Numbers 3:3

3:3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed ¹  priests, whom he consecrated ²  to minister as priests. ³ 

Numbers 14:21

14:21 But truly, as I live, ⁴  all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Numbers 32:12

32:12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’

Numbers 6:13

Fulfilling the Vows

6:13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he must be brought ⁵  to the entrance of the tent of meeting,

Numbers 14:24

14:24 Only my servant Caleb, because he had a different spirit and has followed me fully – I will bring him into the land where he had gone, and his descendants ⁶  will possess it.

Numbers 6:5

6:5 “‘All the days of the vow ⁷  of his separation no razor may be used on his head ⁸  until the time ⁹  is fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord. He will be holy, ¹⁰  and he must let ¹¹  the locks of hair on his head grow long.

Numbers 32:11

32:11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, ¹²  not ¹³  one of the men twenty years old and upward ¹⁴  who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore to give ¹⁵  to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

[3:3]  ¹ tn The verb מָשַׁח (mashakh) means “to anoint”; here the form modifies the “priests.” The service of consecration was carried out with anointing oil (Exod 30:30). The verb is used for the anointing of kings as well as priests in the OT, and so out of that derived the technical title “Messiah” for the coming ideal king – the “Anointed One.”

[3:3]  ² tn In this verse the expression is in a relative clause: “who he filled their hand” means “whose hands he filled,” or “whom he consecrated.” The idiomatic expression used here is from Lev 8; it literally is “he filled their hand” (מִלֵּא יָדָם, mille’ yadam). In the ordination service Moses placed some of the meat from the sacrifice in the hand of the ordinand, and this signified what he was going to be about – having his hand full, or being consecrated to the priesthood. There is some evidence that this practice or expression was also known in Mesopotamia. In modern ordination services a NT or a Bible may be placed in the ordinand’s hand – it is what the ministry will be about.

[3:3]  ³ tn The form is an infinitival construction for the word for the priest, showing the purpose for the filling of the hands.

[14:21]  ⁴ sn This is the oath formula, but in the Pentateuch it occurs here and in v. 28.

[6:13]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text has “he/one shall bring him”; since there is no expressed subject, this verb should be taken in the passive sense – “he shall be brought.” Since the context suggests an obligatory nuance, the translation “he must be brought” has been used. Some scholars solve the problem by emending the Hebrew text here, but there is no manuscript evidence to support the emendation.

[14:24]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “seed.”

[6:5]  ¹³ tc The parallel expression in v. 8 (“all the days of his separation”) lacks the word “vow.” This word is also absent in v. 5 in a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts. The presence of the word in v. 5 may be due to dittography.

[6:5]  ¹⁴ sn There is an interesting parallel between this prohibition and the planting of trees. They could not be pruned or trimmed for three years, but allowed to grow free (Lev 20:23). Only then could the tree be cut and the fruit eaten. The natural condition was to be a sign that it was the Lord’s. It was to be undisturbed by humans. Since the Nazirite was to be consecrated to the Lord, that meant his whole person, hair included. In the pagan world the trimming of the beard and the cutting of the hair was often a sign of devotion to some deity.

[6:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “days.”

[6:5]  ¹⁶ tn The word “holy” here has the sense of distinct, different, set apart.

[6:5]  ¹⁷ tn The Piel infinitive absolute functions as a verb in this passage; the Piel carries the sense of “grow lengthy” or “let grow long.”

[32:11]  ¹⁶ tn The clause is difficult; it means essentially that “they have not made full [their coming] after” the Lord.

[32:11]  ¹⁷ tn The sentence begins with “if they see….” This is the normal way for Hebrew to express a negative oath – “they will by no means see….” The sentence is elliptical; it is saying something like “[May God do so to me] if they see,” meaning they won’t see. Of course here God is taking the oath, which is an anthropomorphic act. He does not need to take an oath, and certainly could not swear by anyone greater, but it communicates to people his resolve.

[32:11]  ¹⁸ tc The LXX adds “those knowing bad and good.”

[32:11]  ¹⁹ tn The words “to give” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.