Numbers 35 — Hebrew and Greek compared
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Same 14 Similar 3 Different 11 Divergent 4 Disparate 2
Disparate in this chapter: 35:4, 35:20
Each verse is rendered independently from the Hebrew (Rabbinic reading tradition) and from the Greek (Saints reading tradition). The badge classifies the relationship between the two readings; the note beneath records the source document’s comparison and attributed interpretation. Each column retains its own verse references where numbering differs.
Provision for the Levites
35:1 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:1 YHWH spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,
Greek · Saints priority
35:1 The Lord spoke to Moses on the western side of Moab, beside the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,
Hebrew identifies the plains; Greek specifies the western side.
35:2 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:2 “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from their inherited possession. You shall also give the Levites pasturelands around the towns.
Greek · Saints priority
35:2 “Instruct the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from their allotted possessions. They shall also give the Levites the outlying lands around the towns.
Hebrew’s second instruction directly addresses “you”; Greek continues with “they.” The land terms differ in emphasis.
35:3 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:3 The towns shall be theirs to live in, and their pasturelands shall be for their livestock, their property, and all their needs.
Greek · Saints priority
35:3 The towns shall be theirs to live in, and their designated lands shall be for their livestock and all their four-footed animals.
Hebrew’s final expression can concern their livelihood or living creatures; the needs rendering follows Rashi on 35:3. Greek explicitly names four-footed animals. This includes an interpretive lexical distinction, not a demonstrated alternative Hebrew manuscript.
35:4 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:4 The pasturelands of the towns that you give the Levites shall extend a thousand cubits outward from the town wall all around.
Greek · Saints priority
35:4 The lands adjoining the towns that you give the Levites shall extend two thousand cubits outward from the town wall all around.
Hebrew has 1,000 cubits; Greek has 2,000. This directly changes the stated extent of the grant. Both texts have 2,000 in the following verse.
Rabbinic reception: Rashi reconciles the Hebrew 1,000 and 2,000 cubits by assigning an inner open area and an outer area for fields and vineyards. This explains the Hebrew figures without changing the Greek 2,000 here.
Source: Rashi, Numbers 35:4
35:5 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:5 Outside the town measure two thousand cubits on the eastern side, two thousand on the southern side, two thousand on the western side, and two thousand on the northern side, with the town in the middle. These shall be their towns’ pasturelands.
Greek · Saints priority
35:5 Outside the town measure two thousand cubits on the eastern side, two thousand on the southwestern side, two thousand on the seaward side, and two thousand on the northern side. The town shall be in the middle of this for you, together with the towns’ adjoining lands.
The four measurements agree. Greek uses southwestern where Hebrew has southern; Hebrew yam and Greek thalassa both express the western side as seaward. The conclusion is phrased differently.
35:6 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:6 Among the towns you give the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge that you provide for a manslayer to flee to; in addition to them, give forty-two towns.
Greek · Saints priority
35:6 You shall give the Levites the six cities of refuge that you provide for the person who has killed someone to flee to, and in addition to these, forty-two towns.
35:7 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:7 All the towns you give the Levites shall be forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands.
Greek · Saints priority
35:7 All the towns you give the Levites shall be forty-eight towns, together with their outlying lands.
35:8 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:8 For the towns that you give from the Israelites’ possession, take more from those who have much and less from those who have little. Each shall give some of his towns to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance he receives.”
Greek · Saints priority
35:8 For the towns that you give from the Israelites’ possession, take many from those with much and fewer from those with less. Each shall give towns to the Levites according to the inheritance he receives.”
Protection and Punishment under the Law
35:9 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:9 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,
Greek · Saints priority
35:9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
35:10 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
Greek · Saints priority
35:10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: You are crossing the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
Hebrew introduces the law with “when”; Greek directly states the crossing.
35:11 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:11 designate towns for yourselves to serve as cities of refuge, so that a manslayer who has struck a person unintentionally may flee there.
Greek · Saints priority
35:11 and you shall set apart towns for yourselves. They shall be refuges for the killer to flee there, anyone who has struck a person unintentionally.
Both make unintentional killing the relevant case. “Killer” here does not prejudge intentional murder.
35:12 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:12 The towns shall be a refuge for you from the avenger, so that the manslayer does not die before standing before the congregation for judgment.
Greek · Saints priority
35:12 The towns shall be refuges for you from the kinsman who avenges blood, so that the killer shall certainly not die before standing before the congregation for judgment.
Greek explicitly includes blood in the avenger’s designation; Hebrew adds that element later in the chapter.
35:13 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:13 The towns you provide shall be six cities of refuge for you.
Greek · Saints priority
35:13 The towns you provide, the six towns, shall be refuges for you.
35:14 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:14 Provide three towns across the Jordan and three towns in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge.
Greek · Saints priority
35:14 Provide three towns across the Jordan and three towns in the land of Canaan.
Greek places the following refuge statement at the beginning of 35:15 rather than retaining it here.
35:15 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:15 These six towns shall be a refuge for the Israelites, the foreigner, and the resident among them, so that anyone who strikes a person unintentionally may flee there.
Greek · Saints priority
35:15 There shall be a refuge for the Israelites; for the newcomer and the resident alien among you, these towns shall also be refuges, so that anyone who strikes a person unintentionally may flee there.
Greek begins with the refuge statement attached to 35:14 in Hebrew and does not repeat “six.” Prosēlytos here is rendered newcomer without imposing a later formal conversion procedure.
35:16 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:16 But if he strikes someone with an iron object and that person dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
Greek · Saints priority
35:16 But if he strikes someone with an iron object and that person dies, he is a murderer. Let the murderer surely be put to death.
35:17 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:17 If he strikes someone with a hand-held stone capable of causing death and that person dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
Greek · Saints priority
35:17 If he strikes someone with a stone from his hand capable of causing death and that person dies, he is a murderer. Let the murderer surely be put to death.
35:18 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:18 Or if he strikes someone with a hand-held wooden object capable of causing death and that person dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.
Greek · Saints priority
35:18 If he strikes someone with a wooden object from his hand capable of causing death and that person dies, he is a murderer. Let the murderer surely be put to death.
35:19 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:19 The blood-avenger himself shall put the murderer to death. When he encounters him, he shall put him to death.
Greek · Saints priority
35:19 The kinsman who avenges blood shall himself kill the murderer. When he encounters him, he shall kill him.
The kinship duty and killing are explicit; the judgment requirement at 35:12 remains part of the law’s context.
35:20 Disparate
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:20 If he pushes someone out of hatred or deliberately throws something at him and that person dies,
Greek · Saints priority
35:20 If he pushes someone out of enmity and throws an object at him from ambush and that person dies,
Hebrew gives pushing or deliberate throwing as alternatives; Greek connects pushing and ambush-throwing. The legal case is formulated differently.
35:21 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:21 or strikes him with his hand out of enmity and he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death; he is a murderer. The blood-avenger shall put the murderer to death when he encounters him.
Greek · Saints priority
35:21 or strikes him with his hand out of wrath and he dies, let the one who struck him surely be put to death; he is a murderer. Let the murderer surely be put to death. The kinsman who avenges blood shall kill the murderer when he encounters him.
Greek repeats the death sentence in an additional clause and uses wrath for Hebrew enmity.
35:22 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:22 But if he suddenly pushes someone without enmity, or throws any object at him without deliberate intent,
Greek · Saints priority
35:22 But if he suddenly pushes someone without enmity, or throws any object at him without ambush,
Hebrew describes absence of deliberate intent; Greek explicitly describes absence of ambush.
35:23 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:23 or, without seeing him, drops on him a stone capable of causing death and he dies, though he was not his enemy and was not seeking his harm,
Greek · Saints priority
35:23 or, without his knowing, a stone capable of causing death falls upon him and he dies, though he was not his enemy and was not seeking to harm him,
Hebrew says “without seeing” and describes dropping the stone; Greek says “without knowing” and describes its falling.
35:24 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:24 then the congregation shall judge between the one who struck him and the blood-avenger according to these ordinances.
Greek · Saints priority
35:24 then the congregation shall judge between the one who struck him and the kinsman who avenges blood according to these judgments.
35:25 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:25 The congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the blood-avenger and return him to the city of refuge to which he fled. He shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
Greek · Saints priority
35:25 The congregation shall rescue the killer from the kinsman who avenges blood and restore him to the city of refuge to which he fled. He shall live there until the high priest dies, whom they anointed with the holy oil.
Both attach release to the high priest’s death. Hebrew has an indefinite singular anointing agent, rendered passively; Greek has “they.”
Rabbinic reception: Rashi links the high priest’s office with sustaining life and the divine presence; he also records the view that the high priest should have prayed to prevent the fatal misfortune.
Source: Rashi, Numbers 35:25
35:26 Divergent
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:26 But if the manslayer goes outside the boundary of the city of refuge to which he fled,
Greek · Saints priority
35:26 But if the killer goes outside the boundaries of the city to which he fled,
Greek does not repeat the city’s refuge designation in this verse.
35:27 Similar
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:27 and the blood-avenger finds him outside the boundary of his city of refuge and kills the manslayer, the avenger incurs no bloodguilt.
Greek · Saints priority
35:27 and the kinsman who avenges blood finds him outside the boundaries of his city of refuge and kills the killer, the avenger is not liable.
Greek states absence of liability; Hebrew expresses this through bloodguilt.
35:28 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:28 For he must remain in his city of refuge until the high priest’s death. After the high priest’s death, the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.
Greek · Saints priority
35:28 For he must live in the city of refuge until the high priest dies. After the high priest dies, the killer may return to the land of his possession.
Apostolic comparison: Hebrews joins the image of taking refuge in hope with Jesus’ enduring high priesthood. This is a thematic Christian comparison; Hebrews does not expressly identify the city-of-refuge law as its quotation.
Source: Hebrews 6:18–20
35:29 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:29 These shall be a statute of judgment for you throughout your generations in all your settlements.
Greek · Saints priority
35:29 These shall be an ordinance of judgment for you throughout your generations in all your settlements.
Judicial Precepts and Pollution of the Land
35:30 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:30 In every case of a person being killed, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses. A single witness shall not testify against a person so as to cause his death.
Greek · Saints priority
35:30 In every case of a person being struck down, you shall put the killer to death through witnesses. A single witness shall not testify against a person so as to cause his death.
Greek directly addresses the executing authority as “you”; Hebrew’s construction leaves the agent indefinite. Both prohibit a capital conviction on one witness.
35:31 Same
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:31 You shall not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; he shall surely be put to death.
Greek · Saints priority
35:31 You shall not accept a ransom for a life from the killer who is liable to be killed; he shall surely be put to death.
35:32 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:32 You shall not accept a ransom for one who has fled to his city of refuge, allowing him to return to live in the land before the priest’s death.
Greek · Saints priority
35:32 You shall not accept a ransom concerning flight to a city of refuge, allowing him to live in the land again before the high priest dies.
Greek explicitly says “high priest” where Hebrew here says “priest.” Both forbid buying early return.
35:33 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:33 You shall not pollute the land in which you are, for blood pollutes the land. No atonement can be made for the land for the blood shed in it except by the blood of the one who shed it.
Greek · Saints priority
35:33 You shall certainly not stain with murder the land in which you live, for this blood stains the land with murder. The land shall not be expiated from the blood shed upon it except by the blood of the one who shed it.
Greek phonoktoneō gives a specifically murderous image where Hebrew speaks of pollution. The stated expiation requirement agrees.
35:34 Different
Hebrew · Rabbinic priority
35:34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in whose midst I dwell, for I, YHWH, dwell among the Israelites.”
Greek · Saints priority
35:34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I will dwell among you, for I am the Lord, dwelling among the Israelites.”
Greek’s first divine dwelling verb is future; Hebrew’s is participial. Both close by affirming the Lord’s presence among Israel.
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Saints Translation · Companion comparison edition · working draft awaiting specialist review.