9:1 VA YEDABER YHVH EL MOSHEH BE MIDBAR SINAI BA SHANAH HA SHENIT LE TSETAM ME ERETS MITSRAYIM BA CHODESH HA RISHON LEMOR
וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְמִדְבַּר סִינַי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן לֵאמֹר
KJ (King James translation): And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
BN (BibleNet translation): Then YHVH spoke to Mosheh in the desert of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, saying:
But the date that was given at the start of the Book of Numbers was " the first day of the second month, in the second year " (Numbers 1:1). Why would the text not go in chronological order?
9:2 VA YA'ASU VENEY YISRA-EL ET HA PASACH BE MO'ADO
וְיַעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַפָּסַח בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ
KJ: Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.
BN: Let the Beney Yisra-El keep the festival of Pesach in its appointed season.
This is not a matter of the Pesach being instituted again; this is simply a reminder; an understanding of the dates and rules is implicit. So why give it now? Because this is the beginning of the month in which it is to take place - starting on the evening of the 14th, as the next verse will remind Mosheh (just in case he forgot!).
9:3 BE ARBA'AH ASAR YOM BA CHODESH HA ZEH BEYN HA ARBA'IM TA'ASU OTO BE MO'ADO KE CHOL CHUKATAV U CHE CHOL MISHPATAV TA'ASU OTO
בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם תַּעֲשׂוּ אֹתוֹ בְּמֹעֲדוֹ כְּכָלחֻקֹּתָיו וּכְכָל מִשְׁפָּטָיו תַּעֲשׂוּ אֹתוֹ
KJ: In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.
BN: On the fourteenth day of this month, at dusk, you shall keep it in its appointed season; according to all its statutes, and according to all its the ordinances, you shall keep it.
BEYN HA ARBA'IM; See the previous notes, but this is the clearest confirmation yet that the explanation-correction offered earlier was correct.
9:4 VA YEDABER MOSHEH EL BENEY YISRA-EL LA'ASOT HA PASACH
וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשֹׂת הַפָּסַח
KJ: And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.
BN: And Mosheh spoke to the Beney Yisra-El, that they should keep the Pesach.
Please could a grammarian with greater knowledge than I have explain why this is not LA'ASOT ET HA PESACH. In the next verse, the ET is restored.
9:5 VA YA'ASU ET HA PESACH BA RISHON BE ARBA'AH ASAR YOM LA CHODESH BEYN HA ARBA'IM BE MIDBAR SINAI KE CHOL ASHER TSIVAH YHVH ET MOSHEH KEN ASU BENEY YISRA-EL
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ אֶת הַפֶּסַח בָּרִאשׁוֹן בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם בְּמִדְבַּר סִינָי כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
BN: And they kept the Pesach in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at dusk, in the wilderness of Sinai; precisely as YHVH had instructed Mosheh, so the Beney Yisra-El did.
Why is it PESACH in this verse, but PASACH in the previous? And is whatever that reason may be also the explanation of the missing ET?
9:6 VA YEHI ANASHIM ASHER HAYU LE NEPHESH ADAM VE LO YACHLU LA'ASOT HA PESACH BA YOM HA HU VA YIKREVU LIPHNEY MOSHEH VE LIPHNEY AHARON BA YOM HA HU
וַיְהִי אֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ טְמֵאִים לְנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לַעֲשֹׂת הַפֶּסַח בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיִּקְרְבוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה וְלִפְנֵי אַהֲרֹן בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא
KJ: And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:
BN: But there were certain men, who were unclean from the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the Pesach on that day; and they presented themselves before Mosheh and Aharon on that day.
This will now be the formal establishment of Pesach Sheni, but see my notes at Numbers 1:1, which also invite you to look again at Exodus 16, and for our purpose here verse 1 especially.
9:7 VA YOMRU HA ANASHIM HA HEMAH ELAV ANACHNU TEMEYIM LE NEPHESH ADAM LAMAH NIGARA LEVILTI HAKRIV ET KARBAN YHVH BE MO'ADO BETOCH BENEY YISRA-EL
וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵמָּה אֵלָיו אֲנַחְנוּ טְמֵאִים לְנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם לָמָּה נִגָּרַע לְבִלְתִּי הַקְרִיב אֶת קָרְבַּן יְהוָה בְּמֹעֲדוֹ בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel?
BN: And those men said to him: "We are unclean from contact with a corpse; but why does this prevent us from bringing our seasonal offering to YHVH like all the other Beney Yisra-El?"
ELAV: Is singular, but they have taken their question to both Mosheh and Aharon, so it should be plural.
This is the most important test, in any ideological system. The straightforward answer is: because those are the rules. The challenge is: are the rules made for the people, and therefore bendable to meet the people's needs, or are the rules made for themselves, because they are deemed to be "right", "correct", and "in the best interests of society" (which of course they may well be, or not be, who can say), and therefore it is the people who must be bent to meet the needs of the rules. We shall see which way Mosheh and Aharon will go.
9:8 VA YOMER ALEYHEM MOSHEH IMDU VE ESHME'AH MAH YETSAVEH YHVH LACHEM
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם מֹשֶׁה עִמְדוּ וְאֶשְׁמְעָה מַה יְצַוֶּה יְהוָה לָכֶם
KJ: And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.
BN: And Mosheh said to them: Wait, while I hear what YHVH will instruct in this matter.
But Mosheh and Aharon do not answer, because ultimately they are only the branch managers, not the Board Chair. This in itself is in fact the first answer: you must obey orders, as we do, because all of us are "only obeying orders". But YHVH does not transpire (on this occasion!)to be quite so severe.
pey break
9:9 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:
Why does he not speak to Aharon as well? He or they? Two texts mixed up again it would seem.
And once again we are about to have an example of a law made - in this case an existing law modified - not by ideological theory but by precedent resulting from an attempt to resolve actual events in a fair and balanced manner; which is always the best way to make laws. Democracy rather than Republicanism. There are many areas of modern Judaism for which this could provide a divinely-sanctioned precedent for change.
And once again we are about to have an example of a law made - in this case an existing law modified - not by ideological theory but by precedent resulting from an attempt to resolve actual events in a fair and balanced manner; which is always the best way to make laws. Democracy rather than Republicanism. There are many areas of modern Judaism for which this could provide a divinely-sanctioned precedent for change.
9:10 DABER EL BENEY YISRA-EL LEMOR ISH ISH KI YIHEYEH TAM'E LA NEPHESH O VE DERECH RECHOKO LACHEM O LE DOROTEYCHEM VE ASAH PESACH LA YHVH
דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי יִהְיֶה טָמֵא לָנֶפֶשׁ אוֹ בְדֶרֶךְ רְחֹקָה לָכֶם אוֹ לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח לַיהוָה
KJ: Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD.
BN: Speak to the Beney Yisra-El, and tell them, "If any man among you now, or in your future generations, shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be on a journey far off, he shall nonetheless keep the Pesach of YHVH."
The first amendment, so to speak. A law given, but then modified because circumstances show it to have been too narrowly proscriptive and prescriptive.
Which is both good and very good (see Genesis 1).
BUT it is also very problematic. If we apply the 13 rules of Rabbi Yishmael, then we can state that the same must apply to other festivals, other incidents; and also to a woman who is unable to perform a time-bound obligation because of her menstrual cycle. She too should be able to complete the obligation as soon as she is "clean". And yet this consequence has never been applied (and this consequence is itself a universal, not a time-bound ruling, and so women can't be excluded from it!)
Which is both good and very good (see Genesis 1).
BUT it is also very problematic. If we apply the 13 rules of Rabbi Yishmael, then we can state that the same must apply to other festivals, other incidents; and also to a woman who is unable to perform a time-bound obligation because of her menstrual cycle. She too should be able to complete the obligation as soon as she is "clean". And yet this consequence has never been applied (and this consequence is itself a universal, not a time-bound ruling, and so women can't be excluded from it!)
Adding the journey is an anachronism. When Mosheh received the Torah, they were all on a journey, and no one was being sent off to spy just yet; so this addition has to have been made much later on, after the conquest. Unless we can regard this as YHVH making provision for the future, which is not unreasonable.
VE ASAH PESACH LA YHVH: Again the ET is missing; but correctly on this occasion, because the definite article has also been dropped. The same at verse 14.
9:11 BA CHODESH HA SHENI BE ARBA'AH ASAR YOM BEYN HA ARBA'IM YA'ASU OTO AL MATSOT U MERORIM YOCHLUHU
בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יוֹם בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם יַעֲשׂוּ אֹתוֹ עַל מַצּוֹת וּמְרֹרִים יֹאכְלֻהוּ
KJ: The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
BN: They shall keep it in the second month, on the fourteenth day, at dusk; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
YOCHLUHU: This is the keyword. They shall eat "it"; "it" being the Pesach. The paschal lamb. (Eucharist. Theophagy. The eating of the god. Once upon a time.) But they won't have to burn any chamets, because all chamets has already been burned. And they won't have to endure ten plagues, or paint their mezuzot, and it won't be a moment of liberation: only the eating of the paschal lamb (the equivalent of the Christmas turkey in Christianity). And from this we can deduce far more about the true nature of Pesach than from any other statement in the Bible.
And yet, while the shankbone is on the Seder plate today, it is no longer the central point of the rite, and it is now only a symbolic shankbone. At what point did the change happen in this most crucial part of the ritual?
And as for our question about the ideological flexibility of Judaism for those who cannot make Pesach at the appointed time: if an alternative time were available for a woman who is unclean at the appointed time, she is highly likely to be unclean if the alternative, as here, is precisely one lunar month later; so yet again we have a patriarchal solution to a male problem, and the women not even considered (though no doubt they will be made to bake the matzot).
And as for our question about the ideological flexibility of Judaism for those who cannot make Pesach at the appointed time: if an alternative time were available for a woman who is unclean at the appointed time, she is highly likely to be unclean if the alternative, as here, is precisely one lunar month later; so yet again we have a patriarchal solution to a male problem, and the women not even considered (though no doubt they will be made to bake the matzot).
9:12 LO YASHIRU MIMENU AD BOKER VE ETSEM LO YISHBERU VO KE CHOL CHUKAT HA PESACH YA'ASU OTO
לֹא יַשְׁאִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ עַד בֹּקֶר וְעֶצֶם לֹא יִשְׁבְּרוּ בוֹ כְּכָל חֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח יַעֲשׂוּ אֹתוֹ
KJ: They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.
BN: They shall leave none of it till morning, nor break any of its bones; they shall keep it according to all the statutes of Pesach.
Making clear again that the paschal lamb is the centrepiece of the festival; something we appear to have lost today. It should of course be self-evident, given that the festival is the Pesach, the rebirth of the earth-god in the spring, and this is the paschal lamb (again, the equivalent of the Christmas turkey). But at the same time the paschal lamb is the substitute for Yitschak after the Akeda, which was replaced by the pidyon ha ben, which was replaced by the Leviyim, as we have been witnessing in the latter chapters - and perhaps this explains why the chapter numbering is chronologically out of order.
9:13 VE HA ISH ASHER HU TAHOR U VE DERECH LO HAYAH VE CHADAL LA'ASOT HA PESACH VE NICHRETAH HA NEPHESH HA HI MEY AMEYHA KI KARBAN YHVH LO HIKRIYV BE MO'ADO CHETO YISA HA ISH HA HU
וְהָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הוּא טָהוֹר וּבְדֶרֶךְ לֹא הָיָה וְחָדַל לַעֲשׂוֹת הַפֶּסַח וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ כִּי קָרְבַּן יְהוָה לֹא הִקְרִיב בְּמֹעֲדוֹ חֶטְאוֹ יִשָּׂא הָאִישׁ הַהוּא
KJ: But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.
BN: But the man who is clean, and who is not on a journey, and who decides not to keep the Pesach, that soul shall be cut off from his people; because he did not bring the offering of YHVH in its appointed season; that man shall bear his sin.
NICHRETAH: When the covenant was made, the verb used was from the same root, CHERET meaning "to cut", and the human symbol of accepting the covenant was circumcision, which involves a physical "cutting off"; so, now, break the covenant, and the punishment is that you will be cut off, from your people, entirely.
9:14 VE CHI YAGUR IT'CHEM GER VE ASAH PESACH LA YHVH KE CHUKAT HA PESACH U CHE MISHPATO KEN YA'ASEH CHUKAH ACHAT YIHEYEH LACHEM VE LA GER U LE EZRACH HA ARETS
וְכִי יָגוּר אִתְּכֶם גֵּר וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח לַיהוָה כְּחֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח וּכְמִשְׁפָּטוֹ כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה חֻקָּה אַחַת יִהְיֶה לָכֶם וְלַגֵּר וּלְאֶזְרַח הָאָרֶץ
KJ: And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.
BN: And if a stranger is dwelling among you, and he wishes to keep Pesach to YHVH, according to the statutes of the Pesach, and according to its ordinances, so shall he do; you shall have one statute, both for the stranger, and for he who is born in the land.
VE CHI YAGUR...HA ARETS: As in verse 10, we have to read this as YHVH making future provision through the law.
ASAH PESACH: As at verse 11, note that the definite article has been dropped; a change that should suggest a time-difference, because these things do not happen quite so quickly: what at one time (and three words later in the same verse! CHUKAT HA PESACH) was called "the Pesach" now referred to simply as "Pesach". The merging then of texts from different periods?
samech break
9:15 U VE YOM HAKIYM ET HA MISHKAN KISAH HE ANAN ET HA MISHKAN LE OHEL HA EDUT U VA EREV YIHEYEH AL HA MISHKAN KE MAR'EH ESH AD BOKER
וּבְיוֹם הָקִים אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כִּסָּה הֶעָנָן אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן לְאֹהֶל הָעֵדֻת וּבָעֶרֶב יִהְיֶה עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן כְּמַרְאֵה אֵשׁ עַד בֹּקֶר
KJ: And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.
BN: Now on the day that the Mishkan was assembled, the cloud covered the tabernacle, all the way to the tent of the testimony; and from evening until morning something remarkably like fire rested on the Mishkan.
MISHKAN: See the link.
KE MAR'EH ESH: Yet another volcanic eruption? Or is this the imitation of the volcano, created on the altar through the smoke of the spices and the roasting meat?
YIHEYEH: Again a grammatical oddity; why not HAYAH, since this describes an event in the past tense? Or at the very least VA YIHEYEH, employing the Vav Consecutive?
9:16 KEN YIHEYEH TAMID HE ANAN YECHASENU U MAR'EH ESH LAILAH
כֵּן יִהְיֶה תָמִיד הֶעָנָן יְכַסֶּנּוּ וּמַרְאֵה אֵשׁ לָיְלָה
KJ: So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
BN: And so it was always: the cloud covering it, and the appearance of fire by night.
Again this should either be the past tense, or else it is meant to be a statement about the future; and if so it ties in with Mosheh's argument with YHVH about his "presence" - see Exodus 33, verses 9 and 14/15 especially.
And are we talking about the volcano, or the last of the sacrificial smoke from the altar, seeping through a chimney in the roof of the ark; or perhaps the iridescence of the eternal lamp, burning beside the altar.
And are we talking about the volcano, or the last of the sacrificial smoke from the altar, seeping through a chimney in the roof of the ark; or perhaps the iridescence of the eternal lamp, burning beside the altar.
9:17 U LE PHI HE'ALOT HE ANAN ME AL HA OHEL VE ACHAREY CHEN YIS'U BENEY YISRA-EL U VI MEKOM ASHER YISHKAN SHAM HE ANAN SHAM YACHANU BENEY YISRA-EL
וּלְפִי הֵעָלוֹת הֶעָנָן מֵעַל הָאֹהֶל וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יִסְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכָּן שָׁם הֶעָנָן שָׁם יַחֲנוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
KJ: And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.
BN: And whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, after that the Beney Yisra-El journeyed; and in the place where the cloud abode, there the Beney Yisra-El encamped.
And this, in the end, the whole point to the building of the Mishkan in the way they did. They have a new god, and he is named YHVH, but he is the god of this volcano, and he cannot travel with them as their god unless they create some kind of imitative form, and carry that. So the smoke of the sacrifices parallels the lava cloud, the eternal lamp and the candles in the Menorah parallel the volcanic flames, and the Law, the Torah, becomes the physical form of the deity, transported in the Ark, just as No'ach in his Ark represented the sun traversing the sky. For the moment he is only one of very many gods (Ha Elohim), but in the books of the Tanach that follow we will watch him - much as Dionysus did in the Greek world at exactly the same time - rising through the ranks from localised obscurity to universal supremacy, absorbing into himself many other gods, and finally emerging as the One and Only, the Patriarchal Omnideity.
9:18 AL PI YHVH YIS'U BENEY YISRA-EL VE AL PI YHVH YACHANU KOL YEMEY ASHER YISHKON HE ANAN AL HA MISHKAN YACHANU
עַל פִּי יְהוָה יִסְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל פִּי יְהוָה יַחֲנוּ כָּל יְמֵי אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכֹּן הֶעָנָן עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן יַחֲנוּ
KJ: At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.
BN: On the instruction of YHVH the Beney Yisra-El journeyed, and on the instruction of YHVH they camped: as long as the cloud rested on the tabernacle they remained encamped.
Very wise too, not to set out on a pilgrimage around the volcano (which is what we have now understood the "forty-year"journey to be) when the volcano is active.
9:19 U VE HA'ARIYCH HE ANAN AL HA MISHKAN YAMIM RABIM VE SHAMRU VENEY YISRA-EL ET MISHMERET YHVH VE LO YISA'U
וּבְהַאֲרִיךְ הֶעָנָן עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן יָמִים רַבִּים וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת יְהוָה וְלֹא יִסָּעוּ
KJ: And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.
BN: And when the cloud stayed on the Mishkan for many days, then the Beney Yisra-El observed the statutes of YHVH, and did not journey.
9:20 VE YESH ASHER YIHEYEH HE ANAN YAMIM MISPAR AL HA MISHKAN AL PI YHVH YACHANU VE AL PI YHVH YISA'U
וְיֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה הֶעָנָן יָמִים מִסְפָּר עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן עַל פִּי יְהוָה יַחֲנוּ וְעַל פִּי יְהוָה יִסָּעוּ
KJ: And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.
BN: And sometimes the cloud hung over the Mishkan for several days; and then, on the instruction of YHVH, they remained encamped, and on the instruction of YHVH they resumed their journey.
Again the questionable future tense.
How much of this is simply travel conditions as affected by the volcanic eruptions and the falling ash?
9:21 VE YESH ASHER YIHEYEH HE ANAN ME EREV AD BOKER VE NA'ALAH HE ANAN BA BOKER VE NASA'U O YOMAM VA LAILAH VE NA'ALAH HE ANAN VE NASA'U
וְיֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה הֶעָנָן מֵעֶרֶב עַד בֹּקֶר וְנַעֲלָה הֶעָנָן בַּבֹּקֶר וְנָסָעוּ אוֹ יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה וְנַעֲלָה הֶעָנָן וְנָסָעוּ
KJ: And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.
BN: And sometimes the cloud stayed from evening until morning; and when the cloud lifted in the morning, they journeyed; or if it continued by day and by night, then only when the cloud lifted did they resume their journey.
All of which tells us again that the "forty-year" journey was in fact a pilgrimage around the volcano; which leads me to wonder if "forty-year" isn't simply a poetical way of describing "seven circuits" - because a pilgrimage of this kind has to have involved seven circuits, as a bride makes seven circuits around the groom at the wedding ceremony, as the pilgrims at Mecca do around the Ka'aba, as Yehoshu'a will at Yericho (Joshua 6), and as - the reason for all this - the sun does around the Earth, from shabbat to shabbat of every week. See my essay on the Number Seven.
9:22 O YAMIM O CHODESH O YAMIM BE HA'ARIYCH HE ANAN AL HA MISHKAN LISHKON ALAV YACHANU VENEY YISRA-EL VE LO YIS'U U VE HE'ALOTO YISA'U
אוֹ יֹמַיִם אוֹ חֹדֶשׁ אוֹ יָמִים בְּהַאֲרִיךְ הֶעָנָן עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן לִשְׁכֹּן עָלָיו יַחֲנוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא יִסָּעוּ וּבְהֵעָלֹתוֹ יִסָּעוּ
KJ: Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.
BN: Whether it were two days, or a month, or several days, that the cloud hung over the Mishkan, resting on it, the Beney Yisra-El remained encamped, and did not journey; but when it lifted, they journeyed.
Where does the translation get "year"? The word YAMIM is used twice. SHANAH would be used if "year" was intended.
Is the ambiguous future in fact a qualificative future: "they would..."?
And how far should we read the entire tale mythologically? The twelve tribes as the twelve constellations, the volcano as a mirror of the sun, the Mishkan as a symbol of the Earth itself, and the "forty-year" period mythological time, eons rather than calendars, the same "ladder" being witnessed from Sinai that Ya'akov witnessed from his stone pillow at Beit-El in Genesis 28?
9:23 AL PI YHVH YACHANU VE AL PI YHVH YISA'U ET MISHMERET YHVH SHAMARU AL PI YHVH BE YAD MOSHEH
עַל פִּי יְהוָה יַחֲנוּ וְעַל פִּי יְהוָה יִסָּעוּ אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת יְהוָה שָׁמָרוּ עַל פִּי יְהוָה בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה
KJ: At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
BN: On the instruction of YHVH they camped, and on the instruction of YHVH they journeyed; they kept the charge of YHVH, on the instruction of YHVH, by the hand of Mosheh.
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