Numbers 1:22

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

Numbers 1:50

1:50 But appoint ²  the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, ³  over all its furnishings and over everything in it. They must carry ⁴  the tabernacle and all its furnishings; and they ⁵  must attend to it and camp around it. ⁶ 

Numbers 4:27

4:27 “All the service of the Gershonites, whether ⁷  carrying loads ⁸  or for any of their work, will be at the direction of ⁹  Aaron and his sons. You will assign them all their tasks ¹⁰  as their responsibility.

Numbers 14:18

14:18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love, ¹¹  forgiving iniquity and transgression, ¹²  but by no means clearing ¹³  the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generations.’ ¹⁴ 

[1:22]  ¹ 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.

[1:50]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “the tabernacle.” The pronoun (“it”) was used in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

[4:27]  ³ tn The term “whether” is supplied to introduce the enumerated parts of the explanatory phrase.

[4:27]  ⁴ tn Here again is the use of the noun “burden” in the sense of the loads they were to carry (see the use of carts in Num 7:7).

[4:27]  ⁵ tn The expression is literally “upon/at the mouth of” (עַל־פִּי, ’al-pi); it means that the work of these men would be under the direct orders of Aaron and his sons.

[4:27]  ⁶ tn Or “burden.”

[14:18]  ⁴ tn The expression is רַב־חֶסֶד (rav khesed) means “much of loyal love,” or “faithful love.” Some have it “totally faithful,” but that omits the aspect of his love.

[14:18]  ⁵ tn Or “rebellion.”

[14:18]  ⁶ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the verbal activity of the imperfect tense, which here serves as a habitual imperfect. Negated it states what God does not do; and the infinitive makes that certain.

[14:18]  ⁷ sn The Decalogue adds “to those who hate me.” The point of the line is that the effects of sin, if not the sinful traits themselves, are passed on to the next generation.