25.7 Phinehas son of Eleazar. See Ex 6.23–25; Num 20.22–29.
25.8 The Hebrew word for tent here is not the usual one. In fact, this word is used in the Hebrew Bible only here. The meaning is uncertain, but it was probably a domed tent; it has been suggested that this term is an alternate word for the tabernacle. Pierced the two of them, i.e., at once, implying sexual intercourse or some positioning in which the two bodies could be pierced with one thrust of the spear. Through the belly. The Hebrew is difficult but seems to mean “through her belly.” The Hebrew word for “belly” here, though, is very similar to the word for a special tent earlier in this verse, and one ancient translation has “in the tent” at this point.
25.8–9 Plague. See v. 6.
25.10–13 The event becomes the grounds for praise of the Aaronite priestly family (see 1 Chr 6.3–15, 49–53) and an indirect criticism of Moses, who apparently failed to carry out either form of punishment in vv. 4–5 and did nothing about the trespass in v. 6.
25.12 My covenant of peace. See Isa 54.10; Ezek 34.25; 37.26; Mal 2.4–5.
25.13 Perpetual priesthood. See also Ex 29.9; 40.15.
25.14–15 Both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman were important people in their own groups; see also v. 18 and Zur in 31.8.
25.16–18 See ch. 31.
25.18 This verse ties together the two stories in this chapter by pairing the Midianites with the Moabites in the affair of Peor and by asserting that the plague mentioned in vv. 8–9 was the result of the same Peor incident. Trickery, presumably the women’s use of sexual contact to draw the Israelite men to sacrifices to a god other than the Lord; see 31.16.
NUMBERS 26
A Census of the New Generation
1After the plague the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, 2“Take a census of the whole congregation of the Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their ancestral houses, everyone in Israel able to go to war.” 3Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 4“Take a census of the people,a from twenty years old and upward,” as the LORD commanded Moses.
The Israelites, who came out of the land of Egypt, were:
5Reuben, the firstborn of Israel. The descendants of Reuben: of Hanoch, the clan of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites; 6of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites. 7These are the clans of the Reubenites; the number of those enrolled was forty-three thousand seven hundred thirty. 8And the descendants of Pallu: Eliab. 9The descendants of Eliab: Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the same Dathan and Abiram, chosen from the congregation, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they rebelled against the LORD, 10and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred fifty men; and they became a warning. 11Notwithstanding, the sons of Korah did not die.
12The descendants of Simeon by their clans: of Nemuel, the clan of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the clan of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites; 13of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites.b 14These are the clans of the Simeonites, twenty-two thousand two hundred.
15The children of Gad by their clans: of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the clan of the Haggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites; 16of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Eri, the clan of the Erites; 17of Arod, the clan of the Arodites; of Areli, the clan of the Arelites. 18These are the clans of the Gadites: the number of those enrolled was forty thousand five hundred.
19The sons of Judah: Er and Onan; Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20The descendants of Judah by their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites. 21The descendants of Perez were: of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites. 22These are the clans of Judah: the number of those enrolled was seventy-six thousand five hundred.
23The descendants of Issachar by their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the clan of the Punites; 24of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites. 25These are the clans of Issachar: sixty-four thousand three hundred enrolled.
26The descendants of Zebulun by their clans: of Sered, the clan of the Seredites; of Elon, the clan of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the clan of the Jahleelites. 27These are the clans of the Zebulunites; the number of those enrolled was sixty thousand five hundred.
28The sons of Joseph by their clans: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29The descendants of Manasseh: of Machir, the clan of the Machirites; and Machir was the father of Gilead; of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites. 30These are the descendants of Gilead: of Iezer, the clan of the Iezerites; of Helek, the clan of the Helekites; 31and of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites; 32and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites. 33Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34These are the clans of Manasseh; the number of those enrolled was fifty-two thousand seven hundred.
35These are the descendants of Ephraim according to their clans: of Shuthelah, the clan of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the clan of the Becherites; of Tahan, the clan of the Tahanites. 36And these are the descendants of Shuthelah: of Eran, the clan of the Eranites. 37These are the clans of the Ephraimites: the number of those enrolled was thirty-two thousand five hundred. These are the descendants of Joseph by their clans.
38The descendants of Benjamin by their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the clan of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the clan of the Ahiramites; 39of Shephupham, the clan of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the clan of the Huphamites. 40And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites. 41These are the descendants of Benjamin by their clans; the number of those enrolled was forty-five thousand six hundred.
42These are the descendants of Dan by their clans: of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites. These are the clans of Dan by their clans. 43All the clans of the Shuhamites: sixty-four thousand four hundred enrolled.
44The descendants of Asher by their families: of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites. 45Of the descendants of Beriah: of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites. 46And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47These are the clans of the Asherites: the number of those enrolled was fifty-three thousand four hundred.
48The descendants of Naphtali by their clans: of Jahzeel, the clan of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites; 49of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the clan of the Shillemites. 50These are the Naphtalitesc by their clans: the number of those enrolled was forty-five thousand four hundred.
51This was the number of the Israelites enrolled: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred thirty.
52The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 53To these the land shall be apportioned for inheritance according to the number of names. 54To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance according to its enrollment. 55But the land shall be apportioned by lot; according to the names of their ancestral tribes they shall inherit. 56Their inheritance shall be apportioned according to lot between the larger and the smaller.
57This is the enrollment of the Levites by their clans: of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites. 58These are the clans of Levi: the clan of the Libnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Mahlites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites. Now Kohath was the father of Amram. 59The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron, Moses, and the
ir sister Miriam. 60To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unholy fire before the LORD. 62The number of those enrolled was twenty-three thousand, every male one month old and upward; for they were not enrolled among the Israelites because there was no allotment given to them among the Israelites.
63These were those enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who enrolled the Israelites in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 64Among these there was not one of those enrolled by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had enrolled the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai. 65For the LORD had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
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a Heb lacks take a census of the people: Compare verse 2
b Or Saul…Saulites
c Heb clans of Naphtali
26.1–65 The last obstacle to the conquest is overcome when the plague of ch. 25 apparently kills the remaining Israelites of the wilderness generation (see 26.64), those who were condemned to die because of the incident of the spies in chs. 13–14 (see 14.20–25, 28–35). At this point a new military census is taken, parallel to the census in ch. 1, and from this point the people of Israel are not the condemned generation of the forty years’ wandering but rather a new generation that will live to conquer the promised land.
26.1 After the plague is v. 19 of ch. 25 in Hebrew. The plague is the one in 25.8–9, 18. To Moses…Aaron. Cf. 1.3; 20.22–29.
26.2 Cf. 1.2–3.
26.4 Who came out of the land of Egypt is an odd introduction to the following list, since these are precisely not those people (vv. 64–65). The phrase may simply mean those who were on the way from Egypt to Canaan.
26.5–50 Cf. 1.20–43. The ordering of the tribes here is different from that in ch. 1, but similar to that in ch. 2; the eastern and southern threesomes have traded places, so that Reuben, the traditional firstborn, is first and Manasseh and Ephraim are switched within the western threesome (cf. Gen 41.50–52; 48.8–20). In this second military census in Numbers, furthermore, the clans of each tribe are listed along with the tribe’s totals (cf. Gen 46.8–27). The totals in this list differ from the totals in ch. 1, clan by clan and for Israel as a whole.
26.9–10 Dathan and Abiram. See ch. 16.
26.11 On the Korahites, see note on 16.1.
26.19 See Gen 38.
26.33 See 27.1–11; 36.1–12.
26.51 See 1.46.
26.52–56 A new reason for taking a census is given here, in addition to the need for knowing military power (v. 2), i.e., that after the conquest of Canaan land will be apportioned based on the size of the tribes.
26.57–62 Cf. 3.14–39.
26.61 See Lev 10.1–2.
26.62 Every male…up. See 3.15, 40–41. Not enrolled…Israelites. See 1.48–49. No allotment. See, e.g., 18.23–24.
26.64–65 See 14.20–25, 28–35.
NUMBERS 27
The Daughters of Zelophehad
1Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward. Zelophehad was son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh son of Joseph, a member of the Manassite clans. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and they said, 3“Our father died in the wilderness; he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin; and he had no sons. 4Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.”
5Moses brought their case before the LORD. 6And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 7The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying; you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance among their father’s brothers and pass the inheritance of their father on to them. 8You shall also say to the Israelites, “If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall pass his inheritance on to his daughter. 9If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. 10If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. It shall be for the Israelites a statute and ordinance, as the LORD commanded Moses.”
Joshua Appointed Moses’ Successor
12The LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range, and see the land that I have given to the Israelites. 13When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled with me.a You did not show my holiness before their eyes at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16“Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over the congregation 17who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep without a shepherd.” 18So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him; 19have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. 20You shall give him some of your authority, so that all the congregation of the Israelites may obey. 21But he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the decision of the Urim before the LORD; at his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the Israelites with him, the whole congregation.” 22So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation; 23he laid his hands on him and commissioned him—as the LORD had directed through Moses.
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a Heb lacks with me
27.1–11 In Israel, property was passed from father to son, but any patrilineal system must have alternative inheritance arrangements for a man who has no sons (ancestral land is not to be sold; see 1 Kings 21.1–19; Mic 2.1–5). One such arrangement, known also from other ancient Near Eastern documents, is that daughters may inherit, and that solution is here given Mosaic sanction. A restriction is added in 36.1–12, and the decision is carried out in Josh 17.3–6. For alternative solutions, see Deut 25.5–10 (cf. Gen 38.6–11; Ruth); Jer 32.6–15; Lev 25.8–31.
27.1 See 26.33.
27.3 See ch. 16. That Zelophehad, a Manassite, might have been part of Korah’s rebellion marks this mention as dependent on the strand of tradition in which Korah and his group are not Levites (see note on 16.3). For his own sin, perhaps simply a reference to chs. 13–14.
27.4 On the name, cf. Deut 25.5–7. The son perpetuates the father’s name in his genealogy. Presumably in the case of Zelophehad’s daughters, the daughters’ sons would carry on as Zelophehad’s descendants and would inherit his property, an arrangement also known from other ancient Near Eastern documents; see also 1 Chr 2.34–36; Ezra 2.61; Neh 7.63. The complication that the sons will be part of their fathers’ lineages as well is resolved in ch. 36, again in typical fashion. Father’s brothers, i.e., male members of his clan.
27.5 Before the LORD, i.e., at the tent of meeting; see v. 2.
27.8–11 The line of inheritance approved here favors direct descendants, male or female, over other relatives, then moves from near to more distant male relatives.
27.12 See 21.11.
27.13 See 20.22–29.
27.14 See 20.12.
27.16 The God of the spirits of all flesh. See 16.22.
27.17 Go out before them and come in before them is a phrase often used as a technical military term for the battle march; see v. 21; Josh 14.11; 1 Sam 18.13, 16; 29.6. Sheep without a shepherd. See 1 Kings 22.17; Ezek 34.1–10; Zech 11; Mk 6.34.
27.18 On Joshua, beside the book of Joshua, s
ee esp. Ex 17.8–14; 24.13; 33.11; Num 11.28; 13.8, 16; 14.6, 30, 38. A man in whom is the spirit. See 11.16–30. Lay your hand upon him, a form of transfer, in this case, of Moses’ authority (v. 20). See also 8.10–11; Deut 34.9.
27.21 Eleazar, not Joshua, is to perform the role of intermediary, using the Urim to determine the Lord’s will; see Ex 28.29–30; 1 Sam 14.41; 28.6; Ezra 2.63. Go out…come in. See v. 17.
27.23 See v. 18.
NUMBERS 28
Daily Offerings
1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
2Command the Israelites, and say to them: My offering, the food for my offerings by fire, my pleasing odor, you shall take care to offer to me at its appointed time. 3And you shall say to them, This is the offering by fire that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old without blemish, daily, as a regular offering. 4One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight;a 5also one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour for a grain offering, mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil. 6It is a regular burnt offering, ordained at Mount Sinai for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the LORD. 7Its drink offering shall be one-fourth of a hin for each lamb; in the sanctuary you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the LORD. 8The other lamb you shall offer at twilightb with a grain offering and a drink offering like the one in the morning; you shall offer it as an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.
Sabbath Offerings
9On the sabbath day: two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering—10this is the burnt offering for every sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
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