Font Size
Numbers 4:17-19
New English Translation
Numbers 4:17-19
New English Translation
17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 18 “Do not allow the tribe of the families of the Kohathites to be cut off[a] from among the Levites; 19 but in order that they will live[b] and not die when they approach the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons will go in and appoint[c] each man[d] to his service and his responsibility.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 4:18 sn The verb is simply the Hiphil, “do not cut off.” The context calls for a permissive nuance—“do not let them be cut off.” It was a difficult task to be handling the holy things correctly; Moses and Aaron were to see to it that they did it right and did not handle the objects, that is, Moses and Aaron were to safeguard their lives by making certain that proper procedures were followed.
- Numbers 4:19 tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text: Do this…and they will live. Consequently, the verb “and they will live” is a perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive to express the future consequence of “doing this” for them.
- Numbers 4:19 tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive continues the instruction for Aaron.
- Numbers 4:19 tn The distributive sense is obtained by the repetition, “a man” and “a man.”
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.