Numbers
Chapter 32
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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.
1The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had very many livestock, a huge number. They saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and look, the place was a place for livestock.
2The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, saying,
3Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
4the land that God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. struck before the congregation of Israel, is livestock land, and your servants have livestock.
5They said, If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a holding. Do not make us cross the Jordan.
6Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, Shall your brothers go to the war, and you stay here?
7Why would you turn back the heart of the sons of Israel from crossing into the land that God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. has given them?
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The written consonants are תנואון, with a vav. The Masoretic reading is תניאון, “you turn back,” with a yod where the written form has a vav. The written form is printed. Verse 9 uses the same verb for what the fathers did.
8This is what your fathers did, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
9They went up to the A stream bed that keeps water, or runs when the rain comes. Eshcol and saw the land, and they turned back the heart of the sons of Israel, so that they would not go into the land that God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. had given them.
10God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.’s anger burned on that day, and he swore, saying,
11The men who went up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall not see the land that I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they did not follow fully after me,
12except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, because they followed fully after God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary..
13God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.’s anger burned against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation that did evil in God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.’s eyes was finished.
14And look, you have risen in place of your fathers, a brood of men, offenders, to add still more to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.’s burning anger against Israel.
15If you turn from following him, he will again leave them in the wilderness, and you will ruin all this people.
16They came near to him and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones.
17We ourselves will arm ourselves, hurrying, before the sons of Israel, until we have brought them to their place. Our little ones will live in the fortified cities, away from the face of the inhabitants of the land.
18We will not return to our houses until the sons of Israel have each taken possession of his inheritance.
19For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.
20Moses said to them, If you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. for the war,
21and every armed man of you crosses the Jordan before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., until he has dispossessed his enemies from before him,
22and the land is subdued before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., then after that you may return, and you will be clear before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. and before Israel, and this land will be yours as a holding before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary..
23But if you do not do so, look, you have sinned against God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., and know your offense, that it will find you.
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Timtza etkhem is “it will find you.” The offense is the subject. No proverb is added around the clause.
24Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your flocks, and what has gone out of your mouth, do.
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- Translation
The word for flock here is spelled with an extra aleph. It is still the flock. The spelling is not a second animal.
25The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben said to Moses, Your servants will do as my lord commands.
26Our little ones, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will be there, in the cities of Gilead.
27Your servants will cross, every man armed for the army, before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. to the war, as my lord speaks.
28Moses commanded Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the sons of Israel concerning them.
29Moses said to them, If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben cross the Jordan with you, every man armed for the war before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead as a holding.
30But if they do not cross armed with you, they shall take holdings among you in the land of Canaan.
31The sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben answered, saying, What God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. has spoken to your servants, that we will do.
32We will cross armed before God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. into the land of Canaan, and our holding of inheritance will stay with us on the other side of the Jordan.
33Moses gave to them, to the sons of Gad, to the sons of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorite and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land with its cities in the territories, the cities of the land all around.
34The sons of Gad built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
35Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
36Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, fortified cities, and sheepfolds.
37The sons of Reuben built Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
38Nebo, and Baal-meon, their names turned, and Sibmah, and they called by names the names of the cities they built.
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- Translation
Musabbot shem is “names turned.” The verse says the names were changed. It does not give the new names, and none are supplied.
39The sons of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead and captured it, and dispossessed the Amorite who was in it.
40Moses gave Gilead to Machir son of Manasseh, and he lived in it.
41Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their tent-villages, and he called them Havvoth-jair.
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- Translation
Havvot is tent-villages. Havvot Yair is the tent-villages of Jair. The name is printed from those words.
42Nobah went and captured Kenath and its daughter-towns, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.