Numbers 17:13

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tent of Yahweh, dies: shall we perish all of us?

World English Bible · Public Domain

Highlights

1 first appearance in the Hebrew Bible

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Word by word

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הַקָּרֵ֧ב

qârêb

H7131

“the · near”

Particle, Definite Article + Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute

Appears 8× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears here

Full BDB Definition

Origin: from H7126

TWOT: 2065a

near, approaching

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

10: words
9: distinct lemmas
Pentateuch: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is הַקָּרֵ֧ב near H7131 — appearing just 8 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.

First appearance in Scripture

This word makes its first canonical appearance in the Hebrew Bible here:

הַקָּרֵ֧ב near H7131

Shared distinctive vocabulary

הַקָּרֵ֧ב near H7131 occurs in 7 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

3 verbs
3 nouns
2 adjectives
1 preposition
1 conjunction

Verb forms

יָמ֑וּת Qal · Imperfect
תַּ֖מְנוּ Qal · Perfect
לִגְוֺֽעַ Qal · Infinitive Construct

Repetition

A word recurs within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:

הַקָּרֵ֧ב near H7131 ×2

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 19 words from the Hebrew and 14 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 10 Hebrew tokens and 13 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Numbers 17:13 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Genesis 3:3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
Numbers 1:51–53 When the tabernacle is to move, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The stranger who comes near shall be put to death.
Numbers 16:26 He spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.
Numbers 18:4–7 They shall be joined to you, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come near to you.
Numbers 32:13 Yahweh's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, who had done evil in the sight of Yahweh, was consumed.
Deuteronomy 2:16 So it happened, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,
1 Samuel 6:19–21 He struck of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Yahweh, he struck of the people fifty thousand seventy men; and the people mourned, because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter.
2 Samuel 6:6–12 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled.

1 Chronicles 13:11–13 David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken forth on Uzza; and he called that place Perez Uzza, to this day.
1 Chronicles 15:13 For because you didn't carry it at the first, Yahweh our God made a breach on us, because we didn't seek him according to the ordinance.
Job 34:14–15 If he set his heart on himself, If he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath;
Psalms 90:7 For we are consumed in your anger. We are troubled in your wrath.
Psalms 130:3–4 If you, Yah, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
Isaiah 28:22 Now therefore don't you be scoffers, lest your bonds be made strong; for a decree of destruction have I heard from the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, on the whole earth.
Acts 5:5 Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.
Acts 5:11–14 Great fear came on the whole assembly, and on all who heard these things.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.
Hebrews 10:19–22 Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Numbers 17:13 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

כֹּ֣ל הַקָּרֵ֧ב הַקָּרֵ֛ב אֶל מִשְׁכַּ֥ן יְהוָ֖ה יָמ֑וּת הַאִ֥ם תַּ֖מְנוּ לִגְוֺֽעַ

Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tent of Yahweh, dies: shall we perish all of us?

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Numbers 17:13 Septuagint · lemma form

καί ἵστημι ἀνά μέσος ὁ θνήσκω καί ὁ ζάω καί κοπάζω ὁ θραῦσις

Every one that touches the tabernacle of the Lord, dies: shall we die utterly?

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Targum (Aramaic paraphrase)

The Targum is the ancient Jewish Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures — an interpretive translation, not the Hebrew text itself. Onkelos (literal) and Pseudo-Jonathan (expansive) render the Torah, and Jonathan the Prophets. Coverage is partial: where no permissively-licensed English translation exists for a verse, only the Aramaic is shown. This is verse-level text, not a word-by-word alignment to the Hebrew.

Targum Onkelos Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

וְקָם בֵּין מֵתַיָא וּבֵין חַיַיָא וְאִתְכְּלִי מוֹתָנָא

(no public-domain English translation for this verse)

Targum Onkelos — Aramaic: “Onkelos Genesis” (public domain); “Onkelos Exodus” (public domain); “Onkelos Leviticus” (public domain); “Onkelos Numbers” (public domain); “Onkelos Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “J.W. Etheridge. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel on the Pentateuch. London: Longmans, Green, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

וְקָם לֵיהּ אַהֲרן בִּצְלוֹי בְּמַצַע וְעָבַד מְחִיצוּתָא בְּמַחְתְּיָיתָא בֵּינֵי מֵתַיָא וּבֵינֵי חַיַיָא וְאִתְכְּלִיאַת מוֹתָנָא

And Aharon stood in the midst, between the dead and the living with the censer, and interceded in prayer; and the plague was restrained.

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan — Aramaic: “Targum Jonathan on Genesis” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Exodus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Leviticus” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Numbers” (public domain); “Targum Jonathan on Deuteronomy” (public domain). English: “The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, trans. J. W. Etheridge, London, 1862” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.

Commentary

Notes on Numbers 17:13 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Num 17:13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?

Ver. 13. Whosoever cometh anything near.] Let them keep further off then who have no sufficient warrant. Why should they meddle with that belongs not to them? Why should they touch the tabernacle? as the Greek here hath it. The fingers of many triflers itch at this day, to be tampering with that tremendous function, the ministry: which if they forbear to touch, it is but as once Mercury is fain to spare Jupiter’s thunderbolts, which he durst not steal, lest they should roar too loud, or at least burn his fingers.

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.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown

cometh any thing near--that is, nearer than he ought to do; an error into which many may fall. Will the stern justice of God overtake every slight offense? We shall all be destroyed. Some, however, regard this exclamation as the symptom or a new discontent, rather than the indication of a reverential and submissive spirit. Let us fear and sin not.

Next: Numbers Chapter 18

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

13. shall we perish all of us?] The exact force of the words is doubtful. They may mean ‘Shall we completely come to an end by expiring?’ of which R.V. is a correct paraphrase: or ‘Shall we ever finish expiring?’ i.e. ‘can we ever be free from the danger of death’ if we approach the Tent?

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.

Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Destroyed. They betray the sentiments of their hearts; though some believe that they were now entering into themselves, and desirous to know what they must do to escape the fate of their brethren. God gives them an answer in the following chapter, teaching them that they must refrain from approaching to the tabernacle, unless they be authorized; and provide such things as are requisite for the maintenance of those, whom he has chosen for his ministers. (Calmet) --- Afterwards, he passes over the transactions of about 35 years, in profound silence, that the memory of those who had so often murmured, might perish. (Salien, A.C. 1505. [1505 B.C.])

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).

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

Any thing near, i.e. nearer than he should do; an error which we may easily commit.

Shall we be consumed? will God proceed with us in these severe courses, according to his strict justice? will he show us no mercy nor pity, till all the people be cut off and destroyed with dying one after another.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

13. Shall we be consumed — Where God cannot awaken genuine faith and obedience, as he could not in this rejected generation, he inspires a salutary dread as a preventive of renewed rebellion. Terror must restrain those whom love fails to win. Yet at this point lay the chief danger to faith in the theocracy, the difficulty of realizing the invisible presence of God, and of conceiving a communion with him which should not crush or absorb the finite creature. This shrinking back from joyful communion by reason of the divine majesty appears very often in thoughtful Hebrews, as in Deu_5:24-27; Num_17:12-13; Isa_45:15. See also Job_9:32-35; Job_13:21-22. Hence arose idolatry, which is an attempt to commune with superior powers by visible symbols or images. The incarnation of the Godhead in one true and visible man has removed all excuse for idolatry arising from the inconceivable infinity and awfulness of Jehovah.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

Shall we be consumed with dying? It was a natural question, considering all that had happened; and indeed it could only be answered in the affirmative, for their sentence was, "In this wilderness they shall be consumed". (Num_14:35) But it was not in human nature that they should calmly accept their fate.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Near - Nearer than he should do; an error which we may easily commit. Will God proceed with us according to his strict justice, till all the people be cut off?

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Rashi

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)

ויעמד בין המתים וגו׳ AND HE STOOD BETWEEN THE DEAD [AND THE LIVING] — He (Aaron) seized the Angel of Death and stopped him despite himself. The angel said to him, “Let me be, so that I may carry out my commission!” He (Aaron) answered him, “Moses has bidden me prevent you”. The angel replied, “I am the messenger of the Omnipresent whilst you are but the messenger of Moses!” Aaron retorted, “Moses does not say anything out of his own mind, but only at the command of the Almighty. If you do not believe me, behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, and Moses are at the entrance of the appointed tent; come with me and ask them!” This is the meaning of what is stated (v. 15): And Aaron returned unto Moses (i.e. returned together with the Angel of Death) (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Tetzaveh 15 at end of תצוה). Another explanation is: Wherefore was the plague stayed by means of the incense? Because the Israelites were traducing and speaking ill of the incense, saying, “It is a deadly poison: through it Nadab and Abihu died; through it the two hundred and fifty men were burnt!” therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said, You will see that it is also a means for restraining the plague, and it is only sin that brings death” (Mekhilta on Exodus 17:5).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Numbers, in the Pentateuch, opens this verse with 10 words (9 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is qârêb (“near”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

What does “near” (qârêb) contribute to the verse as a whole?
The word “near” first appears here in Scripture. What is being introduced at this debut?
Deuteronomy 20:3 shares the word «near» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
“near” occurs 2× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
These translations render this verse differently; the difference is in the English rendering, not the original. What questions does that raise?
The verb «יָמ֑וּת» is Qal Imperfect. How does its form color the action?
Reading how Trapp's Complete Commentary and Jamieson, Fausset & Brown read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

1 word makes its first canonical appearance in Scripture here.
This verse counts 10 Hebrew ↔ 13 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 24 words in this verse.
“near” occurs 2× in this single verse.
9 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 10 words in this verse.