Numbers 18:22

Summary

The verse prohibits the general population of Israel (bene Yisra'el, H1121G/H3478) from approaching the Tent of Meeting, establishing this restriction as a means of avoiding a fatal consequence tied to incurring sin.

Key words

• yikrevu ("they will draw near", H7126G) — qal imperfect, third person masculine plural: an ongoing/future prohibition (negated by lo', H3808), indicating repeated or potential action rather than a single event.
• od ("again", H5750) — reinforces the imperfect verb, marking this as a continuation-stopping command: the approach that used to happen (or could happen) is now barred "any longer."
• ohel mo'ed ("tent of meeting", H0168G/H4150I) — construct chain, masculine singular: the specific sanctuary structure that is the object of the restricted approach.
• laset ("to bear", H5375J) — qal infinitive construct with prefixed le- (H9005): expresses purpose or result, "in order to bear/carry."
• lamut ("to die", H4191) — qal infinitive construct with prefixed le- (H9005): parallels laset, forming a chain of purpose/result clauses — bearing sin leads to dying.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence structure moves from a negated main verb to two dependent infinitive clauses. The main clause, ve-lo yikrevu od bene Yisra'el el-ohel mo'ed ("and the people of Israel will not draw near again to the tent of meeting"), uses the qal imperfect yikrevu (H7126G) to express a durative prohibition — not a single-instance command but an ongoing state to be maintained, reinforced by od ("again", H5750), which signals that the previous pattern of approach is now discontinued.

The clause then pivots to two infinitive constructs joined with prefixed le-: laset chet' ("to bear sin", H5375J + H2399) and lamut ("to die", H4191). These infinitives are stacked in sequence rather than coordinated with a conjunction, producing a chain: the prohibited approach is linked to bearing chet' ("sin", H2399), which in turn is linked to dying. The grammar does not specify a subject shift between these infinitives — the implicit subject remains bene Yisra'el throughout, so the syntax presents approaching, bearing sin, and dying as a single unbroken causal sequence, without inserting an explicit connector like "so that" or "in order that" that would need to be supplied in translation.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders lamut ("to die", H4191) with the adjective θανατηφόρον ("death-bringing"), modifying ἁμαρτίαν ("sin") directly — producing "to take on death-bringing sin" rather than the Hebrew's two separate infinitive clauses ("to bear sin, to die"). The Vulgate similarly compresses the construction into peccatum mortiferum ("mortal/deadly sin"), merging what the Hebrew presents as sequential infinitives into a single adjectival phrase. The BSB and SBLIBRE render this with purpose clauses ("or they will incur guilt and die" / "para que no carguen con culpa y mueran"), making the causal link explicit where the Hebrew leaves the infinitives paratactically joined.