וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בְמִדְבַּר־סִינַי בַּשָּׁנָה הַשֵּׁנִית לְצֵאתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשֹׁון לֵאמֹר   9:1

Numb. 9:1    And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the second year of their coming out of the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying,

וְיַעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַפָּסַח בְּמֹועֲדֹו   9:2

Numb. 9:2    “Now the children of Israel have observed the Passover in its appointed season.”

We are now back to the time when the Tabernacle was finished and first erected.  The Israelites were about to observe their second Passover.

בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר־יֹום בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה בֵּין הָעֲרְבַּיִם תַּעֲשׂוּ אֹתֹו בְּמֹועֲדֹו כְּכָל־חֻקֹּתָיו וּכְכָל־מִשְׁפָּטָיו   9:3

תַּעֲשׂוּ אֹתֹו

Numb. 9:3    “On the fourteenth day in this month you shall observe it at dusk; you shall observe it in its appointed season according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.”

                                                                                                                        [Return to Deut. 16:6]

וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשֹׂת הַפָּסַח   9:4

Numb. 9:4    And Moses spoke to the children of Israel about observing the Passover.

וַיַּעֲשׂוּ אֶת־הַפֶּסַח בָּרִאשֹׁון בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יֹום לַחֹדֶשׁ בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם בְּמִדְבַּר סִינָי כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה   9:5

יְהוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Numb. 9:5    So they observed the Passover in the first month on the fourteenth day of the month at dusk in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.                                                                                [Return to Exod. 12:25]

וַיְהִי אֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ טְמֵאִים לְנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם וְלֹא־יָכְלוּ לַעֲשֹׂת־הַפֶּסַח בַּיֹּום הַהוּא וַיִּקְרְבוּ לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה   9:6

וְלִפְנֵי אַהֲרֹן בַּיֹּום הַהוּא

Numb. 9:6    But there were men who were unclean in regard to a death of another, so they were not able to observe the Passover on that day, so they came before Moses, and before Aaron, on that day.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵמָּה אֵלָיו אֲנַחְנוּ טְמֵאִים לְנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם לָמָּה נִגָּרַע לְבִלְתִּי הַקְרִב אֶת־קָרְבַּן יְהוָה   9:7

בְּמֹעֲדֹו בְּתֹוךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Numb. 9:7    And those men said to him, “We are unclean in regard to the death of another.  To what purpose are we to be restrained so as not to bring an offering of the Lord in its appointed season among the children of Israel?”

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם מֹשֶׁה עִמְדוּ וְאֶשְׁמְעָה מַה־יְצַוֶּה יְהוָה לָכֶם   9:8

Numb. 9:8    So Moses said to them, “Wait so I may hear what the Lord will command about you.”

וַיְדַבֵּר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר   9:9

Numb. 9:9    And the Lord spoke to Moses saying,

דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי־יִהְיֶה־טָמֵא לָנֶפֶשׁ אֹו בְדֶרֶךְ רְחֹקָה לָכֶם אֹו לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם   9:10

וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח לַיהוָה

Numb. 9:10  “Speak to the children of Israel saying, ‘When any man of you or of your generations will be unclean in regard to a death or at a far distance, yet he shall prepare the paschal lamb to the Lord.’”

בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר יֹום בֵּין הָעַרְבַּיִם יַעֲשׂוּ אֹתֹו עַל־מַצֹּות וּמְרֹרִים יֹאכְלֻהוּ   9:11

Numb. 9:11  “In the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk they shall prepare it.  They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”

As I read this verse, the unclean (like those who might be too far from the Tabernacle -- or temple) were to prepare their paschal lamb as they did in Egypt for the Lord’s Passover, in their own dwelling.  They did not come to the Tabernacle.

לֹא־יַשְׁאִירוּ מִמֶּנּוּ עַד־בֹּקֶר וְעֶצֶם לֹא יִשְׁבְּרוּ־בֹו כְּכָל־חֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח יַעֲשׂוּ אֹתֹו   9:12

Numb. 9:12  “They shall not leave any of it until the morning, and they shall not break a bone in it; they shall do it according to all the statutes of the Passover.”

If I interpret the simple statement in the last part of this verse correctly, we must observe this second Passover for the same number of days, seven, as the first.

וְהָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־הוּא טָהֹור וּבְדֶרֶךְ לֹא־הָיָה וְחָדַל לַעֲשֹׂות הַפֶּסַח וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא מֵעַמֶּיהָ כִּי   9:13

קָרְבַּן יְהוָה לֹא הִקְרִיב בְּמֹעֲדֹו חֶטְאֹו יִשָּׂא הָאִישׁ הַהוּא

Numb. 9:13  “But the man who is clean and is not at a distance, but should fail to observe the Passover, then that soul shall be cut off from its people.  Because he did not bring an offering of the Lord in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.”

וְכִי־יָגוּר אִתְּכֶם גֵּר וְעָשָׂה פֶסַח לַיהוָה כְּחֻקַּת הַפֶּסַח וּכְמִשְׁפָּטֹו כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה חֻקָּה אַחַת יִהְיֶה לָכֶם   9:14

וְלַגֵּר וּלְאֶזְרַח הָאָרֶץ

Numb. 9:14  ”And when a stranger shall sojourn with you, then he shall observe the Passover to the Lord.  According to the statutes of Passover and its ordinances, so he shall do.  One statute shall be for you, both for the stranger and for the native of the land.”

וּבְיֹום הָקִים אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן כִּסָּה הֶעָןָן אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּן לְאֹהֶל הָעֵדֻת וּבָעֶרֶב יִהְיֶה עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן כְּמַרְאֵה־   9:15

אֵשׁ עַד־בֹּקֶר

Numb. 9:15  And with the day of erecting the Tabernacle, the cloud covered the Tabernacle in the tent of the testimony, and in the evening there would be like an appearance of fire over the Tabernacle until the morning.

This verse provides some additional corroboration, although not as strong as most of the other verses (see Gene. 1:5, Exod. 12:6, Exod. 12:18, Levi. 6:13, and Levi. 23:32), of my thesis that the day starts at first light rather than in the evening.  The day of the erecting of the Tabernacle could not have included the previous evening (the traditional start of that day) because then the appearance of fire would have to have shown itself before the erecting of the Tabernacle.                                                                           [Return to Numb. 33:3]

כֵּן יִהְיֶה תָמִיד הֶעָןָן יְכַסֶּנּוּ וּמַרְאֵה־אֵשׁ לָיְלָה   9:16

Numb. 9:16  So it would be daily.  The cloud would cover it, then the appearance of fire at night.

This verse provides much stronger corroboration, however.  Notice that the cloud is mentioned first (the day) and then the fire is described as appearing at night.

וּלְפִי הֵעָלוֹת הֶעָנָן מֵעַל הָאֹהֶל וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן יִסְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכָּןשָׁם הֶעָנָן־שָׁם   9:17

יַחֲנוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Numb. 9:17  And at the opening of the rising of the cloud from over the tent, then the children of Israel would journey after the same, and in the place where the cloud would rest, there the children of Israel would camp.

עַל־פִּי יְהוָה יִסְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל־פִּי יְהוָה יַחֲנוּ כָּל־יְמֵי אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכֹּן הֶעָנָן עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן יַחֲנוּ   9:18

Numb. 9:18  At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; all the days of which the cloud would rest over the Tabernacle, they would camp.

וּבְהַאֲרִיךְ הֶעָנָן עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן יָמִים רַבִּים וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־מִשְׁמֶרֶת יְהוָה וְלֹא יִסָּעוּ   9:19

Numb. 9:19  And with the cloud remaining over the Tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel would keep the watch of the Lord and would not journey.

וְיֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה הֶעָנָן יָמִים מִסְפָּר עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן עַל־פִּי יְהוָה יַחֲנוּ וְעַל־פִּי יְהוָה יִסָּעוּ   9:20

Numb. 9:20  And sometimes when the cloud would be over the Tabernacle a few days on the command of the Lord, they would remain camped; then on the command of the Lord they would journey.

וְיֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִהְיֶה הֶעָנָן מֵעֶרֶב עַד־בֹּקֶר וְנַעֲלָה הֶעָנָן בַּבֹּקֶר וְנָסָעוּ אוֹ יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה וְנַעֲלָה הֶעָנָן   9:21

וְנָסָעוּ

Numb. 9:21  And sometimes when the cloud would remain from evening until morning, and the cloud would be taken up in the morning, then they would journey, or it could be days and nights and the cloud would be taken up, then they would journey.

אוֹ־יֹמַיִם אוֹ־חֹדֶשׁ אוֹ־יָמִים בְּהַאֲרִיךְ הֶעָנָן עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן לִשְׁכֹּן עָלָיו יַחֲנוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא יִסָּעוּ   9:22

וּבְהֵעָלֹתֹו יִסָּעוּ

Numb. 9:22  Whether days or a month or a year, while the cloud was being prolonged over the Tabernacle, dwelling upon it, the children of Israel would camp and would not journey, but on its being taken up, they would journey.

עַל־פִּי יְהוָה יַחֲנוּ וְעַל־פִּי יְהוָה יִסָּעוּ אֶת־מִשְׁמֶרֶת יְהוָה שָׁמָרוּ עַל־פִּי יְהוָה בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁה   9:23

Numb. 9:23  On the command of the Lord they would camp and on the command of the Lord they would journey.  They kept the watch of the Lord according to the command of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

Verses 9:15 to 9:23 repeat what is contained in Exod. 40:36 to 40:38.  The description is more elaborate here but it doesn’t say much more than the other verses do.

Torah Commandments in this Chapter

353. One who is unclean shall still prepare the paschal lamb and eat

        it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.    V. 9:10, 9:11

354. One who is too far from the Temple must still prepare the paschal

        lamb and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.    V. 9:10, 9:11

355. They shall prepare it on the fourteenth day of the second month at dusk.    V. 9:11

356. They shall do it according to all the statutes of the Passover.    V. 9:12

357. The soul of one who is close to the Temple and does not observe

         the Passover shall be cut off from its people.    V. 9:13

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