Numbers 27 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 27:11, 27:14, 27:21
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Numbers 27
Inheritance Law
Verse 27:1 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:1 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, of the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph, came forward. His daughters' names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:1 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, of the clan of Manasseh among the sons of Joseph, came forward. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek compresses the ancestry, lacking the separate “son of Manasseh” before the clan designation.
Verse 27:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:2 They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and the whole congregation at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, saying:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:2 They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the rulers, and the whole congregation at the entrance of the Tent of Testimony, saying:
Classification & Notes
Different
Meeting / Testimony; their public legal appeal agrees.
Verse 27:3 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:3 Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the congregation that assembled against YHWH in Korah's congregation; he died for his own sin, and he had no sons.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:3 Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the congregation that rose against the Lord in Korah's congregation; he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons.
Classification & Notes
Same
Neither text identifies his particular sin here.
Verse 27:4 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:4 Why should our father's name be removed from his clan because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:4 Let our father's name not be erased from his clan because he has no son. Give us a possession among our father's brothers.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Hebrew asks why; Greek frames the appeal as a prohibition against erasure.
Verse 27:5 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:5 Moses brought their case before YHWH.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:5 Moses brought their case before the Lord.
Classification & Notes
Same
Verse 27:6 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:6 YHWH said to Moses:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:6 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Classification & Notes
Same
Verse 27:7 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:7 The daughters of Zelophehad speak rightly. You must give them an inherited possession among their father's brothers and transfer their father's inheritance to them.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:7 The daughters of Zelophehad have spoken rightly. You must give them an inherited possession among their father's brothers and assign their father's allotment to them.
Classification & Notes
Same
Both grant the daughters an inheritance; the shared legal importance is not itself a disparity.
Rabbinic reception: Rashi praises the daughters’ just claim and their perception of the inheritance rule, describing God as affirming their words.
Source: Rashi, Numbers 27:7
Verse 27:8 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:8 Speak to the sons of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:8 Speak to the sons of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, you shall assign his inheritance to his daughter.
Classification & Notes
Same
Verse 27:9 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:9 If he has no daughter, you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:9 If he has no daughter, you shall give the inheritance to his brother.
Classification & Notes
Different
Plural brothers / singular brother changes the formulation of the next inheriting group, without specifying different shares.
Verse 27:10 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:10 If he has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to his father's brothers.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:10 If he has no brothers, you shall give the inheritance to his father's brother.
Classification & Notes
Different
Plural paternal uncles / singular paternal uncle.
Verse 27:11 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:11 If his father has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative within his clan, and he shall possess it. This shall be a legal statute for the sons of Israel, as YHWH commanded Moses.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:11 If his father has no brothers, you shall give the inheritance to his nearest relative from his tribe, and he shall inherit his property. This shall be a rule of judgment for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Classification & Notes
Disparate
Clan / tribe gives the fallback kinship group a different stated breadth.
The Commissioning of Joshua
Verse 27:12 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:12 YHWH said to Moses: Go up this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the sons of Israel.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:12 The Lord said to Moses: Go up the mountain on the farther side—this is Mount Nebo—and see the land of Canaan that I am giving to the sons of Israel as a possession.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek identifies the mountain as Nebo and names Canaan and possession; these details are not stated here in Hebrew.
Verse 27:13 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:13 When you have seen it, you too shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was gathered,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:13 You shall see it, and you too shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was gathered at Mount Hor,
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek adds Mount Hor.
Verse 27:14 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:14 because you rebelled against My command in the wilderness of Zin, during the congregation's dispute, concerning showing Me holy through the water before their eyes. These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:14 because you transgressed My word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation resisted showing Me holy. You did not show Me holy at the water before them. This is the Water of Dispute at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
Classification & Notes
Disparate
Greek adds an explicit “you did not show Me holy” and links the congregation's resistance directly with sanctifying God. Hebrew's compressed purpose phrase is left distinct.
Verse 27:15 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:15 Moses spoke to YHWH, saying:
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:15 Moses said to the Lord:
Classification & Notes
Same
Verse 27:16 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:16 Let YHWH, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:16 Let the Lord, the God of spirits and of all flesh, appoint a man over this congregation,
Classification & Notes
Different
God of the spirits of all flesh / God of spirits and of all flesh changes the grammatical relation.
Verse 27:17 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:17 who will go out before them and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that YHWH's congregation will not be like sheep without a shepherd.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:17 who will go out before them and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the Lord's congregation will not be like sheep without a shepherd.
Classification & Notes
Same
Apostolic comparison: Mark describes Jesus’ compassion for people who resemble sheep without a shepherd. The shared image connects the need for leadership here with the Gospel account; Mark does not name Numbers as his exclusive source.
Source: Mark 6:34
Verse 27:18 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:18 YHWH said to Moses: Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lay your hand on him.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:18 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has spirit within him, and lay your hands on him.
Classification & Notes
Different
Hand / hands changes the commanded gesture; the execution in verse 23 uses hands in both texts.
Verse 27:19 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:19 Stand him before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and commission him before their eyes.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:19 Stand him before Eleazar the priest, instruct him before the whole congregation, and give instructions concerning him before them.
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Greek gives both instructions to Joshua and instructions about him; Hebrew has one commissioning command.
Verse 27:20 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:20 Place some of your majesty upon him, so that the whole congregation of the sons of Israel may obey.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:20 Place some of your glory upon him, so that the sons of Israel may obey him.
Classification & Notes
Different
Majesty / glory; Greek specifies Joshua as the object of obedience and lacks “the whole congregation.”
Verse 27:21 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before YHWH. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in: he, all the sons of Israel with him, and the whole congregation.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:21 He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, and they shall ask him for the judgment of the manifestations before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in: he, the sons of Israel together, and the whole congregation.
Classification & Notes
Disparate
The priest inquires for Joshua in Hebrew; a plural group asks the priest in Greek. Greek dēla, “manifestations,” renders the Urim's revelatory function.
Verse 27:22 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:22 Moses did as YHWH commanded him. He took Joshua and stood him before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and stood him before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation.
Classification & Notes
Same
Verse 27:23 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
27:23 He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as YHWH had spoken through Moses.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
27:23 He laid his hands on him and presented him, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Classification & Notes
Different
Commissioned / presented or commended; spoken through Moses / commanded Moses. No later Christian office is inserted into Joshua's appointment.