Numbers 1:19

1:19 just as the Lord had commanded Moses. And so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.

Numbers 3:16

3:16 So Moses numbered them according to the word ¹  of the Lord, just as he had been commanded. ² 

Numbers 4:13

4:13 Also, they must take away the ashes from the altar ³  and spread a purple cloth over it.

Numbers 4:18

4:18 “Do not allow the tribe of the families of the Kohathites to be cut off ⁴  from among the Levites;

Numbers 4:20

4:20 But the Kohathites ⁵  are not to go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, or they will die.”

Numbers 4:29

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.

Numbers 5:31

5:31 Then the man will be free from iniquity, but that woman will bear the consequences ⁶  of her iniquity.’” ⁷ 

Numbers 6:27

6:27 So they will put my name ⁸  on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Numbers 8:18

8:18 So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons among the Israelites.

Numbers 16:21

16:21 “Separate yourselves ⁹  from among this community, ¹⁰  that I may consume them in an instant.”

Numbers 20:9

20:9 So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as he commanded him.

Numbers 25:12

25:12 Therefore, announce: ¹¹  ‘I am going to give ¹²  to him my covenant of peace. ¹³ 

Numbers 27:9

27:9 and if he has no daughter, then you are to give his inheritance to his brothers;

[3:16]  ¹ tn Heb “at the mouth of the Lord.”

[3:16]  ² tn The Pual perfect may be given the past perfect translation in this sentence because the act of commanding preceded the act of numbering.

[4:13]  ¹ 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.

[4:18]  ¹ 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.

[4:20]  ¹ tn In the Hebrew text the verse has as the subject “they,” but to avoid confusion the antecedent has been clarified in the translation.

[5:31]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.”

[6:27]  ¹ 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.

[16:21]  ¹ tn The verb is הִבָּדְלוּ (hibbadÿlu), the Niphal imperative of בָּדַל (badal). This is the same word that was just used when Moses reminded the Levites that they had been separated from the community to serve the Lord.

[16:21]  ² sn The group of people siding with Korah is meant, and not the entire community of the people of Israel. They are an assembly of rebels, their “community” consisting in their common plot.

[25:12]  ¹ tn Heb “say.”

[25:12]  ² tn Here too the grammar expresses an imminent future by using the particle הִנְנִי (hinni) before the participle נֹתֵן (noten) – “here I am giving,” or “I am about to give.”

[25:12]  ³ tn Or “my pledge of friendship” (NAB), or “my pact of friendship” (NJPS). This is the designation of the leadership of the priestly ministry. The terminology is used again in the rebuke of the priests in Mal 2.