Numbers 36

CHAPTER 36

Inheritance of Zelophehad’s Daughters (36:1–13)

1–13 This chapter describes a further development in the story of Zelophehad’s five daughters (see Numbers 27:1–11 and comment). Since inheritance was ordinarily passed down from male to male, what would happen to Zelophehad’s land if his five daughters married outside their tribe? When the Year of Jubilee came (see Leviticus 25:8–13 and comment), the land would pass to the tribes of their husbands and thus be lost to Zelophehad’s tribe, which was Manasseh (verses 3–4). So, hoping to prevent this loss of tribal land, some leaders of the tribe of Manasseh appealed to Moses for a ruling.

After consulting with the Lord, Moses laid down the principle that land should not pass from tribe to tribe. Therefore, he instructed the five daughters to marry within their own tribe, which they did.

Because the daughters were themselves landowners, they had some say in their choice of husband. Moses said: “They may marry anyone they please” (verse 6)—as long as it was someone from their own tribe. Today Christians may marry “anyone they please”—as long as it is in accordance with God’s revealed will! Above all, that means that Christians may not marry someone who is “outside their tribe”—that is, a non-believer (2 Corinthians 6:14–15). Beyond that, Christian young people should seek the Lord’s guidance as to their choice of mate: after the decision to follow Christ, deciding who to marry is the most important decision one will ever make. We need the Lord to help us make the right choice.

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¹ The word “Pentateuch” means “five scrolls,” and it is the name given to the first five books of the Bible. Moses is considered to be the primary author of all five books (see Genesis: Introduction).

² The twelve tribes of Israel were descended from the twelve sons of Jacob (Genesis 35:23–26). Jacob was later given the name “Israel” by God (Genesis 32:28). Notice that the tribe of Levi was not included in the census, but that Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were included (verse 10). Thus the traditional number of the twelve tribes was maintained. The Levites were not included because they were assigned to take care of the tabernacle (see verses 47–51). Joseph, in effect, received a double portion of inheritance from his father Jacob; this was suitable, because Jacob had chosen Joseph to be his preeminent son, a prince among his brothers (Genesis 49:26).

³ Notice that all the subtotals for the tribes have been rounded off to the nearest hundred, and in the case of Gad to the nearest fifty (verse 25). The most likely explanation for this is that military units need to be made up of standard numbers of men; perhaps some of the oldest and weakest men were let go in order to end up with round numbers. Also, in Exodus 18:21, Moses organized Israel into thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens; it would appear that using round numbers was customary in ancient Israel.

⁴ Disobedience and unbelief are always related. At the root of all disobedience, of all sin, lies unbelief. Not to believe in God is to reject both His word and His works; it is to treat God with contempt. When people deny God or ignore Him, there is nothing left to restrain them from sin. The root of Adam and Eve’s sin was unbelief, and so it has been with their descendants ever since.

⁵ The Testimony was the name given to the two stone tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments (Exodus 31:18). These two tablets were kept inside the ark (Exodus 25:16), which was located in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle; hence the ark was often called the ark of the Testimony (Exodus 25:22; 26:34).

⁶ Anointing with oil was a symbolic way to set apart a person for special service to God (see Exodus 29:19–21; 30:22–33 and comments). When one was anointed, it signified that God’s approval and authority rested on that person. The most important use of the word “anointed” is its application to Jesus Christ. The Hebrew word “anointed one” is “Messiah”; the equivalent Greek word is “Christ.” Jesus was anointed by God Himself, not with oil but with the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:10).

⁷ To be ordained means to be invested with the special authority needed to carry out the functions of a priest or pastor (see Exodus 29:22–26 and comment). Anointing and ordaining were different aspects of the consecration (setting apart) of priests in ancient Israel (see Exodus 29:1–9 and comment).

⁸ For a discussion of the differences between the Aaronic priesthood and the priesthood of Christ, see Exodus 28:1–5 and comment.

⁹ In verse 10, the term sanctuary means the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (Exodus 26:33), the two rooms of the tabernacle.

¹⁰ The actual numbers for the clans of Gershon, Kohath and Merari add up to 22,300. It is believed that the figure 8,600 in verse 28 is a scribal error, and that it should be 8,300, as recorded in some manuscripts. For further discussion on such discrepancies in the Old Testament, see comment on Exodus 12:40–42 and footnotes to comment.

¹¹ This number of male firstborn is quite low for a total population of two million. Assuming one million males, this would mean that every male firstborn would have to have on average nine younger brothers. The best explanation is that the number 22,273 represents only males born after the Exodus, since the others had already been redeemed at the Passover itself (Exodus 12:1–13).

¹² The standard (sanctuary) shekel was twelve grams of silver; five shekels represented about six months’ wages for a working man.

¹³ Tabernacle service could begin at age twenty–five (Numbers 8:24), but the first five years were presumably spent in apprenticeship.

Men twenty years old were eligible for service in the army, but the Levites had to be thirty years old to serve in the tabernacle. Spiritual work requires maturity; people should not be given spiritual responsibility until they are ready (1 Timothy 3:6,10). Even Jesus Himself was thirty years old before He began His ministry.

¹⁴ The most holy things included the following: in verse 5, the shielding curtain (Exodus 26:31–33) and the ark of the Testimony (Exodus 25:10–22); in verse 7, the table of the Presence (Exodus 25:23–30); in verse 9, the lampstand (Exodus 25:31–40); in verse 11, the gold altar (Exodus 30:110); in verse 13, the bronze altar (Exodus 27:1–8); in verse 16, the oil for the light (Exodus 27:20–21), the fragrant incense (Exodus 30:34–38), the anointing oil (Exodus 30:22–33), and finally the regular grain offering (Leviticus 2:1–16).

¹⁵ Only in heaven, in the new Jerusalem, when our sinful nature has been laid aside, will we be able to see God’s face and live with Him without fear of death (Revelation 21:1–4,22–27; 22:4).

¹⁶ For further discussion of the different sides of God’s nature, see Exodus 34:4–7 and comment.

¹⁷ Even today, governments quarantine people who are a health threat to the community.

¹⁸ This principle applies to the Christian church today. Many churches tolerate beliefs and behavior

¹⁹ In addition to bringing his wife, the husband had to bring to the priest a tenth of an ephah (2 liters) of flour as a grain offering (Leviticus 2:1–16); it was called a grain offering for jealousy (verse 15). Perhaps the husband’s jealousy itself, being a sinful emotion, required an offering to make up for it. In the New Testament, human jealousy is condemned over and over (Romans 13:13; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:19–20). It is much better to think no evil. Love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5).

²⁰ As a final stage in the procedure, the priest wrote out the punishment—the curse—on a scroll, and then washed the water–soluble ink into the holy water, which the wife then had to drink. In this way, the woman symbolically took the curse into her own body; if she was innocent it would not harm her.

²¹ For further discussion of consecration, see Exodus 29:1–9 and comment.

²² Verses 9–12 deal with the problem of accidental contact with a dead body; this caused the Nazirite’s vow to be interrupted. In a ceremonial sense, this was a “sin”; in order to be cleansed the Nazirite had to cut his hair on the seventh day after contact with the dead body, thereby canceling his vow. Because of the “sin,” a sin offering (Leviticus 4:27–35; 5:7–10), a burnt offering (Leviticus 1:117), and a guilt offering (Leviticus 5:14–19) had to be offered to the Lord. Then the Nazirite vow could be renewed for the same period that had originally been set.

²³ These offerings included a burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1–17), a fellowship offering (Leviticus 3:117), grain offerings (Leviticus 2:1–16), and drink offerings (see Exodus 29:40).

²⁴ Throughout this blessing, the personal pronoun “you” is singular in the Hebrew language. (The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew.) Thus the whole blessing applies not only to Israel and the church as a group, but also to each individual in the group. God’s face shines upon each one of us; He blesses us by name.

²⁵ The Hebrew word for peace is “shalom.”

²⁶ The events described in the book of Leviticus and the first nine chapters of Numbers do not follow in exact chronological order. For example, the events of this chapter took place at the time Aaron and his sons were ordained (Leviticus Chapters 8–9) and before the census of the Israelites was taken (Numbers Chapters 1–4).

²⁷ Not only people but also objects could be anointed and consecrated. Anointing with oil (Exodus 30:22–33) was the symbolic act which set apart or consecrated (made holy) a person or object for God’s use. In the case of an object, once it was consecrated it could no longer be used for ordinary purposes; it had become holy—set apart for the Lord.

The entire ceremony of anointing and consecrating the tabernacle, including the offering of gifts and sacrifices, is referred to as the “dedication of the tabernacle.” The word “dedication” is similar to the word “consecration”; it is a ceremony which signals that a building or object is set apart for a special purpose and is now ready for use.

²⁸ The term wave offering refers to those offerings (usually part of a sacrificed animal) that were offered to the Lord and then received back again; this was symbolized by “waving” the offered object back and forth in front of the altar. The Levites were, in effect, a “wave offering,” because Aaron first offered them to the Lord and then received them back again as his assistants (see Numbers 3:5–9).

²⁹ For further discussion of substitutionary atonement, see Exodus 25:17–22; 27:1–8 and comments; Word List: Atonement.

³⁰ For a discussion of ceremonial uncleanness and why it was a significant issue, see Leviticus 11:1; 15:1 and comments.

³¹ For the meaning of cut off, see Leviticus 7:19–21 and comment.

³²The subject of divine guidance is complex. The Holy Spirit is our chief Guide, but He uses various means by which to guide us. First and foremost, He uses the word of God, the Bible; the Spirit never leads us to do anything in opposition to God’s written word. Next, the Spirit uses our minds; His guidance is not magical or irrational; He instructs us and counsels us through our minds (Psalm 32:8–9). He uses Christian friends and family members and church leaders to guide us. Finally, He uses natural circumstances to guide us. But whatever means the Holy Spirit uses, He is the one who will confirm the guidance in our hearts and give us the power to follow it.

For further discussion of divine guidance, see footnote to comment on Exodus 28:15–30; Psalm 32:8–10 and comment.

³³ According to the New Testament, there will be still other uses for trumpets, whether figurative or literal: to announce the second coming of Christ and to call the dead to life (Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16).

³⁴ This prohibition against complaining and criticizing does not mean that we can’t talk openly about things that are wrong or could be improved. It is our attitude and motivation that makes the difference: if we are truly trying to make things better for all concerned, then constructive criticism is helpful. But if we are even unconsciously trying to tear someone down and build ourselves up, then our complaining and criticizing is evil and will be opposed by God.

³⁵ The rabble consisted of former slaves, foreign workers, and other displaced persons, who were following along with the Israelites for their own reasons and not because they believed in Israel’s God.

³⁶ Manna was the miraculous food that God had begun to give the Israelites a month after their escape from Egypt; it was called bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4). Because the people had never eaten such food before, they called it manna, which in Hebrew means, “What is it?” (Exodus 16:31). Manna was clearly a supernatural provision from God to sustain over two million people in the Sinai Desert; there was no possible natural explanation for it (see Exodus 16:4–8 and comment).

³⁷ God does not get angry in the way humans get angry. God’s anger is a holy anger directed against unbelief, disobedience, and faithlessness. Even though God had been faithful to the Israelites, they had stopped being faithful to Him. They had broken His covenant and thus deserved punishment.

³⁸ We have already encountered Joshua in Exodus 17:9–10; 24:13.

³⁹ The Hebrew word for talk in verse 1 is feminine singular.

⁴⁰ The Cushites were descendants of Cush, Ham’s eldest son (Genesis 10:6–7); they lived south of Egypt in present–day Sudan and Ethiopia. It appears that Moses had recently married this Cushite wife, possibly following the death (not recorded) of his first wife Zipporah, a Midianite (Exodus 2:15–21).

⁴¹ An alternate explanation is that the Hebrew word for humble used in verse 3 can also mean “miserable.” This meaning fits the context much better. Moses had just been challenged by rebellious Israelites (Numbers Chapter 11), and now he was being challenged by his own sister and brother; that would make anyone feel “miserable.”

⁴² The greatest test of our humility comes when someone criticizes us. How do we respond? The humble person does not try to defend himself, but leaves all judgment to God. The humble person welcomes criticism, even when it is unkind. If the criticism is just, it will bring benefit; if it is unjust, God will bring justice. This doesn’t mean that we can never state the facts, give explanations, or answer questions; it means that we must not do so out of pride, out of a desire to justify ourselves or to save our reputation. We must leave our reputation in God’s hands.

⁴³ Moses never actually saw God’s face; he saw His “back” (see Exodus 33:18–23 and comment). Here the term face to face simply means “directly”: when God spoke with Moses, there was no intermediary; He spoke directly to Moses (see Deuteronomy 34:10).

⁴⁴ In verse 22, God says that the Israelites had tested Him ten times. To “test” God means to try His patience. Seven of these ten testings can be found in the book of Exodus, and three in Numbers. It is also possible that in a few cases God was referring to testings that have not been mentioned in Scripture.

⁴⁵ According to Deuteronomy 1:43–44, it was the Amorites who defeated the Israelites. The term “Amorite” is often used in a broad sense to include all the Canaanite tribes. The term “Canaanite” can also be understood in a broad sense to include a number of tribes living in the land of Canaan.

⁴⁶ For a reference to burnt offerings (verse 3), see Leviticus 1:1–17; for freewill (or festival) offerings (verse 3), see Leviticus 7:16–18; for the grain offering (verse 4), see Leviticus 2:1–16; for the fellowship offering (verse 8), see Leviticus 3:1–17. An ephah was twenty–two liters, and a hin was four liters.

⁴⁷ For further discussion of God’s law in relation to God’s grace, see Exodus 20:1 and comment; General Article: The Purpose of the Mosaic Law.

⁴⁸ For further discussion of unforgivable sin, see comment on Leviticus 4:1–2.

⁴⁹ For the meaning of cut off, see Leviticus 7:19–21 and comment.

⁵⁰ The greatest crime in all of history was the crucifying of Jesus Christ, yet Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him: “Father,forgive them,for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Their sin was, in a sense, committed “unintentionally”—that is, they thought they were executing a criminal. On the other hand, Judas, who betrayed Christ, knew what he was doing and was not forgiven. As for us, we should always pray for sinners, especially for those who sin against us (Matthew 5:44). Ultimately, only God knows who is truly a “defiant” sinner.

⁵¹ The Jews of Jesus’ time sought to put Him to death for “breaking” the Sabbath law (Mark 3:1–6). The New Testament Jews had distorted the meaning of the Sabbath; they had focused so much on its

⁵² Korah was descended from Levi through Kohath and Izhar. The phrase son of Izhar, the son of Kohath (verse 1) doesn’t mean these two were the actual father and grandfather of Korah, because more than four hundred years had passed since Levi was alive. Ancient genealogies were often incomplete; only significant persons were included.

Since Korah was a Kohathite, he was assigned to care for the most holy objects of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:1–20).

⁵³ God has also ordained different levels of authority within the Christian church. Although all Christians are saints and equally beloved by God, He has appointed some to be apostles,some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). And we are commanded to submit to the authority of these leaders (Hebrews 13:17).

⁵⁴ The censers were shovel-like implements used for burning incense (see Exodus 30:1–10,34–38).

⁵⁵ The burning of incense before the Lord could be done only by proper priests, descendants of Aaron. Thus Korah and his followers were defiantly opposing God’s laws. Had they forgotten what happened to Nadab and Abihu who had offered unauthorized incense—and they had even been Aaron’s sons? (Leviticus 10:1–2).

⁵⁶ In verse 14, the expression gouge out the eyes means any kind of torture. In this case, Dathan and Abiram could also have meant that Moses wanted to “blind” his enemies to keep them from seeing his “evil deeds.”

⁵⁷ When Aaron and his sons were beginning their priestly ministry, the glory of the LORD appeared to the people, so they might know that the Lord Himself had appointed Aaron and his descendants to the priesthood (Leviticus 9:23–24). Now a second time the glory of the Lord appeared, this time to confirm His chosen priests and to destroy those who would oppose them.

⁵⁸ The line of Korah did not die out; evidently one or more sons had not been part of the rebellion. Later, the descendants of Korah would become temple singers and would be responsible for writing a number of the psalms. One descendant, who had clearly renounced Korah’s wicked plot to usurp the priesthood from Aaron, wrote these famous words: I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked (Psalm 84:10).

⁵⁹ In verse 1, the Lord says that Aaron, his sons, and his father’s family—that is, the Levites—are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary; and the priests alone are to bear responsibility for offenses against the priesthood. This means that the priests and Levites were to be held responsible not only for offenses committed by themselves but also for those committed by other people. If they allowed any offenses to occur, wrath would fall both on them and on the offender (verses 2–3,5).

⁶⁰ For a discussion of the term ceremonially clean, see Leviticus 11:1; 15:1; Numbers 5:1–4 and comments.

⁶¹ For the meaning of the term devoted to the LORD, see Leviticus 27:28–29 and comment.

⁶² For a fuller discussion of the redemption of the firstborn, see Exodus 13:1–2,11–16; 22:29–30; Numbers 3:11–13,39–51 and comments.

⁶³ In verse 19, the meaning of the term covenant of salt is uncertain. For the connection between salt and covenant, see Leviticus 2:11–13 and comment.

⁶⁴ For a discussion of the terms clean and unclean, see comments on Leviticus 11:1; 15:1.

⁶⁵ There would have been many opportunities to come into contact with a dead body following the plague described in Numbers 16:47–50.

⁶⁶ It is likely that the Israelites used Kadesh (also called Kadesh Barnea) as a base during those thirty-eight empty years, since those years begin and end with the Israelites camped there (Numbers 13:26; 20:1). Kadesh was the main oasis of northeastern Sinai; it lay between the Desert of Paran and the Desert of Zin near the southern border of the promised land.

⁶⁷ The symbolism of the rock can be carried further. Christ only needed to die—to be struck—once; His sacrifice was once for all (Hebrews 9:26–28; 10:10). The water coming from the rock represented the Holy Spirit; Christ had to die in order for the Holy Spirit to be given to us (John 16:7). But now that Christ has died, we no longer have to “strike” Him again to receive additional fillings of the Spirit; all we need to do is to speak to Him, to ask Him, and He will freely give the Spirit to us (Luke 11:13).

⁶⁸ In Hebrew, Meribah means “quarreling.” Massah, the place where Moses first struck the rock, was also called Meribah (Exodus 17:7).

⁶⁹ Edom was the land where Esau and his descendants had settled; it was also called the hill country of Seir (Genesis 36:8–9). Esau was the twin brother of Jacob (Genesis 25:24–26); that is why Moses referred to Israel as “your brother Israel” (verse 14).

⁷⁰ The Canaanites had been under God’s curse ever since the days of Noah (see Genesis 9:20–29 and comment). The many tribes living in Canaan were wicked ungodly people, whom the Lord intended to totally destroy. This had been God’s plan ever since He promised the land to Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 12:6–7). But there had been a delay of over four hundred years, during which time the sin of the Amorites was to reach its peak (Genesis 15:16). The Amorites were the first of the major Canaanite tribes to be conquered by Israel (verses 25,31); their sin was representative of the sin of all the tribes living in Canaan. The Canaanite tribes were to be “totally destroyed,” not merely subjugated.

The Hebrew term totally destroy means to give something completely over to the Lord, often by destroying it. Such a thing is then said to be “devoted” to the Lord. For further discussion on the subject of “devoting” things to the Lord, see Leviticus 27:28–29 and comment.

⁷¹ The place where the major battle was fought was named Hormah, which in Hebrew means “destruction.” There the Israelites completely destroyed the Canaanites from Arad (verse 3).

⁷² The lifting up of the snake in the desert was a foreshadowing (or “type”) of Christ being lifted up on the cross. For further discussion concerning “types” in the Old Testament, see General Article: Types and Predictive Events.

⁷³ Sometimes when a city was “completely destroyed,” the valuable possessions of the inhabitants and also their livestock were saved for the benefit of the Israelites (see Deuteronomy 2:35; Joshua 8:2).

⁷⁴ In verse 29, the Moabites are called the people of Chemosh; Chemosh was the chief god of the Moabites. Now, however, a new God had arrived on the scene: His name was Yahweh, God of Israel!

⁷⁵ According to Deuteronomy 3:1–11, Israel completely destroyed all sixty fortified cities of Bashan, along with their inhabitants (Deuteronomy 3:4–6). Og himself was the last descendant of the Rephaites, an ancient people of very large stature (Genesis 14:5); Og’s bed was thirteen feet (4 meters) long (Deuteronomy 3:11).

⁷⁶ The Moabites were descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot (Genesis 19:36–37). Thus they were “cousins” to the Israelites. Balak’s fears were unfounded; Israel had been forbidden by God to attack Moab (Deuteronomy 2:9).

⁷⁷ Midian was located in a region comprising southeastern Sinai and northwestern Arabia. Moses’ wife Zipporah was a Midianite (Exodus 2:15–21). Moses lived in Midian for forty years before being called by God to lead Israel.

⁷⁸ See comment on Exodus 22:18–20; first footnote to comment on Leviticus 19:26–31.

⁷⁹ Occasionally, however, the words of true prophets were also called oracles (see Zechariah 9:1; 12:1; Malachi 1:1).

⁸⁰ The names Jacob and Israel are used interchangeably as names for the nation of Israel. Israel was the new name that God gave to the patriarch Jacob (Genesis 32:28).

⁸¹ Because God knows everything that will happen in the future, He is never surprised; He never has to change his mind. But He often allows His mind to be “changed” in response to prayer; He invites us to share with Him in the carrying out of His will (see Exodus 32:14 and comment).

⁸² This is the first time in Scripture that God refers to Himself as Israel’s King. Ancient Israel was a theocracy, and the Lord was indeed its King and sovereign Ruler.

⁸³ As Christians, we too are “protected,” but mainly in a spiritual and eternal sense. We may face curses or worse in this life, but our God is with us; He is for us. Paul wrote: If God is for us,who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). We do not need to fear what men might do to us (Matthew 10:28–31).

⁸⁴ It is possible that Agag was a common name for kings of the Amalekites and that Balaam’s reference is to a previous Agag, who was defeated by Joshua soon after the Exodus (Exodus 17:8–13). The Amalekites were perpetual enemies of the Israelites (Numbers 14:45; 1 Samuel 30:1–2,17–18); only in the reign of Hezekiah were they finally destroyed completely (1 Chronicles 4:43).

⁸⁵ In verse 17, the expression sons of Sheth is another name for the Moabites. Hebrew poetry is characterized by the use of couplets, in which the same idea is repeated using different words.

⁸⁶ Seir is another name for Edom, so this too is a matching poetic couplet.

⁸⁷ See comment on verses 3–9 and footnote to comment.

⁸⁸ Baal was the major god of most of the Canaanite tribes; the worship of this god involved fertility rites and sexual orgies. Peor was a mountain in Moab (Numbers 24:28), where Baal was worshiped.

⁸⁹ The Midianites were descended from Midian, Abraham’s son by his second wife Keturah (Genesis 25:1–2).

⁹⁰ For further discussion of the problem of variant names and numbers in the Old Testament, see comment on Exodus 12:40–42 and footnotes to comment.

⁹¹ According to Deuteronomy 32:48–52, the mountain was Mount Nebo, located in Moab just east of the Jordan River across from Jericho, the first Canaanite city to be attacked by the Israelites. From there Moses could see the whole land of Canaan.

The Lord told Moses he would be gathered to his people (verse 13)—one of several expressions meaning “to die.” Moses’ brother Aaron had been taken to the top of Mount Hor, where he died (Numbers 20:22–29); now the same end would come to Moses on top of Mount Nebo.

⁹² There are no capital letters in the Hebrew script, so in verse 18 it is impossible to be sure if the Holy Spirit is meant or not.

⁹³ The Urim and Thummim were two objects that the high priest carried in his breastpiece which aided him in discerning the Lord’s will in doubtful situations (see Exodus 28:15–30 and comment).

⁹⁴ The New Testament was originally written in the Greek language.

⁹⁵ For further discussion of the purpose of the Old Testament laws, see comment on Exodus 20:1; General Article: The Purpose of the Mosaic Law.

⁹⁶ The ordinary sin offering was presented whenever an unintentional sin came to the awareness of the one or ones who had committed the sin (see Leviticus 4:1–35 and comment). This monthly sin offering, however, was to atone for sins that had been committed whether one was aware of them or not; even when there was no awareness, the guilt of sin remained and needed to be atoned for (Leviticus 4:13).

For a reference to other terms in this section, see the following: for burnt offering (verse 11), see Leviticus 1:1–17; for grain offering (verse 12), see Leviticus 2:1–16; for pleasing aroma (verse 13), see verse 1 and comment. An ephah (verse 12) was twenty-two liters; a hin (verse 14) was four liters.

⁹⁷ If one vowed to dedicate something to the Lord—whether land, a house, an animal, or a person– whatever was vowed could be redeemed by the payment of money. The rules for doing so are discussed in Leviticus Chapter 7. The rest of Numbers Chapter 30 deals with the conditions under which women can be released from vows they make.

⁹⁸ In verses 14–15, we see that if a man remains silent, it implies that he has consented to the vow. The same principle can be extended to us today: if we see evil and remain silent, we are, in effect, consenting to it.

⁹⁹ The Midianites were not totally destroyed in this war, because later in Judges Chapters 6–8 we read about them rising up against Israel again. The Midianites were a collection of tribes living in different areas; the ones defeated here were those associated with Moab.

¹⁰⁰ It was just such women who later contributed to the downfall of King Solomon (1 Kings 11:1–6).

¹⁰¹ In verses 1–49, the references for the more important stopping places are listed, beginning in verses 3–4 with the Exodus itself (Exodus 12:29–37): in verses 5–6, Succoth and Etham (Exodus 13:20); in verse 7, Pi Hahiroth (Exodus 14:9); in verse 8, the passage through the sea (Exodus 14:21–22) and arrival at Marah (Exodus 15:22–23); in verse 9, Elim (Exodus 15:27); in verses 14–15, Rephidim and the Desert of Sinai, where the Israelites stayed one year (Exodus 17:1); in verse 16, Kibroth Hattaavah (Numbers 11:34); in verse 17, Hazeroth (Numbers 11:35).

In verses 18–34, there is a succession of names that are unknown. It seems that the Israelites stopped at these sites on their way to Kadesh (verse 36), where they ended up staying for thirty-eight years (Numbers 13:2).

Then in verses 37–49, the journey of the new generation from Kadesh to the plains of Moab is described: in verse 37, the move to Mount Hor (Numbers 20:22); in verses 38–39, the death of Aaron (Numbers 20:27–29); in verse 40, the battle with Arad (Numbers 21:1–3); in verse 47, the mountains of Abarim near Nebo (Numbers 27:12; Deuteronomy 32:48–49); in verses 48–49, the plains of Moab (Numbers 22:1).

¹⁰² The first two of these instructions (verse 52) have been stated elsewhere in various forms (see Exodus 23:23–24,31–33; 34:11–17; Deuteronomy 7:1–6; 12:29–30).

¹⁰³ The high places were man–made mounds that were used for the worship of pagan gods in the ancient Middle East. In Israel’s later history, failure to destroy these high places was a major reason why God sent the Israelites into exile.

¹⁰⁴ The Israelites had already experienced the corrupting influence of godless nations when they were seduced by the Moabite and Midianite women (Numbers 25:1–3; 31:15–16).

¹⁰⁵ The boundaries described in verses 1–15 have several points of interest. In verse 3, the Salt Sea is an alternate name for the Dead Sea. In verse 4, the boundary went south of Kadesh Barnea, where the Israelites had camped for thirty-eight years; they had spent all that time just inside the border of Canaan but could not possess it. In verse 5, the Wadi of Egypt is the same as the river of Egypt mentioned in Genesis 15:18—which was the southwestern boundary of Canaan. In verse 6, the Great Sea is the Mediterranean Sea. In verse 7, the Mount Hor that is mentioned is not the same as the Mount Hor in the south where Aaron died (Numbers 33:37–38). Finally, in verse 11, the Sea of Kinnereth is an alternate name for the Sea of Galilee.

¹⁰⁶ It isn’t known whether non-Levites could also live in these cities. The selection of the cities for the Levites is described in Joshua Chapter 21.

¹⁰⁷ The avenger of blood was also called a “kinsman-redeemer,” the same word in Hebrew (Leviticus 25:48; Ruth 3:13). The idea was that only by shedding the blood of the murderer could one “redeem” the life of the murdered person.