Numbers 19:6

19:6 And the priest must take cedar wood, hyssop, ¹  and scarlet wool and throw them into the midst of the fire where the heifer is burning. ² 

Numbers 5:17

5:17 The priest will then take holy water ³  in a pottery jar, and take some ⁴  of the dust ⁵  that is on the floor of the tabernacle, and put it into the water.

Numbers 5:25

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.

Numbers 19:4

19:4 Eleazar the priest is to take ⁶  some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times ⁷  directly in front of the tent of meeting.

Numbers 6:18-19

6:18 “‘Then the Nazirite must shave his consecrated head ⁸  at the entrance to the tent of meeting and must take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire ⁹  where the peace offering is burning. ¹⁰  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; ¹¹ 

Numbers 19:18

19:18 Then a ceremonially clean person must take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all its furnishings, and on the people who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, or one killed, or one who died, or a grave.

[19:6]  ¹ sn In addition to the general references, see R. K. Harrison, “The Biblical Problem of Hyssop,” EvQ 26 (1954): 218-24.

[19:6]  ² sn There is no clear explanation available as to why these items were to be burned with the heifer. N. H. Snaith suggests that in accordance with Babylonian sacrifices they would have enhanced the rites with an aroma (Leviticus and Numbers [NCB], 272). In Lev 14 the wood and the hyssop may have been bound together by the scarlet wool to make a sprinkling device. It may be that the symbolism is what is important here. Cedar wood, for example, is durable; it may have symbolized resistance to future corruption and defilement, an early acquired immunity perhaps (R. K. Harrison, Numbers [WEC], 256).

[5:17]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “from.” The preposition is used here with a partitive sense.

[5:17]  ⁵ sn The dust may have come from the sanctuary floor, but it is still dust, and therefore would have all the pollutants in it.

[19:4]  ⁵ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it functions here as the equivalent of the imperfect of instruction.

[19:4]  ⁶ sn Seven is a number with religious significance; it is often required in sacrificial ritual for atonement or for purification.

[6:18]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ⁹ 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.