human being; mankind” (אָדָם, ’adam; see the note on Lev 1:2) in this case refers to any person among “mankind,” male or female. The expression וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living” so it is written וְחָיָה (vÿkhayah) in Smr, but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 25:35).

[18:6]  ²⁰⁵⁹ tn Heb “Man, man shall not draw near to any flesh (שְׁאֵר, shÿ’er) of his body/flesh (בָּשָׂר, basar).” The repetition of the word “man” is distributive, meaning “any (or “every”) man” (GKC 395-96 §123.c; cf. Lev 15:2). The two words for “flesh” are combined to refer to emphasize the physical familial relatedness (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119).

[18:6]  ²⁰⁶⁰ tn Heb “to uncover [her] nakedness” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), which is clearly euphemistic for sexual intercourse (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 282, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 119). This expression occurs a number of times in the following context and is generally translated “have sexual intercourse with [someone],” although in the case of the father mentioned in the following verse the expression may be connected to the shame or disgrace that would belong to the father whose wife’s sexuality is violated by his son. See the note on the word “mother” in v. 7.

[18:6]  ²⁰⁶¹ sn The general statement prohibiting sexual intercourse between close relatives serves as an opening summary statement for the following section, which gives details concerning which degrees of relationship are specifically forbidden.

[18:7]  ²⁰⁶² tn The verbal negative here is the same as that used in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:4-5, 7, 13-17). It suggests permanent prohibition rather than a simple negative command and could, therefore, be rendered “must not” here and throughout the following section as it is in vv. 3-4 above.

[18:7]  ²⁰⁶³ tn Heb “The nakedness of your father and [i.e., even] the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover.”

[18:8]  ²⁰⁶⁴ tn Heb “the nakedness of your father she is.” See the note on v. 7 above. This law refers to another wife of the man’s father, who is not that man’s mother. The laws in the Pentateuch sometimes assume the possibility that a man may have more than one wife (cf., e.g., Deut 21:15-17).

[18:9]  ²⁰⁶⁵ tn Heb “the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother.”

[18:9]  ²⁰⁶⁶ tn Heb “born of house or born of outside.” CEV interprets as “whether you grew up together or not” (cf. also TEV, NLT).

[18:9]  ²⁰⁶⁷ tc Several medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, and Syriac have “her nakedness” rather than “their nakedness,” thus agreeing with singular “sister” at the beginning of the verse.

[18:10]  ²⁰⁶⁸ sn That is, to have sexual intercourse with one’s granddaughter would be like openly exposing one’s own shameful nakedness (see the note on v. 7 above).

[18:11]  ²⁰⁶⁹ tn Heb “The nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father, she is your sister; you must not uncover her nakedness.” That is, a half sister, the daughter of the man’s father by another wife, who is not the man’s mother, is to be considered a true sister. Therefore, the man must not have sexual intercourse with her.

[18:12]  ²⁰⁷⁰ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate all read “because she is the flesh of your father,” like the MT of v. 13.

[18:14]  ²⁰⁷¹ tn Heb “you must not draw near to his wife.” In the context this refers to approaching one’s aunt to have sexual intercourse with her, so this has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:14]  ²⁰⁷² tn As in v. 12 (see the note there), some mss and versions have “because she is your aunt.”

[18:16]  ²⁰⁷³ sn Regarding the last clause, see the notes on vv. 7 and 10 above.

[18:17]  ²⁰⁷⁴ tn Heb “You must not uncover the nakedness of both a woman and her daughter; the daughter of her son and the daughter of her daughter you must not take to uncover her nakedness.” Translating “her” as “them” provides consistency in the English. In this kind of context, “take” means to “take in marriage” (cf. also v. 18). The LXX and Syriac have “their nakedness,” referring to the nakedness of the woman’s granddaughters, rather than the nakedness of the woman herself.

[18:17]  ²⁰⁷⁵ tc Heb “they are her flesh.” The LXX reads “your” here (followed by NRSV). If the LXX reading were followed by the present translation, the result would be “They are closely related to you.”

[18:17]  ²⁰⁷⁶ tn The term rendered “lewdness” almost always carries a connotation of cunning, evil device, and divisiveness (cf. HALOT 272 s.v. I זִמָּה 2, “infamy”), and is closely associated with sexual and religious infidelity (cf., e.g., Lev 19:29; 20:14; Job 31:11; Jer 13:27; Ezek 16:27; 22:9). Recent English versions differ on how they handle this: NAB “would be shameful”; CEV “would make you unclean”; NIV “wickedness”; NLT “horrible wickedness”; NRSV “depravity”; TEV “incest.”

[18:18]  ²⁰⁷⁷ tn Or “as a concubine”; Heb “And a woman to her sister you shall not take to be a second wife [or “to be a concubine”].” According to HALOT 1059 s.v. III צרר, the infinitive “to be a second wife” (לִצְרֹר, litsror) is a denominative verb from II צָרָה A (“concubine; second wife”), which, in turn, derives from II צר “to treat with hostility” (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122).

[18:18]  ²⁰⁷⁸ tn Heb “on her in her life.”

[18:19]  ²⁰⁷⁹ tn Heb “in the menstruation of her impurity”; NIV “during the uncleanness of her monthly period.”

[18:20]  ²⁰⁸⁰ tn Heb “And to the wife of your fellow citizen you shall not give your layer for seed.” The meaning of “your layer” (שְׁכָבְתְּךָ, shÿkhavtÿkha) is uncertain (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122, “you shall not place your layer of semen”; but cf. also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and the literature cited there for the rendering, “you shall not give your penis for seed”).

[18:21]  ²⁰⁸¹ tn Heb “And from your seed you shall not give to cause to pass over to Molech.” Smr (cf. also the LXX) has “to cause to serve” rather than “to cause to pass over.” For detailed remarks on Molech and Molech worship see N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCBC), 87-88; P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 259-60; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 333-37, and the literature cited there. It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between זֶרַע (zera’) meaning “seed, semen” in v. 20 but “offspring” in v. 21.

[18:21]  ²⁰⁸² tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.

[18:22]  ²⁰⁸³ tn Heb “And with a male you shall not lay [as the] lyings of a woman” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 123). The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.

[18:22]  ²⁰⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, rendered “detestable act”) refers to the repugnant practices of foreigners, whether from the viewpoint of other peoples toward the Hebrews (e.g., Gen 43:32; 46:34; Exod 8:26) or of the Lord toward other peoples (see esp. Lev 18:26-27, 29-30). It can also designate, as here, detestable acts that might be perpetrated by the native peoples (it is used again in reference to homosexuality in Lev 20:13; cf. also its use for unclean food, Deut 14:3; idol worship, Isa 41:24; remarriage to a former wife who has been married to someone else in between, Deut 24:4).

[18:23]  ²⁰⁸⁵ tn See the note on v. 20 above.

[18:23]  ²⁰⁸⁶ tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).

[18:23]  ²⁰⁸⁷ tn The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” and therefore refers to illegitimate mixtures of species or violation of the natural order of things.

[18:24]  ²⁰⁸⁸ tn Heb “which I am sending away (Piel participle of שָׁלַח [shalakh, “to send”]) from your faces.” The rendering here takes the participle as anticipatory of the coming conquest events.

[18:25]  ²⁰⁸⁹ tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative or even inferential force here.

[18:25]  ²⁰⁹⁰ tn Heb “and I have visited its [punishment for] iniquity on it.” See the note on Lev 17:16 above.

[18:26]  ²⁰⁹¹ tn Heb “And you shall keep, you.” The latter emphatic personal pronoun “you” is left out of a few medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate.

[18:26]  ²⁰⁹² tn Heb “the native and the sojourner”; NIV “The native-born and the aliens”; NAB “whether natives or resident aliens.”

[18:27]  ²⁰⁹³ tn Heb “for all these abominations the men of the land who were before you have done.”

[18:28]  ²⁰⁹⁴ tn Heb “And the land will not vomit you out in your defiling it.”

[18:28]  ²⁰⁹⁵ tc The MT reads the singular “nation” and is followed by ASV, NASB, NRSV; the LXX, Syriac, and Targum have the plural “nations” (cf. v. 24).

[18:29]  ²⁰⁹⁶ sn Regarding the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.

[18:30]  ²⁰⁹⁷ tn Heb “to not do from the statutes of the detestable acts.”

[18:30]  ²⁰⁹⁸ tn Heb “and you will not.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[19:3]  ²⁰⁹⁹ tn Heb “A man his mother and his father you [plural] shall fear.” The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain Targum mss reverse the order, “his father and his mother.” The term “fear” is subject to misunderstanding by the modern reader, so “respect” has been used in the translation. Cf. NAB, NRSV “revere”; NASB “reverence.”

[19:4]  ²¹⁰⁰ sn Regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 126; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 304; N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NBC), 89; and Judith M. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:411. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god; God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless; weak; powerless; nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”

[19:5]  ²¹⁰¹ tn Heb “for your acceptance”; cf. NIV, NLT “it will be accepted on your behalf.”

[19:6]  ²¹⁰² tn Heb “from the following day” (HALOT 572 s.v. מָחֳרָת 2.b).

[19:6]  ²¹⁰³ tn Heb “shall be burned with fire”; KJV “shall be burnt in the fire.” Because “to burn with fire” is redundant in contemporary English the present translation simply has “must be burned up.”

[19:7]  ²¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “And if being eaten [infinitive absolute] it is eaten [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[19:7]  ²¹⁰⁵ tn Or “desecrated,” or “defiled,” or “forbidden.” For this difficult term see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:422, on Lev 7:18.

[19:8]  ²¹⁰⁶ tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.

[19:8]  ²¹⁰⁷ sn Regarding “profaned,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.

[19:8]  ²¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “the holiness of the Lord.”

[19:8]  ²¹⁰⁹ sn On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.

[19:9]  ²¹¹⁰ tn Heb “And in your harvesting the harvest.”

[19:9]  ²¹¹¹ tn Heb “you shall not complete the corner of your field to harvest.”

[19:10]  ²¹¹² tn Heb “And you shall not deal severely with your vineyard.”

[19:11]  ²¹¹³ tn Heb “you shall not deal falsely a man with his fellow citizen.”

[19:12]  ²¹¹⁴ tn Heb “And you shall not swear to the falsehood.”

[19:12]  ²¹¹⁵ tn Heb “and you shall not profane”; NAB “thus profaning.”

[19:13]  ²¹¹⁶ tn Heb “You shall not oppress your neighbor and you shall not rob.”

[19:13]  ²¹¹⁷ tn Heb “hold back with you”; perhaps “hold back for yourself” (cf. NRSV “keep for yourself”).

[19:14]  ²¹¹⁸ tn Heb “You shall not curse a deaf [person] and before a blind [person] you shall not put a stumbling block.”

[19:14]  ²¹¹⁹ tn Heb “And you shall fear.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV) regard the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) as adversative in force here (“but”).

[19:15]  ²¹²⁰ tc Smr has the singular rather than the plural “you” of the MT, which brings this verb form into line with the ones surrounding it.

[19:15]  ²¹²¹ tn Heb “You shall not do injustice in judgment” (NASB similar); cf. NIV “do not pervert justice.”

[19:15]  ²¹²² tn Heb “You shall not lift up faces of poor [people] and you shall not honor faces of great.”

[19:15]  ²¹²³ tn Heb “In righteousness you shall judge your fellow citizen.”

[19:16]  ²¹²⁴ tn The term רָכִיל (rakhil) is traditionally rendered “slanderer” here (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; see also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 304, 316), but the exact meaning is uncertain (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129). It is sometimes related to I רָכַל (“to go about as a trader [or “merchant”]”; BDB 940 s.v. רָכַל), and taken to refer to cutthroat business dealings, but there may be a II רָכַל, the meaning of which is dubious (HALOT 1237 s.v. II *רכל). Some would render it “to go about as a spy.”

[19:16]  ²¹²⁵ tn Heb “You shall not stand on the blood of your neighbor.” This part of the verse is also difficult to interpret. The rendering here suggests that one will not allow a neighbor to be victimized, whether in court (cf. v. 15) or in any other situation (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129).

[19:17]  ²¹²⁶ tn Heb “and you will not lift up on him sin.” The meaning of the line is somewhat obscure. It means either (1) that one should rebuke one’s neighbor when he sins lest one also becomes guilty, which is the way it is rendered here (see NIV, NRSV, NEB, JB; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129-30, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 303, and the discussion on pp. 316-17), or (2) one may rebuke one’s neighbor without incurring sin just as long as he does not hate him in his heart (see the first part of the verse; cf. NASB, NAB).

[19:18]  ²¹²⁷ tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).

[19:18]  ²¹²⁸ sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition לְ (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).

[19:19]  ²¹²⁹ tn Heb “Your animals, you shall not cross-breed two different kinds.”

[19:19]  ²¹³⁰ tn Heb “you shall not cause to go up on you.”

[19:19]  ²¹³¹ sn Cf. Deut 22:11 where the Hebrew term translated “two different kinds” (כִּלְאַיִם, kil’ayim) refers to a mixture of linen and wool woven together in a garment.

[19:20]  ²¹³² tn Heb “And a man when he lies with a woman the lying of seed.”

[19:20]  ²¹³³ sn That is, the woman had previously been assigned for marriage to another man but the marriage deal had not yet been consummated. In the meantime, the woman has lost her virginity and has, therefore, lost part of her value to the master in the sale to the man for whom she had been designated. Compensation was, therefore, required (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 130-31).

[19:21]  ²¹³⁴ sn On the guilt offering see the note on Lev 5:15 above.

[19:22]  ²¹³⁵ tn Heb “on his sin which he has sinned.”

[19:22]  ²¹³⁶ tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him.”

[19:22]  ²¹³⁷ tn Heb “from his sin.”

[19:23]  ²¹³⁸ tn Heb “tree of food”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “trees for food.”

[19:23]  ²¹³⁹ tn Heb “you shall circumcise its fruit [as] its foreskin,” taking the fruit to be that which is to be removed and, therefore, forbidden. Since the fruit is uncircumcised it is forbidden (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306, and esp. B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 131-32).

[19:23]  ²¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “it shall be to you uncircumcised.”

[19:24]  ²¹⁴¹ tn See B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 132, where the translation reads “set aside for jubilation”; a special celebration before the Lord.

[19:25]  ²¹⁴² tn Heb “to add to you its produce.” The rendering here assumes that the point of this clause is simply that finally being allowed to eat the fruit in the fifth year adds the fruit of the tree to their harvest. Some take the verb to be from אָסַף (’asaf, “to gather”) rather than יָסַף (yasaf, “to add; to increase”), rendering the verse, “to gather to you the produce” (E. S. Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 260, and see the versions referenced in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306). Others take it to mean that by following the regulations given previously they will honor the Lord so that the Lord will cause the trees to increase the amount of fruit they would normally produce (Hartley, 303, 306; cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[19:26]  ²¹⁴³ tn Heb “You shall not eat on the blood.” See the extensive remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 319-20, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 132-33. The LXX has “on the mountains,” suggesting that this is a prohibition against illegitimate places and occasions of worship, not the eating of blood.

[19:26]  ²¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “You shall not practice divination and you shall not practice soothsaying”; cf. NRSV “practice augury or witchcraft.” For suggestions regarding the practices involved see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 133, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 320.

[19:27]  ²¹⁴⁵ tc Heb “and you [singular] shall not ruin the corner of your [singular] beard.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the plural pronouns (i.e., “you” and “your” plural) rather than the singular of the MT.

[19:28]  ²¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “And slash for the soul you shall not give.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, person, life”) can sometimes refer to a “dead person” (cf. Lev 21:1, 5; 22:5). See J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 306, 320-21.

[19:28]  ²¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “and a writing of incision you shall not give in you.”

[19:29]  ²¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “to make her practice harlotry.” Some recent English versions regard this as religious or temple prostitution (cf. TEV, CEV).

[19:29]  ²¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “and the land become full of lewdness.” Regarding the term “lewdness,” see the note on Lev 18:17 above.

[19:31]  ²¹⁵⁰ sn The prohibition here concerns those who would seek special knowledge through the spirits of the dead, whether the dead in general or dead relatives in particular (i.e., familiar spirits; see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 321, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 134). Cf. Lev 20:6 below.

[19:33]  ²¹⁵¹ tn Heb “And when a sojourner sojourns.”

[19:34]  ²¹⁵² tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[19:35]  ²¹⁵³ tn That is, liquid capacity (HALOT 640 s.v. מְשׂוּרָה). Cf. ASV, NIV, NRSV, TEV “quantity”; NAB, NASB “capacity.”

[19:36]  ²¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “balances of righteousness,” and so throughout this sentence.

[19:36]  ²¹⁵⁵ sn An ephah is a dry measure which measures about four gallons, or perhaps one third of a bushel, while a hin is a liquid measure of about 3.6 liters (= approximately 1 quart).

[19:37]  ²¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31).

[20:2]  ²¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “or from the sojourner who sojourns”; NAB “an alien residing in Israel.”

[20:2]  ²¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “his seed” (so KJV, ASV); likewise in vv. 3-4.

[20:2]  ²¹⁵⁹ tn Regarding Molech and Molech worship see the note on Lev 18:21.

[20:2]  ²¹⁶⁰ tn This is not the most frequently-used Hebrew verb for stoning (see instead סָקַל, saqal), but a word that refers to the action of throwing, slinging, or pelting someone with stones (רָגָם, ragam; see HALOT 1187 s.v. רגם qal.a, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 136).

[20:3]  ²¹⁶¹ tn Heb “And I, I shall give my faces.”

[20:3]  ²¹⁶² sn On the “cut off” penalty see the notes on Lev 7:20 and 17:4.

[20:3]  ²¹⁶³ tn Heb “for the sake of defiling my sanctuary and to profane my holy name.”

[20:4]  ²¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “And if shutting [infinitive absolute] they shut [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[20:4]  ²¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “from that man” (so ASV); NASB “disregard that man.”

[20:5]  ²¹⁶⁶ tn The adjective “spiritual” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that this is not a reference to literal prostitution, but figuratively compares idolatry to prostitution.

[20:5]  ²¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “to commit harlotry after Molech.” The translation employs “worshiping” here for clarity (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.

[20:6]  ²¹⁶⁸ sn For structure and coherence in Lev 20:6-27 see the note on v. 27 below.

[20:6]  ²¹⁶⁹ tn See the note on the phrase “familiar spirits” in Lev 19:31 above.

[20:6]  ²¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “I will give my faces.”

[20:8]  ²¹⁷¹ tn Heb “And you shall keep my statutes and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31, etc.).

[20:9]  ²¹⁷² sn Compare the regulations in Lev 18:6-23.

[20:9]  ²¹⁷³ tn Heb “If a man a man who.”

[20:9]  ²¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “makes light of his father and his mother.” Almost all English versions render this as some variation of “curses his father or mother.”

[20:9]  ²¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “his blood [plural] is in him.” Cf. NAB “he has forfeited his life”; TEV “is responsible for his own death.”

[20:10]  ²¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “And a man who.” The syntax here and at the beginning of the following verses elliptically mirrors that of v. 9, which justifies the rendering as a conditional clause.

[20:10]  ²¹⁷⁷ tc The reading of the LXX minuscule mss has been followed here (see the BHS footnote a-a). The MT has a dittography, repeating “a man who commits adultery with the wife of” (see the explanation in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 328). The duplication found in the MT is reflected in some English versions, e.g., KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV.

[20:11]  ²¹⁷⁸ sn See the note on Lev 18:7 above.

[20:11]  ²¹⁷⁹ tn See the note on v. 9 above.

[20:12]  ²¹⁸⁰ tn The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” (cf. KJV, ASV “they have wrought confusion”).

[20:13]  ²¹⁸¹ tn Heb “[as the] lyings of a woman.” The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.

[20:14]  ²¹⁸² tn Heb “And a man who takes a woman and her mother.” The Hebrew verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse.”

[20:14]  ²¹⁸³ tn Regarding “lewdness,” see the note on Lev 18:17 above.

[20:14]  ²¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “in fire they shall burn him and them.” The active plural verb sometimes requires a passive translation (GKC 460 §144.f, g), esp. when no active plural subject has been expressed in the context. The present translation specifies “burned to death” because the traditional rendering “burnt with fire” (KJV, ASV; NASB “burned with fire”) could be understood to mean “branded” or otherwise burned, but not fatally.

[20:15]  ²¹⁸⁵ tn See the note on Lev 18:20 above.

[20:16]  ²¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).

[20:17]  ²¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “takes.” The verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse,” though some English versions translate it as “marry” (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV).

[20:17]  ²¹⁸⁸ tn Regarding the “cut off” penalty, see the note on Lev 7:20.

[20:17]  ²¹⁸⁹ tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.

[20:18]  ²¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “and the two of them.”

[20:19]  ²¹⁹¹ tn Heb “his flesh.”

[20:19]  ²¹⁹² tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.

[20:21]  ²¹⁹³ tn Heb “takes.” The verb “to take” in this context means “to engage in sexual intercourse.”

[20:21]  ²¹⁹⁴ sn See the note on Lev 18:7 above.

[20:22]  ²¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31, etc.).

[20:22]  ²¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[20:23]  ²¹⁹⁷ tc One medieval Hebrew ms, Smr, and all the major ancient versions have the plural “nations.” Some English versions retain the singular (e.g., KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV); others have the plural “nations” (e.g., NAB, NIV) and still others translate as “people” (e.g., TEV, NLT).

[20:24]  ²¹⁹⁸ tc Here and with the same phrase in v. 26, the LXX adds “all,” resulting in the reading “all the peoples.”

[20:25]  ²¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “And you shall distinguish.” The verb is the same as “set apart” at the end of the previous verse. The fact that God had “set them apart” from the other peoples roundabout them called for them to “distinguish between” the clean and the unclean, etc.

[20:25]  ²²⁰⁰ tn The word “creatures” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear that the following relative clause modifies the animal, bird, or creeping thing mentioned earlier, and not the ground itself.

[20:25]  ²²⁰¹ tc The MT has “to defile,” but Smr, LXX, and Syriac have “to uncleanness.”

[20:27]  ²²⁰² tc Smr, LXX, Syriac, and some Targum mss have the relative pronoun אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “who, which”), rather than the MT’s כִּי (ki, “for, because, that”).

[20:27]  ²²⁰³ tn See the note on the phrase “familiar spirit” in Lev 19:31 above.

[20:27]  ²²⁰⁴ tn This is not the most frequently-used Hebrew verb for stoning, but a word that refers to the action of throwing, slinging, or pelting someone with stones (see the note on v. 2 above). Smr and LXX have “you [plural] shall pelt them with stones.”

[21:1]  ²²⁰⁵ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, person, life”) can sometimes refer to a “dead person” (cf. Lev 19:28 above and the literature cited there).

[21:1]  ²²⁰⁶ tn Heb “no one,” but “priest” has been used in the translation to clarify that these restrictions are limited to the priests, not to the Israelites in general (note the introductory formula, “say to the priests, the sons of Aaron”).

[21:1]  ²²⁰⁷ tc The MT has “in his peoples,” but Smr, LXX, Syriac, Targum, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “in his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.

[21:2]  ²²⁰⁸ tn Heb “except for his flesh, the one near to him.”

[21:3]  ²²⁰⁹ tn Cf. v. 2a.

[21:4]  ²²¹⁰ tn Heb “He shall not defile himself a husband in his peoples, to profane himself.” The meaning of the line is disputed, but it appears to prohibit a priest from burying any relative by marriage (as opposed to the blood relatives of vv. 2-3), including his wife (compare B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 142-43 with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 343, 348).

[21:5]  ²²¹¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (priests, see the beginning of v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:5]  ²²¹² tn Heb “and in their body they shall not [cut] slash[es]” (cf. Lev 19:28). The context connects these sorts of mutilations with mourning rites (cf. Lev 19:27-28 above).

[21:6]  ²²¹³ sn Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.

[21:6]  ²²¹⁴ sn Regarding the Hebrew term for “gifts,” see the note on Lev 1:9 above (cf. also 3:11 and 16 in combination with the word for “food” that follows in the next phrase here).

[21:6]  ²²¹⁵ tc Smr and all early versions have the plural adjective “holy” rather than the MT singular noun “holiness.”

[21:7]  ²²¹⁶ tn Heb “A wife harlot and profaned they shall not take.” The structure of the verse (e.g., “wife” at the beginning of the two main clauses) suggests that “harlot and profaned” constitutes a hendiadys, meaning “a wife defiled by harlotry” (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 143, as opposed to that in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 343, 348; cf. v. 14 below). Cf. NASB “a woman who is profaned by harlotry.”

[21:7]  ²²¹⁷ sn For a helpful discussion of divorce in general and as it relates to this passage see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 143-44.

[21:7]  ²²¹⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:7]  ²²¹⁹ tn The pronoun “he” in this clause refers to the priest, not the former husband of the divorced woman.

[21:8]  ²²²⁰ tn The three previous second person references in this verse are all singular, but this reference is plural. By adding “all” this grammatical distinction is preserved in the translation.

[21:9]  ²²²¹ tn See the note on “burned to death” in 20:14.

[21:10]  ²²²² tn The adjective “high” has been supplied in the translation for clarity, as in many English versions.

[21:10]  ²²²³ tn Heb “and he has filled his hand.” For this expression see the note on Lev 8:33.

[21:10]  ²²²⁴ tn Regarding these signs of mourning see the note on Lev 10:6. His head had been anointed (v. 10a) so it must not be unkempt (v. 10b), and his garments were special priestly garments (v. 10a) so he must not tear them (v. 10b). In the translation “garments” has been employed rather than “clothes” to suggest that the special priestly garments are referred to here; cf. NRSV “nor tear his vestments.”

[21:11]  ²²²⁵ tc Although the MT has “persons” (plural), the LXX and Syriac have the singular “person” corresponding to the singular adjectival participle “dead” (cf. also Num 6:6).

[21:12]  ²²²⁶ sn Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.

[21:13]  ²²²⁷ tn Heb “And he, a wife in her virginity he shall take.”

[21:14]  ²²²⁸ tn Heb “take.” In context this means “take as wife,” i.e., “marry.”

[21:14]  ²²²⁹ tc The MT has literally, “from his peoples,” but Smr, LXX, Syriac, Targum, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “from his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.

[21:15]  ²²³⁰ tc The MT has literally, “in his peoples,” but Smr, LXX, Syriac, Targum, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “in his people,” referring to the Israelites as a whole.

[21:17]  ²²³¹ tn Heb “to their generations.”

[21:17]  ²²³² tn Heb “who in him is a flaw”; cf. KJV, ASV “any blemish”; NASB, NIV “a defect.” The rendering “physical flaw” is used to refer to any birth defect or physical injury of the kind described in the following verses (cf. the same Hebrew word also in Lev 24:19-20). The same term is used for “flawed” animals, which must not be offered to the Lord in Lev 22:20-25.

[21:18]  ²²³³ tn The particle כִּי (ki) in this context is asseverative, indicating absolutely certainty (GKC 498 §159.ee).

[21:18]  ²²³⁴ tn Lexically, the Hebrew term חָרֻם (kharum) seems to refer to a split nose or perhaps any number of other facial defects (HALOT 354 s.v. II חרם qal; cf. G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 292, n. 7); cf. KJV, ASV “a flat nose”; NASB “a disfigured face.” The NJPS translation is “a limb too short” as a balance to the following term which means “extended, raised,” and apparently refers to “a limb too long” (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 146).

[21:19]  ²²³⁵ tn Heb “who there is in him a broken leg or a broken arm,” or perhaps “broken foot or broken hand.” The Hebrew term רֶגֶל (regel) is commonly rendered “foot,” but it can also refer to the “leg,” and the Hebrew יָד (yad) is most often translated “hand,” but can also refer to the “[fore]arm” (as opposed to כַּף, kaf, “palm of the hand” or “hand”). See HALOT 386 s.v. יָד and 1184 s.v. רֶגֶל respectively (cf. the NJPS translation). In this context, these terms probably apply to any part of the limb that was broken, including hand and the foot. B. A. Levine (Leviticus [JPSTC], 146) points out that such injuries often did not heal properly in antiquity because they were not properly set and, therefore, remained a “physical flaw” permanently.

[21:20]  ²²³⁶ tn Heb “thin”; cf. NAB “weakly.” This could refer to either an exceptionally small (i.e., dwarfed) man (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 146) or perhaps one with a “withered limb” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 342, 344).

[21:20]  ²²³⁷ tn The term rendered “spot” derives from a root meaning “mixed” or “confused” (cf. NAB “walleyed”). It apparently refers to any kind of marked flaw in the eye that can be seen by others. Smr, Syriac, Tg. Onq., and Tg. Ps.-J. have plural “his eyes.”

[21:20]  ²²³⁸ tn The exact meaning and medical reference of the terms rendered “festering eruption” and “feverish rash” is unknown, but see the translations and remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 146; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 342, 344, 349-50; and R. K. Harrison, NIDOTTE 1:890 and 2:461.

[21:21]  ²²³⁹ tn Or “shall approach” (see HALOT 670 s.v. נגשׁ).

[21:23]  ²²⁴⁰ sn See the note on Lev 16:2 for the rendering “veil-canopy.”

[21:23]  ²²⁴¹ tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[21:24]  ²²⁴² tn Heb “And.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) introduces a concluding statement for all the preceding material.

[21:24]  ²²⁴³ tn The words “these things” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ²²⁴⁴ tn Heb “holy things,” which means the “holy offerings” in this context, as the following verses show. The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ²²⁴⁵ tn Heb “from the holy things of the sons of Israel, and they shall not profane my holy name, which they are consecrating to me.” The latter (relative) clause applies to the “the holy things of the sons of Israel” (the first clause), not the Lord’s name (i.e., the immediately preceding clause). The clause order in the translation has been rearranged to indicate this.

[22:3]  ²²⁴⁶ tn Heb “To your generations.”

[22:3]  ²²⁴⁷ tn The Piel (v. 2) and Hiphil (v. 3) forms of the verb קָדַשׁ (qadash) appear to be interchangeable in this context. Both mean “to consecrate” (Heb “make holy [or “sacred”]”).

[22:3]  ²²⁴⁸ tn Heb “and his impurity [is] on him”; NIV “is ceremonially unclean”; NAB, NRSV “while he is in a state of uncleanness.”

[22:3]  ²²⁴⁹ sn Regarding the “cut off” penalty, see the note on Lev 7:20. Cf. the interpretive translation of TEV “he can never again serve at the altar.”

[22:4]  ²²⁵⁰ tn Heb “Man man.” The reduplication is a way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 15:2; 17:3, etc.), but with a negative command it means “No man” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 147).

[22:4]  ²²⁵¹ sn The diseases and discharges mentioned here are those described in Lev 13-15.

[22:4]  ²²⁵² tn Heb “And the one.”

[22:4]  ²²⁵³ tn Heb “in all unclean of a person/soul”; for the Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) meaning “a [dead] person,” see the note on Lev 19:28.

[22:4]  ²²⁵⁴ tn Heb “or a man who goes out from him a lying of seed.”

[22:5]  ²²⁵⁵ tn Heb “which there shall be uncleanness to him.”

[22:5]  ²²⁵⁶ tn The Hebrew term for “person” here is אָדָם (adam, “human being”), which could either a male or a female person.

[22:5]  ²²⁵⁷ tn Heb “to all his impurity.” The phrase refers to the impurity of the person whom the man touches to become unclean (see the previous clause). To clarify this, the translation uses “that person’s” rather than “his.”

[22:6]  ²²⁵⁸ sn The phrase “any of these” refers back to the unclean things touched in vv. 4b-5.

[22:8]  ²²⁵⁹ tn Heb “a carcass,” referring to the carcass of an animal that has died on its own, not the carcass of an animal slaughtered for sacrifice or killed by wild beasts. This has been clarified in the translation by supplying the phrase “of natural causes”; cf. NAB “that has died of itself”; TEV “that has died a natural death.”

[22:9]  ²²⁶⁰ tn Heb “and they will not lift up on it sin.” The pronoun “it” (masculine) apparently refers to any item of food that belongs to the category of “holy offerings” (see above).

[22:9]  ²²⁶¹ tn Heb “and die in it.”

[22:10]  ²²⁶² tn Heb “No stranger” (so KJV, ASV), which refers here to anyone other than the Aaronic priests. Some English versions reverse the negation and state positively: NIV “No one outside a priest’s family”; NRSV “Only a member of a priestly family”; CEV “Only you priests and your families.”

[22:10]  ²²⁶³ tn Heb “A resident [תּוֹשָׁב (toshav) from יָשַׁב (yashav, “to dwell, to reside”)] of a priest.” The meaning of the term is uncertain. It could refer to a “guest” (NIV) or perhaps “bound servant” (NRSV; see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 149). In the translation “lodger” was used instead of “boarder” precisely because a boarder would be provided meals with his lodging, the very issue at stake here.

[22:11]  ²²⁶⁴ tn Heb “and a priest, if he buys a person, the property of his silver.”

[22:11]  ²²⁶⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the person whom the priest has purchased) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:11]  ²²⁶⁶ tn Heb “eat it”; the referent (the holy offerings) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:11]  ²²⁶⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the priest) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:11]  ²²⁶⁸ tn Heb “and the [slave] born of his house, they shall eat in his food.” The LXX, Syriac, Tg. Onq., Tg. Ps.-J., and some mss of Smr have plural “ones born,” which matches the following plural “they” pronoun and the plural form of the verb.

[22:12]  ²²⁶⁹ tn Heb “And a daughter of a priest, if she is to a man, a stranger” (cf. the note on v. 10 above).

[22:12]  ²²⁷⁰ tn Heb “she in the contribution of the holy offerings shall not eat.” For “contribution [offering]” see the note on Lev 7:14 and the literature cited there. Cf. NCV “the holy offerings”; TEV, NLT “the sacred offerings.”

[22:13]  ²²⁷¹ tn Heb “to”; the words “live in” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:13]  ²²⁷² tn Heb “and seed there is not to her and she returns to the house of her father as her youth.” The mention of having “no children” appears to imply that her children, if she had any, should support her; this is made explicit by NLT’s “and has no children to support her.”

[22:14]  ²²⁷³ tn Heb “And a man, if he eats a holy thing in error” (see the Lev 4:2 not on “straying,” which is the term rendered “by mistake” here).

[22:14]  ²²⁷⁴ sn When a person trespassed in regard to something sacred to the Lord, reparation was to be made for the trespass, involving restitution of that which was violated plus one fifth of its value as a fine. It is possible that the restoration of the offering and the additional one fifth of its value were made as a monetary payment (see, e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 150). See the regulations for the “guilt offering” in Lev 5:16; 6:5 [5:24 HT] and the notes there.

[22:15]  ²²⁷⁵ tn Contextually, “They” could refer either to the people (v. 14a; cf. NRSV “No one”) or the priests (v. 14b; cf. NIV “The priests”), but the latter seems more likely (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 356, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 150). The priests were responsible to see that the portions of the offerings that were to be consumed by the priests as prebends did not become accessible to the people. Mistakes in this matter (cf. v. 14) would bring “guilt” on the people, requiring punishment (v. 16).

[22:15]  ²²⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew verb הֵרִים (herim, rendered “contribute” here) is commonly used for setting aside portions of an offering (see, e.g., Lev 4:8-10 and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 4:335-36).

[22:15]  ²²⁷⁷ tn Heb “the holy offerings of the sons of Israel which they contribute to the Lord.” The subject “they” here refers to the Israelites (“the sons of Israel”) which is the most immediate antecedent. To make this clear, the present translation has “the holy offerings which the Israelites contribute to the Lord.”

[22:16]  ²²⁷⁸ tn Heb “iniquity of guilt”; NASB “cause them to bear punishment for guilt.” The Hebrew word עָוֹן (’avon, “iniquity”) can designate either acts of iniquity or the penalty (i.e., punishment) for such acts.

[22:16]  ²²⁷⁹ sn That is, when the lay people eat portions of offerings that should have been eaten only by priests and those who belonged to priestly households.

[22:18]  ²²⁸⁰ tn Heb “Man, man.” The reduplication is a way of saying “any man” (cf. Lev 15:2; 17:3, etc.; see the distributive repetition of the noun in GKC 395-96 §123.c).

[22:18]  ²²⁸¹ tn Heb “and from the foreigner [singular] in Israel.” Some medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate add “who resides” after “foreigner”: “the foreigner who resides in Israel” (cf., e.g., Lev 20:2 above).

[22:19]  ²²⁸² tn Heb “for your acceptance.” See Lev 1:3-4 above and the notes there.

[22:20]  ²²⁸³ tn Heb “all which in it [is] a flaw.” Note that the same term is used for physical flaws of people in Lev 21:17-24. Cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV “blemish”; NASB, NIV, TEV “defect”; NLT “with physical defects.”

[22:20]  ²²⁸⁴ tn Heb “not for acceptance shall it be for you”; NIV “it will not be accepted on your behalf” (NRSV and NLT both similar).

[22:21]  ²²⁸⁵ tn The meaning of the expression לְפַלֵּא־נֶדֶר (lÿfalle’-neder) rendered here “for a special votive offering” is much debated. Some take it as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., HALOT 927-28 s.v. פלא piel and NASB; cf. NAB, NRSV “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” (HALOT 928 s.v. פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלַא (pala’, “to be wonderful, to be remarkable”); cf. J. Milgrom, Numbers (JPSTC), 44. B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 151 and 193, suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָלָה [palah, “to set aside”]). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice arises as a special gift to God out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper.

[22:21]  ²²⁸⁶ tn Heb “for acceptance”; NAB “if it is to find acceptance.”

[22:21]  ²²⁸⁷ tn Heb “all/any flaw shall not be in it.”

[22:22]  ²²⁸⁸ tn Or perhaps “a wart” (cf. NIV; HALOT 383 s.v. יַבֶּלֶת, but see the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 358).

[22:22]  ²²⁸⁹ sn See the note on Lev 21:20 above.

[22:22]  ²²⁹⁰ sn This term for offering “gift” is explained in the note on Lev 1:9.

[22:23]  ²²⁹¹ tn Heb “And an ox.”

[22:23]  ²²⁹² tn Heb “and stunted” (see HALOT 1102 s.v. I קלט).

[22:23]  ²²⁹³ sn The freewill offering was voluntary, so the regulations regarding it were more relaxed. Once a vow was made, the paying of it was not voluntary (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 151-52, for very helpful remarks on this verse).

[22:24]  ²²⁹⁴ sn Compare Lev 21:20b.

[22:25]  ²²⁹⁵ tn Heb “And from the hand of a son of a foreigner.”

[22:25]  ²²⁹⁶ tn Heb “for their being ruined [is] in them, flaw is in them”; NRSV “are mutilated, with a blemish in them”; NIV “are deformed and have defects.” The MT term מָשְׁחָתָם (moshkhatam, “their being ruined”) is a Muqtal form (= Hophal participle) from שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to ruin”). Smr has plural בהם משׁחתים (“deformities in them”; cf. the LXX translation). The Qumran Leviticus scroll (11QpaleoLev) has תימ הם[…], in which case the restored participle would appear to be the same as Smr, but there is no בְּ (bet) preposition before the pronoun, yielding “they are deformed” (see D. N. Freedman and K. A. Mathews, The Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus Scroll, 41 and the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 358).

[22:27]  ²²⁹⁷ tn The words “the care of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied. Although many modern English versions render “with its mother” (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), the literal phrase “under its mother” refers to the young animal nursing from its mother. Cf. KJV, ASV “it shall be seven days under the dam,” which would probably be misunderstood.

[22:27]  ²²⁹⁸ tn Heb “for an offering of a gift.”

[22:28]  ²²⁹⁹ tn Heb “And an ox or a sheep, it and its son, you shall not slaughter.”

[22:28]  ²³⁰⁰ tn Heb “in one day.”

[22:29]  ²³⁰¹ tn Heb “for your acceptance” (see the notes on Lev 1:3-4 and 22:19 above).

[22:30]  ²³⁰² tn Heb “On that day”; NIV, NCV “that same day.”

[22:30]  ²³⁰³ tn Heb “from it.”

[22:31]  ²³⁰⁴ tn Heb “And you shall keep my commandments and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8, etc.).

[22:33]  ²³⁰⁵ tn Heb “to be to you for God.”

[23:2]  ²³⁰⁶ tn Heb “these are them, my appointed times.”

[23:3]  ²³⁰⁷ tn This is a superlative expression, emphasizing the full and all inclusive rest of the Sabbath and certain festival times throughout the chapter (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 155). Cf. ASV “a sabbath of solemn rest.”

[23:5]  ²³⁰⁸ tn Heb “between the two evenings,” perhaps designating the time between the setting of the sun and the true darkness of night. Cf. KJV, ASV “at even”; NAB “at the evening twilight.”

[23:6]  ²³⁰⁹ tn Heb “to this month.”

[23:7]  ²³¹⁰ tn Heb “work of service”; KJV “servile work”; NASB “laborious work”; TEV “daily work.”

[23:10]  ²³¹¹ tn Heb “and you harvest its harvest.”

[23:10]  ²³¹² tn Heb “the sheaf of the first of your harvest.”

[23:11]  ²³¹³ tn Heb “for your acceptance.”

[23:11]  ²³¹⁴ sn See Lev 7:30 for a note on the “waving” of a “wave offering.”

[23:12]  ²³¹⁵ tn Heb “And you shall make in the day of your waving the sheaf.”

[23:12]  ²³¹⁶ tn Heb “a flawless lamb, a son of its year”; KJV “of the first year”; NLT “a year-old male lamb.”

[23:13]  ²³¹⁷ sn See the note on Lev 5:11.

[23:13]  ²³¹⁸ sn See the note on Lev 2:1.

[23:13]  ²³¹⁹ sn See the note on Lev 1:9.

[23:13]  ²³²⁰ tn Heb “wine, one fourth of the hin.” A pre-exilic hin is about 3.6 liters (= ca. 1 quart), so one fourth of a hin would be about one cup.

[23:14]  ²³²¹ tn Heb “until the bone of this day.”

[23:14]  ²³²² tn Heb “for your generations.”

[23:15]  ²³²³ tn Heb “seven Sabbaths, they shall be complete.” The disjunctive accent under “Sabbaths” precludes the translation “seven complete Sabbaths” (as NASB, NIV; cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). The text is somewhat awkward, which may explain why the LXX tradition is confused here, either adding “you shall count” again at the end of the verse, or leaving out “they shall be,” or keeping “they shall be” and adding “to you.”

[23:16]  ²³²⁴ tn Heb “and.” In the translation “then” is supplied to clarify the sequence.

[23:17]  ²³²⁵ tc Smr, LXX, Syriac, Tg. Onq., and Tg. Ps.-J. insert the word חַלּוֹת (khallot, “loaves”; cf. Lev 2:4 and the note there). Even though “loaves” is not explicit in the MT, the number “two” suggests that these are discrete units, not just a measure of flour, so “loaves” should be assumed even in the MT.

[23:17]  ²³²⁶ tn Heb “with leaven.” The noun “leaven” is traditional in English versions (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV), but “yeast” is more commonly used today.

[23:18]  ²³²⁷ tn Heb “And you shall present on the bread.”

[23:18]  ²³²⁸ tn Heb “seven flawless lambs, sons of a year.”

[23:18]  ²³²⁹ tn Heb “and one bull, a son of a herd.”

[23:18]  ²³³⁰ tc Smr and LXX add “flawless.”

[23:18]  ²³³¹ tn Heb “and their grain offering.”

[23:18]  ²³³² sn See the note on Lev 1:9.

[23:19]  ²³³³ tn Heb “And you shall make.”

[23:19]  ²³³⁴ tn Heb “a he-goat of goats.”

[23:20]  ²³³⁵ tn Smr and LXX have the Hebrew article on “lambs.” The syntax of this verse is difficult. The object of the verb (two lambs) is far removed from the verb itself (shall wave) in the MT, and the preposition עַל (’al, “upon”), rendered “along with” in this verse, is also added to the far removed subject (literally, “upon [the] two lambs”; see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 159). It is clear, however, that the two lambs and the loaves (along with their associated grain and drink offerings) constituted the “wave offering,” which served as the prebend “for the priest.” Burnt and sin offerings (vv. 18-19a) were not included in this (see Lev 7:11-14, 28-36).

[23:21]  ²³³⁶ tn Heb “And you shall proclaim [an assembly] in the bone of this day; a holy assembly it shall be to you” (see the remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 160, and the remarks on the LXX rendering in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 367).

[23:21]  ²³³⁷ tn Heb “for your generations.”

[23:22]  ²³³⁸ tn Heb “And when you harvest the harvest.”

[23:22]  ²³³⁹ tn Heb “you shall not complete the corner of your field in your harvest.”

[23:22]  ²³⁴⁰ sn Compare Lev 19:9-10.

[23:24]  ²³⁴¹ tn Heb “a memorial of loud blasts.” Although the term for “horn” does not occur here, allowing for the possibility that vocal “shouts” of acclamation are envisioned (see P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 325), the “blast” of the shofar (a trumpet made from a ram’s “horn”) is most likely what is intended. On this occasion, the loud blasts on the horn announced the coming of the new year on the first day of the seventh month (see the explanations in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 387, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 160).

[23:25]  ²³⁴² tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).

[23:27]  ²³⁴³ tn Heb “Surely the tenth day” or perhaps “Precisely the tenth day.” The Hebrew adverbial particle אַךְ (’akh) is left untranslated by most recent English versions; cf. however NASB “On exactly the tenth day.”

[23:27]  ²³⁴⁴ sn See the description of this day and its regulations in Lev 16 and the notes there.

[23:27]  ²³⁴⁵ tn Heb “you shall humble your souls.” See the note on Lev 16:29 above.

[23:28]  ²³⁴⁶ tn Heb “in the bone of this day.”

[23:28]  ²³⁴⁷ tn Heb “on you [plural]”; cf. NASB, NRSV “on your behalf.”

[23:29]  ²³⁴⁸ tn The particular כִּי (ki) is taken in an asseverative sense here (“Indeed,” see the NJPS translation).

[23:29]  ²³⁴⁹ tn Heb “it [i.e., that person; literally “soul,” feminine] shall be cut off from its peoples [plural]”; NLT “from the community.”

[23:30]  ²³⁵⁰ tn Heb “And any person.”

[23:30]  ²³⁵¹ tn See HALOT 3 s.v. I אבד hif. Cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “destroy”; CEV “wipe out.”

[23:30]  ²³⁵² tn Heb “its people” (“its” is feminine to agree with “person,” literally “soul,” which is feminine in Hebrew; cf. v. 29).

[23:31]  ²³⁵³ tn Heb “for your generations.”

[23:32]  ²³⁵⁴ tn Heb “you shall rest your Sabbath.”

[23:34]  ²³⁵⁵ tn The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is probably better than the traditional “tabernacles” in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut, booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. The nature of the celebration during this feast (see the following verses) as a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt suggests that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.

[23:35]  ²³⁵⁶ tn Heb “work of service”; KJV “servile work”; NASB “laborious work”; TEV “daily work.”

[23:36]  ²³⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew term עֲצֶרֶת (’atseret) “solemn assembly [day]” derives from a root associated with restraint or closure. It could refer either to the last day as “closing assembly” day of the festival (e.g., NIV) or a special day of restraint expressed in a “solemn assembly” (e.g., NRSV); cf. NLT “a solemn closing assembly.”

[23:37]  ²³⁵⁸ tn The LXX has “[their] burnt offerings, and their sacrifices, and their drink offerings.”

[23:37]  ²³⁵⁹ tn Heb “a matter of a day in its day”; NAB “as prescribed for each day”; NRSV, NLT “each on its proper day.”

[23:38]  ²³⁶⁰ tn Heb “from to separation.” See BDB 94 s.v. בַּד 1.e for an explanation of this phrase. This phrase is repeated in front of each of the four items in this verse in the Hebrew text, but these have not been translated into English for stylistic reasons. Cf. KJV, NASB “besides”; NRSV “apart from.”

[23:39]  ²³⁶¹ tn Heb “Surely on the fifteenth day.” The Hebrew adverbial particle אַךְ (’akh) is left untranslated by most recent English versions; however, cf. NASB “On exactly the fifteenth day.”

[23:40]  ²³⁶² tn Heb “fruit of majestic trees,” but the following terms and verses define what is meant by this expression. For extensive remarks on the celebration of this festival in history and tradition see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 163; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 389-90; and P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 328-29.

[23:41]  ²³⁶³ tn Heb “for your generations.”

[23:42]  ²³⁶⁴ tn Heb “in the huts” (again at the end of this verse and in v. 43), perhaps referring to temporary shelters (i.e., huts) made of the foliage referred to in v. 40 (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 389).

[23:44]  ²³⁶⁵ sn E. S. Gerstenberger (Leviticus [OTL], 352) takes v. 44 to be an introduction to another set of festival regulations, perhaps something like those found in Exod 23:14-17. For others this verse reemphasizes the Mosaic authority of the preceding festival regulations (e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 390).

[24:2]  ²³⁶⁶ tn Heb “and let them take.” The simple vav (ו) on the imperfect/jussive form of the verb לָקַח (laqakh, “to take”) following the imperative (“Command”) indicates a purpose clause (“to bring…”).

[24:2]  ²³⁶⁷ tn Heb “to cause to ascend a lamp continually.”

[24:3]  ²³⁶⁸ tn The Hebrew term פָּרֹכֶת (parokhet) is usually translated “veil” or “curtain,” but it seems to have stretched not only in front of but also over the top of the ark of the covenant which stood behind and under it inside the most holy place (see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:687-89).

[24:3]  ²³⁶⁹ tc Several medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, and the LXX add “and his sons.”

[24:3]  ²³⁷⁰ tn Heb “for your generations.”

[24:4]  ²³⁷¹ tn Alternatively, “pure [gold] lampstand,” based on Exod 25:31, etc., where the term for “gold” actually appears (see NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, and the remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395, etc.). However, in Lev 24:4 the adjective “pure” is feminine, corresponding to “lampstand,” not an assumed noun “gold” (contrast Exod 25:31), and the “table” in v. 6 was overlaid with gold, but was not made of pure gold. Therefore, it is probably better to translate “[ceremonially] pure lampstand” (v. 4) and “[ceremonially] pure table” (v. 6); see NEB; cf. KJV, ASV; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 164-65; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 307.

[24:5]  ²³⁷² sn See the note on Lev 2:1.

[24:5]  ²³⁷³ tn Heb “and bake it twelve loaves”; KJV, NAB, NASB “cakes.”

[24:5]  ²³⁷⁴ tn The words “of flour” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:6]  ²³⁷⁵ tn Heb “six of the row.”

[24:7]  ²³⁷⁶ tn This is not just any “incense” (קְטֹרֶת, qÿtoret; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:913-16), but specifically “frankincense” (לְבֹנָה, lÿvonah; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:756-57).

[24:7]  ²³⁷⁷ tn Heb “on [עַל, ’al] the row,” probably used distributively, “on each row” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 395-96). Perhaps the frankincense was placed “with” or “along side of” each row, not actually on the bread itself, and was actually burned as incense to the Lord (cf. NIV “Along [Alongside CEV] each row”; NRSV “with each row”; NLT “near each row”; B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 165). This particular preposition can have such a meaning.

[24:7]  ²³⁷⁸ sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָרָה, ’azkharah) was normally the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (see Lev 2:2 and the notes there), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (Lev 2:3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23 [6:7-16 HT]).

[24:7]  ²³⁷⁹ sn See the note on Lev 1:9 regarding the term “gift.”

[24:8]  ²³⁸⁰ tn Heb “In the day of the Sabbath, in the day of the Sabbath.” The repetition is distributive. A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac delete the second occurrence of the expression.

[24:8]  ²³⁸¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:8]  ²³⁸² tn The word “portion” is supplied in the translation here for clarity, to specify what “this” refers to.

[24:9]  ²³⁸³ tn Or “a perpetual regulation”; NRSV “a perpetual due.”

[24:10]  ²³⁸⁴ tn Heb “And.”

[24:10]  ²³⁸⁵ tn Heb “the Israelite man,” but Smr has no article, and the point is that there was a conflict between the man of mixed background and a man of full Israelite descent.

[24:11]  ²³⁸⁶ tn The verb rendered “misused” means literally “to bore through, to pierce” (HALOT 719 s.v. נקב qal); it is from נָקַב (naqav), not קָבַב (qavav; see the participial form in v. 16a). Its exact meaning here is uncertain. The two verbs together may form a hendiadys, “he pronounced by cursing blasphemously” (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 166), the idea being one of the following: (1) he pronounced the name “Yahweh” in a way or with words that amounted to “some sort of verbal aggression against Yahweh himself” (E. S. Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 362), (2) he pronounced a curse against the man using the name “Yahweh” (N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers [NCBC], 110; G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 311), or (3) he pronounced the name “Yahweh” and thereby blasphemed, since the “Name” was never to be pronounced (a standard Jewish explanation). In one way or another, the offense surely violated Exod 20:7, one of the ten commandments, and the same verb for cursing is used explicitly in Exod 22:28 (27 HT) prohibition against “cursing” God. For a full discussion of these and related options for interpreting this verse see P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 335-36; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 408-9; and Levine, 166.

[24:12]  ²³⁸⁷ tn The words “until they were able” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:12]  ²³⁸⁸ tn The Hebrew here is awkward. A literal reading would be something like the following: “And they placed him in custody to give a clear decision [HALOT 976 s.v. פרשׁ qal] for themselves on the mouth of the Lord.” In any case, they were apparently waiting for a direct word from the Lord regarding this matter (see vv. 13ff).

[24:14]  ²³⁸⁹ tn The words “to death” are supplied in the translation as a clarification; they are clearly implied from v. 16.

[24:15]  ²³⁹⁰ tn Heb “And.”

[24:15]  ²³⁹¹ sn See the note on v. 11 above and esp. Exod 22:28 [27 HT].

[24:16]  ²³⁹² sn See the note on v. 11 above.

[24:17]  ²³⁹³ tn Heb “And if a man strikes any soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] of mankind.” The idiom seems to derive from the idea of striking a fatal blow to the very “life” (literally, “soul”) of a human being, not just landing a blow on their body (HALOT 698 s.v. נכה hif.2). On the difficult of the meaning and significance of the term נֶפֶשׁ see the notes on Lev 17:10-11.

[24:18]  ²³⁹⁴ tn Heb “And one who strikes a soul of an animal.”

[24:18]  ²³⁹⁵ tn Heb “soul under soul.” Cf. KJV “beast for beast”; NCV “must give…another animal to take its place.”

[24:19]  ²³⁹⁶ tn Heb “gives a flaw in”; KJV, ASV “cause a blemish in.”

[24:19]  ²³⁹⁷ tn Or “neighbor” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); TEV, NLT “another person.”

[24:20]  ²³⁹⁸ tn Heb “in the man [אָדָם, ’adam].”

[24:20]  ²³⁹⁹ tn Heb “just as he inflicts an injury…it must be inflicted on him.” The referent (“that same injury”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:21]  ²⁴⁰⁰ sn See the note on v. 18 above.

[24:21]  ²⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “and,” but here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) is adversative, contrasting the consequences of beating an animal to death with those of beating a person to death.

[24:22]  ²⁴⁰² tn Heb “a regulation of one”; KJV, ASV “one manner of law”; NASB “one standard.”

[25:2]  ²⁴⁰³ tn Heb “the land shall rest a Sabbath.”

[25:3]  ²⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “its produce,” but the feminine pronoun “its” probably refers to the “land” (a feminine noun in Hebrew; cf. v. 2), not the “field” or the “vineyard,” both of which are normally masculine nouns (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170).

[25:4]  ²⁴⁰⁵ tn Heb “and in the seventh year a Sabbath of complete rest shall be to the land.” The expression “a Sabbath of complete rest” is superlative, emphasizing the full and all inclusive rest of the seventh year of the sabbatical cycle. Cf. ASV “a sabbath of solemn rest”; NAB “a complete rest.”

[25:4]  ²⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “and.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has an alternative sense (“or”).

[25:5]  ²⁴⁰⁷ tn Heb “consecrated, devoted, forbidden” (נָזִיר, nazir). The same term is used for the “consecration” of the “Nazirite” (and his hair, Num 6:2, 18, etc.), a designation which, in turn, derives from the very same root.

[25:6]  ²⁴⁰⁸ tn The word “produce” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied; cf. NASB “the sabbath products.”

[25:6]  ²⁴⁰⁹ tn A “resident who stays” would be a foreign person who was probably residing as another kind of laborer in the household of a landowner (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71). See v. 35 below.

[25:7]  ²⁴¹⁰ tn The words “for you” are implied.

[25:8]  ²⁴¹¹ tn Heb “And you shall count off for yourself.”

[25:8]  ²⁴¹² tn Heb “seven years seven times.”

[25:8]  ²⁴¹³ tn Heb “and they shall be for you, the days of the seven Sabbaths of years, forty-nine years.”

[25:9]  ²⁴¹⁴ sn On the “loud horn blasts” see the note on Lev 23:24, but unlike the language there, the Hebrew term for “horn” (שׁוֹפָר, shofar) actually appears here in this verse (twice).

[25:10]  ²⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “the year of the fifty years,” or perhaps “the year, fifty years” (GKC 435 §134.o, note 2).

[25:10]  ²⁴¹⁶ tn Cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “liberty”; TEV, CEV “freedom.” The characteristics of this “release” are detailed in the following verses. For substantial summaries and bibliography on the biblical and ancient Near Eastern material regarding such a “release” see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 427-34, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 270-74.

[25:10]  ²⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “A jubilee that shall be to you.” Although there has been some significant debate about the original meaning of the Hebrew word translated “jubilee” (יוֹבֵל, yovel; see the summary in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 434), the term most likely means “ram” and can refer also to a “ram’s horn.” The fiftieth year would, therefore, be called the “jubilee” because of the associated sounding of the “ram’s horn” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 172, and the literature cited there).

[25:10]  ²⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “you [plural] shall return, a man.”

[25:11]  ²⁴¹⁹ tn Heb “you shall not sow and you shall not…and you shall not….”

[25:12]  ²⁴²⁰ tn That is, the produce of the land (fem.; cf. v. 7 above).

[25:13]  ²⁴²¹ tn Heb “you [plural] shall return, a man.”

[25:14]  ²⁴²² tn Heb “sell a sale.”

[25:14]  ²⁴²³ tn Or “to one of your countrymen” (NIV); NASB “to your friend.”

[25:14]  ²⁴²⁴ tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute קָנֹה (qanoh, “buying”) substitutes for the finite verb here in sequence with the previous finite verb “sell” at the beginning of the verse (see GKC 345 §113.z).

[25:14]  ²⁴²⁵ tn Heb “do not oppress a man his brother.” Here “brother” does not refer only to a sibling, but to a fellow Israelite.

[25:15]  ²⁴²⁶ tn Heb “in the number of years after.”

[25:15]  ²⁴²⁷ tn The words “that are left” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[25:16]  ²⁴²⁸ tn Heb “To the mouth of the many years.”

[25:16]  ²⁴²⁹ tn Heb “to the mouth of the few years.”

[25:16]  ²⁴³⁰ tn Heb “a number of produce”; the words “years of” are implied. As an alternative this could be translated “a number of harvests” (cf. NRSV, NLT).

[25:17]  ²⁴³¹ tn Heb “And you shall not oppress a man his fellow citizen.”

[25:18]  ²⁴³² tn Heb “And you shall keep and do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8, etc.).

[25:18]  ²⁴³³ tn Heb “and you shall dwell on the land to security.”

[25:19]  ²⁴³⁴ tn Heb “eat to satisfaction”; KJV, ASV “ye shall eat your fill.”

[25:21]  ²⁴³⁵ tn Heb “and it [i.e., the land] shall make the produce.” The Hebrew term וְעָשָׂת (vÿ’asat, “and it shall make”) is probably an older third feminine singular form of the verb (GKC 210 §75.m). Smr has the normal form.

[25:21]  ²⁴³⁶ tn Smr and LXX have “its produce” (cf. 25:3, 7, etc.) rather than “the produce.”

[25:22]  ²⁴³⁷ tn Heb “the produce,” referring to “the produce” of the sixth year of v. 21. The words “sixth year” are supplied for clarity.

[25:22]  ²⁴³⁸ tn Heb “until the ninth year, until bringing [in] its produce.”

[25:23]  ²⁴³⁹ tn The term rendered “without reclaim” means that the land has been bought for the full price and is, therefore, not subject to reclaim under any circumstances. This was not to be done with land in ancient Israel (contrast the final full sale of houses in v. 30; see the evidence cited in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 174).

[25:23]  ²⁴⁴⁰ tn That is, the Israelites were strangers and residents who were attached to the Lord’s household. They did not own the land. Note the parallel to the “priest’s lodger” in Lev 22:10.

[25:24]  ²⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “And in all the land of your property.”

[25:24]  ²⁴⁴² tn Heb “right of redemption you shall give to the land”; NAB “you must permit the land to be redeemed.”

[25:25]  ²⁴⁴³ tn Heb “the sale of his brother.”

[25:26]  ²⁴⁴⁴ tn Heb “and his hand reaches.”

[25:26]  ²⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “and he finds as sufficiency of its redemption.”

[25:27]  ²⁴⁴⁶ tn Heb “and he shall calculate its years of sale.”

[25:27]  ²⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “and return the excess.”

[25:28]  ²⁴⁴⁸ tn Heb “And if his hand has not found sufficiency of returning.” Although some versions take this to mean that he has not made enough to regain the land (e.g., NASB, NRSV; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176), the combination of terms in Hebrew corresponds to the portion of v. 27 that refers specifically to refunding the money (cf. v. 27; see NIV and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 315).

[25:28]  ²⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “his sale.”

[25:28]  ²⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “will be in the hand of.” This refers to the temporary control of the one who purchased its produce until the next year of jubilee, at which time it would revert to the original owner.

[25:28]  ²⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “it shall go out” (so KJV, ASV; see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176).

[25:28]  ²⁴⁵² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the original owner of the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:29]  ²⁴⁵³ tn Heb “a house of a residence of a walled city.”

[25:29]  ²⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “shall be.”

[25:29]  ²⁴⁵⁵ tn Heb “of its sale.”

[25:29]  ²⁴⁵⁶ tn Heb “days its right of redemption shall be” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176).

[25:30]  ²⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “until fulfilling to it a complete year.’

[25:30]  ²⁴⁵⁸ tn Heb “the house which [is] in the city which to it [is] a wall.” The Kethib has לֹא (lo’, “no, not”) rather than לוֹ (lo, “to it”) which is the Qere.

[25:30]  ²⁴⁵⁹ tn See the note on v. 23 above.

[25:31]  ²⁴⁶⁰ tn Heb “And the houses of the villages.”

[25:31]  ²⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “which there is not to them a wall.”

[25:31]  ²⁴⁶² tn Heb “on the field.”

[25:32]  ²⁴⁶³ tn Heb “And.”

[25:32]  ²⁴⁶⁴ tn Heb “the houses of the cities of their property.”

[25:33]  ²⁴⁶⁵ tn Heb “And which he shall redeem from the Levites shall go out, sale of house and city, his property in the jubilee.” Although the end of this verse is clear, the first part is notoriously difficult. There are five main views. (1) The first clause of the verse actually attaches to the previous verse, and refers to the fact that their houses retain a perpetual right of redemption (v. 32b), “which any of the Levites may exercise” (v. 33a; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 418, 421). (2) It refers to property that one Levite sells to another Levite, which is then redeemed by still another Levite (v. 33a). In such cases, the property reverts to the original Levite owner in the jubilee year (v. 33b; G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 321). (3) It refers to houses in a city that had come to be declared as a Levitical city but had original non-Levitical owners. Once the city was declared to belong to the Levites, however, an owner could only sell his house to a Levite, and he could only redeem it back from a Levite up until the time of the first jubilee after the city was declared to be a Levitical city. In this case the first part of the verse would be translated, “Such property as may be redeemed from the Levites” (NRSV, NJPS). At the first jubilee, however, all such houses became the property of the Levites (v. 33b; P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 353). (4) It refers to property “which is appropriated from the Levites” (not “redeemed from the Levites,” v. 33a) by those who have bought it or taken it as security for debts owed to them by Levites who had fallen on bad times. Again, such property reverts back to the original Levite owners at the jubilee (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 177). (5) It simply refers to the fact that a Levite has the option of redeeming his house (i.e., the prefix form of the verb is taken to be subjunctive, “may or might redeem”), which he had to sell because he had fallen into debt or perhaps even become destitute. Even if he never gained the resources to do so, however, it would still revert to him in the jubilee year. The present translation is intended to reflect this latter view.

[25:34]  ²⁴⁶⁶ tn Heb “And.”

[25:34]  ²⁴⁶⁷ sn This refers to the region of fields just outside and surrounding the city where cattle were kept and garden crops were grown (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 177).

[25:35]  ²⁴⁶⁸ tn It is not clear to whom this refers. It is probably broader than “sibling” (cf. NRSV “any of your kin”; NLT “any of your Israelite relatives”) but some English versions take it to mean “fellow Israelite” (so TEV; cf. NAB, NIV “countrymen”) and others are ambiguous (cf. CEV “any of your people”).

[25:35]  ²⁴⁶⁹ tn Heb “and his hand slips with you.”

[25:35]  ²⁴⁷⁰ tn Heb “strengthen”; NASB “sustain.”

[25:35]  ²⁴⁷¹ tn The form וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living,” but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal, and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 18:5).

[25:35]  ²⁴⁷² tn Heb “a foreigner and resident,” which is probably to be combined (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71).

[25:36]  ²⁴⁷³ tn The meaning of the terms rendered “interest” and “profit” is much debated (see the summaries in P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 354-55 and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 178). Verse 37, however, suggests that the first refers to a percentage of money and the second percentage of produce (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 421).

[25:36]  ²⁴⁷⁴ tn In form the Hebrew term וְחֵי (vÿkhey, “shall live”) is the construct plural noun (i.e., “the life of”), but here it is used as the finite verb (cf. v. 35 and GKC 218 §76.i).

[25:37]  ²⁴⁷⁵ tn Heb “your money” and “your food.” With regard to “interest” and “profit” see the note on v. 36 above.

[25:38]  ²⁴⁷⁶ tn Heb “to be to you for a God.”

[25:39]  ²⁴⁷⁷ tn Heb “you shall not serve against him service of a slave.” A distinction is being made here between the status of slave and indentured servant.

[25:40]  ²⁴⁷⁸ tn See the note on Lev 25:6 above.

[25:41]  ²⁴⁷⁹ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here.

[25:41]  ²⁴⁸⁰ tn Heb “may go out from you.”

[25:41]  ²⁴⁸¹ tn Heb “fathers.”

[25:42]  ²⁴⁸² tn Or perhaps reflexive Niphal rather than passive, “they shall not sell themselves [as in] a slave sale.”

[25:43]  ²⁴⁸³ tn Heb “You shall not rule in him in violence”; cf. NASB “with severity”; NIV “ruthlessly.”

[25:44]  ²⁴⁸⁴ tn Heb “And your male slave and your female slave.” Smr has these as plural terms, “slaves,” not singular.

[25:44]  ²⁴⁸⁵ tn Heb “ from the nations which surround you, from them you shall buy male slave and female slave.”

[25:45]  ²⁴⁸⁶ tn The word “slaves” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied here.

[25:45]  ²⁴⁸⁷ tn Heb “family which is” (i.e., singular rather than plural).

[25:46]  ²⁴⁸⁸ tn Heb “and your brothers, the sons of Israel, a man in his brother you shall not rule in him in violence.”

[25:47]  ²⁴⁸⁹ tn Heb “And if the hand of a foreigner and resident with you reaches” (cf. v. 26 for this idiom).

[25:47]  ²⁴⁹⁰ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[25:47]  ²⁴⁹¹ tn Heb “offshoot, descendant.”

[25:48]  ²⁴⁹² tn Heb “right of redemption shall be to him.”

[25:49]  ²⁴⁹³ tn Heb “the son of his uncle.”

[25:49]  ²⁴⁹⁴ tn Heb “or from the remainder of his flesh from his family.”

[25:49]  ²⁴⁹⁵ tc The LXX, followed by the Syriac, actually has “if,” which is not in the MT.

[25:50]  ²⁴⁹⁶ tn Heb “the years.”

[25:50]  ²⁴⁹⁷ tn Heb “as days of a hired worker he shall be with him.” For this and the following verses see the explanation in P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 358-59.

[25:51]  ²⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “to the mouth of them.”

[25:52]  ²⁴⁹⁹ tn Heb “but if a little remains in the years.”

[25:53]  ²⁵⁰⁰ tn Heb “be with him”; the referent (the one who bought him) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:53]  ²⁵⁰¹ tn Heb “As a hired worker year in year.”

[25:53]  ²⁵⁰² tn Heb “He”; the referent (the one who bought him) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:54]  ²⁵⁰³ tn Heb “And if.”

[25:54]  ²⁵⁰⁴ tn Heb “go out.”

[25:55]  ²⁵⁰⁵ tn Heb “because to me the sons of Israel are servants.”

[26:1]  ²⁵⁰⁶ sn For the literature regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִם, ’elilim), see the literature cited in the note on Lev 19:4. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god, God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless, weak, powerless, nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”

[26:1]  ²⁵⁰⁷ tn Heb “on.” The “sculpted stone” appears to be some sort of stone with images carved into (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 181, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 449).

[26:2]  ²⁵⁰⁸ tn Heb “and my sanctuary you shall fear.” Cf. NCV “respect”; CEV “honor.”

[26:3]  ²⁵⁰⁹ tn Heb “and my commandments you shall keep and do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8; 25:18, etc.).

[26:4]  ²⁵¹⁰ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[26:4]  ²⁵¹¹ tn Heb “the tree of the field will give its fruit.” As a collective singular this has been translated as plural.

[26:5]  ²⁵¹² tn Heb “will reach for you the vintage season.”

[26:5]  ²⁵¹³ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[26:5]  ²⁵¹⁴ tn Heb “to satisfaction”; KJV, ASV, NASB “to the full.”

[26:6]  ²⁵¹⁵ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[26:6]  ²⁵¹⁶ tn Heb “and there will be no one who terrifies.” The words “to sleep” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[26:6]  ²⁵¹⁷ tn Heb “harmful animal,” singular, but taken here as a collective plural (so almost all English versions).

[26:6]  ²⁵¹⁸ tn Heb “no sword”; the words “of war” are supplied in the translation to indicate what the metaphor of the sword represents.

[26:7]  ²⁵¹⁹ tn Heb “to the sword.”

[26:9]  ²⁵²⁰ tn Heb “cause to arise,” but probably used here for the Lord’s intention of confirming or maintaining the covenant commitment made at Sinai. Cf. KJV “establish”; NASB “will confirm”; NAB “carry out”; NIV “will keep.”

[26:10]  ²⁵²¹ tn Heb “old [produce] growing old.”

[26:10]  ²⁵²² tn Heb “and old from the presence of new you will bring out.”

[26:11]  ²⁵²³ tn LXX codexes Vaticanus and Alexandrinus have “my covenant” rather than “my tabernacle.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV “my dwelling.”

[26:11]  ²⁵²⁴ tn Heb “and my soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] will not abhor you.”

[26:13]  ²⁵²⁵ tn Heb “from being to them slaves.”

[26:13]  ²⁵²⁶ tn In other words, to walk as free people and not as slaves. Cf. NIV “with (+ your CEV, NLT) heads held high”; NCV “proudly.”

[26:14]  ²⁵²⁷ tn Heb “And if.”

[26:14]  ²⁵²⁸ tn Heb “and do not do.”

[26:15]  ²⁵²⁹ tn Heb “to not do.”

[26:16]  ²⁵³⁰ tn Or “I also” (see HALOT 76 s.v. אַף 6.b).

[26:16]  ²⁵³¹ tn Heb “soul.” These expressions may refer either to the physical effects of consumption and fever as the rendering in the text suggests (e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452, 454, “diminishing eyesight and loss of appetite”), or perhaps the more psychological effects, “which exhausts the eyes” because of anxious hope “and causes depression” (Heb “causes soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] to pine away”), e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 185.

[26:16]  ²⁵³² tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have causal force here.

[26:16]  ²⁵³³ tn That is, “your enemies will eat” the produce that grows from the sown seed.

[26:18]  ²⁵³⁴ tn Heb “And if until these.”

[26:18]  ²⁵³⁵ tn Heb “I will add to discipline you seven [times] on your sins.”

[26:20]  ²⁵³⁶ tn Heb “the tree of the land will not give its fruit.” The collective singular has been translated as a plural. Tg. Onq., some medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, LXX, and Tg. Ps.-J. have “the field” as in v. 4, rather than “the land.”

[26:21]  ²⁵³⁷ tn Heb “hostile with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in v. 24 and 27.

[26:21]  ²⁵³⁸ tn Heb “your blow, stroke”; cf. TEV “punishment”; NLT “I will inflict you with seven more disasters.”

[26:22]  ²⁵³⁹ tn Heb “the animal of the field.” This collective singular has been translated as a plural. The expression “animal of the field” refers to a wild (i.e., nondomesticated) animal.

[26:22]  ²⁵⁴⁰ tn The words “of your children” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[26:22]  ²⁵⁴¹ tn Heb “and diminish you.”

[26:23]  ²⁵⁴² tn Heb “And if in these.”

[26:23]  ²⁵⁴³ tn Heb “with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in vv. 24 and 27.

[26:24]  ²⁵⁴⁴ tn Heb “and I myself will also strike you.”

[26:25]  ²⁵⁴⁵ tn Heb “vengeance of covenant”; cf. NAB “the avenger of my covenant.”

[26:25]  ²⁵⁴⁶ tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has a concessive force in this context.

[26:25]  ²⁵⁴⁷ tn Heb “in hand of enemy,” but Tg. Ps.-J. and Tg. Neof. have “in the hands of your enemies” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 454).

[26:26]  ²⁵⁴⁸ tn Heb “When I break to you staff of bread” (KJV, ASV, and NASB all similar).

[26:26]  ²⁵⁴⁹ tn Heb “they will return your bread in weight.”

[26:27]  ²⁵⁵⁰ tn Heb “And if in this.”

[26:27]  ²⁵⁵¹ tn Heb “with me.”

[26:28]  ²⁵⁵² tn Heb “in rage of hostility with you”; NASB “with wrathful hostility”; NRSV “I will continue hostile to you in fury”; CEV “I’ll get really furious.”

[26:29]  ²⁵⁵³ tn Heb “and the flesh of your daughters you will eat.” The phrase “you will eat” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:30]  ²⁵⁵⁴ sn Regarding these cultic installations, see the remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 188, and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:903. The term rendered “incense altars” might better be rendered “sanctuaries [of foreign deities]” or “stelae.”

[26:30]  ²⁵⁵⁵ tn The translation reflects the Hebrew wordplay “your corpses…the corpses of your idols.” Since idols, being lifeless, do not really have “corpses,” the translation uses “dead bodies” for people and “lifeless bodies” for the idols.

[26:30]  ²⁵⁵⁶ tn Heb “and my soul will abhor you.”

[26:31]  ²⁵⁵⁷ tn Heb “And I will give your cities a waste”; NLT “make your cities desolate.”

[26:33]  ²⁵⁵⁸ tn Heb “and I will empty sword” (see HALOT 1228 s.v. ריק 3).

[26:34]  ²⁵⁵⁹ tn There are two Hebrew roots רָצָה (ratsah), one meaning “to be pleased with; to take pleasure” (HALOT 1280-81 s.v. רצה; cf. “enjoy” in NASB, NIV, NRSV, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452), and the other meaning “to restore” (HALOT 1281-82 s.v. II רצה; cf. NAB “retrieve” and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 189).

[26:35]  ²⁵⁶⁰ tn Heb “it shall rest which it did not rest.”

[26:36]  ²⁵⁶¹ tn Heb “And.”

[26:37]  ²⁵⁶² tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) is used in a concessive sense here.

[26:37]  ²⁵⁶³ tn The term rendered “to stand up” is a noun, not an infinitive. It occurs only here and appears to designate someone who would take a powerful stand for them against their enemies.

[26:39]  ²⁵⁶⁴ tn Heb “in” (so KJV, ASV; also later in this verse).

[26:39]  ²⁵⁶⁵ tn Heb “fathers’” (also in the following verse).

[26:40]  ²⁵⁶⁶ tn Heb “And.” Many English versions take this to be a conditional clause (“if…”) though there is no conditional particle (see, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV; but see the very different rendering in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 190). The temporal translation offered here (“when”) takes into account the particle אָז (’az, “then”), which occurs twice in v. 41. The obvious contextual contrast between vv. 39 and 40 is expressed by “however” in the translation.

[26:40]  ²⁵⁶⁷ tn Heb “in their trespassing which they trespassed in me.” See the note on Lev 5:15, although the term is used in a more technical sense there in relation to the “guilt offering.”

[26:40]  ²⁵⁶⁸ tn Heb “and also which they walked.”

[26:40]  ²⁵⁶⁹ tn Heb “with me.”

[26:41]  ²⁵⁷⁰ tn Heb “or then,” although the LXX has “then” and the Syriac “and then.”

[26:41]  ²⁵⁷¹ tn Heb “and then they make up for.” On the verb “make up for” see the note on v. 34 above.

[26:42]  ²⁵⁷² tn Heb “my covenant with Abraham I will remember.” The phrase “I will remember” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:43]  ²⁵⁷³ tn Heb “from them.” The preposition “from” refers here to the agent of the action (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 455).

[26:43]  ²⁵⁷⁴ tn The jussive form of the verb with the simple vav (ו) here calls for a translation that expresses purpose.

[26:43]  ²⁵⁷⁵ tn The verb is the Hophal infinitive construct with the third feminine singular suffix (GKC 182 §67.y; cf. v. 34).

[26:43]  ²⁵⁷⁶ tn Heb “from them.”

[26:43]  ²⁵⁷⁷ tn Heb “because and in because,” a double expression, which is used only here and in Ezek 13:10 (without the vav) for emphasis (GKC 492 §158.b).

[26:43]  ²⁵⁷⁸ tn Heb “and their soul has abhorred.”

[26:45]  ²⁵⁷⁹ tn Heb “covenant of former ones.”

[26:46]  ²⁵⁸⁰ tn Heb “gave” (so NLT); KJV, ASV, NCV “made.”

[26:46]  ²⁵⁸¹ tn Heb “by the hand of” (so KJV).

[27:2]  ²⁵⁸² tn Cf. the note on Lev 22:21. Some take this as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., HALOT 927-28 s.v. פלא piel and NASB; cf. NRSV “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” (HALOT 928 s.v. פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלָא (pala’, “to be wonderful; to be remarkable”), cf. Milgrom, Numbers [JPSTC], 44. B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 151 and 193, suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָלָה, palah, “to set aside”). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice is a special gift to God that arose out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper.

[27:2]  ²⁵⁸³ tn Heb “in your valuation, persons to the Lord,” but “in your valuation” is a frozen form and, therefore, the person (“your”) does not figure into the translation (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 73). Instead of offering a person to the Lord one could redeem that person with the appropriate amount of money delineated in the following verses (see the note on Lev 5:15 above and the explanation in Hartley, 480-81).

[27:3]  ²⁵⁸⁴ tn Heb “your conversion value shall be [for] the male.”

[27:3]  ²⁵⁸⁵ tn Heb “from a son of twenty years and until a son of sixty years.”

[27:3]  ²⁵⁸⁶ tn See the note on Lev 5:15.

[27:6]  ²⁵⁸⁷ tn Heb “five shekels silver.”

[27:8]  ²⁵⁸⁸ tn Heb “and the priest shall cause him to be valued.”

[27:8]  ²⁵⁸⁹ tn Heb “on the mouth which the hand of the one who vowed reaches.”

[27:9]  ²⁵⁹⁰ tn Heb “which they may present from it an offering.” The plural active verb is sometimes best rendered in the passive (GKC 460 §144.f, g). Some medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, a ms of the Targum, and the Vulgate all have the singular verb instead (cf. similarly v. 11).

[27:9]  ²⁵⁹¹ tn Heb “from it.” The masculine suffix “it” here is used for the feminine in the MT, but one medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of Smr, the LXX, and the Syriac have the feminine. The referent (this kind of animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:10]  ²⁵⁹² tn Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:12]  ²⁵⁹³ tn Heb “and the priest shall cause it to be valued.” See the note on v. 8 above.

[27:13]  ²⁵⁹⁴ tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] he redeems it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p. The referent of “he” (the person who made the vow) and “it” (the animal) have both been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:13]  ²⁵⁹⁵ tn Heb “on,” meaning “on top of, in addition to” (likewise in v. 15).

[27:14]  ²⁵⁹⁶ tn The expression “it shall stand” may be a technical term for “it shall be legally valid”; cf. NLT “assessment will be final.”

[27:15]  ²⁵⁹⁷ tn Heb “and it shall be to him.”

[27:16]  ²⁵⁹⁸ tn Heb “a conversion value shall be to the mouth of its seed.”

[27:16]  ²⁵⁹⁹ tn Heb “seed of a homer of barley in fifty shekels of silver.”

[27:17]  ²⁶⁰⁰ tn Heb “from the year of the jubilee.” For the meaning of “jubilee,” see the note on Lev 25:10 above.

[27:18]  ²⁶⁰¹ tn Heb “And if.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here.

[27:18]  ²⁶⁰² tn Heb “the silver.”

[27:19]  ²⁶⁰³ tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] he redeems [finite verb] the field, the one who consecrated it.” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[27:19]  ²⁶⁰⁴ tn Heb “the silver of the conversion value.”

[27:19]  ²⁶⁰⁵ tn Heb “and it shall rise to him.” See HALOT 1087 s.v. קום 7 for the rendering offered here, but see also the note on the end of v. 14 above (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 476, 478).

[27:20]  ²⁶⁰⁶ tn Heb “and if he sells.”

[27:21]  ²⁶⁰⁷ tn Heb “When it goes out” (cf. Lev 25:25-34).

[27:21]  ²⁶⁰⁸ tn Heb “like the field of the permanent dedication.” The Hebrew word חֵרֶם (kherem) is a much discussed term. In this and the following verses it refers in a general way to the fact that something is permanently devoted to the Lord and therefore cannot be redeemed (cf. v. 20b). See J. A. Naudé, NIDOTTE 2:276-77; N. Lohfink, TDOT 5:180-99, esp. pp. 184, 188, and 198-99; and the numerous explanations in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 483-85.

[27:21]  ²⁶⁰⁹ tn Heb “to the priest it shall be his property.”

[27:22]  ²⁶¹⁰ tn Heb “his field of purchase,” which is to be distinguished from his own ancestral “landed property” (cf. v. 16 above).

[27:23]  ²⁶¹¹ tn Heb “give” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NLT).

[27:25]  ²⁶¹² tn See the note on Lev 5:15.

[27:26]  ²⁶¹³ tn Heb “to the Lord it is.”

[27:27]  ²⁶¹⁴ tn Heb “And if.”

[27:27]  ²⁶¹⁵ tn Heb “in” or “by.”

[27:28]  ²⁶¹⁶ tn Heb “Surely, any permanently dedicated [thing] which a man shall permanently dedicate to the Lord.” The Hebrew term חֵרֶם (kherem) refers to things that are devoted permanently to the Lord (see the note on v. 21 above).

[27:29]  ²⁶¹⁷ tn Heb “permanently dedicated from among men.”

[27:30]  ²⁶¹⁸ tn On the “tithe” system in Israel, see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:1035-55 and esp. pp. 1041-42 on Lev 27:30-33.

[27:31]  ²⁶¹⁹ tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] a man redeems [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[27:31]  ²⁶²⁰ tn Heb “its one fifth on it.”

[27:32]  ²⁶²¹ sn The tithed animal was the tenth one that passed under the shepherd’s rod or staff as they were being counted (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 485, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 200).

[27:33]  ²⁶²² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner of the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:33]  ²⁶²³ tn Heb “And if exchanging [infinitive absolute] he exchanges it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[27:33]  ²⁶²⁴ tn Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:33]  ²⁶²⁵ tn Heb “it shall be and its substitute shall be holy.”

[27:34]  ²⁶²⁶ tn Most of the commentaries and English versions translate, “which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel.” The preposition אֶל (’el), however, does not usually mean “for.” In this book it is commonly used when the Lord commands Moses “to speak [un]to” a person or group of persons (see, e.g., Lev 1:2; 4:2, etc.). The translation “to tell” here reflects this pattern in the book of Leviticus.

[1:1]  ²⁶²⁷ sn The book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Pentateuch, traditionally called the Law of Moses. It provides a record of the experience of the Israelites during the wilderness wanderings, and records the laws for the camp as they traveled from place to place. The book focuses on the difficulties of the Israelites due to their lack of faith, rebellion, and apostasy. It also records God’s protection of his people from opposition from without. The book makes a fitting contribution to the collection of holy writings as it shows the spiritual and physical progression of the company of the redeemed toward the promised land. The book has to be studied in conjunction with the other books of the Pentateuch. It builds on the promises made to Abraham in Genesis and the redemption from bondage in Exodus; it completes the cultic instructions for Israel that were laid down in Leviticus, and it concerns the worship in and the movement of the tabernacle that was built in Exodus. But the information here, both legal and historical, was not the major concern in those books. The book gets its title in English (following the Greek tradition) from the two censuses taken of the people, one at the beginning of the wanderings and the other at the end (although the Hebrew title is taken from the beginning of the book, בַּמִּדְבַּר [bammidbar], “in the wilderness”). In these lists particular emphasis is given to the leaders of the clans, a theme that will continue in the book as the focus is on how the leaders function in all the trials and temptations of the journey. The material in this book is essentially a theological interpretation of historical events, and as such it stands as an integral part of the revelation of God. In the study of the book of Numbers, when these issues of the nature of the text are significant to the interpretation and acceptance of the text, the notes will comment on them briefly. The indication at the outset of the book is that Moses had a good number of people who were able to help him compile the statistics and the facts of the wandering community. In Num 11:16-18 there is a group of leaders known as שֹׁטְּרִים(shottÿrim). This term was used in Exod 5:16-19 to describe the officers or foremen of the Israelites. They were appointed supervisors of the clans by Moses, and by the time of Joshua (Josh 1:10) they were a literary guild. The Hebrew word, cognate with Akkadian sataru, means “to write.” These people were to Israel what the scribes and chroniclers were to the pagan nations. They assisted Moses and the priests in their keeping of records. So no matter what they were called from time to time, there was a group of literate people who could keep the records and preserve the information from the very beginning. Their work matches the activities of scribes in the ancient world who used all the literary devices to preserve the material. There is no reason to doubt that the events recorded were attested to and preserved by such eyewitnesses. But their work would have been essentially to serve the leader, Moses. The book essentially follows the order of the events chronologically, more or less. Where it departs from that order it does so for literary or theological reasons. At the center of the theological concern is the tabernacle, its significance to the faith, and therefore the care in using it and in moving it. Its importance explains the presence and the arrangement of the ritual laws. With the records and statistics provided for him, Moses could then introduce into the record the great events in the wilderness experience of Israel, which were to become warnings and encouragements for all time. Most of this material comes from the two years at the beginning of the experience and the two years at the end. But this itself may be a literary device (merism) to show the nature of the wanderings throughout. The Hebrew text of the book of Numbers has been preserved fairly well. It has not been preserved as well as Leviticus, which was most important to the ministry of the priests and Levites. But in comparison with some of the prophetic writings, Numbers represents a well-preserved text. The problems will be discussed in the relevant passages. So Numbers is essentially a part of the unfolding revelation of the Torah, the Law. It shows God’s faithfulness to his covenant plan and to his covenant people, but it also shows the problems incurred by the people’s lack of faith and obedience. The book focuses frequently on the nature of the holy Lord God, for at the center of all this material is the person and the works of the Lord. This provided the standard for the faith and practice of the people. For more information on chapter one, see W. F. Albright, “The Administrative Divisions of Israel and Judah,” JPOS 5 (1925): 17-54; A. Cody, A History of Old Testament Priesthood; A. Lucas, “The Number of the Israelites at the Time of the Exodus,” PEQ 76 (1944): 351-64; G. E. Mendenhall, “The Census Lists of Numbers 1 and 26,” JBL 77 (1958): 52-66; E. Nielsen, “The Levites in the Old Testament,” ASTI 3 (1964): 16-27; L. A. Snijders, “The Meaning of זר in the Old Testament: An Exegetical Study,” OTS 10 (1954): 1-154; and J. W. Wenham, “Large Numbers in the Old Testament,” TynBul 18 (1967): 19-53.

[1:1]  ²⁶²⁸ sn The holy name is “Yahweh.” This is the ancient name for the God of the covenant community. The name was explained or interpreted by Moses for the Israelites by the etymological connection to the verb “to be.” God said that its significance was “I am that I am” (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh ’aser ’ehyeh) using the first person of the verb; the name, the third person of the verb, would therefore mean “He is.” The name indicates that God is the sovereign Lord of creation, the eternal God, the covenant Lord; he is sovereignly independent of all creation, but he is intimately involved with all his people. Most English translations do not use it, but follow the Jewish custom of using substitute words for the holy name, such as “the Lord,” “the Eternal One,” etc.

[1:1]  ²⁶²⁹ tn The book begins with the vav (ו) consecutive and the preterite, “and he spoke.” This does not indicate that the book is a continuation of the previous material, for in that case certain other books in the canon would have to be linked with the writings of other people just because they followed them. This form is simply the narrative verb; the conjunction need not be translated. The verb should not be limited to a literary formula, but does indicate the divine source of the command for Moses. God was speaking to Moses throughout the wilderness wanderings from the tent, and so the ideas are from him, and not from the “will of man.”

[1:1]  ²⁶³⁰ sn This was one of several names by which the tabernacle was known. This was the tent with its furnishings that the Israelites built according to the book of Exodus. While that tabernacle was being built, the Lord met with Moses in a tent of meeting nearby (Exod 33:7), but when the project was finished, the title was transferred to the tabernacle. It may be that the expression “tent of meeting” refers to the inner tabernacle where God revealed himself to Moses and Aaron, and the word “tabernacle” refers to the whole shrine, the curtained structure with all its contents. This would mean that God addressed Moses from between the cherubim in the holy of holies (see R. A. Cole, Exodus [TOTC], 191). The point is clear, though – the shrine was functioning as the sign of God’s actual presence and leadership among his people.

[1:1]  ²⁶³¹ sn The English word “wilderness” is workable for the Hebrew term, because it describes land that is wild. The term “desert” works if one thinks of land deserted by people. But to many modern readers “desert” suggests the idea of an arid land without growth. The word must not be pressed to mean only sand dunes; it describes land that has rocks, canyons, oases, shrubs and trees occasionally, some animal life, and of course sand.

[1:1]  ²⁶³² sn The exact location of Mount Sinai has been debated for some time. The traditional view from very early times is that it is located in the south, Jebel Musa, south of the monastery of St. Catherine. The other plausible suggestion is Ras es-Safsafeh, which is on the other end of the valley near the monastery. The mountain is also called Horeb in the Bible. The wilderness of Sinai would refer to the large plain that is at the base of the mountain. See further G. E. Wright, IDB 4:376-78; and G. I. Davies, The Way of the Wilderness.

[1:1]  ²⁶³³ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct of יָצַא (yatsa’, “to go out”), with a suffix serving as the subjective genitive, and the lamed preposition providing the temporal indication: “according to the going out of them.” The Israelites are clearly intended as the subject.

[1:1]  ²⁶³⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:1]  ²⁶³⁵ sn This means that the Israelites had spent nine months at Sinai, because they had arrived there in the third month following the exodus. This account does not follow a strict chronology (see Num 9:1). The difference of one month in the narrative is not a critical difference, but a literary general reference. Here begins a new section of major importance to the future of the nation – the numbering for war and for settlement.

[1:1]  ²⁶³⁶ tn Heb “saying.” A new sentence was started here in the English translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:2]  ²⁶³⁷ tn The construction is literally “lift up the head[s],” (שְׂאוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁ, sÿ’u ’et-ro’sh). This idiom for taking a census occurs elsewhere (Exod 30:12; Lev 5:24; Num 1:24; etc.). The idea is simply that of counting heads to arrive at the base for the standing army. This is a different event than the one recorded in Exod 30:11-16, which was taken for a different purpose altogether. The verb is plural, indicating that Moses had help in taking the census.

[1:2]  ²⁶³⁸ tc Smr lacks the Hebrew word “all” here.

[1:2]  ²⁶³⁹ tn Heb “the congregation of Israel.”

[1:2]  ²⁶⁴⁰ tn The tribe (מַטֶּה, matteh or שֵׁבֶט, shevet) is the main category. The family groups or clans (מִשְׁפְּחֹת, mishpÿkhot) and the households or families (בֵּית אֲבֹת, bet ’avot) were sub-divisions of the tribe.

[1:2]  ²⁶⁴¹ tn This clause simply has “in/with the number of the names of every male with respect to their skulls [individually].” Counting heads, or every skull, simply meant that each person was to be numbered in the census. Except for the Levites, no male was exempt from the count.

[1:3]  ²⁶⁴² tn The verb (פָּקַד, paqad) means “to visit, appoint, muster, number.” The word is a common one in scripture. It has as its basic meaning the idea of “determining the destiny” of someone, by appointing, mustering, or visiting. When God “visits,” it is a divine intervention for either blessing or cursing. Here it is the taking of a census for war (see G. André, Determining the Destiny [ConBOT], 16).

[1:3]  ²⁶⁴³ tn The construction uses the participle “going out” followed by the noun “army.” It describes everyone “going out in a military group,” meaning serving in the army. It was the duty of every able-bodied Israelite to serve in this “peoples” army. There were probably exemptions for the infirm or the crippled, but every male over twenty was chosen. For a discussion of warfare, see P. C. Craigie, The Problem of War in the Old Testament, and P. D. Miller, “The Divine Council and the Prophetic Call to War,” VT 18 (1968): 100-107.

[1:3]  ²⁶⁴⁴ tn The text simply has “from twenty years old and higher.”

[1:3]  ²⁶⁴⁵ tn Heb “and up.”

[1:3]  ²⁶⁴⁶ tn The noun (צָבָא, tsava’) means “army” or “military group.” But the word can also be used for nonmilitary divisions of labor (Num 4:3).

[1:4]  ²⁶⁴⁷ tn Heb “and with you.”

[1:4]  ²⁶⁴⁸ tn The construction uses the noun in a distributive sense: “a man, a man for a tribe,” meaning a man for each tribe.

[1:4]  ²⁶⁴⁹ tn The clause expresses a distributive function, “a man” means “each man.”

[1:4]  ²⁶⁵⁰ sn See J. R. Bartlett, “The Use of the Word ראשׁ as a Title in the Old Testament,” VT 19 (1969): 1-10.

[1:4]  ²⁶⁵¹ tn Heb “the house of his fathers.”

[1:5]  ²⁶⁵² tn The verb is עָמַד (’amad, “to stand”). It literally then is, “who will stand with you.” They will help in the count, but they will also serve as leaders as the camp moves from place to place.

[1:5]  ²⁶⁵³ tn The preposition lamed (ל) prefixed to the name could be taken in the sense of “from,” but could also be “with regard to” (specification).

[1:6]  ²⁶⁵⁴ sn This name and the name Ammishaddai below have the theophoric element (שַׁדַּי, shadday, “the Almighty”). It would mean “the Almighty is my rock”; the later name means “the Almighty is my kinsman.” Other theophoric elements in the passage are “father,” “brother,” and “God.”

[1:7]  ²⁶⁵⁵ sn Nahshon was an ancestor of Boaz and David, and therefore of Christ (Luke 3:32-33).

[1:14]  ²⁶⁵⁶ tc There is a textual difficulty with this verb. The Greek form uses r and not d, giving the name Ra‘oul. There is even some variation in the Hebrew traditions, but BHS (following the Leningrad codex of a.d. 1008) has preferred the name Deuel.

[1:16]  ²⁶⁵⁷ tc The form has a Kethib-Qere problem, but the sentence calls for the Qere, the passive participle in the construct – “the called of….” These men were God’s choice, and not Moses’, or their own choice. He announced who they would be, and then named them. So they were truly “called” (קָרָא, qara’). The other reading is probably due to a copyist’s error.

[1:16]  ²⁶⁵⁸ tn The word is נָשִׂיא (nasi’, “exalted one, prince, leader”). Cf. KJV, ASV, NAB “princes.” These were men apparently revered or respected in their tribes, and so the clear choice to assist Moses with the leadership. See further, E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical na„sÃþá,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

[1:16]  ²⁶⁵⁹ tn Heb “exalted ones of the tribes of their fathers.” The earlier group of elders was chosen by Moses at the advice of his father-in-law. This group represents the few leaders of the tribes that were chosen by God, a more literate group apparently, who were the forerunners of the שֹׁטְּרִים (shottÿrim).

[1:16]  ²⁶⁶⁰ tc The Hebrew text has אַלְפֵי (’alfey, “thousands of”). There is some question over this reading in the MT, however. The community groups that have these leaders were larger tribes, but there is little certainty about the size of the divisions.

[1:18]  ²⁶⁶¹ tn The verb is the Hiphil of the root קָהַל (qahal), meaning “to call, assemble”; the related noun is an “assembly.”

[1:18]  ²⁶⁶² tc The LXX adds “of the second year.”

[1:18]  ²⁶⁶³ tn The verb is the Hitpael preterite form וַיִּתְיַלְדוּ (vayyityaldu). The cognate noun תּוֹלְדוֹת (tolÿdot) is the word that means “genealogies, family records, records of ancestry.” The root is יָלַד (yalad, “to bear, give birth to”). Here they were recording their family connections, and not, of course, producing children. The verbal stem seems to be both declarative and reflexive.

[1:18]  ²⁶⁶⁴ tn The verb is supplied. The Hebrew text simply has “in/with the number of names of those who are twenty years old and higher according to their skulls.”

[1:21]  ²⁶⁶⁵ tn Heb “those numbered of them.” The form is פְּקֻדֵיהֶם (pÿqudehem), the passive participle with the pronominal suffix. This indicates that the number came to 46,500, but it specifically refers to “those numbered.” This expression occurs frequently throughout the book of Numbers.

[1:21]  ²⁶⁶⁶ sn There has been much discussion about the numbers in the Israelite wilderness experience. The immediate difficulty for even the casual reader is the enormous number of the population. If indeed there were 603,550 men twenty years of age and older who could fight, the total population of the exodus community counting women and children would have been well over a million, or even two million as calculated by some. This is not a figure that the Bible ever gives, but given the sizes of families the estimate would not be far off. This is a staggering number to have cross the Sea, drink from the oases, or assemble in the plain by Sinai. It is not a question of whether or not God could provide for such a number; it is rather a problem of logistics for a population of that size in that period of time. The problem is not with the text itself, but with the interpretation of the word אֶלֶף (’elef), traditionally translated “thousand.” The word certainly can be taken as “thousand,” and most often is. But in view of the problem of the large number here, some scholars have chosen one of the other meanings attested in literature for this word, perhaps “troop,” or “family,” or “tent group,” even though a word for “family” has already been used (see A. H. McNeile, Numbers, 7; J. Garstang, Joshua-Judges, 120; J. Bright, History of Israel, 144). Another suggestion is to take the word as a “chief” or “captain” based on Ugaritic usage (see R. E. D. Clarke, “The Large Numbers of the Old Testament,” JTVI 87 [1955]: 82-92; and J. W. Wenham, “Large Numbers in the Old Testament,” TynBul 18 [1967]: 19-53). This interpretation would reduce the size of the Israelite army to about 18,000 men from a population of about 72,000 people. That is a radical change from the traditional reading and may be too arbitrary an estimate. A more unlikely calculation following the idea of a new meaning would attempt to divide the numbers and use the first part to refer to the units and the second the measurement (e.g., 65 thousand and four hundred would become 65 units of four hundred). Another approach has been to study the numbers rhetorically, analyzing the numerical values of letters and words. But this method, known as gematria, came in much later than the biblical period (see for it G. Fohrer, Introduction to the Old Testament, 184; and A. Noordtzij, Numbers [BSC], 24). On this system the numbers for “the sons of Israel” would be 603. But the number of the people in the MT is 603,550. Another rhetorical approach is that which says the text used exaggerations in the numbers on an epic scale to make the point of God’s blessing. R. B. Allen’s view that the numbers have been magnified by a factor of ten (“Numbers,” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 2:688-91), which would mean the army was only 60,000 men, seems every bit as arbitrary as Wenham’s view to get down to 18,000. Moreover, such views cannot be harmonized with the instructions in the chapter for them to count every individual skull – that seems very clear. This is not the same kind of general expression one finds in “Saul has killed his thousands, David his ten thousands” (1 Sam 18:7). There one expects the bragging and the exaggerations. But in a text of numbering each male, to argue that the numbers have been inflated ten-fold to form the rhetoric of praise for the way God has blessed the nation demands a much more convincing argument than has typically been given. On the surface it seems satisfactory, but it raises a lot of questions. Everything in Exodus and Numbers attests to the fact that the Israelites were in a population explosion, that their numbers were greater than their Egyptian overlords. Pharaoh had attempted to counter their growth by killing males from the ranks. That only two midwives are named must be taken to mean that they were heads of the guilds, for two could not service a population – even of the smaller estimate given above. But even though the size had to have been great and seen as a threat, we are at a loss to know exactly how to determine it. There is clearly a problem with the word “thousand” here and in many places in the OT, as the literature will show, but the problem cannot really be solved without additional information. The suggestions proposed so far seem to be rather arbitrary attempts to reduce the number to a less-embarrassing total, one that would seem more workable in the light of contemporary populations and armies, as well as space and time for the people’s movement in the wilderness. An army of 10,000 or 20,000 men in those days would have been a large army; an army of 600,000 (albeit a people’s army, which may mean that only a portion of the males would actually fight at any time – as was true at Ai) is large even by today’s standards. But the count appears to have been literal, and the totals calculated accordingly, totals which match other passages in the text. If some formula is used to reduce the thousands in this army, then there is the problem of knowing what to do when a battle has only five thousand, or three thousand men. One can only conclude that on the basis of what we know the word should be left with the translation “thousand,” no matter what difficulties this might suggest to the reader. One should be cautious, though, in speaking of a population of two million, knowing that there are serious problems with the calculation of that number, if not with the word “thousand” itself. It is very doubtful that the population of the wilderness community was in the neighborhood of two million. Nevertheless, until a more convincing explanation of the word “thousand” or the calculation of the numbers is provided, one should retain the reading of the MT but note the difficulty with the large numbers.

[1:22]  ²⁶⁶⁷ tc Some witnesses have omitted “those that were numbered of them,” to preserve the literary pattern of the text. The omission is supported by the absence of the expression in the Greek as well as in some MT mss. Most modern commentators follow this.

[1:24]  ²⁶⁶⁸ tc The LXX has vv. 24-35 after v. 37.

[1:42]  ²⁶⁶⁹ tc The verse does not have the preposition, only “the descendants of Naphtali.”

[1:44]  ²⁶⁷⁰ tn The construction uses both the passive participle הַפְּקֻדִים (happÿqudim) and the verb פָּקַד (paqad), giving a literal translation of “these were the numbered ones, whom Moses and Aaron numbered.”

[1:44]  ²⁶⁷¹ tn Heb “they were one man for the house of his fathers.”

[1:45]  ²⁶⁷² tn Literally the text has, “and all the numbered of the Israelites were according to their families.” The verb in the sentence is actually without a complement (see v. 46).

[1:47]  ²⁶⁷³ tn The vav (ו) on this word indicates a disjunction with the previous sequence of reports. It may be taken as a contrastive clause, translated “but” or “however.”

[1:47]  ²⁶⁷⁴ tn The construction is unexpected, for Levites would be from the tribe of Levi. The note seems more likely to express that all these people were organized by tribal lineage, and so too the Levites, according to the tribe of their fathers – individual families of Levites.

[1:47]  ²⁶⁷⁵ tc The form in the text is הָתְפָּקְדוּ (hotpaqÿdu); if this is correct, then it is an isolated instance of the reflexive of the Qal of פָּקַד (paqad). Some, however, explain the form as the Hitpael without the doubling of the middle letter and with a compensatory lengthening of the vowel before it (G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 10).

[1:48]  ²⁶⁷⁶ tn Heb “had spoken to Moses, saying.” The infinitive construct of אָמַר (’amar), sometimes rendered “saying” in older English translations, does not need to be translated, but can be taken simply as the indicator of direct discourse. Most recent English translations, including the present one, leave the form untranslated for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[1:49]  ²⁶⁷⁷ sn From the giving of the Law on the priesthood comes the prerogative of the tribe of Levi. There were, however, members of other tribes who served as priests from time to time (see Judg 17:5).

[1:49]  ²⁶⁷⁸ tn The construction has literally, “only the tribe of Levi you shall not number.” The Greek text rendered the particle אַךְ (’akh) forcefully with “see to it that” or “take care that.” For the uses of this form, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 65, §388-89.

[1:49]  ²⁶⁷⁹ tn Heb “lift up their head.”

[1:49]  ²⁶⁸⁰ tn Heb “in the midst of the sons of Israel.”

[1:50]  ²⁶⁸¹ tn The same verb translated “number” (פָּקַד, paqad) is now used to mean “appoint” (הַפְקֵד, hafqed), which focuses more on the purpose of the verbal action of numbering people. Here the idea is that the Levites were appointed to take care of the tabernacle. On the use of this verb with the Levites’ appointment, see M. Gertner, “The Masorah and the Levites,” VT 10 (1960): 252.

[1:50]  ²⁶⁸² tn The Hebrew name used here is מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת (mishkan ha’edut). The tabernacle or dwelling place of the Lord was given this name because it was here that the tablets of the Law were kept. The whole shrine was therefore a reminder (הָעֵדוּת, a “warning sign” or “testimony”) of the stipulations of the covenant. For the ancient Near Eastern customs of storing the code in the sanctuaries, see M. G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King, 14-19, and idem, The Structure of Biblical Authority, 35-36. Other items were in the ark in the beginning, but by the days of Solomon only the tablets were there (1 Kgs 8:9).

[1:50]  ²⁶⁸³ tn The imperfect tense here is an obligatory imperfect telling that they are bound to do this since they are appointed for this specific task.

[1:50]  ²⁶⁸⁴ tn The addition of the pronoun before the verb is emphatic – they are the ones who are to attend to the tabernacle. The verb used is שָׁרַת (sharat) in the Piel, indicating that they are to serve, minister to, attend to all the details about this shrine.

[1:50]  ²⁶⁸⁵ tn Heb “the tabernacle.” The pronoun (“it”) was used in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

[1:51]  ²⁶⁸⁶ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with the temporal preposition; the “tabernacle” is then the following genitive. Literally it is “and in the moving of the tabernacle,” meaning, “when the tabernacle is supposed to be moved,” i.e., when people are supposed to move it. The verb נָסָע (nasa’) means “pull up the tent pegs and move,” or more simply, “journey.”

[1:51]  ²⁶⁸⁷ tn Here we have the parallel construction using the infinitive construct in a temporal adverbial clause.

[1:51]  ²⁶⁸⁸ tn Heb “raise it up.”

[1:51]  ²⁶⁸⁹ tn The word used here is זָר (zar), normally translated “stranger” or “outsider.” It is most often used for a foreigner, an outsider, who does not belong in Israel, or who, although allowed in the land, may be viewed with suspicion. But here it seems to include even Israelites other than the tribe of Levi.

[1:53]  ²⁶⁹⁰ tc Instead of “wrath” the Greek text has “sin,” focusing the emphasis on the human error and not on the wrath of God. This may have been a conscious change to explain the divine wrath.

[1:53]  ²⁶⁹¹ tn The main verb of the clause is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive, וְשָׁמְרוּ (vÿshamÿru) meaning they “shall guard, protect, watch over, care for.” It may carry the same obligatory nuance as the preceding verbs because of the sequence. The object used with this is the cognate noun מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret): “The Levites must care for the care of the tabernacle.” The cognate intensifies the construction to stress that they are responsible for this care.

[1:54]  ²⁶⁹² tc The LXX adds “and Aaron.”

[2:1]  ²⁶⁹³ sn For this chapter, see C. E. Douglas, “The Twelve Houses of Israel,” JTS 37 (1936): 49-56; C. C. Roach, “The Camp in the Wilderness: A Sermon on Numbers 2:2,” Int 13 (1959): 49-54; and G. St. Clair, “Israel in Camp: A Study,” JTS 8 (1907): 185-217.

[2:2]  ²⁶⁹⁴ tn Heb “a man by his own standard.”

[2:2]  ²⁶⁹⁵ tn The imperfect tense is to be taken in the nuance of instruction.

[2:2]  ²⁶⁹⁶ tn Heb “of/for the house of their fathers.”

[2:2]  ²⁶⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew expression מִנֶּגֶד (minneged) means “from before” or “opposite; facing” and “at some distance” or “away from the front of” (see BDB 617 s.v. נֶגֶד 2.c.a; DCH 5:603-4 s.v. 3.b).

[2:2]  ²⁶⁹⁸ sn The Israelites were camping as a military camp, each tribe with the standards and emblems of the family. The standard was the symbol fastened to the end of a pole and carried to battle. It served to rally the tribe to the battle. The Bible nowhere describes these, although the serpent emblem of Numbers 21:8-9 may give a clue. But they probably did not have shapes of animals in view of the prohibition in the Decalogue. The standards may have been smaller for the families than the ones for the tribes. See further K. A. Kitchen, “Some Egyptian Background to the Old Testament,” TynBul 5 (1960): 11; and T. W. Mann, Divine Presence and Guidance in Israelite Tradition, 169-73.

[2:3]  ²⁶⁹⁹ tn The sentence begins with a vav (ו) on a word that is not a finite verb, indicating a new section begins here. The verbal form is a participle with the article used substantivally, with the meaning “and/now those camping.” Many English versions employ a finite verb; cf. KJV “on the east side…shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch.”

[2:3]  ²⁷⁰⁰ tc The two synonyms might seem to be tautological, but this is fairly common and therefore acceptable in Hebrew prose (cf. Exod 26:18; 38:13; etc.).

[2:3]  ²⁷⁰¹ tn The sentence actually has “[those camping…are] the standard of the camp of Judah according to their divisions.”

[2:3]  ²⁷⁰² tn Or “will be.”

[2:4]  ²⁷⁰³ tc The expression “and his divisions and those numbered of them” is somewhat tautological. The words are synonyms used for statistical purposes, and so neither should be simply deleted.

[2:5]  ²⁷⁰⁴ tn Heb “by him” [i.e., Judah].

[2:7]  ²⁷⁰⁵ tn This part has been supplied; the text simply has “the tribe of Zebulun.”

[2:9]  ²⁷⁰⁶ tn The verb is נָסָע (nasa’): “to journey, travel, set out,” and here, “to move camp.” Judah will go first, or, literally, at the head of the nation, when they begin to travel.

[2:10]  ²⁷⁰⁷ tn Here and throughout the line is literally “[under] the standard of the camp of Reuben…according to their divisions.”

[2:14]  ²⁷⁰⁸ tn The Hebrew text simply has “and the tribe of Gad.”

[2:14]  ²⁷⁰⁹ tc The Leningrad codex, upon which BHS is based, has “Reuel” here. In reading “Deuel” the translation presented above follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, Smr, and the Latin Vulgate. Cf. Num 1:14.

[2:17]  ²⁷¹⁰ tn The Hebrew expression is עַל־יָדוֹ (’al-yado, “upon his hand”). This clearly refers to a specifically designated place for each man.

[2:22]  ²⁷¹¹ tn Here too the Hebrew text simply has “and the tribe of Benjamin.”

[2:29]  ²⁷¹² tn The Hebrew text has “and the tribe of Naphtali.”

[2:32]  ²⁷¹³ tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” So also in v. 34.

[2:34]  ²⁷¹⁴ tn The Hebrew word is כֵּן (ken, “thus, so”).

[3:1]  ²⁷¹⁵ sn For significant literature for this chapter, see M. Aberbach and L. Smolar, “Aaron, Jeroboam, and their Golden Calves,” JBL 86 (1967): 129-40; G. Brin, “The First-born in Israel in the Biblical Period” (Ph.D. diss., University of Tel Aviv, 1971); S. H. Hooke, “Theory and Practice of Substitution,” VT 2 (1952): 2-17; and J. Morgenstern, “A Chapter in the History of the High Priesthood,” AJSL 55 (1938): 1-24.

[3:1]  ²⁷¹⁶ tn The construction is וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (vÿ’elleh tolÿdot), which was traditionally translated “now these are the generations,” much as it was translated throughout the book of Genesis. The noun can refer to records, stories, genealogies, names, and accounts of people. Here it is the recorded genealogical list with assigned posts included. Like Genesis, it is a heading of a section, and not a colophon as some have suggested. It is here similar to Exodus: “these are the names of.” R. K. Harrison, Numbers (WEC), 62, insists that it is a colophon and should end chapter 2, but if that is followed in the Pentateuch, it creates difficulty throughout the narratives. See the discussion by A. P. Ross, Creation and Blessing, 69-74.

[3:1]  ²⁷¹⁷ tn The expression in the Hebrew text (“in the day of”) is idiomatic for “when.”

[3:3]  ²⁷¹⁸ tn The verb מָשַׁח (mashakh) means “to anoint”; here the form modifies the “priests.” The service of consecration was carried out with anointing oil (Exod 30:30). The verb is used for the anointing of kings as well as priests in the OT, and so out of that derived the technical title “Messiah” for the coming ideal king – the “Anointed One.”

[3:3]  ²⁷¹⁹ tn In this verse the expression is in a relative clause: “who he filled their hand” means “whose hands he filled,” or “whom he consecrated.” The idiomatic expression used here is from Lev 8; it literally is “he filled their hand” (מִלֵּא יָדָם, mille’ yadam). In the ordination service Moses placed some of the meat from the sacrifice in the hand of the ordinand, and this signified what he was going to be about – having his hand full, or being consecrated to the priesthood. There is some evidence that this practice or expression was also known in Mesopotamia. In modern ordination services a NT or a Bible may be placed in the ordinand’s hand – it is what the ministry will be about.

[3:3]  ²⁷²⁰ tn The form is an infinitival construction for the word for the priest, showing the purpose for the filling of the hands.

[3:4]  ²⁷²¹ tn The verb form is the preterite with vav (ו) consecutive, literally “and Nadab died.” Some commentators wish to make the verb a past perfect, rendering it “and Nadab had died,” but this is not necessary. In tracing through the line from Aaron it simply reports that the first two sons died. The reference is to the event recorded in Lev 10 where the sons brought “strange” or foreign” fire to the sanctuary.

[3:4]  ²⁷²² tc This initial clause is omitted in one Hebrew ms, Smr, and the Vulgate.

[3:4]  ²⁷²³ tn The form בְּהַקְרִבָם (bÿhaqrivam) is the Hiphil infinitive construct functioning as a temporal clause: “when they brought near,” meaning, “when they offered.” The verb קָרַב (qarav) is familiar to students of the NT because of “corban” in Mark 7:11.

[3:4]  ²⁷²⁴ tn Or “prohibited.” See HALOT 279 s.v. זָר 3.

[3:4]  ²⁷²⁵ tn The expression אֵשׁ זָרָה (’esh zarah, “strange fire”) seems imprecise and has been interpreted numerous ways (see the helpful summary in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC 4], 132-33). The infraction may have involved any of the following or a combination thereof: (1) using coals from some place other than the burnt offering altar (i.e., “unauthorized coals” according to J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:598; cf. Lev 16:12 and cf. “unauthorized person” [אִישׁ זָר, ’ish zar] in Num 16:40 [17:5 HT], NASB “layman”), (2) using the wrong kind of incense (cf. the Exod 30:9 regulation against “strange incense” [קְטֹרֶת זָרָה, qÿtoret zarah] on the incense altar and the possible connection to Exod 30:34-38), (3) performing an incense offering at an unprescribed time (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 59), or (4) entering the Holy of Holies at an inappropriate time (Lev 16:1-2).

[3:4]  ²⁷²⁶ sn The two young priests had been cut down before they had children; the ranks of the family of Aaron were thereby cut in half in one judgment from God. The significance of the act of judgment was to show that the priests had to sanctify the Lord before the people – they were to be examples that the sanctuary and its contents were distinct.

[3:4]  ²⁷²⁷ tn The verb is the Piel preterite from the root כָּהַן (kahan): “to function as a priest” or “to minister.”

[3:4]  ²⁷²⁸ tn The expression “in the presence of” can also mean “during the lifetime of” (see Gen 11:28; see also BDB 818 s.v. פָּנֶה II.7.a; cf. NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV).

[3:6]  ²⁷²⁹ sn The use of the verb קָרַב (qarav) forms an interesting wordplay in the passage. The act of making an offering is described by this verb, as was the reference to the priests’ offering of strange fire. Now the ceremonial presentation of the priests is expressed by the same word – they are being offered to God.

[3:6]  ²⁷³⁰ tn The verb literally means “make it [the tribe] stand” (וְהַעֲמַדְתָּ אֹתוֹ, vÿha’amadta ’oto). The verb is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it will take the same imperative nuance as the form before it, but follow in sequence (“and then”). This refers to the ceremonial presentation in which the tribe would take its place before Aaron, that is, stand before him and await their assignments. The Levites will function more like a sacred guard than anything else, for they had to protect and care for the sanctuary when it was erected and when it was transported (see J. Milgrom, Studies in Levitical Terminology, 8-10).

[3:6]  ²⁷³¹ tn The verb וְשֵׁרְתוּ (vÿsherÿtu) is the Piel perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it carries the same volitional force as the preceding verb forms, but may here be subordinated in the sequence to express the purpose or result of the preceding action.

[3:7]  ²⁷³² tn The Hebrew text uses the perfect tense of שָׁמַר(shamar) with a vav (ו) consecutive to continue the instruction of the preceding verse. It may be translated “and they shall keep” or “they must/are to keep,” but in this context it refers to their appointed duties. The verb is followed by its cognate accusative – “they are to keep his keeping,” or as it is often translated, “his charge.” This would mean whatever Aaron needed them to do. But the noun is also used for the people in the next phrase, and so “charge” cannot be the meaning here. The verse is explaining that the Levites will have duties to perform to meet the needs of Aaron and the congregation.

[3:7]  ²⁷³³ tn The form is the Qal infinitive construct from עָבַד (’avad, “to serve, to work”); it is taken here as a verbal noun and means “by (or in) serving” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 36, §195). This explains the verb “keep [his charge].” Here too the form is followed by a cognate accusative; they will be there to “serve the service” or “work the work.”

[3:8]  ²⁷³⁴ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct (epexegetically) followed by its cognate accusative. It would convey “to serve the service of the tabernacle,” but more simply it may be rendered as “serving.” Their spiritual and practical service is to serve.

[3:9]  ²⁷³⁵ tn The verb וְנָתַתָּה (vÿnatattah) is normally “give.” Here, though, the context refers to the assignment of the Levites to the priests for their duties. The form is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive, continuing the sequence for the imperfect of instruction.

[3:9]  ²⁷³⁶ tn This emphasis is derived from the simple repetition of the passive participle, נְתוּנִם נְתוּנִם (nÿtunim nÿtunim). See GKC 396 §123.e. The forms serve as the predicate with the subject pronoun.

[3:9]  ²⁷³⁷ tn The Hebrew text simply has the preposition, “from the Israelites.”

[3:10]  ²⁷³⁸ tc The LXX includes the following words here: “and all things pertaining to the altar and within the veil.” Cf. Num 18:7.

[3:10]  ²⁷³⁹ tn The word is זָר (zar), usually rendered “stranger, foreigner, pagan.” But in this context it simply refers to anyone who is not a Levite or a priest, an unauthorized person or intruder in the tabernacle. That person would be put to death.

[3:12]  ²⁷⁴⁰ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) here carries its deictic force, calling attention to the fact that is being declared. It is underscoring the fact that the Lord himself chose Levi.

[3:12]  ²⁷⁴¹ tn Literally “in the place of.”

[3:13]  ²⁷⁴² tn The form הַכֹּתִי (hakkoti) is the Hiphil infinitive construct of the verb נָכָה (nakhah, “to strike, smite, attack”). Here, after the idiomatic “in the day of,” the form functions in an adverbial clause of time – “when I destroyed.”

[3:13]  ²⁷⁴³ sn In the Exodus event of the Passover night the principle of substitution was presented. The firstborn child was redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and so belonged to God, but then God chose the Levites to serve in the place of the firstborn. The ritual of consecrating the firstborn son to the Lord was nevertheless carried out, even with Jesus, the firstborn son of Mary (Luke 2:22-23).

[3:15]  ²⁷⁴⁴ tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” So also in v. 20.

[3:15]  ²⁷⁴⁵ tn Heb “you are to/shall number them.”

[3:16]  ²⁷⁴⁶ tn Heb “at the mouth of the Lord.”

[3:16]  ²⁷⁴⁷ tn The Pual perfect may be given the past perfect translation in this sentence because the act of commanding preceded the act of numbering.

[3:17]  ²⁷⁴⁸ tn The word “sons of” does at the outset refer to the sons of Levi. But as the listing continues the expression refers more to the family groups of the various descendants.

[3:24]  ²⁷⁴⁹ tn The vav (ו) disjunctive on the noun at the beginning of the verse here signals a greater emphasis on the individual rather than another item in the numbering of the clans.

[3:24]  ²⁷⁵⁰ tn Heb “a father’s house.” So also in vv. 30,35.

[3:25]  ²⁷⁵¹ tn The disjunctive vav (ו) here introduces a new section, listing the various duties of the clan in the sanctuary. The Gershonites had a long tradition of service here. In the days of David Asaph and his family were prominent as musicians. Others in the clan controlled the Temple treasuries. But in the wilderness they had specific oversight concerning the tent structure, which included the holy place and the holy of holies.

[3:26]  ²⁷⁵² tc The phrases in this verse seem to be direct objects without verbs. BHS suggests deleting the sign of the accusative (for which see P. P. Saydon, “Meanings and Uses of the Particle אֵת,” VT 14 [1964]: 263-75).

[3:26]  ²⁷⁵³ tn Heb “for all the service of it [them].”

[3:27]  ²⁷⁵⁴ sn Both Moses and Aaron came from this line (6:16-20). During the Hebrew monarchy this branch of the line of Levi was exemplary in music (1 Chr 6:33-48). They were also helpful to Hezekiah in his reforms (1 Chr 29:12-14).

[3:28]  ²⁷⁵⁵ tn The construction here is a little different. The Hebrew text uses the participle in construct plural: שֹׁמְרֵי (shomÿrey, literally “keepers of”). The form specifies the duties of the 8,600 Kohathites. The genitive that follows this participle is the cognate מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret) that has been used before. So the expression indicates that they were responsible for the care of this part of the cult center. There is no reason to delete one of the forms (as does J. A. Paterson, Numbers, 42), for the repetition stresses the central importance of their work.

[3:31]  ²⁷⁵⁶ tn The verb is יְשָׁרְתוּ (yÿsharÿtu, “they will serve/minister”). The imperfect tense in this place, however, probably describes what the priests would do, what they used to do. The verb is in a relative clause: “which they would serve with them,” which should be changed to read “with which they would serve.”

[3:31]  ²⁷⁵⁷ tn The word is literally “its [their] service.” It describes all the implements that were there for the maintenance of these things.

[3:32]  ²⁷⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew construction has “the leader of the leaders of” (וּנְשִׂיא נְשִׂיאֵי, unÿsi’ nÿsi’ey).

[3:32]  ²⁷⁵⁹ tn Heb “the keepers of the responsibility” (שֹׁמְרֵי מִשְׁמֶרֶת, shomÿrey mishmeret). The participle is a genitive specifying the duty to which he was appointed (thing possessed); its cognate genitive emphasizes that their responsibility was over the holy place.

[3:33]  ²⁷⁶⁰ tn The Hebrew text has “these they the families of Merari.” The independent personal pronoun has an anaphoric use, somewhat equivalent to the copula “and” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).

[3:36]  ²⁷⁶¹ tn Heb “and all their service.” This could possibly be a hendiadys: “and all their working tools.” However, the parallel with v. 26 suggests this is a separate phrase.

[3:38]  ²⁷⁶² tc In some Hebrew mss and Smr “and Aaron” is not in the verse. The omission arose probably by scribal error with such repetitious material that could easily give rise to variant traditions.

[3:38]  ²⁷⁶³ tn Here again the verb and its cognate noun are used: keeping the keep, or keeping charge over, or taking responsibility for the care of, or the like.

[3:39]  ²⁷⁶⁴ tn Here again the Hebrew has “at the mouth of,” meaning in accordance with what the Lord said. So also in v. 51.

[3:39]  ²⁷⁶⁵ 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]).

[3:40]  ²⁷⁶⁶ tn The verb נָשָׂא (nasa’, “take”) has here the sense of collect, take a census, or register the names.

[3:41]  ²⁷⁶⁷ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it carries forward the instructions from the preceding verse. The verb “take” now has the sense of appointing or designating the Levites.

[3:47]  ²⁷⁶⁸ tn The verb again is the perfect tense in sequence; the meaning of “take” may be interpreted here with the sense of “collect.”

[3:47]  ²⁷⁶⁹ tn The idea is expressed simply by repetition: “take five, five, shekels according to the skull.” They were to collect five shekels for each individual.

[3:47]  ²⁷⁷⁰ tn The verb form now is the imperfect of instruction or legislation.

[3:47]  ²⁷⁷¹ tn Heb “them,” referring to the five shekels.

[3:47]  ²⁷⁷² sn The sanctuary shekel was first mentioned in Exod 30:13. The half-shekel of Exod 38:26 would then be 10 gerahs. Consequently, the calculations would indicate that five shekels was about two ounces of silver for each person. See R. B. Y. Scott, “Weights and Measures of the Bible,” BA 22 (1951): 22-40, and “The Scale-Weights from Ophel, 1963-1964,” PEQ 97 (1965): 128-39.

[3:49]  ²⁷⁷³ sn The word used is “silver.” Coins were not in existence until after 700 b.c. (starting with Lydia).

[4:1]  ²⁷⁷⁴ sn The chapter has four main parts to it: Kohathites (1-20), Gershonites (21-28), Merarites (29-33) and the census of the Levites (34-49).

[4:2]  ²⁷⁷⁵ tn Heb “lift up the head.” The form נָשֹׂא (naso’) is the Qal infinitive absolute functioning here as a pure verb form. This serves to emphasize the basic verbal root idea (see GKC 346 §113.bb).

[4:3]  ²⁷⁷⁶ tn The word “company” is literally “host, army” (צָבָא, tsava’). The repetition of similar expressions makes the translation difficult: Heb “all [who] come to the host to do work in the tent.”

[4:4]  ²⁷⁷⁷ tn The Hebrew text simply has “the holy of holies,” or “the holy of the holy things” (קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים, qodesh haqqodashim). The context indicates that this refers to all the sacred furnishings.

[4:5]  ²⁷⁷⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive construct in an adverbial clause of time; literally it says “in the journeying of the camp.” The genitive in such constructions is usually the subject. Here the implication is that people would be preparing to transport the camp and its equipment.

[4:6]  ²⁷⁷⁹ tn The exact meaning of the Hebrew word here is difficult to determine. The term תַּחַשׁ (takhash) has been translated “badgers’ [skins]” by KJV. ASV has “sealskin” while RSV uses “goatskin”; NEB and NASB have “porpoise skin,” and NIV has “hides of sea cows.” This is close to “porpoise,” and seems influenced by the Arabic. The evidence is not strong for any of these meanings, and some of the suggestions would be problematic. It is possible the word is simply used for “fine leather,” based on the Egyptian ths. This has been followed by NRSV (“fine leather”) and NLT (“fine goatskin leather”) along with the present translation. See further HALOT 1720-21 s.v. תַּחַשׁ.

[4:7]  ²⁷⁸⁰ sn The Hebrew actually has the “table of faces,” and this has been traditionally rendered “table of shewbread.”

[4:7]  ²⁷⁸¹ tn The Greek has “violet” instead of blue. This is also the case in vv. 8, 10, and 14.

[4:10]  ²⁷⁸² tn The “pole” or “bar” (מוֹט, mot) is of a different style than the poles used for transporting the ark. It seems to be a flexible bar carried by two men with the implements being transported tied to the bar. The NEB suggests the items were put in a bag and slung over the bar, but there is no indication of the manner.

[4:13]  ²⁷⁸³ tc The Greek text has “and he must place the cover upon the altar” instead of “and they must take away the ashes from the altar.” The verb is the Piel form; its nuance seems to be privative, i.e., stating that the object is deprived of the material – the ashes are removed. This is the main altar in the courtyard.

[4:14]  ²⁷⁸⁴ tc For this passage the Greek and Smr have a substantial addition concerning the purple cloth for the laver and its base, and a further covering of skin (see D. W. Gooding, “On the Use of the LXX for Dating Midrashic Elements in the Targums,” JTS 25 [1974]: 1-11).

[4:15]  ²⁷⁸⁵ 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.

[4:15]  ²⁷⁸⁶ 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.

[4:15]  ²⁷⁸⁷ tn Heb “after this.”

[4:15]  ²⁷⁸⁸ tn The form is the Qal infinitive construct from נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift, carry”); here it indicates the purpose clause after the verb “come.”

[4:15]  ²⁷⁸⁹ tn The imperfect tense may be given the nuance of negated instruction (“they are not to”) or negated obligation (“they must not”).

[4:15]  ²⁷⁹⁰ tn Here the article expresses the generic idea of any holy thing (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §92).

[4:15]  ²⁷⁹¹ 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.

[4:15]  ²⁷⁹² 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.

[4:16]  ²⁷⁹³ tn This is supplied to the line to clarify “appointed.”

[4:16]  ²⁷⁹⁴ tn Heb “and.”

[4:16]  ²⁷⁹⁵ sn One would assume that he would prepare and wrap these items, but that the Kohathites would carry them to the next place.

[4:18]  ²⁷⁹⁶ sn The verb is simply the Qal, “do not cut off.” The context calls for a permissive nuance – “do not let them be cut off.” It was a difficult task to be handling the holy things correctly; Moses and Aaron were to see to it that they did it right and did not handle the objects, that is, Moses and Aaron were to safeguard their lives by making certain that proper procedures were followed.

[4:19]  ²⁷⁹⁷ tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text: Do this…and they will live. Consequently, the verb “and they will live” is a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive to express the future consequence of “doing this” for them.

[4:19]  ²⁷⁹⁸ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive continues the instruction for Aaron.

[4:19]  ²⁷⁹⁹ tn The distributive sense is obtained by the repetition, “a man” and “a man.”

[4:20]  ²⁸⁰⁰ tn In the Hebrew text the verse has as the subject “they,” but to avoid confusion the antecedent has been clarified in the translation.

[4:24]  ²⁸⁰¹ tn The two forms are the infinitive construct and then the noun: “to serve and for the burden.” They are to serve and they are to take the responsibility. The infinitive is explaining the verb.

[4:26]  ²⁸⁰² tc This whole clause is not in the Greek text; it is likely missing due to homoioteleuton.

[4:26]  ²⁸⁰³ tn The work of these people would have been very demanding, since the size and weight of the various curtains and courtyard hangings would have been great. For a detailed discussion of these, see the notes in the book of Exodus on the construction of the items.

[4:27]  ²⁸⁰⁴ tn The term “whether” is supplied to introduce the enumerated parts of the explanatory phrase.

[4:27]  ²⁸⁰⁵ 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).

[4:27]  ²⁸⁰⁶ 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.

[4:27]  ²⁸⁰⁷ tn Or “burden.”

[4:28]  ²⁸⁰⁸ tn Or “the direction” (NASB, TEV); Heb “under/by the hand of.” The word “hand” is often used idiomatically for “power” or “authority.” So also in vv. 33, 37, 45, 48.

[4:28]  ²⁸⁰⁹ sn The material here suggests that Eleazar had heavier responsibilities than Ithamar, Aaron’s fourth and youngest son. It is the first indication that the Zadokite Levites would take precedence over the Ithamar Levites (see 1 Chr 24:3-6).

[4:31]  ²⁸¹⁰ sn More recent studies have concluded that these “boards” were made of two long uprights joined by cross-bars (like a ladder). They were frames rather than boards, meaning that the structure under the tent was not a solid building. It also meant that the “boards” would have been lighter to carry.

[4:32]  ²⁸¹¹ tn Heb “you shall assign by names the vessels of the responsibility of their burden.”

[4:47]  ²⁸¹² tn The text multiplies the vocabulary of service here in the summary. In the Hebrew text the line reads literally: “everyone who came to serve the service of serving, and the service of burden.” The Levites came into service in the shrine, and that involved working in the sanctuary as well as carrying it from one place to the next.

[4:49]  ²⁸¹³ 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.

[4:49]  ²⁸¹⁴ tn Or “his burden.”

[4:49]  ²⁸¹⁵ 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.

[5:1]  ²⁸¹⁶ sn The fifth chapter falls into four main parts: separation of the unclean (vv. 1-4), restitution for sin (vv. 5-10), the jealousy ordeal (vv. 11-28), and the summary (vv. 29-31). There is a good deal of literature on the biblical theme of holiness (for which see the notes on Leviticus primarily). But with regard to this chapter, see (with caution), Mary Douglas, Purity and Danger; J. Neusner, The Idea of Purity in Ancient Judaism; and K. Milgrom, “Two Kinds of h£at£t£a„át,” VT 26 (1976): 333-37.

[5:2]  ²⁸¹⁷ tn The construction uses the Piel imperative followed by this Piel imperfect/jussive form; it is here subordinated to the preceding volitive, providing the content of the command. The verb שָׁלַח (shalakh) in this verbal stem is a strong word, meaning “expel, put out, send away, or release” (as in “let my people go”).

[5:2]  ²⁸¹⁸ sn The word צָרוּעַ (tsarua’), although translated “leper,” does not primarily refer to leprosy proper (i.e., Hansen’s disease). The RSV and the NASB continued the KJV tradition of using “leper” and “leprosy.” More recent studies have concluded that the Hebrew word is a generic term covering all infectious skin diseases (including leprosy when that actually showed up). True leprosy was known and feared certainly by the time of Amos (ca. 760 b.c.). There is evidence that the disease was known in Egypt by 1500 b.c. So this term would include that disease in all probability. But in view of the diagnosis and healing described in Leviticus 13 and 14, the term must be broader. The whole basis for the laws of separation may be found in the book of Leviticus. The holiness of the Lord who dwelt among his people meant that a high standard was imposed on them for their living arrangements as well as access to the sanctuary. Anything that was corrupted, diseased, dying, or contaminated was simply not compatible with the holiness of God and was therefore excluded. This is not to say that it was treated as sin, or the afflicted as sinners. It simply was revealing – and safeguarding – the holiness of the Lord. It thus provided a revelation for all time that in the world to come nothing unclean will enter into the heavenly sanctuary. As the Apostle Paul says, we will all be changed from this corruptible body into one that is incorruptible (1 Cor 15:53). So while the laws of purity and holiness were practical for the immediate audience, they have far-reaching implications for theology. The purity regulations have been done away with in Christ – the problem is dealt with differently in the new covenant. There is no earthly temple, and so the separation laws are not in force. Wisdom would instruct someone with an infectious disease to isolate, however. But just because the procedure is fulfilled in Christ does not mean that believers today are fit for glory just as they are. On the contrary, they must be changed before going into his presence. In like manner the sacrifices have been done away in Christ – not what they covered. Sin is still sin, even though it is dealt with differently on this side of the cross. But the ritual and the regulations of the old covenant at Sinai have been fulfilled in Christ.

[5:2]  ²⁸¹⁹ sn The rules of discharge (Lev 12 and 15) include everything from menstruation to chronic diseases (see G. Wyper, ISBE 1:947, as well as R. K. Harrison, Leviticus (TOTC), 158-66, and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus (NICOT), 217-25.

[5:2]  ²⁸²⁰ tn The word is נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), which usually simply means “[whole] life,” i.e., the soul in the body, the person. But here it must mean the corpse, the dead person, since that is what will defile (although it was also possible to become unclean by touching certain diseased people, such as a leper).

[5:3]  ²⁸²¹ tn The imperfect tense functions here as a final imperfect, expressing the purpose of putting such folks outside the camp. The two preceding imperfects (repeated for emphasis) are taken here as instruction or legislation.

[5:4]  ²⁸²² tn The perfect tense is here given a past perfect nuance to stress that the word of the Lord preceded the obedience.

[5:6]  ²⁸²³ sn This type of law is known as casuistic. The law is introduced with “when/if” and then the procedure to be adopted follows it. The type of law was common in the Law Code of Hammurabi.

[5:6]  ²⁸²⁴ tn The verse simply says “any sin of a man,” but the genitive could mean that it is any sin that a man would commit (subjective genitive), or one committed against a man (objective genitive). Because of the similarity with Lev 5:22, the subjective is better. The sin is essentially “missing the mark” which is the standard of the Law of the Lord. The sin is not in this case accidental or inadvertent. It means here simply failing to live up to the standard of the Lord. Since both men and women are mentioned in the preceding clause, the translation uses “people” here.

[5:6]  ²⁸²⁵ tn The verb is מַעַל (ma’al), which means to “defraud, violate, trespass against,” or “to deal treacherously, do an act of treachery.” In doing any sin that people do, the guilty have been unfaithful to the Lord, and therefore must bring him a sacrifice.

[5:6]  ²⁸²⁶ tn The word used here for this violation is אָשָׁם (’asham). It can be translated “guilt, to be guilty”; it can also be used for the reparation offering. The basic assumption here is that the individual is in a state of sin – is guilty. In that state he or she feels remorse for the sin and seeks forgiveness through repentance. See further P. P. Saydon, “Sin Offering and Trespass Offering,” CBQ 8 (1946): 393-98; H. C. Thompson, “The Significance of the Term ’Asham in the Old Testament,” TGUOS 14 (1953): 20-26.

[5:7]  ²⁸²⁷ tn The verb is the Hitpael perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive from the verb יָדָה (yadah), which in this stem means “acknowledge, confess sin,” but in the Hiphil (primarily) it means “praise, give thanks.” In both cases one is acknowledging something, either the sin, or the person and work of the Lord. Here the verb comes in the apodosis: “when…then he must confess.”

[5:7]  ²⁸²⁸ tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”). Here it has the sense of “repay” with the word “reparation” (traditionally rendered “guilt offering,” but now is understood to refer to what was defrauded). The Levitical rulings called for the guilty to restore what was taken, if it could be made right, and pay a fifth more as a surcharge.

[5:7]  ²⁸²⁹ tn This is now the third use of אָשָׁם (’asham); the first referred to “guilt,” the second to “reparation,” and now “wronged.” The idea of “guilt” lies behind the second two uses as well as the first. In the second “he must repay his guilt” (meaning what he is guilty of); and here it can also mean “the one against whom he is guilty of sinning.”

[5:8]  ²⁸³⁰ sn For more information on the word, see A. R. Johnson, “The Primary Meaning of גאל,” VTSup 1 (1953): 67-77.

[5:8]  ²⁸³¹ tc The editors of BHS prefer to follow the Greek, Syriac, and Latin and not read “for the Lord” here, but read a form of the verb “to be” instead. But the text makes more sense as it stands: The payment is to be made to the Lord for the benefit of the priests.

[5:9]  ²⁸³² tn The Hebrew word תְּרוּמָה (tÿrumah) seems to be a general word for any offering that goes to the priests (see J. Milgrom, Studies in Cultic Theology and Terminology [SJLA 36], 159-72).

[5:10]  ²⁸³³ sn The “holy gifts” are described with the root of קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh) to convey that they were separate. Such things had been taken out of the ordinary and normal activities of life.

[5:11]  ²⁸³⁴ sn There is a good bit of bibliography here. See, e.g., J. M. Sasson, “Numbers 5 and the Waters of Judgment,” BZ 16 (1972): 249-51; and M. Fishbane, “Accusation of Adultery: A Study of Law and Scribal Practice in Numbers 5:11-31,” HUCA 45 (1974): 25-46.

[5:13]  ²⁸³⁵ tn Heb “and a man lies with her with the emission of semen.” This makes it clear that there was adultery involved, so that the going astray is going astray morally. The indication in the text is that if she had never behaved suspiciously the sin might not have been detected.

[5:13]  ²⁸³⁶ tc The sign of the accusative אֹתָהּ (’otah) is probably to be repointed to the preposition with the suffix, אִתָּהּ (’ittah).

[5:13]  ²⁸³⁷ tn Heb “and it is concealed from the eyes of her husband.”

[5:13]  ²⁸³⁸ tn The noun clause beginning with the simple conjunction is here a circumstantial clause, explaining that there was no witness to the sin.

[5:14]  ²⁸³⁹ tn The Hebrew text has the construct case, “spirit of jealousy.” The word “spirit” here has the sense of attitude, mood, feelings. The word קִנְאָה (qin’ah) is the genitive of attribute, modifying what kind of feelings they are. The word means either “zeal” or “jealousy,” depending on the context. It is a passionate feeling to guard or protect an institution or relationship. It can also express strong emotional possessiveness such as envy and coveting. Here there is a feeling of jealousy, but no proof of infidelity.

[5:14]  ²⁸⁴⁰ tn The word is now used in the Piel stem; the connotation is certainly “suspicious,” for his jealousy seems now to have some basis, even if it is merely suspicion.

[5:14]  ²⁸⁴¹ tn The noun clause begins with the conjunction and the pronoun; here it is forming a circumstantial clause, either temporal or causal.

[5:15]  ²⁸⁴² tn All the conditions have been laid down now for the instruction to begin – if all this happened, then this is the procedure to follow.

[5:15]  ²⁸⁴³ tn The Hebrew word is “jealousy,” which also would be an acceptable translation here. But since the connotation is that suspicion has been raised about the other person, “suspicion” seems to be a better rendering in this context.

[5:15]  ²⁸⁴⁴ tn The word “remembering” is זִכָּרוֹן (zikkaron); the meaning of the word here is not so much “memorial,” which would not communicate much, but the idea of bearing witness before God concerning the charges. The truth would come to light through this ritual, and so the attestation would stand. This memorial would bring the truth to light. It was a somber occasion, and so no sweet smelling additives were placed on the altar.

[5:15]  ²⁸⁴⁵ tn The final verbal form, מַזְכֶּרֶת (mazkeret), explains what the memorial was all about – it was causing iniquity to be remembered.

[5:16]  ²⁸⁴⁶ tn The verb is the Hiphil of the word “to stand.” It could be rendered “station her,” but that sounds too unnatural. This is a meeting between an accused person and the Judge of the whole earth.

[5:17]  ²⁸⁴⁷ tn This is probably water taken from the large bronze basin in the courtyard. It is water set apart for sacred service. “Clean water” (so NEB) does not capture the sense very well, but it does have the support of the Greek that has “pure running water.” That pure water would no doubt be from the bronze basin anyway.

[5:17]  ²⁸⁴⁸ tn Heb “from.” The preposition is used here with a partitive sense.

[5:17]  ²⁸⁴⁹ sn The dust may have come from the sanctuary floor, but it is still dust, and therefore would have all the pollutants in it.

[5:18]  ²⁸⁵⁰ tn The expression has been challenged. The first part, “bitter water,” has been thought to mean “water of contention” (so NEB), but this is not convincing. It has some support in the versions which read “contention” and “testing,” no doubt trying to fit the passage better. N. H. Snaith (Leviticus and Numbers [NCB], 129) suggests from an Arabic word that it was designed to cause an abortion – but that would raise an entirely different question, one of who the father of a child was. And that has not been introduced here. The water was “bitter” in view of the consequences it held for her if she was proven to be guilty. That is then enforced by the wordplay with the last word, the Piel participle הַמְאָרֲרִים (ham’ararim). The bitter water, if it convicted her, would pronounce a curse on her. So she was literally holding her life in her hands.

[5:19]  ²⁸⁵¹ tn The word “other” is implied, since the woman would not be guilty of having sexual relations with her own husband.

[5:19]  ²⁸⁵² sn Although there would be stress involved, a woman who was innocent would have nothing to hide, and would be confident. The wording of the priest’s oath is actually designed to enable the potion to keep her from harm and not produce the physical effects it was designed to do.

[5:20]  ²⁸⁵³ tn The pronoun is emphatic – “but you, if you have gone astray.”

[5:20]  ²⁸⁵⁴ tn This is an example of the rhetorical device known as aposiopesis, or “sudden silence.” The sentence is broken off due to the intensity or emphasis of the moment. The reader is left to conclude what the sentence would have said.

[5:21]  ²⁸⁵⁵ sn For information on such curses, see M. R. Lehmann, “Biblical Oaths,” ZAW 81 (1969): 74-92; A. C. Thiselton, “The Supposed Power of Words in the Biblical Writings,” JTS 25 (1974): 283-99; and F. C. Fensham, “Malediction and Benediction in Ancient Vassal Treaties and the Old Testament,” ZAW 74 (1962): 1-9.

[5:21]  ²⁸⁵⁶ tn Heb “the priest will say.”

[5:21]  ²⁸⁵⁷ tn This interpretation takes the two nouns as a hendiadys. The literal wording is “the Lord make you a curse and an oath among the people.” In what sense would she be an oath? The point of the whole passage is that the priest is making her take an oath to see if she has been sinful and will be cursed.

[5:21]  ²⁸⁵⁸ sn The outcome of this would be that she would be quoted by people in such forms of expression as an oath or a curse (see Jer 29:22).

[5:21]  ²⁸⁵⁹ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with the preposition to form an adverbial clause: “in the giving of the Lord…,” meaning, “if and when the Lord makes such and such to happen.”

[5:21]  ²⁸⁶⁰ tn TEV takes the expression “your thigh” as a euphemism for the genitals: “cause your genital organs to shrink.”

[5:21]  ²⁸⁶¹ sn Most commentators take the expressions to be euphemisms of miscarriage or stillbirth, meaning that there would be no fruit from an illegitimate union. The idea of the abdomen swelling has been reinterpreted by NEB to mean “fall away.” If this interpretation stands, then the idea is that the woman has become pregnant, and that has aroused the suspicion of the husband for some reason. R. K. Harrison (Numbers [WEC], 111-13) discusses a variety of other explanations for diseases and conditions that might be described by these terms. He translates it with “miscarriage,” but leaves open what the description might actually be. Cf. NRSV “makes your uterus drop, your womb discharge.”

[5:22]  ²⁸⁶² tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. It could be taken as a jussive following the words of the priest in the previous section, but it is more likely to be a simple future.

[5:22]  ²⁸⁶³ tn Heb “fall away.”

[5:22]  ²⁸⁶⁴ tn The word “amen” carries the idea of “so be it,” or “truly.” The woman who submits to this test is willing to have the test demonstrate the examination of God.

[5:23]  ²⁸⁶⁵ sn The words written on the scroll were written with a combination of ingredients mixed into an ink. The idea is probably that they would have been washed or flaked off into the water, so that she drank the words of the curse – it became a part of her being.

[5:28]  ²⁸⁶⁶ tn Heb “will be free”; the words “of ill effects” have been supplied as a clarification.

[5:29]  ²⁸⁶⁷ tn Heb “law of jealousies.”

[5:31]  ²⁸⁶⁸ sn The text does not say what the consequences are. Presumably the punishment would come from God, and not from those administering the test.

[5:31]  ²⁸⁶⁹ tn The word “iniquity” can also mean the guilt for the iniquity as well as the punishment of consequences for the iniquity. These categories of meanings grew up through figurative usage (metonymies). Here the idea is that if she is guilty then she must “bear the consequences.”

[6:1]  ²⁸⁷⁰ sn This chapter can be divided into five sections: The vow is described in vv. 1-8, then the contingencies for defilement are enumerated in vv. 9-12, then there is a discussion of discharging the vows in vv. 13-20, and then a summary in v. 21; after this is the high priestly blessing (vv. 22-27). For information on the vow, see G. B. Gray, “The Nazirite,” JTS 1 (1899-1900): 201-11; Z. Weisman, “The Biblical Nazirite, Its Types and Roots,” Tarbiz 36 (1967): 207-20; and W. Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament (OTL), 1:303-6.

[6:2]  ²⁸⁷¹ tn The formula is used here again: “a man or a woman – when he takes.” The vow is open to both men and women.

[6:2]  ²⁸⁷² tn The vow is considered special in view of the use of the verb יַפְלִא (yafli’), the Hiphil imperfect of the verb “to be wonderful, extraordinary.”

[6:2]  ²⁸⁷³ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct followed by the cognate accusative: “to vow a vow.” This intensifies the idea that the vow is being taken carefully.

[6:2]  ²⁸⁷⁴ tn The name of the vow is taken from the verb that follows; נָזַר (nazar) means “to consecrate oneself,” and so the Nazirite is a consecrated one. These are folks who would make a decision to take an oath for a time or for a lifetime to be committed to the Lord and show signs of separation from the world. Samuel was to be a Nazirite, as the fragment of the text from Qumran confirms – “he will be a נָזִיר (nazir) forever” (1 Sam 1:22).

[6:2]  ²⁸⁷⁵ tn The form of the verb is an Hiphil infinitive construct, forming the wordplay and explanation for the name Nazirite. The Hiphil is here an internal causative, having the meaning of “consecrate oneself” or just “consecrate to the Lord.”

[6:3]  ²⁸⁷⁶ tn The operative verb now will be the Hiphil of נָזַר (nazar); the consecration to the Lord meant separation from certain things in the world. The first will be wine and strong drink – barley beer (from Akkadian sikaru, a fermented beer). But the second word may be somewhat wider in its application than beer. The Nazirite, then, was to avoid all intoxicants as a sign of his commitment to the Lord. The restriction may have proved a hardship in the daily diet of the one taking the vow, but it spoke a protest to the corrupt religious and social world that used alcohol to excess.

[6:3]  ²⁸⁷⁷ tn The “vinegar” (חֹמֶץ, homets) is some kind of drink preparation that has been allowed to go sour.

[6:3]  ²⁸⁷⁸ tn This word occurs only here. It may come from the word “to water, to be moist,” and so refer to juice.

[6:3]  ²⁸⁷⁹ tn Heb “dried” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[6:4]  ²⁸⁸⁰ tn This word also is rare, occurring only here.

[6:4]  ²⁸⁸¹ sn Here is another hapax legomenon, a word only found here. The word seems linked to the verb “to be clear,” and so may mean the thin skin of the grape. The reason for the strictness with these two words in this verse is uncertain. We know the actual meanings of the words, and the combination must form a merism here, meaning no part of the grape could be eaten. Abstaining from these common elements of food was to be a mark of commitment to the Lord. Hos 3:1 even denounces the raisin cakes as part of a pagan world, and eating them would be a violation of the oath.

[6:5]  ²⁸⁸² tc The parallel expression in v. 8 (“all the days of his separation”) lacks the word “vow.” This word is also absent in v. 5 in a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts. The presence of the word in v. 5 may be due to dittography.

[6:5]  ²⁸⁸³ sn There is an interesting parallel between this prohibition and the planting of trees. They could not be pruned or trimmed for three years, but allowed to grow free (Lev 20:23). Only then could the tree be cut and the fruit eaten. The natural condition was to be a sign that it was the Lord’s. It was to be undisturbed by humans. Since the Nazirite was to be consecrated to the Lord, that meant his whole person, hair included. In the pagan world the trimming of the beard and the cutting of the hair was often a sign of devotion to some deity.

[6:5]  ²⁸⁸⁴ tn Heb “days.”

[6:5]  ²⁸⁸⁵ tn The word “holy” here has the sense of distinct, different, set apart.

[6:5]  ²⁸⁸⁶ tn The Piel infinitive absolute functions as a verb in this passage; the Piel carries the sense of “grow lengthy” or “let grow long.”

[6:6]  ²⁸⁸⁷ tn The Hebrew verb is simply “enter, go,” no doubt with the sense of go near.

[6:6]  ²⁸⁸⁸ tn The Hebrew has נֶפֶשׁ מֵת (nefesh met), literally a “dead person.” But since the word נֶפֶשׁ can also be used for animals, the restriction would be for any kind of corpse. Death was very much a part of the fallen world, and so for one so committed to the Lord, avoiding all such contamination would be a witness to the greatest separation, even in a family.

[6:7]  ²⁸⁸⁹ tn The vav (ו) conjunction at the beginning of the clause specifies the cases of corpses that are to be avoided, no matter how painful it might be.

[6:7]  ²⁸⁹⁰ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffixed subjective genitive – “in the dying of them” – to form the adverbial clause of time.

[6:7]  ²⁸⁹¹ tn The word “separation” here is metonymy of adjunct – what is on his head is long hair that goes with the vow.

[6:7]  ²⁸⁹² tn The genitive could perhaps be interpreted as possession, i.e., “the vow of his God,” but it seems more likely that an objective genitive would be more to the point.

[6:9]  ²⁸⁹³ tn The construction uses the imperfect tense followed by the infinitive absolute, יָמוּת מֵת (yamut met). Because the verb is in a conditional clause, the emphasis that is to be given through the infinitive must stress the contingency. The point is “if someone dies – unexpectedly.” The next words underscore the suddenness of this.

[6:9]  ²⁸⁹⁴ tn The verb is the Piel perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the idea within the conditional clause.

[6:9]  ²⁸⁹⁵ sn The expression is figurative for the vow that he took; the figure is the metonymy because the reference to the head is a reference to the long hair that symbolizes the oath.

[6:10]  ²⁸⁹⁶ tn The imperfect tense in this verse is still instructional rather than a simple future. The translations can vary, but the point that it is directive must be caught.

[6:11]  ²⁸⁹⁷ tn The traditional translation of חַטָּאת (khatta’t) is “sin offering,” but it is more precise to render it “purification offering” (as with the other names of sacrifices) to show the outcome, not the cause of the offering (see Lev 4). Besides, this offering was made for ritual defilements (for which no confession was required) as well as certain sins (for which a confession of sin was required). This offering restored the person to the ritual state of purity by purifying the area into which he would be going.

[6:11]  ²⁸⁹⁸ tn The repetition of “the one…and the one” forms the distributive sense of “the one…and the other.”

[6:11]  ²⁸⁹⁹ tn The burnt offering (Lev 1) reflects the essence of atonement: By this sacrifice the worshiper was completely surrendering to God, and God was completely accepting the worshiper.

[6:11]  ²⁹⁰⁰ tn The verb וְכִפֶּר (vÿkhipper) is the Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive. The meaning of the verb is “to expiate, pacify, atone.” It refers to the complete removal of the barrier of fellowship between the person and God, and the total acceptance of that person into his presence. The idea of “to cover,” often linked to this meaning, is derived from a homonym, and not from this word and its usage.

[6:11]  ²⁹⁰¹ tn The verb “to sin” has a wide range of meanings, beginning with the idea of “missing the way or the goal.” In view of the nature of this case – the prescribed ritual without confession – the idea is more that he failed to keep the vow’s stipulations in this strange circumstance than that he committed intentional sin.

[6:11]  ²⁹⁰² tn The verb simply means “to consecrate,” but because it refers to a vow that was interrupted, it must here mean to “reconsecrate.”

[6:12]  ²⁹⁰³ tn The same idea is to be found now in the use of the word נָזַר (nazar), which refers to a recommitment after the vow was interrupted.

[6:12]  ²⁹⁰⁴ tn The necessity of bringing the reparation offering was due to the reinstatement into the vow that had been interrupted.

[6:12]  ²⁹⁰⁵ tn Heb “will fall”; KJV “shall be lost”; ASV, NASB, NRSV “shall be void.”

[6:12]  ²⁹⁰⁶ tc The similar expression in v. 9 includes the word “head” (i.e., “his consecrated head”). The LXX includes this word in v. 12 as well.

[6:13]  ²⁹⁰⁷ tn The Hebrew text has “he/one shall bring him”; since there is no expressed subject, this verb should be taken in the passive sense – “he shall be brought.” Since the context suggests an obligatory nuance, the translation “he must be brought” has been used. Some scholars solve the problem by emending the Hebrew text here, but there is no manuscript evidence to support the emendation.

[6:14]  ²⁹⁰⁸ tn Heb “he shall offer his offering” – the object is a cognate accusative.

[6:14]  ²⁹⁰⁹ sn The peace offering שְׁלָמִים (shÿlamim) is instructed in Lev 3 and 7. The form is always in the plural. It was a sacrifice that celebrated the fact that the worshiper was at peace with God, and was not offered in order to make peace with God. The peace offering was essentially a communal meal in the presence of God. Some have tried to equate this offering with similar sounding names in Akkadian and Ugaritic (see B. A. Levine, In the Presence of the Lord [SJLA], 3-52), but the unique features of the Israelite sacrifice make this connection untenable.

[6:15]  ²⁹¹⁰ tn The suffixes in the MT are plural in this verse, whereas in v. 17 they are singular. This seems to be a matter of stylistic choice, referring to whomever may be taking the vow.

[6:15]  ²⁹¹¹ sn The offerings for the termination of the Nazirite vow would not have been inexpensive. This indicates that the person making the short term vow may have had income, or have come from a wealthier section of society. Short term vows had to be considered carefully as this ruling required a good amount of food to be brought.

[6:16]  ²⁹¹² tn “all these” is supplied as the object.

[6:16]  ²⁹¹³ tn Heb “make.”

[6:17]  ²⁹¹⁴ tn The “peace offering” is usually written as “a sacrifice of peace” (זֶבַח שְׁלָמִים, zevakh shÿlamim). The word “sacrifice” is related to the word “to slaughter,” and so indicates that this is a bloody offering in celebration of peace with God.

[6:18]  ²⁹¹⁵ tn Some versions simply interpret this to say that he shaves his hair, for it is the hair that is the sign of the consecration to God. But the text says he shaves his consecrated head. The whole person is obviously consecrated to God – not just the head. But the symbolic act of cutting the hair shows that the vow has been completed (see Acts 21:23-24). The understanding of the importance of the hair in the ancient world has been the subject of considerable study over the years (see R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 436; and J. A. Thompson, “Numbers,” New Bible Commentary: Revised, 177).

[6:18]  ²⁹¹⁶ sn Some commentators see this burning of the hair as an offering (McNeile, Numbers, 35; G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 68). But others probably with more foundation see it as destroying something that has served a purpose, something that if left alone might be venerated (see R. de Vaux, Israel, 436).

[6:18]  ²⁹¹⁷ tn Heb “which is under the peace offering.” The verse does not mean that the hair had to be put under that sacrifice and directly on the fire.

[6:19]  ²⁹¹⁸ tn The line does not include the word “head”; it literally has “after the consecrating of himself his consecrated [head].” The infinitive construct is here functioning in the temporal clause with the suffix as the subject and the object following.

[6:20]  ²⁹¹⁹ sn The ritual of lifting the hands filled with the offering and waving them in the presence of the Lord was designed to symbolize the transfer of the offering to God in the sight of all. This concludes the worshiper’s part; the offering now becomes the property of the priest – his priest’s due (or “raised/heave offering”).

[6:20]  ²⁹²⁰ sn The “wave offering” may be interpreted as a “special gift” to be transferred to the Lord, and the “heave offering” as a “special contribution” to God – the priest’s due. These two offerings have also inspired a good deal of study.

[6:20]  ²⁹²¹ tn The imperfect tense here would then have the nuance of permission. It is not an instruction at this point; rather, the prohibition has been lifted and the person is free to drink wine.

[6:21]  ²⁹²² tn Actually, “law” here means a whole set of laws, the basic rulings on this topic.

[6:21]  ²⁹²³ tn Heb “whatever else his hand is able to provide.” The imperfect tense has the nuance of potential imperfect – “whatever he can provide.”

[6:21]  ²⁹²⁴ tn Heb “according to the vow that he vows, so he must do.”

[6:22]  ²⁹²⁵ sn This brief section records the blessing of the priest, especially the high priest after he emerges from the holy of holies to bless the people (see Lev 9:22). The two main elements in the oracle are “grace and peace.” It is probable that the Apostle Paul based his salutations on this oracle. For additional information, see L. J. Liebreich, “The Songs of Ascent and the Priestly Blessing,” JBL 74 (1955): 33-36; P. D. Miller, “The Blessing of God: An Interpretation of Num 6:22-27,” Int 29 (1975): 240-51; and A. Murtonen, “The Use and Meaning of the Words lébarek and bérakah in the Old Testament,” VT 9 (1959): 158-77.

[6:23]  ²⁹²⁶ tn Or “thus.”

[6:23]  ²⁹²⁷ tn The Piel imperfect has the nuance of instruction. The particle “thus” explains that the following oracle is the form to use.

[6:23]  ²⁹²⁸ tn Here is the only use of the verb אָמַר (’amar) as an infinitive absolute; it functions as a verb form, an imperative or an imperfect of instruction. Several commentators have attempted to emend the text to get around the difficulty, but such emendations are unnecessary.

[6:24]  ²⁹²⁹ tn The short blessing uses the jussive throughout, here the Piel jussive with a pronominal suffix. While the jussive has quite a range of nuances, including wish, desire, prayer, or greeting, the jussives here are stronger. The formal subject of the verb is the Lord, and the speaker pronouncing the blessing is the priest, notably after emerging from the holy of holies where atonement has been made. The Lord says in this passage that when the priest says this, then the Lord will bless them. The jussive then is an oracle, not a wish or a prayer. It is a declaration of what the Lord imparts. It is as binding and sure as a patriarchal blessing which once said officially could not be taken back. The priest here is then pronouncing the word of the Lord, declaring to the congregation the outcome of the atonement.

[6:24]  ²⁹³⁰ tn The verb “to keep” concerns the divine protection of the people; its basic meaning is “to exercise great care over,” “to guard,” or “to give attention to” (see TWOT 2:939). No doubt the priestly blessing informed the prayer and promise that makes up Ps 121, for the verb occurs six times in the eight verses. So in addition to the divine provision (“bless” basically means “enrich” in a number of ways) there is the assurance of divine protection.

[6:25]  ²⁹³¹ tn Whereas the first line of the blessing had three Hebrew words, the second has five, and the third has seven. In this second line and the following third, the blessing takes the form of an emblem followed by the truth. For the Lord to make his face shine on them would mean to be gracious to them. M. Noth rightly calls this image of the shining face “a figure of speech for benevolence and favour” (Numbers [OTL], 59); see, for example, Pss 4:7; 31:17; 44:4; 67:2; 80:4, 8, 20; 119:135; Dan 9:17). The image may have its inspiration in the theophanies. The picture is of divine favor – the beaming face of a parent for his beloved.

[6:26]  ²⁹³² tn The last line of the blessing also has first the image and then the parallel interpretation – for God to lift up his face is for God to give peace. The idea of the fallen face is one of anger (see Gen 4:6,7); and the idea of the hidden face is that of withholding support, favor, or peace (see Deut 31:18; Ps 30:8; Ps 44:25). If God lifts his face toward his people, it means he has given them peace – peace, prosperity, completeness, health, safety, general well-being, and the like.

[6:27]  ²⁹³³ tn The idea of their putting the name of Yahweh on the people is somewhat problematic. The pronouncing of the name of Yahweh in this context over the people was taken to be the effectual means of blessings. “Putting the name on them” is an expression that emphasizes the truth that he is their God and they are his people or that having his name is having his blessing.

[7:1]  ²⁹³⁴ sn This long and repetitious chapter has several parts to it: the introduction (vv. 1-3), the assigning of gifts (vv. 4-9), the time of presentation (vv. 10-11), and then the tribes (vv. 12-83), and then a summary (vv. 84-89).

[7:1]  ²⁹³⁵ tn The construction of this line begins with the temporal indicator (traditionally translated “and it came to pass”) and then after the idiomatic “in the day of” (= “when”) uses the Piel infinitive construct from כָּלָה (kalah). The infinitive is governed by the subjective genitive, “Moses,” the formal subject of the clause. The object of the infinitive is the second infinitive, “to set up” (לְהָקִים, lÿhaqim). This infinitive, the Hiphil, serves as the direct object, answering the question of what it was that Moses completed. The entire clause is an adverbial clause of time.

[7:2]  ²⁹³⁶ tn Heb “the house of their fathers.”

[7:2]  ²⁹³⁷ tn The form is the Qal active participle from the verb “to stand” (עָמַד, ’amad). The form describes these leaders as “the ones standing over [the ones numbered].” The expression, along with the clear indication of the first census in chapter 1, shows that this was a supervisory capacity.

[7:3]  ²⁹³⁸ tn Heb “and they brought.”

[7:3]  ²⁹³⁹ sn For a discussion and drawings, see W. S. McCullough, IDB 1:540. But see also D. J. Wiseman, IBD 1:254.

[7:5]  ²⁹⁴⁰ tn The object is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied.

[7:5]  ²⁹⁴¹ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; following the imperative, this could be given an independent volitive translation (“they shall be”), but more fittingly a subordinated translation expressing the purpose of receiving the gifts.

[7:5]  ²⁹⁴² tn The sentence uses the infinitive construct expressing purpose, followed by its cognate accusative: “[that they may be] for doing the work of” (literally, “serving the service of”).

[7:5]  ²⁹⁴³ tn The noun אִישׁ (’ish) is in apposition to the word “Levites,” and is to be taken in a distributive sense: “to the Levites, [to each] man according to his service.”

[7:5]  ²⁹⁴⁴ tn The expression כְּפִי (kÿfi) is “according to the mouth of.” Here, it would say “according to the mouth of his service,” which would mean “what his service calls for.”

[7:8]  ²⁹⁴⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

[7:9]  ²⁹⁴⁶ tn The verb is the imperfect tense, but it describes their customary activity – they had to carry, they used to carry.

[7:9]  ²⁹⁴⁷ tn Heb “upon them,” meaning “their duty.”

[7:10]  ²⁹⁴⁸ tn The verse begins with the preterite and vav (ו) consecutive: “and they offered.”

[7:10]  ²⁹⁴⁹ tn The direct object, “gifts,” is implied but not actually stated in the Hebrew text. It has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.

[7:10]  ²⁹⁵⁰ tn The sign of the accusative here must indicate an adverbial accusative and not the direct object; they offered their gifts for the dedication of the altar.

[7:10]  ²⁹⁵¹ sn Some commentators take the word “dedication” in the sense of a dedication gift, and so make it the direct object. Many modern scholars assume that this is a late word, belonging only in P, the Chronicler, and the heading of Ps 30 (a Davidic psalm).

[7:10]  ²⁹⁵² tn The adverbial clause uses the Niphal infinitive construct as the main verb. The word is the well-known מָשַׁח (mashakh, “to anoint, smear”).

[7:10]  ²⁹⁵³ tn Heb “offered,” but this is redundant and has been translated as “presented” for stylistic reasons. The same phrase occurs in vv. 11 and 12.

[7:11]  ²⁹⁵⁴ tn The distributive sense is achieved by repetition: “one leader for the day, one leader for the day.”

[7:12]  ²⁹⁵⁵ sn The tribe of Judah is listed first. It seems that it had already achieved a place of prominence based on the patriarchal promise of the Messiahship in Judah (Gen 49:10).

[7:13]  ²⁹⁵⁶ tn The word “shekels” has been supplied in the translation for clarity. So also in vv. 19, 20, 25, 26, 31, 32, 37, 38, 43, 44, 49, 50, 55, 56, 60, 62, 66, 68, 73, 74, 79, 85, 86.

[7:24]  ²⁹⁵⁷ tn The phrase “presented an offering” is not found in the Hebrew text at this point but has been supplied to clarify what action is being done. The same phrase is absent from the Hebrew text in the following verses which tell who makes the offerings (7:30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72, 78).

[7:88]  ²⁹⁵⁸ sn Even though the chapter seems wearisome and repetitious to the modern reader, it is a significant document. A. Rainey shows how it matches the exact ledgers of ancient sanctuaries (see ZPEB 5:202). The recording would have been done by the priestly scribes. Of the many points that can be observed here, it should not be missed that each tribe, regardless of its size or relative importance, was on equal footing before the Lord. Each tribe shared in the work of the Lord equally. Each tribe approached the sanctuary in precisely the same way on this memorable occasion. All such devotion to the work of the Lord was to receive the blessing of God.

[7:89]  ²⁹⁵⁹ tn The adverbial clause of time is constructed with the infinitive construct of the verb “to enter” (בּוֹא, bo’) with the preposition and with the subjective genitive that follows serving as the subject of the clause. The verse is strategic in the structure of the book: At the completion of the dedication with the offerings Moses received more revelation from the Lord in the tent. This verse therefore lays the foundation for what follows.

[7:89]  ²⁹⁶⁰ tc The MT is obscure here, simply giving the purpose infinitive and the prepositional phrase (“with him”). But the following clause using the Hitpael of the same verb, introducing a reflexive sense: “then he heard the voice speaking with him.” The Greek clarified it by inserting “Lord” after the word “voice.” The editor of BHS favors emendation of the form to a Piel participle rather than the Hitpael of the MT (reading מְדַבֵּר [mÿdabber] instead of מִדַּבֵּר [middabber], the Hitpael with assimilation). Most commentators agree with the change, assuming there was a mistaken pointing in the MT.

[7:89]  ²⁹⁶¹ tn The Hebrew word כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet) has been traditionally rendered “mercy seat,” but since the ark is the footstool (see Ps 132), this translation is somewhat misleading. The word is etymologically connected to the verb “to make atonement.” A technical translation would be “place of atonement” or “propitiatory”; a more common translation would be “cover, lid” – provided that the definition “to cover” does not get transferred to the verb “to atone,” for that idea belongs to a homonym. See also Exod 25:17.

[7:89]  ²⁹⁶² tn The cherubim are the carved forms of the angels attached to the ark. They indicate the guarding role of this order of angels in the holy of holies. They were also embroidered on the curtains. For basic material see ZPEB 1:788-90, and R. K. Harrison, ISBE 1:642-43.

[8:1]  ²⁹⁶³ sn This chapter has three main sections to it: the lighting of the lamps (vv. 1-4), the separation of the Levites (vv. 5-22), and the work of the Levites (vv. 23-26). Many modern scholars assume that the chapter belongs to P and was added late. But the chapter reiterates some of the Mosaic material concerning the work of the Levites in the new sanctuary. For the chapter to make sense the historical setting must be accepted; if the historical setting is accepted, the chapter is necessary as part of that early legislation. For more reading, see M. Haran, “The Nature of the’ohel mo‘edh in the Pentateuchal Sources,” JSS 5 (1960): 50-65, and “The Priestly Image of the Tabernacle,” HUCA 36 (1965): 191-226; and C. L. Meyers, The Tabernacle Menorah.

[8:2]  ²⁹⁶⁴ tn The verb is עָלָה (’alah). The Hiphil infinitive construct functions in a temporal clause. The idea of arranging the lamps on the lampstand certainly involved raising the lamps and placing them on the tops of each shaft and branch. Some have taken the idea to mean cause the flame to go up, or light the lamps.

[8:2]  ²⁹⁶⁵ tn The imperfect tense forms part of the instruction, and so the translation has to indicate that. The instruction would seem obvious, but the light was to shine in the area immediately in front of the lampstand, so that it would illumine the way and illumine the table that was across the room (hence, “in front of”).

[8:4]  ²⁹⁶⁶ tn The Hebrew text literally has “and this is the work of the lampstand,” but that rendering does not convey the sense that it is describing how it was made.

[8:4]  ²⁹⁶⁷ sn The idea is that it was all hammered from a single plate of gold.

[8:6]  ²⁹⁶⁸ tn The verb טָהַר (tahar) means that Moses was “to purify” or “to make ceremonially clean” the Levites so that they could enter the sanctuary and do the work prescribed for them. Whatever is “unclean” is not permitted in the sanctuary at all.

[8:7]  ²⁹⁶⁹ tn Or, more literally, “and thus you shall do.” The verb is the imperfect tense of instruction or legislation. Here it introduces the procedures to be followed.

[8:7]  ²⁹⁷⁰ tn The genitive in this expression indicates the purpose of the water – it is for their purification. The expression is literally “the waters of sin.” The word “purification” is the same as for the “sin/purification offering” – חַטָּאת (khatta’at). This water seems to have been taken from the main laver and is contrasted with the complete washing of the priests in Lev 8:6.

[8:7]  ²⁹⁷¹ tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) of sequence. This verb, and those to follow, has the force of a jussive since it comes after the imperative. Here the instruction is for them to remove the hair from their bodies (“flesh”). There is no indication that this was repeated (as the Egyptian priests did every few days). It seems to have been for this special occasion only. A similar requirement was for the leper (Lev 14:7-9).

[8:7]  ²⁹⁷² tn Heb “flesh.”

[8:7]  ²⁹⁷³ tn Or “let/have them wash”; the priests were given new clothes (Lev 8:13), but the Levites simply washed their own.

[8:7]  ²⁹⁷⁴ tn The verb is a reflexive (or possibly passive) in this verse, indicating the summary of the process. The ritual steps that have been prescribed will lead to this conclusion. The verb could be treated as a final imperfect (being a perfect with vav [ו] consecutive), and so translated “that they may….” The major difference here is that the ritual made the Levites “clean,” whereas the ritual for the priests made them “holy” or “sanctified” (Lev 8:12).

[8:8]  ²⁹⁷⁵ sn The first sacrifice was for the purification of the Levites. The second animal, which Moses was to take, would be used for the purification of the tabernacle from all pollution.

[8:10]  ²⁹⁷⁶ sn The consecration ceremony was to be done in full view of the assembled people. In all probability the laying on of the hands was done through representatives of the tribes, and not all the people. This ritual of the imposition of hands showed that the people were taking part in the consecration, and that the Levites represented them in the service of the Lord.

[8:11]  ²⁹⁷⁷ tn The Hebrew text actually has “wave the Levites as a wave offering.” The wave offering was part of the ritual of the peace offering and indicated the priest’s portion being presented to God in a lifted, waving motion for all to see. The Levites were going to be in the sanctuary to serve the Lord and assist the priests. It is unclear how Moses would have presented them as wave offerings, but the intent is that they would be living sacrifices, as Paul would later say in Rom 12:1 for all Christians.

[8:11]  ²⁹⁷⁸ tn The construction emphasizes the spiritual service of the Levites, using the infinitive construct of עָבַד (’avad) followed by its cognate accusative.

[8:12]  ²⁹⁷⁹ tn The clause begins with a vav (ו) on the noun “the Levites,” indicating a disjunctive clause. Here it is clearly a subordinate clause prior to the instruction for Moses, and so translated as a circumstantial clause of time.

[8:12]  ²⁹⁸⁰ tn The imperative is from the verb “to do; to make,” but in the sentence it clearly means to sacrifice the animals.

[8:12]  ²⁹⁸¹ sn The “purification offering” cleansed the tabernacle from impurity, and the burnt offering atoned by nullifying and removing the effects of sin in the Levites.

[8:13]  ²⁹⁸² tc The Greek text adds the Lord here: “before the Lord, before Aaron.”

[8:14]  ²⁹⁸³ tn The vav (ו) consecutive on the perfect tense not only carries the nuance of instruction forward to this clause, but also marks this clause out as a summary of what has taken place, i.e., by doing all this ritual Moses will have separated the Levites from the people for God’s own possession.

[8:15]  ²⁹⁸⁴ tn The imperfect tense could also be given the nuance of the imperfect of permission: “the Levites may go in.”

[8:15]  ²⁹⁸⁵ tn Heb “to serve.”

[8:15]  ²⁹⁸⁶ 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….”

[8:15]  ²⁹⁸⁷ tc The Greek text adds “before the Lord.”

[8:16]  ²⁹⁸⁸ tn As before, the emphasis is obtained by repeating the passive participle: “given, given to me.”

[8:16]  ²⁹⁸⁹ tn Or “as substitutes” for all the firstborn of the Israelites.

[8:17]  ²⁹⁹⁰ tn The idiomatic “on the day of” precedes the infinitive construct of נָכָה (nakhah) to form the temporal clause: “in the day of my striking…” becomes “when I struck.”

[8:19]  ²⁹⁹¹ sn The firstborn were those that were essentially redeemed from death in Egypt when the blood was put on the doors. So in the very real sense they belonged to God (Exod 13:2,12). The firstborn was one who stood in special relationship to the father, being the successive offspring. Here, the Levites would stand in for the firstborn in that special role and special relationship. God also made it clear that the nation of Israel was his firstborn son (Exod 4:22-23), and so they stood in that relationship before all the nations. The tribe of Reuben was to have been the firstborn tribe, but in view of the presumptuous attempt to take over the leadership through pagan methods (Gen 35:22; 49:3-4), was passed over. The tribes of Levi and Simeon were also put down for their ancestors’ activities, but sanctuary service was still given to Levi.

[8:21]  ²⁹⁹² tn The verb is the Hitpael of חָטָּא (khatta’). In this stem the meaning of the root “to sin” is likely to be connected to the noun “sin/purification” offering in a denominative sense, although some would take it as a privative usage, “to remove sin.” The idea is clear enough: They performed all the ritual in order to purify themselves ceremonially.

[8:24]  ²⁹⁹³ tn The Hebrew text has “this [is that] which [pertains] to the Levites.” “This is what concerns the Levites, meaning, the following rulings are for them.

[8:24]  ²⁹⁹⁴ tc The age of twenty-five indicated in v. 24 should be compared with the age of thirty indicated in Num 4:3,23,30. In order to harmonize the numbers given in chapter 4 with the number given in Num 8:24 the LXX (and perhaps its Hebrew Vorlage) has thirty in all of these references. See further G. J. Wenham, Numbers (TOTC 4), 97-98.

[8:24]  ²⁹⁹⁵ tn The infinitive is לִצְבֹא (litsvo’), related to the word for “host, army, company,” and so “to serve as a company.” The meaning is strengthened by the cognate accusative following it.

[8:26]  ²⁹⁹⁶ tn The verb is the Piel perfect of שָׁרַת (sharat, “to serve, minister”). Here the form has the vav (ו) consecutive, and so is equal to the imperfect tense stressing permission. After the Levites reached the age of retirement, they were permitted to assist the others, but were not permitted to do the work themselves.

[8:26]  ²⁹⁹⁷ tn Heb “brothers,” but the meaning in this context is “fellow Levites.”

[8:26]  ²⁹⁹⁸ tn Heb “you shall do, make.”

[9:1]  ²⁹⁹⁹ sn The chapter has just the two sections, the observance of the Passover (vv. 1-14) and the cloud that led the Israelites in the wilderness (vv. 15-23). It must be remembered that the material in vv. 7-9 is chronologically earlier than vv. 1-6, as the notices in the text will make clear. The two main discussions here are the last major issues to be reiterated before dealing with the commencement of the journey.

[9:1]  ³⁰⁰⁰ tn The temporal clause is formed with the infinitive construct of יָצָא (yatsa’, “to go out; to leave”). This verse indicates that a full year had passed since the exodus and the original Passover; now a second ruling on the Passover is included at the beginning of the second year. This would have occurred immediately after the consecration of the tabernacle, in the month before the census at Sinai.

[9:2]  ³⁰⁰¹ tn The verb is simply “to do; to make” (עָשָׂה [’asah] in the jussive). It must have the idea here of “to perform; to keep; to observe” the ritual of the Passover.

[9:2]  ³⁰⁰² sn For a detailed study note on the Passover, see the discussion with the original institution in Exod 12. The word פֶּסַח (pesakh) – here in pause and with the article – has become the technical name for the spring festival of Israel. In Exod 12 the name is explained by the use of the verb “to pass over” (עָבַר, ’avar), indicating that the angel of death would pass over the house with the blood applied. Many scholarly attempts have been made to supply the etymology of the word, but none has been compelling enough to be accepted by a large number of biblical scholars. For general literature on the Passover, see J. B. Segal, The Hebrew Passover, as well as the Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias.

[9:2]  ³⁰⁰³ tc The Greek text uses a plural here but the singular in vv. 7 and 13; the Smr uses the plural in all three places.

[9:3]  ³⁰⁰⁴ tn The literal Hebrew expression is “between the evenings” (so also in vv. 5, 11). Sunset is certainly one evening; the other may refer to the change in the middle of the afternoon to the late afternoon, or the beginning of dusk. The idea is probably just at twilight, or dusk (see R. B. Allen, TWOT 2:694).

[9:3]  ³⁰⁰⁵ tn The two verbs in this verse are identical; they are imperfects of instruction. The English translation has been modified for stylistic variation.

[9:3]  ³⁰⁰⁶ tn The two words in this last section are standard “Torah” words. The word חֹק (khoq) is a binding statute, something engraved and monumental. The word מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) means “judgment, decision,” but with a more general idea of “custom” at its core. The verse is making it very clear that the Passover had to follow the custom and form that was legislated in Egypt.

[9:4]  ³⁰⁰⁷ tn Heb “spoke to.”

[9:4]  ³⁰⁰⁸ tn The infinitive construct functions as the direct object of the preceding verb (a Hebrew complementary usage), answering the question of what he said.

[9:5]  ³⁰⁰⁹ tc The LXX omits this first clause; it also omits “at twilight.”

[9:6]  ³⁰¹⁰ tn In the Hebrew text the noun has no definite article, and so it signifies “some” or “certain” men.

[9:6]  ³⁰¹¹ tn The meaning, of course, is to be ceremonially unclean, and therefore disqualified from entering the sanctuary.

[9:6]  ³⁰¹² tn Or “a human corpse” (so NAB, NKJV). So also in v.7; cf. v. 10.

[9:6]  ³⁰¹³ tn This clause begins with the vav (ו) conjunction and negative before the perfect tense. Here is the main verb of the sentence: They were not able to observe the Passover. The first part of the verse provides the explanation for their problem.

[9:8]  ³⁰¹⁴ tn The verb is simply “stand,” but in the more general sense of waiting to hear the answer.

[9:8]  ³⁰¹⁵ tn The cohortative may be subordinated to the imperative: “stand…[that I] may hear.”

[9:10]  ³⁰¹⁶ tn This sense is conveyed by the repetition of “man” – “if a man, a man becomes unclean.”

[9:10]  ³⁰¹⁷ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive functions as the equivalent of an imperfect tense. In the apodosis of this conditional sentence, the permission nuance fits well.

[9:11]  ³⁰¹⁸ sn The delay of four weeks for such people would have permitted enough time for them to return from their journey, or to recover from any short termed defilement such as is mentioned here. Apart from this provision, the Passover was to be kept precisely at the proper time.

[9:13]  ³⁰¹⁹ tn The disjunctive vav (ו) signals a contrastive clause here: “but the man” on the other hand….

[9:13]  ³⁰²⁰ tn The verb חָדַל (khadal) means “to cease; to leave off; to fail.” The implication here is that it is a person who simply neglects to do it. It does not indicate that he forgot, but more likely that he made the decision to leave it undone.

[9:13]  ³⁰²¹ sn The pronouncement of such a person’s penalty is that his life will be cut off from his people. There are at least three possible interpretations for this: physical death at the hand of the community (G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 84-85), physical and/or spiritual death at the hand of God (J. Milgrom, “A Prolegomenon to Lev 17:11,” JBL 90 [1971]: 154-55), or excommunication or separation from the community (R. A. Cole, Exodus [TOTC], 109). The direct intervention of God seem to be the most likely in view of the lack of directions for the community to follow. Excommunication from the camp in the wilderness would have been tantamount to a death sentence by the community, and so there really are just two views.

[9:13]  ³⁰²² tn The word for “sin” here should be interpreted to mean the consequences of his sin (so a metonymy of effect). Whoever willingly violates the Law will have to pay the consequences.

[9:14]  ³⁰²³ tn The words translated “resident foreigner” and “live” are from the same Hebrew root, גּוּר (gur), traditionally translated “to sojourn.” The “sojourner” who “sojourns” is a foreigner, a resident alien, who lives in the land as a temporary resident with rights of land ownership.

[9:14]  ³⁰²⁴ tn The verb is the simple perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. It is therefore the equivalent to the imperfect that comes before it. The desiderative imperfect fits this usage well, since the alien is not required to keep the feast, but may indeed desire to do so.

[9:14]  ³⁰²⁵ tn The Hebrew text has “there will be to you,” which is the way of expressing possession in Hebrew. Since this is legal instruction, the imperfect tense must be instruction or legislation.

[9:14]  ³⁰²⁶ tn Or “you must have one statute.”

[9:14]  ³⁰²⁷ tn The conjunction is used here to specify the application of the law: “and for the resident foreigner, and for the one…” indicates “both for the resident foreigner and the one who….”

[9:15]  ³⁰²⁸ sn This section (Num 9:15-23) recapitulates the account in Exod 40:34 but also contains some additional detail about the cloud that signaled Israel’s journeys. Here again material from the book of Exodus is used to explain more of the laws for the camp in motion.

[9:15]  ³⁰²⁹ tn Heb “and/now on the day.”

[9:15]  ³⁰³⁰ tn The construction uses the temporal expression with the Hiphil infinitive construct followed by the object, the tabernacle. “On the day of the setting up of the tabernacle” leaves the subject unstated, and so the entire clause may be expressed in the passive voice.

[9:15]  ³⁰³¹ sn The explanation and identification of this cloud has been a subject of much debate. Some commentators have concluded that it was identical with the cloud that led the Israelites away from Egypt and through the sea, but others have made a more compelling case that this is a different phenomenon (see ZPEB 4:796). A number of modern scholars see the description as a retrojection from later, perhaps Solomonic times (see G. H. Davies, IDB 3:817). Others have tried to connect it with Ugaritic terminology, but unconvincingly (see T. W. Mann, “The Pillar of Cloud in the Reed Sea Narrative,” JBL 90 [1971]: 15-30; G. E. Mendenhall, The Tenth Generation, 32-66, 209-13; and R. Good, “Cloud Messengers?” UF 10 [1978]: 436-37).

[9:15]  ³⁰³² sn The cloud apparently was centered over the tent, over the spot of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. It thereafter spread over the whole tabernacle.

[9:15]  ³⁰³³ tn The imperfect tense in this and the next line should be classified as a customary imperfect, stressing incomplete action but in the past time – something that used to happen, or would happen.

[9:15]  ³⁰³⁴ tn Heb “like the appearance of fire.”

[9:16]  ³⁰³⁵ tc The MT lacks the words “by day,” but a number of ancient versions have this reading (e.g., Greek, Syriac, Tg. Ps.-J., Latin Vulgate).

[9:17]  ³⁰³⁶ tn The verb in this initial temporal clause is the Niphal infinitive construct.

[9:17]  ³⁰³⁷ 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.”

[9:18]  ³⁰³⁸ tn Heb “at the mouth of” (so also in vv. 20, 23).

[9:18]  ³⁰³⁹ tn Heb “all the days of – that the cloud settled over the tabernacle.” “All” is the adverbial accusative of time telling how long they camped in one spot – all. The word is then qualified by the genitive of the thing measured – “all of the days” – and this in turn is qualified by a noun clause functioning as a genitive after “days of.”

[9:19]  ³⁰⁴⁰ 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).

[9:20]  ³⁰⁴¹ 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….”

[9:20]  ³⁰⁴² tn The word “number” is in apposition to the word “days” to indicate that their stay was prolonged for quite a few days.

[9:20]  ³⁰⁴³ tn Heb “mouth of the Lord.”

[9:21]  ³⁰⁴⁴ tn The construction is the same in the preceding verse.

[9:21]  ³⁰⁴⁵ tn “Only” is supplied to reflect the contrast between the two verses.

[9:21]  ³⁰⁴⁶ tn The construction in this half of the verse uses two vav (ו) consecutive clauses. The first is subordinated to the second as a temporal clause: “when…then….”

[9:22]  ³⁰⁴⁷ tn The MT has אוֹ־יָמִים (’o-yamim). Most translators use “or a year” to interpret this expression in view of the sequence of words leading up to it, as well as in comparison with passages like Judg 17:10 and 1 Sam 1:3 and 27:7. See also the uses in Gen 40:4 and 1 Kgs 17:15. For the view that it means four months, see F. S. North, “Four Month Season of the Hebrew Bible,” VT 11 (1961): 446-48.

[9:22]  ³⁰⁴⁸ tn In the Hebrew text this sentence has a temporal clause using the preposition with the Hiphil infinitive construct of אָרַךְ (’arakh) followed by the subjective genitive, “the cloud.” But this infinitive is followed by the infinitive construct לִשְׁכֹּן (lishkon), the two of them forming a verbal hendiadys: “the cloud made long to stay” becomes “the cloud prolonged its stay.”

[9:22]  ³⁰⁴⁹ tn Heb “and they would not journey”; the clause can be taken adverbially, explaining the preceding verbal clause.

[9:23]  ³⁰⁵⁰ tn Heb “hand.”

[10:1]  ³⁰⁵¹ sn Here we have a short section (10:1-10) dealing with the regulations for blowing trumpets in times of war or in times of peace.

[10:2]  ³⁰⁵² tn The Hebrew text uses what is called the “ethical dative” – “make [for] you two trumpets.” It need not be translated, but can simply be taken to underscore the direct imperative.

[10:2]  ³⁰⁵³ tn The imperfect tense is again instruction or legislation.

[10:2]  ³⁰⁵⁴ sn The instructions are not clearly spelled out here. But the trumpets were to be made of silver ingots beaten out into a sheet of silver and then bent to form a trumpet. There is archaeological evidence of silver smelting as early as 3000 b.c. Making silver trumpets would have been a fairly easy thing for the Israelites to do. The trumpet would have been straight, with a tapered form, very unlike the “ram’s horn” (שׁוֹפָר, shofar). The trumpets were used by the priests in Israel from the outset, but later were used more widely. The sound would be sharp and piercing, but limited in scope to a few notes. See further C. Sachs, The History of Musical Instruments.

[10:2]  ³⁰⁵⁵ tn Heb “and they shall be for you for assembling,” which is the way of expressing possession. Here the intent concerns how Moses was to use them.

[10:3]  ³⁰⁵⁶ tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the following similar verbal construction.

[10:3]  ³⁰⁵⁷ tn The verb תָקַע (taqa’) means “to strike, drive, blow a trumpet.”

[10:3]  ³⁰⁵⁸ tn Heb “the assembly shall assemble themselves.”

[10:4]  ³⁰⁵⁹ tn Heb “they shall assemble themselves.”

[10:5]  ³⁰⁶⁰ tn The word for an alarm is תְּרוּעָה (tÿru’ah). The root verb of this word means “to give a blast on the trumpet.” It may also on occasion mean “give a shout” in battle (Josh 6:10). In this passage it must refer to the sound of the trumpet.

[10:5]  ³⁰⁶¹ tn Heb “the camps that are camping.”

[10:5]  ³⁰⁶² tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive functions as the equivalent of the imperfect tense. Here the emphasis is on the start of the journey.

[10:6]  ³⁰⁶³ tc The MT does not mention the departures of the northerly and westerly tribes. The Greek text completes the description by adding them, making a full schedule of the departure of the groups of tribes. The Greek is not likely to be original, however, since it carries all the signs of addition to complete the text, making a smooth, full reading. The MT is to be preferred; it apparently used two of the groups to give the idea.

[10:6]  ³⁰⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew text has “they shall blow an alarm”; the sentence without a formal subject should be taken as a passive idea.

[10:7]  ³⁰⁶⁵ tn There is no expressed subject in the initial temporal clause. It simply says, “and in the assembling the assembly.” But since the next verb is the second person of the verb, that may be taken as the intended subject here.

[10:7]  ³⁰⁶⁶ sn The signal for moving camp was apparently different in tone and may have been sharper notes or a different sequence. It was in some way distinguishable.

[10:9]  ³⁰⁶⁷ tn Both the “adversary” and “opposes” come from the same root: צָרַר (tsarar), “to hem in, oppress, harass,” or basically, “be an adversary.”

[10:9]  ³⁰⁶⁸ tn The Niphal perfect in this passage has the passive nuance and not a reflexive idea – the Israelites would be spared because God remembered them.

[10:10]  ³⁰⁶⁹ tn The conjunction may be taken as explicative or epexegetical, and so rendered “namely; even; that is,” or it may be taken as emphatic conjunction, and translated “especially.”

[10:10]  ³⁰⁷⁰ tn The vav (ו) is taken here in its alternative use and translated “or.”

[10:10]  ³⁰⁷¹ tn The form is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. After the instruction imperfects, this form could be given the same nuance, or more likely, subordinated as a purpose or result clause.

[10:10]  ³⁰⁷² tn The verb “to be” (הָיָה, hayah) has the meaning “to become” when followed by the preposition lamed (ל).

[10:11]  ³⁰⁷³ sn This section is somewhat mechanical: It begins with an introduction (vv. 11, 12), and then begins with Judah (vv. 13-17), followed by the rest of the tribes (vv. 18-27), and finally closes with a summary (v. 28). The last few verses (vv. 29-36) treat the departure of Hobab.

[10:11]  ³⁰⁷⁴ tc Smr inserts a lengthy portion from Deut 1:6-8, expressing the command for Israel to take the land from the Amorites.

[10:12]  ³⁰⁷⁵ sn The verb is the same as the noun: “they journeyed on their journeyings.” This underscores the point of their continual traveling.

[10:13]  ³⁰⁷⁶ tn Heb “mouth.”

[10:13]  ³⁰⁷⁷ tn Heb “hand.”

[10:14]  ³⁰⁷⁸ sn The “standard” (דֶּגֶל, degel) was apparently some kind of a symbol put up on a pole to signify the tribal hosts. R. de Vaux thought it simply referred to a pole or a mast, but that would not distinguish tribes (Ancient Israel, 226-27).

[10:21]  ³⁰⁷⁹ tn Heb “carrying the sanctuary,” a metonymy of whole for parts, representing all the holy objects that were located in the sanctuary.

[10:21]  ³⁰⁸⁰ tn The verb is the third person plural form; without an expressed subject it is treated as a passive.

[10:21]  ³⁰⁸¹ tn Heb “against their coming.”

[10:25]  ³⁰⁸² tn The MT uses a word that actually means “assembler,” so these three tribes made up a strong rear force recognized as the assembler of all the tribes.

[10:28]  ³⁰⁸³ tn Or “journeyings of.”

[10:28]  ³⁰⁸⁴ tn The verb is the preterite with vav (ו) consecutive. But in this sentence it should be subordinated as a temporal clause to the preceding statement, even though it follows it.

[10:29]  ³⁰⁸⁵ sn For additional bibliography for this short section, see W. F. Albright, “Jethro, Hobab, and Reuel in Early Hebrew Tradition,” CBQ 25 (1963): 1-11; G. W. Coats, “Moses in Midian,” JBL 92 (1973): 3-10; B. Mazar, “The Sanctuary of Arad and the Family of Hobab the Kenite,” JNES 24 (1965): 297-303; and T. C. Mitchell, “The Meaning of the Noun h£tn in the Old Testament,” VT 19 (1969): 93-112.

[10:29]  ³⁰⁸⁶ sn There is a problem with the identity of Hobab. The MT says that he is the son of Reuel, making him the brother-in-law of Moses. But Judg 4:11 says he is the father-in-law. In Judg 1:16; 4:11 Hobab is traced to the Kenites, but in Exod 3:1 and 18:1 Jethro (Reuel) is priest of Midian. Jethro is identified with Reuel on the basis of Exod 2:18 and 3:1, and so Hobab becomes Moses’ חֹתֵן (khoten), a relative by marriage and perhaps brother-in-law. There is not enough information to decide on the identity and relationships involved here. Some suggest that there is one person with the three names (G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 93); others suggest Hobab is a family name (R. F. Johnson, IDB 2:615), and some suggest that the expression “the son of Reuel the Midianite” had dropped out of the genealogy of Judges, leading to the conflict (J. Crichton, ISBE 2:1055). If Hobab is the same as Jethro, then Exod 18:27 does not make much sense, for Jethro did go home. On this basis many conclude Hobab is a brother-in-law. This would mean that after Jethro returned home, Moses conversed with Hobab, his brother-in-law. For more discussion, see the articles and the commentaries.

[10:29]  ³⁰⁸⁷ tn The verb is the Hiphil of the root “to be good” (יָטַב, yatav); it may be translated “treat well, deal favorably, generously with.” Here it is a perfect tense with vav (ו) following the imperative, showing a sequence in the verbal ideas.

[10:29]  ³⁰⁸⁸ tn The Hebrew text simply has “has spoken good” for Israel.

[10:30]  ³⁰⁸⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hobab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:31]  ³⁰⁹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:31]  ³⁰⁹¹ tn The form with אַל־נָא (’al-na’) is a jussive; negated it stresses a more immediate request, as if Hobab is starting to leave, or at least determined to leave.

[10:31]  ³⁰⁹² tn In the Hebrew text the expression is more graphic: “you will be for us for eyes.” Hobab was familiar with the entire Sinai region, and he could certainly direct the people where they were to go. The text does not record Hobab’s response. But the fact that Kenites were in Canaan as allies of Judah (Judg 1:16) would indicate that he gave in and came with Moses. The first refusal may simply be the polite Semitic practice of declining first so that the appeal might be made more urgently.

[10:32]  ³⁰⁹³ tn Heb “and it shall be.”

[10:33]  ³⁰⁹⁴ tn The phrase “a journey of three days” is made up of the adverbial accusative qualified with the genitives.

[10:34]  ³⁰⁹⁵ tc The scribes sensed that there was a dislocation with vv. 34-36, and so they used the inverted letters nun (נ) as brackets to indicate this.

[10:34]  ³⁰⁹⁶ tn The adverbial clause of time is composed of the infinitive construct with a temporal preposition and a suffixed subjective genitive.

[10:36]  ³⁰⁹⁷ sn These two formulaic prayers were offered by Moses at the beginning and at the end of the journeys. They prayed for the Lord to fight ahead of the nation when it was on the move, and to protect them when they camped. The theme of the first is found in Ps 68:1. The prayers reflect the true mentality of holy war, that it was the Lord who fought for Israel and defended her. The prayers have been included in the prayer book for synagogue services.