You shall give authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey.
Parallel Translations
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You shall give authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may obey.
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And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.
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And thou shalt put of thy honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may hearken.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Numbers 27:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Joshua 1:16-18 They answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we listened to Moses in all things, so will we listen to you. Only may Yahweh your God be with you, as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your commandment, and doesn’t listen to your words in all that you command him shall himself be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
- 1 Samuel 10:9 It was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs happened that day.
- Numbers 11:17 I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit which is on you, and will put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you don’t bear it yourself alone.
- Numbers 11:28-29 Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, “My lord Moses, forbid them!” Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all Yahweh’s people were prophets, that Yahweh would put his Spirit on them!”
- 1 Samuel 10:6 Then Yahweh’s Spirit will come mightily on you, and you will prophesy with them, and will be turned into another man.
- 2 Kings 2:9-10 When they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be on me.” He said, “You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken from you, it will be so for you; but if not, it will not be so.”
- 2 Kings 2:15 When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho facing him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
- 1 Chronicles 29:23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.
- 1 Chronicles 29:25 Yahweh magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and gave to him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Commend him to the people as meet for the…
Commend him to the people as meet for the office and appointed by God.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Thou shalt not now use him as a servant,…
Thou shalt not now use him as a servant, as thou hast done, but as a brother and thy partner in the government, showing respect to him, and causing others to do so, and thou shalt impart to him the ensigns and evidences of thy own authority, whatsoever they be. Some understand this honour of those spiritual endowments which did adorn Moses, which Moses was now to confer upon him. But this Joshua had before, for in him was the spirit, Num 26:18; and he received a further measure of the spirit by Moses’s laying on of hands, from both which this honour is distinguished; and, had he meant this, he would not have expressed it in so dark and doubtful a phrase, but have called it a putting not of honour, but of the spirit, upon him, as it is called, Num 11:17. And seeing the word
honour here may very well be properly understood, why should we run to figurative significations?
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest,.... This…
And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest,.... This was for the honour of God, whose priest Eleazar was, and whose oracle was consulted by him; for it is said (z), the high priest did not come into the presence of the king but when he pleased; and he did not stand before him, but the king stood before the high priest, as it is said, "and before Eleazar the priest shall he stand"; though it is commanded the high priest to honour the king, and to rise up and stand when he comes unto him; and the king does not stand before him, but when he consults for him by the judgment of Urim; and his posture seems to be different from other persons that consulted; for the same writer (a) observes, in answer to a question,"how do they consult? the priest stands, and his face is before the ark, and he that consults is behind him, and his face to the back of the priest;''whereas here Joshua stood before the priest, and so any king or supreme governor:
who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: of the Urim and Thummim which were in the breastplate of judgment, and of consultation by them; see Gill on Exo 28:30 and from this place the Jews (b) infer that consultation was not made by them for a private person, but for a king, or for one the congregation stood in need of:
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at his word shall they go out, and at his word shall they come in; go out to war, and return from it, or do any service enjoined them; that is, either at the word of the Lord, or rather at the word of Eleazar the priest, declaring the will of God, which comes to much the same sense; or at the word of Joshua, directed by the high priest, according to the oracle of God; and he being under such direction, the people could never do amiss in obeying him, or be in any fear or danger of being led wrong by him; but he is mentioned in the next clause, as included in those that went out, and came in:
both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation; which Maimonides (c) interprets thus, "he", this is the king; "and all the children of Israel", this is the anointed for war, or he whom the congregation hath need of; "and all the congregation", these are the great sanhedrim, or seventy elders.
(z) Maimon. Hilchot Melachim, c. 2. sect. 5. (a) Maimon. Hilchot Cele Hamikdash, c. 10. sect. 11. (b) Misn. Yoma, c. 7. sect. 5. Maimon. Cele Hamikdash, c. 10. sect. 12. (c) lbid.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Put some of thine honour - Thou shalt not…
Put some of thine honour - Thou shalt not now use him as a servant, but as a brother and thy partner in the government, that the people being used to obey him while Moses lived, might do it afterward the more cheerfully.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 20. And thou shalt put, &c.] מחודך mechodecha,…
Verse 20. And thou shalt put, &c.] מחודך mechodecha, of thine honour or authority upon him. Thou shalt show to the whole congregation that thou hast associated him with thyself in the government of the people.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Num 27:20. Put some of thine honour upon him…
Num 27:20. Put some of thine honour upon him — That is, communicate some of thy authority to him at present; no longer use him as a servant, but as a brother, and as thy associate in the government. This was enjoined in order that the people, being used to obey him while Moses lived, might do it afterward the more cheerfully.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Of thine honor - i. e., of thy dignity…
Of thine honor - i. e., of thy dignity and authority (compare Num 11:17, Num 11:28). Joshua was constituted immediately vice-leader under Moses, by way of introduction to his becoming chief after Moses’ death.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Precepts, to accept of this office, (Calmet) and to…
Precepts, to accept of this office, (Calmet) and to discharge it with integrity. (Haydock) --- Glory, not that which shone on the face of Moses, as Onkelos would have it, but all the marks of distinction due to a chief magistrate, (Calmet) the insignia of his office. See Exodus xviii. 21. (Salien) --- Treat him with respect, as your successor. (Menochius) --- Let him henceforward commence to exercise his authority before you, that all the people may hear and obey him. (Sararius) (Tirinus)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him--In…
Thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him--In the whole history of Israel there arose no prophet or ruler in all respects like unto Moses till the Messiah appeared, whose glory eclipsed all. But Joshua was honored and qualified in an eminent degree, through the special service of the high priest, who asked counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord.
Next: Numbers Chapter 28
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 20, 21.
20, 21.
Put some… honour upon him — “The eminence and authority of Moses were not to be entirely transferred to Joshua, for they were bound up with his own person alone, (Num_12:6-8,) but only so much of it as he needed for the discharge of the duties of his office. Joshua was to be neither the lawgiver nor the absolute governor of Israel, but to be placed under the judgment of Urim with which Eleazar was intrusted so far as the supreme decision of the affairs of Israel was concerned.” — Keil and Delitzsch.
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Who shall ask — Eleazar shall ask God for Joshua. But the Septuagint reads “and they shall ask him,” that is, Joshua and the princes shall ask Eleazar, “the judgment of manifestations.”
Of Urim — Abridged from Urim and Thummim. See Lev_8:8, and Jos_1:1, notes.
At his word — Grammatically, either the Lord’s or Eleazar’s; probably the latter, by virtue of the oracle placed in his keeping. Ordinarily, the priest’s mouth and Jehovah’s. See 1Sa_23:9-12. It is a rule among Hebrew doctors not to ask counsel by the priest who speaketh not by the Holy Spirit and the divine majesty residing in him.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. thou shalt put some of thy majesty upon…
20. thou shalt put some of thy majesty upon him] The subst. denotes visible splendour and dignity. No man could be thought worthy to receive the whole of Moses’ majesty; but Joshua was to receive enough of it to make the people honour and obey him. Cf. Num_11:17.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Put some of thine honour upon him, or, "some…
Put some of thine honour upon him, or, "some of thy dignity" ( Septuagint, dwseiv thv doxhv sou ep auton .
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to Moses about Joshua.
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You must put some of your authority on him
Here Yahweh speaks of Moses giving some of his authority to Joshua as if it were an article of clothing that he could put on him. AT: "You should give him some of your authority" or "Let him decide what the people should do" (See: Metaphor)
Urim
This was a sacred stone that the High Priest wore on his chest plate. He used it to determine God's will. (See: Translate Unknowns)
It will be at his command that the people will go out and come in
This means that Joshua will have authority to command the movements of the community of Israel. "Going out" and "coming in" are two opposite commands used to emphasize that he will have full command over their movements. AT: "He will command the community's movements" (See: Merism)
both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole community
Both of these phrases mean the same thing, and they are used together for emphasis. AT: "both he and the entire nation of Israel" (See: Parallelism)
translationWords
authority
Israel
obey
will of God
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 27:20-21 Joshua assumed only some of Moses’ authority. Moses…
27:20-21 Joshua assumed only some of Moses’ authority. Moses had face-to-face contact with God (12:6-8; Deut 34:10-12), but Joshua had only indirect access to revelation, since he had to consult with Eleazar the priest on important matters (Num 27:21; cp. Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8). Israel would keep military and spiritual leadership separate hereafter.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.