translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: NUM

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “receive from them a rod, a rod from the house of a father.”


text: Heb “from every leader of them according to their fathers’ house.”


text: Heb “one rod for the head of their fathers’ house.”


text: The verb is the Hiphil perfect of נוּחַ ( nuakh , “to rest”), and so “to set at rest, lay, place, put.” The form with the vav ( ו ) consecutive continues the instruction of the previous verse.


text: The Hebrew text simply reads “the covenant” or “the testimony.”


text: Heb “a rod for one leader, a rod for one leader.”


text: Heb “the house of their fathers.”


text: The name of the tent now attests to the centrality of the ark of the covenant. Instead of the “tent of meeting” ( מוֹעֵד , mo ’ ed ) we now find the “the tent of the testimony” ( הָעֵדֻת , ha ’ edut ).


text: Here too the deictic particle (“and behold”) is added to draw attention to the sight in a vivid way.


text: The words “at them” are not in the Hebrew text, but they have been added in the translation for clarity.


text: The verb means “to finish; to complete” and here “to bring to an end.” It is the imperfect following the imperative, and so introduces a purpose clause (as a final imperfect).


text: This is another final imperfect in a purpose clause.


text: The use of הֵן ( hen ) and the perfect tense in the nuance of a prophetic perfect expresses their conviction that they were bound to die – it was certain (see GKC 312-13 §106. n ).


text: The verse stresses the completeness of their death: “will we be consumed by dying” ( הַאִם תַּמְנוּ לִגְוֹעַ , ha ’ im tamnu ligvoa ’).