UTN uW Translation Notes:

Numbers 15 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

2. In the wilderness (10:11–19:22) * Regulations for grain and drink offerings, raised offerings, atonement for unintentional sins, the Sabbath, and tassels (15:1–41)In this chapter, Yahweh gives instructions for grain and drink offerings, contributions from first batches of bread, atonement for unintentional sins, punishment for intentional sins, and tassels on clothing. The author also narrates a story about a man who gathered wood on the Sabbath.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Grain and drink offerings

This chapter includes instructions for what the Israelites were supposed to offer along with animal sacrifices. For each male lamb, ram, and bull that they offered, they needed to offer also a specific portion of grain and wine. The portion size was different for each animal. When the Israelites included the grain and drink offerings with each animal, Yahweh was pleased. (See: mealoffering and drinkoffering)

Contributions from first dough

This chapter includes instructions on contributions from the dough that the Israelites made from the first grain that they harvested each year. They were to make one loaf from this dough to give to Yahweh. This contribution would be similar to the contribution that farmers made from the first grain that they harvested. Some scholars think that the contribution of a loaf was specifically intended for Israelites who were not farmers and who did not have grain from a harvest to contribute. (See: firstfruit)

Deliberate and unintentional sins

This chapter includes information on deliberate and unintentional sins. Deliberate sins are when people know that they are disobeying God and continue to do so anyway. They do not feel any regret or guilt for what they have done. Those people cannot atone for their sins but instead are punished. Unintentional sins are when people disobey God without realizing that they are disobeying. Those people can atone for their sins, and God gives instructions on what sacrifices to offer. Unintentional sins can be committed by many people together or by one person, and the sacrifices are different in these two cases. (See: sin)

The Sabbath

On the Sabbath, which was the seventh day of the week, the Israelites were not allowed to do any work. See [Exodus 20:10](../../exo/20/10.md) for the basic command. In this chapter, a man does work on the Sabbath (gathering firewood), and the Israelite leaders know that he did something wrong. However, they wait to hear from Yahweh how the man should be punished. Yahweh declares that the Israelites must kill him by throwing stones at him, so that is what they do. This story emphasizes how important keeping the Sabbath is to Yahweh. (See: sabbath)

Tassels

This chapter includes instructions on “tassels” that the Israelites were supposed to attach to their clothing. Tassels are groups of threads connected together that hang down from whatever they are attached to. In this case, the Israelites were supposed to attach the tassels to the corners of their garments. The outer garments that the Israelites wore were usually in the shape of a rectangle, so there would be four tassels, one at each corner. Each tassel needed to have one cord or thread of blue in it. These tassels functioned as visual reminders that the Israelites were supposed to think about and obey God’s commands.

Sojourners

The instructions in this chapter on grain and drink offerings and on atonement for unintentional sins apply to “sojourners” as well as to native Israelites. Sojourners were non-Israelites who lived among the Israelites. They were considered sojourners as long as they lived among the Israelites. The laws that include sojourners indicate that these foreigners could participate in worshiping and honoring Yahweh. (See: foreigner)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Order of events

This chapter includes both instructions that Yahweh gives Moses and a story about a man working on the Sabbath. The author does not clarify in what order these events happened or whether they happened before or after the events narrated in the previous chapter. It is recommended that you avoid using time words to connect these instructions and stories. (See: figs-events)

“a scent of pleasing”

Multiple times in this chapter, Yahweh describes a sacrifice as “a scent of pleasing” to or for him. This phrase refers to burning the sacrifice in a way that causes smoke to go up, picturing the sacrifice as being converted to pleasant-smelling smoke by the fire and arising to Yahweh in heaven, where he would smell the smoke and be pleased. That the sacrifice was accompanied by the gift of the pleasant-smelling smoke of the sacrifice was apparently crucial to the acceptance of the offering as an appropriate sacrifice on a person’s behalf.

Being “cut off” from the people

The punishment for deliberate sins was being “cut off” from the rest of the Israelites. Scholars are unsure exactly what penalty this phrase implies. It could refer to death by execution. It could refer to punishment from Yahweh in a way of his choice. It could refer to expulsion from the Israelite community. The UST and notes follow this last option. If possible, use a word or phrase that could be understood in several of these ways. If you must specify, it is recommended that you follow the UST and notes.