Numbers 8:2-3

8:2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you set up ¹  the lamps, the seven lamps are to give light ²  in front of the lampstand.’”

8:3 And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps to face toward the front of the lampstand, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Numbers 19:4

19:4 Eleazar the priest is to take ³  some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of the blood seven times ⁴  directly in front of the tent of meeting.

Numbers 19:16

19:16 And whoever touches the body of someone killed with a sword in the open fields, ⁵  or the body of someone who died of natural causes, ⁶  or a human bone, or a grave, will be unclean seven days. ⁷ 

Numbers 33:7

33:7 They traveled from Etham, and turned again to Pi-hahiroth, which is before Baal-Zephon; and they camped before Migdal.

[8:2]  ¹ tn The verb is עָלָה (’alah). The Hiphil infinitive construct functions in a temporal clause. The idea of arranging the lamps on the lampstand certainly involved raising the lamps and placing them on the tops of each shaft and branch. Some have taken the idea to mean cause the flame to go up, or light the lamps.

[8:2]  ² tn The imperfect tense forms part of the instruction, and so the translation has to indicate that. The instruction would seem obvious, but the light was to shine in the area immediately in front of the lampstand, so that it would illumine the way and illumine the table that was across the room (hence, “in front of”).

[19:4]  ³ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it functions here as the equivalent of the imperfect of instruction.

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

[19:16]  ⁵ tn The expression for “in the open field” is literally “upon the face of the field” (עַל־פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה, ’al pÿne hassadeh). This ruling is in contrast now to what was contacted in the tent.

[19:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “a dead body”; but in contrast to the person killed with a sword, this must refer to someone who died of natural causes.

[19:16]  ⁷ sn See Matt 23:27 and Acts 23:3 for application of this by the time of Jesus.