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Numbers 9:20

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Numbers 9:20 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; then according to the commandment of Jehovah they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; then according to the commandment of Jehovah they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed.
Numbers 9:20 — American Standard Version

Context — Numbers 9

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
17And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel encamped.
18At the commandment of Jehovah the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of Jehovah they encamped: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they remained encamped.
19And when the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of Jehovah, and journeyed not.
20And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; then according to the commandment of Jehovah they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed.
21And sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they journeyed: or [if it continued] by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.
22Whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, abiding thereon, the children of Israel remained encamped, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed.
23At the commandment of Jehovah they encamped, and at the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed: they kept the charge of Jehovah, at the commandment of Jehovah by Moses.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And [so] it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle, etc.] Or “days of number”, which were so few that they might be easily numbered: the Targum of Jonathan interprets them of the seven days of the week, as if the sense was, when the cloud rested a week on the tabernacle: according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents; during these few days, be they a week, or more, or less: and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed; when it removed from the tabernacle.”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification