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Numbers 6:8-10
New English Translation
Numbers 6:8-10
New English Translation
8 All the days of his separation he must be holy to the Lord.
Contingencies for Defilement
9 “‘If anyone dies very suddenly[a] beside him and he defiles[b] his consecrated head,[c] then he must shave his head on the day of his purification—on the seventh day he must shave it. 10 On the eighth day he is to bring[d] two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the entrance to the tent of meeting.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 6:9 tn The construction uses the imperfect tense followed by the infinitive absolute, יָמוּת מֵת (yamut met). Because the verb is in a conditional clause, the emphasis that is to be given through the infinitive must stress the contingency. The point is “if someone dies—unexpectedly.” The next words underscore the suddenness of this.
- Numbers 6:9 tn The verb is the Piel perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive; it continues the idea within the conditional clause.
- Numbers 6:9 sn The expression is figurative for the vow that he took; the figure is the metonymy because the reference to the head is a reference to the long hair that symbolizes the oath.
- Numbers 6:10 tn The imperfect tense in this verse is still instructional rather than a simple future. The translations can vary, but the point that it is directive must be caught.
New English Translation (NET)
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