And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel. Some infer from Numbers 15:23 that the date of this communication must be fixed toward the close of the wanderings in the wilderness, and also that all the sacrifices prescribed in the law were to be offered only after the settlement in Canaan. At all events, after the great change which had taken place in the prospects of the people, the legislation henceforth recorded, as might have been expected, is prospective, having respect to what should be done when the next generation should enter Canaan.