Numbers 9
15 Sep 2026 - Theology
A Second Passover
Numbers 9:1-3 - “And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.”
Here the Lord commands the Israelites to celebrate the second Passover one year after the first passover (on the 14th day of the first month of the second year after coming out of exile in Egypt). This chapter appears to be out of order - the book of Numbers begins on the first day of the second month, but this chapter loops back to the first month to reference the Passover:
Numbers 1:1 - “And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,”
The command led to an interesting incident:
Numbers 9:6-8 - “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: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel? And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Anyone who is unclean or impure or on a long journey at the set time for Passover can delay the Passover sacrifice by one month (meaning, the 14th day of the second month) (10-11). But only for those reasons. If any other person refuses to offer the Passover sacrifice, “that man shall bear his sin” (13).
The Lord adds that even a stranger living among the Israelites can offer the Passover sacrifice, but it must be according to the same laws that the Israelites follow:
Numbers 9:14 - “ And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the Lord; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.”
This idea of “one ordinance (law) for you, whether stranger or citizen” became a general rule. Of course, this idea must come from a time when the Israelites were natives or citizens in their land. The Hebrew word for “stranger” is ger, which can also mean “newcomer”.
Remember that those who left Egypt and joined the exodus were of a “mixed multitude”, meaning both Israelites and non-Israelites:
Exodus 12:38 - “And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.”
Cloud and Fire
Numbers 9:15-17 - “And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.”
The cloud over the Tabernacle is a sign that the Lord was present. Some modern scholars think the cloud by day came from the smoke from sacrifices and the burning of incense, and the fire by night came from the smoke of the oil lamps on the menorah. When it was time to pack up and travel, the priests would be among the first to know. They would stop the sacrifices and the burning, so the cloud would disappear. Only when the priests settled in a new place did the cloud “settle” again above the Tabernacle. So the rest of the people knew that when the cloud “lifted” it was a sign that they were about to travel from one place to another.
However we explain the cloud and the fire, we see that the Israelites were being guided by the Lord. They were commanded to move when the Lord wanted them to move, and they were commanded to settle when the Lord wanted them to settle. The Lord was in charge, and He dwelt among the people in the middle of the Israelite camp.
Numbers 9:23 - “At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.”
References
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)