What Does Numbers 9:6 Mean?
And there were certain men, who were soiled by the dead body of a man, so that they could not make the passover on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:THE KEY
The men are barred from Passover by death, yet the verse says they draw near: the barrier interrupts participation without stopping approach.
THE MEANING
A condition tied to death can interrupt your participation in a sacred moment without extinguishing your desire for it. These men cannot keep Passover that day, yet they draw near with the problem; the barrier and their approach remain in view together.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Being unable to participate means you do not care about the sacred thing. Their approach shows that the missed observance matters to them.
THE ROOT
וַיִּקְרְבוּ
wayyiqrevu from qārab
GROWS FROM
ק־ר־ב
q-r-b
Approach; draw near.
“came before” in this verse is wayyiqrevu from qārab. The Hebrew verb carries the movement of drawing near as the men come before Moses and Aaron. Its word family includes qorban, a drawing-near offering, and qarov, near; the scene holds a barrier to the feast alongside the men’s own approach.
ALSO GROWS
qārab: Approach; come near.
קָרַב
This is the verb behind their coming before Moses and Aaron.
qorban: An offering that brings one near.
קָרְבָּן
The same root links their approach to the language of drawing near.
qarov: Close; near.
קָרוֹב
It extends the root’s sense of nearness beyond the men’s movement.
טְמֵאִים
tme'im from tame
GROWS FROM
ט־מ־א
ṭ-m-ʾ
Be ritually impure; carry a state of impurity.
“soiled” in this verse is tme'im from tame. Here the word names a ritual condition connected with contact with a dead person, one that prevents participation in Passover that day. It describes what has happened to the men, while the verse also shows them drawing near to raise the matter.
ALSO GROWS
tame: Ritually impure.
טָמֵא
It names the condition that keeps the men from keeping Passover that day.
tumah: A state of ritual impurity.
טֻמְאָה
It shows that “defiled” belongs to a condition with consequences for participation.
לְנֶפֶשׁ אָדָם מֵת
l'nefesh adam met
GROWS FROM
נ־פ־ש
n-p-sh
Nefesh means living soul or person; here the phrase refers to a human being who has died.
“the dead body of a man” in this verse is l'nefesh adam met. The Hebrew phrase centers the person whose death has affected these men; the KJV renders it as “dead body.” The word family keeps the human person in view even as the verse names death and ritual impurity.
ALSO GROWS
nefesh: A person or living being.
נֶפֶשׁ
It is the word used for the human being who has died.
naphash: To rest or be refreshed.
נָפַשׁ
This related form shows the wider range of the same consonant root, while the verse’s nefesh refers to the dead person.
THE PATTERN
A present barrier or need does not erase the movement of drawing near.
But for me, drawing near to God is good; I have set my shelter in the Lord LORD, to recount all your works.When she had heard about Jesus, she came into the crowd from behind and touched his garment.Let us therefore draw near, with open speech, to the throne of favor, that we may receive compassion, and find favor to help in the right moment.THE THREAD
But for me, drawing near to God is good; I have set my shelter in the Lord LORD, to recount all your works.The Hebrew verb behind “came before” in Numbers shares the root q-r-b with “draw near” here. The connection makes their arrival a movement of nearness even while the ritual condition keeps them from Passover that day.
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