Numbers 11:32

11:32 And the people stayed up ¹  all that day, all that night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail. The one who gathered the least gathered ten homers, ²  and they spread them out ³  for themselves all around the camp.

Numbers 27:21

27:21 And he will stand before Eleazar the priest, who ⁴  will seek counsel ⁵  for him before the Lord by the decision of the Urim. ⁶  At his command ⁷  they will go out, and at his command they will come in, he and all the Israelites with him, the whole community.”

[11:32]  ¹ tn Heb “rose up, stood up.”

[11:32]  ² sn This is about two thousand liters.

[11:32]  ³ tn The verb (a preterite) is followed by the infinitive absolute of the same root, to emphasize the action of spreading out the quail. Although it is hard to translate the expression, it indicates that they spread these quail out all over the area. The vision of them spread all over was evidence of God’s abundant provision for their needs.

[27:21]  ⁴ tn The passage simply has “and he will ask,” but Eleazar is clearly the subject now.

[27:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “ask.”

[27:21]  ⁶ sn The new leader would not have the privilege that Moses had in speaking to God face to face. Rather, he would have to inquire of the Lord through the priest, and the priest would seek a decision by means of the Urim. The Urim and the Thummim were the sacred lots that the priest had in his pouch, the “breastplate” as it has traditionally been called. Since the Law had now been fully established, there would be fewer cases that the leader would need further rulings. Now it would simply be seeking the Lord’s word for matters such as whether to advance or not. The size, shape or substance of these objects is uncertain. See further C. Van Dam, The Urim and Thummim.

[27:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “mouth,” meaning what he will say.