Bible Strands
Numbers 15:33
Those who found the man gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative records that witnesses who apprehended a Sabbath violator presented him to Moses, Aaron, and the assembled Israelite community. This occurs during the wilderness wanderings, immediately after the man was observed collecting wood on the seventh day.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיַּקְרִיבוּ (va/yak.riv.u) literally means "they brought near" or "they presented," emphasizing the formal delivery of the accused to leadership. The participle מְקֹשֵׁשׁ (me.ko.shesh) denotes the specific act of "gathering" or "collecting" wood, highlighting the deliberate nature of the violation.
The thread — The pattern of bringing a lawbreaker to authoritative figures for judgment runs in John 8:3, where religious leaders present a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. Both accounts establish a procedural moment where a community's legal or moral crisis is transferred to a recognized mediator.
Why it lands — The text states that the accused was physically delivered to leadership before any penalty was determined. It asks the reader to recognize that procedural accountability precedes judgment, requiring the community to suspend action until divine instruction is received.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
Cross-references
- John 8:3 The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them