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BA MIDBAR (Numbers) 30-36 |  |
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Numbers 30-36 |
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| Portion MATTOTH (30-32) CHAPTER 30 1. (v. 2 in Hebrew) Then Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes [mattoth] of the descendants of Israel, saying, "This is the thing that YHWH commanded: Perhaps he spoke only to the heads of the tribes because when he spoke to the people as a whole (as had been his custom), they just didn't listen. In any case, the heads needed to begin to take responsibility for the people under them. This came right on the heels of several plagues YHWH sent to punish the people, which Aharon had to stop. Israel had broken their vow to YHWH and had an adulterous "affair" with Ba'al-Peor. Pin'has stopped YHWH's wrath, but the stench of adultery is still on the people. So He addresses the issue at the most basic level--the personal one: 2. "'If a man makes a vow to YHWH, or has sworn an oath to bind his soul with an obligation, he shall not break his word; he must carry out everything that has proceeded from his mouth. Break his word: literally, "profane his word"--make it common rather than holy. Ecclesiastes 5:4 tells us to fulfill our vows since YHWH has no pleasure in fools. Lev. 5:4 tells us that if someone forgets his vow, he becomes responsible to do something about it as soon as he remembers. Scripturally, a vow usually refers to something in regard to the Temple--that is, a vow is made to YHWH Himself. This is why Y'shua stressed how wrong it was to say that to swear by one thing was binding but to swear by another was not. His brother Yaaqov would echo that such a man is a spring that gives two kinds of water; if one cannot trust someone when he speaks plainly ("yes" or "no", Mat. 5:33), he "speaks with a forked tongue". His declaration that it is better not to make any oath at all has a precedent in Deut. 23, where we are told that one has not committed a wrong if he refrains from making any vows; it was a voluntary thing designed to allow one to express his love for YHWH in a deeper way than was required, but when it came to be expected and one had to resort to such circumlocution to excuse himself from responsibility, Y'shua had to take stringent measures to correct it. Vows also apply to our fellow "body members". Being "called out" is all about becoming "one new man", in which "your tongue is mine", and if I cannot trust my own tongue...? Lying in a war situation may not be sin, if it is truly necessary, though there will probably be consequences to bear (though not judgment from YHWH). We are forbidden to enter into covenants with "the inhabitants of the Land"--i.e., anyone outside the people of Israel. This does not apply to business contracts, of course, for, as Sha'ul (Paul) said, in that case we would have to leave the world altogether, and we are to speak the truth to all men if life is not at stake, since we belong to the Truth; but our main focus is to be on our "neighbors": those in the same Body where we are placed, and to whom we have direct responsibility. Yet Y'shua directly told some people, "I am not here for you." He had lost sheep to seek, and allowed others to join His "other flock", but he remained focused, and so should we, since we are brought into the Body for the sake of the Body. His main point, as here, is, "If you have said it, then carry it out." The Hebrew word for "vow" is rooted in the word "completion", so vowing something means it can be considered "done", and depended upon. Whatever comes out of the mouth of a holy person changes things in the spirit world; it is as strong as a vow, and commits us, or "imprisons our life" (an alternate reading of "bind his soul" in this verse; i.e., we have opened a door in the spirit, walked through it, and it is shut behind us). Avraham called heaven and earth to witness when he made a vow (Gen. 24:2), and that meant heaven and earth would both come against him if he broke it. Anything else gives the enemy a foothold and desecrates YHWH's name. (Lev. 19:12). Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 9 tells us the outcome if there is untruth within the Body: no one will trust his brother or neighbor; where will we be if that happens? Who will be empowered? The one new Man, or the "father of lies"? 3. "But when a woman makes a vow to YHWH, and has bound [herself with] an obligation [while] in her father's house during her youth, Bound herself with an obligation: Aramaic, "assuming a prohibition". 4. "and her father hears the vow which she has made or the obligation by which she has bound herself, and her father remains silent in regard to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every obligation to which she has bound herself shall stand. His silence (which could be translated "acting as deaf") implies his consent. Stand: or "be established". 5. "But if her father forbids her on the day he hears [of it], then none of her or obligations with which she has bound her soul shall remain valid, and YHWH will forgive her, since her father held her back [from them]. Forbids: or "restrains". Biblically, a son is not accountable or expected to act on his own until age 20; but a daughter or wife remains under authority. The theme of taking responsibility for those entrusted to us, seen in verse 1, continues here. The constituted authority of one who has one's best interests at heart takes precedence over personal vows. A loving father may nullify rash words on the part of his immature daughter. On the day he hears: not necessarily the day she makes the vow, but the day he finds out about it. The one in authority had to make immediate response, because after that day he had no recourse and must bear the responsibility if it turns out to be a foolish vow. These laws in regard to vows are self-explanatory on the literal level, but on a deeper level they define our relationship with our Father, YHWH, and our "husband", Y'shua. 6. "Or if she belonged in any way to a husband when she made her vow or spoke anything unadvisably with her lips by which she obligated herself, Belonged in any way: i.e., was either betrothed or had gone on to the second, fuller stage of marriage. 7. "and her husband heard it and remained silent in regard to her on the day when he heard [it], then her vows shall stand, and her obligations by which she bound her soul shall stand. A bride under authority is a picture of Y'shua's called-out congregation; someone has to bear the guilt for iniquity, and Y'shua did this for us, relieving us of the death that was due us. But Yaaqov (James) stresses how important our words are Indeed, Y'shua, our Head, is even called "the Word", so our words too must be true. 8. "But if her husband forbade [it] on the day on which he heard [it], then he shall render null her vow that she vowed, or whatever she said unadvisedly with her lips and bound herself thereby, and YHWH shall hold her guiltless. Render null: literally, "split by cracking". YHWH annulled the implied "vows" of His bride to a false elohim (Ba'al-Peor) to whom she had bound herself. (25:3) Y'shua gave his students the authority to "bind and loose", so their words are binding on us; however, if one vows to never eat meat, he would "nullify Torah", which tells us to eat lamb at one festival (when there is a Temple) and priests to eat their portion of the sacrifices. Vowed: LXX, bound herself. Bound herself: LXX, "contracted upon her soul". 9. "But every vow [made by] a widow or a divorcee, by which she has obligated herself, shall be established in regard to her. She is not under any direct authority who can revoke a vow for her. 10. "Now if she has made a vow in her husband's house, or bound her soul to an obligation with an oath, 11. "and her husband has remained silent when he heard it rather than forbidding her, then all her vows shall stand, and every obligation to which she has bound herself shall stand. 12. "But if her husband has indeed rendered them void on the day which he heard [of] them, then whatever went forth from her lips concerning the obligation of her soul shall not stand; her husband has nullified them, and YHWH will forgive her. Rendered them void: LXX, utterly canceled. But it would have been better for her to have made no vow. 13. "Her husband may validate or annul any vow or binding oath to humble herself . Humble herself: or weaken her desires; often an idiom for fasting. 14. "But if her husband keeps completely silent in regard to her from day to day, then he validates all her vows or the obligation which are upon her; he establishes them since he remained silent toward her on the day when he heard [them]. 15. "But if after hearing them, he in any way violates them, then he shall bear her guilt." LXX: "If he cancels them after the day in which he heard them..." The husband is given the right to nullify her words, but "of him to whom much is given, much is required"; he bears full responsibility if he does nothing about a foolish vow as soon as he hears it. There is a price to pay. Y'shua, ironically, paid the price and made reparation for our ancestors' adultery with foreign deities by remaining silent. (Isa. 53:7) 16. These are the prescribed boundaries which YHWH commanded Moshe between a man and his wife [or] between a father and daughter who, being a youth, still lives in her father's household. CHAPTER 31 1. Then YHWH told Moshe, 2. "Carry out the avenging of the descendants of Israel from the Midyanites, and afterward you will be gathered to your people." Carry out: not avenging themselves, but being the instrument of YHWH's justice. (Deut. 32:35) Could read, "Avenge with a vengeance". Though they are outside the Land of Israel, and would probably pose no direct threat to Israel anymore, they do not escape YHWH's notice, because they were the ones who "set His wife up with another man", so they must serve as an example for all. From the Midyanites: i.e., clear the "debt" they incurred to Israel for them Gathered: or "added", which is how the LXX translates it into Greek. After Moshe finished this job, he would be "added to his people" (an idiomatic reference to his death); his soul's energy would thus strengthen the whole nation more fully. 3. So Moshe told the people, "Let some men from among you be equipped to go out to battle; it will be against Midyan, to deliver YHWH's vengeance on Midyan. Equipped: armed, strengthened. To battle...Midyan: Aram., "for an army directed against Midyan". 4. "You shall send out a thousand per tribe to the army--a thousand per tribe for all of the tribes of Israel." 5. So from the thousands of Israel, a thousand per tribe were assigned: 12,000 equipped to go out to battle, This is multiplied exponentially in Revelation chapter 7. 6. and Moshe sent them to the army--a thousand per tribe--and along with them, Pin'has the son of El'azar to be a priest to the army, with the holy vessels and signaling trumpets in his hand, Priest to the army: or "war priest". This "warrior for YHWH" (see chapter 25) was the first recorded "army chaplain". There was no one better to carry out this task, and it would appear he was "immortal" until his days were fulfilled, since he was given a "covenant of completeness." Holy vessels: could read, "weaponry" of the Temple. 7. and they made war on the Midyanites as YHWH had commanded Moshe, and they killed all the males. Killed all the males: could also read, "destroyed all remembrance", since the male line is the "remembered" one, while most mothers are not recorded in genealogies. 8. On top of the [rest of] the ones mortally wounded, they killed the kings of Midyan: Ewi [My Lust], Reqem [Diversity], Tzur [Rock], Chuwr [Bored Hole], and Reva [A Quarter]--five kings of Midyan. They also killed Bilaam the son of Beor with the sword. Diversity: variegated or of mixed colors--the very byword of the "New World Order". The kings of Midyan: not the entire people of Midyan, because they show up again in the days of Gid'on the judge, but the portion of them who harassed the Israelites. But Bilaam had joined himself to their side, and YHWH finally punished his greed. 9. Then the descendants of Israel took the women of Midyan and their toddlers captive, and plundered their beasts, their livestock, and their wealth. Bilaam's faithful donkey thus became an "Israelite". 10. But all their cities in their inhabited areas, as well as their fortifications, they burned with fire. Fortifications: or strongholds; LXX, "villages", possibly like the German burg--a walled combination of a castle, town, and fortress, from a word meaning "to arrange in rows". The Aramaic Targum Onqelos renders it "houses of worship", where they kept their idol sanctuaries "under guard" (the Aramaic root). 11. And they carried away all the spoils and the booty of both human being and beast, 12. and they had all the captives, booty, and spoils brought to Moshe, El'azar the cohen, and the congregation of the descendants of Israel at their encampment on the transitional lands of Moav which are by the Yarden of Yericho. 13. When Moshe, El'azar the cohen, and the leaders of the congregation came toward the outside of the camp to meet them, 14. Moshe was displeased with the officers [appointed over] the force, the captains of thousands, and the centurions who came [back] from having served in the battle. 15. And Moshe said to them, "Have you let all the females live?! Compare Ezra 10. Perhaps they thought they could get away with this because Moshe had a Midyanite wife. They were apparently black women (12:1), though more beautiful because they were more exotic. 16. "These same [women] are the very ones who, at the word of Bilaam, came to be the catalyst for the children of Israel's unfaithfulness toward YHWH in the Peor affair, and the plague came upon the congregation of YHWH! 17. "So utterly destroy every male among the toddlers, and kill every woman who has become familiar with a man as far as the bed of a male, Male toddlers, though not particularly guilty themselves, still carried the seed of Midyan, whose very name means "strife". 18. "But any toddler among the women who have not become familiar with the bed of a male, you may keep alive for yourselves. Toddler: since Midyanite rites of passage at puberty included "serving their time" as a temple prostitute, only the very young girls would still be virgins. Once taken by Israelites, they were no longer Midyanites. They no longer had natural brothers, older sisters, and mothers, and their relatives were now the people of Israel. (Compare Mat. 12:48-49) 19. "But whoever has killed a person or anyone who has touched one who was mortally wounded, wait outside the camp for seven days; purify yourselves and your captives [from sin] on the third day and the seventh day. Wait: literally, "bend down", i.e., sit or lie. Purify from sin:. literally, "lose" or "miss"--i.e., let the guilt incurred both by the Midyanites' past idolatry or the Israelites' association with the carnage of battle be removed, probably through a ceremonial washing. 20. "And purify every garment, every leather utensil, everything made from a goat, and every wooden implement." On the mystical level (because of their etymologies), these terms mean to purge ourselves of everything associated with deceitful treachery, skin ("the flesh" or the temporary substitute covering YHWH gave us in place of the light that covered Adam and Chawwah), everything demonic, and everything of corruptible human design. Goods and valuables from many nations will one day enter the New Yerushalayim (Rev. 21:24), especially the one-time exiles of Israel (Yeshayahu/Isa. 49:22), but undoubtedly all will have to go through such a purification from their association with the profane things of the world. 21. Then El'azar the cohen told all the men of the army that went out to battle, "This is the prescribed way to carry out the instruction with which YHWH has charged Moshe: 22. "The gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead--indeed 23. "everything that [can] go through the fire--you shall cause to pass through the fire, and it will be ceremonially pure, though indeed it shall be purified with the water of separation, while whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall cause to pass through the water. YHWH is sensitive to the varying abilities of each person to tolerate the means He uses to sanctify us. Yet we must aim for the highest calling. Some can handle the more abrasive kinds of purification, but all must be washed with His Word.(Eph. 5:26) Immersion in water was not enough (Yochanan 1:26ff), but the baptism by fire--the spirit--without the water as well would be "faith without works". 24. "When you have laundered your clothes on the seventh day, you will be ceremonially pure, and afterwards you may enter the camp. While we cannot skip the "third day"--the rebirth made possible only by Y'shua's resurrection, we will not have fully removed the sin from ourselves until the Kingdom (the seventh millennium, cf. Psalm 90:4); on the "eighth day" we may enter the New Yerushalayim which descends to earth only after everything that can be salvaged has been made suitable for YHWH's dwelling to be fully established among us. (Rev. 21:3) 25. Then YHWH spoke to Moshe, saying, 26. "Take a count of the acquisitions that were captured, among human and animal--you, El'azar the cohen, and the heads of the fathers of the congregation-- Take a count: literally, "Lift the heads". Among human and animal: literally, "in Adam and in a beast"--the only two entitities that will be left by the time the time of the Restoration of All Things begins. 27. "And divide the acquisitions [equally] between those seizing the battle--who went out into the army--and the whole congregation. 28. "Then have a tax levied for YHWH from the [mortal] men of war who go out to battle: one soul of five hundred, from men, herds, donkeys, and flocks. 29. "Take [it] from their half and give it to El'azar the cohen as a contribution [lifted off] for YHWH. 30. "Then from the children of Israel's half, take one grasping from fifty--from men, herds, donkeys, flocks, or any animal--and give them to the Levites who watch over what is kept under guard [belonging to] the Dwelling Place of YHWH." Grasping: one "draw" with the hand. 31. Then Moshe and El'azar the cohen did just what YHWH had ordered Moshe [to do], 32. and the acquisitions--the remainder of the spoils which the men of war had plundered-- [totalled] 675,000 sheep, 33. 72,000 cattle, 34. 61,000 donkeys, 35. and of human beings--of the women who had not become familiar with the bed of a male--the souls were 32,000. 36. Now the half apportioned to those who went out into battle numbered 337,500 sheep, 37. and the tribute for YHWH from [these] flock animals was 675; 38. the cattle [numbered] 36,000, [of which] the tribute to YHWH was 72; 39. the donkeys, 30,500, and their tribute to YHWH, 61; 40. and the human beings, 16,000, with their tribute to YHWH being 32 souls. 41. So Moshe delivered the tribute--the contribution to YHWH--unto El'azar the cohen, as YHWH had commanded Moshe. 42. And the half [apportioned to] the descendants of Israel, which Moshe had divided from the men who had gone to fight-- Of those counted, there were 589,730 people to share the other half of the spoils divided with the 12,000 who went to war. So they received much less per capita, and had to give ten times as much to the Levites. Those who went to fight were rewarded by having less required of them. 43. [that is], the congregation's half--was 337,500 of the sheep; 44. 36,000 of the cattle; 45. 30,500 donkeys; 46. and 16,000 human beings. 47. Moshe received from the children of Israel's half the one grasped from fifty of human and animal, and delivered them to the Levites who watched over what was kept under guard [belonging to] the Dwelling Place of YHWH, just as YHWH had commanded Moshe. 48. Now the officers who were [appointed over] the thousands of the army--heads of thousands and centurions--approached Moshe, 49. and told Moshe, "Your servants have taken a census of the men of war who were under our jurisdiction, and not a man of us is unaccounted for! Under our jurisdiction: literally, "in our hand". No one was missing when they came back from battle. When we do things YHWH's way, even if we lose our physical lives, Y'shua says "not a hair of our heards" will be missing in the final analysis. (Luk. 21:18) 50. "So each of us is bringing an offering to YHWH from whatever has come into his possession --articles of gold: anklets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and ornaments--to effect a covering for ourselves before YHWH." It is easy to see why they would wish to bring a thanksgiving offering, but why did they need atonement (a covering)? Because even though it was the right thing to do, they had killed many people, especially women and innocent children, and had not paid any price for it in blood. 51. So Moshe and El'azar the cohen received the gold from them--all kinds of [hand]-crafted articles. 52. And all the gold of the contribution that they lifted off for YHWH [weighed] 16,750 sheqels from the captains of thousands and the centurions-- This may have been used to support the many new children and flocks the Levites and priests acquired. 32 more daughters were added to their household in one day. 53. men of the army who had each taken spoil for himself. 54. So Moshe and El'azar the cohen received the gold from the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and they brought it into the Tent of Appointment [to serve] as a memorial for the descendants of Israel before the face of YHWH. Memorial: or reminder. CHAPTER 32 1. Now the descendants of Reuven and the descendants of Gad had many livestock--a very vast multitude. When they saw the land of Yaazeyr and the land of Gil'ad, behold, the place was spacious [enough] for livestock, 2. and the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuven came and spoke to Moshe, to El'azar the cohen, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3. "Ataroth, Dibon, Yaazeyr, Nimrah, Heshbon, El'aleh, Sibam, Nevo, and Beon-- 4. "the territory that YHWH has caused to be conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock!" 5. So they said, "If we have attained to acceptance in your eyes, let this territory be designated as your servants' [inherited] property; don't make us cross over the Yarden." They may have been daunted by the prospect of having to lead so many animals across the river. 6. But Moshe said to the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuven, "Will your brothers go to war while you sit here? 7. "And why would you discourage the descendants of Israel from crossing into the Land that YHWH has given them? Discourage...from crossing: literally, "make the heart refuse to cross"--which is indeed the French etymology of the English word "discourage". It could read "hold the hearts...back". They were indeed their brother's keepers. It wasn't that he needed the soldiers, one would think; they had needed only 12,000 to fight the five Midyanite kings (ch. 30). The problem was that the nation's unity would be broken, and the others would be discouraged as their parents had been by the ten "spies". Withholding one piece of the body handicaps the whole, especially when it is because of personal possessions. The enemy attacks at the undefendend spots. Like the spies, they were also slandering the Promised Land, saying that what they had found was good enough, an dthey did not really need to go kill more people. After all, the land they had already conquiered was nearly as large as the Promised Land; why should they keep "pressing their luck"? A modern equivalent might be to ask why the Church isn't good enough, since it has programs for our children and the bare essentials; at least it teaches them good morals. But they are not truly Hebrew until they "cross over". We are not called to settle down or be men of peace until the Time of Peace after Y'shua returns. (Mat. 10:34) 8. "Your parents did the same [thing] when I sent them from Qadesh-Barnea to inspect the Land! 9. "When they went up to Wadi Eshkol and saw the Land, they held back the heart of the descendants of Israel, so they would not go into the Land which YHWH had given them [after all], After all: the term for "would not go" includes the sense of frustrated or nullifying an existing plan. 10. "and YHWH's anger was ignited in that day, and He swore [an oath], saying, 11. "'If the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and up, ever see the Land that I promised to Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov...! Because they have not fulfilled [their duty] to follow after Me-- Fulfilled their duty to follow: Hirsch; LXX, "not closely followed"; Aramaic, "did not completely follow". The fuller sense is that they did not satisfy YHWH's full intent as to what they were to accomplish. 12. "except Kalev the son of Y'funeh and Y'hoshua, the son of Nun; they have fulfilled [their duty] to follow after YHWH. 13. "Then YHWH's anger was ignited against Israel, and He set them wandering in the uncultivated land [for] forty years until the whole generation that had done the harm in YHWH's eyes was finished off. 14. "And here you have proven to be under your parents--a brood of mortals who miss the mark, in order to stir up yet again the heat of YHWH's anger toward Israel! Proven to be under: or "risen up in your parents' place". Stir up: "sweep", "catch up", or "add to". 15. Because [if you] turn from [following] after Him, then I'll do it yet again--[I'll] leave them in the wilderness; thus you will corrupt the whole nation!" Corrupt: or "ruin", "spoil", "harm". Leave them: Aram., "delay them". The damage they would do by failing to remain united with the rest of Israel would extend furtehr than he thought they anticipated. 16. But they came close to him and said, "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones, 17. "then we [ourselves] will [gladly] arm ourselves and hurry before the descendants of Israel until whenever we have brought them to their place, while our little ones remain in fortified cities because of the presence of the inhabitants of the territory. Hurry before:Aram., "forge ahead in advance of"; Hirsch: "push forward in the van[guard]. The term connotes a sense of eagerness of enjoyment (i.e., "gladly"). 18. "We will not return to our houses until [every] man of the descendants of Israel has taken possession of his share, 19. "since we will not take a share on the far side of the Yarden, because our share has turned out to be on the eastward side of the Yarden." 20. So Moshe told them, "If you will do what [you have] said and arm yourselves for war in the presence of YHWH, 21. "and cross over the Yarden armed before the face of YHWH until He disinherits His enemies before Him, Before the face of YHWH: i.e., if you are honestly, in His sight, planning to do just this. 22. "and the Land is subdued before the face of YHWH, then afterward you may return and be free from obligation to YHWH and to Israel, and this territory shall be your possession before YHWH. 23. "But if you do not do so, pay attention! You have sinned against YHWH, and recognize the [punishment for] your sin that will catch up with you! 24. "Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your flocks, [then]; carry out what has come out of your mouth." Note that Moshe reverses their priorities (cf. v. 16), mentioning their children before their animals. Their response in the same manner is evidence that they accepted his rebuke. 25. So the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven told Moshe, "Your servants will do as my master commands. My master: in the original Hebrew with no vowel points, the word would be indistinguishable from "Adonai", i.e., THE Master. 26. "Our toddlers, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will be there in the cities of Gil'ad, 27. "But, before YHWH, your servants will all cross over into battle, armed for war, just as my master says." 28. So Moshe gave orders to El'azar the cohen, Y'hoshua the son of Nun, and the chief heads of clans among the tribes of the descendants of Israel concerning them; 29. Moshe told them, "If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven cross the Yarden with you, every one armed for battle before YHWH, then when the Land is subdued before you, give them the territory of Gil'ad as a possession. 30. "But if they will not cross over, armed, with you, they will be stuck with you in the Land of Kanaan." Will not: i.e., do not go willingly. That all depended on how they answered. They would not be harmed, but they would not get their wish either. They would indeed go into the Land, one way or the other, unless they kept the whole community from going. No one rests while Israel is still at war. Be stuck: "be caught" or "settled", though the root word has to do with receiving an inheritance. 31. And the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven responded [by] saying, "We will do just as YHWH has told your servants. 32. "We will cross over armed before YHWH [into the] Land of Kanaan so that the territory [on this] side of the Yarden may be our share to inherit." Again they accepted their rebuke and repented immediately. They proved to Moshe that they were indeed a new generation, different from their parents. They not only were willing to go in, but ruished to be first. True repentance indeed adds "interest" to one's debt. 33. So Moshe assigned to them--the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuven, as well as half the tribe of Menashe the son of Yoseyf--the realm of Sichon, king of the Emorites, the realm of Og, king of Bashan, the land belonging to the cities within its borders--the cities of the land all around. Why was some (and so much) land given to Menashe, when he had not asked for it? Because, although he may not have realized it then, he would need it, because Yaaqov had prophesied that Efrayim and Menashe would become a great multitude--indeed, a nation in themselves, possibly as part of the compensation for accepting the loss of the firstborn status graciously. (Gen. 48:16-19) They would also receive one of the largest territories within the Land, contiguous with their territory across the Yarden. Several able scholars have identified at least the preponderance of Menashe's descendants in our day with the United States of America, where perhaps the largest single contingent of Yoseyfites lives. Perhaps this large nation was also specifically set aside for the regathering of the House of Yoseyf which must take place before we return to the Land. Realm: the territory and goods that had been under their jurisdiction. 34. So the sons of Gad [re]built Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Rebuilt: or simply "built", "established", "continued"; Hirsch, "built out", i.e., extended. 35. Atroth-Shofan, Yaazer, Yogbehah, 36. Beyth Nimrah, and Beyth Haran--fortified cities--as well as sheepfolds, 37. while the sons of Reuven [re]built Heshbon, El'ala, Qiryathayim [twin villages], Some of these towns are spelled differently here than in v. 3. 38. Nevo, and Baal-Meon (their names being changed), as well as Sibmah, and they called by name the names of the cities which they had built. Changed: or "surrounded", perhaps meaning they exercised the right to do what they wished with what was now theirs, but the LXX simply says "surrounded" and interprets it as meaning adding walls, saying nothing about names. Called by name: the Aramaic targum interprets it as meaning they gave new names to the existing cities, but Hirsch renders it, "otherwise they kept the names of the cities that they had built out." The LXX is ambiguous: "they called the names of the cities which they had built after their own names", which probably means they named them after the clans of Reuven. 39. Now the descendants of Machir the son of Menashe went to Gil'ad and captured it, dispossessing the Emorite who was in it. Dispossessing: or "expelling"; apparently they surrendered and left still alive. 40. So Moshe bestowed Gil'ad upon Machir the son of Menashe, and he settled in it. Bestowed upon: "gave", "granted to", or "entrusted with". 41. Then Yair the son of Menashe went and captured their villages, and called them the Villages of Yair. Their villages: i.e., the Gil'adites' villages, not the Machirites'. Villages: more literally, "living places", being the same in the singular form as Adam's wife Chavvah. 42. And Novach went and captured Q'nath and its suburbs, and he called it by his own name, Novach.
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Portion MASSEI (33-36) |
