Logos Bible Study

Numbers 16:37–39

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16:37“Tell50 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pick up51 the censers out of the flame, for they are holy, and then scatter the coals of fire52 at a distance. 16:38As for the censers of these men who sinned at the cost of their lives,53 they must be made54 into hammered sheets for covering the altar, because they presented them before the Lord and sanctified them. They will become a sign to the Israelites.” 16:39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers presented by those who had been burned up, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar.

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Footnotes

  1. 50 Heb “say to.”
  2. 51 The verb is the jussive with a vav (ו) coming after the imperative; it may be subordinated to form a purpose clause (“that he may pick up”) or the object of the imperative.
  3. 52 The Hebrew text just has “fire,” but it would be hard to conceive of this action apart from the idea of coals of fire.
  4. 53 The expression is “in/by/against their life.” That they sinned against their life means that they brought ruin to themselves.
  5. 54 The form is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. But there is no expressed subject for “and they shall make them,” and so it may be treated as a passive (“they shall [must] be made”).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy. As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.” So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar,

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy—the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.”

So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the firepans from the burning debris, because they are holy, and scatter the fire far away. As for the firepans of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, make them into hammered sheets as plating for the altar, for they presented them before the Lord, and the firepans are holy. They will be a sign to the Israelites.”

So the priest Eleazar took the bronze firepans that those who were burned had presented, and they were hammered into plating for the altar,

NLTNew Living Translation

“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pull all the incense burners from the fire, for they are holy. Also tell him to scatter the burning coals. Take the incense burners of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and hammer the metal into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. Since these burners were used in the Lord’s presence, they have become holy. Let them serve as a warning to the people of Israel.”

So Eleazar the priest collected the 250 bronze incense burners that had been used by the men who died in the fire, and the bronze was hammered into a thin sheet to overlay the altar.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, ‘Take out the censers from among the place of burning because they are sacred, and scatter the fire outside. The censers of these who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into gilded leafing plating for the altar; because they presented them before Yahweh, they are holy; and they will be a sign for the Israelites.’ ” Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that the ones who were burned presented, and they hammered them out thinly as plating for the altar;

KJV 1900King James Version

Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: