Numbers 31:6

Campaign Against the Midianites

31:6 So Moses sent them to the war, one thousand from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge ¹  of the holy articles ²  and the signal trumpets.

Joshua 6:5

6:5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn, ³  have the whole army give a loud battle cry. ⁴  Then the city wall will collapse ⁵  and the warriors should charge straight ahead.” ⁶ 

Joshua 6:2

6:2 The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you, ⁷  along with its king and its warriors.

Joshua 13:14

13:14 However, Moses ⁸  did not assign land as an inheritance ⁹  to the Levites; their inheritance ¹⁰  is the sacrificial offerings ¹¹  made to the Lord God of Israel, as he instructed ¹²  them.

[31:6]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text uses the idiom that these “were in his hand,” meaning that he had the responsibility over them.

[31:6]  ² sn It is not clear what articles from the sanctuary were included. Tg. Ps.-J. adds (interpretively) “the Urim and Thummim.”

[6:5]  ³ tn Heb “and it will be at the sounding of the horn, the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn.” The text of Josh 6:5 seems to be unduly repetitive, so for the sake of English style and readability, it is best to streamline the text here. The reading in the Hebrew looks like a conflation of variant readings, with the second (“when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn”) being an interpolation that assimilates the text to verse 20 (“when the army heard the sound of the horn”). Note that the words “when you hear the sound of the ram's horn” do not appear in the LXX of verse 5.

[6:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “all the people will shout with a loud shout.”

[6:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “fall in its place.”

[6:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.”

[6:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “I have given into your hand Jericho.” The Hebrew verb נָתַתִּי (natatti, “I have given”) is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action. The Hebrew pronominal suffix “your” is singular, being addressed to Joshua as the leader and representative of the nation. To convey to the modern reader what is about to happen and who is doing it, the translation “I am about to defeat Jericho for you” has been used.

[13:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “did not assign an inheritance.”

[13:14]  ¹⁰ tn That is, “their source of food and life.”

[13:14]  ¹¹ tn Or “offerings made by fire.”

[13:14]  ¹² tn Or “promised” (Heb “spoke”).