Numbers 7

Numbers 7

Numbers 7:1 On the day when Moses had finished setting up the Tabernacle and had anointed and consecrated it with all its furnishings and had anointed and consecrated the altar with all its utensils,

Numbers 7:2 the leaders of Israel, heads of their fathers’ houses, who were the leaders of the tribes, who were over those who were listed, approached

Numbers 7:3 and brought their offerings in the sight of Yahveh, six wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the leaders, and for each one an ox. They brought them to the face of the tabernacle.

Numbers 7:4 Then Yahveh said to Moses,

Numbers 7:5 “Accept these from them, that they may be used in the service of the conference tent, and give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.”

Numbers 7:6 So Moses took the wagons and the oxen and gave them to the Levites.

Numbers 7:7 Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.

Numbers 7:8 And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron, the priest.

Numbers 7:9 But to the sons of Kohath, he gave none because they were charged with the service of the holy things that had to be carried on the shoulder.

Numbers 7:10 And the leaders offered offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed, and the leaders offered their offering in the sight of the altar.

Numbers 7:11 And Yahveh said to Moses, “They will offer their offerings, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

Numbers 7:12 The first day’s offering was made by Nachshon, the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah.

Numbers 7:13 And his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:14 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:15 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:16 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:17 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nachshon the son of Amminadab.

Numbers 7:18 On the second day, Nethanel, the son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar, made an offering.

Numbers 7:19 He offered for his offering one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:20 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:21 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:22 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:23 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Nethanel, the son of Zuar.

Numbers 7:24 On the third day, Eliab, the son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun:

Numbers 7:25 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:26 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:27 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:28 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:29 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Eliab, the son of Helon.

Numbers 7:30 On the fourth day, Elitsur, the son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben:

Numbers 7:31 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:32 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:33 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:34 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:35 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elitsur the son of Shedeur.

Numbers 7:36 On the fifth day, Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, the chief of the people of Simeon:

Numbers 7:37 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:38 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:39 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:40 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:41 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.

Numbers 7:42 On the sixth day, Elyasaph, the son of Deuel, the chief of the people of Gad:

Numbers 7:43 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:44 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:45 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:46 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:47 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elyasaph, the son of Deuel.

Numbers 7:48 On the seventh day, Elishama, the son of Ammihud, the chief of the people of Ephraim:

Numbers 7:49 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:50 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:51 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:52 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:53 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Elishama, the son of Ammihud.

Numbers 7:54 On the eighth day, Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh:

Numbers 7:55 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:56 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:57 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:58 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:59 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur.

Numbers 7:60 On the ninth day, Abidan, the son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin:

Numbers 7:61 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:62 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:63 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:64 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:65 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Abidan, the son of Gideoni.

Numbers 7:66 On the tenth day, Achiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan:

Numbers 7:67 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:68 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:69 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:70 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:71 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Achiezer, the son of Ammishaddai.

Numbers 7:72 On the eleventh day, Pagiel, the son of Ochran, the leader of the people of Asher:

Numbers 7:73 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:74 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:75 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:76 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:77 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ochran.

Numbers 7:78 On the twelfth day, Achira, the son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali:

Numbers 7:79 his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a tribute offering;

Numbers 7:80 one golden dish of 10 shekels, full of incense;

Numbers 7:81 one bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for an ascending offering;

Numbers 7:82 one male goat for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:83 and for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of Achira, the son of Enan.

Numbers 7:84 This was the dedication offering for the altar on the day when it was anointed from the leaders of Israel: twelve silver plates, twelve silver basins, twelve golden dishes,

Numbers 7:85 each silver plate weighing 130 shekels and each basin 70, all the silver of the vessels 2,400 shekels according to the shekel of the sanctuary,

Numbers 7:86 the twelve golden dishes, full of incense, weighing 10 shekels apiece according to the shekel of the sanctuary, all the gold of the dishes being 120 shekels;

Numbers 7:87 all the animals for the ascending offering twelve bulls, twelve rams, twelve male lambs a year old, with their tribute offering; and twelve male goats for a failure offering;

Numbers 7:88 and all the animals for the sacrifice of offering for healthy relationships twenty-four bulls, the rams sixty, the male goats sixty, the male lambs a year old sixty. This was the dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.

Numbers 7:89 And when Moses went into the conference tent to speak with Yahveh, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the reminder, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.

Numbers 7 quotes:

“As the time for departure draws very close, a peculiar procession of wagons and oxen forms in the midst of Israel’s camp. Once they are in place, a twelve-day series of presentations takes place at the central tent of meeting. What is this? An advance party gathering to move out as forerunners for the people? A preparatory deposition of supplies in the central store? No. Before beginning their perilous journey through the wilderness, and as a finishing touch on the worship of the tabernacle that will travel in their midst, God’s people willingly offer up some of the prize pieces in their inventory: twelve silver plates, twelve golden dishes, six covered wagons, twelve loadcarrying oxen, and so on and on. What a crazy approach to survival!”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 128.

“Numbers 7, which is the longest chapter in the Bible apart from Psalm 119, describes a unique event in the history of Israel. During a twelve-day festival, gifts were brought to be used in the work at the Tent of Meeting (4). Each day a different tribe’s gifts were presented by its designated leader; there was no variation whatever either in the gifts they offered or in the literary formula used to describe their offerings. Those who brought such gifts for the dedication of the altar (11) were the same men who had been responsible for the census (1:5-16; cf. 2:3-31). A list of all the gifts is provided (7:84-88), and a concluding verse focuses on the place where Moses met with God (89).”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p, 60.

“When a believer comes into the church service he may think he is just one of hundreds. But this is not the way God thinks. The worshiper is one of one to God, regardless of who he is. The Lord personally receives service from each individual. There is one obvious lesson here: the leaders are to offer, but each individual is to do his part. And in verses 84 to 88 we have a careful record of what was offered for the dedication of the altar. When we think about the altar in the tabernacle, it should remind us of Calvary’s cross. The altar is where the sacrifice was made by the priest; the cross is where the sacrifice was made by the Lord. Because of this, the center of all worship is the altar forever.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 74.

“Each of the twelve tribes of Israel present God with certain things, and exactly the same list of presents is given twelve times over. But God s ways are not as our ways even in writing a book; and whereas a human writer might have condensed this account into a few lines, as one has observed, “there is no hasty promiscuous jumbling of names and offerings when God records the gifts of His children.” He prizes even the smallest gift or slightest service, and carefully records all.”

Saxe, Grace. Studies in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Grace Saxe, 1921. p. 28.

“Describing the organization of the camp and the tasks of the Levites in Numbers 1 – 6 before recording the gifts of the princes and the appointment of the Levites (Num. 7 – 8) enables the reader to appreciate the significance of these events.

Wenham, Gordon J.. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 4) (p. 104). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Numbers 6

Numbers 6

Numbers 6:1 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 6:2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special solemn pledge,[1] the solemn pledge[2] of a Nazirite to separate himself to Yahveh,

Numbers 6:3 he will separate himself from wine and strong drink. He will drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and will not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.

Numbers 6:4 All the days of his separation he will eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

Numbers 6:5 “All the days of his solemn pledge of separation, no razor will touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to Yahveh, he will be holy. He will let the locks of hair on his head grow long.

Numbers 6:6 “All the days that he separates himself to Yahveh he will not go near a dead throat.

Numbers 6:7 Not even for his father or his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, will he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head.

Numbers 6:8 All the days of his separation he is holy to Yahveh.

Numbers 6:9 “And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he will shave his head on the day of his purification; on the seventh day he will shave it.

Numbers 6:10 On the eighth day, he will bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the conference tent,

Numbers 6:11 and the priest will offer one for a failure offering and the other for an ascending offering, and provide reconciliation for him, because he made a failure by reason of the dead throat. And he will consecrate his head that same day

Numbers 6:12 and separate himself to Yahveh for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a reparation offering. But the previous period will be void because his separation was defiled.

Numbers 6:13 “And this is the instruction for the Nazirite when the time of his separation has been completed: he will be brought to the entrance of the conference tent,

Numbers 6:14 and he will bring his gift to Yahveh, one perfect male lamb a year old for an ascending offering, and one ewe lamb a year old perfect as a failure offering, and one ram perfect as an offering for healthy relationships,

Numbers 6:15 and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their tribute offering and their drink offerings.

Numbers 6:16 And the priest will bring them before Yahveh and offer his failure offering and his ascending offering,

Numbers 6:17, and he will offer the ram as a sacrifice for healthy relationships with Yahveh, along with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest will also provide its tribute offering and drink offering.

Numbers 6:18 And the Nazirite will shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the conference tent and will take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the offering for healthy relationships.

Numbers 6:19 And the priest will take the shoulder of the ram when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and will put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration,

Numbers 6:20 and the priest will wave them for a presentation offering before Yahveh. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.

Numbers 6:21 “This is the instruction of the Nazirite. But if he vows an offering to Yahveh above his Nazirite solemn pledge, as he can afford, in exact accordance with the vow that he takes, then he will do in addition to the instruction of the Nazirite.”

Numbers 6:22 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 6:23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, and this is what you should say. This is how you will bless the people of Israel: you will say to them,

Numbers 6:24 Yahveh bless you and keep you;

Numbers 6:25 Yahveh make his face to light upon you and be gracious to you;

Numbers 6:26 Yahveh lift his face to you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:27 “This is how they will they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

[1] נָדָר =make a solemn pledge. Numbers 6:2, 21; 21:2; 30:2, 3, 10.

[2] נֶדֶר = solemn pledge. Numbers 6:2, 5; 15:3, 8; 21:2; 29:39; 30:2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14.

Numbers 6 quotes:

“While the ordinary Israelite forswore the eating of certain foods, the Nazirite added to this list drink (wine and all grape products, perhaps the choicest of the Promised Land’s fruits that these refugees anticipated; see the grape cluster in Num. 13:23). While the ordinary Israelite marked himself by refusing to round off the forelocks or trim the beard (Lev. 19:27), the Nazirite let all his hair grow (perhaps as a way of “remembering” the “wildness” of the wilderness, where such grooming was undoubtedly a luxury). While the ordinary Israelites were obligated to follow certain procedures following contact with a corpse (Num. 19), and the priests were forbidden to come near any corpse except those of closest kin (Lev. 21), the Nazirites forswore contact even with the corpse of father and mother (perhaps to make clear who their true parent was).”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 124.

“Priests and Levites were conscripts. It is refreshing now to read a passage that makes room for the volunteer, any man or woman (2) who wishes to offer time and service to God for whatever purposes he or she may determine. Here is an episode in the life of people who wanted to express their love for God and gratitude to him in practical terms. The provisions governing the vow of a Nazirite (from nazar, to be separated or consecrated) are found only in this chapter, but this vow came to have special importance in the spiritual life of God’s people both within the biblical period and later. The Nazirite was separated to the Lord, from the world and for the work.”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 48.

“If you know someone who dresses in a special way and who adopts certain other procedures for religious reasons, are you tempted to scorn him? When I was a young believer in Christ I had a negative attitude toward anybody who put on a robe to preach in a pulpit or to sing in a choir. However, different people believe in different distinctive practices to enhance ee worship of God, and we should accept them on this basis.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 72.

The vow was one of consecration or separation to God, and it involved a protracted time frame and strict regulation. Male or female could take this vow, but they must abstain from fermented beverages of any kind including vinegar, itself a by-product of the vine. The latter requirement was similar to the restrictions put on functioning priests (Lev. 10:8-11). This vow required scrupulous attention to detail and strict attention to all governing regulations. Hence it was one of the few acts of personal devotion brought under Levitical legislation.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002 pp. 281-282.

“The earliest instance we know of a man called by this title is that of Samson, ‘a Nazirite consecrated to God from the day of his birth’ (Judg. 13 : 5). He is a Nazirite for life; a man devoted to God, rather than a pious man. His great renown is his long hair (worn because he is a Nazirite) which gives him his strength. Samuel, though he is not called a Nazirite, is given to God, and may not shave (i Sam. i : 11). Amos treats the existence of Nazirites, who do not drink wine, as due to a great act of God, parallel with the deliverance from Egypt and the institution of prophecy (Amos 2).”

Sturdy John et al. Numbers. Re-issued in this digitally printed version 2008 ed. Cambridge University Press 2010. p. 49.

“The Nazirites were the monks and nuns of ancient Israel, lay men or women who consecrated themselves to the total service of God, usually for a specific period of time, though more rarely for life. The laws on Nazirites were included here because they fit the general theme of this part of Numbers. The nation is being organized as the holy people of God. Israel was called to be ‘a kingdom of priests’ (Exod. 19:6), and the rules voluntarily assumed by the Nazirites resembled those governing the behaviour of priests, while their distinctive hairstyle reminded the laity that even they were called to be kings and priests to God (cf. Rev. 5:10). Thus as marriage symbolized the relationship between God and Israel (Num. 5), so the Nazirites epitomized the holy calling of the nation (Jer. 7:29). If pollution through dead bodies demanded the expulsion of ordinary laymen from the camp (5:2–3), it had an even more drastic effect on the Nazirites, the quintessence of sanctity (6:9–12).”

Wenham, Gordon J.. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 4) (p. 96). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

Numbers 6 links:

a blessed walk
blessings from Yahveh
consecrated time
Dead souls, dying souls
evidence of consecration

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, April 26, 2019
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, April 28, 2023
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Wednesday, April 28, 2021

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Numbers 5

Numbers 5

Numbers 5:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 5:2 “Command the sons of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who has skin disease or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with a dead throat.[1]

Numbers 5:3 You will put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, so that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I am living.”

Numbers 5:4 And the sons of Israel did so and put them outside the camp; as Yahveh said to Moses, so the sons of Israel did.

Numbers 5:5 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 5:6 “Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman makes fails[2] as Adam failed by betraying Yahveh, and that throat realizes his guilt,

Numbers 5:7 he will confess his failure. And he will make full reparation for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.

Numbers 5:8 But if the man has no next of kin to whom reparation may be made for the wrong, the reparation for wrong will go to Yahveh for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which reconciliation is provided for him.

Numbers 5:9 And every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, will be his.

Numbers 5:10 Each one will keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest will be his.”

Numbers 5:11 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said

Numbers 5:12 “Speak to the people of Israel, If any man’s wife goes astray and betrays him,

Numbers 5:13 if a man has sex with her, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her since she was not taken in the act,

Numbers 5:14 and if the breath[3] of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the breath of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife, though she has not defiled herself, a violation

Numbers 5:15 then the man will bring his wife to the priest and bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He will pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it because it is a tribute offering of jealousy, a tribute offering of remembrance, bringing a violation to remembrance.

Numbers 5:16 “And the priest will bring her near and set her in the sight of Yahveh.

Numbers 5:17 And the priest will take holy water in an earthenware vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.

Numbers 5:18 And the priest will set the woman in the sight of Yahveh and unbind the hair of the woman’s head and place in her hands the tribute offering of remembrance, which is the tribute offering of jealousy. And in his hand, the priest will have the water of bitterness that brings the curse.

Numbers 5:19 Then the priest will make her take an oath, and this is what he will say ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to contamination beneath your husband, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse.

Numbers 5:20 But if you have gone astray beneath your husband, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you,

Numbers 5:21 then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse and say to the woman) ‘Yahveh make you a curse and an oath among your people when Yahveh makes your thigh fall away, and your body swell.

Numbers 5:22 May this water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your uterus swell and your thigh fall away.’ And the woman will say, ‘Amen, Amen.’

Numbers 5:23 “Then the priest will write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness.

Numbers 5:24 And he will make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse will enter into her and cause bitter pain.

Numbers 5:25 And the priest will take the tribute offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand and will wave the tribute offering in the sight of Yahveh and bring it to the altar.

Numbers 5:26 And the priest will take a handful of the tribute offering, as its reminiscence,[4] and burn it on the altar, and afterward will make the woman drink the water.

Numbers 5:27 And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has betrayed her husband, the water that brings the curse will enter into her and cause bitter pain. Her uterus will swell, and her thigh will fall away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

Numbers 5:28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is pure, then she will be free and can become pregnant with children.

Numbers 5:29 “This is the instruction[5] in cases of jealousy, when a wife beneath her husband goes astray and defiles herself,

Numbers 5:30 or when the breath of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife. Then he will set the woman in the sight of Yahveh, and the priest will carry out for her all this law.

Numbers 5:31 The man will be free from a violation, but the woman will bear her violation.”

[1] נֶפֶשׁ = throat (metonym for person). Numbers 5:2, 6; 6:6, 11; 9:6, 7, 10, 13; 11:6; 15:27, 28, 30, 31; 16:38; 19:11, 13, 18, 20, 22; 21:4; 29:7; 30:2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13; 31:19, 35, 40, 46, 50; 35:11, 15, 30, 31.

[2] חַטָּאת = failure. Numbers 5:6, 7; 6:11, 14, 16; 7:16, 22, 28, 34, 40, 46, 52, 58, 64, 70, 76, 82, 87; 8:8, 12; 12:11; 15:24, 25, 27; 16:26; 18:9; 19:9, 17; 28:15, 22; 29:5, 11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 38; 32:23.

[3]רוּחַ = breath. Numbers 5:14, 30; 11:17, 25, 26, 29, 31; 14:24; 16:22; 24:2; 27:16, 18.

[4] אַזְכָּרָה= reminiscence (offering).

[5] תּוֹרָה= instruction. Numbers 5:29, 30; 6:13, 21; 15:16, 29; 19:2, 14; 31:21.

Numbers 5 quotes:

“Over many chapters in the middle of Leviticus, the categories of clean versus unclean have been elaborately defined. Now the Israelites continue their preparation for the march by “purifying” the camp. Clearly it makes no sense to clean swords and boots without also examining the people who are carrying and wearing them.”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 119.

“Before the pilgrims embarked on their onward journey, they were provided with crucial guidelines regarding their spiritual, moral and social responsibilities. Three distinct issues raised in this chapter concern the physical, ethical and spiritual welfare of this desert community and its successive generations. They relate to physical impurities (1-4), moral offences (5-10) and domestic tensions (11-31).”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 41.

“Israel obeyed God when they came out of Egypt; but the land which they entered was infected because of the people who had been there. Therefore, in Numbers 5 Moses taught Israel how to avoid infection. This is also important for us today, because each of us lives in the midst of an evil world. Around us all manner of conditions exist that would cause us to deteriorate by the very nature of the infection that we could receive. What we see, what we hear, and what we are active in all have in them the marks of human depravity. They crowd in upon us; there is no magical way we can avoid these things. Safety depends upon careful attention under the grace of God.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 69.

“Just before Israel marched forward, ‘the Lord assigned them some final preparations, including a directions and provision for special commitments.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 285.

“But if the New Testament upholds the moral side of these uncleanness regulations, it abolished the symbolic physical distinctions. Our Lord healed lepers and the woman with a flow of blood, and raised the dead through his touch (Luke 17:12ff.; 8:40ff.). In these ways he declared that those conditions which for centuries had separated even the elect people of God from God no longer mattered. God has himself drawn nigh. The kingdom of heaven is now open to all who repent and believe the gospel.”

Wenham, Gordon J.. Numbers: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 4) (p. 88). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Numbers 4

Numbers 4

Numbers 4:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said,

Numbers 4:2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,

Numbers 4:3 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty to do the work in the conference tent.

Numbers 4:4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the conference tent: the most holy things.

Numbers 4:5 When the camp is preparing to set out, Aaron and his sons will go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the reminder with it.

Numbers 4:6 Then they will cover it with goatskin, spread a blue cloth on top of that, and put in its poles.

Numbers 4:7 And over the table of the Face, they will spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the bottles for the drink offering; the regular bread will also be on it.

Numbers 4:8 Then they will spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover it with goatskin, and put it on its poles.

Numbers 4:9 And they will take a cloth of blue and cover the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied.

Numbers 4:10 And they will cover it with goatskin and put it on the carrying frame with all its utensils.

Numbers 4:11 And over the golden altar they will spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin and will put in its poles.

Numbers 4:12 And they will take all the vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame.

Numbers 4:13 And they will take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

Numbers 4:14 And they will put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they will spread on it a covering of goatskin and will put in its poles.

Numbers 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath will come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, or else they will die. These are the things in the conference tent that the sons of Kohath are to carry.

Numbers 4:16 “And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest will have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular tribute offering, and the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”

Numbers 4:17 Yahveh spoke to Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said,

Numbers 4:18 “Do not allow the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites to be eliminated from among the Levites,

Numbers 4:19 but deal in this way with them, so that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons will go in and appoint them each to his task and his burden,

Numbers 4:20 but they will not go in to look at the holy things even for a moment, or else they will they die.”

Numbers 4:21 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 4:22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses and by their clans.

Numbers 4:23 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you will list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the conference tent.

Numbers 4:24 This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens:

Numbers 4:25 they will carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the conference tent with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the conference tent

Numbers 4:26 and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they will do all that needs to be done with regard to them.

Numbers 4:27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites will be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you will assign to their charge all that they are to carry.

Numbers 4:28 This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the conference tent, and their guard duty is to be under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.

Numbers 4:29 “As for the sons of Merari, you will list them by their clans and their fathers’ houses.

Numbers 4:30 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you will list everyone who can come on duty to do the service of the conference tent.

Numbers 4:31 And this is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the conference tent: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases,

Numbers 4:32 and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you will list by name the objects that they are required to carry.

Numbers 4:33 This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the conference tent, under the direction of Ithamar, the son of Aaron, the priest.”

Numbers 4:34 And Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation mustered the sons of the Kohathites, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,

Numbers 4:35 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty for service in the conference tent;

Numbers 4:36 and those mustered by clans were 2,750.

Numbers 4:37 This was the list of the clans of the Kohathites, all who served in the conference tent, whom Moses and Aaron mustered according to Yahveh’s command by Moses.

Numbers 4:38 Those mustered of the sons of Gershon, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,

Numbers 4:39 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty for service in the conference tent —

Numbers 4:40 those mustered by their clans and their fathers’ houses were 2,630.

Numbers 4:41 This was the list of the clans of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the conference tent, whom Moses and Aaron mustered according to Yahveh’s command.

Numbers 4:42 Those mustered of the clans of the sons of Merari, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,

Numbers 4:43 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty for service in the conference tent —

Numbers 4:44 those mustered by clans were 3,200.

Numbers 4:45 This was the list of the clans of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron mustered according to Yahveh’s command by Moses.

Numbers 4:46 All those who were mustered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel mustered, by their clans and their fathers’ houses,

Numbers 4:47 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come to do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the conference tent,

Numbers 4:48 those mustered were 8,580.

Numbers 4:49 According to Yahveh’s command through Moses, they were mustered, each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus, they were mustered by him, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Numbers 4 quotes:

“Numbers 3-4 can thus be read negatively as a claim to power by the descendents of Aaron, who wanted the entrance to the tent of meeting for themselves and reserved the other sides for the tribes of Levi. Or, these chapters can be read positively as indicating the Lord’s willingness, here in Israel’s infancy, to step in and settle incipient disputes before they become dangerous. Like the parent who arranges seating in the car before the trip begins, or the captain who arranges accommodations in a ship before the voyage begins, the Lord of Numbers deigns to stoop down, call out names, assign pegs and poles to the people in God’s flock before the march begins.

Jesus reminded the disciples that such arrangements in the kingdom should be left to God: “To sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (Matt. 20:23). Could it be that such seating charts await the end because we have never been comfortable or never agreed with the seats given at the beginning? ‘The Lord is getting everything and everyone in order for this march.”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 118.

“Just as they were specifically told where to pitch their tents and how to set up their camp, so they were given specific duties. Moses instructed them to operate always in an orderly fashion. We can apply this to our own lives: when our lives are orderly we have a sense of quietness and peace, and we can function properly.”

Gutzke, Manford George. Plain Talk on Leviticus and Numbers. Zondervan Pub. House., 1981. p. 68.

“The Levites were to serve in substitution for the offering of the firstborn. Additional money payments are authorized should the number of firstborn be redeemed Exceed the number of Levites available (Numbers 3:40-51). The special responsibilities of three Levitical subgroups, the Kohathites, the Gershonites, and the Merarites (4:1-33), are also described and accompanied by a report of a census of their numbers (Numbers 4:34-49).”

March, W. Eugene. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Abingdon Press, 2012. p. 71.

“Although the tribes comprised a unified nation, each had its own identity and unique function.”

Martin, Glen, and Max E. Anders. Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 2002. p. 272.

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Tuesday, April 27, 2021

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Numbers 3

Numbers 3

Numbers 3:1 These stories tell the history of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Yahveh spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

Numbers 3:2 These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Numbers 3:3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests.

Numbers 3:4 But Nadab and Abihu died at Yahveh’s face when they offered unauthorized fire to Yahveh’s face in the open country of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.

Numbers 3:5 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, so they may serve him.

Numbers 3:7 They will keep guard over him and over the whole assembly at the conference tent, as they serve at the tabernacle.

Numbers 3:8 They will guard all the furnishings of the conference tent, and keep guard over the sons of Israel as they serve at the tabernacle.

Numbers 3:9 And you will give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are totally given to him from among the sons of Israel.

Numbers 3:10 And you will appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will guard their priesthood. But if any unauthorized person comes near, he will be put to death.”

Numbers 3:11 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 3:12 “I (you will notice) have purchased the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the uterus among the people of Israel. The Levites will be mine,

Numbers 3:13 because all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of human and of animal. They will be mine: I am Yahveh.”

Numbers 3:14 And Yahveh spoke to Moses in the open country of Sinai, and this is what he said,

Numbers 3:15 “Muster the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you will muster.”

Numbers 3:16 So Moses mustered them according to the Yahveh’s word, as he was commanded.

Numbers 3:17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

Numbers 3:18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.

Numbers 3:19 And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

Numbers 3:20 And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers’ houses.

Numbers 3:21 To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites.

Numbers 3:22 Their mustering according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 7,500.

Numbers 3:23 The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west,

Numbers 3:24 with Elyasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers’ house of the Gershonites.

Numbers 3:25 And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the conference tent involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the conference tent,

Numbers 3:26 the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords– all the service connected with these.

Numbers 3:27 From Kohath came the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites.

Numbers 3:28 According to the mustering of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, responsible to keep guard over the sanctuary.

Numbers 3:29 The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,

Numbers 3:30 with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as general over the fathers’ house of the clans of the Kohathites.

Numbers 3:31 And their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests serve, and the screen; all the service connected with these.

Numbers 3:32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be general over the generals of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary.

Numbers 3:33 To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari.

Numbers 3:34 Their mustering according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200.

Numbers 3:35 And the general from the fathers’ house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

Numbers 3:36 And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these;

Numbers 3:37 also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords.

Numbers 3:38 Those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the conference tent toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. And any unauthorized person who came near was to be put to death.

Numbers 3:39 All those mustered among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron mustered at the command of Yahveh, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

Numbers 3:40 And Yahveh said to Moses, “Muster all the firstborn males of the sons of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names.

Numbers 3:41 And you will take the Levites for me– I am Yahveh– instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the animals of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the animals of the sons of Israel.”

Numbers 3:42 So Moses mustered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, as Yahveh commanded him.

Numbers 3:43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as mustered were 22,273.

Numbers 3:44 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Numbers 3:45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the animals of the Levites instead of their animals. The Levites will be mine: I am Yahveh.

Numbers 3:46 And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites,

Numbers 3:47 you will take five shekels per head; you will take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (that shekel being twenty gerahs),

Numbers 3:48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.”

Numbers 3:49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites.

Numbers 3:50 From the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary.

Numbers 3:51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of Yahveh, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Numbers 3 quotes:

“The setting aside of the Levites for tabernacle service is meant to remind the Israelites of their being set aside by God in the exodus. As the Lord had required the lives of the Egyptians but not the Israelites, so legislation was set in place ever afterward to require the firstborn of Israel “for the Lord” (Exod. 13:1-2). However, since those freely dedicated for such service could be redeemed by payment (Lev. 27), those required for consecration were now individually “redeemed” (one for one) by the Levites (with an extra payment for the 273 left over; Num. 3:44-51).”

Boyce Richard Nelson. Leviticus and Numbers. 1st ed. Westminster John Knox Press 2008. p. 117.

“The Levites’ presence as God’s workers was a permanent visual aid to God’s people, signifying two great biblical ideas: surrender and substitution.”

Brown Raymond. The Message of Numbers : Journey to the Promised Land. InterVarsity Press 2002. p. 36.

“Sacrifice of human first-born children, although it may have been practiced in the surrounding Canaanite culture, is never mentioned in the Old Testament as a practice of the Israelites. Instead, the Levites are a substitute for the first-born; they are dedicated to God.”

Deming Lynne M. Numbers and Deuteronomy. Graded Press 1988. p. 17.

“… the Lord separated the tribe of Levi and assigned them specific tasks (3:1-51). Most important were Aaron and his sons, since they were to be “the anointed priests” (3:3; see Exod. 28-29). All the Levites were significant, though, for they were specifically chosen from among the Israelites to serve God. They belonged to the Lord (3:11-13, 45), so they were a separated group within the holy nation. They were not better than the rest of the people. But they were held to higher standards than the others (see Lev. 21-22).”

House, Paul R. Leviticus/Numbers. Broadman & Holman, 1999. p. 58.

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Thursday, April 25, 2019
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Thursday, April 27, 2023

The NUMBERS shelf in Jeff’s library

Month: October 2025

Numbers 7

Numbers 7

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Numbers 6

Numbers 6

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Numbers 5

Numbers 5

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Numbers 4

Numbers 4

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Numbers 3

Numbers 3

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