20:1 VA YAVO'U VENEY YISRA-EL KOL HA EDAH MIDBAR TSIN BA CHODESH HA RISHON VA YESHEV HA AM BE KADESH VE TAMAT SHAM MIR-YAM VA TIKAVER SHAM
וַיָּבֹאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל הָעֵדָה מִדְבַּר צִן בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן וַיֵּשֶׁב הָעָם בְּקָדֵשׁ וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם וַתִּקָּבֵר שָׁם
KJ (King James translation): Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
BN (BibleNet translation): So the Beney Yisra-El, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Tsin in the first month; and the people abode in Kadesh; and Mir-Yam died there, and was buried there.
TSIN: See the link.
The first month of which year? It has been clear throughout the last chapters that this has been the second year. Certainly Numbers 1:1 started on the first day of the second month of the second year (Numbers 1:18 reiterates that) - which would be a month ahead of this date, unless the editor has switched from the Egyptian to the Babylonian calendar - click here. Or have we jumped forward 37 years, and this is now the end of the (supposed) 40-year journey?
Certainly this latter is the view of most traditional Jewish and Christian scholars - click here for a number of examples - though nothing in this opening verse, or at the end of the previous chapter, suggests such a leap.
KADESH: And were we not in Kadesh previously? The same examples at the link above also deal with this issue, though this is about location where that was about time. Kadesh, however, is made more complex by the fact that the word means "holy" or "set apart", so any desert shrine could be called Kadesh, or have Kadesh as a part of its name. Genesis 14:17 and 16:14, for what is elsewhere Eyn Mishpat; 20:1 has another; and the previous sojourn of the Mosaic congregation at a place named Kadesh can be found at Numbers 13:26. There will be later namings too - at Deuteronomy 32:51, Judges 11:16, Ezekiel 47:19, many others: see the link at the start of this paragraph. But Deuteronomy 1:2 is the key - from there, it appears that Kadesh was the starting-point of the journey, and Kadesh Barne'a its final stopping-place, regarded by the religious scholars as one and the same: in which case the journey, as a good pilgrimage should, was circular (I wonder if they went round the circle seven times, once every... no, that would require 50 years): yet what an odd point to place the start and finish of that circle: "eleven days journey from Chorev to Kadesh Barne'a by the way of Mount Se'ir" places it east of the river Yarden, in Edom or in Midyan.
Of what did Mir-Yam die? The plague? But "plague", as we have seen repeatedly, is a universal generalisation for anything bad that cannot otherwise be explained, from swarms of locusts to outbreaks of epidemics, from rivers filled with tadpoles to volcanoes pouring out burning lava. Is there a connection between Mir-Yam dying and the lack of water in the tale that follows? Or is this residual of the volcanic dust that covered her in Numbers 12:10? Mir-Yam appeared to be still a youngish woman when we last encountered her, so again, have we jumped 37 years? And if so, why does the text not say so?
20:2 VE LO HAYAH MAYIM LA EDAH VA YIKAHALU AL MOSHEH VE AL AHARON
וְלֹא הָיָה מַיִם לָעֵדָה וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ עַל מֹשֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן
KJ: And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
BN: And there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Mosheh and Aharon.
Before you read any further, go back to Exodus 17, and tell me if this isn't the same story, even down to the names and the explained meanings of the names (VA YAREV in v2, yielding MERIVAH, for example)- and much more likely to have happened in those early weeks of the exodus, than now, in the 3rd, let alone the 37th year. There the wilderness was named Sin, not Tsin, but for the rest...
20:3 VA YAREV HA AM IM MOSHEH VA YOMRU LEMOR VE LO GAV'ANU BI GEVA ACHEYNU LIPHNEY YHVH
KJ: And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!
BN: And the people argued with Mosheh, and spoke, saying: "Would that we had perished when our kinsmen perished before YHVH!..
(VA YAREV HA AM: Keep this phrase in mind for verse 13)
I think there is a better translation than this: "And the people formed committees and discussed the matter, and their leaders went to Mosheh and Aharon and said, this desert-business is tough, and we know you're doing everything you can. How can we help?" Unfortunately the Yehudit doesn't seem to allow that translation.
But we are in the realm of mythology, and explanations-by-sin have to be given for every eventuality. If 37 years have indeed passed, then Mosheh and his siblings are grown old, and it is time for each of them to die. What - our leaders, our heroes, our chiefs, die? Surely YHVH has some special fate in mind for them and they will live for ever? No - they have to die. And so each one must have committed a sin. We have already witnessed Mir-Yam's supposed sin - her complaint about the Kushite woman in Numbers 12:1 - and seen her punishment (12:10), and later - indeed at the opening of this chapter, her death. Now it is Mosheh's turn.
BI GEVA: Or BIGVA?
20:4 VE LANAH HAV'E'TEM ET KEHAL YHVH EL HA MIDBAR HA ZEH LAMUT SHAM ANACHNU U VE'IRENU
KJ: And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
20:4 VE LANAH HAV'E'TEM ET KEHAL YHVH EL HA MIDBAR HA ZEH LAMUT SHAM ANACHNU U VE'IRENU
וְלָמָה הֲבֵאתֶם אֶת קְהַל יְהוָה אֶל הַמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה לָמוּת שָׁם אֲנַחְנוּ וּבְעִירֵנוּ
KJ: And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
BN: "And why have you brought the assembly of YHVH into this wilderness, to die there, we and our cattle?..
A hugely problematic verse - for those, that is, who insist on the 40-year version, and want this to be year 40. If this is year 40, then most of these people were born in the desert, have no knowledge of Egypt and slavery, know nothing but the Bedou life, and have been brought up to shepherd and cowboy among the dunes and scrub and spend half their life in search of water. This would not be their complaint.
A hugely problematic verse - for those, that is, who insist on the 40-year version, and want this to be year 40. If this is year 40, then most of these people were born in the desert, have no knowledge of Egypt and slavery, know nothing but the Bedou life, and have been brought up to shepherd and cowboy among the dunes and scrub and spend half their life in search of water. This would not be their complaint.
But if it were still year two or three, and they are simply a group of pilgrims who came into the desert for a festival, and expected to go back to Mitsrayim (Egypt) immediately after, but then couldn't, because the Pharaoh changed his mind...
And anyway, for the 40-year version, they had no cattle, which is why we were told that YHVH sent manna, and Exodus 16:35 told us unequivocally that they ate manna and nothing else (not even the vast amounts of oxen and sheep and goats they slaughtered for the various festivals and ceremonies in too many verses of Torah to have room to quote them all) throughout those forty years.
And anyway, for the 40-year version, they had no cattle, which is why we were told that YHVH sent manna, and Exodus 16:35 told us unequivocally that they ate manna and nothing else (not even the vast amounts of oxen and sheep and goats they slaughtered for the various festivals and ceremonies in too many verses of Torah to have room to quote them all) throughout those forty years.
20:5 VE LAMAH HE'ELITUNU MI MITSRAYIM LEHAVI OTANU EL HA MAKOM HA RA HA ZEH LO MEKOM ZERA U TE'ENAH VE GEPHEN VE RIMON U MAYIM AYIN LISHTOT
וְלָמָה הֶעֱלִיתֻנוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם לְהָבִיא אֹתָנוּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם הָרָע הַזֶּה לֹא מְקוֹם זֶרַע וּתְאֵנָה וְגֶפֶן וְרִמּוֹן וּמַיִם אַיִן לִשְׁתּוֹת
KJ: And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
BN: "And why have you made us come up out of Mitsrayim, to bring us to this dismal place? There is no seed in this place, no figs, no vines, no pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink."
"And so our committees have decided that, as we are free agents, we are going back to Mitsrayim, and we wish you and Aharon and any who wish to go on with you good luck, and please let us know how you get on." But the Yehudit doesn't allow this translation either.
20:6 VA YAVO MOSHEH VE AHARON MI PENEY HA KAHAL EL PETACH OHEL MO'ED VA YIPLU AL PENEYHEM VA YERA CHEVOD YHVH ALEYHEM
וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן מִפְּנֵי הַקָּהָל אֶל פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיִּפְּלוּ עַל פְּנֵיהֶם וַיֵּרָא כְבוֹד יְהוָה אֲלֵיהֶם
KJ: And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.
BN: And Mosheh and Aharon went from their audience in the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and prostrated themselves; and the glory of YHVH appeared to them.
pey break
20:7 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR
20:6 VA YAVO MOSHEH VE AHARON MI PENEY HA KAHAL EL PETACH OHEL MO'ED VA YIPLU AL PENEYHEM VA YERA CHEVOD YHVH ALEYHEM
KJ: And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.
BN: And Mosheh and Aharon went from their audience in the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and prostrated themselves; and the glory of YHVH appeared to them.
pey break
20:7 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH LEMOR
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר
KJ: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh, saying:
Yet again he speaks to Mosheh, but no mention of Aharon who is also there; see Korach's complaint (Numbers 16).
20:8 KACH ET HA MATEH VE HA KEHAL ET HA EDAH ATAH VE AHARON ACHICHA VE DIBARTEM EL HA SELA LE EYNEYHEM VE NATAN MEYMAV VE HOTSE'TA LAHEM MAYIM MIN HA SELA VE HISHKIT ET HA EDAH VE ET BE'IRAM
קַח אֶת הַמַּטֶּה וְהַקְהֵל אֶת הָעֵדָה אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְדִבַּרְתֶּם אֶל הַסֶּלַע לְעֵינֵיהֶם וְנָתַן מֵימָיו וְהוֹצֵאתָ לָהֶם מַיִם מִן הַסֶּלַע וְהִשְׁקִיתָ אֶת הָעֵדָה וְאֶת בְּעִירָם
KJ: Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
BN (borrowing a standard translation): Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you, and Aharon your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it brings forth its water; and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their cattle drink.
This is at Kadesh, not Merivah (you will understand why I am saying this as you read on).
VE DIBARTEM: Yes, it really does say "speak to the rock". Magic spells and incantations. "Let there be water - and there was water". Religion reduced to abracadabra.
20:9 VA YIKACH MOSHEH ETHA MATEH MI LIPHNEY YHVH KA ASHER TSIVAHU
20:9 VA YIKACH MOSHEH ETHA MATEH MI LIPHNEY YHVH KA ASHER TSIVAHU
וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַמַּטֶּה מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ
KJ: And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
BN: And Mosheh took the rod from before YHVH, as he instructed him.
If I were Aharon I would have a problem with this; the MATEH was given to Aharon and it is very clearly his symbol of office as the high priest; yet it is the secular leader, Mosheh, who takes his rod and performs the religious "miracle".
20:10 VA YAKHILU MOSHEH VE AHARON ET HA KAHAL EL PENEY HA SALA VA YOMER LAHEM SHIMU NA HA MORIM HA MIN HA SELAH HA ZEH NOTSI LACHEM MAYIM
וַיַּקְהִלוּ מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶת הַקָּהָל אֶל פְּנֵי הַסָּלַע וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַמֹּרִים הֲמִן הַסֶּלַע הַזֶּה נוֹצִיא לָכֶם מָיִם
KJ: And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
BN: And Mosheh and Aharon gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them: Hear now, you rebels; are we to bring you forth water out of this rock?
HA MORIM: Why "rebels". They are thirsty. They came to their rulers to ask for water, and don't understand why their rulers haven't sorted this problem out already. But wait a moment... what is the root of MORIM? Why, it's MAR, bitterness, the same as Mir-Yam's name, the same as the Bitter Lakes which are the main water sources for this entire region... we are in the realm of mythology once again, and need to understand that names are never names, because meanings are always meanings. We are dealing with the liturgy of the shrine.
20:11 VA YAREM MOSHEH ET YADO VA YACH ET HA SELA BE MATEYHU PA'AMAYIM VA YETS'U MAYIM RABIM VE TESHT HA EDAH U VE'IRAM
וַיָּרֶם מֹשֶׁה אֶת יָדוֹ וַיַּךְ אֶת הַסֶּלַע בְּמַטֵּהוּ פַּעֲמָיִם וַיֵּצְאוּ מַיִם רַבִּים וַתֵּשְׁתְּ הָעֵדָה וּבְעִירָם
KJ: And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
BN: And Mosheh lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle.
YAREM...YACH: I think this is the equivalent of my experience as a schoolboy at prep school. You get sent to the Headmaster for some minor offense, worthy of a good talking-to, but instead he makes you bend over and uses the cane. So, here, YHVH's instruction was "speak to" the rock; Mosheh's sin is self-evident. And not once, but twice.
And again go back to Exodus 17 - on that occasion (verse 6) YHVH definitely told him to strike the rock, not speak to it.
Beyond this, as a secular Jew who can believe in YHVH as metaphor, even as verb, but not as Santa Claus, and definitely not as Headmaster, I can offer no useful commentary on this verse, other than to refer my readers to the faith commentaries, and to the words of YHVH in the next verse, which confirm my comments at verse 3.
samech break
20:12 VA YOMER YHVH EL MOSHEH VE EL AHARON YA'AN LO HE'EMANTEM BI LEHAKDISHENI LE EYNEY BENEY YISRA-EL LACHEN LO TAVI'U ET HA KAHAL HA ZEH EL HA ARETS ASHER NATATI LAHEM
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן יַעַן לֹא הֶאֱמַנְתֶּם בִּי לְהַקְדִּישֵׁנִי לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָכֵן לֹא תָבִיאוּ אֶת הַקָּהָל הַזֶּה אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לָהֶם
KJ: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
BN: Then YHVH said to Mosheh and to Aharon: "Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the Beney Yisra-El, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them...
Nothing quite like gratitude from your boss, is there? And what about YHVH's repeated claim that this time he has put an end to all the murmurings? Maybe he should be told he can't enter the land either, as a punishment for his failures.
LEHAKDISHENI: Keep this word in mind until the next verse.
20:13 HEMAH MEY MERIVAH ASHER RAVU VENEY YISRA-EL ET YHVH VA YIKADESH BAM
הֵמָּה מֵי מְרִיבָה אֲשֶׁר רָבוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת יְהוָה וַיִּקָּדֵשׁ בָּם
BN: These are the waters of Merivah, where the Beney Yisra-El strove with YHVH, and he was sanctified in them.
YIKADESH: No, there is something, and something significant at that, missing from this text. In the previous verse Mosheh failed to "sanctify" YHVH, and yet here he states that he has been sanctified. My suggestion is that there was a fairly conventional ceremony for obtaining water from the oases and fountains in the desert, which would have involved "speaking" in the form of "prayers", and use of the MATEH in its conventional "priestly sceptre" manner, waving it like a lulav, pointing it like a Cross to the four points of the compass, tapping the rock, etc; but that there was also the bitterness of the waters, because all of these Sinai waters are saline; and then there was the need for a Mosaic sin to explain his death. Or perhaps there was an aetiological myth to explain the bitterness of the waters - MAR and MERIVAH as explained above - and this became attached to Mosheh, in the same manner that it was already associated with Mir-Yam: Mosheh as a version of Egyptian Osher (Osiris), as Mir-Yam was a version of Egyptian Eshet (Isis). Compare the metamorphosis of the Persian spring ceremonies into Purim and Easter - same process.
And if not this, then how are we to understand "the waters of Merivah"? The next verse tells us again that we are at Kadesh, just as in verse 1. Does the place have two names? Is the concept of Merivah metaphorical in some other way? Yet the incident has always been remembered as taking place at Merivah, as though Merivah were the place, and not simply the quarrel - go back now to my uncommented note to verse 3, where the text gives VA YAREV HA AM, VA YAREV coming from the same root that gives MERIVAH. And then, for a third time, look at the text of Exodus 17 - but also Numbers 33:36, where we are told that the name of the place was indeed Kadesh, but changed to Merivah because of this incident. Hmm! responds the voice of scepticism and doubt.
VE YIKADESH BAM: YHVH reprimands Mosheh for not sanctifying him (LEHAKDISHENI), but here we are told that YHVH is indeed sanctified (VE YIKADESH BAM). And once again I have to ask: where are they? Oh, what a coincidence, they are at ... KADESH... this needs a great deal more thinking about!
One last question. If Mosheh and Aharon have just been informed that they will not be permitted to enter the Promised Land; now, in year 2.1 or possibly 3.1 - why would they not resign in favour of those who will be able to plan that entry as leaders, rather than followers? And if the people know, why would they follow them through the next 37 years and not demand new leadership?
samech break
20:14 VA YISHLACH MOSHEH MALACHIM MI KADESH EL MELECH EDOM KOH AMAR ACHIYCHA YISRA-EL ATAH YADATA ET KOL HA TELA'AH ASHER METSA'ATNU
וַיִּשְׁלַח מֹשֶׁה מַלְאָכִים מִקָּדֵשׁ אֶל מֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם כֹּה אָמַר אָחִיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֵת כָּל הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתְנוּ
KJ: And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:
BN: Then Mosheh sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: Thus says your brother Yisra-El: "You know all the hardship that has befallen us...
I have put in the map (enlarge it with a click, or there is another under Midyan), because my questions at the start of this chapter have deepened as the chapter has gone on. There is a red dot on the map, at Etsion Gever, at the very tip of the right prong of the Red Sea, where Eilat is located - they will be coming south to Eilat very soon. The Wilderness of Tsin is to the north and east - in what today would be the country of Jordan, and definitely on the east of the river that bears that name. But were they not in the Sinai desert, in the land between the two prongs? Have they been in Jordan all this time? Is Mount Chorev (Horeb) in Jordan - which would have been Midyan at that time? Is Mount Sinai in Jordan/Midyan? Is Kadesh (elsewhere known as Kadesh Barne'a) in Jordan/Midyan? Everything that we are about to read infers that the answer to these questions is yes - and it is something that we have suggested on numerous previous occasions.
ACHICHA: "Brother" Yisra-El. Well, yes, theoretically. Kayin was Havel's brother, and after killig Kayin and being dispatched to the land of Nod, he married into the Beney Yishma-El (who were only half-brothers) and settled in Edom. Esav was Ya'akov's brother, and after having both his birthright and his blessing stolen, he too married Banot Yishma-El, and settled in Edom. So, yes, they are brothers, but history does not suggest that Mosheh is going to get a very positive response.
20:15 VA YERDU AVOTEYNU MITSRAYIMAH VA NESHEV BE MITSRAYIM YAMIM RABIM VA YARE'U LANU MITSRAYIM VE LA AVOTEYNU
KJ: How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:
BN: "How our fathers went down into Mitsrayim, and we dwelt in Mitsrayim a long time; and the Mitsri dealt badly with us, and our fathers...
20:16 VE NITS'AK EL YHVH VA YISHMA KOLENU VA YISHLACH MAL'ACH VA YOTSI'ENU MI MITSRAYIM VE HINEH ANACHNU VE KADESH IR KETSEH GEVULECHA
וַנִּצְעַק אֶל יְהוָה וַיִּשְׁמַע קֹלֵנוּ וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָךְ וַיֹּצִאֵנוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ בְקָדֵשׁ עִיר קְצֵה גְבוּלֶךָ
KJ: And when we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we arein Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:
BN: "And when we cried to YHVH, he heard our voice, and sent a messenger, and brought us out of Mitsrayim; and now we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your border...
Which "angel"? the only one mentioned in the story was the angel of death; he/she certainly didn't bring them out.
20:17 NA'BERAH NA VE ARTSECHA LO NA'AVOR BE SADEH U VE CHEREM VE LO NISHTEH MEY VE'ER DERECH HA MELECH NELECH LO NITEH YAMIN U SMOL AD ASHER NA'AVOR GEVULECHA
KJ: Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink ofthe water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
BN: "Please accept my formal request to be permitted to pass through your land. We hereby undertake not to pass through any field or vineyard, nor will we drink any water from any of the wells. Our intention is to follow the king's highway. We solemnly vow not to turn aside either to the right hand nor to the left, until we have crossed your northern border."
Remember we are talking, from the census anyway, about 2 million people! And not one of them is going so much as to pick a ripe apple from an untended tree. Just imagine the latterday Sheikh Trump of Midyan, sending Emir Farage to the border, to bid them "welcome to the dream-state"!
20:18 VA YOMER ELAV EDOM LO TA'AVOR BI PEN BA CHEREV ETS'E LIKRATECHA
KJ: And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.
BN: And Edom replied: "Your people set one foot on my land, and expect my army to deal with you."
As with the previous verse, my translation may not be entirely accurate or literal, in terms of the given words, but is, I believe, enturely accurate in terms of tone.
20:19 VA YOMRU ELAV BENEY YISRA-EL BA MESILAH NA'ALEH VE IM MEYMEYCHA NISHTEH ANI U MIKNAI VE NATATI MICHRAM RAK EYN DAVAR BE RAGLAI E'EVORAH
KJ: And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.
BN: And the Beney Yisra-El said to him: "We will go up by the highway. Any water that I drink, I and my cattle, I will pay whatever it costs. Let me only pass through on my feet. Nothing will be damaged."
Odd mixing of 3rd and 1st person singular. But I guess this is diplomatic language.
20:17 NA'BERAH NA VE ARTSECHA LO NA'AVOR BE SADEH U VE CHEREM VE LO NISHTEH MEY VE'ER DERECH HA MELECH NELECH LO NITEH YAMIN U SMOL AD ASHER NA'AVOR GEVULECHA
נַעְבְּרָה נָּא בְאַרְצֶךָ לֹא נַעֲבֹר בְּשָׂדֶה וּבְכֶרֶם וְלֹא נִשְׁתֶּה מֵי בְאֵר דֶּרֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ נֵלֵךְ לֹא נִטֶּה יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול עַד אֲשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר גְּבֻלֶךָ
KJ: Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink ofthe water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
BN: "Please accept my formal request to be permitted to pass through your land. We hereby undertake not to pass through any field or vineyard, nor will we drink any water from any of the wells. Our intention is to follow the king's highway. We solemnly vow not to turn aside either to the right hand nor to the left, until we have crossed your northern border."
Remember we are talking, from the census anyway, about 2 million people! And not one of them is going so much as to pick a ripe apple from an untended tree. Just imagine the latterday Sheikh Trump of Midyan, sending Emir Farage to the border, to bid them "welcome to the dream-state"!
20:18 VA YOMER ELAV EDOM LO TA'AVOR BI PEN BA CHEREV ETS'E LIKRATECHA
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֱדוֹם לֹא תַעֲבֹר בִּי פֶּן בַּחֶרֶב אֵצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ
KJ: And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.
BN: And Edom replied: "Your people set one foot on my land, and expect my army to deal with you."
As with the previous verse, my translation may not be entirely accurate or literal, in terms of the given words, but is, I believe, enturely accurate in terms of tone.
20:19 VA YOMRU ELAV BENEY YISRA-EL BA MESILAH NA'ALEH VE IM MEYMEYCHA NISHTEH ANI U MIKNAI VE NATATI MICHRAM RAK EYN DAVAR BE RAGLAI E'EVORAH
וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמְסִלָּה נַעֲלֶה וְאִם מֵימֶיךָ נִשְׁתֶּה אֲנִי וּמִקְנַי וְנָתַתִּי מִכְרָם רַק אֵין דָּבָר בְּרַגְלַי אֶעֱבֹרָה
KJ: And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.
BN: And the Beney Yisra-El said to him: "We will go up by the highway. Any water that I drink, I and my cattle, I will pay whatever it costs. Let me only pass through on my feet. Nothing will be damaged."
Odd mixing of 3rd and 1st person singular. But I guess this is diplomatic language.
Odd also that the previous was described as "envoys" speaking in Mosheh's name,(and the manner of the reply echoed this diplomatic theatricality) but this is now "the Beney Yisra-El". Are the envoys perhaps deviating from the given script, and making this into less formal dialogue?
BA MESILAH NA'ALEH: What was a request is now a statement of intention: "send your army if you must, but we will be going along the highway; we have no military or colonial intentions; we simply intend to pass through. And we will cover any costs."
20:20 VA YOMER LO TA'AVOR VA YETS'E EDOM LIKRATO BE AM KAVED U VE YAD CHAZAKAH
KJ: And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.
BN: And he said: "You shall not pass through." And Edom came out against him with many people, and all of them armed.
LIKRATO: Again an odd use of the singular.
VE YAD CHAZAKAH: The same phrase that has been and will again be used, throughout history indeed, to describe how YHVH brought the BENEY YISRA-EL out of Mitsrayim. Here it clearly infers the military.
20:21 VA YEMA'EN EDOM NETON ET YISRA-EL AVOR BI GEVULO VA YET YISRA-EL ME ALAV
וַיְמָאֵן אֱדוֹם נְתֹן אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבֹר בִּגְבֻלוֹ וַיֵּט יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעָלָיו
KJ: Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.
BN: Thus Edom refused to give Yisra-El passage through his border; wherefore Yisra-El turned away from him.
pey break
20:22 VA YIS'U MI KADESH VA YAVO'U VENEY YISRA-EL KOL HA EDAH HOR HA HAR
וַיִּסְעוּ מִקָּדֵשׁ וַיָּבֹאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל הָעֵדָה הֹר הָהָר
KJ: And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.
BN: And they journeyed from Kadesh; and the whole congregation of the Beney Yisra-El came to Mount Hor.
Look again at the map. Mount Hor is adjacent to Kadesh, practically at Petra. At some point they must have passed through Kenite lands, but this has never been mentioned. And be aware, this is also the very edges of the Nefud desert, the hottest desert on planet Earth.
Mount Hor in the Arabic is Jebel Haroun, in part because Aharon will be buried here, in part because this is the sacred mountain of Egyptian Hor (Horus), and in the burial of Aharon, precisely here (see below), is confirmed the connection between Aharon, Haroun and Horus that we explored in the Book of Exodus.
20:23 VA YOMER YHVH EL MOSHEH VE EL AHARON BE HOR HA HAR AL GEVUL ERETS EDOM LEMOR
KJ: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon on Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying:
20:23 VA YOMER YHVH EL MOSHEH VE EL AHARON BE HOR HA HAR AL GEVUL ERETS EDOM LEMOR
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן בְּהֹר הָהָר עַל גְּבוּל אֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם לֵאמֹר
KJ: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying,
BN: Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon on Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying:
And this time he speaks to both Mosheh and Aharon. But of necessity, given the words of the next verse. Is this then how it works: Aharon is always present, as high priest, but he is only directly addressed when it relates to him and/or his family and duties; if it is secular he merely attends?
20:24 YE'ASEPH AHARON EL AMAV KI LO YAVO EL HA ARETS ASHER NATATI LIVNEY YISRA-EL AL SHER MERIYTEM ET PI LE MEY MERIVAH
יֵאָסֵף אַהֲרֹן אֶל עַמָּיו כִּי לֹא יָבֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אֲשֶׁר מְרִיתֶם אֶת פִּי לְמֵי מְרִיבָה
KJ: Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.
BN: Aharon shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the Beney Yisra-El, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Merivah.
But it was Mosheh, not Aharon, who struck the rock at Kadesh (Merivah)... or is this another reason why the religious scholars need the text to have jumped forward to year 40? Mosheh and Aharon are now old men, and have to die, as Mir-Yam already did in verse 1. But, again, for theological purposes, it needs to be the consequence of sin...
20:25 KACH ET AHARON VE ET EL-AZAR BENO VE HA'AL OTAM HOR HA HAR
KJ: Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:
BN: Take Aharon, and El-Azar his son, and bring them up onto Mount Hor.
I am unaware of any scholar who has explored this, but it is an extraordinary coincidence that Aharon, which would be Haroun in Arabic, and which is etymologically connected to Hor, whom the Greeks called Horus, should be taken to the mountain of his own name to die; and taken there by a younger brother whose own story echoes that of Horus' younger brother and supplanter Osher, whom the Greeks called Osiris.
20:24 YE'ASEPH AHARON EL AMAV KI LO YAVO EL HA ARETS ASHER NATATI LIVNEY YISRA-EL AL SHER MERIYTEM ET PI LE MEY MERIVAH
יֵאָסֵף אַהֲרֹן אֶל עַמָּיו כִּי לֹא יָבֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אֲשֶׁר מְרִיתֶם אֶת פִּי לְמֵי מְרִיבָה
KJ: Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.
BN: Aharon shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the Beney Yisra-El, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Merivah.
But it was Mosheh, not Aharon, who struck the rock at Kadesh (Merivah)... or is this another reason why the religious scholars need the text to have jumped forward to year 40? Mosheh and Aharon are now old men, and have to die, as Mir-Yam already did in verse 1. But, again, for theological purposes, it needs to be the consequence of sin...
20:25 KACH ET AHARON VE ET EL-AZAR BENO VE HA'AL OTAM HOR HA HAR
קַח אֶת אַהֲרֹן וְאֶת אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ וְהַעַל אֹתָם הֹר הָהָר
KJ: Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:
BN: Take Aharon, and El-Azar his son, and bring them up onto Mount Hor.
I am unaware of any scholar who has explored this, but it is an extraordinary coincidence that Aharon, which would be Haroun in Arabic, and which is etymologically connected to Hor, whom the Greeks called Horus, should be taken to the mountain of his own name to die; and taken there by a younger brother whose own story echoes that of Horus' younger brother and supplanter Osher, whom the Greeks called Osiris.
But then, if this has been an Egyptian pilgrimage, making the circuit of the water-shrines in the desert, renewing the covenant at the holy mountain, then it would be logical, at the end of the journey, for the triplet of deities to die, in order to be reborn in the next cycle, for the next pilgrimage. I wonder if they will erect another Golden Calf in Aharon's honour, at his graveside.
20:26 VE HAPHSHET ET AHARON ET BEGADAV VE HILBASHTAM ET EL-AZAR BENO VE AHARON YE'ASEPH U MET SHAM
20:26 VE HAPHSHET ET AHARON ET BEGADAV VE HILBASHTAM ET EL-AZAR BENO VE AHARON YE'ASEPH U MET SHAM
וְהַפְשֵׁט אֶת אַהֲרֹן אֶת בְּגָדָיו וְהִלְבַּשְׁתָּם אֶת אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ וְאַהֲרֹן יֵאָסֵף וּמֵת שָׁם
KJ: And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.
BN: And strip Aharon of his garments, and put them on El-Azar his son; and Aharon shall be gathered to his people, and shall die there.
20:27 VA YA'AS MOSHEH KA ASHER TSIVAH YHVH VA YA'ALU EL HOR HA HAR LE EYNEY KOL HA EDAH
וַיַּעַשׂ מֹשֶׁה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה וַיַּעֲלוּ אֶל הֹר הָהָר לְעֵינֵי כָּל הָעֵדָה
KJ: And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
BN: And Mosheh did as YHVH instructed; and they went up onto Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
20:28 VA YAPHSHET MOSHEH ET AHARON ET BEGADAV VA YALBESH OTAM ET EL-AZAR BENO VA YATAM AHARON SHAM BE ROSH HA HAR VA YERED MOSHEH VE EL-AZAR MIN HA HAR
KJ: And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.
וַיַּפְשֵׁט מֹשֶׁה אֶת אַהֲרֹן אֶת בְּגָדָיו וַיַּלְבֵּשׁ אֹתָם אֶת אֶלְעָזָר בְּנוֹ וַיָּמָת אַהֲרֹן שָׁם בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה וְאֶלְעָזָר מִן הָהָר
KJ: And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.
BN: And Mosheh stripped Aharon of his garments, and put them on El-Azar his son; and Aharon died there on the top of the mountain; and Mosheh and El-Azar came down from the mountain.
If this was a shrine to Horus, we can assume (think of Mount Athos or St George's at Jericho today) that there was some kind of a shrine there, with a bo'ab at least if not the full priesthood, and that, like Mosheh's death on Mount Nevo later, this was a hospicing of Aharon, not exposure and abandonment on an open mountainside.
20:29 VA YIR'U KOL HA EDAH KI GAVA AHARON VA YIVKU ET AHARON SHELOSHIM YOM KOL BEIT YISRA-EL
וַיִּרְאוּ כָּל הָעֵדָה כִּי גָוַע אַהֲרֹן וַיִּבְכּוּ אֶת אַהֲרֹן שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם כֹּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.
BN: And when all the congregation saw that Aharon was dead, all the house of Yisra-El wept for Aharon thirty days.
The full thirty days - look at "A Myrtle Among Reeds" for the details. Did they mourn Mir-Yam the full thirty as well? We are not told, but have to assume that they did.
Note the symmetry of the chapter, with Mir-Yam dying in the opening verse, and Aharon in the closing verse.
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