Numbers 4:20

Summary

The verse states that the Kohathites must not enter to look at the holy objects — described here through an act denoted by bala' ("swallowing", H1104) — under threat of death. The clause is structured as a prohibition (imperfect) followed by a consequence introduced by a narrative vav.

Key words

• yavo'u ("they will go/come", H0935G) — qal imperfect, expressing an ongoing or future prohibition when combined with lo ("not", H3808).
• lir'ot ("to see", H7200G) — qal infinitive construct with prefixed lamed, marking purpose: "in order to see."
• bala' ("a swallowing", H1104) — piel infinitive, an intensive stem of a root meaning "to swallow" or "engulf"; here it functions nominally after the comparative ke ("as", H9004).
• ha-qodesh ("the holy thing", H6944G) — definite singular noun, the object being concealed or handled.
• metu ("they will die", H4191) — qal perfect with narrative vav (va, H9001), forming a sequential clause: "and [then] they will die."

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as a chain: negation + imperfect verb (lo yavo'u) sets the prohibition, followed by an infinitive of purpose (lir'ot, "to see"), then a comparative clause using ke + the piel infinitive bala' ("as a swallowing"), and finally a vav-consecutive perfect (va-metu) that expresses the resulting consequence ("and they will die") rather than a separate independent statement.

The word bala' (H1104) is notable: its basic sense is "to swallow" or "engulf," used elsewhere for destruction or covering over. In this construction (piel infinitive governed by ke), it functions to describe the object הַקֹּדֶשׁ ("the holy thing", H6944G) being enveloped or concealed — likely referring back to the wrapping of the sacred objects described earlier in the chapter. The grammar does not specify a temporal nuance ("for a moment", "suddenly") explicitly; that sense is an interpretive rendering by translators of the comparative + infinitive structure.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew ke-vala' ("as a swallowing/engulfing") is rendered quite differently across versions. The LXX has ἐξάπινα ("suddenly"), which shifts the meaning from an act of covering to a temporal adverb. The Vulgate reads "priusquam involvantur" ("before they are wrapped/covered"), which captures a covering sense not present as an explicit verb in the Hebrew, and adds "nulla curiositate" ("with no curiosity"), a phrase absent from the Hebrew text. Modern translations such as BSB ("even for a moment") and SBLIBRE ("ni por un instante") follow an interpretive line closer to the LXX's temporal reading rather than a literal "swallowing."