Numbers 22:7-8

22:7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported ¹  to him the words of Balak. 22:8 He replied to them, “Stay ²  here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

Numbers 22:1

Balaam Refuses to Curse Israel

22:1 ³ The Israelites traveled on ⁴  and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River ⁵  across from Jericho. ⁶ 

Numbers 6:9-10

Contingencies for Defilement

6:9 “‘If anyone dies very suddenly ⁷  beside him and he defiles ⁸  his consecrated head, ⁹  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 ¹⁰  two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Numbers 6:2

6:2 “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them, ‘When either a man or a woman ¹¹  takes a special vow, ¹²  to take a vow ¹³  as a Nazirite, ¹⁴  to separate ¹⁵  himself to the Lord,

Numbers 2:3

The Tribes on the East

2:3 “Now those who will be camping ¹⁶  on the east, toward the sunrise, ¹⁷  are the divisions ¹⁸  of the camp of Judah under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is ¹⁹  Nahshon son of Amminadab.

Numbers 2:15

2:15 Those numbered in his division are 45,650.

Jude 1:11

1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, ²⁰  and because of greed ²¹  have abandoned themselves ²²  to ²³  Balaam’s error; hence, ²⁴  they will certainly perish ²⁵  in Korah’s rebellion.

[22:7]  ¹ tn Heb “spoke.”

[22:8]  ² tn The verb לִין (lin) means “to lodge, spend the night.” The related noun is “a lodge” – a hotel of sorts. Balaam needed to consider the offer. And after darkness was considered the best time for diviners to consult with their deities. Balaam apparently knows of the Lord; he testifies to this effect in 22:18.

[22:1]  ³ sn The fifth section of the book (22:1-33:56) traces the Israelite activities in Transjordan. It is hard to determine how long they were in Transjordan, but a good amount of time must have elapsed for the number of moves they made and the wars they fought. There is a considerable amount of information available on this section of the book. Some of the most helpful works include: H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS); E. Burrows, The Oracles of Jacob and Balaam; G. W. Coats, “Balaam, Sinner or Saint?” BR 18 (1973): 21-29; P. C. Craigie, “The Conquest and Early Hebrew Poetry,” TynBul 20 (1969): 76-94; I. Parker, “The Way of God and the Way of Balaam,” ExpTim 17 (1905): 45; and J. A. Wharton, “The Command to Bless: An Exposition of Numbers 22:41–23:25,” Int 13 (1959): 37-48. This first part introduces the characters and sets the stage for the oracles. It can be divided into four sections: the invitation declined (vv. 1-14), the second invitation extended (vv. 15-21), God opposes Balaam (vv. 22-35), and Balaam meets Balak (vv. 36-41).

[22:1]  ⁴ tn The verse begins with the vav (ו) consecutive.

[22:1]  ⁵ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:1]  ⁶ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[6:9]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn The verb is the Piel perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the idea within the conditional clause.

[6:9]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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.

[6:2]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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.”

[2:3]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn The sentence actually has “[those camping…are] the standard of the camp of Judah according to their divisions.”

[2:3]  ¹⁹ tn Or “will be.”

[1:11]  ²⁰ tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”

[1:11]  ²¹ tn Grk “for wages.”

[1:11]  ²² tn The verb ἐκχέω (ekcew) normally means “pour out.” Here, in the passive, it occasionally has a reflexive idea, as BDAG 312 s.v. 3. suggests (with extra-biblical examples).

[1:11]  ²³ tn Or “in.”

[1:11]  ²⁴ tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.

[1:11]  ²⁵ tn The three verbs in this verse are all aorist indicative (“have gone down,” “have abandoned,” “have perished”). Although the first and second could be considered constative or ingressive, the last is almost surely proleptic (referring to the certainty of their future judgment). Although it may seem odd that a proleptic aorist is so casually connected to other aorists with a different syntactical force, it is not unparalleled (cf. Rom 8:30).