Numbers 15:29

Summary

The verse establishes that a single legal provision applies both to the 'ez.rach ("native-born", H0249) among the people of Israel and to the ger ("sojourner", H1616) residing among them, specifically concerning the one who acts bi.shgagah ("by inadvertence", H7684).

Key words

• 'ez.Rach ("native-born", H0249) — masculine singular noun designating one who belongs by birth to the community; contrasted structurally with the following term.
• Ger ("sojourner", H1616) — masculine singular noun for a resident who is not native-born; the phrase adds ha-Gar ("the one sojourning", H1481A), a qal participle modifying Ger, specifying "the sojourner who sojourns among them."
• to.Rah 'a.Chat ("one law", H8451 + H0259) — feminine singular noun with the feminine singular cardinal number "one," forming the subject of the clause: a single, undivided legal provision.
• yih.Yeh ("it will belong/be", H1961) — qal imperfect third masculine singular of the verb "to be," expressing durative or future application: the law "will be" in force for the addressees.
• ha.'O.Seh ("the one acting", H6213A) — qal participle masculine singular with definite article, naming the agent-category to whom the law applies: "the one who acts" (in error).

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built around the predicate to.Rah 'a.Chat yih.Yeh ("one law will be"), with two prepositional phrases distributing its application: la.Khem ("to you", H9036 attached to H9005) marks the addressees, and la.'O.Seh bi.shgagah ("to the one acting by inadvertence") marks the specific case governed by this law. The subject group covered by the law is introduced beforehand: ha.'ez.Rach bi.v.Nei Yis.ra.'El ("the native-born among the people of Israel") is joined by the conjunction ve ("and", H9002) to la.Ger ha.Gar be.to.Kham ("to the sojourner who sojourns in their midst"). The participle ha.Gar ("sojourns", H1481A) modifies Ger, emphasizing ongoing residence rather than a one-time status.

Grammatically, the construction places the legal category (to.Rah 'a.Chat, "one law") between two groups (native-born and sojourner) and one circumstance (bi.shgagah, "by inadvertence"), making explicit that the law's scope is defined by the act (inadvertent action), not by the identity of the actor. The construct chain b.Nei Yis.ra.'El ("sons of Israel", H1121G + H3478) situates the native-born specifically within the collective body of Israel, while be.to.Kham ("in their midst", H8432 + H9028) situates the sojourner spatially among that same body.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'ez.Rach ("native-born") with the repeated phrase "τῷ ἐνχωρίῳ ἐνχωρίῳ" (to the local/native one, doubled), where the Hebrew has a single term. The LXX also renders ha.Gar ("the one sojourning") more generally as "τῷ κειμένῳ" ("the one residing/lying among them"), without a participle strictly parallel to "sojourning." The Vulgate uses "indigenis" and "advenis" ("natives" and "newcomers") as plural nouns, differing from the Hebrew's singular collective terms 'ez.Rach and Ger.