Monday 8 January 2018

Numbers 12

The anger burns (v 9) - there is no atnah in the verse, no rest point.

I have glossed ענו as afflicted or gentle. I chose gentle here. Moses has a brother and a sister. Perhaps there are a few thoughts about sibling rivalry in this passage also.

Note also that leprosy is from the Greek and Latin glosses chosen by early translators. The disease described by the Hebrew text may not have been leprosy.  For more on the disease see here: Modern medical scholars have identified the white spots described as symptoms of tzaraat as vitiligo, a disfiguring but otherwise harmless disease, or as psoriasis, a disease that results in thick silvery scales and itchy, dry, red patches on the skin.

I see that Rashi effectively denies that Moses had a second wife. Zippora herself is called a Cushite (Ethiopian) because she is so beautiful. One key to the rivalry may be that Moses had separated from her for purposes of Torah, for receiving the word from Yahweh. The opinion is noted here.

Numbers 12 Fn Min Max Syll
וַתְּדַבֵּ֨ר מִרְיָ֤ם וְאַהֲרֹן֙ בְּמֹשֶׁ֔ה עַל־אֹד֛וֹת הָאִשָּׁ֥ה הַכֻּשִׁ֖ית אֲשֶׁ֣ר לָקָ֑ח
כִּֽי־אִשָּׁ֥ה כֻשִׁ֖ית לָקָֽח
1 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses over the agency of the Ethiopian woman whom he had taken,
for an Ethiopian woman, he had taken.
3d 4C 25
6
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ הֲרַ֤ק אַךְ־בְּמֹשֶׁה֙ דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הֲלֹ֖א גַּם־בָּ֣נוּ דִבֵּ֑ר
וַיִּשְׁמַ֖ע יְהוָֽה
2 And they said, But is it only in Moses that Yahweh has spoken? Has he not spoken even in us?
And Yahweh heard.
3e 4C 20
5
וְהָאִ֥ישׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה עָנָ֣יו מְאֹ֑ד
מִכֹּל֙ הָֽאָדָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה
3 But Moses was a very gentle person,
more than any human that is on the face of the ground.
3e 4B 9
14
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה פִּתְאֹ֗ם אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֤ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹן֙ וְאֶל־מִרְיָ֔ם צְא֥וּ שְׁלָשְׁתְּכֶ֖ם אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד
וַיֵּצְא֖וּ שְׁלָשְׁתָּֽם
4 And Yahweh said suddenly to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, Come out, you three, to the tent of engagement.
And they came out, the three of them.
3e 4C 30
6
וַיֵּ֤רֶד יְהוָה֙ בְּעַמּ֣וּד עָנָ֔ן וַֽיַּעֲמֹ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֑הֶל
וַיִּקְרָא֙ אַהֲרֹ֣ן וּמִרְיָ֔ם וַיֵּצְא֖וּ שְׁנֵיהֶֽם
5 And Yahweh descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the door of the tent,
and called Aaron and Miriam, and they came out, both of them.
3e 4C 19
15
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א דְבָרָ֑י
אִם־יִֽהְיֶה֙ נְבִ֣יאֲכֶ֔ם יְהוָ֗ה בַּמַּרְאָה֙ אֵלָ֣יו אֶתְוַדָּ֔ע בַּחֲל֖וֹם אֲדַבֶּר־בּֽוֹ
6 And he said, Hear, please, my word,
If there is a prophet of yours, I, Yahweh, in an appearance to him, will be known. In a dream, I will speak with him.
3e 4B 8
24
לֹא־כֵ֖ן עַבְדִּ֣י מֹשֶׁ֑ה
בְּכָל־בֵּיתִ֖י נֶאֱמָ֥ן הֽוּא
7 Not so my servant Moses.
In all my house he is faithful.
3e 4B 6
8
פֶּ֣ה אֶל־פֶּ֞ה אֲדַבֶּר־בּ֗וֹ וּמַרְאֶה֙ וְלֹ֣א בְחִידֹ֔ת וּתְמֻנַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה יַבִּ֑יט
וּמַדּ֙וּעַ֙ לֹ֣א יְרֵאתֶ֔ם לְדַבֵּ֖ר בְּעַבְדִּ֥י בְמֹשֶֽׁה
8 B Mouth to mouth I speak with him and in appearance and not with riddles but the similitude of Yahweh he takes note of.
Why then were you not fearful to speak against my servant, against Moses?
3e 4B 22
17
וַיִּֽחַר אַ֧ף יְהוָ֛ה בָּ֖ם וַיֵּלַֽךְ 9 And the anger of Yahweh burned against them, and he went. 3c 3g 10
וְהֶעָנָ֗ן סָ֚ר מֵעַ֣ל הָאֹ֔הֶל וְהִנֵּ֥ה מִרְיָ֖ם מְצֹרַ֣עַת כַּשָּׁ֑לֶג
וַיִּ֧פֶן אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶל־מִרְיָ֖ם וְהִנֵּ֥ה מְצֹרָֽעַת
10 And the cloud departed from over the tent and behold, Miriam was leprous, as snow,
and Aaron faced Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.
3c 4C 22
16
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אַהֲרֹ֖ן אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה
בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י אַל־נָ֨א תָשֵׁ֤ת עָלֵ֙ינוּ֙ חַטָּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֥ר נוֹאַ֖לְנוּ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר חָטָֽאנוּ
11 And Aaron said to Moses,
O my Lord, please do not impose on us sin that we have attempted and that we have sinned.
3e 4C 9
24
אַל־נָ֥א תְהִ֖י כַּמֵּ֑ת
אֲשֶׁ֤ר בְּצֵאתוֹ֙ מֵרֶ֣חֶם אִמּ֔וֹ וַיֵּאָכֵ֖ל חֲצִ֥י בְשָׂרֽוֹ
12 Please let her not be as one dead,
that when it emerged from the womb of its mother, its flesh is half devoured.
3e 4C 6
19
וַיִּצְעַ֣ק מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר
אֵ֕ל נָ֛א רְפָ֥א נָ֖א לָֽהּ
13 And Moses cried out to Yahweh, saying,
O God please heal, please her.
3d 4B 10
6
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה וְאָבִ֙יהָ֙ יָרֹ֤ק יָרַק֙ בְּפָנֶ֔יהָ הֲלֹ֥א תִכָּלֵ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים
תִּסָּגֵ֞ר שִׁבְעַ֤ת יָמִים֙ מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְאַחַ֖ר תֵּאָסֵֽף
14 And Yahweh said to Moses, If her father spit, spit in her face, would she not be humiliated seven days?
Let her be quarantined seven days outside the camp, and after, let her be gathered.
3e 4C 29
19
וַתִּסָּגֵ֥ר מִרְיָ֛ם מִח֥וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֑ים
וְהָעָם֙ לֹ֣א נָסַ֔ע עַד־הֵאָסֵ֖ף מִרְיָֽם
15 And Miriam was quarantined outside the camp seven days,
and the people did not pull out until Miriam was gathered again.
3d 4B 16
12
וְאַחַ֛ר נָסְע֥וּ הָעָ֖ם מֵחֲצֵר֑וֹת
וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּמִדְבַּ֥ר פָּארָֽן
16 And after, the people pulled out from Chatsorot,
and they encamped in the wilderness Paran.
3d 4A 11
9


No comments:

Post a Comment