## Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Beha'alotcha

###### Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Beha'alotcha 26:1
[Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Beha'alotcha 26:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Midrash%20Tanchuma%20Buber/s/Beha%27alotcha/r/26:1)

אספה לי. [זש"ה אוהב טהר לב חן שפתיו רעהו מלך] (משלי כב יא), למה לא אמר לו שבעים אנשים, אלא שבעים איש, אלא [א"ל שבעים איש מיוחדים] שהם דומין לי ולך, ה' איש מלחמה (שמות טו ג), והאיש משה (במדבר יב ג).

**Midrash Tanhuma, S. Buber Recension; trans. by John T. Townsend, 1989.:**
(Numb. 11:16:) GATHER ME SEVENTY PERSON (*sic*)⁹⁸ FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL.⁹⁹ Numb. 3:16; Numb. R. 5:23. [This text is related (to Prov. 22:11): THE ONE WHO LOVES PURITY OF HEART HAS GRACE ON HIS LIPS, HAS A KING AS HIS FRIEND.] Why did he not say to him (in Numb. 11:16): "Seventy people" (with "people" in the plural) instead of SEVENTY PERSON. It is simply that he said to him: SEVENTY PERSON (*ish*) with the singular *ish* indicating singular individuals],¹⁰⁰ because they were to be like me and you. (Cf. Exod. 15:3:) THE LORD IS A MAN (*ish*) OF WAR. (Cf. also Numb. 12:3): NOW THE MAN (*ish*) MOSES.

footnotes:
⁹⁸ The midrash is ignoring the fact that Hebrew uses singular nouns with large numbers in order to build an interpretation on this singular usage.
⁹⁹ Tanh.
¹⁰⁰ I.e. singular individuals like the one described in Prov. 22:11.