Those men said to him, “We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why are we kept back, that we may not offer the offering of Yahweh in its appointed season among the children of Israel?”
Parallel Translations
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Those men said to him, “We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why are we kept back, that we may not offer the offering of Yahweh in its appointed season among the children of Israel?”
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And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel?
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And those men said unto him: 'We are unclean by the dead body of a man; wherefore are we to be kept back, so as not to bring the offering of the LORD in its appointed season among the children of Israel?'
Cross-references (5)
Passages linked to Numbers 9:7 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Exodus 12:27 that you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of Yahweh’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians, and spared our houses.’ ” The people bowed their heads and worshiped.
- Numbers 9:2 “Let the children of Israel keep the Passover in its appointed season.
- Deuteronomy 16:2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to Yahweh your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Yahweh shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.
- 2 Chronicles 30:17-19 For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites were in charge of killing the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to Yahweh. For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover other than the way it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Yahweh pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, even if they aren’t clean according to the purification of the sanctuary.”
- 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place. Therefore let’s keep the feast, not with old yeast, neither with the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Or, celebrate the Passover the fourteenth day of the…
Or, celebrate the Passover the fourteenth day of the first month.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Num 9:7 And those men said unto him, We…
Num 9:7 And those men said unto him, We [are] defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel?
Ver. 7. And those men said unto him.] Moses they knew was a meet man to resolve this case of conscience. He was a messenger, an interpreter, "one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness," {Job 33:23} a merchant to sell oil and balm from Gilead, to cure consciences. {Mat 25:9} Others may write cases, that is, covers of conscience; but resolve none. Conscience is a diamond, and will be wrought on by nothing but dust of diamond, such as contrition hath ground it to.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Which if we neglect, we must be cut off;…
Which if we neglect, we must be cut off; and if we keep it in these circumstances, we must also be cut off. What shall we do? The passover is called
an offering of the Lord, because it was both killed and eaten in obedience to God’s command, and to God’s honour, and as a thank-offering to God for his great mercies.
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 Moses said unto them, stand still,.... Where they…
And Moses said unto them, stand still,.... Where they were; Aben Ezra says, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you; as it was a singular case, of which there had been no instance before, Moses would not determine anything about it himself, but would inquire of the Lord his mind and will concerning it; and for that purpose, very probably, went into the most holy place, where the Lord had promised to meet him and commune with him, from off the mercy seat, about any matter of difficulty he should inquire about, Exo 25:22.
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 An offering - Which if we neglect, we must…
An offering - Which if we neglect, we must be cut off, and if we keep it in these circumstances, we must also be cut off. What shall we do?
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 7. We are defiled by the dead body…
Verse 7. We are defiled by the dead body of a man] It is probable that the defilement mentioned here was occasioned by assisting at the burial of some person - a work both of necessity and mercy. This circumstance however gave rise to the ordinance delivered in Nu 9:10-14, so that on particular occasions the passover might be twice celebrated:
1. At its regular time, the 14th of the first month;
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2. An extra time, the 14th of the second month.
But the man who had no legal hinderance, and did not celebrate it on one or other of these times, was to be cut off from the people of God; and the reason given for this cutting off is, that he brought not the offering of God in his appointed season-therefore that man shall bear his sin, Nu 9:13.
We have already seen, from the authority of St. Paul, that Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed for us; and that it was his sacrifice that was pointed out by the paschal lamb: on this, therefore, we may observe, that those who do not sooner or later eat the true Passover, and get the salvation procured by the sprinkling of his blood, shall be cut off from among those that shall enter into the rest prepared for the people of God; and for the same reason too; they bring not the offering of God in its appointed season, and therefore they shall bear their sin.
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 9:7. Wherefore are we kept back — They…
Num 9:7. Wherefore are we kept back — They thus confidently expostulate with Moses, because in the first institution of the passover no mention is made of excluding such unclean persons from that ordinance. And although it might possibly have been inferred from the law recorded Lev 7:20, that persons in their condition were not to partake of that sacrifice; yet, considering that all the Israelites were expressly commanded to celebrate the passover, (Exo 12:47,) they might well entertain doubts respecting their duty in this matter, and therefore have recourse to Moses for decision. That we may not offer an offering — Which if we neglect we must be cut off, and if we keep it in these circumstances, we must also be cut off. What shall we do?
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 7. Kept back — Greek, fall short or fail;…
7. Kept back — Greek, fall short or fail; Vulgate, defrauded. Since their defilement was involuntary, and even commendable, arising as it did from attending to the burial of the dead, the demand was reasonable, and worthy of being carried to the Lord.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (7) An offering.—Better, the offering, or oblation.
(7) An offering.—Better, the offering, or oblation.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Wherefore are we kept back. The direction to remove…
Wherefore are we kept back. The direction to remove from the camp all that were defiled by the dead (Num_5:2) had not apparently been given at this time, nor was there any express command that such should not partake of the passover, for Lev_7:20 may probably refer only to such uncleannesses as are mentioned in Lev_15:3; but that men were in fact considered as defiled by contact with the dead is clear from Lev_21:1. The men, therefore, had reason for asking why they were excommunicated, and Moses for referring the matter to the Divine decision.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.