Sedra 1, Be Midbar
Numbers 1:1-1:54
1:1 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH BE MIDBAR SINAI BE OHEL MO'ED BE ECHAD LA CHODESH HA SHENI BA SHANAH HA SHENIT LE TSETAM MEY ERETS MITSRAYIM LEMOR
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר
KJ (King James translation): And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
BN (BibleNet translation): Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, saying:
Need to go back and check how the calendar comes together, from Exodus through Leviticus to here. It seems that we may have been at this date before... And if we are on this date, then has Pesach Sheni been given yet, and is it about to be celebrated by those who were impure at the real Pesach?... and indeed we have been here before, the date anyway, though the formal institution of Pesach Sheni will not take place until Numbers 9; nonetheless, see my notes at Exodus 16 (verses 1, 12 and 13 especially). Pesach Sheni, which is for those who were impure at Pesach (Passover) itself, begins on the evening of the 14th of this month, which is Iyar.
1:2 SE'U ET ROSH KOL ADAT BENEY YISRA-EL LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT KOL ZACHAR LE GULGOLOTAM
שְׂאוּ אֶת רֹאשׁ כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת כָּל זָכָר לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם
KJ: Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
BN: Conduct a census of the entire congregation of the Beney Yisra-El, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names, every male, by their duties at the Mishkan...
GULGULOTAM: "polls", which you will find in a number of translations, is not a satisfactory translation of this - this is not a pre-election survey. The Yehudit word links back to "circles", which also gave us GIL-GAL earlier. It infers the tribal confederacy, but also more... there are strong connotations with the layout of the megalithic allignments etc. I have gone for "by their duties at the Mishkan", knowing full-well that this is not really correct, but that at least it conveys a sense of something prior to the Mishmerot, which the tribal religious duties would become after the establishment of the Temple by Shelomoh (the secular duties, not the Mishmerot Kehunah) - see verse 16.
LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM: The distinction here seems to be between nuclear families (Mishpehchotam, from Mishpechah = family) and clans (Veit Avotam = "father's houses"), rather than between clans and whole tribes. The word for tribe, (see verse 4 below) is always מַּטֶּה (MATEH)
We need to ask: why has it taken a full year for Mosheh and the leadership to get around to this basic task: having fled Mitsrayim (Egypt), needing to determine every detail of the well-being of the people, isn't it a basic starting-point to conduct some kind of census, to know how many you are, and not just for military purposes, which is the apparent purpose of this census, but to determine general daily needs? But no, laws about incest and the jubilee year in a future homeland took priority, and "how many elderly do we have - some have already died, others will soon, and we need to think about burial arrangements" has to wait, alongside "how many pregnant women are there in the camp, and what provision do we have for them?". But no, we are focused on bringing jewelery for the priestly Ephod, and gold for the Menorah. These are questions about the quality of Mosheh and Aharon's leadership that Yitro asked, but no one appears to have taken up again since, preferring to see Mosheh in particular as a model of human leadership, when in fact he was inept and incompetent in equal weights and equal measures. I am happy to break that tradition of idolatry and denial.
1:3 MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA BE YISRA-EL TIPHKEDU OTAM LE TSIVOTAM ATAH VE AHARON
מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כָּליֹצֵא צָבָא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל תִּפְקְדוּ אֹתָם לְצִבְאֹתָם אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן
KJ: From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
BN: From twenty years old and upward, all who are eligible for conscription in Yisra-El; you shall arrange them into batallions, you and Aharon.
The reason for counting, then, is not to know for the sake of knowing how many they are, as in a census, nor to raise taxes or tithes or even shekels for the Mishkan; it is a military muster. The Beney Yisra-El are being prepared for war.
And if we today decide to calculate the total number of Beney Yisra-El at this time, as verse 2 instructed, but verse 3 then qualified, we need to add considerably to the total given: these will be, as stated "men over 20" who are "eligible for conscription", which is generally determined by state of physical and mental health as well as age, and so we can assume that a certain number of men, as well as all the Kohanim and Leviyim (see verse 47), as well as all the women, as well as everyone beneath the age of twenty, would have been excluded from the count. What does that do to the numbers given? Probably, it doubles them. So we will learn shortly that something approaching 1.2 million people left Egypt for this wilderness journey, a year and a month ago. 1.2 million people walking across a sandy desert, eating miracle-quail and manna because they have no food, constantly complaining about the shortage of water - such a circumstance is not an Exodus, it is a humanitarian catastrophe.
And if we today decide to calculate the total number of Beney Yisra-El at this time, as verse 2 instructed, but verse 3 then qualified, we need to add considerably to the total given: these will be, as stated "men over 20" who are "eligible for conscription", which is generally determined by state of physical and mental health as well as age, and so we can assume that a certain number of men, as well as all the Kohanim and Leviyim (see verse 47), as well as all the women, as well as everyone beneath the age of twenty, would have been excluded from the count. What does that do to the numbers given? Probably, it doubles them. So we will learn shortly that something approaching 1.2 million people left Egypt for this wilderness journey, a year and a month ago. 1.2 million people walking across a sandy desert, eating miracle-quail and manna because they have no food, constantly complaining about the shortage of water - such a circumstance is not an Exodus, it is a humanitarian catastrophe.
TSIVOTAM: The modern Israeli army is known as TSAHAL, an acronym of Tseva ha-Haganah le Yisra-El, the Israel Defense Forces. The word is generally translated here as "hosts", and Adonay Tseva'ot elsewhere as "the Lord of Hosts", which seems to suggest some kind of angelic paramilitary, whereas in fact it is the stars in their constellations that are intended, just as it is the individual humans within their families and clans that are intended here.1:4 VE IT'CHEM YIHEYHU ISH ISH LA MATEH ISH ROSH LE VEIT AVOTAV HU
וְאִתְּכֶם יִהְיוּ אִישׁ אִישׁ לַמַּטֶּה אִישׁ רֹאשׁ לְבֵית אֲבֹתָיו הוּא
KJ: And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
BN: And with you [when you do this] there shall be a representative of every tribe, each one the head of his clan.
To alleviate, presumably, any difficulties or accusations that might arise, of nepotism, or favouritism, or mis-counting, positive or negative, of any kind. I suspect that Yitro (see Exodus 18) would have advised Mosheh to set up an inter-tribal commission to do the job, and get on with leadership instead of counting.
1:5 VE ELEH SHEMOT HA ANASHIM ASHER YA'AMDU IT'CHEM LI RE'U-VEN ELI-TSUR BEN SHEDEY-UR
וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר יַעַמְדוּ אִתְּכֶם לִרְאוּבֵן אֱלִיצוּר בֶּן שְׁדֵיאוּר
KJ: And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.
BN: And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you: for Re'u-Ven, Eli-Tsur ben Shedey-Ur.
Or maybe this is the Census Commission that Yitro would have recommended. What is really bewildering is that YHVH would need to micromanage to quite this degree, telling Mosheh which individuals to call from which clan and from which tribe; given that he has been told to bring the heads of the clans and the tribes, and placed him in the position of authority, YHVH must surely have sufficient trust in his ability to deduce these names for himself?
What we have is a list of those people, but presented as if read out by YHVH, in order to make it appear to be authentic to the period. And this is in fact most significant, because - to return yet again to that fundamental controversy of Judaism, the historical authenticity of the text - this would appear to be a record of the historical moment, in sharp contrast with those chapters that are about a much broader space of time: a clash of YHVH giving instructions for now, and instructions for later, which would not be an issue if the two were done separately; but they are not, they are concurrent: so we can see the amalgamation of multiple texts from multiple periods into a single final document.
ELI-TSUR BEN SHEDEY-UR: Interesting name. SHEDEY reflects Av-Raham's god, El Shadai, and Ur his town of (supposed) origin; we will probably learn a great deal about the origins of the tribes from these names.
It is also worth keeping a note of the order of the tribes, and then comparing it with the other lists; does YHVH do this in order of birth, or of Ya'akov's blessings (Genesis 49), or in some other order? We shall see that it is: 1st Re'u-Ven. 2nd Shim'on. 3rd Yehudah. 4th Yisaschar. 5th Zevulun. 6th Yoseph (Ephrayim and Menasheh). 7th Bin-Yamin. 8th Dan. 9th Asher. 10th Gad. 11th Naphtali. Levi was not counted (see verse 47) because the Kohanim and Leviyim are exempt from conscription, having other duties to perform (see verse 47).
However, having listed the chieftains in that order, the outcome of the census is presented in a very slightly different order: for no obvious reason Gad gets promoted to 3rd position(see verse 24, when he should really be after Asher around verse 40).
Or actually for an extremely obvious reason, only we can't know it yet. When we get to Numbers 2, and the arrangement of the tribal camps around the Mishkan, we will that Gad sits with Re'u-Ven and Shim'on on the southern side, and the other triplets match the order of the numbering here - see the diagram at my version of Numbers 2:16, or the fuller colour version, with census outcomes, at Numbers 3:22. Note that the descendants of Rachel are also grouped together, in their case on the west side, which was the rearguard.
However, having listed the chieftains in that order, the outcome of the census is presented in a very slightly different order: for no obvious reason Gad gets promoted to 3rd position(see verse 24, when he should really be after Asher around verse 40).
Or actually for an extremely obvious reason, only we can't know it yet. When we get to Numbers 2, and the arrangement of the tribal camps around the Mishkan, we will that Gad sits with Re'u-Ven and Shim'on on the southern side, and the other triplets match the order of the numbering here - see the diagram at my version of Numbers 2:16, or the fuller colour version, with census outcomes, at Numbers 3:22. Note that the descendants of Rachel are also grouped together, in their case on the west side, which was the rearguard.
1:6 LE SHIM'ON SHELUMI-EL BEN TSURI-SHADAY
לְשִׁמְעוֹן שְׁלֻמִיאֵל בֶּן צוּרִישַׁדָּי
KJ: Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
BN: For Shim'on, Shelumi-El ben Tsuri-Shadai.
SHELUMI-EL BEN TSURI-SHADAI: El Shadai again; and SHELUMI is another of the SALM names which we know were Jebusite/Yeru-Shala'imite; which begs the question: when was this list of names concocted? Did they get written down at the time? (No, because they didn't have writing then... Did someone carve them on stone at the time?) Unlikely, but possible. Did someone make them up centuries later, and honour certain important tribal figures in the doing? Highly probable. Would it be worth cross-comparing this "Honour Board" with the ones inscribed in Ezra's and Nechem-Yah's time, available at several points of each of their books? Indeed it would.
1:7 LI YEHUDAH NACHSHON BEN AMI-NADAV
לִיהוּדָה נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּןעַמִּינָדָב
KJ: Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
BN: For Yehudah, Nachshon ben Ami-Nadav.
NACHSHON BEN AMI-NADAV: NACHSHON from the root NACHASH = "snake"; which of course was Mosheh's personal symbol, the banner Nechushtan.
Are we beginning to sense that these names may have mythological connotations, rather more than being the [in some cases highly implausible] names of actual people?
Are we beginning to sense that these names may have mythological connotations, rather more than being the [in some cases highly implausible] names of actual people?
1:8 LE YISASCHAR NETAN-EL BEN TSU'AR
לְיִשָּׂשכָר נְתַנְאֵל בֶּן צוּעָר
KJ: Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
BN: For Yisaschar, Netan-El ben Tsu'ar.
NETAN-EL BEN TSU'AR: I wonder if that should not rather be TSO'AR, the town associated with Lot's escape from Sedom and Amorah in Genesis 19:22/30?
1:9 LI ZEVULUN ELI-AV BEN CHELON
לִזְבוּלֻן אֱלִיאָב בֶּן חֵלֹן
KJ: Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.
BN: For Zevulun, Eli-Av ben Chelon.
CHELON: Or perhaps that should be CHOLON, or even CHILON, which are two variants for a town in the later tribal territory of Yehudah (see Joshua 15:51 and 21:15, 1 Chronicles 6:43, though this latter is actually Chilez in the Yehudit texts, but rendered as Chilen anyway).
1:10 LIVNEY YOSEPH LE EPHRAYIM ELI-SHAMAH BEN AMI-CHUD LE MENASHEH GAMLI-EL BEN PEDAH-TSUR
לִבְנֵי יוֹסֵף לְאֶפְרַיִם אֱלִישָׁמָע בֶּן עַמִּיהוּד לִמְנַשֶּׁה גַּמְלִיאֵל בֶּן פְּדָהצוּר
KJ: Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
BN: For the Beney Yoseph: for Ephrayim, Eli-Shama ben Ami-Chud; for Menasheh, Gamli-El ben Pedah-Tsur.
And certainly this is not the order of birth, nor the order of Ya'akov's blessings. Does it parallel any other version? Perhaps the mustering for the journey through the wilderness which will be organised in the coming chapters?
1:11 LE VIN-YAMIN AVI-DAN BEN GID'ONI
לְבִנְיָמִן אֲבִידָן בֶּן גִּדְעֹנִי
KJ: Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.
BN: For Bin-Yamin, Avi-Dan ben Gid'oni.
AVI-DAN BEN GIDONI: Why the extra YUD on the end of the name? It makes him "Gid'onite", which suggests that he was not Beney Yisra-El at all; and that alerts me back to Pedah-Tsur in the previous verse: Tsur being Tyre, the southernost port-city of the Phoenicians.
1:12 LE DAN ACHI-EZER BEN AMI-SHADAI
לְדָן אֲחִיעֶזֶר בֶּן עַמִּישַׁדָּי
KJ: Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
BN: For Dan, Achi-Ezer ben Ami-Shadai.
ACHI-EZER BEN AMI-SHADAI: Yet again the Av-Rahamic name for the deity. And note how many of these are El names - not a single Yah among them; which obliges us to wonder if, then, this was not a historic record at all, but another piece of historical air-brushing at the time of the Redaction; because how convenient to invent the names in a manner that reinforces the doctrinal position of the time, which was precisely the removal of Yah, in order to achieve the patriarchalisation of the cult. In precisely the same way, when Catholicism took over in Eireland, the historical and mythological heroes were all transformed into Christian saints, as though they always had been.
1:13 LE ASHER PAGI-EL BEN ACHRAN
לְאָשֵׁר פַּגְעִיאֵל בֶּן עָכְרָן
KJ: Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.
BN: For Asher, Pagi-El ben Achran.
1:14 LE GAD EL-YASAPH BEN DE'U-EL
לְגָד אֶלְיָסָף בֶּן דְּעוּאֵל
KJ: Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
BN: For Gad, El-Yasaph ben De'u-El.
EL-YASAPH BEN DE'U-EL: Some readings prefer ELI-ASAPH.
1:15 LE NAPHTALI ACHI-RA BEN EYNAN
לְנַפְתָּלִי אֲחִירַע בֶּן עֵינָן
KJ: Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.
BN: For Naphtali, Achi-Ra ben Eynan.
ACHI-RA: "my brother is wicked"! Or Achi-Ra: "my brother is Ra"? The latter obviously the more likely.
1:16 ELEH KERIYEH NESIYEY MATOT AVOTAM RASHEY ALPHEY YISRA-EL HEM
אֵלֶּה קריאי (קְרוּאֵי) הָעֵדָה נְשִׂיאֵי מַטּוֹת אֲבוֹתָם רָאשֵׁי אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם
KJ: These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
BN: These were the elders of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Yisra-El.
The inference being that the heads of the tribes also had religious duties - see GULGOLOTAM in verse 2 - and would now serve as military commanders for their tribes, which is of course entirely logical. It is interesting that, even at this early stage, YHVH wanted the Beney Yisra-El to be configured on tribal lines, rather than taking the opportunity to unite the tribes. It will lead to a breakdown of confederacy later on; which is to say that it institutionalised from the outset the lack of unity which was the reality within the confederation. As though the European Union, sending peace-keeping troops to a war zone, sent divisions of Germans, French, English etc, rather than a combined European army (yes, I know it does!).
1:17 VA YIKACH MOSHEH VE AHARON ET HA ANASHIM HA ELEH ASHER NIKVU BE SHEMOT
וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֵת הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר נִקְּבוּ בְּשֵׁמֹת
KJ: And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names:
BN: And Mosheh and Aharon took those men who have been indicated by name, above.
1:18 VE ET KOL HA EDAH HIKHILU BE ECHAD LA CHODESH HA SHENI VA YITYALDU AL MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH LE GULGOLOTAM
וְאֵת כָּל הָעֵדָה הִקְהִילוּ בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי וַיִּתְיַלְדוּ עַל מִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם
KJ: And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
BN: And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and each person was identified, by their family, by their clan, with the total number of their group, those from twenty years old and upward, sitting in the order that they sat for their duties at the Mishkan.
EDAH: We have noted many times previously that the assembly of the Beney Yisra-El goes by differing names, depending on the purpose of the assembly. When it is religious, it is always EDAH.
YITYALDU: The Hitpa'el or Reflexive form, from the root NOLAD = "to bear". "Declared their pedigrees" is not the best way of phrasing it, but there is no short-form equivalent in English, if this is indeed what happened: the equivalent of the first plenary session of the conference, and the facilitator goes round the room, asking everyone to stand, state their name, something about themselves, the organisation they represent. But there are more than a million of these people, and it would have taken days! I am inclined to think that only the clan-chiefs stood, and they "introduced" their particular extended group. MISPAR SHEMOT is the clue to this, endorsed by the verse that folows; the clan chiefs are announcing the totals from the census.
1:19 KA ASHER TSIVAH YHVH ET MOSHEH VA YIPHKEDEM BE MIDBAR SINAI
כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה וַיִּפְקְדֵם בְּמִדְבַּר סִינָי
KJ: As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
BN: As YHVH instructed Mosheh, so did he number them in the wilderness of Sinai.
YIPHKEDEM: Check the root and meaning, because in modern Ivrit this suggests giving them rank rather than counting them (see my notes to verses 49 and 50 below) - or perhaps it could be argued that everyone automatically has a rank, even if it's only "Private" for a new conscript.
1:20 VA YIHEYU VENEY RE'U-VEN BECHOR YISRA-EL TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT LE GULGOLOTAM KOL ZACHAR MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי רְאוּבֵן בְּכֹר יִשְׂרָאֵל תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם כָּל זָכָר מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: And these were the Beney Re'u-Ven, Yisra-El's first-born, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, in the order that they sat for their duties at the Mishkan, every male aged twenty and upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
1:21 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH RE'U-VEN SHISHAH VE ARBA'IM ELEPH VA CHAMESH ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה רְאוּבֵן שִׁשָּׁה וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Re'u-Ven was forty-six thousand, five hundred.
pey break
1:22 LIVNEY SHIM'ON TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM PEKUDAV BE MISPAR SHEMOT LE GULGOLOTAM KOL ZACHAR MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי שִׁמְעוֹן תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם פְּקֻדָיו בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת לְגֻלְגְּלֹתָם כָּל זָכָר מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: The Beney Shim'on, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, ranked according to the number of names counted, in the order that they sat for their duties at the Mishkan, every male aged twenty and upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
Note the minor variations of wording in each repeated verse. On this occasion PEKUDAV is added.
1:23 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH SHIMON TISHA VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH U SHELOSH ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה שִׁמְעוֹן תִּשְׁעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Shim'on was fifty-nine thousand, three hundred.
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1:24 LIVNEY GAD TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי גָד תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: Of the Beney Gad, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
Note again (see verse 5 for the explanation), that Gad has been promoted, from 11th to 3rd, in this list.
This time LE GULGELOTAM and KOL ZACHAR are both missing.
This time LE GULGELOTAM and KOL ZACHAR are both missing.
1:25 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH GAD CHAMISHAH VE ARBA'IM ELEPH VE SHESH ME'OT VA CHAMISHIM
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה גָד חֲמִשָּׁה וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Gad was forty-five thousand, six hundred and fifty.
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1:26 LIVNEY YEHUDAH TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי יְהוּדָה תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: Of the Beney Yehudah, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
Again LE GULGELOTAM and KOL ZACHAR are missing.
1:27 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH YEHUDAH ARBA'AH VE SHIVIM ELEPH VE SHESH ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה אַרְבָּעָה וְשִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף וְשֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Yehudah was seventy-four thousand, six hundred.
It may well have taken you a few verses before these numbers began to sink in - despite my comments, perhaps even because you needed to reject/deny my comments. Forty thousand, fifty thousand, now seventy thousand, and that is just the men of military age. Add the under-20s and the over-60s, add the women... and by the time we finish this census we will find that well over a million people are claimed to have left Egypt on the night of Passover; and each one is personally bringing enough sheep and goats and cattle for their sacrifices... and each one has brought sufficient gold and silver and jewellery for the Mishkan... Implausible? To say the least.
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1:28 LIVNEY YISASCHAR TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VE MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי יִשָּׂשכָר תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: Of the Beney Yisaschar, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
Again LE GULGELOTAM and KOL ZACHAR are missing.
1:29 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH YISASCHAR ARBA'AH VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה יִשָּׂשכָר אַרְבָּעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Yisaschar was fifty-four thousand, four hundred.
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1:30 LIVNEY ZEVULUN TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי זְבוּלֻן תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
And maybe now is as good a time as any to calculate how many generations would be needed to reach such a number, and then use that to go back to the debate about: how many years were the Habiru slaves in Egypt?
BN: Of the Beney Zevulun, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
1:31 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH ZEVULUN SHIVA VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה זְבוּלֻן שִׁבְעָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Zevulun was fifty-seven thousand, four hundred.
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1:32 LIVNEY YOSEPH LIVNEY EPHRAYIM TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי יוֹסֵף לִבְנֵי אֶפְרַיִם תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: Of the Beney Yoseph: of the Beney Ephrayim, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
1:33 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH EPHRAYIM ARBA'IM ELEPH VA CHAMESH ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה אֶפְרָיִם אַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Ephrayim was forty thousand, five hundred.
And maybe now is as good a time as any to calculate how many generations would be needed to reach such a number, and then use that to go back to the debate about: how many years were the Habiru slaves in Egypt?
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1:34 LIVNEY MENASHEH TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי מְנַשֶּׁה תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמוֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: Of the Beney Menasheh, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
1:35 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH MENASHEH SHENAYIM U SHELOSHIM ELEPH U MATAYIM
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה מְנַשֶּׁה שְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף וּמָאתָיִם
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Menasheh was thirty-two thousand, two hundred.
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1:36 LIVNEY VIN-YAMIN TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי בִנְיָמִן תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: Of the Beney Bin-Yamin, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
1:37 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH VIN-YAMIN CHAMISHAH U SHELOSHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה בִנְיָמִן חֲמִשָּׁה וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Bin-Yamin was thirty-five thousand, four hundred.
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1:38 LIVNEY DAN TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי דָן תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: Of the Beney Dan, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
1:39 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH DAN SHENAYIM VE SHISHIM ELEPH U SHEVA ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה דָן שְׁנַיִם וְשִׁשִּׁים אֶלֶף וּשְׁבַע מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, werethreescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Dan was sixty-two thousand, seven hundred.
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1:40 LIVNEY ASHER TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
לִבְנֵי אָשֵׁר תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: Of the Beney Asher, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
1:41 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH ASHER ECHAD VE ARBA'IM ELEPH VA CHAMESH ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה אָשֵׁר אֶחָד וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Asher was forty-one thousand, five hundred.
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1:42 BENEY NAPHTALI TOLDOTAM LE MISHPECHOTAM LE VEIT AVOTAM BE MISPAR SHEMOT MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA
בְּנֵי נַפְתָּלִי תּוֹלְדֹתָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם בְּמִסְפַּר שֵׁמֹת מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כֹּל יֹצֵא צָבָא
KJ: Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
BN: The Beney Naphtali, by their family tree, by their families, by their clans, according to the number of names counted, from age twenty upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
This one starts "BENEY" rather than "LI VENEY". Sloppy!
1:43 PEKUDEYHEM LE MATEH NAPHTALI SHELOSHAH VA CHAMISHIM ELEPH VE ARBA ME'OT
פְּקֻדֵיהֶם לְמַטֵּה נַפְתָּלִי שְׁלֹשָׁה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אֶלֶף וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת
KJ: Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
BN: The total number from the tribe of Naphtali was fifty-three thousand, four hundred.
There is something at once precise but also imprecise about these numbers. Why round up, or down, to a hundred, and not a thousand? Why not count exactly? And were there rejected conscripts, on grounds of "blemish" - after all, a person going to war for YHVH is the equivalent of a sacrificial lamb on the altar, and blemished lambs are not accepted.
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1:44 ELEH HA PEKUDIM ASHER PAKAD MOSHEH VA AHARON U NESI'EY YISRA-EL SHNEY-ASAR ISH ISH ECHAD LE VEIT AVOTAV HAYU
אֵלֶּה הַפְּקֻדִים אֲשֶׁר פָּקַד מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן וּנְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אִישׁ אִישׁ אֶחָד לְבֵית אֲבֹתָיו הָיוּ
KJ: These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers.
BN: These are the total numbers that Mosheh and Aharon counted, and the princes of Yisra-El, being twelve men; each one representing his tribe.
1:45 VA YIHEYU KOL PEKUDEY VENEY YISRA-EL LE VEIT AVOTAM MI BEN ESRIM SHANAH VA MA'LAH KOL YOTS'E TSAVA BE YISRA-EL
וַיִּהְיוּ כָּל פְּקוּדֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְבֵית אֲבֹתָם מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וָמַעְלָה כָּל יֹצֵא צָבָא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel;
BN: And this was the total number of Beney Yisra-El counted by their tribes, aged twenty years old and upward, all who were eligible for conscription.
So soon after leaving Mitsrayim (Egypt), and with no means of making war, given that they carried no weapons with them at the Exodus, had no means of collecting the materials from which to make weaponry (there are scant resources in the desert!), and were previously slaves for several centuries and therefore had no training in matters of war. Implausible? And at the same time, awareness that the land "promised" to them by the deity as their "inheritance" isn't actually a gift at all - I wonder if this is the case with all the Messianic promises?
1:46 VA YIHEYU KOL HA PEKUDIM SHESH ME'OT ELEPH U SHELOSHET ALAPHIM VA CHAMESH ME'OT VA CHAMISHIM
וַיִּהְיוּ כָּל הַפְּקֻדִים שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת אֶלֶף וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וַחֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁים
KJ: Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
BN: And all those who were counted numbered in total six hundred and three thousand, five hundred and fifty.
Which actually makes the total congregation closer to 1.5 million (the number of 20-60 year old women is likely to have been more or less the same as the men, which is 1.2 million, plus the children, plus the elderly). Implausible.
Or perhaps the number is significant symbolically, and therefore had to be achieved by the writers, no matter what the reality may have been! Certainly the mystagogues of Judaic mumbo-jumbo have had fun with the number, working out, for example, that if it were written down in Yehudit letters it would correspond to the phrase "all the sons of Yisra-El".
Of these 603,550 adult Beney Yisra-El males between the ages of 20 and 60, as we shall see in the next chapter of Numbers, 22,273 were firstborn; the uncounted Leviyim aged one month and older will be numbered in the second census )NUmbers 26), and total 22,300, of whom 7,500 are Beney Gershon, 8,600 Beney Kohat, and 6,200 Beney Merari. If I am correct, and the order of counting reflects the arrangement for the desert journey, then we can calculate the totals for each of the four camps: Yehudah, Yisaschar and Zebulun 186,400; Re'u-Ven, Shim'on and Gad 151,450; Ephrayim, Menasheh and Bin-Yamin 108,100; Dan, Asher and Naphtali 157,600.
Jump ahead to Numbers 26, 38 years on at the end of the desert journey, and a second census will be carried out. The total there will be lower - just 601,730, with Shim'on the most negatively affected (reduced from 59,300 to just 22,200), while the women of Menasheh have been prolifically enhancing the tribe, more than doubling their numbers in two generations - indeed, at such a rate, there must have been an epidemic of twins and triplets - the total up by 20,500 to a staggering 52,700 (and that is just the males of military age).
1:47 VE HA LEVIYIM LE MATEH AVOTAM LO HATPAKDU BETOCHAM
וְהַלְוִיִּם לְמַטֵּה אֲבֹתָם לֹא הָתְפָּקְדוּ בְּתוֹכָם
KJ: But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
BN: But the Leviyim after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
Because the Leviyim (Levites) were designated to be priests, not soldiers. Numbers 2:33 will reiterate this, but then Numbers 26 will counter it.
pey break
1:48 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר
KJ: For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:
1:49 ACH ET MATEH LEVI LO TIPHKOD VE ET ROSHAM LO TISA BETOCH BENEY YISRA-EL
אַךְ אֶת מַטֵּה לֵוִי לֹא תִפְקֹד וְאֶת רֹאשָׁם לֹא תִשָּׂא בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:
BN: However the tribe of Levi you shall not [include in this] count, nor shall you take the sum of them among the Beney Israel;
LO TIPHKOD... LO TISA: The repetition is only a problem if we insist on translating TIPHKOD as numbering, which most translators do, and which tradition I have maintained until this moment. In modern Ivrit a TAPHKID is a position of authority or command, and this census is for the purposes of conscription into the desert Tsahal; I think it would be perfectly correct to translate TIPHKOD as "conscript", and therefore render the first part of this verse as: "However the tribe of Levi you shall not conscript...
But Numbers 26 will count them (verses 57ff), despite this injunction, and its repetition at 2:33.
All of which confirms that the 12 tribal heads at the numbering left out the Leviyim but included both Ephrayim and Menasheh; which means the tribes are now officially no longer the 12 sons of Ya'akov, but the confederate arrangement that will pertain in Yisra-El. Yoseph has been personally excluded, but re-included through his sons. This endorses the view, expressed in the commentary in Genesis, that Yoseph was never a son of Ya'akov in the first place, but an Egyptian tale which the Redactor found a way of making into a Beney Yisra-Eli tale, by allying him to Ya'akov through Rachel.
1:50 VE ATAH TAPHKED ET HA LEVIYIM AL MISHKAN HA EDUT VE AL KOL KEYLAV VE AL KOL ASHER LO HEMAH YISU ET HA MISHKAN VE ET KOL KEYLAV VE HEM YESHARTUHU VE SAVIV LA MISHKAN YACHANU
וְאַתָּה הַפְקֵד אֶת הַלְוִיִּם עַל מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת וְעַל כָּל כֵּלָיו וְעַל כָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ הֵמָּה יִשְׂאוּ אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְאֶת כָּל כֵּלָיו וְהֵם יְשָׁרְתֻהוּ וְסָבִיב לַמִּשְׁכָּן יַחֲנוּ
KJ: But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.
BN: But you shall appoint the Leviyim over the Mishkan of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over everything that pertains to it; they shall carry the Mishkan, and all its furnishings; and they shall serve in it as ministers, and they shall make their camp around the Mishkan.
HAPHKED: Used here to mean "appoint", as noted in my comments on in verses 19 and 49.
MISHKAN: For the differences between the Mishkan and the Ohel Mo'ed, click here.
MISHKAN: For the differences between the Mishkan and the Ohel Mo'ed, click here.
1:51 U VINSO'A HA MISHKAN YORIDU OTO HA LEVIYIM U VA CHANOT HA MISHKAN YAKIMU OTO HA LEVIYIM VE HA ZAR HA KAREV YUMAT
וּבִנְסֹעַ הַמִּשְׁכָּן יוֹרִידוּ אֹתוֹ הַלְוִיִּם וּבַחֲנֹת הַמִּשְׁכָּן יָקִימוּ אֹתוֹ הַלְוִיִּם וְהַזָּר הַקָּרֵב יוּמָת
KJ: And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
BN: And when you journey with the Mishkan, the Leviyim shall take it down; and when the Mishkan is to be pitched, the Leviyim shall set it up; and the common man who approaches it shall be put to death.
U VINSO'A: should really be U VI NESO'A, but somehow this has come to be the traditional pronunciation.
YUMAT: Shall be put to death, or shall die? Again we have a lack of clarity as to whether this is a judicial or a divine execution.
1:52 VE CHANU BENEY YISRA-EL ISH AL MACHANEYHU VE ISH AL DIGLO LE ITSVOTAM
וְחָנוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ עַל מַחֲנֵהוּ וְאִישׁ עַל דִּגְלוֹ לְצִבְאֹתָם
KJ: And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.
BN: And the Beney Yisra-El shall pitch their tents, every man with his own camp, and every man with his own standard, according to their battallions.
DIGLO: The first we have heard about tribal standards. What were their motifs? Did they use the tribal jewels? Did they use astrological symbols, as Mosheh will, on his banner? Click here for what they might have been.
1:53 VE HA LEVIYIM YACHANU SAVIV LE MISHKAN HA EDUT VE LO YIHEYEH KETSEPH AL ADAT BENEY YISRA-EL VE SHAMRU HA LEVIYIM ET MISHMERET MISHKAN HA EDUT
וְהַלְוִיִּם יַחֲנוּ סָבִיב לְמִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת וְלֹא יִהְיֶה קֶצֶף עַל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְשָׁמְרוּ הַלְוִיִּם אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדוּת
KJ: But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.
BN: But the Leviyim shall pitch around the tent containing the Testimony, that there be no anger to vent against the congregation of the Beney Yisra-El; and the Leviyim shall keep the charge of the tent containing the Testimony.
1:54 VA YA'ASU BENEY YISRA-EL KE CHOL ASHER TSIVAH YHVH ET MOSHEH KEN ASU
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ
KJ: And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.
BN: Thus did the Beney Yisra-El; according to everything that YHVH instructed Mosheh, so they did.
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