6:24 keep The Hebrew word used here, shamar, has the sense of guarding or keeping safe.
6:25 his face The Hebrew word panim (used here and in v. 26) refers to the physical face. It also may idiomatically refer to someone’s presence because seeing a face required being in the person’s physical presence (compare Exod 33:20). In the ancient Near East, including the ot, when a deity’s face shines, it is a sign of favor (for example, Pss 31:16; 80:3, 7, 19).
Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016).
Faithlife Study Bible (Nu 6:24–25). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
6:24 God’s protection of Israel had been demonstrated by their deliverance from Egypt. The prayer calls for that protection to continue.
6:25 The face reflected the righteous character of God. Be gracious to you evoked God’s favor, which was beyond measure. God’s grace would be exemplified when God brought the second generation into the promised land after the rejection of that gift by the generation delivered from Egypt.
Cole, R. D. (2017).
Numbers. In E. A. Blum & T. Wax (Eds.),
CSB Study Bible: Notes (pp. 213–214). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.