On the day: The very first word in the Hebrew text of this verse is wayehi (see below), which is rendered “And it came to pass” in King James Version. The day is not the same day as in 1.1, which refers to the first day of the second month of the second year after the people of Israel had left Egypt. Rather, it is presumably the day referred to in Exo 40.17, namely, the first day of the first month in the second year after the Exodus from Egypt. Here in 7.1 the narrative moves back in time to that day; the offerings for the dedication of the altar began on the day when Moses had finished erecting the Tabernacle. According to Exo 40.17, the erection of the Tabernacle took place a month before the date given in 1.1. There is a reason why the text moves back in time at this point. The narrative that resumes here is directly connected to the date of Exo 40.17. This is because 7.1–10.10 takes up and finishes the subject of rituals and the system of worship in the Tabernacle that was presented in Exo 25–40. The Hebrew verb wayehi seems to mark this flashback to the event recorded in Exo 40.17. Many modern translations simply omit this verb (so Good News Bible), but some languages may have a construction that serves a similar discourse marking function; for example, Chewa begins this verse with “It was done [far past tense] that….” The past perfect tense in English (had finished) partially serves this marking function. Still, someone might ask why 7.1–10.10 was not put in its chronological place. The reason seems to be that precedence was given to the divinely stipulated organization of the nation of Israel (encampment, census, purity) over this stage of putting the system of ritual worship in place. As always in the book of Numbers, the topic under discussion is considered to be more important for the development of the text than the specific chronology of events. Translators may want to include the following footnote here: “ ‘On the day’ refers to the same day as in Exo 40.17; Num 7.1–10.10 finishes the subject of rituals and the system of worship in the Tabernacle that was presented in Exo 25–40.”

When Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle: For tabernacle, which renders the Hebrew word mishkan, see 1.50.

And had anointed and consecrated it with all its furnishings, and had anointed and consecrated the altar with all its utensils: The Hebrew verb rendered anointed is mashach, which refers to applying olive oil. It is the same verb used for the anointment of the priests in 3.3 (see the comments there). Here this verb refers to the anointment of the Tabernacle, the altar of sacrifice, and all the things that belong to them. In some languages the word for anointing human beings may differ from the word for anointing inanimate objects. However, it may be possible to use a general expression such as “put [or, sprinkle] oil on” for humans and inanimate objects. (A verb such as “pour” may give the wrong suggestion that a large amount of oil was involved, something we do not know.) By anointing these objects, Moses consecrated (literally “made holy”) them. They became holy objects, set apart for the LORD. For the Tabernacle furnishings, see 1.50. The altar refers to the altar of sacrifice, which stood in front of the Tabernacle (see 3.26). For the altar’s utensils, see 4.14.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .