translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: NUM

label: NET translator note

text: The expression is “the heads of the fathers by the family of the Gileadites.”


text: The Greek and the Syriac add “and before Eleazar the priest.”


text: Heb “heads of the fathers.”


text: The infinitive construct “to give” serves here as the complement or object of the verb, answering what the Lord had commanded Moses.


text: “Men” is understood; it says “to one from the sons of the tribes of the Israelites for a wife,” or if he has her for a wife.


text: Heb “which they will be to them,” meaning, to those who have them, i.e., the marriages.


text: The verb הָיָה ( hayah ) is most often translated “to be,” but it can also mean “to happen, to take place, to come to pass,” etc.


text: Heb “the tribe of our fathers.”


text: Heb “commanded.”


text: Heb “mouth.”


text: Heb “the word that.”


text: The idiom again is “let them be for wives for….”


text: Heb “to the one who is good in their eyes.”


text: Heb “turned aside.”


text: The subject is “Israelites” and the verb is plural to agree with it, but the idea is collective as the word for “man” indicates: “so that the Israelites may possess – [each] man the inheritance of his fathers.”


text: They married in the family as they were instructed. But the meaning of דּוֹד ( dod ) is not necessarily restricted to “uncle.”


text: Heb “by the hand.”


text: The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.


text: For the location of Jericho see Map5-B2 ; Map6-E1 ; Map7-E1 ; Map8-E3 ; Map10-A2 ; Map11-A1 .