_The investigation of the land by the spies: their report, and its sequel_ The narrative presents many serious difficulties which cannot be removed except by the recognition that it contains a fusion of the early traditions of J E with the later account of P. The two Chapter s should be studied as... [ Continue Reading ]
_How long_shall I bear _with this evil congregation, which murmur_&c. The words _shall I bear_represent no part of the Heb. text. Something has perhaps dropped out, but the R.V. gives the general sense.... [ Continue Reading ]
_as ye have spoken_ i.e. in Numbers 14:2.... [ Continue Reading ]
_all that were numbered_ in the census (ch. 1). The Levites, however, were not included in that census (Numbers 1:47), and the priestly writer probably assumed that the sentence of death in the wilderness did not apply to them. Aaron's son Eleazar succeeded his father as high priest on the borders o... [ Continue Reading ]
_your children shall be_ SHEPHERDS] as R.V. marg. They were to continue to rove about with their flocks, instead of settling down to agricultural life in Canaan. The rendering -wanderers" is due to the Vulg. _vagi_. _and shall bear your whoredoms_ Your children, though they will not die in the wilde... [ Continue Reading ]
_my alienation my_ OPPOSITION. Ye shall experience what it means to be opposed and hindered by me. The subst. occurs in Job 33:10 only. For the verb cf. Numbers 30:6 (R.V. -disallow"), Numbers 32:7 (R.V. -discourage").... [ Continue Reading ]
_died by_ A _plague_ This is the meaning of the Heb. idiom, although the definite article is used. The Heb. _maggçphâh_denotes lit. -a smiting," as also do πληγή and _plaga_. It is used of any sudden catastrophe inflicted by Jehovah.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Moses told these words_ i.e. those contained in Numbers 14:27. 39B 45. Having heard their sentence (in Numbers 14:21), the people made an attempt to gain Jehovah's favour by marching up to the hills in the Negeb, disregarding Moses" warning that Jehovah would not help them. They received a severe... [ Continue Reading ]
_the top of the mountain_ Perhaps a particular hill in the south of the Negeb, close to Kadesh: but it may denote more generally -the high ground of the hill country.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the ark of the covenant of_ JEHOVAH] The words -of the covenant" are probably a gloss by a Dt. writer. There is no evidence in J or E that the tablets of the Covenant laws were placed in the ark. See on Numbers 10:33 b. _and Moses_ Moses was the guardian of the ark. _out of_ THE MIDST OF _the camp... [ Continue Reading ]
_which dwelt in that_ HILL COUNTRY] See on Numbers 14:25. _Hormah_ lit. -the Hormah"; but it occurs here only with the article. A town or district in the south of Palestine whose site is unknown. In Numbers 21:3 an explanation of the name is given: see notes there.... [ Continue Reading ]