New American Standard Bible 1995

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Numbers

11

:

8

The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil.

Lexicon

Verse part Definition: Part of speech: Strong's: Hebrew: Transliteration:
The people people Noun H5971 הָעָ֨ם ha·'am
would go about to go or rove about Verb H7751 שָׁטוּ֩ sha·tu
and gather to pick or gather up, glean Verb H3950 וְלָֽקְט֜וּ ve·la·ke·tu
[it] and grind to grind Verb H2912 וְטָחֲנ֣וּ ve·ta·cha·nu
[it] between two millstones (hand)mill Noun H7347 בָרֵחַ֗יִם va·re·cha·yim
Analysis:

Two: Two divergent opinions

The classic example for the number "two" is found in Matthew chapter 26. There, Yeshua says to His disciples,

"You know that after two days comes the Passover, and the Son of Man will be given over for crucifixion."  Matthew 26:2

The phrase "after two days" is somewhat meaningless because after two days can mean three or more days. The period is unspecified. The reason for such ambiguous language is because the purpose of the number two in this passage is not solely numerical. This means that the text is not intending to provide the reader with some definite information concerning a time period. Rather, the purpose of the number two in this context is one of the numerological meanings of the number two.  Often the number two relates to two divergent opinions. In the aforementioned verse, the author wants to inform the reader that there are two very different understandings for this coming Passover. Yeshua wants to emphasize that He is going up to Jerusalem in order to die as the true Passover sacrifice. Even though Yeshua states this emphatically, the disciples did not receive this. In fact, the disciples did not perceive at all what was going to take place during Passover in regard to Yeshua. In other words, Yeshua and the disciples have two divergent opinions concerning the Passover.

This same principle is also found in the Hebrew Bible (Old Covenant). In the book of Amos one reads,

"Can two walk together without them having agreed" Amos 3:3

The word which was translated into English with the phrase "them having agreed" is נועדו. The root of this word is יעד, which relates to a specific destination. The word which precedes this word is בלתי and in this context the word implies a change to the condition. In other words, had there not been a change in the condition, then the two could not walk together, i.e. they could not have arrived at the common destination.

The concept of divergent or different is also seen in the book of Genesis. In speaking about the sun and moon one reads, "And God made two great lights…" (Genesis 1:16). Obviously the sun and moon are very different, as one is a source of light, while the latter just reflects light. Also in the book of Genesis, one encounters the account of the flood. Here Noah is commanded to bring onto the ark two sorts of each type of animal. In this passage, the two relates to two different (or divergent) kinds of the same sort, i.e. male and female. 

Likewise, two angels came to Sodom, demonstrating that the people of Sodom had a very different way of living from that of the Law of God. Once again, the reader should not assume that every occurrence of the number two in the Bible demands this interpretation. However, one will find in a great majority of Biblical passages, the reader will be assisted in arriving at the proper interpretation, when he considers this divergent quality for the number two. 

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or or Conjunction H176 אֹ֤ו ov
beat to pound, beat Verb H1743 דָכוּ֙ da·chu
[it] in the mortar, mortar Noun H4085 בַּמְּדֹכָ֔ה bam·me·do·chah,
and boil to boil, seethe, grow ripe Verb H1310 וּבִשְּׁלוּ֙ u·vi·she·lu
[it] in the pot a pot Noun H6517 בַּפָּר֔וּר bap·pa·rur,
and make do, make Verb H6213 וְעָשׂ֥וּ ve·'a·su
cakes a disc or cake of bread Noun H5692 עֻגֹ֑ות u·go·vt;
with it; and its taste taste, judgment Noun H2940 טַעְמֹ֔ו ta'·mov,
was as the taste taste, judgment Noun H2940 כְּטַ֖עַם ke·ta·'am
of cakes baked juice, juicy or dainty bit, a dainty Noun H3955 לְשַׁ֥ד le·shad
with oil. fat, oil Noun H8081 הַשָּֽׁמֶן׃ ha·sha·men.

Parallel Verses

Removed text
Added text
New American Standard Bible 1995 The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil.
King James Bible The And the people would go about went about, and gather it gathered it, and grind ground it between two millstones in mills, or beat it in the a mortar, and boil baked it in the pot pans, and make made cakes with it; of it: and its the taste of it was as the taste of cakes baked with fresh oil.
Hebrew Greek English The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil.