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NUMBERS 9

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:1-8
  ¹Thus the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ²"Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time. ³On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances." ⁴So Moses told the sons of Israel to observe the Passover. ⁵They observed the Passover in the first month on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. ⁶But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. ⁷Those men said to him, "Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?" ⁸Moses therefore said to them, "Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you."

9:1 "in the wilderness of Sinai" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WILDERNESSES OF THE EXODUS and SPECIAL TOPIC: THE LOCATION OF MT. SINAI.

▣ "the first month of the second year" They are going to observe their second Passover (see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PASSOVER). It is described in detail in Exodus 12. It mentions that they will celebrate it in exactly the same way, however, one wonders how they did this because they were living in tents at this time. See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE CALENDARS.

9:2 "let the sons of Israel observe" Literally this is "do" (BDB 793, KB 889), which occurs often in Num. 9:2-5. Here, it is a Qal IMPERFECT but used in a JUSSIVE sense. This may also be true of the two Qal IMPERFECTS in 9:3.

▣ "Passover" The Passover feast described in Lev. 23:5-6 had become an eight-day feast as it was combined with the seven-day feast of Unleavened Bread.

9:3 "at twilight" Literally this is "between the evenings," cf. Num. 9:5,11. There has been much discussion about this difficult Hebrew phrase (i.e., Exod. 12:6). The Jews seem to interpret it as being sometime between the heat and cool of the day. That is why they offered the evening sacrifice in the Temple at 3 p.m. Others assume it is between sunset and dark, while still others believe it is from the moment the sun begins to go below the horizon until it goes completely behind the horizon (cf. Deut. 16:6). For the Hebrews twilight was the beginning of a new day (cf. Genesis 1).

▣ "statutes. . .ordinances" See SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR GOD'S REVELATION.

9:6-14 Some of the men came to Moses to ask what those who were ceremonially unclean could do to fulfill the Passover requirements. This question would also apply to later periods when some Israelites would be (1) in exile or (2) too far away from the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. It is interesting that God makes an exception for these cases and allows them to fulfill the Passover exactly one month later (compare Num. 9:1 with 9:11).

9:8 "Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you" This is a very important passage because we realize that Moses was not just giving his opinion but was seeking YHWH's instructions related to all of these laws. Therefore, these laws are divine revelation, not the opinion of Moses.

"Wait" is a Qal IMPERATIVE (BDB 763, KB 840), followed by "listen," which is a Qal COHORTATIVE (BDB 1033, KB 1570). YHWH answers this specific question by the Piel IMPERATIVE, "speak" (BDB 180, KB 210) in Num. 9:10.

YHWH was willing to make exceptions for human need!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:9-14
  ⁹Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰"Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the Lord. ¹¹In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ¹²They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it. ¹³But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of the Lord at its appointed time. That man will bear his sin. ¹⁴If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.'"

9:10 Here are the two groups of people who would be excused from the Passover but must observe it a month later. Notice that in Num. 9:14 even the alien in the land must observe the Passover, just like the Jewish people. This shows that Israel had the right to legislate the religious practices of people within her borders. There was only one standard (Num. 9:14).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 9:15-23
  ¹⁵Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle, until morning. ¹⁶So it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. ¹⁷Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. ¹⁸At the command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. ¹⁹Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the sons of Israel would keep the Lord's charge and not set out. ²⁰If sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, according to the command of the Lord they remained camped. Then according to the command of the Lord they set out. ²¹If sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. ²²Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out. ²³At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out; they kept the Lord's charge, according to the command of the Lord through Moses.

9:15-23 This discusses the shekinah cloud (BDB 777; NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1052-1055), which led the children of Israel during the wilderness wandering period. It stayed over the ark of the covenant above the Tabernacle as a visible sign of YHWH's presence, cf. Exod. 13:21.

The cloud was a camp light by night and a protection from the sun by day. Once the Israelites crossed the Jordan under Joshua, the cloud dissipated and reappeared at special events (cf. 1 Kings 8).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Notice the date of Num. 1:1 and 9:1 vs. 10:11. Does this denote a new section of Numbers?
2. What does "at twilight" mean? Why was it the time for the Passover?
3. How does Num. 9:10 reflect a later period?
4. How does Num. 9:11 show YHWH's compassion?
5. How did the cloud reflect YHWH's leadership?

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