Numbers 4:18

4:18 “Do not allow the tribe of the families of the Kohathites to be cut off ¹  from among the Levites;

Numbers 14:9

14:9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. ²  Their protection ³  has turned aside from them, but the Lord is with us. Do not fear them!”

Numbers 12:12

12:12 Do not let her be like a baby born dead, whose flesh is half-consumed when it comes out of its ⁴  mother’s womb!”

Numbers 14:42

14:42 Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, and you will be ⁵  defeated before your enemies.

Numbers 10:31

10:31 Moses ⁶  said, “Do not leave us, ⁷  because you know places for us to camp in the wilderness, and you could be our guide. ⁸ 

Numbers 11:15

11:15 But if you are going to deal ⁹  with me like this, then kill me immediately. ¹⁰  If I have found favor in your sight then do not let me see my trouble.” ¹¹ 

Numbers 12:11

The Intercession of Moses

12:11 So Aaron said to Moses, “O my lord, ¹²  please do not hold this sin against us, in which we have acted foolishly and have sinned!

Numbers 22:16

22:16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor: ‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming ¹³  to me.

Numbers 32:5

32:5 So they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, ¹⁴  let this land be given to your servants for our inheritance. Do not have us cross ¹⁵  the Jordan River.” ¹⁶ 

Numbers 16:15

16:15 Moses was very angry, and he said to the Lord, “Have no respect ¹⁷  for their offering! I have not taken so much as one donkey from them, nor have I harmed any one of them!”

Numbers 16:26

16:26 And he said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked ¹⁸  men, and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because ¹⁹  of all their sins.” ²⁰ 

Numbers 21:34

21:34 And the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand. You will do to him what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.

[4:18]  ¹ sn The verb is simply the Qal, “do not cut off.” The context calls for a permissive nuance – “do not let them be cut off.” It was a difficult task to be handling the holy things correctly; Moses and Aaron were to see to it that they did it right and did not handle the objects, that is, Moses and Aaron were to safeguard their lives by making certain that proper procedures were followed.

[14:9]  ² sn The expression must indicate that they could destroy the enemies as easily as they could eat bread.

[14:9]  ³ tn Heb “their shade.” The figure compares the shade from the sun with the protection from the enemy. It is also possible that the text is alluding to their deities here.

[12:12]  ³ tc The words “its mother” and “its flesh” are among the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” According to this tradition the text originally had here “our mother” and “our flesh,” but the ancient scribes changed these pronouns from the first person to the third person. Apparently they were concerned that the image of Moses’ mother giving birth to a baby with physical defects of the sort described here was somehow inappropriate, given the stature and importance of Moses.

[14:42]  ⁴ tn This verb could also be subordinated to the preceding: “that you be not smitten.”

[10:31]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:31]  ⁶ tn The form with אַל־נָא (’al-na’) is a jussive; negated it stresses a more immediate request, as if Hobab is starting to leave, or at least determined to leave.

[10:31]  ⁷ tn In the Hebrew text the expression is more graphic: “you will be for us for eyes.” Hobab was familiar with the entire Sinai region, and he could certainly direct the people where they were to go. The text does not record Hobab’s response. But the fact that Kenites were in Canaan as allies of Judah (Judg 1:16) would indicate that he gave in and came with Moses. The first refusal may simply be the polite Semitic practice of declining first so that the appeal might be made more urgently.

[11:15]  ⁶ tn The participle expresses the future idea of what God is doing, or what he is going to be doing. Moses would rather be killed than be given a totally impossible duty over a people that were not his.

[11:15]  ⁷ tn The imperative of הָרַג (harag) is followed by the infinitive absolute for emphasis. The point is more that the infinitive adds to the emphasis of the imperative mood, which would be immediate compliance.

[11:15]  ⁸ tn Or “my own ruin” (NIV). The word “trouble” here probably refers to the stress and difficulty of caring for a complaining group of people. The suffix on the noun would be objective, perhaps stressing the indirect object of the noun – trouble for me. The expression “on my trouble” (בְּרָעָתִי, bÿra’ati) is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” According to this tradition the original reading in v. 15 was [to look] “on your evil” (בְּרָעָתֶךָ, bÿra’atekha), meaning “the calamity that you bring about” for Israel. However, since such an expression could be mistakenly thought to attribute evil to the Lord, the ancient scribes changed it to the reading found in the MT.

[12:11]  ⁷ tn The expression בִּי אֲדֹנִי (bi ’adoni, “O my lord”) shows a good deal of respect for Moses by Aaron. The expression is often used in addressing God.

[22:16]  ⁸ tn The infinitive construct is the object of the preposition.

[32:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “eyes.”

[32:5]  ¹⁰ tn The verb is the Hiphil jussive from עָבַר (’avar, “to cross over”). The idea of “cause to cross” or “make us cross” might be too harsh, but “take across” with the rest of the nation is what they are trying to avoid.

[32:5]  ¹¹ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[16:15]  ¹⁰ tn The verb means “to turn toward”; it is a figurative expression that means “to pay attention to” or “to have regard for.” So this is a prayer against Dathan and Abiram.

[16:26]  ¹¹ tn The word רָשָׁע (rasha’) has the sense of a guilty criminal. The word “wicked” sometimes gives the wrong connotation. These men were opposing the Lord, and so were condemned as criminals – they were guilty. The idea of “wickedness” therefore applies in that sense.

[16:26]  ¹² tn The preposition bet (בְּ) in this line is causal – “on account of their sins.”

[16:26]  ¹³ sn The impression is that the people did not hear what the Lord said to Moses, but only what Moses said to the people as a result. They saw the brilliant cloud, and perhaps heard the sound of his voice, but the relaying of the instructions indicates they did not hear the actual instruction from the Lord himself.