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NOTES,

CKITICAL AND PBACTIOAL,

ON THE BOOK OF

NUMBERS:

DESIGNED AS A GENERAL HELP TO

BIBLICAL READING AND INSTRUCTION

BY GEORGE BUSH,

LATE PKOF. OF HEB. AND OEIENT. LIT. IN N. T. CITY TTNIVEE3ITT.

NEW-YORK:

IVISON & PHINXEY, 321 BROADWAY

CHICAGO :

S. C. GRIGGS & CO.

1858.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by

GEOKGE BUSH,

In the Clerk's office of the District Court for the Southern District of New- York.

' JOHN F. TROW,
Printer, Stereotyper, & Electrotyper,
377 & 379 Broadway, cor. White,
New- York.

INTRODUCTION

§ 1. Title, Author, Scope, dtc.

The title by which this book is designated by the Jews is i!2T^1 va yedabher,
and he spake, from the first word of the original, or "i^TTC- hemidbat, in the wil-
derness, the fifth word of the first verse ; the last, probably, from the fact that
the contents of the book relate in great measure to the history of the sojourning of
the Israelites in the wilderness. The Septuagint terms it API0MOI Arithmoi,
of which the Latin Ndmeri, and the English Numbers are a translation. The
fact is somewhat peculiar, as every one of the other books of Moses is designated
by the Greek title in Anglicised form, viz.. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuter-
onomy. The present book might as well have been called Arithmoi, were it not
that the Latin rendering Numeri {Numbers) for some reason had an early prefer-
ence given it over the Greek, and for this reason it has maintained its ground.
The book originally received its denomination mainly from its account of the
numbering, mustering, or marshalling of the people on two different occasions,
the first in the commencement of the history, the other towards the close. Be-
sides which we meet with various lists or enumerations of persons and places,
that may have entered into the account with those who first adopted the title.
We have endeavored, however, in our Notes to show, from the genuine import
of the terms employed, that the precise idea conveyed is not so truly that oi num-
bering, as, of ordering, arranging, marshalling, or, otherwise, mystering. As
some important results flow from the establishment of this construction, we
commend our remarks on this head to particular attention.

The authorship of the book is, like that of some of the preceding, determined
by the general current of evidence which assigns the writing of the entire Pen-
tateuch to Moses. It is clearly recognized in the subsequent books as pertaining
to that body of documents technically termed " The Law," as for instance we
find in Josh. 4 : 12, the following distinct allusion to the arrangement made with
the two tribes and a half to settle on the west side of Jordan after first crossing
over with their brethren; "And the children of Reuben, and the children of
Had, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of
Israel, a^ Moses spake unto them." Compare 2 Chron. 29 : 11. 31 : 3. Ezek. 20 :
13. Matt. 12 : 5,

The time embraced in the book extends from the early part of the second
year after the exodus to the beginning of the eleventh month of the fortieth year
after that event ; it therefore comprehends a period of thirty-eight 3'ears and
nine or tea months. Most of the transactions, however, recorded in the book

iv INTRODUCTION.

seem to have taken place near the beginning and the end of this period. The
date of the events mentioned about the middle of the book cannot now be ascer-
tained. Up to ch. 10 : 11, we find the people remaining at Sinai, and it is then
stated that on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year they
were directed to remove and advance towards the Promised Land. They pro-
ceed as far as Kadesh on its borders, where we find them in ch. 13 : 4G, and
where, on account of gross rebellion, the nation was condemned to wander in
the desert for forty years, till the then existing generation should have died
away (ch. 14). From this time onward to ch. 20, it is next to impossible to fix
with accuracy the order and date of the various transactions, laws, etc. recorded,
but at that time we find the Israelites again at Kadesh taking measures to enter
Canaan. The book closes with the people resting on the borders of the Promised
Laud on the east of the Jordan.

As to the time of its being written, the evidence adduced in the Introduction
to the " Notes on Leviticus," § 1, relative to the date of the composition of that
book, leads obviously to the conclusion, that while the former was written during
the encampment at Mount Sinai, the latter, or the present book, was written at
the station on the plains of Moab. The authority for this statement is found
in Num. 36 : 13, " These are the commandments and the judgments which the
Lord commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains
of Moab by Jordan near Jericho." We can glean nothing more definite than
this relative to the date of the writing.

§ 2. General Contents.

The history presents us with an account of the census-tjiking of the tribes,
the consecration of the Tabernacle, and the offering of the princes at its dedi-
cation. It describes the journeys and encampments of Israel under the miracu-
lous guidance of the cloudy pillar, the punishment at Taberah, and the signal
vengeance with which, on several occasions, the Most High visited the distrust-
ful murmurs of the people, and that rebellious spirit which so often broke out in
sedition against his appointed ministers. The promptitude and severity with
which these rebellious outbreaks were rebuked are relieved by the signal mercy
and forbearance of Heaven in listening to the prayers of Moses in behalf of the
offending people. The narrative is interspersed with various incidents collateral
to the main thread of the history, which are full of interest and instruction.
Conspicuous among these is the account of the rebellion of Korah and his com-
pany, the visitation of the fiery flying serpents, the story of Balaam and his con-
strained predictions, and the miraculous budding of Aaron's rod. Henry remarks
in his usual pithy way that " an abstract of much of this book we have in a few
■words, Ps. 95: 10, "Forty years long was I grieved with this generation," and
an application of it to ourselves, Heb. 4:1," Let us fear lest we seem to come
short." It is worthy also of reflection that while the annals of many distin-
guished and powerful nations who were cotemporaries of the Israelites at this
period, are all utterly lost, here we have preserved to us the records of a handful
of people that dwelt in tents, and wandered strangely in a wilderness, but who
were thus favored because they were the children of the covenant, and the germ
of the Church for countless generations.

INTRODUCTION.

§ 3. Synoptical View.
Part \.— Preparation for Departure from Sinai.

CnAPTEES

1. Numbering or mustering the people at large, ... I

2. Order of the tribes in their encampment, ... II

3. The appointment and ministrations of the Levites, . . HI, ly

4. Various laws respecting the unclean, the woman suspected, and

♦ the Xazarite, . . . , . . . Y, VI

5. The offerings of the princes, and the consecration of the Levites, VII, VIII

6. Regulations respecting the celebration of the Passover, the sig-

nals and order of marching, and the calling of assemblies, . IX, X

Part ll,—TJie Departure from Sinui and the Journeying to tJie Land of
Moah, with, the Murmurings on the Way.

1. Murmurings from the wearisomeness of the way and disgust with

the manna, ........ XI

2. Sedition of Aaron and Miriam, ..... XII

3. Spies sent to explore the land, ..... XIII

4. The people murmur at their report and are punished, . XIV

5. Various ceremonial laws, ...... XV

6. Rebellion and punishment of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, . XVI

7. Blossoming of Aaron's rod, ...... XVII

9. The duties and the support of the Priests and Levites, . XVIII

10. Law respecting the water of separation and the sacrifice of the

red heifer, ........ XIX

11. Murmuring for want of Water, unbelief of Moses, perfidy of Edom,

and death of Aaron, ...... XX

12. Renewed murmurings of the people and their punishment by fiery

flying serpents, ..,..., XXI

Part III.— Preparation for occupying the Promised Zand, and Directions
respecting the Occupancy.

1. The summoning of Balaam by Balak, and his compliance, XXII

2. Balaam's sacrifice, and his prophetic benedictions, . XXIII, XXIV

3. The sin of the people with the Midianitish women and

their punishment, ...... XXV

4. A new census taken of the people, . . . XXVI

5. Law concerning inheritance, and the inauguration of

Joshua, XXVII

6. Various laws respecting offerings, . . . XXVIII, XXIX
7 Law respecting vows, . . . . . XXX
9. Occupation of part of the promised inheritance by reason

of the slaughter of the Midianites, . . . XXXI

10. Allotment of the two tribes and a half in the east of the

Jordan, ...... XXXII

INTRODUCTION.

11. List of the stations in the wilderness, ....

12. The appointed boundaries of the land, and the names of the

surveyors .......

13. Law concerning the cities of refuge, ....

14. Laws respecting inheritances for preserving the succession of

estates and the distinction of families,

CHAPTERS.

XXXIII

XXXIV
XXXV

XXXVI

§ 4. Commentators.

We are obliged to repeat here the remark made in the Introduction to Levi-
ticus, that the commentators on this book are few apart from those who have
expounded the several books of the Pentateuch, or the Old Testament at large.
Yet we cannot say but our apparatus is sulficiently ample, although every year
is adding to its extent. No attempt at unfolding the genuine scope of the Mosaic
books can do justice to the theme, which overlooks the resources accumulated
by critics and travellers within the last twenty years. In the preparation of the
following Notes, the author has pursued the same general plan, and been gov-
erned by the same principles which characterize his former volumes on the
books of Moses. He is happy to acknowledge his indebtedness to the labors of
his predecessors, while at the same time he has thought and spoken for himself,
and ventures to claim something more for his work than the mere culling out
and remoulding of the best critical or practical remarks of others. Having the
inspired original, with its collateral ancient versions, continually before him, he
could scarcely fail to reach some results which are peculiar to himself, although
in a work intended for plain Bible readers as well as teachers, he has been
guarded as to launching forth into veins of mere curious or speculative research.
He is admonished by the lessons of advancing years that he has no time for any
but useful inquiries, and that even in this department his labors henceforth must
be bounded by inevitably narrow limits. He has endeavored, therefore, so to
conduct his studies, and so to shape the results, as to subserve the highest inter-
est of the greatest number of his readers.

In the way of critical and ethical helps in his undertaking, the most important
have been the following, for the use of several of which he has been indebted to
the private and public collections which have been kindly placed at his service.

Walton's Polyglot.
Pool's Synopsis.
Ainsworth on the Pentateuch.
Attersol on Numbers.
Biblia Maxima of de la Ilaye.
Origen's Homilies on Numbers.
Theodoret's Quaestiones in Nnmeros.
Le Clerc's Commentary.

Dodd's

do.

Patrick's

do.

Oalmet's

do.

Cleaver's

do.

RosenmuUer's

do.

Gill's

do.

Henry's

do.

Hewlett's

do.

Barrett's Synopsis of Criticism,
Geddes' Translation and Notes.
Michaelis' Laws of Moses.

" Germ. Translation of Scriptures.
Pyles' Paraphrase.
Pool's Annotations.
Babington's Comfortable Notes.
Drusius ad Loca Difflcilia.
Saurin's Dissertations.
Parker's Bibliotheca Biblica.
De Wette's German Translation.
Dathius" Latin Translation.
Jurieu's Critical History.
Bishop Hall's Contemplations.
Outram on Sacrifices.
Kitto's Daily Bible Illustrations.

INTRODUCTION.

Stackhonse's History of the Bible.
Vsitablus' Biblia Sacra.
Pfeiffer's Dubia Vexata.
Junius & Tremellius' Latin Bible.
Haak's Dutch Annotations.
Kidder on the Pentateuch.
Wells' Sacred Geography.

" Help to the Sacred Scriptures.

Eobinson's Eesearches.

Bonar's Sinai and the Desert.

Lewis' Hebrew Antiquities.

Palfrey's Lectures on Hebrew Antiquities.

Kitto's Pictorial Bible.

" Biblical Cyclopaedia.
"Works of Philo and Josephus.
Bishop Wilson's Bible.

ABBREVIATIONS.

Chald. The Chaldee, version, or Targum of Onkelos.

Gr. or Sept. The Greeh version of the Seventy.

Vulg. The Latin version, commonly called the Vulgate.

Arab. The Arabic version of the Polyglot.

Sam. The Samaritan Pentateuch.

Syr. The Syriac version of the Polyglot.

Targ. Jon. The Targum or Paraphrase of Jonathan.

Targ. Jerus. The Targum of Jerusalem.

In respect to these various versions and Targums, the reader will find
ample information in the Introduction to the Notes on Genesis. They are not
all of equal value, but all of them will occasionally throw important light upon
passages occurring in the sacred text. The Yulg. and the Gr. are generally
quoted in the words of the English translation— the former of the Douay, and
the latter of Thomson or Brenton. In quoting from the Targums and the
Jewish Expositors, the author has usually availed himself of the version given
in Ainsworth's very valuable Notes, to which he has had frequent recourse
throughout.

THE BOOK OF NUMBEKS.

CHAPTER I.

The Israelites, at the date of the
opening of this book, had remained
about a year in the vicinity of Mount
Sinai, whither they had arrived within
little more than a month after their de-
parture from Egypt. During this time
of nearly thirteen months they had
erected and furnished the Tabernacle,
and had received the various laws and
institutions recorded in the preceding
books, and had been undergoing a cer-
tain preliminary discipline or training
in the matters of divine worship, which
infinite wisdom saw to be of the utmost
importance for them in the circum-
stances in which they were placed.
They had but recently been delivered
from a state of degrading bondage, and
had come forth from under the hand of
their oppressors as a somewhat rude
and uncultivated horde, requiring to
be put through a kind of educational
process before they would be fit to an-
swer, in all respects, the ends of their
marvellous selection and segregation
as a peculiar people. These ends were
in a great measure typical and represen-
tative. A "church in the wilderness"
was to be formed that should, in its dis-
tinguishing economy of rites and cere-
monies, laws and judgments, fitly fore-
shadow that future Christian and spir-
itual Church, in which it was ordained
that all those shadows should be turned
into substance. It was indeed a bur-
densome yoke that was to be imposed
upon them, and it is not difficult to per-
ceive that their shoulders must be grad-
1*

ually inured to the load which they
were called, for so many ages, to bear.
Hence their protracted stay at Sinai,
which would naturally tend to Ireah
them in to the service allotted them in
their typical capacity — a capacity in
which it appears from the whole drift
of the Epistle to the Hebrews they were
mainly called to act. For this end it
was necessary, moreover, that a certain
external order and organization should
be adopted, whereby the analogous
arrangements of the ulterior spiritual
body, of long subsequent development,
should be suitably set forth. Hence it
was that a special mustering and enu-
meration of the people, together with a
prescribed/wwi of encampinent, was or-
dered at the time of the commencement
of the present history, for which we may
in addition suggest a number of collat-
eral ends to be answered; as, (1.) That
the people might have palpable evi-
dence how fully the Lord had made
good his promise to Abraham of multi-
plying his seed. (2.) That every Isra-
elite might know for himself and be
able to declare to his posterity, from
what tribe he descended and to what
family he belonged, and this more espe-
cially with a view that the genealogy
of the future Messiah might be clearly
ascertained. (3.) That in case of an
attack from their enemies, they might
know their strength as a military body ;
in which character however they are to
be looked upon as pre-eminently typi-
cal of a church militant, for nothing
can bp conceived more abhorrent to the

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

CHAPTER I.

ND the Lord spake unto
. Moses in the wilderness of

Sinai*, in the tabernacle of the
congregation, on the first day

a Ex. 19, 1. Num. 10, 12.

divine love and wisdom than wars and
conquests viewed in any other light.
They may be permitted, but never ap-
proved. (4.) That a more orderly
method of march in their journey to
Canaan might be secured. " It is a
rout and a rabble," says Henry, " not
an army, that is not mustered and put
in order." With these prefatory re-
marks we enter upon the critical expo-
sition of the text.

The Mustering of the Tribes.
V. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses
in the wilderness of Sinai. The true
rendering of this clause depends upon
the determination of the question,
whether the census here ordered to be
taken is the same with that previously
mentioned, Ex. 30 : 12. 38 : 26, or an en-
tirely different one — a point about which
commentators greatly differ. In the
one case, the present would be the cor-
rect rendering; in the other it would-
be, " The Lord had said." The iden-
tity of the two enumerations is favored
by the identity of the sum total of each,
viz. 603,550, and by the difficulty of
conceiving why a second numbering
should be ordered within so short a
time — not more than a few months —
after the first. But on the other hand,
it is disfavored by the express specifi-
cation of dates. The census mentioned
Ex. SO : 12 and 38 : 26 was evidently
ordered in reference to the poll-tax of
half a shekel which was to accompany
it, and from which a portion of the
revenue necessary for the work of the
Tabernacle was to be derived. Indeed,
it is expressly stated Ex. 38 : 25-27, that
the silver sockets of the Tabernacle
were made out of the half shekels con-
rributed on this occasion. The cen-

sus, therefore, which yielded this fund
must have been taken previous to the
erection of the sacred edifice, and this,
we learn, was finished and set up on
the first day of the fi7'st month of the
second year of the sojourn in the wil-
derness. But in the passage before us
the command to number the people was
given on the first day of the second
month of the same year, or precisely
one month after the erection of the
sanctuary. Were it not for this very
explicit mention of dates we should be
inclined to Mr. Kitto's opinion, who re-
marks of the present census, that " we
may doubt whether the enumeration in
Ex. 38 : 26 is the result of a different
one. A census must always occupy
some time in making, and yet we find
an interval of only a few months be-
tween the two periods ; and if we sup-
pose them different it is impossible to
conceive why a second enumeration
should so immediately follow the first.
Besides, the amount stated in both in-
stances is the same, namely, 603,550 — •
an identity of numbers scarcely possi-
ble even in the interval of a few months,
had the enumerations been diflerent.
We therefore think that the census is
the same : it was completed doubtless
in time to make the poll-tax available
for the works of the Tabernacle, and
the result is stated incidentally in Ex.
38 : 26, in connection with the amount ;
while here we have a more particular
account of the same enumeration^ in or-
der to show the relative strength of the
different tribe ." This would be a very
probable view of the matter but for the
difficulty stated above. If the census
was made in time to be available for
the work of the Tabernacle, it must
have been made prior to the first day of

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTEPw I.

of the second month, in the sec-
ond year after they were come

the first month of the second year ; but
that brings it in conflict with the pres-
ent, which was not ordered till the first
day of the second month. In this emer-
gency Rosenmuller adopts the sugges-
tion of Vater, that the text has been
tampered with by some one who, sup-
posing that a new census is here spoken
of, took the liberty to affix a false nota-
tion of the time. But as we are opposed
from principle to all such gratuitous ex-
pedients in the way of solving difficul-
ties, it remains, if possible, to find some
solution which shall not impeach the
integrity of the sacred text, and we
have satisfied our own mind that in the
command here given as to numbering
the congregation, tlie previous one was
to he assumed as a basis. As far as the
bare numbers were concerned, the ta-
bles or register already made out would
answer ; and this accounts for the fact
that the sum total is the same in both
cases. Prof. Palfrey here remarks,
with great probability, that " the sec-
ond was not so much a distinct count-
ing, as a more formal verification of the
first." " When Eleazar and Ithamar,"
he adds, " had already so recently made
out their enumeration of the people for
one purpose, it is altogether unlikely
that their lists would be disregarded,
and a work so onerous be gone through
a second time de integro. It is safely
to be presumed, that the list first made
would be put into the hands of the offi-
cers who were to superintend the new
enrolment ; and that as the number,
supposing it io have been accurately
stated in the first instance, could not
have become materially different in so
short a space of time, the main purpose
would be to authenticate it, without
disturbing it any further than to count,
instead of each individual in any com-

out of the land of Egypt, say-
ing,

pany who had died in the interval, the
name of some one who had grown up
to full age." {Lect. on Jewish Ant. vol. I.
p. 313. ) Thus too Dr. Chalmers {Script.
Readings in loc.) : — " Henry speaks of
their being numbered before from Ex.
38 : 25, 26, and remarks on the perfect
coincidence of the two censuses. But
may it not have been one census, even
the present one ? We have only to sup-
pose that the levy, though begun and
proceeded with, was not completed till
after the enumeration was finished."
The object of the measure in the pres-
ent case was not therefore precisely the
same that it was before. Then it was
to obtain a revenue per capita for the
service of the sanctuary. Now it was
with a view to order and arrangement
among the different tribes, as Avell as
to ascertain, perhaps, their relative
strength. But this design will disclose
itself more fully as we unfold the import
j of terms in what follows. We simply
remark at present that the difference
j between this and the former numbering
! we regard as the difference between a
i census and a muster. What that is the
reader will soon be able to apprehend.
T[ In the tabernacle of the congre-
gation. Heb. *irn;2 ^nxn beohel nw'id,
in the tabernacle of appointment, or of
stated meeting. Gr. " Tent or taberaa-
cle of witness," doubtless from its con-
taining the book of the law, which is
frequently spoken of as the witness of
the covenant established between the
Lord and his people. See Note on Ex.
27 : 21. ' Tabernacle of witness.' — Cov-
erdale. ' Tent of the congregation.' —
Ainsworth. ' Tabernacle of the cove-
nant.'— Douay, ' Public tent/ — Purver.
There were three places in which the
Lord gave audience to Moses, and from
which he spake to him. One was at

NUMBEKS.

[B. C. 1490.

2 Take ^ ye the sum of all the

i Ex. 30. 12. c. 26. -2. 63. 2 S.am. 24. 2. 1 Chr. 21. 2.

congregation of the children of

the door of the Tabernacle, near which
stood the Altar of Burnt-Offerings. Ex.
29 : 42. " This shall be a continual
burnt-offering throughout your genera-
tions at the door of the tabernacle of
the congregation before the Lord :
where I will meet you, to speak there
unto you." Another was out of the
cloudy pillar. Ps. W, " He spake to
them in the cloudy pillar." Comp. Ex.
S3 : 9. Num 12 : 5. This, however,
concurred for the most part with the
other, inasmuch as the pillar of cloud
usually stood at the door of the Taber-
nacle when the Lord spake thence to
Moses, ch. 11 : 17. The third was the
Mercy-seat, the principal seat of the
oracle. Num. 7 : 89. It was hence that
the Most High now addressed the com-
mand to Moses. T[ I/I the Jirst day

of the second month of tJie second year.
Heb. " In the one (day) to the second
month." Gr. ev fiia, "In the one."
The same phraseology occurs several
times in the Greek of the New Testa-
ment. Thus Matt. 28 : 1, " Toward the
first day (Gr. one day) of the week."
Comp. Mark 16 : 2. John 20 : 1. Acts 20 :
7. Titus 3 : 10, " After the first (Gr. one)
and second admonition." Comparing
this with Ex. 19 : 1. 40 : 2. Num. 22 :
11, it appears that the Israelites abode
in the desert of Sinai very nearly a
whole year; for they came into it on
the first day of the third month of the
first year, and continued there to the
twentieth daj^ of the second month of
the second year. This second month is
called in the Hebrew calendar Zf, and
answers to a part of our April. It is so
called from the brightness and beauty of
the flowers which then make their ap-
pearance, as this is the import of Zf.
Within this period God published the
Law from Mount Sinai, commanded the

erection of the Tabernacle, which was
accomplished in the first day of the
second year, and in the subsequent days
of the first month the various laws re-
garding the sacrifices, the distinction
of clean and unclean animals, together
with all the details of the ritual that
form the contents of the after part of
the book of Exodus and of the whole of
Leviticus, were delivered. But for this
comparison of dates we should scarcely
be aware of the vast amount of action
condensed into so brief a space. It is
clear that the sojourn at the foot of the
sacred mount was no idle vacation to
the chosen people. The intimation is
palpable, that in all matters pertaining
to divine worship a listless and languid
deportment is sadly out of place, and
that the utmost activity of mind and
heart is called for. " Diligent in busi-
ness, fervent in spirit, serving the
Lord," is the true motto.

2. Take ye the sum of all the congrC'
gation of the children of Israel. Heb.
IDK'I r;5C INTD seoo eth rosh, lit. tahe vp,
lift vp, elevate the head. The expres-
sion would not seem to be in itself the
most natural for conveying the idea of
census-taking . We should be inclined,
from the force of the words, to render
the clause, " elevate the headship,"
that is, taking "head" as an abstract
equivalent to chief , principal, we would
understand it as implying that a special
prominence and distinction was to be
given to what might be deemed the
headship of the congregation composed
of the males of above twenty years of
age, but excluding females, children,
and the infirm and aged. These were
to be enumerated and registered, which
was a kind of elevation predicated of this
portion of the people, in contradistinc-
tion from the others. This construction

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER I.

Israel, after their families, by
*he house of their fathers, with

IS favored by the Gr. AajSere apxv^i

take the principality of all the congre-
gation, by which we suppose to be
meant tke principal or ?)iost distinguish-
ing part. But however probable this
interpretation, it is certain that the
majority of the versions agree with the
rendering of the English. Thus, Chal.
"Take the sum, or computation, of the
congregation of the sons of Israel."
Syr. " Take the sum of the number of
the heads of the whole assembly."
Sam. ** Take the sum of the congrega-
tion," etc. Arab. "Take the sum of
the sons of Israel." In this rendering
we, on the whole, concur, though with
some degree of doubt, and take the
leading idea to be that of capitation.
"Taking the head" is ascertaining the
sum total, and it is obvious that the
summation of a series of numbers is the
bringing them, as it were, into a head.
Thus we speak of heading vp a row or
a column of figures. As in the human
body all the different parts are devel-
oped from the head, and exist in it in
potency, so the sum total in any nu-
merical count is in like manner a head
to all the different parts of which it is
composed, and into which it may be re-
solved. So the word capital, from ca-
put, head, is familiar with us to denote
the amount of wealth belonging to an
individual or a company. The parallel
usage of the Scriptures in regard to this
word is worthy of note, Ps. 139 : 17,
' How precious are thy thoughts unto
me, 0 God, how great is the sum of
tlieni (Heb. roshehem, their head)." Ps.
119 : 100, " Thy word is true from the
beginning ; " rather, " T?ie sum total
(Heb. rosh, head) of thy word is truth."
From this general order it is evident
from what follows that the Levites

the number of their names,
every male by their polls ;

were to be exempted, v. 47. T[ After

their families, ly the house of their fa-
thers. Heb. lemishpehothdm, according
to their families ; Gr. Kara crvyye-
veias avTwu, accoj'ding to their Mn-
dreds, Luke 1 : 61. The precise distinc-
tion here designed to be understood
between "their families" and "the
houses of their fathers," is not entirely
obvious. In the summoning together
of the congregation under Joshua, ch.
7 : 14, for the search which resulted in
the detection of Achan, they came by
tribes, by families, and by houses,
which would seem to imply that fami-
lies denoted a wider range of kindred
than houses. But we find ourselves
forced to the conclusion that the phrase
" house of their fathers" is merely exe-
getical of "families;" that is to say,
that the way in which the different
families in any tribe were distinguished,
was by denominating them respectively
from that individual who could proper-
ly be termed its father, founder, or
head. Otherwise we are at a loss to
conceive how the families could be dis-
tinguished. Thus in the account of the
numbering recorded ch. 26 : 5-7, we
seem to be furnished vyith a clew to the
diction before us ; " Take the sum of
the people, from twenty years old and
upward ; as the Lord commanded Mo-
ses and the children of Israel, which
went forth out of the land of Egypt.
Reuben, the eldest son of Israel : the
children of Reuben ; Hanoch, of whom
cometh the family of the Hanochites .
of Pallu, the family of the Palluites :
of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites :
of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
These are the families of the Reuben-
ites : and they that were numbered of
them were forty and three thousand

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

3 From twenty years old
and upward, all that are able
to go forth to war in Israel :

and seven hundred and thirty." In
this paragraph we see how it is that
the families in a tribe are distinguish-
ed. The eldest son of Reuben is Ha-
noch, and all his descendants are called
from him Hanochites. He was there-
fore the head or father of that family ;
and so, of the rest who are mentioned.
"We know not what to make of any
" houses of fathers " apart from these
families, upon whom the fathers' names
are thus called. These several families
might each of them be numerously sub-
divided into minor branches, but they
would still, as we suppose, be called by
the name of their common ancestor,
which is perhaps intimated in the Gr.
version of the present passage, ''Ac-
cording to their kindred, according to
the houses of their patriarchal fathers. "

T[ wall the number of their names.

Heb. hemispar shemoth, in, with, ly, or
according to their names. If our pre-
vious suggestions are well founded re-
specting the relation which this census
bears to the preceding, we may reason-
ably suppose that the actual nnmher of
the host was ascertained by the number
of half shekels received by Moses on
that occasion, Ex. 38 : 25, 26, but the
names may not have been recorded, nor
even the people duly classified accord-
ing to the arrangement here prescribed,
nor their pedigree accurately ascer-
tained, which was a work that would
require a considerable time, at least as
compared with the collecting the poll-
tax above mentioned. T| By their

polls. Heb. legulgelothdm, according
to their skulls. This is equivalent to
man or person. Thus Ex. 38 : 25, " A
bekah for every man." Heb. " A bekah
for a skull." From the same root

thou and Aaron shall number
them by their armies.

comes " Golgotha," the place of a skull.
Gr. " According to their head." " Head
by head."— Cov. " Poll by poll."— J/a^.
" Man by man." — Gen. The sum total
was to be made up of the separate units.
V. 3. From twenty years and upward.
Heb. " From the son of twenty years."
That is, going on in the twentieth year,
but not having completed it, which is
the force of the original. This became
ever after the age at which one was
thought fit for war. According to the
Jewish writers, sixty was the age when
they were considered to be exempt
from militaiy service, but this is no-
where stated in the Scriptures.

T[ All that are able to go forth to war in
Israel. Heb. kol yotzt tzdbd, every one
going forth host-wise. " Every one that
goeth forth (with) the army." — Ains.
That is, every one that usually goes
forth, every one that is able to go. The
present participle in Hebrew denotes
an habitual course of action, thus in-
volving oftentimes the idea of the fu-
ture, and occasionally of the past ;
whence some commentators contend
that the phrase here refers properly to
those that came forth out of Egypt,
as appears from ch. 26 : 4, where the
very same Heb. term is thus rendered.
This would of course exclude all that
were not of Israel, all that were under
twenty, and all that would naturally
be incapacitated from disease, old age,
and other infirmities. It is to be ob-
served, however, that there is nothing
in the original corresponding to " able,"
which word might therefore more prop-
erly have been printed in italics.

T[ Tliou and Aaro?i shall number them
by their armies. Heb. tiphkedu otlidm
letzibothdmy rendered by Ainsworth,

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER I.

ye shall muster tTum by their armies.
The Heb. term (nptn tiphkedu), ren-
dered in our version " number," does
not*primarily convey this idea. Re-
course to lexicography will show that
the leading sense of the word is to visit,
either with a view to mercy and bless-
ing, or to punishment, and hence to in-
spect, to survey, to look after, to oversee,
to preside, general ideas which include
also, from the force of the Hiphil or
causative form, the import of giving in
charge, ajypointing over, ordering, dis-
posing, and commanding. In the use
of the terms visit and visitor as applied
to a class of men constituting a board
of revision and superintendence in con-
nection with universities and other in-
corporated institutions, whose duty it
is to mark defects, to rectify wrongs,
and to enforce statutes, we find an illus-
tration of the extended meaning which
this term bears in the sacred writings.
The following examples will throw
light upon the usage. Gen. 21 : 1, " The
Lord visited Sarah, and did unto Sarah
as he had spoken." Gen. 39 : 4, " And
Joseph found grace in his sight, and he
served him ; and he made him overseer
over his house, and all that he had he
put into his hand." Lev. 26 : 16, " I will
appoint over you terror, consumption,
and the burning ague." Num. 3 : 10,
" Thou shalt appoint Aaron and his
sons," i. e. give them their charge;
and so very often for appointing, in-
trusting, and giving charge and poicer
to loolc after. Ex. 20 : 5, " Visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the chil-
dren." The overseer or visitor is
clothed with power to punish or ani-
madvert upon offenders, in which sense
the word often occurs. It is found also
in the sense oi mustering or numlering,
as in the chapter before us, but this is
merely an incidental sense, for it does
not strictly signify to nuniber, although
at the muster or review the people

might be numbered. But the idea of
numbering has become attached to the
term because the inspection, survey,
ordering, and disposition implied in the
term was usually an accompaniment
of the capitation or census-taking. The
proper significance of pakad, to visit,
has thus become extended so as to
cover a ground for which it was not
originally designed. The appropriate
term for numbering is ^£0 sdphar, with
which TpD pakad is not synonymous,
the two differing in the manner above
stated. The accessory has therefore,
in this instance, assumed the place of
the principal — a fact which it is de-
sirable for the reader to know. "To
inspect or visit the people," says Mr.
Bates (Heb. Lex. sub voce), "related
as well to their conduct, religious and
civil, as to their number, and at such
musters, lustrations, purifications, and
typical atonements were necessary."
See Ex. 30 : 12. "When it is said, there-
fore, in the passage before us, " Thou
and Aaron shall number them by their
armies," the import is not so strictly
that oi numbering as of disposition and
arrangement ; they were to be inspect-
ed and marshalled, and set in proper
array. We are happy to be confirmed
in the above interpretation by the re-
marks of a valuable writer of the 17th
century (Robert Gell), whose work, en
titled " An Essay towards the Amend-
ment of the last English Translation of
the Bible," has come into our hand
since the above was written. " They
r^n^QV paTcad, to number, which though
it so signifies, yet in the business of
this and the next chapter, it is a word
too general, and is more properly to be
termed to visit, or rather to muster ; as
the Latin phrase imports, " exercitum
lustrare," " facere militum recognitio-
nem." So " armilustmm " signifies
mustering, a viewing of harness, wea-
pons, and soldiers. For they who mws-

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

ter their forces do not only take account
Tiow many their soldiers are, and so
numher them, but they also take notice
and inquire how able, how well appoint-
ed, how well furnished they are for
war. Besides, the Scripture through-
out this and the next chapter useth di-
verse words, as mispar for number, and
pdhad for msiting or mustering. So
that the translation confounds those acts
which the Spirit of God distinguish-
eth." To this he adds that the muster
prescribed involved the idea of inspec-
tion as to sex, age, pedigree, etc., and
as the design of this was to cull out
the choice, the flower of the host, the
most hale, vigorous, and valiant, or the
truly "excellent ones," therefore the
term visiting or numbering is applied
to them ; for that " such are highly es-
teemed, loved, cared for, numbered, ap-
pears from the contrary ; as it is said
of persons despicable and contemned,
extra numerum esse; nulla numero
esse; nullius esse numeri — military
phrases implying such as are of no
reckoning, no account, who stand for
ciphers. But the Lord's soldiers are
all numbered, visited, mustered." That
there is an ulterior purport in this,
would appear from the usage of the
term in the following passage: Luke
12 : 7, " Even the very hairs of your
head are aW numbered.'" The idea here
is not precisely that of numbering,
which would of course be useless to
Omniscience, but of the minutest in-
spection, of the most intimate provi-
dential cognizance, a knowledge ac-
companied with the most watchful and
tender care. Is. 13 : 4, " The Lord of
hosts mustereth (Heb. mepaTclced) the
host of the battle." The battle here is
spiritual, for the Lord wages no other,
and mustering the host is arranging,
ordering, and arraying the internal
states and principles of those who com-
pose it. Again, Is. 40 : 26, " Lift up

your eyes on high, and behold, who
hath created these things, that bring-
eth out their host by numher." So also
Ps. 147 : 4, " He telleth the number of
the stars, he calleth them all by their
names." That by numbering in these
passages is signified to ordain, order,
or arrange, is evident from the fact that
it is spoken of the Most High, who does
not in reality number or name armies
or stars, but inspects, orders, arranges,
and disposes the things represented by
them, which are of course things per-
taining to the kingdom of heaven and
the church. As this is the high pre-
rogative of Jehovah himself, who alone
is competent to the task, we may gather
from this source, perhaps, the true
grounds of the reason why David's con-
duct in numbering the people was
viewed by the Lord in so heinous a
light. As the people of Israel represent-
ed typically the church, and as it is the
province of the Lord alone to order the
internal conditions and interests of the
church, therefore any measure wlii:;Il
by its representative significancy would
imply that man was invested with that
power involved a high degree of pre-
sumption, and therefore called for pun-
ishment. Such was the character of
David's conduct in the transaction re-
ferred to. He took it upon him to do
that which in its true bearings implied
an invasion of the divine prerogative.
Hence its enormity. We may farther
observe upon this subject of number-
ing, that while it evidently has no spe-
cial moral character when viewed in
itself, yet it is occasionally introduced
in such connections as to compel us to
seek some sense beyond that of the
simple letter. Thus for example, Ps.
90 : 12, " So teach us to number our
days, that we may apply our hearts
vinto wisdom." As man is ignorant of
the number of his days on earth, Ps.
71 : 15, as " the number of his years is

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER I.

hidden," not to the " oppressor " only,
but to all other naen, it is evident that
a man can "number his days" only by
ordering and regulating the states of
his life from one day to another in such
a manner as to meet the demands of
true wisdom. Is. 38 : 10, " I said, in
the cutting off of my days, I shall go
to the gates of the grave ; I am deprived
of the residue of my years (Heb. pik-
kadti, lam numbered as to the residue
of my years)." That is, the term of my
existence is ordered and arranged, and
in the divine counsels brought to a
completion. Dan. 5 : 25, 26, " And this
is the writing that was written, Mene,
Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. This is the in-
terpretation of the thing : Mene ; God
hath numbered thy kingdom ;" i. e. hath
brought to an end, hath finished, thy
kingdom, after accurately exploring,
weighing, and estimating its quality.
And so elsewhere. — From the whole,
then, we gather that the numbering
here commanded to Moses and Aaron
has respect rather to the visitation, in-
spection, and orderly arrangement im-
plied in the more genuine import of the
term, and that in its typical bearings it
refers to that inner process which causes
the church to " shine forth fair as the
moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as
an army with banners,^' in which last
expression we are probably to recog-
nize an allusion to the appearance of
the hosts of Israel when marshalled in
the order described in this and the fol-
lowing chapters. The principle we re-
gard as sound that the nation of Israel
sustained a typical relation to the
church of after times — the relation, as
it were, of a shadow to a substance —
and that consequently it is no matter
of surprise if we occasionally meet with
terms which, though applied in the first
instance to the Israelitish economy, yet
have not their meaning exhausted in
that application, and are therefore to

be carried over, as we may say, to the
more adequate and substantial subject
of the Lord's church under the New
Testament. Thus, for instance, the
promises in regard to the excessive
multiplication of the seed of Abraham
cannot be regarded as having been ful-
filled in the literal history of that peo-
ple. Gen. 13:16, "And I will make
thy seed as the dust of the earth : so
that if a man can number the dust of
the earth, then shall thy seed also be
numbered." Gen. 15:5, "And he
brought him forth abroad, and said,
Look now toward heaven, and tell the
stars, if thou be able to number them :
and he said unto him. So shall thy seed
be." Num. 23 : 10, " Who can count
the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth
part thereof? " This language can only
be considered as holding good of the
spiritual and not of the natural Israel.
They became indeed a populous nation,
but the expressions cited above far
transcend the actuality of their literal
increase. It is in the Christian church
only that they receive a complete fulfil-
ment. The same remark may be made
in regard to the perpetuity of David's
throne, 2 Sam. 7 : 10, " Thine house
and thy kingdom shall be established
for ever before thee : thy throne shall
be established for ever." Comp. Ps.
89 : 36, 37. Luke 1 : 33. We are com-
pelled to have recourse to an ulterior
meaning in order to satisfy the demands
of these texts. In giving, therefore, a
similar scope to the word number in
this connection, we consider ourselves
warranted by the principle above
stated, and which has ever been con-
sidered sound by the great mass of
Christian expositors. The giving up
of this principle is in our view a most
injudicious and dangerous concession
to the spirit of German rationalism,
which would fain eliminate from the
Word of God every divine element.

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 149C

4 And with you there shall
be a man of every tribe ; every
one head' of the house of his
fathers.

5 And these are the names
of the men that shall stand with
you : Of the tribe of Reuben ;
Elizur'^ the son of Shedeur.

6 Of Simeon ; Shelumiel the
son of Zurishaddai.

7 Of Judah; Nahshon* the
son of Amminadab.

cEi. 18. 25. Josh. 22. 14. d ch. 2. 10, etc. ch. 7.
30, etc. 10. 18, etc. e Ruth 4. 20.

V. 4. And with you there shall he a
man of every tribe. Heb. "With you
there shall be (plur.) a man, a man to
a tribe." This is rendered for the most
part by the dififerent versions as in ours
— " a man of every tribe," as the subse-
quent verses show to have been the
fact ; although from the plural usage
and the repetition of " man," it might
seem that more than one individual
was intended for each tribe. But as
shown from parallel usage it is doubt-
less a distributive form of expression
involving no special peculiarity of
sense. Probably the more exact idea
is, " there shall be with you some man
or other to each tribe," but whoever he
were, he was to be one holding a con-
spicuous rank in his tribe. This is im-
plied in the appellation " head of the
house of his fathers," which however
does not signify the first-born in their
several tribes, but those who were ac-
knowledged as prominent on some
other account, as their wisdom or valor,
or some other distinguishing trait.

V. 5. These are the names of the men
that shall stand with you. To " stand
with " is to " assist," which is evident
from the fact that the word "assist"
itself iss etymologically equivalent to
" stand with" {ad and sto). ^ Of {the

8 Oflssachar; Nethaneel the
son of Zuar.

9 Of Zebulun; Eliab the son
of Helon.

10 Of the children of Jo-
seph : of Ephraim, Elishama
the son of Ammihud : of Ma-
nasseh, Gramaliel the son of
Pedahzur.

11 Of Benjamin; Abidan the
son of Grideoni.

12 Of Dan ; Ahiezer the son
of Ammishaddai.

tribe of) Reuben. Heb. " To Reuben."
Gr. " Of those of Reuben." The sup-
ply of " tribe," " sons," " children," or
something equivalent is very proper, as
appears from comparing v. 10, where
instead of simply " of Joseph," as here
" of Reuben," we read "of the children
of Joseph." — In the ensuing verses to
V. 16 we have barely a list of the names
of the twelve chiefs, princes, or head-
men who were now selected as assist-
ants to Moses and Aaron in the muster
enjoined. In regard to these there is
nothing of special note demanding at-
tention, excepting, perhaps, that in the
order of recital Reuben, Simeon, Judah,
Issachar, and Zebulun, the sons of Leah,
and Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin,
the sons of Rachel, take the precedence
of Dan, Asher, Gad, and Naphtali, the
sons of the handmaids Billah and Zil-
pah. In the former enumeration, Ex.
1:2, 3, and in the inscinption on the
precious stones, Ex. 28 : 9, 10, the order
is very nearly the same, although the
name of Asher does not come in here as
elsewhere. — Levi and Joseph are omit-
ted ; the first because that tribe was to
be numbered by itself, and the second,
because Joseph's two sons, Ephraim
and Manasseh, representing the double
portion that pertained to his birthright,

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER I.

13 OfAsher; Pagieltheson
of Ocran.

14 Of Gad ; Eliasaph the son
of Deuel.

15 Of Naphtali; Ahira the
son of Enan.

were substituted in his place, Gen. 48 :
5, 6. 1 Chron. 5:1. 2. Gad is also
omitted, as his tribe was virtually
merged in that of Judah, Num. 2 : 10-
14 " Deuel," v. 14, is called " Reuel,"
ch. 2 : 14. The similarity of the letter
T D and "i r would make the exchange
of the one for the other easy.

V. 16. These were the renowned of the
congregation. Heb. Jcerue hdedcih, the
called ones of the congregation. The
original word signifies hterally called
or named, as if in this instance imply-
ing those who were designated by the
Lord himself to this function, which
would of course have the effect to ren-
der them more distinguished and hon-
orable than before. The Latin Yulg.
accordingly has "nobilissimi principes
multitudinis," most nolle princes of the
multitude. The Gr. eirLK\r]Toi, distin-
guished, illustrious. In other connec-
tions, as Num. 16 : 2. 26 : 9. Ez. 23 : 23,
it is rendered to the same eSect, famous
and renowned; but for the most part
the English words answering to it are
called, invited, hiddeji, and also guests.
We may here perhaps unite the two
senses, and consider the term as denot-
ing persons renowned for the wisdom of
age, and therefore called to consult upon
all matters of importance pertaining to
the tribes. This is favored by some of
the earlier English versions. " Ancient
men (or elders)." — Gov. " Counsel-
lors."—i/aj!. " The called.''— Ains.
" They who are called."— Fur. Rabbi
Sol. Jarchi says these were the same
personages who in Egpyt were beaten
by Pharaoh's taskmasters. Ex. 5 : 14,

1(1 These-'' were the renown-
ed of the congregation, princes
of the tribes of their fathers,
heads ^ of thousands in Israel.

/ ch. 7. 2. 1 Chr. 27. 16, etc. f Ex. 18. 21, 2i.

"And the oflBcers of the children oi
Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters
had set over them, were beaten, and
demanded, Wherefore have ye not ful-
filled your task in making brick, both
yesterday and to-day, as heretofore ? "

H Of the congregation. From the

usage of this term in several instances
it would appear that it does not always
denote the whole congregation, the en-
tire mass of the Israelitish nation, but
the deputies or representatives of the
several tribes convened and acting in
the name of the whole. Michaelis (Zaivs
of Moses, P. I. art. 45) draws this infer-
ence from the fact that while Moses is
said to have spoken " to the whole con-
gregation," yet he could not possibly
have been heard by one or two millions
of people, and therefore he must have
addressed himself to a certain number
of persons deputed to represent the
rest. These persons he understands to
be denoted by " the called of the con-
gregation " here mentioned. Syr. " The
celebrated of the assembly." This im-
port of a national council or diet, of a
representative character, we regard as
probably the correct one. The context
will generally determine when it bears

this sense. T[ Princes of the tribes

of their fathers. Heb. nesie mattoth,
princes or rulers of the tribes. " Cap-
tains."—Cov. "LoTds."—Maf., Gran.
The original is derived from a root sig-
nifying to raise, to elevate, and denotes
accordingly one who is lifted uj) and
offt^cialhj preferred above the rest of the

people. If Heads of the thousands

in Israel. Gr. x^Xiapxoi, chiliarchs.

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490

17 And Moses and Aaron
took these men which are ex-
pressed '^ by their names ' :

18 And they assembled all
the congregation together on
the first day of the second
month, and they declared their
pedigrees after their families,
by the house of their fathers,
according^ to the number of
the names, from twenty years
old and upward, by their polls.

19 As ' the Lord command-

k Rev. 7. 4, etc. i John 10. 3. k ver. 20, etc. I ver. 2.

These ''heads" were not only men of
note and weight in their tribes, such
men as Jethro advised Moses to asso-
ciate with him in governing the people,
Ex. 18 : 21, but also commanders of the
bands or. companies of thousands into
which the tribes were divided, respect-
ing which see Ex. 18 : 21, 25. The Heb.
term for "thousands" is rendered
"families" in Judg. 6:15, though re-
tained in Mic. 5 : 2, where it is trans-
lated by the Gr. " rulers " or " govern-
ors," which rendering is sanctioned by
the Spirit of inspiration, as it occurs
Mat. 2 : 6.

V. 17. Which are expressed hy their
names. Heb. nikkebo, pricked ov pierced,
i. e. designated. See Note on Lev. 26 : 11.

V. 18. And they assembled, etc. As
the command was given by the Lord
from the Tabernacle on the first day of
the second month, v. 1, so it appears it
was immediately executed, or began to
be executed, on the same day. True
obedience is ever a prompt obedience,

• T[ And they declared their pedigrees.

Heb. yithyaledu, they genealogized them-
selves. That is, recited their pedigree
according to their families and houses.
The Gr., according to one reading, has
eireaK€Trr]aau, recounted, and according
to another (mj^ovovcrai^, i. e. referred

ed Moses, so he numbered them
in the wilderness of Sinai.

20 And the children of Reu-
ben, Israel's eldest son, by
their generations, after their
families, by the house of their
fathers, according to the num-
ber of the names, by their
polls, every male from twenty
years old and upward, all that
were able to go forth to war ;

21 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of

or conveyed to a|oj/a9, tables, denoting
a process of registration. As they de-
clared their genealogies, the proper
officers took them down. The fair im-
plication is, that in all matters pertain-
ing to the order in which the Lord
would have his church arranged, while
he in a supreme manner controls and
overrules every thing, yet his people
are not to forego their own agency, but
are to do all in their power to number

and arrange themselves. 1[ By their

polls. Heb. "By their skulls." Gr.
" From head to head."

V. 20. A7id the children of Reuben.
Reuben holds the first place, not be-
cause his tribe was the most numerous,
for in this respect it fell short of seve-
ral of the others, but from his being the

first-born. T[ By their generations,

after their families, etc. See on these
subdivisions of the tribes the Note on
V. 2. above. " Generations " denotes a
larger number than " families," and
" families " than " houses, " while
"houses," or households, comprised all
the individuals pertaining to each.

V. 21. Those that loere numbered of
them, etc. Heb. pehudehem le-mattch
re-uben, the numbered of them to the
tribe of Beuben, or more corre(;tly the
arranged, the marshalled, the ordered;

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER I.

Reuben, were forty and six thou-
sand and five hundred.

22 Of the children of Simeon,
by their generations, after their
families, by the house of their
fathers, those that were num-
bered of them, according to the
number of the names, by their
polls, every male from twenty
years old and upward, all thai
were able to go forth to war ;

for we still adhere to the view given
above of the purport, in this connec-
tion, of the original word. "VYe do not
regard it as implying strictly to num-
her, but rather to review, marshal, or
arrange. The numbering of the previ-
ous census we take to be assumed in
this transaction, and made its basis.
It will be observed that in every in-
stance the phrase " according to the
number of the names " occurs, which
we take to imply that the number al-
ready ascertained was made use of
What can be understood, for example,
by the expression predicated of the
tribe of Simeon " numbered according
to the number of the names," especially
when the word for "numbered" (peku-
ddv) is entirely different from that for
" number " (jnispar) ? \yhat is it but an
unmeaning tautology? But take the
term "numbered" here to signify re-
viewed, marshalled, arranged, and all is
clear. In fact, the whole transaction
recorded in this chapter, instead of be-
ing properly a census appointed for the
purpose of ascertaining the numbers of
the host, was undoubtedly an inspec-
tinn, order-ing and classification of the
whole body, on the basis of a prior cen-
sus, with reference to the order of the
march and the encampment during the
Sojourn in the wilderness. What else
can we infer from the absolute identity
o! the totals lie^e given with that given

23 Those that were number-
ed of them, even of the tribe of
Simeon, were fifty and nine
thousand and three hundred.

24 Of the children of Gad,
by their generations, after their
families, by the house of their
fathers, according to the num-
ber of the names, from twenty
years old and upward, all that
were able to go forth to war ;

in Ex. 38 : 26. In regard to each tribe
the object is not to ascertain de novo of
how many it consisted, but the number
already previously ascertained is mere-
ly restated. We here, after Ainsworth
and Adam Clarke, present a compara-
tive view of the state of the tribes un-
der the present and a still later census
recorded ch. 26, which will preclude
the necessity of farther comment upon
a large portion of the chapter. In the
first column the numbers are given in
their decreasing proportion, in the sec-
ond the increase of some and the de-
crease of others will be seen at a glance.

\it Census. 2rf Census.

Ch. I. Ch. XXVI.

1. Judah, 74,600 76,500

2. Dan, 62,700 64,400

3. Simeon, 59,300 22,200

4. Zebulun, 57,400 60,500

5. Issachar, 54,400 64,300

6. Naphtali, 53,400 45,400

7. Eeuben, 46,500 43,730

8. Gad, 45,650 40,500

9. Asher, 41,500 53,400

10. Ephraim, 40,500 32,500

11. Benjamin, 35,400 45,600

12. Manasseh, 32,200 52,700

Total, 603,550 Tot. 601,730

Judah, as being the most distinguish-
ed, is the most numerous tribe, and
Manasseh the least so, the difference
between them being no less than 42,400.
But in the subsequent census, ch. 26 ;

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 149a.

25 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of Gad,
were forty and five thousand six
hundred and fifty.

26 Of the children of Judah,
by their generations, after their
families, by the house of their
fathers, according to the number
of the names, from twenty years
old and upward, all that were
able to go forth to war ;

27 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of Ju-
dah, were threescore and four-
teen thousand and six hundred'".

28 Of the children of Issa-
char, by their generations, after
their families, by the house of
their fathers, according to the
number of the names, from twen
ty years old and upward, all
that were able to go forth to

m 2 Chr. 17. 14

84, while Judah has the pre-emuience,
Simeon the third in number before,
has become the least, and Manasseh
has risen to the seventh place. During
the interval between the two enumera-
tions seven of the tribes had an in-
crease; five a decrease. Which thej
were and to what extent the change oc-
curred may be learned from the fore-
going table. — It is remarkable that ex-
cept in the case of Gad in this chapter,
and Reuben in ch. 26, all the numbers
are whole or round numbers, beginning
with thousands and ending with liun-
dreds — Gad and Reuben alone ending
with tens. Whether this is to be un-
derstood as the exact enumeration of
the tribes, in which case a special prov-
idence is to be recognized in precluding
broken numbers, or whether it was de-
signed to give simply round numbers

29 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of Is-
sachar, were fifty and four thou-
sand and four hundred.

30 Of the children of Zebu-
lun, by their generations, after
their families, by the house of
their fathers, according to the
number of the names, from
twenty years old and upward,
all that were able to go forth to
war;

31 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of
Zebulun, were fifty and seven
thousand and four hundred.

32 Of the children of Jo-
seph," namely, of the children
of Ephraim, by their genera-
tions, after their families, by the
house of their fathers, according
to the number of the names, from
twenty years old and upward,

without regard to units and fractions, it
is not easy to determine. We are in.-
clined, on the whole, to adopt Rosen-
muUer's solution, viz., that as the mus-
ter now instituted was in order to select
from the whole body of the people those
that were " able to go forth to war,"
and to marshal them into proper array,
they were accordingly divided, as is
common in all armies, into divisions of
thousands and hundreds, leaving the
overplus uncounted, even although it
may have consisted in some cases of
those who were twenty years and up-
ward. This remainder would constitute
a corps, from which recruits would be
taken to supply the places of those who
might die or be otherwise disqualified
for military service. This confirms our
previous suggestion : that the object of
the measure here recorded was not

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER I.

all that were able to go fortli to
war;

33 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of
Ephraim, ivere forty thousand
and five hundred.

34 Of the children of Manas-
seh, by their generations, after
their families, by the house of
their fathers, according to the
number of the names, from twen-
ty years old and upward, all that
were able to go forth to war ;

35 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of
Manasseh, were thirty and two
thousand and two hundred.

36 Of the children of Benja-
min, by their generations, after
their families, by the house of
their fathers, according to the
number of the names, from twen-
ty years old and upward, all that
were able to go forth to war ;

37 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of
Benjamin, were thirty and five
thousand and four hundred.

38 Of the children of Dan,
by their generations, after their

strictly to make out an exact numerical
census. This is still farther confirmed
by the fact that in every instance of the
repetition of the language of v. 21,
"those that were numbered of them,
even of the tribe of Reuben, were," etc.
The Heb. has it, " the numbered of
them to the tribe of Reuben was," etc.,
as if setting off or assigning to each from
the whole or exact number of which
it consisted, a certain definite round
number, rejecting the units. This we
conceive to be the force of the par-
ticle to.

families, by the house of their
fathers, according to the number
of the names, from twenty years
old and upward, all that were
able to go forth to war ;

39 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of Dan,
were threescore and two thou-
sand and seven hundred.

40 Of the children of Asher,
by their generations, after their
families, by the house of their
fathers, according to the number
of the names, from twenty years
old and upward, all that were

able to go forth to war ; T^

41 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of
Asher, were forty and one thou-
sand and five hundred.

42 Of the children of Naph-
tali, throughout their genera-
tions, after their families, by the
house of their fathers, according
to the number of the names,
from twenty years old and up-
ward, all that were able to go
forth to war ;

43 Those that were numbered
of them, even of the tribe of

V. 22-43. The question may perhaps
be asked, why was it necessary to re-
peat the formula of enumeration in
every instance instead of stating in one
comprehensive passage that the tribes
were all numbered, or that each tribe
contributed such a quota, and the sum
total was so much ? "We suggest in re-
ply that, although it might seem at first
view that a revelation from heaven, to
give all needed knowledge, and yet be
comprised within reasonable limits,
could not afford to devote space to such
repetitions as we find here and else-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

Naphtali, were fifty and three
thousand and four hundred.

44 These " are those that were
numbered, which Moses and
Aaron numbered, and the prin-
ces of Israel, being twelve men :
each one was for the house of
his fathers.

1 45 So were all those that
were numbered of the children
of Israel, by the house of their
fathers, from twenty years old
and upward, all that were able
to go forth to war in Israel ;

46 Even all they that were^
numbered were six hundred

where, particularly in regard to build-
ing the Tabernacle, yet there may be
moral considerations amply sufficient
to warrant the course pursued. One
reason may be, that the Most High is
particular to record to the honor of his
servants an exact obedience to an exact
command. He would, moreover, im-
pressively teach that he is no respecter^
of persons, that he has the same care
of and regard for one as another ; that
as a common Father he neglects none,
but remembers all. He thus removes
too all ground of discontent and envy
on the score of alleged favoritism.
The numbers of the fewest shall be as
distinctly and minutely specified as
those of the most numerous, and we can
easily see that the fulfilment of the di-
vine promise in the multiplication of
the peculiar people would engrave itself
more deeply on their hearts when each
particular tribe was specifically remind-
ed of its own separate increase. A mi-
nute recital leads to a more minute
contemplation.

V. 44. Tliese are those that were num-
bered, etc. Heb, lit. " These are the
marshalled or mustered which Moses
mustered and Aaron and the princes of
Israel: twelve men; one man each to
the house of his fathers were they."
Gr. " One man for one tribe according
to the tribe of their fathers' houses were
they." Here also wc express our pre-
ference for the rendering mustered in-
jlead of numhertd.

p Ex. 12. 37. 38 26. c. 2. 32. 26. 51. Deut. 10. 22.

Vs. 45, 46. &0 were all those that were
numbered, etc. The rendering of these
verses is not happy. The strictness of
the letter requii-es the following:—
"And they were, all the mustered
(ones) of the sons of Israel, to the house
of their fathers, from the sou of twenty
years old and upward, every one that
was able to go forth to war in Israel ;
they were, (I say), all the mustered
ones, six hundred thousand, and three
thousand, and five hundred and fifty."
The increase indicated by the sum total
is certainly remarkable, but not such as
to require the operation of a miracle.
"We recognize the efiect rather of an ex-
traordinary benediction than of a mira-
culous generation in the multitudinous
progeny of seventy persons during the
space of 216 years. The Lord had
promised that he would make of the
seed of Abraham " a great nation," and
the record before us shows that the
promise was abundantly fulfilled. This
promise was renewed from time to time
to the patriarchs for their fuller assur
ance and consolation, and the result
enumerated here is celebrated in wor-
thy strains, by the Psalmist, Ps. 105 :
24. 37, " He increased his people great-
ly and made them stronger than their
enemies. — He brought them forth also
with silver and gold, and there was not
one feeble person among their tribes ; "
from which we infer, that though the
course of nature was not violated, yet
its powers were extraordinarily aided

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER I.

thousand and three thousand
and five hundred and Mtj.

47 But'^ the Levites after the
tribe of their fathers were not
numbered tamong them.

48 For the Lokd had spoken
unto Moses, saying,

1 Chr. 6. & 21, 6.

in accomplishing the result. The grand
lesson taught by the history is, that the
divine promises will all and always be
infallibly performed, as will also the di-
vine threatenings. It was said that
Caleb and Joshua alone should enter
the land of Canaan, Num. 14 : 30, and
such was the precise fact. All the rest,
because of their murmuring, idolatry,
and disobedience, perished in the wil-
derness ; some having been slain with
the sword, some swallowed up of the
earth, some consumed with pestilence,
some stung by serpents, and some hav-
ing died a natural death. Consequent-
ly neither their eyes saw, nor their feet
trod upon, the goodly land of promise,
as the Lord had threatened. To friend
and to foe the Lord will be sure to be
as good as his word. Analogous to the
increase of the natural seed of Israel is
that also of the spiritual. The church
says in heart, Is. 49 : 21, " Who hath
begotten me these ? " The Lord's king-
dom began to be preached by the twelve
apostles and the seventy disciples, and
that immortal seed of the word soon be-
gat "many ten thousands of Jews,"
Acts 21 : 20, and many more of the Gen-
tUes, even an " innumerable multitude,"
Rev. 7 : 9.

V. 47. But the Levites, etc. Heb.
"But the Levites, according to the
tribe of their fathers, were not muster-
ed in the midst of them." This tribe
was exempt from military service ; ac-
cordingly when they were numbered
the census included all even from chil-

49 Only thou shalt not num-
ber the tribe of Levi, neither
take the sum of them among the
children of Israel :

50 Buf thou shalt appoint
the Levites over the tabernacle
of testimony, and over all the

Ex. 38. 21. c. 3. 6, etc.

dren of one month old. See ch. 3 : 15.
26 : 62. The phrase " after, or accord-
ing to, the tribe of their fathers " is
probably a compendious form of ex-
pression denoting in brief what is said
at length of all the rest, " by their gen-
erations, after their families, by the
house of their fathers," etc.

V. 49. Only thou shalt not numher
the tribe of Levi, neither take the smn
of them. The truth of our previous re-
marks on the distinction between num-
hering and mustering is evident from
the language of this verse, in which we
cannot suppose that " numbering" and
"taking the sum" signify the same
thing. The original in the former case
is tipJikod, which in its different forms
we have generally rendered muster,
marshal, etc. for the reasons stated in
the note on v. 3. Nothing was to be
done towards arranging or marshalling
the tribe of Levi together with the
others, because they were to be set apart
to a peculiar function with which no
others were to interfere.

V. 50. But thou shalt appoint the Le-
vites over, etc. Heb. haphked, shalt give
in charge, or clothe with a tisitorial
power, from the root pdkad, to visit, and
in the causative to make to visit, that is,
to set over. The special functions allot-
ted to each of the several families of the
Levites are detailed in the third chap-

ter.^ ^ Tabernacle of testiraorLy. So

called from its being the depository of
the Ark of the Covenant, within whicli
were contained the tables of the Law,

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

vessels thereof, and over all
things that belong to it : they
shall bear the tabernacle, and
all the vessels thereof; and they
shall minister unto it, and shall
encamp * round about the taber-
nacle.

51 And' when the taberna-

called " tables of testimony," Ex. 31 : 18.

If Over all things that lelong to it.

Viilg. " And whatever pertains to the
ceremonies." This is perhaps favored
by the next clause which is nearly equiv-
alent, and in which " they shall minis-
ter unto it" seems to answer to the
phrase before us — " they shall bear the
tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof,
and they shall minister unto it,^' in effect
the same as having charge of the cere-
monies connected with it. T[ Shall

bear, etc. This service, the burdens of
which were appointed by the Lord
through Moses, is more particularly
specified Num. 4 : 25. 31. 36. To aid
them in it the use of six wagons was
allowed to two of the three main Leviti-

cal families. Num. 7 : 7-9. H SJiall

encamp round about the tabernacle.
That is, in immediate proximity to it,
between it and the stations of the rest
of the tribes. The Levites, therefore,
may be said to have constituted a kind
of sacred legion around the palace of
the Great King. Of this arrangement
see in what follows, chs. 2 and 3.

V. 51. And when the tabernacle setteth
forward, the Levites shall take it down.
Heb. ubinsoa Jiammishkan, and in the
journeying of the tabernacle ; i. e. when-
ever the signal should be given by the
motion of the cloudy pillar that the en-
campment was to be broken up and the
tabernacle removed, then it was the
business of the Levites to take off and
roll up tlu' curtains, to remove the np-

cle setteth forward, the Levites
shall take it down : and when
the tabernacle is to be pitched,
the Levites shall set it up : and
the " stranger that cometh nigh
shall be put to death.

52 And the children of Israel
shall pitch their tents, every

right boards from their sockets, to gath-
er together all the component parts of
the edifice, with its various utensils,
and dispose of them in the most conve-
nient way for travelling. So, on the
contrary, when a new resting-place was
indicated, the Levites, and they alone,
were to attend to the re-erection of the
tabernacle, and the putting in order of
all its appurtenances. ^ The stran-
ger. That is, one who was not of the
tribe of Levi. This was their peculiar
province, in respect to which every one
else was a stranger. So in regard to
the priesthood, as distinguished from
this inferior ministry or service, both
Israelites and Levites were counted
" strangers." Thus when Eleazer the
priest took the brazen censers which
had been profaned by Korah and his
company, and made them into plates
for covering the altar, it is said that
they were "to be for a memorial unto
the children of Israel, that no stranger,
which is not of the seed of Aaron, comt
near to offer incense before the Lord."
This exclusiveness of function is recog-
nized also by David, 1 Chron. 15 : 2,
" Then David said, None ought to car-
ry the ark of God but the Levites : for
them hath the Lord chosen to carry the
ark of God, and to minister unto him

for ever." ^[ Shall be put to death.

Ileb. yumothy shall be made to die;
without expressly indicating whether
directly by the stroke of the divine
hand, or by the agency of the magis-

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER I.

man

by his

own camp,

and

every man by his own standard,
throughout their hosts.

53 But the Levites" shall

trate. Targ. Jon. " He shall be killed
by fire flaming out from before the
Lord." The case of Nadab and Abihu,
and of Uzzah, 1 Chron. 13 : 10, would
seem to imply that a special interposi-
tion of heaven was to be generally un-
derstood by the expression.

V. 52. Evet'y man hy 7iU own camp.
That is, at his own camping-place, in
his own allotted station. Gr. " In his
own order," equivalent to Paul's phrase
in speaking of the resurrection, 1 Cor.
15 : 23, " every man in his own order."
The order here referred to is described

in the next chapter. Tf Every man

by his own standard. Gr. " By his own
regiment."

V. 53. That there he no wrath upon
the congregation^ etc. ; as there would
be danger of if the discrimination be-
tween holy and common were not most
rigidly observed. The exterior portion
of the encampment was not to press too
closely upon the consecrated centre.
The reason was the same that dictated
the prohibition respecting the body of
the people approaching too near the
sacred mount from which the Law was
delivered. Ex. 19: 12, 13, "And thou
shalt set bounds unto the people round
about, saying, Take heed +o yourselves
that ye go not up into the mount, or
touch the border of it : whosoever touch-
eth the mount shall be surely put to
death : there shall not an hand touch it,
but he shall surely be stoned, or shot
through ; whether it be beast or man,
it shall not live." The order here pre-
scribed was wholly of a representative
character, as there is no reason to sup-
pose that the interior states of mind of

pitch round about the taberna-
cle of testimony, that there be
no wrath ' upon the congrega-
tion of the children of Israel :

X c. 8. 19. 16. 46. 18. 5. 1 Sam. 6. 19.

the tribe of Levi were distinguished by
any higher degree of spirituality or
sanctity than those of the rest of the
nation. But a ritual or official sanctity
pertained to them, which was a suffi-
cient ground for the command here
given, and the truth or mystery shad-
owed forth is to be sought in the true
spiritual priesthood of the Christian
church, which consists of all those who
by the graces of their renewed spirits
are brought especially near to the Lord,
whether belonging to the ranks of the
clergy or the laity. The import of the
name Levi is adhesion, and wherever
there is such a cleaving to the Lord
from the force of an internal attraction,
there are spiritual Levites, and in re-
gard to them the above interdict, we
learn, is removed under the New Tes-
tament dispensation. Is. 56 : 3, 6, 7,
" Neither let the son of the stranger,
that hath joined himself (mrrn hannil-
vdh, conjoined himself, as it were, Levi-
tically) to the Lord, speak, saying, The
Lord hath utterly separated me from
his people : neither let the eunuch say,
Behold, I am a dry tree. Also the sons
of the stranger, that join themselves to
the Lord, to serve him, and to love the
name of the Lord, to be his servants,
every one that keepeth the sabbath
from polluting it, and taketh hold of my
covenant ; even them will I bring to
my holy mountain, and make them joy-
ful in my house of prayer : their burnt
offerings and their sacrifices shall be
accepted upon mine altar ; for mine
house shall be called an house of prayer
for all people." Adhesion, in this rela-
tion, is but another term for spiritual .

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

and the Levites" shall keep the
charge of the tabernacle of tes-
timony.

54 And the children of Israel
did according to all that the
Lord commanded Moses, so did
they.

y c. 3. 7, 8. 31. 30, 47. 1 Chr. 23. 32. 2 Chr. 13. 10.

conjunction, which is the effect of love,
and all the subjects of genuine love to
the Lord and charity to the neighbor
are spiritual priests.

V, 54. And the children of Israel did
according to all that the Lord command-
ed Moses. His being able thus to refer
everj thing to a divine command would
effectually preclude the charge that
Moses designed to elevate and aggran-
dize his own tribe. The opponents of
revelation have always been disposed
to accuse Moses of being actuated by
mercenary motives, whereas the whole
drift of the narrative shows that he was
merely an obedient instrument in the
Lord's hands for accomplishing his
purposes in respect to the chosen peo-
ple. Heb. 3:5, " Moses verily was
faithful in all his house as a servant."

CHAPTER IL

Tite Ordering of the Encampment.

V. 1. And the Lord spaTce unto Moses
and unto Aaron. The former order re-
specting the mustering was given to
Mo.ses alone; the present respecting
the arrangement of the camp is given
to both Moses and Aaron. The typical
bearings ofthis arrangement had a more
important reference to the spiritual or-
der of the church, and therefore Aaron,
the high priest, has a prominent part
assign('d him in the transaction. Mo-
ses represents that part of the economy
wbicli WHS more distinctively secular.

CHAPTER II.

ND the Lord spake
Moses and unto Aaron,

unto
say-

ing,

2 Every" man of the children
of Israel shall pitch by his own
standard,' with the ensign of

V. 2. Every mun of the children of
Israel shall pitch hy his own standard.
Heb. al diglo, hy his banner. The origin
of the Heb. term is not very obvious,
though the Arab, has dagal, to Deil, to
cover. The Gr. renders it by tagma,
an orderly hand, a cohort. Vulg. tur-
mas, troops. Chald. tiksa, supposed to
be derived from the Gr. taxis, order. The
idea of a hanner, standard, flag, is gen-
erally by commentators attached to the
word, and this is confirmed by the par-
allel usage in the following instances :
Ps. 20 : 5, " We will rejoice in thy sal-
vation, and in the name of our God will
set up our hanners (nid-gol)." Cant. 2 :
4, " He brought me to the banqueting
house, and 7iis banner (diglo) over me
was love." Cant, 5 : 10, " My beloved
is white and ruddy, the chief est {dagul,
a bannered one) among ten thousands."
The twelve tribes were arranged into
four divisions, three in each, and each
of the four was distinguished by a ban-
ner. Comp. vs. 3, 18, 25. If With

the ensign of their fathers^ house. Heb.
he-othoth, in or with the signs. This is
usually understood to intimate that not
only the several tribes, but also the
several families and kindreds had their
distinct ensigns or banners. This, how-
ever, is doubtful, as the original othoth
may refer to the signs or devices figured
on each of the above mentioned stand-
ards. What these were it is now im-
possible to determine. Ainsworth sup-
poses that they were particular colors
corresponding with those of the pre-

B. 0. 149G.]

CHAPTER II.

their father's house : far * off

6 Josh. 3. 4.

cious stones in Aaron's breastplate, on
which Tvere engraved the names of the
different tribes. This he derives from
the Targum of Jonathan, who expati-
ates thus : — " The standard of the camp
of Judah was of linen of three colors,
according to the three precious stones
in the breastplate (Chalcedony, Sap-
phire, and Sardonyx), and in it were
engraved and expressed the names of
the three tribes, Judah, Issachar, and
Zebulun ; and in the midst thereof was
written, ' Rise up. Lord, and let thine
enemies be scattered ; ' in it also was
portrayed the figure of a Lion. The
standard of the camp of Reuben was of
linen of three colors, answerable to the
three precious stones in the breastplate
(Sardine, Topaz, and Amethyst), and
therein were engraved and expressed
the names of the three tribes, Reuben,
Simeon, and Gad ; and in the midst
thereof was written, * Hear, 0 Israel, the
Lord our God is one Lord ;' therein also
was portrayed the figure of an Hart."
And so he proceeds with the rest. Anoth-
er of the Rabbinical writers, Aben Ezra,
says, "there were signs in every stand-
ard, and our ancestors have said that in
Reuben's standard there was the figure
of a Man, etc. ; in Judah's standard the
figure of a Lion, etc, ; in Ephraim's, the
figure of a Bullock, etc. ; and in the
standard of Dan the figure of an Eagle ;
so they were like the Cherubim which
the prophet Ezekiel saw (Ezek. 1 : 10)."
"We may perhaps find in this circum-
stance a clew to the symbolic scenery,
Rev. 4 : 6, 7, where mention is made of
four living creatures precisely corre-
sponding with these devices upon the
standards of the four tribes here men-
tioned. Their place in the encampments
was between the Tabernacle and the
outmost circuit of the tribes. So on the

about the tabernacle of the con-
gregation shall they pitch.

Apocalyptic platform the four beasts
are said to have occupied the space in
the midst between the throne and the
circle or semicircle encompassing it at
considerable distance. These " living
creatures" were symbols of a vast
multitude. As we can only give on the
subject of the standards the conjectures
of Jewish writers, it is needless to dwell
upon it. It is suflScient to know that
the several divisions of the host had
each of them a banner to serve as a
rallying point to their respective tribes,
and to remind them of the necessity of
an orderly adherence to whatever posi-
tion the Lord had assigned them. " As
a bird wandering from her nest is a man
wandering from his place." The fol-
lowing is the rendering of the Gr. of
the first two verses of this chapter : — ■
"And the Lord spoke to Moses and to
Aaron saying, Let the children of Israel
encamp fronting (each other), every
man keeping his own rank, according
to (their) standards, according to the
houses of their families ; the children
of Israel shall encamp round about the

tabernacle of witness." T[ Far off

about the tabernacle, etc. Heb. rainne-
ged,frorii he/ore, i. e. aloof, at a distance
from. " Over against round about." —
Ains. " Away from the presence of." —
Mat. " On the other side and round
about." — Cran. " At a distance round
about." — Purv. The original imports
that the tents should be stationed at
some distance from the tabernacle, and
yet that the doors of the tents should be
inwards towards the tabernacle. The
following passages show the usage of
the word, Ps. 38 : 11, "My lovers and
my friends stand aloof {minneged,frorn,
before) from my sore, and my kinsmen
stand afar off;" i. e. they stand at a
distance, yet so that their faces look to-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

3 And on the east side to-
ward the rising of the sun shall

wards the smitten one. 2 Kings 2 : 7,
"And fifty men of the sons of the pro-
phets went and stood to view afar off
{minneyed meharoq, in sight, or over
against)" Deut. 32 : 52, " Yet thou
shalt see the land before {thee) {minne-
ged), but thou shalt not go thither," etc.
By the distant position a due reverence
for the sacred structure was inculcated,
and it aflforded space also for the inter-
vening camp of the Levites who made a
nearer interior enclosure within the
general host, and of the same form with
the camp itself, which was quadrangu-
lar. From the distance which was re-
quired to intervene between the body
of the Israelites and the Ark of the
Covenant in crossing the Jordan (Josh.
3 : 4), it has been reasonably conjectured
that the distance of the camp of Israel
from the Tabernacle was two thousand
cubits, or an English mile. Rabbi Solo-
mon writes thus on this passage : " Over
against ; that is, afar oflf, a mile, as it is
said in Joshua, 'yet there shall be a
space between you and it, about two
thousand cubits by measure.' " The
arrangement was such that the Lord
dwelt in the midst of his people, who
were round about the sanctuary to guard
it. Allusion is probably had to this ar-
rangement in Rev. 4 : 2-4, where the
prophet beholds in heaven a central
Throne answering to the Tabernacle
and Temple, which in Ezek. 43 : 7 are
called God's Throne, and " round about
the throne were four and twenty seats
(Gr. thrones)," which, as double the
number of the twelve tribes, points per-
haps to the increase and enlargement
of the church under the Gospel, Is.
54:2. Between the Throne and the
circuit round about, which Vitringa
supposes to have been a semicircular
area, were *' four living creatures full

they of the standard of the
camp of Judah pitch throughout

of eyes," respecting which see a previ-
ous note. This feature of the symboli-
cal scenery is evidently most appropri-
ate to the Levites, or the spii'itual priest-
hood represented by them ; for as eyes
denote inspection and watching, they
shadow forth the function of the sacred
ministry, which pertained to the tribe
of Levi, and not to those of Judah,
Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan. But the
scenery of the Israelitish camp under-
goes various modifications when trans-
ferred to the stage of the Apocalyptic
visions, and as the whole of the tribes
are represented to John by the twenty-
four elders, and these elders adumbrate
the church as a Kingship, their heads
being adorned with " crowns," so the
four living creatures may represent the
same church viewed more especially as
a priesthood, seeing they evidently lead
in worship. Yet the two great classes,
the Elders and the Living Creatures,
are so intimately associated and con-
joined in their acts, that we cannot
easily regard them as two entirely dis-
tinct and separate orders or castes. —
Moses and Aaron were on the east, the
Gershonites on the west, the Kohathites
on the south, and the Morarites on the
north side of the Tabernacle.

V. 3. And on the east side toward the
rising of the sun shall they of the stand-
ard of the camp of Judah pitch. Lit.
"And they that encamp eastward (or
foremost) toward the rising of the sun,"
etc. Gr. " They that encamp first to-
ward the east shall be the order of the
camp of Judah." The original Heb.
hadmah, denotes either the east, or he-
f ore, foremost, in front, i. e. relative to
the Tabernacle, which is at the same
time equivalent to east, as in relation to
the west the east is said to be before
and the west behind. The south is

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER II.

their armies : and Nahshon' the
son of Amminadab shall he cap-
tain of the children of Judah.

1. 7, etc. 10. 14. 1 Chr. 2. 10.
. 32, 33.

Mat. 1.4. Luke

called the rigM side of the -world, Ps.
89 : 13, and the north the left. Comp.
Job 23 : 8, 9. The general camp was
appointed to be in the form of a square,
the four sides of which corresponded
with the four cardinal points of the
compass. Each side was to consist of
the united bodies of three tribes, near-
est related by blood to each other. The
eastern side, as being the most honora-
ble from its relation to the sun, the
grand symbol of the Deity, and from
looking toward the Most Holy Place of
the Tabernacle, was assigned to the
standard of Judah, to which, as to their
chief head, were annexed those of Issa-
char and Zebulun, to pitch on each side
of him, the whole amounting to 186,400

men. T[ Shall they of the standard

of the camp of Judah pitch. Prece-
dence and pre-eminence are here as-
signed to Judah as frequently else-
where in the sacred history. In this
we recognize an incipient fulfilment of
Jacob's prophecy respecting the rank
which he should hold among his breth-
ren, Gen. 49 : 8, 9. This prophecy was
slow in its accomplishment, though
abundantly verified in the end. It is
true that in point of numbers this tribe
exceeded the rest on their coming out
of Egypt, and on the present occasion
was appointed to take the lead under
the standard of Xahshon. But this was
but a dim foreshadowing of the future
distinction of Judah, for he was still
without kingdom or principality. To
the eye of sense, moreover, it would
seem as if every thing was so ordered,
and that too for a long lapse of time, as
to fi-ustrate the accomplishment of the
prediction. Moses, of the tribe of Levi,

4 And his host, and those
that were numbered of them,
were threescore and fourteen
thousand and six hundred.

was clothed with the supreme command
of the host, and after his death Joshua,
of the tribe of Ephraim, was chosen
leader, and he was succeeded by a se-
ries of Judges who were raised up now
from one tribe, and now from another,
till we come to Saul, the first king, who
was ofthe tribe of Benjamin. Meantime,
the pre-eminence of Judah was kept
in abeyance, nor was it till the time
of David that the tree of his predict-
ed renown began to bud and blossom.
David was of the stock of Judah, and
from him descended, according to the
flesh. He who was to be the " lion of the
tribe of Judah," and in whose spiritual
supremacy all these prophecies culmi-
nated to a bead. In the character of
standard-bearer of the armies of Israel
Judah also prophetically represents
Michael, who leads the heavenly armies
in their contests with the Dragon and
his army. Rev. 5:5. 12:7. 19 : 11. So
in regard to all the divine promises,
though the performance may be long
deferred, )' et it is certain to be realized
at last. " Though it tarry, wait for it."

T[ Throughout their armies. Heb.

letzibothdm. That is, in the order and
disposition of their several bodies or
corps, answering to our brigades, bat-
talions, regiments, etc. ^ And JVah-

shon, etc. shall be captain. By compar-
ing this with the preceding chapter, it
will be observed that the commanders-
in-chief of the several tribes were the
very persons who were selected to pre-
side over the numbering there related ;
which shows that they were men of dis-
tinction among their brethren.

Y. 4. And his host, and those that were
numbered, etc. Rather, ** And his host,

NUMBERS.

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5 And those that do pitch
next unto him shall he the tribe
of Issachar : and Nethaneel the
son of Zuar shall he captain of
the children of Issachar.

6 And his host, and those that
were numbered thereof, luere fif-
ty and four thousand and four
hundred.

7 Then the tribe of Zebulun :
and Eliab the son of Helon shall

even they that were mustered." Oth-
erwise, if we suppose the women and
children and servants, together with the
aged and infirm to be included, it would
have made the number much greater.
The transition from the words of the
Lord himself commanding the order of
the encampment, to those of Moses de-
claring the respective numbers of each
division, is not to be overlooked. This
remark is to be applied to the whole of
the present chapter.

Vs. 5-7. Children of IssacJiar — tribe
of Zebulun. Judah, Issachar and Zebu-
lun were all three born of Leah, which
rendered it natural that they should be
associated under one banner.

V. 9. An liundred thousand, etc. This
was by far the most numerous of the
four grand divisions, as will be evident
from a tabular view.

The Camp of Judah,.. ..186,400 East.
" Eeuben,.. 151,450 South.
" Ephraim,. 108,100 West
" Dan, 157,600 North.

The excess on the part of Judah is not
far from 30,000. This tribe, which led
the van, and that of Dan, which brought
up the rear, were the most numerous.
This would contribute to the safety of
the sanctuary, and its attendants march-
ing in the middle between them, ac-
cording to the well-known rule of mili-
tary tactics, that the advanced and rear

he captain of the children of Zeb-
ulun.

8 And his host, and those that
were numbered thereof, were fif-
ty and seven thousand and four
hundred.

9 All that were numbered
in the camp of Judah were an
hundred thousand and fourscore
thousand and six thousand and
four hundred, throughout their

guards should be stronger than the

centre. 1[ Tliese shall first set forth.

Heb. lycii naiCiX"! rishonah yissd-u,
shall foremost breah up ; in reference to
striking their tents and thus breaking
up the encampment. The original is a
term properly used to signify ih^ pluck-
ing lip of the stakes, pins, or fixtures to
which the cords of the tents were at-
tached, and by which they were held
secure. The corresponding word in
Arabic is applied to plucking teeth out
of their sockets. See Note on Gen. 11 : 2.
See also Barnes on Is. 33 : 20. As their
journeying was mainly towards the
East, so the eastern division would
naturally be the first to move. As the
words stand, they would appear to be
uttered by Moses, as the previous part
of the verse contains his language in
contradistinction from that of the Lord ;
yet understood as a command they
would seem to be more appropriate to
Jehovah himself. RosenmuUer, how-
ever, takes the clause as spoken by Mo-
ses in his own person, and translates it
in the past instead of the future, in
which latter form it is found in the ori-
ginal. "We incline to favor this con-
struction. Considering the words as
those of Moses, we would take them in
the narrative sense as equivalent to —
"those uniformly set forth first;" i. e.
it was appointed to them, it was made
their duty, and it was their uniform

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER II.

armies. These shall first** set
forth.

10 On the south side shall he
the standard of the camp of Reu-
ben according to their armies :
and the captain of the children
of Reuben shall he Elizur the
son of Shedeur.

11 And his host, and those
that were numbered thereof,
tvere forty and six thousand and
five hundred.

12 And those which pitch by
him shall he the tribe of Sime-
on : and the captain of the chil-
dren of Simeon shall he Shelu-
miel the son of Zurishaddai.

13 And his host, and those
that were numbered of them,

practice. See ch. 10 : 14. This is the
frequent usage of the Heb. future when
employed to denote an action that is of
repeated or customary occurrence. See
Nordheimer's Heb. Grammar, Yol. II.
p. 167.

Ys. 10-16. On the south side shall ie
the standard of the host of Eeuhen, etc.
The south side of the camp was to con-
sist of the companies of Reuben, with
those of Simeon and Gad on either side
of him, pitching under his banner,
though under their own commanders.
These formed the second great camp,
called the camp of Reuben, consisting
of 151,450 men, who were in all their
marches to occupy the second rank. To
the tribe of Reuben is assigned the pre-
cedency in this division, while those of
Simeon and Gad are adjoined to it. Reu-
ben was the firstborn, and by birth was
entitled to take the lead of all the tribes,
but having lost his birthright by trans-
gression, the first place fell to Judah,
and the second rank became his. Sim-

were fifty and nine thousand
and three hundred.

14 Then the tribe of Gad:
and the captain of the sons of
Gad shall he Eliasaph the son
of Reuel.

15 And his host, and those
that were numbered of them,
ivere forty and five thousand and
six hundred and fifty.

16 All that were numbered
in the camp of Reuben were an
hundred thousand and fifty and
one thousand and four hundred
and fifty, throughout their ar-
mies. And they shall set forth
in the second* rank.

17 Then-^ the tabernacle of
the congregation shall set for-

e c. 10. 18. / c. 10. 17, 21.

eon was the next brother to him, of the
same mother, and Gad was the first-
born of Zilpah, maid to that mother
(Leah.) This relationship probably
governed the arrangement. — It will be
observed that the order of falling in,
when the tribes took up their march,
was from the East to the South, thence
to the West, and so on to the North,
"according," says Ainsworth, "to the
course of the sun', and the climates of
the world."

Y. 14. Eliasaph, the son of Reuel.
See ch. 1 : 14, where he is called Deuel,
the similarity of the Heb. d ( "7 ) and
R ( n ) doubtless having caused the in-
terchange of the one for the other.

Y. 16. They shall set forth in the sec-
ond rank. Heb. sheniyim yissd-u, they
shall hreah ttp second. See Kote on v.
9. This closes the account of the sec-
ond division.

Y. 17. Tlieji the tabernacle of the con-
gregation shall set forward. Heb. nasa.
shall break up ; i. e. by plucking up the

NUMBEES.

[B. 0. 1490.

ward with the camp of the Le-
vites in the midst of the camp ;
as they encamp, so shall they
set forward, every man in his
place by their standards.

pins as in the case of the other tents, for
the Tabernacle was a tent, though of a
ditierent construction from all others.
The Tabernacle was to follow the two
divisions above mentioned, and to be
followed by those of Ephraim and Dan ;
but the particular mode of transporting
the Tabernacle and its appendages will
be more fully considered in the Notes
on ch. 10 : 14^21. It appears that in
one respect they did not march as they
pitched ; for then there was a camp on
each side of the Tabernacle, but when
they marched there was none on the
sides, but two divisions went before it,
and two behind. This, however, does
not describe the exact order, as we shall
see on ch. 10. When the host was en-
camped a central position was assigned
to the Sanctuary, in reference to which
it is said of the Church, Ps. 46 : 5, " God
is in. the midst of her, she shall not be
moved." The original word here em-
ployed (belciridh) is used to denote the
interior parts of the body, the seat of
the various viscera, as the heart, the
stomach, the womb, etc., implying that
the divine presence is central to his
church, constituting its inmost heart
and life. The place, then, of the Tab-
ernacle, the grand symbol of the Lord's
habitation among his people, was not
in a corner of the host, nor upon one
side, nor outside, but in their very
midst. So it is said. Lev. 26 : 11, 12,
*' And I will set my tabernacle among
you : and my soul shall not abhor you.
And I will walk among you, and I will
be your God, and ye shall be my peo-
ple." Thus placed, with the Shckinah
enshrouded in it, it served as a more

18 On the west side shall
be the standard of the camp
of Ephraim according to
their armies : and the captain
of the sons of Ephraim shall

striking pre-intimation of Him who was
to be called " Emmanuel, God with us."
T[ In the midst of the camp. It ap-
pears from ch. 10, that this is to be un-
derstood with some qualification, as in
the march the Tabernacle was in fact
carried in two separate portions, one
by the sons of Gershon and Merari, and
the other by the Kohathites. Still the
expression ":n the midst" is entirely

proper in reference to the fact. If As

they encam/p, so shall they set forward.
This doubtless is to be understood of
the Levites instead of the tribes at

large. 1[ Every man in his place.

Heb. al yddo, upon his hand, i. e. to-
wards the side or quarter to which he
belongs.

Vs. 18-24. There is but little to be
noted in respect to this third division,
except that Ephraim has the prece-
dence assigned him instead of Manas-
seh, which, however, was according
to Jacob's blessing (Gen. 48 : 19, 20).
With him were associated Manasseh
and Benjamin, all three being descend-
ed from Rachel.

V. 18. Onthe west side. YlQb.ydmmdh,
seaward, i. e. towards the Mediterra-
nean, which lay to the west of Canaan.
See Note on Gen. 12 : 8. The west side
of the camp was to contain the tribes
of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin —
all three descended from Rachel — un-
der their several heads or captains,
now united, for the sake of order, un-
der the standard of Ephraim, and mak-
ing the third great division, consisting
of 108,100 men. This, therefore, was
the smallest body of all the four, being
about 80,000 less than that of Judah.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER II.

be Elishama the son of Ammi-
hud.

19 And his host, and those
that were numbered of them,
ivere forty thousand and five
hundred.

20 And by him shall he the
tribe of Manassch : and the cap-
tain of the children of Manas-
seh shall he Gamaliel the son
of Pedabzur. j

21 And his host, and those i
that were numbered of them, i
were thirty and two thousand
aud two hundred.

22 Then the tribe of Benja- :
min : and the captain of. the
sons of Benjamin shall be Abi-
dau the son of Gideoni.

23 And his host, and those
that were numbered of them,
were thirty and five thousand
and four hundred. I

2-4 All that were numbered j
of the camp of Ephraim were }
an hundred thousand, and
eight thousand and an hundred,
throughout their armies. And
they shall go forward in the
third ^ rank.

V. 24. And tliey shall go forward in
the third raiik. Heb. shelkhirn yissa-u^
shall hrealc up third. There is no ade-
quate reason for rendering the original
in this place bj " go forward " when
precisely the same word in vs. 9 and 1(?^
is rendered by " set forth." It is far
better, as a general rule, not to break
the uniformity of rendering where it
can well be avoided.

Ys. 25-31. The last of the four divi-
sions is made up of the tribes of Dan,
Asher, and Naphtali — three sons of Ja-
cob by the handmaids Bilhah and Zil-

25 The standard of the camp
of Dan shall be on the north
side by their armies : and the
captain of the children of Dan
shall he Ahiezer, the son of
Ammishaddai.

26 And his host, and those
that were numbered of them,
were threescore and two thou-
sand and seven hundred.

27 And those that encamp by
him shall he the tribe of Asher :
and the captain of the children
of Asher shall he Pagiel the son
of Ocran.

28 And his host, and those
that were numbered of them,
ivere forty and one thousand
and five hundred.

29 Then the tribe of Naph
tali : and the captain of the
children of Naphtali shall he
Ahirah, the son of Enan.

30 And his host, and those
that were numbered of them,
were fifty and three thousfmd
and four hundred.

31 All they that were num-
bered in the camp of Dan
were an hundred thousand and

pah — and furnishing the largest num-
ber of men except the division of Judah,
viz. 150,600 men. They were appoint-
ed, therefore, in all their marches, to
bring up the rear, as Judah led the van,
for the greater security of the Sanc-
tuary, which was to be guarded by
them.

" The collective encampment enclosed
a large open square, in the centre of
which stood the Tabernacle. The posi-
tion which the Tabernacle thus occu-
pied still remains the place of honor in
grand oriental camps, and is usually oc-

NUMBEES.

fifty and seven thousand and
six hundred. They shall go^

cupied by the king or general. The dis-
tance between it and the common camp
was indicative of respect and reverence.
The interior was not, however, wholly
vacant, being occupied by the small
camps of the Levites, who had the
charge and custody of the Tabernacle,
and pitched their tents around it ; the
tents of Moses, Aaron, and the priests
occupying the most honorable place,
fronting the entrance to the Taberna-
cle, or rather to the court which con-
tained it. The Jewish writers say that

hindmost
ards.

with

[B. C. 1490.
their stand-

the circumference of the entire encamp-
ment was about twelve miles ; a state-
ment which seems sufficiently moder-
ate, when we recollect the hollow square
in the centre, and consider the vast ex-
tent of ground required for the tents of
two millions of people." — Pict. Bible.
The accompanying sketch will af-
ford the reader an idea approximating
the truth of the plan and order of the
encampment, whenever they pitched
during their march through the des-
ert.

EAST.

186,400 Men.
FIEST GEAND DIVISION.

NOKTII.

15T,600"Men.
FOUETH GEAND DIVISION.

JUDAH.

74,601).

I8SACHAE, and zebxtlon.

54,400. 57,400.

SOUTH.

151,450 Men.
SECOND GEAND DIVISION.

Eh-*

MOSES, AAEON,

AND

THE PEIE8T8.

REUBEN.

46,500.
SIMEON, and GAB.

69,300. 45,650

LEVITES

MEEAEI,

8-200.

SHEKINAH.
TABERNACLE.

LEVITB9

KOHATH,

2750.

•0S95

'NOHsaao

«0

saiiAai

•ont'ss -oos'?.?
•niKvrKaa pt* 'nassvuvw

•UOS'Ol'
•IVIVHHda

'NOisiAia ciNvao aaiHi,

•U3K OOl'SOl

V. 31. They shall go hindmost with
their standards. Heb. laaharondh yisu
hdiglehem, they shall break vp {march)

to the r^mr of their standards, i. e. of the
standards of the preceding tribes, call-
ed "theirs" from their all forming one

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER III.

32 These are those which
were numbered of the children
of Israel by the house of their
fathers ; all ' those that were
numbered of the camps, through-
out their hosts, ivere six hun-
dred thousand and three thou-
sand and five hundred and fifty.

33 But the Levites were not
numbered among the children
of Israel ; as the Lord com-
manded Moses.

34 And the children of Israel

Ex. 38. 26. c. 1.46, 47.

united body. On any other construc-
tion it is not easy to see how '* stand-
ards " in the plural should be ascribed
to one division, when it is clear that
each had but a single standard.

V. 32. These are tJiose that were num-
hered, etc. Heb. " These are the mus-
tered ones." Gr. avrr) rj eiriaKeipis,
this is the survey or visitation. See

Note on ch. 1 : 2. T[ £i/ the house of

their fathers. Collective singular for
the plural. Gr. kot oikovs, according
to the houses.

y. 38. Butthe Levites were not num-
hered among the cMldren of Israel. Heb.
lethoh hene Tisrael, in the midst of the
sons of Israel, implying that the Leviti-
cal tribe was centrally interfused in the
midst of the general mass of the tribes.
Typically understood it denotes that the
true priesthood of the church exists in
the midst of the body, instead of consti-
tuting a class distinct from the body.
The priesthood consists in the priestly
function which is to be exercised by
those who are possessed of certain gifts
and endowments that enable them to
edify their brethren.

Y. 34. And the children of Israel did
according to all that the Lord commxind-
ed Moses. As the obedience of Israel in
making and setting up the Tabernacle

did according to all* that the
Lord commanded Moses: so'
they pitched by their standards,
and so they set forward, every
one after their families, ac-
cording to the house of theii
fathers.

CHAPTER IIL

THESE also are the genera-
tions of Aaron and Moses
in the day ihat the Lord spake
with Moses in Mount Sinai.

is borne witness to on a former occasion
(Ex. 39 : 42, 43), so here also their exact
compliance with the divine directions
as to an orderly encamping round about
it, and marching before and after it.
The practical lesson inculcated through-
out is the beauty and the benefit of or-
der in all things pertaining to the
Church. The camp of Israel, viewed in
its external aspect, was arranged with
so much regularity and beauty, that
Balaam upon beholding it was led to
exclaim, Num 24 : 5, " How goodly are
thy tents, 0 Jacob, and thy tabernacles,
0 Israel !" A similar exclamation would
be drawn from us if we could see, in
clear vision, the exquisite and heavenly
disposition of the true church in its in-
ternal economy.

CHAPTER III.

The family Stoch of Aaron.
V. 1. These also are the generations
of Moses and Aaron. That is, these
are the offspring of Aaron, and the ge-
nealogy of the Levites, as also the nar-
rative, the rehearsal, of the events, acts,
or transactions, that occurred in re-
spect to them. In this sense we find
" generations " employed Gen. 5 : 1.

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

2 And these are the names
of the sons of Aaron ; Nadab "
the first-born, and Abihu, Elea-

zar, and Ithamar.

3 These are the names of the
sous of Aaron, the * priests which

b Ex. M. 41. Lev. 8. 2, etc.

6:9. 25 : 18, where see Notes.— The in-
spired historian being now about to
enter upon a recital of the appointed
order and functions of the tribe of Levi,
who were exempted from the former
numbering or muster, first pauses to
advert to the family of Aaron as the
head of the priestly caste. He then
goes on to relate their numbering and
the order of their ministration in the
department to which they were devo-
ted. T[ In the day that the Loi'dspahe

with Moses in Mount Sinai. That is,
when he spake on a former occasion ;
a clause introduced probably with a
view to intimate that Nadab and Abihu,
mentioned in the next verse, were then
living, whereas they were now dead.
It is as if he had said, " These are the
generations of Aaron and Moses that
were then alive in the day that the Lord
spake with Moses in Mount Sinai." It
is evident that at the time when this
part of the history commences Moses
was not in the mount, but in the midst
of the camp.

V. 2. And these are the names of the
sons of Aaron. As the first verse nat-
urally leads us to expect an account of
Moses' posterity as well as Aaron's, it
becomes a question why that of Aaron
only is given. To which it is answered,
that Moses' lineage is probably included
under the general name of the Amram-
ite, V. 27, embracing all the children
and grandchildren of Amram, with the
exceptions only of Moses and Aaron.
The "generations" or descendants of
Moses are perhaps thus obscurely men-

were anointed, whom he conse-
crated to minister in the priest's
ofiice.

4 And Nadab and Abihu
died' before the Lord, when
they offered strange fire before

c Lev. 10. 1, 2. c. 26. 61. 1 Chr. 24. 2.

tioned from the fact of their being but
common Levites, the priesthood being
given exclusively to Aaron's posterity,
for which reason we may suppose that
he is here named before Moses, though
generally mentioned after him.

V. 3. Whom he consecrated. Heb.
"Whose hand he filled." Upon this
phraseology, see the Note on Ex.
29 : 9. Gr. " Whom they perfected, or

accomplished, as to their hands."

T[ To minister in the priest's office. This
is expressed in the Heb. by a single
word, lehahen, the root from whence
comes hohen, a priest. It is a term of
peculiar significancy, and sometimes
implies j9nViC6 as well as priest.

V. 4. Aiid Nadab and AVihu died he-
fore the Lord, etc. Of which, see Lev. 10 :
1,2. Numb. 26:61. 1 Chron. 24:1,2.
As they offered strange fire, they per-
ished by strange fire, showing that
men's punishments often bear a strik-
ing analogy to their sins. T[ And

they had no children. This is mention-
ed that it might be known in all subse-
quent time, that none were to be ad-
mitted to the office of the priesthood,
but such as could trace their genealogy
to Eleazar or Ithamar. Had Nadab ■
and Abihu left any sons, they would
have inherited their fathers' office be-
fore Eleazar. The Rabbins say, " Who-
ever is foremost in inheritance, is fore-
most for honor or dignity." T[ In

the sight of Aaron their father. Heb.
" Before the face of." That is, while
Aaron lived. So it is said of Haran
(Gen. 11 : 28) that he died " before the

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER m.

the Lord in the wilderness of
Sinai, and they had no chil-
dren : and Eleazar and Itha-
mar ministered in the priest's
office in the sight of Aaron their
father.

face of Terah," i. e. while Terah was
alive. So "before the moon and the
sun " (Ps. 72 : 5, 17,) i. e. while those
bodies continue to give their light. Gr.
"With Aaron." In 1 Chron. 24:39,
they are said to have ministered " un-
der Aaron." Heb. " By the hand of
Aaron." From these two descended so
large a company of priests, that in the
days of David they were distributed
into twenty-four courses, sixteen of
Eleazar and eight of Ithamar. The He-
brew Doctors say, " Over every course
there was one President. And they
went up to Jerusalem to serve by course
every week. And every sabbath day
they changed ; one course went out, and
the next after them came in." Comp
1 Chron. 9 : 22, 25. 2 Kings 11 : 5, 7.
The words carry with them the impli-
cation, that they exercised their minis-
try so entirely in conjunction with their
father, that they were little liable to
such dangerous lapses as had been fatal
to Nadab and Abihu. They kept under
their father's eye, and took instructions
from him in all they did. Their breth-
ren, perhaps, were out of their father's
sight when they offered strange fire.

Tlie Gift of the Levites to Aaron for
the Service of the Tabernacle.

Ys. 5, 6. Bring the trihe of Levi near,
etc. Heb. hakr'eh, cause to approach.
The word has the double import of lo-
cal approximation and of setting apart
and offering to the Lord in a special
dedication to his service. See Note on

5 And the Lord spake unto

Moses, saying,

6 Bring'' the tribe
near.

of Levi
and present them before
Aaron the priest, that they may
minister unto him.

d c. 8. 6. 18. 2, etc. Dent. 33. 10. Mai. 2. 4.

Ex. 29 : 8. Indeed, so emphatically is the
tribe of Levi spoken of in this charac-
ter, as solemnly dedicated to the service
of the Sanctuary, that the very terms
are applied to them which are elsewhere
employed to denote the sacrificial offer-
ings. Thus ch. 8 : 11, " And Aaron
shall offer (Heb. wave) the Levites be-
fore the Lord for an offering (Heb.
wave-ofering) of the children of Israel,
that they may execute the service of the
Lord." Having spoken of Aaron and
his immediate descendants, he now
comes to give order respecting the rest
of the tribe of Levi, who had been omit-
ted in the late muster. — — T[ Present
them. Heb. haamadtd otho, cause him
(or it) to stand before Aaron, etc. The
whole tribe is spoken of in the singular.
Gr. steseis antous, thoti shalt place, set,
or station them. The original, in the
Hiphil or causative conjugation, is fre-
quently rendered to presad, as also to
set, to establish, to appoiiit. This tribe
had on a former occasion (Ex. 32 : 29)
"consecrated" themselves to God by a
signal act of obedience, in consequence
of which they had now secured to them-
selves the " blessing" which they were

then promised. T[ That they may

minister unto him. Heb. ve-sherethu
otho, and they shall minister (to or wait
upon) him. There is nothing of special
importance in the meaning of this term,
except that it is a different term in the
original from "minister," "minister-
ed" in vs. 3, 4, which implies the min-
istry or service of the priests instead of
that of the Levites, which was of a low-

NIMBEKS.

[B. C. 1490.

7 And they* shall keep his
charge, and the charge of the
whole congregation before the
tabernacle of the congregation,
to do ^ the service of the taber-
nacle.

t 1 Chr. 26. 20, 22. / c, 1. 50.

er order. It were desirable that words
differing in the original, even though
by a slight shade, should be represented
by different words in a version. In this
case it is to be observed, however, that
the Heb. T^Xi shdrath, is frequently ap-
plied to the ministry of the priests,
though the other word l^l-Q Mhan, is
never applied to that of the Levites.
V. 7. And they shall Tceep his charge.
Heb. shdmeru eth mishmarto, they shall
keep his keeping. In Lev. 18 : 30 it is
rendered, "Ye shall keep my ordi-
nance." Elsewhere the original is ren-
dered ward, watch, safeguard, office.
The leading idea is that of something
imposed as a matter of strict observ-
ance, custody, and care. A part of this
charge was evidently keeping watch
day and night at the door of the taber-
nacle. Lev. 8 : 35. By keeping the
charge of Aaron and of the whole con-
gregation is meant the performance of
those duties and services about the
sanctuary which would otherwise have
devolved upon the principals in whose
behalf they acted. This clause, there-
fore, would more properly be rendered,
" even the charge of the whole congre-
gation," as it is in one of the old Eng-
lish versions. As it now reads, the
"charge of the whole congregation"
seems to imply the charge which would
have devolved upon the whole congre-
gation, provided the Levitical tribe had
not been substituted for this purpose in
their stead. This, however, does not
exclude the additional idea in regard
to Aaron, that he may have delivered

8 And they shall keep all the
instruments of the tabernacle of
the congregation, and the charge
of the children of Israel, to do
the service of the tabernacle.

9 And thou shalt give ^ the

g c. 8. 19. 18. 6, 7.

to them a solemn charge or command-
ment respecting their services which

they are here required to obey.

If Before the tdhemacle of the congre-
gation. This expresses very precisely
the nature of their office, which was to
minister lefore the sanctuary and not

in it, like the priests. 1 To do the

service. Heb,. laahod eth abodath, to serve
the service. We give the literal render-
ing simply to let the English reader
know what it is ; and so in multitudes
of other cases.

Y. 8. All the instruments of the tab-
ernacle. That is to say, the tabernacle
itself and all its contents, which are
particularly described vs. 25, 26, 31, 36,
37. The Levites, as the servants of the
priests, were to perform the most com-
mon and laborious offices. It was a
special part of their charge to take
down, put up, and carry the tabernacle

with its various utensils. T[ And the

charge of the children of Israel. That
is, the general charge of the children of
Israel, the charge which would other-
wise have been theirs, but which was
transferred to the Levites.

Y. 9. And thou shalt give the Levites
unto: Aaron, and to his sons. Being
first virtually presented to the Lord as
his peculium, they are now, by his com-
mand, bestowed as a gift upon the
priests, ch. 8:19. So ministers under
the N. T. are called " gifts," Eph. 4 : 8,

11. T TAey are wholly given. Heb.

netJiunim, nethunim, given, given. A
Hebraism well represented in our ver-
sion by " wholly given," implying a

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER in.

Levites unto Aaron, and to his
sons : they are wholly given
unto him out of the children of
Israel.

10 And thou shalt appoint
Aaron and his sons, and they
shall wait on their priest's of-
fice ; and the stranger * that

h, ver. 38. Eph. 2. 19. Heb. 10. 19-22.

complete dedication. In like manner
the Gibeonites devoted by Joshua to
menial services about the sanctuary

were also called Netliinim, given.

T[ To Mm. Heb. 1^ lo, for which the
Gr. evidently read "^ U, to me, as it has
fxoi, to me.

V. 10. And thou sJialt appoint Aaron
and his sons. Heb. tiphhod, shalt cause
to preside or superintend ; the term
which we have so fully explained in the
Note on ch. 1 : 3. Gr. katasteseis, thou
shalt constitute or set. It is to be re-
marked, however, that others render it
by thou shalt number, or muster, as the
term is precisely the same with that
which occurs ch. 1 : 49, " Only thou
shalt not number (Heb. tiphJcod) the
tribe of Levi." In that case the Levites
were not to be included in the general
census; in the present case they also
were to be numbered apart by them-
selves. But we doubt if the precise
idea of numbering is intended to be
conveyed by the term in this connec-
tion. The dominant import of the ori-
ginal, as we have seen, is to order, a?'-
range, adjust in a visitorial way, and
this we incline to adopt as the true
sense <n the present passage. Moses,
as clothed with a visitorial or superin-
tending power, was to order the priestly
functions of Aaron and his sons accord-
ing to the divine will. T[ And they

sh all wait upon tJteir priesf s office. Heb.
shameru eth Icehonnethdm, they shall
keep their priesthood, i. e. " for every

cometh nigh shall be put to
death.

11 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

12 And I, behold, I have
taken the Levites ' from among
the children of Israel instead of
all the first-born that openeth

ver. 41. c. 8. 16.

thing of the altar and within the veil,"

ch. 18 : 7. T[ The stranger that cometh

nigh. That is, to take upon him the
duties of the priests. Gr. " That touch-
eth." By the stranger is to be understood
any and every one who was not " of the
seed of Aaron," as explained ch. 16 : 40 ;
for "no man taketh this honor unto
himself, but he that is called of God, as
was Aaron." Even the common Levite
was excluded as well as the rest of Is-
rael from the sacred function of the
priests. Comp. ch. 18 : 3, "And they (the
Levites) shall keep thy charge, and the
charge of all the tabernacle : only they
shall not come nigh the vessels of the
sanctuary and the altar, that neither

they, nor ye also, die." If Shall be

put to death. That is, by the magis-
trate, or, by the immediate hand of God,
as in the case of Korah and his com-
pany.

The Substitution of the Levites for
the First-born.

y. 12. I have taken the Levites from
among the children of Israel. Heb. mit-
tok, from the midst ; a more emphatic
form of expression than " from among."
The Levites are frequently spoken of
subsequently as an element centrally in-
terfused throughout the whole mass of
the people. As to their substitution for
the tirst-born and the grounds of it, see
the note on Ex. 13 : 2. It is very gen-
erally conceded that prior to the estab-
lishment of the priesthood of Aaron and

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

the matrix among the children
of Israel : therefore the Levites
shall be miae ;

13 Because all the first-born^'
are mine : for on the day that
I smote all the first-born in the
land of Egypt I hallowed unto
me all the first-born in Israel,

k Ex. 13. 2, 12. Lev. 27. 26. Luke 2. 23.

his sons, the first-born in the patri-
archal famines officiated in that capa-
city. The Talmud says, "Before the
Tabernacle was erected, the use of pri-
vate Altars and High Places was per-
mitted, and the eldest of each family
performed the sacrifices." ( Tract. Mili-
kim in Mishna, 14.) See Note upon
JEx. 24 : 5, respecting the " young men "
sent by Moses to perform the office of
sacrificers. The conclusion seems fair
that priesthood was one of the privi-
leges of primogeniture. We are aware
that this opinion is questioned by Out-
ram, Patrick, and others, but their ob-
jections do not strike us as satisfac-
tory. Tf That openeth the matrix.

Heb. peter rehem, the opening, or open-
er, of the womb ; in apposition with
the first-born," by which is to be un-
derstood the first-born of the father,
and not merely the first-born of the
mother.

V. 13. On the day thdt I smote all the
first-born in the land of Egypt. This
clause assigns the reason why the first-
born were especially set apart and dedi-
cated to the Lord. As Moses says to
Pharaoh that the Most High had raised
him up (or, Heb. " caused him to stand,
to survive") when he was as good as
dead by reason of the destructive
plagues, so here the first-born of Israel,
that were graciously exempted when
the first-born of Egypt were destroyed,
in the midst of whom they were, are
claimed as the special property of Jeho-

both man and beast; mine shall
they be : I am the Lord.

14 And the Lord spake unto
Moses in the wilderness of Sinai,
saying,

15 Number the children of
Levi after the house of their
fathers, by their families : every

vah, inasmuch as they might be consid-
ered by their parents as having been
virtually taken from them by the aveng-
ing stroke. It was not because they
were intrinsically better than the first-
born of the Egyptians that they were
spared, but merely out of the sovereign
good pleasure of the Lord himself, who
" giveth not account of any of his mat-
ters." He therefore says of them,
"Mine they shall be." A separate and
independent reason is given for the sub-
stitution of the Levites in their stead, to
wit, the devoted zeal they had mani-
fested on the occasion of the iniquity
connected with the worship of the gold-
en calf, Ex. 32 : 26. Deut. 33 : 9, on

which see Notes. T[ / hallowed vnto

me all the first-born. That is, sanctified
and set apart from all profane and sec-
ular use, and appropriated as something
holy.

T%e Numbering or Muster of the
Levites.

V. 15. Number the children of Levi,
Heb. pehbd, visit, muster. The com-
mand is here directed solely to Moses,
but it is evident from v. 39 and ch. 4 :
34, that the duty was performed by
Moses and Aaron, and by the princes

of the congregation. 1[ After the

house of their fathers. Gr. leaf oiJcous,
according to the houses. They were
counted after the houses of their fathers
and not of their mothers, inasmuch as
if a woman of the tribe of Levi were

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER III.

male ^ from a month old and up-
ward shalt thou number them.

16 And Moses numbered
them, according to the word of
the Lord, as he was command-
ed.

17 And these "* were the sons
of Levi by their names ; G-er-
shon and Kohath and Merari.

18 And these are the names

I of the sons of Gershon, by their
families ; Libni ", and Shimei.
I 19 And the sons of Kohath
; by their families ; Amram, and
I Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
I 20 And the sons of Merari
by their families; Mahli, and
Mushi. These are the families
of the Levites according to the
house of their fathers.

TO Gen. 46. 11. Ex. 6.

married to a man of the tribe of Judah,
or any other tribe, her son was not
reckoned a Levite. Maimonides, the
great expounder of the Hebrew Canons,
says, " Priests and Levites and Israel-
ites may lawfully go in one to another
(i. e. to marry) and that which is born
goeth after the male, etc., as it is writ-
ten, According to the house of their
fathers ; the house of his father, that is,
his family, and not the house of his mo-
ther." T[ Every male from a month

old. Heb. mihhen 'Jiodes7i,from the son
of a month. Male children were not
reputed wholly purified from their un-
cleanness till they were a month old,
Lev. 12 : 4, when the first-born were
brought and presented before the Lord,
Luke 2 : 22, and when also they were
redeemed. The main reason, therefore,
of the Levites being numbered or
mustered from this age doubtless was,
that as they were substituted for the
first-born of the other tribes, and
their redemption was appointed from
a month old, the same period is fixed
upon in this case. To this we may
add, that as the males of all the other
tribes were numbered " from twenty
years and upward," had the Levites
been numbered in the same way, they
would have fallen far short of the
count of the first-born of the twelve
tribes.
V. 16. According to the word of the

n Ex. 6. 17-19.

Lord. Heb. al pi Yehovah, according
to the mouth of the Lord. Gr. " By the
voice of the Lord."

The Descendants of Levi.

V. 17. And these were the sons. Heb.
va-yihyu elleh, and these hecame or were
made to 'be. A nice shade of meaning
is conveyed by this phraseology. As a
general fact, in enumerations of this
kind, the substantive verb is omitted in
the original and " are " in the present
tense supplied, as in the next verse,
where it is said, "And these are the
names," etc. So if nothing more was
intended in the present passage than
the simple specification of the three
sons of Levi, it would doubtless have
read, ''And these were the sons," etc.
The true meaning, therefore, we think
•is given in the Vulg. version, which
renders it "inventi sunt," were found
to be, i. e. were made out to be, by con-
sulting the genealogical tables to ascer-
tain their names, for they themselves
were not now living. Allusion is prob-
ably had to Gen. 46 : 11. Ex. 6 : 16.

T[ Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari;
whose descendants are ordinarily term-
ed the Gershonites, the Kohathites, and
Merarites.

V. 20. According to the house of
their fathers. Gr. "According to the
houses of 'their fathers;" as above,
V.15.

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

21 Of Grerslion was the fam-
ily of the Libnites, and the
family of the Shimites : these
are the families of the Gershon-
ites.

22 Those that were numbered
of them, according to the num-
ber of all the males, from a
month old and upward, even
those that were numbered of
them, were seven thousand and
five hundred.

23 The families of the Ger-

The Families of the House of Gerslion,
their Number, Position, and Charge.

V. 22. Those that were numbered of
them according to the number, etc. Heb.
fekudehem bemispar, the mustered ones
of them in (i. e. according to) the num-
ber. This makes it still plainer that
there was a real distinction between the
acts denoted by these two words, and
which we have endeavored all along to
set forth by rendering the one by mus-
ter and the other by number. Of the
nature of this distinction, see Note on
ch. 1 : 3. Inspection, adjustment, ar-
rangement, are mainly implied by the
first, and enumeration by the second.
Granting, however, that the distinc-
tion is somewhat subtle and obscure,
still it is desirable that a translation
should in some way indicate the fact
that different words are employed in
the Hebrew.

V. 24. And the chief of the house, etc.
An officer in chief was to be set over
each of the families, and over all these
chiefs a supreme or presiding inspector,
V. 32. The exact order and regularity
established throughout the camp, in the
disposition of the tribes, the services
of the Levites, etc. is every where to
be observed. The phrase "house of

shonites * shall pitch behind the
tabernacle westward.

24 And the chief of the house
of the father of the Gershonites
shall he Eliasaph the son of LaeL

25 And the charge of the
sons of Gershon^ in the taber-
nacle of the congregation shall
he the tabernacle '', and the
tenf, the covering thereof, and
the hanging for the door of
the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion.

0 c. 1. 53. p c. 4. 24-26. q Ez. 25. 9. r Ex. 26. 1, etc.

the father" is probably equfvalent to
" father-house," and as to its import,
see Note on ch. 1 : 2.

V. 25. In the tabernacle of the congre-
gation, {shall be) the tabernacle, and the
tent, and the covering thereof. The
terms here employed may lead to some
confusion in the mind of the reader.
The original has three distinct words
applied to denote the different parts of
the tabernacle. — (1.) Ohel mo'ed, tent of
the congregation, here rendered "tab-
ernacle of the congregation." This
is applied to the edifice as a whole,
(2.) Mishhan, habitation, sometimes
also denoting the whole tabernacle, but
here the inner set of ten curtains made
of fine twined linen, and described Ex.
26:1, 7, 14. 36:8, 14, 19. (3.) Ohel,
tent, used to designate the next outer
set made of goat's hair. To these may
be added inihseh, covering, the term ap-
plied to the outer envelope of ram's
skins spread over the whole. See Note
on Ex. 26 : 1, where a fuller account is
given. The care of the curtains and
hangings in general fell to the lot of the

Gershonites. T[ The hanging for the

door. Of this see the Note on Ex. 26 :
36, and of the hangings of the court and
the curtain for the entrance, see Note
on Ex. 27 : 9.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER ni.

26 And the hangings * of the
court, and the curtain for the
door of the court, which is by
the tabernacle, and by the altar
round about, and the cords ' of
it, for all the service thereof

27 And of Kohath " was the
family of the Amramites, and
the family of the Izeharites, and
the family of the Hebronites,
and the family of the Uzzielites :
these are the families of the
Kohathites.

28 In the number of all the
males, from a month old and
upward, were eight thousand
and six hundred, keeping the
charge of the sanctuary.

s Ex. 27. 9, etc. t Ex. 35. 18. « 1 Chr, 26- 23.

Y. 26. And the cords of it. That is,
of the tabernacle, and not of the altar.
The affixed pronoun in Hebrew often
refers not to the nearest noun, but to
one more remote. See Glassius Phil.
Sac. p. 155. ed. Dath.

The Families of the House of Kohath,
their Number, Position, and Charge.

V. 27. And of Kohath was the fam-
ily of the Amramites. A precedency is
given to this family because Moses and
Aaron pertained to it, they being the
sons of Amram. The branch of the
family here alluded to must have been
the descendants of Moses, for they were
mere ordinary Levites, whereas those
descended from Aaron, and called his
" sons," were priests.

V. 28. Keeping the charge of the
sanctuary. Heb. Icodesh, the holy, or,
the holiness. Gr. "the holies." The
abstract is here used for the con-
crete. Thus, Is. 60:17, "peace" and
"righteousness" are used as abstracts

29 The families of the sons
of " Kohath shall pitch on the
side of the tabernacle south-
ward.

30 And the chief of the house
of the father of the families of
the Kohathites shall he Eliza-
phan the son of Uzziel.

31 And their "" charge shall
he the ark *, and the table •", and
the candlestick, and the altars ',
and the vessels of the sanctuary
wherewith they minister, and
the hanging ", and all the ser-
vice thereof.

32 And Eleazar the son of
Aaron the priest shall he chief

) c. 1. 53. w c. 4. 15. X Ez. 25. 10. y Ex. 25.
~ 30. 1. a Ex. 26. 32.

V V,% 1, oo* w u. **-

3,31. zEx. 27. 1.

for "men of peace and righteous-
ness."

V. 29. Southward. Heb. tcmanah,
to the right. The points of the com-
pass, according to Scriptural usage, are
supposed to be determined by the posi-
tion of one who looks to the east. In
this case the south will be to the right.
So Ps. 89 : 12, " The north and the
south (Heb. yamin, the right), thou hast
created them."

V. 30. Klizaphan the son of Uzziel.
This man was of the fonrth and young-
est family of the Kohathites, and yet
was preferred to the chief rank among
them. This, according to some of the
Hebrew writers, gave offence to Korah,
who was of the second family, or that
of Izhar, and prompted the rebellion
of which he was the leader, recorded in
ch. 16 : 1-11.

V. 32. Chief over the chief of the Le-
Dites. Heb. " Chief of the chiefs," which
is an expression implying somewhat
less of official pre-eminence. Eleazar,
who was appointed to this dignity, was

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

over the chief of the Levites,
and have the oversight of them
that keep the charge of the sanc-
tuary.

33 Of Merari * was the fam-
ily of the Mahlites, and the fam-
ily of the Mushites: these are
the families of Merari.

34 And those that were num-
bered of them, according to the
number of all the males, from a
month old and upward, were six
thousand and two hundred.

35 And the chief of the house
of the father of the families of
Merari was Zuriel the son of
Abihail : these '' shall pitch on

h 1 Chr. 6. 19.

more than a Levite, being a priest, and
hence arose the distinction between
high-priest and second priest, as inti-
mated 2 Kings 25 : 18. If Of the Le-
vites, Heb. halltvi, the Levi. The name
of the individual becomes collective by
prefixing the article n h. So in all such
words as Gershonites, Libnites, Kohath-
ites, Ilebronites, Merarites, etc. They
are the names of the heads of the fami-
lies with the article prefixed. In 1 Chr.
12 : 27, " the Aaronites" is " Aaron " in

the original without the article.

1 Have the oversight. Heb. pehuddah,
visitation or visitorial oversight, from
the Yooi pdkad, on the import of which
we have had such frequent occasion to
remark. See Note on ch. 1 : 3. The
original is often rendered in the Gr. by
episkope, bishopric, implying the office
of overseer.

The Families descended from Merari,
their Number, Position, and Charge.

V. 33. TJiese are the families of Me-
rari. There is nothing peculiarly wor-
thy of note to be remarked respecting

the side of the tabernacle north-
ward.

36 And under the custody
and ^ charge of the sons of Me-
rari shall he the boards of the
tabernacle, and the bars thereof,
and the pillars thereof, and the
sockets thereof, and all the ves-
sels thereof, and all that serveth
thereto,

37 And the pillars of the
court round about, and their
sockets, and their pins, and their
cords.

38. But those that encamp
before the tabernacle toward the
east, even before the tabernacle

this branch of the Levites, except that
it was fewest in number of all the rest,
being 1300 less than the children of
Gershon. They had charge of the
framework of the tabernacle. As their
burden on this account was heavier
than that of their brethren the Gershon-
ites, therefore they were allowed four
wagons and eight oxen for their ser-
vice, whereas the Gershonites had only
two wagons and four oxen. See ch. 7 :
7,8.

TJie Encampment of Moses and Aaron.

V. 38. Toward the east. Heb. hede-
mah, which may also be rendered in
front, foremost, a rendering probably
to be preferred on account of the occur-
rence of the word " eastward " in the
next clause. The east, in the Scrip-
tures, is always supposed to take the
precedence of the other quarters, as it
is there that the sun rises, and the sun
from the earliest ages has ever been ac-
counted the most striking symbol of the
Deity. The position now assigned to
Moses and Aaron was of course the

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER III.

of the congregation eastward,
shall he Moses, and Aaron and
his sons, keeping ' the charge of
the sanctuary for the charge of
the children of Israel; and the
stranger ^ that cometh nigh shall
be put to death.

most honorable, being between the
standard of Judah and the door of the
tabernacle, which it was their province

to guard. ^ Keeping the charge of

the sanctuary for the charge of the chil-
dren of Isi'ael. The original is vari-
ously rendered by the versionists; —
" Keeping the charge of the sanctuary,
for the charge of the sons of Israel." —
Ains, " That they may wait upon the
sanctuary and the children of Is-
rael."— Cov. " "Wait on the sanctuary
instead of the children of Israel." — Mat.
" Wait to keep the sanctuary and to
keep the children of Israel." — Cran.
Bish. The Latin Vulg, has; — "Hav-
ing the custody of the sanctuary in the
midst of the sons of Israel." The idea
is undoubtedly that of a charge allotted
to Moses and Aaron and his sons, which
would otherwise have devolved upon
the Israelites as a body.

Y. 39. Moses and Aa7'on. The reader
of the original Hebrew will observe that
there are in this place a number of ex-
tra diacritical points over the word
Aaron, which doubtless have some pe-
culiar significancy, but what they indi-
cate it is not possible to ascertain with
certainty. Some of the Rabbinical wri-
ters say it is to denote that Aaron him-
self was not embraced in the numbering
of the tribe ; but as we find no reason
given for this opinion, it can pass for
nothing more than a conjecture, al-
though it may be in itself true. J. H.
Michaelis, in the notes to his invaluable
edition to the Heb. Bible, approves the

39 All ^ that were numbered
of the Levites, which Moses and
Aaron numbered at the com-
mandment of the Lord, through-
out their families, all the males
from a month old and upward,
were twenty and two thousand.

g c. 26. 62.

suggestion of Hiller, who regards these
points as a Masoretic symbol to indicate
the absence of the entire word in other
manuscripts ; and accordingly it is act-
ually found wanting in the Samaritan,
Codex, and in vs. 14, 16 of this chapter,
Aaron is not named with Moses. Ken-
nicott also observes that the word is
omitted in the most ancient Hebrew
manuscript in the Bodleian library.
There are fifteen of these words in the
whole Hebrew text, printed with dots

over every letter, thus innjcl ve-aharon,
whereas normally there should be

but one dot over the whole word.

*\ Twenty and two thousand. A diffi-
culty here arises from the fact that the
sum total resulting from the enumera-
tion of the several families as given
above is 22,300. Thus,

Gershon, 7,500

Kohath, 8,600

Merari, 6,200

22,300
The prevailing mode among commenta-
tors of reconciling the discrepancy is to
suppose that the first-horn of the Le-
vites themselves were deducted from the
gross census of the tribe, and their
number, if in proportion to the other
tribes, would not have been far from
three hundred. It would have come
sufficiently near to it to warrant the
present expression. By the fact of their
being the first-born, they belonged to
God of course (Ex. 13 : 2. 34 : 20), and
could not be exchanged for the first-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

born of other tribes, and substituted in |
their stead, as other Levites were. We
know of no more probable solution than
this, and yet it is not quite satisfactory,
for why should the first-born be enu-
merated in the census of the several
families and yet not counted in the ag-
gregate sum ? And why did God order
all the males to be numbered, without
at the same time making express ex-
ception of the first-born ? Again, it is
thought scarcely credible that out of
22,000 Levites there should have been
no more than 300 first-born. But to
this it is suggested that those only were
reputed the first-born in this and the
other tribes who were born subsequent
to the slaughter of the Egyptian first-
born, as it was from this date that the
Lord claimed them as his own ; and on
this supposition 300 may have been but
a fair proportion. But after every ex-
planation the point must be left in some
degree of uncertainty. Happily, it is
not one of any great importance, — It is
worthy of notice, that the Levites were
the fewest in number of any of the
tribes, being but 22,000, whereas the
least of the others had 32,600, and the
greatest 74,400 ; and to make the dis-
parity still more striking, out of these
22,000 there were but 8,580 that were
fit for service in the sanctuary (ch. 4 :
47,48.) We may safely admit a provi-
dential ordering in this, for if this tribe
had increased proportionally to the rest,
there would have been more Levites by
far than the first-born of all the tribes.
Michaelis and Palfrey, in their peculiar
mode of commenting on the Laws of
Moses would make more of the follow-
ing suggestion than we are inclined to
attribute to it. " The sacred authority
was a balance in the commonwealth,
which must not be suffered to become
a preponderating weight. It furnished
great advantages for political usurpa-
tion, if other circumstances should fa-

vor. Accordingly, it was most safely
committed to that division of the peo-
ple, which was much the least for-
midable through its numerical force."
{Palf. Lect., Vol. I. p. 323.) We recog-
nize the leading drift of all these insti-
tutes as spiritual, and not political.
We may here recapitulate, in brief
compass, the principal items pertaining
to the Levites.

1. Numbers.

Gershonites, 7500.
Kohathites, 8600.
Merarites, 6200.

2. Position when encamped.

Gershonites, behind westward, v. 23.
Kohathites, southward, v. 29.
Merarites, northward, v. 85.
Moses and Aaron, in front east-
ward, V. 38.

3. Charges.

Gershonites; the tent, coverings,
yeil, hanging of the court, etc.

Kohathites; the ark, table, altar,
and instruments of the sanctuary,

Merarites ; the boards, bars, pillars,
sockets, etc.

4. Special Prerogatives of Kohath.

1. Excelled in the multitude of fam-

ilies, or chief fathers, having
four, whereas each of his
brethren had but two.

2. Excelled in multitude of chil-

dren, having 8600, that is, 1100
more than his elder brother
Gershon, and 2400 more than
Merari.

8. Of him came Moses, "king in
Jeshurun," Aaron the priest,
and Miriam the prophetess.
Thus all the priests were of
this family. Ex. 6:18, 20.
Num. 26 : 58, 59.

4. His families had the chief place
about the sanctuary, to wit,
tho south quarter, next to

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER III.

40 And the Lord said unto
Moses, Number^ all the first-
born of the males of the children
of Israel, from a month old and
upward, and take the number of
their names.

41 And ' thou shalt take the
Levites for me (I am the Lord)
instead of all the first-born among

Moses, Aaron, and the priests,
ch. 3:29.

5. They had charge of the most holy

things within the Tabernacle,
as the ark, table, candlesticks,
altar of incense, etc.

6. Whereas the whole tribe of Levi

had 48 cities allotted them
in Canaan, Kohath's posterity
had 23 of these ; the priests,
13 ; the other Kohathites, 10 :
so that he had, as it were, a
double portion, as much as
both his brethren. Josh. 21 :

TJce Numbering of the First-horn of

Israel and the Substitution of the Le-

mtes.

V. 40. Number all the first-born, etc.
Heb. pekbd, muster. If the idea is pre-
cisely that of numbering, it is not easy
to see why it should be said in the next
clause, " Take the number {mispar) of
their names." This goes strongly to
confirm our previous suggestion on the
subject. The object of this enumera-
tion was that their number and that of
the Levites might be compared, so that
the proper adjustment might be made

between them. T[ From a rnonth old

and upward. This period is designated,
because the first-born males were to be
a month old before their parents were
bound to redeem them : if they died be-
fore, they were not to pay any thing for
them.

V. 41, And thou, shalt take tlie Levites

the children of Israel; and the
cattle of the Levites instead
of all the firstlings among the
cattle of the children of Is-
rael.

42 And Moses numbered, as
the Lord commanded him, all
the first-born among the children
of Israel.

43 And all the first-born

for me. Heb. ip li, to or unto me.
Chald. " Thou shalt bring near the Le-
vites before me." The expression in a
previous passage, v. 12, " I have taken
the Levites," denotes rather the divine
purpose of taking, which was then
communicated to Moses, whereas the
language in this connection conveys a
command to Moses to declare this pur-
pose to the people, and to have it exe-
cuted by actually making the exchange.

^ And the cattle of the Levites, etc.

This does not imply that the cattle were
actually to be sacrificed, or taken away
from the Levites, but simply that they
should be accounted as the Lord's cal-
tle. They were to be considered as
alienated, though still left on the hands
of their former owners. This is a very
proper light in fact in which to view all
our worldly possessions ; as really be-
longing to the Lord, but left in trust
with us.

Y. 42. And Moses numbered — all the
first-born, etc. Heb. yiphJcod, muster-
ed ; on which see above. It will be ob-
served that it is not said that he num-
bered either the cattle, or the firstlings
of the cattle, of the Levites, inasmuch
as the exchange was not made by pre-
cisely substituting one for one, but was
made in the gross, by taking all the
cattle of the Levites for all the firstlings
of the Israelites' cattle.

V. 43. And all th^ first-born males by
the number of names, etc. The phrase-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

males, by the number of names,
from a month old and upward,
of those that were numbered of
them, were twenty and two thou-
sand two hundred and threescore
and thirteen.

44 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

45 Take * the Levites instead
of all the first-born among the
children of Israel, and the cattle

ologj of the original is here again pecu-
liar from the use of the substantive verb
to be (■'IT'1 va-yeJii, was {were) which, as
in V. 17 implies more than simply the
fact of existence, namely, the mating out
to be, tJie ascertaining, or determining,
for it is very seldom indeed that this
verb is employed in the specification of
numbers. The phrase " by the num-
ber of names " we suppose to refer to
a list or census previously made, and as
the subsequent term " numbered " is in
the original a different word (DiT''7p&^
IvpTihedehem, according to their mustered
ones), the distinction between number-
ing and mustering, so completely lost
sight of in our English version, is still,

we think, designed to be kept up.

1 Twenty and two thousand two hun-
dred and threescore and thirteen. It is
no doubt a circumstance well calculated
to excite surprise, that out of a body
of upwards of 600,000 men, reckoning
from twenty years old and upward,
there should not have been more than
this number of first-born sons. Accord-
ingly, various solutions have been pro-
posed to account for the fact. Ains-
worth and others recognize in it a spe-
cial providence, designed to bring the
first-born of Israel at large and the
first-born of the Levites more upon a
par in point of numbers. This is a
pious suggestion which may be well

I of the Levites instead of their
I cattle ; and the Levites shall be
mine : I am the Lokd.

46 And for those that are to
be redeemed ^ of the two hun-
dred and threescore and thirteen
of the first-born of the children
of Israel, which are more '" than
the Levites;

47 Thou shalt even take five "

I Ex. 13. 13. c. 18. 15. n» ver. 39-43.
27. 6. c. 18. 16.

founded, although even in that case
other considerations are not precluded ;
as (1.) there may have been an unusu-
ally large proportion of female first-
born, which of course are not reckoned.
(2.) It is probable that those only come
into the count who were born subsequent
to the slaughter of the Egyptian first-
born, which occurred a few months
previously, and not those who were
born before; for thus reads the law,
Ex. 13 : 2, " Whatsoever openeth the
womb (i. e. hereafter) both of man and
beast shall be mine."

The Bedemjotion of the Supernu-
m^eraries.

V. 45. Take the Levites, etc. That is,
he was to take the two and twenty thou-
sand Levites above mentioned instead
of so many first-born. As for the cattle,
they were not numbered as before re-
marked, but exchanged in the lump.

T[ And the Levites shall be mine.

Chald. "And the Levites shall minister
before me."

V. 46. And for those that are to be
redeemed. Heb. lit. " And the redeem-
ed." But the participle in the Heb.
has often the force of the future. Gr.
" And the redemptions (or ransoms.")
And so afterwards, vs. 48, 49, 51.

V. 47. Tliou shalt even take five shek-
els apiece. Heb. " Thou shalt take five,

B. C. 1490.1

CHAPTER III.

shekels apiece by the poll ; after
the shekel of the sanctuary shalt
thou take them : (the shekel " is
twenty gerahs :)

48 And thou shalt give the
money, wherewith the odd num-
ber of them is to be redeemed,
unto Aaron and to his sons.

Lev. 27. 25. Ezek. 45. 12.

five shekels." T[ By the poll. Heb.

legulgoUth, hy the head (lit. the skull.)
Gr. kata TcephaUn, hy the head. This
sum of five shekels became ever after
the fixed price of redemption, as ap-
pears from eh. 18 : 16. This amount
had recently (Lev. 27 : 6) been appoint-
ed as the valuation of a man-child from
a month to five years old. As this was
the least of the valuations, it showed
that the Most High would burden his
people as little as possible with the im-
positions he saw fit to lay upon them.
The arrangement now ordained furnish-
ed the precedent of a permanent tax,
intended to be laid on the first-born in
after times, as one of the perquisites of
the priesthood. " In the first instance
it could not have been onerous, the
number of supernumeraries, on whom
it was assessed, being so small, and the
whole amount being probably levied on
all the first-born, since one had no bet-
ter right than another to consider him-
self redeemed by the substitution of a
Levite in his place. Once established,
the tax would be one likely to be cheer-
fully paid, both on account of the inter-
esting associations belonging to its ori-
ginal institution, and the happy circum-
stances under which a parent would be
called on to pay it for his heir. On the
one hand, it would furnish a perpetual
revenue to the priesthood, considerable
in amount ; while on the other it would
come from those whose domestic ex-
penses were not yet .such as to render

49 And Moses took the re-
demption money of them that
were over and above them that
were redeemed by the Levites :

50 Of the first-born of the
children of Israel took he the
money ; a thousand three hun-
dred and threescore and five

it burdensome." — Palfrey. T[ TJie

shekel is twenty gerahs. Or, twenty
pence. The gerah was a piece of sil-
ver supposed to have weighed about 16
barley -grains, while the shekel weighed
320 grains. Concerning the shekel, see
Note on Gen. 20 : 16.

V. 48. And thou shalt give the money.
Heb. keseph, the silver. This was but
reasonable, inasmuch as the Levites
being given to Aaron and his sons by
the Lord (vs. 6, 7), the money that was
paid to make up what was lacking in
their proportion to the first-born of
right belonged to them. T[ Where-
with the odd numler of them is to he
redeemed. Heb. " (The money) of the
redeemed of the supernumeraries among
them. Gr. " The redemptions (or ran-
soms) of those that are over."

V. 49. Of them that \oere over and
ahove, etc. Heb. hn-odephim, that ex-
ceeded. The original word is the same
that occurs in the preceding verses
where the overplus of first-born is men-
tioned. In these different verses it is
variously rendered by "more than,"
" odd number," and " them that were
over and above." The root adaph, sig-
nifies to le superabundant or superflu-
ous, to exceed. In the process of re-
demption the first-born were redeemed
as far as their number would reach ;
the rest, forming the excess over the
Levites, were redeemed by money.

V. 50. Of the first-lorn. ^Qh.lekor,
in the singular, whereas the Gi". ren-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

shekels^ after ^ the shekel of the
sanctuary :

51 And Moses gave ^ the mo-
ney of them that were redeem-
ed, unto Aaron and to his sons,
according to the word of the
Lord, as*" the Lord commanded
Moses.

p vcr. 46, 47.

q ver 4S.

ders plurally irapu rwv trpanoTOKov,
from the first-lorn (sons), as imply-
ing all. As to the precise manner in
which this affair of the redemption of
the first-born was conducted, it is not
possible to speak with certainty. Some
of the Jewish writers say it was done
by lot, so many scrolls having inscribed
on them " A son of Levi," and so many,
" Five shekels ;" but the assertion rests
probably upon conjecture or tradition,
and cannot have authority with us at
the present day. Still such way have

been the method. T[ A thousand three

hundred and threescore and five shekels.
Two hundred and seventy-three, which
was the surplus number to be redeemed,
multiplied by five gives just this total.
V. 51. The money of them that were
redeemed. Gr. " The silver, the re-
demptions (or ransoms) of them that
were superfluous (or over and above.")
This was given to Aaron, because the
Levites were given to him, v. 9, and
when the requisite number of persons
fell short, the deficiency was supplied
by this redemption money. The re-
deeming men in this manner by silver
foreshadowed a better redemption by
Christ, the Lord, and is probably refer-
red to by the apostle Peter when he
says (1 Pet. 1 : 18, 10), "Ye know that
ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, etc., but with
the precious blood of Christ." TJ Ac-
cording to the word of the Lord. Heb.
" According to the mouth of the Lord."
Cr. " By the voice of the Lord."

CHAPTER IV.

AND the Lord spake unto Mo-
ses and unto Aaron, saying,

2 Take the sum of the sons
of Kohath from among the sons
of Levi, after their families, by
the house of their fathers,

3 From" thirty years old and

a c. 8. 24. 1 Chr. 23. 3. 24. 7.

CHAPTER IV.

The Duties of the respective Levitical

Families in Connection with the Tab-
ernacle.

V. 2. Tahe the sum, etc. Heb. naso
eth rosh, talce the head. See Note on
eh. 1 : 2. Chald. " Receive the count
(or reckoning) of the sons of Kohath ; "
whose families stand foremost here, be-
cause they carried the holiest things.
Of Kohath's pre-eminence, see Note on
ch. 3 : 28. Though Gershon was the
eldest, yet Kohath has the precedence
by reason of the sanctity of his func-
tion. TT After their families, hy the

house of their fathers. See Note on
ch. 1 : 2.

V. 3. From thirty years old and vp-
ward, even until fifty years old. Heb.
" From the son of thirty years to the
son of fifty years ; " of which phrase see
Note on Gen. 5 : 32. All the commenta-
tors here advert to an apparent dis-
crepancy between this passage and ch.
8 : 24, where five-and-twenty is the age
specified, and 1 Chron. 23 : 24. 2 Chron.
31 : 17. Ezra 3 : 8, where twenty is de-
signated as the age at which these ser-
vices were to commence. The Greek,
with a view apparently to conciliate this
passage with ch. 8 : 24, reads twenty-five
instead of thirty, while Le Clerc sup-
poses ihaX twenty -five in the latter place
to be a wrong reading for thirty. But
the intimation of error in the manu-
script is merely conjectural. The Jew^
ish writers, for the moat part, in order

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER ly.

upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host,

to reconcile these yarious statements,
maintain that Moses here speaks of
entering upon their full ministration,
which being laborious, involving the
carrying the burden of the sanctuary,
required the utmost vigor of body and
discretion of mind ; it therefore began
at thirty. But in ch. 8 : 24 the age of
twenty-five, they say, denotes the time
when they entered upon the prelimi-
nary work of learning the duties which
they were afterwards to perform. Thus
Maimonides says, " A son of Levi com-
eth not into the court unto his service,
until they have first taught him five
years, as it is said Num. 8 : 24, ' from
five and twenty years old ; ' but where-
as it is said Num. 4:3,* from thirty
years old,' lo, five are for him to learn ;
and he entereth not upon his service
till he hath grown great (attained his
full stature) and become a man ; as it is
said, Num. 4 : 49, ' Every man accord-
ing to his service.' " Chaskuni, anoth-
er rabbi, says moreover, "At twenty-
five years old they entered all of them
to do the lighter works, as to watch
that no stranger came into the sanctu-
ary, etc. etc., and at thirty years of age
they were in their strength, and did
bear the sanctuary," etc. This solution
is on the whole satisfactory, and the
arrangement indicated continued till
the time of David, who, near the close
of his life, recognized the present ordi-
nance, 1 Chron. 23 : 3, but as the ser-
vice had then, when there was no taber-
nacle to carry, become lighter and the
demand for them at the same time in-
creased, the period was fixed at twenty
years instead of thirty. The following
are the words of the sacred historian
relative to that subject, 1 Chron. 23 :
24, 27. " These were the sons of Levi
after the house of their fathers; even
the chief of the fathers, as they were

counted by number of names by their
polls, that did the work for the service
of the house of the Lord, from the age
of twenty years and upward. For Da-
vid said, The Lord God of Israel hath
given rest unto his people, that they
may dwell in Jerusalem for ever : And
also unto the Levites; they shall no
more carry the tabernacle, nor any ves-
sels of it for the service thereof For
by the last words of David the Levites
were numbered from twenty years old
and above." This would appear to have
been done by divine direction, 1 Chron.
28 : 13, 19, in order that by beginning
early to be instrvicted they might be
the more fit at thirty to serve the Lord
and his people. The age of thirty,
therefore, became probably from this
circumstance somewhat canonical for
full induction into the priestly office, as
we learn was the case with John the

Baptist and Avith our Lord himself •

*\ Until Jifty years old. At this period
of life the strength and vigor of man-
hood begins somewhat to decay, and it
was therefore ordered that they should
be henceforth exempted from the harder
kinds of service, but they still retained
a lighter species of ministry about the
tabernacle, of which see ch. 8 : 24, 27.

^ All that enter into tlie host. Heb.

kol ho letzo.hd, every one that cometh to
the army. " All that are meet for the
war." — Cov. "All that were able to
war." — Mat. " All that are able to go
forth to the war." — Cran. The term is
military, but as it is spoken of the Le-
vites, the import is spiritual, denoting
that kind of ministry or service which
the priesthood was expected to perform,
for which reason the Greek renders it
pas eisporeuomenos leitourgein, every one
that entereth in to liturgize, i. e. to oflS-
ciate sacerdotally. In v. 23, the origi-
nal phrase embracing this word is ren-

NUMBEKS.

[B. 0. 1490.

to do the work in the taberna-
cle of the congregation.

4 This * shall he the service
of the sons of Kohath in the
tabernacle of the congregation,
about the " most holy things.

5 And when the camp setteth

dered " to war the warfare," and this
probably gave rise to the N. T. diction,
in which the work of the ministry is
called, 1 Tim. 1 : 18, " warring a good
warfare," and where we find mention
also of " fighting a good fight of faithj"
of "the weapons of our warfare," of
" good soldiers of Jesus Christ," etc. ;
all which speak of the Christian life

as a spiritual warfare. T[ To do the

worh. Gr. panta ta erga, all tTie worhs.
Chald. " To serve the service." Vulg.
"To stand and to minister." This is
exegetical of the warfare above men-
tioned as holy and spiritual. Accord-
ingly, the bishop's ofiice is called by
Paul " a good work," 1 Tim, 3 : 1, as it
is to " labor in the word and doctrine,"

1 Tim. 5 : 17. H In the tabernacle of

the congregation. Not precisely in the
tabernacle, but about it, for none but
the priests were allowed to enter with-
in. *[[ {About) the most holy things.

Heb. Jcodesh hakkodoshim, holiness of
holinesses. This stands in the original in
apposition with tabernacle, which is
called " most holy " from the holiness
of the various utensils, etc. which it
contained. See the usage ch. 3 : 28.
10: 21, where "sanctuary" is the col-
lective name for all the sacred contents
of which it was the receptacle, such as
the ark of the covenant, the altar, the
table of shew-brcad, the candlestick, etc.
" In the tabernacle of witness, which is
most lioly."— (7ot), Mat. Bp. Patrick,
however, suggests, with considerable
show of probability, that the omission

forward, Aaron shall come, and
his sons, and they shall take down
the covering vail '^j and cover the
ark ' of testimony with it ;

6 And shall put thereon the
covering of badgers' skins, and

d Ex. 06. 31. Is. 25. 7. Heb. 9. 3. 10. 20 e Ex.

of the word " about " would give a pre-
ferable sense ; — " This shall be the ser-
vice of the sons of Kohath, etc. (even)
the most holy things," the ark and its
appurtenances. Comp. vs. 19, 20, in
the latter of which it is called " the
holy," and in the former " the holy of
holies," as here.

V. 5. And when the camp setteth for-
ward. Heb. bansaa, in the breaking or
pulling up. See the term explained in
the Note on ch. 2 : 17. " "When the host
breaketh up." — Gov. " When the host
removeth." — Mat. The signal for set-
ting forward was the removal of the

pillar of cloud. T[ Aaron shall comSy

and Ms sons. The express law prohib-
iting any one except the high-priest
once a year, entering into the most holy
place, which held good while the cloud
rested on the tabernacle, must have ad-
mitted an exception when it was about
to be taken up. Then the inferior
priests might enter to prepare the sa-
cred vessels for removal. 1[ Shall

take down. Heb. horidu, shall cause to

descend. H Tlie covering veil. Heb.

paroketh hamasok, that is, the veil that
hung between the holy and most holy
place, as described Ex. 26:31, where
see Note. Gr. " shadowing veil." Heb.
9:3," The second veil." It was made
of blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen.

V. 6. And shall put thereon the cov-
ering of badgers^ skins. As to the ma-
terial indicated by the term " badgers'
skins," see Note on Ex. 25 : 5. Here
the term does not mean the covering of

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER IV.

shall spread over it a cloth whol-
ly of blue, and shall put in the
staves •' thereof.

7 And upon the table ^ of ^
shew-bread they shall spread a
cloth of blue, and put thereon
the dishes, and the spoons, and
the bowls, and covers to cover
withal : and the continual bread
shall be thereon :

8 And they shall spread upon

/ 1 K. 8. 7, 8. g Ex. 25. 23-30; h Lev. 24. 5-8.

badgers' skins made for the tabernacle,
which was carried by the Gershonites
(vs. 24, 25), but one made for the pur-
pose of concealing and sheltering the
ark when it was carried. The proper
rendering would therefore be, "And
shaU put thereon a covering of badgei's'

skins," as in v. 8. 1 Shall spread

over it a cloth wholly of blue. This was
one among the "clothes of service"
mentioned Ex. 31 : 10, on which see
IS^ote. This covering of blue, it seems,
in the case of the ark, was put on over
the coarser skin-covering, in order
doubtless to invest that symbol with
higher honor as a type of Christ, in
whose heart was the divine law (Ps.
40 : 8), as the two tables were enshrined
in the sacred chest. Rabbi Bechai in-
timates that this hlne-co\ovQd cloth
spread over the ark was an emblem of
the skies which are spread as a curtain
between us and the Majesty on high.
^ And shall put in the staves there-
of. Heb. tesdmu haddauv, and adjust
the staves thereof ; i. e. dispose them
rightly under the covering, that they
might be laid on their shoulders ; for
the staves were never taken out of the
rings, to which they were no doubt in
some way fitted to prevent slipping.

Y. 7. And upon the table of shew-
hread. Heb. shulhan pdnim, tJie table
of faces, or of presence, instead of the

them a cloth of scarlet, and cov-
er the same with a covering of
badgers' skins, and shall put in
the staves thereof.

9 And they shall take a cloth
of blue, and cover the candle-
stick * of the light, and his lamps,
and his tongs, and his snuff-dish-
es, and all the oil vessels there-
of, wherewith they minister unto
it:

table of the bread of faces, or presence,
of the, etc., of the import of which see
Note on Ex. 25 : 30, where a full ex-
planation is given. Instead of blue the
Sept. here renders by purple. As it is
not said, like the other, to have been
wholly of blue, it was doubtless some-
thing of a different color. ^ And

covers to cover withal; or, Heb. "to
pour out withal." Probably some kind
of cups or goblets are intended, into
which wine was poured. See on this
point the Note on Ex. 25 : 29. " Goblets
and pots to pour with." — Bish. " Gob-
lets and cups to pour the libaments."

— Dou. "Libation-vessels." — G-r.

11 TJie contiimal bread. That is, the
bread which was to stand continually
in the divine presence, the old being
changed for new every sabbath. The
Israelites were doubtless able to pro-
cure com enough from the adjacent
countries, even when in the wilder-
ness, to make the shew-bread and to
present the daily meal-oflferings. The
land of Midian, where Moses' father-in-
law dwelt, was not far distant.

V. 8. Shall spread upon them a cloth
of scarlet. Of the import of the origi-
nal for " scarlet," see Note on Ex, 25 : 4.
The ark only and the table of shew-
bread had three coverings ; the rest of
the sacred utensils had but two. None
but the table had a covering of scarlet.

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[B. C. 1490.

10 And they shall put it and
all the vessels thereof within a
covering of badgers' skins, and
shall put it upon a bar.

11 And upon the golden al-
tar ^' they shall spread a cloth of
blue, and cover it with a cover-
ing of badgers' skins, and shall
put to the staves thereof :

12 And they shall take all

Of the various minor articles specified
in these verses, see a minute explana-
tion in the Notes on Ex. 25, throughout.

V. 10. A7id sJutll put it u/pon a lar.
Heb. al liammot, upon a hm% lever, or
Her. The original is a diflerent word
from that employed to denote the staves
inserted in rings, and implies some
kind of hand-vehicle carried between
two. It is the word used ch. 13 : 23, to
denote the instrument of carriage on
which the grapes were borne by the
spies, though there translated staff.

V. 12. All the instruments of minis-
try. By these are probably to be un-
derstood the various utensils or vessels
not elsewhere particularly specified,
such as are spoken of 2 Kings 25 : 14,
15, among the different articles enume-
rated as being carried away from the
temple at Jerusalem to Babylon.

V. 13. Shall take away the ashes from
the altar. That is, from the brazen
altar, or altar of sacrifice, which stood
in the court, and of which the ashes
were to be often cleansed ; but espe-
cially upon removals. T[ Spread a

purple cloth thereon. The brazen altar
only was covered with purple, as the
table only was with scarlet, v. 8. It
was probably owing to the large infu-
sion of red that these colors were occa-
sionally used interchangeably for each
other. Thus Mat. 27 : 28, " They put
on him a scarkt robe;" for which in

the instruments ^ of ministry,
wherewith they minister in the
sanctuary, and put them in a
cloth of blue, and cover them
with a covering of badgers' skins,
and shall put them on a bar :

13 And they shall take away
the ashes from the altar, and
spread a purple cloth there-

on :

I Ex. 25. 9. I Chr

John 19 : 2, we read, " They put on him
a purple robe." So also Mark 16 : 17,
" They clothed him ^N\ih purple.'" Some
have supposed that purple was employ-
ed in this instance as a color that would
naturally be formed by afire smothered
in hlue, and infer that the sacred fire,
which was to be kept always burning,
and of which nothing is expressly said
in this connection, was in fact carried
on the depressed or concave grate of the
altar, where it might be covered over
with some kind of lid, and still leave
the upper surface of the altar even.
But we consider it after all as doubtful
whether the injunction respecting the
continual burning of the altar-fire (Lev.
6 : 13) is to be so strictly construed as
to forbid the supposition that it might
go out during the actual journeyings of
the people, and be rekindled again from
heaven, as at first, when they became
stationary, and so resumed their daily
worship. The law of the daily sacrifices
(Ex. 29 : 38) was equally express as to
its being perpetually observed, and yet
the observance was no doubt occasion-
ally interrupted during their marches.
Should we be satisfied that the holy fire
had at any time disappeared or gone
wholly out, still we do not perceive that
this would any more have affected its
legal perpetuity, than would circumci-
sion cease to be a sacramental or cove-
nant sign because it was dropped for a

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER ly.

14 And they shall put up-
on it all the vessels "" thereof,
wherewith they minister about
it, even the censers, the flesh-
hooks, and the shovels, and the
basons, all the vessels of the
altar; and they shall spread
upon it a covering of badgers'

course of years in the wilderness. They
were both of divine appointment, and
both ordained to be of lasting perpetui-
ty, but both, we suppose, might tempo-
rarily lapse without doing away the
grounds of the language implying such
perpetuity. An occasional exception
does not destroy a general rule.

V. 14. Censers. This word is render-
ed by " fire-pans," Ex. 27 : 3, on which
see Note. — It is remarkable that Moses
says nothing in this connection respect-
ing the Laver, which was one of the
principal of the sacred vessels. The
omission is supplied in the Greek ver-
sion, as at the end of this verse it reads,
" And they shall take a purple cloth,
and cover the Laver and his base (foot),
and they shall put it into a blue cover
of skin, and put it on bars." Upon
what authority this addition rests is not
known. Capellus, Grotius, and Houbi-
gant, however, agree in supposing that
this clause has in some way slipped out
of the Masoretic copies of the Hebrew
text, and with them RosenmuUer is dis-
posed to coincide. The fact is certainly
somewhat singular, when elsewhere the
Laver is especially enumerated among
the other articles here spoken of. In
the absence of any satisfactory light on
the point, we may perhaps safely give
some weight to the pious suggestion of
Ainsworth that the Laver is not men-
tioned because it was not to be covered,
as were all the other sacred things here

skins, and put to the staves
of it.

15 And when Aaron and his
sons have made an end of cover-
ing the sanctuary, and all the
vessels of the sanctuary, as the
camp is to set forward ; after
that, the sons of Kohath " shall

« c. 7. 9. 10. 21. Deut. 31. 9. Josh. 4. 10. 2 Sam.
6.13. 1 Chr. 15. 2, 15.

specified. " It may be conjectured that
the Laver is left uncovered and always
open to the eyes of the people, that it
might be a lively representation of God's
grace in Christ, continued and opened
as an ever-springing fountain ; that by
the washing of the new birth, by re-
pentance and faith in this blood, we
may in all our travels, at all times,
cleanse our hands and feet (our works
and ways), as the sacrificers did from
the Laver, Ex. 30:19, 20; that albeit
the face of the church is sometimes hid
(as the tabernacle wrapped up), and
the light of the Word shineth not, nor
public worship performed, yet always
God's elect having faith in him may
wash and purge themselves in Christ's
blood unto forgiveness of sins, sancti-
fication of the spirit, and salvation."

V. 15. Save made an end of covering
the sanctuary. Heb. JiaModesh, the
sanctity or holiness. Gr. ta hagia, tlie
holy things. See v. 4, also ch. 3 : 28.
"NYe may safely recognize a spiritual im-
port in this veiling from the public eye
of Israel the holy things of their econ-
omy. As Moses' covering his face with
a veil denoted that "the children of Is-
rael could not steadfastly look to the end
(i. e. the scope or drift) of that which is
abolished," or, in other words, were in-
competent to grasp its typical signifi-
cancy, so the Tabernacle in like manner
and for a like reason was folded up and
shrouded with veils and coverings from

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[B. 0. 1490.

come to bear U : but they shall
not touch" any holy thing, lest
they die''. These* things are

o 2 Snm. 6. 6, 7. 1 Chr. 13. 9, 10. p Heb. 12. 29.
q c. 3. 31.

the gaze of the people. They were not
in a state to penetrate its mysteries to
their spiritual good, and therefore the
sight was precluded. But the end and
accomplishment of these types we are
now enabled, by the light of the Gos-
pel, to discern, even " the revelation of
the mystery, which was kept secret
since the world began, but now is made
manifest, and by the scriptures of the
prophets, according to the command-
ment of the everlasting God, made
known to all nations for the obedience
of faith." Accordingly in the Apoca-
lyptic vision we have God's Throne and
the true Tabernacle set forth in all their
unveiled glory, Rev. 4 : 2, etc. So also
Rev. 11 : ]9, "And the temple of God
was opened in heaven, and there was
seen in his temple the ark of his testa-
ment." T[ But they slmll not touch

any holy things. Heb, hahkodesh, the
sanctity. Gr. ta hagia, the holy things,
implying the totality of the sacred
things. It does not mean the taberna-
cle particularly, having, if any thing, a
more especial reference to the ark of
the covenant, which was the heart and
core of the whole typical establishment,
to Avhich it belonged. A comparison
of the following passages will show
conclusively the soundness of this con-
struction, 1 Kings 8:8, "And they
drew out the staves, that the ends of
the staves were seen out in the holy
{place."") According to the Heb. it is
min hakkodesh, from the holy, i. e. pro-
jecting out from the holy. The parallel
text, 2 Chron. 5 : 9, has it thus :— " And
they drew out the staves (of the ark),
that the ends of the staves were seen
from tfie ark (Heb. tmn hmron, from

the burden of the sons of Ko-
hath in the tabernacle of the
congregation.

the ark.") The prohibition now utter-
ed was of equivalent bearing with that
respecting Mount Sinai, which, by rea-
son of the divine presence associated
with it at the time, might not be touch-
ed upon pain of death, Ex. 19 : 12. Heb.
12 : 18. The meaning is, that they were
not to touch the things themselves that
were covered, although in order to car-
ry them they must of course touch the
staves. These, we may suppose, were
sometimes, during the transportation,
held in their hands, and sometimes
boi-ne on their shoulders, as they be-
came fatigued with one or the other

mode. H Zest they die. Heb. vd-

methu, and they die. Chald. and Gr.
" That they may not die." The " not "
in this kind of phraseology is some-
times inserted, and sometimes omitted.
The judgment here threatened was exe-
cuted upon Uzzah, a Levite, who for
putting forth his hand to steady the
ark was immediately smitten of God

and died. 1 Chron. 18 : 10. If These

{tilings) are the burden of the sons of
Kohatli. Gr. tanta arousin, they shall
hear these things, implying upon their
own shoulders, and not by means of
wagons or any other mode of convey-
ance. This was clearly the general
province of the sons of Kohath, as a
part of the Levitical order contradis-
tinguished from the priests. But judg-
ing from several portions of the subse-
quent history, it does not appear that
this arrangement was of such inviolable
sanctity as never to be infringed upon,
for the following passages have only to
be consulted to make it evident that
the priests did, on particular occasions,
assume the office of the Levites in bear-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER IV.

16 And to the office of Elea-
zar, the son of Aaron the priest,
pertaineth the oil ' for the light,
and the sweet * incense, and the
daily meat-offering \ and the
anointing oil ", and the oversight

r Ex. 25. 6. Lev. 24. 2.
29. 40. u Ex. 30. 23.

ing the ark. Deut. 31 : 9. Josh. 3 : 3.
1 Chron. 15 : 12, 15. It was undoubt-
edly fitting in itself that the most woi--
thy things should be handled by the
most worthy persons, provided their
numbers were such as would enable
them to do it. But as this was not the
case at the outset of the Jewish polity,
the burden was devolved upon an in-
ferior class, to which it was mainly,
though not exclusively, confined in all
after times. David's setting the ark
on a cart (2 Sam. 6 : 13. 1 Chron. 13 : 7)
was his infirmity, for he afterwards
confesses (1 Chron. 15 : 13) that '* the
Lord our God made a breach upon us,
for that we sought him not after the
due order," But his error being cor-
rected in this matter, he subsequently
returned to the primitive order, causing
the priests and the Levites to " sanctify
themselves to bring up the ark of the
Lord God of Israel" (1 Chron. 15 : 13),
which it would seem they did con-
jointly.

Tlie Office of Eleazar.

V. 16. And to tlie office of Eleazar

{'pertaindli) the oil, etc. Lit. " And the
office (Heb. jjeTcuddath, charge, over-
sight, visitation,,) was the oil, etc." Gr.
" And Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was
overseer (episcoj>os, bishop) — his over-
sight {episcope, bisho2:>ric) was the oil,"
etc. The use of these ecclesiastical
terms helps us to apprehend the spirit-
ual import which runs through the

whole. ^ T7ie oil for the light : that

is, for the golden candlestick with its

of all the tabernacle, and of
all that therein -is, in the sanc-
tuary, and in the vessels there-
of

17 And the Lord spake un-
to Moses and unto Aaron, say-

bowls, or lamp-sconces. The Jewish
writers say that the four following
things were to be carried by Eleazar
himself, to wit, "The oil of the light
and the oil of anointing, the one in his
right hand and the other in his left;
and the incense in his bosom, and the

meat-ofiering on his shoulder."

^\ And the daily meat-offering. Heb,
minchath hattdmid, the meat {meal)

offering of the continual. T[ TTie

oversight of all the tabernacle. Heb,
peJcuddath, the same word which in
the beginning of the verse is trans-
lated "office." ^ In the sanctvxiry.

Heb. bekodesh, in the sanctity, or holi-
ness ; that is, in regard to the holiness,
by which is meant especially the ark of
the covenant, the holiest of the holy
things, " Sanctuary " here is evidently
something distinct from " tabernacle,"
as otherwise we have a mere repetition,

H In the vessels thereof. That is, in

regard to the vessels thereof; by which
is meant the vessels pertaining to the
tabernacle and not to the sanctuary.
The remarks of Ainsworth on the typi-
cal purport of all this are very appro-
priate ; — " In this office Bishop Eleazar
was a figure of Christ, ' the Bishop of
our souls ' (1 Pet. 2 : 25), unto whom it
pertaineth to give grace (the oil of the
Spirit) for understanding the Scrip-
tures (Luke 4 : 18. 24 : 45. John 1:16);
to put odors of sweet incense, to the
prayers of aU saints by his mediation
(Rev, 8 : 3, 1 Tim. 2:5); to present his
Church as a pure meat (meal) offering
and sacrifice unto his Father (Eph. 5 ;

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18 Cut ye not off the tribe
of the families of the Kohath-
ites from among the Levites :

19 But thus do unto them,
that they may live, and not die,
when they approach unto the
most " holy things : Aaron and

26, 27. 1 Cor. 5:7); to give the anoint-
ing oil of the Holy Ghost for our sancti-
fication and the rejoicing of our hearts
(John 7 : 39. 1 John 2 : 27) ; to oversee
all churches and ministers, and all ac-
tions in churches where he is present
and walks among them till the world's
end. Matt. 28 : 10. Rev. 1 : 13. 2:1,
2, etc."

A Special CJiarge to Moses and Aaron.
V. 18. Cut ye not off, etc. Heb. al
takrithu, cause ye not to he cut off. Gr.
me olotJireusate, destroy not. That is, be
careful lest by your negligence the peo-
ple give way to vain curiosity, and thus
expose themselves to be cut off by a di-
vine interposition, as happened in the
case of Nadab and Abihu. The practi-
cal lesson taught in these words is a
very solemn one, to wit, that we our-
selves become chargeable with those
judgments which befall our fellow-men
through our procurement, which are
occasioned by our heedlessness or neg-
lect. "Those who do not what they
can to keep others from sin, do what

they can to cut them off." — Henry.

T[ TJie tribe of the families of the Ko-
hathites. Gr. " Ye shall not destroy of
the tribe the family of Kaath." The
form of the expression in the original is
peculiar, and would indicate that the
word " tribe " is here to be taken in a
more restricted sense than usual, as
equivalent to stoch. The whole of the
Levites properly constituted a tribe,
and yet in this instance we read of a

his sons shall go in, and appoint
them every one to his service
and to his burden :

20 But they shall not go in
to "" see when the holy things
are covered, lest they die.

w Ex. 19. 21. Lev. 10. 2. 1 Sam. 6. 19.

tribe being cut off "from among the
Levites," showing clearly that it must
bear a narrower sense than it ordinarily
does.

V. 19. That they may live and not
die. On the import of this phrase see
Note on Deut. 33 : 6. The Targum of
Jonathan thus expounds it : — " That
they may live in the life of the right-
eous, and not die with flaming fire," in

reference to Lev. 10 : 2. H Appoint

them every one to his service, etc. Heb.
"Place or put them man, man, upon
his service and upon his burden ; " so
that all disorder and confusion of ser-
vice might be avoided. Maimonides
says, " The Levites are to be warned
that they do not each other's work, as
that the singer help not to do the por-
ter's work, nor the porter the singer's ;
as it is written, Evei^y man unto his ser-
vice and Ms burden. The Levites that
do the priest's service, or a Levite that
employeth himself in that work which
is not his own, are in danger of death
by the hand of God."

V. 20. They shall not go in to see.
So also in Ex. 19 : 21, the people were
charged not to "break through unto
the Lord to gaze," and the men of Beth-
shemesh, because they " looked into the
ark of the Lord," were smitten to the
number of vipwards of 50,000 men,
1 Sam. 6 : 19. The real internal ground
of this prohibition is the contrariety of
state between a holy God and sinful
men. As their minds were incapable of
perceiving the sacred mysteries couch-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER IV.

21 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

22 Take also the sum of the
sons of Gershon, throughout the

ed under the symbols, so it was fitting
that the symbols themselves should be

withholden from their eyes. ^ WTien

the lioly things are covered. Heb. J*?*;:
Tceballa, as the sivalloicing vp ; a pecu-
liar phraseology, of which the true im-
port is not very easy to be determined.
The general usage of the term may be
judged of from the following instances :
Ch. 16:30, "But if the Lord make a
new thing, and the earth open her
mouth, and swallow them t//)," etc. Job
20 : 15, " He hath swallowed doion rich-
es." Ex. 7 :12, "But Aaron's xo^ swal-
lowed vp their rods." Ps. 106 : 17,
" And the earth opened and sivallotced
vp Dathan." Job 7 : 19, " How long
wilt thou not depart from me, nor let
me alone till I sivalloio down my spit-
tle ? " In other cases it is rendered by
devour, destroy, and spend. Its general
purport is that of atsoriing, and thence
abolishing, making ivay with, and caus-
ing suddenly to disappear. It is no-
where else rendered by cover except in
the present passage, though that sense
is somewhat countenanced by the ver-
sion of Onkelos, " While they cover the
sacred vessels," and by the Syriac and
the Arabic, " "When the holy is cover-
ed." Yet for reasons soon to be given
we doubt if this is the true sense, and
Michaelis in his " Supplement to the
Hebrew Lexicons" (sub voce y^'z) says
this sense is unknown to all orient-
al tongues. Gesenius intimates that
the expression may perhaps be eluci-
dated from the phraseology in Job,
" till I have swallowed my spittle," i. e.
for a moment's time, a proverbial mode
of speech in vogue among the Arabs.
According to this the sense would be,

houses of their fathers, by their
families ;

23 From thirty^ years old

" They shall not see, for one moment,
the holy things." But the true render-
ing we take to be this : — " They shall
not go in to see, as it were, to swallow,
the holy things ;" i. e. they shall not pre-
sume to gratify themselves with a hasty
view, with a quick and furtive glance,
as if they would swallow the objects
with their eyes. The two ideas of steal-
lowing and of suddenness are obviously
included in the expression, and this is
corroborated by the Greek, " They shall
by no means go in to look suddenly
upon the holy things, and die." The
concealment thus enjoined plainly point-
ed to the darkness of that dispensation.
" That which is now brought to light
by the gospel, and revealed to babes,
was then hid from the wise and pru-
dent. They saw only the coverings,
not the holy things themselves; but
now Christ has * destroyed the face of
the covering.' " — Henry.

The Mustering and the Charge of the
Gershonites.

Y. 22. Take also the sum of the sons
of Gershon. The literal rendering of
the Heb. is here preferable : — " Take
the sum of the sons of Gershon, of them
also ;" implying that although the Ko-
hathites (the sons of the second bro-
ther) were first numbered, because they
were to carry the holiest things, yet the
Lord would not overlook the other fam-
ilies nor permit their ministry to be
discharged any more irregularly. They
also were to be carefully enumerated
and assigned their particular charges.

V. 23. Shalt thou number them. Heb.
tiphJcod, shalt thou muster. Gr. epishep-
aai, survey. 1[ All that enter in to

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

and upward until fifty years old,
sbalt thou number them ; all
that enter in to perform the ser-
vice, to do the work in the tab-
ernacle of the congregation.

24 This is the service of the
families of the Gershonites, to
serve, and for burdens.

25 And ■" they shall bear the
curtains of the tabernacle, and
the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion, his coveriog, and the cov-
ering of the badgers' skins ' that

y c. 3. 25, 26. z Ex. 26. 14.

peiform the service. Heb. litzbo tzaba,
to war tlie warfare. Gr. leitourgein, to
liturgize, i. e. to minister sacerdotally.
Vulg. Qui ingrediuntur et ministrant in
tabernaculo foederis, all who go in and
minister in the tabernacle of covenant.
" All that are meet for the war to have
an office in the tabernacle of witness."—
Gov. " All that are able to go forth in
war, for to do service in the tabernacle."

—Mat. See Note on v. 3. T[ To do

the work. " To serve the service." —
AiJis. This is doubtless exegetical or
explanatory of the " warfare " just be-
fore mentioned. A succeeding phrase
in this manner is often inserted with
the express design of elucidating a pre-
ceding one.

V. 24. This is the service, etc. Gr.
leitourgia, liturgy, i. e. sacred ministry.

T[ To serve, and for burdens. A

definite distinction is undoubtedly to
be understood here between service and
burden, the former referring to their
ministry in the Tabernacle while it
stood, in which they assisted the priests,
and also took down and set up the sa-
cred structure (ch. 10:21); and the
latter denoting their carrying the edi-
fice and its furniture, when it was to be
removed.

V, 25. Shall bear the curtains of the

is above upon it, and the hang-
ing for the door of the taberna-
cle of the congregation.

26 And the hangings " of the
court, and the hanging for the
door of the gate of the court,
which is by the tabernacle, and
by the altar round about, and
their cords *, and all the instru-
ments of their service, and all
that is made for them : so shall
they serve.

27 At the appointment of

tabernacle. That is, the ten fine cur-
tains that formed the inward hangings
of the Tabernacle (Ex. 26 : 1, 2, etc.).
As nothing is said of Aaron or his sons
being employed to take them down and
make them ready for carriage, it may
be presumed that all this was done by
the Gershonites. The foregoing prohi-
bition did not include the curtains of
the Tabernacle. TT ^'nd the taberna-
cle. Not the boards, the framework, of
the Tabernacle, which fell to the charge
of the Merarites (v. 31), but the eleven
curtains of goats' hair which covered
the boards, and which are here called
collectively the Tabernacle (Ex. 26 : 7,
8, etc.). See Notes on ch. 3 : 25, 26.

V. 26. And all the instruments of
their service, and all that is made for
them. Or perhaps more correctly, " All
that is to be done by them." Gr. " All
the vessels of service that they minister
with they shall attend to." "All the
instruments that serve for them, and all
that belongeth to their occupying." —
Gov. " All the instruments that serve
unto them, and all that is made for
them." — Mat. It is not easy to fix the
precise shade of meaning intended.

V. 27. At the appointment of Aaron,
etc. Heb. al pi, at the mouth. Chald.
" At the word." T[ In all their bur-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER IV.

Aaron and his sons shall be all
the service of the sons of the
Gershonites, in all their bur-
dens, and in all their service :
and ye shall appoint unto them
in charge all their burdens.

28 This is the service of the
families of the sons of Grershon
in the tabernacle of the congre-
gation ; and their charge shall
he under the hand of Ithamar ',
the son of Aaron the priest.

29 As for the sons of Merari,
thou shalt number them after
their families, by the house of
their fathers ;

30 From thirty'^ years old

dem, and in all their service. Rather,
"as to all their burdens, and as to all
their service." Gr. According to all
their ministrations, and according to

all their works." T[ Afid ye shall

appoint unto them in charge all their
hurdens. Heb. peJcadtem, the same
word which is elsewhere rendered num-
ber, and which we have for the most
part rendered viuster, denoting not so
strictly enumeratiojh as arrangement,
niarshalling, etc. See Note on ch. 1 : 3.
Gr. " Thou shalt take account of them
(Gr. epis}:epse) by name in all their
works," as in v. 32. The original ren-
dered " in charge " {hemishmereth) de-
notes literally in or with ohservation,
and may be understood of the care, dil-
igence, and exactitude with which the
appointments of Aaron and his sons
were to be carried out relative to the
Gershonites and their functions.
V. 28. TJiis is the service. Gr. leitour-

gia, liturgy. ^ And their charge. Or,

their observation, their custody.

T[ Under the hand. That is, under the
government and direction. So in v. 33.

and upward even unto fifty years
old shalt thou number them,
every one that entereth into the
service, to do the work of the
tabernacle of the congregation.

81 And this ' is the charge
of their burden, according to all
their service in the tabernacle
of the congregation : the-^ boards
of the tabernacle, and the bars
thereof, and the pillars thereof,
and sockets thereof,

32 And the pillars of the
court round about, and their
sockets, and their pins, and their
cords, with all their instru-
ments^, and with all their ser-

e c. 3. 36, 37. / Ex. 26. 15. ^ Ex. 25. 9.

The Mustering and the Charge of the
Merarites.

V. 29. Thou shalt number. Reh.tiph-
Tcod, thou shalt muster. " Thou shalt ap-
point."— Gov. Mat. See Note on V. 37.

V. 30. From thirty years old and vp-
ward. Gr. " Twenty-five years ; " on

which see Note on v. 3. T[ Every one

that entereth into the service. Heb.
"Every one that entereth into the war-
fare." See Notes on vs. 3, 23. The
original here is precisely the same with
that in v. 3, and which is there rendered
" all that enter into the host," in which
appears a striking instance of that want
of uniformity which is so consijicuous
throughout our common version.

Y. 31. Hie boards of the tabernacle,
etc. Of the various articles mentioned
here and in v. 32, see a particular ac-
count in Ex. 26, throughout. The
charge of this family was evidently the
most cumbersome of any, and therefore
they were accommodated with wagons
for the purpose, ch. 7 : 8.

V. 32. And by name ye sJiall reckon

NUMBERS.

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vice : and by name ye shall
reckon the instruments of the
charge of their burden.

33 This is the service of the
families of the sons of Merari,
according to all their service in
the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion, under the hand ^ of Itha-
mar, the son of Aaron the priest.

34 And Moses and Aaron,
and the chief of the congrega-
tion, numbered the sons of the
Kohathites, after their families,

A ver, 28. Josh. 3. 6.

the instruments. Heb. heshemoth, ly
names. Chald. "By their names."
** By name j^e shall reckon the things
that they must wait upon to bear. —
Mat. " All the vessels and implements
they shall receive by account, and so
shall carry them." — Vulg. As the
sockets, pillars, pins, cords, etc. per-
taining to the Tabernacle were very
numerous, and many of them small,
they were liable to get misplaced, neg-
lected, or lost, and therefore it was
commanded that an iwventory should
be made out of all these particulars, as
a security against the risks to which

they would naturally be subject.

Tf Shall reckon. Heb. tiphJcedu, shall
muster. It is important to keep before
the eye of the reader the peculiar use
of this word.

The Number of the Kohathites.

V. 33. This is the service of the fam-
ilies of the sons of Merari. That is, in
taking down and carrying the taberna-
cle, which was done under the super-
intendence of Ithamar, who had the
oversight both of the Gershonites and
Mcrarites, as Elcazar had of the Ko-
hathites, vs. 16, 28.

V. 34. And Moses and Aaron

numbered. Heb. yijphkod, mustered;

and after the house of their
fathers,

35 From thirty * years old
and upward even unto fifty
years old, every one that enter-
eth into the service, for the
work in the tabernacle of the
congregation :

36 And those that were num-
bered of them, by their families,
were two thousand seven hun-
dred and fifty.

37 These were they that were

to which tht act of numbering was sub-
ordinate. See previous Notes.

V. 35. Every one that entereth into
the service. Heb. Ni^^ NiM ^5 kol
habbd letzdbd, every one that entereth
this warfare. Gr. leitourgein, to litur-
gize. See Note on vs. 3, 30.

V. 36. And those that were numbered

of them were, etc. Heb. va-yihyu

pekud'ehem, and these were of the mus-
tered ones of them, that is, these were
made to be, or found to be, according
to the explanation given in the Note on
ch. 3 : 43. The process denoted by the
term pahad, which we have rendered
by muster, seems first to have been ac-
complished, and then their number
subsequently ascertained. It does not
appear that the above word in itself de-
notes both processes. H Two thou-
sand seven hundred and fifty. By com-
paring this with ch. 3 : 28, it appears
that out of 8600, the total number of the
Kohathites, there were only about a
fourth part fit and able for service.

V. 37. TItese {were) they that were
numbered, etc. It will be observed that
while the verb " were " is inserted in
the preceding verse it is omitted here,
which goes to confirm our suggestion,
that its import in certain connections is
not simply to he, but to he made, or to

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTEfl IV.

numbered of the families of the
Kohathites, all that might do
service in the tabernacle of the
congregation, which Moses and
Aaron did number, according to
the commandment of the Lord
by the hand of Moses.

38 And those that were num-
bered of the sons of Gershon,
throughout their families, and
by the house of their fathers,

39 From thirty years old and
upward even unto fifty years old,
every one that entereth into the
service, for the work in the tab-
ernacle of the congregation,

40 Even those that were num-
bered of them, throughout their
families, by the house of their
fathers, were two thousand and
six hundred and thirty.

41 These ^ are they that were
numbered of the families of the
sons of Gershon, of all that might
do service in the tabernacle of
the congregation, whom Moses

be made out to he, as the result of some
previous process. The act indicated
by the term j3t/^'a(>? seems to be, to ascer-
tain by itisjjectioih or ■visitation wTiat in-
dividuals were Jit afid competent to per-
form certain offices. This is the idea
we attach to the word muster. The
actual enumeration of these individu-
als, though accompanying the muster,
was not identical with it. A similar
phraseology occurs in vs. 38-40.

The Number of tJie GersJionites.
Y. 40. Two tJiousand six Tiundred and
thirty. From ch. 3 : 22, it appears that
the total of the Gershonites was 7500.
Of these a little more than one third
were fit to serve in the Tabernacle.

and Aaron did number, accord-
ing to the commandmeut of the
Lord.

42 And those that were num-
bered of the families of the sons
of Merari, throughout their fam-
ilies, by the house of their fathers,

43 From thirty years old and
upward even unto fifty years old,
every one that entereth into the
service, for the work in the tab-
ernacle of the congregation,

44 Even those that were num-
bered of them, after their fami-
lies, were three thousand and
two hundred.

45 These he those that were
numbered of the families of the
sons of Merari, whom Moses and
Aaron numbered, according to
the word of the Lord ^ by the
hand of Moses.

46 All those that were num-
bered of the Levites, from Mo-
ses and Aaron and the chief of
Israel numbered, after their fam-

/ ver. 29.

The Number of the Merarites.
V. 44. Three thousand and two hun-
dred. Here also out of 6200 Merarites
(ch. 3 : 34) only somewhat more than
half were found fit for service in their
appropriate sphere. In a tabellated
form the numbers stand thus : — ■

^ ( Able men, 2,750

Kohathites, .. . -^ ^t x^ « cra

' ( Unable, 5,850

Total, 8,600

( Able men, 2,630
Geeshonite8,...|^^^^j^^ 4^

Total, 7,500

( Able men, 3,200

Meeaeites, J „ , , „^„^

{ Lnable, 3,000

Total, 6,200.

Grand total, 22,300

NUMBERS.

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ilies, and after the house of their
fathers,

47 From'" thirty years old
and upward even unto tifty years
old, every " one that came to do
the service of the ministry, and
the service of the burden in the
tabernacle of the congregation,

48 Even those that were num-
bered of them, were eight thou-

:r. 3. 23, 30. 1 Chr. 23.
Cor. 1-i. 4-31.

Thus, out of the whole number of the
Levitcs, amounting to 22,300, only 8,580
were fit for service, leaving 13,720 un-
fit, either from being too old or too
young, or otherwise disqualified. " Of
the many that add to the numbers of
the church, there are comparatively but
few that contribute to the service of it.
So it has been, and so it is ; many have
a place in the tabernacle that do but
little of the work of the tabernacle," —
Henry. The family of Merari, though
numerically smaller than either of the
other families of Levi, had yet a great-
er number of able men than either of
them ; for out of 6200 males of a month
old and upwards, we find 3200 who
were neither too young nor too old for
the service of the sanctuary ; which was
more than one half the whole number.
In this the divine wisdom conspicuous-
ly appears; for the Merarites were
charged with the heaviest part of the
burdens, such as the boards, bars, sock-
ets, etc. ; and though wagons were af-
terwards provided for them, yet their
duties in loading and unloading would
be peculiarly onerous. It was requi-
site, therefore, that those charged with
this responsibility should be adapted to
it both in numbers and strength. In
most cases, in any given number of fam-
ilies, the young and the aged exceed
•those in middle life ; but here it is oth-
erwise, as more than half the Merarites

sand and five hundred and four-
score.

49 According to the com-
mandment of the Lord they were
numbered by the hand of Moses,
every one according to his ser-
vice ", and according to his bur-
den : thus were they numbered
of him, as the Lord commanded
Moses.

were strong men, between the ages of
thirty and fifty. This we may regard
as the result of a special ordering of the
divine Providence.

Y. 47. Every one that came to do the
service of the ministry, and the service
of the burden. Heb. laabod alodath
abodah, to serve the service of the service,
i. e. the most laborious service, even
that of the burden. The service is here
probably to be distinguished from the
burdens according to the explanation
given in the Note on v. 19. Gr. " Every
one that goes in to the service {ergon,
worh) of the works, and the charge of
the things that are carried in the taber-
nacle of witness."

V. 49. According to the command-
ment. Heb. alpi, at or upon the mouth.

Gr. "By the voice." T[ TJiey were

numbered by the hand of Moses, etc.
Heb. "He mustered them by the hand
of Moses, every one according to his
service and according to his burden."
" He mustered " (i. e. one mustered) is
an impersonal form of expression equiv-
alent to "they were mustered," as ren-
dered in our version ; but it is always de-
sirable to exhibit the exact literal sense
of a passage. From the tenor of the
verse it is still farther apparent that the
import of " muster" in this connection,
is not precisely to " number," but to ar-
range, order, and marshal, in reference
to the discharge of certain functions.

B.C. 1490.]

CHAPTER IV.

CHAPTER V.

ND the Lord spake unto Mo-
ses, saying,
2 Command the children of
Israel, that they put out of the

CHAPTER V.

The Bemoval of the Unclean from
the Camp.

V. 2. Command the children of Is-
rael, etc. The camp of Israel having
been now arranged according to the di-
viae program, with the sanctuary in
the centre, as the palace of "the Great
King," orders are given with a view to
preserve its sanctity inviolate. Accord-
ing to laws enacted on these subjects
at different times, lepers and persons
otherwise unclean were to be excluded
from the camp. For this exclusion
the following reasons may be cited.
(1.) Physical; the diseases were con-
tagious, and therefore there was a ne-
cessity for putting those afflicted with
them apart, that the infection might not
be communicated. (2.) Sjnritual ; the
camp was the habitation of God, a being
of infinite purity, and therefore in honor
of him who had thus condescended to
dwell with them, nothing impure should
be permitted to remain. (3.) Typical;
the camp was the emblem of the
church, where nothing that is defiled
should enter, and in which nothing that
is unholy should be tolerated. Comp.
ch. 12 : 14. Lev. 13 : 46. Deut. 24 : 8, 9.
2 Kings 7 : 3. That Moses was to com-
mand the children of Israel to do this
shows the weightiness of the matter in
the divine estimation ; and it is very
natural to infer that so stringent a law
in regard to external or natural purity
would tend to produce a more careful
study of internal or moral purity, the
one being emblematical of the other,
and therefore by association of ideas in-

camp every leper", and every
one that hath an issue*, and
whosoever is defiled by the
dead. "

a Lev. 13. 3, 46. c. 12. 14. Deut. 24. 8, 9. b Lpv.
15. 2. c Lev. 21. 1. c. 9. 6, 10. 19. 11-13 31. 19.

timately connected with it. T[ £very

leper. For a full account of the leprosy
and the laws pertaining to it, see Note

on Lev. 13, throughout. T[ Evei^ one

that hath an issue. See Note on Lev.

15 : 2. T[ Whosoever is defiled hy the

dead. Heb. tame Idnejohesh, defiled hy
a soul. The usage is very peculiar, but
a reference to the following passages
will show beyond dispute that the usual
Heb. word for soul does in several in-
stances denote a deadlody, Lev. 21 : 11.
22:4. Num. 6:6. Hag. 2:13. An at-
tempted solution of the grounds of this
visage will be found in my work enti-
tled, "The Soul; or, an Inquiry into
Scriptural Psychology," p. 62. It is
obvious that these legal pollutions rep-
resented our pollution by sin of whatev-
er kind, and the exclusion of persons
affected by these different species of de-
filements from the camp pointed to a
similar allotment in regard to those who
are spiritually defiled, and thus liable
to be cast out of the Church, into which
it is said that " any thing that defileth
may in no wise enter," Rev. 22 : 27.
" Henceforth there shall no more come
into thee the uncircumcised and the un-
clean," Is. 52 : 1. As in the preceding
chapters the chosen people are exhibit-
ed as a great, numerous, and highly fa-
vored people, so we are taught in this
and several following chapters that they
were to be a holy people ; that is, that
they were to be externally and ceremo-
nially holy ; they were to be strict in
the observance of all the divine rites
and institutions, as the condition of en-
joying the tokens of the Lord's pres-
ence among them, and the outward

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3 Both male and female shall
ye put out, without "^ the camp
shall ye put them, that they de-
file not their camps, in the midst
whereof I ' dwell.

4 And the children of Israel
did so, and put them out with-

blessings of his Providence which were
promised to their obedience. As a mat-
ter of historical fact it does not appear
that the nation of Israel, as a nation,
were at all distinguished by a corre-
sponding internal sanctity and purity.
Their religious character has probably
always been substantially what it now
is. But their representative function
could still be discharged independent
of their personal qualities. Hence it is
that we meet with such an ordinance
as the present. The purity of the Jew-
ish camp pointed typically to the purity
of the Christian church.

V. 3. Both wMe and female shall ye
put out. Heb. mizzakar ad nelceldh
teshallehu,from male to female shall ye
send out. The command here given
took effect upon Miriam as related ch.

12 : 15. T[ Without the camp shall ye

put them. Heb. el mihootz, to without,
that is, to a place without the precincts

of the camp. T[ That they defile not

their camps. Heb. " And let them not
defile (or, make unclean) their camps."
That is, as we suppose, at whatever
place they might encamp during their
journeyings, they were always to be
careful and observe the same exemplary
purity by excluding the causes and oc-
casions of pollution. Yet the fact is not
to be overlooked that many distinguish-
ed expositors, both Jewish and Chris-
tian, give another reason for the use of
the plural in this connection. They say
that there were three camps : (1.) The

out the camp : as the Lord
spake unto Moses, so did the
children of Israel.

5 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

6 Speak unto the children of
Israel ; When-^^ a man or woman
shall commit any sin that men

/ Lev. 6. 2.

camp of the Shekinab, or of the Lord's
divine presence, viz., the Sanctuary
with its courts. (2.) The camp of Levi,
who, with his sons, camped round about
the sanctuary. (3.) The camp of Is-
rael, which encompassed them all. A
threefold division somewhat analogous
was recognized in reference to the Tem-
ple and its precincts in aftertimes.
Lepers were accounted so unclean, that
they were not admitted into any of
these three camps, but shut out of them
all, Lev. 13 : 46. But he that had an
issue, or seminal flux. Lev. 15 : 2, was
only shut out of the first two, the camp
of the Lord and the camp of the Levites ;
while he might remain in the camp of
Israel. He that was " defiled by the
dead," Lev. 21 : 1, was only excluded
from the first, but not from the other

two. If In the midst whereof I dwell.

That is, by the visible symbol of the di-
vine presence. Chald. " My Shekinah
dwelleth among you." As the divine
presence consecrates whatever comes
in contact with it, it behoves all un-
cleanness and iniquity to hide its head
before him.

Restitution to he made in the case of

V. 6. When a man or woman shall
commit any sin that men commit. Heb.
" A man or a woman, when they shall
do (any) of all the sins of man." That
is, any of the sins which men, as frail
and fallen beings, are prone to commit.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTEPw Y.

commit, to do a trespass against
the Lord, and that person be
guilty ;

7 Then they shall confess^

^Lev. 5. 5. 2S. 40. Josh. 7. 19. Job 33. 27. Pb.
32. 5. Prov. 28. 13. 1 John 1. 9.

Gr. " Of all human sins; " sins incident
to humanity. Pool and others give the
expression a little different shade of im-
port, and understand by " sins of man"
sins against men, sins whereby other
men are wronged and injured. It is
therefore an example of what is termed
a genitive of the object, being classed
with the following, *' Blasphemy of the
Spirit," i. e. blasphemy against the
Holy Ghost. Comp. Mat. 12 : 31, and
Mark 3 : 29. Luke 10 : 12. " Power of
all flesh," John 17 : 2, i. e. power over
all flesh, " Power of spirits," Mat. 10 :
1, i. e. power over or against spirits,
Luke 9:1. " Prayer of God," Luke 6 :
12, i. e. prayer directed to God. ** Spoil
of the poor," Is. 3 : 14, i. e. spoil taken
from the poor, " Violence of the chil-
dren of Judah," Joel 3 : 19, i. e. violence
against them, as it is also translated.
This construction is favored by vs. 7, 8 ;
but it is not very material which is

adopted. 1[ To do a trespass against

the Lord. Heb. " To transgress a trans-
gression ; " that is, to commit (or, by
committing) a transgression, as in Lev,
6 : 2, where see Note, Chald. " To fal-
sify a falsehood," that is, to speak or
deal falsely. On the force of the Heb.
term see Note on Lev, 5 : 15. Gr, " De-
spising shall despise," as also in Lev,

6 : 2. \ Against tlie Lord. See this

phrase explained in the Note on Lev,
6:2. It implies that wrongs done to
the neighbor are in fact sins against
God. The Chaldee understands this of
frauds and deceptions practised upon
others by means of a false oath, which
would seem to be countenanced by Lev,
6 : 2, where the same command is given.

their sin which they have done :
and he shall recompense ^ his
trespass with the principal there-
of, and add unto it the fifth ipart

K Lev. 6. 5-7. 7. 7.

The prevarication and falsehood sup-
posed in such a case, the denial of hav-
ing received a deposit in trust, would
be an aggravated offence against the
Lord, who requires universal equity and

honesty. *[f And that fer son he guilty.

Heb. nephesh hahiv, and that soul. That
is, according to Pool, shall be sensible
of his guilt, or be convicted of his con-
science. Otherwise it would amount
simply to a tautology, for the being
really guilty is implied in the previous
expression, "when one shall commit
any sin," Rosenmuller, however, in-
terprets it, "And shall in this manner
have contracted guilt." Compared with
the following verse this appears to be
the most probable constrnction.

V. 7. Then they shall confess their sin,
etc. Heb. hithvaddu, shall make tliem-
selves to confess, implying somewhat of
self-compulsion. Although here made
a condition in a particular case, yet con-
fession is the invariable requisite to re-
mission in all cases. " "Whoso that con-
fesseth and forsaketh (sins) shall have
mercy," Prov, 28 : 13. It is evident
that the design of the divine Lawgiver
was to encourage confession in regard
to such offences as could not be discov-
ered by the testimony of witnesses.
This was merciful and wise. It tended
to relieve the mind of a sense of guilt,
and to promote an ingenuous disposi-
tion. In order still farther to effect this
object, it will be observed that the fine
in case of theft is much less than it
would have been had not the crime been
acknowledged, but had been proved
in a court of justice, T[ Shall re-
compense his trespass Heb. hashil eth

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thereof, and give it unto him
against whom he hath tres-

8 But if the man have no kins-
man to recompense the trespass
unto, let the trespass be recom-

ashomo, shall restore Ms trespass (or,
his guiltiness), meaning the thing for
which he is guilty. On the whole sub-
ject of ashams, trespasses, and trespass-
offerings, see the introductory observa-
tions to Lev. 5, where the nature of
these offences and the prescribed offer-
ings is fully discussed. See also Note
on Lev. 6 : 4. Maimonides says, " The
ashain (guiltiness) here spoken of is the
thing taken by rapine or the price
thereof" T[ WitJi thejorincipal there-
of. Heb. herosho, in his head, i. e. with
the sum total in all its items, every
whit. See Note on ch. 1:2, on the
peculiar use of " head " in the sense of

sum. *[[ And add imto it the fifth

fart thereof. See the Notes on Lev. 6 :
4, 5. This penalty was enjoined both
as a compensation to the injured party
for being deprived of the use of his
property for a longer or shorter time,
and as a proper though mild punish-
ment to the offender, with a view to pre-
vent the recurrence of similar wrongs.
It is enacted in Ex. 22 : 1, that " If a
man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and
kill it, or sell it ; he shall restore five
oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a
sheep." But in this instance the law
evidently contemplates the case of a
high-handed and wilful act of theft,
where the perpetrator is convicted by
legal process, and not by his own con-
fession, of the crime ; whereas, in the
passage before us, the fraudulent act is
regarded as of milder form, and is ex-
tenuated by the voluntary confession of
the guilty party.
V. 8. But if the man have no Icins-

pensed unto the Lord, even to
the priest; beside the ram of
the atonement, whereby an
atonement shall be made for
him.

9 And every oftering of all

man. Heb. goel, redeemer. On the im-
port of this term, see Note on Gen. 9 : 5.
It denotes the person who, according to
oriental custom, assumes the office of
redeemer, avenger, and general agent
in behalf of one who is deceased. On
this ground the Hebrews apply this
law mainly to the stranger, supposing
there would not be apt to be any one in
Israel without kinsmen of some kind,
either parent, brother, child, or other
relative; ''but this," says Jarchi and
Maimonides, *' is meant of the stranger

that dieth and leaveth no heirs."

H Let the trespass he recompensed unto
the Lord, even unto the priest. The
Lord and the priest are here, as it were,
identified, from the fact that the priest
was the Lord's representative or depu-
ty, acting on his behalf and in his name.
The case contemplated is where the
man to whom an injury had been done
was dead, and he who had committed it
was required to make satisfaction to his
heir, if he had one, by restoring the
principal and adding a fifth part to it.
In case he had no heir and no kinsman
to act the part of a Goel, the restoration
was to be made to the Lord, in the per-
son of his representative the priest,
though Jewish writers say, with much
plausibility, that it was afterwards
equally distributed among all the priests
who were then serving in their course.

*[[ Beside the ram of atonement.

Comp. Lev. 6 : 6, 7. The guilty party had
offended both God and man by his tres-
pass. By restitution he was to satisfy
the latter, and by atonement the former.
V. 9. Every offering. Heb. terumah.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER V.

the holy things of the children
of Israel, which they bring unto
the priest, shall ' be his.

10 And every man's hallowed
things shall be his : whatsoever

t Ex. 29. 28. Lev. 6. 17, 18.
Deut. 18. 3, 4. Ezek. 44. 29, 3(
9. 13.

heave-offering, taken here in a large
sense so as to include the wave-offering,
both which, according to Ex. 29 : 26-28,
fell to the portion of Aaron. Chald.
" Separation, or separated thing." Gr.
" And every first-fruit according to all

the hallowed things." 1[ WJiich they

bring unto the priest. Heb. yahrihu,
bring near, cause to approach, i. e. by
way of religious offering. As before
remarked, it was offered to the Lord in
the person of the priest. Comp. ch. 18.
Gr. "Whatsoever they shall offer to
the Lord, to the priest to him shall it

be." 1 Shall be his. That is, his

who officiates as offerer at the time.
Compare with this what is said about
the provision for the priests, Ezek. 44 :
28-30, " I am their inheritance : and ye
shall give them no possession in Israel :
I am their possession. They shall eat
the meat-offering, and the sin-offering,
and the trespass-offering; and every
dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs.
And the first of all the first-fruits of all
things, and every oblation of all, of
every sort of your oblations, shall be
the priest's : ye shall also give unto the
priest the first of your dough, that he
may cause the blessing to rest in thine
house." These verses appear to have
no specially intimate connection with
the foregoing, but having spoken of a
recompense to be made under certain
circumstances to the priest, he takes
occasion to deliver some other laws in
which the priests were concerned.
V. 10. Every man's hallowed things

any man giveth the priest, it
shall be his.

11 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

12 Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them, If
any man's wife go aside, and
commit a trespass against him.

shall be his. That is, every man's hal-
lowed things are to be considered, in
the first instance, as being his own, and
subject to his own voluntary disposal ;
but when he has determined to make a
present of any of them to the Lord, then
they fall to the share of that priest into
whose hand it is delivered, who is to
consider it his. The former verse speaks
of the holy things of the children of Is-
rael in general, this of what any partic-
ular person bestowed upon a priest.

The Trial of Jealousy.
V. 12. If any man's wife go aside.
Heb. ish, ish, a m,an, a mxin, that is, as
rightly rendered, the wife of any man —
a not unusual Hebrew idiom. Adultery
was a crime expressly forbidden by the
seventh commandment, and the punish-
ment assigned by the law to both the
adulterer and the adulteress was death
by stoning, when the commission of the
crime was discovered. But sometimes
the crime might be suspected, and a
spirit of jealousy, with or without just
cause, might come over the mind of the
husband. In such a case express pro-
vision was made, by this law, for de-
termining the guilt or innocence of the
wife ; and although God might have
declared her innocence or guilt at once,
yet he chose that it should assume the
form of a public trial, that the attention
of the people might be the more called,
both to the crime of adultery, as also to
his own presence and active agency in
the administration of the law he had

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given them. The connection of this
enactment with the preceding is not
very obvious, but it may be that inas-
much as the preceding verses allude to
various kinds of frauds, this may be in-
troduced here as the most aggravated
form of that iniquity which a man could
have practised upon him. The law in
itself is one of the most remarkable of
all the Mosaic institutes. It goes on
the assumption that as the Lord is the
author of marriage, so he will show him-
self the revenger of the breach of it ; and
it would naturally carry with it, so far
as the predicted results ensued, indu-
bitable evidence of miraculous agency,
and consequently afford full proof of the
divinity of its origin ; and if this par-
ticular law were divine, it could not
well fail to make out the same character
for the whole system. Here is a crime
threatened with a punishment which
could only fall upon it through a special
divine interposition, and such a fact
would establish a permanent supernat-
ural administration of the affairs of the
Jewish nation. It is one of the earliest
specimens on record of what is termed
the trial by ordeal. Ordeal (Lat. orda-
lium) is plausibly supposed to be de-
rived from the Saxon ordal or ordel,
compounded of or, great, and deel, judg-
ment, implying the greated, most sol-
emn, and decisive mode of judgment.
It always implied an appeal to the im-
i.tediate interposition of God, and was
therefore resorted to only in momen-
tous cases, where there was no sufficient
evidence whereby accused parties could
be convicted of guilt. Such were the
cases of jealousy described in this chap-
ter. " Cases would frequently occur,"
says Mr. Kitto, " where the husband
might suspect adultery without being
able to prove it, and in that case, the
man and wife could not fail to live mis-
erably together, or else the man would
feel inclined to act on his own impres-

sions, and take the law into his own
hands. To meet such a case, a trial
was instituted, by which the innocence
or guilt of a suspected wife might be
established beyond question. The trial
of a case of only suspected guilt, and
incapable of proof, could not be other
than an ordeal ; and no one who pays
attention to this awful process can doubt
that it must have had a powerful effect
for the intended purpose, or believe
that any really guilty woman could go
through it and brave its results. It
must have been an awful thing even to
the innocent, who knew that the result
would clear their character from suspi-
cion ; and this was perhaps intended
in order that their conduct might not
only be free from actual guilt, but that
they might avoid all conduct calculated
to give cause for suspicion. We read
no instance in which the trial took
place ; and if the administration of the
ordeal were really infrequent, we may
regard that as an evidence of its prac-
tical utility. For it would seem that
the trial and its result were so dreadful,
that the guilty rather confessed their
crime, as they were earnestly exhorted
to do, than go through it. The inno-
cent only would then drink the bitter
water ; and as it produced no marked
effect upon tliem, this may have led to
the gradual disuse of the trial, under
the impression that it had ceased to be
operative. The Jews, however, say
that this form of trial continued in use
till towards the latter end of the second
temple ; for they were of opinion that
the bitter water would have no effect
if the husband himself were guilty of a
similar crime; and they add that the
adulteries of men became so common,
that the ordeal ceased to distinguish
the guilty woman from the innocent." — •
Plct. Bible. Although there is good
reason to believe, with Spencer, that
the ordeal, as a purgation of crime, ex-

B. C. 1490.1

CHAPTER y.

13 And a man * lie with her
carnally, and it be hid from the
eyes of her husband, and be kept

isted in the customs of heathen nations
prior to its enactment among the Jews,
yet it is probable that this appointment
embodied in a divine code has served
as an authority, or rather as a prece-
dent, for various similar usages which
have prevailed in later times for the de-
tection of crimes, such as witchcraft,
for instance, of which it was impossible
to produce satisfactory proof. We have
grounds for abundant gratitude, that
under the milder dispensation in which
our lot is cast, no such direct appeals
to a divine decision find a warrant.

V. 13. And a man lie icith lier carnal-
ly. Heb. " A man lie with her (with)

the lying of seed." T[ And be kept

close. Heb. n~jriD3 nisterah, she JiatJi
been hidden, or, acted mysteriously, has
mystified. Concealment, mystery, is the
leading idea, and in fact the very word
mystery is supposed to be derived from
the root of the original Hebrew sdthar,
to hide, to conceal. It has evidently a
close relation with mistor, a hiding-
flace, formed directly from the above

root by prefixing ?2 = m. \ And

there be no xvitness against her. For if
there were, she must have been punish-
ed by being put to death. See the law
Lev. 18 : 20 and 20 : 10. The remark may
here be made, that the case described
in this verse is not to be considered as
actual, but hypothetical, that is, the
husband has some reason to suspect that
his wife has gone aside ; she has gone
aside in his opinion ; for it is clear from
the context that he had no proof of it,
nor indeed does the law seem intended
for unequivocal cases, as in all such
cases the punishment was death, as just
observed ; and it is a saying of the He-
Irew doctors that " the bitter waters are

close, and she be defiled, and
there he no witness against her,
neither she be taken iviih the
manner ;

never used except in doubtful cases."
The ensuing verse makes it evident that
the man is harboring a suspicion which
may or not be well founded. In this
state of suspense he is directed what

to do. ^ Xeither she be taken (with

the manner.) The concluding phrase
" with the manner" conveys no intelli-
gible sense as the words are now un-
derstood. They might be omitted with-
out any apparent detriment to the sense.
It is in fact a peculiar idiomatic phrase
occurring in the older English writers,
and now almost wholly obsolete, except
in law documents, to which it originally
and properly belongs. It is equivalent
to being taken in the act. Johnson, in
his Dictionary, under the word " man-
ner," gives a definition almost identical
with that of Blackstone, who says of
certain methods of prosecution, that
" one was when a thief was taken with
the mainour, that is, with the thing
stolen upon him in manu, in his hand."
"Mainour," it seems, was the ancient
spelling, which Blackstone says comes
from the French mainxuvre, a manu,
and this gradually became changed into
manier, and then into manner. Whi-
shaw's "Law Dictionary" has the fol-
lowing : — " Maxxee (from the Fr. ma-
nier or mainer, i. e. manu tractare.)
To be taken with the manier, is where
a thief, having stolen any thing, is taken
with the same about him, as it were in
his hands; which is called flagrante
delicto." So in "Nares' Glossary,"
which contains the fullest exhibition of
the usage of the phrase, it is said, " To
be taken with or in the manner, is to be
caught in a criminal fact ; originally
in a theft with the thing stolen in hand."
To the above, we may add the follow-

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14 And the spirit of jealousy '
come upon liim, and he be jeal-
ous of his wife, and she be de-

l Prov. 6. 34, 35. Cant. 8. 6. Zeph. 3. 8.

ing from "Junius' Letters" (Let. 68),
which goes to confirm all that is said
above. " It is worth the reader's atten-
tion to observe how nearly, in the ideas
of our ancestors, the circumstance of
'being taken with the maner" ap-
proached to the conviction of the felon.
It fixed the authoritative stamp of veri-
similitude upon the accusation ; and by
the common law, when a thief was taken
with the rnaner (that is, with the things
stolen upon him in manu) he might, so
detected flagrante delicto, be brought
into court, arraigned and tried without
indictment ; as by the Danish law, he
might be taken and hanged upon the
spot, without accusation or trial."

V. 14. Andthespiritof jealousy come
upon him. Heb. njOpTlTl r^'p'P "I^S'I
ve-dbar dlauv ruach kinah, and the spir-
it of jealousy pass upon him. Gr.
"And the spirit of jealousy (rather,
zealousy — ^t)X(c(ns) come upon him."
By the " spirit of jealousy " is implied
a jealous or zealous affection of mind,
one by which the subject of it is power-
fully impelled. In like manner the
Scriptures elsewhere speak of" the spir-
it of wisdom, the spirit of counsel, the
spirit of knowledge," Is. 11 : 2. Eph. 1 :
17 ; " the spirit of fornications," Hos.
4:12; " the spirit of fear," 2 Tim. 1:7;
"the spirit of meekness," Gal. 6:1;
" the spirit of slumber," Rom. 11:8;
and in 1 Cor. 14 : 12, "spirits" are put
for the gifts and movings of the Holy
Spirit. Jealousy is a zealous affection
taken sometimes in a good and some-
times in an evil sense, as zeal is some-
times spoken of as good and sometimes
as evil, John 2 : 17. 2 Cor. 7 : 11. Gal.
5 : 20, and is called hitter zeal, James 3 :
14. The Hebrew has one term {kinah)

filed : or if the spirit of jealousy
come upon him, and he be jeal-
ous of his wife, and she be not

defiled ;

by which to express zeal, jealousy, envy,
and emulation. Thus Phineas was
^^ zealous for his God," ch. 25 : 11 ; Elias
was "very zealous^^ for him, 1 Kings
19:10; Joshua was envious for Moses'
sake. Num. 11 : 29 ; and jealousy is an
affection termed " hard (or cruel) as the
grave, the coals whereof are coals of
fire," Song 8 : 6. Jealousy is said also
to be "the rage of a man ; therefore
he will not spare in the day of ven-
geance," P.-ov. 6 : 34. The same affec-
tion is ascribed, by the figure termed
anthropopathy, to the Lox'd himself,
who is termed "a jealous God," Ex.
20 : 5. In all these cases the original
word is the same with that in the pres-
ent passage. The phrase "spirit of
jealousy " belongs to a mode of speech
which is usual when any strong, vehe-
ment, or violent affection, passion, or
prompting takes possession of a man,
as though his whole soul was carried
away by it, and he had scarcely the
power of resistance. At the same time,
we are doubtless at liberty to recognize
an allusion to the power and influence
of evil spirits who are present and ac-
tive in instigating all such promptings
of our fallen nature, exciting them when
there is no ground, and aggravating
them when there is. If we are author-
ised to recognize the influence of the
Holy Spirit in all such aff'ections as are
termed the spirit of wisdom and meek-
ness, the spirit of knowledge and un-
derstanding, the spirit of grace and
supplication, the spirit of prophecy, of
faith, and of a sound mind, so on the
other we may properly refer the oppo-
site affections to an opposite source,
and see an evil demon in an evil dispo-
sition, If And he he jealous of hi?

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER V.

15 Then shall the man bring
his wife unto the priest, and he
shall bring her offering "' for
her, the tenth part of an ephah
of barley meal : he shall pour

wife, and she he defiled. Two distinct
cases are evidently supposed, one in
which the woman has committed adul-
tery, giving thereby occasion for a just
and well-founded jealousy ; the other in
which she has not been guilty of the
crime, and consequently given no legiti-
mate cause for distrust. Both these
suppositions are involved in the lan-
guage of the present verse. But what-
ever were Wxq facts in the case, the pre-
scribed course was the same. T[ And

she be defiled. That is, whether she be

defiled. T[ And she he not defiled. Or

whether it be only his suspicion. The
language is all along to be understood
of the impressions of the husband, and
not of the actual fact.

Y. 15. Then shall the man hring his
wife unto the priest. Together with the
witnesses, if any, who were prepared to
testif)' to the act. According to the
Jewish writers, the priest first endeav-
ored to persuade her to confess the
truth, suggesting hypothetically vari-
ous apologies and extenuations for her,
and if she confessed, saying, " I am de-
filed," she was not put to death, but
simply divorced, with the loss of her
dowry; if she said, "I am pure," they

then proceeded. T[ TJce tenth part of

an ephah of barley vieal. A coarse
offering of barley-meal, without oil or
frankincense, is here prescribed in ac-
cordance with the nature of the trans-
action and the state of the parties. As
all the circumstances were disagreeable,
so the offering was not of the usual pal-
atable material. It was unaccompanied
by the other usual requisites, because it

no oil upon it, nor put frankin-
cense thereon ; for it is an offer-
ing of jealousy, an offering of
memorial, bringing " inic^uity to
remembrance.

n 1 K. n. 18. Ezek. 29. 16. Heb. 10. 3.

was no grateful offering of thanksgiv-
ing, but an expression of humiliation,
grief, and shame. The Hebrew wri-
ters say, "meal, not flour; barley, not
wheat : she hath done the act of a beast,
and her oblation is the meal of a beast."
It may here be asked, Why the jealous
wife was not equally privileged to ar-
raign her husband and put him to an
oath of purgation similar to that here
prescribed for the woman. To this it
may be replied (1), that women gener-
ally speaking are more prone to suspi-
cion and jealousy than men, and there-
fore more liable to make an improper use
of such a liberty. (2.) Because, among
the Jews the marital pre-eminence and
authority was so marked, that the great-
est violence would have been done to
the husband's prerogative by such a
concession to the wife. (3.) Because,
an injury to the conjugal relation on the
part of the wife was a more heinous
offence than one on the part of the hus-
band, inasmuch as he was thereby made
liable to father another man's issue, and
to leave his inheritance and estate to
children that were not his. (4.) Be-
cause, wives under the instigation of
jealousy, had not so much power to op-
press and wrong their husbands, as the
husbands had to wrong their wives.
The law was piompted by a prevailing
kindly regard to the welfare of woman.

Tl A7i offering of memorial bHng-

ing iniquity to remerabrance. The char-
acter and design of the offering deter-
mined its quality. It was an offering
composed of the lowest and meanest
kind of grain, such as was used by the

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16 And the priest shall bring
her near, and set her before the
Lord :

poorest of the people, and therefore
adapted to remind the woman of the
humiliating circumstances into which,
for the time being, she was brought.
It was to have no oil, because oil was a
symbol of love or charity, and its ac-
companying joy and gladness, in which
her reputed conduct showed her lack-
ing ; while frankincense denoted that
sweet spiritual savor which renders all
offerings acceptable to the Lord, and
this also was supposed to be wanting
so long as her innocence was in ques-
tion. It was an offering that brought
iniquity to remembrance, not only in
the conscience of the guilty party, but
also in the minds of others, who would
be impressed by its heinousness. Again,
it was a memorial offering in that it
was a solemn appeal to the Most High,
reminding him that he had engaged to
judge, and expecting from him a dis-
covery of the woman's sin, if sin had
been committed, or of her justification
if she were innocent. See Notes on
Lev. 5 : 11 and 2 : 2.

V. 16. And the priest shall bring Tier
■near, and set her before the Lord. Heb.
" Cause her to stand." Most commen-
tators understand the original pronoun
otha, his or it, of the offering and not
of the woman ; consequently they ren-
der "bring it" and " set it before the
Lord," instead of " her," as she is com-
manded to be set before the Lord in v.
18. The Hebrew will admit of either
interpretation, and it is not possible to
pronounce absolutely which is the true
one. He was to place her by the. sanc-
tuary, the Lord's dwelling-place, that
she might consider herself as in his im-
mediate presence, and that she and all
the spectators might solemnly await his
decision. " Before the Lord," signifies

17 And the priest shall take
holy water in an earthen vessel ;
and of the dust that is in the

at the altar of burnt-offerings standing
before the door of the Tabernacle. She
was thus to consider herself as stand-
ing and about to hold up her hand at
the bar of God's judgment-seat, where
no prevarication was to be allowed.

V. 17. And the priest shall take holy
water. Heb. mayim Jcedoshim,, holy
waters, plur. Chald. "Waters of the
laver." Gr. "Clean living water,"
which would seem to imply that the
translators understood it of the "water
of separation" mentioned ch. 19:9,
which was sprinkled with the ashes of
the red heifer and applied to those who
were separated from the congregation
for uncleanness, that after being wash-
ed and cleansed with it they might be
again received. But it is with more
probability called " holy " as being ta-
ken from the laver, and thence sepa-
rated from common to sacred uses. It
was from thus being appropriated that
it acquired the epithet " holy." Intrin-
sically it had no more holiness than any
other water. This water was to be put
in an earthen vessel, inasmuch as what
was coarse and plain was most suitable
to the occasion. The baseness of the
vessel tended to set forth the degrada-
tion of the party on supposition of her
guilt, and being of a fragile material it
could be easily broken after being thus
employed, so that no monument of the
crime should remain. Comp. Lev. 6 :

28. 11 : 33. 15 : 12. T[ Of the dust

that is in the floor of the tahernacle.
The design of putting dust into the
water was to signify the reproach and
shame she lay under. Ainsworth re-
marks, that as dust was the serpent's
food, so it was implied that if she had
hearkened to the serpent's temptation,
she might expect to partake of the ser-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER y.

floor of the tabernacle tlie priest
shall take, and put it into the
water :

18 And the priest shall set
the woman before the Lord*,

Heb. 13. 4. Rev, 2. 19-23.

pent's curse. Yet it was to be dust
taken from " the floor of the tabertia-
cle," whence it acquired a certain de-
gree of sanctity, and thus an honor was
put upon every thing pertaining to the
place which God had chosen to put his
name there, and an awe inspired of the
divine judgments. " Nothing could be
more unexceptionable than taking dust
from the floor, and this in presence
of the woman and her friends. This
was very unlike the case of the ordeals
among the heathen, when the persons
accused were required to drink things
naturally pernicious ; to handle hot
iron ; or to dip their hands into boiling
water, hot oil, etc., when nothing but a
miracle, or some artifice, would save
the innocent ; whereas here, nothing
but a miracle could hurt the guilty. It
was therefore an excellent method to
set the mind of the husband at ease, in
a case which is frequently the occasion

of much distress." — Priestly. % Put

it into tJie water. Heb. el haramayim,,
to the water ; as the Rabbinists say,
" He put it upon the top of the water,
that it might be seen upon the upper
part of the water." And again, "If he
put in the dust before the water, it was
unlawful."

V. 18. And the priest shall set the
woman hefore the Lord. Heb. "Shall
cause to stand." She was to be placed
before the door of the tabernacle with
her face towards the ark, where was the
symbol of the divine presence. This
was a place of constant resort, and the
publicity of the exposure would not only
tend to affect duly her own feelings, but

and uncover the woman's head,
and put the offering of memo-
rial in her hands, which is the
jealousy-offering: and the priest
shall have in his hand the bitter
water that causeth the curse.

operate also as a warning to others not

" to do after her lewdness." ^ And

uncover the woman's head. A covering
upon the head of a woman was regard-
ed as a sign of subjection to her hus-
band and of corresponding protection
upon his part towards her. It intima-
ted a tender relation which was sup-
posed to be broken for the time being,
and a certain degree of exposure to judg-
ment coupled with deep degradation,
indicated by the act of denuding the
head. The act would also naturally
carry with it the implication, that if
guilty it would be in vain any lunger to
attempt to hide her sin, as the divine
Detector would now disclose the facts,
and discover to the eyes of all Israel
whether she were unjustly accused or
not. In addition to this, the Jewish
writers say that her hair was loosed,
her garments torn open to the breast,
and whatever ornaments of gold or jew-
els she wore were taken from her, ali
with a view to render her external con-
dition accordant with her supposed

moral state. T[ And put the offering

of memorial in her hand. This offering
having been brought by her husband
for her, v. 15, she was now to take and
offer, emblematical of hSr offering her-
self to the Lord's trial, as the oblation
was to be presented to him. — — ^ And
the priest shall have in his hand. " All
the while that her head is bare, and the
meal-off'ering in her hands, the water is
to be in a vessel in the priest's hand,
that she may see the water." — Maimon-

ides. ^[ The Utter water that causeth

the curse. Heb. me, hamm^rim. waters

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

19 And the priest shall charge
her by an oath^, and say unto
the woman, If no man have lain
with thee, and if thou hast not
gone aside to uncleanness wiih
another instead of thy hus-

p Mat. 26. 63.

of bitternesses. Gr. to udor tou elegmou,
water of conviction, so called from its
convincing of guilt. Some of the He-
brew writers intimate that the water
was made bitter by the infusion of
wormwood or something else of similar
quality, but the far preferable opinion
is, that it was so called from its effects,
for if she were guilty, the drinking of
the water would prove fatal, and death
is said to be hUte7\ 1 Sam. 15 : 32, " And
Agag said, Surely the litterness of death
is past." Eccl. 7 : 26, "And I findwiore
litter tlian death the woman," etc. The
same is said of afflictions. Is. 38 : 15,
17, " I shall go softly all my years in
the litterness of my soul." *' Behold,
for peace I had great litterness." Solo-
mon, speaking of an harlot, says, Prov.
5:4, " Her end is litter as wormwood"
that is, both to herself and to her vic-
tims. We may reasonably conclude,
therefore, that " waters of bitternesses,"
an intensitive form of expression, de-
note waters which produced the most
bitter and baneful effects, as a just pen-
alty for the offence, Comp. vs. 24, 27.

1[ That causeth the curse. Heb.

Jiamorerim, rendered by Ainsworth,
litter curse-lringing. Syr. "Explor-
ing." Sam. "Declaring;" both point-
ing to the effect of the water as deter-
mining or revealing the guilt of the
delinquent. This, however, is to be
attributed to no inherent virtue of that
kind in the water itself; it was due
only to the divine power operating in
and with it that it produced such bale-
ful results.
V. 19. And t1ie priest slmll charge her

band, be thou free from this
bitter water that causeth the
curse :

20 But if thou hast gone
aside io another instead of thy
husband, and if thou be defiled,

ly an oath. Heb. hishlia, shall adjure,
shall cause to swear. Gr. " Shall adjure
her in or by the curses of this oath."
The priest was thus, in the most solemn
manner, to adjure the woman to tell the
truth, and to denounce the curse of God
against her if she were guilty, at the
same time declaring to her what would
be the effect of her drinking the water.
Maimonides says that in after times,
when the Jews had, in their dispersion,
lost their own language, this adjuration
was to be uttered in a language that she
understood, in order that she might in-
telligently say Amen. T[ If no man.

That is, no other man than thy hus-
band. Thus Gen. 36 : 6, " went into the
country from the face," etc. Chald.

" into another country," •[[ With

another instead of thy husland. Heb.
tahath ishehd, under thy husland; that
is, by the substitution of another for thy
husband. The usage is illustrated by
the following passages ; Gen. 4 : 25,
" God hath appointed me another seed
instead of Abel ; " Heb. " under Abel."
Ez. 23 : 5, " And Aholah played the har-
lot when she was mine ;" Heb. " under
me." Hos. 4 : 12, " They have gone a
■whovmg from under their God;" that
is, by adopting some other one in his
place. TJ JBe thou free from this hit-
ter water. Heb. "Be thou innocent,"
that is, free, guiltless, clear ; this water
shall be innocuous to thee ; thou shalt
receive no harm from it. The impera-
tive for the future.

V. 20. Instead of thy husband. Heb.
"under thy husband," as in the pre-
ceding verse. T[ Some man have lain

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER V.

the Lord doth make thj thigh
to rot, and thy belly to swell :

22 And this water that caus-
eth the curse shall go into thy

and some man have lain with j Lord make thee a curse *" and
thee beside thine husband : an oath among th,y people, when

21 Then the priest shall ' ' ' " "

charge * the woman with an
oath of cursing, and the priest
shall say unto the woman, The

q Josh. 6. V6. 1 Sam. 14. J4. Neh. 10. 29.

with thee. Heb. " Some man have given
with thee his lying." See Note on v.
13 ; also on Lev. 15 : 18.

V. 21. Then the priest shall charge
the icoman, etc. This is not to be un-
derstood as an additional adjuration,
but merely the continuation of that be-
gun V. 19: Purver renders the verse
more accurately thus : " Thus shall the
priest go on, causing her to swear with
an oath of cursing ; the Lord make thee
a curse and an oath among thy people,
by his making thy thigh fall and thy

belly swell." H Tli^ Lord make thee

a curse and an oath. The context here
contains a species or formula of adjura-
tion which the priest administered to
the accused party. It was equivalent
to saying, " The Lord make thee such
an object of cursing, that men may
make thee a model of imprecation, say-
ing, if I swear falsely, let God punish
me, as he did such a woman." So Is.
65 : 15, " Ye shall leave 3^our name for
a curse (or an oath) to my chosen ; " i. e.

for an oath of execration. % Make thy

thigh to rot and thy helly to swell. The
precise nature of the punishment here
threatened is not perhaps fully convey-
ed by the words employed in our com-
mon version. The " rotting " of the
thigh is in the Hebrew the "falling" of
the thigh, and if we understand " thigh"
in the euphemistic sense in which it is
used Gen. 46 : 26, " the souls which
came out of Jacob's thigh^^'' we may in-
fer Wi-di prolapsus vteri, ot falling of the
wo?rib, was the real effect implied in the
language of this clause and ovarian

dropsy signified by the other. So it is
understood by Horsley and others. We
find the sense of "rot" given to this
word no where else but in the present
connection, though it is often used as
equivalent to "die." If it be under-
stood of the thigh, properly speaking,
it denotes doubtless the icithering or
shrinJcing aicay of the muscles and fat,
but in that case it is difficult to con-
ceive why the effect should be confined
to one thigh, instead of embracing both,
although the original word is singular.
The evidence, therefore, on the whole,
preponderates in favor of the first con-
struction. The term "rot" implies an
ulcerating process, for which we find no
authority in the general usage of the
original. It seems, also, somewhat ac-
cordant with the laws of the divine
Providence, that the penalty of trans-
gression should be visited upon the
offending part, if it be localized at all.
In the Greek, the epithet applied to the
belly is " burst" instead of " swollen,"
and this is supposed by the Rabbinical
writers to have been the actual effect,
of which, however, there is no special
proof. It is also a tradition of the same
writers, that the water which Moses
made the Israelites to drink with the
powder of the golden calf, Ex. 32 : 20,
produced a similar effect.

V. 22. Shall go into thy lowels. To
this there appears to be an obvious al-
lusion in Ps. 109 : 18, " As he clothed
himself with cursing like as with a gar-
ment, so let it come into his bowels like
water." T[ And the woman shall say.

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

"bowels*, to make ihy belly to
swell, and ihy thigh to rot.
And the ' woman shall say,
Amen, amen.

s Ps. 109. IS. t Deut. 27. lo.

Amen, amen, Grr. yevoiro, y^vono, so
ie it, so he it. The response is proba-
bly doubled to express her full consent
and concurrence with the import of the
malediction. Some have supposed an
allusion to both parts of the adjuration,
viz. that which freed her if innocent,
and that which condemned her if
guilty, but this is unnecessary ; such
reduplications are common. " This is
an instance of what we have already
mentioned, that an oath was not pro-
nounced at length by the persons who
took it, but it was read or pronounced
to them by a proper officer. When he
had finished, the party swearing appro-
priated its terms as his own by saying.
Amen, Amen ! — " So let it be" — or some
equivalent expression. Although, how-
ever, this was the formulary of assent
to an oath, it did not, in all cases, bear
that force, being sometimes merely a
protestation. The word Amen, like
the words Hallelujah and Ilosanna, has
been retained in the religious services
of the Western Christian church, and
is understood as an expression of assent
on the part of the people to that which
the minister has said in their name ;
thus formally adopting his expressions.
It was probably thought that the word,
as well as the others we have mention-
ed, possessed in the original a peculiar
emphasis and force, for which it would
be difficult to find a precise equivalent
in any European tongue." — Plot. Bible.
It is difficult to conceive how a woman
could respond Amen in such circum-
stances, if she were really guilty, unless
she had become so hardened in sin as
to be utterly reckless what she uttered.
But if she confessed that she had been

23 And the priest shall write
these curses in a book, and he
shall blot ihem out with the
bitter water :

defiled, or, which was equivalent, if she
declined drinking, then, according to
the Hebrew tradition, she was perma-
nently separated from her husband, but
without dowry.

V. 23. And the priest shall write these
curses in a hook. Heb. hassepher, in a
scroll or tablet. The Hebrew denomi-
nates all writings by the term we
translate " book," whether long or
brief, whether bills, bonds, letters, etc.
Comp. Deut. 24 : 1. 2 Sam. 11 : 14. Is.
39 : 1, in all which the original is sephcr,
hooh. "The whole context," says Mr.
Kitto, " is quite averse to rendering the
Hebrew word by " book" in this place.
The word is generally applicable to
every roll, scroll, or tablet in which any
thing was written ; and the context
must in all cases determine the proba-
bility as to what is intended. The
Kabbinical writers think that the curse
in this awful ceremony was written on
a scroll of vellum or parchment. This
we may very well doubt; but without
at present inquiring whether the art of
preparing vellum was known at this
time, it seems more probable that, for
such a temporary purpose as the pres-
ent, the writing was made on a tablet
of wood, properly prepared. Such tab-
lets were very anciently used, and still
are so, in some countries, not only for
writing intended to be soon obliterated,
but for that which is designed to be
permanent. Whatever was used in the
present instance, it was certainly noth-
ing at all resembling in its form the
idea which the word " book " suggests

to our minds." T[ Shall hlot {them)

out with the hitter toater. Heb. mahah
el me liammdrim, shall wipe them out to

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER V.

24 And he shall cause the
woman to drink the bitter water

(or into) the litter water. The process of
obliteration was such that the characters
written were to be wiped or scraped off
into the bitter water, and this water was
then to be drank by the woman. She
would in consequence drink the very
words of the execration. " It would seem
from this that the ink made no perma-
nent marks on the skin, linen, wood, or
whatever other substance the words
were written on. It is precisely the
same with the ink now in use in the
East. In its composition no calx of
iron, or other material that could make
a permanent dye, is emploj^ed, and al-
though the writing made with it has an
intense and brilliant black color, which
will remain unchanged for ages, the
characters may at any time be sponged
or washed out with water. We have,
while writing this note, tried this ; and
find it quite easy to obliterate, by the
slightest action of the moistened finger,
words which were written several years
since, at different times, with inks pro-
cured in different countries of Western
Asia. It is unnecessary, therefore, to
suppose, with some who judge only
from our own ink, that the ink employ-
ed on the present occasion was prepared
in a peculiar manner, and used only on
this occasion." — Plct. Bible. The im-
port of this part of the ceremony is well
interpreted by Henry, to wit, that it
was the curse which impregnated the
water and gave it its strength to effect
what was intended ; signifying at the
same time, that if she was innocent the
curse should be blotted out, and never
appear against her, as it is written, " I
am he that blotteth out thy transgres-
sions for mine own sake, and will not
remember thy sins ; " while on the other
hand, if she were guilty, the curse as it
was written being infused into the wa-

that causeth the curse : and the
water that causeth the curse

ter, it would enter with it into her bow-
els, even " like oil into her bones," Ps.
109 : 18, as we read of a curse entering
into a house, Zech. 5:4. These re-
marks will afford a sufficient answer to
the question, why the curse should be
written and afterwards blotted out. If it
were to be blotted out, why should it be
written ? If it were to be written, why
should it be blotted out? It appears
that the act had a double significaucy,
the writing implying one thing, and the
obliteration another.

V. 24. Shall cause the woman to drink
the hitter water. Previous to which,
however, it appears that the jealousy-
offering mentioned v. 26 was to be
presented. The following note by Mr.
Kitto will be read with interest in this
connection : " There is still a strong im-
pression entertained among the inhab-
itants of Africa, and some Asiatic coun-
tries, that the full force of a charm, or
of a prayer or a curse, is obtained by
having it written, and by washing the
writing off" in water, and drinking the
draught. The idea on which this is
founded is sufficiently intelligible when
the virtue of a written charm is be-
lieved— and such belief is by no means
rare in countries nearer home than those
of Africa or Asia. It is then an obvious
act of the mind, or rather of supersti-
tion, to conclude that the virtue inher-
ing in the written charm may be best
imbibed by its words being swallowed,
which they cannot well be by any pro-
cess more convenient than washing
them off in water. Travellers, partic-
ularly African travellers, abound in in-
stances of their being applied to for
written charms, by drinking the words
of which the applicants believed the}"^
would obta n some desired good, some
I security from evil, or a remedy against

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

shall enter into her, and become
bitter.

25 Then the priest shall take
the jealousy-offering out of the
woman's hand, and shall wave "
the offering before the Lord,
and offer it upon the altar :

26 And the priest shall take
an handful of the offering, even

disease. One instance from Mungo
Park will illustrate this subject : ' At
Koolkorro my landlord brought me his
writing-board that I might write him
a sajjhie to protect him from wicked
men. I wrote the board full, from top
to bottom, on both sides ; and my land-
lord, to be certain of having the full
force of the charm, washed the writing
from the board into a calabash, with a
little water, and having said a few pray-
ers over it, drank this powerful draught;
after which, lest a single word should
escape, he licked the board until it was
quite dry.'" (Travels, p. 256.)— Fid.

Bible. T[ Shall enter into Tier, {and

hecome) hitter. Heb. "Shall enter into
her to bitterness." Chald. " Shall en-
ter into her to cursing ; " that is, they
shall work in her the evil and bitter
effects of a curse.

V. 25. Shall wave the offering before
the Lord. Shall move it to and fro in
token of presentation or dedication to
the Lord. " The priest took the minis-
tering vessel wherein the meat-offering
was, and put it upon her hands, and the
priest put his hands under hers, and
waved it." — Maimonides.

V. 26. Shall take an handful. This
handful was to be the memorial imme-
diately after spoken of. See Note, Lev.
2 : 2, where the nature of the " memo-
rial " is explained. The portion of the
offering that i-emained after the memo-
rial-handful was taken out was eaten

the " memorial thereof, and burn
ii upon the altar, and afterward
shall cause the woman to drink
the water.

27 And when he hath made
her to drink the water, then it
shall come to pass, ihat^ if she
be defiled, and have done tres-
pass against her husband, that

V Lev. 5. 2, 9.

by the priest, imless the husband was
a priest, when it was scattered among
the ashes. This offering, in the midst
of the transaction, was a solemn ac-
knowledgment that the whole affair was
to be conducted under the Lord's aus-
pices, and that he was appealed to as a
God " from whom no secret is hid."

V. 27. Then it shall come to pass, etc.
All things being thus performed accord-
ing to the tenor of the divine directions,
the issue was to be awaited. If the
woman charged with the crime was
really guilty, the water she drank w^ould
prove in effect a deadly poison to her,
operating in the manner above de-
scribed, in addition to which the Jew-
ish writers say that her face would turn
pale and yellowish, her eyes were ready
to start from her head, and the cry was
raised, " Carry her forth, carry her
forth, lest she defile the court of the
temple," i. e. by dying within its pre-
cincts. Such signal effects could not
of course be attributed to the water
viewed in itself, but only to the efficacy
of the divine operation working in and
with the external agent. The mingled
water and dust had in themselves no
more power to produce the effects de-
scribed than had the clay and spittle,
employed by our Saviour, to open the
eyes of the blind. The effect in either
case was equally supernatural. It is a
tradition of the Jews that the adulterer
also died the same day and hour that

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER V.

the water that causeth the curse
shall enter into her, and become
bitter, and her belly shall swell,
and her thigh shall rot : and the
woman shall be a curse '" among
her people.

28 And if the woman be not
defiled, but be clean ; then she
shall be free, and shall con-
ceive ^ seed.

29 This is the law of jeal-
ousies, when a wife goeth aside ^

10 Dent. 28. :;7. Is. 65. 15. Jcr. v4. 9. 29. 18, 22.
ii. is. Zech. 8. 13. x I'e. 113. 9. y ver. 19.

Is. 57. 8.

the adulteress did, and in a similar
manner ; which may or may not have
been the fact. The Jewish doctors add
also, that the waters had this effect upon
the adulteress only in case the husband j
had not offended in the same way. j

V. 28. Tlten she shall he free. That
is, shall receive no harm from the
draught; as in v. 19. Dou., "Shall

not be hurt." \ Shall conceive seed.

Heb. nizreah zera, shall he sown with
seed. Chald. " Shall prove with child."
The Jewish writers speak in high terms
of the effects of this water upon the in-
nocent woman, as may be seen from
the words of Maimonides : — " If she be
undefiled, when she hath drunk she will
wax strong, and her face wax clear ;
and if she have any sickness, it will
leave her ; and she shall conceive and
bear a man-child ; and if she were wont
to have hard travail, she shall have
speedy travail ; and if she were wont
to bring forth females, she shall bring
forth males."

V. 29. When a woman goeth aside to
another instead of her hushand. Heb.
" Goeth aside under her husband." Our
version gives the correct idea, but some-
what paraphrastically. See Note on
v. 19.

V. 30. Shall set the woman hefore tlie

io another instead of her hus-
band, and is defiled ;

30 Or when the spirit of jeal-
ousy Cometh upon him, and he
be jealous over his wife, and
shall set the woman before the
Lord, and the priest shall exe-
cute upon her all this law.

31 Then shall the man be
guiltless from iniquity, and this
woman shall bear ' her ini-
quity.

Lord. Heb. "Shall cause to stand;"
i. e. in the manner and for the end be-
fore described. T[ Shall execute npon

her all this laio. Heb. "Shall do unto
her all this law."

V. 31. Then shall the man he guilt-
less. That is, he shall be blameless in
this matter, inasmuch as he has done
what in him lay towards detecting and
removing the evil which he suspected
in his wife.

The law which we have now consid-
ered is fertile of suggestion. (1.) It in-
volved a striking proof of that special
providence which governed the affairs
of the Jews. The inquest was not re-
ferred to the scrutiny or ingenuity of
human judges, but was carried to the
tribunal of God himself for his express
decision. There was clearly nothing in
the water itself when thus mixed that
could have the effect described, or in-
deed, any injurious effect at all. The
effect was wholly supernatural. The
offender might brave the trial, though
conscious of her sin, in unbelief of the
declared providential results, but she
would nevertheless assuredly find there
was a God in Israel who would verify
and vindicate his own ordinance. It is
supposed that the crime committed had
been so secre* that no human being, ex-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

cept the guilty persons, were cognizant
of it. It is supposed, also, that no clew
to the discovery of it could possibly
be found. But the issue of the ordeal
brings the truth into the light of noon-
day. Could any doubt remain whether
the Lord's hand was in the detection of
the crime ? Every such instance would
tend to work the powerful conviction in
the minds of all the Israelites that the
Most High ruled indeed among them,
and that his providence would fulfil all
his threateuings, as well as all his prom-
ises. (2.) Such a direct appeal to the
Lord himself would serve to mark, in
the strongest manner, the guilt of adul'
tery. Not only was that sin punished
with death when discovered, but here
was a particular mode appointed for its
detection when suspected, in which God
thought it not below him to act imme-
diately as judge, and to inflict a fear-
ful punishment upon the transgressor.
What could serve more effectually to
stamp the impress of a peculiar enor-
mity upon this above most other forms
of evil in the sight of heaven ? (3.) It
would operate as a powerful preserva-
tive of public morals. It is the hope
of concealment that gives an edge to
temptation. A thief will not steal, if
he knows that he must infallibly be de-
tected ; nor will the adulterer or sedu-
cer lay their plans for compassing the
ruin of their victims, if they know that
they cannot possibly conceal their guilt.
In view of such a law as this, all parties
would be put upon their guard. Every
man of common feeling would shrink
from being the occasion of exposing a
woman to so unerring a test and so cer-
tain and dreadful a punishment. He
could not but feel for the danger into
which he would bring his partner in
guilt, and fear the sting of a perpetual-
ly accusing conscience in case he should
be the cause of her condemnation and
death. And then its influence upon fe- I

males would be exceedingly great. It
would tend to preserve them not only
from the actual commission of the sin,
but from the slightest approximation
towards it. How careful and circum-
spect must every wife have been ren-
dered by knowing that she might at
any time be subjected to such an ordeal
even upon suspicion, and what shame
and punishment, and what a misei'able
death was before her, if she became
guilty. Add to this, that whenever an
instance of the execution of this law oc-
curred, all who saw it, both male and
female, would be deeply affected by it ;
the innocent would feel themselves yet
more afraid of the sin and be more fully
resolved to abstain from it. All Israel
would hear and fear, and do no more so
wickedly. (4.) It would be a guardian
of domestic peace, and a great comfort
to the oppressed. The " spirit of jeal-
ousy " is a formidable enemy to family
quiet. It corrodes and eats out all do-
mestic happiness, and among a people
so hard-hearted as the Jews, and so
ready to put away their wives on the
slightest occasions, would naturally
lead to the most cruel treatment. But
when a woman of blameless character
was made the victim of her husband's
jealousy, with what holy confidence
would she drink the appointed cup, and
make her appeal to Him who searches
the heart ! With what triumph would
she depart from the tabernacle when
God himself had borne a public testi-
mony to her innocence ! The Jewish

" law of jealousy " has now ceased, but J
let us not suppose that the Lord is any A
less observant of sin, any less opposed
to it, or any less intent upon its punish-
ment. His providential interpositions
may not be so immediate or so visible
in this world as they were among the
Jews ; but in the world to come, if not
before, every transgressor will learn,
that " his sins shall find him out." Not

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER VI.

more plainly did the Most High make
manifest the guilt of the adulteress un-
der this law than he will bring out the
wickedness, however secret, of adulter-
ers and adulteresses, and all other
transgressors of every kind, in the fear-
ful revelations of the future. So like-
wise they who labor under false accu-
sations; they may securely commit
their cause to God. Any person may
be unjustly accused, and not always
having at hand the means of clearing
himself, he may lie long under the
Aveight of injurious suspicions, but the
truth will eventually come to light, and
every wrong be abundantly redressed.

CHAPTER YI.
The Law of the Nazarite.
Among the religious practices of the
Jews, that of malcmg voivs, from a vol-
untary prompting, was one of the most
remarkable. It does not appear, in-
deed, that vows originated with that
nation ; they seem rather to have been
one form in which the religious senti-
ment of all nations and ages was prone
to express itself. But, though not a
product of the Mosaic system, yet it
was adopted into it and laws made for
its conduct. These vows consisted of
some solemn engagement voluntarily
assumed by those who made them, or
of the consecration of some person or
thing to some particular use or service,
such as might redound to the honor of
God. The vow of the Nazarite, de-
scribed in the present chapter, is one
of the most remarkable of these, espe-
cially when viewed in its typical rela-
tions. The vow of the Nazarite in-
volved the dedication of a person to
God, either temporarily or permanently,
and implied in its own nature a peculiar
aspiration towards a closer conjunction
with heaven in the acts of piety and

devotion than was ordinarily enjoyed
by those who were occupied simply with
the common routine of life and its du-
ties. It was for the time being a sepa-
ration from and a renunciation of the
pleasures of the world, and of all flesh-
ly gratifications and indulgences. The
Nazarite was one who had purposed,
for the good of his soul, to lead an asce-
tic life and to " mortify his members
which were on the earth," living in all
purity and holiness, and manifesting to
the utmost that character and conduct
which under the Gospel consists in " de-
nying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
and living soberly, righteously, and
godly in this present world." The va-
rious abstinences involved in the Naza-
rite vow will be considered in detail as
we proceed, but we here remark on the
institution in general, that it was de-
signed to prefigure the Lord the Sa-
viour, who, though not observant of the
laws relating to that order of men, was
nevertheless consecrated by divine de-
signation and by voluntary engagement
to the service of God in the work of
human redemption, to which he was
devoted without intermission, and from
which he desisted not till he could say,
" It is finished." In pointing typically
to him, it points also to his people.
The formal vow and its ceremonies have
now indeed ceased; but the genei-al
duty of devoting ourselves to the Lord,
in all the branches of a holy life, still
subsists in all its binding force, being
founded on the most powerful obliga-
tions and motives. " Ye are bought
with a price," says the Gospel, "there-
fore glorify God in your body and your
spirit which are his." It inculcates an
entire separation from the world in its
corrupt principles, its erroneous les-
sons, its vain pleasures, its ambitious
projects, its sinful works. Its language
is, " Come out from among them, and
be ye separate, saith the Lord, and

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CHAPTER VI.

AND the Lord spake unto Mo-
ses, saying,

touch not the unclean thing, and I will
receive you, and will be a father unto
you, and ye shall be my sons and daugh-
ters, saith the Lord almighty." The
spirit of this injunction is plainly Naza-
ritic, containing an express allusion to
the separation and the danger of un-
cleanness which were incident to that
class of men. Although we cannot fair-
ly draw from this chapter an absolute
prohibition of the use of wine, or of
other worldly enjoyments of a harmless
kind, yet we are taught from it to study
a holy superiority to all the 'pleasures
of sense as tending to subject the soul to
the body, and thus retard our ascent to
heaven. Though not required to aban-
don the world and its secular cares, yet
we are required to " use the world as
not abusing it," and to repose our bur-
dens on the Lord. Though not called to
that singularity of dress which marked
the Nazarite to public view, yet neither
are we called to be conformed to every
idle fashion, or to run into all the ab-
surdities which characterize the world.
Though we are not to shrink from vari-
ous contacts forbidden to the Jewish
votary, yet we are to keep at the remo-
test distance from all moral pollution,
in the profound dread of walking un-
worthy of our holy profession, and
bringing dishonor upon the Lord's ven-
erable name. Thus let us walk, and as
the Nazarite, after his term of separa-
tion was fulfilled, '* might drink wine,"
so after the short period of mortification
and self-denial here we shall " enter
into the joy of our Lord," even into
"his presence, where there is fulness
of joy and pleasures for evermore."

V. 2. When either man or woman
sltall separate. Heb. yaphli, sliall sig-

2 Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them,
When either man or woman

nally separate. See Notes on Ex. 8 : 22.
Lev. 27 : 2, where the import of the ori-
ginal term is largely unfolded. The
root from which yaphli comes (paid),
signifies the doing of something ex-
traordinary and marvellous, and is th6
word that occurs Lev. 27 : 2, concerning
the making of a singular vow, and con-
veys doubtless the idea of one's acting
from an extraordinary zeal for God and
religion. To separate, in this connec-
tion, is to exempt in a special and mar-
vellous manner. Gr. " Whosoever shall
greatly vow a vow." A vow is a reli-
gious promise made to God, and it is
here supposed that it might be made
by either a man or a woman ; but it is
presumed in this case that the parties
are free, each in their own power or at
their own disposal ; as otherwise a su-
perior might annul the vow of an infe-
rior by the law recorded Num. 30 : 4, etc.
So in respect to this particular kind of
vow the Hebrew canons say, "The
father (of a child) or the husband (of a
wife) may disannul the Nazariteship of
his child or his wife, if he will, as in
other ways." Philo, in his treatise
" On Animals fit for Sacrifice," after de-
scribing the voluntary or votive obla-
tions which were occasionally made by
the people, goes on to say, " And when
they have no longer any materials left
in which they can display their piety,
they then consecrate and offer up them-
selves, displaying an unspeakable holi-
ness, and a most superabundant excess
of a God-loving disposition, on which
account such a dedication is fitly called
the great vow ; for every man is his
own greatest and most valuable posses-
sion, and this even he now gives up and
abandons." The more particular na

B. C. 1490.] CHAPTER VI. 87

shall separate themselves to ' separate themselves unto the

vow a vow of a Nazarite ", to Lord ;

a Judg. 13. 5. Acts 21. 23, 24.

ture of the Nazarite vow will be consid-
ered in what follows. ^ Of a Naza-
rite. Heb. nazir, from the root ndzar,
to separate, denoting one who was espe-
cially separated and set apart, either by
the act of his parents or his own, to the
worship and service of God, and that
either for life or for a temporary season.
Such vows are recognized in the Mosaic
laws, although there is good reason to
believe that they were of far more an-
cient origin. That the present, at any
rate, was not the first occasion of the !
institution is evident from the fact, that |
the ordinance here mentioned was given j
in the second year after the departure i
from Egypt ; but in an earlier law con-
cerning the Sabbatical year, which was
made in the first year, a figurative ex-
pression drawn from Nazaritism occurs,
in calling the vines which in that year
were not to be pruned, vines or grapes
of separation or XazaritesJi ip. (See Xote
on Lev. 25 : 5.) This implies that the
thing itself must have been already in
vogue, and that too, probably, for a long
time. Spencer also shows, in his great
work on the " Hebrew Laws," that the
custom of special consecration prevail-
ed from the earliest ages among the
Gentile nations, so that under the Mo-
saic dispensation the object was to reg-
ulate a pre-existing custom, that it
should not minister to superstition or
idolatry, and to establish a usage which
carried with it a rich typical signifi-
cancy. On this head Mi-. Kitto remarks,
that the practice was probably allowed
to the chosen people, " with a reference
to the true God, in order to take away
occasion for its being preserved in hon-
or of idols. A rooted custom, in itself
harmless, but applied to purposes of
evil, may with less diflaculty have its

object altered than be wholly eradicated.
In viewing the laws of Closes, it is al-
ways useful, so far as may be possible,
to distinguish those which originate
usages, from those which only correct,
modify and alter usages already exist-
ing."— Pict. Bible. It does not appear
that the assumption of the Nazarite
vow is anywhere positively enjoined
or recommended, yet neither is it dis-
couraged where one's spirit moved him,
from devout impulses, to undertake it.
From the following allusions we may
infer that the institution was in itself
capable of being made subservient to a
good and acceptable use. Lam. 4 : 7,
" Her Kazarites were purer than snow,
they were whiter than milk, they were
more ruddy in body than rubies, their
polishing was of sapphire." Am. 2:
11, "And I raised up of your sons for
prophets, and of your young men for
j^azarites.'" Of the Nazarites who were
such by reason of a vow made by their
parents, Samson, Jeremiah, John the
Baptist, and probably Samuel, are con-
spicuous instances : of examples of vol-
untary Nazaritism we meet with scarce-
ly any in the sacred history, though the
case of Paul, Acts 18 : 18, approach-
es it, as it is said of him that he had
shorn his head in Cenchrea in conse-
quence of having made a vow. But it
is certain that there is nothing of this
nature that is now obligatory on Chris-
tians, although vionastic institutions
would seem to have had their origin in
promptings very similar to those which
operated with the Jewish Nazarite. To
the due accomplishment of this kind of
vow, we learn that the following requi-
sites were indispensable.

1. Total abstinence from wine and
every thing that could intoxicate. This

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[B. 0. 1490.

interdiction was so severe, that they
were not only obliged to avoid the use
of any strong liquor, and were to taste
no vinegar made of wine, nor wine
made by macerating grapes in water,
after the juice had been pressed out, but
they were not even permitted to eat
moist or dried grapes, nor paste or
sauce that had any of the juice of grapes
in it, nor pulp or stone, or even so much
as the bark of the vine.

2. Letting the hair grow without cut-
ting. No razor, or scissors, or any other
instrument was to come upon the head
till the expiration of the vow, which
was seldom less than thirty days.

3. Avoiding the touch of a dead body,
whereby pollution might be contracted.
He was not at liberty to enter a house
where a corpse lay, nor to follow it to
the grave, nor, if we may believe the
Hebrew writers, was he so much as to
wear mourning even at the decease of
his nearest relatives or friends.

The reasons of these prohibitions, as
well as the ceremonies observed during
the continuance and at the close of the
vow, will be considered in the sequel.

Writers of the school of Michaelis and
Palfrey, who have a very dim percep-
tion of the spiritual drift of the Mosaic
institutes, are prone to recognize in this
a civil and prudential use in addition to
the religious ; and we may safely admit
that the sobriety and temperance which
the Nazarites were obliged to observe
were very conducive to health. But
whether they were intended to be cele-
brated by the prophet for their fair
and ruddy complexion, when it is said
(Lam. 4 : 7) that they were " whiter
than milk and more ruddy than ru-
bies," inasmuch as these are sure signs
of a sound and healthy constitution,
may well be questioned. We are
prompted ourselves to recognize a far
deeper import in these expressions,
while at the same time, we would not

undervalue any of the secondary or in-
cidental results that may have accrued
from the usage.

But in our view the principal impor-
tance of this institution arose from its
typical or representative significancy.
The Jews as a nation were but little
addicted to ascetic devotion, and it was
probably only now and then that an
individual was found disposed thus to
sequester himself from the routine of
ordinary life and give himself up for a
longer or shorter time to the rigid exer-
cise of a purely religious course. Nev-
ertheless, as the Nazarite institute had
obtained in the world, the divine wis-
dom saw that important ends could be
answered by incorporating it into the
Levitical system as a foreshadowing
mainly of that pre-eminent consecra-
tion which was to distinguish Him who
was ''holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sinners." One of the ap-
pellations by which he was to be known
was that of " Nazarene," and although
we are well aware that other grounds
may be assigned for this title, yet we
see no sufficient reason for excluding
this from among those grounds. The
original term ndzar, as we have ob-
served, signifies to separate, to set apart
or dedicate to a lioly use. It is clear
from the prophetical writings that the
Messiah was to be a person of eminent
sanctity. He is called by the Psalmist
"the Holy One," and the actual record
of his life shows that Jioliness was his
grand distinguishing trait. How rea-
sonable, then, to suppose, that an epi-
thet derived from the word nazar may
be applied to him by the pen of inspi-
ration in calling him a " Nazarene." It
is admitted that our Lord's external life
was not conformed to the rules of the
order, for he ate and drank like other
men, and mingled indiscriminately with
all classes, though still in such a man-
ner that it could ever be said of him

B. 0. 1490.

CHAPTER YI.

3 He shall separate himself
from* wine, and strong drink,

b Jer. 35. 6-8. Amos 2. 12. Luke 1. 15.

that he was ''undefiled and separate
from sinners." Still we may recognize
the substance of the Nazaritical character
in his ineflFably pure and spotless life,
wherein we recognize the esseritial ver-
ity of all that was typically reflected in
the qualities and actions of such men as
Joseph, Sampson, Samuel, Jeremiah,
and John thg Baptist, who are regard-
ed as personal prefigurations of the
Lord himself It is perhaps for the
reason that the Nazariteship of Christ
is to be seen in his general character
and deportment instead of a specific
conformity to the laws of the institu-
tion, that commentators have been un-
able to point to any express prediction
in the prophets which could be said to
have been fulfilled by his being called
a Nazarene. It may have been solely
upon the ground of the general tenor
of the ancient oracles respecting him.
Add to this, that when it is said, "he
shall be dalled a Xazarene," it is equiv-
alent to its being declared that he shall
actually he such, as verbs oi naming are
in multitudes of cases used for verbs
of being. Comp. Is, 56 : 7 with Luke
19 : 40. From all this the reader will
perceive the light in which we regard
the Nazarite law as mainly important.
Y. 2. Unto the Lord. Chald. " Before
the Lord." Targ. Jon. " To the name of
the Lord." This indicates the motive
and end proposed in a Nazaritic vow,
which was a nearer approach to the
Lord with a view to his honor and glo-
ry, to the expression of gratitude for
mercies received, and for the strength-
ening of faith and love, and all the
graces and virtues of the servant of
God. On this subject the Hebrew wri-
ters teach, "He that saith, Lo, I will

and shall drink no vinegar of
wine, or vinegar of strong drink,
neither shall he drink any liquor

be a Nazarite if I do so, or if I do it
not, and the like, he is a wicked man,
and such Nazariteship is like wicked
men's. But he that voweth to the Lord
by way of holiness is honest and com-
mendable ; and of him it is said, the
crown of his God is upon his head
(Num. 6 : 7), and the Scripture com-
pareth him with a prophet. Am. 2 : 11."
It appears from 1 Mace. 3 : 49, that in
public calamities this vow was more
severely kept.

V. 3. He shall separate {himself ) from
wine and strong drink. Heb. "Shall
be a Nazarite from wine," etc. Gr.
" Shall be sanctified from wine." Tulg.
"Shall abstain from wine and from
every thing that will make a man
drunk." On the original term shekar,
here rendered strong drink, see the
Note on Lev. 10:9. In strict propriety
the term shekar denotes strong drink
made from any kind of fruits, such as
dates, etc., but the Hebrews restrict it
in this connection to such only as is
made of the fruit of the vine. " Three
species of things are forbidden to the
Nazarite, viz., pollution, shaving, and
the fruit of the vine ; but strong drink
made of dates, or such like, is lawful
for the Nazarite ; and the strong drink
forbidden him by the law is strong
drink made with mixture of wine." —
Maimonides. The same writer observes,
that by the sobriety and sanctity thus
enjoined, and especially by their avoid-
ance of dead bodies, the Nazarites were
raised, as it were, to the dignity of the
high priest, who was laid under similar
restrictions. The special design of the
prohibition is supposed to have been
that they might reduce to subjection
the sensual man, retain their faculties

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

of grapes, nor eat moist grapes,
or dried.

clear and unclouded, and thus be better
qualified for that devout study of the
law to which they would naturally ad-
dict themselves during the period of
their separation. "By this prohibi-
tion," says Ainsworth, " God taught
the Nazarites sanctification in mortify-
ing the lusts of the flesh ; for the drink-
ing these beverages endangereth men
to " forget the law " of God, Prov. 31 :
45, to mock and to rage (as "wine is
a mocker and strong drink raging"),
Prov. 20 : 1, they " take away the heart,"
Hos. 4 : 13 ; and the priest and the pro-
phet through them " err in vision and
stumble in judgment," Is. 28 : 7. There-
fore Daniel in his mourning drank no
wine, Dan. 10 : 3 ; John Baptist, the
Nazarite, drank no wine, and was there-
fore counted a mourner, Luke 7 : 32, 33,
and the Nazarites, by this abstinence,
were taught, instead of wine, " to be
filled with the Spirit," Eph. 5 : 18, and
with the love of the Lord, which is

" better than M'ine," Cant. 1 : 2.

H Vinegar of wine. Heb. Y"?2n, Jiometz,

which implies acid fermentation.

II Vinegar of strong drinh. Both these
drinks were forbidden because they had
virtually the same intoxicating effect
with the principal liquors themselves.
If Liquor of grapes. Or, Heb. "prepa-
ration of grapes." Gr. " Whatsoever is
made of grapes." Vulg. "Anything
that is pressed out of the grape." The
import of the original is that of some-
thing macerated or steeped in water al-
most to solution. Grape-skins steeped
in water after the juice is pressed out,

form the drink here alluded to. ■

T[ Nor eat moist grapes nor dried. This
was doubtless forbidden on the ground
that the grapes either in a moist or
dried state (as raisins) might tend to
stir up the appetite for the juice, or

4 All the days of bis separa-
tion shall he eat nothing that is

wine, and it conveys the important les-
son, that we are not only to avoid sin
with the utmost care and caution, but J
every thing that borders upon it and ^
leads to it, every thing that would serve
as an occasion, or operate as a tempta-
tion, to it. " Abstain from every ap-
pearance of evil." The Hebrew doctors
teach that "it is unlawful for a Naza
rite to stand in the company of them
that drink wine, but he is to keep
away, for there is a stumbling-block
before him. Our wise men have said
(moreover) that he should not come
near a vineyard." — Maimonides.

V. 4. All the days of Ids separation.
Heb. 1~1D nizrOy of Ids Nazaritesldp.

Gr. " Of his vow." \ Eat nothing

that is made of the vine tree. That is,
nothing which is yielded ot produced by
the vine, for a tree is said to mahe fruit
when it yields or brings it forth. See
Note on Gen. 1 : 11. Instead of vine
tree the literal rendering is vine of the
wine, to which, however, vine tree is
equivalent. The only other passage in
which this phrase occurs is, Judg. 13 :
14, " She may not eat of any thing that
cometh of the vine (Heb. " that cometh
of the vine of the wine"), implying in
both cases not so much artificial ^^repa-
rations of the fruit of the vine as its
native growth or product. From the
above passage in Judges it appears that
the mothers also of such as were sanc-
tified to be Nazarites from the womb
were required, during their pregnancy,
to abstain from the things which were
forbidden to the Nazarites themselves,
inasmuch as the unborn child was sus-
tained by the mother's food and drink.
It is easy to infer, that its S3^mboHcal
import was that of a full and complete
renunciation of worldly pleasures from
the commencement of the new birth

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER yi.

made of the vine tree, from the
kernels even to the husk.

5 All the days of the vow of
his separation there shall no ra-
zor ' come upon his head : until

c Judg. Ifi. n, 19. 1 Sam. 1. 11.

through the whole period of sanctifi-

cation. T[ From tJie Tcernels even to

the hmh. Or, from the stones to the
outer skin, "From the grape-stones
to the rind." — G-id. Booth. This is but
a repetition of the charge given in the
preceding verse relative to abstaining
from whatever might serve as an occa-
sion or provocation to sin. So we are
commanded not only to avoid pollution,
but to " hate even the garment polluted
by the flesh," 1 Thes. 5 : 22. Thus too
are idols not only to be renounced, but
" je shall defile also the covering of thy
graven images of silver, and the orna-
ments of thy molten images of gold."
As occasionally gleams of light are re-
flected upon these laws from the com-
ments of the Rabbins, we furnish the
reader with suitable specimens. " All
things forbidden of the vine are equal
one with another; so that if he put
green grapes with dry, or with unripe
grapes, and with kernels and husks,
and eat of this mixture but so much as
an olive, he is to be beaten. Also if he
drink a quarter of a log of the mixture
of wine with vinegar, he is beaten. If
he eat the like quantity but of the husks,
which are the outward skins, or of the
kernels, which are the seeds within, he
IS beaten." — Maimonides. It appears
also from Judg. 13 : 4, 14, that as the
Nazarite was not to taste of wine, so
neither was he to eat any unclean thing,
which was an additional sign of the
sanctification implied in the observ-
ance.

V. 5. All tJie days of the xow of h,is
separation. Heb. neder nizro, 'vow of
his Xazariteship. Gr. " Of his sanctity,

the days be fulfilled, in the which
he separateth himself unto the
Lord, he shall be holy, and
shall let the locks of the hair of
his head grow.

or purity." T[ Shall no razor come

vpon his head. Heb. " Pass upon his
head." On this the Rabbins say : " The
Nazarite that shaveth his head is to be
beaten, whether it be with razor or with
scissors ; likewise if he pluck off his
hair with his hand, he is to be beaten."

1[ Until the days he fvlJiUed. There

is nothing explicit in Scripture as to the
length of time which the Xazarite's vow
might embrace. The shortest term
fixed by the Jewish writers is thirty
days, but from the example of Paul it
would appear that it might be for a
week only. Acts 22 : 26, 27. The peri-
od, however, was in fact left optional
with the votary, though we are natu-
rally led to suppose it was of sufficient
duration, in ordinary cases, to allow of
the growth of the hair to a considerable
length, so that there should be enough
to be burnt at the conclusion of the term,

V. 18. 1i Shall let the locls of the hair

of his head grow. Heb. " Letting his
locks grow, the hair of his head." The
reasons assignable for this appointment
are various. (1.) It served as a sign
of mortification to worldly delights, as
the cutting off" or pulling out of the
hair was a usual accompaniment of
deep sorrow and afHiction, of humilia-
tion and self-abasement. It is, more-
over, a fact unquestionable, that all
forms of ascetic and monastic life tend
to the cultivation of the hair and the
beard, although the tonsure is charac-
teristic of certain orders of religious
devotees. Particular causes may ope-
rate in these cases, but there can be no
doubt that the tendency is what we have
stated. (2.) It was a testimony to the

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

6 All the days that he sepa-
rateth himself unto the Lord
he shall come at no dead body ^.

7 He shall not make himself

c. 9. 6. 19. 11, 16.

purity which the Nazarite professed,
for when the Nazarite (v. 9), or the lep-
er (Lev. 14 : 8, 9) was cleansed from
impurity, the hair was shaven off;
wherefore the keeping it from heing
shaven implied that the parties had
kept themselves from uncleanness. Ac-
cordingly, when the Lord would denote
the rejection of Israel, as being unclean
before him, he did it by this sign of cut-
ting off the hair with a razor, Is. 7 : 20.
Ez. 5 : 1-10. (3.) It was to be kept un-
shorn as a symbol or badge of the pecu-
liar strength and virtue which should
mark a prevailing holiness of spirit and
life. The case of Samson illustrates
this idea of the import of the long hair
of the Nazarite, although it is carefully
to be borne in mind that the strength
was not intrinsically in the hair, any
more than the healing virtue by which
Naaman was cured of his leprosy was
in the Jordan, but in the divine potency
which cooperated with the outward
sign. (4.) As the long hair of woman
is regarded in the Scriptures as a sign
of her husband's power over her, and
her subjection to him (1 Cor. 11 : 5-10),
80 the Nazarite's hair might properly
be regarded in the same light, as a to-
ken of his special subjection to the Lord,
to whose power and auspices he had
committed himself by his vow.

V. 6. Shall come at no dead hody.
Hcb. al nephesJb metTi, at the soul of a
dead person. Another instance of the pe-
culiar usage by which the original word
for "soul" is applied to & dead hody.
On this usage see Note on Lev. 21 : 1.
Num. 5 : 2. Targ. Jon. " Shall not come
at the son of man that is dead." All
death refers the mind naturally to sin,

unclean for his father, or for his
mother, for his brother, or for
his sister, when they die ; be-
cause the consecration of his
God is upon his head.

and that which is pure and holy cannot
come in contact with that which is sin-
ful without pollution. Others might
touch dead bodies without contracting
any thing more than a temporary cere-
monial pollution ; indeed, some must
do this, or the dead would remain un-
buried ; but it was forbidden to the
Nazarite on the pain of forfeiting all the
honor and advantage of his vow. The
tendency was to remind them of the
necessity of keeping their consciences
pure from dead works, and of not touch-
ing the unclean thing.

V. 7. Shall not make himself unclean,
etc. That is, by touching, mourning
for, or burying them. This rule would
teach- them to moderate their affections
and griefs, on account of earthly rela-
tives, and to consider themselves more
entirely consecrated to their Father in
heaven. In this respect they stood up-
on a par with the high priest himself.
Lev. 21 : 11. T[ Because the consecra-
tion of his God is upon his head. Heb.
nezer, the Nazariteship, or separation.
Gr. " The vow." Chald. " The crown
of his God ; " as the original, nczcr, is
also rendered. Lev. 21 : 12. The allu-
sion is to the unshorn locks of hair upon
his head, constituting the principal ex-
ternal badge of the Nazarite. The high
priest was in like manner distinguished
by what is " the crown {nezer) of the
anointing oil of his God," and both the
one and the other in their consecration
were types of Christ, on whose head it
is said, Ps. 132 : 18, " the crown {nezer)
shall flourish." So also Christians,
"made kings and priests unto God,"
have "on their heads crowns of gold,"
Rev. 1:6. 4:4.

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER yi.

8 All the days of his separa-
tion ' he is holy unto the Lord.

9 And if any man die very

Y. 8. Boll/ unto tie Lord, The lead-
ing idea conveyed by the term "holy"
in this connection is undoubtedly that
of external ceremonial holiness, evinced
in scrupulously abstaining from what
was forbidden, while at the same time,
if an inward and spiritual sanctity
could be superadded to this it would
redound so much the more to the ad-
vantage of the votary. But the Jews,
as a general fact, were a people very
little receptive of the deeper internal
workings of spiritual life. Their func-
tion was rather representative or typi-
cal, and this function could be dis-
charged independent of the interior
state of the subjects.

Y. 9. If any man die very suddenly
ly him. Heb. "If the dead dieth by
him suddenly unawares." That is, by
apoplexy, violence, or in any other way.
A provision is here made for the cleans-
ing of a Nazarite in case he happened
unavoidably to contract a ceremonial
pollution by the touch of a dead body.
Should such a thing occur at any time
after the commencement of his separa-
tion, the uncleanness would nullify the
proceedings up to that point, and he
would have to begin anew. The cere-
monies for such an occasion are here

prescribed. T[ HatJi defiled tTie head

of his consecration. Heb. rosh nizro,
thehead of hisNazariteship. Gr. "Im-
mediately shall the head of his vow be
defiled." It was requisite that he
should be strictly exempt from pollu-
tion by the dead during all the days of
his Nazariteship. In the case supposed
there was evidently no blame to be at-
tached to the person who happened to
be providentially present at the death
of a fellow-being ; still defilement was

suddenly by him, and he hath
defiled the head of his consecra-
tion; then he shall shave-' his

/ Acts 18. 18.

imputed and purification enjoined. It
is a legitimate, practical inference from
this, that even sins of infirmity, or
faults in which we are overtaken by
surprise, and to which we are moved
by no ill-intention, are a proper ground

of repentance and humiliation,

H Shall shave his head in the day of his
cleansing, etc. The sense of the origi-
nal is not perfectly clear, but the proba-
ble import is, that the shaving of the
head was not to take place immediately
upon the occurrence of the defilement,
but on the seventh day afterwards, at
the close of the season for which he was
to consider himself unclean. Accord-
ing to this the final clause of the verse,
" on the seventh day shall he shave it,"
is merely exegetical of the preceding.
Theodoret, however, and some others
suppose a twofold shaving to be indi-
cated, the one on the first day of his
uncleanness and the other on the last.
But in this case, it is difiicult to un-
derstand why the first day that he was
to be considered unclean should be
called " the day of his cleansing." The
shaving now enjoined was to cleanse
from the incidental pollution contract-
ed, and was entirely different from the
shaving prescribed upon the fulfilment
of the vow, V. 18, which was to be done
at the door of the Tabernacle, where
also the hair was to be burnt. " When
the Xazarite shall shave himself for his
uncleanness, he need not shave him at
the door of the Sanctuary, nor cast his
hair into the fire. But whether he be
shaved within or without the Sanctu-
ary, his hair is unlawful to be put to
any use, but must be buried." — Mai-
monides. The import of all this was
equivalent to that of the shaving of the

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

head in the day of his cleansing,
on the seventh day shall he shave
it.

10 And on the eighth day he
shall bring two ^ turtles, or two
young pigeons, to the priest, to
the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation :

g Lev. 5. 7. 14. 25. 15. 14, 29.

leper when cleansed, Lev. 14, signify-
ing the renunciation of one's own right-
eousness by any works he can perform,
and the acknowledgment of pollution
even in his best doings. Comp. Phil.

3 : 8, 9. H The seventh day. The day

when all who were defiled by the dead
were made clean by the sprinkling of
holy water, ch. 19 : 11, 12, 19.

V. 10. Shall bring two turtles. That
is, two turtle-doves. The appointment
accords with that which the law made
for atonement in behalf of those who
had unclean issues, and went through
a process of cleansing on account of
them. See Notes on Lev. 15:14, etc.
" When a Nazarite is defiled with any
uncleanness for which he is to shave
himself, one is to sprinkle upon him on
the third day, and on the seventh day
(Num. 19 : 12), and he is to shave off
the hair of his head, in the seventh day,
and to wash in the seventh day, after
he is sprinkled, as do all that are defiled
by the dead, and when his sun is set,
he shall bring his offerings on the eighth
day, and they are two turtles, or two
young doves." — Maimonides.

V. 11. And the priest shall offer. Heb.
dsah, shall do. This is a peculiar phrase-
ology, made use of where mention is
made of sacrificial rites. It is equivalent
to sacrifieabit, parahit, mactalit in Lat-
in, i, e. to make ready and offer up in
sacrifice. The parallelism in the fol-
lowing passages will unfold the usage.
1 Chron. 21 : 23, " Let my lord do that

11 And the priest shall offer
the one for a sin-offering, and
the other for a burnt-offering,
and make an atonement for him,
for that he sinned by the dead,
and shall hallow his head that
same day.

12 And he shall consecrate
unto the Lord the days of his

which is good in his eyes." 2 Sam. 24 :
22, '' Let my lord the king take and offer
up what seemeth good unto him." So
also Ps. 66 : 15, '' I will offer (Heb. will
do) bullocks with goats." The same
word occurs Ex. 29 : 36. Gen. 18 : 7.

27 : 17. T[ For that he sinned hy the

dead. Heb. icca p? al nephesh, upon
or over a soul. Chald. " By the dead."
The act is termed sinning, though not
with strict propriety, as it was merely
a casual and undesigned contraction of
legal uncleanness. The original term is
Ntan hdtd, to miss, to fail of one's aim,
and such was the effect in the present
instance. Though done without his
agency and against his will, yet in the
eye of the law it was a defilement, and
as such was to be atoned for. It was
designed to make men very cautious
how they came in contact with any thing

that should cause pollution. ^ Shall

hallow his head. Heb. kiddesh, shall
sanctfy. By " his head " is meant " the
head of his Nazariteship," as v. 9. The
observance of his vow was to commence
anew by the consecration of the hair of
his head, which was to be suffered to
grow without cutting henceforth to the
expiration of the period embraced in his
vow. Rabbi Sol. Jarchi says, " Sanctify
his head, i. e. to begin again the count
of his Nazariteship." This is confirmed
by the ensuing verse.

V. 12. And he shall consecrate. Heb.
hizzir, shall separate as a Nazarite, the
original root from which comes nazir,

B. C. 1490.

CHAPTER VI.

separation, and sball bring a
lamb of the first year for a
trespass-offering * : but the days
that were before shall be lost,
because his separation was de-
filed.

13 And this is the law of the
Nazarite, when the days of his

the JVasarite. The import is, that he
shall begin, with the eighth day, a new
term of self-consecration or separation,
to continue for the same length of time

that he had first vowed. ^ For a

trespass-offering. Which was the pro-
per offering for involuntary sins. Lev.

8 : 15. 22 : 11. H The days that were

before shall he lost. Heb. yippelu, shall
fall, or fall out. Chald. " Shall be
frustrated." Gr. "Shall not be reck-
oned." Yulg. "Shall be made void."
This single act of defilement, however
insignificant it might appear in itself,
would still be sufficient to annul all that
he had done before, so that it should be
accounted for nothing. " It teaches us,"
says Henry, " that ' if a righteous man
turn away from his righteousness,' and
defile himself with dead works, all his
righteousness that he hath done shall
be * lost to him,' " Ezek. 33 : 13.

V. 13. This is the law of the I\aza-
rite, etc. That is, that which follows is
the law in regard to the closing cere-
monies of the Nazariteship, the speci-
fied period having expired. It points
out the manner in which the votary was
to express his gratitude to God, on the
fulfilment of his vow, and receive an

orderly discharge. T[ He shall be

brought. Heb. ydbi otho, he shall bring
him. As the original leaves it doubtful
who are meant by "be" and "him,"
three different modes of interpretation
have been suggested. (1.) That the
man brought himself, which is appar-

separation are fulfilled' : he shall
be brought unto the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation;
14 And he shall offer his of-
fering unto the Lord, one he-
lamb of the first year without
blemish for a burnt-offering, and
one ewe-lamb of the first year

ently, though not certainly favored by
the Gr. (2.) That the priest brought
him. (3.) That the word " him " should
rather be rendered "it," referring to
the lamb which the man was to bring
as an oblation. "We prefer the construc-
tion which makes the subject of the
verb indefinite, " one shall bring him,"
i. e. he shall be brought, as our version
has it.

V. 14. Ee shall offer. Heb. hikrib,
shall bring near, the appropriate term
for sacrificial and other offerings. See

Note on ch. 8 : 9, 10. 1 Of the first

year. Heb. " Of his first year," and so
in the subsequent clause respecting the

she-lamb, " of her first year." ^ F-jr

a burnt-offering. One of each of the
three great classes of offerings men-
tioned Lev. 1 : 3 : 4 : is here prescribed,
corresponding to the threefold prohibi-
tions of wine, tonsure, and corpse-defile-
ment specified above. The design of
them is well expressed by Patrick : —
"A burnt-offering, as an acknowledg-
ment of God's sovereign dominion. A
sin-offering, imploring pardon for any
omissions of which he might have been
guilty during his vow; and a peace-
qfftring, in thankfulness to God, who
had given him grace both to make, and
to keep, and to fulfil this vow." The
duty of bringing these offerings, though
the vow had been fulfilled without any
pollution, would teach the Nazarite that
so far from meriting any thing by his
pious consecration of himself, a secret

■NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

without blemisli * for a sin-offer-
ing, and one ram without blem-
ish for ' peace-offerings,

15 And a basket of unleav-
ened bread, cakes "* of fine flour
mingled with oil, and wafers of
unleavened bread " anointed with
oil, and their meat-offering, and
their " drink-offerings.

16 And the priest shall bring
them before the Lord, and shall

k Lev. 4. 3, 28, 32. Mai. 1. 13, 14. 1 Pet. 1. 19.
I Lev. 3. 6. m Lev. 2. 4. n Kx. 29. 2. o c. 15.
5, 7, 10.

and unseen guiltiness still clave to him
even in his best and most perfect works,
and though " he knew nothing by him-
self (i. e. against himself), yet was he
not thereby justified, but he that judged
him was the Lord." 1 Cor. 4 : 4.

V. 15. And their meat-offering and
tJteir drink-offerings. The possessive
"their" in this connection seems to
refer to the btirnt-offering and peace-
offering mentioned in the preceding
verse, and which were always to have
the meat-oflFering (meal-offering) and
drink-offering as an accompaniment,
besides the basket of unleavened bread,
with the cakes and wafers. See Lev.
7 : 12. Num. 15 : 2, 3, etc.

V. 16. Shall bring {them.) Heb.
hikrib, lit. s7iall cause to come near ; a
term which is interchanged with " of-
fer," 1 Chron. IG : 1, " they offered {yah-
ribu) burnt-sacrifices," etc. compared
with 2 Sam. 6 : 17, " And David offered

(i/aal) burnt-offerings," etc. T[ Shall

offer his sin-offering. Heb. *' Shall do
his sin-offering." See Note on v. 11.
For an account of the nature and use of
the sin-offering, see Note on Lev. 4 : 1.
This, though mentioned second, was
offered first, according to the Hebrew
writers: — "He killed the sin-offering
first, and after the burnt-ottering, and
after that the peace-off"erings, and af-

orfer his sin-offering, and his
burnt-oftering.

17 And he shall offer the
ram for a sacrifice of peace-
offerings unto the Lord, with
the basket of unleavened bread :
the priest shall offer also his
meat-offering, and his drink-
offering.

18 And the Nazarite shall
shave ^ the head of his separa
tion ai the door of the taberna-

p Acts 21. 24.

ter that he was shaved." — Maimonides.
Having made his peace with God by
the sin-offering, the other two which
followed were made acceptable.

V. 17. Shall offer the ram. Heb.
" Shall do the ram," as in the preceding
verse. On the nature and design of the
peace-offering, see Note on Lev. 3:1,
It was here a token of thankfulness that
he had been enabled to fulfil his vow,
and a kind of rejoicing festival before
the Lord, as the flesh of the peace-offer-
ings was eaten by him who brought the
sacrifice after the Lord and the priest

had had their portions. Tf With the

basket of unleavened bread. From Lev.
8 : 26, it would appear that not the
whole contents of the basket were thus
offered to the Lord, but one of each kind
of the cakes was dedicated to him as a
wave-offering, and the rest was eaten
by the offerer and his friends invited on

the occasion. T[ The priest shall offer.

Heb. " Shall do." From this it is obvi-
ous that the meat-offering (meal-offer-
ing) and the drink-offering were distinct
from the basket of unh^avened bread,
although Boothroyed and Geddes are
disposed to identify them.

V. 18. The Nazarite shall shave the
head of his separation. Heb. " Of his
Nazariteship." That is, the hair of his
head, which was the grand visible dis-

B. 0. 1490.1

CHAPTER YI.

cle of the congregation ; and
shall take the hair of the head
of his separation, and put it in
the fire which is under the sac-
rifice of the peace-ofi"erings.

19 And the priest shall take
the sodden * shoulder of the
ram, and one "■ unleavened cake
out of the basket, and one un-
leavened wafer, and shall put

q 1 Sam. 2. 15.

Ex. 29. 23-23.

tinguishing badge of his separation or
consecration to the Lord as a Xazarite.
The Hebrews call this " the shaving of
purity," for having now fulfilled his
vow, this hair was holy, not having
been defiled like that which he was or-
dered to shave ofi" before, v. 9. The
ceremony, therefore, was like cancelling
a bond when the condition is perform-
ed. T[ At the door of the tabernacle.

That the act might receive an appro-
priate notoriety ; that it might be pub-
licly known that he had completed his
vow. After the Tabernacle was suc-
ceeded by the Temple, this was done in
the precincts of the latter. Acts 21 : 26.

H Flit it in the fire which is 'under

the sacrifice of the peace-offerings. Be-
ing considered consecrated and holy it
was consigned to the fire, where it was
consumed in honor of the Lord whom
the fire represented. The fire, how-
ever, in this case, was not the fire of the
altar, which was too pure for such an
oblation, but the common fire under the
pot or caldron in which the peace-offer-
ings were boiled. This might be called,
in one sense, holy, because it was em-
ployed to boil holy meat, and for that rea-
son was more sacred than common fire.
V. 19. Shall take the sodden shoulder.
That is, the boiled shoulder, which was
the left, the right, called the heave-
shoulder, V. 20, being by a previous
law (Lev. 7 : 32, 33) appropriated raw

ihem upon the hands of the Naz-
arite, after ilie hair of his sepa-
ration is shaven :

20 And the priest shall wave
them for a wave-offering before
the LoED : this is holj^ for the
priest, with the wave-breast and
heave-shoulder : and after that
the Nazarite may drink wine.

21 This is the law of the
Nazarite who hath vowed, and

to the priest. In this case, accordingly,
the left shoulder was added to the right
as a special token of the Nazarite's
thankfulness to heaven for the many

mercies vouchsafed. T[ After (the

hair of) his separation is shaven. Heb.
"After his Nazariteship is shaven."
The thing signified being put for the
sign.

V. 20. And the priest shall icave them.
On the import of the words " wave,"
"waving," "wave-offering," see Notes
on Ex. 29 : 24-28. Whatever were the
distinction between wave-offering and
heave-offering, the act was performed
by the priest's putting his hands under
those of the offerer, thus intimating
that the acceptance of all our services
is through the mediation of our great
High Priest, Jesus Christ, by whom we
are to offer " the sacrifice of praise to

God continually." ^ Thcis is holy

for the priest.- Heb. Tcodesh, holiness ;
that is, a holy portion for the priest to

eat. T[ With the wave-breast and

heave-shoulder. Heb. " Upon, or in ad-
dition to, the breast of waving and
shoulder of heaving," which were the
perquisites of the priests, of all the

peace-offerings. ^ May drink wine.

Heb. " Shall drink," i. e. if he pleases,
being now discharged of his vow and
restored to his former freedom, to live
as other men.
v. 21. This is the law of the Naza-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

of his oJBfering unto the Lord
for his separation, beside ihai
that his hand shall get : accord-
ing to the vow which he vowed,
so he must do after the law of
his separation.

rite, etc. The common rendering and
interpretation of this verse does not
strike us as satisfactory. It is for the
most part understood to mean that all
the observances above mentioned he
was bound to comply with, however
poor he might be, besides which he
might add whatever his circumstances
and inclinations might prompt him to
over and above what was thus pre-
scribed. ('Beside that that his hand
shall get.') But to this it is a serious
objection, that the preceding law makes
no allusion to any such additional vol-
untary offerings, and yet the writer is
professing to recite the terms of the
law. We propose, therefore, the fol-
lowing, as the literal and more correct
rendering of the passage : — " This (i. e.
what is said above) is the law of the
Nazarite who shall vow, (and the law
of) his gift (Jcorhano, Ms hor'ban) unto
the Lord according to his Nazariteship,
beside that which his hand shall have
attained ; according to the vow which
he shall have vowed, so shall he do ac-
cording to the law of his Nazariteship."
The phrase, " beside that that his hand
shall get," denotes, we think, that which
fell within the measure of his ordinary
ability. Over and above what he ordi-
narily did in the way of gifts or obla-
tions, he was especially bound as a vo-
tury to discharge punctiliously all the
requirements above specified which
were involved in his vow. The phrase-
ology in the clause ** for his separation "
{al nizro), which we have rendered
"according to his Nazariteship," is in
the original closely akin to that which

22 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

23 Speak unto Aaron and
unto his sons, saying, On this
wise ye shall bless * the chil-

s Lev. 9. 22. Deut. 10. S. 21. 5. Josh. 8. 33.
1 Clir. 23. 13.

occurs in the final clause of the verse,
" after the law of his separation {al
torath nizrd''). If the preposition J;?
al may be properly rendered in one case
after, i. e. according to, we see not why

it may not be also in the other. •

^ According to tJie vow wliicli lie vowed.
Heb. Icepi nidro, according to the mouth
of his vow. That is, according to the
tenor, purport, and intention of his vow.
It is reiterating the general declaration,
that he must conform, with the utmost
strictness, to the terms of the vow which
he has voluntarily made. On the gen-
eral purport of the latter part of this
chapter, in which various offerings are
commanded, the following remarks of
Calvin will be seen to be very appro-
priate : " Here we clearly perceive, that
however cheerfully and earnestly men
endeavor to offer themselves altogether
to God, yet they never attain to the
goal of perfection, nor arrive at what
they desii'e, but are always exposed to
God's judgments, unless He should par-
don their sins. Even when the work
of the Nazarites is complete, God com-
mands them to confess their guilt, and
suffers not this service to intrude into
the place of merit, but requires of them
a sacrifice, that they may borrow from
elsewhere what belongs not to them-
selves, though they appear to be the
most perfect of all men." — Harm, of
Pent.

The Formula of .Blessing pronounced
upon the People.
V. 23. On this wise shall ye Mess, etc.
The Lord here prescribes the form of

B. C. 1490.]

dren of Israel, saying unto
them,

blessing which Aaron and his sons were
to pronounce upon the people, espe-
cially at the close of the daily services.
The office of benediction was in a pecu-
liar manner committed to them, as ap-
pears from Deut. 22 : 5, '* And the priests
the sons of Levi shall come near ; for
them the Lord thy God hath chosen to
minister unto him, and to bless in the
name of the Zord." And 1 Chron. 23 :
13, "Aaron was separated, that he
should sanctify the most holy things,
he and his sons for ever, to burn incense
before the Lord, to minister unto him,
and to bless in his name for ever," In
this act they represented one grand
prerogative of Christ, the great High
Priest of the Church, who is pre-emi-
nently the fountain of blessing, and " in
whom all the nations of the earth are
(to be) blessed." The uniform practice
of the Apostles in blessing the people,
leads us to infer that it was to be con-
tinued under the Christian dispensa-
tion ; and accordingly, in conformity to
their example, the Christian Church
has universally retained the custom of
closing the service with a pastoral bene-
diction. Not that ministers .caiL, bnany
power or authority j)f their jO\nu_£on-

Vey a blessing ; bLLLA&..Ateamrfl-< pf thft

rnxsteries of God, and mediums be-
tween himself and his people, they may
still act as the appointed vehicles of
^essin^s which he sees fit to impart.
The priestly benediction was in itself
very simple, yet as the divine appoint-
ment it undoubtedly brought down
many blessings upon those upon whom
it was pronounced. And shall we sup-
pose that the Most High will put any
less honor upon his ordinances under
the Gospel? Let not then the benedic-
tion be slighted, as though it were a

CHAPTER VI. 99

24 The Lord bless' thee.

and " keep thee ;

«Pb. 134. 3. uPs. 121.7. John 17. 11.

mere signal for the breaking up of the
congregation, but be looked upon as
the expression of the Lord's good will
to each of his worshippers involving
the exhortation to do as well as to lear/i
his commandments. The threefold repe-
tition of the name " Jehovah " undoubt-
edly carries with it an allusion to the
divine mystery set forth in the august
titles Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as
evangelically explained by the apostle, (
2 Cor. 13 : 14, " The grace of our Lord I
Jesus Christ, and the love of the Father, 1
and the communion of the Holy Ghost
be with you all." Indeed, the Hebrew
writers confess that as the name "Je-
hovah," in this connection, is differently
pointed each time, some mystery un-
known to them is couched under it.
Under the Christian dispensation this
mystery is unfolded. The term " bless," 1
though here predicated of the priests, is I
properly to be understood of the Lord J
himself, and the part of the priests was '
simply that of in vocation, for they could 1
not bless of themselves. At the same ■
time, as they acted as official interces- '
sors, and spake in the name of Him ;
who commanded the blessing," the \
prayer on that account involved a vir- ;
tual promise, and was uttered with a
certain authority which gave assurance
of its accomplishment. This blessing
was pronounced in a standing posture,
with uplifted hands, and probably with
a loud voice, and the face turned to-
wards the people. Deut. 10 : 8. Lev.
9 : 22. With the Levitical priests this
was typical. In our Lord himself it
was veritably fulfilled. Luke 24:50,
" And he led them out as far as to Beth-
any ; and he lifted up his hands, and
blessed them."
V. 24. The Lord bless thee, and keep

100

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

25 The Lord make his face "
shine upon thee, and be gra-
cious "" unto thee ;

vPs. 31. 16. 67.1. 80.3,7,19. 119.135. Dan.
9.17 w Gen. 43. -29. Ex. 33. 19. Mai. 1. 9.

thee. The blessing is here pronounced
in the singular (" thee "), although its
import is of course plural. In this re-
spect it is like the precepts of the Deca-
logue, which address themselves to
every man in his individual capacity,
the implication being in either case that
no one is to lose himself in a multitude,
but to make a personal application of
whatever is included in the blessing or
the command. The leading import of
blessing, when spoken of the Lord, is
ahundant increase and miiUiplication
of good things both temporal and spir-
itual. " The Lord bless thee and keep
thee," therefore, is equivalent to, the
Lord bestow upon thee plentifully the
favors of his providence and his grace,
and kindly guard and preserve thee in
the happy enjoyment of them. The
original term for " keep " is often em-
ployed to signify the tutelary care, the
faithful guardianship, which the Most
High exercises towards those who put
their trust in Him. Thus, Ps. 121 : 7,
" The Lord &\\dX\ j07'eser've thee from all
evil, he shall preserve thy soul."

V. 25. The Lord make his face to
shine upon thee, etc. Heb. yaer pnnauv
aliiM, make Ms face (lit. faces) to he
light {lightsome or luminoiis) to thee.
The Targ. Jon. adds, ** when thou art
studying the law, and reveal to thee its
hidden things." The ancient versions,
tliough somewhat various in the form
of expression, evince a substantial
agreement. Chald. " The Lord display
his Shekinah (or Divine Majesty) upon
tlioe, and have compassion upon thee."
Syr. " The Lord illuminate thee with
his countenance, and vivify thee."
Arab. "The Lord kindle the splendor

26 The Lord lift up * his
countenance upon thee, and give
thee peace ^

X Ps. 4. 6.
John 14. -27.

y Ps. 29. 11. Is. 26. 3, 12.
2 Thes. 3. 16.

of his countenance upon thee, and be
propitious to thee." Gr. " The Lord
make his face to shine upon thee, and
be merciful to thee." The face of God '
sometimes denotes his anger, Lev. 20 :
6. Ps. 21 : 10. 34 : 17, and sometimes
his favor, Ps. 21 : 7. But the light or ''
the shining of his face usually carries
with it the idea of loving-kindness and
salvation in Christ, as Ps. 80 : 7, " Cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved."
Comp. Ps. 44 : 3. It is equivalent to,
" smile upon thee," and this implies the
opposite to the hiding of the face, and
covering it with a cloud. The term
gracious, it will be observed, has, in
most of the ancient versions, the sense
oi pity, comiiassion, mercy, while with
us it has somehow received a sense in'
conformity with the idea of atonement
or propitiation upon which it is sup-
posed to be built, and therefore is usu-
ally explained, in this connection, asv
implying ihc forgiveness of sin. Prob-F
ably, however, the leading idea is that?
o^benignity, and the clause may be para-
phrased, " The Lord bless thee with the|
sensible effects of his favor, and visit f-
thy soul with an influence like that of
the sun upon the face of nature, cheer- j
ing and enlivening it."

V. 26. The Lord lift up his counten-
ance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Heb. " The Lord lift up his countenance
to thee, and put, or dispose, unto thee,
peace." Chald. " The Lord take away
his anger from thee, and impart to thee
peace." Vulg. "The Lord turn his
countenance to thee, and give thee
peace." The phrase " lift up the coun-
tenance," when spoken of men, implies
a free, open, and cheerful air and de-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER yi.

101

27 And they shall put my j Israel, and
name ' upon the children of them.

I will " hless

t Deut. 2S. 10.
18, 19.

2Chr. 7. 14. Is. 43. 7. Dan. 9.

portment, the opposite of downcast and
melancholy, as Job 29 : 24. 2 Sam. 2 :
22 ; so when spoken of God it imports
that favor and complacency which pro-
duce such an elevation of face in the
subject of it, being attended with an in-
ward calm of conscience, a peace and
assurance which could flow from no
other source. This peace is but anoth-
er name for all manner of prosperity
and welfare, being opposed to war, to
discord and enmity, to tumult and con-
fusion, and also to adversity. This
threefold invocation, therefore, is very
comprehensive in its range of import,
being laden with the richest blessings
which heaven can impart to men.
" There be many that say. Who will
show us any good ? Lord, lift thou up
the light of thy countenance upon us."
We may here remark, that some in-
terpreters are of opinion, that the last
clause of each benediction explains the
foregoing, as if it were said, " The Lord
bless thee, by keeping thee ; the Lord
make his face to shine upon thee, by
being gracious unto thee ; the Lord lift
up his countenance upon thee, by giv-
ing thee peace." This may be admit-
ted, without at the same time supersed-
ing any of the other senses which we
have attributed to the language. " As
I came along the road, I met Raman,
and he lifted up his face upon me ; but
I knew not the end ; " which means, he
looked pleasantly. Does a man com-
plain of another who has ceased to look
kindly upon him, he says, " Ah ! my
friend, you no longer lift up your coun-
tenance upon me." — Roberts.

V. 27. TJiey shall put my name upon
the children of Israel. Heb. samu, shall
put, or impose ; a phraseology of a pecu-

a Gen. 1-2. 2, 3.
12, 13. Acts 3. 26.

!. 23. 20.
Eph. 1. 3

Ps. 5. 12. 67.7. 115.

liar kind, implying mainly the invoca-
tion of the divine name upon the chosen
people, whereby is understood the min-
isterial or mediatory communication,
in a measure, of the very qualities and
attributes for which the name of Jeho-
vah stands. Chald. " They shall put,
or impose, the blessing of my name."
We may doubtless suppose that the
threefold blessing above mentioned in-
volved the essential import of the name
Jehovah, so that in pronouncing that
blessing they did in effect impart the
virtue of that divinely significant name ;
and it may be questioned whether this
verse is not, in fact, the Lord's own in-
terpretation of the purport of the bless-
ing which he ordered to be pronounced,
and which is given in the preceding
verses. It is not, at any rate, clear
what more is intended to be conveyed
by the language of this verse than is
embraced in the true sense of the three
preceding. Ainsworth remarks, that it
is apparently meant of the priests' ges-
ture in lifting up their hands " towards
the people," as did Aai-on, Lev. 9 : 22,
as a sign that the name and blessing of
God was imposed upon them. But this
was probably done in the benediction
itself, and therefore cannot well indi-
cate a distinct act here. Why may we
not regard the benediction pronounced
by Aaron and his sons upon the chil-
dren of Israel as a dim, but real fore-
shadowing and revelation of that great
truth which lies at the very foundation
of the Christian system — the love of the
Everlasting Father, the grace of the In-
carnate Son, the comfort, the teaching,
and the communion of the Holy and
Blessed Spirit— not as three Gods, but
as one God viewed under a threefold

102

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CHAPTER VIL

ND it came to pass on the
clay that Moses bad fully

aspect. According to this suggestion,
God the Father is referred to in the 24th
verse — " The Lord bless thee and keep
thee;" the Son, the Redeemer, is re-
ferred to in the 25th verse — "Make his
face to shine upon thee, and be gracious
unto thee ; " and the Holy Spirit is al-
luded to in the 26th verse — " Lift up the
light of his countenance upon thee, and
give thee peace." This view appears to
us a reasonable one, and therefore, on
the whole, we would read the passage as
if written, " And (thus) shall ye put my
name," etc. That is, by pronouncing
the above blessing ye shall in effect put
my triune name upon the children of
Israel, and thereby challenge them as
mine; as especially bound and conse-
crated to me in the acknowledgment of

my divine nature and perfections.

T[ And I will bless iJiem. Targ. Jon.
" I will bless them in or by my Word."
Gr. " I the Lord will bless them." That
is, both the people and the priests. For
the strengthening of their faith the Lord
promises to bless the blessing of his
appointed servants.

CHAPTER yiL

The Offering of the Princes at the
Dedication of the Tabernacle.

V. 1. On the day. That is, about the
time. The Tabernacle was fully set up
on the first day of the first month of the
second year after the departure from
Egypt, Ex. 40 : 17, 18. The history here
seems to revert to that period, and yet
we are not to interpret it in such a
strictness of sense as to confine what
is here said to the space of a single
day; for the anointing or consecrating
process occupied seven days (Lev. 8 :

set up * the tabernacle, and had
anointed it*, and sanctified it,

h Lev. 8. 10, 11.

35), and the dedication here spoken of
took place after that. It must be un-
derstood, therefore, that after the Tab-
ernacle had been erected, and conse-
crated with all its appurtenances, the
priests anointed, their services defined,
the tribes registered and arranged un-
der their several standards, the Levites
distinguished into their appropriate
classes; that "in that day," or about
that time, the chief heads of the differ-
ent tribes entered upon the work of ded-
ication as described in what follows. —
The general scope of the Israelitish his-
tory as typical of the Christian church
undoubtedly warrants the idea of such
a bearing in the present narrative. The
Tabernacle, it will be observed, is first
set up, and then, with all its imple-
ments and utensils, anointed and sanc-
tified, and thus made fit to be conse-
crated to the holy uses for which it was
designed. The actual dedication fol-
lowed, and this was signalized by the
voluntary gifts of the heads of the
tribes, as recorded in the present chap-
ter. The ceremony of unction in the
0. T. is a standing symbol of the effu-
sion of the Holy Spirit in his purifying
and gladdening influences. As applied
to the Tabernacle and its contents it
points typically to the inauguration of
Christ as head of his church, and in and
through him to the universal church it-
self, which is the fulness of his spiritual
body. The representative import of
the Altar is not materially different,
though it has a more especial reference
to the Lord and the church in respect
to the worship rendered by the one and
received by the other. We may say,
then, that the dedication of the altar is
the consecration of the church. The
day of the anointing of the altar denotes

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER VII.

103

and all the instruments thereof,
both the altar and all the ves-

the time of the Lord's inauguration,
when, after the resurrection and ascen-
sion, the Holy Spirit was poured out in
rich abundance, and his precious gifts
imparted to believers. "As a recom-
pense in the same " their hearts were
also opened " as the hearts of a willing
people," and they were ready to bestow
at once their goods and themselves up-
on the Lord as a holy dedication, " Thy
people," says the Psalmist, Ps. 110 : 3,
•' shall be willing in the day of thy pow-
er ; " Heb. " shall be a people of volun-
tarinesses, or liberalities ; " and it is
perhaps with a tacit reference to this
noble, liberal, generous spirit and
prompting that the chiefs of the tribes
are here termed " princes." The char-
acter thus typically given to the Chris-
tian church in its primitive period, when
its disciples were in this respect of one
heart and one mind, ready to possess
all things in common, is to be consid-
ered as virtually the character of the
Lord's disciples in all ages ; for of them
it may be properly said, "the liberal
soul deviseth liberal things." In the
present case, it might be said of the Is-
raelites, as of the early Christians, that
"their deep poverty abounded to the
riches of their liberality," for though
they had little to spare, yet they gave
it with a princely generosity. The in-
ventoxy is here made out, and the
names of the donors stand recorded to
their honor, as we often see in modem
times the names of contributors to mis-
sionary and other benevolent enter-
prises published to the world, not to
trumpet or eulogize their benefactions,
but to attest their zeal, and serve as an
encouraging example to others. On
this subject we quote the apposite re-
marks of Mr. Cummiugs, in his "Scrip-
ture Readings on Numbers," (in loo.) : —

sels thereof, and had anointed
them, and sanctified them.

"Some people seem to think, that to
publish one's name in a list, or in an
advertisement, as the donor of so much
to a charitable object, is wrong. It may
be right or wrong ; in the thing itself
there is nothing necessarily wrong, nor
is there any thing necessarily right. If
it be done from vain glory, it is wrong ;
but if it be done simply as expressing
one's gratitude to God, and one's sym-
pathy with His cause, then it has prece-
dents in the Old Testament, it has a
precedent in the New. That woman's
name, who anointed the Saviour's feet
with the precious perfume, is recorded,
and recorded as a precedent for us.
And it may be done to induce others,
who have more in their coffers, but at
present less liberality in their hearts, to
go and do likewise. We are not called
upon ostentatiously to display what we
do ; that is sin : it is not only sin, it is
absurd; but we are at the same time
called upon to let our light, whether it
be bright or dim, so shine before men,
that others seeing our good works — our
names recorded in the annual list — may
glorify not us, but our Father who is in
heaven. And if these men, the princes
of the ancient tribes of Israel, gave so
much, and so liberally — for it was a vast
amount of gold and of silver — to that tab-
ernacle that was to be taken down, how
should we rejoice in every opportunity,
as it presents itself, in the Providence
of God, of contributing to build up a
living temple of living stones on Christ
the foundation rock, until that com-
pleted and perfected temple shall sound
with the praises of Him that redeemed

it — ■' Grace, grace unto it.' " T[ Mad

anointed it. That is, with oil, accord-
ing to the command, Ex. 30 : 23-28, the
execution of which is related Lev. 8 :
10, 11. As the Tabernacle and the Al-

104

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

2 That the princes " of Is-
rael, heads of the house of their
fathers, who wer^e the princes of
the tribes, and were over them
that were numbered, offered :

3 And they brought their

tar were the principal things, and what
sanctified the oblations (Mat. 23 : 17, 19),
therefore the princes' oflferings were de-
ferred till these were duly set up and
inaugurated.

V. 2. That the princes, etc. offer-
ed. See ch. 1 : 16, where the same term
occurs, which Geddes renders "patri-
archal chiefs." The word "offered,"
which in our version is the last word
in the verse, is in the Hebrew the
first. Accordingly, Ainsworth renders,

"Then offered the princes," etc.

T[ Heads of the house of their fathers.
For " heads of the houses." See Note

on ch. 1 : 20. Tf And tvere over them

that were numbered. Heb. " That stood
by, upon, or over them that were mus-
tered." As this is the same term that
occurs ch. 1 : 6, in speaking of the num-
bering of the people by Moses and
Aaron and their assistants, "these are
the names of the men that shall stand
with you," the inference would seem
fair, that the writer intended to say
these were the same persons who offi-
ciated with Moses and Aaron on that
occasion. Gr. "That presided over
the visitation," i. e. the muster. Yat.
" That stood by while the people were
numbered." Calvin, however, does not
recognise any allusion to these twelve
assistants. His explanation is, that
after the people were numbered, and
separated into their several divisions,
these were chosen as the chiefs of the
tribes. This may have been so, and
yet the men chosen may have been the
twelve above mentioned.

offering before the Lord, six
covered wagons, and twelve ox-
en ; a wagon for two of the
princes, and for each one an
ox ; and they brought them be-
fore the tabernacle.

y. 3. And they Irought their offering.
Heb. horUinam, their Jcorhan. The de-
sign of this offering was to perform a
public service, by affording convenient
vehicles to transport the heavier mate-
rials of the Tabernacle when it was re-
moved from place to place. T[ Before

the Lord. That is, before the door of
the Tabernacle, as appears from the
final clause of the verse. Tf 8ix cov-
ered wagons. Heb. shesh egloth tzah.
The original tzdh is from a root signify-
ing to swell, to grow turgid. It is em-
ployed in reference to the swelling of
the adulterous woman under the opera-
tion of the waters of jealousy, and is the
term rendered tortoise, Lev. 11 : 29, from
the turgid form, of his shell. The simi-
lar form of a covered wagon will show
the ground of its usage in this sense in
the present instance. The same word
in Is. 66 : 20, is translated " litter."
The Gr. has a/na^as Aa/xirrjuiKas, coach
wagons, the epithet implying, according
to lexicographers, a kind of vehicles
such as were used by illustrious men
and women. Though comparatively of
a rude structure, they were doubtless
the best and most costly that could be

furnished under the circumstances.

Tl A?id twelve oxen. " It appears that
each cart was drawn by two oxen, and
a greater number does not seem to have
been employed on any of the different
occasions mentioned in Scripture. Oxen
seem to have been generally used for
draught in ancient times among other
nations as well as the Hebrews; and
they still continue to be employed in

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER yil.

105

4 And tlie Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

5 Take it of them, that they
may be to do the service of the
tabernacle of the congregation ;
and thou shalt give them unto
the Levites, to every man ac-
cording to his service.

6 And Moses took the wag-
ons and the oxen, and gave
them unto the Levites.

7 Two wagons and four oxen
he gave unto the sons of Grer-

dragging the few carts which are in use
in some parts of Western Asia." — P/rf.

Bible. T[ A wagon for two of the

princes. Heb. " A wagon upon two of
the princes ; " i. e. according to, or for
two. Such is the peculiar force of the
Heb. particle al. From which it ap-
pears that there was a certain kind of
concert in this presentation of the wag-
ons, as if each two of the princes com-
bined to furnish a wagon, while each
one contributed an ox.

V. 5. TaJce it of them. It is perhaps
in reference to this expression that Jo-
nathan in his Targum says that Moses
at first refused the presents, to which
Eab. Sol. Jarchi adds, that " he received
them not from their hand till he was
commanded by the mouth of God."
The words imply, perhaps, some de-
murring on the pai-t of Closes until he
had taken time, according to his usual
custom on all doubtful points, to con-
sult the Lord, and definitely ascertain

his will. T[ That they may he to do

the service. Heb. "And let them be to
serve the service." Gr. "And they
shall be for the ministerial work of the
Tabernacle of testimony." Vulg. "To
serve in the ministry of the Taberna-
cle." ^ To every man according to

his service. Heb. "According to the
month of his service." That is, accord-

shon, according to their ser-
vice ■' :

8 And four wagons and eight
oxen he gave unto the sons of
Merari % according unto their
service, under the hand of Itha-
mar the son of Aaron the priest.

9 But unto the sonsof Kohath
he gave none ; because -^ the ser-
vice of the sanctuary belonging
to them was., that they should
bear upon their shoulders.

d c. 4. -^-l-iS. e c. 4. 29-33. / c. 4. 4-15.

ing to the measure and proportion of
his service ; or, in other words, accord-
ing as every one had a greater or less
burden to carry. Accordingly, to the
Gershonites, who had the lightest bur-
den, the curtains and hangings, ch. 4 :
24-28, he gave but two wagons and four
oxen.

V. 8. Four wagons and eight oxen
he gave unto the sons of Merari. The
largest allowance of wagons Avas made
to this family both because it was the
most numerous, and was charged with
the heaviest burdens, ch. 4 : 31, 32, 48.
The boards, bars, pillars, sockets, etc.,

fell to their lot. *![ According unto

their service. Heb. " According to the

month of their service." T[ Under

the hand of Ithamar. Heb. " In the
hand of Ithamar," that is, under his
guidance and direction. He had the
general superintendence of both the
Gershonites and the Merarites, ch. 4 :
28, 33.

Y. 9. Because the service of the sanc-
tuary, etc. Heb. dbodath hakkodtsh, the
service of the holy, that is, of the holy
things, such as the Ark, Table, Candle-
stick, Altar of Incense, etc. Gr. " Be-
cause they have the ministrations of

the holy {rov ayiov). ^ ( That) they

should hear upon their shoulders. This
was with a view to the greater honor

106

NUMBERS.

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10 And the princes offered
for dedicating^ of the altar in

g Deut. 20. 5. 1 K. 8. 63. 2 Chr. 1. 5, 9. Ezra 6. 16.
Neh. li. 21. Ps. 30. title.

and dignity of the Ark and of the Law
contained in it. The violent motion of
a wagon might injure the exquisite
workmanship of the sacred chest, and
shake and ruffle the ephod and breast-
plate, which by carrying on the shoul-
der would be effectually avoided. From
the fearful judgment that befell Uzzah,
2 Sam. 6 : 3, 7, it would appear that the
order as to this mode of transportation
was exceedingly strict. The bearing
of the Ark and the other holy things
was not, however, so exclusively the
province of the Kohathites that it might
not be assumed by the priests, the sons
of Aaron, on certain special occasions,
as appears from Josh. 8 : 3.

Y. 10. The princes offered for dedica-
ting of the altar, etc. Heb. eth hanuk-
kath, the initiation, or consecration.
Although our version renders the clause
"/or dedicating," etc., yet there is noth-
ing in the original to answer to " for,"
and the true sense undoubtedly requires
the rendering : — " Offered the dedica-
tion of the altar," etc., i. e. the sacri-
fices which constituted the dedication-
offering, or, as Geddes proposes, the
initial-offering, by a figure of speech
similar to that by which the Heb. " sin "
is sometimes used to signify a " sin-
offering." The usage in regard to the
original term (from the root himah)
is peculiar and somewhat important.
When spoken of men it denotes cate-
chising, initiation, instruction, t7'ain-
ing up to any new thing to which they
were previously unaccustomed. Thus
Prov. 22 : 6, Train vp {hanok) a child
in the way he should go," etc., where
the margin has catechise. When ap-
plied to other things, as temples, altars,
houses, etc., it indicates the first using

the day that it was anointed,
even the jDrinces offered their
offering before the altar.

or enjoying of them, which was usual-
ly done with some special solemnities.
Thus, Solomon ^^ dedicated the house
of God," 2 Chron. 7 : 5, and kept " the
dedication of the altar seven days,"
2 Chron. 7:9; and at the return from
Babylon " they kept the dedication of
the house of God with joy, and oflered
at the dedication thereof an hundred
bullocks," etc., Ezra 6 : 16, 17. In like
manner the people kept " the dedication
of the wall of Jerusalem with gladness,
thanksgiving, singing, cymbals, psal-
teries, and harps," Neh. 12 : 27-43. Da-
vid also composed the thirtieth Psalm
on the occasion of the dedication of his
house ; and it appears from Deut. 20 : 5,
that all the Israelites were in the habit
oi dedicating their dwelling-houses. In
the time of the Maccabees " they kept
the dedication of the altar eight days,"
with sacrifices and gladness, and or-
dained it to be so kept yearly, 1 Mac.
4 : 54, 56-59, which ordinance was ob-
served in our Lord's time, John 10 : 22,
in what is termed *'the feast of the
dedication." A like ceremony obtained
among the Gentiles, as is evident from
what is said Dan. 3 : 2, 3, of Nebuchad-
nezzar's " dedicating i\iQ image" which
he had set up. We may trace the con-
tinuance of these usages in the custom
of dedicating or consecrating church-
es and chapels, and other public build-
ings, and in the ceremonies connected
with the ' opening ' of roads, mar-
kets, bridges, and occasionally with the
launching of ships. In all these cases
the original word is the same with that
employed in this passage. The custom
is expressed in Greek by iyKaiviaixos,
and the feast by ^jKaLveia, Lat. encae-
nia, from Kaivos, new, implying renovu'

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER VII.

107

11 And the Lord said unto
Moses, They shall offer their
offering, each prince on his day,
for the dedicating of the al-
tar.

tion, restoration, or the re-appropriation
of any thing to its intended use. So
the solemnity of covenant-making at
Mount Sinai, related Ex. 24 : 3-8, is
called by the Apostle, Heb. 9 : 18, a
dedication ; as he says "it was not ded-
icated without blood," and Christ is
said to have " dedicated a new and liv-
ing way " into the holy heavens, Heb.
10 : 20. So in the present case, in or-
der that the altar might be consecrated
for the oblations of Israel at all limes,
the princes of the twelve tribes are
moved to dedicate it with gifts and sac-
rifices of various kinds, continued with
great solemnity for twelve days, thus
representatively testifying their faith
and joy in Christ, who was symbolized
b}' the altar, and by whom they should
offer the sacrifice of praise to God con-
tinually, Heb. 13:10-15. It is to be
observed, however, that this is a dis-
tinct oftering from that of the wagons
above-mentioned. Rabbi Sol. Jarchi
observes : " After they had voluntarily
given the wagons and oxen to carry the
Tabernacle, their heart stirred them up
to offer voluntary offerings to the altar
to dedicate it." Though not expressly
intimated, it is yet to be presumed that
the offerings made by the princes on this
occasion were not exclusively an expres-
sion of their own personal promptings,
but made on the behalf and at the ex-
pense of the tribes to which they sever-
ally belonged. Calvin appropriately re-
marks, that " although mention is only
made of the 'princes,' it is probable
that each of them presented what the
whole tribe had subscribed, since there
was no person at that time wealthy

12 And he that offered his
offering the first day was Nah-
shon ^ the son of Amminadab,
of the tribe of Judah ;

A c. 1. 7. 2. 3.

enough to give so much gold and sil-
ver of his own." — Harm, of Pent.

Tf In the day that it was anointed. Heb.
"In the day of its being anointed."
That is, about or near the time ; not
precisely on the very day. See Note
on V. 1.

V. 11. And the Lord said unto Moses,
They shall offer their offering, each
prince on his day. Heb. " One prince
for a day, one prince for a day, shall
they offer their offering." Repeated for
the sake of emphasis and the greater
solemnity of the proceeding, as well as
to indicate the equal right which all the
princes and tribes had in the altar to
be dedicated. It would probably be
better to render the first clause of the
verse, " For the Lord had said," inti-
mating that God had previously re-
quired this tribute of the people. As it
now stands, it would seem as if Moses
had not been ordered to receive it be-
fore it was actually presented by the
princes and the people. A preferable
sense results from considering the whole
verse as parenthetical, with the pluper-
fect rendering. Tf For the dedicating

of the altar. The dedication here men-
tioned is not to be understood as if the
altar was now for the first time to be
inaugurated into its stated use. This
had in fact been done before, and seven
days spent in the ceremony; but the
idea conveyed is that of its beginning to
he used after having been previously set
apart and sanctified.

V. 12. 1[ Nahshon, the son of Ammin-
adab. It will be noticed that in every
other instance throughout the chapter,
the title "prince" is attached to the

108

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

13 And his offering was one
gilver charger, the weight there-
of was an hundred and thirty
>, one silver bowl of sev-

name of the person designated. Here
it is omitted, for which the reason may
be, that the distinction of offering first
involved in itself a kind of principality,
inasmuch as the tribe of Judah, in the
person of Nahshon, represented the
Lord the Saviour, descended from him,
and who was, " in all things to have the
pre-eminence." Chazkuni, a Rabbini-
cal writer, remarks thus upon the fact : —
" He is not called prince, that he might
not be puffed up because he offered first ;
and all the others are called princes, for
that they submitted themselves and
offered after him," It is not, however,
very easy to perceive how the recording
or not recording of his title should have
had any effect in the way of inflating
his spirit, when for aught that appears
the history of the transaction might
have been written years after its occur-
rence. T[ Of the tribe of Judah. Heb.

lematteJi, for the tribe. Several versions
render it "o/the tribe," but the above
is the most literally exact, and doubt-
less the true sense. As such it confirms
the remark made above, that the offer-
ings were not made so much by the
princes in their own names, as in the
names of the tribes to which they per-
tained, and over which they presided.
It will be observed that the offering
of the chiefs of tribes, each in his day,
is not in the order of their births, or
as they stand in ch. 1, but according to
the order in which they were ranged
around the Tabernacle, ch. 2, beginning
at the east, proceeding thence to the
south, next to the west, and ending at
the north. This order we may present
in tabellated form, thus : —

entj shekels, after the shekel'
of the sanctuary : both of them
were full of fine flour mingled
with oil, for a '^ meat-ofi"ering :

1. Judah : Nahshon, v. 12 |

2. Issachar : JSfethaneel, v. 13 > East.

3. Zebulun : Eliah, v. 24 )

4. Eeuben : Mizur, v. 30 \

5. Simeon : Shelumiel, v. 36 >- South.

6. Gad: Eliasaph, v. 42 )

7. Ephraim : MisJiama, v. 48.. . . )

8. Manasseh : Gamaliel, v. 54. . . >• West

9. Benjamin : Abidan, v. 60 )

10. Dan : Ahieser, v. 66 )

11. Asher : Pagiel, v. 72 [• North.

12. Naphtali : Ahira, v. 78 )

This ceremony of offering was con-
tinued for twelve successive days, on
each of which the prince or chief at the
head of his tribe, forming a grand pro-
cession, marched forward and laid his
rich offering upon the common altar,
in regard to which all the tribes stood
on a footing of dignified equality. And
in order still further to cement the union
of the whole body of the people, each
day of the celebration was made a day
of festivity for the whole, by the Feast
Offering which made part of the tribute.

Y, 13. One silver charger. Heb.
Jcaarath, dish, platter, or deep bowl. Gr.
" Trubliou," which in Mat. 26 : 23, is
rendered dish. Its precise use has not
been clearly determined, but it would
seem to have been designed for receiv-
ing the fine flour of which the meat
(meal) offering was made, or for the
mixing of the flour into a paste. See

Ex. 25 : 29. 1[ An hundred and thirty

shekels. About sixty-five ounces.

1[ One silver hoivl. Heb. mizroh, bowl,
basin. Gr. "Phiale," translated vials.
Rev. 16, which however does not con-
vey a correct idea to the English read-
er, as the vessels intended were of very

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER yil.

109

14 One spoon of ten shekels
of gold, full of incense ' :

different construction from our vials.
" Goblets " would be a rendering nearer
the truth. The use of these vessels in
the holy things was to hold the blood
which was carried to the altar and there
poured out or sprinkled, Ex. 27 : 3. It
is obvious, too, from the concluding
clause, that it was used for containing
the fine flour mingled with oil, the me-
morial of which was to be burnt in the

fire of the altar, Lev. 2 : 2. ^ SheJcel

of the sanctuary. Heb. shekel haJcTco-
desh, shekel of the holiness or sanctity ;
that is, the shekel employed as a stand-
ard in regard to the weight of all holy

things. ?[ For a meat offering ; that

is, for a meal-offering, or mincha, Avhich
was to be an accompaniment of the
burnt-ofi'ering and peace-offering men-
tioned vs. 15, 17.

V. 14. One spoon. Heb. kaph, cup ;
a vessel for holding incense, called a
spoon from its concavity. See Note on
Ex. 25 : 29. Geddes and Boothroyd ren-
der by " incense-pot." As this was of
gold, it doubtless pertained to the altar
of incense, and not to the brazen altar
standing in the outer court ; and this
would indicate that both altars were now
dedicated, that is, began to be first used
for the purposes of the whole congrega-
tion. As to the use of incense in connec-
tion with the meat-ofiering, see Note on
Lev. 2 : 1, et seq. If these dedication-
offerings have, on the whole, as we have
endeavored to show, a Christian aspect,
then it may be presumed that these va-
rious vessels of gold and silver come in-
to the general category of typical, and
we see nothing more probable than the
suggestions of the old commentator Ra-
banus Maurus, who says : — " These dif-

15 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for "' a burnt-oflfering :

m Lev. 1. 2, 3.

ferent kinds of vessels, made for offer-
ing libations, were intended to denote
the varying capacities of men in respect
to the reception of divine things. One
and the same kind of teaching is not
equally adapted to all classes of men.
The wise, the simple, the rich, the poor,
the sound, and the infirm, require dif-
ferent modes of instruction. The rude
race of the Jews, abiding under the
shadow of the Law, were to be trained
in one way ; in quite another way is a
Christian people, beholding the myste-
ries of the Law unfolded in the verity
of the Gospel, to be nurtured into a
perfect man." He then goes on to ex-
plain the symbolical purport of the dif-
ferent kinds of vessels, the bowls,
goblets, cups, etc., intimating that they
here represent the various capacities
of truth distinguishing different per-
sons in the church, all of whom, how-
ever, are prompt to present their seve-
ral faculties to the Lord to be filled
from the fulness of his Spirit, and then
solemnly dedicated to his service.

Y. 15. One yowig hullock, etc. The
offerings here mentioned, the plate and
the sacrifices, of which latter there were
no less than twenty-one, were very
costly, and must have constituted a
magnificent donative for a people now
sojourning in a wilderness beyond the
bounds of civilization. '* The occasion
must have been one of great and strik-
ing solemnity, and, from the account
here given, reminding us strongly of
the annual festival of Nurooz in Persia,
when the king sits in great state and
glory, with the nobles of his court at
tending in their most gorgeous attire,
and thus receives in succession a long

110

]SrUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

16 One kid of the goats for
a " sin-oflFering :

17 And for a sacrifice of
* peace-oflferings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Nahshon the son of
Amminadab.

18 On the second day Netha-
ncel P the son of Zuar, prince of
Issachar, did offer.

19 He offered ''for his offer-
ing one silver charger, the weight
whereof was an hundred and
thirty shekels^ one silver bowl
of seventy shekels, after the
shekel of the sanctuary ; both
of them full of fine flour min-
gled with oil, for a meat-offering :

20 One spoon of gold of ten
shekels, full of incense :

21 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering :

22 One kid of the goats for
a sin-ofiering :

23 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This ivas the
offering of Nethaneel the son of
Zuar.

24 On the third day Eliab '

n Lev. 4. 25.
q ver. 13, etc.

Lev. 3. 1. p c. 1. 8. 2. 5.

T c. 1. 9. 2. 7.

series of costly offerings, which the
princes who govern the provinces of
his empire send, at that season, to the
capital for his acceptance, and which
are of such value as to form one of the
principal portions of his yearly reve-
nue."—Pic^. BiUe.

V. 17. And for a sacrifice of peace-
offerings. The victims here are much

the son of Helen, prince of the
children of Zebulun, did offer :

25 His offering was one sil-
ver charger, the weight whereof
ivas an hundred and thirty shek-
els, one silver bowl of seventy
shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary ; both of them full
of fine flour mingled with oil,
for a meat-offering :

26 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

27 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering :

28 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

29 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Eliab the son of He-
Ion.

30 On the fourth day Elizur'
the son of Shedeur, prince of
the children of Reuben, did
offer :

31 His offering ' was one sil-
ver charger, of the weight of an
hundred and thirty shekels, one
silver bowl of seventy shekels,
after the shekel of the sanctua-
ry; both of them full of fine

s c. 1. 5. 2. 10.

more numerous than in the case of the
burnt-offerings or the sin-offerings for
the reason that the priests, the princes,
and as many of the people as were in-
vited had their share of them, and feast-
ed together before the Lord with great
rejoicing.

V. 18. On the second day Nethaneel
did offer. It may here be remark-

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER VII.

Ill

flour mingled with oil, for a
meat-offering :

32 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

33 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt- offering :

34 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

35 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This ivas the
offering of Elizur the son of
Shedeur.

36 On the fifth day Shclu-
miel " the son of Zurishaddai,
prince of the children of Sime-
on, did offer :

37 His offering " tvas one sil-
ver charger, the weight whereof
was an hundred and thirty shek-
els, one silver bowl of seventy
shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary ; both of them full of
fine flour mingled with oil, for
a meat-offering :

38 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

39 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt- offering :

c. 1. 6. 2. 12.

ed that every tribe, through its prince
or chief, offers precisely the same kind
of offering, and in the same quantity,
and that the offering of each is distinct-
ly described, although it necessitates a
repetition in the same words, whereas
we should doubtless have supposed
that, after specifying the first, the sacred
writer would have said : — " And so in
like manner with all that followed ; each
one made the same offering." But in-

40 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

41 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Shelumiel, the son of
Zurishaddai.

42 On the sixth day Elia-
saph "" the son of Deuel, prince
of the children of Gad, afered :

43 His offering "^ was one sil-
ver charger, of the weight of an
hundred and thirty shekels, a
silver bowl of seventy shekels,
after the shekel of the sanctu-
ary; both of them full of fine
flour mingled with oil, for a
meat-offering :

44 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

45 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering :

46 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

47 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Eliasaph the son of
Deuel.

u> c. 1. 14. 2. 14.

finite wisdom has seen fit to adopt
another course, and it may have been
upon the same principle with that to
which we have adverted, ch. 1 : 20-43,
with which compare Note on Ex. 36 :
8-38. The witnessing of the actual pro-
cessions and offerings continued from
day to day would have produced a deep
and solemnizing impression upon the
mind, and it may be that the leisurely
perusal of the distinct account of each.

112

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1490.

48 On the seventh day Eli-
shama '', the son of Ammi-
hud, prince of the children of
Ephraim, offered :

49 His offering ' was one sil-
ver charger, the weight whereof
was an hundred and thirty sheh-
els, one silver bowl of seventy
shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary ; both of them full of
fine flour mingled with oil, for a
meat-offering :

50 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

51 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering ;

52 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

53 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Elishama, the son of
Ammihud.

54 On the eighth day offered
" Gramaliel, the son of Pedahzur,
prince of the children of Manas-
seh :

55 His offering * was one sil-
ver charger, of the weight of an
hundred and thirty shekels, one
silver bowl of seventy shekels,
after the shekel of the sanctu-
ary ; both of them full of fine
flour mingled with oil, for a
meat-offering :

y c. 1. 10. 2. 18.
-i. 20.

ir. 13, etc.
b ver. 13, etc.

when set before us in written recital,
was presumed to be productive of a
somewhat similar eflfect.

V. 48. On the seventh day. As twelve
days were occupied in the celebration,

56 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

57 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering :

58 One kid of the goats for i
a sin-offering : I

59 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Gamaliel, the son of
Pedahzur.

60 On the ninth day Abidan*",
the son of Gideoni, prince of the
children of Benjamin, offered :

61 His offering '^ was one sil-
ver charger, the weight whereof
was an hundred and thirty shek-
els, one silver bowl of seventy
shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary ; both of them full of
fine flour mingled with oil, for
a meat-offering :

62 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

63 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering :

64 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

65 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Abidan, the son of
Gideoni.

66 On the tenth day Ahie-

c. 1. 11. 2. 22.

one, or perhaps two sabbaths must have
intervened in the time, and yet it ap-
pears that the ceremonies suffered no
interruption on that account. But the
Lord is " Lord also of the sabbath," and

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER Vn.

113

zer*, the son of Ammishaddai,
prince of the children of Dan,
offered :

67 His offering -^^ it;as one sil-
ver charger, the weight whereof
was an hundred and thirty shek-
els^ one silver bowl of seventy
shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary ; both of them full of
fine flour mingled with oil, for
a meat-offering :

68 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

69 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering :

70 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

71 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Ahiezer, the son of
Ammishaddai.

72 On the eleventh day Pa-
giel^, the son of Ocran, prince
of the children of Asher, offered:

73 His offering '' was one sil-
ver charger, the weight whereof
was an hundred and thirty shek-
els, one silver bowl of seventy
shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary ; both of them full of
fine flour mingled with oil, for
a meat-offering :

74 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense.

c c. 1.
2. 'i7.

13, etc. g c. 1. 13.
h V. 13, etc.

the work which he himself appoints for
that day is holy work, suitable for that
sacred season.

Y. 84. 27m was the dedication of the
altar. Targ. Jon. " This was the dedi-

75 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering :

76 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

77 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Pagiel the son of
Ocran.

78 On the twelfth day Ahi-
ra' the son of Enan, prince of
the children of Naphtali, offered:

79 His offering ^ was one sil-
ver charger, the weight where-
of was an hundred and thirty
shekels, one silver bowl of sev-
enty shekels, after the shekel
of the sanctuary ; both of them
full ot fine flour mingled with
oil, for a meat-offering :

80 One golden spoon of ten
shekels, full of incense :

81 One young bullock, one
ram, one lamb of the first year,
for a burnt-offering :

82 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering :

83 And for a sacrifice of
peace-offerings, two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, five lambs
of the first year. This was the
offering of Ahira, the son of
Enan.

84 This was the dedication
of the altar, in the day when it

c. 1. 15. i2. 29.

h ver. 13, etc.

cation of the anointing of the altar."
It was dedicated by the oblations and
sacrifices above recited, which, though
simple and plain, were of great value,
leaving us to infer that we are to serve

114

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

was anointed, by the princes of
Israel : twelve chargers of sil-
ver, twelve silver bowls, twelve
spoons of gold ;

85 Each charger of silver
weighing an hundred and thirty
shekels^ each bowl seventy : all
the silver vessels weighed two
thousand and four hundred shek-
els, after the shekel of the sanc-
tuary :

86 The golden spoons were
twelve, full of incense, iveigh-
ing ten shekels apiece, after the
shekel of the sanctuary : all the

God with the chiefest and choicest of
our possessions, and that too in a large
and liberal spirit. Comp. Ex. 25 : 22.

T[ In the day when it was anointed.

That is, at or about the time when it
was anointed, for as the pageant oc-
cupied twelve days, the term " day "
must of course be taken in an extended
sense. " WJien it was anointed," is
plainly equivalent to " after it was
anointed."

V. 85. All the silver vessels weighed,
etc. The sum total of all these various
offerings in silver, gold, and cattle, may
be thus exhibited : —

12 Silver Chargers, eacli 130 shekels.
12 Silver Bowls, " 70 "

12 Gold Spoons, " 10 "

Total Shekels of SUver, 2400
" of Gold, 120

Of beasts for sacrifice :

Bullocks, 12

Earns, 12

Lambs, 12

Goats, 24

Earns, CO

Ile-Goats, 60

Lambs, 60

Total, 240

gold of the spoons was an hun-
dred and twenty shekels.

87 All the oxen for the burnt-
offering ivere twelve bullocks,
the rams twelve, the lambs of
the first year twelve, with their
meat-offering : and the kids

of the goats for sin-offering, |
twelve. ^

88 And all the oxen for the
sacrifice of the peace-offerings ,
were twenty and four bullocks, :
the rams sixty, the he-goats
sixty, the lambs of the first year
sixty. This was the dedication

"By this," says Adam Clarke, "it is '
easy to see, that though the place in
which they now sojourned was a wil-
derness, as to cities, villages, and regu-
lar inhabitants, yet there was plenty of
pasturage, else the Israelites could not
have furnished these cattle, with all the
sacrifices necessary for different occa-
sions, and especially for the passover,
which was celebrated during their so-
journing in the desert, and which it-
self must have required an immense
number of lambs, when each family of
600,000 males was obliged to provide
one," (ch. 9.) It is not, however, to be
disguised, that there are serious diffi-
culties to be encountered in the attempt
to show how such a vast multitude of
cattle as would be requisite for the pur-
poses of the people of Israel could be
subsisted in this desert, rocky region.
Mr. Stanley, in his recent work on Sinai
and Palestine, alludes to this subject,
and though he does not consider any
solution of the problem yet given as
wholly satisfactory, yet he ofiers seve-
ral suggestions calculated greatly to
weaken the force of the objections
brought against the Mosaic history on
this score. He remarks, that there is
abundant evidence that the resources

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER yill.

115

of the altar, after that it was
anointed ^

89 And when Moses was gone
into the tabernacle of the con-
gregation to '" speak with him,
then he heard the voice of one
speaking unto him from off the
mercy-seat "■ that ivas upon the
ark of testimony, from between
the two cherubims : and he
spake unto him.

I ver. 1. m c. 12.

Ex. 33. 9, 11.

of the peninsula were anciently far
greater than they are now.

y. 89. And when Moses was gone into,
etc. Heb. leho MosheJi, in Moses' going
in. The meaning undoubtedly is, that
from this time henceforth, whenever
Moses went into the Tabernacle to con-
sult the divine oracle, he was privileged
to hear the voice speaking to him, as

here described. T[ To sjpeak with

Tiim. That is, with God. \ Heard

the voice of one speaking with him.
Gr. *' Heard the voice of the Lord speak-
ing." Targ. Jon. " Heard the voice of
the Spirit speaking." This was in ac-
cordance with the prerogative vouch-
safed to Moses of being admitted to
more intimate converse with the Lord
than any of the rest of the prophets.
See ch. 12 : 8. \ From off the mercy-
seat. Heb. "From above the mercy-
seat." In this was fulfilled the promise
made Ex. 25:21, 22, ''And thou shalt
put the mercy-seat above upon the ark

and there I will meet with thee,

and I will commune with thee from
above the mercy-seat, from between
the two cherubims." For this reason,
the most holy place of the Sanctuary,
where the ark and the mercy-seat were
stationed, was called dehir, speahing-
place or oracle, from the root dahar, to
speak. Into this sacred recess Moses
alone was then thus privileged to enter.

CHAPTER VIII.

AND the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto Aaron, and say
unto him, When thou lightest the
lamps", the seven lamps shall give
light over against the candlestick.

3 And Aaron did so : he
lighted the lamps thereof over
against the candlestick, as the
Lord commanded Moses.

a Ex. '25. 37. 40. 25.

But now every Christian has in effect
all the rights that Moses had. The
humblest believer is a priest in the
truest and only existing sense of the
word ; and has access as a priest into
the immediate presence of God. The
monopoly of the few is now the privilege
of all mankind that believe. The nar-
row gate that once gave access to a sin-
gle nation, is now opened so wide that
all nations may pass freely through it.

CHAPTER YIII.

The Lighting of the Lamps and the
Workmanship of the Candlestick. ■

V. 2. When thou lightest the lamps.
Heb. "In thy causing the lamps to
ascend." See the import of this phrase
fully explained in the Notes on Ex. 25 :
37. Gr. " When thou shalt set up, or
put up, the lamps." Chald. "When
thou shalt kindle the lamps." The lamps
or sconces containing the oil, were so
constructed as to be capable of being
detached, and taken down from the
branches, to be filled and then raised %ip
{made to ascend) to their proper places

on the candlestick. ^ Shall give their

light over against the candlestick. Heb.
" Over against the face (lit. faces) of the
candlestick." The meaning is not en-

116

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

tirely obvious from the literal render-
ing, but the explanations drawn from
the Rabbinical comments throw a satis-
factory light upon it. "Over against
the candlestick " we take to be equiva-
lent to " towards the central shaft," for
the term " candlestick" is occasionally
applied by way of eminence to the shaft
from which the branches issued. See
Notes on Ex. 25 : 31-37. At other times
it stands for the whole structure. The
meaning undoubtedly is, that the wicks

should be so disposed in the lamp-cups
or sconces that they should incline to
the edge nearest the centre, and thus
should shine towards the candlestick
emphatically so called. The central
lamp, it is supposed, was lighted from
the fire of the altar, and all the others
from that. We give in this connection
the form of the candlestick as we have
been enabled to deduce it from the
words of the sacred historian, as con-
tained Ex. 25 : 31-40.

Candlestick.

The Hebrew doctors say, " The six
lamps that were fastened unto the six
branches that went out of the candle-
stick, all of them had their faces towards
the middlemost lamp which was on the
branch (the shaft) of the candlestick ;
and this middlemost lamp, the face of it
was towards the Most Holy Place, and it
is called the western lamp." — Maimon-
ides. In like manner Sol. Jarchi says,
" Over against the face of the candle-
stick, that is, the middle lamp, which is
none of the branches, but of the body
of the candlestick. The seven lamps

shall give light ; the six which are upon
the six branches, the three that are
eastward having the wicks in them
turned towards the middlemost; and
so the three that are westward having
the tops of the wicks towards the mid-
dlemost." The same thing is briefly
expressed in the latter clause of Ex.
25 : 37. It is indeed said that " the
seven lamps shall give their light" in
the manner above described, but we are
still at liberty to understand this with
the due discrimination as implying that
the words strictly considered hold good

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER ym.

117

4 And this work of the * can-
dlestick was of beaten gold, unto
the shaft thereof, unto the flow-
ers thereof, was " beaten work :

b Ex. 25. 31. (J Ex. 25. 18.

of the six branches only in their rela-
tion to the central shaft. Similar modes
of diction could easily be cited. Thus,
what our Lord says of the twelve apos-
tles sitting upon twelve thrones and
judging the twelve tribes of Israel,
must be understood as exclusive of
Judas. The opposite interpretation to
this is, that by giving light over against
the candlestick is meant, causing the
light to fall upon the north side of the
Tabernacle, especially illuminating the
table of show-bread, whereas the can-
dlestick itself stood upon the south side.
This is the sense affixed to the passage
by the Vulg., which, however, is rath-
er a paraphrase than a translation : —
" When thou shalt place seven lamps,
let the candlestick be set up on the
south side. Give orders, therefore, that
the lamps look over against the north,
towards the table of the loaves of prop-
osition ; over against that part shall
they give light, towards which the can-
dlestick looketh." For ourselves, we
give a decided preference to the other
construction. The typical bearing of
the candlestick with its lamps is largely
unfolded in our Notes on Ex. 25 : 31-37,
and in consistency with that the sug-
gestion flows easily from what is here
said, that as the central shaft more espe-
cially represents the Lord the Saviour,
who is to the church what the vine is
to the branches, and as whatever of
spiritual light and heat is possessed
by his ministering servants flows from
him, so it is eminently proper that they
should by a reciprocal turning or in-
clination, reflect their light towards its
divine source, as in grateful acknow-
ledgment of its derivation therefrom.

according unto the pattern ^
which the Lord had showed
Moses, so he made the candle-
stick.

V. 4. And this worh of the candle-
stick {was of) heaten gold. Or, as the
Heb. will admit, " This was the work
of the candlestick, (viz. it was) beaten
gold," etc. For a detailed account of
the fabrication of the candlestick, see
Ex. 25 : 18, 31-39. 37 : 17-24, where, in
our Notes, we have endeavored to show
that the epithet " beaten " implies sim-
ply hard, solid, as the Gr. has it, and
that it implies the nature of the mate-
rial and not the mode of construction.
The candlestick with the branches,
bowls, knops, and flowers, was con-
structed of one piece, although not by
beating or hammering, but the lamps
were formed apart, like the tongs and
snuff"-dishes. So one of the Rabbinists
says, " The lamps were vessels by them-
selves, and might be removed from the

branches." — Chazhuni. T[ Unto the

shaft thereof, etc. That is, both the
shaft and the flowers. The word
''unto" is equivalent to "including,"
and the clause is thus expounded by
Sol. Jarchi :— " As if he should say, the
body of the candlestick, all of it, and all

that pertained to it." TJ According

unto the pattern. Heb. Jcammareh, ac-
cording to the sight, shmo, vision, ap-
pearance / the word being derived di-
rectly from the root rddh, to see. The
reference, however, is undoubtedly to
the visionary pattern or model exhibit-
ed to Moses in the mount, Ex. 25 : 40, al-
though in this latter passage the original
word ior pattern is tahnith, and not that

which is here so rendered. ^ Which

the Lord had shoioed Moses. Heb.
" Which the Lord had caused Moses to
see." The phraseology of the Hebrew
implies a peculiar eftect wrought upon

118

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

5 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

6 Take the Levites from
among the children of Israel,
and cleanse them.

his interior vision, by which he was
enabled to behold what otherwise would
have been beyond his power. He was
favored with a spiritual perception.
The objects seen were seen by the in-
ward and not by the outward eye, and
to this he was incompetent unless the
Lord had made him to see.

TJie Consecration of the Levites.
V. 6. Take the Levites, etc. That is,
not the whole body of the Levites, but
all besides the priests, who had been
consecrated on a former occasion. Lev.
8. To them the other Levites were to
be adjoined as ministers and assistants,
oh. 3 : 6, etc., and their consecration
forms the subject of the present chap-
ter. Tf From among the cMldren of

Israel. We see in this the basis of the
familiar distinction of the chosen peo-
ple into the different classes mentioned
1 Chron. 9:2, " The Israelites, the
priests, Levites, and the Nethinims."

\ And cleanse them. Or, " purify

them," i. e. in the manner about to be
described. Although it was required,
as a geueral rule, that all the people,
when they approached the sanctuary,
should be free from any ceremonial un-
cleanness, 2 Chron. 23 : 19, yet there
was a manifest propriety in the minis-
ters of the Lord's house complying with
the words of the prophet. Is. 52 : 11,
" Be ye clean that bear the vessels of
the Lord ; " and such a purification was
represented by this external washing
of the body in water. So the apostle
makes "pureness" one of the requisite
characteristics by which the ministry
is to be distinguished, 2 Cor. 6:4, G.

7 And thus shalt thou do
unto them, to cleanse them :
Sprinkle water * of purifying
upon them, and •''let them shave

19. 9, 17, etc.

/ Lev. 14. 8, 9.

" The mere circumstance of birth did
not entitle the Levites to enter abruptly
upon the duties which devolved on
them. They were to receive a sort of
consecration, which is described in this
chapter, and which, although solemn,
is different from, and more simple than,
that which the priests received. They
were properly purified by sprinkling
and shaving, and after suitable offer-
ings and sacrifices, were presented be-
fore the Lord. They were not washed,
or anointed, or invested with official
robes, like the priests." — Fict. Bible.

V. 7. Sprinkle water of purifying.
upon them. Heb. " Sprinkle upon them
the sin-water;" that is, the water of
purification from sin ; which we learn
from cb. ly : 9, 10, ^'as prepared from
the ashes of a red heifer, cedar-wood,
hyssop, and scarlet. It is called "sin-
water" (Heb. m'e ^hattaath, waters of
sin) as the sacrifice of atonement for
sin is called "sin-offering." Indeed,
we may say with Adam Clarke, that as
the heifer herself was sacrificed, and
her blood sprinkled seven times before
the Tabernacle, ch. 19 : 3-6, she may
be considered as a proper sacnfice for
sin, and consequently the water thus
prepared be termed the water of the
sin-offering. " As the ashes were kept
ready at hand for purifying from all le-
gal pollutions, the preparation might
be considered as a concentration of the
essential properties of the sin-offering,
and might be resorted to at all times
with comparatively little expense or
trouble, and no loss of time. As there
were so many things by which legal
pollution might be contracted, it was

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER Yin.

119

all their flesh, and let them wash
their clothes, and so make them-
selves clean,

8 Then let them take a young

necessary to have always at hand, in
all their dwellings, a mode of purifying
at once convenient and unexpensive.
As the water by which the Levites were
here purified must have been the water
prepared from the ashes of the red
heifer, this ordinance was undoubtedly
instituted before this time, though not
described till chap. 19 : 1-10 of this
book ; but that chapter might be in
connection with any of the preceding
ordinances, as well as where it is now

found." — A. Clarke. ^ Zet them shave

all their flesh. Gr. " Let them shave
all their body." " Let a razor go over
their whole body." — Cov. "Make a
razor to run along upon all the flesh of
them." — Mat., Cran. " Let them cause
a razor to pass over all their flesh." —
Ains. This was another symbol of
purification similar to that of the leper,
who shaved ofi" all his hair as well as
washed his flesh, as a part of the pro-
cess of his cleansing, Lev. 14 : 8, 9.
The same ceremony was ordained also
in the case of the polluted Nazarite, ch.
6 : 9. One of the Hebrew doctors re-
marks, that there was a moral signifi-
cancy in the act, to wit, that the Levites
were thereby admonished " to cast
away all worldly cares, as much as
might be, and give themselves wholly
to their sacred ministry." The exam-
ple may also be properly understood as
teaching that all Christians, and espe-
cially all Christian ministers, should
"purify themselves from all filthiness
of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness
in the fear of God," 2 Cor. 7:1. It is
worthy of remark, that Herodotus says
expressly of the Egyptian priests, that

bullock with his meat-offering ^,
even fine flour mingled with oil,
and another young bullock shalt
thou take for a sin offering.

g Lev. i2. 1.

they shave their whole body every third
day, lest any vermin or other foulness
should cleave to the worshippers of the
gods. As to the Levites, it does not ap-
pear that the direction here given was
to be observed except on special occa-
sions. 1[ Let them wash their clothes.

Another rite prescribed in purifying
the unclean. Comp. Ex. 19 : 10, in allu-
sion to which it is said of the redeemed,
Rev. 7 : 9, 14, 15, their garments are
" washed and made white in the blood
of the Lamb," that they may "serve
him day and night in his temple."

V. 8. Let them take a young hullock.
Heb. " A youngling the son of the herd."
That is, of the second year. See Note
on Ex. 29 : 1, where the same offering
was brought for the priests. This was
to constitute a burnt-offering or holo-
caust " to make an atonement for the
Levites, and as the Jewish Rabbins say,
" For the consecration of their service."

H With Ms meal-off tring. That

is, meal-offering, composed of fine flour
mingled with oil, and which was under-
stood to be an accompaniment of course
of the burnt-offering. The ordinary
meal-offering for a bullock was " three-
tenth deals of fine flour mingled with
oil," and for a drink offering " half a
bin of wine," ch. 28 : 12, 14. See Notes

on Lev. 2. T[ Another young hulloch.

Heb. " A second bullock the son of the
herd." This, though mentioned second,
was offered first, v. 12. Lev. 8 : 14, 18.
14 : 19. The only case in which a bul-
lock was offered for a sin-offlering was
that in which the priest, and through
him the whole congregation had sinned,
Lev. 4 : 3, 13, 14, 22, 23, and the reason

120

NUMBEPwS.

[B. C. 1490.

9 And ^ thou shalt bring the
Levites before the tabernacle of
the congregation : and ' thou shalt
gather the whole assembly of the
children of Israel together :

10 And thou shalt bring the

h Ex. 29. 4, etc. 40. VI. i Lev. 8. 3

that this kind of offering was made on
this occasion was, that it was offered
for the Levites in a body who represent-
ed, as it were, the whole congregation.

V. 9. And tliou shalt bring the Levites.
Heb. hikraUa, thou shalt hring near, or
cause to approach,' a sacrificial term
almost constantly in use in speaking of
the offerings made upon the altar. It
denotes that the Levites were viewed
in the light of a species of sacrifice ded-
icated and devoted to the Lord. For
this purpose they were to be brought
like other sacrifices to the door of the
tabernacle, which is usually to be un-
derstood by the phrase " before the

Lord," T[ Thou shalt gather thewhole

assembly. The occasion was one in which
the whole body of the people were equal-
ly interested, for the Levites being now
to be taken for the first-born, it was
proper that the whole congregation
should signify their concurrence in the
transaction. This was according to the
established rule in law. Quod omnium
interest, ah omnibus fieri debet, what con-
cerns all ought to be done by all. In like
manner the congregation was assembled
at the consecration of the priests, Lev.
8 : 3, 4.

V. 10. The children of Israel shall put
their hands upon the Levites. Heb.
sdmeku, shall lean their hands, etc.
That is, not the whole body of the peo-
ple, but some of the chief of them, the
elders, in the name of the rest. Ains-
worth suggests from Chuzkuni that the
first-born performed that office, as the
Levites were substituted in their place

Levites before the Lord : and
the children of Israel shall put *
their hands upon the Levites :

1 1 And Aaron shall offer ' the
Levites before the Lord for an
offering of the children of Is-

and made atonement for them, vs. 18,
19. The act of imposition of hands in
this instance denoted a certain kind of
transfer from one party to another of a
right, function, or prerogative which
originally pertained to the transferring
party. The act, therefore, as Mr. Kitto
suggests, had virtually the same signi-
ficancy as that of the Levites in laying
their hands on the bullocks which were
to be sacrificed for them (v. 12), or to
suffer and die for them ; and the appli-
cation from the first-born to the Levites
would express, not only the consecra-
tion of the latter, but their substitution
to attend to the service of the sanctuary
in the room of the first-born. The Le-
vites represented typically the minis-
ters in the Christian church ; and the
transaction before us carries with it the
implication, that the functions which
they discharge are inherently appropri-
ate to the whole body to which they
pertain, and that it was never intended
that they should be absolutely and en-
tirely alienated to a particular class
perpetuating itself by an ordination
rite in which the people at large have
no share. Even when the imposition
of hands devolves upon those who have
been themselves set apart in this man-
ner, it should still be distinctly under-
stood that the act is performed in the
name and behalf of the mass of the peo-
ple. Under the present dispensation
all true Christians are "kings and
priests unto God," and they should not
lightly part with their birthright.
V. 11. And Aaron shall offer the Le-

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER Vm.

121

rael, that tliey may execute the
service of the Lord.

12 And the Levites shall lay

vites, etc. Heb. liitiipJi, shall wave. A
sacrificial term applied to the wave-
ofFering, respecting which see Notes on
Ex. 29 : 23-28. The original is render-
ed in the Gr. bj aphoriei, shall separate,
which is transferred into the N. T. in
reference to the setting apart of Barna-
bas and Saul (Paul) for the work to
which the Lord had called them, Acts
13 : 2. In like manner Paul speaks of
himself, Rom. 1 : 1, as " separated unto
the Gospel of God." As the leading
idea of the Heb. term is that of agita-
tion, so the Gr. applied to ministers and
apostles denotes more than simple sep-
aration, viz., the trials, tossiugs, and
afliictions which, for the most part,
should accompany their dedication to
the special service of the Lord and the
church. The rendering of the Arab, is
here remarkable: — "And Aaron shall
lead them about by a circuitous lead-
ing," implying that they were conducted
about through the camp, somewhat as
in the East a bride is conducted in a
procession from her father's house to
the house of the bridegroom, to whom
she is ever after to be solemnly dedi-
cated and devoted. The agitation or
waving to and fro indicated by the ori-
ginal Heb. term implied the solemn con-
secration of the things waved to God,
as a sacrifice ; and therefore the Levites
were presented to him under the same
consideration as were the first-born.
As, however, it was impossible for
Aaron to wave them as he did the ordi-
nary sacrifices, and yet the term would
seem to express something which he
did to them, it is not unlikely that they
were made to perform some kind of
locomotion, although it might not have
been precisely that indicated by the
Arabic version. Patrick suggests, that

their hands upon the heads of
the bullocks : and thou shalt
offer the one for a sin-offering,

Aaron " lifting up his hands, and turn-
ing about to all sides, as he did when
he offered a wave-offering, they, at his
command, imitated the same motion,
and so were offered up to God, and be-
came wholly his." Le Clerc, however,
conjectures that they were led round
about the altar, thus favoring the con-
struction of the Arabic, which we on

the whole are inclined to adopt.

TI For an offering. Heb. temtphah, a
wave-offering. See Note on ch. 3 : 6.
Gr. apodoma, a gift, as the ministers
of the church are also called Eph. 4 : 8,
11. T That they may execute the ser-
vice. Heb. " That they may serve the
service." Gr. " That they may be to
work, or do, the works of the Lord ;"
as also in v. 15. The same phraseology
occurs in the original of 1 Cor. 16 : 10,
"For he worketh the work of the Lord,
as I also do." The language of 1 Cor.
9 : 13, is equivalent : — " Do ye not know
that they which minister about holy
things, live," etc.

V. 12. Shall lay their hands upon the
head.s. Heb. " Upon the head," sing,
doubtless because the ceremony was
performed upon the head of each one

separately. ^ Thou shalt ofer. Heb.

" Thou shalt do." See Note on ch. 6 :
11, 16, 17. As the words are addressed
to Moses, the meaning is, that he should
cause the sacrifice to be offered by the
hands of Aaron the priest. There is
something which strikes us as very
plausible in the suggestion of Yitringa
and Patrick, that the Levites were them-
selves considered in this transaction as
an expiatory sacrifice ; for being given
to God instead of the first-born, in the
sanctification of whom the whole family
was sanctified, and their sin in a certain
I sense expiated, the offering of the Le-

122

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

and the other for a burnt-offer-
ing, unto the Lord, to make an
atonement for the Levites.

13 And thou shalt set the
Levites before Aaron, and be-
fore his sous, and offer them /or
an offering unto the Lord.

14 Thus shalt thou separate "'
the Levites from among the

vites in this manner was to be consid-
ered as having the same effect as had
the offering of the first-born, viz. the
sanctification and atonement of the peo-
ple at large. This idea seems to be
countenanced by the phraseology of v.
19, " to make atonement for the children
of Israel," which may properly be un-
derstood as equivalent to making atone-
ment in lehalf of the children of Israel,
i. e. viewing the Levites themselves as
the atoning sacrifice, and not the minis-
ters by whom it is made. In the pres-
ent verse the Levites are evidently re-
garded as a sacrificial offering, and yet,
as they were not devoted to death, any
more than the first-born, but still lived,
therefore the sin-offering and the burnt-
offering were substituted in their stead.
Upon these they accordingly laid their
hands, that the sin which the children
of Israel laid upon them (v. 10) might
in the same way be transferred to the
victims, which thus became the real
sacrifices. The soundness of the pro-
posed interpretation will depend upon
the true import of the phrase lehajpper
al, to make atonement upon, for, or in
hehalf of, whether it refers to the sacri-
fice or to the sacrificer. We incline,
though not without some wavering, to
the former. As to the actual usage,
there is no doubt that the making atone-
ment is predicated both of sacrifice and
of the officiating priest.

V. 13. And tliou nhalt set. Ileb.

children of Israel : and the Le-
vites shall be mine ".

15 And after that shall the
Levites go in to do the service
of the tabernacle of the congre-
gation : and thou shalt cleanse
them, and offer " them for an
offering.

16 For they are wholly given

" Thou shalt cause to stand," i. e. thou
shalt present, as a token of their being
given to him and to his sons, as in v.

19. See also ch. 5 : 16, 18, 30. H And

offer them {for) an offering 'unto the
Lordj. Heb. "And thou shalt wave
them (as) a wave-offering." This sense
of the original makes it probable that
the true rendering is, " After thou hast
waved them for a wave-offering," im-
plying that they were presented to
Aaron and his sons after having been
thus offered to the Lord. It is doubt-
less in allusion to this that Paul, in
writing to the Romans^ says, " I be-
seech you, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable un-
to God, which is your reasonable ser-
vice."

V. 14. The Levites shall he mine.
Chald. " Shall be ministers before me."
See Note on ch. 16 : 9.

V. 15. And thou shalt cleanse them
and offer them. Heb. "Wave them."
Gr. " Give them before the Lord." As
this is evidently no new order for their
cleansing, the sense is unquestionably,
" Thou having cleansed them, and offer-
ed them." See vs. 7, 11.

V. 16. For they {are) wholly given
unto me. Heb. " For they are Nethinim,
Nethinim to me ; " repeated for the sake
of emphasis. On the import of " Ne-
thinim " see Note on ch. 3 : 9. Gr. " For
these are given to me for a present."

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER VIII.

123

unto me from among the chil-
dren of Israel ; instead ^ of such
as open every womb, even in-
stead of the first-born of all the
children of Israel, have I taken
them unto me.

17 For all the first-born ^ of
the children of Israel are mine,
both man and beast : on the day
that I smote every first-born in
the land of Egypt I sanctified
them for myself.

18 And I have taken the Le-
vites for all the first-born of the
children of Israel.

19 And I have given ' the

/)c. 3. 12, 45. J Et. 13. 2, 1-2-15. «. 3. 13.

T[ Instead of such as open every

womh. Heb. "Instead of the opening
of every Avomb ; " on which phraseology
see Note on ch. 3 : 12. The ensuing
phrase, "first-born," is in apposition
with this and explanatory of it.

V. 19. And I have given the Levites
(as) a gift. Heb. " And I have given
the Levites as Nethinim." Gr. " And
I have given the Levites presented as a
gift." Being first solemnly set apart
and dedicated to the Lord, they are now
given back by him to the donors, teach-
ing us, that whatever we give up to the
Lord in the spirit of a grateful surren-
der, will be sure to be returned to us

with interest. ^ To do the service of

the children of Israel. Heb. " To serve
the service." Gr. "To do the works."
Vulg. " To serve me for Israel," i. e. to
serve me in the holy rites instead of
Israel themselves. The service of the
children of Israel is the service which
they would have been required to per-
form had not the Levites been chosen
in their stead. T[ To make an atone-
ment. Heb. lehapper, to make atone-
ment. The insertion of the particle

Levites as a gift to Aaron and
to his sons from among the chil-
dren of Israel, to do the service
of the children of Israel in the
tabernacle of the congregation,
and to make an atonement for
the children of Israel : that '
there be no plague among the
children of Israel, when the
children of Israel come nigh
unto the sanctuary.

20 And Moses, and Aaron,
and all the congregation of the
children of Israel, did to the
Levites according unto all that
the LoKD commanded Moses

« c. 1. 53. c 16. 46. 18. 5. 2 Chr. 26. 16.

" an " is superfluous, as the word ex-
presses a continuous function. It
confirms the interpretation suggested
above, v. 12, that the making atone-
ment by the act of sacrificing was not
the province of the Levites, but of the
priests. They were to serve as a kind

of perpetual medium of atonement.

1 That there he no plague, etc. Chald.
" No death." That is, that the people
may be secured from the stroke of di-
vine judgments by every thing being
done in exact accordance with the pre-
scribed order, all others except the
proper commissioned persons being
precluded from officiating in and about
the Tabernacle. This plainly teaches
that the surest preservation against dis-
astrous visitations is a strict compliance
with the divine injunctions. Germane
to this is the case of Phineas, ch. 25 : 7,
8, 13, who, in slaying the ofienders
" stayed the plague," and is thereupon
said to have " made an atonement for

the children of Israel." Tf When the

children of Israel come nigh unto the
sanctuary. Heb. el haJckodesh, unto the
holiness ; that is, to the place and to the

124

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

concerning the Levites, so did
the children of Israel unto them.

21 And the Levites were
' purified, and they washed their
clothes ; and Aaron offered "
them as an offering before the
Lord ; and Aaron made an
atonement for them to cleanse
them.

22 And after " that went the
Levites in to do their service in
the tabernacle of the congrega-

things of holiness, which the Gr. ren-
ders pros hagia, to the Jiolinesses. The
danger incurred by the infraction of
this command is impressively taught,
Lev. 10 : 1. 1 Chron. 13 : 20.

V. 21. And the Levites were purified.
Heb. yithhatte-u, purified themselves,
or, *' had themselves purified," That
is, from sin, as the original root signi-
fies, of which the outward rite was the
sprinkling of sin-water upon them, v. 7.

H And Aaron offered them as an

offering. Heb. ** Waved them (as) a
wave-offering." See on v. 12. Gr.

" Gave them as a gift." '^And Aaron

made an atonement for them to cleanse
them. Heb. letaharam, a different word
from that above rendered "purified."
The term " cleanse " expresses the ef-
fect produced upon the subjects of the
" atonement," which in the first instance
involves the idea of "reconciliation."
But in our relations with the Most High,
we are not to be content with the mere
fact of expiation ; we are to aim at moral
purification as the ultimate end contem-
plated by atonement.

V. 22. After that went the Levites in,
etc. In conformity with the directions

given above, v. 15. Tf To do their

service. Heb. " To serve their service."
Gr. leitourgein ten leitourgian auton, to
Uturgize their liturgy, i. e. to minister

tion before Aaron, and before his
sons : as "" the Lord had com-
manded Moses concerning the
Levites, so did they unto them.

23 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

24 This is it that helongeth
unto the Levites : from " twenty
and five years old and upward
they shall go in to wait upon
the service of the tabernacle of
the congregation.

w ver. 5, etc.

1 Chr. 23. 3, 27.

their ministry. See Note on ch. 4 : 3.

H Before Aaron and before his sons.

In their presence, and by their direc-
tion, just as they themselves ministered
" before the Lord."

The Age at which the Levites^ Service
was to commence, and the Period of
its Continuance.

V. 24. This {is it) that
unto the Levites. That is to say, add
this to what has been already prescribed

concerning them. T[ From twenty

and five years old. Heb. " From a son
of twenty-five years." So also in v. 25.
The meaning is, that from this period
they might enter upon their service,
and perform its lighter labors, such as
taking care of the Tabernacle, excluding
strangers and the unclean, etc., but
were not to assume the heavier duties,
such as loading or unloading the wag-
ons, transporting the materials, and the
like, for this required that they should
have attained the age of thirty, as ap-
pears from ch. 4 : 3. T[ They shall go

in to wait upon the service. Heb. " lie
(i. e. every one) shall go in to war Ihe
warfare in the service." Upon this
phraseology see Note on ch. 4 : 3, 23.
Gr. energein, to energize, to worh vigor-
ously.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER IX.

125

25 And from the age of fifty
years they shall cease waiting
upon the service thereof^ and
shall serve no more :

26 But shall minister with
their brethren in the tabernacle
of the congregation, to keep " the

1. 53. 18. 4. 1 Chr. 23. :

Ezek. 44. 8, 11.

V. 25. From the age of fifty years.
Heb. '* From a son of fifty years." Pre-
cisely the same form of phraseology
which occurs in the preceding verse,
and which is there rendered, "from

twenty and five years old." T[ They

shall cease waiting upon the service,
Heb. " He (i. e. every one) shall return
from the warfare of the service ; " that
is, shall return home, withdrawing from
the service of the Tabernacle. Gr.
apostesetai, shall stand away, withhold
himself from, his liturgy {ministry).
The verb occurs in the original of Luke
2 : 37, where it is said of Anna the
prophetess, that she " departed not from
the temple." The import doubtless is,
that from this time they were to cease
from the hardier and heavier labors of
the sanctuary, such as the transporta-
tion, etc., though they might still per-
form the lighter ministrations. " That
which is spoken in the law of the Le-
vites from fifty years old, that ' he shall
return,' etc., is not meant but for the
time that they carried the Sanctuary
from place to place, and it is not a com-
mandment of force in the generations
following. But in the subsequent ages
a Levite was not disallowable by years,
neither by blemishes, but by voice;
when his voice failed by reason of ex-
treme old age, he was disabled from
serving in the sanctuary. And it seem-
eth to me that he is not disallowable
save for singing the song, but he might
be of the porters." — Maimonides.

V. 26. But shall minister with their

charge, and shall do no service*.
Thus shalt thou do unto the Le-
vites touching their charge.

CHAPTER IX.

ND the Lord spake unto
Moses in the wilderness of

Irethren. Heb. " But he shall minister
with his brethren," sing, for plur. as
above. This ministry is explained by
what follows ; it consisted in " keeping
the charge," i. e. taking care of the
Tabernacle, to which they were to serve

as a kind of guard. ^ And sJiall do

no service. Heb. "And shall not serve
the service ; " by which is meant, they
shall not be required to perform any
more hard service, their age beginning
to require ease and rest. This is con-
firmed by the Rabbinical glosses, the
purport of which is, that the service
here mentioned is the service of bear-
ing the holy things on the shoulders,
but they were to keep the charge (cus-
tody), to encamp round about the teni,
to sing, and to beware that no stranger
came into the Tabernacle.

CHAPTER IX.

TTie Passover again commanded, with
a special Qualification.

V. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses.
Or, Heb. " The Lord had said," for it is
quite obvious that the transactions re-
ferred to in the first fourteen verses of
this chapter took place prior to the
numbering of the people recorded in
the first two chapters of the book. The
command for numbering ^nd ordering
of the tribes there related was given
on " the first day of the second month,^*
ch. 1 : 1, 2. This it appears was issued

126

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

Sinai, in the first month of the
second year after they were come
out of the land of Egypt, say-
ing,

2 Let the children of Israel

" in the^>«^ months But it is no un-
usual thing to find such transpositions
in the sacred writers. One of the He-
brew doctors observes, *' There is no
order of former and latter in the Law."
And Houbigant says, " It is enough to
know that these books contain an ac-
count of things transacted in the days
of Moses, though not in their regular
or chronological order." The order
concerning the passover is recorded
here simply as an introduction to the
rule prescribed for such as had been
prevented, by a particular cause, from
keeping the passover at the proper time.
The law respecting pollution by a dead
body was given subsequent to the law
respecting the passover, and hence a
new question arose which had to be set-
tled. It is in connection with the de-
cision of this question that the reference
to the original institution occurs. In
this record we read, " And it shall come
to pass, when ye be come to the land
which the Lord will give you, accord-
ing as he hath promised, that ye shall
keep this service." The rite was in-
deed once observed in Egypt on the
night of their departure, but as there
was no express intimation that it was
to be kept in the desert, a special divine
warrant would be requisite for the pur-
pose. Such a warrant was given on
this occasion, and from Josh. 5 : 10-12,
it would appear that no other passover
was celebrated during the whole period
of the wandering till they had entered
the promised land.

V. 2. Let the cJiildren of Israel heep
the passover. Heb. " Let the children
of Israel make or do the passover." On

also keep the passover at hi« ap-
pointed season ",

3 In the fourteenth * day of

this month,

a Ex. n. 3. Deut. 16. 1

at even, ye shall

b 2 Chr. 30. 2, 15.

the origin and import of the term " pass-
over," see Note on Ex. 12 : 11 If At

his appointed season. That is, on the
fourteenth day of the first month, in
memory of their signal deliverance from
Egypt, as also of their exemption from
the desolating judgment which befell
the first-born of that country. Gr.
" According to its hour." The Hebrew
writers say that the occurrence of the
Sabbath on the same day with the sea-
son of the passover was not to interfere
with its observance.

V. 3. In the fourteenth day of this
month. The narrative here is retro-
spective, and the "this month" desig-
nated is the first month, on which the
Lord issued the command, and to which
the reader is supposed to be carried

back. '^ At even. Heb. "Between

the two evenings." That is, in the af-
ternoon, between the time of the sun's
beginning to decline, which was called
the first evening and that of his set-
ting, which was called the second. See
Note on Ex. 12 : 6. As the passover re-
ferred to the Lord as its substantial
reality, so the hour of its being offered
pointed forward to his coming " in these
last days," Heb. 2 : 1, 2, that is, towards
the evening of the world, and to the fact
of his crucifixion at the ninth hour, or
about three o'clock, p. m. T[ Accord-
ing to all the rites of it, etc. Heb. " Ac-
cording to all the statutes of it." Gr.
" According to the law thereof." That
is, according to all the prescribed rites
and ordinances, such, for instance, as
those mentioned Ex. 12 : 43-50, where
the very term here rendered " rites
(hukkdh) occurs, and where the refer-

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER IX.

127

keep it in his appointed season :
according to all the rites of it,
and according to all the cere-
monies thereof, shall ye keep it.

4 And Moses spake unto the
children of Israel, that they
should keep the passover.

5 And * they kept the pass-
over on the fourteenth day of
the first month, at even, in the
wilderness of Sinai; according
to all that the Lord command-

ence is principally had to the persons
who were to partake of the passover.

^ According to all the ceremonies

thereof. Heb. "According to all the
judgments thereof." The import of
the term "judgments" in this connec-
tion is not perfectly obvious. It is not
improbably to be understood of the un-
leavened bread, bitter herbs, and other
accompaniments by which it was to be
distinguished. In the permanent ob-
observance of the passover certain spe-
cialities peculiar to the first institution,
such as the sprinkling of the door-posts
with blood, taking it in a standing pos-
ture, etc. were to be excepted.

Y. 4. That they should keep the pass-
over. Heb. "That they should make,
or do, the passover," as frequently be-
fore. This, Ainsworth remarks, was
for the sanctification of the whole body
of the people in their own persons, as
the priests and Levites had been sanc-
tified to their several ministries.

V. 6. And there were certain men who
were defiled by the dead body of a man.
Heb. " Who were unclean by the soul
of man ; " a peculiar usage of the origi-
nal, in regard to which see the Note on
ch. 5 : 2. Vulg. " Behold some who
were unclean by occasion of the soul
of a man." The corresponding Gr. is
^vX'^'> psyche, soul, which is also ren-

ed Moses, so did the children
of Israel. ^

6 And there were certain men
who were defiled '' by the dead
body of a man, that they could
not keep the passover on that
day : and ' they came before Mo-
ses and before Aaron on that day :

7 And those men said unto
him, We are defiled by the dead
body of a man : wherefore are

d c. 5. -2. 19. 11, 16. John 18.28.
19. c. 27. -'o.

dered dead body. Persons thus defiled
were unclean seven days. Lev. 19 : 11,
were precluded access to the sanctuary,
ch. 5 : 2, and were not allowed to eat of
the holy things, Lev. 7 : 20. In the
emergency that had thus arisen they
had recourse to Moses and Aaron for
directions wha+ to do, as it devolved
upon them to take cognizance of such
cases, as appears from the tenor of Lev.
11 : 1, 2, etc. Yet it would seem that
Moses was mainly appealed to, for he
only answered.

V. 7. WTierefore are we kept bach ?
Heb. lavfiah niggdra, wherefore are we
abated, abridged, or made to fall short?
The leading idea of the original is that
of diminution., curtailment, and conse-
quent deprivation. Yulg. " Wherefore
are we defrauded ? " Gr. " Shall we
therefore fall short, or fail ? " i. e. in
regard to the privilege of ofiering, in
which the original indicates a want of
fulness. The demand was a reasonable
one under the circumstances. Their
defilement might have been involunta-
rily contracted by burying a dead body,
which was still their duty, and why
should this preclude them from partici-
pating in religious rites, to which they
were disposed to pay a due regard ? It
is to be remembered that the law ex-
cluding the polluted from the camp, ch.

128

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

we kept back, that we may not
offer an offeriog of the Lord in
his appointed season among the
children of Israel ?

8 And Moses said unto them,
Stand still, and I will hear what
the Lord will command con-
cerning you.

9 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

5 : 2, had not yet been enacted, although
it would seem that some portion of the
people, from an innate or anticipative
impression of its indecorum, were dis-
posed to debar them from the privilege.
But as the command of observance was
strict they found themselves in a di-
lemma. If they neglected to eat, they
were liable to judgment ; if they ate in
their present circumstances, they were
equally exposed. What should they

do ? T[ That ice may not offer an

offering of the Lord. Heb. korhan Ye-
hovah, the gift of Jehovah. So called
as being commanded by the Lord, and
observed to his honor and glory, and
termed therefore, Ex. 12 : 27, " the sac-
rifice of the Lord's passover." Gr.
" The gift of the Lord."

V. 8. Stand still. Heb. amdu, stand,
stay ; i. e. wait in patient expectation.
Chald. "Tarry till I hear." Yulg.
"Stay till I consult the Lord." An in-
timation of profound deference to the
divine will, in vii-tue of which he would
venture upon no decision in a doubtful
case without first consulting the Lord
in his appointed way. The Targ. Jon.
on this place remarks, that the judges of
the Sanhedrim " should not be ashamed
to ask concerning the judgment which
is too hard for them ; for Moses,, who
was the master of Israel, had need to
say, * I have not heard.' "

V. 10. If any man of you le unclean.
Heb. " A man, a man, when he shall be

10 Speak untb the children
of Israel, saying. If any man of
you or of your posterity shall,
be unclean by reason of a dead
body, or he in a journey afar off,
yet he shall keep the passover
unto the Lord.

11 The fourteenth ^'' day of
the second month, at even, they

/ ver. 3.

unclean." The phrase " or of your pos-
terity " occurs in the original in the lat-
ter part of the verse. T[ By reason

of a dead body. Heb. " Upon or for a
soul." Sea Note on ch. 5 : 2. Gr. and
Chald; " By the soul of a man," i. e. of
a dead man, as v. 6. Targ. Jon. " By
the pollution of a man that is dead."
This specific case only is mentioned,
but all similar ones seem to be included..

TI Or be in a Journey afar of. Heb.

" Away afar off." That is, at such a
distance that he could not reach the
tabernacle on the day appointed, or be-
yond the limits of his own country, for
it appears from Dent. 12 : 5, 6. 16 : 2,
that the passover could not be kept any
where out of Judea. The Hebrew doc-
tors make the least distance that could
be called " a journey afar ofi" to be
fifteen miles.

Y. 11. The fourteenth day of the sec-
ond month. It was therefore established
by the Lord as a standing ordinance,
that all such Israelites as, at the time
of the passover-feast, were either under
any legal defilement, or abroad at a con-
siderable distance from the Tabernacle,
or in circumstances which hindered
their attendance upon it at the stated
time, should have a second day appoint-
ed for its observance, viz. the fourteenth
day of the second month, when it was
to be celebrated by the parties concern-
ed with the same ceremonies as it had
been by the rest of the nation. TJ At

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER IX.

129

shall keep it, and eat it with
unleavened bread ^ and bitter
herbs.

12 They shall leave none ^ of
it unto the morning, nor break '
any bone of it : according to all
the ordinances of the passover
they shall keep it.

13 But the man that is clean,
and is not in a journey, and for-
beareth to keep the passover,
even the same soul * shall be cut
off from among his people : be-
cause he brought not the offer -

</ Ex. M
John la. 31

h Ex. 12. 10. i Ex. 12.

k Ex. 12. 15.

even. Heb. "Bet\A^een the two even-
ings." See on v. 3. Gr. " Towards

evening." T[ With unleavened bread

and hitter Tierbs. See Note on Ex. 12 : 8.

Y. 12. 81mII leave none of it unto the
morninrj. If any were left till then it
was to be burnt. See Note on Ex. 12 :

10. T[ According to all the ordinances

of the passover. Heb. " According to
the statute of the passover." Gr.
" According to the law of the passover
(pascha)." This is to be understood
of all the rites proper to the offering
and bating of the paschal lamb, but not
to the keeping of the seven days of un-
leavened bread.

y. 13. 27ie man that is clean and is
not in a journey, etc. Gr. " In a far
journey." This case doubtless implies
others of like negligence or presump-
tion. T[ Forheareth. Heb. hddal,

ceasethy faileth. Gr. "Cometh short."
Comp. v. 7, where in the Sept. the same

word occurs. T[ Shall he cut off.

Either by the sentence of the judges, or
by the judgment of heaven. See Note on
Gen. 17 : 14. Tf From among his peo-
ple. Heb. " From his peoples." Mean-
ing the tribes of Israel, called the " peo-
ples of Israel," Acts 4 : 27, where the

ing of the Lord in his appoint-
ed ' season, that man shall bear
"' his sin.

14 And if a stranger shall so-
journ among you, and will keep
the passover unto the Lord •, ac-
cording to the ordinance of the
passover, and according to the
manner thereof, so shall he do :
ye shall have one " ordinance,
both for the stranger, and for
him that was born in the land.

15 And on the day that the
tabernacle was reared up, the

original is plural, though the render-
ing is singular. ^ Shall bear his sin.

That is, the punishment due to his sin.
See Lev. 22 : 9.

V. 14. If a stranger shall sojourn
amx)ng you. Gr. " If a proselyte come
unto you in your land." Syr. " If one
shall dwell among you who has been
converted unto me." The allusion is
to such strangers or foreigners as had
become proselytes to the faith of Israel,
and had submitted to circumcision ac-
cording to the law laid down Ex. 12 :
48, 49. We are to recognize in this a
pre-intimation of the future calling in
of the Gentiles to the Lord's true
church.

Tlie Manner in which the Cloudy Pil-
lar conducted the Movements of the
Most.

Y. 15. On the day that the tahernacle
was reared up. Heb. " On, or in, the
day of his (Moses') rearing up the tab-
ernacle." This was the first day of ihe
first month of the second year after
their departure from Egypt. This is
mentioned here as Moses is about to
speak of the removal from Sinai, of
which the removal of the cloud, tha*

130

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

cloud covered " the tabernacle,
namely^ the tent of the testi-
mony : and at even ^ there was
upon the tabernacle as it were

0 Ex. 40. 34. p Ex. 13. 21. 40. 38. Neh. 9. 12,
19. Ps. 78. 14.

had rested upon the Tabernacle from
the day of its first erection, was to be
the signal. Of this cloud, with its sym-
bolical uses, see the extended essay on
the " Shekinah," at the end of the first

vol. of the " Notes on Exodus."

\ The tent of the testimony. Heb.
" The cloud covered the tabernacle
{mishhan, see Note on Ex. 26 : 1) to,
or for, the tent of the testimony ; " by
which we may reasonably understand
a distinction equivalent to saying, that
over that part of the Tabernacle where
the ark was, i. e. the Most Holy Place,
the cloud rested. Having before hung
on high over the camp, it now descend-
ed and settled upon the Tabernacle,
covering it as with a garment. This is
confirmed by the Gr. which renders,
** And (or even) the house of the testi-
mony," i. e. the department of the sa-
cred edifice where the ark, with the
tables of testimony, was deposited.
Within this holy recess the divine pres-
ence was symbolized by another cloud
of more glorious aspect resting over
the mercy-seat. See Note on Lev. 16:2.
Gr. " The cloud covered the tabernacle,

the house of the testimony." T[ As it

were the appearance of fire. Heb. kema-
reh, a^ the appearance, from the root
raah, to see. The term here employed
is the same with that which is rendered
pattern, ch. 8 : 4, when speaking of the
visionary model shown to Moses in the
mount, after which he was to construct
the Tabernacle and its various append-
ages. In that case, it is obvious that
it was no material object which was
presented to the outward eye, but some-
thing spiritual exhibited to the interior

the appearance of fire, until the
morning.

16 So it was alway : the
cloud ^ covered it hy day, and
the appearance of fire by night.

q Deut. 1. 33.

vision ; so in the present instance we
infer that the pillar of cloud was not a
material substance, but something hav-
ing the appearance, the seviblance of one,
such as the divine power was compe-
tent to produce. Of the precise nature
of that which appeared we are altogeth-
er ignorant, as we are also of that of the
symbol of the divine presence, which
rested over the ark of the covenant, and
which was in some way visible. It is
probable that a very close and accvirate
investigation of the sense of the several
original words rendered to see, would
lead to the conclusion that mental vision
is more frequently indicated in the lan-
guage of holy writ than we have ordi-
narily supposed. Consult 2 Kings 6:
17, for the case of Elisha's servant, who
saw by spiritual vision the mountain
covered by chariots and horses of fire.
The cloud here spoken of was a dark
columnar mass by day, and a pillar of
fire by night to the senses of the Israel-
ites. It signified both the presence and
protection of the Most High in behalf
of Israel.

v. 16. So it was alway : the cloud
covered it (by day.) The words "by
day " are wanting in the original, prob-
ably for the reason that the preceding
term " alway " (Heb. tumid) imi^lies
and is generally rendered " day by day."
It is also readily supplied from Ex. 40 .
38. The continuance of this signal of
the divine favor, notwithstanding the
unworthiness of the people, is thus
gratefully recorded by Nehemiah, ch.
9 : 19, " Yet thou in thy manifold mer-
cies forsookest them not in the wilder-
ness : the pillar of the cloud departed

B. a 1490.]

CHAPTER IX.

131

17 And when ' the cloud was
taken up from the tabernacle,
then after that the children of
Israel journeyed : and in the
place where the cloud abode,
there the children of Israel
pitched their tents.

18 At the commandment of
the Lord the children of Israel
journeyed, and at the command-
ment of the Lord they pitched:

Ex. 40. 36-3?. c. 10. 11,

not from them by day, to lead them in
the way; neither the pillar of fire by
night, to show them light, and the way
wherein they should go."

V. 17. And when the cloud was taken
up froTn, the tabernacle. Heb. "And
according to the being taken up of the
cloud from upon (or over) the taberna-
cle." Gr. ""Went up from the tent."

^ Journeyed. Heb. yis-u, plucTced

uj), frequently rendered departed, re-
moved, set forward. On its true import

see Note on ch. 2 : 9. T[ In the place

where the cloud abode. Heb. yishJcon,
shechinized, from the root shalcan, usu-
ally rendered to dwell, to abide, i. e. to
tabernacle, from which comes Sheehi-
nah, a term of profound significance,
of which see Xote on Ex. 25 : 8. The
cloud, as the usual accompaniment and
symbol of the divine glory, doubtless
gave rise to the prophetic imagery in
which the coming of the Lord is an-
nounced as taking place " in the clouds
of heaven," Dan. 7 : 13. Rev. 1:7. So
he is also said to be "clothed with a
cloud, and his feet as pillars of fire>"

Rev. 10 : 1. T[ Tlie children of Israel

pitched their tents. Set up the Taber-
nacle and encamped round about it,

V. 18. At the commandment of the
Lord. 'B.eh.lep)i, at the mouth. Chald.
"At the word of the Lord." Gr. "By
the commandment of the Lord." The

as long as the cloud abode upon
the " tabernacle they rested in
their tents.

19 And when the cloud tar-
ried long upon the tabernacle
many days, then the children of
Israel kept the charge ' of the
Lord, and journeyed not.

20 And so it was, when the
cloud was a few days upon the
tabernacle ; according to the

s 1 Cor. 10. 1. t c. 1. 53. 3. 8. Zech. 3. 7.

signs by which the Lord makes known
his will and his words, according to the
language of the Psalmist, Ps. 105 : 27,
" They showed his signs among them
(Heb. the words of his signs), and won-
ders in the land of Ham." The moving
of the cloud was the signal of the divine
pleasure that the camp also should
move and take up their march to anoth-
er station ; which they did and went
on as long as the cloud moved, stopping
when it stopped.

V. 19. And when the cloud tarried
long. Heb. "And in the cloud's pro-
longing (its stay)." T[ The children

of Israel Icept the charge of the Lord.
Heb. "Observed the observation."
Chald. " Kept the charge (or observa-
tion) of the word of the Lord." The
idea doubtless is, that they persisted,
with the most exemplary patience, in
the observance of all the prescribed
rites and ceremonies, without presum-
ing to anticipate the divine order for
breaking up. They kept the charge of
the Lord by obeying his will as to their
movements.

V. 20. And so it was, when the cloud
was a few days upon the tabernacle.
Heb. "Days of number," i. e. days
easily numbered, a Heb. idiom for few
days. See Note on Gen. 34 : SO. This
verse is to be viewed in close connec-
tion with the preceding. The purport

132

NUMBERS.

[B; 0. 1490.

commandment of the Lord they
abode in their tents, and ac-
cording to the commandment
of the Lord they journeyed.

21 And so it was, when the
cloud abode from even unto the
morning, and that the cloud was
taken up in the morning, then
they journeyed ; whether it was
by day or by night that the cloud
was taken up, they journeyed.

22 Or whether it were two
days, or a month, or a year, that
the cloud tarried upon the tab-
is, that the obedience of the people was
equally marked whether the cloud tar-
ried many or few days at any one sta-
tion. In either case they awaited pa-
tiently the appointed indication.

Vs. 21-23. Whetlier (it was) iy day or
by niglit. Night travelling is not uncom-
mon in the East, where the heat of the

day is very severe. Tl Two days, or a

month, or a year. It is obvious from
this that their times of tarrying at the
different stations were very unequal.
At one time they rested eighteen years
together; at another but one day; at
another one night. In this there is
evidently nothing capricious or imsta-
ble to be charged upon the people, as
their movements were constantly regu-
lated by the divine direction, and this
again was undoubtedly governed by
reasons of infinite wisdom, though not
expressly made known. The fact of
the encampings and the removals of the
host being thus controlled by the divine
dictation and guidance, is reiterated
again and again in these concluding
verses. Maimonides says the reason
of this particularity is, that it was de-
signed to confute the opinions of the
Arabians and others that the Israelites
were so long detained in the wilderness
— which the Arabic writers have termed

ernacle, remaining thereon, the
children of Israel abode " in
their tents, and journeyed not :
but when it was taken up, they
journeyed.

23 At the commandment of
the Lord they rested in the
tents, and at the commandment
of the Lord they journeyed :
they kept " the charge of the
Lord, at the '" commandment of
the Lord by the hand of Mo-

tt Ex. 40. 3(i, 37.

the "Wilderness of Wandering" — be-
cause they had lost their way, and there-
fore spent years in vaguely rambling
over the peninsula. This, he observes,
is a very idle conceit, as the way from
Mount Horeb to Kadesh Barnea was a
well known and frequented route, and
not above eleven days' journey ; so that
it is not to be supposed that they could
have missed it, and far less should have
wandered in a bewildered condition for
forty years. As the whole history,
however, of the wanderings of the chil-
dren of Israel in the wilderness was
obviously intended to be typical of the
varied experience of the Lord's people
in their life-journeying through the
world, so we may regard these appar-
ently zigzag marches and longer or
shorter tarryings at different stations,
as pointing to that vast diversity of
states through which the Lord's pil-
grims pass on their way to the heaven-
ly Canaan. At one time they make a
brief pause or halt in a particular state ;
at another they take up a long abode in
such a state, and the plucking up the
stakes and loosening the cords of the
tents denote the breaking away and dis-
entanglements which occur when they
make a transition from one stage to
another of their spiritual progress.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER X.

133

CHAPTER X.

ND the Lord spake
Moses, saying,

unto

2 Make thee two trumpets of

The conduct of the Israelites in thus
yielding an implicit obedience to the
divine will in this respect is worthy of
all commendation, and stands in strik-
ing contrast with their too frequent
perverseness and rebellion in other
periods of their history. Howeyer tedi-
ous and irksome their travel or abid-
ing, and however impatient of arriving
at the promised laud, yet they submit-
ted themselves to the constant direction
of their heavenly Guide, and never pre-
sumed to move but under his conduct.
The history affords a lesson of univer-
sal application. Let us ever defer to
divine guidance, and we shall not fail
to be led in the right way ; we shall be
protected as under the shadow of omni-
potence ; we shall be relieved of a thou-
sand anxious cares which will be sure
to spring up in the attempt to order
our own footsteps ; and we shall enjoy
the sweet inward assurance that all
things are working together for our
good, as those that love God and put
their trust in him.

CHAPTER X.

Tlie making of Silver Trumpets com-
manded.
V. 2. Make fhee two trumpets of sil-
ver. Heb. hatzotzerotJi. The trumpet
of the Hebrews was made of metal, the
cornet (Shophar) of horn. See Lev.
23 : 24. Josephus speaks of this instru-
ment thus : — "Moses was the inventor
of the form of their trumpet, which was
made of silver. Its description is this :
In length it was a little less than a cu-
bit. It was composed of a narrow tube,

silver : of a whole piece shalt
thou make them, that thou may-
est use them for the calling " of

a Is. 1. 13.

somewhat thicker than a flute, but with
so much breadth as was sufficient for
the breath of a man's mouth : it ended
in the form of a bell like common trum-
pets. Its sound was called in the He-
brew tongue, Asosra." — J. A., B. III. c.
12. There were but two of these now
first made, as Aaron had but two sons
who were priests, and by whom they
were to be blown, v. 8, viz. Eleazer and
Ithamar, but at a subsequent period,
when the Levitical establishment had
become much enlarged, we read of " a
hundred and twent}' priests sounding
with trumpets," 2 Chron. 5 : 12. Their
general uses were for summoning as-
semblies and giving notice for decamp-
ments and marches; and considering
the vast extent of the encampment,
some signal of this kind must have been
indispensable. From Is. 58 : 1. 27 : 13,
it is to be inferred that the trumpet
points typically to the preaching of the
gospel as the instnmientality by which
sinful men are to be called into the

Lord's kingdom. ■[ Of a whole piece

shalt thou make them. Heb. mikshdh,
of hard or solid work. On the true im-
port of this term, see note on Ex. 25 :
31. Though there rendered "beaten
work," yet it undoubtedly implies a
fabric that was cast instead of being
hammered into form. The trumpets
were cast in one piece like the golden
candlestick, which would probably ren-
der the sound more distinct and loud.

^ For the calling of the assemhly.

This was the first of the special uses
to which the trumpets were devoted.
But inasmuch as the camp was of seve-
ral miles extent, and as the sound of
two trumpets could not be heard over
the whole distance, it is probable that

134

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

the assembly, and for the jour-
neying of the camps.

'6 And when they shall blow *
with them, all the assembly shall
assemble themselves to thee at
the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation.

4 And if they blow hut with
one trumpet^ then the princes,

b Jer. 4. 5. Joel 2. 15.

notice was extended by progressive ac-
clamations from one party to another
till the utmost borders were reached.
Compare with this the language of the
prophet : — " Blow the trumpet in Zion,
sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly ;
gather the people, sanctify the congre-
gation, Joel 2 : 15, 16. 1 For the

journeying of the camps. Heb. lemassa,
for the breaking -up, from the root be-
fore indicated, ch. 2 : 17. This was the
second use of these instruments. If it
be asked, what necessity there was for
the sounding of trumpets when the en-
campment was to be broken up, inas-
much as the removal of the cloud indi-
cated the removal of the host, we reply
that the sound of the trumpet was not
to notify the time of marching, but to
indicate the order in which the several
divisions were to move. Thus, upon
the sounding of the first signal, the
camp of Judah was to move ; upon the
second, that of Reuben ; and so of the
rest. There were, therefore, three
things to be observed in connection
with their removals : — 1. The Lord's
lifting the cloud, ch. 9 : 18, 22.-2. The
sound of the trumpets, ch. 10 : 2, 5, 6. —
3. The prayer of Moses, ch. 10 : 35.

V. 3. And when they shall blow. That
is, the priests, as expressly ordered, v. 8.
The Gr., however, has, "When thou
shalt blow," referring to Moses, who
might be said to blow through the
priests whom he had appointed. The

ivhich are heads " of the thou-
sands of Israel, shall gather
themselves unto thee.

5 When ye blow an alarm "^^
then the camps that lie on the
east * parts shall go forward.

6 When ye blow an alarm
the second time, then the camps
that lie on the south -^ side shall

cEx. 18. 'il. c 1. 16. rf Joel 2.1. e c. 2. 3.
/ c. 2. 10.

original term for " blow " (tdha) signi-
fies primarily to drive forcibly, to thrust
i?i, as the pins or stakes of a tent, a
dagger, a nail, etc. ; hence also applied
to the violent driving or impinging of
the wind, by which locusts are driven
into the sea, or the breath into a

trumpet. T[ With them. That is,

with both of them ; for when but one
was blown, the princes only assembled,
V. 4.

V. 4. ^ they bloio (but) with one
(trumpet.) The Vulg. has it, " If thou
sound but once;" but the Gr. better,
" If thou shalt sound with one," as this
accords with the Hebrew.

V. 5. When ye blow an alarm. Heb.
terudh, implying not, as in the other
case, a long, even, and continuous blast,
but a broken, quavering, and interrupt-
ed one, a sound of a more exciting and
animating character, which our trans-
lators have not improperly expressed

by "sounding an alarm." T[ The

camps that lie -upon the east part shall
go forward. These were the tribes of
Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, ch, 2 :
3-7. The term " camps " is apparently
employed to signify the several distinct
divisions that occupied the different
quarters round about the Tabernacle.

V. 6. On the south side. This was
occupied by Reuben, Simeon, and Gad,
ch, 2 : 10, It would be reasonable to
suppose, that after the mention of the
camps on the east and south, mention

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER X.

135

take their journey : they shall
blow an alarm for their jour-
neys.

7 But when the congregation
is to be gathered together, ye
shall blow, but ye shall not
sound an alarm.

8 And the sons of Aaron,
the ^ priests, shall blow with

Chr. 15. 24. 2 Chr. 13. 12.

would be made in like manner of those
on the north and west ; but these are
for some reason omitted in the Hebrew,
though supplied as follows in the Gr.,
" And ye shall sound a third alarm, and
the camps pitched westward shall move
forward ; and ye shall sound a fourth
alarm, and they that encamp toward
the north shall move forward." This
addition, however, has not been ac-
knowledged by the Samaritan, nor by
any other of the versions but the Coptic.
Nor are there any various readings in
the collections of Kennicott and De
Rossi which countenance the Gr. in
supplying the desideratum. Bp. Pat-
rick supposes that the omission in the
original is virtually supplied in the en-
suing clause : — " They shall blow an
alarm for their journeys," which he un-
derstands as equivalent to saying that
they shall blow a third an^fourtTi alarm
for the moving of the other two stand-
ards. It is, however, an equally plau-
sible interpretation, that these words
amount to no more than a brief recapit-
ulation of the order just given. Yet
the Vulg. countenances the idea of Pat-
rick : — ** And after this manner shall
the rest do, when the trumpets shall
sound for a march."

V. 7. But when the congregation, etc.
A manifest distinction between simply
blowing and blowing an alarm appears
in the language of this verse. The na-
ture of this distinction is explained

the trumpets ; and they shall
be to you for an ordinance for
ever throughout your genera-
tions.

9 And if ye go to war * in
your land against the enemy
that oppresseth ' you, then ye
shall blow an alarm with the
trumpets; and ye shall be re-

A 2 Chr. 13. 14.
Ps. 106. 42.

t Judg. 2. 1>

above, vs. 3, 5. The sound in the one
case was long and equable, in the other
short, broken, and sharp. Adam Clarke
remarks that " from the similarity in
the words, some suppose that the Heb.
teruah was similar to the Roman tara-
tantara, or sound of their clarion." It
is possible that this distinction may be
alluded to by Paul, 1 Cor. 14 : 8, where
he says, "If the trumpet shall give an
uncei-tain sound, who shall prepare him-
self to battle? " that is, if the milder and
gentler sound is given when the rough
and broken one is required.

V. 8. And the sons of Aa?'on, the
priests, shall blow. The office of blow-
ing the trumpets was restricted exclu-
sively to the priestly order, probably
with a view to intimate that the act had
a typical reference to the preachers of

the Word in subsequent ages. ^ An

ordinance for ever. Heb. " A statute of
eternity." The outward symbolical use
was to continue to the coming of Christ
and the spiritual, or that which was the
substance of the shadow, to abide ever
after. This would make it an everlast-
ing ordinance.

V. 9. And if ye go to war, etc. Heb.
" If ye come to war." Gr. " If ye go
forth to war." But " coming" is often
expressed by the term that is rendered
elsewhere by " going," as Jon. 1 : 3,
" And found a ship going (Heb. bddh,

coming) to Tarshish." 1 Against tlu

enemy that oppresseth you. Heb. " The

136

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

membered * before the Lord
your God, and ye shall be saved'
from your enemies.

10 Also '" in the day of your
gladness, and in your solemn

* Gen. 8.1. Pb. 106. 4. 136.23. Z Luke 1. 70,71.
m Lev. 23. 24. c. 29. 1. 1 Chr. 15. 24. 2 Chr. 5. 12.
7. 6. 29. 26. Ezra 3. 10. Neh. 12. 35. Ps. 81. 3. S9. 15.

distresser that distresseth you." Gr.
" The adversaries that resist you." This
is to be regarded as the third use of
these instruments, viz. to serve as a sig-
nal of war, of which we read striking
instances in the war of Israel against
the Midianites, Num. 31 : 6 ; and of Ju-
dah against Jeroboam, 2 Chron. 13 : 12,
when they said, "Behold, God him-
self is with us for our captain, and his
priests with sounding trumpets to cry
alarm against you." According to the
Hebrew writers this catamity of war is
to be considered as including within it
all other forms of national judgments : —
" As if he should say, every thing that
shall distress you, as famine, and pesti-
lence, and locusts, and the like; ye
shall cry out for them, and sound

an alarm." — Maimonides. T[ And ye

shall he remembered before the Lord your
God. Chald. " The remembrance of you
shall come up for good before the Lord."
The Lord will be merciful to you and
grant your request. Such is the import
of the divine remembrance. See Note
on Gen. 8:1. It is doubtless to be in-
ferred that fasting, prayer, and repent-
ance, were to be practised on all such
occasions. That seasons of general hu-
miliation were appointed of the Lord is
evident from the language of the pro-
phet Joel, in whose day palmer-worms,
locusts, canker-worms, and caterpillars
wasted the fruits of the earth, and
drought, like fire and flame, burnt up
the pastures and trees of the field, for
which the people were exhorted to fast
and pray, accompanied with Mowing

days, and in the beginnings of
your months, ye shall blow with
the trumpets over your burnt-
offerings, and over the sacrifices
of your peace-offerings; that
they may be to you for a " me-

n Ex. 28. 29. Acts 10. 4.

of trumpets, sounding alarms, etc., Joel
1:4-20. 2:1-16.

V. 10. Also in the day of your glad-
ness. Gr. " In the days of your glad-
ness." Vulg. " If at any time ye shall
have a banquet." This was the fourth
use of these sacred implements. Allu-
sion is had, in the first clause, to occa-
sions of public rejoicing, such as the
dedication of the first temple, 2 Chron.
5 : 12, 13 ; to the return from the cap-
tivity and the foundation of the second
temple, Ezra 3 : 10, 11 ; and to the " ded-
ication of the wall of Jerusalem," Neh.

12 : 27, 35. T[ And in your solemn

days. That is, days of solemnities, or
ordinary feasts and fasts, such as are
enumerated in the 23d ch. of Leviticus,
or as were subsequently to be appoint-
ed, ch. 28:11, 14. Deut. 16:11.

TI In the beginnings of your months.
That is, on the feast of new moons,
which were observed with special sac-
rifices appointed by divine authority.
Of these see ch. 28 : 11-14. Comp. Ps.
81 : 3, " Blow up the trumpets in the new
moon, in the time appointed, on our
solemn feast day." These seasons were
at first ushered in with the sound of
trumpets alone, but subsequently the
Lord through David and the prophets
ordered other instruments to be em-
ployed, as psalteries, harps, cymbals,
flutes, and timbrels, 2 Chron. 7:6. 16 :

5, 6. Ps. 149 : 3. T[ Over your lurnt-

ojferings, etc. Examples of this are re-
corded 2 Chron. 19:25-28. 5:12, 13.
As the peace-offerings were sacrifices
of thanksgivings, it was very suitable

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER X.

137

morial before your God : I am
the Lord your God.

11 And it came to pass on
the twentieth day of the second
month, in the second year, that

that thej should be accompanied with
the sound of the trumpets as a symbol

of holy hilarity. 1 IJiat they may he

to you for a memorial. That is, that
the Lord, by whose sovereign authority
these commands are given, may gra-
ciously accept your oflerings and vouch-
safe the tokens of his kind remem-
brance, when he sees that his service
is your delight and joy.

TJie Removal of the Camp from Sinai
to Paran.
V. 11. And it came to pass on the
twentieth day, etc. Twelve months lack-
ing ten days was the period that the
Israelites had now lain encamped at the
base of Mount Sinai, when the divine
command is given to them to break up
the encampment and set forward on
their journey to the promised land.
The Samaritan version here introduces
the following words from Deut. 1 : 6-8,
" The Lord our God spake unto us in
Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long
enough in this mount; turn and take
your journey," etc. We know of no

authority for this insertion. ^ The

cloud was taken tip from off the taber-
nacle. Heb. "Was made to ascend."
This was of course the Lord's own act,
signifying that it was his good pleasure
that the people should commence their
march, ch. 9 : 17. But they were not
left solely to the indications of the cloud.
It was at this time that the words above
cited from Deut. 1 : 6-8, were addressed
to them. Accordingly the people were
called both by word and sign from Si-
nai, the place of bondage, so rendered
by reason of the Law's being there de-

the cloud " was taken up from off
the tabernacle of the testimony.
12 And the children of Is-
rael took their journeys out of

0 Ex. 40. 36, 37. c. 9.

livered. Gal. 4 : 24, 25, to the land of
promise prefiguring the state of grace
and freedom in Christ Jesus.

Y. 12. Took their journeys. Heb.
Took their journeys according to their
journ^yings. The original word is the
common one for breaking up. Bp. Hors-
ley renders it, " Decamped according to
their decampments," which he under-
stands to be equivalent to, " in due or-
der." Le Clerc supposes it to imply,
slowly, and according to the rate at
which so vast a multitude could pro-
ceed. By another construction the sense
is that they marched according to the
journeys or stations which are more
precisely recounted ch. 11 : 34, 35. 12 :
16. 3 : 15, seqq. The reader must be
left to choose between these several sug-
gestions. We incline to the latter.

The cloud rested. Heb.

shekinized, as above, ch. 9 : 15-23, where
see Note. % In tie wilderness of Fa-
ran. Gr. ^apau, Pharan, to which cor-
responds the modern Feiran, the name
of one of the principal Wadys, or val-
leys, in the rocky region of the Penin-
sula, although there is no adequate evi-
dence to prove that the wilderness of
Paran or Pharan was the same as the
wady of Feiran. Previous to reaching
this point they had encamped at two
different stations, viz. the first at Kib-
roth-hattaavah, ch. 33 : 16, the second
at Hazeroth, ch. 11 : 35. From v. 33 it
appears that the station here called Pa-
ran was three days' journey from Sinai.
As to the exact localities of the places
mentioned here and elsewhere in the
narrative of the wanderings, it is scarce-
ly possible to identify them with any de-

138

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

the wilderness of Sinai ^, and
the cloud rested in the wilder-
ness of Paran ''.

13 And they first took their
journey according to the com-
mandment of the Lord ' by the
hand of Moses.

p Ex. 19. 1. q c. 12. 16.

c. 2. 9-34.

gree of certainty. We can only avail
ourselves of the results of the research-
es of modern travellers by whom the
country has been explored ; and even
these we shall for the most part rather
refer to than transcribe into our own
pages. Prof. Robinson's map of the
Sinaitic region will be indispensable to
the reader who would gain an accurate
idea of the country made so memorable
by the events recorded by Moses. It
appears, on the whole, that the Paran
here mentioned was the name of an ex-
tensive wilderness tract, in which the
Israelites had several encampments,
rather than of one single station, like
Taberah or Hazeroth.

V. 13. And they first tooh their jour-
ney, etc. By comparing this with ch.
2 : 9 (on which see Note) it would ap-
pear that Horsley's interpretation is
correct, to wit, that vs. 13 and 14 are
tantamount to each other, and that the
literal rendering would be, " And fore-
most decamped, according to the com-
mandment of Jehovah by Moses ; Fore-
most, I say, decamped the standard,"
etc. The original word for " first " in
the two verses is precisely the same,
and if it does not mean the same in
both, it is difficult to determine its true
sense in v. 13. Boothroyd renders it,
" Thus, for the first time, they marched
according to the command of Jehovah
by Moses." But this is scarcely coh-
sistent with Ex. 17 : 1. The Gr., the
Vulg., and the Syriac agree with Hors-
ley. ^ By the hand of Moses. That

14 In the first place went the
' standard of the camp of the
children of Judah, according to
their armies : aad over his host
was Nahshon the son of Am-
minadab.

15 And over the host of the

is, by the ministry of Moses ; Moses be-
ing employed as an intermediate. It
was through him that the Lord com-
municated to the people the order of
their march and the use of the appoint-
ed signal. Moses, also, Avhen the host
began to move, uttered the invocation
recorded in v. 35. " The reason," says
a distinguished commentator, " why to
speak by the hand of any one denotes
by his means, or mediately, is, because
by hand is signified power, thus by the
hand of any one, vicarious power, which
is the same thing with mediately, for
what is done mediately is done by the
power of another in himself; hence it
is that in the Word this form of speech
is adopted, as in the books of the kings,
where mention is occasionally made of
the Word which Jehovah spake by the
hand of any one, as which he " sjoake by
the hand of Ahijah the prophet," 1 Kings
14:18. '^ By the hand of Ahijah the
Shilonite," 1 Kings 15 : 29. " By tlie
hand of Jehu the prophet," 1 Kings 16 :
7, 12. " By the hand of Joshua," v. 34
of the same chapter. " By the hand of
Elias," 1 Kings 17 : 16. " By the hand
of Jonah the prophet," 2 Kings 14 : 25
V. 14. In the first ( place) went the
standard of the children of Judah. That
in all things Judah, as the progenitor
of our Lord, might have the pre-emi-
nence. T[ According to their armies.

Or, by a more literal rendering, " The
standard of the camp of the children of
Judah decamped at the head of their
armies," that is, of all the tribes, but

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER X.

139

tribe of the children of Issachar
tvas Nethaneel the son of Zuar.

16 And over the host of the
tribe of the children of Zebulun
was Eliab the son of Helon.

17 And the tabernacle was
taken ' down, and the sons of
Gershon and the sons of Merari
set forward, bearing " the taber-
nacle,

18 And the standard " of the
camp of Reuben set forward ac-
cording to their armies : and
over his host was Elizur the son
of Shedeur.

19 And over the host of the
tribe of the children of Simeon
was Shelumiel the son of Zuri-
shaddai.

20 And over the host of the
tribe of the children of Grad was
Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.

t c. 1. 51. u c. 4. ■24. 7. 6-8. v c. 2. 10-16.

more immediately of Judah, Issachar,
and Zebulun, who constituted the first
grand division. As the order in which
the several divisions marched is mi-
nutely detailed in ch. 2 : 1-31, it will be
unnecessary to dwell on the order here
recited. We shall therefore comment
but briefly upon these verses.

V. 17. And the tabernacle was taken
down. Heb. Tiurad, was made to come
down or descend. That is, the curtains
were taken off and the boards removed
from the sockets, and thus the whole

fabric taken down. T[ And tlie sons

of GersJion, etc. They followed imme-
diately after Judah's division, that
when they had arrived at the camping-
place they might proceed at once to set
up the Tabernacle and have it ready
against the Kohathites came up with
the sacred utensils with which it was
to be furnished.

21 And the Kohathites set
forward, bearing the sanctu-
ary" : and the other did set
up the tabernacle against they
came.

22 And the standard ' of the
camp of the children of Ephraim
set forward according to their
armies : and over his host was
Elishama the son of Ammihud.

23 And over the host of the
tribe of the children of Manas-
seh was Gamaliel the son of
Pedahzur.

24 And over the host of the
tribe of the children of Benja-
min ivas Abidan the son of
Gideoni.

25 x\nd the standard " of the
camp of the children of Dan set
forward, which was the rere-
ward "' of all the camps through-

:. 2. 18-24. y c. 2. 25-31.

V. 21. Bearing tlie sanctuary. Heb.
Jiammikdosli, the sanctity , by which is
undoubtedly meant the sacred vessels,
the ark, the candlestick, the table, the
altar of incense, etc. Gr. ra. ayia, the
holy things. As the term " sanctuary "
would naturally be regarded as synony-
mous with " tabernacle," it is not so
suitable a rendering of the original as

"holy things." T[ And (the other)

did set up the tabernacle, etc. That is,
the Gershonites and Merarites before
mentioned, v. 17.

Y. 25. The rear-ward of all the camps.
Heb. measseph, the gatherer, or gather-
ing host, equivalent to rear-guard. Gr.
" The last of all the camps." See the
peculiar significancy of this word fully
explained in the Note on Josh, 6 : 9. It
was the duty of the division of Dan,
which closed up the rear, to see to all
the feeble, the stragglers, etc., which

140

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

out their hosts : and over his
host was Ahiezer the son of
Ammishaddai.

26 And over the host of the
tribe of the children of Asher
was Pagiel the son of Ocran.

27 And over the host of
the tribe of the children of
Naphtali was Ahira the son of
Enan.

28 Thus were the journeyings

the Lord would not suffer to be over-
looked iu the general movement of the
host.

V. 28. TJms (were) the journeyings.
Heb. "These were the journeyings."
That is, this was the order in which

their journeyings were conducted.

T[ When they journeyed. Heb. " And
they journeyed." Implying that when-
ever they journeyed the same order was
observed.

Moiei Invitation to Holah.
V. 29. And Moses said unto Holah,
the son of Baguel. As to the real per-
son intended to be designated by this
name, and his true relationship to Mo-
ses, we have nothing positive to add to
the considerations adduced upon the
subject in the Note on Ex. 2 : 18, to
which the reader is referred. It in-
volves a question which can probably
never be determined with absolute cer-
tainty. Those who hold that Hobab
was the son of Jethro, instead of Jethro
himself, which, on the whole, we regard
as the most probable opinion, maintain
that the original word (^hotMn) for
"father-in-law" may with equal pro-
priety be rendered "brother-in-law,"
or " near relative," as such seems to be
its import in Judg. 1 : 16. 4 : 11, to
which add Gen. It) : 14. But the term
"father-in-law," m this connection, for
aught we see, may as well be referred

of the children of Israel accord-
ing to their armies, when they
set forward.

29 And Moses said unto Ho-
bab, the son of ilaguel " the
Midianite, Moses' father-in-law.
We are journeying unto the
place of which the Lord said,
I * will give it you : come thou
with us, and we will do thee

to Raguel (Reuel) as to Hobab, and this
would assign to it its usual meaning.
It would seem, therefore, on the whole,
as most probable, that as forty years had
elapsed since Moses' connection with
this family was formed, his father-in-
law (Ex. 2 : 18) Reuel or Raguel (the
same word in the original is used in
both places) was dead, or disabled by
infirmities, and that the person here
called Hobab was in fact the brother of
Zipporah, consequently the brother-in-
law of Moses. T[ Come thou with us,

and we will do thee good. This invita-
tion is rich in practical suggestions.
As Israel in the wilderness is a type
of the Christian Church in its pilgrim
state, and Canaan of the heavenly coun-
try, we recognize in these words the
benevolent concern which every good
man feels in behalf of his fellow-men,
that they also may be sharers iu the
blessings which he is taught to antici-
pate. Christianity is the religion of
love ; and it is impossible that one who
has himself become, in his own humble
estimation, a partaker of the heavenly
inheritance, should not earnestly long
and strive to enlist others in the pur-
suit of those incorruptible treasures
which have become so precious to him-
self If the Pharisees could compass
sea and land to make one proselyte, and
after all render him more a child of hell
than before, shall Christian benevolence

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER X.

141

good : for the Lord bath spoken
good ' concerning Israel.

30 And he said unto him, I
will not go ; but I will depart
to mine own land, and to my
kindred.

be a principle less powerful to win heed-
less souls from the way of perdition, and
persuade them into the way of peace
and life ? Such will be the spontaneous
prompting of every child of the king-
dom. Tasting himself the blessedness
of living to the Lord, he will ardently
long to bring all he can to the experi-
ence of the same blessedness. Espe-
cially will he be anxious for relatives
and friends, that they may join him in
the journey to heaven, and he will plead
with them by holding forth the eternal
good which he trusts to reap at the end

of his pilgrimage. 1[ For the Lord

hatJi spoTcen good concerning Israel.
Heb. " Upon Israel." This is rendered
by Geddes and Boothroyd, "Jehovah
hath promised good things to Israel."
This may be a correct paraphrase, but
the Heb. has no word signifying to
promise, and therefore employs the
term dabar, to speak, to say.

Y. 30. And he said unto Mm, I will
not go. This appears not to have been
a final refusal. From the subsequent
history there is good reason to conclude,
that although he at present declined the
urgent invitation, and departed, accord-
ing to his purpose, to his own land and
kindred, yet that he afterwards return-
ed and rejoined the chosen people, and
either in his own person, or that of his
descendants, entered with them into the
promised possession. From Judg. 1 :
16. 4:11. 1 Sam. 15:6, it is evident
that his posterity, under the name of
" Kenites," had an abiding place among
the tribes of Israel, even a.s late as the

31 And he said, Leave us
not, I pray thee : forasmuch as
thou knowest how we are to
encamp in the wilderness, and
thou mayest be to us instead of
eyes'^.

time of Saul. It is always pleasant to
read the indications of a return to the
way of life on the part of those who
have at one time seemed resolved to
forsake it. We hail with delight every
instance, where the man who at first
refuses to enter the vineyard afterwards
repents and goes.

V. 31. Tfiou mayest he to us instead
of eyes. " An aged father says to his
son, who wishes to go to some other
village, ' My son, leave me not in my
old age ; you are now my eyes.' * You
are on the look-out for me, your eyes
are sharp.' It is said of a good servant,
' he is eyes to his master.' " — Eoberts.
The plea of Moses with Hobab is two-
fold, first, the good he would gain for
himself, and, second, the good he would
do to Israel. Every possible motive,
involving truth, should be employed to
win upon the ungodly, and induce them
to unite their lot with the people of
God. Still, it becomes in this case a
fair question, how the services of Hobab
could be required as a guide, when the
marchings and the encampings of the
host were governed entirely by the
cloudy pillar, as we learn from the pre-
ceding chapter was the fact. To this
it may be replied, in the language of
Adam Clarke, that "the cloud directed
their general journeys, but not their
particular excursions. Parties took
several journeys while the grand army
lay still." (See chs. 13, 20, 31, 32, etc.)
Add to this, that as the spots in the
desert most suitable for the encamp-
ment of so large a body of people might

142

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

32 And it shall be, if thou
go with us, yea, it shall be, that
what goodness the Lord shall

not always be in the immediate vicinity
of water, they would naturally need such
a person as Hobab, a principal person
in his tribe, who was perfectly at home
over the whole region they were now
traversing, and who would of course be
able to direct them to the watering-
places, as also to the places where fuel
might be found, large quantities of both
which would be indispensably requisite
to meet the demands of so immense a
collection of men, women, and children.
This would be the more necessary, as
from the scarcity of water in those re-
gions, the Arabs were in the habit of
digging pits or cisterns, which, when
they left, they would close up with
stones or sands, so that it would be dif-
ficult to discover them again. These
hidden places Hobab, as having been
born and brought up in the desert,
would be apt to be better acquainted
with, or more easily able to find, than
the stranger people who now required
his services. It is beyond question,
moreover, as we have before intimated,
that a large portion of the supplies of
cattle for sacrifice were obtained from
the nomade tribes sojourning along the
route of the Israelites, and a resident
of the region would be of great service
in treating with these people in this be-
half. In this circumstance we find, if
we mistake not, a clew to the rendering
of the Gr. in the present passage, ese en
hemin prtsbutes, commonly translated,
thou sltalt he an elder among us, but
which we would render, tJiou shall he a
legate or messenger among us, i. e. an
agent, a negotiator, in managing this
kind of traffic. At the same time, this
version need not exclude the idea of
his acting as an elder or counsellor in
any emergencies that might arise, where

do unto us, the same ' will we
do unto thee.

Judg. 1.16. 4.11.

his experience and judgment might be
of use. The following extract from the
travels of Bruce in Abyssinia will throw
light upon the general purposes an-
swered by the employment of guides in
desert countries : — " A hyheer is a guide,
from the Arabic word huhhar, to inform,
instruct, or direct, because they are
used to do this office to the caravan
travelling through the desert, in all its
directions, whether to Egypt and back
again, the coast of the Red Sea, or the
countries of Sudan, and the western ex-
tremities of Africa. They are men of
great consideration, knowing perfectly
the situation and properties of all kinds
of water, to be met on the route, the
distances of wells, whether occupied by
enemies or not, and if so, the way to
avoid them with the least inconve-
nience. It is also necessary to them to
know the places occupied by the si-
moom, and the seasons of their blowing
in those parts of the desert ; likewise
those occupied by moving sands. He
generally belongs to some powerful
tribe of Arabs inhabiting these deserts,
whose protection he makes use of, to
assist his caravans, or protect them in
time of danger ; and handsome rewards
are always in his power to distribte on
such occasions." Even the miraculous
conduct of the Divine Providence does
not supersede human instrumentality
when it can be properly emplo3^ed, as
we see in the case of the appointment
of Judges at the suggestion of Hobab's
father on a former occasion.

V. '62. The same will tve do unto thee.
To which the Targ. of Jonathan adds,
"in the division of the land." Vulg.
" We will give thee what is best of the
riches which tlie Lord shall deliver to
us." If we transfer this from the lite-

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER X.

143

33 And they departed from
the ^ mount of the Lord three
days' journey; and the ark of
the covenant of the Lord went

/ Ex. 3. 1.

ral to the spiritual it will imply, that in
the allotment of the heavenly inherit-
ance an equal share shall fall to those
who from being " aliens from the com-
monwealth of Israel and strangers from
the covenants of promise" became
" fellow-citizens with the saints and of
the household of God." Nor is it pos-
sible for the people of God to hold out
any stronger inducements to their fel-
low-men than the prospect of sharing
with them in the blessedness promised.

The Blessing of Moses at the Remov-
ing and Besting of the Ark.

Y. 33. And they departed from the
mount of the Lord. Chald. "From the
mountain whereon the glory of the Lord
had been revealed." That is, Mount
Horeb, from whose summit the Law

had been given forth. % Tliree days'

journey. Heb. " Three days' way."
This is a repetition of what had been

mentioned before, vs. 11-13. ^ And

the arlc of the covenant of the Lord went
before them. It is not clear that this
language is to be understood after the
exactest import of the letter. The usual
place of the ark was not in the van,
but in the centre of the host, which ar-
rangement, however, some of the Jew-
ish writers suppose to have been de-
parted from on this occasion, as it was
also on another, viz. when the people
crossed the Jordan on their entrance
into Canaan, Josh. 3 : 6. But the sup-
position is not necessary, as the phrase
" went before them " may properly sig-
nify no more than that it was carried
conspicuously in sight of the people.

before ^ them in the three days'
journey, to search out a resting-
place for them.

34 And the cloud ^ of the

g Deut.
. l-l, 19.

A Ex. 13. -21. Neh.

" The plain meaning seems to be," says
Bp. Patrick, " that the Lord, as their
king and governor, led them by the
cloud, which was always over the ark ;
just as a general leads his army, though
he be not in the front of it, but in the
midst, from whence he issues out his

orders." T[ To search out a resting

place for them. Chald. " To prepare a
place." Gr. "To consider a place."
The literal meaning of the original is
rest, instead of a place of rest, but
these meanings are occasionally inter-
changed. Thus Ps. 132 : 8, " Arise, 0
Lord, into thy 7'est,'' i. e. thy place of
rest. Comp. Gen. 8 : 9. 1 Chron. 28 : 2.
Mic. 2 : 10. Zech. 9 : 1. Should it be
suggested that this was rather the office
of the cloud than of the ark, it is re-
plied, that the ark and the cloudy pil-
lar are to be conceived as acting to-
gether in this matter, as the ark always
moved under the column. The phrase-
ology is anthropomorphic, or spoken
of the Lord after the manner of men.
The term signifies properly, to search
by turning in one direction and another,
as a person in looking for a lost article
turns round and round, going several
times over the same ground. Omnis-
cience, of course, has no occasion to
search, and as to the ark and the cloud
it could only be said of them metaphor-
ically. In like manner, the Most High
speaks in Ezek. 20 : 6, of having brought
forth his people out of the land of Egypt
into 'a land he had espied for them.
Comp. Deut. 1 : 33, where the same
phraseology occurs.

V. 34. Andthe cloud of the Lord {was)
upon them hy day, etc. Chald. " The

lU NUMBERS.

Lord was upon them by day,
when they went out of the
camp.

35 And it came to pass, when

cloud of the glorj of the Lord." The
general fact here mentioned is still
more particularly stated Ex. 13 : 21, 22,
"And the Lord went before them by
day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them
the way ; and by night in a pillar of
fire, to give them light ; to go by day
and night : He took not away the pillar
of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of
fire by night, from before the people."
This cloud is said to have been " upon "
or " over" them, and doubtless in such
a way as to shelter them from the burn-
ing rays of the sun. This may be far-
ther inferred from the words of the
Psalmist, Ps. 105 : 3, " He spread a
cloud for a covering ; and fire to give
light in the night." At the same time
it displayed itself in a special manner
over the ark in the form of a column.
The analogy between the office of the
cloudy pillar in guiding the march of
the Israelites through the wilderness,
and that of our Lord himself in conduct-
ing his people in their spiritual pil-
grimage is perceptible from his own
woi'ds, John 10:2-11, where he com-
pares himself to a shepherd calling his
sheep by name, and leading them forth,
causing them to go in and out, and to
find pasture. See also Is. 4 : 5, 6. Ps,

78 : 52. ^ When the?/ went out of the

camp. Heb. '* In their departure from
the encampment ; " or the places where
they had temporarily pitched their
tents.

V. 35. And it came to pass when the
ark set forward, that Moses said, etc.
That is, this was his uniform practice
on such occasions. This is rendered by
the Jenisalem Targum, " And it came
to pass, when the ark was taken up,
that Moses lifted up his hands in prayer,

[B. 0. 1490.

the ark set forward, that Moses
said, Rise * up, Lord, and let
thine enemies be scattered, and

and said. Rise now, 0 Word of the Lord,
in the strength of thy power, and scat-
ter the enemies of thy people."

T[ Bise vp. Lord. Or, stand up, opposed
to sitting still, and equivalent to mani-
festing himself for the help and comfort
of his people, and for the overthrow and
destruction of his enemies. The Lord's
apparently taking vengeance upon his
adversaries is elsewhere expressed by
his rising vp ; as Job 31 : 14, "What
shall I do when God riseth tip ? " Ps.
7:6, " Arise, O Lord, in thine anger,
lift up thyself because of the rage of
mine enemies." Comp. Ps. 10 : 12. 17 :
13. 44 : 27. A striking parallel to this
occurs Ps. 68 : 1, where the resurrection
and ascension of the Lord are mystical-
ly set forth, showing that the words be-
fore us receive an ultimate fulfilment in
him. The Targ. of Onkelos, or Chald.
renders it, " Be thou revealed, 0 Lord."
Targ. Jon. "Be thou revealed now, 0
Word of the Lord, in the strength of
thine anger." T[ And let thine ene-
mies he scattered. The Chald., as we
have seen, has here, "the enemies of
thy people," and afterwards, " those
that hate them," implying that the en-
emies and persecutors of the Lord's
people are in effect his enemies. See
Zech. 2 : 8. Mat. 25 : 45. Acts 9 : 4. Ro-
senmulier remarks in regard to the ori-
ginal word here rendered "scattered"
{phutz), that it properly denotes the
action of waters in overflowing their
banks, and is thence figuratively applied
to bodies of men rushing in impetuous
crowds and pressing out of the path-
way on either side like a raging stream
that bursts over its banks. When
spoken of the dispersion of enemies it
implies a routing and discomfiture that

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

145

of the chosen people. Spiritual warfare
and spiritual rest are the fundamental
ideas. Though predicated primarily of
the Lord, jet they hold good also of his
people, with whom in all things he is
most intimately conjoined. '' The wel-
fare and happiness of the Israel of God
consist in the continual presence of
God among them. Their safety con-
sists not in their numbers, though they
are tJwnsands, many thousands, but in
the favor of God and his gracious re-
turn to them, and residence with them.
These thousands are ciphers, he is the
figure, and upon this account, ' Happy
art thou, 0 Israel, who is like unto
thee, 0 people.' " — Henry.

let them that hate thee flee be- CHAPTER XI.

fore thee. 4 ND " ivhen the people com-

36 And when it rested, he XX plained, it displeased the

said, Return, 0 Lord, unto the Lord: and the Lord heard it;
many thousands of Israel.

shall drive them one way and another
like the inundations of a flood. So,
when typically viewed, the language
suggests that the death and resurrec-
tion of the Saviour is the breaking and
dissipation of the combined forces of his
enemies, according to Ps. 68 : 2, 3, 13,
15, while on the other hand it is a
" gathering together in one of the chil-
dren of God that were scattered abroad,"
John 11 : 51, 52. Is. 11 : 10, 11.

V. 36. Return, 0 Lord, unto the many
thousands of Israel. Heb. '' Ten thou-
sand thousands." Chald. "Return, 0
Lord, dwell with thy glory among the
ten thousand thousands in Israel." The
Heb. original omits the preposition
" unto " before " the many thousands,"
but it is probably to be understood, the
Syriac and some other versions supply-
ing it. A similar omission occurs Ex.
4 : 19, where " into " before " Egypt " is
wanting in the original. It is not, in
fact, very unusual before verbs of mo-
tion. Comp. Hos. 7 : 11, 16, in the ori-
ginal. The Gr. however, gives a differ-
ent turn to the words, "And in the
resting he said. Turn again (i. e. cause
to return), 0 Lord, the thousands (and)
tens of thousands in Israel." This is a
possible construction, as the verb ren-
dered " return " (shuh) is used actively,
though for the most part in such cases
followed by the word "captivity," as
Deut. 30 : 3. Ps. 14 : 7. 126 : 1. We
deem the former preferable. The im-
port of the prayer is, that the Divine
Presence, whose movement in the cloud
was a signal of warfare against all ad-
versaries, would upon their halting re-
turn to its chosen rest and place, and
abide as the safety, comfort, and glory

CHAPTER XL

The Murmuring of the People and its
Consequences.
V. 1. And {when) the people complain-
ed, it displeased the Lord. Or, accord-
ing to Ainsworth, " And the people as
complaining (i. e. murmuiing, fretting
themselves) was evil in the ears of Je-
hovah." It may otherwise be rendered,
"And the people were (became) as
murmuring evil in the ears of Jehovah."
Thus the Gr. " The people murmured
evil things before the Lord." This is
favored by Horsley, who says, " The
passage would be better rendered, ' And
the people murmured wickedly in the
ears of Jehovah.'" So also Geddes,
" Meanwhile the people began to mut-
ter evil in the hearing of the Lord."
Or, finally, " And the people were as
murmurers, (which was) evil in the

146

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

and his anger * was kindled ;

ears of the Lord." The original, kemi-
thonenim, here rendered complained
(lit. ** were as complainers "), is in a re-
flexive conjugation implying, as Luther
has it, that they "naade themselves im-
patient." They allowed their feelings
to act inwardly upon themselves, work-
ing their own minds into a restless, dis-
contented, murmuring state, which,
however, was not vented so much in
open complaints, as in a certain half-
suppressed, obscure, and secret repin-
ing and fretting, which is conveyed by
the force of the original particle, S, k, as
it were. It seems to be implied that this
fretfulness did not so much express it-
self in the ears of men as in those of the
Lord himself, and though it was, as it
were, but whispered or buzzed in his
ear, yet "he heard it," heard it as
though most audibly and distinctly ut-
tered. All this is in effect comprised
in the idea intended to be conveyed by
the original, but it is obvious how inad-
equate must be any translation that does
not run into a paraphrase. No special
reason is given by the sacred writer for
the murmuring on this occasion, but
one is assigned by the Vulg., " There
arose a murmuring of the people against
the Lord, as it were repining at their
fatigue." It may have been that
their hearts were discouraged at being
obliged to take somewhat long and tire-
some stages at the outset ; but what-
ever were the causes of their discontent,
we know that they had a thousandfold
more occasion for thanksgiving and
prajse than for disaffection and com-
plaint. But such is human nature, of
which we all partake more or less, and
to which we are prone to give way. Let
us remember, however, that the Lord
sees and takes account of these secret
murmurs which are not openly uttered,

and the fire ' of the Lord burnt

c Lev. 10. 2. 2 K.

and may visit them openly as truly as
he hears in secret and rewards openly
the prayers of the humble and penitent.

• T[ TJie jire of the Lord burnt among

them. Chald. " A fire from before the
Lord." Heb. tibar, burned, from "whence
was derived the name of the place,
" Taberah," burning, where this visita-
tion occurred, v. 3. The current of
commentators here favor the idea of
some literal and visible bursting forth
of fire, either from the cloudy pillar or
in a flash of lightning, which instantly
consumed the offenders, as Nadab and
Abihu were consumed by a similar
stroke of the divine indignation. Any
fire sent by the Lord, is a fire of the
Lord, and though some think it was a
fire wholly supernatural ; others that it
was lightning ; others that it was the
simoom, or hot wind of the desert, yet
we incline to a different opinion, and
take the judgment here mentioned to
be not external, but internal ; suppos-
ing the fire spoken of to be what Job
terms " a fire not blown," or but anoth-
er term for any kind of wasting effect
of the Lord's displeasure. In what par-
ticular form this was manifested it is
now impossible to say, but it was such
as to carry with it a conviction of its
origin, and to lead to implore earnestly
its abatement. The Psalmist, in allu-
sion to this judgment, says, Ps. 78 : 21,
"Soa^Ve urns kindled against Jacob,
and anger also came up against Israel,"
where we do not recognize the import
of literal fire, any more than when we
read in the language of the apostle that
" Our God is a consuming fire." By
this we are simply to understand that
he is terrible in his judgments towards
his adversaries. This view is confirm-
ed, if we mistake not, by general usage.
Thus, Ps. 78 : 62, 63, " He gave his pec-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

i4r

among tliem, and consumed
ihem that ivere in the utter-
most parts of the camp.

2 And the people cried unto
Moses, and when Moses prayed
unto the Lord, the fire was
quenched.

pie over also unto the sword ; and was
wroth with his inheritance. ITie fire
consumed their young men; and their
maidens were not given in marriage."
Ps. 66 : 12, " Thou hast caused men to
ride over our heads ; we went througli
fire, and through water." Ps. 97 : 3,
" A fire goeth before Mm, and burneth
up his enemies round about." In all
these cases fire is but another term

for divine judgments. T[ Consmned

{them that were) in the uttermost parts
of the camp. Heb. tolcel, ate, devoured.
So also the Gr. " Devoured a part of
the camp." The extremity of the camp
may be mentioned as the part of it oc-
cupied more especially by the " mixt
multitude," v. 4, with whom it is prob-
able the murmuring more particularly
prevailed. Bochart, however, has ad-
duced considerable evidence that the
original word here rendered " the utter-
most parts " does not always signify an
extremity, but any part, every part, in
all, throughout. Probably the true idea
is, therefore, that the fire consumed some
in every part of the camp.

V. 2. TJi'C fire was quenched. Heb.
yishka, sunk, subsided, went out, from a
root usually signifying to drown, or be
droroned, which implies, of course, a
sinking into the water. Whatever the
precise form of the judgment were, it
now received a manifest and complete
check or abatement in consequence of
the intercession of Moses.

V. 3. And he called the name of the
place Taberah. Or, " and one called."
Gr. " And the name of that place was

3 And he called the name of
the place Taberah : because the
fire of the Lord burnt among
them.

4 And the mixed '^ multitude
that was among them fell a lust-

d Ex. 12. 3S.

called." The station in this case had
probably no particular name before the
occurrence of the incident here record-
ed. And so in numerous other in-
stances.

V. 4. And the mixed multitude that
(was) among them fell a lusting. Heb.
"Lusted a lusting," i. e. lusted great-
ly and inordinately. Respecting this
"mixed multitude," see Note on Ex.
12 : 38, where a full account is given of
them. The original term is but inade-
quately rendered by this appellation.
In the former passage it is ereb rab,
a great mixture or rabble. Here it is
asaphsooph, the collected or gathered peo-
ple, the force of which can only be con-
veyed by such strictly analogous terms
as rif-raf, or ruff-scuff. The doubling
of word-forms in the Heb., as in other
Eastern languages, intensifies the mean-
ing, and makes them equivalent to su-
perlatives. Thus adam signifies red,
but in Lev. 13 : 19 adamdameth signifies
exceeding red. So here asaphsooph im-
plies a very large collection of what
Bochart calls " populi colluvies uude-
cunque collecta," the dregs or scum of
the people from every quarter. One of
the older English versions (Rogers')
renders the clause, "And the rascal
people that was among them fell a lust-
ing." The word denotes a mongrel
horde of retainers or hangers-on, who
from various motives had followed the
sojourning host from Egypt, and who,
having little knowledge of God or in-
terest in his promises, were the first to
feel the difficulties and privations of

148

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

ing : and the children of Is- rael also wept again, and said,

the way, and thence to fret and mur-
mur. T[ And the children of Israel

also wept again, and said, etc. Heb.
" Returned and wept." The import of
"returned" in this connection is un-
doubtedly that of changed their mind,
relapsed. That is, they were wrought
upon by the contagious example of the
mixed multitude to such a degree as to
fall aivayfrom a previous state of mind,
and involve themselves in the rebel-
lious conduct here spoken of If we
take the expression as it stands in our
version, " wept again," the inquiry is
very natural. When did they weep be-
fore ? Nothing is previously said of
their weeping. But the interpretation
we suggest is abundantly confirmed by
the usage of the original term, of which
scores of instances could be easily ad-
duced. Let the following serve as a
specimen. It will be seen that the true
idea is that of a change of mind, which
in the present instance is that from a
better to a worse. Ps. 78 : 34, " When
he slew them, then they sought him,
and they returned and inquired early
after God." Eccl. 4:1, " So I returned
and considered all the oppressions that
are done under the sun," etc. as v. 7,
"Then I returned, and I saw vanity un-
der the sun." Eccl. 9 : 11, " I returned,
and saw under the sun that the race is
not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong," etc. Is. 19 : 22, "And the
Lord shall smite Egypt : he shall smite
and heal it : and they shall return even
to the Lord, and he shall be entreated
of them, and shall heal them." Is. 55 :
7, " Let the wicked forsake his way, and
the unrighteous man his thoughts ; and
let him return unto the Lord, and he
will have mercy upon him ; and to our
God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Mai. 3 : 18, " Then shall ye return and
discern between the righteous and the

wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth him not." Judg.
11 : 35, " And it came to pass when he
(Jepthah) saw her, that he rent his
clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter !
thou hast brought me very low, and
thou art one of them that trouble me ;
for I have opened my mouth unto the
Lord, and I cannot go hack (Heb. re-
turn)." Ezek. 14 : 6, " Therefore say
unto the house of Israel, thus saith the
Lord God: Repent (Heb. return) and
turn yourselves from your idols ; and
turn away your faces from all your
abominations." Ezek. 18 : 30, " There-
fore, I will judge you, 0 house of Israel,
every one according to his ways, saith
the Lord God. Repent (Heb. return)
and turn yourselves from all your trans-
gressions ; so iniquity shall not be your
ruin." In all these cases it is obvious
that the word return is significant of a
mental act. It implies a change of sen-
timents and views, or in other words a
change of state. Although in the letter
it is the appropriate term for local re-
moval, yet in a more interior import it
unequivocall}' designates a purely men-
tal process. Viewing the words in this
light, we can see the ground on which
some commentators have proposed to
render them by aversi sunt, defecerunt,
turned away in aversion, revolted, i. e.
were subjects of a mental alienation
from the Lord. Instead of weeping
compassionately over the disaffected
multitude, they wept perversely with
them, and thus contributed to provoke
the divine displeasure. "A few fac-
tious, discontented, ill-natured people,
may do a great deal of mischief in the
best societies, if great care be not taken
to discountenance it. This Egyptian
rabble were the disordered sheep that
infected the flock, the leaven that leav-
ened the whole lump." — Henry. There

B. C. 1490.]

Who * shall give us flesh to
eat?

e 1 Cor. 10. 6.

CHAPTER XI. 149

5 We remember the fish.

was in reality no lack of food or water
for them ; but they had become dainty ;
they had taken a surfeit of the manna ;
their soul loathed " this light food," as
they slightingly call it on another occa-
sion, and they longed for the fish, the

flesh, and the vegetables of Egypt.

^ Who shall give us flesh to eat? That
is, 0 that we had flesh to eat ! — the ex-
pression of a vehement, impatient de-
sire, mixed with a degree of despair.
Compare with this the allusions Ps.
106:14. 78:18-20. A general clamor
was started of how hard it was that
they should be kept to one kind of diet
till they absolutely loathed it, and re-
proaches were cast upon their leader to
the effect that he had decoyed them
from a plentiful country, where the sea
and the river fed them with a variety
of fish, and the soil abounded with the
best of herbs, salads, and fruits, all
which they had exchanged for a miser-
able, meagre kind of fare, on which
they were in danger of famishing. So
grossly does a discontented spirit not
only undervalue present comforts, but
falsify the truth in regard to one's con-
dition.

V. 5. We remember the fish, etc. They
stirred up and inflamed their lust by
studiously calling to mind the dainties
they formerly enjoyed in Egypt. But
even in this they imposed upon them-
selves, for, as Henry remarks, "they
did not remember the brick-kilns, and
the task-masters, the voice of the op-
pressor, and the smart of the whip.
These are forgotten by the ungrateful

people." Tf For nothing. Heb. Mn-

nom, gratis, i. e. which cost them noth-
ing but the trouble of taking. As to
the great use of fish as an article of food
by the Egyptians, the fact is repeated-

which we did eat in Egpyt

ly aflBrmed by Herodotus. They ate
them either salted or dried in the sun
without any other preparation. In-
deed, the Egyptians are the first people
whom history mentions as curing any
kind of meat with salt for preservation.
The salt they used was fossil salt, ob-
tained from the African deserts. Sea
salt was abhorred by them, probably
from some religious consideration, just
as the priests abstained entirely from
fish, the reason of which is doubtless to
be sought from some ancient idea that
the spiritual correspondence of fish ren-
dered them unsuitable as an article of

diet to the priesthood. ^ The cucum-

hers. Arabia and Egypt produce abun-
dance of cucumbers, which, owing to
the mellowing effects of the sun's rays,
are softer than those with us, and of
more easy digestion. It is said by trav-
ellers that they are eaten in the East in

almost incredible quantities. 1 Mel'

ons. The water-melon is no doubt in-
tended. This fruit grows abundantly
in the Levant and Egypt. It is about
the size, and somewhat of the appear-
ance of a pumpkin. The interior is a
pulp of blooming red, and rich in juice.
" A traveller in the East who recollects
the intense gratitude which the gift of
a slice of melon inspired while journey-
ing over the hot and dry plains — or one
who remembers the consciousness of
wealth and security which be derived
from the possession of a melon while
prepared for a day's journey over the
same plains — he will readily compre-
hend the regret with which the He-
brews in the Arabian desert looked back
upon the melons of Egypt." The fol-
lowing account of the uses of melons in
Egypt is from Hasselquist. " By mel-
ons we are probably to understand the

150

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

freely ; the cucumbers, and the

water-melon, which the Arabians call
latecJi. It is cultivated on the banks
of the Nile, in the rich clayey earth
which subsides during the inundation.
This serves the Egyptians for meat,
drink, and physic. It is eaten in abun-
dance during the season, even by the
richer sort of people ; but the common
people, on whom Providence has be-
stowed nothing but poverty and pa-
tience, scarely eat any thing but these,
and account this the best time of the
year, as they are obliged to put up with
worse fare at other seasons. This fruit
likewise serves them for drink, the juice
refreshing these poor creatures, and
they have less occasion for water than
it they were to live on more substan-
tial food in this burning climate."

Tf Leeks. The original word occurs six-
teen times, but is nowhere rendered
" leek " but here. In one instance it is
translated " herb," in another " hay,"
and in another " a court ; " but in all
the other instances it is translated
" grass." As grass, however, could not
have been what the Israelites desired,
it is supposed by some commentators
that "greens," implying lettuce, suc-
cory, endive, or salads in general, is
what is meant. In the uncertainty that
obtains on this point we give the fol-
lowing extract from Roberts. " To an
Englishman the loss of these articles
would not give much concern, and he
is almost surprised at the Israelites re-
pining at their loss, as at the loss of
great delicacies. The people of the
East do not in general eat flesh, nor
even fish, so that when they can pro-
cure it they consider it a delicacy. Cu-
cumbers are eaten in abundance in hot
weather, and melons are most delicious
and plentiful. I have never seen leeks
in the East, and I am doubtful whether

melons, and the leeks, and the
onions, and the garlic :

they are to be found ; but whether or
not, there is much difference of opin-
ion as to the translation of the word.
D'Oyly and Mant have a quotation to
this effect : — ' Whether the following
word, rendered leeTcs, have that signifi-
cation, may be doubted. Some think it
was the lotus, which is a water plant,
a kind of water-lily, which the Egyp-
tians used to eat during the heats of
summer.' In the Universal History,
(vol. 1. p. 486,) it is said, that those
' Egyptians who dwelt in the marshes,
fed on several plants which annually
grow, particularly the lotus, of which
they made a sort of bread.' Of the
Arabs also, (in the same work,) it is
recorded — * They make a drink of the
Egyptian lotus, which is very good for
inward heat.' It has a bulbous root,
and is highly esteemed as an article of 3
food. As it grows in tanks, it can only ''
be had in the hottest weather, when the
water is dried up ; and in this we see
a most gracious provision, in allowing
it to be taken when most required. Its
cooling qualities are celebrated all over
India, and the Materia Medica says of
it, ' This is an excellent root, and is also
prescribed medicinally, as cooling and
demulcent.' The natives eat it boiled,
or in curry, or make it into flour for
gruels. I am, therefore, of opinion,
that it was the lotus of Egypt respect-
ing which the Israelites were murmur-
ing." In this opinion Mr. Kitto is in-
clined to concur, conceding at the same
time, that the authority of the Septua-
gint, which renders it by prasa, leeks,
is not easily disposed of He refers
to Scheuchzer and others, " who think
that the word here denotes a plant of the
lotus kind, which grows very abundant-
ly in the low lands of Egypt, and which
was of very delicate taste, and held in

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

151

6 But now ■''our soul is dried
away : there is nothing at all,

/ c. 21. 5.

great estimation. They ate its root,
and also made a kind of bread with it.
Homer describes the lotus as the first
of the plants that grew for the pleasure
of the gods. The Arabs, when they can
get it, make with it a drink which they
highly relish. In India, also, the na-
tives eat it boiled, or in curry, or make
it into flour for gruels." — Pict. JBihle.

*l Onions. "Whoever has tasted

onions in Egypt must allow that none
can be had better in any part of the uni-
verse. Here they are sweet, in other
countries they are nauseous and strong ;
here they are soft, whereas in the north,
and other parts, they are hard of diges-
tion. Hence they cannot in any place
be eaten with less prejudice and more
satisfaction than in Egypt. They eat
them roasted, cut into four pieces, with
some bits of roasted meat, which the
Turks in Egypt call Icolab, and with this
dish they are so delighted, that I have
heard them wish they might enjoy it in
paradise. They likewise make soup of
them in EgA^pt, cutting the onions in
small pieces ; this I think one of the
best dishes I ever ate." — Ha-sselquist.
This is confirmed by Mr. Kitto. " In
warm countries the onion often consti-
tutes a staple article of diet. The sun
has the same mellowing effect upon it
as upon the cucumber, so that its sa-
vor is more bland than when grown
in this country, and its use far less
likely to affect the stomach with any
disagreeable consequences. Most of
the people of Western Asia are remark-
ably fond of onions. We have known
poor Arabs wait for more than an hour,
till the refuse of onions employed in

cooking should be thrown away."

^I Garlic. " The original word occurs
but this once in the Sci'iptures, where

beside this manna, before our

eyes.

it is undoubtedly correctly rendered.
Its botanical character is too well
known to require description. It is now
usually distinguished in the kitchen-
garden by the name of * eschalot ' or
' shallot.' A variety of this plant cul-
tivated in France is called 'the onion
of Egypt.' They are eaten like onions,
and are peculiarly agreeable to the pal-
ate. Garlic was so much in request
among the ancients, that Homer makes
it a part of the entertainment which
Nestor served up to his guest Machaon.
It formed a favorite viand to the com-
mon people among the Greeks and Ro-
mans."—P/c^. Bihle.

V. 6. But now our soul is dried away.
The 8onl is often used for the body, or
the whole man, and as denoting that
principle which is the seat of the appe-
tite or desire of meat, drink, and oth-
er things. See "Bush on the Soul"
passim. Comp. Ps. 102 : 4, where the
same original word is rendered " with-
ered." Also for the souVs requiring
food, etc. Ps. 78 : 18. " In great hun-
ger or thirst the people say, ' Our soul
is withered.' 'More than this, sir, I
cannot do ; my spirit is withered with-
in me.' ' What ! when a man's soul is
withered, is he not to complain ? ' " —

Roberts. ■[ There is notJiing at all,

besides this manna, before our eyes.
Heb. " There is nothing at all ; only
our eyes are unto the manna." We see
nothing else, we expect nothing else,
but this same monotonous manna, of
which we have become sick of the sight.
For the eyes to " be unto any one " is
to cherish hope and expectation, as Ps.
25 : 15. 141 : 8. The form of the expres-
sion is very peculiar, and evidently
carries with it the import of contempt
towards the Lord's kind provision for

152

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

7 And the manna was as cori-
ander-seed, and the colour there-
of as the colour of bdellium ^.

their wants. The manna thus furnished
was a corporeal nourishment represent-
ing that which was spiritual, and thus
serving as a type of our Lord himself
according to his own declaration, John
6 : 32, 33, confirmed by Paul, 1 Cor.
10 : 3, who calls the manna " spiritual
bread" because it represented such
bread. The loathing the manna, there-
fore, and longing for the luxuries of
Egypt, denoted the rejection of Christ
and the benefits of his salvation, the
true substance of these Old Testament
symbols.

V. 7. And the manna was as corian-
der-seed. Not in color, but in size and
shape. See Notes on Ex. 16 : 14, 31.
The coriander is cultivated mostly in
the south of Europe, and in some parts
of England, on account of its seeds,
which are required in large quantities
by confectioners, druggists, and distil-
lers. It is reared also in gardens on
account of its leaves, which are used in
soups and salads. The seeds are glob-
ular, grayish-colored, and about the
size of pepper-corn. The taste and
smell are both agreeable, depending on
the presence of a volatile oil, which is
separated by distillation. — This and the
two following verses are evidently pa-
renthetical, being designed to give such
an account of the various properties
and modes of preparation of the manna,
as to evince its great value as an article
of diet, and thus to rebuke the people

for their light esteem of it. 1[ Aiid

tJie color thereof. Heb. " And the eye
thereof," i. e. the aspect or appearance,
as it is rendered by the Chald. and the
Gr. For a similar usage in regard to
" eye," see Ex. 10 : 5, with the explana-
tory Note. It is there rendered " face,"

8 And the people went about,
and gathered it, and ground it
in mills, or beat it in a mortar,

— " the/ace of the earth," meaning the
visible surface of the earth. Lev. 13 :
55. Ezek. 1:16. 8:2. 10 : 9. "H Bdel-
lium. Heb. " Bedolach," on which see
Note on Gen. 2: 12, where we have en-
deavored to show that the substance
meant is the 'pearl. The Gr. however,
here renders it crystal.

V. 8. And the people went about, etc.
Heb. "Went to and fro," i. e. in the
way of search and espial. The term is
applied in some cases to the act of the
eyes in looking and exploring on one
side and the other, and in Dan. 12 : 4,
to the perusal of a book, though ren-
dered " run to and fro." But the true
idea is probably that of turning over
pages back and forth, and thus pass-
ing to and fro through a volume. See

2 Chr. 10 : 9. Zech. 4 : 10. T[ Ground

it in millsy etc. " The eastern mill
consists of two circular stones, about
eighteen inches in diameter, and three
inches thick. The top stone has a han-
dle in it, and works round a pivot, which
has a hole connected with it to admit
the corn. The mortar also is much
used to make rice flour. It is a block
of wood, about twenty inches high and
ten inches in diameter, having a hole
scooped out in the centre. The pestle
is a stick of about four feet long, made
of iron-wood, having an iron hoop fixed
to the end." — Roberts. If the manna,
as we are expressly informed, pointed
typically to our Lord, we see nothing
absurd or unreasonable in the idea that
the grinding and beating it, and sub-
jecting it to the various processes here
mentioned, shadowed forth the afflic-
tions through which he was called to
pass in being prepared to become to us
the bread of life, John 6 : 48-51. Heb.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XL

153

and baked it in pans, and made
cakes of it : and ^ the taste of it
was as the taste of fresh oil.
9 And when the dew ' fell

2 : 9, 10. 1 Pet. 3 : 18. Nor is it to be
overlooked that the word here rendered

" beat " " beat it in a mortar " — is

the same with that which is applied,
Is. 53 : 5, to the sufferings of our Lord
when he is said to have been '* bruised
for our iniquities." It is remarkable,
in regard to the manna, that while it
was so hard that it could be ground in
a mill, yet it was at the same time of
such a consistence that it would melt in
the morning rays of the sun if not sea-
sonably gathered. T[ Baked it in

pans. Or, boiled or cooked it. The
original is used to signify baking in
2 Sam. 13 : 8, but for the most part it

denotes boiling. T[ Made cakes of it.

Or, as Geddes and Boothroyd, "made
hearth-cakes." (Rosen, placentas sub

cineritias, cakes baked in the ashes.)

T[ The taste of it was as the taste of fresh
oil. Heb. "As the taste of the best
moisture of oil." That is, fresh oil
which has no rank savor. The Heb.
term leshad denotes the choicest oily
humor in man's body, Ps. 32 : 4, and so
here it implies the best and sweetest
moisture of oil. It had also, we learn,
the taste of " wafers with honey," Ex.
16 : 31. The Gr. here translates it " wa-
fers of oil," and the Chald. " paste or
oil-cakes." It was therefore pleasant
and wholesome food, and the taste of
oil and honey points to that sweet spir-
itual relish which the soul perceives in
feeding upon Christ as the true manna
from heaven.

V. 9. And when the dew fell upon the
camp, etc. Heb. "Descended." Pool
and Ainsworth, by comparing Ex. 16 :
13, 14, suppose there was a double fall

upon the camp in the night, the
manna fell upon it.

10 Then Moses heard the
people weep throughout their
families, every man in the door

of dew, and that the manna was imbed-
ded, as it were, between the two layers,
whence it is called. Rev. 2 : 17, " hidden
manna." But this suggestion takes for
granted that the final clause, " the man-
na fell upon it," implies the falling of
the manna upon the dew, whereas, it
may as properly mean that it fell upon
the camp, which, it must be remember-
ed, covered a vast extent of ground-
ten or twelve miles square at least. It
is probable that the true idea is con-
veyed by the Yulg. which renders the
verse, "And when the dew fell in the
night upon the camp, the manna also
fell with it." In the morning, when the
sun's rays began to act, the dew would
naturally be exhaled, and the manna,
as a residuum, would remain spread
over the surface of the earth. It is in-
deed said in the parallel account in Ex-
odus (16 : 13) that " in the morning the
dew lay round about the host," but in
the nature of the case this must be un-
derstood with some kind of qualifica-
tion, as otherwise, those whose tents
were pitched near the centre of the
camp would have had several miles to
travel every morning to obtain it. We
may reasonably suppose that in a re-
gion so broken and rocky, the host
would encamp more or less in groups,
and the manna might fall " round about"
the camping ground of these several
groups, and yet at the same time fall
over the whole extent of the camp, just
as it is evident the quails did when
they were sent in such numbers by the
Lord previous to the first fall of the
manna, Ex. 16 : 13.
V. 10. Moses heard the people weep

154

NUMBEKS.

[B. 0. 1490.

of his tent : and the anger of the
Lord was kindled ^' greatly ;
Moses also was displeased '.

11 And Moses said unto the
Lord, Wherefore hast thou af-
flicted thy servant ? and where-
fore have I not found favour in

k ver, 1. Is. 5. 25. / Ps. 139. il,

througlwut their families. Heb. "By,
or according to, their families ; " from
which it would appear that the spirit
of disaflfection had spread very exten-
sively among the people. \ Every

man in the door of his tent. Therefore
openly, and not covertly, as would have
been the case had they indulged their

murmurs within doors. T[ Moses also

was displeased. Heb. " And in the eyes
of Moses (it was) evil." He had done
for the people the best in his power, and
as he could do nothing without the di-
vine appointment, he could not but feel
extremely vexed in view of the ungrate-
ful conduct of the people. Acting all
along for the Lord, he would naturally
feel with him in the present provocation.
V. 11. Wherefore hast thou afflicted
thy servant? That is, wherefore hast
thou suffered thy servant to be afflict-
ed ? — recognizing a providential per-
mission, which is the only way that the
Lord ever afflicts any. He is often said
in Scripture to do what he does not
prevent being done, what he wisely
allows. Still, though we can sympa-
thize in the grievances of Moses, we
cannot justify the tone of his remon-
strances in what follows. It is to be
observed that the literal rendering of
this clause is, "Why hast thou done
evil to thy servant ? " The evil, how-
ever, which is to be attributed to the
Lord, is not the evil of sin, but merely
the evil of trouble and affliction with
which he sees fit to exercise the graces
of his people. Comp. Jer. 18 : 8. Is.

thy sight, that thou layest the
burden of all this people upon
me?

12 Have I conceived all this
people ? have I begotten them,
that thou shouldest say unto
me, Carry "* them in thy bosom,

45 : 7. Amos 3 : 6. H Wherefore have

I not found favor in thy sight, etc.
Why heardest thou not my prayer of
deprecation when I so earnestly be-
sought thee to excuse me from being
placed at the head of this people ? Ex.
3:11. 4:10.

V. 12. Have I conceived all this peo-
ple? Chald. "Am I the father of all
this people ? Are they my sons ? " Are
they my children, that I should be
charged with the responsibility of sup-
plying all their wants? T[ Have I

begotten them? Or, Heb. "Have I
brought them forth ? " Both terms are
perhaps more intrinsically appropriate
to the mother, although in spiritual
generation the distinctive functions of
father and mother seem not to be al-
ways very clearly marked. Thus Paul
says, 1 Cor. 4 : 15, " Ye have not many
fathers ; for in Christ Jesus have I be-
gotten you through the Gospel." But
in Gal. 4 : 19, he says, "My little chil-
dren, of whom I travail in birth again,
until Christ be formed in you." The
wording, however, of the entire verse
seems intended to describe the office of

a nursing father. T[ Carry them in

thy hosom. That is, carefully, tenderly,
lovingly. This Moses might be said to do
in an inferior sense, but how infinitely
far does he come short therein of Him
of whom it is said. Is. 40 : 11, " He shall
feed his flock like a shepherd : he shall
gather the lambs with his arm, and car-
ry them in his bosom, and shall gently
lead those that are with young."

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

155

as a nursing father " bearetli the
sucking child, unto the land
which thou " swarest unto their
fathers ?

13 Whence ^ should I have
flesh to give unto all this peo-

n Is. 49.
p Mat. 15.

1 Th. 2. 7.

, 13. 15.

^ As a nursing father heareth the suck-
ing child. Strikingly indicative of the
mildness, gentleness, and love which
should characterize rulers, and espe-
cially rulers in the church. Is. 49 : 23,
" And kings shall be thy nursing fa-
thers, and queens thy nursing mothers."
So also the apostle, 1 Thes. 2 : 7, 11,
" We were gentle among you, even as
a nurse cherisheth her children : we
exhorted, and comforted, and charged
every one of you, as a father doth his
children." Accordingly, Ainsworth
cites from Maimouides the following
rule relative to the deportment of the
governors of the church: — "It is not
lawful for a man to govern with state-
liness over the congregation, and with
haughtiness of spirit, but with meek-
ness and fear. And every pastor that
bringeth more terror upon the congre-
gation than is for the name of God, he
shall be punished, and shall not see
himself to have a wise son. It is not
lawful for him to govern with contempt-
uous carriage, although they be the
common people of the land; neither
may he tread upon the heads of the
holy people ; (for) although they be un-
learned and base, they are the sons of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and (are)
the armies of the Lord, who brought
them out of the land of Egypt by great
might and by strong hand; but he must
bear the toil of the congregation and
their burden, as Moses, our master, of
whom it is said, ' As a nursing father
beareth the sucking child.' " The Tar-
gum of Jon. for "nursing father" has

pie? for they weep unto me,
saying, Grive us flesh, that we
may eat.

1-i I ^ am not able to bear all
this people alone, because it is
too heavy for me.

15 And if thou deal thus

q Ex. 18. 18. Dan. 1. 9-1-2.

"pedagogue," the term used by Paul
in speaking of the Law ; Gal. 3 : 24,
" The law was our school-master to bring
us to Christ."

Y. 13. Whence should I have flesh to
give unto all this people ? Even if the
flocks and herds should afford a supply
to a part of the host, they would by no
means be sufficient for all. This is in-
deed a becoming acknowledgment on
the part of Moses, of his inability to
supply the wants of the people, but it
has the air of implying that the Lord
expected him to do it, for which he had
no sufficient grounds. So far, then, it
savored of infirmity, and was open to
rebuke. The Lord, however, dealt very
graciously with him, as appears from

the sequel. 1 For they loeep unto

me. Heb. " They weep upon me." Tne
phraseology is the same with that Judg.
14 : 16, " And Samson's wife wejit he-
fore him." Heb. "Wept upon him,"
It implies an importunate pressing or
bearing down upon one with urgent
solicitations.

V. 14. lam not able to bear all this peo-
ple alone. " Had the work been much
less, he could not have gone through it
in his own strength ; but had it been
much greater, through God strength-
ening him he might have done it." —
Henry.

V. 15. And if thou, deal thus with
me. If thou still leavest me to bear the
whole of this burden. It is remarkable
that the word "thou" here addressed
to the Most High is in the original in
the feminine instead of the masculine

156

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1490.

with me, ' kill me, I pray thee,
out of hand, if I have found fa-
vor in thy sight ; and let me not
see my wretchedness.

. 4. Jonah 4. 3.

16 And the Lord said unto
Moses, Gather unto me seventy*
men of the elders of Israel, whom
thou knowest to be the elders

gender — at instead of attdh. A similar
usage occurs Deut. 5 : 27, where the
people, terrified with the divine majes-
ty in the delivery of the Law, said unto
Moses, " Speak thoio (Heb, at) unto us."
The reason of the peculiarity is mere
matter of conjecture. The Rabbins say
it was owing to a special trepidation
and confusion which interfered with dis-
dinct utterance. Kennicott and others
suppose an error in the manuscripts.

"We must leave it undetermined.

T[ JiJill me, I pray thee, out of hand.
That is, forthwith, immediately. '' Out
of hand'' is an old English phrase,
equivalent to " outright." The original
for "kill" is reduplicated, " killing kill
me," in order to express more forcibly
the vehemence of the desire. It is as
if he should say, I shall take it as the
greatest kindness if thou wilt at once
remove me from the world — an expres-
sion of impatience which cannot be jus-
tified even in view of the sorest trials to

which he was subjected. H Let me

not see my wretchedness. Heb. "Let
me not see my evil." That is, let me
not live to become a miserable creature.
To " see good " is to enjoy it ; to " see
evil " is to sufier it. So also to " see
death " is to die, Ps. 50 : 23. 89 : 49. 91 :
16. Luke 2 : 26. Comp. the speech of
Elijah, 1 Kings 14 : 4. We feel for the
vexations of Moses, but we recognize at
the same time his infirmity in asking
for release from his troubles in such a
disorderly way. His language is prob-
ably equivalent to that used in Ex. 32 :
32, " Blot me out of the book which thou
hast written," but is susceptible of a
more favorable construction than is
often put upon it; q. d. "Lord, if thy

decree against this people may not be
reversed ; if justice demand their utter
extermination ; let my eyes be first
closed in peace. Subject me not to the
severe mortification of surviving all my
nation, and of enduring the insults and
scorn of our enemies. In mercy take
me first out of the world, where I should
only lead a life of sorrow and regret,
heavier than death itself." The oppo-
site meaning which some would elicit
from the words may be thus express-
ed : — " Lord, grant the pardon of this
people to the prayers of thy servant,
who would rather submit to everlasting
misery than fail to obtain his request."
The sentiment implied in this language
finds no warrant either in the letter or
the spirit of the teachings of the Scrip-
tures.

TJie Appointment of seventy Elders as
Assistants to Moses.
V. 16. Gather unto me seventy men
of the elders of Israel. Chald. " Gather
before me." Targ. Jon. " Gather in my
name seventy worthy men." We read
no rebuke of Moses on this occasion,
for although his conduct was faulty, yet
the Lord's forbearance was such that
he was willing to pass by his otience as
far as any outward manifestation was
concerned. The inward reproach of
his own conscience he might still be
left to feel. It is a matter of considera-
ble debate among commentators, wheth-
er this body of seventy elders was one
of mere occasional creation and tempo-
rary duration, or whether it was hence-
forward perpetual, and the same in fact
with the Sanhedrim or great national
council of the Jews, of which we read

B. C. 1490.J

CHAPTER XI.

157

of the people, and officers over them ; and bring them unto the

in the New Testament. The Jewish
writers generally, and many Christian
writers of eminence are of the latter
opinion. The former appears, howev-
er, the more probable hypothesis, as no
mention is made of the existence of
such a council in all the Old Testa-
ment, and this silence cannot well be
accounted for consistently with the ac-
tual existence of such a body. Add to
this, that the Sanhedrim was a judicial
institution having control of matters of
justice and cases of appeal. The pres-
ent appears to have been simply a kind
of senate formed to aid Moses in bear-
ing the burdens and responsibilities of
the station to which he was elevated,
and which we can easily apprehend
must have been extremely arduous and

onerous. ^ Whom tJiou knoivest to

be the elders of the people. That is, men
of mature age, of grave and exemplary
deportment, of ripened wisdom, who
would know how best to use the author-
it}' committed to them ; men who should
be elders in fact as well as in name. It
is evident from Ex. 24 : 1, that there was
already existing a class of persons call-
ed " elders," and that out of these a se-
lection was to be made on the present

occasion. TI And oncers over them.

Heb. soterauv, his oncers, the same as
the soteriyn mentioned Ex. 5 : 6, on which
see Note. Targ. Jon. " That had been
set over them in Egypt ; " as if their
sufferings there in behalf of their breth-
ren had entitled them to this distinc-
tion. " Among the persons that appear
in the Israelitish Diet, besides those al-
ready mentioned, we find the soterim,
or scribes. They were different from the
judges; for Moses had expressly or-
dained (Deut. 16 : 18) that in every city
there should be appointed, not only
judges, but soterim likewise. It is very
certain that Moses had not originally

instituted these oflBcers, but already
found them among the people while in
Egypt. For when the Israelites did not
deliver the required tale of bricks, the
soterim were called to account, and pun-
ished, Ex. 5 : 6-14. Now, as satar in
Arabic, signifies to tvrite ; and its deriv-
ative, mastir, a person whose duty it is
to keep accounts, and collect debts, I am
almost persuaded that these soterim
miast have been the oflBcers who kept
the genealogical tables of the Israelites,
with a faithful record of births, mar-
riages, and deaths ; and, as they kept
the rolls of families, had, moreover, the
duty of apportioning the public burdens
and services on the people individually.
An office exactly similar, we have not
in our governments, because they are
not so genealogically regulated ; at least
we do not institute enumerations of the
people by families. But among a peo-
ple whose notions were completely clan-
nish, and among whom all hereditary
succession, and even all posthumous
fame, depended on genealogical regis-
ters, this must have been an office fully
as important as that of a judge. In
Egypt, the Levites had not yet been
consecrated and set apart from the rest
of the tribes ; there, of course, the sote-
rim must have been chosen either out
of every family, or, perhaps, merely ac-
cording to the opinion entertained of
their fitness for the oflfice. In the time
of the kings, however, we find them
generally taken from the tribe of Levi,
1 Chron. 23 : 4. 2 Chron. 19 : 8-11. 34 :
13. This was a very rational proced-
ure, as the Levites devoted themselves
particularly to study ; and among hus-
bandmen and unlearned people, few
were likely to be so expert at writing,
as to be intrusted with the keeping of
registers so important. Add to this,
that in later times, the genealogical ta-

158

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

tabernacle of the congregation,
that they may stand there with
thee.

17 And ' I will come down

tver. 25. Gen. 11. 5. 18.21. Ex. 19. 20.

bles were kept in the temple. We find
these soterim mentioned in many other
passages besides those quoted above.
In Num. 11 : 16, they are the persons
of respectability from among whom the
supreme senate of Seventy is chosen.
In Deut. 1 : 15, mention is made of sote-
rim appointed by Moses in the wilder-
ness, although the people had previously
had such magistrates in Egypt ; most
probably he only filled the places of
those who were dead. In Deut. 20 : 5,
we see them charged with orders to
those of the people that wei-e selected
to go to war ; which is perfectly suited
to my explanation of the nature of their
office. In Deut. 29 : 10, 31 : 28, Josh.
8 : 33, 23 : 2, we find them as represent-
atives of the people in the Diets, or
when a covenant with God is entered
into. In Josh. 1 : 10, they appear as
the officers who communicated to the
people the general's orders respecting
military affairs ; and this, again, corre-
sponds to the province of muster-mas-
ters. In 2 Chron. 26 : 11, we have the
chief soter, under whose command the
whole army stands after the general, if
indeed he himself be not so. In 1 Chron.
27 : 1, the name of the office alone is men-
tioned."— Michaelis. Tf Bring them

unto the tabernacle of the congregation.
Heb. " Take them unto the tabernacle."
That they might there be, as it were,
consecrated to the Lord in the most
public manner, so that there should be
no doubt among the people as to their

authority. ^ That they may stand

there with thee. Heb. ve-hithyatzebu,
and they shall make themselves to stand,
they shall present themselves. The He-
brew writers give a peculiar emphasis

and talk with thee there : and I
will take of the spirit " which is
upon thee, and will put ii upon
them ; and they shall hear the

u 2 K. 2. 9, 15. Is. 44. 3. Joel 2. i%.

to the phrase "with thee" in this con-
nection, as if it imported that they were
to be men of like wisdom, weight, and
estimation with Moses, though in an
inferior degree.

V. 17. I will come down. Chald. "I
will reveal myself." Targ. Jon. " I will
reveal myself in the glory of my majes-
ty." From V. 25 it appears that this
revelation or descent was in connection
with the cloudy pillar, which might
have been at the same time lowered
somewhat nearer to the surface of the

earth. T[ And talk with thee there.

It is clear from what follows that the
Lord, in the symbol of his presence,
came down and communed with Moses,
according to his promise, but what he

said is not made known. T[ And I

will take qf the spirit which is upon thee,
and will put it upon them. Heb. dtzalti,
I will separate, set apart, keep, reserve,
of the spirit which is upon thee, etc.
That is, he would endow them with the
same spirit of government, or with those
gifts of wisdom, judgment, counsel,
coui'age, etc., which were bestowed up-
on Moses, though not to the same de-
gree. They were to be partners, but
not equals, in the divine donation.
"Spirit" is often used for gifts of the
Holy Spirit, or spiritual gifts {charisma-
ta), for "there are diversities of gifts,
but the same Spirit." So "spirits" is
used to denote spiritual gifts, 1 Cor.
12 : 4, " The spirits of the prophets are
subject to the prophets." The commu-
nication of the spirit of Moses to the
seventy elders does not imply any dim-
inution as it respected him. The Jew-
ish writers illustrate the matter by say-
ing that "Moses in that hour was like

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

159

burden of the people with thee,
that thou bear it not thyself
alone.

to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh :
for ye have wept in the ears "" of
the Lord, saying. Who shall

18 And say thou unto the peo- give us flesh to eat ? for it ivas
pie, Sanctify " yourselves against \ well with us in Egypt : there-

unto the lamp that was left burning on
the candlestick (in the sanctuary) ; from
which all the other lamps were lighted,
yet the light thereof was not lessened a
whit." In point of strict truth, how-
ever, there was not any thing actually
taken from Moses. It is merely the
language of appearance, founded upon
the similarity of the phenomena. In
like manner it is said that the Lord
God formed Adam of the dust of the
ground, not that he was really so form-
ed, for in the original it is, he " formed
him dust of the ground," that is, to be
of the same material with the dust, so
that when he died, he might be said to
be resolved into it. So the spiritual
gifts evinced by these elders were of
the same kind with those of Moses, and
therefore they are said to be taken from
him. The inference is very plain, that
divine gifts and qualifications are in-
dispensable for those who are called to
act as leaders and superintendents in
the Lord's church, and that those who
are not possessed of these qualifications

are not called. T[ And they shall

hear the 'burden of the people with thee.
Heb. " They shall bear with thee in the
burden." The preposition " in," how-
ever, does not afiect the sense, as ap-
pears from the usage in Ezek. 18 : 19,
20, " The son shall not bear the iniqui-
ty of the father," where the literal ren-
dering is, " shall not bear in the iniqui-
ty of the father." The allusion is to
the complaint of Moses in vs. 11, 14,
and an assurance given that the men
now selected shall take part in the bur-
densome cares and fatigues growing

out of the government of an unruly
people.

V. 18. Sanctify yourselves against to-
morrow. Chald. " Prepare yourselves."
On the import of this phrase see Note
on Ex. 19 : 10. It denotes prepara-
tion in the sense of superinducing upon
their minds a state of devout reflection,
and external abstinence from whatever
would interfere with the sanctity which
they were then required to study. So,
to " sanctify a war," as in Jer. 6:4. 51 :
28. Joel 3 : 9, is to engage in a war with
holy motives, to enter into it in such a
state of mind, have such an eye to the
divine glory, that it should be a conse-
crated war. Alas ! how totally unlike
the great mass of wars that have been
waged among men ! The reason why
this sanctification was now command-
ed probably was, that if they duly re-
pented of the sin of their rebellion, and
thus approached the Lord in a humble
and contrite frame, the promised flesh
might not prove a judgment and a curse
to them, but a lawful comfort and lux-
ury. Otherwise the command, " Sanc-
tify yourselves " would be equivalent to,
" Prepare to meet thy God, 0 Israel ; "
i. e. in a way of judgment, and not of

mercy. ^ Ye have wept in the ears

of the Lord. The parallel clause in v.
20 is, " ye have wept before " the Lord,
as the Chald. also renders it here. All
unreasonable complaints and murmur-
ings, though vented ostensibly against
the Lord's ministers, or addressed to no
one in particular, are in reality uttered
towards the Lord himself, and come up
into his ears. T[ Hie Lord will give

160

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1490

fore the Lord will give you flesh,
and ye shall eat.

19 Ye shall not eat one day,
nor two days, nor five days, nei-
ther ten days, nor twenty days;

20 But even a whole month, "
until it come out at your nos-

y Ps. 78. 29. 106. 15.

you flesh, and ye shall eat. This was in-
deed a compliance with the desires of the
people, but of the same nature with that
which is spoken of at a subsequent peri-
od, when he is said to have " given them
a king in his anger." A significant al-
lusion to this kind of indulgence occurs
also, Ps. 106 : 16, " He gave them them
their request, but sent leanness into
their souls." The prayers of the wick-
ed may be answered, but in such a way
that nothing shall be more to be dread-
ed. The divine promises to the evil are
virtual threatenings.

V. 19. Ye shall not eat one day, nor
Uvo days, etc. As they did about a year
before, Ex. 16 : 12, 13, when the people
had been thus feasted for one day.

V. 20. Until it come out at your nos-
trils. Denoting a nausea and surfeit.
"What does this mean? Is it not a
figurative expression, to show that they
were to eat till fully satisfied ? Bishop
Patrick says, ' Till you be glutted and
cloyed with it.' Is it not a striking
illustration that this figure of speech is
used at this day to convey the same
meaning? A host says to his guests,
' Now friends, eat moohamattam, to the
nose,' literally, to eat till they are full
up to the nose. ' 0, sir, how can I eat
any more? I am full to the nose, I
have no more room.' Of a glutton, it is
said, ' That fellow always fills up to the
nose!^" — Roberts. Bp. Patrick's note
is this : — " Till you be glutted with it,
and vomit it up so violently, that it shall
come not only out at your mouth, but

trils, and it be loathsome unto
you : because that ye have de-
spised the Lord which is among
you, and have wept before him,
saying. Why came we forth out
of Egypt ?

21 And Moses said. The peo-
ple, among whom I am, are six

at your nostrils." This is perhaps
somewhat favored by the original zdra,
in the ensuing clause, which several of
the versions render, " in dispersionem,"
for a scattering, deriving it from zdrah,

to he diffused, or spread abroad.

T[ And it be loathsome unto you. Heb.
" And it shall be unto you for a loath-
ing." Gr. "It shall be unto you for a
cholera (ets x^^^P^-^), which Hesychius
defines as a violent disorder of the bow-
els. The effect, we may presume, to
have been what we should now express
by cholera morbus. Chald. " It shall be
unto you for an offence." "What a
righteous thing it is with God to make
that loathsome to men which they have
inordinately lusted after. God could
make them despise flesh as much as
they had despised manna." — Henry.

T[ Because that ye have despised the

Lord. Heb. meastem, contemptuously
refused, or set at nought. Chald, " Ye
have rejected the Word of the Lord."
Gr. "Ye have disobeyed the Lord."
The word in the Heb. is the same with
that which occurs 1 Sam. 8:7, " For
they have not rejected thee, but they
have rejected me." It is a serious re-
flection that our complaining of the di-
vine dispensations amounts, in the
Lord's sight, to a positive contempt of

him. If Which is among you. That

is, by the visible symbol of his pres-
ence. Chald. " Whose divine majesty
dwells among you." Their sin, there-
fore, was a kind of spiritual lese-majesty.
N ."iX. The people among whom I {am^

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

161

hundred ' thousand footmen ; and
thou hast said, I will give them
flesh, that they may eat a whole
month.

are six hundred tAotisand, etc. That is,
so many who were able to carry arms ;
which, by a fair proportion, would re-
quire of the aged, of women and chil-
dren, and the mixed multitude, enough
to make a grand total of near three mil-
lions of people. In view of the de-
mands of such an immense host, the
faith of Moses seems to have wavered.
Either from the discomposure of his
spirit by reason of the affronts of the
people, or from a fear that they might
be commanded to feed upon the cattle
required for sacrifice, or from sheer in-
credulity, he is prompted to inquire
how it can be possible that so many
mouths should be fed with flesh for a
whole mouth together. All the cattle
we have, says his unbelief, will come
short of the requirement, and all the
fish of the Red Sea would be insuflBcient
for it.

Y. 22. Shall all the Jish of the sea he
gathered together for them ? That is,
gathered together in shoals. Harmer's
note on this passage is worthy of being
transcribed. " When Moses mentioned
Israel's being fed with fish, collected
from the Red Sea, he seems to have
supposed something of an extraordina-
ry kind ; but analogous to what had
happened to several people, in small
companies, not any thing miraculous.
In answer to the divine declaration, Mo-
ses proposed a difliculty in accomplish-
ing this promise, in the natural course
of things, not as imagining it could not
be done by a miracle ; he could not but
know, that he that rained down manna,
could, by a miracle, gorge them with
flesh; but in the common course of
things, or in the natural, though more

22 Shall " the flocks and the
herds be slain for them, to
suffice them ? or shall all the
fish of the sea be gathered to-

a 2 K. 7. 2. Mark 8. 4. John 6. 7, 9.

unusual operation of Providence, could
it be brought about ? That was what
puzzled Moses. Some flocks, and a few
oxen, they had with them for the so-
lemnities of sacrifice; but could a part
of them, with any addition that might
be procured from the people on the
skirts of the desert, be sufficient to sup-
port them a whole month? Fish might
be obtained from the Red Sea, from
which, it seems, they were not very
distant, but could it be expected they
would come in such numbers to the
shore, within their reach, as fully to
satisfy the cravings of their appetites,

day after day, for a whole month ?

' We remember the fish we did eat in
Egypt freely,' was a part of their moan,
Num. 11 : 5. If Moses knew what the
common people of Egypt now know,
and which their sages in ancient days
must, at least, have remarked, he could
be no stranger to that change of place
that may be observed as to fish, and their
crowding together at certain times ; and
to some such a natural, but surprising
and unknown occurrence, as to the in-
habitants of this sea, the words of Mo-
ses seem to point : ' Shall the flocks and
herds be slain for them ? ... or shall all
the fish of the sea be gathered togeth-
er,' by some natural impulse, to this
place, for a month or more, which none
of us have had any notion of, nor re-
ceived any information about, to sufice
them ? Such is, I apprehend, the spirit

of these words." ^ To suffice them.

Heb. u-mAtzd Idhem, and shall one find
for them? For parallel instances of
this usage, see Josh. 17 : 16. Judg. 21 :
14, with my Note upon each passage.
The remark of Philip, John 6 : 7, 9, im-

162

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

getlier for them, to suffice
them ?

23 And the Lord said unto
Moses, Is* the Lord's hand wax-
ed short ? thou shalt see now
whether ' my word shall come to
pass unto thee or not.

24 And Moses went out, and

b Is. 50. 2. 59. 1.

Ezek. 12. 25. ':4. 14.

plies a similar staggering of faith: —
"Two hundred pennyworth of bread is
not sufficient for them (the great multi-
tude) that every one of them may take
a little." In both cases, however, the
doubts were soon silenced.

V. 23. 7s the Lord's Jiand waxed short ?
Gr. " Shall not the Lord's hand be suffi-
cient?" Chald. " Shall the Word of the
Lord be hindered ? " Hand, by a well
known figure of speech, is often used as
significant of power, as being the in-
strument by which power is put forth
(Deut. 32 : 36. Josh. 4 : 24. 8 : 20), while
the original term for shortened implies
that which is lessened or scanted, and is
thus rather applicable to what the hand
signifies than to the hand itself. In
Mic. 2:7, it is spoken of the Lord's
Spirit — ■'■'■ Is the Spirit of the Lord strait-
ened (Heb. shortened) .^" but for the most
part, as here, the word is predicated of
the Lord's hand. Thus, Is. 59 : 1, " Be-
hold, the Lord's hand is not shortened,
that it cannot save." Is. 50 : 2, " Is my
hand shortened at all, that it cannot re-
deem ? or have I no power to deliver ? "
where the latter clause explains the
former. " Even true and great believ-
ers sometimes find it hard to trust God
under the discouragements of second
causes, and ' against hope to believe in
hope.' Moses himself can scarcely for-
bear saying, ' Can God furnish a table
in the wilderness ? ' when this was be-
come the common cry. No doubt this
was his infirmity." — Henry.

told the people the words of the
Lord, and gathered the seventy
men of the elders of the people,
and set them round about the
taberhacle.

25 And the Lord came down
'^ in a cloud, and spake unto him,
and took of the spirit that was

V. 24. And Moses went out. But
whether from his own tent or the sanc-
tuary is uncertain. The Targ. Jon. ren-
ders it, " He went out from the tent of
the Shekinah," into which it may be
supposed he had gone to pour out his
prayers into the Lord's bosom. He no
doubt "went out" also in the person
of the emissaries who were dispatched
to various parts of the camp to gather
in the seventy elders, and as they were
convened at the Tabernacle of the con-
gregation, the presumption is that it
was thence that Moses is said to have
gone out. The place of their congress

was the place of his egress. \ Set

them rpund alout the tabernacle. Heb.
" Made them to stand." All important
assemblies were wont to meet at the
Tabernacle. Comp. ch. 27 : 2.

V. 25. And the Lord came down in
a cloud. Or, perhaps better, "in the
cloud." The manifestation in this case
was no doubt similar to that mention-
ed Ex. 33 : 9, " And it came to pass, as
Moses entered into the tabernacle, the
cloudy pillar descended, and stood at
the door of the tabernacle, and (the
Lord) talked with Moses," where see
my Note. Comp. also Ps. 99 : 7, " He

spake to them in the cloudy pillar."

^ Wlien the spirit rested upon them, they
prophesied. Heb. yithnabhe-u, were
made or impelled to prophesy, the Hith-
pael, or reflexive conjugation having
here the same signification as the Niphal
or passive, except that in the Hithpael

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

163

upon him, and gave it unto the
seventy elders : and it came to
pass, that, when ' the spirit rest-

1 Sam. 10. 5, 6, etc.

the idea is more distinctly of an impul-
sive power within the subject, and the
Niphal of one without. It is therefore
peculiarly applicable to that state of
possession, ov spiritual excitation, which
prompts extraordinary utterances. Pro-
phesying, in this sense, was one of the
special gifts or operations of the Lord's
Spirit in its illapse upon the minds of
men. The usual word for prophet in
the original Hebrew is ndhi, which is
really of a passive import, implying one
who speaks from a divine impulse, and
utters things entirely beyond the scope
of his own unassisted ability. He is not
so much a speaker as one spoken through.
Thus it is said, Joel 2 : 29, " Upon the
handmaids in those days I will pour out
my Spirit," that is. Acts 2 : 18, " I will
pour out my Spirit, and they shall pro-
phesy J^ So Acts 19 : 6, " And when
Paul had laid his hands upon them, the
Holy Ghost came on them; and they
spake with tongues, and prophesied.^^
In like manner, when Saul was anoint-
ed king, it was said to him, 1 Sam. 10 :
6, " The Spirit of the Lord will come
upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy, and
shalt be turned into another man." Ac-
cordingly it is added, v. 10, " And the
Spirit of God came upon him, and he
prophesied." The term evidently is not
restricted to the sense o^ foretelling fu-
ture events, but implies also any kind
of utterance prompted by a divine in-
fluence, and especially the unfolding
the meaning of the sacred Word. Thus
Paul, 1 Cor. 14 : 3, " He ihoX prophesieth
speaketh unto men to edification, and
exhortation, and comfort." Analogous
to the elders here appointed were the
"helps and governments," spoken of
by Paul (1 Cor. 12 : 28) as established

ed upon them, they prophesied,
and did not cease.

26 But there remained two
of the men in the camp, the

in the early Christian church. ^ And

did not cease. Heb. loydsaphu, did not
add, that is, did not continue to prophe-
sy in that manner after that day. In like
manner it is said, Deut. 5 : 22, that God
pronounced the ten commandments,
and " added no more " (Heb. Jo ynsijph),
by which is to be understood, that he
spake no more to the people in that
peculiar manner. So also it is said of
Saul, 1 Sam. 10 : 13, " And when he had
made an end of prophesying, he came,"
etc. The gift indicated was probably
designed to be of merely temporary du-
ration. Gr. ** And they added no more."
And Sol. Jarchi, a noted Jewish com-
mentator says, "They did not add;"
i. e. they " prophesied not save that day
only." This would be suflBcient to af-
ford an attestation that they were moved
by a divine impulse, and this testimony
it was important the people should have.
With this coincides the comment of
Theodoret, " The seventy did not pro-
phesy beyond this day, because God
promoted them not to prophesy, but to
govern, which St. Paul also reckons
among other gifts bestowed upon Chris-
tians," 1 Cor. 12 : 26. It is, however,
to be remarked, that this rendering is
not uniform. The Chald. exhibits a
sense directly opposite, — " And they
ceased not," and this is the sense adopt-
ed by our translators, unless indeed we
suppose with Patrick that the true idea
which they attached to the phrase is,
" They did not cease all that day while
they stood round about the tabernacle."
After all, a shade of doubt as to the
genuine import of the phrase will still
hang over it.

V. 26. But there remained two {of the)
men in the camp. That is, two out of the

164

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

name of the one was Eldad,
and the name of the other Me-
dad : and the spirit rested upon
them ; and they were of them
that were written, but went not
out unto the tabernacle : and
-'^ they prophesied in the camp.
27 And there ran a young
man, and told Moses, and said,

/ Jer. 36. 5, 6.

seventy elders before designated. This,
however, does not appear in the word-
ing of the original Hebrew, which has
simply, "And there remained two
men." To intimate the true sense our
translators have inserted the words
" of the " before " men." The reason
of their withholding themselves from
the meeting at the Tabernacle is not
stated, but whatever it were, the cir-
cumstance gave occasion for a manifes-
tation of the Lord's good pleasure, with
which we should not otherwise have
been favored. It is not improbable
that as Saul, when the appointment was
about to be made, withdrew and '* hid
himself among the stuff," so the per-
sons here mentioned were kept back by
a similar reserve or repugnancy. But
the Lord by his Spirit found them out,
and the divine influence soon showed
its effects upon them. Though among
" them that were written," that is, de-
signated, nominated, for the purpose,
yet refusing to come they were seized
•with the spirit of prophecy and gave
vent to it in the midst of the camp.

V. 28. And Joshua the son of Nun,
the servant of Moses, {one) of his young
men, answered, etc. Heb. mibhehoorauv,
of Ms chosen ones. It is probable he
was one of the " able men " whom Mo-
ses chose at the suggestion of Jethro
to preside over certain classified por-
tions of the people, Ex. 18 : 25. The
term there employed is yibhar,

Eldad and Medad do prophesy
in the camp.

28 And Joshua the son of
Nun, the servant of Moses, one
of his young men, answered
and said, My lord Moses, forbid
^ them.

29 And Moses said unto him,
Enviest thou for my sake ?

g Luke 9. 49. John 3. 26.

and mihhehoor, chosen, is from the same

root. Tf My lord Moses, forbid them.

Targ. Jon. "My lord Moses, request
mercy from before the Lord, and forbid
them the spirit of prophecy." Joshua,
it would seem, spoke from a commend-
able zeal for the honor of Moses, but
rashly and precipitately. He no doubt
thought that these men's prophesying
or teaching in the camp tended to make
those gifts common, and thus disparage
Moses in the eyes of the people ; or, he
may have thought the proceeding was
schismatic, as being calculated to divert
the people from the Tabernacle, the
appointed place of meeting, where the
rest of the seventy elders were assem-
bled. The prompting under which he
acted seems to have been very similar
to that which moved the disciples in
forbidding one to cast out devils in
Christ's name because he followed not
with them, Luke 9 : 49, 50. Mark 9 : 50.
And it would appear from the answer
both of Moses and of our Lord, that
some degree of jealousy rested in the
heart of Joshua, as well as of the disci-
ples.

V. 29. Enviest thou for my sake?
Rather, "Art thou jealous, or zealous,
for my sake ? " This is the force of the
original term which is employed to sig-
nify a fervent or highly excited state
of jealous, envious, or indignant feel-
ing. Moses knew the men better, and
was aware of the true source of their

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

165

Would ^ God that all the Lord's
people were prophets, and that
the Lord would put his spirit
upon them !

30 And Moses gat him into

A 1 Cor. 14. 5.

inspiration; consequently he designed
to administer a gentle rebuke to Joshua
for giving way to too earnest a spirit
of zealous or jealous regard for his hon-
or. He intimates, therefore, that the
number, be it ever so great, of those
who were possessed of such extraordi-
nary endowments was so far from being
a source of uneasiness to him that he
rejoiced in it, and heartily wished there
were more of them. We derive from
the words of Moses the practical inti-
mation that we are not secretly to grieve
at the gifts, graces, or usefulness of
others; that we are not to be unduly
excited at the weaknesses or intirmities
of others ; and that we are not to be
forward to condemn and silence those
that differ from us, as if they did not
follow the Lord because they do not fol-
low him with us. "Shall we reject
those whom Christ hath owned, or re-
strain any from doing good because
they are not in every thing of our

mind?" — Henry. ^f Tliat the Lord

•would put hu spirit vpon them. That
is, the gifts of his spirit. Chald. " His
spirit of prophecy." Paul, in like man-
ner, wished that all the church could
*' prophesy," saying, " Follow after
charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but
rather that ye may prophesy," 1 Cor.
14:1.

V. 30. And Moses gat himself into
the camp. Heb. " Was gathered ; " im-
plying that he and the elders, now
brought under a special influence from
above, were moved as in a kind of pas-
sive way, to convey themselves from
the Tabernacle into the midst of the

the camp, he and the elders of
Israel.

3 1 And there went forth a wind
from the Lord, and brought '
quails from the sea, and let ihem

i Ex. 16. 13. Ps. 78. -26-29. 105. 40.

camp, there to enter immediately upon
the administration to which they had
been called. The original word is the
same with that which is applied, ch.
12 : 14, 15, to Miriam, and rendered in
the one case " received in," and in the
other " brought in."

J7ie Quails brought.
V. 31. And there went forth a wind
from the Lord. Heb. ve-ruah ndsa,
and a ivind broke vp / that is, was let
forth with violence, as seems to be im-
plied by the use of a term which is or-
dinarily applied to the striking of tents
preparatory to departure, which was
usually executed no doubt with very
considerable dispatch. The word for
" wind" is the same with that employ-
ed above to signify " spirit," and there
may have been an allusion intended to
the contrast between the spiritual iii-
fluence imparted to the elders on this
occasion, and that violent inflation from
the Lord which brought on the quails,
and thus spent itself eventually upon
the people. The same word occurs in
relation to the same event, Ps. 78 : 26-
28, "He caused an east wind to bloxo
(Heb. yissa) in the heaven : and by his
power he brought in the south wind. He
rained flesh also upon them as dust, and
feathered fowls like as the sand of the
sea : and he let it fall in the midst of their
camp, round about their habitations."
The Lord, even in working miracles,
does not always dispense with the use of
means. He could easily have command-
ed the appearance of the quails without
the agency of the wind, but it seemed

166

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and

good to his wisdom to make one physi-
cal power subordinate to another.

T[ And brought quails from the sea.
That is, from across the sea, or from
the direction of the sea, not out of the
waters. They came from the African
side of the Red Sea. Heb. seldv, a term
which Bochart traces to shdldh, which
signifies to live peacefully, or to abound,
because in warm countries no bird is
more abundant. It is more probable,
however, that the Hebrew name refers
to the foolish and ruinous security in
which the quail is known to indulge.
When she lights upon a field abound-
ing in grain, she resigns herself to the
power of appetite without fear or suspi-
cion. Absorbed entirely in the enjoy-
ment of the moment, she betrays her-
self with her incessant singing, and is
easily enticed into the snare of the fowl-
er. The Israelites, in feeding upon
them, showed a similar recklessness,
and as Ephraim is compared by the
prophet, Hos. 7 : 11, to " a silly dove
without heart," i. e. without under-
standing, so may they be compared to
" a silly quail without heart." " These
birds," says Kitto, " as well as the way
of taking and preparing them, must
have been well known to the Israelites
while in Egypt. At the proper season
these migratory birds resorted to Egypt
in such vast flocks, that even the dense
population of Egypt was unable to con-
sume them while fresh, but they salted
and dried great quantities for future
use. It is still the same in those coun-
tries ; and modern travellers, on wit-
nessing the incredible numbers of these
birds, have expressed their conviction
that, as the text describes, such a suit-
able wind as the Almighty sent, could
only have been necessary to furnish
even the great Hebrew host with a
sufficient supply of quails to last for a

month." — Pict. Bible. Ludolph, in his
History of Ethiopia, who is followed by
Saurin, Bp. Patrick, and others, endeav-
ors to make out that the original term
denotes locusts instead of quails, but
the current of authority goes decidedly
in favor of the latter rendering. The
following considerations serve to con-
firm it. (1.) The term seldv nowhere
else in the sacred volume signifies the
locust, nor does the root from which it
comes favor this interpretation, for no
creature is more restless than the locust.
Besides, the creature which in one pas-
sage is called seldv is called oph, bird,
in another ; but the latter term properly
denotes the fowls of heaven and not
winged insects. Ps. 78 : 27, " He rained
flesh also upon them as dust, sinA feath-
ered foivls (Heb. oph canaph, fowl of
wing) like as the sand of the sea."
(2.) It does not appear that insects are
ever called in Scripture oph canaph.
Canaph properly signifies a wing, which
may be contracted or expanded, for the
purpose of covering and protecting the
body ; which does not seem to accord
with the wings of insect tribes. (3.) On
the hypothesis of Ludolph, it may be
considered as an inexplicable circum-
stance that Moses, in a country swarm-
ing with locusts, did not seem to think
of them, when he asked with surprise :
" The people among whom I am, are six
hundred thousand footmen ; and thou
hast said, I will give them flesh, that
they may eat a whole month. Shall the
flocks and the herds be slain for them
to suffice them? or shall all the fish of
the sea be gathered together for them
to suflice them ? " Moses knew that
the innumerable swarms of locusts
which devour the land of Egypt and
the surrounding countries, were the
sport of every wind, and that a steady
gale could waft as many into the desert,

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

167

as it were a day's journey on
the other side, round about the

as would suffice all the thousands of Is-
rael. Why then did he not mention the
locusts, and present his supplication for
a favorable breeze ? This circumstance
cannot be accounted for, but on the
supposition that locusts were not the
object of their desire, nor in the con-
templation of Jehovah. We rest, there-
fore, in the conclusion, that quails and
not locusts are intended by the sacred

writer. *\\ Let {them) fall by the

camp. Heb. yittash, he spread abroad,
diffused. The word occurs 1 Sam. 30: 16,
" And when he had brought him down,
behold they (the company) were spread
abroad (Heb. netushim) upon all the
earth, eating, and drinking, and danc-
ing," etc. T[ A day's journey. Heb.

" The way of day." And so in the
next clause. The phrase is somewhat
ambiguous, as we are not informed
whether the day's journey means the
space over which an individual could
travel in one day, in which case it would
be much greater — or the whole army
could traverse, which would be much
less. If the journey of an individual is
intended, it might be about thirty miles ;
but if the sacred historian refers to the
whole army, a third part of this space
is as much as they could march in one
day in the sandy desert, under a verti-
cal sun. In the opinion of Bochart,
this immense cloud of quails covered a
space of at least forty miles' diameter ;
for a day's journey is at least twenty
miles. Ludolph thinks, it ought to be
reduced to sixteen miles ; and others,
to half that number, because, Moses re-
fers to the march of Israel through the
desert, encumbered with their women
and children, their flocks and herds, and
the baggage of the whole nation ; which
must have greatly retarded their move-
ments, and rendered the short distance

camp, and as it were two cubits
high upon the face of the earth.

of eight miles more than sufficient for
a journey of one day. It is equally
doubtful, whether the distance men-
tioned by Moses, must be measured
fiom the centre or from the extremities
of the encampment; it is certain, how-
ever, that he intends to state the count-
less numbers of these birds which fell

around the tents of Israel. ^ And

as it were two cubits {high) -upon the
face of the earth. The first impression
produced by these words would un-
doubtedly be, that the quails fell in
such abundance that they were actually
heaped up on the surface of the earth
to the height of two cubits. But the
Hebrew admits of another rendering,
which we, with Mr. Kitto, are inclined
to adopt, especially as it has the sanc-
tion of Jarchi, a Jewish commentator :
— " They flew so high as against a
man's heart, that he was not fatigued
in getting them, either by reaching
high or stooping low." So also the
Yulg. "And they flew in the air two
cubits high above the ground." But
more to the purpose is the following
note from the "Pictorial Bible." " As
we understand, it would seem that the
birds were so exhausted, or rather they
were so strictly kept by the Divine
power within the limit of a day's jour-
ney from the camp, that even when
roused or attempting flight, they could
not rise more than three feet from the
ground, and were thus easily caught by
nets or by the hand, ... In support
of the view we have been led to take,
we may add, that if the birds had lain
two cubits deep upon the ground, the
far greater part of them must have been
dead before they could have been col-
lected, and would therefore have been
unfit for food, since the Israelites could
eat nothing that had died of suflfoca-

k Ex. 16. 36.

168 NUMBERS. [B. 0. 1490.

32 And the people stood up all 1 ered the quails : he that gathered
that day, and all ihat night, and least gathered ten ^ homers : and
all the next day, and they gath-

tion, or the blood of which had not been
poured out."

V. 32. And the people stood up all
that day, etc. Rather, " rose up " (Heb.
ydlcom) ; that is, they engaged earnestly
in the work, and were intent upon gath-
ering the fowls for thirty-six hours. This
is not unfrequently the import of the ori-
ginal term. T[ He that gathered least

gathered ten homers. Or, " ten heaps,"
as the original word ho^ner is properly
distinguished from omer, a much small-
er measure, and from hamor, an ass, or
the load that was commonly laid upon
that animal. But some writers make
it equal to the cor, which is more than
double the weight, and is the common
load of a camel. But it was not neces-
sary that every one should gather ten
camel loads of quails ; for God had
promised his people flesh for a month,
and would have fulfilled his promise
had he bestowed on every individual
the third part of a cor, or camel's bur-
den. The truth of this assertion will
appear, when it is considered, that
every Israelite received for his daily
subsistence, an omer of manna, which
is the tenth part of an ephah. But an
ephah is the tenth part of a cor ; and
by consequence, a cor contains an hun-
dred omers. If then, an omer is suffi-
cient for one day, a cor must be suffi-
cient for an hundred days, that is, for
more than three months. Hence, if
every Israelite gathered ten cors of
quails, they collected thirty times more
than God had promised. Bochart en-
deavors to remove this difficulty, by
observing, that Moses, in this verse,
speaks only of the heads of families,
leaving out of his enumeration, the
women, children, and slaves. But it
is evident, that Moses did not use the

word people, in this restricted sense;
for he states, that the wrath of the Lord
was kindled against the people that
gathered the quails. Dissatisfied, there-
fore, with this solution, Bochart pro-
poses another with which he is better
pleased : The ten ho7ners are not ten
cors, but ten heaps / for in this sense,
the word is sometimes used. Thus, in
the prophecy of Habakkuk, ch. 3 : 15,
homer signifies a heap of many waters ;
and in the book of Exodus, ch. 8 : 14, a
heap of frogs, Onkelos and other in-
terpreters accordingly render it in this
passage, ten heaps. If this be admit-
ted, Moses has not determined the quan-
tity of these birds which every one gath-
ered ; but only says, that every one at
least gathered ten heaps, that is, by a
familiar phrase among the Hebrews, a
very great number; for ten is often
used in Scripture for many. This ver-
sion ought, perhaps, to be preferred,
both on account of what has been al-
ready stated, and because the cor is a
measure of corn, not of flesh. The
view now given is of some value ; for
if every Israelite gatheied ten cors of
quails, the number of these birds must
have been so great as to exceed all be-
lief. But it has been shown, that in-
stead of ten cors, an Israelite did not
collect and use the third part of one.
It is not meant to limit the power of
God ; but surely no violence should be
oflered to human belief, by requiring
more from it, than God has revealed
in his word. The quantities collected
must have been at any rate immense,
and give new force to the language of
the Psalmist, Ps. 78:27, "He rained
flesh upon them as dust, and feathered
fowls like as the sand of the sea." In
indulging themselves in feasting upon

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XI.

169

they spread theyn all abroad for
themselves round about the camp.
33 And while ' the flesh was
yet between their teeth, ere it
was chewed, the wrath of the
Lord was kindled against the
people, and the Lord smote the
people with a very great plague.

this new luxury it is evident that their
appetites scarce knew bounds. The
consequence was what might be antici-
pated ; they ate to surfeiting, and the

surfeiting was fatal. T[ And they

spread {them) all abroad round about
the camp. Heb. " Spread for them-
selves a spreading." Evidently imply-
ing that they were thus spread in order
to be dried in the sun for preservation.
''This is the first indication in Scrip-
ture of animal food being prepared so
as to be preserved for future occasions.
Our earliest information concerning the
Egyptians describes them as salting and
drying, for future use, great quantities
of hsh and fowl. A nomade people, as
the Hebrews were when they went
down to Egypt, never think of any such
process, even at the present day. It is
therefore natural to conclude that they
learnt this simple and useful art from
the Egyptians. We are disposed to
conclude with Calmet (in his note on
the place), that the Hebrews salted
their quails before they dried them.
"We have here, then, the earliest indi-
cation of processes, the benefits result-
ing from which have become so diflfused
and familiar, that it costs an effort of
recollection to recognize them as bene-
fits."—Picz!. Bible.

V. 33. Ere it was chewed. Heb. terem
yiJcMreth, ere it tvas cut of ; which
Pool and others understand of the sup-
pi}^ of quails — before it ceased at the end
of the month. Thus Joel 1:5," Howl,

34 And he called the name of
that place Kibroth-hattaavah ;
because there they buried the
people that lusted.

35 And the people journeyed
'"from Kibroth-hattaavah unto
Hazeroth ; and abode at Haze-
roth.

all ye drinkers of wine, because of the
new wine ; for it is cut off (Heb. nih-
rath) from your mouth," that is, taken
away, made to cease. So also the Vulg.
"As yet the flesh was between their
teeth, neither had that Jcind of meat
failed." Yet the present rendering is
admissible, though not we think quite
so probable, as the term nowhere else
occurs in the sense of chewing. The
Psalmist thus alludes to this portion of
the sacred history : — " So they did eat,
and were well filled : for he gave them
their own desire ; they were not estran-
ged from their lusts. But while the meat
was yet in their mouths, the wrath of
God came upon them, and slew the fat-
test of them, and smote down the chosen
men of Israel ; " where it is observable,
that the original word for "chosen"
(bahurim) is the same with that ren-
dered " young men," v. 19. 1[ The

Lord smote the people with a very great
plague. Heb. "Smote with a very
great smiting." " With a very great
slaughter." — Cov., Mat. The term
"plague" in our translation is of very
indefinite import, equivalent to stroke
or judgment. It was doubtless some
kind of bodily disease or pestilence, the
legitimate effect of their surfeit. As
Attersoll remarks, "their sweet meat
had sour sauce."

V. 34. And he called the name of
that place Kibroth-hattaavah. That is,
" graves of lust." Yulg. " Sepulchres
of concupiscence." There is a distinct

170

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

CHAPTER XII.

AND Miriam and Aaron spake
against Moses because of

allusion to the term in Ps, 78 : 29, SO,
" So they did eat, and were well filled ;
for he gave them their own desire (Heb.
taavatham) ; they were not estranged
from their lust (Heb. mittaavdtham).^'
The words *' he called" may be render-
ed impersonally " one called," i. e. the
name of the place was called. That is
to say, The name of the place was made
a memorial of the sin and the punish-
ment by which it was distinguished.

CHAPTER XII.

The Sedition of Miriam and Aaron
against Moses, and its Consequences.

V. 1. And Miriam and Aaron spahe
against Moses. Heb. " And Miriam
spake and Aaron." The form of the
expression implies that Miriam took
the lead in the disaffection, which is
confirmed by the fact, that she and not
Aaron was smitten with the plague of
leprosy, v. 10. Here also, as in the
case of our first parents, the woman
was the first in the transgression. The
sin recorded in the previous chapter
was a sin of the bodily appetites break-
ing out among the lower orders of the
people ; the sin here mentioned was a
sin of ambition and vainglory originat-
ing with the chief personages of the
host, for these three held the pre-emi-
nence among the people. Mic. 6 : 4,
" For I brought thee up out of the land
of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the
house of servants ; and I sent before
thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam." It is
of course impossible to determine pre-
cisely the grounds of this disaffection,
for although his marriage with an Ethi-

the Ethiopian woman "whom he
had married : for he " had mar-
ried an Ethiopian woman.

opian woman was the ostensible occa-
sion, yet from the next verse, it would
seem that they mainly found fault with
Moses' imdue assumptions as the Lord's
messenger. The suggestion is not very
improbable that some resentment was
felt on account of Aaron's not having
been consulted in the choice of the sev-
enty elders, and also from the fact that
Moses was wont to advise with his
wife's relations, Jethro and Hobab, on
important emergencies ; for which rea-
son Miriam had now stirred up a quar-
rel, wherein not daring to assail him in
person, they make his marriage with
one of a foreign race the pretence for
their rebellious conduct. " The unkind-
ness of our friends is sometimes a great-
er trial of our meekness than the malice

of our enemies." — Henry. Tf Because

of the Ethiopian woman whom he had
married. Heb. " Because of the wom-
an the Cushite." And thus it is ren-
dered by most of the oriental versions,
while the Sept., Vulg. and Gr. Vers,
adopt the term Etliiopian. " Cushite "
comes from Cush, the son of Ham. The
name is applied in Scripture not only
to a portion of Africa, but to a part of
Arabia also, which is explained by the
descendants of Cush having left their
name in certain regions where they so-
journed some time prior to their final
passage into Africa. It is a difficult
point to determine whether by this
Cushite woman is to be understood Zip-
porah, or another whom he had mar-
ried subsequent to Zipporah's death.
If it were Zipporah, how can we sup-
pose that after Moses had been married
to her for forty years, the union should
have been brought up as the ostensible
ground of the present quarrel ? We are

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XII.

171

2 And they said, Hath the
Lord indeed spoken only by
Moses ? hath he not spoken

on the whole inclined to the opinion
that it was another woman of Cushite
origin who is here alluded to, and that
the whole transaction was ordered or
overruled with reference to a typical
bearing, which is distinctly recognized
in the commentaries of several of the
early Christian fathers, viz. that Moses
should stand as a type of Christ, Aaron
of the Jewish priesthood, Miriam of
the Jewish synagogue or body of the
people, and the Ethiopian or Cushite
woman of the Gentile church espoused
by faith to the Lord. This view is en-
tirely consistent with the general typi-
cal tenor of the Old Testament, wherein
so many gospel mysteries are shadowed
forth. The Jews, as is well known, re-
sented the adoption of the church of
the Gentiles, the mystical Ethiopian or
black bride of the Lord, of whom, how-
ever, it is said in the Song of Solomon,
ch. 1:5, "I am black, but comely, 0
ye daughters of Jerusalem," so that we
are not required to understand by blach
an unsightly or repulsive hue, as if
Moses had married a negress, but sim-
ply one of that complexion which was
common among the natives of the Ara-
bian peninsula, and which is probably
to be witnessed in the swarthy counte-
nances of the tribes that rove over that
region at the present day. It is re-
markable that the Chald. translates
the passage, " Because of the beautiful
woman whom he had married ; for he
had married a beautiful woman." The
commentators are all at a loss to ac-
count for this version, and we share
ourselves in their perplexity, unless it
may be in some way based upon mysti-
cal grounds. We may remark, in this
connection, that Josephus, Philo, and
others, take the woman here spoken of

*also "by us? And the Lord
heard ' it.

b Ex. 15. 20. Mic. 6. 4. c c. 11. 1. Ps. 94. 7-9.
Is. 37,4. Ezek. 35. 12, 13.

to be, not Zipporah, but another whom
he subsequently married. Indeed, it is
not easy to satisfy one's self on what
ground Zipporah should have been
termed an Ethiopian or Cushite unless
it were certain that the specific territory
of Midian, where she was born, was
also called after Cush, of which we
doubt if there is sufficient evidence to

establish the fact. Tj For Tie Jiadmar-

ried an Etidopian woman. Heb. " Had
taken," i. e. to wife, or had married.
This is often the distinctive sense of the
original, as 1 Chron. 2 : 19, 21. 2 Chron.
11 : 20. Neh. 6 : 18. 10 : 30. Perhaps
the case of Moses in this instance may
be, in some respects, paralleled by that
ot Hosea, ch. 1 : 2, 3.

V. 2. Hath the Lord indeed spohen
only hy Mosea? The original is still
more emphatic. " Hath the Lord in-
deed spoken only by Moses alone ? " It
is observable, also, that the Heb. phrase
for " by Moses" (he-Mosheh) may be ren-
dered " in Moses," implying an inward
revelation by the Spirit. It is, howev-
er, variously rendered by the versions,
"through Moses," "to Moses," and
" with Moses." Rosenmuller supposes
the sense to be, that iuasmuch as they
also enjoyed the privilege of divine rev-
elations they could perceive that he had
entered into this marriage against the
will of the Lord, and solely by the im-
pulse of his own mind, and consequently

that they did right to condemn it. ■

^ Hath he not spohen also hy us ? Or,
Heb. "in us," as David says, "The
Spirit of the Lord spake hy me ("<", hiy
in me) and his word was in my tongue."
The drift is, are we not prophets as well
as he ? For this character is predicated
both of Aaron and Miriam, Ex. 4 : 15, 16.
15-20. Mic. 6 : 4. They would intimate

172

KUMBERS.

[B.C. 1490.

3 (Now the man Moses was
very meek above all the men

that Moses had mixed and debased the
holy seed, which they had not done.
As if they should say, Why should he
take all power to himself and appoint
elders as he pleases, without consulting
us? Is he alone acquainted with the
mind of God ? Are we not also equal
sharers in that honor? But surely if
they were endowed as they claim with
a prophetical spirit equal to that of Mo-
ses, how could they fail to be aware
that the whole matter had been ordered
by the immediate direction of the Lord
himself, and that Moses was merely a
servant for carrying out his mandates.
Their murmuring, therefore, was evi-
dently not so much against Moses as

against the Lord. Tf And the Lord

Jieard it. That is, took notice of their
words and of their deportment towards
Moses. It is not absolutely necessary
to suppose that this language was ut-
tered orally, although the presumption
is that it was; but from ch. 11 : 1, we
learn that the Lord is said to Tiear what
merely passes in the thoughts without
being expressed in words. It is a rich
source of comfort to a good man that
the reproaches of his enemies come to
the ears of the Most High before they
do to his own, even before they are
uttered.

V. 3. Now the man Moses was very
meek, etc. Heb. dndv, Gr. -npavs, Lat.
mitissimus, all implying the quality of
m,eelcness, gentleness, fatient endurance,
etc. It comes from a root signifying to
afflict, to humble, to depress, to oppress,
and Adam Clarke and some others are
inclined to take the word in this con-
nection as equivalent to depressed or
afflicted, that is, by reason of the op-
pressive burden laid upon him in the
care and government of the people, and
because of their ingratitude and rebel-

which were upon the face of the
earth.)

lion towards him. In this case the
drift of Moses is not to laud himself,
but simply to advert to the grievous
trials of his situation. It is known to
the Hebrew scholar that that language
exhibits the two forms IDS' dnav, and
IDS' dni, of which the former is usually
rendered m^eelc, humble, poor, while the
latter is rendered poor, afflicted, hum-
hie, lowly, needy. It is evident, there-
fore, that there is an intimate relation
between the two words and that one is
easily interchangeable with the other.
Accordingly we may admit on safe
grounds that the idea of affliction is in-
volved in that of meelcness, which the
usage of the original sufficiently con-
firms. Thus the Heb. dni, Zech. 9 : 9,
" Behold, thy King cometh unto thee :
he is just, and having salvation ; lowly,
and riding upon an ass," is rendered
by -rrpavs, meeh. Mat. 21 : 5, showing
that dni and dndv are interchanged by
the sacred writers. Luther renders by
" geplagter," plagued, vexed, harassed,
annoyed. It is supposed that by this
interpretation the credit of Moses is
saved on the score of modesty ; for how,
it is asked, could a good and wise man,
like Moses, pass such an encomium upon
himself? " Let another praise thee,
and not thine own mouth ; a stranger,
and not thine own lips." So abhorrent,
indeed, is this language conceived to be
to all just ideas of the character of Mo-
ses, that many judicious expositors
have supposed that the passage was not
written by Moses, but inserted by some
other hand in after times ; a suggestion
apparently favored by the fact that the
clause is parenthetical, and the sense
of the context complete without it, as
also that the peculiar expression " the
man Moses" nowhere else occurs. It
may be remarked, however, that the

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTEK Xn.

173

4 And ^ the Lord spake sud-
denly unto Moses, and unto
Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come

d Ps. 76. 9.

encomium, as it stands, seems to be ex-
torted from Moses as a necessary vindi-
cation of himself from unjust reproach
rather than volunteered from a princi-
ple of vainglory or overweening self-
conceit. In a somewhat similar vein
Paul occasionally speaks of himself in
view of injurious aspersions cast upon
him (2 Cor. 11 : 10, 23. 12 : 11, 12). It
is urged by objectors, that even admit-
ting the words to have proceeded from
the pen of Moses, they are hardly sus-
tained by what we elsewhere learn of
his character, which in several instan-
ces discovered traits quite the reverse
of meekness, evincing in fact a peculiar
irascibility. But we think it will be
found in these cases that whatever ex-
citement he manifested was merely the
working of a commendable zeal for the
Lord of hosts, which is perfectly con-
sistent with the most genuine meek-
ness. Every man ought to be stirred
up to a holy indignation when God is
oflFended and dishonored. We may say,
too, that the penmen of holy writ are
not to be held amenable to precisely the
same rules as are prescribed to other
writers, for they were guided by a di-
vine influence in which their personali-
ty was in a great measure sunk ; and
as they were oftentimes moved to pro-
claim their own faults and infirmities,
we see nothing indecorous in their
sometimes using the language of self-
commendation, when it is clear, from
the whole tenor of their writings, that
they were not prompted by self-com-
placency, that they were superior to the
praises or reproaches of men, and were
in fact mere organs through whom an-
other power than their own acted. The
passage before us, therefore, may be

out ye three unto the tabernacle
of the congregation. And they
three came out.

regarded rather as the testimony of the
Holy Spirit respecting Moses, than as
Moses' testimony respecting himself.
And may not the omniscient Spirit tes-
tify in this case ? Who will presume to
deny the truth of the statement ? To
all which we may add, that, taken in
the connection in which they stand, the
words may be considered as offering a
reason why Moses took no notice of the
charges brought against him, commit-
ting himself to the protection of the
Lord, who heard the aspersions cast
upon his servant, and who took his
vindication into his own hands. Ac-
cordant with this is the rendering of the
Vulg., "And when the Lord heard this
(for Moses was a man exceeding meek
above all men that dwelt upon the
earth), immediately he spoke to him,
and to Aaron and Mary," etc. This
implies that Moses was a man of so
much meekness and resignation, that
he forbore to act in the matter, and
calmly relinquished every thing to the
divine direction.

V. 4. And the Lord spaJce suddenly,
etc. Thus showing the severity of his
displeasure, which brooked no delay,
and precluding every intimation that
Moses had first complained to God and
sought revenge. Thus the Lord shows
himself to be a " swift witness " against
evil-doers. Comp. Ps. 50 : 19-21. " The
more silent we are in our own cause,
the more is God engaged to plead it." —

Henry. H Come out ye three, etc.

The order was doubtless given by some
direct communication to the parties.
They were all three summoned as in a
judicial manner to appear before the
Lord, and from the style of the sum-
mons it might have seemed that they

174

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

5 And the Lord came down
* in the pillar of the cloud, and
stood in the door of the taber-
nacle, and called Aaron and
Miriam : and they both came
forth.

6 And he said, Hear now my

e c. 11. 25.

were all equally guilty, but the sequel
soon made it apparent that the innocent
will be separated from offenders when-
ever the Lord rises to judgment.

V. 6. And the Lord came down in
the pillar of the cloud. Chald. " And
the Lord revealed himself." The pil-
lar of cloud which usually rested over
the Tabernacle, and more especially
over the Most Holy Place, here removed
itself, and together with the indwelling
Shekinah descended and took its sta-
tion at the door of the Tabernacle.

And they both came forth. But from
whence? From their own tents, or
from the Tabernacle ? Not the latter,
for they were ordered, v. 4, to come
" unto " the Tabernacle, but not ** into"
it. But if it be understood of Moses'
or any other tent, it is stated already,
V. 4, that " they three came out." Our
inference therefore is that the coming
forth of Aaron and Miriam, in the pres-
ent case, was merely an advancing or
coming forward from whatever place
they may have been occupying at the
moment, perhaps from the midst of a
surrounding crowd.

V. 6. If there be a prophet among you.
Heb. im yihyeh nebiakem, if there shall
be a prop}(£t-of-you, having the pronoun
suffixed instead of separate. Chald. ** If
there shall be prophets to you." Gr.
" If there shall be a prophet of you to
the Lord." That is, if a prophet, or a
class of prophets, shall be a distinguish-
ing appendage of you, the people, as a
body, then I will make known myself,
etc. The language does not truly inti-

words : If there be a prophet
among you, / the Lord will
make myself known unto him in
a vision ^, and will speak unto
him in a ^ dream.

7 My servant Moses is not

/ Gen. 15. 1. 46. 2. Job 33. 15. Ezek. 1. 1. Luke
l.ll.'2i. Acts 10. 11, 17. ijGen.31. n. 1 K. 3. 5.
Job 33. 15.

mate any doubt of the fact of there be-
ing prophets among them, but the Lord
would have it understood that he did
not communicate his mind to all alike,
but with such a diversity as to consti-
tute a remarkable distinction between
Moses and others. On the import of
the term " prophet," see Note on Gen.
20 : 7. 1[ (/) the Lord will make my-
self hnown unto him in a vision, {and)
will speak unto him in a dream. The
phraseology in the original is peculiar
from the absence of the personal pro-
noun " I," although it is clear from the
grammatical forms that our present
reading is correct. "In a vision."
Chald. *' In visions." The original ma-
rdh is a derivative from the root rddh,
to see, and is for the most part rendered
sight or appearance. It does not, like
" dream," necessarily imply a state of
sleep, but rather a state of trance or
ecstasy which might come upon a man
while fully awake, and in which, by
means of a peculiar opening of the spir-
itual senses, he was made to see various
objects or scenes that stood forth ob-
jectively to his view, and which were
replete with an inner significancy. Im-
ages and forms were exhibited to the
percipient power of the mind, but un-
accompanied by any voice. Dreams,
on the other hand, occurred in sleep,
and by divine operation were made a
medium of communications from heav-
en. T[ Will speak unto him, in a

dream. Or, Heb. edabber bo, will speak
in him.
V. 7. My servant Moses is not so.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XII.

175

so, who is faithful ^ in all mine
house '.

8 With him will I speak

AHeb. 3. 2, 5. .' 1 Tim. 3. 15. 1 Pet. 2. 4, 5.

That is, the same conditions do not hold
in regard to Moses. Mv mind and will
are not made known to him bj either
of the two methods above mentioned.
He is, therefore, if any thing, more than
a prophet, having the prerogative of a
much higher kind of intercourse with
heaven than is accorded to any other

person. ^ WTio is faithful in all

mine liouse. That is, in all my church,
for that such is the import of the ex-
pression is clear from 1 Tim. 3 : 15,
" That thou mayest know how thou
oughtest to behave thyself in the house
of God, wldch is the church of the liv-
ing God.'" Chald. " In (or among) all
my people." Targ. Jon. "In all the
house of Israel my people." The ori-
ginal for "faithful" is neeman, from
aman, denoting fnnness, stability , reli-
ability. It occurs 1 Sam. 3 : 20, " And
all Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba,
knew that Samuel was est-ahlished (Heb.
neeman) to be a prophet of the Lord."
Hence in the present form fidelity or
trvsttcoitliiness. Moses was more espe-
cially reputed faithful from the fiict of
his doing nothing of himself, or of his
own motion, but only as required of the
Lord. To this passage the language of
the apostle, Heb. 3 : 1-6, has a direct
reference : — " Wherefore, holy breth-
ren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest
of our profession, Christ Jesus ; who
was faithful to him that appointed him,
as also Moses was faithful in all his
house. For this man was counted wor-
thy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch
as he who hath builded the house hath
more honor than the house. For every
house is builded by some man ; but he
that built all things is God. And Mo-

mouth * to mouth, even appar-
ently, and not in dark speech-
es ; and the similitude of the

* Ex. 33. 11. Deut. 34. 10.

ses verily was faithful in all his house,
as a servant, for a testimony of those
things which were to be spoken after ;
but Christ as a son over his own house ;
whose house are we, if we hold fast the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope
firm unto the end."

V. 8. With him will I speah mouth
to mouth. That is, openly, plainly, fa-
miliarly, and without the intervention
of any medium. He shall have free and
frequent access to me ; I will speak to
him as one friend speaketh to another ;
and he shall be permitted to consult me
on all needful occasions without reserve
or perturbation. All which will be
evident tokens of a privilege in which
my faithful servant is to have no com-
petitor. See this language explained

in the Note on Ex. 33 : 11. ^ Even

apparently. Heb. u-mareh, and {ac-
cording to) appearance, the same word
as occurs v. 6, and implying that vis-
ionary representations, such as the pat-
[ tern of the Tabernacle, would be one of
; the features of revelation granted him.

T[ And not in dark speeches. Heb.

I ve-lohehidoth, and ?iotby enigmas. Ains-
worth remarks that the term in the ori-
ginal implies shatpness, and intimates
the necessity of sharpness of wit both
1 in propounding and expounding such
1 enigmatical or parabolical sayings as
I are intended by it, i. e. something con-
j veyed in figurative language designed
1 to exercise the ingenuity of the hearer
or reader. Its usage may be seen in
the following examples; Judg. 14:12,
13, etc. " And Samson said unto them,
I will now put forth a riddle unto you,
etc. And they said unto him. Put forth
thy riddle, that we may hear it." Ezek.
17 : 2, 3, " Son of man, put foi"th a rid-

176

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

Lord shall he behold : where- 1 to speak against my servant
fore then were ye not ' afraid Moses ?

I 2 Pet. '2. 10.

die, and speak a parable unto the house
of Israel ; and say, Thus saith the Lord
God, A great eagle with great wings,
long-winged, full of feathers, which had
divers colors, came unto Lebanon," etc.
Aben Ezra, in explaining the difference
between mareh, appearance, and Mdah,
riddle or parable, says that the model
of the Tabernacle shown to Moses on
the mount was a specimen of the for-
mer, and the parable of the great eagle
with great wings of the latter. All dark
and hidden doctrine is called also by the
same original term, as Ps. 49 : 4, "I
will incline mine ear to a parable; I
will open my dark saying upon the
harp." This passage when quoted
Mat. 13 : 35, for dai'h sayings has Jcek-
rummena, hidden tilings ; and Paul
thus incidentally throws light upon it,
1 Cor. 13 : 12, " And now we see through
a glass darldy (Gr. en ainigmati, in a
riddle), but then face to face," This is
virtually the same distinction as that
announced here between the vision of

Moses and that of other prophets.

Tf And the similitude of the Lord shall
he 'behold. Heb. temunath, liheneas,
image. Gr. "And he hath seen the
glory of the Lord." The precise idea
intended to be conveyed in these words
is not obvious. Comparing the passage
with Dent. 4 : 12, 15, it is evident that
Moses was to be empowered to see
something of the Divine manifestation
which the people were not, for it is
said, " The Lord spake unto you out of
the midst of the fire ; ye heard the voice
of the words, but saw no similitude ;
only ye heard a voice." A similitude,
however, of some kind Moses was priv-
ileged to behold, although the privilege
is to be understood in a sense which
shall not conflict with declarations like

the following : Ex. 33 : 20, " For there
shall no man see me, and live." John 1 :
18, " No man hath seen God at any time ;
the only- begotten who is in the bosom
of the Father, he hath declared him."
John 6 : 37, " Ye have neither heard his
voice at any time, nor seen his shape."
Col. 1:15, "Who is the image of the
invisible God." 1 Tim. 6 : 16, " Whom
no man hath seen, or can see." In all
these passages we suppose the seeing
denied is seeing the Lord as he is in his
essence, to which no created being is
competent. " Similitude," therefore, as
the opposite of this must imply some-
thing which could be seen, though not
perhaps with the natural eye. Sol.
Jarchi remarks of the term in its pres-
ent connection, that it denotes " the
sight of God's back parts," mentioned
Ex. 33 : 20-23, to our Note on which
we would especially refer the reader, as
the subject is treated at length. Prob-
ably we approach the nearest to the
true idea of the language when we sup-
pose that the " similitude of the Lord"
here spoken of does in fact point to
Christ, as the '■'■image of the invisible
God," as the " express image of his
person," and who was pleased thus by
anticipation to reveal himself in some
shaded but intelligible manner to the
spiritual perception of Moses. If it be
said that similar precursive manifesta-
tions were made to other prophets be-
sides Moses, our reply is, that our Lord
in those cases manifested himself in the
person of an angel, and they knew not
that it was any more than an angel,
whereas Moses was enabled to recog-
nize the Lord himself in the angel.

1[ Wherefore then were ye not afraid to
speak against my servant Moses ? Heb.
" To speak against my servant, against

B. C. 1490.] CHAPI

9 And the anger of the Lord
was kindled against them ; and
he departed.

10 And the cloud departed

a mofe emphatical form of
expression. A similar phraseology oc-
curs elsewhere. Gen. 21 : 10, *' The son
of this bond-woman shall not be heir
w^th my son, (even) with Isaac." 2 Sam.
7 : 23, " What nation in the earth is like
thy people, (even) like Israel?" Sol.
Jarchi thus comments on the words : —
"He saith not, 'Against my servant
Moses ; ' but * against my servant,
against Moses;' against my servant,
though he werejiot Moses ; against Mo-
ses, for though he were not my servant,
(yet) it were meet ye should fear before
him ; how much more seeing he is my
servant."

V. 9. And he departed. That is, with-
drew the standing token of his gracious
and glorious presence by removing the
cloudy pillar from its station at the
door of the tabernacle. This was done
in a hasty manner, without waiting to
hear any answer that they might be
disposed to make. It is well known
what a significant mark of our displeas-
ure it is when, having rebuked a party
for some aggravated offence, we turn
abruptly away, giving no opportunity
for a reply. " The removal of God's
presence from us is the sorest and sad-
dest token of his displeasure against us.
Woe unto us if he depart ; and he never
departs, till we by our sin and folly
drive him from us." — Henry.

V. 10. And the cloud departed from
off the tabernacle. Targ. Jon. " The
cloud of the glory of the divine presence
of the Lord." That is, it not merely re-
ceded from its temporary station at the
door of the Tabernacle, but it reared
itself aloft to even a greater height
than usual above the sacred edifice.

:r xil

177

from off the

tabernacle ;

and,

behold,

Miriam

became

lep.

rous "',

white

snow :

and

m Deut.

24.9. 2K

5. 27

2 Chr. 26. 19-21

Tf And hehold Miriam {became) leprous,
{white) as snow." The rendering would
perhaps be more emphatic by omitting
the italics, — " The cloud departed, and,
behold, Miriam leprous as snow ! "
This was the worst and most incurable
kind of leprosy, as we learn from Ex.
4 : 6. 2 Kings 5 : 27, and those who were
afiiicted with it were excluded the camp
as unclean, Lev. 13 : 2, on which see
Note. Chazkuni, a Jewish writer, says
that the leprous condition of Miriam
was the immediate occasion of the with-
drawal of the cloud : — " It is not the
way of the earth that holiness should
stay in an unclean place." The judg-
ment in this case fell upon Miriam as
she was doubtless first in the transgres-
sion ; and it is clear from Deut. 24 : 9,
where the law of Lev. 13, concerning
leprosy is rehearsed, that it was calcu-
lated and designed to make a deep im-
pression on the minds of the parties
and the people : — " Remember what the
Lord thy God did unto Miriam by the
way, after that ye were come forth out
of Egypt." Aaron's exemption, notwith-
standing his sin, was probably owing to
his repentance, as intimated in the en-
suing verse. "Miriam was stricken,
Aaron escaped, both sinned ; his priest-
hood could not rescue him, the great-
ness of his dignity did but add to the
heinousness of his sin ; his repentance
freed him. I wonder not to see Aaron
free, while I see him penitent; this
very confession saved him before from
bleeding for idolatry, which now pre-
serves him from leprosy for his envious
repining. The universal antidote for
all the judgments of God is our hum-
ble repentance." — JBp. Hall. TF And

178

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[B. C. 1490.

Aaron looked upon Miriam,
and, behold, she was leprous.
11 And Aaron said unto Mo-
ses, Alas, my lord, I beseech
thee, lay not the sin upon us,
wherein we have done foolish-

Aai'on looTced upon Miriam, etc. Heb.
va-yiphen, and turned towards. Bp.
Patrick takes the phrase as implying
that Aaron " looked upon " Miriam with
a view to judge of the nature of the
disease according to the law contained
Lev. 13 : 2, etc. which makes it the duty
of the priest to inspect carefully the in-
dications betokening leprosy. But we
find on recurrence to that chapter that
the term for " look " is invariably maA,
to see, and in no case panah, which
occurs here. We conclude, therefore,
that nothing more is intended in the
present passage than to intimate, that
Aaron simply looked upon or turned
his attention to his sister, and saw with
amazement that she was covered with
the marks of the most inveterate lep-
rosy.

V. 11. Alas, my lord, I leseech thee,
etc. As much as to say, Have pity up-
on us, miserable wretches. He suppli-
cates Moses as his superior, and hum-
bly begs his pardon, at the same time
deprecating the imputation of the sin
which he sincerely acknowledges and
bewails. Thus it is that those who
exalt themselves shall be abased, that
those who vilify the servants of God
shall often be constrained to seek their
help. Many who in their health and
pride have despised and reproached
a faithful minister of God, have often,
in sickness or affliction, been glad to
send for him and avail themselves of
his prayers and intercessions. "His
sad deprecation prevailed, both to clear
himself and recover Miriam. The bro-
ther sues for himself and his sister to

ly", and wherein we have sin-
ned.

12 Let her not be as one
dead, of whom the flesh is half
consumed when he cometh out
of his mother's womb.

7. -1 Sam. 24. 10. Prov. 30. 32.

that brother whom they both emulated,
for pardon from himself and from that
God who was offended in him. Where
now is that equality which was pre-
tended ? Behold, he that so lately made
his brother his fellow, now makes him
his god. 'Lay not this sin upon us;
let her not be as one dead ; ' as if Mo-
ses had imposed this plague, and could
remove it. Never any opposed the ser-
vants of God, but one time or other
they have been constrained to confess a

superiority," — Bp. Hall. 1 Wherein

we have done foolishly. Gr. "Because
we have acted ignorantly." Aaron prob-
ably intended to be ingenuous in his
confession, but the language employed
savors of some degree of extenuation
by imputing it rather to folly and weak-
ness than to positive presumption. No
one can do evil without at the same
time doing foolishly, but it is well in
our confessions to concentrate our
thoughts rather upon the evil than up-
on the folly of our doings.

V. 12. Let her not he as one dead.
Heb. kem'ith. Such she may be said to
have become legally, being excluded
from communion with her people, de-
filing all that came in contact with her,
as a dead body, and liable to become
literally a corpse by the deadly effects

of the disease. 1[ Of whom the flesh

is half consumed ivhen he cometh out of
his mother's womb. This clause gives
some countenance to the rendering of
the Gr. " Let it not be as it were like
death, as an abortion coming out of his
mother's womb, when (the disease) de-
vours the half of the flesh." That is,

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XII.

179

13 And Moses cried unto the
Lord, saying, Heal " her now,
O God, I beseech thee.

14 And the Lord said unto

let her not be as an abortion or still-
born child which has lain long dead
and half wasted away in its mother's
womb.

V. 13. And Moses cried unto the Lord.
Besought the Lord with earnestness
and importunity, as being grieved for
her affliction, and regarding the Lord
as standing aloof, so as to prompt addi-
tional importunity. T[ Heal her noiv,

0 God, I beseech thee. The original
word for both " now " and " I beseech,"
is the same — na, which is properly a
particle of entreaty rather than of time,
though generally rendered now. Targ.
Jon. " And Moses prayed and besought
mercy before the Lord, saying, I be-
seech for mercy of the merciful God ; I
beseech God that hath power of the
spirits of all flesh, heal her, I beseech
thee." Moses kindly prayed that Miri-
am might be healed. Though the pun-
ishment was inflicted to sustain his
honor and authority, he had none of
the littleness and malevolence of mind
that could rejoice in her affliction. He
might indeed have reproached her, in-
sisting that she had only received her
desert; but on the contrary he pities
and prays for her, thus exemplifying
the Christian precept, " Love your ene-
mies ; bless them that cur.se you, and
pray for them that despitefully use you
and persecute you."

V. 14. If her father had hut spit in
her face, etc. That is, if she had, by
some undutiful conduct, provoked her
father to be angry with her and to spit
in her face as a token of his anger, she
would certainly be ashamed for some
time to look him in the face ; how much
more then ought she to be ashamed

Moses, If her father had but
spit in her face, should she not
be ashamed seven days ? let her
be shut out ^ from the camp sev-

p Lev. 13. 46.

when she lies under this severe token
of my displeasure? If she would in
that case continue for seven days over-
whelmed in shame, how reasonable
that she should be excluded from the
camp for the same period, the period
appointed for the legal cleansing from
such impurities. Comp. Lev. 13 : 4,
5, 21, 26. 14 : 8. Num. 6:9. 19 : 11.
"Miriam had greatly offended God,
and, therefore, she was to be as a
daughter, whose father had spit in her
face. In Deut. 25 : 9, the widow was
to spit in the face of her late husband's
brother, if he refused to marry her.
And Job (30 : 10) in his great misery
says of his enemies, ' they spare not to
spit in my face ; ' and in reference to
our Saviour, they did ' spit in his face.'
The most contemptuous, the most ex-
asperating and degrading action, which
one man can do to another, is to spit in
his face. A person receiving this in-
sult is at once worked up to the highest
pitch of anger, and nothing but the
rank or power of the individual will
prevent him from seeking instant re-
venge. Indeed, such is the enormity
attached to this offence, that it is sel-
dom had recourse to, except in extreme
cases. A master, whose slave has deep-
ly offended him, will not beat him, (for
that would defile him,) but he spits in
his face. When his anger is at the
greatest height, he will not even conde-
scend to do that, but orders a fellow-
servant, or some one near, to spit in
his face. Is a person too respectable
for this indignity; then the offended
individual will spit upon the ground.
Schoolmasters, also, when very angry
with a scholar, do not, as in England.

180

NUMBEES.

[B. C. 1490.

en days, and after that let her
be received in again.

15 And Miriam was shut out
from the camp seven days : and
the people journeyed not till
Miriam was brought in again.

16 And afterward the people

begin to beat him, but spit iu his face,
or order some one else to do it. To
a person making use of offensive lan-
guage, bystanders say, * Spit in his

face.' " — Roberts. After that let her

he received in {again). Heb. tedseph,
let her be gathered. Gr. "She shall
come, or enter in." On the import of
this word, see Note on Josh. 6:9.
Targ. Jon. " And I will cause to stay,
for thy sake, the cloud of my glory, and
the tabernacle, and the ark, and all Is-
rael, until the time that she is healed,
and afterward she shall be gathered
in."

V. 15. And Miriam was shut out of
the camp seven days. Gr. " Separated,
set apart." An example of stei-n jus-
tice, without respect to persons, for
even kings, when they had become lep-
ers, even without fault of their own,
were required to withdraw and dwell
apart from the body of the people.
2 Chron. 26:20, 21. The incercession
of Moses was graciously accepted, yet
so as that the Lord would show his dis-
pleasure at the offence, and maintain
the honor and authority of his govern-
ment. She was to be excluded from
the camp for seven days, and during
that time to dwell alone, as having been
visited with that loathsome and defiling
disease. Thus her offence was pro-
claimed by the publicity of her punish-
ment; and she who some time before
had borne so honorable a part in the
congregation, is now disgraced before
them all. Even those that are nearest
and dearest to the Lord will not escape

removed from Hazeroth, and
pitched in the wilderness of
Paran.

CHAPTER XIII.

AND the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying.

with impunity if they transgress, as
others might be thereby dangerously
emboldened. "If the judgment had
been at once inflicted and removed,
there would have been no example of
terror for others. There is no policy in
a sudden removal of just punishment :
unless the rain so fall that it lie and
soak into the earth, it profits nothing."

— Bp. Hall. T[ Tlie people jommeyed

not. Heb. " Brake not up." Sol. Jarchi
here remarks that "the Lord imparted
this honor to her because she once stay-
ed for Moses when he was cast into the
river, as it is written. And his sister
stood afar off," etc.

V, 16. And afterward the people re-
moved from Hazeroth, and pitched in
the wilderness of Paran. In order that
all the people might be duly admonish-
ed by means of the sin and the punish-
ment of Miriam, they were not permit-
ted to remove from Hazeroth till the
days of her separation or cleansing were
fulfilled, when they removed and pitch-
ed in the wilderness of Paran. Ke-
specting these localities, see Notes on
ch. 10 : 12. 11 : 35.

CHAPTER XIII.

TJie Spies sent out to search the Land.

Y. 1. And the Lord spaheun
saying, etc. Having surmounted all the
difficulties of the dreary and barren wil-
derness that interposed, we find the Is-
raelites now encamped at Kadesh, or

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIII.

181

2 Send " thou men, that they

Kadesh Barnea, on the southern bor-
ders of Canaan, and having but a few
leagues to travel before entering it. At
this point, as we are here informed, the
Most High gave commandment to Mo-
ses to dispatch twelve men as spies to
make a preliminary survey of the land
and bring back a report of its charac-
ter, condition, and inhabitants, of the
best modes of access to it, and of the
most hopeful methods of eflfecting its
conquest. But by comparing the sub-
sequent narrative, Deut. 1 : 19-24, it
appears that this motion did not orig-
inate with the Lord, nor yet with Mo-
ses, but with the people in a body. We
there read as follows : — " And when we
departed from Horeb, we went through
all that great and terrible wilderness,
which ye saw by the way of the moun-
tain of the Amorites, as the Lord our
God commanded us ; and we came to
Kadesh-Barnea. And I said unto you,
Ye are come unto the mountain of the
Amorites, which the Lord our God doth
give unto us. Behold, the Lord thy
God hath set the land before thee : go
up and possess it, as the Lord God of
thy fathers hath said unto thee ; fear
not, neither be discouraged. And ye
came near unto me every one of you,
and said, We will send men before us,
and they shall search us out the land,
and bring us word again by what way
we must go up, and into what cities we
shall come. And the saying pleased
me well : and I took twelve men of you,
one of a tribe : and they turned and
went up into the mountain, and came
unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched
it out." From this it appears that
Moses, in the first instance, acted and
spake in the spirit of heroic trust in the
divine declaration, exhorting the people

may search the land of Canaan,
which I give unto the chil-

to go forward at once and take posses-
sion of the promised inheritance. But
this spirit found no suitable response
in the minds of his followers, as is evi-
dent from the measure now proposed,
a measure plainly indicative of a cow-
ardly fear that would still disguise it-
self under the semblance of a prudential
policy. " What needed they doubt of
the goodness of that land, which God
told them did flow with milk and honey ?
What needed they doubt of obtaining
that which God promised to give?
When we will send forth our senses to
be our scouts in matters of faith, and
rather dare trust men than God, we are
worthy to be deceived." — Bp. Hall.
The same writer well observes that
" that which the Lord moves unto,
prospers ; but that which we move him
to first, seldom succeedeth," as was
most sadly evinced in the present in-
stance. Their unbelief cost them a
forty years' prolonged wandering in
the wilderness.

Y. 2. Send thoxi men. Heb. "Send
thou for thee or for thyself;" which
Sol. Jarchi thus expounds, " I com-
mand thee not ; if thou pleasest, send ;
forasmuch as Israel came and said, We
will send men," etc. It was in fact a
case in which the Lord "chose their
delusions " by permitting them to have
their own way. The Lord consented,
that is, did not prevent, because he saw
the people were intent upon the pro-
ject, and he yielded to the importunity
of their hearts, just as he did to that of
Balaam when be was inwardly so desi-
rous of going with the messengers of
Balak. It was as if he had said, " Since
you harbor such distrust of me, and are
so ready to think that I would impose
upon you by vain assurances, send forth

182

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490

dren of Israel : of every tribe
of their fathers shall ye send a

the men, as you propose, and satisfy
yourselves in your own way." We have
little idea how fearful it is to have the
Lord side with our evil promptings by
the permissions of his Providence. It
were better really that his Providence
should fight with our propensities than
that it should apparently fall in with

them. T[ That they may search the

land of Canaan. Heb. yathuru, which
has the import of circling around, and
in this connection of circumspection,
that is, of exploring hy looking and
travelling about. It is applied to men-
tal investigation, Eccl. 1 : 13, " I gave
my heart to seek and search out by
wisdom concerning all things that are
done under heaven." Comp. Eccles.
7 : 25. A still more striking parallel
occurs Ezek. 20 : 6, " In the day that
I lifted up mine hand unto them to
bring them forth of the land of Egypt
into a land that I had espied for them,"
where the Gr. has, " Which I prepared
for them." Vulg. " Which I had pro-
vided for them." Syr. and Chald.
" Which I gave unto them." This dec-
laration through the prophet goes to
aggravate their offence, for the Lord's
having already espied the land for his
people made it superfluous for them to
send spies for the purpose. The land
in question is called the " land of Ca-
naan " for the reason, that the Canaan-
ites were the mightiest of the seven

nations which now occupied it.

•[[ Of every tribe of their fathers shall ye
send a man, etc. Heb. " One man, one
man, to a tribe ; " a Hebrew phrase
rightly rendered in our version. A
man for each tribe would preclude all
complaint of partiality, which, howev-
er, must be understood to the exclusion
of .Levi, as this tribe was to have no in-
heritance in the land, Deut. 18 : 1.

man, every one a ruler among
them.

11 Every one a ruler among them. It
was fit that men of authority and pru-
dence should be intrusted with an en-
terprise of so much moment. Obscure
names might bring discredit upon the
testimony rendered. They were not,
however, persons of the very first rank
in their several tribes, for these were
called princes, but yet they belonged to
the ruling class, perhaps to those who
in Ex. 18 : 25, are called " heads of the
people." " The basest sort of men are
commonly held fit enough for intelli-
gencers ; but Moses, to make sure work,
cbooseth forth the best of Israel, such
as were like to be most judicious in
their inquiry, and most credible in their
report. Those that ruled Israel at
home, could best descry for them
abroad. What should direct the body
but the head?"— ^. Hall. The per-
sons selected for the enterprise were
not, therefore, striplings, who might be
easily alarmed, nor were they men who
had no character or position to main-
tain ; but the chief rulers among the
tribes of Israel. He placed in the van
of the experiment those in whom, on
account of age, experience, wisdom,
talent, he could most implicitly trust.
And in order that the matter might be
quite plain and beyond cavil, he gives
a catalogue of all the names of the
chiefs, the rulers, and fathers of the
tribes that were to be sent on the ex-
pedition, and to bring back a faith-
ful report. But the result showed that
however this measure was designed for
the best, yet the persons selected proved
unworthy of the trust reposed in them,
and their rank and standing in the con-
gregation gave more weight to their evil
report, and thus led to the most disas-
trous consequences. Alas, how few are
the faithful in the Lord's house !

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER Xm.

183

3 And Moses by the com-
mandment of the Lord sent

V. 3. And Moses hy the commandment
of the Lord, etc. Heb. "At the mouth
of Jehovah." This must of course be un-
derstood with the qualifications above
intimated. The command did not prop-
erly originate with the Lord, but he saw
fit to wink at the perverse promptings
of the people, though the language em-
ployed would seem to convey the idea
that the measure was enjoined by the
divine will and not merely tolerated
by the divine permission. Chald. " Ac-
cording to the word of the Lord." Gr.
"By the voice of the Lord." Vulg.
"Moses did what the Lord had com-
manded, sending from the desert of
Pharan principal men," etc. It would
perhaps be preferable to preserve the
order of the original : " And Moses sent
them from the wilderness of Paran by
the commandment (at the mouth) of the
Lord." Drusius here remarks that the
Lord commanded this expedition of the
spies only as he commanded a bill of
divorce to be given when a man of the
Jews repudiated his wife. It was not
so much the divorce which he com-
manded as the hill. So here ; it was
not so much the sending of the spies
which God commanded, as it was the
selection of a certain class of men to be
employed on the occasion, seeing they
would have somebody. Not unlike this
is the solution of Sol. Jarchi, who ex-
plains this phrase, " by the permission
of the Lord." So in the Jewish Com-
mentary called Phesikta, it is said,
" The election of the spies was accord-
ing to the mouth of the Lord ; not that
God commanded them to send them.
If thou sayest, why did he not forbid
them to send ? (It is answered), To ac-
complish (or fulfil) their desire, and to
render them their recompense, and to
give unto Joshua and Caleb a good re-

them * from the wilderness of

b Deut. 1. 23.

ward." The people had hitherto re-
posed full trust in the guidance of their
Angel-Conductor, and left it to him by
what way they should go up, and into
what cities they should come. They
seem not to have doubted that he who
had brought them thus far on their way,
would not fail to land them safe within
the precincts of the promised land. But
at this point the workings of unbelief
began to manifest themselves. They
now began to feel that they could not
trust further than they could see. Yet
the Lord yielded to their perverseness,
and allowed his promise to be put to
the proof, and not only so, but he added
his own special directions in the mat-
ter ; thus showing by his example that
rulers and teachers may sometimes give
way to the unreasonable demands of
the people, with a view to their learn-
ing by experience what they refuse to
learn from competent testimony. As
the incident has a typical bearing, we
may suggest, moreover, that the believ-
ing Christian may commit an error by
indulging an undue anxiety to become
acquainted with the particulars of his
heavenly home. Though it be well to
cast forward our thoughts from time to
our heavenly inheritance, to search out
with an eye of faith the goodly land,
and to attain to some foretaste of its
celestial fruits, yet it is not to be for-
gotten that our main concern is with
the present field of duty, trial, and com-
bat, and if satisfied with the promises
we shall press on under the divine guid-
ance, and leave the result to a cove-
nant God, who will not fail our expecta-
tions. What other inference can we
draw from the fact, that the measure
here recorded did not originate with the
divine wisdom, though it was pleased,
in a sense, to adopt it? T[ From the

184

NUMBERS.

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Paran : all those men were heads
of the children of Israel.

4 And these were their names :
of the tribe of Reuben, Sham-
mua the son of Zaccur.

5 Of the tribe of Simeon,
Shaphat the son of Hori.

6 Of the tribe of Judah, Ca-
leb the son of Jephunneh.

7 Of the tribe of Issachar,
Igal the son of Joseph.

8 Of the tribe of Ephraim,
Oshea ' the son of Nun.

9 Of the tribe of Benjamin,
Palti the son of Raphu.

10 Of the tribe of Zebulun,
Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

wilderness of Paran. Upon the locality
of the wilderness so denominated, see
Note on ch. 10:12. It is evident from
ch. 32 : 8. Deut. 9 : 23, that the spies
were sent from Kadesh-Barnea, which
lay not far from the southern border of

Canaan. T[ All those men were heads

of the children of Israel. Gr. apxnyoi,
chief rulers. Not the princes mentioned
ch. 1, for their names were different ;
but those now sent were men of rank
and consideration in their respective
tribes, though falling short of the high-
est.

V. 4. And these were their ' names.
Of the ensuing list of names there is
nothing important to be said. Levi is
omitted as usual, and as to the rest,
probably no special reason can be given
for the order in which they stand.

V. 11. Of the tribe of Joseph, {name-
ly), of the tribe of Manasseh, etc. The
phraseology doubtless appears some-
what strange, as the appellation " tribe
of Joseph " belongs no more to Manas-
seh's branch of it than to Ephraim's,
which is mentioned v. 8. The name of
Joseph was common to each (Ezek. 37 :

11 Of the tribe of Jo-
seph, namely^ of the tribe of
Manasseh, Gaddi the son of
Susi.

12 Of the tribe of Dan, Am-
miel the son of Gemalli.

13 Of the tribe of Asher,
Sethur the son of Michael.

14 Of the tribe of Naphtali,
Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15 Oftbe tribe of Gad, Geuel
the son of Machi.

16 These are the names of
the men which Moses sent to
spy out the land. And Moses
called Oshea the son of Nun,
Jehoshua.''

16, 19. Rev. 7 : 8), but Ainsworth sup-
poses that Manasseh here has a certain
precedence because he was the first-
born. Pool, on the other hand, sug-
gests that it might have been with a
view to aggravate the sin of Manasseh
in joining in such report as was brought
back, so unworthy of a descendant of
Joseph.

V. 16. And Moses called Oshea the so7i
of Nun, Jehoshua. Heb. hosh'ea, salva-
tion, or, as others render it, save thou,
and yehoshua, the salvation of the Lord,
or, the Lord will save ; the one being
in effect a prayer, the other a promise.
The change is made by the insertion of
one of the letters composing the incom-
municable name " Jehovah." In Neb.
8 : 17 he is called Jeshua, and in the Gr.
version Irjo-ouy, Jesus, which is followed
also in the New Testament, as Acts 7 :
45. Heb. 4 : 8. See Note on Josh. 1 : 1,
where the name is more fully explain-
ed. The words in this connection ought
probably to be regarded as parentheti-
cal and translated "And Moses had
called," etc. for the name Joshua occurs
Ex. 17 : 9, on the occasion of the battle

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIII.

185

17 And Moses sent ttem to
spy out the land of Canaan, and
said unto them, Get you up this
way southward*, and go up into
the mountain' :

18 And see the land, what it
is ; and the people that dwell-

e ver. 22. / Gen. 14. 10. Deut. 1. 24. Judg. 1. 9, 19.

with the Amalekites. The change of
names was a well-known mark of honor,
and Moses was doubtless moved by the
spirit of prophecy to dignify Joshua in
the way he did, as in the divine pur-
pose he was destined to serve, in his
capacity as champion of Israel and their
leader into the land of promise, as an
eminent type of Jesus, the Saviour,
whose name he shares, in conducting
all those who sincerely follow him to
an heavenly inheritance.

V. 17. Get you up tJiis {way) south-
ward. Heb. 'zi'^'z. lannegeb, in tJie south.
That is, by the way of the south, mean-
ing the southern part of the land of
Canaan, which was very dry and bar-
ren, as is implied in the import of the
original term which signifies dry, parch-
ed. In their present position this was
the nearest portion of the promised
land, and from this they were to jour-
ney north. T[ Go up into the moun-
tain. That is, into the mountainous
region — a collective singular. The
mountainous tract was possessed by
the Amorites, Canaanites, and Amalek-
ites, Num. 14 : 40, 45. Deut. 1 : 44.

V. 18. And see the land. That is,
survey, inspect it, with minute atten-
tion. Ascertain all you can of its situ-
ation, inhabitants, soil, and the best
points of access. The word " land," as
the object of their search, it will be ob-
served, occurs here, in v. 19, and in
V. 20, with an import somewhat varied.
In the first instance it denotes the land
in respect to its inhabitants, whether

in tents, or in strong

eth therein, whether they he
strong or weak, few or many ;
19 And what the land is
that they dwell in, whether it
he good or bad ; and what ci-
ties they he that they dwell in,
whether
holds ;

healthy, robust, and hardy, or puny and
weak, whether numerous or few ; in the
second, it refers more especially to the
general air and aspect of the country,
and how it was settled, whether the
people lived in cities, in tents, or in
fastnesses and fortified places ; in the
third, to the soil, whether rich or poor,
a fact to be ascertained by the woods
and fruits it produced, and of which
they were required to bring back speci-
mens. T[ And the people that dwelleth

therein. Or, Heb, ''Even the people
that dwelleth thereupon." T[ Wheth-
er th^ he strong or weak. Heb. " Wheth-
er it be strong or weak." That is, the
people spoken of collectively as one
body.

V. 19. Whether it le good or had.
That is, whether it be desirable or unde-
sirable, especially on the score of salu-
brity from air, water, etc. T[ What

cities {they he) that they dwell in, wheth-
er in tents or in strong holds. But if
they dwelt in cities, how could it be a
matter of inquiry whether they dwelt
at the same time in tents? This ditfi-
culty has been perceived by both ver-
sionists and commentators, and accord-
ingly the Chald. renders it, " And what
kind of cities they dwell in, whether
walled or unwalled." So also the Gr.
and the Yulg. And this we are forced
to regard as the true construction. As
in the former clause the question is con-
cerning the land, whether it be good or
bad ; so here the question would seem
to be respecting the cities, whether they

186

KUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

20 And what the land is,
whether it he fat ^ or lean, wheth-
er there be wood therein or not :
and be ye of good courage ^, and

pNeh. 9. 25,35. Ezck. 34. 14.

h Deut. 31.6, 1,

be open and unwalled like a nomade
encampment, or whether they are wall-
ed and fortified with a view to repel
invaders. The weight of authority is
decidedly in favor of this sense.

V. 20. Whether it he fat or lean. This
respects the quality of the soil, which
if ''fat" is fertile, and if "lean," bar-
ren. Chald. "Whether it be rich or
poor." So Neh. 9 : 25, " And they

took strong cities and a fat land."

T" Whether there he wood therein or not.
Heb. " Whether there be tree (collect,
sing, for trees) therein or not." Chald.
and Gr. " Trees." Targ. Jon. " Trees
of food," i. e. fruit trees. But the sense
oi fruit trees is conjectural; it is suffi-
cient to understand the words of woody

or champaign. T[ Be ye of good eour-

age. Heb. hithhazzahtem, strengthen,

encourage yourselves. T[ Bring of the

fruit of the land. Heb. " Take of the
fruit of the land." The bringing of it

is rather inferred than expressed. ■

T[ The time was the time of the first
•rife grapes. Heb. " The days were the
days," etc., when, as one of the Jewish
commentators remarks, " they had need
to have courage, because the keepers of
the vineyards then kept watch."

V. 21. From the wilderness of Zin.
Heb. tzin. This is a different wilder-
ness from that called " the wilderness
of Sin (Heb. sm)," Ex. 16 : 1, which ex-
tended in a long, narrow plain, between
the eastern shore of the Red Sea and
the neighboring mountains almost to
the southern termination of the penin-
sula. As to the wilderness of Zin, we
quote the words of Mr. Kitto. "We
have already indicated, generally, what
we must now more precisely state, that

bring of the fruit of the land.
Now the time was the time of
the first ripe grapes.

21 So they went up, and
searched the land, from the wil-

the Desert of Zin must be identified
with the low sandy plain or valley
which extends from the Dead Sea to
the Gulf of Akaba, and through which
the river Jordan appears at one time
to have flowed to the Red Sea. This
plain is through its whole extent bound-
ed on the east by the mountains of Seir,
which so shut it in as to render a pas-
sage eastward from the valley imprac-
ticable to any large and encumbered
body except through the valley (El
Ghoeyr), in which the ancient city of
Petra formerly stood ; and failing, after-
wards, to obtain leave to pass through
which, the host of Israel was obliged
to retrace its steps and go round the
southern extremity of the chain near
the head of the gulf of Akaba. The
plain on its other or western side is
bounded by a lower chain of hills which
separate it from the Desert of Paran.
The average breadth of this plain is
about five miles. It is wholly destitute
of water, and in every respect answers
to the Scriptural account of the Desert
of Zin, which, as distinguishing it from
that of Paran, could never be definitely
understood until Burckhardt's research-
es furnished the information which has
contributed so materially to the eluci-
dation of a very important but previ-
ously obscure portion of Sacred writ." — •
Pid. Bible. H Unto Behoh. "Else-
where called Beth-rehob. This place
is also mentioned in Judg. IS : 28. Josh.
19 : 28. 2 Sam. 10 : 8, in such a manner
that its general situation cannot be
questioned, although we are not ac-
quainted with its precise site. It must
have stood in the north of the Holy
Land, within Mount Hermon, near the

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIII.

187

derness of Zin ' unto Rehob *, as
men come to Hamath.

k J, ah. 19. 2S.

pass leading through that mountain to
Hamath beyond, and not far from Dan.
It was the capital of a Syrian kingdom,
and continued to be such long after the
city, in the division of the land, had
fallen to the lot of Asher, that tribe be-
ing unable to drive out the old inhabit-
ants. It seems to be mentioned as a
distinct kingdom in 1 Sam. 10 : 8 ; and
one of those which leagued with the
Ammonites against David ; but it is
probable that, in common with the
other small Syrian states there enume-
rated, it was tributary to the kingdom
of Zobah with which they acted on that
occasion, and afterwards to that of Da-
mascus, by which Zobah was super-
seded."— Pict. Bible. T[ As men come

to Hamuth. " This is another capital
of a small Syrian kingdom, beyond
Mount Hermon, and having Rehob on
the south and Zobah on the north. The
approach to it from the south is through
a pass in Mount Hermon, called the
entrance of ' Hamath,' and * the enter-
ing in of Hamath,' which, being the
passage fi-om the northern extremity
of Canaan into Syria, is employed, like
Dan, to express the northern boundary
of Israel. The kingdom of Hamath ap-
pears to have nearly corresponded, at
least in its central and southern parts,
with what was afterwards called Ccele-
Syria, or the great plain or valley be-
tween Libanus and anti-Libanus ; but
stretched northward so far as the city
of Hamath on the Orontes, which seems
to have been the capital of the country.
This city was called Epiphania by the
Greeks, and is mentioned under that
name by Josephus and the Christian
fathers. It has now, like many other
sites in Asiatic Turkey, recovered its
ancient name, which tradition had pre-

22 And they ascended by the
south, and came unto Hebron,

served. No part of this kingdom was
allotted to the Israelites, with whom
the Hamathites seem to have lived on
very good terms. Toi, who was their
king in the time of David, sent his son
with presents to congratulate that mon-
arch on his victory over the Syrians of
Zobah, who, it would seem, had been
dangerous neighbors to Hamath. (See
2 Sam. 8 : 9.) The present government
of Hamath comprises one hundred and
twenty inhabited villages, and seventy
or eighty that have been abandoned.
The western part of the territory is the
granary of Northern Syria, although
the harvest never yields more than ten
for one, in consequence of the immense
numbers of mice, which sometimes
wholly destroy the crops. Hamath, the
capital, is situated on both sides of the
Orontes, and is built partly on the de-
clivity of a hill, and partly on the plain.
The town is large, and (for the country)
well built, though the walls are chieSy
of mud. There are four bridges over
the Orontes, and a stone aqueduct, sup-
ported on lofty arches, for supplying the
upper town with water. There are few
ancient remains, the materials having
been taken away to be employed in
modem buildings. Burckhardt thicks
that the inhabitants of the town could
not amount to less than 30,000." — Pict.
Bible.

V. 22. And they ascended by the south,
and cam^ unto Hebron. Heb. Ta-yabo,
and he came, or, one came ; a phrase-
ology supposed to indicate that the
spies did not all move in a body, but
that they at least occasionally sepa-
rated, one going in one direction, and
another in another, and then again
rendezvousing together. In this case
it would appear from Josh. 14 : 9, 12, 14,

188

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1490.

•where Ahiman, Sheshai, and
Talmai, the children of Anak,
were. (Now Hebron "' was built

m Josh. 21. 11.

Caleb was more especially intended, as
Hebron afterwards fell to his inherit-
ance on the ground of his having now
visited it. Others, however, suppose
that the verb was originally written in
the plural, and that the final letter has
in course of time dropped away. As
to the location of Hebron, see Note on

Gen. 23 : 2. H Where Ahiman, She-

shai, and Talmai, the children of AnaTc,
{were). The " children of Anak" here
mean the descendants of Anak. Gr.
"The generation of Anak." Chald.
" The sons of the giant, or mighty man."
They were the posterity of Arba, from
whom Hebron had the name of Kirjath-
Arba, i. e. the city of Arba, and whose
son was Anak, the head of one of the
chief families of Canaan, being distin-
guished for their great stature, prowess,
and valor. So formidable were they
on these accounts that it became a pro-
verbial saying in that region, "Who
can stand before the children of Anak ? "

Deut. 9 : 2. \ Now Hebron was built

seven years before Zoan in Egypt. This
clause was probably inserted in order
to countervail the boast of Egypt of
being the most ancient nation in the
world. Whatever might be pretended,
for instance, respecting the antiquity
of this Zoan, which was afterwards
called Tanis, still here was a city in
Canaan of seven years prior origin,

V. 23. And they came unto the brooTc
of JEshcol. Heb. nahal, signifying both
a stream or torrent of water, and the
valley through which it runs, whether
permanently or only occasionally in the
time of floods and freshets. " Eshcol "
signifies a cluster, a bunch, and this
name was given to the place as a me-
morial of the incident recorded v. 24.

seven years before Zoan " in
Egypt.)

23 And they came unto the

n Ps. 78. 1-2. Is. 19. 11.

Gr. " The valley of the cluster." Rob-
inson, in speaking of his departure from
Hebron for Jerusalem, says, (Trav. v. I.
31G) : — " As we issued from the town,
the path for a short distance was full
of mud and puddles from a spring near
by ; and to us, coming out of the des-
ert, this was quite a refreshing sight.
The road leads up the valley for a short
time ; and then up a branch coming
from the N. E. The path is here paved ;
or rather laid unevenly with large
stones, in the manner of a Swiss moun-
tain road. It passes between the walls
of vineyards and olive-yards ; the for-
mer chiefly in the valley, and the latter
on the slopes of the hills, which are in
many parts built up in terraces. These
vineyards are very fine, and produce
the largest and best grapes in all the
country. This valley is generally as-
sumed to be the Eshcol of the Old Tes-
tament, whence the spies brought back
the cluster of grapes to Kadesh ; and
apparently not without reason. The
character of its fruit still corresponds
to its ancient celebrity ; and pome-
granates and figs, as well as apricots,
quinces, and the like, still grow there
in abundance." It would seem that
their arrival at this valley, which lay
in the southern quarter of Canaan, must
have been on their return from the ex-
ploration of the northern sections, as
they would not of course carry the

grapes all the way with them.

1[ And cut down from thence a branch
with one cluster of grapes. The proba-
bility is, that what was cut down was a
branch of the vine with a number of
clusters hanging upon it, but which
were so thick that they had the appear-
ance of one. The original word cannot

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER Xm.

189

brook of Eshcol, and cut down
from thence a branch with one

be shown to signify precisely what we
understand by "cluster;" it may as
properly be translated " bunch," im-
plying a number of clusters, not to ad-
vert to the fact that a strictly correct
rendering of the Hebrew would perhaps
be, that " they cut down a branch even
a bunch of grapes, one ; " for although
the copulative "and" occurs between
" branch " and " cluster," yet we are
certainly not to understand they cut
down a branch and a cluster, as sepa-
rate acts. The term " one " plainly im-
plies that the cutting off the branch
was the cutting off the clusters that ad-
hered to it, of which there doubtless
were several. Still, it is beyond ques-
tion that the grapes, and consequently
the clusters did then, and do still, in
that country, attain to an extraordinary
size, as will be apparent from the note
on this passage from the "Pictorial
Bible." " The cluster was doubtless
very large; but the fact of its being
borne between two upon a staff is less
exclusively an evidence of size than is
usually considered. It was an obvious
resource to prevent the grapes from be-
ing bruised in being transported to a
considerable distance. Nevertheless,
even under the present comparative
neglect of the vine in Palestine, it is
allowed that grapes and clusters of
most extraordinary size are common —
as indeed they often are in other parts
of "Western Asia, as compared with any
that we are accustomed to see. The
district in which the brook 1-lshcol
is found, and particularly the valley
through which that brook flows, is still
noted for the superiority of its grapes.
Doubdan, in traversing the country
about Bethlehem, found a most delight-
ful valley full of aromatic herbs and
rose-bushes, and planted with vines,

cluster of grapes, and they bare
it between two upon a staff; and

which appeared to him of the choicest
kind. He was not there in proper time
to make any observations on the size
of the clusters ; but he was assured by
the monks that they still found some,
even in the present neglected state of
the country, weighing ten or twelve
pounds. This valley corresponds to
what is commonly thought that of the
brook Eshcol. Eeland also says, that
a merchant who had resided several
years at Ramah, in this neighborhood,
assured him that he had there seen
bunches of grapes weighing ten pounds
each. Forster mentions that he knew
a monk who had spent eight years in
Palestine, and had been at Hebron in
the same district, where he saw clus-
ters as large as two men could conve-
niently carry. We are at liberty to
doubt this, if we please, as the major-
ity of travellers concur in stating the
weight of the largest clusters produced
in Palestine at about ten or twelve
pounds, or, at most, as a suflScient bur-
den for one man ; and because the state-
ment looks as if made for the text by
one who did not consider, that although
two men did carry the cluster of grapes
from Eshcol, it does not necessarily fol-
low that the cluster was a full burden
for them. "Whatever opinion be enter-
tained about the size of the cluster in
question, it is agreed that the vines of
Canaan are remarkably distinguished
for the size of their grapes and clus-
ters. This has been noticed even by
travellers from the richest vine-growing
countries of Europe ; and we may there-
fore readily conceive how the Israelites
must have been impressed by the sight
of them, when it is recollected that
Egypt, from which they came, was
never remarkable for its vines, and that
the grapes, though far from bad, are

190

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

they brought of the pomegran-
ates, and of the figs.

24 The place was called the
brook Eshcol, because of the
cluster of grapes which the chil-
dren of Israel cut down from
thence.

25 And they returned from
searching of the land after forty
days.

very small. The vines of Canaan are
of different kinds and colors, white, red,
and deep purple; the last are much
more common than the others. The
most esteemed of all is called Soreh in
the Scriptures, and probably derived
that name from being produced in
the valley watered by the river of that
name ; and those of Eshcol were prob-
ably of the same valuable species, the
brook so called being merely one of two
which, by their junction, form the river
Sorek. This is the common opinion ;
but it must be confessed that we know
nothing precisely about this brook, ex-
cept that it was somewhere in the vine
district of the country which afterwards
belonged to Judah. Some commenta-
tors hesitate to say whether there was
any brook at all, as the Hebrew word
^Hj, nahal, means as well a valley as a
brook ; but we conceive that the word
means here, and in some other places,
a valley tvith a brook, that is, a brook
which, like most others in Palestine,

is dried up in the warm season."

1[ And {they brougJit) of the pomegran-
ates and the figs. On the pomegranate,
see note on Ex. 28 : 33.

V. 24. The place was called, etc.
That is, was subsequently called, af-
ter the Israelites got possession of the
land.

V. 25. And they returned from search-
ing of the land after forty days. From
what is said, v. 20, that " the time was

26 And they went and came
to Moses, and to Aaron, and to
all the congregation of the chil-
dren of Israel, unto the wilder-
ness of Paran, to Kadesh "; and
brought back word unto them,
and unto all the congregation,
and showed them the fruit of
the land.

the time of the first ripe grapes," it is
probable the spies were sent forth about
the beginning of August and returned
about the middle of September, as that
is about the time that grapes, pomegran-
ates, and figs ripen in those countries.

TTie Report of the Spies.
V. 26. And they went and came, etc.
That is, they travelled and came ; the
first verb being rather of an expletive

nature, T| To Kadesh. " This is the

nearest approach which the Israelites
made to the Promised Land at this
time. The intermediate stations were —

1, the Desert of Paran (ch. 10 : 12) ;

2, Taberah (ch. 10 : 38) ; 3, Kibroth-
Hattaavah (ch. 11 : 34) ; 4, Hazeroth
(ch. 11 : 35). Nothing is positively
known concerning these stations, but
very much has been guessed. One
thing, however, seems clear, that the
Hebrews took the direct route north-
ward from Sinai to Kadesh-barnea,
which we may assume to have been
somewhere on the southern border of
Canaan, although it is much disputed
whether there is not another Kadesh,
and, if there be but one, where that one

should be placed." — Pict. Bible.

And brought bach word unto them.
Heb. " And returned them word," where
the original presents the peculiar usage
of two objectives or accusatives under
the regimen of one verb — othdm, them,
instead of Idhem, to them. T[ And

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER Xm.

191

27 And they told him, and
said, "We came unto the land
whither thou sentest us, and
surely it floweth ^ with milk and
honey; and this ^ is the fruit of it.

28 Nevertheless the people *■
he strong that dwell in the laud,

V Ej. 33.

q Deut. 1. 25, etc.

Deut. 9.

showed them the fruit. Heb. *' Caused
them to see."

V. 27. And they told him, and said.
Heb. Da-yesapperu lo 'va-yomeru, and
they recited, or related, to him, i. e. to
Moses, as the representative of the
whole congregation. ^ We cam^ un-
to the land whither thou sentest us. It is
not a little remarkable that men who
proved themselves so cowardly, should
have had the courage to risk their per-
sons in exploring the country. But it
is probable thej were sustained by the
undaunted spirit and determination of
Caleb and Joshua, though they basely
arrayed themselves against them on

their return. T[ Surely it floweth

with milh and honey. The display of
the rich fruit formed of itself an em-
phatically good report of the land, as
to natural advantages and productive-
ness ; and this was confirmed by the
verbal statements of the spies. But
their tone soon alters when they come
to speak of the inhabitants. The rising
delight of the congregation, occasioned
by such a report, attested by such visi-
ble evidence of its truth, is suddenly
cast down by the sad tenor of what
follows.

V. 28. Nevertheless the peoplehe strong,
etc. This was of course the language of
the faint-hearted spies, and not of Caleb
or Joshua. The words were probably
true in themselves, but they were evi-
dently spoken with a view to dishearten
the people, especially the mention of
the giant sons of Anak. " Forty days

and the cities are walled, and
very great : and moreover we
saw the children of Anak* there.
29 The Amalekites ' dwell in
the land of the south ; and the
Hittites, and the Jebusites, and
the Amorites, dwell in the moun-

t Ex. Vi. 8. c. 14. 43.

they spent in this search, and this cow-
ardly unbelief in the search shall cost
them forty years' delay of the fruition.
Who can abide lo see the rulers of Is-
rael so basely timorous? They com-
mend the land, the fruit commends it-
self, and yet they plead diflSculty. ' We
are not able to go up.' Their shoulders
are laden with the grapes, and yet their
hearts are overlaid with unbelief It
is an unworthy thing to plead hardness
of achieving, when the benefit will
more than requite the endeavor. Our
land of promise is above ; we know the
fruit thereof is sweet and glorious, the
passage difl5cult. The giantly sons of
Anak (the powers of darkness) stand in
our way. If we sit down to complain,
we shall one day know that ' without
shall be the feariful.' "— ^. Hall.

V. 29. The A77ialekites dwell, etc. Heb.
" Amalek dwells ; " collect, sing. ; and
so in all the national designations that
follow. Respecting the Amalekites, see
Note on Ex. 17 : 8. They are not here
spoken of as being actually inhabitants
of the land of Canaan, but as dwelliiig
upon its south border, where if Israel
attempted an approach, they would be
very liable to encounter the opposition
of these ancient enemies of their race,
from whose assaults they had already
suffered since leaving Egypt, Ex. 17 :
8-16. " Because they had been smitten
by Amalek (Deut. 25 : 17, 18), the spies
do now make mention of him to make

them afraid." — Sol. Jarchi. T[ In

the mmintains. Heb. "In the moun-

192

tains ; and the Canaanites dwell
by the sea, and by the coast of
Jordan.

30 And Caleb " stilled the
people before Moses, and said,
Let us go up at once and pos-

NUMBERS. [B. 0. 1490.

sess it ; for we are well " able to
overcome it.

31 But the men that went
up with him said, We be not
able to go up against the people ;
for they are stronger than we.

V Rom. 8. 37.

tain," i. e. the mountainous region,
collect, sing, as in v. 17. The moun-
tains alluded to are, for the most part,
the range lying on the south and south-
east part of Canaan, which at this time
were inhabited by the several nations
specified. The Jebusites, however, had
pitched farther in the interior, and held
the region about Jerusalem, These
were the most formidable of all the na-
tive population. Of the Amorites, we
find the Lord saying through the pro-
phet Amos, ch. 2 : 9, " Yet destroyed I
the Amorite before them, whose height
was like the height of the cedars, and

he was strong as the oaks," Tf The

Canaanites divell hy the sea. That is,
the nation specifically called by this
name, Gen, 15 : 20. They were situated
partly on the coast of the Mediterra-
nean, and partly in the vicinity of the

Jordan. T[ By the coast of Jordan.

Heb. " By the hand of Jordan ; " i. e,
by the side of Jordan, or by or upon the
side along which the Jordan ran. The
word " coast" in this sense is now quite
obsolete.

V. 30. And Caleb stilled the people
before Moses. Heb. "Made the people
to be silent to Moses ; " implying that
the report just made had produced a
disaffection among the people which
was now upon the point of venting it-
self before Moses, and perhaps against
him, when Caleb boldly stepped for-
ward and assuaged " the tumult of the
people." " Joshua was silent, and
wisely spared his tongue for a further
advantage; only Caleb spoke. I do

not hear him say. Who am I to strive
with a multitude ? What can Joshua
and I do against ten rulers ? It is bet-
ter to sit still, than to rise and fall ; but
he resolves to swim against this stream,
and will either draw friends to the
truth, or enemies upon himself True
Christian fortitude teaches us not to re-
gard the number or quality of the op-
ponents, but the equity of the cause ;
and cares not to stand alone, and chal-
lenge all comers ; and if it could be op-
posed by as many worlds as men, it
may be overborne, but it cannot be
daunted: whereas, popularity carries
weak minds, and teaches them the
safety of erring with a multitude." —

Bp. Hall. TI Let us go up at once

and possess it. Heb. ** Going up let us
go up ; " to express which emphatical
phrase our translators have introduced

the words " at once." H For we are

well able to overcome it. Heb, "Pre-
vailing we shall prevail over it," i. e,
the land; which, however, the Gr, ren-
ders by " them." In connection with
this we may properly exhibit the testi-
mony which Caleb records of himself.
Josh, 14:7, 8, "Forty yeai*s old was I
when Moses the servant of the Lord
sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy
out the land ; and I brought him word
again as it was in mine heart. Never-
theless my brethren that went up with
me made the heart of the people melt :
but I wholly followed the Lord my
God."

V. 31. We be not able to go up against
the people ; for they {are) stronger than

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIII.

193

82 And "^ they brought up an
evil report of the land which
they had searched unto the chil-

Deiit. 1 . -28.

we. "See the idle pleas of distrust.
Could not God enable them ? Was he
not stronger than their giants? Had
he not promised to displace the Ca-
naauites, to settle them in their stead?
How much more easy is it for us to
spy their weakness, than for them to
espy the strength of their adversaries ?
When we measure our spiritual suc-
cess by our own power, we are van-
quished before we fight. He that would
overcome must neither look upon his
own arm, nor the arm of his enemy,
but to the mouth and hand of him that
hath promised and can perform." — Bp.
Hall.

V. 32. And they IrougJit vj^ an evil
report of the land. Heb. va-yotzi-u dib-
hatJi, and they caused to go forth an evil
report. The original for " bringing up
an evil report " is in Prov, 10 : 18, ren-
dered " uttering a slander." The same
term is used of the report which Joseph
brought of his brethren. Gen. 87 : 2, al-
though there, and also Xum. 14 : 37, the
epithet for " evil " is affixed, which is
omitted here. Chald. "And they put
an evil name." Gr, " And they brought
a horror of that land which they had
searched." The evil report consisted
of the particulars recited in the remain-
ing clauses of the verse. T[ A land

that eateth vp the inhabitants thereof.
An expression which cannot well mean,
as some have supposed, that the coun-
try was lacking in fertility, and apt to
eat up and consume its inhabitants by
famine ; for they tiad before acknowl-
edged it to be "a land flowing with
milk and honey." iN'or does the sug-
gestion of others appear very probable,
that it denotes a peculiar insalubrity of
9

dren of Israel, saying, The land,
through which we have gone to
search it, is a land that eateth
up the inhabitants thereof; and

the cHmate, to which it appears from
Mr. Roberts the eastern Asiatics apply
a similar phraseology. "Of a very
unhealthy place it is said, ' That evil
country eats up all the people.' ' We
cannot remain in these parts, the land
is eating us up.' '/go to that place!
never ! it will eat me up.' Of England
it is said, in reference to her victories,
' She has eaten up all countries.' " There
is no good evidence that the phrase bore
the same signification among the He-
brews, nor, if in a hurried journey
through the country, they had witness-
ed the ravages of a plague, would that
have been a peculiarly disheartening
circumstance, as it would merely have
shown the Divine Providence thinning
out the ranks of their enemies, and
leaving fewer to oppose their entrance.
We are therefore inclined to adopt the
interpretation of Le Clerc, who sup-
poses it to be understood of the de-
structive wars which frequently raged
among these and the adjacent nations,
sweeping off the inhabitants as if by a
desolating plague. Thus the Amorites
had conquered the Moabites, Num. 21 :
26, and the Caphtorims the Avims,
Deut. 2 : 23, and one tribe was almost
constantly rooting out another, Deut.
2 : 18-23. This sense receives confirma-
tion from the usage in Ezek. 36 : 13-15,
where the land of Israel is thus apos-
trophized : " Thus saith the Lord God ;
Because they say unto you, TJiou land
devourest i.ip men, and hast bereaved
thy nations ; therefore thou shalt de-
vour men no more, neither bereave thy
nations any more, saith the Lord God.
Neither will I cause men to hear in thee
the shame of the heathen any more.

194

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

all the people that we saw in it
are men of a great stature "".

83 And there we saw the
giants, the sons of Anak ^, which

X Deut. 9. -2.

neither shalt thou bear the reproach
of the people any more, neither shalt
thou cause thy nations to fall any more,
saith the Lord God." It is obvious
that in these words the Most High
makes a remote allusion to the very re-
proach that is here cast upon the land
of Canaan, as if the surrounding heath-
en had occasion to load his own people
with the same aspersions as did the
spies the original inhabitants. This
reproach should now be taken away.
The prevalence of wasting judgments
such as war, pestilence, and famine,
should no longer give occasion to say
that the land devoured its inhabitants ;
in all which the idea of the destructive
effects of war is prominent. Language
very similar, and of similar import,
occurs in the conditional threatening
against the chosen people. Lev. 26 : 37,
38,. "And they shall fall one upon an-
other, as it were before a sword, when
none pursueth : and ye shall have no
power to stand before your enemies.
And ye shall perish among the heathen,
and the land of your enemies shall eat
you up." To which we may add, that
the Chald. here renders, " It is a land
that killeth its inhabitants ; " which
doubtless implies a land wherein the

inhabitants kill each other. T[ And

all the people that we saw in it (are)
men of great stature. Heb. anshe mid-
doth, men of measures ; i. e. men above
the ordinary standard as to height and
dimensions. Comp. Is. 45 : 14, " Thus
saith the Lord, The labor of Egypt, and
merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the
Sabeans, men of stature {anshe m,iddah)
shall come over unto thee." Jer. 22 :

come of the giants ; and we were
in our own sight as grasshop-
pers % and so we were in their
sight.

14, " That saith, I will build me a wide
house {laith middoth, a house of meas-
ures).'" Gr. "Exceeding tall." The
statement was evidently exaggerated,
as it was only the Anakim or Nephilim
that answered to this description, but
when men's fears are excited, and they
wish to produce an impression upon
others, they are prone both to magnify
and to multiply the objects of their
dread. The transition from some to all
is then very easy.

V. 33. And there we saiv the giants.
Heb. " Nephilim ; " the term applied to
the giants that lived before the flood,
men of violence, oppression, and cruel-
ty. See Note on Gen. 6 : 4. T[ TAe

sons of Anak, {which come) of the giants.
That is, we saw there the formidable
sons or descendants of Anak, a race
of men of such enormous stature and
strength, that they are evidently to be
accounted of the same stock with the
Nephilim, or the giants of the olden
time, of whom we have so often heard.

• T[ We were in our own sight as

grasshoppers, etc. Or, Heb. " locusts,"
as the original is rendered 2 Chr. 7 : 13.
The expression is plainly hyperbolical,
to which there can be no difficulty in
affixing the right sense. It would seem
a little problematical how they should
have known that they appeared so
diminutive in the eyes of these gigantic
people. But it will perhaps be suffi-
cient to suggest that it was asserted as
a mere inference, and not an unnatural
one under the circumstances. The es-
timate of greatness on the one side
would give rise to that of littleness on
the other.

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIV.

195

CHAPTER XIV.

AND all the congregation
lifted up their voice, and
cried ; and the people wept
" that night.

CHAPTER XIV.

The Murmuring and Mutiny of the
People at the Export of the Spies.

V. 1. And all the congregation, lifted
up (their voice). Heb. tissd, lifted up.
There is nothing in the original to an-
swer to " voice," although it is undoubt-
edly understood. The verb is used in
other instances in a similar manner.
Thus, Is. 42 : 2, " He shall not cry, nor
lift np iyissd), nor cause his voice to
be heard," etc. So Is. 42 : 11, "Let
the wilderness and the cities thereof
lift vp (their voices), where our trans-
lators have inserted " their voices " in
italics, as might have been properly
done in the present passage. We find
the full phrase, however, in other con-
nections, as Gen. 21 : 10, " She lifted up
her voice, and wept." It is worthy of
notice, that as the people on this occa-
sion lifted up their voice in rebellious
complaint against the Lord, so he, Ps.
106 : 26, lifted up> his hand in token of
their exclusion by a righteous decree
from the land promised to them in the
persons of their fathers. The terms in

the original are the same. ^ And

cried. Heb. "And gave their voice."
This form of expression occurs in refer-
ence to any loud voice, noise, or cry,
whether as predicated of any creature,
or represented as proceeding from the
Lord himself. Thus, Ps. 18 : 14, " The
Most High gave his voice." Jer. 2 : 15,
" The young lions roared upon him,
(and) yelled." Heb. "gave forth their

voice." Ps. 104:12, "The birds

sing (Heb. 'give forth their voice')
among the branches." Ps. 77 : 17,

2 And all the children of Is-
rael murmured * against Moses
and against Aaron : and the
whole congregation said unto

b Ps. 1U6. i24, 25.

" The clouds poured out water ; the
skies sent out a sound (Heb. " gave forth
a voice)." Hab. 3 : 10, " The overflow-
ing of the water passed by ; the deep
tittered his voice " (Heb. " gave forth
his voice)." So, likewise, men are said
to " give a voice," upon causing a pro-
clamation to be issued, 2 Chron. 24 : 9.
From the force of the expression, there-
fore, it is evident that the people on
this occasion broke forth into open out-
cries of a rebellious nature, proclaiming
thereby their own fickleness, coward-
ice, imbecility, and shame. Instead of
lifting up their ensigns with a heroic
resolve to march forward to the land
of promise, defying all enemies in the
name of the Lord, they sat down in im-
potent despair, and like so many fright-
ened and fretting children, gave way to
sobs and tears ! " The rods of their
Egyptian task-masters had never been
so fit for them as now for crying. They
had cause, indeed, to weep for their in-
fidelity ; but nT)w they weep for fear of
those enemies they saw not. I fear, if
there had been ten Calebs to persuade,
and but two faint spies to discourage
them, those two cowards would have
prevailed against those two solicitors :
how much more, now ten oppose and but

two encourage 1 " — J^p. Ball. ^ 27ie

people tvept that night. Heb. "In or
through that night." Gr. " That whole
night."

y. 2. And all the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and against
Aaron. In murmuring against their
leaders, they murmured against God
by whom those leaders were appointed.
This is clear from the language of Moses,

196

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them, Would God that we had
died in the land of Egypt ! or,
would God we had died in this
wilderness !

3 And wherefore hath the

Ex. 16 : 8, "For the Lord heareth your
murmurings which ye murmur against
him ; and what are we ? your murmur-
ings are not against us, but against the
Lord." The false and cowardly repre-
sentations of the spies operated to in-
fect the entire mass of the congregation,
so that nothing was heard but mourn-
ing and lamentation over the sad lot to
which they were doomed in being thus
led forth to perish, men, women, and
children, at the hands of a cruel enemy.

T[ Would God that we had died in

the land of Egypt. The more carefully
the language of these malcontents is
weighed, the more aggravated does it
appear. They were wrought up by
their disaffection to a point of absolute
madness. They speak as if it had been
actually better that they had been slain
with the first-born in Egypt, or in the
wilderness with those who had lately
died of the plague for lusting, than run
the hazard of holding on their way to
Canaan. They forgot that Omnipotence
could bring them in thither as triumph-
antly as it had brought them out of
Egypt. The past, with all its miracles
of mercy, is hidden from their eyes, and
the dreadful future, painted by unbe-
lief, is all that stands before them.
Never had people been so honored, fa-
vored, and blest, as had the nation of
Israel since their departure out of
Egypt, and yet, so light is all this in
their eyes, that they now mourn that
they had not died before they had ex-
perienced it ! " They wish rather to
die criminals under God's justice than
live conquerors in his favor. How base
were the spirits of those degenerate Is-
raelites, who, rather than die (if it come

Lord brought us unto this land,
to fall by the sword, that our
wives and our children should
be a prey ? were it not better
for us to return into Egypt ?

to the worst) like soldiers in the field
of honor, with their swords in their
hands, desire to die like rotten sheep
in the wilderness ! " — Henry. Who can
wonder that, as appears fi'om the sequel,
vs. 28, 29, they soon had their wish ?

V. 3. And wherefore hath the Lord
hrought us unto this land? " The fool-
ishness of man perverteth his way ;
and his heart fretteth against the Lord."
How strikingly is this illustrated in
the narrative before us ! They blas-
phemously reflect upon their Divine
Benefactor, as if he had brought them
hither on purpose that they might fall
by the sword, and that their wives and
children should fall a prey to the fero-
cious adversaries whom they were call-
ed to encounter. " Thus do they in
effect charge that God who is Love it-
self, with the worst of malice, and Eter-
nal Truth with the basest hypocrisy ;
suggesting that all the kind things he
had said to them, and done for them,
hitherto, were intended only to decoy
them, and to cover a secret design car-
ried on all along to ruin them." — Henry.
The parallel history, Deut. 1 : 27, gives
us still more distinctly the language
they uttered on this occasion, " And
ye murmured in your tents, and said.
Because the Lord hated us, he hath
brought us forth out of the land of
Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of

the Amorites, to destroy us." ^f To

fall hj the sword. That is, that we
should fall, or, in other words, die, by
the sword. The more ordinary form
of expression would be, to cause us to
fall, but these forms are occasional-
ly interchanged with each other. ■

^1 Were it not better for us to return in-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIY.

197

4 And they said one to
another, Let us make a cap-
tain, and let us return " into
Egypt.

c Deut. 17. 16. Neh. 9. 17. Acts 7. 39.

' to Eg-ypt ? Heb. " Were it not good ? "
It is observable how many obvious con-
siderations they lose sight of in this
proposition. As for instance, could
they expect the presence of the pillar
of cloud to conduct them on their way ?
Could they look to be supplied with
manna from heaven ? "Would the Lord
again divide the waters of the Red Sea
for them ? Could they anticipate a
peaceful passage along the territories
of the warlike nations that bordered
their path ? And should they even suc-
ceed in setting their feet again on Egyp-
tian ground, would they find their an-
cient oppressors any more favorably
disposed towards them ? Would they
, have forgotten the death of their first-
V born? Would they have buried the
remembrance of the fathers, children,
brothers, husbands, who had perished
in pursuing them ? But thus infatu-
ated are men when their hearts are set
in them to do evil. Like brute-beasts,
they mind only that which is present,
and the office of memory and reason
appears to be suspended.

V. 4. And they said one to another.
Heb. "And they said (every) man to
his brother." On this phraseology, see

Note on Lev. 18 : 18. T[ Let us make

a captain. Heb. " Let us give a head."
Chald. " Let us appoint or constitute a
head (principem)." Gr. "Let us give
(or appoint) a leader," Targ. Jon.
"Let us appoint a king over us for
head." On the incidents here related
the sacred writer, in a subsequent age,
thus comments, Neh. 9:16, 17, "But
they and our fathers dealt proudly, and
hardened their necks, and hearkened
not to thy commandments, and refused

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell
on their faces '^ before all the
assembly of the congregation of
the children of Israel.

to obey, neither were mindful of thy
wonders that thou didst among them ;
but hardened their necks, and in their
rebellion appointed a captain to return
to their bondage." It does not appear
that in point of fact their rebellion pro-
ceeded farther, in this respect, than
taking counsel concerning the choice
of a leader and head, but in the divine
estimation, it is regarded as a deed act-
ually done. Their conduct was no less
than a formal renunciation of the divine
authority, and as they thus " despised
the pleasant land, and believed not his
word ; but murmured in their tents,
and hearkened not unto the voice of the
Lord, therefore he lifted up his hand
against them, to overthrow them in the
wilderness," and we cannot but bow in
humble acquiescence with the decree
which excluded that generation from
entrance upon the promised inherit-
ance.

The Deportment of Moses and Aaron,
Joshua and Caleb, on this Occasion.

V. 5. Then Moses and Aaron fell on,
their faces. Heb. " And Moses fell and
Aaron upon their faces." The motive
for this prostration was not so much to
sue with great earnestness to the peo-
ple to forbear their rebellion, as to pray
devoutly to the Lord in their behalf,
deprecating the sore displeasure which
their base and ungrateful conduct had
provoked. It had been, no doubt, more
befitting that the Israelites themselves
should have fallen down on their faces
and humbly supplicated the pardon,
both of the Lord and his servants, but
in this, as in thousands of other cases,

198

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

6 And Joshua * the son of
Nun, and Caleb the son of Je-
phunneh, which were of them
that searched the land, rent
their clothes :

7 And they spake unto all
the company of the children
of Israel, saying, The land,
which we passed through to

the transgressors were less impressed
with the enormity of their guilt than
those transgressed against. Moses and
Aaron, therefore, fell down upon their
faces in the presence of the whole as-
sembly, that the offenders might be
awakened to a sense of their danger,
and be excited to cry mightily to hea-
ven for mercy. It is ever character-
istic of a gracious heart to mourn for
the sins of others as well as for its own.
If we know the iniquities of others, and
do not mourn for them, we in a sense
make them our own, and thus become
partakers of other men's sins. If we
mourn for them, we discharge ourselves
from responsibility on account of them ;
they are theirs, and not ours. Moses
and Aaron, therefore, bowed themselves
on this occasion in prostration both of
body and spirit. The more ordinary
posture of prayer among the nation of
Israel seems to have been standing, but
in cases of special emergency, when
they were deeply distressed and ex-
ceedingly anxious for a favorable re-
sponse, they resorted to kneeling ,' and
in the utmost ardor and importunity of
prayer, they,/e^^ upon their faces, as we
learn by the example of our Lord him-
self. Mat. 26 : 39. Luke 22 : 41. The
reason of this is, that true humiliation
of heart prompts corresponding out-
ward gestures, and when the soul is
conscious to itself of its desert of hell,

search it, is an exceeding good
land.

8 If the Lord delight •'' in us,
then he will bring us into this
land, and give it us ; a land
which floweth with ^ milk and
honey.

9 Only rebel * not ye against
the Lord, neither fear ' ye the

/ Deut. 10. 15. 2 Sam. 15. 25, 26. 22. 20. 1 K.
10. 9. Ps. 147. 11. g c. 13. 27. h Deut. 9. 23.

t Deut. 2U. 3.

the man sinks himself as deep down in
that direction as possible.

V. 6. Bent their clothes. A well
known token of excessive grief, sorrow,
or indignation, prompted especially by
the hearing of blasphemy against God.
In Jer. 36 : 24, it is mentioned as a sign
of culpable apathy on the part of Je-
hoiakim, and his servants, that on hear-
ing the words of the Lord's prophets
against Judah, " they were not afraid,
7ior rent their garments."

V. 7. And they spalce unto all the com-
pany. Nothing could well be a strong-
er proof of their undaunted courage
and incorruptible fidelity than daring
thus, in the face of so vast a multitude,
to bear a testimony directly opposite to
that which had been given by the faith-
less spies. H Is an exceeding good

land. Heb. "Is a good land, very,
very." Gr. " Exceeding, exceeding
good ; " that is, every way desirable.
This is the mode of expressing the su-
perlative degree in Hebrew.

V. 8. ^f the Lord delight in us.
Chald. " If the good pleasure of the
Lord (lit. before the Lord) be with us."
Gr. " If the Lord choose us." Vulg.
" If the Lord be propitious to us." The
meaning is, if we are careful not to for-
feit the divine favor by our remissness
or disobedience.

V. 9. Only rebel yc not. Chald. " But
rebel ye not against the Word of the

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIV.

199

people of the land ; for they are
bread * for us : their defence is
departed from them, and the

k c. 24. 8.

Lord." Gr. "Be je not revolters,
or apostates, from the Lord." Give
way to no murmuring or discontented
thoughts ; nor think or speak of return-
ing to Egypt. T[ Iliey are bread for

us. Heb. ** They are our bread." That
is, we shall devour and consume them
as a hungry man does bread. As if
they should say. We seemed, indeed,
but as grasshoppers to them, but we
say unto you that they shall be bread
for us ; we shall utterly destroy them.
The expression is doubtless designed to
stand in direct opposition to what was
said by the faithless spies, ch. 13 : 32,
" The land through which we have gone
to search it, is a land that eateth up the
inhabitants thereof." Gr. " They shall
be food for us." Yulg. " For we are
able to eat them up as bread." Chald.
" They are delivered into our hand."
A similar phraseology is not unusual.
Num. 24 : 8, " He (Israel) shall eat up
the nations his enemies." Ps. 79 : 7,
" For they have devoured Jacob, and laid
waste his dwelling place." Ps. 14:4,
*'Who eat up my i^eople as they eat
bread." Deut. 7 : 16, *' And thou shalt.
consume all tlie people which the Lord

thy God shall deliver thee." ^ Their

defence is departed from them. The
original Hebrew (c^2 tzilldm) is far
more expressive: — "Their shadow, or
shade, has departed from them." That
is, their defence, covert, protection,
rendered by the Chald. " Their strength
has departed from them." Vulg. "All
aid or protection has gone from them."
The Gr. has a rendering peculiar to it-
self: — "For their time (i. e. season of
prosperity) has withdrawn from them ;"
implying that their iniquities had come
to the full, and they had nothing more

Lord is with us ' : fear "" them
not.

/ Gen. 48. -il. Deut. 20. 1-4. 31. 6,8. Judg. 1. 22.
2Chr. 1^-j. 32.8. Ps. 4i5. 7, 11. Is. 8. 9, 10. 41.10.
Am. 5. 14. Zech. 8- 23. Horn. 8. 31. ra Is41.;4.

to hope from the Divine favor. Among
the old English versions, Matthews',
Bishop's, and Geneva have, " Their
shield is departed from them." Comp.
Ps. 91 : 1, " He that dwelleth in the se-
cret place of the Most High shall abide
under the shadoiv of the Almighty."
Ps. 121 : 5, 6, " The Lord is thy keeper;
the Lord is thy shade upon thy right
hand. The sun shall not smite thee by
day, nor the moon by night." The
metaphor seems to have been derived
originally from the effects of the cloudy
pillar in affording a cool and refreshing
shade from the ardors of the sun as
they journeyed through the desert.
But the idea of protection was equally
associated with this marvellous cloud,
in which the divine presence was sup-
posed to be especially resident. " The
margin reads * shadow ; ' but as this
word has a common application, whii^h
the original has not in view, perhaps
* shade ' would be better ; but as even
this is not unambiguous, perhaps the
paraphrase ' protecting shade ' would
be best of all. The force of this and
other similar allusions in the Bible is
in a great degree lost upon those who,
under the scorching sun of the east,
have not had occasion to experience
that the shelter of some shady place is
an enjoyment of such essential impor-
tance, as to be only inferior in value
and gratification to that of drink to one
who is dried up with thirst under the
same circumstances. Hence, in the
language of Asia, we generally find that
the word * shade,' or ' shadow,' is used
as a metaphor to express defence and
shelter ; but it must be admitted that it
is not always easy to understand where
a person's own shadow, or a protecting

200

NUMBERS.

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10 But all the congregation
bade stone them " with stones.

shade for him is expressed. Both senses
seem to be in use, the former implying
the protection and favor he has the
power to bestow, and the latter the
protection and favor which he enjoys.
Hence, in Arabia and Persia particu-
larly, complimentary expressions con-
tinually refer to the shadow, in such
phrases as — ' May your shadow be con-
tinually extended ; ' ' May your shadow
never be diminished ; ' * May your shad-
ow be extended over the heads of your
well-wishers ; ' ' May your shadow be
a continual shelter to me,' etc. Some-
times the phrase runs : ' May the shad-
ow of your prosperity ' — ' of your pro-
tection,' etc. Mr. Roberts notices a
similar use of the word in India, where
a poor man, speaking of a rich friend,
says, * He is my shadow,' that is, he is
my defence ; ' My shadow is gone,'
meaning, he has lost his defence ;
* Alas ! those poor people have lost
their shadow,' etc. The Sultan of Tur-
key and the Shah of Persia are both
styled ' The Refuge of the World,' un-
questionably with a primary reference
to a shadow : indeed both these mon-
archs lay claim to the title of 'The
Shadow of God " (Zd-ullah) ; and the
idea which such a title is intended to
convey will, after this explanation, be
comprehended without difficulty." —

PicL Bible. T[ And the Lord is with

us. Chald. " And the "Word of the Lord
is for our help."

V. 10. All the congregationhade stone
them with stones. Heb. " All the congre-
gation said to stone them with stones."
That is, proposed. They would thus re-
ward the exemplary fidelity and firm-
ness of these true-hearted servants of
the Most High, who were mainly intent
upon turning from the heads of their

And " the glory of the Lord
appeared in the tabernacle of

c. 16. 19. 42. 20. 6.

brethren the storm of divine displeasure
which they saw impending. " Though
Moses and Aaron entreat upon their
faces, and Joshua and Caleb persuade,
yet they move nothing. The obstinate
multitude, grown more violent with op-
posing, is ready to return them stones
for their prayers. Such have been ever
the thanks of fidelity and truth. Cross-
ed wickedness proves desperate ; and,
instead of yielding, seeks for revenge.
Nothing is so hateful to a resolute sin-
ner, as good counsel." — Bp. Hall.

H And the glory of the Lord appeared
in the tabernacle of the congregation.
It would seem that their murderous
purpose would have been accomplished
had they not been deterred by a sudden
manifestation of the divine glory, which
spoke to their perception the language
of fearful threatening. The Shekinah,
which usually abode within the Taber-
nacle, now displayed itself in connection
with the cloudy pillar, that seems on
this occasion to have lowered itself
from its usual elevation, and taken its
station immediately over or vpon the
Tabernacle, and not in it, as we read in
our version ; as otherwise it could not
have been seen by the congregation, as
we are nevertheless assured it was.
Gr. " And the glory of the Lord appear-
ed in the cloud on the tabernacle of
witness." Chald. "And the glory of
the Lord was revealed." Arab. " Then
appeared the splendor of God." For
an account of this as a visible phenom-
enon, see Note on Ex. IG : 10. The great
and glorious Being, who was invisibly
present while the sin conceived in their
hearts was working out its fruits, now
shows himself to have been all along
cognizant of its operation, and he
becomes fearfully manifest. Thus the

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTEE Xiy.

201

the congregation before all the
children of Israel.

11 And the Lord said unto
Moses, How long will this peo-
ple provoke '^ me ? and how long
will it be ere they believe me %

p Zech. 8. 14. Heb. 3. 16. q Ps. 106. 24. John 12. 37.

guiltv conscience realizes the divine
Being present to itself when a sinful
act has been committed as it does not
before. The pain of remorse is aggra-
vated by the reflection, that the Lord
migM have been previously seen with
the eye of faith to the prevention of that
sin which now fills the soul with an-
guish. Another inference drawn from
the narrative is, that the Lord is prone
to appear in behalf of his servants when
reduced to their utmost straits. For
wise ends he withholds the sensible to-
kens of his presence till danger is fully
ripe, till their condition seems abso-
lutely hopeless, and then he triumph-
antly comes forth from his secret place
and rescues and vindicates them.

y. 11. How long will this people pro-
voke me? Heb. "Despise, blaspheme,
or contemptuously treat me." Gr. " Ir-
ritate me." Yulg. "Detract me." The
general import is that of contemning,
with special marks of indignity. It
occurs Is. 5 : 24. 52 : 5. Prov. 1 : SO.

15 : 5. T[ How long icill it he ere they

believe me? Heb. " How long will they
not believe me ? " Chald. " How long
will they not believe in my Word ? "
Gr. " How long will they not believe
me ? " The unbelief now evinced is
frequently alluded to elsewhere as the
grand procuring cause of their exclu-
sion from the land of promise. Thus,
Deut. 1 : 32, " Yet in this thing ye did
not believe the Lord your God." Heb.
3 : 18, 19, " And to whom sware he that
they should not enter into his rest, but
to them that believed not ? So we see

for all the signs which I have
showed among them ?

12 I will smite them with the
pestilence, and disinherit them,
and will make of ' thee a greater
nation and mightier than they.

that they could not enter in because of
unbelief." Jude v. 5, " I will therefore
put you in remembrance, though ye
once knew this, how that the Lord,
having saved the people out of the land
of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them

that believed not." If For all the

signs, etc. Heb. " In all the signs."
So at a subsequent period it is said of
the posterity of this people, John 12 :
37, " Though he had done so many mir-
acles before them, yet they believed

not on him." T[ Among them. Heb.

bekirbo, in the midst of him, i. e. of the
people spoken of collectively.

V. 12. Iicill smite them tvith the pes-
tilence. Heb. " I will smite him, etc."
Collect, sing. comp. v, 15. For " pe^ti-
lence" here the Gr. and Chald. both
exhibit " death." See the usage illus-
trated in the Note on Ex. 5 : 3. The
event showed that this is not to be un-
derstood as an absolute and irrevocable
determination, but simply as a commi-
nation, like that of the destruction of
Nineveh within forty days, with the im-
plied condition of exemption in case of
speedy I'epeutance or powerful inter-
cession. TI Disinherit them. Heb.

orisJcennu. Chald., Gr., and Yulg.,
" \Yill destroy or consume them." The
true import is, that he would deprive
them of the land promised to their fa-
thers. On the peculiar usage of the

original term see Note on v. 24.

T[ Will maJce of thee a greater nation,
etc. Heb. "Will make thee to a na-
tion," etc. Gr. "I will make thee and
thy father's house," etc. So also the

202

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

13 And Moses * said unto the
Lord, Then ' the Egyptians shall
hear it, (for thou broughtest up
this people iu thy might from
among them ;)

14 And they will tell it to
the inhabitants of this land ; for
they have " heard that thou,
Lord, art among this people ;

s Deut. 9. 2fi, 28. t Deut. 32. 27. Ezek. 20. 9, 14.
u Josh. 2. 9, 10.

Sam. A similar declaration is made to
Moses Ex. 32 : 10, on the occasion of
the people's sin in the matter of the
golden calf. It is equivalent to saying,
that rather than the promise given to
Abraham should fail of accomplish-
ment, he would raise vip from Moses a
new offspring of the same stock, who
should inherit the blessings which Is-
rael had forfeited. The noble disinter-
estedness of Moses appears conspicuous
in his reply. He is much more con-
cerned for the divine honor than his
own.

Y. 13. The Egyptians shall hear {it).
The language here is somewhat abrupt,
as we should have anticipated that Mo-
ses would have prefaced his pleading
with something like this : " If thou
shalt smite them, 0 Lord, with the pes-
tilence as thou dost threaten, then the
Egyptians shall hear," etc. But in his
impassioned state of mind he seizes at
once upon the purpose of God as ex-
pressed in the preceding verse, and
draws from it the consequences now
stated in order to avert it.

V. 14. And they will tell {it), etc. Or,
Heb. " They will say ;" i. e. they will
say what follows in v. 16, for verses

14, 15 are properly parenthetical.

*If To the inhabitants of this land. That
is, probably, of the land of Arabia, on
the extreme boundaries of which they
now were. Others, however, suppose

that thou. Lord, art seen * face
to face ; and that thy cloud '"
standeth over them ; and that
thou '' goest before them, by
daytime in a pillar of a cloud,
and in a pillar of fire by
night.

15 Now, if thou shalt kill
all this people as one man, then

V Kx. 33.

Ps. 18. 14.

w c. 10. 34.

X Ex. 13. 21,22.

the land of Canaan to be meant, with
which the Egyptians had more or less
of intercourse. The point will remain
doubtful after all our efforts to settle

it clearly. ^ That thou. Lord, art

among this people. Chald. " That thou,
Lord, abidest with thy majesty among

this people." Tf Art seen face to face.

Heb. "Eye to eye." That is, in the
most open, plain, and visible man-
ner, without any interposing medium.
Chald. " That with their eyes they have
seen the majesty of thy glory." By the
Targ. Jon. this is referred to the giving
of the Law upon Sinai. It was then
especially that this manifestation was

made. T[ Thy cloud standeth over

them. Affording them shelter and pro-
tection ; rendered by the Targ. Jon.,
" that they should not be hurt either
by heat or by rain." Comp. Ex. 13 :
21, 22. Num. 9 : 17, etc.

V. 15. I^ow {if) thou Mil {all) this
people as one man. The conditional
"if" does not occur in the original,
which requires the literal rendering
"thou hast killed this people as one
man," that is, by the terror of the
threatening just uttered. If thou ad-
herest to thy purpose, such will be the
destructive effect. He then goes on to
state what the consequences will be as
respects the nations which shall hear
of it. From this it appears that the
present rendering is substantially cor-

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIV.

203

the nations which have heard
the fame of thee will speak,
saying,

16 Because ■ the Lord was
not able to bring this people in-
to the land which he sware unto

y Deut. 9. 2S. Josh. 7. 9.

rect, and would not be improved by

the omission of " if." T[ Which had

heard the fam^ of thee. Heb. " The
hearsay or report of thee." Chald.
" Which hare heard the fame, of thy
might." Gr. ''Which have heard thy
name."

Y. 16. Because the Lord was not able,
etc. Heb. " From the not being able
of the Lord to bring this people," etc.
By a close inspection of the context,
V. 13-19, it will appear that Moses
founds his plea upon three especial
considerations : 1. The disparagement
to which the Divine name and glory
would be subjected in the estimation
both of the Egyptians and the Canaan-
ites, as if he could not accomplish his
promises. This would give them oc-
casion to blaspheme. 2. The dictates
of the gracious long-suffering and for-
giving nature of God. 3. The prece-
dent (vs. 17, 18) of the past train of the
divine providences, wherein pardon
had been repeatedly granted them from
the day of their leaving Egypt to the
present. On this threefold ground he
builds his plea for mercy to be shown
to the sinning people.

V. 17. Let the power of my Lord he
great. Or, "let the might," etc., as
the original is the same word with that
which occurs in v. 13, and is there ren-
dered might. The Heb. for " Lord "
in this passage is " Adonai," on which
see Note on Gen. 15 : 2. " Let thy
power be great" is equivalent to, let
thy power be manifested to be great.
Gr. " Let thy strength be exalted." It

them, therefore he hath slain
them in the wilderness.

17 And now, I beseech thee,
let the power ^ of my Lord be
great, according as thou hast
spoken", saying,

z Mic. 3. 8. Mat. 9. 6, 8. a Kx. 34. 6, 1.

becomes, however, a question what the
greatness of the divine power has to do
with the forgiveness of the people's sin.
It is doubtless a great error to refer
such an act to omnipotence, as moral
attributes are mainly involved in it.
The true solution, we are satisfied, is,
to understand the ability and the power
spoken of in this connection as vir-
tually synonymous with willingness.
When Moses says, v. 16, " because the
Lord was not alle to bring this people
into the land which he sware unto
them," we are not, we think, to under-
stand it of what may be termed the
Lord's natural, but of his moral abili-
ty ; not, so to speak, of a physical inca-
pacity, but of an interior mental unwil-
lingness to bestow upon them a favor
of which they had shown themselves
so signally undeserving. As far as
mere omnipotence was concerned, it
required no greater exercise of that to
conduct them into Canaan than to slay
them by desolating judgments in the
wilderness. It is not then this kind of
inability which the heathen would im-
pute to the Lord, but simply the ina-
bility of a repugnant will. And it will
probably be found that in nearly, if not
quite, every instance in which the orig-
inal word is applied to the Most High,
it denotes the ability or inability which
is involved in the disposition as being
favorable or averse. So when he prays
that the Lord would " magnify his
power " in the forgiveness of the pres-
ent transgression, he means nothing
more than that he would put forth his

204

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

18 The Lord is long-suffer-
ing, and of great mercy, forgiv-
ing * iniquity and transgression,
and by no means clearing the
guilty ; visiting "■' the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth gene-
ration.

19 Pardon'^, I beseech thee,
the iniquity of this people, ac-

b Mic. 7. 18. c Ex. 20. 5. Jer. '23. 2. d Ps. 78. 38.

moral proclivity or propension impel-
ling him to pardon. Any other idea of
power in such a connection is gross and
materialistic.

V. 18. The Lord (is) long -suffering,
etc. Heb. " Long of anger." Seethe
terms employed in this verse fully ex-
plained in the Note on Ex. 34 : 6, 7.

V. 19. From Egypt even until now.
That is, from the time of leaving Egypt.
Tliis is frequently the force of the Heb.
preposition "from."

V. 20. / have pardoned according to
thy word. That is, I will not destroy
them all as one man ; I will not cut off
the whole nation as I at first threaten-
ed, but will punish only those who
have now so grossly rebelled, leaving
it to their posterity to inherit the land.
In this connection the words of the
Psalmist may properly be cited, Ps.
106 : 23, " Therefore he said that he
would destroy them, had not Moses his
chosen stood before him in the breach
to turn away his wrath, lest he should
destroy them."

V. 21. As truly as I live, etc. Heb.
"And assuredly I live, and all the
earth shall be filled," etc. A form of
oath frequently appropriated to the
Most High, as Ezek. 13 : 3. 20 : 33. 5 :
11. Accordingly it is said, Jer. 4 : 2,
" And thou shalt swear, The Lord liv-
eth," etc. So when it is said, Is. 45 :
23, " I have sworn by myself," the

cording unto the greatness of
thy mercy, and as thou hast for-
given this people from Egypt
even until now.

20 And the Lord said, I
have pardoned, according ' to
thy word :

21 But as truly as I live
alK the earth shall be filled with
the glory of the Lord.

e Ps. 106. 23. .las. 5. 16. / Ps. 12. 19 Is. 66. 18, 1&.

apostle, quoting the words, Rom. 14 :
11, says, "For it is written. As I live,
saith the Lord." The version of the
Arab, is peculiar: "Nevertheless by
my eternal duration (or existence) and
by my splendor which fills the whole
earth have I sworn." As the lifting
up of the hand was a usual accompani-
ment of taking an oath, so we find both
conjoined Deut. 32 : 40, " For I lift up
my hand to heaven, and say, I live for
ever." Hence it is said of the oath
which the Lord sware, Ps. lOG : 26,
" Therefore he lifted up his hand
against them, to overthrow them in
the wilderness." Ezek. 20 : 15, " Yet
also I lifted up my hand unto them in
the wilderness, that I would not bring
them into the land which I had given

them." T[ All fhe earth shall he filled

^vith the glory of the Lord. The im-
port of this declaration in this connec-
tion is not at once perfectly obvious.
From the rendering of the subsequent
verse, which ostensibly gives a reason
for the present declaration, it would
seem that the earth was to be filled
with the divine glory as a consequence
of the condign punishment of the men
who had not hearkened to his voice.
By others it is understood of the glory
which he would procure to himself by
means of the miraculous and illustrious
things that he would do for his people
in conducting them into the laud of

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIV.

205

22 Because all those men
which have seen my glory, and
my miracles which I did in
Egypt and in the wilderness,
have tempted me now these ten
times, and have not hearkened
to my voice ;

23 Surely ^ they shall not see

<; Deut. 1. S5, etc. Pe. 95. 11. Ezek. iO. 15. Heb.
3. 17, IS.

promise. (See Note on Ex. 16 : 7.) We
may perhaps consider both ideas as in-
cluded. The earth should be filled
with the report of the glorious and
righteous acts of the Lord in punishing
the offenders and crowning the residue
of his people with the most signal mer-
cies. The Lord receives glorj just in
proportion as the majesty and justice
of his administration are acknowledged
among men.

Y. 22. WhicJi have seen Triy glory and
my miracles. That is, probably, " have
seen my glory, even my miracles." The
Lord's glory shone forth in the miracu-
lous works which he performed.

^ These ten times. These many times ;
a definite number for an indefinite, as
in Gen. 31 : 7, " And changed my wages
ten times," i. e. frequently. Job 19 : 3,
"These ten times have ye reproached
me." Lev. 26 : 26. Although it is re-
markable that an exact enumeration
brings out the number ten as the num-
ber of instances in which they had
sinned and been forgiven.

y. 23. Surely they shall not see. Heb.
"If they shall see." A formula of
swearing equivalent to a divine oath
that they shall not see, i. e. shall not
enjoy, the land, as explained by David,
Ps. 95 : 11, •' Unto whom I sware in my
wrath, if they shall enter into my rest,"
which the apostle cites, Heb. 3 : 18,
*' To whom sware he that they should
not enter into his rest ? " " If" in such
connections has the force of a negative.

the land which I sware unto
their fathers, neither shall any
of them that provoked me see
it.

24 But my servant Caleb ^,
because he had another spirit
with him, and hath followed me
fully, him will I bring into the

h c. 32. 11,12.

As the land of Canaan was a represen-
tative of heaven, the exclusion of the
rebellious Israelites from that land was
a shadow of the exclusion of all the
unbelieving and disobedient from the
kingdom of heaven.

V. 24. But my servant Caleb, because
he had another spirit with him. Heb.
" Because there was another spirit with
him." That is, he was actuated by a
very diflFerent spirit from the rest of the
spies. His was a bold, resolute, coura-
geous spirit, while theirs was a base,
cowardly, and pusillanimous spirit.
The Arab, renders the clause, "But
my servant Caleb, inasmuch as he had
another sentiment (or opinion), by rea-
son of which he followed my obedience,"
etc. The same testimony is doubtless
to be understood as applicable to
Joshua, though not here named, for
the reason probably that he was not
classed with the mass of the people,
but was a constant attendant upon Mo-
ses. He is expressly included in the

promise, ch. 32 : 12. T[ And hath

followed m,e fnlly. Heb. "Hath ful-
filled after me." That is, hath exhib-
ited a full, constant, and complete obe-
dience in this matter ; hath neither
turned aside, halted, or come short in
following or complying with my com-
mands. The same original phrase oc-
curs Deut. 1 : 3. Josh. 14 : 8, 9, 14, on
which latter passage see Note. The
contrary is asserted of Solomon, 1 Kings
11 : 6, " And Solomon did evil in the

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

land wbereinto he went ; and his
seed shall possess it.

sight of the Lord, and went not fully
after the Lord, as did David his fa-
ther." Heb. "Fulfilled not after the
Lord." The like unfavorable testimony-
is borne of the people at large, ch. 32 :
11, " Surely none of the men that came
up out of Egypt, from twenty years old
and upward, shall see the land which I
sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob ; because they have not
wholly followed me." Heb. " They
have not fulfilled after me." We may
here remark that the Gr. exhibits " He
followed me obsequiously." Chald.
" He bath perfectly fulfilled, or accom-
plished, after my fear." Chazkuni, a
Jewish writer, renders, "He hath ac-
complished the word after me," and
compares it with 1 Kings 1 : 14, " Be-
hold, while thou yet talkest there with
the king, I also will come in after thee
and confirm thy words^ Heb. "Fill

up thy words." T[ And his seed shall

possess it. Heb. yorishendh, shall in-
herit it, as rendered both by the Gr.
and Chald. ; or, shall cause to inherit it,
1. e. shall leave it to their posterity for
an inheritance. The usage of this word
is peculiar, as by a figure called anti-
phrasis it denotes according to its rela-
tions either the act of inheriting or dis-
inheriting. In the latter sense the
word occurs above, v. 12, and in the
present passage it would bear the sense
of disinheriting and driving out the in-
habitants, and seizing upon it, as in
Josh. 8 : 7, " Then ye shall rise up from
the ambush and seize upon the city."
Heb. horashtem, including the twofold
idea of expelling the inhabitants and
taking possession for themselves, with
which coincides the language of Caleb,
Josh. 14 : 12, " If so be the Lord will
be with me, then I shall be able to
drive them out, as the Lord said."

25 (Now the Amalekites and
the Canaanites dwelt in the

Heb. horashtim., shall disinherit them.
For further illustrations of the usage in
question comp. Gen. 15 : 3. Deut. 2 :
24, 31. 1 Kings 21 : 15. Is. 14 : 2l. Deut.
2 : 21, 22. Judg. 14 : 15. Sol. Jarchi in
the present passage interprets the word
in the sense of disinheriting or driving
out : " They shall drive out the Ana-
kims and the people that are therein."
The promise which the Lord now con-
firmed with an oath to Caleb was con-
veyed to him in the Lord's name by
Moses, and therefore in Josh. 14 : 9, the
swearing itself is attributed to Moses :
"And Moses sware on that day, say-
ing. Surely the laud whereon thy feet
have trodden shall be thine inheritance,
and thy children's for ever, because
thou hast wholly followed the Lord my
God." See Note in loc.

V. 25. Now the AmaleTcites and the
Canaanites dwelt in the valley. Heb.
yosh'ib {were or are) sitting. The con-
struction is somewhat doubtful, as it is
not clear who is the speaker. If the
clause is but a continuation of the
Lord's words, as many commentators
suppose, it should be read without a
parenthesis, and in the present tense,
— " dwell in the valley." If, on the
other hand, it is interjected by Moses,
the present rendering is most correct.
For ourselves we give the preference
to the former, regarding it as equiva-
lent to saying : " Inasmuch as the Am-
alekites and Canaanites are at present
occupying a position in the valley on
the opposite side of the mountain, and
will be apt to fall upon you with an
overpowering force if you attempt to
climb and cross the mountain, there-
fore for your own safety turn to-mor-
row and advance into the wilderness
by the way of the Red Sea." It is true,
that the Canaanites are said, v. 45, to

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIV.

207

valley.) To-morrow turn you,
and get you into the wilder-

dwell in the mountain, but in either
case we consider the term "dwell" as
equivalent to " sit " in the sense of tem-
porarily occupying a position, like those
who lie in wait. Thus Josh. 8 : 9,
*' And they went to lie in ambush, and
abode (■i/eshebu) between Bethel and
Ai." On the apparent discrepancy
between vs. 25 and 45 Chazkuni re-
marks as follows : " The most of them
abode (sat) in the valley, and some of
them in the mountain, and those few
warred against them (the Israelites) ;
and therefore it is written, 'which sat
in that mountain,' to imply that there
were some of them which sat in another
place ; or, it may be, they dwelt in the
valley, and when they heard that the
sons of Israel came against them, they
went up into the mountain, and lay in
wait for them there ; and we find that
'sitting' sometimes means 'lying in
wait,' as it is written Ps. 10 : 8, ' He
sitteth in the lurking-places of the vil-
lages.' " The two peoples here men-
tioned, upon the tidings of the ap-
proach of the Israelites, had got to-
gether and posted themselves in the
valley lying on the other side of the
mountain range at the foot of which
the tribes were now encamped, and
were resolved to fall upon them at their
first advance onwards, for which pur-
pose a portion of them had no doubt
stationed themselves on the mountain
to watch the movements of the host.

^ To-morrow turn you, etc. "We

see in this a memorable token of the
Lord's goodness, inasmuch as at the
same time that he was so highly dis-
pleased with them, he was still very
unwilling that they should fall into
the hands of their enemies. They were
now encamped in Kadesh, from whence
they had sent the spies, and though it

ness by the way of the Red

Sea.

is said they should commence a retro-
grade march "to-morrow," yet it is
probable the term is to be understood
in a somewhat indefinite sense as equiv-
alent to hereafter, Tienceforward, or at
an early day, as in Ex. 13 : 14, " And it
shall be when thy son asketh thee in
time to come {mdhor, to-morrow), say-
ing, etc." It is at any rate clear that
they did not move at once according to
the letter of the command, but that they
abode many days at Kadesh after their
defeat, and before they began to com-
pass Mount Seir. T[ By the way of

the Bed Sea. That is, by the way to-
icards the Red Sea. And so generally
throughout the Scriptures, "the way
q/"" is equivalent to " the way towards.''^
The original for "get you" is "jour-
ney for yourselves." As to the precise
direction in which they were now com-
manded to travel, and the various sub-
sequent routes taken in the wilderness
during the lapse of the ensuing thirty-
eight years, we must content ourselves
with referring to the geographical in-
vestigations of Wells, Robinson, Kitto,
Stanley, and others, who have devoted
their special attention to this depart-
ment of biblical inquiry. It has not
comported with the general scope of
our studies to endeavor to unravel the
complexities of the wanderings of Is-
rael over the Arabian peninsula for
forty years, till they entered the pre-
cincts of Canaan. It is not improbable
that the labyrinthian character of the
mazes and meanders through which
they were led partook of the typical
character of their residence in Egypt
and their deliverance therefrom, and
was intended to represent the confused
and irregular course, now forward and
now backward, of the soul in the ear-
lier stages of the regenerate life. The

208

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

26 And the Lord spake unto
Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

27 How long ' shall I hear
with this evil
which murmur
I have heard *

congregation,
against me ?
the murmur-

exodus of the nation from Egypt, the
passage through the Red Sea, the de-
struction of Pharaoh and his host, and
the immediately subsequent events are
all but universally acknowledged to
shadow forth analogous phases in the
experience of the Christian, and we see
not why the representative principle
should not hold in regard to the whole of
their desert history, as well as in regard
to its preliminaries and commencement.
We accordingly incline to regard very
favorably the following remarks of Ains-
worth (in loc.) on the present peculiar
crisis in their sojournings : " In this
Red Sea the people had been baptized,
1 Cor. 10 : 1, 2. Ex. 14. Baptism was
* unto repentance,' and with confession
of sins, and into the death of Christ,
Mat. 3 : 6, 11. Rom. 6:3. So this send-
ing them back into the wilderness to-
wards the Red Sea, was to humble
them by repentance, that through faith
in Christ they might have entrance
into the kingdom of heaven ; otherwise
they should perish for ever, as their car-
cases perished in the wilderness."

The Lord renews Ms Threatening.

Vs. 26, 27. And the Lord spake unto
Moses and unto Aaron, saying, etc.
Hitherto from v. 11, the Lord appears
1o have spoken continuously in a some-
what private way to Moses alone, re-
ceiving and replying to his earnest plea
cmtained vs. 13-19. Here, we con-
c( ive, commences a new address to Mo-
ses and Aaron conjointly, and intended
to be imparted by them to the people.

ings of the children of Israel,
which they murmur against
me.

28 Say unto them. As truly
as I live, saith the Lord, as ye
have spoken in mine ears, so
will I do to you :

V. 39. T[ Sow long (shall Hear with)

this evil congregation, etc. Heb. " How
long to this evil congregation ? " That
is, how long shall I pardon, vs. 19, 20 ;
or, how long shall I bear with? An
imperfect form of speech such as men
are wont to employ under the influence
of a strongly impassioned state of
mind. Comp. Ex. 32 : 32. Ps. 6 : 4.

90 : 13. T[ WTiich murmur against

me. Heb. mallinim dlai, which cause
(the people) to rnurmur against me. So
also in the ensuing clause the idea is
that of a murmuring which is first en-
tertained by one party and thence com-
municated and propagated to others.
It implies the spreading of a disaffec-
tion like the widening of the waves on
the surface of a lake.

V. 28. {As truly as) I live, saith the
Lord. The usual formula of a divine
oath, as in v. 21. It is here that the
Lord swears in his anger that they
shall not enter into his rest. Comp.
Ps. 95 : 11. Heb. 3 : 18. Num. 32 : 10,

11. T[ As ye have spolcen in mine

ears, so will I do to you. Heb. " If
I do not so unto you as ye have spo-
ken in mine ears." The Lord is here
pleased to take them at their word ;
their wish was that " they might die
in the wilderness," v. 2. Here their
own imprecation comes upon them, as
it did upon their descendants after-
wards when they wished that Christ's
blood might be upon their own and
their children's heads. Mat. 27 : 25.
" No less may befall those desperate
profane varlets, whose rhetorical flour-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER Xiy.

209

29 Your carcases shall fall
in this wilderness ; and all that
were ^ numbered of you, accord-
ing to your whole number, from
twenty years old and upward.

ish iu their common discourse is fre-
quently interlarded with a wish that
" God would damn them ;" which is
all the mercy they desire from God.
Such self-cursing seldom escapeth God's
vengeance." — JS^ess.

V. 29. Tour carcases shall fall in this
wilderness. This is rendered in the Gr.
version by Kai\a, Jcola, which properly
signifies limhs or menibers, as of the
human body, but in several instances
it is used synecdochically for carcase,
corpse, dead body, as Lev. 26 : 30.
1 Sam. 17 : 46. Is. 66 : 24. Heb. 3 : 17.
Their language was, v. 3, "Would to
God we had died in this wilderness,"
and now their expressed desire is to be

granted them. T[ And all that ivere

numbered of you, etc. Heb. teholpeJcu-
dekem lehol misparJcem, and {or even)
all your mustered ones according to all
your number. The distinction between
" mustering " and " numbering " is here
lost sight of in our common version,
though intrinsically marked and im-
portant. In mustering, marshalling,
or arranging a host, it would be very
natural to take a census also, but the
two things are essentially distinct,
though both are involved in the present

clause. Tl From twenty years old and

upward. Amounting, as we learn ch.
1 : 46, to 603,550, exclusive of the Le-
vites who were not numbered at this
time, and when they were numbered,
they were numbered not from twenty
years old, but from a month old and
upward. Consequently neither the Le-
vites nor the children under twenty,
nor the wives of the offenders were in-

which have murmured against
me,

30 Doubtless ye shall not
come into the land concerning
which I sware to make you
dwell therein, save Caleb the

eluded in the severe sentence here de-
nounced, but only the adult men above
twenty. This accounts for the fact that
we find Eleazar, who is mentioned at
the numberiugs of the Levites, ch. 3 :
32, alive at the dividing of the land of
Canaan. It is evident, therefore, that
the language of the following passage,
ch. 26 : 63-65, is to be limited by the
explanation now given : " These are
they that were numbered by Moses and
Eleazar the priest, who numbered the
children of Israel in the plains of Moab
by Jordan near Jericho. But among
these there was not a man of them
whom Moses and Aaron the priest num-
bered, when they numbered the chil-
dren of Israel in the wilderness of Si-
nai. For the Lord had said of them,
They shall surely die in the wilderness.
And there was not left a man of them,
save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and
Joshua the son of Nun."

V. 30. Doubtless ye shall not come in-
to the land, etc. Heb. " If ye shall come
in," having, as we have before remark-
ed, the force of a negative. 1[ ( Cb?i-

cerning) %(;hich I sware. Heb. " Lifted
my hand." Chald. " Sware by my
Word." See Note on Gen. 14 : 22. So
Deut. 32 : 40, " I lift my hand to heaven,

and say, I live for ever." ^ To make

you dwell therein. Heb. leshakkan, the
root word from whence is derived " she-
kinah," respecting which see appen-
dix to the Notes on Ex. 20. The swear-
ing here alluded to was a swearing not
to these particular men, but to the pa-
triarchs in behalf of their posterity.
The oath was fulfilled to that posterity,

210

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

son of Jephunneli, and Joshua
the son of Nun.

31 But your little ones, which
ye said should be a prey, them
•will I bring in, and they shall
know the land which ye have
despised "".

though not to every individual of it.
As Grotius remarks, the land was prom-
ised by oath, " non personis, sed popu-
lo," not to persons, hut to the people.
Such a promise is not violated even in
case a large proportion of the people
are excluded.

Y. 31. But your little ones. Your
children under twenty years of age,
V. 3. The very children about whose
safety they had shown so much distrust
and manifested such irreligious solici-
tude, should be the persons that should
certainly inherit the promised land,
though a long and trying period should

first intervene. 1[ TJiey shall hnow

the land which ye have despised. That
is, shall know and enjoy the good of
the land. Gr. "Shall inherit." Com-
pare with this the statement of Moses,
Deut. 1 : 39, " Moreover, your little ones,
which ye said should be a prey, and
your children, which in that day had
no knowledge between good and evil,
they shall go in thither, and unto them
will I give it, and they shall possess it."

Y. 32. But (as for) you, your car-
cases, they shall fall, etc. Heb. " And
your carcases, you, shall fall ; " where
the latter " you " is exegetical of " car-
cases," implying the exemption of the
children — you or yourselves only.

Y. 33. Your children s^all wander
in the wilderness fo^'ty years. Heb.
"Shall be feeding." Gr. "Shall be
fed." Chald. " Shall tarry or abide."
The original term is not the appropri-
ate term for wandering, but is still re-

32 But as for you, your car-
cases, " they shall fall in this
wilderness.

33 And your children shall
wander in " the wilderness forty
years, and bear your-^ whore-

re 1 Cor. 10. 5.
p Jer. 3. 1, 2. Ezek. 23. 35.

o e. 3-!. 13.
Hos. 9. 1.

lated to it, as sheep obtain their food
by wandering from place to place over
their pasture grounds. This was espe-
cially the case with the flocks of the
Arabian shepherds, who inhabited a
region so wild, rocky, and barren, that
they could not long remain in one
place, but were obliged to strike their
tents and seek new grazing places, as
one after another would be speedily
exhausted. Chazkuni explains it : —
" As sheep feed sometimes here and
sometimes there, so your sons shall
remove hither and thithei, till their
carcases be consumed." An allusion
somewhat analogous is perhaps to be
recognized Hos. 4 : 16, " The Lord will
feed them as a lamb in a large place."
That is, dispersed, in their captivity,
among the conquering countries, among
the Assyrians and Medes, who occupied
a very large country. They would not
be satisfied with the sheepfold of Ca-
naan, and, therefore, says the Lord,
they shall have more room ; they shall
go into a large place, but it shall be a
place of captivity. They shall be as a
lamb alone in the wilderness, succor-
less, helpless, surrounded by dangers,
and with no eye near to pity, no hand
to help it. They shall be carried into
captivity, and shall there be lamenting
and mourning, and in danger from
prowling wolves, but there shall be

none to regard, none to deliver. •

T[ Forty years. That is, reckoning from
the time of their coming out of Egypt ;
of which period one year and a half had

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIV.

211

doms, until your carcases
wasted in the wilderness.

3-4 After the number of the
days in which ye searched the
land, even forty ^ days, each day

already elapsed. Deut. 2 : 14, " And
the space in which we came from
Kadesh-barnea, until we were come
over the brook Zered, was thirty and

eight years." Comp. Num. 10 : 11.

Tf And hear your whoredoms. -That is,
the punishment of your whoredoms.
Chald. " Shall take upon them your
iniquities." A well kown figurative
expression for idolatry and other gross
forms of transgression and apostasy.
Comp. Jer. 3 : 9. Ezek. 16 : 15-17. Ex.

34 : 15, 16. Lev. 17 : 7. 1[ Until your

carcases he wasted. Heb. ad torn. The
root of this verb is the word which gen-
erally denotes what is perfect, complete,
finished, consummated. It is well ren-
dered by toasted, i. e. conswmed, in the
present passage.

V. 34. After the number of the days.
Heb. lit. " In, or by, the number." Gr.
" According to the number." ^ For-
ty days, each day for a year. So Ezek.
4:6, "I have appointed thee each day
for a year," where the prophet was
symbolically to bear the iniquity of Is-
rael as many days as they had sinned
years. In this usage we find authority
for interpreting " days " in prophecy as
denoting " years." See Dan. 9 : 24, etc.

Rev. 11 : 3. T[ Te shall Jcnow my

hreach of promise. Heb. tenu-dthi, my
h'eacJi. As the original term occurs
only here and in Job 33 : 10, where it is
rendered, " Behold, he findeth occasions
against me," it is difficult to fix with
precision the genuine meaning of the
clause. "We are left, therefore, to a
choice among a great diversity of ren-
derings. For instance, Gr. "Ye shall
know the indignation of mine anger."

for a year, shall ye bear your
iniquities, even forty years ; and
ye shall know my breach •■ of
promise :

r Jer. 18. 9, 10. Lam. 3.

Chald. "Ye shall know that ye have
murmured against me." Vulg. "Ye
shall know my revenge." In the vari-
ous English versions we have the fol-
lowing:—Cbz;., "That ye may know
what it is, when I withdraw my hand."
Mat., " Ye shall feel my vengeance."
Cran., " Ye shall know my displeas-
ure." Purv., "Ye shall know a rup-
ture with me." Ainsworth renders it
as in our version, but italicizes and
parenthesizes the words " of prom-
ise : " — " Ye shall know my breach (of
promise)." As there is nothing to an-
swer to these words in the original, it
is not easy to perceive the grounds on
which our translators have inserted
them without the usual indications con-
veyed by italic letters. They doubtless
supposed that the "breach" implied a
" breach of promise," but this cannot
be shown to be the legitimate purport
of the term, although if it were, the ex-
pression is still susceptible of a sense
consistent with the general tenor of
Scripture, and one that leaves the Di-
vine perfections unimpeached. The
divine promise or covenant relative to
the possession of the land of Canaan
was conditioned upon the obedience of
the people to the laws, statutes, and
ordinances which the Lord appointed
them. If they failed in their engage-
ments, the Lord was released from his,
and nothing more than this is meant
by his "breach of promise." The
Most High is never the first to fail in
the performance of what he has en-
gaged to do for his creature, but he
may justly forsake those that forsake
him. This is the only possible " breach

212

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

35 I * the Lord have said, I
will surely do it unto all this evil
' congregation, that are gather-
ed together against me ; in this
wilderness they shall be con-
sumed, and there they shall
die.

36 And the men " which Mo-
ses sent to search the land, who

s c. 23. 19. t ver. 27. u c. 13. 31, 32.

of promise" that can be laid to the
Lord's charge, and even this is the lan-
guage rather of apparent than of real
truth. The root verb to which the
original noun is referred occurs in the
following connections : — Num. 32 : 7,
*' Wherefore discourage ye (marg. hreah)
the heart of the children of Israel from
going over into the land," etc. Ch. 30 :
5, " But if her father disallow her in the
day that he heareth," etc. ; i. e. if he
disannul her promise.

V. 35. / the Lord have said. Chald.
" I the Lord have decreed by my Word."-

1[ / will surely do it. Heb. " If I

do not this ;" which has the force of an
affirmative, as the Gr, renders it, "I
will surely do." That is, I will surely
do or execute what I have threatened.

T[ That are gathered together against

me. That is, gathered in a mutinous
and seditious manner. The gather-
ing was ostensibly against Moses and
Aaron, but in reality against Jehovah
himself who had commissioned his ser-
vants to lead and govern the people in

his name. TI In this wilderness shall

tliey he consumed. This sentence or de-
cree is so frequently repeated that they
might know that it was peremptory and
irreversible. "So we see that they
could not enter in because of unbelief,"
" Let us labor, therefore, to enter that
rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief." Heb. 3 : 19.
4:11.

returned and made all the con-
gregation to murmur against
him, by bringing up a slander
upon the land,

37 Even those men, that did
bring up the evil report upon
the land, died " by the plague
before the Lord.

38 But Joshua the son of

V 1 Cor. 10. 10. Heb. 3. 17. Jude 5.

V. 37. Died hy the plague lefore the
Lord. Heb. hammaggephdh, hj the
strohe; that is, by some signal and
fearful stroke of divine judgment, but
not probably by any disease technically
termed "the plague." This is more
particularly intended by the word de-
var, pestilence, which occurs, v. 12,
above. The present term is not one that
denotes a disease of any kind, but an
extraordinary judgment. The origi-
nal word is translated slaughter 1 Sam.
4 : 17, and strohe Ezek. 24 : 16. Its
usage 2 Chron. 21 : 14, shows that the
idea couched under it is general and
not specific : " Behold, with a great
plague will the Lord smite thy people ;"
that is, with some fearful judgment.
So in the present case, it is stated that
the ten unfaithful emissaries perished
by some special visitation or stroke of
the divine displeasure. Having fo-
mented and ripened the mutiny, they
became the first sacrifice to the aveng-
ing justice of heaven. T[ Before the

Lord. That is, before the Tabernacle,
where the glory of the Lord appeared.
So it is said of Uzzah, 1 Chron. 13 : 14,
that "he died there lefore the Lord,*
whereas in the parallel narrative 2 Sam.
6.: 7, it is said that "he died there be-
fore the arh of God."

V. 38. But Joshua ths son of JVun, etc.
The literal rendering of this verse is
decidedly preferable : " But Joshua the
son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Je-

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER Xiy.

213

Nun, and Caleb the son of Je-
phunneh, which ivere of the men
that went to search the land,
lived " still.

39 And Moses told these say-
ings unto all the children of Is-

w c. 26. 65. Josh. 14. 6, 10.

phunneh, lived of those men that went
to search the land." These faithful mes-
sengers, notwithstanding their former
association with those who now perish-
ed, lived, i. e. remained alive safe and
in health. And they survived not only
the other spies, but all the rebellious
Israelites, and went in and took posses-
sion of the promised inheritance, Josh.
U:10. 19:49.

V. 39. And Moses told these sayings
unto all tTie cMldren of Israel. That
is, made known to the multitude the
calamity that had happened and the
reasons of it ; communicating to all
quarters of the camp the sentence which
had now gone forth from the Lord's lips,
and which had probably as yet been
but partially circulated among the im-
mense host consisting of two or three

millions of people. *l And the people

mourned greatly. Syr. " And the peo-
ple sat down in excessive grief" Be-
ing overwhelmed with anguish in view
of the doom which they had so foolish-
ly brought upon themselves, and which
they were assured was irreversible.
Knowing this to be the fact, they did
not sue to Moses to pray for them, as
they had done on other occasions, ch.
11 : 2. They had now abundant and
just cause for weeping, whereas be-
fore, V. 1, their weeping was causeless.

V. 40. And they rose up early in the
morning, and gat them up, etc. Heb.
" Went up ;" i. e. set about it, made
all their preparations for it, and actu-
ally proceeded a considerable distance
towards the summit. Men are often

rael : and the people mourned "^
greatly.

40 And they rose up early
in the morning, and gat them up
into the top of the mountain,
saying, Lo, we he here., and will

X Ex. 33. 4. Is. -26. 16.

said in Scripture to do what they in-
tend and endeavor to do. See this il-
lustrated in the Note on Gen. 37 : 21.
Struck with a temporary panic, a tran-
sient fit of slavish fear, as the sequel
clearly proves, the people now were as
forward to advance as they had been
backward before, and though dissuaded
by Moses from their rash attempt, they
obstinately ventured forth ; with what

results we are soon informed. ^ Lo,

toe {be here). Heb. hijinenu, behold!

we, or, behold %ts ! T[ And will go

up unto the place which the Lord hath
promised : for we have sinned. That
is, we are now prepared to do what the
Lord commanded, and trust that he
will make his promise good. We ac-
knowledge that we have sinned in not
at once complying with the divine man-
dates, and in murmuring and rebelling
as we have done, but as we confess our
guilt and folly now, and are disposed
to make up for our past delinquencies
by an exemplary obedience henceforth,
we look for the divine favor. But alas,
they were obedient and valiant too late !
Having sinned against the clearest light
and the most emphatic warnings, their
transgressions could not be retrieved
by the forced repentance and reforma-
tion which they now evinced. "The
decree was gone forth, the consump-
tion determined ; they did not seek the
Lord while he might be found, and now
he would not be found. Oh, if men
would but be as earnest for heaven
while their day of grace lasts, as they
will be when it is over ; would be as

214

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1490.

go up unto the place which the
Lord hath promised : for we
have sinned.

41 And Moses said, Where-
fore now do ye transgress the
commandment ^ of the Lord ?
but it shall not prosper.

solicitous to provide themselves oil
while the bridegroom tarries as they
will be when the bridegroom comes,
how well would it be for them ! " —
Henry.

Y. 41. And Moses said. By compar-
ing this with the parallel narrative,
Deut. 1 : 41-43, it will be seen that Mo-
ses acted under special instructions in
saying what he did on this occasion :
" But as for you, turn you, and take
your journey into the wilderness, by
the way of the Red Sea. Then ye an-
swered and said unto me, We have
sinned against the Lord, we will go up
and fight, according to all that the
Lord our God commanded us. And
when ye had girded on every man his
weapons of war, ye were ready to go
up into the hill. And the Lord said
unto me, Say unto them. Go not up,
neither fight ; for I am not among you ;
lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
So I spake unto you ; and ye would
not hear, but rebelled against the com-
mandment of the Lord, and went pre-
sumptuously up into the hill."

T[ Wherefore do ye now transgress the
commandment of the Lord ? Heb.
" Wherefore (is) this (that) ye are now
transgressing the mouth of the Lord ? "
Gr. " Why do ^e transgress the word
of the Lord ? " Chald. " Why do ye
transgress the decree of the word of
the Lord ? " The commandment which
they were here transgressing was that,
v. 25, requiring them to turn back to
the Red Sea and not think of enter-

42 Go not up, for the Lord is
not among you ; that ye be not
smitten before your enemies.

43 For the Amalekites and
the Canaanites are there before
you, and ye shall fall by the
sword ; because ' ye are turned

ing Canaan at present. The use of
"mouth" for "commandment" is very

frequent. T[ But it shall rwt prosper.

That is, the step on which you are now
intent ; the project of ascending the
mountain and assaulting your enemies.
Gr. " It shall not be auspicious to you."
Syr. " Ye shall not carry out the thing
proposed to its termination." We can
never presume upon the Lord's bless-
ing in accomplishing that which is en-
gaged in contrary to his will.

Y. 42. For the Lord is not among you.
Heb. "The Lord is not in your midst."
Chald. " The Shekinah of the Lord is
not among you." The cloudy pillar re-
moved not, but remained stationary,
which should have served to them as
an indication that the divine presence
was not with them, and that the at-
tempt was presumptuous. *|[ That

ye he not smitten before your enemies.
Chald. "Lest ye be broken (routed)
before your enemies." Gr. "And ye
shall fall before the face of your ene-
mies." As if he should say, " The Ca-
naanites are before you to attack you,
and the Lord is not among you to pro-
tect you and fight for you, and there-
fore look to yourselves that * ye be not
smitten before your enemies.' Those
that are out of the way of their duty
are from under God's protection, and
go at their peril. It is dangerous go-
ing where we cannot expect God should
go along with us." — Henry.

Y. 43. Tlie Amalekites and the Ca-
naanites {are) there hefare you. That is,

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XIV.

215

away from the Lord, therefore
the Lord will not be with
you.

44 But they presumed to
go up unto the hill-top : never-
theless the ark " of the cove-
nant of the Lord, and Mo-

have got the start of you, have pre-
occupied the post which you would
seize ; implying that their folly in ex-
pecting to dispossess a strong and war-
like people who had got into their hands
all the strongholds, was equal to their
presumption in going counter to the
express command of heaven. T[ Be-
cause ye are turned away from the Lord.
Heb. "Because ye are turned from after
the Lord." Chald. "Because ye are
turned from after the service of the
Lord." Gr, " Because ye have turned
away unbelievingly or disobediently

from the Lord." H Therefore the

Lord will not he with you. Chald.
" The Word of the Lord will not be for
your help."

Y. M. But they presiimed to go up.
Heb. t'a-yaphilu, from the root aphal,
which occurs only here and Hab. 2 : 4,
where it is rendered " lifted up " — " Be-
hold, his soul which is lifted up is
not upright in him." The derivative
"Ophel" as a proper name (2 Chron.
33 : 14) denotes a mount, eminence, or
rising gro^ind, applied to a locality near
Jerusalem, and as a common noun used
to signify the kind of swellings termed
emerods {hcemorrhoids) or piles. Hence
as a verb it implies to be elevated or
elated mentally ; to ie proud, arrogant,
presumptuous, etc., and hence render-
ed by Ainsworth "loftily presumed."
Chald. " They dealt wickedly or turbu-
lently." The leading idea is that of
an audacious adventuring upon what is
forbidden. The Jewish writers, how-

ses, departed not out of the
camp.

45 Then the Amalekites came
down, and the Canaanites which
dwelt in that hill, and smote
them, and discomfited them,
even unto Hormah *.

h c. 21.3. Jm\g. 1. n.

ever, represent the verb as involving
the idea of darkness or obscurity, one of
them rendering it, " They went dark,
or obscure, inasmuch as they went
without leave from God," and another,
" They set forward in the dark before
day-dawning." Hence probably the
origin of the Vulg. rendering, "Illi
contenebrati ascenderunt," they being
blinded went up. The former is doubt-
less the correct interpretation, as the
other appears to have arisen from con-
founding the present root Js^? iiphal,
with ^5>j aphal, to be darh or obscure.
1[ Nevertheless the ark of the cove-
nant of the Lord, and Moses, departed not
out of the camp. The ark moved only
with the removal of the cloud, and Mo-
ses moved only with the ark ; so that
those who did advance did it on their
own responsibility, and in direct oppo-
sition to the tokens of the divine will.
Y. 45. Then the Amalekites came
down, and the Canaanites. Under the
denomination of Canaanites are in-
cluded also the Amorites, as we learn
from Deut. 1 : 44, " And the Amorites,
which dwelt in that mountain, came out
against you and chased you, as bees
do, and destroyed you in Seir, even

unto Hormah." T[ WliicJi dwelt in

that hill. Heb. " Which sat in, or on,
that mountain." Implying not so much
a permanent abode as a temporary oc-
cupation for an ambuscade, as we have

already remarked, v. 25. T[ And

smote them, and discomfited them. The
latter term is peculiarly expressive, as

216

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1490.

CHAPTER XV.

ND the Lord spake unto

Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of

it occurs in the following passage, Is.
30 : 14, " And he shall break it as the
breaking of the potter's vessel, which
is broken in pieces." Deut. 9 : 21,
*' And I took your sin, the calf which
ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and
stamped it, and ground it very small,
even until it was as small as dust." It
implies, therefore, a complete routing
and breaking to pieces.- — T[ {Even)
unto Hormah. That is, unto the place
which was afterwards called "Hor-
mah," or destruction, in memory of
the signal slaughter which befell them
there.

CHAPTER XV.

Particular Laws relative to Offerings
and Sacrifices.

In the preceding chapter we learn
that in consequence of the grievous
provocation given to the Most High, he
had determined to destroy them, and
in token thereof had sentenced the
offenders to perish in the wilderness,
making, at the same time, a merciful
reservation in behalf of their children.
Accordingly, with a more special refer-
ence to that part of the congregation
who were to inherit the land, he here
repeats and explains some of the laws
concerning offerings, which were to be
observed after they had actually become
settled in Canaan. This implied that
notwithstanding past misdemeanors
and proueness to rebel, the Lord was
still disposed to be reconciled to them,
and therefore gives them a virtual as-
surance that those who did not fall in
the wilderness should be eventually

Israel, and say unto them. When
ye be come into the land of your
habitations, which I give unto
you,

planted in Canaan, and that he would
there smell the sweet savor of their
sacrifices, and make good to them all
his promises.

V. 1. And tlie Lord spahe unto Moses,
etc. The time and the place to which
these directions to Moses are to be re-
ferred are not clearly intimated in the
narrative, but most commentators sup-
pose that they were given during the
stay of Israel at Kadesh, where we learn
that they abode " for many days " after
the events recorded in the preceding
chapter.

V. 2. Whe)i ye he come into tTie land
of your halltations. The tenor of this
command would make it certain that
they for whom it was intended should
be brought into the land promised
them, and that a system of worship
should be there established. The lan-
guage employed has led several of the
early expositors, together with Calmet,
to doubt whether the rites and cere-
monies prescribed here and in the pre-
ceding books were actually observed
prior to their settlement in the land of
promise. It is conceived by them that
as the circumstances of the people dur-
ing their wanderings would make it
extremely difficult to comply with these
regulations, therefore the laws them-
selves were designed to be prospective
in their operation, and only fully obey-
ed in a more fixed and permanent state
of things. "It would appear," says
Michaelis, "that the directions here
given were not yet obligatory in the
wilderness, inasmuch as the Israelites
must have been deficient in flour and
wine. They had herds and thus could
ofier cattle ; but they had neither agri-
culture, nor olive-yards, nor vineyards ;

B. 0. 1490.J

CHAPTER XV.

217

3 And " will make an offering
by fire unto the Lord, a burnt-

offering, or a sacrifice in per-
forming a vow *, or in a free-

consequently it would have been hard
for -an Israelite who offered a lamb or
a goat to have afforded the requisite I
addition of flour, oil, and wine." On ,
this head it is scarcely possible to give j
a definite decision, though we think it |
implied in many places of the Peuta- j
teuch that the prinei^Ml sacrifices and |
offerings were daily observed. But j
whether this holds in regard to all the |
details of the system, there is no doubt
room for question. The parallel be-
tween this portion of the history and
the following passage from the prophet
Ezekiel, ch. 20 : 33^4, is worthy of no-
tice : " As I live, saith the Lord God,
surely with a mighty hand, and with
a stretched-out arm, and with fury
poured out, will I rule over you : and
I will bring you out from the people, !
and will gather you out of the coun-
tries wherein ye are scattered, with a
mighty hand, and with a stretched-out \
arm, and with fury poured out. And j
I will bring you into the wilderness of
the people, and there will I plead with i
you face to face. Like as I pleaded \
with your fathers in the wilderness of
the land of Egypt, so Avill I plead with
you, saith the Lord God, And } will
cause you to pass under the rod, and I
will bring you into the bond of the cov-
enant. And I will purge out from
among you the rebels, and them that
transgress against me : I will bring ;
them forth out of the country where [
they sojourn, and they shall not enter
into the land of Israel : and ye shall
know that I am the Lord. As for you, i
O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord
God ; Go ye, serve ye every one his
idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not
hearken unto me : but pollute ye my
holy name no more with your gifts,
10

and with your idols. For in mine holy
mountain, in the mountain of the height
of Israel, saith the Lord God, there
shall all the house of Israel, all of them
in the land, serve me : there will I ac-
cept them, and there will I require
your offerings, and the first fruits of
your oblations, with all your holy
things, I will accept you with your
sweet savor, when I bring you out from
the people, and gather you out of the
countries wherein ye have been scat-
tered ; and I will be sanctified in you
before the heathen. And ye shall know
that I am the Lord, when I shall bring
you into the land of Israel, into the
country for the which I lifted up mine
hand to give it to your fathers. And
there shall ye remember your ways,
and all your doings, wherein ye have
been defiled ; and ye shall loathe your-
selves in your own sight for all your
j evils that ye have committed. And ye
j shall know that I am the Lord, when I
have wrought with you for my name's
I sake, not according to your wicked
: ways, nor according to your corrupt
doings, 0 ye house of Israel, saith the
' Lord God."

V. 3. Will make an offering hy fire
unto the Loi'd. Heb. " "Will make a
fire unto the Lord." The word " offer-
ing" is not expressed in the original,
but is evidently understood. Chald.
"An oblation before the Lord." This
comprehends all the sacrifices which
were burnt upon the altar, either in

whole or in part. 1[ A hurnt-offer-

ing. Of the import of the term, and of
the general law of the burnt-offering,
see the Note on Lev. 1:1. It was the
principal and most ancient of all the
offerings, consisting of an animal which
was wholly burnt upon the altar every

218

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

will-offering, or in your solemn
feasts", to make a sweet savour'^
unto the Lord, of the herd, or
of the flock ;

Lev. 23. 8, 12.

morning and evening. If Or a sac-
rifice. Understand a sacrifice of peace-
ofering, as the Chald. explains it. See
the law concerning these, Lev. 3. The
original zebacTi, sacrifice, when occur-
ring in absolute form is often put for
peace-offerings, as Ex. 18 : 12, on which
see Note. Consult also Lev. 17 : 5, 8.
23 : 37. Deut. 12 : 27. Such is the im-
port here, for the meat and drink-offer-
ings about to be specified were not add-
ed to the sin or trespass-offerings, ex-
cept in the case of the cleansing of

the leper. T[ In performing a vow.

Heb. " In separating a vow." See this
phraseology more fully explained in
Note on Lev. 27 : 2. The true idea is
that oi paying , performing , fulfilling a
vow, but as the particular animal of the
herd or flock which was vowed for a
sacrifice was to be singled out and set
apart from common use, therefore the
term to separate, which originally ap-
plied to the object became gradually
applied to the vow itself. Gr. " A sac-
rifice to magnify a vow." T[ Or in a

free-will offering. That is, an offering
not required by any law, but which a
person might be prompted spontane-
ously to present as the expression of a

grateful heart. *|[ Or in your solemn

feasts. Of these see a full account Lev.
23, with the accompanying Notes. So
the peace-offerings of the passover
mentioned Deut. 16 : 1, 2, etc. And the
burnt-offerings were to have meat and

drink-offerings with them. T[ To

make a sweet savor unto the Lord.
Heb. "To make a savor of rest to the
Lord." Gr. " To make a smell of fra-
grance to the Lord." Chald, " That it

4 Then shall he that offereth
his offering unto the Lord bring
a meat-offering * of a tenth-deal

Ex. 29. 40. Lev. :

may be accepted with favor before the
Lord." See Note on Gen. 8 : 21.

Y. 4. Then shall he that offereth his
offering, etc. That is, of any of the
above-mentioned species. The meat-
offerings (i. e. meal-offerings) were of
two kinds, some being offered alone,
respecting which the law is given Lev.
2 : 1, 2, etc., and others being added as
a constant accompaniment to the burnt-
offerings and peace-offerings, in respect
to which the present directions are
given. The intent of this law is, to
prescribe what proportion the meat-
offering and the drink-offering should
bear to the several sacrifices to which
they were annexed. The general rule
that regulated the whole subject was
this : That all sacrifices of beasts burnt
upon the altar, whether by way of vow,
or voluntary gift, being of the nature
of a spiritual feast, were each of tlietn
to have a meat-offering as an append-
age, consisting of flour, oil, and wine,
in the following proportions, viz. to
every lamb or kid a tenth-deal or omer
of flour (about five pints), a quart of
oil, and a quart of wine ; to every ram,
double the quantity of flour, the third
of a gallon of wine, and as much of oil ;
to a bullock the largest sacrifice, three
omers of flour, half a gallon of oil, and
as much of wine ; and so on, the same
quantities being prescribed for each,
whatever the number of the beasts of-
fered at the altar. But the particulars
will be more minutely considered as

we proceed. T[ Of a tenth-deal of

flour. That is, the tenth part of an
ephah, as expressly stated ch. 28 : 5,
which was an omer ; Ex. 16 : 36. The

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER Xy.

219

of flour mingled with tBe fourth
part of an bin of oiK.

5 And the fourth part of an
hin of wine for a drink-offering
shalt thou prepare, with the
burnt-offering or sacrifice, for
one lamb.

6 Or for a ram, thou shalt
prepare for a meat-offering two
tenth deals of flour mingled with
the third part of an hin of oil.

7 And for a drink-offering
thou shalt offer the third part
of an hin of wine, for a sweet
savour unto the Lord.

8 And when thou preparest
a bullock for a burnt-ofiering,
or for a sacrifice in performinor
a vow, or ^ peace-offerings unto
the Lord ;

9 Then shall he bring ^ with
a bullock a meat-offering of
three tenth deals of flour min-
gled with half an hin of oil.

' £.ev. 14. 10.
h e. 2S. 1-.', etc.

g Lev. 7. 11.

Hebrew writers here remark, that
"whosoever would vohmtaiily oflFer a
meat-offering, might not bring less than

a tenth-deal." ^ Fourth {part) of an,

hin of oil. A hin was a liquid measure
of the sanctuary containing one gallon
and two pints ; a fourth part of this of
course was one quart and half a pint.

V. 5. Wine for a drink-ojfering. Heb.
Icnnesek, for an effusion, for apoured-
out offering or libation, because it M-as
poured out on the altar, but not on the
fire. The priest had none of it.

V. 12. According to the number.
That is, that proportionable to the
number of bullocks, rams, sheep, or
goats, should be the quantity of the
meat-offering and drink-off'ering ; for
bread and wine ought to bear a due
proportion to the meat set on the table.

10 And thou shalt bring for
a drink-offering half an hin of
wine, for an offering made by
fire, of a sweet savour unto the
Lord.

11 Thus 'shall it be done for
one bullock, or for one ram, or
for a lamb, or a kid.

12 According to the number
that ye shall prepare, so shall
ye do to every one according to
their number.

13 All that are born of the
country shall do these things
after this manner, in offering an
offering made by fire, of a sweet
savour unto the Lord.

14 And if a stranger sojourn
with you, or whosoever he among
you in your generations, and will
offer an offering made by fire, of
a sweet savour unto the Lord ;
as ye do, so he shall do.

15 One '' ordinance shall he

i c. 28. k ver. 29. Ex. 12. 49. c. 9. 14.

V. 13. All that are born of the coun-
try. Heb. "Every native-born (Israel-
ite)." This is clearly prospective, as
the native-born of the country refers to
those who should be born in Canaan
and not in the wilderness.

V. 14. If a dranger sojourn with you.
Gr. " If there be a proselyte among you
in your land ;" that is, the Gentile con-
verted in whole or in part to the reli-
gion of Israel. ^ Or whosoever be

among you. That is, a foreigner that
shall be permanently settled among
you in contradistinction to the tempo-
rary sojourner, who may still be a pros-
elyte. •[ In your generations. That

is, throughout your generations ; in all
succeeding ages. Ho also in v. 15.

y. 15. One ordinance {shall be both)
for you of tho congregation. The word-

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490,

hoth for you of the congrega- [
tiou, and also for the stranger
that sojourneth wiih you^ an
ordinance for ever in your gene-
rations : as ye are^ so shall the
stranger be before the Lord.

16 One law and one manner
shall be for you, and for the stran-
ger that sojourneth with you.

ing of the original is peculiar, and may-
be rendered, " 0 congregation, one or-
dinance, or statute, shall be for you,
etc." Or, as the main word stands as
a nominative absolute, it may be ren-
dered, "As to the congregation, one
ordinance shall be for you," etc. For
a fuller account of the laws pertaining
to proselytes among the chosen people,
see the various treatises of Jewish an-
tiquities. The drift of this law would
naturally tend to the encouragement of
proselytes of other nations to come in
and embrace the religion of the true
God. It was hereby ordained that all
such persons should have the same re-
ligious privileges, so far as the ceremo-
nies, sacrifices, and services were con-
cerned, as were accorded to the native-
born Israelites ; and this privilege they
were to enjov from age to age as long
as that dispensation lasted.

The Law of the Offering of the first of
the Dough for a Heave-offering.

V. 18. When ye come into the land,
etc. Heb. " In your coming, or enter-
ing in." A new ordinance is here im-
posed by divine authority, viz. that the
people, when they had entered the
land, should offer to the Lord a cake
maf^Je of the first of their dough — a law
of which no mention is made by Moses
in any other place than this. It is in
fact a direction respecting a new per-
quisite to the priests. It bad before

17 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

18 Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them.
When ^ ye come into the land
whither I bring you,

19 Then it shall be, that,
when ye eat of the bread of the

been commanded (Lev. 23 : 17) that at
every Pentecost two loaves should be
brought to them by each householder,
from the first-fruits of the wheat har-
vest. That provision is now so ex-
tended as to give them a similar claim
to a loaf made from the first gatherings
of all kinds of grain, its size, as far as
we know, being left to the giver's dis-
cretion. This law, like the last, and
like the similar one of older date, was
first to go into effect after the establish-
ment in Canaan. It is evidently a law
of the same nature with that respecting
the first harvest-fruits, namely, that as
every corn-grower in the land of Ca-
naan was required to present some
part of his first ripe corn every year
to God for the use of the priests, so it
is now ordained, as a kind of supple-
ment to the same law, that out of the
first bread that any man made of his
new corn, a part of the dough should
be taken and presented to the priest in
waiting, ready baked, and before he
had baked any for his own use. This
the priest was to present as an offering
to the Lord by ivaving it up towards
heaven, after the manner of a heave or
tvave-off^ering, and then was to have it
as a portion for himself

V. v.). When ye eat of the hread of the
laud. That is, of the bread-corn, the
produce of the land, as in Is. 28 : 28,
"Bread is bruised," i. e. bread-corn,
as rendered in the common version.
So also Ps. 104 : 14, " That he may

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XV.

221

land "", ye shall offer up an

Leave-offering unto the Lord.

20 Ye shall offer up a cake

of the " first of your dough for

m Josh. 5. 11, 12.

bring forth food out of the earth."

Heb. "Bread." T[ Ye shall offer tip

an Tieave-offering unto the Lord. Heb.
"Ye shall heave an heave (offering)
unto the Lord." Gr. and Chald. " Shall
separate ;" it being separated by the
owner, and offered to the Lord, and
thus made to form one of the " heave-
offerings " which the Lord gave to his
priests. It was therefore holy. The
Jewish writers allude thus to this
enactment : " "Whosoever separated a
cake he first blessed God who sancti-
fied them by his commandments, and
commanded them to separate a cake."
• — Maimonides. " An heathen that sep-
arated a cake, though in the land of

Israel, it was no cake." — Idem.-

1[ Fnto the Lord. Chald. "Before the
Lord." That is, in his presence, under
his auspices, they were first heaved or
lifted up to the Lord, the creator of
heaven and earth, in token of his su-
premacy, and in acknowledgment of his
goodness, and then made over to the
priests without being laid upon the al-
tar, like the other sacrifices. Indeed,
it was not necessary that this offering
should be made, in after times, at the
Temple at Jerusalem, but wherever the
offerer resided; and as the priestly
class was dispersed all over the land,
there was no difiiculty in finding those
to whom it was to be dispensed. Comp.
Ezek. 44 : 30, "Ye shall also give unto
the priest the first of your dough."
Comp. also Neh. 10 : 37. This explains
V. 21, below.

V. 20. Ye shall offer vp a cahe of the
first of your dough. This is on the
general principle involved in the pre-
cept, Prov. 3:9," Honor the Lord with

an heave-offering

as ye do the
heave-offering " of the threshing-
floor, so shall ye heave it.

21 Of the first of your dough

0 Lev. 23. 10.

thy substance, and with the first-fruits
of all thine increase ;" the effect of
which would be to sanctify all the rest ;
" For if the first-fruit be holy, the lump
(dough) is also holy," Rom. 11 : 6. See
this subject still further considered in
the Notes on Lev. 23 : 16, 17. As a re-
ward for thus consecrating the first of
every thing to the Lord it is said, Prov.
3 : 10, " So shall thy barns be filled with
plenty, and thy presses shall burst out
with new wine." The custom of the
Israelites was to bestow of their corn,
first-fruits, tithes, and other gifts to the
priests, Levites, and poor, upon their
first reaping and threshing the harvest.
See Ex. 13 : 19. Lev. 13 : 22. Num. 18 :
12, 26. Afterwards when they made
their bread they separated this cake;
and as the Levites separated a heave-
offering out of their tithe. Num. 18 : 20,
so the poor that gleaned the fields sep-
arated of their dough for a like purpose.

T[ As ye do the heave-offering of the

threshing-floor. That is, of the corn in
the threshing-floor. So Deut. 16 : 13,
" Thou shalt observe the feast of taber-
nacles seven days, after that thou hast
gathered in thy corn and thy wine."
Heb. " After thou hast gathered in thy
floor and thy 'vineyard." As it was
their duty religiously to separate the
first-fruits of their corn on the thresh-
ing-floor, so also of the dough in their
houses.

V. 21. Of fJie first of your dough ye
shall give, etc. As this was a new law
not given before, so it is repeated sev-
eral times to give it more emphasis and
importance in the eyes of the people ;
and that its sanctity was highly appre-
ciated is evident from the fact that it

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1490.

ye shall give unto tlie Lord an
heave-offering in your genera-
tions.

was observed by the Israelites after
their return from Babylon, Neb. 10 : 37,
'* And that we should bring the first-
fruits of our dough and our offerings,"
etc. "This seems to have been done
in every private family; and the Jews
consider a woman as infamous who
neglects to do it. At this day the Jews
are so observant of this rite, that when
they have dough enough to make a
cake, they do it as soon as they have
water enough to do it. According to
the construction and practice of the
modern Jews, this cake was given to
the priests, though some thi'ow it into
the fire. It is understood by them to
mean that the first portion of every
lump of dough exceeding the bulk of
forty eggs was to be given to the priests
or Levites in order to sanctify the rest."
— Priestley. That somewhat of a mysti-
cal import was couched in the ordinance
is obvious from Paul's allusion, Rom.
11 : 16, where he applies the first-fruits
and the lump of dough to Israel, and
it is confirmed by the language of the
prophet, Jer. 2 : 2, 3, " Thus saith the
Lord; I remember thee, the kindness
of thy youth, the love of thine espou-
sals, when thou wentest after me in the
wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and
the first-fruits of his increase : all that
devour him shall ofiend." The phrase,
" All that devour (Heb. eat) him," seems
to refer to the rule that no one was to
eat of the first-fruit of the harvest but
the priest. This mystical sense is also
recognized by the Jewish commenta-
tors : " The commandment of the cake
signified in m3^stery the congregation
of Israel, called the first-fruits of the
world ; which when it is put into the
oven that burneth with the fire of the

22 And if ye have erred ^,
and not observed all these com-

j> L«v. 4. 2, etc,

holy blessed God, it is necessary to
separate therefrom a cake, that it be
not partaker of severe judgment ; and
therefore is a blessing reserved in the
world." — Bab. Menahem. But we are
taught to go beyond the Jewish nation
to find the reality of the emblematic
cake : " Of his own will begat he us
with the word of truth, that we should
he a hind of first fruits of his creatures,^
Jas. 1 : 18.

Sacrifices for Sins of Ignorance.
V. 22. And if ye have erred. That
is, done unadvisedly through ignorance,
error, or oversight, to which is opposed
the " doing presumptuously," or "sin-
ning with a high hand," mentioned v.
30. A law had been previously given
respecting sins of ignorance, Lev. 4,
and it is an obvious question, in what
respects that law differed from the pres-
ent. We may observe in reply, (1.) that
the law in Leviticus seems rather to
contemplate sins of commission, and
this sins of omission. (2.) The present
law appears to have reference to such
sins of ignorance as might be commit-
ted by the whole congregation, while
the other is applicable to the sins of
individuals. This view seems to be
confirmed by the fact, that in the verse
before us the collective " ye " is em-
ployed, while in the subsequent verse,
27, where the case of an individual is
recognized, the term used is " any soul,"
as it is also in Lev. 4 : 2. The ceremo-
nial observances enjoined upon the na-
tion were so nvraierous, complicated,
and various, that it might easily be
supposed some of them would by de-
grees be forgotten and disused ; conse-
j quently if, in process of time, upon
I consulting the law, there should appear

B. C. 1490.]

CHAPTER XV.

223

mandments, which the Lord
hath spoken unto Moses,

23 Even all that the Lord
hath commanded you by the
hand of Moses, from the day
that the Lord commanded Mo-

to have been a general neglect of any
of the divine appointments, a sacrifice
must be offered for the whole congre-
gation. We may suggest, moreover,
that the law contemplated perhaps the
extension of the meaning of " sins of
ignorance " on the part of the congre-
gation, making them cover the case of
the commission of any offence within
its borders, when the criminal had
escaped detection. When such an of-
fence occurred, one which might be
considered to involve the responsibility
of the nation at large, its sense of the
fault was to be manifested in a manner
somewhat different from what had been
before prescribed, and one more costly
and imposing. Instead of a bullock
only for a sin-offering, which had been
previously ordained, a sin-offering of a
kid is now to be substituted, accompa-
nied with the holocaust of a bullock,
with the addition of its appropriate
meal and drink offerings, as these had
been lately prescribed. This was a
striking feature of the present enact-
ment, that it tended to make the whole
community feel itself charged with the
responsibility of the conduct of each of
its members. It became liable to a cer-
tain form of penalty for the transgres-
sion, by certain individuals, of the di-
vinely appointed statutes and ordi-
nances with which they were bound

sedulously to comply. T[ And not

observed all tliese commandments. Heb.
" Have not done all these command-
ments." As intimated above, the words
of this law differ from those in Lev. 4 :
2, 23, they having reference to things

ses^ and henceforward among

your generations ;

24 Then it shall be, if aught
be committed by ignorance with-
out the knowledge of the con-
gregation, that all the congre-

which should not he done, and these
to things which should be done ; or in
other words, the one pointing to sins
of commission, and the other to sins of
omission. The implication is very
clear, that when commanded duties are
neglected through ignorance or inad-
vertence, the delinquent is not entirely
guiltless on that account. His culpa-
bility is not so great as that of the know-
ing or wilful transgressor, but he still
needs the application of the virtue of
the great sacrifice represented by the
bullock and the kid.

V. 24. {If anght) be committed by
ignorance without the hnowledge of the
congregation. Heb. " By error from
the eyes of the congregation." In like
manner Lev. 4 : 13, " If the whole con-
gregation of Israel sin through igno-
rance, and the thing be hid from the
eyes of the assemUy,^^ where the sub-
joined Xote fully explains the phrase-
ology. The reference is probably to
some neglect on the part of one or more
individuals, of the public services or
ceremonies of religion, or some devia-
tion from the prescribed statutes, occa-
sioned either by the remissness of ru-
lers, the misinterpretation of the laws,
or the abounding iniquity of the times.

^ Shall oftr one young bullock. It

is worthy of remark that the Jewish
writers generally understand this ordi-
nance of sti'ange worship which re-
quired to be expiated by the sacrifice
of a bullock for a burnt-offering and a
goat foi^ a sin-offering. Outram {On
Saa^ijices, B. I. c. 14, §§ 1, 2) coincides
in this opinion, and his remarks are

224

NUMBERS.

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gation shall offer one young
bullock for a burnt-offering, for
a sweet savour unto the Lord,
with ^ his meat-offering, and his
drink-offering, according to the
manner, and one kid '' of the
goats for a sin-offering.

25 And the priest shall make
an atonement for all the congre-

q ver. 8-10. r Lev. 4. 23. e. 28. 15. Ezr.a6. 17. 8. 35.

well worthy of consideration : — " If my
own opinion be required, — I would not
be confident on so obscure a subject,
but I am inclined to think that the bul-'
lock was to be oftered, when the whole
congregation of Israel, though in other
respects retaining their own rites, and
following the worship of the true God,
yet led away by one common error,
transgressed without knowing it, some
prohibitory precept. The kid for a
sin-ofi'ering, accompanied with a bul-
lock for a burnt-offering, I apprehend
to have been required when the people,
neglecting their ancient rites and un-
mindful of the divine laws, which often
happened under wicked kings, were
generally seduced into strange wor-
ship. As the law seems to contemplate
such a state of the nation, so perhaps it
commands a holocaust to be offered in
token of a return to their ancient wor-
ship and religion, and a sin-offering for
the expiation of all the sins which had
been committed in the substitution of
idolatry for the worship of the true
God. For this reason I suppose it was,
and it is a circumstance which adds
much probability to my opinion, that
after the temple had been long shut,
2 Chr. 28 : 24. 20 : 3, the daily sacrifices
discontinued, and many strange rites
admitted by the people through igno-
rance, Hezekiah commanded bvillocks
to be immolated as burnt-offerings, and
goats as sin-offerings for the whole na-

gation of the children of Israel,
and it shall be forgiven them ;
for it is ignorance ' : and they
shall bring their offering, a sac-
rifice made by fire unto the
Lord, and their sin-offering be-
fore the Lord, for their igno-
rance :

26 And it shall be forgiven

« Acts 3.17,19. ITii

13. Heb. 5. 2.

tion, 2 Chr. 29 : 21-24. Thus also, the
Jews who returned from Babylon into
their own land, offered, after the re-
building of the temple, and the restora-
tion of their ancient worship, the same
kinds of sacrifices for all Israel. It
forms no objection, that whereas Moses
commanded only one bnllock and one
goat, Hezekiah sacrificed seven, and
the Jews who returned from exile, of-
fered twelve of each kind of victims.
This I suppose them to have done from
a conviction that the smaller number
was absolutely necessary, but that the
larger number was better ; Hezekiah
choosing the number seven as an em-
blem of perfection ; and the returned
exiles fixing upon twelve in reference
to the number of the tribes." Comp.
Ezra 8 : 35. H According to tlie man-
ner. Heb. " According to the judg-
ment." That is, according to the mode
prescribed by the Lord, vs. 9, 10.

Y. 25. For all the congregation. Sev-
eral commentators suggest that " all the
congregation" both here and in v. 26,
may be rendered '* every congregation,"
and thus the law apply to the several
tribes, cities, villages, and synagogues
scattered throughout the land. This
may perhaps be admitted, provided only
we bear in mind that the appointed sac-
rifice was to be offered at the temple or
wherever the centre of worship might
be.

V. 26. And the stranger that sojourn-

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XY.

225

all the congregation of the chil-
dren of Israel, and the stranger
that sojourneth among them ;
seeing all the people ivere in
ignorance.

27 And if ' any soul sin
through ignorance, then he shall
bring a she-goat of the first
year for a sin-oifering.

28 And " the priest shall
make an atonement for the soul
that sinneth ignorantly, when
he sinneth by ignorance before

t Lev. 4. 27. -28.

Lev. 4. 35.

eth among them. Gr. "And the prose-
lyte that is settled among you."

TI Seeing all the people {were) in, igno-
rance. Heb. " Because |it happened)
to all the people in or through igno-
rance."

V. 27. If any soul sin through igno-
rance. That is, any person. Chald.
"If one man." As in what precedes
allusion is had to cases where the sin
in question could be considered as that
of the whole congregation, so in the
present passage the sin of a single in-
dividual, acting on "his sole responsibil-
ity is treated of, and the appointed sac-
rifice specified. Such a private person,
when guilty of any mistake or neglect
in the worship of God through inad-
vertence, ill example, or infirmity, was
required, as soon as he became sensible
of his ofieuce, to bring a female goat to
the priest, for a sin-oflering, the peni-
tent oblation of which would exempt
him from any farther penalty.

Of Presumptuous Sins.
V. 30. The soul that doeth {aught)
presumptuously. Heb. " Doeth with a
high hand," that is, in a bold, daring,
defiant manner, giving way to deliber-
ate acts of transgression against light,

10*

the Lord, to make an atone-
ment for him ; and it shall be
forgiven him.

29 Ye shall have one law for
him that sinneth throuorh igno-
ranee, both for him that is born
among the children of Israel,
and for the stranger " that so-
journeth among them.

30 But the soul that doeth
aught presumptuously '", wheth-
er he he born in the land, or a
stranger, the same reproacheth

w Deut. n. 1-2. Ps. 19. 13.

V R.-ni. 3.
Heb. 10. -26.

■2 I'et. -2. 10.

conviction, and inward remonstrance,
and in despite of divine authority. Gr.
" Shall do any thing with a presump-
tuous hand." Chald. "Shall do any
thing with an uncovered head," that is,
openly, fearlessly, without shame, for
under emotions of shame men were
prone to cover their heads, as Jer. 14 :
4, "The ploughmen were ashamed,
tliey covered their heads." The original
phrase, in certain connections, is capa-
ble of a good sense, equivalent to bold-
ness, courage, magnanimity, both in
heart and deportment, as when it is
said of Israel that they went • out of
Egypt ivith a high hand, Ex. 14 : 8.
Num. 33 : 3 ; but here it implies know-
ingly, purposely, and presumptuously
going counter to the express ordinance
of heaveu in contempt of the divine

majesty and authority. ^ The same

reproacheth the Lord. Or, Heb. " Blas-
phemeth." Gr. and Chald. "Provok-
eth to anger." The original denotes
primarily verbal reproaching, or revil-
ing, as in 2 Kings 19 : 6, 22 ; but is ap-
plied hei-e to a reproaching or blas-
pheming by deeds, as in Ezek. 20 : 27,
" In this your fathers have blasphemed
me in that they have committed a tres-
pass against me." It is a truth of sol-

226

NUMBERS.

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the Lord ; and that soul shall be

cut off from among his people.

31 Because he hath despised "^

the word of the Lord, and hath

s 2 Sam. 1-2. 9. Prov. 13. 13. Acts 13. 41. Heb.
10. 'J8, '29.

eran import, that every presumptuous
sinner is a virtual blasphemer of Jeho-
vah, even though he may never orally

profane his name. T[ That soul shall

le cut off from among his people. Gr.
''Shall be utterly destroyed." Chald.
" That soul shall perish." On the pe-
culiar import of this phrase see the
Note on Gen. 17 : 14, where it is fully
explained. The Jewish writers extend
the force of the threatening into the
next world. *' Although we find apos-
tates to live more than fifty years, and
that they are not cut ofl" from the life
of this world, yet know that their de-
serts hang upon them in this world, and
vengeance shall be taken upon them
abundantly in the world to come." —
Bab. Menahem. It is probable that,
when there were witnesses to the fact,
the offender was punished by the mag-
istrates either by death or beating.
See Note on Deut. 25 : 2.

V. 31. Because he hath despised the
word of the Lord. Heb. hazah, hath
contemned, set at naught as ■vile, dis-
honored. Comp. with this Prov. 13 :
13, " He that despiseth the word shall
be destroyed; but he that feareth the

commandment shall be rewarded."

T[ Haih broken the commandment. Heb.
hiephar, hath annulled, frustrated, made
void or of none effect, in opposition to
establishing or confirming. It is a
term usually applied to breaking the
covenant with God, as Gen. 17 : 14.
Lev. 15 : 44 ; and often in the prophets.
Sometimes spoken of the law and the
commandments, as Ps. 119 : 126. Ezra

9 : 14. Heb. 10.: 28. ^ That soul shall

he utterly cut off. Heb. " Shall be cut

broken his commandment, that
soul shall utterly be cut off; his
iniquity ^ shall he upon him.
32 And while the children

y Lev. 5. 1. rs. 3'^. 4. Ezek. 18. 20. 2 Pet. 2. 21.

off, shall be cut off"; " reduplicated for

the sake of emphasis. H His iniquity

shall be upon him. Heb. " Its iniquity
shall be upon it." That is, the iniquity
of that soul ; which however stands for
the person, and is correctly enough ren-
dered. By "iniquity" maybe under-
stood the punishment of iniquity, as in
Gen. 19 : 15. Lev. 22 : 9. It is observa-
ble, however, that several of the Jew-
ish commentators give a more interior
sense. Thus Sol. Jarchi says, ** its ini-
quity shall be in it," means, " when his
iniquity is in him, and he repenteth not."
Rab. Menahem also gives the following
as an exposition of the ancients : " That
soul shall be cut off", and the iniquity
thereof with it," as if he should say,
The iniquity shall cleave unto it after
it is cut off, to be punished for ever, ac-
cording to that (Is. 66 : 24), Their worm
shall not die, which Jonathan (the Chal-
dee Paraphrast) expounds, Their soul
shall not die. And our doctors have
said, It shall be cut ofi" in this world, it
shall be cut off in the world to come."
Jonathan's words are, " That man shall
be destroyed in the world that is to
come, and shall give account of his siu
at the great day of judgment." Pool
explains it, that his punishment shall
be confined to himself, and not fall upon
the congregation, as it would do if they
were to neglect to cut him off. After
every attempt at a true solution of the
meaning of the phrase, some doubt will
still remain.

The Case of the Sabbath Breaker.
V. 32. While the children of Israel
were in the wilderness. Several of the

B. 0. 1490.]

CHAPTER XV.

227

of Israel were in the wilderness,
they found a man that gathered
sticks ' upon the sabbath-day.

33 And they that found him
gathering sticks brought him
unto Moses and Aaron, and un-
to all the congregation :

34 And they put him in

foregoing ordinances it was not expect-
ed would be observed during their jour-
nejings to the promised land, but the
sabbath was to be honored wherever
they were ; therefore it is expressly
mentioned that this incident occurred
" in the wilderness." It is doubtless
cited as an instance of presumptuous
sin ; for as the law of the sabbath
was plain and positive, this transgres-
sion must of course have been known
and wilful. The offence, according to
the purport of the original, was gath-
ering and binding or bundling up
ivood.

V. 33. Brought him unto Moses and
Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
Not perhaps literally into the presence
of the whole congregation, consisting
of hundreds of thousands, but before
the heads and representatives of the
vrhole body, to which the name of the
congregation was often given.

V. 34. And they put him in ward.
Heb. bammishmor, in Iceeping ; as they
had previously dealt with the blas-
phemer. Lev, 24 : 12. ^ Because it

%cas not declared what should be done to
him. Gr. " They had not judged, or
determined." They knew, indeed, that
the sabbath-breaker was to die (Ex.
31 : 4. 35 : 2), but by what death he
should die, or whether this gathering
of sticks made him obnoxious to that
sentence, they were not certain. It was
clear that he had done it presumptu-
ously, but whether the act came fairly

ward", because it was not de-
clared what should be done to
him.

35 And the Lord said unto
Moses, The man * shall be sure-
ly put to death : all the congre-
gation shall stone ' him with
stones without the camp.

Lev. 24. 1-2. h Ex.

14, 15. c Lev. M. 14.

within the compass of the law, and in
what precise manner it was to be dealt
with, they were not fully resolved in
their own minds. As this was the first
offence of the kind, and as neither Mo-
ses nor the people were disposed to act
precipitately in the matter, they saw
fit to await a specific direction from the
Lord himself.

V, 35, And the Lord said unto Mo-
ses. Probably in answer to the special
inquiry which Moses went into the tab-
ernacle to make, as he did in another
case of difficulty mentioned before, ch,

9 : 8. H Shall stone him ^vith stones

without the camp. Stoning was the
most dreadful of all the punishments
inflicted upon malefactors under the
Jewish dispensation ; the event record-
ed furnishes, therefore, a striking and
solemn testimony to the sacredness and
divine obligation of the sabbath law,
and one which should not be lost upon
us at the present day. The offence was
apparently light and trivial, and for
which we should be apt to suppose
such a punishment entirely dispropor-
tioned ; but the dignity and majesty of
the divine Being against whom it is
committed is to be considered, and such
an example teaches how enormous those
acts become, which, though not sinful
in their own nature, are yet forbidden
by the supreme authority of the uni-
verse. Actions ventured upon in defi-
ance or contempt of an express divine
command, draw after them a fearful

228

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36 And '^ all the congregation
brought him without the camp,
and stoned him with stones, and
he died ; as the Lord command-
ed Moses.

37 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

d Josh. 7. 25.

load of responsibility. See Note on
Lev. 20 : 2 for a particular account of
the manner in which this punishment

was inflicted. T[ Without the camp.

Hence arose the custom of taking those
who were to be stoned to a distance
from cities and from the judgment-hall,
as is remarked by Sol. Jarchi. Thus
they dealt with Stephen, casting him
"out of the city," and stoning him,
Acts 7 : 58 ; likewise with Naboth,
1 Kings 21 : 13, and with the blas-
phemer, Lev. 24 : 14. This aggravated
the punishment, from involving a de-
gree of reproach, as is evident from the
language of the apostle, Heb. 13 : 11-13,
" For the bodies of those beasts, whose
blood is brought into the sanctuary by
the high priest for sin, are burned with-
out the camp. Wherefore Jesus also,
that he might sanctify the people with
his own blood, suffered without the
gate. Let us go forth therefore unto
him without the camp, bearing his re-
proach." The severity of the punish-
ment in cases of the violation of the
sabbath no doubt points typically to
the sad lot of those who do not keep
the true spiritual sabbath, "entering
into the rest of God by faith, and ceas-
ing from their own works, as God did
from his," Heb. 4 : 1-11.

Law respecting Fringes.

V. 38. Bid them that they make
fringes in the 'borders of their gar-
ments. Heb. tzitzith, from tzitZy a

38 Speak unto the children
of Israel, and bid them that they
make them ' fringes in the bor-
ders of their garments, through-
out their generations, and that
they put upon the fringe of the
borders a riband of blue :

e Dent. '22. 12. Mat. 23. 5.

flower, probably from the fact that the
fringe was an ornamental appendage
somewhat resembling a flower. The
English term occurs Deut. 22 : 12,
" Thou shalt make thee fi^inges upon
the four quarters (Heb. wings) of thy
vesture," but in this case the original
is gedilim,, of a somewhat difierent, but
related purport, as it denotes the tufts
or tassels which were inserted in the
fringe. From the threads or thrums
of a fringe hanging down from the edge
of the garment somewhat like locks of
hair, the original word tzitzith is so
rendered Ezek. 8:3, " And he put forth
the form of an hand, and took me by a
loch of mine head." It is rendered in
the Gr. by wpasTreSa kraspeda, which
occurs Mat. 23 : 5, where our version
has "borders" — "they make broad
their phylacteries and enlarge the bor-
ders of their garments," i. e. the fringes.
" There have been various conjectures
as to the object of this law. The most
probable is that the 'fringe* was in-
tended as a sort of badge or livery, by
which, as well as by circumcision and
by the fashion of their beards, and by
their peculiar diet, the Hebrews were
to be distinguished from other people.
Be this as it may, much superstition
came in the end to be connected with
the use of these fringes. The Pharisees
are severely censured by our Saviour
for the ostentatious hypocrisy with
which they made broad the ' borders '
of their garments. Our Lord himself
wore the fringe, which is commonly

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CHAPTER XV.

229

89 And it shall be unto you
for a fringe, that ye may look

culled in the New Testament the ' hem
or border,' and it was this part of his
diess which the sick desired to touch,
under the impression that the contact
would make them whole. It was prob-
ably the peculiar sanctity of this part
of the dress, which directed attention
to it in preference, for we may be cer-
tain that Christ himself did not point
it out. We think that we may thus ob-
tain a new light on the subject which
has escaped observation. In Luke S :
43, a woman having an issue of blood
comes held ad him, touches the 'bor-
der' of his garment, and is healed.
She afterwards falls down at his feet
and acknowledges what she has done.
Hence the ' fringe,' so to call it, was not,
aS the modern Jews think, before ex-
clusively, but behind also, if not wholly
behind ; and hence also the same fringe
could scarcely have been at the bottom
of the robe, as the other account sup-
poses. We may therefore ask whether
it was not in fact such an embroidered
edge, of various breadth, as we now see
wrought with colored worsted or silk
around the opening for the neck and
down the breast of the a}>ba, or woollen
mantle, now in use among the Arabs
(see the note on Ex. 22 : 27) and which
is a very ancient article of dress, and
probably in use among the Jews. This
border might, on the one hand, be
touched by a person behind the wearer,
while on the other, the part in front
would be under his own eye, as the law
seems to require. We would by no
means make a stand upon this conjec-
ture ; but being founded on a real Ori-
ental usage, it is at least entitled to as
much attention as the others, which

are not so." — Pict. Bible. IT In the

borders of their garments. Heb. " On
the wings." The shirt, edge, or border

upon it, and remember all the
commandments of the Lord,

of a garment is usually called a wing,
as Ruth 3:9. 1 Sam. 15 : 17. Deut. 22 :
30. Zech. 8 : 13. So the four-corners of
the earth are called iis, four wings, Is.
11 : 12. Ezek. 7 : 2. Job 37 : 3. The
fringes were the threads left unwoven
at the end of the web, on the edge of
which, or just above the fringe, was put
a band or lace of blue, or rather of pur-
ple color, binding the fringe, which was
of the same color with the garment, and
that was usually white. This band or
ribbon served not only to distinguish
them from other people, but when they
looked down upon it they were remind-
ed of the duty they owed to God, as a
holy and consecrated nation. Such
among them as laid claim to greater
sanctity than others, enlarged their
fringes and extended them to so great
a length that they sometimes swept the
ground, which made them the more no-
ticeable, of which they were ambitious.
The modern Jews wear a long tassel at
each corner, consisting of eight white
woollen threads, knotted with five knots
like small buttons, and open and un-
twisted at the ends. T| Riband of

blue. The blue color, the color of the
firmament of heaven, with which the
purple was closely allied, seems to have
been deemed of peculiar sanctity, and
as it was the color of the priest's robe,
so it would naturally tend to put the
Israelites in mind that they were a
kingdom of priests, and thus bound to
act in accordance with their holy desig-
nation.

V. 39. That ye may look v.pon it, and
remember, etc. This appendage to their
dress was appointed as a badge, a me-
mento, by which they were constantly
reminded of their peculiar relation to
God, and of their obligations to walk
holily and religiously before him.

230

NUMBEES.

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and do them ; and that ye seek
not after your ■'' own heart, and
your own eyes, after which ye
use to go a ^ whoring :

40 That ye may remem-
ber, and do * all my command-

/ Dent. •>% 19.
6. 9. Ps. 73. 27.

Job 31. 7.
106. 39.

Jer. 9. 14. <? Ezek.

A Ps. 119. 4.

Tl T7iat ye seek not after your own Jieart,
etc. Heb. tdthoru, from the root toor,
which we have explained in the Note
on ch. 14 : 36, where it is employed in
reference to the searching or exploring
the land of Canaan by the spies, and
implies, as we have shown, a turning
or circling alout in opposition to pur-
suing a direct and straight-forward
course. Gr. "Ye shall not turn back
after your imaginations, and after (the
sight of) your eyes in the things after
which ye go a whoring." Chald. " Ye
shall not err, or wander, after the cogi-
tation of your heart." The Chald. term
here used does not signify, says Fa-
gius, mere cogitation, but that kind of
thought which proceeds from an impi-
ous curiosity, when we do not simply
believe in and cleave to the word of
God, but indulge in a spirit of vain
speculation and disputation, against
the nature of true faith. The " seeking
after their own heart and their own
eyes" implies therefore a giving way
to their own imaginations and inven-
tions in the matter of worship and
general obedience, and lapsing into
idolatry, which is spiritual fornication
and adultery.

V. 40. That ye may remeniber, and do
all my commandments. The end of re-
rrtemhering is doing / and we have rea-
son to be thankful for any appointed
means or appliances which shall assist
us in impressing our minds more deep-
ly with our religious obligations, and
keep us in the way of the actual per-
formance of every duty. The Israelites

ments, and be holy ' unto your
God.

41 I ^ am the Lord your
God, which brought you out of
the land of Egypt, to be your
'God: I am the Lord your God.

k Lev. 2-2.

I Heb. 11.16.

were not to regard the wearing of these
fringes as having in it any real intrin-
sic sanctity, but only as an instrumen-
tal and sensible help to the dulness and
sluggishness of their minds in relation
to the deportment which they were re-
quired, as a holy people, to observe.

CHAPTER XVI.

Tlie Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, ai\d
Ahiram.
We have, in the present chapter, an
account of the most formidable con-
spiracy against the authority of Moses
and Aaron which occurs anywhere in
the compass of the sacred narrative.
It took place soon after the doom of
the forty years' wandering had been
pronounced, and the effect of that sen-
tence would naturally be to beget a
disposition to plots and conspiracies
among the people. Being distressed
and uneasy, they were in a fit condition
to listen to the suggestions of factious
spirits. As they were doomed to die,
at any rate, before entering the pro-
mised land, they would be apt to cher-
ish a certain desperation that could
easily be turned into the channel of re-
volt. And as the circumstances were
favorable for such a schism, so the
concoctors of it were the very persons
among whom we might expect it to
originate. We see a twofold interest
at work — one against the civil suprem-
acy of Moses, and the other against the

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CHAPTER XVI.

231

CHAPTER XVI.

VrOW Korahnhe son of Izhar,
X\ the son of Kohath, the son

a Ex. 6. 21. c. '2i. 9. Judo 11.

priestly pre-eminence of Aaron. Apart
of the conspirators were of the tribe of
Reuben, which had been subordinated
to that of Judah in the recent arrange-
ments, and thej would naturally aim
to regain the precedency which they
deemed their birthright. Korah, again,
was a Kohathite, descended from a
brother of Levi, and probably an elder
brother ; and his feeling seems to have
been, that the priesthood should, by
right of birth, have belonged to his fam-
ily, and by consequence that he should
himself have been high-priest. Setting
himself forth, therefore, as the cham-
pion of the whole Levitical body, he
might readily enlist great numbers of
them in the schism ; and this result
would be facilitated by the local prox-
imity of these two tribes, which would
give the projectors an opportunity of
conferring together in regard to their
plans. The Kohathites and the Reuben-
ites were encamped on the same side of
the Tabernacle. Considering the nature
of the conspiracy and the standing of the
parties engaged in it, it was all-import-
ant that it should be put down by some
signal and terrible judgment, and of
such a judgment the history proceeds
to give an impressive account. The
event is celebrated by the Psalmist, Ps.
106 : 16, 17, in brief but emphatic terms :
" They envied Moses also in the camp,
and Aaron, the saint of the Lord. The
earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abiram."
V. 1. JVbio KoraTh 'the son of Izhar,
etc. Gr. " Kore," which occurs in near-
ly the same form, Jude 11, "the gain-
saying of Core." This Korah was a
Levite, and cousin-german to Moses
and Aaron ; for Am ram, the father of

of Levi, and Dathan and Abi-
ram the sons of Eliab, and On
the son of Peleth, sons of Reu-
ben, took men :

Moses and Aaron, and Izhar, the father
of Korah, were brothers, being the sons
of Kohath, as appears from Ex. 6 : 18.

TI The sons of Elmb. This Eliab

was the son of Pallu, the second son of

Reuben. Ch. 26 : 7-9, Gen. 46 : 9.

1l On the son of Peleth. It appears that
he was a descendant of Reuben, but of
what particular family we are not in-
formed. As nothing further is said of
him, as he does not appear at all in the
further progress of the plot, it is not
unlikely that though he entered into it
in the outset, yet he subsequently with-
drew, and we may hope escaped the

doom of his accomplices. ^ Tooh

(men). Heb. va-i/ikah, from Idkah, to
take. This verb is the first word of the
verse, and though in the singular num-
ber, yet it evidently includes the sev-
eral nominatives that follow. But Ge-
senius remarks it as a peculiarity of the
Hebrew, that when the verb precedes it
may have several nominatives, though
in itself singular, whereas if it follows
it will be plural. Still it is to be inferred
that Korah was the prominent actor,
and to him the verb would naturally
have primary reference. But the main
question is in regard to the true im-
port of " took " in this connection. As
" men " does not occur in the original,
what was it that Korah and his associ-
ates took ? By some it is supposed that
the "and" before Dathafci is superflu-
ous, or is equivalent to "both," and
that Dathan, Abiram and On are the
true objects of the verb, the persons
whom Korah took, that is, took into
association with himself in carrying out
his purposed insurrection. This view,
however, we reject as doing a certain
violence to the more simple and natural

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471.

2 And they rose up before
Moses, with certain of the chil-
dren of Israel, two hundred and
fifty princes of the assembly,

construction of the text. If we have re-
course to the ancient versions we find
ourselves but little assisted, as they
evince great diversity. Gr. " And Kore
spoke," implying that he wrought upon
others by persuasion to join his faction.
Chald. " And Korah separated himself,"
that is, he took himself aside, he with-
drew himself in a scheming, plotting
manner, as did also his associates. In
like manner the Syr. "And Korah dis-
sented," that is, started an opposition.
The Arab, exhibits "aggressus est,"
lie made an attempt, and this we think
comes very near the true sense. " He
took " we understand to be here equiv-
alent to "he undertook;" or, if the
reader pleases, he may supply the word
" counsel " — " he took counsel " — but
the idea is substantially the same ; he
engaged in an enterprise, he took hold
of a scheme, he adventured upon some-
thing, and to make out the complete
sense, this word should be read in im-
mediate connection with the first words
of the ensuing verse, — "He (and his
accomplices) undertook a project, and
they rose up, etc." A similar use of
the Heb. verb without an objective ex-
pressed occurs 2 Sam. 18 : 18, " Now Ab-
salom in his life-time Tiad tahen (IdkaJi)
and reared up for himself a pillar," i. e.,
had taken counsel, or had undertaken
an enterprise with a view to erect a pil-
lar. How could he have talccn a pillar
before erecting it, when it was no doubt
constructed of stone on the spot? As
to the time to which this transaction is
to be referred, we have no special data
on which to form an opinion. Con-
jecture assigns it to the period of their
stay at Kadesh-barnea after their re-
pulse by the Canaanites and Amalekites.

famous * in the congregation,
men of renown :

3 And " they gathered them-

V. 2. And they rose up before Moses.
Heb. va-yd-kumu, they rose up rebel-
liously or mutinously ; they made an in-
surrection. As the verb in this case fol-
lows its nominatives occurring in the
preceding verse, it assumes the plural

form. T[ With certain of the children

of Israel. Heb. " And men of the chil-
dren of Israel." That is, the men whom
Korah had inveigled and drawn in to be

his accomplices in the plot. \Princea

of the assembly. Gr. "Leaders of the
congregation." T[ Famous in the con-
gregation. Heb. " The called ones of
the congregation." See this phrase ex-
plained in the Note on ch. 1 : IC. The
expression is applied to Dathan and
Abii'am, ch. 26 : 9, where it is rendered
"famous in the congregation." Gr.
" The called in council." Chald. " The
princes of the congregation who were
called by their names in the time of
council." It is clear that they were
persons of so much consideration and
standing in the tribes as to give a very
dangerous character to the conspiracy.

1 Men of renown. Heb. "Men of

name." Gr. " Men of renown." The
original phrase occurs with respect to
the giants, Gen, 6 : 4, where see Note.

V. 3. And they gathered themselves
together. Heb. " Were gathered togeth-
er ;" the Niphal or passive form. Gr.
" They rose up against." The above
named company assembled in a body
against Moses and Aaron as the usurp-
ers and arbitrary dispensers of all pre-
ferment. T[ ( Ye take) too much upon

you. Heb. " Much to you ;" or " Enough
for you." The phrase is rendered " let
it suffice," in Deut. 3 : 26. Vulg. " Let
it be enough for you that all the multi-
tude consisteth of holy ones." Sol. Jar

B. 0. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVI.

233

selves together against Moses
and against Aaron, and said un-
to them, Ye take too much up-
on you, seeing all '^ the congre-
gation a7^e holy, every one of
them, and the Lord * is among
them : wherefore then lift ye up

chi paraphrases the passage, " Ye have
taken to yourselves greatness much

more than enough." ^ Seeing all the

congregation {are) holy, every one of
them. Heb. " For all the congregation,
all of them, are holy." The language
is emphatic, indicating that there was
no adequate ground in point of sanctity
for the distinction between the priest-
hood and the laity ; consequently that he
and his associates were as worthy the
otfice of ruler and priest as Moses and
Aaron. This, however, was a direct
encroachment upon a divine institution,
for the office of priesthood was an honor
which no man was to take to himself,
*' but he that was called of God as was
Aaron," Heb. 5 : 4. Under the Christian
dispensation the priesthood, properly
so termed, is abolished, as all Christians
constitute " a holy nation, a royal
priesthood ;" but still it does not follow
from this that all the men of the church
are equally qualified to discharge the
functions of leaders and teachers. This
depends upon their spiritual gifts, which
are the true basis of ministerial charac-
ter. ^ The Lord is among them.

Chald. "And the majesty (Shekinah)
of the Lord dwells among them." That
is to say, the Lord, by the sublime sym-
bol of his presence, dwells among the
congregation at large, and not merely
among the tents of Moses and Aaron
and the Levites. This was in itself
true, but it did not authorize them to
aspire to an ofiice which the Lord had
specially appropriated to another par-

yourselves above the congrega-
tion of the Lord ?

4 And when Moses heard it,
he -^ fell upon his face :

5 And he spake unto Korah
and unto all his company, say-

ing,

Even to-morrow the Lord

/ c. 14. 5. 20.

ty. T Wherefore then lift ye up your-
selves above the congregation oftheLord ?
As we are, in fact, upon a level, no one
portion of the people standing higher
in the Lord's sight than another, why
do you arrogate to yourselves such a
lofty superiority over your brethren?
The original for "above" is the same
with that rendered "against" as ap-
plied to Moses and Aaron in this verse,
and carries with it, perhaps, a latent
intimation that they were actually tak-
ing a stand not only over but against
the mass of the people, that is, in such
a way as to be oppressive to them.

Y. 4. Fell upon his face. In conjunc-
tion probably with Aaron, as they had
both done on a former occasion, ch.
14 : 5. Aware of the aggravated na-
ture of the ofience, and fearful of the
tremendous judgment it would be like-
ly to incur, they fell prostrate before
God, both to deprecate his displeasure
in behalf of the people, and to seek di-
rection in what manner to proceed in
this trying emergency. A Jewish com-
mentator says upon this passage, " He
was abashed, and cast down his face on
the ground unto prayer, and then it was
said unto him what he should say unto
Korah,"

Y. 5. Even to-morroio the Lord will
sh/)iv, etc. Heb. "And he spake, say-
ing. The morning, and the Lord will
make known." Wait but till the morn-
ing, and the Lord will discover by
manifest tokens whether you or we are
in the right. The delay would also af-

234

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1471.

will show who are his, and wlio
is holy ^ ; and will cause him ^
to come near unto him : even
him whom he hath chosen will '
he cause to come near * unto him.

6 This do : Take you censers,
Korah, and all his company ;

7 And put fire therein, and

g Lev. 21. 6, etc.
k Lev, 10. 3. 21
44. 15, 16.

h Heb. 12. 14. «■ c. 17. 5.

17, 18. c. 3. 10. Ezek. 40. 4fi.

ford them time to reflect upon their
course, and, as a consequence, per-

adventure to retrace their steps. ^

^ Will sliow who {are) his. Heb.
" Will make known him that is his,"
or, "those that are his." Gr. "The
Lord knoweth (or hath known) those
that are his," which precise words are
quoted by Paul, 2 Tim. 2 : 17, as if hay-
ing the present history in his eye :
" Nevertheless, the foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal. The
Lord knoweth them that are his."
Chald. " Will make known him that is

fit for him." T[ And who is holy.

Heb. "And the holy one." That is,
the one who is solemnly set apart and
consecrated, by divine appointment,

to the sacred office of priesthood.

T[ And will cause {him) to come near
unto him. Heb. hikrib, of the import
of which see Note on Lev. 10 : 3. Num.
3 : 5, 6. The Gr. rendering of this verse
is as follows : " God hath seen and
known who are his, and who are holy,
and hath brought them near to him-
self; even those whom he chose he hath
brought near to himself" The Chald.
has : " God will make known him that
is right (or fit) for him, and who is holy
that he may approach him, in his sight ;
and whomsoever he shall choose, he
will apply him to his service (or, min-
istry)." TF Cause to come near him.

That is, for the purpose of constantly
ministering before him. The term has

put incense in them before the
Lord to-morrow : and it shall be m
that the man whom the Lord I
doth choose, he shall he holy ' : "
ye take too much upon you'",
ye sons of Levi.

8 And Moses said unto Ko-
rah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons
of Levi :

;Eph. 1.4. »»Heb. 5. 4.

an appropriated sense, as may be seen
in the Note on Lev. 10 : 3. Num.
3 : 6, 6. The two ideas of " choosing"
and " bringing near " are exhibited in
the parallel passage, Ps. 65 : 5, " Bless-
ed is the man whom thou choosest and
causest to approach unto thee." This
latter clavise of the verse is rendered
negatively in the Gr. " And those whom
he hath not chosen to himself, he hath
not brought near to himself"

V. 6. Take you censers. Rendered
"fire-pans," Ex. 27 : 3, where see Note.
The command for them thus to take
censers and burn incense in them, was
in effect the same as saying, Perform
the office of priests, as you see fit to
deny my claim to it as a right.

V. 7. Put jire therein, etc. Heb.
"Give fire therein and put incense on
them." We give this literal rendering
that it may be known that "put" in
the two clauses does not represent the

same w^ord in the original. \ Wliom

the Lord shall choose. That is, whom
the Lord shall indicate by manifest to-
kens to be the man of his choice.

11 Ee {shall he) holy. That is, shall be
declared to be holy, or to be officially
sacred, and thus confirmed as a priest.
11 Before the Lord. Before the sym-
bol of the divine presence ; with their
faces turned towards the sanctuary, at

the gate of which they stood. H ( Ye

take) too much upon you. The same
phrase with that occurring above, verse

B.C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVI.

235

9 Seemeth it hut a small " ! to bring you near to himself to
thing unto you, that the God | do the service of the tabernacle
of Israel hath separated " you j of the Lord, and to stand be-
from the congregation of Israel, ! fore the congregation to minis-

n ver. 13. Is. 7. 13. o c. 3. 41, 45. 8. 14. Deut. 10. 8.

8, which Moses here justly retorts upon
them : " You accuse me of taking too
much upon myself; it is precisely this
charge which I bring against you ; the
result will show with how much jus-
tice." So Elijah retorted upon Ahab
the charge of troubling Israel, 1 Kings
IS : 17, 18.

V. 9. {Seemeth it hut) a small thing
unto you ? Heb. lit. " Is it small
from you ?" which may properly admit
the construction, "Do you regard it
as something less than becomes you ? "
Such is the force of the original form of
expression, as the preposition iz, m, de-
noiQs from rather than to, and from has
in such connections the import of a
comparative. He appeals to them to
consider how ungrateful a part they
were acting towards the Lord for the
honor done them in selecting their tribe
to minister at his tabernacle and serve
him as his own domestics. He would
have them reflect how unworthily they
demeaned themselves by thus contem-
ning the honorable post assigned them,
and mutinously aspiring to an office
previously bestowed upon others. How
weak and foolish, moreover, was their
spite at Aaron, who was but passive in
the case, and appointed a superior min-
ister with his family under him, by the

Lord's special direction. T[ Separated

you. As the people of Israel, as a body,
was separated from all other nations,
and set apart as the Lord's peculium.
Lev. 20 : 26, 1 Kings 8 : 53, so were the
Levites separated from the mass of
their brethren to be the especial attend-
ants upon the Most High in every thing
pertaining to his worship. It is per-

ter unto them ?

haps in reference to this that the apos-
tle Paul speaks of himself as " separated

unto the gospel of God." T[ To bring

you near to himself to do the service of
the t-alernacle. Heb. " To serve the ser-
vice." They were not, indeed, brought
so near as the priests, but still nearer
than all other men, being the constant
assistants of the priests in their duties.

^ To stand before the congregation.

Standing is a sign of seiwice, and occa-
sionally used for it, as where the sacred
writer in one place, Jer. 52 : 12, says of
Nebuzar-adau, that he "stood before
the king ; " in the parallel history,
2 Kings 25 : 8, it is said he was " a
servant of the king." Accordingly the
" standing " of the Levites, Neh. 12 : 44,
is equivalent to their "serving" or
"waiting," and as they are said, Dcut.
10 : 8, to " stand before the Lord to
minister unto him," so here it is said,
" to stand before the congregation to
minister unto them," thus acting with
a twofold reference, to the Lord and to
the people, as servants to both. So Jo-
siah said to the Levites, 2 Chron. 35 : 3,
"Serve now the Lord your God, and
his people Israel." Comp. Ezek. 44 : 11.

TI To minister unto them. Heb.

lesharetliam. This word, in strictness,
should perhaps be rendered, "to per-
form their service," or, " to minister
for them," as the Levites rather minis-
tered/or the congregation than to them.
The service of the tabernacle was orig-
inally incumbent on the whole congre-
gation, but the Levites were chosen by
special appointment — were chosen as
deputies or proxies of the whole people.
In this sense they officiated/o;* them.

236

NUMBERS.

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10 And he hath brought thee
near to him, and all thy breth-
ren the sons of Levi with thee :
and seek ye the priesthood also ?

11 For which cause both thou
and all thy company are gath-
ered together against the Lord :

V. 10. Seeh ye the priesthood also?
Not content with the privileges and
honors ah-eady conferred upon you, do
ye aspire also to the office of the priest-
hood, which the Lord holds at his own
disposal, and which he has otherwise
bestowed? "Therefore thou and thy
sons with thee shall keep your priest's
office for every thing of the altar, and
within the vail ; and ye shall serve : I
have given your priest's office unto you
as a service of gift; and the stranger
that Cometh nigh shall be put to death."
They doubtless would not say that this
was their object, but Moses saw it was
in their eye. The Chald. has, "Seek
ye the great or the high priesthood ? "
Gr. "Seek to do the priest's office? "

Y. 11. For loMcli cause. Heb. lak'en,
tJierefore. Implying that this is the
true construction of their conduct. No
other inference can be drawn from their
rebellion against the Lord's chosen ser-
vants, than that it was in effect a rebel-
lion against the Lord himself. So when
the people refused Samuel's govern-
ment, the Lord said, 1 Sara. 8 : 7, " They
have not rejected thee, but they have
rejected me that I should not reign over
them." Comp. Luke 10 : 16. John 13 :

20. 1[ A7id wJiat is Aaron, etc. Heb.

" And Aaron, what is he ? " or, " Aaron,
what hath he done ? " What is he more
or other than the Lord has made him ?
What ground is there for finding fault
with him when he was wholly passive
in his own elevation ? What wrong con-
duct can be laid to his charge ? A sim-
ilar language is employed by Paul,

and P what is Aaron, that ye
murmur against him ?

12 And Moses sent and call-
ed Dathan and Abiram, the sons
of Eliab ; which said, We will
not come up.

p Ex. 16.8. 1 Sam. 8. 7. A'-ts 5. 4. 1 Cor. 3. 5.

1 Cor. 3:5," Who is Paul, and who is
Apollos, but ministers by whom ye be-
lieved ? " Indeed, Moses himself had
on the occasion of a former murmur-
ing expostulated in like style ; Ex. 16 :
7, 8, "What are we that ye murmur
against us ? Your murmuriugs are not
against us, but against the Lord."

Y. 12. We will not come up. The
object of Moses in sending for them
was undoubtedly to treat with them in
a way of kindly admonition and remon-
strance, and thus if possible recall them
from their infatuation, and save them
from the doom that he saw otherwise
to impend over them. It would ap-
pear that from some reason these indi-
viduals did not present themselves with
Korah before Moses, or that they re-
tired to their tents before he had ceased
from his prayer. The summons had re-
quired their attendance at the usual
public place of judgment in the camp,
and not upon any mountain elevation,
notwithstanding the peculiar phrase-
ology " come up." It is usual to find
this language employed in reference to
the going to the central place of wor-
ship or convention, wherever it might
be. Thus Deut. 25 : 7, " And if the man
like not to take his brother's wife, then
let his brother's wife go up to the gate
unto the elders, and say," etc. Ruth
4:1, " Then icent Boaz up to the gate,
and sat him down there." Sol. Jarchi
remarks that Dathan and Abiram would
not come vp because they were destined
to go down. The reply was full of in-
solence, and gives Bp. Hall occasion to

B. 0. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVI.

237

13 Is ^ it a small thing that
thou hast brought us up out of
a land that floweth. with milk
and honey, to kill us in the wil-
derness, except thou make thy-
self altogether a prince '' over us ?

14 Moreover, thou hast not

q ver. 9.

Ex. '2. 14.

say, "their message was worse than
their absence." It was one that show-
ed them ripe for judgment.

V. 13. Out of a land that floweth with
milk and honey. Whatever might have
been the natural fertility and luxuri-
ance of the land of Egypt, it certainly
had not proved to thtm " a land flowing
with milk and honey," but a land of
hard bondage, of misery, and affliction.
And then how outrageous the insult to
the divine majesty thus to describe
Egypt in the very terms in which God
himself had often spoken of the land of
promise ! If To kill us in the wilder-
ness. Heb. " To cause us to die." That
is, to bring us into circumstances which
expose us to death ; of which death is
a very legitimate consequence, whether

intended or not. ^ Except thou make

thyself altogetlier a prince over us. Heb.
" That thou makest thyself a prince over
us, even making thyself a prince." The
doubling of the clause has the effect to
intensify the charge. The implication
is, that Moses, without the divine sanc-
tion, and prompted solely by his own
presumption, was only, wholly, and
continuously intent upon self-aggran-
dizement.

V. 14. Wilt thou 'put out the eyes of
these menf The original is peculiarly
strong ; tenakker, wilt thou dig out, or,
hore out, q. d. " Dost thou think so ab-
solutely to blind us, that none of us
shall discern thy craft and ambition?
Thinkest thou that thou wilt be able to
hoodwink us, and to lead us about at

brought us into a land that flow-
eth ' with milk and honey, or
given us inheritance of fields
and vineyards : wilt thou put
out the eyes of these men ? we
will not come up.

15 And Moses was very wroth,

pleasure, like blind men, under pre-
tence of bringing us to a rich and fer-
tile country?" Alas, their language
and their conduct showed that they
were most grievously blinded by the
operation of their discontented, proud,
and rebellious spirits. They could not
see that they were altogether in fault,
while accusing Moses, and were quar-
relling with their Maker in rejecting the
authority of his servants. By " these
men " is probably to be understood the
conspirators, who would lay claim to a
penetration which they seemed to think
was not possessed by the congregation
at large.

V. 15. And Moses was very wroth.
The Gr. would seem to understand from
this nothing more than that Moses took
it heavily : — " It made him exceeding
sad." But this seems not to come up
to the force of the original, which im-
plies a glowing indignation. The an-
ger, however, excited on this occasion
we do not look upon in the light of a
sinful infirmity, or as the ebullition of
a personal resentment on the part of
Moses, but as a holy indignation stirred
up in his mind in view of the indignity
and insult cast upon the Lord. It was,
we suppose, the working of a devout
and active zeal for the Lord of hosts,
similar to that which was kindled with-
in him when he came down from the
mount and found the people engaged in
the worship of the golden calf, by which
he was prompted to throw down and
break to pieces the two tables of stone.

238

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471

and said unto the Lord, Respect '
not thou their offering : I " have
not taken one ass from them,
neither have I hurt one of
them.

u 1 Sam. 12. 3.

t Gen. 4. 5. Is. 1. 10-15.
Acts 20. 33. 2 Cir. 7. 2.

A truly good man will be incensed at
a dishonor put upon God, when he
would meekly forgive an injury done to

himself. T[ Respect not thou their

offering. Heb. " Turn not to their ofler-
ing." That is, turn not thy face to-
wards them ; bestow not thy favorable
regards upon them. Chald. "Accept
not with favor their oblation." It was
a prayer that the Lord would treat their
offering with the same want of respect
that he did that of Cain as compared
with that of Abel. The sin could not
admit of any palliation, and therefore
the sinners could not hope for any ac-
ceptance. The original for "offering"
is mincha^ 'meat or meal-offering, of
which see in the Notes on Gen. 4 : 3.
Lev. 2:1. The true reference of the
term is not easily settled. One of the
Rabbinical writers says it points to the
incense which they were to offer on the
morrow. Another explains it thus:
" I know they have a part in the daily
sacrifices of the congregation ; let not
their part be accepted before thee."
This latter we think the most probable
interpretation, as it seems forced to ap-
ply the term " meat or meal-offering "
to the incense which they proposed to

offer. T[ I have not taken one ass from

them. This was an appeal to the Lord
on the part of Moses whether he had
ever in any, even the slightest particu-
lar, abused his power, or encroached
upon the rights or the property of any
person. He was accused by the con-
spirators of usurpation, which would of
course imply oppression and extortion.
But as he had committed neither op-

16 And Moses said unto Ko-
rah. Be thou and all thy com-
pany before the Lord, thou, and
they, and Aaron, to-morrow :

17 And take every man his
censer, and put incense in them,

pression nor extortion, he can boldly
affirm his innocence of the charge of
usurpation. So far was he from this,
that he declares before God that he had
not taken, i. e. received by gift or re-
ward, even the vilest beast ; much less
had he appropriated any thing of the
kind by violent seizure. In like man-
ner Samuel appeals, 1 Sam. 12 : 3, to
the people of Israel to bear witness to
his integrity. " Behold, here I am ;
witness against me before the Lord,
and before his anointed ; whose ox have
I taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or
whom have I defrauded ? whom have I
oppressed? or of whose hand have I
received any bribe to blind mine eyes
therewith ? and I will restore it you."
Despotic power all over the East, and
from the earliest ages, has always as-
serted itself by imposing the most gall-
ing burdens of tribute and taxation.
Comp. 1 Sam. 8 : 16.

V. 16. Be thou and all thy company
before the Lord. Cause thyself to be ;
present thyself; an emphatic expres-
sion which receives light from what we
have said on the verb " to be," in the
Note on ch. 3 : 17. Gr. " Sanctify thy
congregation, and be ye ready before
the Lord." As the rebellion was rather
against the Lord than against Moses,
therefore he leaves the decision of the
controversy to him. " Before the Lord "
in this connection is equivalent to "at
the door, or in the court, of the taber-
nacle" mentioned v. 18.

V. 17. Two hundred and fifty censers.
It is a question how such a number of
censers was obtained. As Korah and

B.C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XYI.

239

and bring ye " before the Lord
every man his censer, two hun-
dred and fifty censers ; thou also,
and Aaron, each of you his cen-
ser.

18 And they took every man

others associated with him were merely
Levites and not priests, they could not
have belonged to them in the former
capacity. The presumption therefore
is, that they were among the utensils
brouglit by the Israelites out of Egypt,
of which the present number may in
some way have come into the hands of
Korah and his party.

V. 18. They took every man his cen-
ser. That is, the two hundred and fifty
men exclusive of Korah, Dathan and
Abiram. Korah, it would appear, was
employed in mustering as many as he
could gather of the congregation against
Moses, V. 19, and after that, he seems to
have gone to his tent, v. 24. But the
making out distinctly the various items
of the transaction is a matter attended
with some little difficulty. Bp. Patrick
even says, " it may be doubted in what

way Korah perished." •,[ Stood in the

door of the tabernacle. This was not of
course the usual place where incense
was to be offered, which was within the
Holy Place of the Tabernacle. But as
that room was not sufficiently large to
contain so great a number, and as the
occasion was extraordinary, the scene
of the trial was transferred to the court
of the Tabernacle. As this event was
of such a nature as to require to be
witnessed by the people in general,
which it could not have been within
the Tabernacle, therefore a place was
chosen which would give it the utmost
publicity. So Moses, on another impor-
tant occasion, v. 46, 47, offered incense
" in the midst of the congregation."

his censer, and put fire in them,
and laid incense thereon, and
stood in the door of the taber-
nacle of the congregation with
Moses and Aaron.

19 And Korah gathered all
the congregation against them

Y. 19. And Korah gathered all th&
congregation against them. The ques-
tion naturally suggested here is, what
congregation is intended by these
words. Had the rebellious spirit of
Korah and his company infected so
large a part of the whole body, that
this expression can be understood of
them? Did Moses and Aaron and a
faithful few alone remain unmoved by
this deep-laid and wide-spread con-
spiracy ? This has been the opinion of
some commentators, especially those
who by "all the congregation" under-
stand more especially the distinguished
or leading men of the congregation.
But we may perhaps adopt the con-
struction of the Gr., which renders,
" Collected all his congregation," mean-
ing those who took sides with him. Or
we may adopt yet another construction,
which we are inclined to think comes
nearer the truth than either of the
others ; viz. : that Korah, without any
special active agency, teas the means of
gathering a multitude of the congrega-
tion together. A man who raises a dis-
turbance in the streets of a populous
city, causing hundreds to flock together
to the spot to witness what is going on,
may be said to gather them together,
simply because he is the occasion of the
I concourse. So with Korah here. In
j this case, the original, a lehem, is prop-
! er\j rendered to or npon them, which
j is its literal sense. Still it is evident,
j from V. 41, that the number of the dis-
I affected was large, as several thousand
I were slain by the plague for their mur-

240

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1471.

unto the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation : and '" the
glory of the Lord appeared un-
to all the congregation.

20 And the Lord spake unto
Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

21 Separate ^ yourselves from

muring over the doom of Korah and his
company, implying that they had pre-
viously sympathized with him in his

enterprise. If The glory of the Lord

appeared, etc. The Shekinah, or the
Divine Majesty, suddenly made its ap-
pearance in a visible and tremendous
manner in the pillar of cloud over the
sanctuary, as it did in several other
cases when the emergency called for it.
See V. 42. ch. 12 : 5. 14 : 10. This super-
natural symbol of the Divine presence
was made on these occasions to assume
some new and striking phase, to which
Moses gives the name of the *' Glory of
the Lord," and out of this appearance
now issued a voice, addressing itself to
Moses and Aaron, and uttering the
words that follow.

V. 21. Separate yourselves. Heb. A*'5-
hridelu, he ye separated or divided. The
address was made to all those who were
disposed to give heed to it. A discrim-
ination was to be made, and all those
who would be found on the Lord's side
are here commanded to withdraw from
a position where they would be in dan-
ger of sharing in the impending destruc-
tion. The phrase, " from among this
congregation," goes rather to counte-
nance the suggestion above made, that
Korah and his company are especially

alluded to in the terms. T[ That I

may consume them in a Tnoment. Heb.
" May eat or devour them." The lan-
guage is fearfully emphatic, as if the
judgment was just ready to burst upon
the culprits, and scarcely knew how to

among this congregation, that I
may ^ consume them in a mo-
ment.

22 And they fell "" upon their
faces, and said, 0 God, the God **
of the spirits of all flesh, shall

V Heb. VI. M, 29. z c. 14. 5. a c. 27. 16.

Job VI. 10. Eccl. 12. 7. Is. 57. 16. Zech. 12. 1. Heb.
12. 9.

brook delay, when yet at the same time
it is evident that as wrath did not come
upon Sodom till Lot and his family were
removed, so here, also, was an impedi-
ment until the commanded separation
should take place. His arm is withheld
while the possibility of salvation for any
remains.

V. 22. And they fell upon their faces,
and said, etc. " The same tongue that
prayed against the conspirators, prays
for the people. Korah had so far pre-
vailed, that he had drawn the multi-
tude to his side. God, the avenger of
treason, would have consumed them all
at once. Moses and Aaron pray for the
rebels. Although they were worthy of
death, and nothing but death could stop
their mouths, yet their merciful leaders
will not buy their own peace with the
loss of such enemies. Oh rare and ad-
mirable mercy! The people rise up
against their governors ; their govern-
ors fall on their faces to God for the
people. So far are they from plotting
revenge, that they will not endure God

should revenge for them." Bp.Hall. •

T[ The God of the spirits of all flesh.
By " all flesh " is meant " all mankind,"
as in Gen. 6 : 13. Is. 40 : 5, 6. Ezek. 20 : 48.
Joel 3 : 28. A similar phraseology oc-
curs in Job 12 : 10, " In whose hand
is the soul of every living thing, and
the breath of all mankind." (Heb.
" the spirit of all flesh of man.") Moses,
with a beautiful propriety, gives to the
Most High this title, in acknowledg-
ment of his power to save or to destroy,

B.C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVI.

241

one * man sin, and wilt thou be
wroth with all the congregation ?

23 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the congrega-
tion, saying. Get you up from
about the tabernacle of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram.

25 And Moses rose up and
went unto Dathan and Abiram ;

b Gen. 18. 32. Josh. 7. 1, etc. Rom. 5. 18.

as he had threatened to consume all Is-
rael. It implies a strong motive to
urge the divine compassion : " 0 God,
the father and creator both of the souls
and bodies of men, and who hast there-
fore the power of preserving as well as
of destroying; deign to display that
power in the exercise of mercy towards
this people. Thou, the Searcher of
hearts, knowest the authors of this se-
dition, and distinguishest them from
those who have been made, through
weakness and credulity, their dupes.

Have mercy upon the latter ! "

^ Shall one man sin, etc. Alluding, of
course, to Korah, the ringleader of the
revolt. Gr. " If one man hath sinned."
As all have not sinned, why wilt thou

be angry with all ? ^ With all the

congregation. That is, all that portion
of the congregation which formed Ko-
rah's company.

V. 24. Get you up from about the
tabernacle, etc. Heb. mishkan, which
is here, we think, collective, equivalent
to tabernacles or dwellings. Gr. "De-
part from the congregation of Kore
round about," It will be observed, too,
that in v. 26, it is said, " Depart from
the terits of these wicked men."

V. 25. Moses rose up and went unto
Dathan and Abiram. Having pro-
claimed the preceding order first at the
Tabernacle to the people that followed
11

and the elders of Israel followed
him.

26 And he spake unto the
congregation, saying. Depart %
I pray you, from the tents of
these wicked men, and touch
nothing of theirs, lest ye be
consumed in all their sins.

27 So they gat up from the
tabernacle of Korah. Dathan,

c Gen. 19. 1-', 14. U. 5i. 11. 2 Cor. 6. 17.
5. 2-2. Rev. IS. 4.

Korah and his party, Moses then went
in person to the camp where Dathan
and Abiram still persisted in remain-
ing, after having treated so contemptu-
ously the summons sent them. He
went, accompanied by a train of elders,
and gave notice to all that dwelt round
about, to remove themselves and all
they had from the dangerous vicinity,
lest they also should share in the com-
ing doom of the rebels.

Y. 26. Depart, I pray you, etc. " God
and Moses knew how to distinguish be-
twixt the heads of the faction and the
train ; though neither be faultless, yet
the one is plagued, the other for-
given. God's vengeance, when it is at
the hottest, makes differences of men.
Even before common judgment there is
a separation." £p. Mall. It does not
appear that any thing was said to Da-
than and Abiram personallv, but only to
the congregation gathered about their

tents. Ti Touch nothing of theirs. As

they themselves had become unclean
and execrable, they accordingly com-
municated a kind of pollution to every
thing with which they came in contact,
bringing it under an anathema or curse.
Accordingly every thing perished to-
gether, as we learn from v. 32. Comp.
Deut. 13:16, 17.

V. 27. 77ie tabernacle of Korah,, Da-
than, and Abiram. "Had Korah re-

242

and Abiram, on every side :
and Dathan and Abiram came
out, and stood in the door of
their tents, and their wives, and
their sons, and their little chil-
dren.

moved his tent near to those of Dathan
and Abiram ? As a Kohathite, his tent
could not properly be in the camp of
Keuben, and still less could the tents of
Reubenites be in the camp of the Le-
vites. The present direction seems to
imply that the tents were together ; yet
further on, we only read of Dathan and
Abiram ; and it does not from this chap-
ter appear, unless by inference, that
Korah's tent was swallowed up ; and
that it actually was not, would appear
from the fact, that whereas the chil-
dren of the Reubenite rebels perished
with their parents, those of Korah did
not. (See en. 26 : 11. 1 Chron. 6 : 22-38,
where his genealogy is reckoned.) We
therefore think that Moses here merely
uses the names of the leaders to describe
the rebellious party ; but that Korah's
tent remained in the Kohathite camp,
and that he was himself afterwards de-
stroyed with those that offered incense.
4s a Levite aspiring to priestly func-
tions, that is the place where we should
certainly expect to find him. It is true
that he is not mentioned by name among
those destroyed there ; and it is equally
trqe that the present Heb. text of ch.
26 : 10, describes Korah as swallowed up
with the rest. But that obscure pas-
sage is differently read in the Samaritan,
which expressly says that Korah was
destroyed by fire, with the men that
offered incense. With this the narrative
of Josephus concurs ; and the Psalmist,
in his rapid view of the transactions in
the wilderness, only mentions the Reu-
benites as being swallowed up. (Psl.
106 : 17.) "—Pict. Bible. H Came out

LUMBERS. [B.C. 1471.

28 And Moses said. Hereby
ye '' shall know that the Lord
hath sent me to do all these
works ; for I have not done
them of mine own mind \

d Ex. 3. 12. Zecli. 2. 9. John 5. 36. e Jer. 23. 16.

and stood. Heb. " Came out standing ;"
implying an easy, unconcerned, and
sauntering kind of air; they came out
and stood in a leaning or lounging way
at the door of their tents, as if to see what
or whether any thing would take place.
Those who were not actually partners
in the conspiracy appear to have taken
timely warning and fled ; while the rest,
with astonishing recklessness, came
forth with their fivmilies and put them-
selves in the very jaws of destruction.
" Moses had well hoped that when these
rebels should see all the Israelites run
from them, as from monsters, and look-
ing affrightedly upon their tents, and
should hear that fearful proclamation
of vengeance against them, their hearts
would have misgiven. But, lo, these
bold traitors stand impudently staling
in the door of their tents, as if they
would out-face the revenge of God ; as
if Moses had never wrought a miracle
before them ; as if no one Israelite had
ever bled for rebellion. Those that shall
perish are blinded. Pride and infidelity
obdvire the heart and make even cow-
ards fearless."- — Bp. Hall.

V. 28. Hereby ye shall knoio, etc. The
works to which he here especially al-
ludes were the institution of the priest-
hood, the appointment of the Levites,
ana other matters of government; to
which we may add also the ordering
of Korah and his company to appear

with censers on this occasion. T[ JVot

{done them) of my own mind. Heb.
millibbi, of my own heart. Chald. " Not
of my own will, or pleasure." Gr. '' Not
of myself" Vulg. " That I have not

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XYI.

243

29 If these men die the com-
mon death of all men, or if they
be visited after the visitation-'
of all men ; ihen the Lord hath
not sent me.

/ l8. 10. 3.

forged them of my own head." For a
kindred purport of the phrase, see Num.
24 : 13. Ezek. 13 : 2. It was no device,
design, or assumption of my own. I
did it not from any ambitious prompt-
ings tending to my own aggrandize-
ment, nor from any private atfection or
favoritism towards my brother.

Y. 29. If these men die the common
death, etc. Heb. " If according to the
dying of all men, these men die," And
so substantially the Gr. and the Chald.
That is, if they shall die a natural death.
Moses now intimates that the issue of
the controversy is to be put upon what
the Lord is about to do in vindication
of his servants. If these men that now
oppose and scandalize us shall die the
common death of other men, then you
are all at liberty to think of us as ill as
you please. But if, on the other hand,
an immediate and unheard of miracle
is wrought for their destruction, by
causing the earth to open her mouth
and swallow them up, and all that be-
long to them ; then you will have no
excuse for refusing to acknowledge that
Aaron and myself are acting as we do
by a divine commission, and that the
conspiracy now formed is less against
us than against the Lord himself.
" From the beginning of the world
unto this day," says Mr, Kitto, " no
man ever made so bold and noble an
assertion of divine approval, or sub-
jected his claims, in the presence of a
nation, to a test so immediate and so
infallible." It would, of course, have
been the height of folly to have made
such an appeal to God, even though

30 But if the Lord make a
new ^ thing, and the earth open
her mouth, and swallow them
up, with all that appertain unto

g Joh 31. 3.

conscious of his own divine appoint-
ment, and also of the sin and rebellion
of the guilty parties, if he had not at
the same time felt within himself that
special and extraordinary impulse, by
which he knew that the event would be
as he predicted. And by the event he

was justified. ^ If they he lisited

after the visitation of all men. That is, if
such a judgment is now seen to come
upon them as is common and familiar
in the world, viz. pestilence, the sword,
or famine, then, indeed, you may infer
that the Lord hath not sent me.

Y. 30. But if the Lord make a new
thing, etc. Heb. " beridh yihra, create a
creature ;''^ that is, perform a new, un-
precedented, and wonderful work, by
dooming them to such a death as men
never died of before. Of the import of
the word 'barn, see Note on Gen. 1 : 1.
It is there given as one of its leading
senses to denote the production or effec-
tuation of something new, rare, and won-
derful; the bringing something to pass
in a striking and marvellous manner.
Thus in Is. 45 : 7, God is said to " create
evil," by which is meant, however, not
the evil of sin, but of judgment. Ex.
34 : 10, " Before all thy people I will do
marvels such as have not been done
{nibre-u, created), in all the earth."
Is. 48 : 6, 7, " I have showed thee new
things from this time, even hidden
things, and thou didst not know them.
They are created now, and not from the

beginning," Comp, Is. 65 : 18. •

^ The earth open her mouth and swal-
low them up. That is, on a sudden ; at
a time when all is calm and still, with

244

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471.

them, and they go down quick
into the pit ; ^ then ye shall un-
derstand that these men have
provoked the Lord.

31 And it came to pass, as
he had made an end of speaking

33. Ps. 55. 15.

no premonitions of an earthquake ; and
in such a way, moreover, that only the
guilty shall be involved, the rest being
delivered. T[ With all that (apper-
tain) to them. Heb. hoi asher laheiriy
all that is to them. This the Vulg.
probably correctly, refers to " things "
rather than "persons:" — "All things
that belong to them." The Gr. ampli-
fies upon the original : — " Swallow them
up, and their houses, and their tents,
and all that belongs to them." The
whole history of the divine providence
shows that it has ever regarded a man's
surroundings and appendages as a part,

as it were, of himself. Tf And they

go down quick into the fit. That is,
alive and active, hale and sound, not
dead, as men usually are before they
descend into the grave. Gr, "Shall
descend alive into Hades." But upon
the true import of " pit " in this con-
nection, see Note on v. 33, below.

T[ That these men haiie provoked the
Lord. Rather, perhaps, according to
the Heb. " have contemptuously treat-
ed." Vulg. " Have blasphemed."

V, 31. The ground clave asunder, etc.
The response to the awful appeal of
Moses was speedily made. He had
scarce done speaking ere the earth
opened, as it were, its ponderous jaws,
and the guilty band with all their house-
holds and efi'ects were precipitated into
the yawning abyss. "So soon as the
innocent are severed, the guilty per-
ish ; the earth cleaves and swallows up
the rebels. This element was not used
to such moisels. It devours the car-

all these words, that the ground
clave asunder that iijas under
them :

32 And ' the earth opened her
mouth, and swallowed them up,
and their houses, and all the

»■ c. 26. 10. 11. Dent. 11. 6. Ps. 106. 17, 18.

cases of men ; but bodies informed with
living souls, never before. To have
seen them struck dead upon the earth
had been fearful ; but to see the earth
at once their executioner and grave,
was more horrible." — Bp. Hall. As
we have already seen, the fate of Korah
himself is by the narrative left doubt-
ful. The Psalmist speaks thus of the
event, making no allusion to Korah ;
Ps. 106 : 17, " The earth opened, and
swallowed up Dathan ; and covered the
company of Abiram." So in the paral-
lel passage, Deut. 11 : 6, "And what he
did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons
of Eliab, the son of Reuben ; how the
earth opened her mouth, and swallow-
ed them up, and their households, and
their tents, and all the substance that
was in their possession, in the midst of
all Israel."

V. 32. And their houses. That is,
their households, a very frequent sense
of " house." Chald. " The men of their
houses." Moses himself thus explains
it Deut, 11 : 6, " Their households, and
their tents, and all the substance that

was in their possession." T[ All the

men that {appertained) unto Korah.
With the exception of his children, of
whom it is expressly said, ch. 26 : 11,
" Notwithstanding the children of Ko-
rah died not." Their names are enu-
merated 1 Chron. 6 : 22-24, and we
find, moreover, several of the Psalms
bearing the title, "For the sons of Ko-
rah," as Ps. 42 : 44 : 45 : 48 : 4i), Indeed,
it was from the stock of Korah that
Samuel the prophet derived his pedi-

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVI.

245

men that appertained unto Ko-
rali, and all their goods.

33 They, and all that apper-
tained to them, went down alive
into the pit, and the earth closed
upon them : and they perished
from among the congregation.

34 And all Israel that ivere

gree, 1 Chron. 6 : 28. Some commenta-
tors have suggested that the original
word for appertained might as properly
be rendered adhered, which would tend
to simplify the account, by restricting
it to those only who were his accom-
plices. H And all their goods. Or,

Heb. "Substance." Gr. "Their cat-
tle," a sense which the original un-
doubtedly bears, 1 Chr. 11 : 6. 2 Chr.
81:3. 35:7.

V. 33. Went down alive into the pit.
Heb. n^K'O sheoldh, to Sheol, the term
which is usually rendered by the Gr.
" Hades," and in English sometimes by
"grave," and sometimes by "hell."
Here it is unquestionably to be taken
in the sense of pit, gulf, or cha^m in the
earth, as it would be absurd to suppose
that the houses descended into hell, to
say nothing of the unreasonableness of
the idea that the souls of the little chil-
dren were doomed to that abode, al-
though their bodies, in the course of
the divine providence, perished in the
overthrow of their parents. Thus, says
Theodoret, those who had marched
through the sea (in safety) were swal-
lowed up on the land. 1[ And the

earth closed upon them. " It was a mar-
vel that the waters opened (for Israel) ;
it was no wonder that they shut again ;
for the retiring and flowing was natu-
ral. It was no less a marvel that the
earth opened ; but more marvel that it
shut again ; because it had no natural
disposition to meet when it was divided.
Now might Israel see, they had to do

round about them fled at the cry
of them : for they said. Lest the
earth swallow us up aho.

35 And there came out a fire
* from the Lord, and consumed
the two hundred and fifty ' men
that offered incense.

k Lev. 10.

c. 11. 1.

with a God that could revenge with
ease." — Bp. Hall. The deprecatory
prayer of David, Ps. 69 : 15, seems to
allude to this terrible judgment : — " Let
not the water-flood overflow me, neither
let the deep (i. e. gulf) swallow me up,
and let not the pit shut her mouth upon
me."

V. 34. Fled at the cry of them. Heb.
" At the voice of them." At the cry or
noise they made in perishing, for we
can well believe that the most heart-
rending shrieks would be heard from
the multitude when they found them-
selves being ingulfed in the opening
caverns of the earth.

V. 35. And there came out a fire from,
the Lord. That is, from the divine
glory enthroned in the pillar of cloud
over the tabernacle, as is to be inferred
from the general usus loquendi. As the
sin was not unlike that of Nadab and
Abihu, so the punishment was similar.
Korah, as before remarked, was prob-
ably in this company, and perished in
their destruction. This catastrophe,
like the other, is celebrated by the
Psalmist, Ps. 106:18, "And a fire was
kindled in their company ; the flames
burned up the wicked." T[ Con-
sumed. Heb. "Ate up." " There were
two sorts of traitors ; the earth swal-
lowed up one, the fire the other. All
the elements agree to serve the ven-
geance of their Maker. Nadab and
Abihu brought fit persons, but unfit fire
to God ; these Levites bring the right
fire, but unwarranted persons before

246

NUMBEPwS.

[B.C. 1471.

36 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

37 Speak unto Eleazar the
son of Aaron the priest, that he
take up the censers out of the
burning, and scatter thou the
fire yonder ; for "" they are hal-
lowed.

m Lev. -27. 28.

him ; fire from God consumes both. It
is a dangerous thing to usurp sacred
functions. The ministry will not grace
the man; the man may disgrace the
ministry." — Bp. Hall.

V. 37. Speak unto Eleazar. The par-
ticular grounds on which this order was
given to Eleazar, it is not easy to de-
termine with precision. The Jewish
writers say it was because the Lord
would not have Aaron, as a representa-
tively holy person, run the risk of pol-
lution by going among the dead ; which
is perhaps as probable a suggestion as

any other T[ Out of the hurning.

Heb. mihhen hasse7'epMh,from between
or among the hurning. Gr. " From the
midst of those who were burnt." That
is, from among the mass of the dead
bodies upon which the fire had just
done such a destructive work. Burn-
ing is supposed to stand here for those
who were burnt, the abstract for the
concrete, as captivity for captives, Num.
21 : 1, &nA poverty {or poor, 2 Kings, 24 :

14. T[ Scatter thou the fire yonder.

Whatever fire, or cinders, still remained
in the smoking censers was to be hurled
away at once, and to the farthest possi-
ble distance, probably to the spot where
all the refuse of the camp was cast, in
order to indicate that the service per-
formed by them was rejected with the
utmost loathing and detestation as pro-
fane. Gr. "As for the strange fire,
scatter it there ;" in which rendering
we have no clue to lead us to the pre-

38 The censers of these sin-
ners " against their own souls, let
them make them broad plates
for a covering of the altar ; for
they offered them before the
Lord, therefore they are hal-
lowed : and they shall be a sign "
unto the children of Israel.

20. 2. Hab. 2. 10.

cise import of " there." \ For they

are halloived. Heb. hadeshu, they are
sanctified, consecrated, hallowed; the
original being a verb and not an ad-
jective. The reason is given in the
next verse, viz. : that having once been
employed, by divine command, in the
holy service of the sanctuary, they were
henceforth forbidden to be put to any
other use.

V. 38. TJie censers of these sinners
against their oivn souls. That is, against
their own lives: Ged. " The censers of
these men, who by sinning have lost

their lives." T[ Let them mahe them

hroad plates. Heb. '* Outspreadings of
plates." That is, plates beaten out and
spread broad so as to cover with them
the brazen altar. The original is from
the same root with the word rendered
*' firmament," which, as we have shown
in the Note on Gen. 1 : 6, involves the
idea of spreading out by beating. They
were to be laid on over the precious
covering of brass which enveloped the
brazen altar, or the altar of sacrifice, as

described, Ex. 27 : 12. H They shall

he a sign. That is, a memorial to put
Israel in mind of the transgression in
which the fact originated, and to serve
as a perpetual warning to them against
repeating the ofience. " Not only the
Israelites in general, but also the Le-
vites in particular, save Aaron's sons
only, are counted strangers in respect
of the priest's ofiice ; and this covering
of the altar, with those censers of

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVI.

247

39 And Eleazar the priest
took the brazen censers, where-
with they that were burnt had
offered ; and they were made
broad plates for a covering of
the altar :

40 To he a memorial unto
the children of Israel, that ^ no
stranger which is not of the
seed of Aaron come near to

p c. 3. 10. 2 Chr. 26. 18.

polished splendid brass, was as a look-
ing-glass for all to behold, that none
might, afterwards, like Korah, pre-
sume to the priesthood." — JS'ess. Thus
Aaron's rod was kept for a sign, Num.
17 : 10, and God threatens, by destroy-
ing the wicked man, to make him " a
sign and a proverb," Ezek. 14 : 8. " Now
all these things happened unto them for
ensamples; and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the
world are come." — 1 Cor. 10 : 11.

V. 39. And they were made hroad
{plates), etc. Heb. lit. " And they broad-
ened them;" that is, by a process of
beating expanded them into thin lam-
inae, adapted to serve as a covering to
the altar.

V. 40. That he he not as Korah. This
would seem tb imply that Korah perish-
ed by fire with the company of two hun-
dred and fifty who oflered incense. The
force of the example is drawn from the
case of these men, with whom Korah is
evidently classed. This confirms the
suggestions offered above relative to

his fate. T[ As tlie Lord said to him.

Implying that he had had fair warn-
iig. Others understand the "him" of
Lleazar.

V. 41. All the congregation mur-
mured. So fearful a judgment as they
had just been called to witness would
have been sufficient, one would suppose,
to prevent the outbreak of any further

offer incense before the Lord ;
that he be not as Korah, and as
his company : as the Lord said
to him by the hand of Moses.

41 But, on the morrow all
the congregation of the children
of Israel ^murmured against Mo-
ses and against Aaron, saying.
Ye have killed the people of the
Lord.

q c. 14. 2. Ps. 106. 25, etc.

murmurings or discontent. Yet how
different the matter of fact! As the
vessel, in its course through the deep,
leaves a track of foam behind it which
is a little while distinct and well de-
fined, but soon mingles with the mass
of waters and is seen no more, so was
it with the judgment of heaven on this
occasion, and the impression it created.
It endured for the night, but discontent
and rebellion came in the morning.
With a unanimity that is amazing, " all
the congregation " — not merely the ru-
lers or a few intractable spirits — but
the great mass of the people, gave way
to groundless complaints. With tu-
multuous outcries and accusations, they
press upon Moses and Aaron, charging
them with the destruction of a multi-
tude of their brethren, the peculiar peo-
ple of the Lord ; as if these atrocious
transgressors had been good and holy
people, and Moses and Aaron had been
their persecutors. Alas, how will pride,
passion, and self-will prevail to blind
the understanding of men, so that they
will call evil good, and good evil, and
put darkness for light, and light for
darkness. Especially does this hold
among large bodies of men in times of
public tumult. By saying, however,
that they had killed them, their mean-
ing doubtless was that they had been
the means, the procuring cause, of their
losing their lives, and not that they had

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42 And it came to pass,
when the congregation was
gathered against Moses and
against Aaron, that they look-
ed toward the tabernacle of the
congregation : and behold, the
cloud ' covered it, and the glo-
ry * of the Lord appeared.

43 And Moses and Aaron
came before the tabernacle of
the congregation.

directly slain them. Accordingly the
Chald. renders, "ye have caused the
death."

V. 42. They looked toward the taber-
nacle. The intimation is that they, i. e.,
Moses and Aaron more especially, look-
ed imploringly in that direction, that
they invoked help from the Lord in his
dwelling-place, and the consequence
was an immediate manifestation in
their favor. That awful phenomenon
termed " the glory of the Lord," shone
forth, as on former occasions, with an
aspect of threatening which they well
understood. It was now, however, un-
accompanied by any voice, but a silent
judgment proceeded from it, as we learn
from the effect that followed, which was
the cutting off of more than 14,000 of
the host by a deadly plague or stroke
from the divine hand.

V. 45. And they fell upon their faces.
Doubtless to intercede afresh for these
high-handed offenders. No provoca-
tions avail to abate their charity and
compassion in behalf of the people,
however undeserving. A true benevo-
lence seems unable to discover that
point in the divine displeasure beyond
which it is in vain to sue for mercy. It
will still lift up its prayer in the very
article of inflicted vengeance. Comp.
1 Chron. 21 : 16.

V. 46. Take a censer andputfre there-

44 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

45 Get ' you up from among
this congregation, that I may
consume them as in a moment.
And " they fell upon their faces.

46 And Moses said unto
Aaron, Take a censer, and put
fire therein from off the altar,
and put on incense, and go quick-
ly unto the congregation, and

t ver. 21. -24.

in, etc. Incense was regularly to be
offered nowhere but at the golden altar
within the sanctuary ; but on the pres-
ent extraordinary emergency, Aaron is
sent with it into the camp in order to
stay the plague, by making an atone-
ment for the people ; the natural effect
of which would be to afford them a con-
vincing proof of the sanctity and au-
thority which should henceforth per-
tain to his ministry. " God might have
stayed the plague without the interven-
tion of Aaron ; but in this time of dis-
content, it pleased him to afford another
convincing testimony that the high-
priest was acting in his sacred office by
his appointment and under his direc-
tion. They must have been hardened
indeed who could doubt Ihe authority
under which the high-priest acted, after
such a striking evidence of the Lord's
respect to his official intervention." — •
Kitto. The Jewish writers say on this
passage that Moses intended to warn
Aaron lest perchance he should err
through haste, and offer strange fire,
as Nadab and Abihu had done, as also
those who had recently perished. They
remark, too, that *' the incense which
caused death when it was not in the
hand of the priest, giveth life when it is

in the hand of the priest." T[ Make

an atonement. That is, by acting as a
mediator or interceder on behalf of the

(

B. 0. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVI.

249

make an atonement for them;
for there is " wrath gone out
from the Lord; the plague is
begun.

47 And Aaron took, as Mo-
ses commanded, and ran into
tl:e midst of the congregation ;
and, behold, the plague "■ was
begun among the people : and
he put on incense ^, and made an
atonement for the people.

V Lev. in. 6. c. 11. 33. IS. 5. 1 Chr. 27.
to Ps. 106. 29. X Deut. 33. 10.

le. There is nothing of an expia-
tory kind implied in the use of the term

in this connection. ^ The plague is

begun. The Heb. negeph from nagaph
to strike, to smite, is a term of general
import denoting any severe stroke or
infliction from the divine hand. Our
English word plague is derived from
the Latin plaga, and that from the Gr.
irX7]yr), pleg'e, in both which languages
it is used to signify a stroke, a bloic, a
stripe, a wound. By an extension of
the import of the word it is made to de-
note & pestilence or some oi\iQY fatal dis-
ease, which would naturally be regarded
as an extraordinary scourge proceeding
directly from the Lord. This is proba-
bly to be considered its sense in the
present connection. The Chald. ren-
ders it " the death." It is impossible
to elicit from the term any more definite
import. As to the fact itself, we know
not how Moses became possessed of it
so as to be able to announce it, though
it is altogether probable it was con-
veyed to his mind by a divine monition.
In proportion as we are faithful and fa-
miliar with God, so much the earlier do
we discern his judgments in the earth.
We become, as it were, of his council.
V. 47. And Aaron took as Moses com-
manded. Aaron was as full of anxiety
for the people as his brother. He in-

11*

48 And he stood between ^
the dead and the living ; and the
plague was ' stayed.

49 Now they that died in the
plague were fourteen thousand
and seven hundred, beside them
that died about the matter of
Korah.

50 And Aaron returned unto
Moses, unto the door of the tab-
ernacle of the congregation : and
the plague was stayed.

y Heb. 1. 24, -lb.

z 1 Chr. 21. 26, 27.

stantly did as he was commanded. He
ran into the midst of the congregation,
fearless of their wrath, fearless of the
contagion of the plague ; he put the in-
cense upon the sacred fire in the cen-
ser, and made an atonement with it for
the people ; and he stood between the
living and the dead; and the plague

was stayed. T[ Ban into the midst

of the congregation. The spirit evinced
both by Aaron and Moses, on this occa-
sion, was pre-eminently worthy of such
distinguished servants of heaven. In-
sulted and opposed as they had been,
taunted and falsely accused, they have
no ill will or resentment, they seek no
revenge for themselves, nor feel grati-
fication at the punishment of their fac-
tious and rebellious people. On the
contrary, they suifer long and are kind.
They count not their own lives dear
unto themselves if so be that they may
save the lives of these oftenders. This
is the conduct of men who are taught
and governed by the laws of heaven.

V. 48. And he stood between the dead
and the living. Thus interposing be-
tween the infected and the uninfected
portions of the camp, and exposing
himself to the ravages of the plague in
behalf of the people. "As one that
would part a fray, he thrusts himself
under the strokes of God, and puts it to

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CHAPTER XYIL
ND the Lord spake unto

Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of

the choice of the revenger whether he
will smite him or forbear the rest ; he
stands boldly between the living and
the dead, as one that will either die
with them or have them live with him ;
the sight of fourteen thousand carcases
dismayed him not ; he that before feared
the threats of the people now fears not
the strokes of God." — Bp. Ball. How
striking a type of the intervention of
our Lord do we recognize in the con-
duct of Aaron on this occasion. Our
great and compassionate High-Priest,
moved by the contemplation of our
danger, not only at the hazard of life,
but in the sure prospect of death,
hastened into our midst to make atone-
ment for us.

" With pitying eyes the Prince of Peace
Beheld our helpless grief;
He saw, and oh, amazing love,
He ran to our relief."

CHAPTER XVII.

TJie Budding and Blossoming of
Aaron^s Bod.

V. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses,
etc. At what particular time we are
not informed, but probably within a
short period after the plague above de-
scribed had ceased. It is reasonable to
infer that the miracle here recorded
took place while the minds of the peo-
ple were yet in an excited state, in con-
sequence of the poisonous insinuations
of Korah and his associates, who had so
recently perished in their presumption.
Every divine judgment executed upon
transgressors has a merciful intention

Israel, and take of every one of
them a rod " according to the
house of their fathers, of all

a Ezek. 37. 16.

towards survivors. The design is to
inspire a salutary fear, and thus to pre-
vent the commission of similar iniqui-
ties. The present chapter affords an
instance strikingly in point. The Lord
is pleased, as here recorded, to put the
appointment of his priests to another
proof, and to work another miracle, that
he might effectually silence all future
murmurings on the score of the authori-
ty claimed by Moses and Aaron. The
test was unequivocally decisive.

V. 2. TaTce of every one of them a rod
according to the house of their fathers.
Heb. " Take of them a rod, a rod, for
(or according to) every father's house."
The duplication is a Hebraism of com-
mon occurrence, carrying with it a dis-
tributive sense. Gr. " Take of them a
rod (or staff), a rod according to the
houses of their patriarchal families."
Chald. " Receive from them a rod each
throughout the houses of (their) fa-
thers." It is evident from what follows
that the requisition was, not a rod from
each individual Israelite, but one from
each tribe ; and this was to be presented
in the name of the leading man or
" prince " of each tribe. The order here
given seems to imply that it was not the
subordinate Levites alone who aspired
to the priesthood, for in that case we
cannot well see why there should not
have been two rods instead of twelve,
one for Aaron and one for his opponents.
But by all the tribes being required to
contribute a rod, it would appear that
all would put in a claim to the dignity,
according to what is said, ch. 16 : 3,
" Ye take too much upon you, seeing
that all the congregation are holy, every
one of them." The decision, therefore,

B. 0. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVII.

251

their princes according to the
house of their fathers, twelve
rods : write thou every man's
name upon his rod.

3 And thou shalt write Aaron's

was to be final for the whole host. The
original word for "rod" {matteh) is for
the most part used to denote a staff,
stick, walking -stick, or wand, rather
than a green rod, hrancli, or hough. It
would seem, from Num. 21 : 18, that the
princes of the tribes carried staves in
their hands, as a kind of baton, that
should serve as a badge of authority.
"The rods or staves were doubtless
official ensigns of the authority with
which the heads of tribes were invest-
ed. Hence the Scripture frequently uses
the word ' rod ' as equivalent to ' scep-
tre ;' and indeed the more modern use
of sceptres is derived from this ancient
custom. These staves were of course
dry, and had probably been for years in
use ; and that such should blossom and
bear fruit again, is such a moral impos-
sibility, that the ancient heathen used
to swear by their rods or sceptres with
a view to that circumstance. Thus
Achilles, in Homer, when enraged
against Agamemnon, says :

* But hearken. I shall swear a solemn oath.
By this sceptre, which shall never hud,
Nor houghs bring forth, as once; which

having left
Its stock on the high mountains, at what

time
The woodman's axe lopt off its foliage

green,
And stript its hark, shall never grow

again ; —
By this I swear,' etc. Cowpee.

The king Latinus, in Virgil, confirms,
by a similar oath, his covenant with
jEneas. To preclude mistake or impo-
sition in the present transaction, the
name of each tribe was inscribed on

name upon the rod of Levi : for
one rod shall he for the head of
the house of their fathers.

4 And thou shalt lay them
up in the tabernacle of the con-

the rod of its chief; and the question
being to try the right to the priesthood,
this method of settling the point seems
to indicate that other tribes (proba-
bly that of Reuben in particular) had
thought their claims, as tribes, as good
or better than those of Levi." — Fict.

Bible. \ Write thai: every man^s

name upon his rod. In what manner
the writing was executed we have no
means of determining with any certain-
ty. It may have been by some kind of
incision on the surface, or possibly by
some sort of label attached to the sev-
eral rods. By some means a signature
was afiixed that should serve to identify
the rods to the owners.

V. 3. Thou shalt write Aaron's name
vp&n the rod of Levi. This preference
was given to Aaron, because that, by
being invested with the office of high-
priest, he was made prince of that tribe,
or " head of the house of their fathers."
Moreover, if Levi's name had been on
the rod, it would have left the contro-
versy undecided as between Aaron and
the Levites.

Y. 4. And thou shalt lay them up.
Heb. " Thou shalt cause them to rest."

-Tf Tabernacle of the congregation.

Heb. beohel moid, tent of meeting.

T[ Before the testimony. That is, before
the Ark wherein were deposited the
tables of the Law, called "the Testi-
mony." See Notes on Ex. 25 : 16. Above
was the Mercy-Seat, where the divine
Glory resided. To lay the rods " before
the testimony" was to lay them before
the divine Presence and Majesty, who
intended thereby to determine the pres-
ent controversy. T[ Where I will

252

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gregation, before the testimony,
where * I will meet with you.

5 And it shall come to pass,
ihat the man's rod, whom I shall
choose', shall blossom: and I
will make to cease from me the
murmurings of the children of
Israel, whereby '^ they murmur
against you.

6 Ex. 25. 22.
d c. 16. 11.

.42,43. 30.36.

meet you. Heb. ivvded, from yaad, to
appoint a 7neeting, and in the Niphal or
passive, to he gathered together. This is
the form in which it occurs in the
present connection, and, as such, is re-
markable, as it represents ihe Lord as
being acted up>on and drawn into con-
vention by the foi'ce of his own self-as-
sumed obligations, or by his fidelity to
his covenant engagements, which are
thus represented as operating as if by
an external influence. This is the rea-
son why the Tabernacle was called the
tent of meeting, or of congregation, a
phrase which is usually understood sim-
ply of men's meeting together, or con-
gregating; whereas, in fact, the Lord
gave the appellation to the Tabernacle
on the express ground of his meeting
there with his people in the person of
their representative Moses. See Note
on Ex. 29 : 42. 30 : 36. It is to be ob-
served, however, that the import here
is that of the Lord's hahitual presence —
" where I am accustomed to meet with
you." Four manuscripts, and several
of the ancient versions, here exhibit
leTca, with thee, instead of laJcem, with
you. But the latter is probably correct,
being confirmed by Ex. 29 : 42, 43, where
the like phraseology occurs. But it is
still to be borne in mind that the Lord
neither met then with the people, nor
with Aaron, any otherwise than through
Moses as a representative medium.

6 And Moses spake unto the
children of Israel ; and every J
one of their princes gave him a \
rod apiece, for each prince one, ac-
cording to their fathers' houses,
even twelve rods : and the rod

of Aaron was among their rods.

7 And Moses laid up the rods i
before the Lord in the taberna- i
cle ' of witness.

e Ex.38. 21. Acts 1.44.

V, 5, The man's rod xvhom I shall
choose. Heb. " The man (as to) whom I
shall have complacency in him." This is
not essentially difierent from '' choose,"
but it preserves the prepositional usage
"in him," which is quite common with

the original verb. T[ Shall blossom.

This would have been better rendered
"shall bud," as is the case in v. 8,
where there is a marked distinction in-
dicated between budding, blosso7ning,
and yielding fruit. The original yiphra
here is the word there that answers to

bud. H Will maJce to cease from me,

etc. The Heb. is used elsewhere in ref-
erence to the ceasing or assuaging of
waters. Gen. 8 : 1, and also of wrath.
Est. 2:1, It is here applied to the
murmurings of the people, which were
like raging waters. It will be observed
how strikingly the Lord identifies him-
self wdth his people : " I will make to
cease from me the murmurings where-
by they murmur against ^ow."

V. 6. 2Vte rod of Aaron was among
their rods. The Vulg. has here, " And
there were twelve rods besides the rod
of Aaron," supposing that the tribe of
Joseph was divided into two — Ephraim
and Manasseh — which would make
twelve besides that of Levi. But this
is unwarranted by the original. The
probability is much stronger that there
were only twelve and not thirteen rods.
V. 7. Before the Lord in, ihe tabcr-

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTEK XVII.

253

8 And it came to pass, that on
the morrow, Moses went into the
tabernacle of witness ; and, be-
hold, the rod'' of Aaron for the
house of Levi was budded, and
brought forth buds, and bloomed
blossoms, and yielded almonds.

/ Ps. 110. 2. Ezek. 19. 1-2, 14.

iiacle of witness. The inference is, that
the rods were deposited in the Most
Holy Place in the presence of the divine
Glory, whither Moses alone had ordina-
ry access. There it was kept according to
the statement of the apostle, Heb. 9 : 3, 4.
V. 8. Was budded, and hrouglit forth
buds, and hloomed blossoms, and yielded
almonds. Gr. and Targ. Jon. " Xiits."
The miracle consisted in the sudden
vegetation of the rod, and that in dif-
ferent degrees. It would seem that in
some places of the rod tender buds
were seen just emerging from the sur-
face ; in others the buds were fully de-
veloped ; in others, again, they had blos-
somed, and those blossoms, in other
parts, had ripened into fruit, the fruit
of the almond-tree. On the name and
peculiar properties of the almond, see
Kote on Ex. 25 : 33. It is a tree that
blossoms and bears fruit earlier than
other trees, and hence its appellation,
sMTctd, from sMkad, to maize haste, to he
in a hurry, and thence to awalce early,
to he vigilant, to watch. That this ef-
fect should have been produced in a
single night upon Aaron's rod, while
all the rest were as dry as before, could
not but be looked upon with amaze-
ment, and prove an incontestable evi-
dence of the Lord's designation. " It
could not but be a great comfort unto
Aaron to see his rod thus miraculously
flourishing ; to see this wonderful testi-
mony of God's favor and election. Sure
he could not but think. Who am I, 0
God, that thou shouldst choose me out

9 And Moses brought out all
the rods from before the Lord
unto all the children of Israel :
and they looked, and took every
man his rod.

10 And the Lord said unto
Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again
before the testimony, to be

of all the tribes of Israel ! My weakness
hath been more worthy of the rod of cor-
rection, than my rod hath been woi-thy
of these blossoms. How hast thou mag-
nified me in the sight of all thy people !
How able art thou to uphold my imbe-
cility by the rod of thy support ! How
able art thou to defend me with the rod
of thy power, who hast thus brought
fruit out of the rod of my profession ! " — ■
£p. Hall.

Y. 9. And Moses hrought out all the
rods — unto all the children, of Israel. It
would plainly be all-important that no
suspicion of fraud should attach at all
to the transaction. We may suppose,
therefore, that as the rods were to be
deposited " in the tabernacle of the
congregation," or in the sacred pre-
cincts, they were sealed up in one re-
ceptacle, the princes, or others author-
ized by them, watching it through the
night to see that no dishonesty was
practised. Certainly, they were not in
Moses's custody ; for "on the morrow
Moses went to the Tabernacle of wit-
ness to examine them." No charge of
unfair dealing could be brought against
him, and he submits the rods openly to
the view of the parties interested, who
took them into their hands, and, by
close inspection, satisfied themselves of
their identity.

Y. 10. Bring Aaron's rod again he-
fore the testimony. That is, return, re-
store it, after sufficient examination, to
the place where it was deposited before
the ark of the testimony. U To be

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kept ^ for a token against the
rebels; and thou shalt quite
take away their murmurings
from me, that they die not.

11 And Moses did so : as the
Lord commanded him, so did he.

12 And the children of Is-

heptfor a token. Heb. " For a keeping,
or reservation." As a specimen of the
manna was preserved in the golden pot
within the Most Holy Place of the sanc-
tuary, " for a keeping," Ex. 16 : 33,
that subsequent generations might see
the bread which their fathers ate in the
wilderness, so this rod was kept in the
same place "for a reservation" and
" for a sign," that all that lived after-
wards might be aware of the confirma-
tion of the priesthood in Aaron's line.

TI For a token against the rebels.

Heb. " For a sign to the sons of rebel-
lion." Gr. " A sign for the children of
the disobedient." This appellation is
given to the Israelites from the fact,
that they were so much given to rebel-
lion that they might be said to be born
of it as of a parent. This is equivalent
to the testimony of Moses, Deut. 9 : 24,
** Ye have been rebellious against the
Lord from the day that I knew you."
The use of " sons " in the sense oi sub-
jects of certain qualities is quite com-
mon in holy writ, as Ps. 89 : 22, " Son of
wickedness ;" Prov. 31 : 5, " Sons of af-
fliction " (marg.) ; Deut. 13 : 13, " Sons
of Belial ;" and also 1 Sam. 2:12; Eph.
2:2, " Sons of disobedience." Comp.
Eph. 5 : 6. Mat. 11 : 19. 1 Pet. 1 : 14.

• 1 JTiou shalt quite take away their

murmurings, etc. Heb. tekel, thou shalt
end, finish, do utterly away with. Gr.
" Let their murmuring cease from me,
and they shall not die." " Take away
from me" is literally according to the
original, '' take away from upon me."

rael spake unto Moses, saying,
Behold, we die, we perish''', we
all perish.

13 Whosoever ' cometh any
thing '' near unto the tabernacle
of the Lord shall die : shall we
be consumed with dying ?

A Ps. 90. 7. Is. 57. 16. t c. 1. 51, 53. 18. 4, 7.

k Kph. i. 13. Heb. 10. 19-22.

V. 12. Behold, we die, we perish, we
all perish. Heb. gavanu, we expire.
The term signifies not so precisely to
die, as to be brought into that state of
painful siiffocation which is very likely
to end in death. " We give up the
ghost." — Ains. A miracle of mercy
seems to have extorted from them the
confession which the previous miracles
of judgment had failed to do. We take
the words as implying not an unjust
complaint or the outbreak of a still re-
maining discontent, but an humble ac-
knowledgment of their just deserts and
of the imminent peril from which they
had barely escaped. The Chald. para-
phrases the words thus : " Behold, the
sword hath killed some of us, and be-
hold, the earth hath swallowed sOme of
us, and behold, some of us are dead
with the pestilence." The Targ. Jon.
thus: "Behold, some of us are con-
sumed with flaming fire, and some of
us are swallowed up into the earth ;
behold, we think as did they, so we all
of us shall perish." They virtually con-
fess that, by reason of their rebellion,
they were as good as dead, and that
they would certainly incur that doom
should they hereafter ofieud. Their lan-
guage shows how much more efficacious
is the mercy than the tokens of the di-
vine wrath to touch the conscience and
awaken the emotions of godly sorrow
and repentance for sin.

V. 13. Wliosoever cometh any thing
near, etc. The following is the literal
rendering of the verse: "Every one

B. 0. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVni.

255

CHAPTER XVIII.

ND the Lord said unto
Aaron, Thou, and thy sons,

that cometh near, every one that com-
eth near unto the tabernacle of Jeho-
vah shall die ; shall we be consumed in
expiring, or giving up the ghost ?" Our
translators have aimed to indicate the
repetition, in the conamencement of the
verse, by inserting the words *' any
thing," which answers somewhat to the
import of the duplicated clause, hinting
at the prohibition of any degree of ap-
proach. The doubling of words and
phrase has often the eflfect, in Hebrew,
of giving greater emphasis and inten-
sity to the expression. 1[ Shall we be

consumed with dying f "Will the Lord
proceed with us in this course of un-
sparing justice ? "Will he show us no
mercy till all the people, doomed to die
one after another, are cut off? " The
name of Aaron was not more plainly
written in that rod than the sin of Is-
rael was in the fruit of it; and how
much Israel finds their rebellion beaten
with this rod, appears in their present
relenting and complaint : " Behold, we
are dead, we perish." — Bjp. Hall.

CHAPTER XVIII.

The special Charge assigned to the
Priests and the Levites.

V. 1. And the Lord said unto Moses,
etc. The recent manifestations record-
ed in the two preceding chapters, had
operated so effectually upon the con-
gregation as to fill them with a kind of
panic consternation in view of the dan-
ger of approaching the Tabernacle, or
dealing in any way with the sanctities
of worship. The divine benignity de-
signs, in the present chapter, to reas-

and thy father's house with thee,
shall bear " the iniquity of the

a Ex. 28. 38. Is. 53. 6, 11. 1 Pet. 2. 24.

sure their confidence, and at the same
time to impress Aaron himself with a
deep and abiding sense of the responsi-
bility that rested upon him in the dis-
charge of the duties of that sacred office
which had been so signally confirmed
to him by the miraculous tokens of the
Lord's appointment. These indications
might tend to puff" him up with a con-
ceit of his own importance, and there-
fore he is here reminded of the burden
laid upon him and the duty required
of him as a priest. The consequence
would naturally be that instead of be-
ing made proud of his preferment, he
would receive the honors of his office
with reverence and holy awe, being
made aware of the danger arising from
any default in his service. "When men
are invested with authority, their re-
sponsibility rises in proportion. It is
a law running through the whole prov-
idential economy of heaven, that to
whom much has been given, from them

much is required. T[ Thy father's

house. That is, the house or posterity
of Levi, who was father to all the priests
and Levites. T[ Shall hear the ini-
quity of the sanctvxiry. That is, shall
bear the punishment for all the iniquity
that is done in the sanctuary, in which
term is embraced the courtyard, and
the sacred precincts generally. Chald.
" Shall propitiate over the sins of the
sanctuary." Arab. " Shall make expi-
ation for the faults of the holy things."
If the sanctuary should be profaned by
the intrusion of strangers or the un-
clean, the priests and the Levites were
to be held answerable for the offence,
to whose negligence it was owing.
Jarchi : " Upon you will I bring the
punishment of the strangers that shall

256

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471.

sanctuary : and thou and thy
sons with thee shall bear the
iniquity of your priesthood.

2 And thy brethren also of
the tribe of Levi, the tribe of

sin concerning the sanctified things
that are delivered unto ;^ou." See Note
on ch. 1 : 51. T[ Shall hear the ini-
quity of your priesthood. Shall be re-
sponsible for whatever iniquity might
be committed in connection with the
discharge of the priestly functions.
This charge is more fully amplified in
the ensuing verse. Rab. Menahem :
" By this admonition was signified, that
the priests should not intermeddle with
the service of the Levites, nor the Le-
vites with the service of the priests."
All this would tend to calm the appre-
hensions of the people, who were afraid
they should die for every error commit-
ted in their approaches to the sanctu-
ary, and it would serve also to extin-
guish any degree of envy they might
cherish in respect to the priestly digni-
ty, when they saw with how much peril
its possession and exercise was at-
tended.

V. 2. Tlie tribe of Levi, the tribe of
thy father. The original here exhibits
two different words for tribe, matteh
{the tribe) of Levi, and shebet {the tribe)
of thy father ; of which the former sig-
nifies a staff, the latter a rod, and both
of them being occasionally used to de-
note a tribe or Tcindred, on the same
principle on which any distinguishing
badge or ensign is in our own and other
languages employed to signify the per-
sons or bodies by whom it is borne.

Tl That they may be joined unto

thee. Heb. yillavu, from the root Idvdh,
signifying to join, to couple, to associate.
From this root comes the name Levi,
the reason of which was assigned by
his mother at his birth. Gen. 29 : 34,

thy father, bring thou with thee,
that they may be joined * unto
thee, and minister '' unto thee :
but thou and '^ thy sons with

.6,7.

"Now this time will my husband be
joined unto me." And the term here
employed displays a peculiar parano-
masia, or play upon words, equivalent
to " may be Levited," i. e. adjoined to
or associated with the priests. They
shall conjointly perform the sacred of-
fice, but the priests shall be principal,
the Levites their associates or assist-
ants. Gr. prostethetosan, let them be
added. This Gr. word as the rendering
of the Heb. Idvdh occurs several times
in the Old Testament, and is thence
transferred to the New. The following
passages especially receive illustrative
light from the usage now adverted to.
Is. 14:1, "And the stranger shall be
joined {nilvdh, Gr. prostethesetai) with
them." Is. 56 : 3, " Neither let the son
of the stranger that hath joined himself
{hannilveh, Gr. prosheimenos) to the
Lord speak, saying," etc. Comp. Is.
56 : 6. Jer. 50 : 5, " Come and let w^join
ourselves {nilvu) to the Lord in a per-
petual covenant." Esth. 9:27, "Upon
all such as joined themselves {hannilvim,
Gr. prostetheimenois) unto them." Acts
2 : 41, 47, " And the same day there
were added unto thtm {(av.prosetethesan)
about three thousand souls." Acts 2 : 47,
" And the Lord added (Gr. prosetithei)
unto the church daily such as should be
saved." Acts 5 : 14, " And believers
were the more added {prosetithento) to
the Lord." Acts 11 : 24, " And much
people was added (Gr. prosetethe) unto
the Lord." These heathen converts,
brought into the Christian church by
the preaching of the apostles, were the
" strangers " pointed at by the prophets
of the old economy as those who were

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVIII.

257

thee shall minister before the
tabernacle of witness.

3 And they shall keep thy
charge, and the charge of all
the tabernacle : only they ^ shall
not come nigh the vessels of

to be Levitically adjoined or added to
the covenant people in the latter day.
Their accession to the church and its
divine Head was represented by the
adjunction of the Levites to the priestly
order under the Jewish dispensation.
The following passage may be cited in
this connection as a parallelism of strik-
ing character : — Is. 66 : 21, " I will also
take of them for priests and Levites,
saith the Lord." The prophet is here
speaking of the accession of heathen
converts at a future day of the church.

^ And minister unto thee. Heb.

vesTidritTiuha, lit. sTiall minister thee,
i. e. to thee ; although in the original,
both here and elsewhere the preposition
to or for, which properly pertains to the
word, is wanting. Gr. leitourgeitosan,
let them liturgize for thee. Comp. Xum.
3:6. 8 : 26. Deut. 10 : 8. 18 : 6, 7. 1 Sam.

3 : 1. 2 Chron. 29 : 11. H Before the

tabernacle of witness. Heb. " Before
the tent of the testimony." Before the
Most Holy Place in which the ark stood.
The common priests, but not the Le-
vites, ministered before, i. e. on the out-
side of, but not within, this inner room,
which was separated from the outer by
a vail. It was only the high priest who
penetrated beyond this vail. The office
of the Levites was to assist in killing
the sacrifices, taking the blood, and giv-
ing it to the priests for sprinkling, and
in general performing all the more me-
nial parts of the requisite service about
the Tabernacle and its court. The
priests served at the altar and in the
Holy Place.

the sanctuary and the altar,
that neither they, nor ye also,
die.

4 And they shall be joined
unto thee, and keep the charge
of the tabernacle of the congre-
gation, for all the service of the

Y. 3. Th£y shall keep the charge. Or,
Heb. " Observe thine observation, thy
custody." See the Note on ch. 3 : 7,
where this phraseology is explained.
TT -^nd the charge of all the taber-
nacle. Aaron is here commanded to
make a strict discrimination between
the priestly and the Levitical orders ;
the Levites having nothing to do but to
be keepers and carriers of the Taberna-
cle and its utensils. Upon any move-
ment of the camp, they were not allow-
ed so much as to handle or touch the
ark, altar, table, or candlestick, but
only to take them from the priests when
they had packed them. The priests, on
the other hand, were to use the Levites
as ministers, and by their constant c&re
and admonitions were to prevent all
others from incurring the divine dis-
pleasure, on account of profane intru-
sions into so holy a function. ^ That

neither they nor ye also die. They for
so doing, and you for suffering it.

Y. 4. And they shall be joined unto
thee. Heb. nihu, that is, shall be ad-
joined Levitically — the same term with
that previously used in a similar con-
nection. A Levite was an adjunct.
They were to be considered as an ap-
pended portion of that general body of
men who were devoted to the special
service of God in the work of the sanc-
tuary. T[ For all the service of the

tent. That is, for the heaviest part of
the service, called their burden, and
mentioned particularly ch. 4 : 3, 4, and
throughout the rest of that chapter.
This is the peculiar import of the ori-

258

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471.

tabernacle : and a stranger shall
not come nigh unto you.

5 And ye shall keep the
charge of the sanctuary, and
the charge of the ' altar ; that
there be no wrath ^ any more
upon the children of Israel.

6 And I, behold, I have
taken your brethren the Le-
vites from among the children

/ Ex. 30. 7, etc. Lev. 24.

g c. 16. ■

of Israel ; to you they are ^
given as a gift for the Lord, to
do the service of the tabernacle
of the congregation.

7 Therefore thou ' and thy
sons with thee shall keep your
priest's ofl&ce for every thing of
the altar, and within ^' the vail ;
and ye shall serve : I have given
your priest's office unio you as

ginal aboddJi from the root dbdd, to
serve, denoting the more menial kind
of services such as pertained especially

to bondmen. T[ A stranger. Even

any one of the Israelites who was not a
Levite was counted a stranger in this
relation ; and as to the functions of the
priests, the Levites themselves fell into
the category of strangers, v. 7. See
Note on ch. 3 : 10.

V. 5. Ye shall keep the charge of the
sanctuary. Heb. " Of the holy, or holi-
ness." Gr. " Of the holies ;" the same
term as that employed by the apostle,
Heb. 9:2, 3, in reference to the first
tabernacle, i. e. the first or outer room
of the tabernacle wherein was contain-
ed the Candlestick, the Table, and the
Shew-bread. The inner room, by way
of contradistinction, was called the
Holy of holies, or the Holiest of all.
To "keep the charge of the taber-
nacle " was to exercise continual care
night and day that all things were
kept pure and uncorrupted, and admin-
istered strictly according to the divine

will. 1" That there he no wrath any

more, etc. That by constant care and
vigilance all occasions of wrath might
be precluded. " The preventing of sin
is the preventing of wrath ; and the mis-
chief sin has done, should be a warn-
ing to us for the future, to watch against
it both in ourselves and others." —
Henry.

V. 6. Have taken your brethren the
Levites. See ch. 3 : 12, 41, 45. 8 : 6, 16,
18, with the Notes. The Levites are
here denominated " brethren," that the
priests might not be prompted to de-
spise or disparage them by reason of
the inferior capacity in which they
served. On the contrary, they were re-
quired to treat them with kindness and

brotherly affection. 1[ From among

the children of Israel. Heb. "From

out of the midst." If To you {they

are) given (as) a gift for the Lord.
Though directly assigned to you as
servitors and assistants, yet let it not
be overlooked that this gift is to re-
dound ultimately to the Lord, to whom
you are yourselves given as ministers.
V. 7. Keep yov,r priesV s office for every
thing of the altar and within the vail.
Keep or preserve it to yourselves, dis-
charging its functions, and allow no
other person to invade it. This you are
to do with a twofold reference to the
altar of burnt offerings, where the sacri-
fices are to be performed, the blood
sprinkled, etc. ; and also to all that is
to be done, whether within the outer or
the inner vail, as, for instance, burning
incense, putting on the shew-bread,

and lighting the lamps. T[ And ye

shall serve. "Not, 'Ye shall rule;' it
was never intended that they should
lord it over God's heritage, but ' Ye
shall serve God and the congregation.'

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVIII.

259

a service of gift : and the stran-
ger that cometh nigh shall be
put to death.

Note, The priesthood is a service. ' If
anj desire the office of a bishop, he de-
sireth a good work.' Ministers must
remember that thej are ministers, that
is, servants ; of whom it is required
that they be humble, diligent, and faith-
ful."— Henry. ^ A service of gift.

That is, a service freely given you, and
to be regarded as a favor and a privi-
lege, imparting at the same time a
corresponding duty and service. The
priest's office, viewed as a "gift," was
a privilege, and as a " service," a work,
according to the language of the apostle,
1 Tim. 3:1, " If a man desire the office
of a bishop, he desireth a good work.'"
The Jewish writers explain the clause !
t^s : " I have given it unto you by gift, I
that none should say, Ye are come into
it of yourselves," which is true as far
as it goes, but comprises not the whole
sense. It is a declaration clearing the
incumbents of the sin of usurpation.
T[ T/ie stranger. That is, any Israel-
ite, Levite, or whosoever were not of the
seed of Aaron. See Note on ch. 3 : 10.

Provision for the Maintenance of fhe
Priests and the Levites.
V. 8. Behold, I also have given, etc.
The general line of duty, both for priests
and Levites, having been above pre-
scribed, the Lord now provides for
their maintenance, which was to be de-
rived from certain parts of the votive
and free-will offerings that came upon
the altar. They had the skins of almost
all the sacrifices, and they had a con-
siderable share of the meat-oflfe rings,
sin-offerings, etc. In addition to this,
they had a money stipend also, as they
were entitled to the price of what was re-
deemed, as the first-born of man, and of
those beasts which could not be offered

8 And the Lord spake unto
Aaron, Behold, I also have given
thee the charge of mine heave-
in sacrifice. The various first-fruits
were also appropriated to them, to-
gether with the tithes of the produce of
the land ; so that they were, on the
whole, amply provided for. On this
head, the following remarks of Mi-
chaelis (Zaws of Moses, p. 1, § 52) will
be seen to have a peculiar pertinence :
" If we would duly understand the ge-
nius of the Mosaic polity, and be able,
without idle wonder, to account for the
rich revenues of the priests and Levites,
we must learn to entertain of these two
descriptions of persons ideas complete-
ly opposite to those which commonly
prevail. For if we look upon them in no
other point of view than that of ministers
of religion, their revenues cannot but
appear exorbitant beyond all bounds.
A tribe, including no more than 22,000
males, and, of course, not above 12,000
arrived at man's estate, received the
tithes of 600,000 Israelites ; consequent-
ly each individual Levite, without hav-
ing to deduct seed and charges of hus-
bandry, had as much as five Israel-
ites reaped from their fields or gained
from their cattle. A tribe, which did
not make the Jifteenth part of the peo-
ple, enjoyed one tenth, of the whole pro-
duce of the lands, and many other priv-
ileges besides. For mere ministers at
the altar, mere clergymen, this would
have been far too much. Guides to hap-
piness we certainly should have cheaper ;
nor are they requisite in so great a mul-
titude. It will, however, probably be
granted me that for the whole hody of
litei^ati, that is, for the ministers of re-
ligion, the judges, the scribes, and keep-
ers of the genealogical registers, and the
mathematicians employed in the ser-
vice of the police, the revenues of the
Levites, considerable as they may ap-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471.

offerings ' of all the hallowed
things of the children of Israel;

pear, were by no means too great." It
is, however, to be observed in this con-
nection, that the Levitical tribe cannot
justly be compared with the preachers
of the Christian dispensation. "We
nowhere find," says Michaelis, " that
Moses mentions, even en passant^ any
such profession as that of our clergy-
men, or that he instituted preaching on
the Sabbath. The circumstance of the
priests and Levites having their abode
fixed in forty-eight distinct cities of their
own, altogether incapacitated them from
performing the duties of the clergy in re-
gard to religious instruction, and what
we call the cure of souls : for what more
absurd could be imagined, than our
having cities in which several hundred
preachers dwelt together, while not one
lived in our other cities, or was dispersed
through the country. A clerical class
of men was wanting in the constitution
of the Mosaic church and state. A body
of doctors, properly so called, did not
exist among the Jews until after the
Babylonish captivity, when the press-
ing emergencies of the church required
its establishment ; as the people, from
the change of their language and man-
ners, could no longer understand their
ancient law without the aid of expound-
ers. With all this, however, the Le-
vites were in so far ministers of re-
ligion as they performed holy cere-
monies, copied the law, and, in doubt-
ful cases, explained it. To them the
original of the law was committed,
Deut. 31 : 9 ; they were to be its guard-
ians, and take care to make correct tran-
scripts of it. Printing was yet for many
ages unknown ; and an order of learned
clerks {clerici), that is, of scribes, was
very necessary for the preservation of

unto thee have I given them,
by reason of the anointing"',

books. The king had to take his copy
of the law from theirs, Deut. 17 : 18.
They were bound, at the end of every
seven years, to read over the law in
the hearing of all the people, Deut. 31 :
10-13 ; and even to be so conversant in
it that they could, at least when ques-
tioned, give instructions concerning re-
ligion. In so far, therefore, were they
a Spirituality, and, exactly according
to the ideas of the middle ages, clerks,
that is, people who could handle the
pen, and who transcribed books of
importance. All these circumstances
taken together, rendered the Levites a
class highly important and useful to
the state ; and it was not unreasog-
able that, as a learned noblesse, destined
to discharge such grave duties, they
should have enjoyed considerable rev-
enues."

These abundant revenues thus pro-
vided, would have the effect of giving
them respectability in the eyes of the
people, while they would enable them
to devote themselves the more entirely
to their ministry without the danger of
diversion or interruption from the pres-
sure of worldly cares. The principle of
this provision is very distinctly recog-
nized by the apostle, 1 Cor. 9 : 13, 14,
" Do ye not know that they which min-
ister about holy things live of the things
of the temple? and they which wait at
the altar are partakers with the altar ?
Even so hath the Lord ordained that
they which preach the gospel should
live of the gospel." The fact that the
priests and Levites lived thus in the
main upon the sacrifices about which
they were employed, seems to point to
that spiritual sustenance which the
Lord's ministerial servants find in the

B.C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVin.

261

and unto thy sons, by an ordi-
nance for ever.

9 This shall be thine of the
most holy things, reserved from
the fire : Every oblation of
theirs, every " meat-oflfering of
theirs, and every sin-ofifering "

n Lev. '2. i, 3. 10. l'>, 13. o Lev. 6. -25, 26.

duties of their calling, and which gives
occasion to Henry to remark, that
" God's work is its own wages, and
his service carries its own recompense
along with it. Even in keeping God's
commandments there is great reward.
The present pleasures of religion are

part of its pay," T[ The charge of

mine heave-offerings. Heb. " The keep-
ing, or observation, of mine heave-oifer-
ings." Called a charge or keeping, be-
cause the}^ were to be carefully received
and reverently and devoutly used as
gifts from the Lord. They are there-
fore called holy things (Chald. " sepa-
rated things"), and were to be eaten
(some of them) in the holy place, and
by clean persons only, as v. 9, 10, 11.
T[ By reason of the anointing. Im-
plying that it was not so much on the
ground of their personal merits that
they had these revenues assigned them,
but on the score of their office; by
being anointed with the holy oil they
were consecrated to the priestly office.
Thus, Lev. 7 : 35, after defining the por-
tion of the otFerings which was to the
priests, " This is the portion of the
anointing of Aaron, and of the anoint-
ing of his sons, out of the offerings of
the Lord made by fire."

V. 9. This shall be thine of the most
holy things. Heb. " Of the holiness of
holinesses." Gr. "The hallowed, or
sanctified, holy" things. Of the dis-
tinction between most holy and holy
things, see Note on Lev. 2 : 3. H {Re-
served) from the fire. That is, such

of theirs, and every trespass-
ofi"ering ^ of theirs, which they
shall render unto me, shall he
most holy for thee and for thy
sons.

10 In ^ the most holy place
shalt thou eat it; every male

p Le^

q Lev. 6. 16, etc.

sacrifices, or such parts of sacrifices, as
were not burnt in the fire. Chald, " Left,
or remaining, from the fire," These,
however, did not include all the most
holy things allotted to the priests, for
they were entitled to the twelve loaves
taken off from the table of show-bread

every Sabbath. T[ Every ohlation of

theirs. Heb, hoi horhandm, all their
korbans, or gifts. This appears to be
a general term embracing all the par-
ticulars that follow, q. d, every oblation
of theirs, to wit, every meat-offering,

every sin-offering, etc. T[ Which

they shall render unto me. Or, Heb,
" Which they shall return, or restore,
unto me." These words seem to refer
to the clause immediately foregoing,
that is, they allude to the compensation
which was to be made to the Lord for a
trespass committed, a ram of atone-
ment being usually prescribed in that
case, as appears from Num. 5 : 8 com-
pared with Lev, 6 : 2-6, All such offer-
ings are said to be " most holy " to
Aaron and his sons, because they were
specially set apart for them and to be
used by none else.

V. 10. Ifi the most holy (place) shalt
thou eat it. Heb. " Holy of holies, oi
holiness of holinesses," This is the
term usually employed to denote the
inner recess or room of the Tabernacle
in contradistinction from the outer,
called " the holy place." But here it
evidently has another import, as the
most holy place of the Tabernacle was
never used as a place for eating. It

262

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1471.

shall eat it: it shall be holy
unto thee.

11 And this is thine : the
heave-ojffering '' of their gift,
with all the wave-offerings of
the children of Israel : I have

here denotes the court of the priests,
where there were places for this use,
and which is here called " most holy,"
not in an absolute, but in a compara-
tive sense, as this in respect to the
outer court, and much more in respect
to the whole camp of Israel, was a most
holy place, as not being accessible for
this purpose, but to a holy and sepa-
rated class of persons. Moreover, it
might properly be so termed from its
being the most holy of all the places
appointed for the eating of holy things,
of which some might be eaten in any
clean place in the camp (Lev. 10 : 14),
or in their own houses. That this is
the true interpretation appears from
Lev. 6 : 16, where it is said of the un-
leavened bread, " It shall be eaten in
the holy place ; in the court of the tab-
ernacle of the congregation shall they
eat it." See Note in, loc. Pool re-
marks, " As the most holy place is
sometimes called simply holy, so it is
not strange if a holy place be called
raost holy, especially this place which
was near to the altar of burnt-offerings,
which is called most holy, and made all
that touched it holy, Ex. 29 : 37." It
appears that there were chambers for
similar uses in the temple, Neh. 13 : 5,
9. Compare also what is said, Ezek.
42 : 13, respecting the spiritual temple
that was to distinguish the latter days.
"Then said he unto me. The north
chambers and the south chambers,
which are before the separate place,
they be holy chambers, where the
priests that approach unto the Lord

given them unto thee *, and to
thy sons, and to thy daughters
with thee, by a statute for ever:
every one that is ' clean in thy
house shall eat of it.

12 All the best of the oil.

shall eat the most holy things : there
shall they lay the most holy things, and
the meat-oflering, and the sin-ofiering,
and the trespass-offering ; for the place

is holy." Tl Every male shall eat it.

Restricted to males, because the wives
and daughters of priests are el sse where
forbidden to eat of the most holy things,
as they did of the simply holy and com-
mon things. See v. 11, 13, 19. Lev.
6 : 18, 29. 7 : .6. Under the Gospel, all
such restriction is done away ; " there
is neither male nor female ; all are one

in Christ Jesus." Gal. S : 28. H It

shall he holy unto thee. Not lawful for
any one else. Vulg. "Consecrated to
thee."

V. 11. And this is thine. The writer
here passes on to the recital of the lesser
or lighter holy things, which might
be eaten by the priests with their sons
and daughters, and male and female
servants, and that, too, without the

sanctuary. T[ The heave-offering of

their gift, etc. That is, the right
shoulder and the heave-breast of their
peace-offerings, for these were to be
given to the priests, as also the right
shoulder of the ram of atonement, men-
tioned ch. 6 : 19, 20. Comp. Lev. 7 : 11,
12, 14, 30-34.

Y. 12. All the lest of the oil. Heb.
" All the fat of the new oil." Chald.
" All the best." Gr. " All the first-
fruits." This is an Hebraism, whereby
" fat" is often used for what is good or
for the best of any thing. Comp. Gen.
27 : 28. 45 : 18. Deut. 32 : 14. Ps. 81 : 17.
It is equivalent to our phraseology when

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVIII.

263

and all the best of the wine,
and of the wheat, the first-
fruits " of them which they shall
offer unto the Lord, them have
1 given thee.

u Ex. -3. 19. Deut. 18. 4. Neh. 10. 35, 36.

we speak of the best part as the cream
of any thing. Maimonides says ac-
cordingly of the heave-offerings, " They
heave not up any but the fairest." The
things here mentioned were allotted for
the sustenance of the priests. Some
of the first-fruits of their land were
brought to the Lord at their great
feasts, as a sheaf of barley at the feast
of the passover or unleavened bread,
ch. 23 : 10, and two loaves of new
wheat at the feast of Pentecost, ch.
23 : 17, and the first of their wine and
oil at the feast of tabernacles. But these
were brought in the name of all the in-
habitants of the land in general. Be-
sides these, therefore, particular indi-
viduals were to bring of their own corn
and fruits the first-fruits to the Lord as
prescribed in several places, Ex. 22 : 29.
23 : 19, concerning which no other direc-
tions are given but that they should be,
as here intimated, of the first and the
best, the precise quantity being left to
the free impulse of the donor, who
would naturally give according as the
divine Providence had blessed him in
his basket and his store.

V. 13. Whatsoever is first r-ipe in the
land. That is, not only the first-fruits
of the oil and wine and wheat above
mentioned, but the first-fruits of all
other grains, and all fruit-trees, etc.
Upon this part of the Mosaic institute
we give in this connection the substance
of what Michaelis remarks on the sub-
ject {Laws of Moses, % 193). " First-
lings and first-fruits constituted a very
considerable portion of the salary of the
priests. Ever since the exodus from

13 And whatsoever is first
ripe in the land, which they
shall bring unto the Lord, shall
be thine : every one that is
clean in thine house shall eat

of a.

Egypt, the first-born of every creature
was consecrated to God in remembrance
of the terrible judgment which accom-
panied that event. But the following
distinctions were to be observed : Beasts
which might be offered in sacrifice
(that is, oxen, sheep and goats) could
not be redeemed. Their blood must be
sprinkled on the altar, and their fat
consumed upon it ; while their flesh be-
longed to the priest, who used it as his
share of the sacrifice, v. 17, 18. All
other creatures, which could not be of-
fered as victims on the altar, such as hu-
man beings and unclean beasts, might
be redeemed. In the case of a first-
born son this was an incumbent duty
on his parents ; but in the case of un-
clean beasts, such as asses, camel'*,
horses, etc., it remained optional to the
owners to redeem them or not as they
pleased. The redemption of a child
took place when it was a month old, v.
10 ; if it died sooner, the parents were
not obliged to redeem it. It died, as it
were, to God and to the priest, to whom
it previously belonged. As to the child
that was to be redeemed, the priest was
to put a value upon it ; and as all chil-
dren were not of the same value, it
would seem that a weakly child, and
likewise the child of very poor parents,
were estimated at a lower rate ; but the
father had always to give something as
a recognition of the Lord's right to the
first-born. Only there was a fixed tax,
beyond which the priest was never to
go, viz., five shekels, v, 16. The re-
demption-money belonged to the prie.st,
V. 15. Unclean beasts were redeemed

264

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1471.

14 Every " thing devoted in
Israel shall be thine.

15 Every " thing that openeth
the matrix in all flesh, which
they bring unto the hoRD, wheth-
er it be of men or beasts, shall be
thine : nevertheless the first-

by giving a sheep or a goat instead of
them ; and if the owner did not choose
to do so, he was obliged to break their
necks, Ex. 13 : 12, 13, where see Notes.
The first-fruits were given to the priest
after the harvest and the vintage, from
corn, must, oil, and likewise from the
first baked bread of the new crop, ch.
15 : 20, and from the wool of the sheep
when shorn, Deut. 18 : 4. This, how-
ever, was a gift, the greatness of which
depended entirely on the giver's pleas-
ure. These first-fruits came not to the
altar; they belonged merely to the
priest ; and hence it was lawful to use
honey and leaven along with them.
Lev. 2 : 11. Of another class of first-
lings, see Deut. 12 : 6. 14:23. 15:19-23,
and the accompanying Notes.

V. 14. Every tiling devoted. Heb.
^herem, on which see Note on Lev. 27 :
28. A thing devoted was something
dedicated to God by vow or otherwise.
Some things were devoted absolutely,
and provided it was any thing that
might be eaten or consumed by use, it
went to the priest ; but such things as
vessels or treasures of gold and silver
were dedicated to the uses of the sanc-
tuary, and could not be otherwise ap-
propriated.

V. 15. Every thing that openeth the
matrix. Heb. " Every opener, or open-
ing, of the womb." Gr. " Every thing
that openeth every matrix (or womb)."
See Note on Ex. 13 : 2, where it is shown
that the first-horn are intended, and
these it appears from Deut. 15:19. Ex.

born of man shalt thou surely
redeem ^, and the firstling of
unclean beasts shalt thou re-
deem.

16 And those that are to be
redeemed, from a month old
shalt thou redeem, according to

X Ex. 13. 13. 34. 'iO.

34 : 19, were to be males. — The Notes
upon various parallel passages referred
to in the margin will be found to con-
tain an explanation of many particu-
lars on which we cannot here dwell.
V. 16. Those that are to he redeemed.
That is, of men, but not the unclean
beasts mentioned in the preceding
verse, for these were to be redeemed
by a lamb, Ex. 13 : 13, and that after
they were eight days old, Ex. 22 : 30.
" Redemption of the first-born is one of
the rites which is still practised among
the Jews. According to Leo of Modena,
it is performed in the following manner :
— When the child is thirty days old, the
father sends for one of the descendants
of Aaron : several persons being assem-
bled on the occasion, the father brings
a cup containing several pieces of gold
and silver coin. The priest then takes
the child into his arms, and address-
ing himself to the mother, says : Is this
thy son? — Mother. Yes. — Priest. Hast
thou never had another child, male or
female, a miscarriage or untimely birth ?
— Mother. No, — Priest. This being
the case, this child, as first-born, be-
longs to me. Then, turning to the
father, he says : If it be thy desire to
have this child, thou must redeem it, —
Father. I present thee with this gold
and silver for this purpose. — Priest.
Thou dost wish, therefore, to redeem
the child ? — Father. I do wish so to do.
— The priest then, turning himself to
the assembly, says: Very well; this
child, as first-born, is mine, as it is

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVIII.

265

thine estimation ", for the money
of five ' shekels, after the shekel
of the sanctuary, which ** is
twenty gerahs.

17 But the firstling' of a cow,
or the firstling of a sheep, or the
firstling of a goat, thou shalt not
redeem ; they are holy : thou
shalt sprinkle '" their blood upon
the altar, and shalt burn their
fat ybr an offering made by fire,
for a sweet savour unto the
Lord.

27. 2, 6. I c. 3. 47. a Ezek. 45. 12.

5. 19. c Ex. 29. 16. Lev. 3. 2, 5. Heb. li. 24.

written in Bemidbar, (Num. 18 : 16,)
Thou shalt redeem the first-born of a
month old for five shekels, but I shall
content myself with this in exchange.
He then takes two gold crowns, or
thereabouts, and returns the child to
his parents."—^. Clarke. ^ Accord-
ing to thine estimation, for the money of
five shekels. Better, "According to
thine estimation, even the money (or
amount) of five shekels." That is, ac-
cording to the estimation or valuation
prescribed for thee, and which is to be
of universal application. The sum was
fixed at this number, and was to be
uniform whether the case were that of
a rich or a poor man.

V. 17. The firstling of a cow, etc. In
all which cases a male is to be under-
stood, as otherwise it was not sancti-
fied or given to the priest. 1 Shalt

not redeem. Thou majest not give the
value of it, or any other for it, but the
beast itself was to be given ; neither
might the owner use or derive any
profit from it, from the wool, or any
thing pertaining to it, Deut. 15 : 19.

V. 19. It is a covenant of salt for ever.
That is, a firm, stable, incorruptible cov-
enant, salt being an emblem of per-
pf tuity. In like manner the kingdom
12

18 And the flesh of them
shall be thine, as '^ the wave-
breast and as the right shoulder
are thiLe.

19 All' the heave-offerings of
the holy things, which the chil-
dren of Israel offer unto the Lord,
have I given thee, and thy sons
and thy daughters with thee, by a
statute for ever : it is a -^ cove-
nant of salt for ever before the
Lord unto thee, and to thy seed
with thee.

d Ex. 29. 2rt, '28. Lev. 7. 34.
2.13. 2Chr. 13. 5.

/Lev.

over Israel was given to David and to
his sons " by a covenant of salt," 2 Chr.
13 : 5, where the Gr. has " an everlast-
ing covenant." See Xote on Lev. 2 : 13.
" It is generally agreed that this de-
notes a perpetual and incorruptible cov-
enant, with a particular allusion to the
preserving properties of salt, which has,
in different countries, been very com-
monly held, on that account, as an em-
blem of incorruptibility and perma-
nence, of fidelity and friendship. It
also seems that there is a particular
reference here to some use of salt in the
act of contracting the covenant; and
what this use was, is rather variously
understood. Some think, that, as with
all sacrifices salt was offered, a cove-
nant of salt means one confirmed by
solemn sacrifices. Others are of opin-
ion that it contains an allusion to the
fact that covenants were generally con-
firmed by the parties eating together —
an act to which the use of salt was a
necessary appendage. We are inclined
to combine both ideas, and to say, that
the phrase alludes generally to such a
custom as in common use, and more
particularly to the specific covenant in
view, in which we may safely, from
general analogy, understand, that salt

266

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1471.

20 And the Lord spal^e unto
Aaron, Thou'^ slialt have no in-
heritance in their land, neither

g c. 26. 62.

was offered on the altar with the Lord's
portion, and that the other contracting
party ate the remainder with salt. Thus
both parties ate the salt of the cove-
nant ; for whatever was offered on the
altar was, in a certain sense, considered
as the Lord's meat. We deduce this
interpretation from the fact that in the
East it is the act of eating salt together
which constitutes the inviolability of an
engagement. And this selection of salt
is, in our apprehension, not exclusively
or principally with a reference to its
peculiar properties, but because salt,
being generally mixed with all kinds
of food, does practically constitute a fair
representation of the whole act of eat-
ing. Hence a man will say he has eaten
salt with you, when he has partaken of
any kind of food ; and he will also say
that he has eaten with you, when haste
or any other circumstance prevents him
from doing more than tasting salt. We
have been the more desirous to explain
this matter, because travellers have
generally stated the oriental practice in
such a way as to convey the impression
that the act of eating salt as a pledge
or token of engagement, was something
different from, and more solemn than,
the act of eating in a general way to-
gether. But the principle is really the
same in both ; or rather, salt is the
part, colloquially or practically, taken
for the whole. Thus understood, the
act of "eating salt" is considered to
imply, even without any explanation to
that effect, that the parties- will be faith-
ful to each other and will not act to
each other's prejudice. This is strictly
incumbent on the person who eats the
salt of another. In peculiar cases and
emergencies this " covenant of salt," is

shalt thou have any part among
them : I '^ am thy part, and thine

h Dent. 10. 9.
13. 14, 33. 14. 3

12. 12. 14.
IS. 7. Ps.

entered into with a distinct understand-
ing and declaration of its intention.
Among the Desert Arabs and other
uncivilized people, a covenant thus
ratified is rendered, by usage and the
sentiment of honor, far more inviolable
than those engagements to which they
have been solemnly sworn : and to such
an extent does this feeling operate that
the unintentional eating with, or what
belonged to, a person against whom
aggressive designs were entertained, is
quite sufficient not only to secure him
from offensive measures, but to ensure
him protection from those who other-
wise would have plundered or slain him
without pity." — Pict. Bible.

V. 20. TJiou shalt Jtave no inJieritance
in their land. The words are address-
ed to Aaron as if he were personally
regarded in this appointment, but he is
evidently to be considered as the repre-
sentative of his order and his tribe.
He himself died before entering the
promised land, consequently the words
have respect to his posterity. They
were to have no inheritance in the land
appropriated to their brethren of the
other tribes (" thei)' land "). By which
is meant that they were not to have a
distinct and separate allotment of terri-
tory, as had each of the other tribes,
though they had several cities, with the
adjacent suburbs, appropriated to their
use. These cities, however, they did
not properly possess as their own, as
an inheritance. They held them of the
other tribes, within whose bounds they
were situated. It is not difficult to
assign adequate reasons for this law.
(1.) The Lord had made ample provi-
sion for their support in the tithes,
first-fruits, oblations, etc. which were

B. 0. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVm.

267

inheritance, among the children
of Israel.

set apart to them for that purpose.
(2.) He would have them free from
worldly encumbrances and cares, that
they might devote themselves more en-
tirely to the service of God in the func-
tions prescribed them. (3.) The ends
aimed at in the institution of such an
order required that when not serving
at the sanctuary they should be dis-
persed among the people, to whom
they would serve as a bond of union.
(4.) Their sequestration from secular
interests, and their entire dependence
upon the special providence of the Lord,
would afford a striking specimen of a
heavenly life, and tend to call off the
minds of the nation at large from pla-
cing too great a value upon earthly
things. (5.) The arrangement would
tend also to strengthen the ties of char-
ity and brotherly kindness between
them and the other tribes, the Levites
ministering to those tribes in spiritual
things, and they to them in temporal

things. H Xeither shall thou have

part among them. It is reasonable to
conclude that these words do not mean
precisely the same with those in the
preceding clause. There is doubtless
some distinction to be understood be-
tween " inheritance " and " portion."
The original, 'hi-leJ:., here rendered por-
tion^ is indeed in some cases spoken of
a part or portion of land, as Josh. 15 :
13. 19 : 9. Yet for the most part it is
applied to the part, portion, or share
of the spoils taken from a conquered
enemy ; and so it might here be prop-
erly understood of the spoils obtained
in the wars with the Canaanites, which
were of great value, but which were
forbidden to the sous of Levi, because
the Lord himself was to be their part
and portion. Of these spoils Joshua
says, ch. 22 : 8, " Return with much
f

21 And, behold, I have given
the children of Levi all the

riches unto your tents, and with very
much cattle, with silver, and with gold,
and with brass, and with iron, and with
very much raiment : divide the spoil
of your enemies with your brethren."
But in this division the Levites were to
have no share, the Lord himself and the
holy things of his service having been
appointed their portion. They were
called to war another kind of warfare
in the Lord's sanctuary, as appears from
ch. 4 : 23, where see Note. The Hebrew
writers say on this head, " All the tribe
of Levi are warned that they have no
inheritance in the land of Canaan ; like-
wise they are warned that they take no
part of the spoil at the time when they

conquer the cities." \ I am thy part

and thine inheritance. As Israel was
a peculiar people, and not to be num-
bered among the nations ; so Levi was
a peculiar tribe, and not to be settled
as the rest of the tribes, but in all re-
spects distinguished from them. " A
good reason is given why they must
have ' no inheritance in the land,' for,
says God, ' I am thy part and thine in-
heritance.' Note. Those that have God
for their Inheritance and their Portion
for ever, ought to look with a holy in-
difference and contempt upon the inher-
itances of the world, and not covet their
portion in it. The Levites shall have
no inheritance, and yet they shall live
very comfortably and plentifully — to
teach us that Providence has various,
ways of supporting those that live in a
dependence upon it ; the fowls reap not,
and yet are fed ; the lilies spin not, and
yet are clothed ; the Levites have no
inheritance in Israel, and yet live bet-
ter than any other tribe." — Henry.

Y. 21. And, behold, I have given all
the tenth. He now announces the pro-
vision specifically made for the Levites,

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1471.

tenth ' in Israel for an inherit-
ance, for their service which
they serve, even the service of
the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion.

22 Neither must the children
of Israel henceforth come nigh
the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion, lest they bear sin, and
die*.

t Lev. Q7. 30, 32.

k c. 1.51.

as he had before that made for the
priests. " The covenant of salt for
ever," says Chazkuni, "was to the Le-
vites also." Though the smallest of all
the tribes, yet they were to have a tenth
part of all the products of the land,
without the trouble and expense of
ploughing and sowing. But the details
of the provision will appear in what

follows. T[ For their service which

they serve. That is, as a compensation
for their services, the specific nature of
which is more fully declared in ch. 4.

Vs. 22, 23. Neither must the children
of Israel henceforth come nigh. That is,
so nigh as to do any act appropriate to
the priests or Levites, as had been at-
tempted by Korah and his company.

H Lest they hear sin and die. Heb.

"Lest they bear sin to die." That is,
incur guilt to such a degree as to ex-
pose ihem to die. Gr. " To bear a
deadly, or death-bringing sin." " This
order seems set in opposition to that
concerning the priests and Levites, that
they should have "no inheritance in
Israel," to show how God dispenses his
favors variously. The Levites have
the honor of attending the Tabernacle,
which is denied to the Israelite; but
then the Israelites have the honor of
inheritances in Canaan, which is denied
the Levites ; thus each is kept from
either envying or despising the other.

23 But ' the Levites shall do
the service of the tabernacle of
the congregation, and they shall
bear their iniquity. li shall he
a statute for ever throughout
your generations, that among
the children of Israel they have
no inheritance.

24 But the tithes '" of the chil-
dren of Israel, which they offer

/ c. 3. 7. m ver. 21. Neh. 10. 37, 12. 44.

Mai. 3. 8-10. Heb. 7. 5-9.

and both have reason to rejoice in their
lot. The Israelites must not " come
nigh the tabernacle," but then the Le-
vites must have " no inheritance in the
land ; " if ministers expect that people
should keep in their sphere, and not in-
termeddle with sacred offices, let them
keep in theirs, and not entangle them-
selves in secular affairs." — Henry.

T[ They shall bear their iniquity. That
is, they shall bear the punishment of
their own iniquity if they transgress,
and that of the people if they suffer
them to transgress. Thus Sol. Jarchi : —
" They, the Levites, shall bear the ini-
quity of the Israelites, for it is their
duty to warn strangers of coming near
to them." It was upon this ground
that the priests withstood king Uzziah,
when he would have burnt incense to
the Lord, 2 Chron. 26 : 17, 18.

V. 24. Which they offer (as) a?i heave-
offering. Heb, " Which they heave
up." Gr, and Chald, "Which they
separate unto the Lord." It is not
probably to be understood that they
were actually heaved up or waved be-
fore the Lord, but they were virtually
so dealt with by being consecrated and
set apart to divinely appointed uses.
The words contain essentially an ad-
monition to the people, that as it was
the express will of Jehovah that the
Levites should have no determinate

B. 0. 1471.]

CHAPTER XVIII.

269

as an heave-offering unto the
Lord, I have given to the Le-
vites to inherit : therefore I have
said unto them, Among the chil-
dren of Israel they shall have no
inheritance.

25 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

26 Thus speak unto the Le-
vites, and say unto them. When
ye take of the children of Israel
the tithes which I have given
you from them for your inherit-
ance, then ye shall offer up
an heave-offering of it for the

portion of land, but should be subsisted
upon the tithes of the yearly product
of the land, so the people were not to
grudge them their due, but were to pay
it as an offering to God the supreme
Proprietor, who had bestowed it upon
them as truly and as completely as he
had the lands upon the other tribes.

V. 26. A tenth {part) of the titlie. Or,
" the tithe of the tithes," as it is ren-
dered Neh. 10 : 38. A divine order is
here communicated through Moses, re-
quiring that, as the whole nation paid
an annual tenth to the Levites, so they
also in gratitude to the Lord and as a
token of their subserviency to the
priests, should regularly pay a tenth
of that tithe to the priesthood, who re-
ceived, therefore, oue hundredth part
of the produce of the lands and herds.
" The Levites were to give God his
dues out of the tithes, as well as the
Israelites out of their increase. They
were God's tenants, and rent was ex-
pected from them, nor were they ex-
empted by their office. Thus now, min-
isters must be charitable out of what
they receive ; and the more freely they
have received, the more freely they
must give, and be examples of liberali-
ty."— Henry. \ Ye shall offer up an

Lord, even a tenth part " of the
tithe.

27 And ihis your heave-offer-
ing shall be reckoned unto you,
as though " it were the corn of
the threshing-floor, and as the
fulness of the wine-press.

28 Thus ye also shall offer
an heave-offering unto the Lord
of all your tithes which ye re-
ceive of the children of Israel,
and ye shall give thereof the
Lord's heave-offering to Aaron
the priest.

heave-offering of it for the Lord. That
is, they were to look upon this tribute
in the light of an offering or oblation to
the Most High, who, if they rendered it
punctually and heartily, would accept
it as favorably as he did the tithes of
the whole nation paid to them. The
language is pregnant in meaning, teach-
ing us that whatever we bestow upon
the Lord's people, out of sincere regard
to his will, is bestowed upon him, who
will never be unmindful of our bene-
factions. Litei-al heave-offerings are
not now required of us, but prayers
and praises lifted up to God, or the
heart lifted up in them, will be regard-
ed as a virtual equivalent.

V. 27. Shall he reckoned unto you, etc.
That is, though this tithe thus paid was
not the fruit of their ground, nor of
their own labor, as were the tithes
of other Israelites, yet being such as
they had, and being cordially offered,
it would be as readily accepted as if it
were, and should be accredited to them
as such.

V. 28. To Aaron the priest. Not so
much to Aaron in person, as to Aaron
the head and representative of his tribe.
His successors in the high-priesthood
were to enjoy the benefit of this law,

270

NUMBERS.

[B.C. .1471.

29 Out of all your gifts ye
shall offer every heave-offering
of the Lord, of all the best
thereof, even the hallowed part
thereof, out of it.

30 Therefore thou shalt say
unto them. When ye have heaved
the best thereof from it. then^ it
shall be counted unto the Le-
vites as the increase of the

p ver. 27.

together with the inferior priests con-
nected with him.

V. 29. Out of all your gifts, etc. That
is, out of the various gifts bestowed,
by the divine appointment, upon the
priestly order, embracing not only the
tenth of their tithes, but the tenth also
of other things, as of their own grounds,
the suburbs and fields given to the Le-

vites by the ordinance, Num. 35 : 4.

T[ Ye shall offer every heave-offering
of the Lord. Heb. tarimu tcrumah,
shall heave an heave-offering. This was
to be actually presented to the priest,
but being done by the Lord's order,
and in his name, it is accounted as an

offering made to the Lord himself.

\ Of all the best thereof. Not perhaps
that all the tithe was to be taken out
of the very best part of the crop, and
none out of the more inferior ; but that
it should consist of the best as well as
of the worst ; or, in other words, that
the people should pay to the Levites,
and the Levites to the priests, as good
of every thing as they retained for them-
selves. \ Even the hallowed part

thereof out of it. Heb. eth migdesho,
its consecration, or that part which was
especially consecrated by being set
apart and devoted to a holy use.

V. 30. It shall he counted unto the Le-
vites, etc. That is, that when they had
thus complied with the divine injunc-
tion, and first paid the priests their ap-

threshing-floor, and as the in-
crease of the wine-press.

31 And ye shall eat it in
every place, ye and your house-
holds : for it is your reward ^ for
your service in the tabernacle
of the congregation.

32 And ye shall bear ' no sin
by reason of it, when ye have
heaved from it the best of it :

7 Mat. 10. 1(
3. 1 Tim. 5.

Luke 10. 7. 1 Cor. 9. 13. 2 Cor. 12.
r Lev. 19, 8. 22. 16.

propriate tithes, they might use the re-
mainder as freely as any man in Israel
could use the corn or the wine of his
own land when he had paid the pre-
scribed tithes.

Y. 31. Ye shall eat it in every place.
They might have the enjoyment of it
with their families in their own houses,
or any where else that might seem good
to them, provided the place were clean.
The tithes were thus distinguished from
the other holy things allotted to the
priests, which, being offered at the
altar, were to be eaten only in the
holy place; but the tithes, though a
species of offering to the Lord, yet not
being presented at the altar, might be
eaten any where ; provided only the
priestly dues were previously paid out
of them,

V. 32. Ye shall hear no sin hy reason
of it. Ye shall not incur guilt, nor suf-
fer punishment by eating it with your
households. This, however, they would
do, if they heaved not, or separated a
tenth part of the best of it, as above
commanded. Their " heaving " or of-
fering from it its best portion would
prevent its being an occasion of in-
iquity, and consequently of penalty.

Tf Neither shall ye pollute, etc. A

general warning, both to priests and
Levites, that the holy things of the
people be not profaned by them, nor be
suffered to be profaned by others.

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XIX.

271

neither shall ye pollute ' the

holy things of the children of
Israel, lest ye die.

« Lev. 22. 2, 15. Mai. 1.7. 1 Cor. 11. 27, 29.

CHAPTER XIX.

The Ordinance of the Red Heifer.

The sudden death of so many Israel-
ites as had fallen under the stroke of
the recent judgments, had ptit great
numbers of their friends and relatives
into a state of legal uncleanness, which
made them incapable of approaching
the Tabernacle for divine worship, and
which was one ground of the extreme
consternation expressed by them, ch.
17 : 12, 13. To relieve their minds of
undue apprehension on this score, the
Lord here enacts a standing ceremony
fur the purification of all such kinds of
uncleanness, the performance of which
should render them again capable of
being admitted to public worship. The
ordinance enjoined was one of the most
onerous of all that mass of observances
which was imposed upon the Jews, and
of which it is said by the apostle Peter
that they constituted " a yoke which
neither they nor iheir fathers were able
to bear." This kind of defilement which
was to be remedied was as light and
venial as could well be conceived; it
implied no moral guilt whatever ; nor
could it possibly in some cases be avoid-
ed ; yet it rendered a person unclean
seven days; and every thing that he
touched was also made unclean ; and
every person who might, however inad-
vertently, come in contact with any
thing that had been touched by him,
was also made unclean. Moreover, if
any person that had contracted this
ceremonial defilement concealed it, or
refused to submit to the prescribed
form of purification, he was to be cut
off from the Lord's people. Add to
this, that the rite was of such a nature

CHAPTER XTX.

ND the Lord spake unto

Moses
saying,

and unto Aaron,

that even in applying it there was a
continual liability to the contraction of
fresh defilement. The priest who oflS-
ciated, the man that burnt the heifer,
he that gathered up the ashes, he that
prepared, he that sprinkled, and even
he that touched the water — all became
unclean. Who, then, can wonder that
the nation of Israel should have groaned
under the yoke of ceremonies in their
own land almost as much as they did
under the yoke of bondage in the land
of Egypt ! Who can be surprised that
they should have longed for the coming
of the promised Messiah, who was to
deliver them from such an oppressive
burden ! As to the reasons which gov-
erned the appointment of this peculiar
rite, we are aware that the learned have
endeavored to show that it pointed,
by way of contravention, to some of
the superstitions of the heathen world
around them, especially the Egyptians.
Spencer, in his great work on " The
Laws of the Hebrews," goes elaborate-
ly into this argument, and incidentally
throws valuable light upon many fea-
tures of the ordinance. He shows that
while the Egyptians sacrificed red bulls
and oxen, red heifers or cows were
never offered by them upon their altars,
but held sacred to Isis. So in various
other particulars, he would trace an ex-
press design to counteract the ideas of
the Egyptians in regard to sacrificial
worship. The reader will find this view
of the subject satisfactorily unfolded
in Mr. Kitto's Notes on this chapter.
Without denying in toto the soundness
of the theory, we content ourselves with
deducing from the language of Paul
(Heb. 9 : 11-15) a typical and spiritual
design iu the ordinance, the various

272

NUMBEKS.

[B.C. 1471.

2 This is the ordinance of
the law which the Lord hath

items of which will be elucidated as we
proceed. In like manner, we make
comparatively little account of consid-
erations of a sanitary nature, which
are so much insisted upon byMichaelis
and his school. Admitting that the
dangers of defilement from dead bodies
would tend directly to secure their
speedy interment, and thus promote
the general health and comfort of the
living, yet we can see an ulterior reason
for the enactment drawn directly from
the adaptation of natural death to shad-
dow forth spiritual death, and of the
defiling effects of the former to repre-
sent the deadly pollutions of the latter.
In fact, but for some such design and
import as this — some moral and interior
significance terminating in Christ, as
the substance of all the Levitical shad-
ows— we could not but regard these in-
stitutions as little worthy of the wisdom
in which they originated. Apart from
such a design, the temple of Jerusalem
could scarcely be regarded in any other
light than as a gigantic slaughter-house,
sending forth continual streams of the
blood of bullocks and goats. But when
viewed in the light of New Testament
teachings, every thing is consistent,
rational, instructive, and worthy its di-
vine Author. In the present rite we
may safely consider the burning of the
heifer as representing the excruciating
sufferings of Christ, its ashes the per-
manent merit of his sacrifice, the run-
ning or living water the power and
grace of his Holy Spirit, called the
water of life and the laver of regene-
ration, while the mixture of the two to-
gether fitly represents the inseparable
union which exists between the justifi-
cation and the sanctification of a sinner.
But we proceed to the details.
V. 2. This {is) the ordinance of the

commanded, saying, Speak unto
the children of Israel, that they

laiv. Heb. huhkath hattordh, statute,
I constitution, prescript, or ordinance.
Gr. diastole tou nomou, the distinction
of the law. Vulg. " This is the observ-
ance of the victim," i. e., this is the rule
to be observed respecting the victim.
There seems to be a reference to some
law previously given, and in ch. 8 : 7,
we find mention made of "water of
purifying," but hitherto we have had
no intimation of the mode of preparing
it. This is done in the chapter before
us. Drusius, on this passage, gives
several extracts from Jewish writers,
who intimate that the expr-ession
" ordinance, or statute, of the law "
implies something mystical. Thus,
Eab. Moses Gerundensis, while excus-
ing himself from giving a reason for this
precept, says : " We who, by reason
of our sins, are contaminated in this
captivity, do not know the cleansing of
holiness (nor shall we) until the Spirit
comes upon us from on high, and God
shall pour clean water upon us, and we
shall be cleansed. Amen. God grant
it may come to pass in our days." Rab.
Solomon says : " The words are no
other than the decrees of a king, given
without any reason," i. e., of which no
distinct reason is given why they should
be observed. Rab. David, on the 119th
Ps., says: "Statutes are precepts of
which the reason is not laid open."
The " statute of the law," therefore, im-
plies a command given by divine au-
thority, the grounds or reasons of which
are not disclosed, but which is still obey-
ed because God wills that it shall be.
In respect to the Jews, this may prob-
ably hold good, for the typical import
of the prescribed rite no doubt escaped
their penetration. That which is now-
unfolded to us was a secret hidden from
them. T[ That they bring unto thee.

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XIX.

273

bring thee a red heifer without
spot, wherein " is no blemish,

a Ex. 1-2. 5. Mai. 1. 13, 14. 1 Pet. 1, 19.

Heb. " That they take unto thee ;" that
is, that they take and bring. See, for
a similar phraseology, Gen. 15 : 9. Ex.
25 : 2. Lev. 24 : 2. This was to be done
as a common act, or as the common
charge of the people, for whose com-
mon benefit the rite was appointed.

1" That they bring thee a red heifer. Heb.
pdrdh, the fem. ofpar, a young hulloch,
usually understood to be two or three
years old, from which the age of the
heifer here spoken of is supposed to be
about the same. The Hebrew canons
say, " It is commanded that the red
heifer be of the third or fourth year,
and it may be older." As a general
fact, male animals only were allowable
for sacrifice, but a female is here com-
manded to be offered, though not upon
the altar like the usual sacrifices. The
reason suggested for this by Spencer is,
that the ancient Egyptians were accus-
tomed to sacrifice a bull to Typhon so
perfectly red that not a hair of another
color was to be found on him, in direct
and designed opposition to which a
female of the same species and the same
color was here commanded to be offered.
We find the solution rather in the fact,
that all the feminine, as well as the mas-
culine, virtues are to be recognized as
centring in the Lord Christ, the great
Sacrifice. This animal was to be of a
red color with a reference to its typical
bearings, although Josephus explains
the original by a term (xantJios) signify-
ing a deep or ruddy yellow, and Michae-
lis renders it by gclb-lratmer, yelloicish-
brown. Whatever were the peculiar
hue, red no doubt predominated, and it
was all over of one color. The language
of the apostle, Heb. 9 : 11-13, makes it
evident that the sacrifice pointed to
Christ, whose perfect sacrifice solves

12* '

a?2d upon which * never came
yoke.

this hieroglyph of the desert: "If the
blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes
of an heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh ;
how much more shall the blood of
Christ — purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God."
As hlood, therefore, is pointed at in the
representative, the "red" color of the
sacrifice is recognized at once as most

appropriate to the aim. ^ Without

spot. Heb. temim/th, perfect. Gr. arno-
mon, without blemish. This was to be
the character of all the sacrifices. Lev.
12, but in the present instance the
Jewish writers refer the issue to the
color, implying that which is perfectly
red without the least admixture of any
other color, for "if it have but two
hairs black it is unlawful." The Targ.
Jon. paraphrases thus : " Speak unto
the children of Israel that they take
unto thee a red cow two years old, in
which there is not the least mark or
spot of white hair, on which a bull never
rose, which has never done work or felt
the goad." This, however, is not the
genuine sense of the expression, which
implies general faultlessness in the ani-
mal offered, both in respect to sound-
ness of condition and integrity of form.
To this sense we adhere, as the ade-
quate authority for any thing beyond
it is wanting. It is only the idea that
something antagonistic to Egyptian no-
tions is involved in the institute, that
has suggested any other than the usual
meaning. As this sacrifice was in an
especial manner appointed for purifica-
tion or expiation, it seems to have been
proper that the color should typify the
blood of Christ shed in his passion as
well as that of the sacrifices generally ;
and as the flagrancy of sin, requiring a

274

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1471.

3 And ye shall give her unto
Eleazar the priest, that he may

bloody expiation, causes it to be de-
scribed as of the color of scarlet and
crimson, Is.l : 18, so we may combine
all these references together in the true
purport of the red color of the victim.

T[ Wherein is no blemish. Heb.

moom. The general law on this head is
thus delivered Lev. 22 : 21, 22. " And
whosoever ofFereth a sacrifice of peace
offerings unto the Lord to accomplish
his vow, or a freewill oflering in beeves
or sheep, it shall be perfect (Heb. tdmin)
to be accepted ; there shall be no blemish
(Heb. moom) thei'ein. Blind, or broken,
or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy,
or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto
the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of
them upon the altar unto the Lord." As
compared with the previous term " per-
fect," it is merely an expansion of the
same idea; it is not essentially differ-
ent. It is, perhaps, simply a specifi-
cation of several particulars to which
the general idea of jyer/ec^/iess or sound-
ness stands opposed. " All blemishes,"
says Maimonides, " which disable the
holy things, disable this heifer. . . . For
whatsoever maketh holy things unlaw-
ful for the altar, maketh the heifer un-
lawful." Thus it is said of our Lord,
the great antitype, that "he offered

himself without spot unto God.

Tf Upon which never came yoke. "Which
had never been employed in ploughing
the ground, or in any other work ; for
heifers, as well as bullocks, were trained
to the plough in the East. See Judg. 14 :
18, and Hos. 10 : 11. But an unworked
heifer or bullock was the only one that
was allowable as a victim for sacrifice.
" Among most of the pagan nations of
antiquity also, an animal which had
been employed in any labor or for any
common purpose, was not considered a
proper sacrifice to the gods. This, as

bring her

forth without " the

c Lev. 4. 12, 21. 16. JT. Heb. 13.

Dr. Adam Clarke remarks, is one of
many usages in matters of sacrifice in
which the identity of the heathen prac-
tice with that of the Hebrews seems to
indicate the common patriarchal origin
of both. We cannot too frequently re-
peat that, in this as in many other
things, the Hebrew legislator is not to
be considered as originating usages and
institutions, but as modifying and im-
proving, so as to render fit for adop-
tion those already in existence. Homer
has several passages in allusion to the
practice in question ; and the following
from Virgil (Georg. iv. 550) may be
quoted :

' From his herd he culls,
For slaughter, four the fairest of his bulls ;
Four heifers from his female stock he took,
All fair, aud all unknowing of the, yoke.''''''
Dryden.

— Kitto.

The typical reference here is probably
to the fact, that the Saviour was free
from the bondage of sin and corrup-
tion, and free from any prior obligation
to interpose in our behalf, and undergo
what he did in the work of our redemp-
tion. Every thing of this nature was
divinely spontaneous.

V. 3. Unto Meazar the priest. The
victim was to be brought, in the name
of the whole congregation, to Moses, as
the preceding verse directs, and then
Moses and Aaron were to deliver her to
Eleazar. The reason of this is supposed
to have been, that the officiating priest
on such occasions became unclean until
evening, v. 7. As there was but one
high priest, this, in his case, would be
attended with considerable inconve-
nience, and yet as the rite was one of
special importance and solemnity, it
was not to be intrusted to an ordinary
priest, and was therefore committed to

B. c. un.]

CHAPTER XIX.

275

camp, and one shall slaj her
before his face.

Eleazar as next in rank to Aaron. The
agency of the priest in the matter point-
ed typically to the fact, that our redemp-
tion and purification is the work of
Christ's priesthood, who indeed may
be viewed as both priest and sacrifice.
"We may here remark, moreover, that
the reason assigned by the fathers
Augustin and Cyril for the heifer's be-
ing consigned to Eleazar " was to im-
ply, that our Lord's sacrifice of himself
was to be at a distance in the succes-
sion of the priesthood ; " and that Elea-
zar here " represented that whole sanc-
tified body which Peter styles * a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people,' to whom
Christ was given by God the Father,

for sanctification and deliverance."

1 That he may bring. Or, Heb. " That
one may bring." Gr. " They shall
bring ; " and so in the ensuing clause,
"they shall slay." This is a phrase-
ology equivalent to "she shall be
brought ; " " she shall be slain." It
implies that Eleazar did not do it in
person, but that some other one did it
under his direction. This is evident
from its being said that the heifer was
slain " before his face," which indicates
that some other person did it. But the
word " bring " is no more definite as to
its nominative than " slay." Nothing,
however, is more usual in Scripture
than to speak of one as the doer of a
thing which he merely directs, orders,
or commands. Thus, when it is said,
Mark 15 : 45, that Pilate gave the body
of Christ to Joseph, we are told by
Matthew, ch, 27 : 58, that he "com-
manded the body to be delivered."

Tf Without the camp. As something ex-
ceedingly unclean by reason of its be-
ing ceremonially laden with the sins of
the people ; and whatever was unclean

4 And Eleazar the priest
shall take of her blood with

was to be removed from the camp, ch.
5 : 2, 3. In this respect the sacrifice of
the red heifer difiered from the ordi-
nary sacrifices, which were ofiered upon
the altar in the midst of the camp. It
thus became a more suitable represent-
ative of Christ. " For the bodies of
those beasts, whose blood is brought
into the sanctuary by the high priest
for sin, are burned without the camp.
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might
sanctify the people with his own blood,
suffered without the gate." This was
the place where malefactors also suffer-
ed, Lev. 24 : 14, with whom our Lord
was reckoned. As a general rule, the
greater the degree of impurity laid up-
on any sacrifice, the farther was it re
moved from the sanctuary in the offer-
ing. Witness the scape-goat, which
was not so much as burnt, but banish-
ed into the wilderness, nobody knew
whither. The Jewish writers inform
us, that after the building of Solomon's
temple, the blood of the red heifer was
sprinkled without the city on the Mount
of Olives, where also the blood of the
antitype, our divine Saviour, was shed,
when " his sweat was, as it were, great
drops of blood falling to the ground."
From this point also, from which the
prospect was directly into the door or
entrance of the Tabernacle, the edifice
facing the east. In this straight line
towards the sanctuary the blood was
sprinkled. In strictness of speech, the
red heifer was not a sacrifice, though
designed to answer somewhat the pur-
pose of one, by effecting a legal purifi-
cation of the people from their greatest
defilement.
V. 4. Shall talce of her hlood, and
! sprinhle, etc. The Jews maintain that
: in the sprinkling of the blood consisted
1 the very essence of an expiatory sacri-

276

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1471.

his finger, and '^ sprinkle of her
blood directly before the taber-
nacle of the congregation seven
times.

5 And one shall burn the

dLev. 4. 6. 16. 14, 19. Heb. 9. 13. I'i. 24.

fice, and its being done "seven times"
signified the thoroughness and com-
pleteness of the effect produced by the
application of the Redeemer's blood,
that " blood of sprinkling," which
" cleanseth from all sin." As the "fin-
ger of God," Luke 11 : 20, is inter-
changed with "spirit of God," Mat.
12 : 28, we may properly consider the
term "finger" as indicative of the di-
vine power exerted in the application
of that spiritual virtue which is denoted

by the act of sprinkling. T[ Directly

tefore the tabernacle, etc. That is, di-
rectly towards the front part, or door,
of the Tabernacle. The priest was to
stand at a distance, without the pre-
cincts of the sacred edifice, and dipping
his finger in the basin containing the
blood he was to sprinkle it before him
in the direction of the Tabernacle. This
he was to do seven times in succession.
The defilement he contracted would not
allow of his coming near to the holy
tent, and yet he must turn and act
towards it. The Hebrew canons say,
" If he sprinkled (the blood) and not
towards the sanctuary, it was unlaw-
ful ; likewise if he did slay or burn her,
and not over against the sanctuary, it
was vinlawful."

V. 5. And {one) shall burn the heifer
in his sight. That is, some one shall
burn her in Eleazar's sight ; or Eleazar
shall cause her to be burnt before his
eyes; for it is clear, from v. 8, that
some assistant performed the task of
burning ; whence the Targ. Jon. " And
the priest shall burn."

V. 6. Cedar wood, and hyssop, and
scarlet. That is, scarlet wool. The pre-

heifer in his sight ; her ' skin,
and her flesh, and her blood, with
her dung, shall he burn :

6 And the priest shall take
cedar ^ wood, and hyssop, and

/ Lev. 14. 4, 6, 49.

cise design of the use of these articles in
connection with the present ceremony,
it is difficult to determine. Some of
the older commentators suppose that
the odorous properties of the cedar and
the hyssop were intended to correct the
foul smell arising from the burning en-
trails of the victim. But this will not
apply to the scarlet wool, and therefore
it is probably safer to rest in the conclu-
sion, that for some reasons not perfectly
known to us, these articles were pecu-
liarly adapted to represent some features
of the process of purification. The apos-
tle, Heb. 9:19, mentions scarlet wool and
hyssop as used by Moses himself, when
he sprinkled the book of the covenant,
etc., with the blood of the sacrifice, and
therefore they may have been burnt
with the ashes of the heifer, and thus
mingled with the water of purification
to denote their cleansing virtue. " The
ashes, the hyssop, the scarlet wool, and
the clear water," says Priestley, " all
bore some relation to cleansing, and
therefore were emblematical of purifi-
cation. This virtue is by all the an-
cients ascribed to hyssop. Besides, as
it consisted of small leaves, it was
adapted to retain a quantity of the
liquor in which it was immersed for
the purpose of sprinkling. A handful
of wool might be used to wipe any
thing with, and the red or purple color,
being costly, would make it more re-
spected. The same instrument, viz., a
bunch of hyssop tied with a red woollen
thread to a stick of cedar, was also used
in the ceremony of cleansing a leper,
Lev. 14 : 4." It is quite possible that
the three things were formed into an

B. 0. 1471.]

CHAPTER XIX.

277

scarlet, and cast it into the
midst of the burning of the
heifer.

7 Then the priest shall wash
his ^ clothes, and he shall bathe
his flesh in water, and afterward
he shall come into the camp,

lum, or instrument for sprin-
kling, and that this was cast into the
burning mass with the typical purpose
above mentioned. We have not, at any
rate, any more satisfactory solution of
the problem to offer.

V. 7. The priest shall icash his clothes.
A well known sign of purification,
which was prescribed also for him that
burnt the heifer, v. 8, for him that gath-
ered the ashes, v. 10, and for him that
sprinkled the water of separation, v. 21.
The order for a twofold bathing — of
the clothes and the flesh — will be ob-
served. Upon this Augustin remarks :
" This washing of the garments and the
body — what is it but the cleansing of
our faculties external and internal?"
Eleazar does not appear to have been
employed, either in killing or burning
the heifer, and yet, having touched her
blood, he became unclean. It is evi-
dent from the whole, that there was no
natural or necessary connection be-
tween the sprinkling of the ashes of the
heifer upon a person, and the cleansing
him from sin. It was simply the divine
appointment that gave efficacy to the
act. So far was it from being able of
itself to cleanse from sin, that the very
observance of the rite rendered every
person unclean that was engaged in it,
and laid them under a necessity of
washing both their bodies and their
clothes, in order to the requisite purifi-
cation. All this showed clearly enough
that the ordinance had in itself no puri-
fying power, inasmuch as those who

and the priest shall be unclean
until the even.

8 And he that burneth her
shall wash his clothes in water,
and bathe his flesh in water,
and shall be unclean until the
even.

9 And a man that is clean

prepared for the purifying of others
were themselves polluted by the prepa-
ration. It might seem strange that the
same thing should pollute those that
were clean, and yet purify those that
were unclean. But in fact all the sacri-
fices which were offered for sin were
looked upon as unclean, for the reason
that the sins of -men were putatively
laid upon them, as our sins were upon
Christ, who is therefore said to be
" made sin for us." The suggestion
seems not unreasonable, that the sin of
the priests and others who procured
the death of Christ is prefigured by this
transaction. " All that had a hand in
putting Christ to death contracted guilt
thereby ; his betrayer, his persecutors,
his judge, his executioner, all did what
they did with wicked hands, though it
was ' by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God ; ' yet some of
them were, and all might have been,
cleansed by the virtue of that same
blood which they had brought them-
selves under the guilt of" — Henry.

V. 9. A man that is clean. The whole
being thoroughly burnt, the ashes were
to be gathered up by a person who was
under no legal defilement— for no un-
clean person must touch a sacrifice —
then sifted clean, and carefully laid up
in Some suitable place without the camp
as a permanent ingredient of the puri-
fication-water designed for cleansing all
persons who had contracted the speci-
fied kind of legal defilement. As a very
I small quantity of the ashes would be

278

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471.

shall gather up the ashes ^ of
the heifer, and lay them up
without the camp in a clean
place, and it shall be kept for
the congregation of the children

h Heb. 9 13.

sufficient to mingle with the water, it
could be distributed thence, in after
times, to any part of the nation which
might have occasion for it ; to which,
however, an alternative supposition to
this is that of Henry, who suggests that
one place would serve for keeping these
ashes in as long as Israel was so closely
encamped; yet that afterwards, when
they came to Canaan, some of them
might be kept in every town, as there
would be frequent occasion for the use
of them. This small quantity, however,
wherever kept, sufficed for the whole
nation, and for many generations. The
Jews say that the red heifer was killed
only nine times during the entire con-
tinuance of their national polity. The
durable nature of these ashes made
them a fit emblem of the great and per-
petual propitiation of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who " offered himself once for
all." 11 Without the camp. To de-
note that they who would participate
in the benefits of our Lord's death must
" Go forth unto him without the camp
bearing his reproach." Heb. 13 : 13.
TI It shall be hept for the congrega-
tion, etc. Heb. " It shall be to the con-
gregation of the children of Israel for a
keeping, or reservation." See a simi-
lar phraseology respecting the manna.

Ex. 16 : 32, 33. H For a water of

separation. That is, water to be sprin-
kled for separation, or on such as are
separated from the congregation on ac-
count of uncleanness. Comp. v. 13. The
original term, nidddh, which proper-
ly signifies separation or removal for
uncleanness, is sometimes figuratively

of Israel, for * a water of sepa-
ration : it is a purification for
sin.

10 And he that gathereth
the ashes of the heifer shall

t ver. 13. 20, 21. c. 31. 23.

used for uncleanness itself, which is to
be done away, as 2 Chron. 29 : 5. Ezra
9 : 11, where it is rendered filthiness.
For this reason the water which cleanses
it is called the water of separation, ren-
dered in the Chald. and Gr. the water
ofsprinhling, in accordance with which
the blood of Christ is called the blood
of sprivMing, Heb. 11 : 14, from its
purifying the conscience from dead

works. Heb. 9 : 13, 14. \ It is a

purification for sin. Heb. " It is a
sin." This term is often used to denote
a sin-oflering, or an expiatory sacrifice,
and though the red heifer was not
strictly such, yet it had in it something
of that nature, as being possessed of a
purifying property ; and it may also in
some sense be termed a sin-offering, in-
asmuch as the victim, like the great
sin-offiiring on the day of atonement,
was burnt without the camp, and its
blood sprinkled seven times towards
the sanctuary, though not shed at the
altar. The word is here applied to the
water which purified sin, v. 12. Gr.
*' It is a sanctification, or purification."
These two names, applied to the " water
of separation," are subsequently used
by the prophet, Zech. 13 : 1, in announ-
cing the grace of Christ in the Gospel :
" In that day there shall be a fountain
opened to the house of David and to the
inhabitants of Jerusalemybr sin (Heb.
lehattath) and for uncleanness (Heb.
leniddah) /" i. e., for a, purification for
sin and for a water of separation for
uncleanness.

V. 10. Shall wash his clothes. The
case here supposed is parallel to that in

B.C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XIX.

279

wash his clothes, and be unclean
until the even : and it shall be
unto the children of Israel, and
unto the stranger that sojourn-
eth among them, for a statute
for ever.

Lev. 6 : 27, " When there is sprinkled
of the blood thereot upon anj garment,
thou shalt wash that whereon it was
sprinkled in the holy place." So here,
he that gathered up the ashes was to
wash his clothes, for some of the ashes

could hardly fail to light upon him.

T[ The stranger that sojoumeth. By
this is meant a jproselyte, and not any
stranger whatever. Gr. "The prose-
lytes that are adjoined."

V. 11. He that toucheth the dead 'body
of any man. Heb. " He that touch-
eth the dead of any soul of man."
That is, the corpse of any man. The
term " soul " is used here as elsewhere
for dead body. See Note on Lev. 19 : 28 ;
also on Num. 6:6. He that touched a
dead beast was unclean till the even-
ing only of the same day ; but whoever
came in contact with a dead human
body was to be unclean for seven days,
during which time he was not allowed
to come into the sanctuary, nor to touch
any holy thing, nor to be in the Lord's
camp, to which the city of Jerusalem
corresponded in after times, and was
therefore called " the holy city." Comp.
Lev. 7 : 19, 21. Neh. 11 : 1, 18. Mat.
4 : 5. Usages somewhat similar are at
this day not uncommon in the East.
" All who attend a funeral procession,
or ceremony, become unclean, and be-
fore they return to their houses must
wash their persons and their clothes.
Neither those in the sacred office, nor
of any other caste, can, under these cir-
cumstances, attend to any religious
ceremonies. They cannot marry, nor
be present at any festivity, nor touch a

11 He * that toucheth the
dead body of any man shall be
unclean seven days.

12 He ' shall purify himself
with it on the third day, and

* Lev. 21.
I c. 31.19.

c 5. 2. 9. 6, 10. Lam. 4. 14. Hag. 2.

sacred book. A person, on hearing of
the death of a son or other relative, im-
mediately becomes unclean. The Brah-
mins are unclean twelve days ; those
of the royal family, sixteen days; the
merchants, twenty-two; and all other
castes thirty-two days." — Roberts. The
ordinance has an air of great severity
when it is considered that taking care
of the dead, stripping, washing, shroud-
ing, carrying out, and burying them,
was not only a pious duty to them, but
a good office to the living. Yet none
of these acts could be performed with-
out contracting defilement, thus denot-
ing that the pollutions of sin mix with
and cleave to our best services. If
we seek the reason why contact with a
corpse was made such a defiling thing,
we can only answer, that the revolting
and polluting eiFects of natural death
are due to the power of spiritual death.
This works a ruin to the soul similar to
that which death achieves in the body,
and this enactment of the ceremonial
law would have us look upon the one as
the measure and representation of the
other. Since the Lord's advent the
power of death has been weakened, it is
viewed in a new light, it is divested of
its terrors, and therefore dead bodies
are no more defiling. Thanks be to
Him who hath enabled us to say, " 0
grave, where is thy victory?"

V. 12. Shall purify himself with it.
Heb. yith hattd bo, shall purify him-
self with or in it. That is, the water
of separation. Chald. " He shall sprin-
kle." Gr. " He shall be purified." The
original denotes an action that is re-

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471.

on the seventh day he shall
be clean ; but if he purify not
himself the third day, then the

fleeted back upon the agent. In its
true purport it signifies io purify from
sin, whence the Dutch Annotations ren-
der to unsin one^s self, an nncouth but
still expressive term. The remarks of
Adam Clarke on this expression are
worthy of notice. " Yith hatta ho, lit-
erally, he shall sin himself with it.
This Hebrew form of speech is common
enough among us in other matters.
Thus to fleece, and to skin, do not sig-
nify to add a fleece, or a shin, but to
take one away ; therefore, to sin him-
self, in the Hebrew idiom, is not to add
sin, but to take it away, to purify.''^
The phraseology implies that this out-
ward uncleanness represented the pol-
lution of the soul by reason of sin, and
the purification here commanded may
in like manner have denoted " repent-
ance from dead works," and " faith to-
wards God," which "purifies the heart."
Heb. 6 : 1. Acts 15 : 9. On a close in-
spection of the original, and comparing
the passage with v. 19, we are constrain-
ed to doubt whether our version con-
veys the true sense. From that it would
appear that if the unclean purified him-
self on the third day he would become
clean on the seventh without any far-
ther purification ; but this is scarcely
accordant with v. 19, which implies
that be must purify himself again on
the seventh day. The genuine render-
ing of the clause we think to be the
following : — " He that shall purify him-
self with it, on the third day, and on
the seventh day, shall be clean." The
ancient versions for the most part con-
firm this rendering. Gr. " He shall be
purified on the third, and on the sev-
enth day, then shall he be clean : but
if he be not purified on the third, and
on the seventh day, he shall not be

seventh day he shall not be
clean.

13 Whosoever toucheth the

clean." Vulg. *' He shall be sprinkled
with this water on the third day, and on
the seventh, and so shall be cleansed."
Arab. "And he shall expiate himself
thereby on the third day, and on the
seventh, and shall be cleansed ; and
unless he shall have expiated himself
on both these days, he shall not be t
cleansed." The third day's purifica-
tion may be considered as pointing to
the resurrection of Christ on that day,
by which we are spiritually cleansed or
sanctified. That on the seventh day is
calculated to teach us that our purifi-
cation in this life is gradual, and not
perfected till we come to that eternal
sabbath with which the seventh day .

corresponds. TJ But if he purify not

himself the third day, etc. Here again
the rendering is to be amended to make
the clause consistent with the forego-
ing : — " But if he purify himself on the
third day and on the seventh day, he
shall not be clean." This is the literal
version, and the same with that given
by Ainsworth, the most accurate of
translators. The two clauses are evi-
dently designed to be exactly anti-
thetical to each other, and the render-
ing of the one requires to be modified
to agree with v. 19, so also does the
other. The days were reckoned, we
may suppose, /row the last time of his
touching or coming near the dead body ;
for he would not begin the days of his
cleansing, while he was still under a
necessity of repeating the pollution ;
but when the dead body was buried, so
that there was no further occasion of
meddling with it, then he began to
reckon his days. The above is the very
reasonable suggestion of Henry.

V. 13. Whosoever toucheth the dead
body, etc. The law as above given, is

B.g. 1471.1

CHAPTER XIX.

281

dead body of any man that is
dead, and purifieth not himself,
defileth "* the tabernacle of the
Lord : and that soul shall be
cut off from Israel : because
the water " of separation was
not sprinkled upon him, he shall
be unclean ; his uncleanness " is
yet upon him.

14 This is the law when a

m Lev. 15. 31. n ver. 9. c. 8. 7. o Lev. 7. 20. ii. 3.

very explicit, that every Israelite who
touched the dead body of a man, wo-
man, or child, was to consider himself
in a state of defilement for a whole
week, and could be cleansed in no
other way than by being sprinkled with
this sacred water, which was to be done
twice, viz. upon the third, and again
upon the seventh day ; nor could he be
restored if he omitted either of these
sprinklings. In the present verse it is
enacted that if any person whatever,
thus defiled, should presume knowingly
and wilfully to approach the Taberna-
cle— and so the Temple afterwards — till
he were duly cleansed, he should be
sentenced to death as a profaner of
God's worship. The subsequent appli-
cation of the purifying water should
have no eflPect to avert the threatened
penalty. This is clearly the import of
*' defiling the tabernacle of the Lord ; "
and penetrating beyond the letter to
the spirit, it is easy to perceive a new
emphasis in the apostolic declaration : —
"If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy ; for the temple
of God is holy, which temple are ye."
A person who allows himself in any
corrupting course of conduct, whereby
his body as well as his soul is injured,
IS so far guilty of defiling the Lord's

tabernacle or temple. ^ T7iat soul

shall he cut of from Israel. Chald.
*' That man shall be destroyed ; " im-

man dieth in a tent ; All that
come into the tent, and all that
is in the tent, shall be unclean
seven days.

15 And every open vessel ^,
which hath no covering bound
upon it, is unclean.

16 And whosoever toucheth
one that is slain with a sword in
the open fields, or a dead body,

p Lev. 11.3-2.

plying of course that he came presump-
tuously ; otherwise, as for instance if it
were done ignorantly, he was to bring
a sacrifice. Lev. 5 : 3-6, 17, 18.

V. 14. WTien a man dieth in a tent.
Tents were their habitations in the wil-
derness when this law was delivered.
But the inference is fair that the same
ordinance was to hold good when they
came to live in houses at a subsequent
period; although Michaelis thinks we
are not authorized to extend the infer-
ence any farther than to the apartment

in which the death might occur.

II All that come into the tent, etc. That
is, every person coming into the tent
while the dead body lay there, or before
the tent was purified, as well as they
who were in it when the person died,
should be rendered unclean. In like
manner all the goods or furniture, espe-
cially vessels, were made unclean, ex-
cept those that were covered, so as not
to be exposed to the polluting eflfect of
the atmosphere.

V. 16. One slain with a sword in the
open fields, etc. Heb. " In the face of
the field," that is, in the open field,
where there was no tent, and where
pollution could be contracted only by

touching. ^ Slain with a sword.

Or with any other instrument by which
a violent death might be inflicted.

Comp. Num. 81 : 19. 1[ Or a dead

hody. That is, the body of one not

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1471.

or a bone of a man, or a grave,
shall be unclean seven days.

17 And for an unclean per-
son they shall take of the ashes

slain by violence, but who falls down
dead by apoplexy, or any other sudden
stroke. Vulg. *' The corpse of a man
that was slain, or that died of himself."

• TI A hone of a man. A bone taken

out of a grave, or lying unburied on the
surface of the earth. It is probably in
allusion to the defiling efiect of dead
men's bones that the order is given by
the prophet, Ezek. 39 : 15, " And the
passengers that pass through the land,
when any seeth a man's bone, then
shall he set up a sign by it, till the
buriers have buried it in the valley of
Hamon-gog." The Hebrew writers say
that the blood also of a dead man de-
files as does the corpse itself, but as

long as life remains it is clean. % Or

a grave. In which the dead have been
deposited, and which has thence ac-
quired a communicable defilement. The
natural effect of this law would be to
oblige the Israelites to keep the abodes
of the dead at a considerable distance
from those of the living. They could
never, therefore, have knowingly built
houses or cities on sepulchral grounds ;
indeed, as a matter of fact, we learn
that their bury ing-pl aces were always
without the precincts of their towns.
Consequently, it is said of the dead,
that they were " carried out," i. e. car-
ried out, not only of the house, but of
the village or city, to the neighboring
cemetery. The remarks of ^Michaelis in
this connection {Laws of Moses, % 215)
are very apropos : — " With us, on the
contrary, in our very churches, to the
great injury of men's health and lives,
there are often burial-places ; a practice
first introduced from superstition, and
still kept up from pride, fashion, and
avarice. How important this effect of

of the burnt heifer of purifica-
tion for sin, and running water
shall be put thereto in a ves-
sel;

the law must have been, may be judged
from the consequences of our contrary
practice of thus burying in churches.
The graves frequently emit very nox-
ious effiwvia, particularly when imper-
fectly covered, or when the water runs
through them. On other occasions, the
mischief is more insidious and slow in
its progress, and does not betray itself
by the smell ; but still the diseases of
the dead infect the living ; for infection
bursts forth at once with increased vio-
lence when graves are opened, and be-
gin to emit the poisonous vapors that
have been long pent up in them." The
same effects are liable to follow from
converting church-yards into burying-
grouuds, which practice, however, is
now happily being more and more done
away. All the different contacts here
mentioned put an Israelite under a con-
dition of legal impurity for a week's
time. This was a species of ceremonial
quarantine prescribed with a view to
show the effects of that internal moral
or spiritual pollution which is so de-
structive in its own nature to one's own
soul, and so charged with contagious
influence towards others.

V. 17. And for an unclean {person)
they sJiall take, etc. That is, there shall
be taken by some clean person in order

to the purifying of one unclean.

T[ Of the ashes of the burnt heifer for
the purification of sin. Heb. " Of the
dust of the burning of the sin." The
rendering of the established version,
though sufficiently correct as to the
sense, is quite paraphrastic. The ashes
of the burnt heifer are here called 'hatfa,
sin, which shows that they had in them

the virtue of a sin-offering, v. 9.

11 Running water shall he put thereto.

B. C. 1471.]

CHAPTER XIX.

283

18 And a clean person shall
take hyssop ^, and dip it in the
water, and sprinkle it upon the
tent, and upon all the vessels,
and upon the persons that were
there, and upon him that touched
a bone, or one slain, or one dead,
or a grave :

19 And the clean person
shall sprinkle upon the unclean

g Ps. 51. 7.

Heb. " Living water." See Notes on
Gen. 26 : 19. Lev. 14 : 5. Chald. " Spring-
ing, or welling water."

V. 18. A clean, person sTi<ill take hys-
sop. By which is not necessarily meant
a priest, but any person legally clean,
as any such person might slay the heifer
and burn her. Yet it is to be presumed
that this office was generally performed
by a priest, Lev. 13. Of the use of hys-
sop in sprinklings, see Lev. 14 : 4, 6, 7,
49, 50. The tent and its contents, both
animate and inanimate, were to be thus
sprinkled to purify them from the taint
communicated.

V. 19. The clean ferson shall sprinlde,
etc. This explains more distinctly what
was rather obscurely delivered, v. 12.
Patrick suggests that the term "un-
clean" in this connection embraces
both persons and things ; but the orig-
inal, being in the singular, would seem
to imply more properly persons only.

T[ On the seventh day he shall purify

himself. The true interpretation of this
clause is not altogether obvious. The
original phrase rendered " shall purify
himself" is 'hitteo, shall purify him,
whereas the Hebrew for purify himself
is uniformly yithJuittd, in the Hithpael
or reflexive form. We would propose
the following therefore as the genuine
rendering of the verse : " And the clean
(person) shall sprinkle upon the un-
clean on the third day, and on the sev-

on the third day, and on the
seventh day ; and on ' the sev-
enth day he shall purify him-
self, and wash his clothes, and
bathe himself in water, and shall
be clean at even.

20 But the man that shall
be unclean, and shall not purify
himself, that soul shall be cut off
from among the congregation,

enth day : and he shall (fully and effect-
ually) purify him on the seventh day ;
and he (the purified) shall wash his
clothes, and bathe himself in water,
and shall be clean at even." We sub-
mit this rendering to the judgment of
those who are competent to decide
upon its probability. It rests mainly
upon the fact, that the original term,
in the Pict form, nowhere else in the
whole Scripture has any other than an
active and transitive signification. We
find also that Yatablus gives this ren-
dering, and scarce any biblical authori-
ty weighs with us higher than his. Of
the ancient versions the Gr. and the
Vulg. conform rather to the established
English; but the Chald., Syr., Sam.,
and Arab, expressly confirm our pro-
posed rendering, of which, however,
we were not aware till we had settled in
our own minds upon what we regard
as the true sense.

V. 20. T?ie man that shall be unclean,
etc. The standing law on the subject
of defilements is, that every person or
thing coming in contact with a dead
body becomes unclean for a day. Even
the person that purifies with the sacred
water one thus defiled comes into the
same condition for that day ; and what-
ever Israelite, rendered impure by such
contacts, should presumptuously ap-
proach the public worship of the sanc-
tuary, before being cleansed in the

284

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

because lie hath defiled ' the sanc-
tuary of the Lord : the water of
separation hath not been sprin-
kled upon him ; he is unclean.

21 And it shall be a perpetual
statute unto them, that he that
sprinkleth the water of separation
shall wash his clothes ; and he
that toucheth the water of sepa-
ration shall be unclean until even.

manner here prescribed, was to be
summarily cut off as a contemner of a
sacred rite instituted by the Lord him-
self, and replete with a divine signifi-

cancy. "^ Bath defiled the sanctuary/

of the Lord. By coming into it with-
out the due purification ; for if such
were shut out of the camp, ch. 5 : 2, how
much more out of the sanctuary ? Ac-
cordingly, at a later period, 2 Chron.
23 : 19, porters were stationed at the
gates of the temple, " that none which
was unclean in any thing should enter
in."

V. 21. Shall wash his clothes. Being
accounted unclean simply from having
had to do with the water of separation,
which had a contrary eifect upon the
clean and the unclean, purifying the
one and defiling the other, just as the
heat of the sun melts wax and hardens

clay. 11 Shall be unclean until even.

That his clothes were also to be washed
may be fairly inferred from what goes
before. The Jewish writers say that
uncleanness till evening is implied in
the former clause of the verse, and the
washing of the garments in the latter,
though not expressed. It is obvious
that the mere staying till even could
have no purifying effect without some
rite of cleansing.

V. 22. And whatsoever. Heb. Tool, all,
i. e., whatsoever or whomsoever, imply-
ing both persons and things. T[ TJie

22 And whatsoever ' the un-
clean person toucheth shall be
unclean ; and " the soul that
toucheth it shall be unclean
until even.

CHAPTER XX.

THEN " came the children of
Israel, even the whole con-

t Hag. 2. 13. u Lev. 15. 5. a c. 33. 36.

unclean. By this is not meant the per-
son made unclean by touching the puri-
fication-water, but the primary unclean
person spoken of all along in this chap-
ter; the person who was defiled by

touching a dead body. If The soul

that toucheth {it) shall he unclean until
even. In the case of the one, the un-
cleanness was to continue for seven
days, and in that of the other, only till
evening of the same day. It is to be
observed that, not only he whom the
unclean person touched, but he also
who touched the unclean, whether per-
son or thing, became unclean till even-
ing, and was required to wash his
clothes for his cleansing.

CHAPTER XX.

Arrival the Second Time at Kadesh.

V. 1. Then came the children of Israel,
etc. In point of chronology we pass
over a wide chasm in making the tran-
sition from the preceding to the present
chapter. No less than thirty-eight years
elapsed between their first and second
arrival at Kadesh, for with Kitto we
take it that there was but one place of
that name, although this supposition
requires that the generally received lo-
cation of Kadesh be changed to a point
considerably farther south. But, on
this head, we must refer the reader

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

285

gregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month : and the people

to the various authorities which treat
at length of the topographical argu-
ment, as we prefer to devote our space
to other departments of elucidation.
We will give, however, the pith of Mr.
Kitto's remarks upon the subject, with
the intimation, that in his extended
note on the present passage in the
" Pictorial Bible," and in the article
"Kadesh," in his ''Biblical Cvclo-
psedia," will be found condensed the
substance of all that is most valuable
on the subject. "We conclude that
there is but one Kadesh mentioned in
Scripture ; and that the difficulties
which have seemed to require that
there should be a second, or even a
third, place of this name, may be easily
and effectually obviated by altering the
position commonly assigned to Kadesh-
Barnea — that is, the Kadesh from which
the spies were sent in the fifteenth ch.,
and from which the desert wanderings
commenced. We are at perfect liberty
to make such alteration, because no-
thing whatever is distinctly known of
such a place, and its position has been
entirely fixed according to conjectural
probability. But being once fixed, it
has generally been received and rea-
soned upon as a truth ; and it has been
thought better to create another Ka-
desh, to meet the difficulties which this
location occasioned, than to disturb old
maps and old topographical doctrines.
Kadesh is usually placed within or close
upon the southern frontier of Palestine,
and about midway between the Mediter-
ranean and the Dead Sea, This location
would seem in itself improbable, with-
out any strong counter reasons ; for we
do not find that a hostile people, when
not prepared for immediate action, con-
front themselves directly with their ene-
mies, but encamp at some considerable
distance, and send scouts and spies to

reconnoitre the country; nor is it by
any means likely that they would have
remained so long at Kadesh, as they
seem to have done at their first visit,
if they had been in the very face of
their enemies, as they must have been
in the assigned position. We should,
therefore, on this ground alone, be in-
clined to place Kadesh more to the
south or south-east than this. Besides,
if this were Kadesh, how could it be
described as on the border of Edom,
since the Edomites did not, till some
centuries later, occupy the country to
the south of Canaan, and were at this
time confined to the region of Seir?
Moreover, from a Kadesh so far north,
they were not likely to send to the king
without moving down towards the place
where they hoped to obtain permission
to cross Mount Seir ; particularly as,
by so moving, they would at the same
time be making progress towards the
point which the refusal of the Edomites
would oblige them to pass, and which
they actually did pass. Therefore, the
stay of the host at Kadesh, waiting for
the king's answer, seems to imply that
Kadesh was so near as not to make it
worth their while to move till they
knew the result of their application to
him. Further, we read in ch, 33 : 36,
after an enumeration of distances of
evidently no very great length, that in
the present instance the removal to Ka-
desh was from Ezion-geber at the head
of the Gulf of Akaba, the distance be-
tween which and the Kadesh of the map
is about one hundred and twenty miles ;
and this is the consideration which has
chiefly influenced those who determined
that there must have been two places
of this name ; and we must confess that,
while thinking over the other reasons
we have stated, we were inclined to con-
sider them as leading to that conclu-

286

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

abode in Kadesh : and

Miriam died there,
there.

sion, and that the second Kadesh must
have been very near Mount Hor. . . .
But we think all difficulties are suffi-
ciently met by placing the single Ka-
desh neither close to the border of Ca-
naan nor close to Mount Hor, but at a
middle point between them, on the west-
ern border of the Wady-el-Ghor, which
is the northern half of the Desert of
Zin— say in or about lat. 30° 5', at near-
ly an equal distance between Mount
Hor and the Kadesh-Barnea of the
maps. This spot will be on or in
the Desert of Zin, not too near to Ca-
naan, nor too distant for Mount Hor
and the capital of Edom." — Pict. Bible.
At this place, then, we find the Israel-
ites re-encamped, after the lapse of
thirty-eight years from the time it had
been occupied by their fathers, when
just upon the point of invading Ca-
naan. Of the events which had oc-
curred in that time no record is left,
though eighteen stations are recited in
eh. 33, at which they halted and re-
mained for a longer or shorter time.
It is no doubt the popular impression
that they roved about in a compact
mass, without any special employment
or object, except to be kept out of Ca-
naan ; and were miraculously supplied
with food from heaven, until all above
twenty years of age, when they came
out of Egypt, had been gradually
wasted away, and an entirely new gen-
eration had come up in their place.
But we think it may justly be doubted
whether this impression is correct. We
question whether there was any thing
more vague and objectless in their mode
of life than distinguishes nomade races
in general. The region over which
they wandered is indeed termed a " des-
ei*t," or " wilderness," but it was not
such in our idea of the term, but sim-

and was buried

ply a tract of unclaimed country, desti-
tute for the most part of settled habita-
tions, though still marked by numerous
posts, villages, and cities, of which the
names of several that lay in the track
of the Israelites are expressly given, ch.
33 : 16-36. The country called Arabia
is believed even now to sustain a popu-
lation of at least eight or ten millions.
It is in many parts abundantly fertile
in wheat, millet, rice, and a great va-
riety of vegetables and fruits, and this
holds more especially of the tract round
about Mount Sinai and the region
termed "El Ghor." From a remote
antiquity even down to the present day
these tracts have been traversed by the
Bedouin tribes, whose manner of life ex-
hibits no doubt a very correct image of
that of the Israelites during their wan-
derings there. With their herds and
beasts of burden, these unsettled hordes
pass from place to place as led by the
prospect of water and pasture ; being
entire strangers to the arts, objects, and
employments of civilized life. The pre-
vious habits of the Israelites, not only
in Egypt but in Canaan, made it easy
for them to fall into the nomadic life,
and we suppose they did, in fact, become
inliabitants of the dtsert for tJte tbne
being, though still enjoying the tokens
of the divine presence and guidance,
and distinguished by their prerogatives,
rites, and institutions from all other peo-
ple. In this capacity they would natu-
rally change their locality from time to
time, like the Bedouius of all ages, but
still cherishing the hope of eventually
becoming possessors of the land of
promise. Meantime they are not to be
conceived as dwelling, in their intervals
of repose, in a compact camp, which
the nature of the country forbade to
such an immense multitude, amounting

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

287

to a population half as large again as
that of the city of London, but as expa-
tiating in bands, here and there, over
the adjacent country, still having the
Tabernacle as the centre and the ren-
dezvous to which they would return.
It is at least certain, that we must not
attribute to the sons of Israel our own
ideas of living or journeying, for every
thing with them was formed on a dif-
ferent model from what it is with us. A
very important process of discipline
was to be accomplished by their abode
in the desert, which could be effected
nowhere else, and as it had been fore-
told that the far greater portion of the
congregation should be consumed be-
fore entering the land of promise, the
divine Providence so ordered things
that a long series of years should be
consumed in bringing about the de-
signed results. It is to be borne in
mind, therefore, that the congregation,
at this time, was composed of the chil-
dren of the generation that had come
out of Egypt, their fathers having, one
after another, dropped off, though the
events recorded in the present chapter
show that the perverse spirit of the
fathers still lived in the bosoms of their
descendants, and that the deeds of their

fathers they would do. *[ {Even) the

whole congregation. However they had
hitherto become separated into roam-
ing or straggling detachments, yet now
they all came in one solid compact mass
into the desert of Zin, and the station
of Kadesh, which they had left upwards
of thirty-eight years before. They came
hither at this time from Ezion-geber,
which is a port on the " shore of the
Red Sea," as we learn from 1 Kings 9 :
26. This part of their wandering is
also thus alluded to by Jephthah, Judg.
11 : 16, " But when Israel came up from
Egjpt, and walked through the wilder-
ness unto the Red Sea, and came to
Kadesh, etc." T[ Into the desert of

Zin. This is a region of the peninsula,
quite different from that called, Ex. 16 :
1, by nearly the same name (Sin), which
was in the immediate vicinity of the
Red Sea, while this lay on the confines
of Edom (Idumea). Its precise locality
is to be fixed by the considerations that
determine the site of Kadesh, on which
see Note above. Between Hazeroth,
Num. 12 : 16, and the portion of the
wilderness of Zin, in which they were
now encamped, there had occurred
eighteen stations, as enumerated ch. 33 :

18-36. H In the first month. That

is, of the fortieth year after they had
left the land of Egypt, as appears from
Num. 33 : 38, compared with v. 28 of
this ch., and Deut. 2 : 1-7. This, there-
fore, was the last year of Israel's sojourn
in the wilderness, and during the course
of it Miriam, Aaron, and Moses, all died.

T[ And the people abode in Kadesh.

The time of their stay in this place it
appears, from comparing ch. 33 : 38,
was about four months, as on the fiist
day of the fifth month Aaron died at
Mount Hor, whither they had previous-
ly removed. ^ Miriam died. Heb.

Mir-yam., Mtterness. Gr. Mariam. Jo-
sephus, Mariamne. She was the sister
of Moses and Aaron, and supposed to
be the same that watched her infant
brother when exposed on the Nile ; in
which case she was probably ten or
twelve years old at the time, Ex. 2 : 4,
sq. When the Israelites left Egypt she
naturally became the leading woman
among them, and therefore it is writ-
ten, Mic. 6:4, "I sent before thee
Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam." She
is called " a prophetess," Ex. 15 : 20,
and after the passage of the Red Sea
she led the music, dance, and song, with
which the women celebrated their de-
liverance. She died and was buried at
the station Kadesh, four months before
her brother Aaron, and eleven months
before Moses ; and Eusebius says that

288

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

2 And " there was no water
for the congregation : and '^ they

Ex. n, 1, etc.

her sepulchre was to be seen there in
his day. She was probably near a hun-
dred and thirty years old.

The PeojpU Murmur for Water. The
Sin of Moses.
V. 2. TJure was no water. This most
necessary gift of divine Providence was
withheld from the people for a little sea-
son during their abode in this place ;
probably as a trial of their faith, and
that it might be known whether the
present generation resembled their
fathers, who had perished in the wil-
derness. The event showed that their
moral paternity was as unquestionable
as their natural. Bp. Patrick and sev-
eral of the elder commentators suppose
that hitherto the host of Israel had been
supplied with water from the stream
that had continued to flow from the
rock Rephidim, formerly smitten by
Moses, and which had followed them
during all their forty years' sojourn in
the wilderness, Ex. 17 : 4. But this we
must regard as a mere idle Rabbinical
conceit, unsustained by any authority
whatever. The apostle says, indeed,
1 Cor. 10 : 4, that " they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them : and
that Rock was Christ ;" but this surely
refers not to a supply of literal or natu-
ral water. A spiritual rock must give
forth spiritual water, and as the rock is
expressly said to have been Christ, the
water must have been the communica-
tion of his Holy Spirit, constituting their
spiritual drink. The note of Bloomfield
on this passage of the apostle is very
clear and satisfactory, " The meaning
is, that Christ, who is typified by that
rock, every where accompanied and
went with them, supplying (spiritual)
water miraculously furnished; which,

gathered themselves together
against Moses and against
Aaron.

as it never failed them, might be said
popularly to follow them, as Christ
who supplied it did." The general
sense is, says Mr, Holden, that " the
Israelites had the same spiritual ad-
vantages and privileges offered to them
typically, which are offered to us real-
ly." The congregation were no doubt
supplied with water from such springs
as they met with in their journeyings.
At the present day, water, though not
plenty in the Arabian desert, still is by
no means utterly wanting, and the in-
habitants, with their cattle and flocks,
are continually passing over it from
place to place. "We have no intimation
that water, like their food, was usually
furnished to the Israelites miraculously.
At the spot where they were now en-
camped there was, for some reason, a
scarcity, although we read of nothing
of the kind on the former occasion,
when they w5re there. But the wells
and fountains of the East have not al-
ways a constant supply of water,

Tl They gathered themselves together
against Moses and against Aaron. As
the fiithers, under a similar destitution,
rebelled against their leaders at Re-
phidim, so do the children here ; as the
fathers then " chode " with Moses and
murmured at his bringing them out of
Egypt, so did the children here ; as
Moses then cried unto the Lord by rea-
son of the outrage of the people, so he
and Aaron here fall down before the
Lord ; as the Lord then promised and
gave them water out of the rock, so
also here ; and so in regard to the rod,
the manifestation of the divine glory
and other points, the coincidences in
the two cases are very striking. The
present was a new outbreak of that
characteristic perversity, which though

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

289

3 And the people chocle
with Moses, and spake, saying,
Would ' God that we had died

occasionally suppressed by severe judg-
ments, seems never to have been effect-
ually subdued. But while they thus
proved themselves the children of their
fathers, we should not forget that our
waywardness proves equally that we
are their children in moral relationship,
and that the deeds of our fathers we
continue to do.

V. 3. And the people cJiode with Jloses.
Heb. yareb, contended, from a root sig-
nifying to strite, contend, litigate, espe-
cially by bitter and reproachful words.
Gr. " The people reviled Moses." At a
season like this, when he might more
justly have looked for their sympathy
and condolence, he is beset and ag-
grieved by reproaches and accusations
for which he had given not the least oc-
casion. ^ Would God that we had

died, etc. Heb. " Oh, that we had given
up the ghost (expired) in our brethren's
giving up the ghost (expiring) before
the Lord." Gr. " Oh, that we had per-
ished in the destruction of our brethren
before the Lord." It is not unlikely
that they refer to the plague, the de-
structive ravages of which are men-
tioned, ch. 16 : 49, and which, above
other judgments, is supposed to come
more immediately from the hand of the
Lord, as appears from the language of
David, 2 Sam. 24 : 14, 15. They pre-
ferred this to perishing by hunger and
thirst, which would seem to be coun-
tenanced by the words of the prophet.
Lam. 4:9, " They that be slain with
the sword are better than they that be
slain with hunger : for these pine away
stricken through for want of the fruits
of the field." For this reason, it is sup-
posed, that they employ the term for
13

when our brethren died before
the Lord !

4 And why have ye brought
up the congregation of the

gimng vp the ghost as implying an
easier kind of death than that by the
sword, or hypger, or thirst, or death by
any other violent means. The Hebrew
writers explain the original for giving
vp the ghost to denote a death without
pain or protracted sickness. It is evi-
dent that in the siniple sensation of
thirst there was no sin, but in the lan-
guage in which they gave vent to their
impatience there was great and griev-
ous sin against God, as well as gross in-
gratitude in view of past mercies. They
wish they had died with the seditious
band of rebels who had conspired
against God, and whom yet here they
dignify with the name of " brethren."
Now surely as one can die but once,
the death would have been substan-
tially the same whether they died on
account of a failure of springs of water
or by being smitten down by pesti-
lence. But it was base ingratitude for
men who had frequently experienced
such signal deliverances at the hands
of the Lord thus to murmur against
Him, in upbraiding his servants, be-
cause their wants were not immediate-
ly supplied. Yet thus it is that " the
foolishness of man perverteth his way,
and his heart fretteth against the Lord."
V. 4. Why have ye Irought vp, etc.
Yulg. " Why have ye brought out the
church of the Lord into the wilderness,
etc." They proceed to expostulate with
Moses for bringing them out of the land
of Egypt, which they would fain repre-
sent as stocked with every luxury, into
a wilderness, dry, barren, and desolate ;
as though Moses and Aaron had acted
in this matter from their own impulse
without divine direction. T[ That we

290

NUMBEKS.

[B. C. 1452.

Lord into this wilderness, that
we and our cattle should die
there ?

5 And wherefore have ye
made us to come up out of
Egypt, to bring us in unto this
evil place ? it ^ is no place of
seed, or of figs, or of vines,
or of pomegranates; neither is
there any water to drink.

6 And Moses and Aaron

/ c. 16. 14.

and our cattle should die there. Gr.
** To kill us and our children."

V. 5. It is noplace of seed, or of Jigs,
etc. No place in which to sow seeds, to
plant vines or fig-trees, or any thing of
the kind. On the contrary, they had
been led into a wilderness which was
" a land of deserts and of pits, a land of
drought, and of the shadow of death, a
land that no man passed through, and
where no man dwelt."

V. 6. And Moses and Aaron went,
etc. Instead of turning upon the peo-
ple in a recriminating tone, and de-
nouncing divine judgments against
them, they have immediate recourse to
the appointed meeting-place, where the
Lord was to be sought, and there hum-
bly prostrate themselves before his face,
deprecating the displeasure which the
murmurings of Israel had provoked.
So striking was the contrast between
the conduct of the leaders and the con-
duct of the led ! The people sinned ;
but Moses and Aaron prayed. These
saviours of Israel, these typical days-
men between Israel and their God, now
stand in the breach, as they had often
done before, and avert the due penalty.
Happy for the congregation that the
Lord had not left the camp, or Moses

and Aaron ceased their functions !

^ The glory of the Lord appeared unto
them. This phenomenon in the cloudy

went from the presence of the
assembly unto the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation,
and they fell upon their faces ;
and the glory of the Lord ap-
peared unto them.

7 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

8 Take the rod, and gather
thou the assembly together, thou
and Aaron thy brother, and
speak ye unto the rock before

pillar had often occurred before on
special emergencies, as a token of the
Lord's special presence, of his cogni-
zance of what was transpiring, and of
his purpose in some way to interpose
in vindication of his own glory. See
Notes on Ex. 16 : 10. Num. 14 : 10. 16 :
19, 42.

V. 8. Take the rod, etc. Doubtless the
same rod with which he had wrought
the miracles in Egypt, and by which the
rock of Rephidim had been smitten on
a former occasion. Some expositors
favor the idea of its being the rod that
budded and blossomed, from the fact
that it is said to have been taken '* from
before the Lord," or out of the taber-
nacle, where it appears, from ch. 17 : 10,
that Aaron's rod was laid up as a testi-
mony. But the presumption is that the
rod of Moses, the instrument of such
signal displays of the divine power, was
also carefully preserved within the pre-
cincts of the Tabernacle, and ready to
be employed whenever the fit occasion
should occur. In v. 11, it is called
"his" rod, and although the matter
will always be subject to doubt, yet the
congruity of circumstances determines
us to the adoption of the opinion above

expressed. T[ Speak ye unto the roch

before their eyes. Here, indeed, we read
no express command to smite the rock,
but simply to take the rod in hand

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

291

tlieir eyes ; and it shall give from before the Lord, as he
forth his water, and thou shalt commanded him.

10 And Moses and Aaron
gathered the congregation to-
gether before the rock : and he
said unto them, Hear now, ye
rebels ^ ; must we fetch you
water out of this rock ?

h Ps. 106. 33.

bring forth to them water out
of the rock ^ : so thou shalt
give the congregation and their
beasts drink.

9 And Moses took the rod

g ver. 11. Neh 9. 15. Ps. 78. 15, 16. 105. 41.
114. 8. Is. 43. iO. 48. 2!.

as a symDol of the divine power, and
then to address the rock ; but as it is
difficult to conjecture for what purpose
the rod was to be taken unless it was to
be used, the presumption is that it was
intended to be used either in smiting or
waving, in conjunction with the words
to be uttered. Yet as it is evident that
Moses sinned in some way in the trans-
action, the precise nature of his offence
will be considered in the ensuing note.
V. 10. Hear now, ye rebels. Hitherto,
in following the march of Israel through
the wilderness, we have been called to
deplore the iniquity of the people. The
scene, in a single instance, is now
changed ; and, instead of regarding the
rvlers of the host as men " more sinned
against than sinning," we behold Moses
and Aaron, the prophet and the priest,
overpowered by temptation and falling
into sin. " Hear now, ye rebels." No
such language of rebuke entered into
the commission with which Moses was
now intrusted, and therefore it was
wholly unwarranted. He was com-
manded to speak to the rock, and not
to the people ; and though they un-
doubtedly deserved censure, and were
acting the part of rebels, yet it was not
his duty now to upbraid them there-
with. His reproachful appellation did
not belie them, but it was unworthy of
him, and injurious to his spiritual state.
The words evince an undue excitement,
impatience, irritation, and indignation
in one form where, as a pattern of

meekness, we had a right to expect
rather a calm dignity and placid confi-
dence in God than a tone of rashness

and petulance. *\ Must we fetch

xvater out of this roch? Heb. "Shall
we from this rock bring forth water for
you ?" It is evident from what follows
that some degree of sinful doubt and
distrust is couched in this language ;
and this sense is not badly conveyed
by the paraphrase of Bp. Hall : " Hear
now, ye rebels ; Is it likely that we
shall fetch water out of this hard rock
to satisfy your thirst ? This we are re-
quired to do ; but is this a thing possi-
ble to be done ?" The use of the word
" must," in our version, does not seem
warranted by the original, and conveys
a shade of meaning which obscures the
genuine import of the passage. As it
now reads, the main implication is that
of a kind of arrogant, self-sufficiency, as
if they, by some power or virtue of their
own, were to perform the miracle. This,
we apprehend, would be doing injustice
to Moses and Aaron, although their pro-
ceeding was not free from blame. They
did not probably so much claim the
ability to bring forth water themselves,
as cherish a doubt whether the Lord
would do it in behalf of such gross of-
fenders. Therefore they speak distrust-
fully, and they may have discovered in
other ways an uncertainty in their own
minds whether water would come forth
or not. This was a prominent pai-t of
the offence which they soon learned

292

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

11 And Moses lifted up Iiis
hand, and with his rod he smote
the rock twice : and the * water
came out abundantly : and the

t Ex. 17. 6. Deut. 8. 15. 1 Cor. 10. 4.

was to cost them so dear. Vulg. " He
said to them, Hear, ye rebellious and
incredulous, can we bring you forth
water out of this rock ?"

V. 11. Smote the rock twice. Show-
ing hereby the passionate excitement
to which he was wrought up. He was
not expressly commanded to smite the
rock even once ; yet he does it twice.

V. 12. Because ye lelieved me not, to
sanctify me, etc. Chald. " Ye believed
not in my Word." That is, ye have
not believed in me with that practical
faith which would have led you to sanc-
tify, or, in other words, to honor and
glorify me in the eyes of this people.
To this sense inclines the Arab. "In
like manner as ye have not made them
to believe in me, nor have sanctified me
before the sons of Israel, so I also will
not introduce this rabble into the re-
gion promised them." Moses alone is
spoken of in this transaction, although
it is evident that Aaron is regarded as
sharing the blame. He was present,
and, considering the office he bore,
sanctioned by his silence whatever was
wrong in the proceedings of Moses.
On such an occasion it behoo/ed him to
speak if a wrong against the Lord's
honor were committed, as there plainly
was. This, their sin, is therefore called
a " rebellion against the mouth of the
Lord," Num. 27 : 14, and a " transgres-
sion " or " trespass," Deut. 32 : 51,
which word, the Jewish writers re-
mark, properly implies falsity, as in
Lev. G : 2, it is joined wiih false-denial,
and John says, 1 John 5 : 10, " He that
belie veth not God hath made him a
liar." The unbelief here charged upon

congregation drank, and their
beasts also.

12 And the Lord spake unto
Moses and Aaron, Because * ye

k c. 27. 14. Deut. 3. 26. 32. 51.

Moses and Aaron was not, we suppose,
so much a positive mental incredulity
settled and cherished in their own
minds in regard to the divine power
and goodness, as a temporary wavering
growing out of the heat and perturba-
tion of spirit Avhich the conduct of the
multitude had excited. They conse-
quently failed to act in their usual con-
sistent and obedient manner, and fail-
ing in this, they failed to produce the
proper impression upon the minds of
the people, of fear and reverence to-
wards the God of Israel. It is, however,
to be remarked, that the real character
of the sin of Moses and Aaron on this
occasion has been a matter of much de-
bate among the learned. Our most
definite information respecting it is
contained, Ps. 106:32, 33, "They an-
gered him also at the waters of strife,
so that it went ill with Moses for their
sakes : because they provoked his spir-
it, so that he spake unadvisedly with
his lips." Here it is obvious that the
precise transgression charged upon
Moses is provocation of spirit and
" speaking unadvisedly with his lips."
H is not so much any thing that he did,
as what he said, and the spirit from
which he said it. We are inclined,
therefore, with Saurin {Dissert. 62d),
not to place the main offence in the
striking of the rock, though he doubt-
less erred in striking it twice, but in
the impatient and exasperated state of
mind under which he acted, and in the
corresponding rash and intemperate
language which he uttered. It was
not a cordial and punctilious obedi-
ence which he rendered to the divine

B.C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

believed me not, to sanctify ' me

command. Consequently, he failed to
** sanctify the Lord of hosts " in the
eyes of the people, i. e., to act in such a
manner in their presence as to impress
upon them the idea that He was to be
exactly obeyed in every injunction and
the most implicit faith reposed in his
word. This, therefore, was an aggra-
vated offence on the part of Moses and
Aaron. They should have remembered
that Nadab and Abihu had been de-
voured by fire before the Lord for irrev-
erently offering common fire in their
censers, instead of the fire that was
burning on the altar ; and that the
Lord had said on that occasion, " I will
be sanctified in them that come nigh
unto me, and before all the people will
I be glorified," Lev. 10 : 3, on which see
Note. The remarks of Calvin, in this
connection, are confirmatory of the
view now suggested. "If it be asked
in what respect Moses transgressed, the
origin of his transgression was unbe-
lief, for it is not allowable, when this
particular form of sin is specified in the
answer of God, to imagine that it was
any thing else. In asking whether he
should fetch water out of the rock, he
seems to reject as impossible and ab-
surd what God had promised to do.
He inquires whether he shall fetch
water out of the rock, whereas he ought
to have recollected that this had al-
ready (on a former occasion) been
granted him. It became him, then, con-
fidently to assert that God had again
promised the same thing, rather than
to speak with hesitation. Others think
that he sinned, because he was not con-
tented with a single blow, but smote
the rock twice. And this did arise, per-
haps, from distrust. But the origin of
the fault was, that he did not simply
embrace God's promise, and strenuous-

in the eyes of the children of
Israel, therefore ye shall not

ly discharge the duty assigned to him
as an evidence of his faith. Although,
therefore, his smiting the rock twice
might have been a token of his want of
confidence, still it was only an aggrava-
tion of the evil, and not its origin or
cause. Thus, then, we must always
come back to this, that Moses did not
give God the glory, because he rather
considered what the people had de-
served, than estimated the power of
God according to his word." — Harm.

of Pent. \ TJierefore ye shall not

bring, etc. To the judgment of human
reason this might appear, perhaps, to
have been a sentence of undue severity.
Considering that these venerable men
had been for forty years faithful and in-
defatigable in the Lord's service, and
that this was, in respect to Moses at
least, the first open offence of which
they were guilty, we should have
hoped that they might have been spared
the heavy punishment now denounced.
Shall one apparently venial ofience
avail to exclude them hopelessly from
the land of promise, to which they had
looked forward with such ardent desire
and assured expectation ? But we are
soon silenced with the unanswerable
question, " Shall not the Judge of all
the earth do right ?" We are very in-
competent to determine what it becomes
the Divine Majesty to do. But we learn
elsewhere in the "Word that the Lord
marks with especial severity the sins
of those who in knowledge, official sta-
tion, and high prerogative, are elevated
to a rank nearest himself, and deals
with them according to their greater
responsibility. " Because you only have
I known of all the nations of the earth,
therefore will I punish your iniquities."
Whoever may escape, the Lord will not
fail to punish the provocations of Lis

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452,

bring this congregation into the
land which I have given them.

own " near ones," his own servants and
children. We do not learn that Moses
and Aaron, for their conduct on this oc-
casion, were shut out of the kingdom of
heaven ; but they were debarred from
entering into the landof Canaan, which
represented heaven, and were thus
called to suffer an affliction and a griev-
ance which weighed very heavily upon
them. This is evident from the manner
in which Moses speaks of it in Deut. 3 :
23-27, " And I besought the Lord at
that time, saying, 0 Lord God, thou
hast begun to show thy servant thy
greatness and thy mighty hand : for
what God is there in heaven or in earth
that can do according to thy works, and
according to thy might? I pray thee,
let me go over and see the good land
that is beyond Jordan, that goodly
mountain, and Lebanon. But the Lord
was wroth with me for your sakes, and
would not hear me : and the Lord said
unto me. Let it suffice thee ; speak no
more unto me of this matter. Get thee
up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up
thine eyes westward, and northward,
and southward, and eastward, and be-
hold it with thine eyes : for thou shalt
not go over this Jordan." And accord-
ing to the sentence so was the execu-
tion, as Aaron died shortly after in
Mount Hor, and Moses on Mount Nebo,
after having surveyed the country with
his eyes. Thus was fulfilled the words
of the Psalmist in regard to Moses and
Aaron, Ps. 99 : " Thou wast a God who
forgavest them, though thou tookest
vengeance of their inventions." Prob-
ably, however, we are not to look upon
this dispensation wholly in the light of
a judgment. One of the ancient fathers
suggests that had Moses lived to con-
duct the people into the promised land,
and triumphantly to establish them in

13 This is the water of Mer-
ibah: because the children of

it, his memory might have been so
cherished by his countrymen that it
might have led them at last to a species
of deification. To this we may add the
typical considerations, which no doubt
availed in the divine counsels. Moses
represented the law, or the Levitical
system, which is of itself unable to
bring the soul into the kingdom of
heaven, inasmuch as by its deeds shall
no flesh be justified. Its function is to
lead the soul, in its preliminary desert
wanderings, before it reaches the place
of the heavenly Canaan entered by re-
generation. It was fitting, therefore,
that Moses, the representative of the
law, should give way to a successor in
office whose typical functions should
more nearly accord with the facts shad-
owed forth. Joshua, therefore, called
" Jesus," Acts 7 : 47.^^ Heb. 4 : 8, was
appointed for the purpose, and he, as a
lively type of Christ, supplied Moses'
" lack of service " in this respect.

V. 13. This is the water of Meribah.
Heb. " This is the water of strife, con-
tention, or altercation." Gr. "Of con-
tradiction." The same name, originat-
ing in the same cause, had been pre-
viously bestowed upon the locality of
Rephidim, where the former miracle
had occurred, Ex. 17 : 7. But this place
is sufficiently distinguished from that,
being called, Deut. 32 : 51, " The waters
of Meribah-Kadesh in the wilderness
of Zin." It may be remarked, however,
that Hengstenberg, in replying to some
of the German critics who would main-
tain the identity of the transaction re-
corded here and in Ex. 17, denies that
Meribah, in this connection, is to be con-
sidered as a proper name, but should be
simply I'endered, " These are the waters
of strife." " The assertion is false, that
the place received both times the same

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

295

Israel strove with the Lord, and
he was sanctified '" in them.

name. The first place obtained the
names of Massah and Meribah ; the
second those of Kadesh and En Mish-
pat, Gen. 14 : 7. The occasion of the
error lies in Xum. 20 : 13, ' This is the
water of strife {rrie meribah), because
the children of Israel strove {i^abu) with
the Lord, and he was sanctified in
them.' Not a word is said here about
giving the name Meribah to the place.
Elsewhere onlv the waters of strife at
Kadesh are spoken of. That the author
uses the expression waters of strife is
intentional. The repetition of the desig-
nation, which, on the former occasion,
became a proper name, here serves as
an allusion to it, and therefore sets in a
more conspicuous light the unbelief of
the people and of their leader." — Gen.
of Pent., vol. ii. p. 310. The usage of
the sacred writers favors, we think,
this construction. Thus, Ps. 95 : 8,
"Harden not your hearts as in the
provocation (meribah , and as in the
day of temptatio7i imassah) in the wil-
derness." So Deut. 32 : 51, " Because
ye trespassed against me among the
children of Israel at the waters of Jleri-
hah-Kadesh {meribath Kadesh, strife of
Kadesh), in the wilderness of Zin."
Here we find Meribah in the construct
state {meribath), which, though com-
mon with appellatives, is very unusual
with proper names, except in the case
of words which are found in the con-
struct state only. Still this point must
always be held with some degree of

diffidence. •[ Strove with the Lord.

They strove with the Lord by striving
with Moses and Aaron, his servants.
Comp. Ex. 16 : 8. Gr. " Reviled before

the Lord." ■[[ And he was sanctified

in them. That is, although Moses and
Aaron had failed to sanctify him by

14 And " Moses sent messen-
gers from Kadesh unto the king

n Judg. 11. 16, n.

faith and obedience, yet he took the
matter of his vindication and glorifica-
tion into his own hands, and sanctified
himself by punishing his friends and
favorites, and demonstrating in the
eyes of the congregation his omnipo-
tence, veracity, and clemency

A Passage through the Land of Edom
sought and refused.
V. 14, Moses sent messengers from
Kadesh. It is generally supposed that
this was done under a special divine
direction, to be recognized in the tenor
of what is recorded, Deut. 2 : 1-G. Upon
reference to that passage, it does not
appear that the j^resent message was
expressly commanded, although gen-
eral directions are given as to the de-
portment the Israelites were to observe
in passing through the Edomite terri-
tory. It is, therefore, only by inference
that a divine order is made out for
sending messengers to the ruler of that
country. It may have been so, but it
is not distinctly affirmed. The relative
position of the land of Edom to the re-
gion of Kadesh, where they were now
encamped, and to the most direct route
to the country of Canaan, must be ascer-
tained from the maps, of which Prof.
Robinson's are probably the most ac-
curate. It extended along the south-
ern boundary of Canaan, from the Dead
Sea to the eastern arm of the Red Sea,
i on the east of the deep and dreary val-
j ley which reaches from the one sea to the
I other. It is a mountainous region, to
' which also the appellation of Seir, or
Mount Seir, is occasionally given. The
word Stir means hairy (being thus sy-
nonymous with Esau), and when ap-
plied to a country may signify rugged,
I jagged, mourdainous, and so says Jo-

296

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

of Edom, Thus saitli " thy bro-

sephus : " Esau named the country
' Roughness ' from his own hairy rough-
ness." It was formerly called the
country of the Ilorlm, i. e., cave-dwell-
ers (Troglodytes) from libi\ a cave. The
famous city of Petra, which was in the
territory of Edom, was composed of
dwellings excavated in the solid rock.
This region the Lord had prophetically
assigned to Esau, and He would not
have him disturbed in the possession
of it. It is at present wholly occupied
by various tribes of Bedouin Arabs.
Moses being now ordered to decamp
and set forward toward the land of Ca-
naan, and the straightest route thither
leading directly through the domains
of Edom, he is prompted to despatch
delegates to the prince of that country
to solicit a free passage through it,
which he does upon consideration of
the near affinity subsisting between the
two nations, and upon the pledge of
keeping the common thoroughfare,
without deviating to the right hand
or the left, without invading or injur-
ing any one's property, and without
asking either food or drink, except
upon condition of punctually paying
for it. II Thus saitli thy brother Is-
rael. Israel is .the collective name of
the whole nation descended from Ja-
cob, who was called by that name ; and
in like manner we find both Esau and
Edom used to denote the national pos-
terity of Esau. See Obad. v. 1, 6, 10.
Mai. 1 : 1-4:. The Lord would have the
brotherly relation cheerfully acknowl-
edged on the part of his people, as they
both looked to a common ancestor in
Isaac, and both inherited the rite of cir-
cumcision, which would naturally be a
bond of fraternal connection. By this
respectful and affectionate appeal they
would win their way to his heartland

ther Israel, Thou knowest all
the travail that hath befallen us ;

obtain the object of their suit. They
acted herein in the spirit of the pre-
cept, Deut. 23 : 7, " Thou shalt not ab-
hor an Edomite, for he is thy brother."
But as this might not prevail, they are
commanded to urge other considera-
tions. ^ TJiou knowest all the travail

that hath hefallen us. Heb. hoi hatte-
Idah asher metzathenu, all the weari-
some-molestation that hath found us.
The same phrase occurs, Ex. 18 : 8,
" And Moses told his father-in-law all
that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh,
and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake,
and all tJte travail that had come upon
them by the way." See Note in loc.
This language was well calculated to
conciliate the mind of Edom, for we
must consider the prince as fairly repre-
senting the people, or as an organ of
their sentiments. The words made an
appeal to the ordinary feelings of hu-
manity ; for nature itself dictates sym-
pathy and aid to the wretched who are
unjustly oppressed. In this view he
says that the afflictions which they had
endured were notorious, viz., that as
sojourners in Egypt they had been
tyrannically harassed and oppressed.
As he takes it for granted that they
were no strangers to what had hap-
pened to them, the inference is obvious
that the marvellous events which had
marked the deliverance of Israel from
Egypt were widely bruited and well
known throughout the peninsula, as
one tribe had communicated the news
to another, and we cannot but wonder
that the evidence of the divine protec-
tion in their behalf should not have
overawed the minds of those who were
predisposed to treat them ill. Such an
effect in general had been predicted
upon the overthrow of Pharaoh, Ex,
15 : 14, 15, " The people shall hear, and

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CHAPTER XX.

297

15 How our fathers went
down^ into Egypt, and we have
dwelt * in Egypt a long time ;

p Gen. 46. 6.

q Ei. 12.40.

be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on
the inhabitants of Palestine. Then the
dukes of Edom shall be amazed ; the
mighty men of Moab, trembling shall
take hold upon them ; all the inhabit-
ants of Canaan shall melt away." But
they were hardened to their own detri-
ment, as we learn from their subse-
quent history.

V. 15. The Egyptians vexed vs and
our fathers. By fEus recapitulating
their sufferings in Egypt, and reciting
the Lord's merciful interpositions in
their behalf, they wove an argument
well calculated to work upon the minds
of those they addressed. They would
give them to understand that however
cruelly they had been treated, and how-
ever low they had been brought, yet
the Lord had adopted them into his
favor, and therefore they might justly
challenge the favor of their fellow-men.
It would be a great outrage to deny as-
sistance or courtesy to those to whose
kind regards the Lord had recommend-
ed them by his example ; on the con-
trary, it would be eminently for their
interest to ingratiate themselves with
those who had so high an interest in
heaven, and it would be at their peril
if they offered them harm. " It is our
wisdom and duty to be kind to those
whom God is pleased to own, and to
take his people for our people." —
Henry.

V. 16. When we cried unto the Lord,
etc. The fair inference from this would
be that the Edomites themselves were
bound to be imitators of God, who had
been merciful in delivering his people.
How could they hope for mercy or fa-
vor for themselves, if they withheld it

13*

and the Egyptians vexed us and
our fathers :

16 And when *" we cried unto

f Ex. 2. 23.

from the needy ? Their cry to heaven
was no doubt marred by many imper-
fections, but the Lord heard it, and
what could have a more powerful effect

in commending their cause? 1 And

sent an angel. It is remarkable that
upon this passage even Dr. Priestley
himself says, '' This Angel was evident-
ly no other than the Supreme Being
himself, manifesting his presence by a
luminous cloud. No other intelligent
being had been introduced." This is
the true explanation, though we may
well doubt whether Priestley would
have admitted the relation of this angel
to Christ, which we have endeavored to
establish in our Notes on Ex. 3:2. 13 :
21. He was obviously no other than
the "Angel of the Covenant," Christ
Jesus, who first appeared to Abraham,
Gen. 12 : 1. Acts 7 : 2, then to Moses at
the burning bush, and subsequently in
the cloudy pillar, who in fact led Moses
and the people out of Egypt, and con-
ducted them through the wilderness,
Ex. 14 : 19. 23 : 20. 33 : 14. Some of
the Rabbinical critics suppose Moses
himself to be intended, from the cir-
cumstance that the title " angel " or
"messenger" is sometimes bestowed
upon the prophets, 2 Chr. 36 : 16. Hag.
1 : 13. But this construction is very
improbable, as Moses would scarcely
refer to himself in this connection, or
if he did, would he do it in such a dark
and enigmatical manner. A supernat-
ural being is plainly intended, and as
the attributes predicated of him do not
suit the nature of any creature, howev-
er exalted, we are forced to the conclu-
sion that it was no other than Jehovah
himself, who thus saw fit to anticipate,

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

the Lord, lie heard * our voice,
and sent ' an angel, and hath
brought us forth out of Egypt ;
and, behold, we are in Kadesh,
a city in the uttermost of thy
border :

17 Let " us pass, I pray thee,

J Ex. 3. 7. t Ex. 3. 2. 14. 19. '23. 20. 33. 2.

c. 21. 22. Deut. 2. 27.

in this form of theophany, his subse-
quent tabernacling in the flesh. But
we have ah-eady treated this subject so
fully in our Notes above referred to, on
Exodus, that we need not here enlarge
upon it. If it be objected that God
could not properly be said to " send
himself" in the form of an angel, we
would say in reply, that the same objec-
tion holds good also against the idea
of " sending himself " in the "likeness
of sinful flesh" for the redemption of
the world, as to which the testimony
of the New Testament is clear beyond
dispute.

V. 17. Let us pass, Ipray thee, through
thy country. A civil and reasonable
request preferred simply because the
route through Edom was the nearest to
the land of Canaan, to which they were
destined. They had, indeed, been as-
sured of being put in possession of the
land of promise, and as the Lord who
had promised was the universal Pro-
prietor of all things, they might have
forced their way despite of all opposi-
tion ; yet He who is infinite equity and
wisdom combined would not have their
good evil spoken of, or wrong done to
any under the plea of the divine guid-
ance. In making this request they not
only avoid the appearance of evil, but
they virtually acknowledge that the
children of Esau had obtained their
possession by a similar right to that
whereby the land of Canaan had been
secured to the posterity of Jacob. If

through thy country : we will
not pass through the j&elds, or
through the vineyards, neither
will we drink of the water of
the wells : we will go by the
king's high-way, we will not
turn to the right hand nor to
the left, until we have passed
thy borders.

they desired, therefore, to enjoy their
own inheritance, they were not to inter-
fere with that which had been prophet-
ically assigned to Esau. The course
pursued was entirely in accordance with
a just appreciation of the divine coun-
sels in this respect, and it set a noble
example of waiving a claim that might
have been violently enforced, because
the interests of righteousness and peace
dictated such a policy. The request,
however, was churlishly denied, and
their course was accordingly altered.
Deut. 2:8, " They turned and passed
by the way of Moab." Comp. Judg. 11 :

17, 18. TI We will not pass through

the fields, etc. They would relieve the
Edomites, as far as possible, from any
apprehensions arising from the passage
of so large a host through their terri-
tory, and therefore assure them they
had no hostile intentions, that they
would not in any way molest the inhab-
itants, that they would keep themselves
to the common public highway, and in-
stead of committing the least depreda-
tion, would not even ask a drink of
water for themselves or their cattle
without paying for it — a stipulation of
no small importance in the case of so
large a multitude, and in a country
where the inhabitants depend, during
the greater part of the year, upon the
water which may be collected in the
season when rain falls. — " We will not
drink of the water of the wells : — if I, '[
and my cattle, drink of thy water, then

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CHAPTER XX.

299

18 And Edom said unto him,
Thou shalt not pass by me, lest
I come out against thee with
the sword.

will \ pay for it." — This is always ex-
pected ; and though Edom might in
friendship have, let his brother Israel
drink gratis, had he recollected their
consanguinity, yet Israel did not insist
on such accommodation. How strange
would it sound in England, if a person
in travelling, should propose to pay for
drinking water from the wells by the
roadside! Nevertheless, still stronger
is the expression. Lam. 5:4; ' We
have drank our own water for money : '
we bought it of our foreign rulers ;
although we were the natural proprie-
tors of the wells which furnished it." —
Taylor in Calmet.

V. 18. Tftou shalt not pass hy me.
Heb. " Shall not pass in me," i. e.
through me, by which is meant through
my land and people, with which he
identified himself. Their courteous and
respectful application was therefore an-
swered by a surly negative, not only
refusing the desired passage, but threat-
ening to oppose them by force of arms
if they made the attempt. The conse-
quences of this refusal we describe in
the words of Mr. Kitto : " They were
therefore to retrace their steps to the
head of the eastern gulf of the Red Sea,
where the land of Edom ended, and
passing round the extremity of the
chain of mountains, which constituted
the chief part of that realm, put them-
selves on the eastern border of that ter-
ritory, and so proceed northward to the
region east of the Dead Sea. A refer-
ence to any map of this district, will
show that the mountains of Edom ex-
tended along the eastern side of that
broad valley (the Arabah), which lies
between the Dead Sea and the gulf of
Akabah. It is down this valley that

19 And the children of Israel
said unto him, We will go by
the high- way : and " if I and my

V Deut. 2. 6, 28.

they seem to have proceeded on their
retrogressive movement. On the way
they encamped at Mosera, which seems
to have been at or near the present
Wady Miisa, in which lie the ruins of
Petra, the city whose marvellous exca-
vations have only within the present
century been brought to light, and
which have since formed the theme of
many able pencils and eloquent penSi
The encampment must, we apprehend,
have been in the neighborhood of the
mouth of this valley, and in presence
of Mount Hor." — Dally Bible Ulus.
V. 19. We tvill go by the high-ivay.
Heb. mes-ilUih, from the root sdlal, to
raise, cast, or throw tip, as an embank-
ment, a terrace, a causeway. The pri-
mary import is that of an elevated
pathway, a thoroughfare, such as were
often made for military purposes. The
epithet " high," which in v. 17, is in
Italic, is here called for by the literal
sense of the original. The Gr. renders
it, " Let us pass through along the

mountains." ^ Tlien I will pay for

it. Heb. " I will give the price there-
of" This was according to the divine
direction, Deut. 2 : 6, 7, " Ye shall buy
meat of them for money, that ye may
eat ; and ye shall also buy water of
them for money, that ye may drink.
For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee
in all the works of thy hand : he know-
eth thy walking through this great wil-
derness : these forty years the Lord thy
God hath been with thee ; thou hast
lacked nothing." The Lord's blessing
them is added as a reason, lest the peo-
ple should be grieved at spending their
money, of which they could be sup-
posed to have but little, in buying meat
and drink. There are, howeverj two

300

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

cattle drink of thy water, then
I will pay for it ; I will only,
without doing any thing else, go
through on my feet.

considerations involved ; first, that
they were so enriched by God's boun-
ty, that they were fully supplied with
the means of buying food ; and, second-
ly, that they must not doubt that he
would relieve their necessity by mira-
cle, if I'equired, since he had thus far
provided for them without suffering
them to want any thing. If it be asked
how the Lord could say, that he had
blessed the work of their hands, when
they had no commerce with other na-
tions by which to make the smallest
gains whatever, we may suggest in re-
ply, that we know not that their isola-
tion was so absolute that they had no
traffic whatever with the neighboring
tribes ; but however this may be, and
however they were sustained gratui-
tously in the desert, without expending
even a single penny in buying shoe-
latchets, yet their cattle had increased,
and doubtless during their long stays
at particular stations, they had not
passed the time idly, but had employed
themselves in the fabrication of various
articles which would naturally turn to
account when occasions like the pres-
ent arose. U / will only, witJiout

{doing) any thing {else), go througli on
my feet. Heb. raq din ddhdr, lit. only
no word, of which the import is not
very clear, though "word" is often
used for " thing," and our present ver-
sion may be correct. The Chald. ren-
ders, " Provided only there shall be no
mischief or evil, I will pass through on
my feet." That is, in case there shall
be no impediment or harm on your
part, there shall be none on ours. Gr.
" Grant but this ; it is a small matter ;
let us march through along the moun-

20 And he said, Thou '" shalt
not go through. And Edom
came out •" against him with

w Judg. 11. 17. X Obad, 10-15.

tain." Vulg. " There shall be no diffi-
culty in the price, only let us pass
speedily." Arab. "There is nothing
(i. e. nothing evil intended) ; I will
only pass through on my feet." On the
whole we find nothing preferable to our
present English version.

Y. 20. Thou shalt not go through, etc.
He still persists in his refusal, which is
now followed by an act of hostile inva-
sion. Instead of allowing them water,
they would have shed their blood ; in-
stead of giving them passage through
their land, they would have swept them
from the face of the wilderness. How
naturally does this recall the persecu-
tions of Esau ! He that was born after
the flesh still persecuted him that was
born after the Spirit, each acting in his
representative capacity. And so is it to
this day. It marks the hostility of the
world to the church, which we see
everywhere exemplified. Their con-
duct on this occasion, however, though
not immediately punished, was yet re-
membered, and in due time met with a
fit retribution. The main burden of the
prophecy of Obadiah is the judgments
denounced against Edom, and these are
refei-red primarily to his cruel treat-
ment of his brother Israel in the day of
his emergency. " The pride of thy
heart hath deceived thee, thou that
dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose
habitation is high ; that saith in his
heart. Who shall bring me down to the
ground ? Though thou exalt thyself as
the eagle, and though thou set thy nest
among the stars, thence will I bring
thee down, saith the Lord. . . . How
are the things of Esau searched out !
how are his hidden things sought up !

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

301

much people, and with a strong
hand.

21 Thus Edom refused to
give Israel passage through his
border : wherefore Israel turned
away from him.

. . . For thy violence against thy bro-
ther Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and
thou shalt be cut off for ever."

V. 21. Wherefore Israel turned away
from Mm. They turned awaj, not as
cowards, but as those whom the Lord
had laid under a prohibition not to fight,
Deut. 2:5. He could, of course, with
infinite ease, have made a passage
through Edom, He who had led Israel
through the deep, who had scattered
the forces of Amalek, and who had hith-
erto borne his people as on eagles'
wings. But the faith and patience of
that people were still further to be
tried, and the day of vengeance to
Edom to be yet longer delayed. " They
could not err who were under the di-
rection of an infallible guide. Though
they turned another way circuitously,
yet still it was the right way, a way de-
termined in the plan of heaven, and
pointed out by the covenant Angel.
Their march became obstructed, yet
the Lord's purposes were not inter-
rupted ; it was not through Edom, but
by the wilderness of ^Moab, that they
were to go. Could we look at the pur-
pose of God and compare it with the
course of his providence, we should see
that in all the windings and conflicts of
the wilderness, as well where an enemy
obstructs, as where a friend opens our
way, the path is right." — Seaton. Is-
rael, by divine commandment, turned
away, and compassed the land of Edom
upon its southern and eastern borders,
and it appears from Deut. 2 : 28, 29,
that there was so much relaxation
of the purpose declared by the prince,

22 And " the children of
Israel, even the whole con-
gregation, journeyed from Ka-
desh, and came unto mount
Hor.

that he consented to furnish Israel with
needed provisions, both in meat and
drink, for their money.

TJie Israelites journey to Mount Hor,
where Aaron dies.
V. 22. Came unto Mount Hor. Heb.
Mr hdhir, to Hor the mountain; the
original word frequently implying a
mountainous range, as was no doubt
the case with this locality in the first
instance, although the name has since
become appropriated to one particular
mountain, of which the modern desig-
nation is Je})el Haroun, or Mount Aaron.
It is situated in Arabia Petraea, on the
confines of Idumea, forming a part of
the Mountain of Seir or Edom, of which
it is the most conspicuous in the whole
range. It stands about midway be-
tweed the Dead Sea and the Jillanitic
Gulf. It has been supposed question-
able whether this be really the Mount
Hor on which Aaron died, but from its
height and the commanding manner in
which it rises among the surrounding
rocks, it seems not unlikely to have
been the scene chosen for that event.
To this may be added that Josephus
affirms Mount Hor to have been near
Petra ; and near that place there is cer-
tainly no mountain which can contest
the distinction with the one now in
view. Without, however, deciding upon
its claims, we refer the reader to the
travels of Stephens, Robinson, Stanley,
Martineau, and others, for all that de-
sirable information in the department
of topography, which we could only
give by transcribing their words. As

802

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

23 And the Lord spake unto
Moses and Aaron in mount Hor,
by the coast of the land of Edom,
saying,

to the apparent discrepancy between
this passage and the statement, Deut.
10 : 6, see Note on the latter place.

V. 23. By the coast of the land of
Edom. That is, by the border, in which
sense the word coast frequently occurs
in the Scriptures. In ch. 33 : 37, the
journey hither is thus described, " And
they removed from Kadesh and pitched
in Mount Hor, in the edge of the land
of Edom" The southern extremity of
Edom we suppose to be indicated.

V. 24. Aaron shall he gathered unto
his people. That is, shall die and be
buried, and his soul, i. e., himself, shall
be gathered among " the spirits of just
men made perfect." Gr. prostetheto,
let {Aaron) be added. " Gathering " is
a term frequently employed in reference
to the removal of men by death, as in
V. 26, and Is. 57 : 1, "Merciful men are
taken aivay (Ileb. gathered), none con-
sidering that the righteous is take7i away
(Heb. gathered) from the evil to come."
That is, they are gathered and housed
in heaven, as a shepherd gathers and
folds his sheep when the storm is com-
ing. So also, Ps. 104 : 29, '' Thou take-'it
atoay (Heb. gatherest) their breath, they
die, and return to their dust." The
" people " to whom he was to be gath-
ered or adjoined, were his ancestors
who had gone to the spiritual world be-
fore him, as is said of David, Acts 13 :
86, " For David, after he had served his
own generation by the will of God, fell
on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers
(Gr. prosetethe, was added, or gath-
€Tcd)." This is the usual Gr. rendering
of the Hebrew phrase for being gath-
ered unto one's fathers, Viz., prosetetM,
which is here infelicitously translated

24 Aaron shall be gathered '
unto his people : for he shall not
enter into the land which I have

2 Gen. -25. 8. Deut. 32. 50.

" laid unto," which fixes the idea rather
upon the body than the soul, contrary
to what is the case with the original.
Judg. 2 : 10, " And all that generation
were gathered unto their fathers." f Gr.
prosetetliesan, were added. ) On the other
hand, David prays, Ps. 26 : 9, " Gather
not my soul with sinners." See Note

on Gen. 25 : 8. If He shall not enter,

etc. The sternness of the divine inter-
dict is not at all relaxed by the affect-
ing circumstances of the occasion. The
sentence previously passed must go
into execution, that the Lord's veracity
suffer not, and that the people might
know that he never threatens in vain.
They could not but realize that they
themselves were the original procuring
causes of the doom of exclusion which
had befallen their leaders, whose spirits
their perverseness had " angered at the
waters of strife," and thus provoked
them to sin ; and when even so sacred
personages as Moses and Aaron could
not escape, how clearly would they per-
ceive that God was not to be trifled
with, and that it was a stretch of di-
vine forbearance that they were spared,
M'hen they so richly deserved to suffer.

T[ Because ye rebelled against my

word, etc. Heb. " Against my mouth."
The singular number is here exchanged
for the plural, that they might be re-
minded that they had shared in a com-
mon guilt and were now to be asso-
ciated in punishment. In respect to
Aaron, the sentence implied that by
reason of the transgression of which he
had been guilty, he could no longer en-
joy the honor of typically representing
the Messiah who was to come, and who
was to be the great High Priest of the

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

given unto the children of Is-
rael, because ye rebelled " against
my word at the water of Meribah.

spiritual Israel. This office was now to
be transferred to his son, who was to
be clothed with his father's pontifical
robes, which were the proper insignia
of the priestly dignity. As the priest-
hood of Aaron pointed to the sacerdotal
supremacy of Christ, who was to be in
all things head over the Church, there-
fore it was ordered that the transaction
should occur on the head or top of a
mountain, which would most fittingly
shadow forth that supremacy.

V. 26. Strip Aaron of his gatinents,
andp ut them upon Eleazar his son. Im-
plying thereby that Eleazar was to be
invested with the attributes or pre-
rogatives of his father's office. These
were undoubtedly his priestly robes,
and the inference is fair that he had put
them on for this particular purpose be-
fore leaving the camp and ascending
the mountain. " A transfer of office,
from the circumstance of putting the
clothes of the late possessor on the per-
son intended to succeed him, was called
investing or investment {clothing), as
removing a person from an office was
called divesting or unclothing. Among
the Catholics, and in the Church of
England, the same method is used in
degrading ecclesiastics. Hence such a
degradation is termed by the common
people stripping a 7na?i of his gown." —
Adam Clarke. Those "garments of
holiness " which Moses had formerly
put upon him for "honor and for
glory," Ex. 28 : 2, at the time of his
consecration to the priesthood, he is
now to divest him of, or, as the Targ.
Jon. expresses it, to " strip " him of
the honorable garments of the priest-
hood. This act, of taking off of offi-

25 Take Aaron and Eleazar
his son, and bring them up unto
mount Hor :

26 And strip Aaron of his

cial garments and putting them upon
another, was symbolical of the transfer
of the office itself. Thus, Is. 22 : 15-21,
" Thus saith the Lord God of hosts. Go,
get thee unto this treasurer, even unto
Shebna, which is over the house, and
say, . . . And I will drive thee from
thy station, and from thy state shall he
pull thee down. And it shall come to
pass in that day, that I will call my
servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah :
And I will clothe him with thy robe,
and strengthen him with thy girdle,
and I will commit thy government into
his hand : and he shall be a father to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the
house of Judah." In the present case
the implication was manifest, not only
that the priesthood then existing was
to yield to one more perfect, but that a
dying priest was to yield to one that
should live for ever. Had it not been
designed to set forth some great truth
like this, Aaron would not have attired
himself for death as though about to
enter into the holy of holies. Perhaps
one lesson intended to be taught was,
that he was not to enter that blissful
abode which the holy of holies repre-
sented, as a priest, but as a man. There
all external and adventitious distinc-
tions cease, all official appendages fall
away, and the internal character alone
determines the final allotment. The
garments of priests, the robes of princes,
and the rags of beggars, are all equal-
ly worthless in themselves when the
shroud of dissolution is to take their
place, and when even this avails not
to cover the spirit, which appears naked
before its Judge, and is assigned its
destiny according to its dominant qual-

304

NUMBEES.

[B. 0. 1452.

garments, and put them upon
Eleazar his son : and Aaron
shall be gathered unto his peo-
ple^ and shall die there.

ities and deeds. But the pre-eminence
of Christ over all earthly priests, and
the perpetuity and stability of his dis-
pensation over the weakness and im-
perfection of that which preceded, is
the grand truth which the divine wis-
dom would teach by the circumstances
of Aaron's demise. " They truly," says
the apostle, Heb. 7 : 23, 24, " were many
priests, because they were not suffered
to continue by reason of death ; but
this man, because he continueth ever,
hath an unchangeable priesthood."

"Their priesthood ran through several
hands,
For mortal was their race ;
Thy never-changing office stands,
Eternal as thy days."

It was not consistent with God's typical
designs that either Aaron or Moses
should live to bring the tribes to rest ;
that was assigned to another. But
Christ has power to bring in the church
to the promised possession ; for he has,
by virtue of his everlasting merits, al-
ready entered, now to appear in the

presence of God for us. H Put Hum

upon Eleazar his son. The man dies,
but not the priest. The transfer is made
while Aaron can be conscious of it, and
receive comfort from it. The robes are
taken from him when living, and not
when dead. This was in accordance
with an oracle uttered long afterwards,
Jer. 33 : 17, " Neither shall the priests,
the Levites, want a man before me
to offer burnt-offerings, and to kindle
meat-offerings, and to do sacrifice con-
tinually." We may well suppose it was
cheering to the departing saint to know
that the priestly function would not
cease with him, but that it should con-

27 And Moses did as the
Lord commanded : and they
went up into mount Hor, in the
sight of all the congregation.

tinue in his posterity through all ages
till He should come who was to be " a
priest for ever after the order of Mel-
chizedek ; " who should be the true
Eleazar (i. e., the help of God), ''made
not after the law of a carnal command-
ment, but after the power of an endless
life." Aaron's perception may have
been vague and dim of all that was em-
braced in the compass of the divine
counsels on this head, but it would no
doubt tend to relieve the bitterness of
death to be assured that his own re-
moval would cause no break in the
chain of proposed blessings to the

church. T[ Aaron shall he gathered

{to his people). The closing words are
in italics to indicate that in the original
it is said simply that Aaron should " be
gathered," a phrase equivalent to being
taken away by death, as before re-
marked, V. 24. T[ Shall die there.

Heb. "Shall be a corpse there." This
is, perhaps, simply exegetical of the
preceding clause, unless we suppose
that the former has more especial ref-
erence to the soul, and the latter to the
body ; implying that while his lifeless
remains were lying before them, his
freed spirit was rejoicing in the society
of the spirits of his fathers who had
preceded him in the race of mortality.
V. 27. And they went up into Mount
Hor in the sight of all the congregation.
A special publicity was designed to be
given to this solemn event, in order
that the great body of the people might
have every assurance that the succes-
sion was ordered by the Lord him-
self They might otherwise have been
prompted, from ill will to Aaron's fam-
ily, to take the election into their own
hands, and in their perverseness have

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XX.

305

28 And * Moses stripped
Aaron of his garments, and

b c. 33. 38, etc.

made choice of one from another tribe.
Or they might possibly have repudiated
the priesthood altogether. To guard
against any contingency of this kind,
and to provide effectually that this sa-
cred office should not perish with its
first incumbent, the Lord took into his
own hands the appointment of a succes-
sor, and so ordered the circumstances
that the congregation should be pro-
foundly impressed with the divine ar-
rangement ; for it is doubtless to be
supposed that they were made ac-
quainted with the object for which he
ascended the mountain. As to Aaron
himself, the whole tenor of the narra-
tive would imply that he went up to
the summit of the holy mount with un-
faltering step, and composed himself to
die with as much serenity as if he were
but laying himself down upon his bed
to sleep. There is no intimation but
that he was in perfect health at the
time, though he had reached the very
extended term of one hundred and
twenty-three years. It was not in th§
waste of age, or through decays of
sickness, or by a sudden stroke, that he
was to pass away from among men, but
at the call of heaven. As there is a place
where to die, as well as a time when
to die, both of which are in the divine
appointment, so to both these the high-
priest of Israel was now brought. He
had reached his last stage in the wil-
derness, beyond which he could not
pass. He had finished his priestly
functions, he had made his last offer-
ing, he had left the sanctuary on earth,
never again to enter it or to minister
before the Lord. Many eyes were doubt-
less upon him as he went forth, eager
to catch the last glimpse of his reced-
ing person, their many hearts invok-

put them upon Eleazar his
son : and Aaron died there in
the top of the mount : and

ing many blessings. Father, son, and
brother went up together, and this was
the last of their intercourse on earth.
"What passed on the way is not said,
but we may well believe their conver-
sation savored of heaven, and was seri-
ous, holy, and pleasant. In such cir-
cumstances, when the brightest scenes
of earth fade away from the view, and
the heart sickens at worldly thoughts,
nothing but divine manifestations and
the spiritual realities of another life,
can possibly sustain the soul. These
supports we cannot doubt that Aaron
enjoyed as he went up the mount to
die ; for, to him, dying was ascending,
as it will be to all the Lord's people,
whatever be the circumstances of their
departure. Some die in seclusion, un-
noticed and unknown ; some die em-
bosomed in a circle of sorrowing friends.
Yet it matters little where the saints de-
part, whether on a mount or in a vale,
except as symbolical or typical consid-
erations give one place a preference
over another. Both Aaron and Moses
died on a mountainous elevation, and
we may not question that some rich
significancy was veiled under the fact.
In frequent cases recorded in Scripture
things of a very important and memor-
able nature are said to have occurred
on mountains, with which we are prone
to connect what is conspicuous, re-
markable, and involving high and heav-
enly mysteries. Our Lord died on Moimt
Calvary and ascended from the Mount
of Olives, and in this respect the depart-
ure of his forerunners conformed to his.
V. 28. Aaron died there in the top
of tJie mount. " This mountain is of
important Scriptural interest ; for, ar-
rived at this spot, Aaron, in obedience
to his recent doom, was commanded to

806

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

Moses and Eleazar came down
from the mount.

29 And when all the congre-
gation saw that Aaron was dead,
they mourned for Aaron thirty
days, eve7i all the house of Israel.

go up to this mount, and die. He was
to be accompanied by his brother and
his eldest son, who were to divest him
of his priestly robes, to receive his dy-
ing sigh, and to deposit his remains
safely in this high place. The spot was
probably selected, not only to impress
the Israelites with the solemnity of the
occasion, but to enable the dying pon-
tiff to give one last look over the camp
of Israel, surrounding, in goodly rows,
the tabernacle of God; to survey the
scene of his long pilgrimage ; and to
catch a distant glimpse of the utmost
borders of the promised land, before
stepping across the boundary between
this world and the world to come.
There is no doubt whatever about the
mountain which was the scene of this
transaction. Even local tradition has
preserved the memory of this event,
the mountain itself bears the name of
Aaron (Harun) ; and upon the top an
old Moslem tomb stands to his honor,
which is much visited by Mohammedan
pilgrims, few of whom quit the place
without sacrificing a sheep in honor of
the Jewish saint." — Daily Bible Illus.
V. 29. When all the congregation saw
that Aaron was dead. Heb. '* Had ex-
pired or given up the ghost." ^Seeing
is here, as elsewhere, used for perceiv-
ing or taking cognizance. They would
know the fact by the verbal relation of
Moses and Aaron, by the circumstance
of Aaron's not returning with them,
and also by seeing Eleazar arrayed in
the priestly garments of his father. In
like manner " Jacob sato (i. e. knew)
there was corn in Egypt," when he

CHAPTER XXI.

ND when king Arad " the
Canaanite, which dwelt in
the south, heard tell that Israel

a c. 33. 40. Judg. 1. 16.

heard thereof. So the people ''saw the
voices," Ex. 20 : 18, and various parallel
places. See Notes on Gen. 42 : 1. Ex.

20 : 18. TI They mourned /or Aaron

thirty days. Heb. yihku, they wept or
lavailed Aaron. How characteristic
this of the instability and fickleness
of all human regards, whether of love
or hate ! How prone is our fallen na-
ture to reverse its judgment, and its
treatment of good men when they have
ceased to be numbered with the living !
The people of Israel, during Aaron's
lifetime, had frequently sought to stone
him ; they had mui'mured against him
and raised great tumults in order to
cast him down from the dignity in which
God had placed him. Now that he is
dead, they forget their malignity and
envy, and pour out their lamentations
over his decease. But mourning in it-
self is an honorable testimonial to de-
parted worth, and Calvin well remarks,
that " if the utility of this custom be
corrupted by its abuse, it is not just
that what is right in itself should be
blamed for the fault of men." The same
period of mourning was allotted also to
Moses, Deut. 34 : 8.

CHAPTER XXI.

Israel assaulted by a Canaanitish King.
The Result.
V. 1. And (whe?i) king Arad the Ca-
naanite, etc. Or, Heb. " The Canaanite,
king of Arad." This is Ihe prevalent
rendering of the versionists ancient and
modern, and is that which the original
seems most to favor. Precisely the same

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

307

came by the way * of the spies ;

form in the Heb. is rendered, Josh. 12 :
14, " King of Arad ;" while in Num. 33 :
40, it appears as here, " King Arad the
Canaanite." "We derive an important
hint as to the locality in question, from
Judg. 1:16; " And the children of the
Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up
out of the city of palm-trees with the
children of Judah, unto the wilderness
of Judah, which lieth on the south of
Arad,^' i. e., in the south parts of the
tribe of Judah about the city Arad.
Arad, therefore, was the name of a
city on the southernmost borders of
Canaan, which Eusebius and Jerome
place about twenty Roman miles from
H'^bron, equal to about eight hours
with camels. Prof Robinson observed
a place in about the same locality, on
the route from Petra to Hebron, called
''Tell Arad," which he thinks may
with great probability be regarded as
the site of the ancient city here spoken
of. The Israelites were now advancing
northwards, though still hovering about
the south-eastern border of Edom, when
this petty potentate of Canaan, getting
intelligence of their movements and
thinking it good policy to keep the war
at a distance, marched forth from his
own territory in considerable force, de-
termined to dispute their further pro-
gress. His assault was at first partially
successful, but we learn that he subse-
quently paid dear for his victory. " The
trials of a wilderness state terminate
only with our journey. Fears within
and fightings without, are often the lot
of the Church on earth. The time of
the promise was not far off, yet they
must conflict for possession. It might
be thought, that as the church ap-
proached nearer and nearer to the land
of promise, difficulties would lessen,
and that peaceful and unopposed pos-

then he fought against Israel,
and took some of them prisoners.

session would be gained. Instead of
this trials have multiplied, and just
when in reach of home more than at
any period before." — Seaton. So with
the Christian in his journey towards
heaven. Instead of finding himself re-
leased from combat, his faith and pa-
tience are exercised by new forms of
temptation, new battles with new ene-
mies have to be fought, and he at length
settles down in the assurance that there
is " no discharge in that war," till he
has crossed the Jordan of death, and sat
himself down in peace in the Canaan

beyond. T[ Heard tell that Israel

came hy the way of the spies. Heb.
dereh hdatha?'im, in regard to the true
purport of which versions and com-
mentators greatly differ. The Chald.,
Syr, and Vulg. render with our trans-
lators " the way of the spies," under-
standing thereby the way into Canaan
travelled by the spies whom Moses had
sent many years before to explore the
land. But it is objected to this inter-
pretation that the original word for
spies is properly tdrim, from toor, to
traverse, also to spy out, to examine, to
explore, whence the normal form would
be hattdrim instead of athdrim, which
comes analogically from dthar, although
this verb nowhere occurs. For this
reason many critics are disposed to
concur with the Sept. and the Arab.,
which renders it as a proper name,
''by the way of Atharim," notwith-
standing we have nowhere else the
least intimation of the existence of any
place of this name. For ourselves we
incline to adhere to the established ren-
dering. The Israelites, it is true, were
now at a quite remote distance from
the southern limits of Canaan when
the spies had entered, but they were
advancing in that general direction

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

2 And Israel vowed ' a vow people into my hand, then I will
unto the Lord, and said, If utterly '^ destroy their cities,
thou wilt indeed deliver this

Gen. 28. 20. Judg. 11.

and the king of Arad may have natural-
ly supposed that they designed to enter
the country through some passage
which, from the circumstance alluded
to, had perhaps in the mean time ac-
quired the name of " the way of the
spies." The use of the article suggests
an appellative import to the original
word, instead of its being a proper
name, and Drusius has shown that the
addition of the prosthetic n =— a (Q'^inx
atTidrim) is paralleled by UJ'nTN ezroa,
for y'l^T zeroa, arm, and other similar
usages. The evidence, on the whole,
predominates in our view in favor of
the usual English version of the phrase.
T[ And took {some) of them prison-
er's. Heb. ''Took captive of them a
captivity." The abstract is here iised
for the concrete as in ch, 31 : 12, " And
they brought the captives (Heb. the
captivity), and the prey, and the spoil,
etc." Judg. 5 : 12, " Arise, Barak, and
lead thy captivity captive^ Comp. Ps.
68 : 19. 2 Chron. 28 : 5. Thus we have
poverty for a company of poor people,
2 Kings 24 : 14 ; spoil for a people
spoiled, Am. 5:9; thanks for those who
gave thanks, Neh. 12 : 31, and so in nu-
merous other instances. The discom-
fiture which Israel now experienced
was permitted of the Lord, not only to
be a snare to the victors, but also to
serve as a salutary lesson to the chosen
people, to teach them their own intrin-
sic weakness and their constant de-
pendence on the divine sufficiency for
success in their warfare. The reverse,
therefore, now met with would be an
exercise of faith and a spur to forti-
tude. But although success may for a
while attend the enemies of the Lord's
church, it cannot be lasting. His ser-

d Lev. 27. 28. Dent. 13. 15.

vants may be temporarily " made pris-
oners," yet they are always "prisoners
of hope," and the time of release, the
year of jubilee, will come, when liberty
is proclaimed to the " captives," and the
opening of the prison to them that are
bound.

V. 2. Israel vowed a vow unto the
Lord. This implied a calling upon the
Lord for his help, and religiously prom-
ising to devote to him their enemies and
all their substance. See Note on Gen.
28 : 20. It does not appear that God
had thus far openly and explicitly com-
manded the cities of Canaan to be ut-
terly destroyed, yet it is a fair inference
that the purpose now expressed was
acceptable to him, as it fell in with his
general design in regard to those na-
tions. He had resolved upon their de-
struction, and he had appointed the
Israelites to execute the sentence. It
would seem, therefore, if it was right
for them, as the Lord's ministers, to do
this work, it was right to vow to do it ;
and we learn from the sequel that they
were enabled to accomplish the object
of their vow, while no hint of the divine
disapproval is anywhere to be met with.
" The Lord hearkened to the voice of Is-
rael, and delivered up the Canaanites."
The vow, then, did not originate in
inconsiderate zeal, but virtually in the
divine determination. Hence it was
not idly spoken, but was founded on
the Lord's word, which is always the
grand rule for vowing rightly. It may
be conceded, that it was allowable for
them to spare the cities which they
wished to occupy themselves ; but it
was also allowable to devote them as
an ofiering of first-fruits to God, as we
are elsewhere informed, in regard to

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CHAPTER XXI.

809

3 And the Lord hearkened

« Ps. ii. 4, i

the citj of Jericho, Josh. 6 : 21.

T[ / will utterly destroy their cities.
Heb. 7ia haramti, from the root ^Mram,
to devote or doom, to devote to destruc-
tion. Gr. " Anathematize." From the
same root is derived the word hormdh,
implying destruction accompanied by
anathema, as if the place so called were
devoted to the curse of God. Under
the operation of this kind of devotement
persons were to die, and property to
be confiscated to the Lord, Lev. 27 : 28,
29. See Note on Judg. 11:30. Thus
when Jericho was devoted, the people
and the beasts were killed, the city
burnt, and the goods made over to the
Lord's treasury, Josh. 6 : 17-24. The
vow, therefore, was a promise that they
would reserve none of the captured pos-
sessions of the king to their own use,
but would devote it all to destruction,
which was the nature of the vow call-
ed Hereni. This gives Calvin occasion
to remark, " Praiseworthy indeed was
their magnanimity in refusing to avail
themselves of a comfortable home, by
destroying the cities which they should
acquire by the right of war."

V. 3. The Lord hearTcened to the voice
of Israel. Chald. " Received the prayer
of Israel." This implies, undoubtedly,
an approval of their vow, although, as
we shall see, the execution of it was

postponed to a future day. T[ And

they utterly destroyed them and their
cities. Heb. yahariim, devoted to de-
struction, from the before-mentioned
root 'haram. A cursory reading would
lead to the impression that this defeat
and destruction of the Canaanitish king
and his cities occurred immediately up-
on the assault mentioned in the first
verse. But this impression will be apt
to be corrected by reference to a map
of the region in question, and to the

to the voice of Israel, and de-
livered up the Canaanites ; and

course of events as recorded in the en-
suing history. The locality assigned to
Arad, as we have seen, is in the tribe
of Judah, in the southern part of Ca-
naan. The position of Israel, at this
time, was in the vicinity of Mount Hor,
far to the southeast, with the mountain-
ous tract of Edom and other hostile
tribes interposed. If they at once push-
ed on and destroyed the cities of Arad,
they must have passed the mountain
range lying in their way, have actually
entered the land of Canaan, and after
achieving their conquests fallen back
to the neighborhood of Mount Hor,
where the Tabernacle was now pitched,
from ihence to resume their circuitous
route round the head of the Dead Sea,
and the country of Moab. All this ap-
pears in the highest degree improbable.
If there had been at this time such a
triumphant inroad into the land of Ca-
naan, we should find some intimation
of it elsewhere. But no such intimation
occurs, and we therefore infer that the
events mentioned in this verse did not
take place till after their arrival in Ca-
naan under Joshua, when the conquest
of Ai*ad was eff"ected and their vow exe-
cuted. In Josh. 12 : 14, we find the
" king of Arad " mentioned among the
kings "which Joshua and the children
of Israel smote," after taking possession
of the land of promise. From the fol-
lowing allusion, Judg. 1 : 17, we infer
that Arad was also called " Zephath."
"And Judah went with Simeon his
brother, and they slew the Canaanites
that inhabited Zephath, and utterly de-
stroyed it. And the name of the city
was called Hormah." It seems fair to
conclude, from the name thenceforth
given to the city, that not only were
Arad and Zephath identical, but that
now was the time when the vow men-

310

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

they utterly destroyed them
and their cities : and he call-
ed the name of the place Hor-
mah.

tioned in the present connection was
fulfilled. It is probable that no very-
serious efforts were made at this time
to chastise the temerity of this rash but
puny chieftain, who had probably with
a mere clan of his followers, fallen upon
some straggling parties of Israel, and
taken them captive without making any
impression whatever upon the main
host. The prisoners may have been
soon recovered, and the marauders re-
pulsed for the time, when the congre-
gation pursued its journey regardless
of the interruption. But as they show-
ed a malicious intent, and may possibly
have perpetrated some cruelties, it was
proper their assault should be remem-
bered and punished at another time.
This they vowed to do at the present
time, but the execution of the vow was
delayed till they could take their ene-
mies in hand in earnest. In like man-
ner the punishment of Amalek was de-
layed till the time of Saul and Samuel.
The record of the fact, as contained in
the verse before us, was probably added
by another hand long after the period

of Moses. 1 He called the name of

the place Hormah. That is, utter de-
struction, the name being designed as
a memorial of the doom to which it was
subjected. Gr. " Anathema." The ex-
pression "he called" is virtually im-
personal, equivalent to " one called,"
or " it was called."

The Journeying of the People from
Mount Hor. A fresh Murmuring
against Moses.

V. 4. Journeyed from Mount Hor hy
the way of the Bed Sea. Their course was
southwardly to the head of the Red Sea,

4 And ''they journeyed from
mount Hor by the way of the
Red Sea, to compass the land ^
of Edom : and the soul of the

/ c. '20. i2.

g Judg. 11. 18.

through the Wady-el-Arabah, and from
thence they branched off to the east
through the Wady Ithm, as it is now
called, and by that route compassed the
extreme south-eastern border of Edom,
which it is plain from 1 Kings 9 : 20,
extended quite to the head of the Ara-
bian Gulf From this they would reach
the high plateau of the great eastern
desert, along which they passed, with
the mountains of Edom and Moab on
their left, between them and the Dead

Sea. T[ The soul of the people was

much discouraged because of the way.
Heb. tiktzar, was shortened or strait- ,
ened, applied originally to such things '
as are shortened by cutting, as wood,
corn, grass, or any kind of harvest ;
and thence, secondarily, to the mind
under the influence of such passions
and emotions as cause a shortness of
breath, as grief, sorrow, anger, impa-
tience, etc. ; whereas, on the contrary,
one who is cool, calm, dispassionate,
patient, is longsufiering (Heb. long of
anger). Gr. " The people became small
(i. e., faint, feeble) of soul, or lost
courage." See for illustration by par-
allel usage, ch. 11 : 23. Is. 37 : 27. Judg.
16 : 16. Zech. 11 : 28. See also Note on
Ex. 6 : 9, where the phrase is fully ex-
plained. From the following remarks
of Kitto, upon the peculiarities of the
region they were now called to traverse,
it would appear that there was enough
in the hardships of the way to elicit the
complaints of the natural man. " In
pursuing the course which had been
marked out for them, the Hebrew host
traversed southward the arid, hot, and
sandy Arabah, and passing by the head
of the eastern gulf of the Red Sea,

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

311

people was much discouraged
because of the way.

5 And the people spake

gained the equally desolate region con-
stituting the desert e(Mt of the mountains
of Edom. " This Wadv-el-Araba is un-
doubtedly the 'way of the Red Sea' of
the text ; and the discouragement which
the Israelites felt ' because of the way '
may be accounted for no less by the
naturally depressing influence of the
obligation of going so far about to their
destination, which they had hoped to
reach by a shorter and more pleasant
route, than by the naturally cheerless
aspect of the country which they were
traversing. The Wady-el-Araba, al-
though a natural road to the countries
north and north-west of the Red Sea,
is yet as sterile as the desert, al-
though the small bushy tufts, which
grow here and there in the sand, re-
tain for some time a little of the ver-
dure which they receive during the
rainy season. It is indeed in some re-
spects worse than the common desert,
being, to an extent beyond the latitude
of Mount Hor, an expanse of shifting
sand, of which the surface is broken by
innumerable undulations and low hills.
This sand appears to have been brought
from the shores of the Red Sea by the
southerly winds. The few travellers
who have visited this region reiterate
the complaints of the Israelites as to
the scarcity of water in this district. In-
deed when we consider the general want
of water in the Arabian deserts, and
the vast quantity which the Hebrew host
must have required, there is less cause
to wonder at their frequent complaints
on the subject than that they were en-
abled, for so many years, to subsist in
a collective body in regions thus con-
sumed with drought. It is our firm
conviction that they must utterly have
perished long before but for the mirac-

* against God, and against Mo-
ses, Wherefore ' have ye brought

Ex. 16. 3. n.

ulous supplies which, on occasions of
emergency, were granted to them." —
Plct. Bihle. As nothing is more trying
than to be put back when, after a long
and toilsome travel, one has almost
reached the point of his destination, so
here we can readih' account for, though
we cannot excuse, the murmurings and
complaints to which the people now gave
vent. Still we cannot doubt that their
discouragement arose more from the
inward frame of their spirits than from
any external cause. But this was not
the first time they had experienced toil-
some marches or the privations of a
wilderness life. They had long known
fatigue, want, and danger in their jour-
ney ; but had not the Lord continually
encircled them with his protection, and
supplied them by his providence ? Try-
ing as their situation was, their encour-
agements far exceeded their discourage-
ments ; and so will it ever be found by
the faithful, that in every condition of
Providence they have more cause for
thajikfulness than for complaint; and
that their mercies vastly surpass their
judgments. "He that will pass to the
promised land, must neither stand upon
length of way, nor difficulty. Every
way hath its inconveniences ; the near-
est path hath more danger, the furthest
hath more pain ; either or both must
be overcome, if ever we will enter the
rest of God."— ^jTj. Hall.

V. 5. The people spake against God,
and against Moses. Chald. " The peo-
ple murmured before the Lord, and con-
tended with Moses." So also V. 7. From
some allusions elsewhere bearing upon
this part of their history, it would appear
that under the title God, our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ is to be especially
recognized. He was the Angel of God's

312

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

us up out of Egypt to die in
the wilderness ? for ihere is no
bread, neither is * there any

face or presence, in whom was all the
infallible virtue of the divine name, Ex.
23 : 20, 21. Is. 63 : 5. In accordance
with this the apostle says, 1 Cor. 10 : 9,
" Neither let us tempt Christ, as some
of them also tempted, and were de-
stroyed of serpents." Their unbelieving
hearts here find murmuring tongues.
They show themselves herein lineal
descendants of the generation whose
carcases had fallen in the wilderness.
Nothing could be more heinous in view
of all the circumstances. To speak
against the servant was a great offence ;
but to speak against the Master himself
was a still greater. But the mind, once
thrown off its balance by the power of
sharp or long continued temptation, is
prone to go even the length of " charg-
ing God foolishly " rather than of bow-
ing submissively and saying, "I was
dumb, and opened not my mouth ; for

thou didst it." T[ Foi' (there is) no

bread, neither {is there any) water. How
strangely does excited feeling discolor
and distort the objects at which it looks !
The fretful impatience of the people
renders them incapable of seeing and
acknowledging the truth of their con-
dition. They cannot admit that they
are supplied with either bread or water.
The bread which the Lord gave them
from heaven is not worthy the name.
" As an angry child casts away that
which is given him, because he hath
not that he would, so these foolish Is-
raelites ; their bread is light, and their
water unsatisfying, because their way
disjjleased them. Was ever people fed
with such bread, or such water ? Twice
hath the very rock yielded them water,
and every day the heaven affords them
bread. Did any one soul amongst them

water : and our soul loatheth
this light bread.

6 And ' the Lord sent fiery

I Deut. 8. 15. 1 Cor. 10. 9.

miscarry, either for hunger or thirst?
But no bread will answer for them, save
that which the earth yields ; no water
but that from the natural wells or riv-
ers."— Bp. Hall. ^ Our soul loath-

etJi this light bread. Heb. heloMl, from
a root signifying primarily to he light,
and thence to account light, 'vain, vile,
conteinptihle. Here, as the radicals are
doubled, the meaning is intensified,
and the idea conveyed is that of bread
which is regarded as exceedingly vile
and despicable. Chald. " This manna
the light food," Gr. " This vain, or
empty bread;" i.e., bread unsubstan-
tial, innutritive, and worthless. This
was not only a wicked disparagement
of the natural gift which the Lord be-
stowed upon them from heaven, but it
was a virtual turning away with loath-
ing from that spiritual or heavenly
manna which we are taught to recog-
nize in the Lord, the Saviour, whose
own words authenticate this interpre-
tation. See John 6 : 48-51. Comp. Ps.
78 : 23, 24. " This manna rained upon
them from heaven was both corporeal
and spiritual food for them, a figure of
the 'hidden manna' with which Christ
feedeth his people unto life eternal.
Rev, 2 : 17. So the contempt thereof
was the contempt of Christ and hia
grace ; and into this sin do all they fall
that loathe and leave Christ and his
gospel for the momentary pleasures of
life." — Ain^worth.

The Plague of Serpents and the
liemedy.
Lord sent Jiery serpentsi
Heb. hannehds7iim\
im, lit. the serpents the sero
e. as generally interpreted]

V. 6. 77i

among the

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

813

serpents among the people, and they bit the people ; and much

people of Israel died.

fiery or hurning servients, from sarapTi,
to hum, whether so called from their
glowing, fiery color, or from the intense
and excruciating heat and thirst pro-
duced by their bite, or finally from the
red and inflamed appearance of the
skin of those who had been bitten.
The original term is a substantive, and
not an adjective, as it is rendered in our
version. It denotes some class of the
serpent tribe which were ordinaiily
somewhat abundant in that region,
although now probably miraculously
multiplied to answer a special end of
the divine providence. The popular
idea has for some cause invested these
serpents with wings ; but there is noth-
ing in the original to warrant it. The
epithet is simply " fiery," not " fiery
flying " serpents. The prophet Isaiah,
eh. 14 : 29. 30 : 6, makes mention of
** fiery flying serpents," but even in this
case it is supposed that the epithet
"flying" was given from their power
of leafing to a considerable distance in
passing from tree to tree. Chald.
" Burning serpents." Gr. " Deadly
serpents." Syr. " Direful serpents."
Arab. "Serpents of burning bites."
Bochart, Michaelis, and others have
undertaken to identify the species, but
as all attempts of this kind can lead
only to conjectural results, we shall
waive them entirely, confining our re-
marks to points capable of being satis-
factorily illustrated. The most impor-
tant lessons to be derived from the
narrative are of a practical nature, and
these do not depend upon the kind of
serpent alluded to. In Deut. 8 : 15, it
is said of the region through which the
Israelites wandered, probably with a
reference to this particular part, " The
great and terrible wilderness wherein
were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and

drought, where there was no water."
"This description," says Mr. Kitto,
" answers, to this day, with remarkable
precision to these desert regions, and
particularly to that part, about the head
of the gulf of Akaba, where the Israel-
ites now were. Scorpions abound in
all the desert, and are particularly com-
mon here, and they inflict a wound
scarcely less hurnlng than the serpents
of the same region. As to the serpents,
both Burckhardt and Laborde bear wit-
ness to the extraordinary numbers
which are found about the head of the
gulf; but it is to be regretted that nei-
ther of these travellers speaks particu-
larly of the species. Burckhardt, who
at the time of making this observation
did himself not see much of the head of
the gulf, and was only on the western
coast, nearly opposite the spot where
the Israelites appear to have been thus
visited, says :— ' Ayd told me that ser-
pents are very common in these parts ;
that the fishermen were much afraid of
them, and extinguished their fires in
the evening before they went to sleep,
because the light was known to attract
them. As serpents then are so nume-
rous on this side, they are probably not
deficient towards the head of the gulf
on its opposite shore, where it appears
that the Israelites passed when they
journeyed from Mount Hor, by the way
of the Red Sea, to compass the land of
Edom, and when the ' Lord sent fiery
serpents among the people.' (* Tour
in the Peninsula of Sinai,' p. 499.) ....
It would thus appear that no creation
of serpents for this occasion was re-
quired, but that they were collected
perhaps in extraordinary numbers, and
endued probably with a stronger pro-
pensity than usual to assault all persons
who fell in their way, until it pleased

314

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

7 Therefore "' the people came | the Lord, and against thee; pray
to Moses, and said, We have sin- "unto the Lord, that he take
ned, for we have spoken " against

God, through an agency which would
have been wholly inoperative but
through Him, to heal those who had
been wounded and were dying of their
wounds."— Pirf. BihU. The evidence,
then, is conclusive, that the route of
Israel lay over a r^ion infested by
venomous serpents, and it must be
ascribed to the protecting care of the
divine providence that they had not
hitherto received harm from this source.
But the time had now come when they
had justly rendered themselves obnox-
ious to the plague, and when we may
conceive the Lord as saying, "I will
command the serpent, and he shall bite

them," Am. 9 : 3. H AndtJiey lit the

people ,' and much people of Israel died.
The remark of one of the Jewish writers
in this connection, as to a certain anal-
ogy between their sin and their pun-
ishment is worthy of being repeated.
This sin, he observes, was a virtual
calumniation of the divine providence ;
but calumny is at once suggestive of
the bite of a serpent. Ps. 140 : 3, " They
have sharpened their tongues like a
serpent ; adders' poison is under their
lips." Comp. Eccl. 10 : 11. Ps. 58 : 4.
Jer. 8 : 17. The divine protection being
now withdrawn, these ministers of the
Lord's displeasure were sent to do their
work of death amidst the guilty congre-
gation. They inflicted upon them their
terrible bites. Being surcharged with
poison, the effects produced made the
wretched sufferer feel as though the
current of his blood was changed into
tides of fire in his veins, causing the
anguish of intolerable fever and thirst.
Life was corrupted at the fountain ; the
blood ran polluted from the heart, and
spread its defilement over the whole

i, Ex. 8. 8, 23. Dent. 9.
1 K. 13.6. Job 4-2. S, 10.
James 5. 16.

>0, ve. 1 Sam. 12. 19.

Jer. 15. 1. ActsS. ■i4.

frame, until the victim sank beneath
his malady ; " and much people of Is-
rael died." In this we behold a most
striking similitude with the deadly
agency of that " old serpent" who aim-
ed at the life of man from the begin-
ning, and whose A^enom has slain so
many thousands of our race. The fatal
fang of these serpents of the desert was
but an emblem of the far more fearful
wound inflicted by the serpent of Eden.
"The sting of death is sin," and this is
a sting which entails perdition to both
body and soul. And as no unguent
or medicine, no appliance of human
device could heal the bite of the fiery
serpents that now wrought such de-
vastation in the camp of Israel, so the
remedy for the moral poison which has
corrupted the life of the soul can be
supplied by the Lord alone. His alone
it is to administer the balm of Gilead,
for he alone is the physician there. But
he will order his interposition in such
a manner that it shall be appreciated
and sought for before it is enjoyed.

V. 7. We have sinned, etc. In the ex-
tremity that was now upon them, what
could the people do ? It was in vain
that antidotes were sought, and as to
arming themselves against the danger,
this was impossible, for they were as-
sailed on every side, and the assaults
were irresistible. The course pursued
was the only right and reasonable one.
They apply themselves to him, who
alone was able to deliver. They hum-
ble themselves before God, and entreat
Moses to intercede for them. If the
Lord had not mercy on them, they
must all perish. The very first step in ■
conciliating the forfeited favor of hea-
ven is the penitent confession of our jj^

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

315

away the serpents from us. And
Moses prayed ^ for the people.

p Ps. 106. 23.

offences, for "he that confesseth and
forsaketh sin shall find mercj." Such
had been the people's course on former
occasions, and always with a happy re-
sult, and to this fact we have allusion
Ps. 78 : 34, " When he slew them, then
they sought him ; and they returned
and inquired early after God." Past
experience prompts them to the same
course now, and with like results ; for
though the plague was not immediately
removed, yet an effectual antidote was

graciously provided. ^ P/'ay vnto

the Lord, that he take away the ser-pents
froni us. Heb. " And let him take
away the serpent from us," col. sing,
for plur. as in multitudinous instances
elsewhere. " They had spoken against
God and Moses, and now they humbly
speak to Moses, that he would pray to
God for them. Now the people are
glad to seek to Moses unbidden. Ever
heretofore they have been wont to be
sued to and entreated for without their
own entreaty ; now their misery makes
them importunate ; there needs no soli-
citor where there is sense of smart. It
were pity men should want affliction,
since it sends them to their prayers and
confessions. All the persuasions of
Moses could not do that which the ser-
pents have done for him.". — Bp. Hall.
They seem to be conscious of their own
unworthiness, and therefore crave the
i intercession of one who they believed
had more power with God than them-
selves. " How soon is their tone alter-
ed ! They who had just before quar-
relled with Moses as their worst enemy,
' naw make their court to him as their
( best friend, and choose him as their
advocate with God. Afflictions often
change men's sentiments concerning
God's people, teach them to value those

8 And the Lord said unto
Moses, Make thee a fiery ser-

prayers, which at a former period they
had scorned." — Henry. T[ And Mo-
ses prayed for the people. Heb. yith-
pallel, in the Hithpael or reflexive form,
implying that he interposed himself and
prayed as a mediator. The meekness,
patience, and forgiving spirit of Moses
appeared conspicuous on this occasion.
Though so often the subject of their re-
proaches and provocations, yet upon
the slightest evidence of repentance and
amendment, he turns with a parental
yearning towards them, and virtually
says in the language of Samuel on a
like occasion, 1 Sam. 12:19, 23, "As
for me, God forbid that I should sin
against the Lord in ceasing to pray for
you ; but I will teach you the good and
the right way."

Y. 8. MaJce thee a fiery serpent. This
is expressed in the Heb. by a single
word sdrdph, sdraph, or burner, ren-
dered by the Gr. a serpent. As appears
from the following verse it was a " ser-
pent of brass," i. e., the brazen image
of a serpent, which was now to be con-
structed, and elevated as a signal in
the sight of the congregation. The
material ordered was no doubt well
adapted to represent the fiery quality
of the serpents, as it is said of the
cherubim seen in Ezekiel's vision, ch.
1 : 7, that " they sparkled like burning
brass." This will be seen to be still
more apropos if we bear in mind, the
brass of the Scriptures is supposed to
have been really copper, the livid hue
of which comes still nearer to that o^'
poisonous serpents. Such was the de-
vice of the divine wisdom and good-
ness. Misery here gives occasion for
mercy. A remedy is pointed out equal
and suitable to the disease. Had the
serpents been merely removed, accord-

316

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

pent, and set it upon a pole :
and it shall come to pass, that

ing to the prayer of the people, yet that
would not have healed the wounded. A
remedy was to be provided'that should
also recover the dying, and save the
living. Such a remedy is provided in
the brazen serpent now ordered to be
set up. Its efficacy as a means of heal-
ing was not inherent in itself. Obvi-
ously there was nothing in the repre-
sentative semblance that could possibly
tend to effect a cure. Its potency in
this respect was due entirely to the di-
vine appointment. This fact is thus
wisely recognized and discoursed upon
in the apocryphal book, entitled " The
Wisdom of Solomon," ch. 16 : 5-8, " For
when the horrible fierceness of beasts
came upon them, they perished with
the stings of crooked serpents. But
they were troubled for a small season,
that they might be admonished, having
a sign of salvation, to put them in re-
membrance of the commandment of
thy law. For he that turned himself
toward it, was not saved by the thing
that he saw, but by thee that art the
Saviour of all. And in this thou rrtadest
thine enemies confess, that it is thou

who deliverest from all evil." TJ And

set it upon a pole. Heb. DD nes, signi-
fying properly a hanner-staff. It is
often used in the Prophets and Psalms
in the sense of an ensign or banner, as a
signal for the assembling of the people,
and which, with a view to its being
more conspicuous, was frequently erect-
ed on the summit of a hill. So it may
be presumed in the present case, that
the standard-pole, surmounted by the
appointed symbol, was elevated in some
position which made it visible to the
greatest extent throughout the camp.
The object of this appointment is an-
nounced in what follows. 1 Every

one that is hitte7i, tohen he looketh xipon

every one that is bitten, when
he looketh upon it, shall live.

it, shall live. Targ. Jon. "He shall
look upon it and live, if his heart be in-
tent upon the name of the "Word of the
Lord." It is evident, to the most super-
ficial glance, that the remedy, viewed
in itself, was entirely inadeq-uate to the
effect to be produced. As Bp. Hall
well remarks, "A serpent of brass
could no more heal than sting them.
What could a serpent of cold brass pre-
vail against a living and fiery serpent ?"
Yet although neither Moses nor the
wounded Israelites had any suitable
conceptions of the full import of the
divine ordination here recorded, still
with the light afforded to us in regard
to its typical bearings, we can recog-
nize a wonderful adaptedness in the
measure to the ends to be attained by
it. The healing of the body was de-
signed to be an emblem of the healing
of the soul, and as this moral cure was j
to be compassed by means such as hu-
man reason would never have devised, :
so it was fitting that the symbolical re-
covery should be effected by a process
equally strange, extraordinary, and in-
credible. If a resort had been ordered
to the virtues of herbs or balsams, the
divine power would have been apt to
have been lost sight of in the natural
properties and operations of the reme-
dies. Had the serpents been removed
at the solicitation of the people, the
mercy of heaven would indeed have
been conspicuous, but no intimation
would have been given of that hatred
of sjiu and that delight in holiness which
were figuratively displayed in the sus-
pension on the pole, corresponding to _
the Saviour's suspension on the cross. I
The representation, or typical relation,
between the lifting up of the serpent in
the wilderness and the lifting up of
Christ upon the cross is expressly af-

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

317

firmed by our Lord himself, John 3 : 14,
15, and it is therefore proper, in order
to make the narrative more impressive,
that we should collect and array be-
fore our minds all the points of coinci-
dence between the two events. Among
these the following are the most strik-
ing: (1.) The disease in both cases is
similar. Both parties of sufferers are
bitten of serpents — the one by natural
serpents inhabiting the desert, and
armed with poisonous tooth ; the other
by that Old Serpent, the Devil, called
also a Great Red Dragon. Sin is the
biting of this deadly serpent, who may
be called "fiery," as his temptations
are termed "fiery darts," whose in-
fluence inflames all the evil passions
and lusts, and who brings his subjects
at last to a fiery perdition. Through
his conquest the poison of sin rankles
in our whole constitution ; the body
and the soul are affected by it ; the
body being the victim of disease, and
the soul of depravity. (2.) In both
cases the remedy was divinely pre-
scribed, and no other could be of any
avail. (3.) The cure prescribed was,
in both instances, of a nature very un-
likely to be effectual. The sight of a
lifeless serpent of metal, working as an
antidote to the mortal poison of one
alive, how incredible and absurd would
it appear to human reason*! So our
salvation by the cross of Christ is "to
the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the
Greeks foolishness." Yet how mighty
the efficacy of the remedy as flowing
from the divine appointment ! The be-
lieving Israelite hears, even in his dy-
ing agonies, the proclamation of deliv-
erance, lifts up his drooping head, looks,
and is healed. The perishing sinner
hears the voice of the Son of God, say-
ing, " Look unto me, and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth," and turns
towards him an eye of faith. This
suggests another point of resemblance,

viz., (4.) That it was solely by a looh
that the effect was produced. There
was nothing else required of the bitten
Israelites. They were not to look at
the aggravations of their wounds, or to
attempt partially to heal themselves by
the application of some other remedy in
conjunction with this. Nor were they
to do any thing either to merit or to in-
crease its efficacy. They were simply
to look upon the serpent as God's ordi-
nance for recovery. In like manner, it
is by renouncing every other depend-
ence, and simply looking to the Lord
as lifted up for our salvation that we
experience the benefits of his saving
mercy. " Whosoever believeth in him
shall not perish, but shall have ever-
lasting life." (5.) That which cured
was shaped in the likeness of that
which wounded. So our divine Sav-
iour, though perfectly free from sin
himself, yet was he " made in the like-
ness of sinful flesh." (6.) The mercy
bestowed was in both cases provided
when it was least expected. The Is-
raelites had just been murmuring
against a merciful Providence which
had led and supplied them for many
years in their wearisome march through
the wilderness. They had quarrelled
with Moses and with the Lord on the
ostensible ground that they were not
furnished with a due supply of bread
and water, though one miracle after
another had been wrought to satisfy
both their hunger and their thirst. Yet
on the very heels of these provocations,
when they had more reason to expect
severer judgments than fresh mercies,
the Most High comes forward with this
amazing device for their deliverance
from the miseries which they had
brought upon themselves. So when
we, by our iniquities, had utterly for-
feited every favor at the Lord's hands,
and condign punishment was all we
I could reasonably anticipate, the cloud,

318

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

9 And Moses made a serpent ^

q -2 K. 18. 4. John 3. 14, 15.

apparently surcharged with wrath,
broke in mercy over our heads, and
the divine Saviour was lifted up '< that
he might draw all men unto him."

These points of similitude might be
still further multiplied, but those al-
ready cited will be sufficient for our
purpose, the scope of which may be
summed up in the words of Henry :
" The brazen serpent's being lifted up
would not cure, if it was not looked
upon. If any pored on their wound,
and would not look up to the brazen
serpent, they inevitably died. If they
slighted this method of cure, and had
recourse to natural medicines, and
trusted to them, they justly perished.
So, if sinners either despise Christ's
righteousness, or despair of benefit by
it, their wound will, without doubt, be
fatal. Whoever looked up to this healing
sign, though from the outermost part
of the camp, though with a weak and
weeping eye, was certainly healed. So,
whosoever believes in Christ, though as
yet but weak in faith, shall not perish."

V. 9. Moses made a serpent of brass,
and put it 'upon a pole, etc. The leader
of Israel here shows himself, as usual,
the obedient servant of God. He con-
sults not with flesh and blood, nor
yields to the suggestions of carnal wis-
dom. He is not staggered by the
strangeness of the command. He stays
not to reason whether it were likely
that a piece of brass should remedy a
deadly bite, or whether a dead thing
should be made a medium of life. Hav-
ing received the command, he knows
that nothing remains for him but to
obey, and this he does with promptitude
and fidelity, \ If a serpent had bit-
ten any man, etc. So richly laden is
this portion of the sacred story with
instruction, that we are prompted to

of brass, and put it upon a pole :
and it came to pass, that if a

dwell somewhat more at length upon
the various particulars that challenge
our attention. It is clear that the ser-
pents were not removed according to
the pi-ayer recorded v. 7, for they still
continued to bite the people ; but the
divine mercy provided an antidote
which should be efficacious in the
midst of the bites, and thus evince how
far superior was the divine power to
save to the power of the enemy to de-
stroy. So when Paul besought the
Lord thrice to remove from him the
thorn in the flesh, he did not obtain
the precise favor sought, but he re-
ceived an assurance which was abun-
dantly equivalent, " My grace shall be
sufficient for thee." So in the present
case death was arrested, and life and
health restored, notwithstanding the
plague continued. Let us pause for a
moment on the scene that the pencil
of inspiration depicts before us. An
Israelite has been bitten. A darting
pain shoots through his system, and a
deadly sickness and faintness comes
upon him, soon to be succeeded by a
burning heat which seems to consume
his very vitals. His whirling brain is
racked with ineffable torture, and as
the poison approaches nearer and yet
nearer to the fountain of life, he looks
wildly around for aid that none can
render. He is just ready to yield to
hopeless despair, when the voice of
mercy is heard, "Look and live."
The eye of the poor sufferer, already
glazed in death, is feebly turned to the
blessed object, and how rich is the re-
ward ! One glimpse is Life. The fe-
ver subsides, the inflammation leaves
the blood, the convulsions cease, the
action of the pulse returns, the pain
dies away, the whole frame is conscious
of renovation. It is the work of a few

3. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

819

seipent had bitten any man,
whea he beheld the serpent of
brass he lived.

moment& only ; the cure is perfected ;
the sufienr is well. Those lately mark-
ed for death, and almost numbered with
the dead, take their places again among
the living. The man resumes his out-
door occupations, and the woman her
domestic employments, whilst the child
returns to its play. Many who were
given up as lost are now found again ;
they come flocking by hundreds and
thousands to their tents, and as fiithers,
mothers, brothers, sisters, and children
rush into each other's arms, the gene-
ral mourning is turned to dancing, and
the camp becomes one scene of tumult-
uous and grateful joy. How all this
finds its counterpart in the case of the
sin-slain soul looking up to him who
was elevated upon the cross for our sal-
vation, will be easily perceived from
what we have already said upon the
typical scope of the transaction.

We remark in addition, as to the final
disposal of the brazen serpent, that it
seems not improbable that whether the
camp was subsequently molested in the
same manner or not, still the sacred
symbol was carried with them in their
after journeyings, and set up whenever
they encamped as a preservative against
a recurrence of the danger ; and that
when they settled in Canaan, they fixed
it somewhere within the borders of the
land. This is faii-ly to be inferred from
the fact, that in the history of Hezekiah,
2 Kings 18 : 4, we read that the brazen
serpent was preserved, doubtless as a
memorial of the miracle here recorded,
till his time, when, in consequence of
its having become an object of idolatry,
he caused it to be destroyed. It is to
be presumed, therefore, that if it had
been kept for so long a period, it was

10 And the children of Is-
rael set forward, and pitched in
Oboth\

laid up at Jerusalem or some other part
of the land of Canaan, for we cannot
suppose that the people of Israel went
so far off as this station into the wilder-
ness, to burn incense to it, as we find
they did in the passage referred to.
"He removed the high places, and
brake the images, and cut down the
groves, and brake in pieces the serpent
that Moses had made; for unto those
days the children of Israel did burn in-
cense to it : and he called it Xehushtan."
The term " Nehushtau " is a diminutive
from Heb. nehosheth, bmss, and implies
a certain degree of contempt ; as if he
had said, " Whatever of honor or rev-
erence may have pertained to this sym-
bol in ancient times, it is intrinsically
but a mere piece of brass, a brazen bau-
ble, and so long as you are disposed to
idolize it, it is proper it should be called
by a name that suitably expresses its
quality." Types are no farther valua-
ble than as they lead to the spiritual
mysteries of Christ. They are pervert-
ed from their end when viewed as
clothed with peculiar sanctity apart
from the substance Avhich they repre-
sented. The propensit}' to a supersti-
tious veneration of the relics of anti-
quity has been apparent in all ages, and
in the idolatrous regard that finally
sprung up for this significant emblem
we may recognize perhaps a foreshad-
owing of that excessive reverence for
the bare C7'0ss which has for ages dis-
tinguished the Roman Catholic church.

The Boide of the Children of Israel along
the Borders of Moab, in their farther
progress towards the Land of Canaan.
V. 10. The children of Israel set for-
ward. Heb. " Broke up," as explained

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

11 And they journeyed from
Oboth, and pitched at Ije-aba-

in the Note on ch. 2 : 9. IT And

pitched in Ohotli. The meaning of the
original is lottles, i. e., sacks or vessels
made of skins for holding water. As it
is evident, from v. 16, that names were
sometimes given to stations founded
upon some features of the place, or
upon some incident there occurring, we
deem it altogether probable that this
was the case in the present instance ;
that the station was named from the
supply of water with which they were
now enabled to provide themselves.
As all these wanderings of Israel in the
desert represent the diversified states
of Christians in the progress of their
regeneration, a pious reflection is here
naturally suggested, viz., that as they
who had so often experienced thirst in
the desert, and had thus known the
preciousness of water, would, upon
leaving a place, be careful to carry
away with them their vessels full ; so
believers should endeavor to keep their
vessels full to serve them for those sea-
sons when the springs should become
comparatively dry. They will be of
use as long as they sojourn in the wil-
derness. Ere long their journey will
be ended, when the weary pilgrims will
come to the rest and be led to the liv-
ing fountains of waters. Meantime let
them not throw away their vessels or
neglect the means of spiritual reviving.
Happy they who carry with them water
for the way; whose memory, under-
standing, and heart, filled with the
Lord's heavenly treasure, become like
a well of water springing up to ever-
lasting life. It appears, from ch. 33 :
41, 42, that after leaving Mount Hor
their first encampment was at Zalmo-
nah, and the second at Punon, both
which are here omitted. As Zalmonah
is derived from tzelem, image, it is sup-

rim, in the wilderness which is 6e-
fore Moab, toward the sun-rising.

posed that it was at that station that
the plague of the serpents occurred,
and that the erection of the image of a
serpent was designed to be commemo-
rated in the name given to the place.
As to their route henceforward, it is
dilBcnlt to trace it in detail, but we
know in general that from a point near
the head of the Gulf of Aiabah, they
proceeded through some mountain pass,
to the east, probably the Wady Ithm,
and, rounding the south-eastern borders
of Edom, emerged on to the great plains
which are traversed by the Syrian pil-
grims going south to Mecca, and others
going north to Damascus. The course
of the Israelites would have been main- _
ly to the north, along the eastern fron- M
tiers of Moab, whose territory lay be- 1
tween their route and the eastern shore
of the Dead Sea. This route they would
naturally follow till they reached the
point a little beyond the northern ex-
tremity of that Sea, whence they were to
turn westward to cross the Jordan. Ref-
erence to the best modern maps of this
region, as, for instance, those of Robin-
son, Stanley, or Kiepert, will supply all
that is wanting in our verbal descrip-
tion. Of the several stations mentioned
in this connection, the precise locality
is matter of conjecture; and therefore
the older maps conveniently place them
at about equal distances from each
other, which may be correct, or may
not. Happily nothing of moment de-
pends upon the ascertainment of their
exact position.

V. 11. Pitched at Ije-Abarim. That
is, at the heaps of the fords, as the
original implies ; referring, perhaps, to
some heaps of stones that had for some
reason been piled up at certain ford-
ing-places across which lay their route.
Chald. " Close by the ford of the pas^'

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

321

12 From thence they re-
moved, and pitched in the val-
ley of Zared *.

13 From thence they removed,
and pitched on the other side
of ' Arnon, which is in the wil-
derness that Cometh out of the

* Dtut. 2. 13. t c. a. 36. Judg. 11. IS.

sengers-." T[ In the wilderness before

Moab, toward the sun-rising. That is,
to the east of the country of Moab,
which lay between the small rivers
Arnon and Jabbok, as its northern and
southern boundaries.

V. 12. Pitched in the xalley of Zared.
Heb. hencChal, in the talley, elsewhere
rendered 7'iver, and implying a valley
which, in a rainy season, was liable to
become the bed of a stream. The same
word occurs, Deut. 2 : 13, where Moses
is recounting the events of this part of
their journey, "Now rise up, said I,
and get you over the hrooh (na'hal)
Zared; and we went over the brooi:
{na'?ial) Zared." It is hardly practica-
ble at present to identify this locality,
though both Kitto and Robinson in-
cline to regard it as the same with a
considerable stream now called Ahsa,
or Ahsy, which empties into the south-
eastern corner of the Dead Sea. It favors
this supposition, that the Ahsy is not
only the largest river south of the Ar-
non, but is the first the Israelites would
meet with in coming from the direction
of the Elanitic Gulf, as they did.

V. 13. Pitched on the other side of
Arnon. This river formed the south-
ern boundary of the Israelitish tribes
dwelling on the eastern side of the Jor-
dan, and separating their territory from
the land of Moab. It is now known
under the name of Wady Modjeb. It
rises in the mountains of Gilead, whence
it pursues a circuitous course of about
eighty miles to the Dead Sea. It flows

coasts of the Amorites : for Ar-
non is the border of Moab, be-
tween Moab and the Amor-
ites.

14 Wherefore it is said in the
book of the wars of the Lord,
What he did in the Red Sea,
and in the brooks of Arnon,

in a rocky bed, and in several places in
a channel so deep and precipitous as
to appear inaccessible; yet along this
channel, winding among huge frag-
ments of rock, lies the most frequented
road, and, not being far from Dibon,
probably that taken by the Israelites.
The stream is almost dried up in sum-
mer; but large masses of rock, torn
from the banks, and deposited high
above the usual channel, evince its ful-
ness and impetuosity in the rainy sea-
son. Burckhardt, and Irby and Man-
gles have given the fullest account of
this river.

V. 14. Wherefore it is said in the
book of the wars of the Lord, etc. We
here encounter one of the most impene-
trably obscure passages in the whole
compass of Holy Writ. The volumi-
nous labors of commentators of all pe-
riods still leave the meaning of the sa-
cred writer enveloped in doubt. We
shall not enter into a discussion of the
various senses that have been put upon
the words, but simply state what ap-
pears to us, on the whole, most proba-
ble. The passage is evidently a quo-
tation, but the source from which it is
derived it is impossible clearly to de-
termine. The term rendered " book "
may signify narrative or rehearsal, and
refer either to some writing of the
Amorites recounting in poetical style
the victories of Sihon their king, or
some document originating with the Is-
raelites, but long since lost, like other
works to which we find occasional allu-

322

NUMBEES.

[B. 0. 1452.

15 And at the stream of the
brooks that goeth down to the

sion in the canonical Scriptures. The
passage may thus be presented in its
most literal form :

"Wherefore it is said in the book (or
narrative) of the wars of the Lord :

' Vaheb in a whirlwind,
And the brooks of Arnon ;
And the lowlands of the streams
"Which turn to the dwelling of Ar,
And incline to the border of Moab.' "

From the impossibility of eliciting a co-
herent sense from these words, we in-
fer that it is a fragmentary extract from
some pre-existing work which is here
introduced apart from its connections
both preceding and succeeding, and
therefore leaving us without an ade-
quate clue to its meaning. " What he
did in the Red Sea" is given in our
English version as a translation of the
original eth valieb hesupJtali, for which
the marginal reading exhibits " Vaheb
in Supha," as if both were proper
names, but about which nothing defi-
nite was known. By some violence 'va-
Jieh may be converted into a verb with
the import of doing or acting, and as
the common Heb. term for Bed Sea is
supli, or rather yam suph, our trans-
lators have rendered it " What he did
in the Red Sea," wherein they follow
the Chaldee, which renders it in the
same manner. But the original is not
suph, but supliah, a molent storm or
whirlwind, and may here imply the
desolating character of the divine judg-
ments, as recorded in the ancient docu-
ments referred to— judgments, perhaps,
inflicted upon the Moabites by Sihon,
king of the Amorites, vs. 28, 29. Wars,
we know, are often represented under
the figure of fire, tempest, whirlwind,
etc. Thus, Am. 1 : 14, " I will kindle

dwelling of Ar ", and lieth upon
the border of Moab.

a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall
devour the palaces thereof, with shout-
ing in the day of battle, with a tempest
in the day of the whirlwind." Is. 29 :
6, " Thou shalt be visited of the Lord
of hosts with thunder, and with earth
quake, and great noise, with storm and
tempest, and the flame of devouring
fire." Is. G6 : 15, " The Lord will come
with fire, and with his chariots like a
whirlwind." Comp. Neh. 1:3. Is. 6 :
28. Jer. 4 : 13. Thus, too, the Gr. " The
war of the Lord hath set Zoob on fire,"
where " Zoob " is intended to answer
to "Vaheb," but corrupted by the
ti'anslators mistaking V (1) for Z (T).
From vs. 28, 29, of this chapter, it ap-
pears that Arnon as well as Heshbon,
formerly the possession of Moab, had
some time previous been wrested from
that people by Sihon, king of the Amor-
ites, and, being now in their hands, it
was lawful for the Israelites to capture
it, ars it was said to them, Deut. 2 : 24,
" Rise vip and take your journey, and
pass over the river Arnon : behold, I
have given into thine hand Sihon the
Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his
land : begin to possess it, and contend
with him in battle." Towards the
Moabites, on the other hand, they were
to engage in no acts of hostility, Deut,
2:9. On the whole, therefore, we deem
it most probable, that Moses is here
quoting some history or poem of the
Amorites, with a view to determine the
extent of the country of which, by his
victory over them, he had become mas-
ter. He adduces the lines to show, that
this people had, in their wars with the
Moabites, pushed their southern boun-
dary as far as the river Arnon ; and ac-
cordingly, as far as this, the Israelites
might now maintain a claim against

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

16 And from thence they ' gether, and I will give them

went to " Beer : that is the well
whereof the Lord " spake unto
Moses, Gather the people to-

Judg. 9.

the people of Moab, whom thej did not
propose to disturb in their own posses-
sions. Ar was a city of Moab, v. 28. By
" lying (Heb. leaning) upon the border
of Moab," is meant being conterminous
with it.

V. 16. Ff'om thence {they went) to
Beer. Heb. "■ To the well," that is, to
the place distinguished by the digging
of a well, and the obtaining thence a
fresh supply of water. The name
"Beer" does not occur among the
names of the stations mentioned, oh.

83. 1[ Whereof the Lord sjmke tuito

Moses. The want of water had no
doubt begun to be experienced by the
host; but, unlike their deportment in
former instances, we now read of no
murmurings or complaints. The Lord,
therefore, had compassion upon them,
and bi'ought them to a well of water to
encourage them to wait upon him in the
patience of hope, assured that he would
ever care for them so long as they calm-
ly put their trust in him. " They that
seek the Lord shall not want any good
thing," It is implied that a promise was
given, at least to Moses, that their wants
in this respect should be supplied ; but
when this promise was given, whether
before they came to the jjlace, or at the
time, does not appear from the narra-
tive. But we may with confidence say,
that the well of Beer was a spring pre-
viously ordained to afford refreshment
to the "church in the wilderness."
The Lord knew the spot, though they
themselves were ignorant of it ; and so
in the matter of our salvation, the di-
vine beneficence anticipates our own
conscious wants. He "prevents us
with the blessings of goodness."

water.

17 Then Israel sang * this

X Ex. 15. 1. Judg. 5. 1. Ps. 106. 12.

\ Gather the people together, and I will
give them water. In obedience to the
divine direction, they are convened on
the very spot where the water is to
burst forth, and yet know it not till
Moses points it out to them. They
are gathered in expectation and desire,
looking for the fulfilment of the prom-
ise. The princes surround it with their
staves, but as yet no well is seen, no
water appears ; the dry and sandy sur-
face indicates no treasure beneath. But
throughout the whole of their journey,
their supplies had been furnished them
contrary to all appearances. As from
the smitten flinty rock a flowing stream
broke forth, so from the parched soil,
when pierced, a fountain, not before ex-
pected, arose. So in the spiritual ex-
perience of the church, while passing
on to its Canaan in heaven, is the pro-
phetic declaration verified, "in the wil-
derness shall waters break forth, and
springs in the desert." The cheering
truths of the Word are suddenly opened
to them in the midst of spiritual death
and desolation, and they are enabled
to sing of the Lord's mercies as did Is-
rael on this occasion.

V. 17. Then Israel sang this song.
Being wrought up to a kind of trans-
port of grateful joy on account of the
unexpected kindness of the Lord in
supplying their wants, they burst forth
into a song of celebration, a poetical
apostrophe, making memorable ever
after this oasis in the desert. Analo-
gous is the language of the prophet. Is.
12 ; 3, 4, " Therefore with joy shall ye
draw water out of the wells of salva-
tion. And in that day shall ye say,
Praise the Lord, call upon his name,

324

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

song, Spring up, 0 well; sing
ye unto it :

18 The princes digged the
well, the nobles of the people
digged it, by the direction of

declare his doings among the people,
make mention that his name is exalted."

1[ Spring up, 0 well ; sing ye unto

it. Or, Heb. "Ascend, 0 well." It
would appear, from the ensuing verse,
that the people were gathered to a cer-
tain appointed spot, around which stood
the princes or heads of the tribes, to-
gether with Moses, their "law-giver,"
with their staves in their hands, and
that, at a given signal, they struck
them into the earth, when the hidden
waters forthwith gushed forth as they
did from the rock when smitten by the
rod of Moses. As they had now de-
meaned themselves properly, abstain-
ing from all murmuring and complaint,
the whole people are, through their
princes, admitted to share in the honor
of working the miracle ; whereas, for-
merly, their rebellious conduct ren-
dered them unworthy, and therefore

the honor was restricted to Moses.

T[ Sing ye unto it. Heb. " Answer ye
unto it." The original term " answer "
is employed to denote that kind of al-
ternative or responsive singing, of
which a specimen occurred in the case
of Miriam and the children of Israel at
the Red Sea, Ex. 15 : 20, 21, " And
Miriam the prophetess, the sister of
Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand :
and all the women went out after her,
with timbrels, and with dances. And
Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the
Lord, for he hath triumphed glorious-
ly : the horse and his rider hath he
thrown into the sea." So also, 1 Sam.
18 : 6, 7, "And it came to pass as they
came, when David was returned from
the slaughter of the Philistine, that the

the lawgiver ^, with their staves.
And from the wilderness ihe>j
went to Mattanah :

19 And from Mattanah to

5, Deut. 33. 4. Is. 33. 22.

women came out of all the cities of Is-
rael, singing and dancing, to meet king
Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with
instruments of music. And the women
answered one another as they played,
and said, Saul hath slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands." Again,
Ps. 147 : 7, "Sing (Heb. answer) unto
the Lord with thanksgiving." The sug-
gestion of Ainsworth strikes us as prob-
able, viz., that the order of the words
mday be properly transposed, so as to
read, "Answer (or sing) ye unto it.
Spring up, 0 well." A transposition
very similar occurs. Is. 27 : 2, "In that
day sing ye (Heb. answer ye) unto her,
A vineyard of red wine." These two
clauses change places in the original.

V. 18. The princes digged the well,
etc. Heb. " The well, the princes digged
it ;" or, " 0 well, which the princes
digged, which the nobles delved," The
import of the two original words is very
nearly the same. The act of digging is
no doubt literally implied by them, but
it is palpable that staves are not the
proper implements for digging, and
therefore we take the expression to be
poetical or hyperbolical, the effect of
striking their staves into the sandy soil
having been the same as if they had
actually dug a well with spades and

pickaxes. Ij From the wilderness

{they went) to Mattanah. The verb in-
dicating their journeying is omitted,
both here and in other places in the
connection, and the general style is
somewhat peculiar, as if the poetical
cast of the preceding verses was still
continued. Neither this nor the other
names occurring in this context are

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTEK XXI.

325

Nahaliel : and from Nahaliel to which looketh ' toward Jeshi-
Bamoth : mon.

20 And from Bamoth in the : 21 And " Israel sent messen-
valley, that is in the country j
of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, [ 20.23. 9s. a Deut. s.26,27. judg. n.i9,-2o.

found in the catalogue of stations given
in ch. 33. The reasons of this, togeth-
er with a great many minor points of
criticism growing out of the text, we
forbear to enlarge upon, as we despair
of attaining to certainty respecting
them.

V. 20. Ffcr/n Bamoth {in) the valley.
Rather, to the valley, as the construc-
tion seems to require, which is the same
with that in the preceding verse, where
there is nothing in the original to an-
swer to the word " to." As to the pre-
cise locality it is in vain to think at
this day of identifying it. Chazkuni, a
Jewish writer, says it is the same with
what is called, ch. 33 : 49, " Abel-

shittim in the plains of Moab."

TI To the top of Pisgah. Heb. " The
head of Pisgah." The preposition " to"
is wanting in the Hebrew, and some
would render it literally, "And from
Bamoth (to) the valley which is the
field of Moab, the head of Pisgah."
But, as Rosenmuller remarks, a strange
sense is made by ** a valley which is in
the field (or country) of Moab, the head
of Pisgah." His suggestion is, that it
denotes a general acclivity commencing
in the low grounds of Moab, and termi-
nating in the mountain summit known
as Pisgah, which is apparently the same
with Mount Nebo, both mountains being
assigned as the place where Moses died.
But we shall hereafter have occasion to
consider the topography of these moun-
tains more fully. T[ Which looketh

toward Jeshimon. Or, Heb. "And it
standeth out, or projecteth, before the
face (or in front of) the wilderness ;"
implying a kind of promontory, from

which, on one side, an extensive view
of the wilderness they had passed was
afforded, while on another, the eye
could reach along the valley of the
Jordan, and to the promised region be-
yond. Jeshimon is rendered " wilder-
ness" in repeated instances. See Deut.
32 : 10. Ps. 68 : 7. 78 : 40. The Chald.
understands this entire context of the
flowing of the water of the well, v. ] (3,
along the route of the Israelites. " And
from (the place) where it was given
unto them, it descended with them to
the valleys ; and from the valleys it as-
cended with them to the high places ;
and from the high places to the valley
that is in the field of Moab, etc."

Messengers sent to Sihon, King of the
Amorites.
Y. 21. Israel sent messengers. This is
attributed to Moses, Deut. 2 : 26, but the
same act is often ascribed interchange-
ably to an individual, or to a multitude
in whose name he acts. The place from
which these messengers were dispatch-
ed was Kedemoth, from Kedem, east,
the eastern territory. It seems to have
bad its name given to it by a city which
subsequently fell to the tribe of Reuben,
Josh. 13 : 18, situated near the river
Arnon, which constituted the boundary
between the kingdom of the Ammonites
and the Moabites. In thus dispatching
messengers to the Amoritish king, he
pursued the same friendly policy as he
had before towards the king of Edom,
of whom he civilly requested a free
passage through his dominions, at the
same time offering every reasonable
pledge to abstain from all molestation

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

gers unto Sihon king of the
Amorites, saying,

of himself or his subjects. The occa-
sion which suggested this measure we
recognize in the Lord's words, Dent. 2 :
24, " Rise ye up, take your journey, and
pass over the river Arnon : behold, I
have given into thy hand Sihon the
Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his
land : begin to possess it, and contend
with him in battle." The result we
read in what follows.

V. 22. Let me pass tJirougJi, etc. Gr.
" Let us pass through." The singular
is often used for the plural, where a
special unity is implied in the collective
body. It has occurred to some as a
difficulty, that Moses should have sent
such an embassy and offered terms of
peace, when at the same time the Israel-
ites had been commanded to destroy
them and take possession of their coun-
try ; as it seems altogether inconsistent
to offer conditions of peace when war
has been actually determined upon. But
the supposed inconsistency is founded
on the presumption that the sole design
of sending the messengers was to in-
duce Sihon to grant the favor desired.
This presumption, however, is not well
sustained, as the Most High may have
had other ends to answer in directing
or secretly prompting the message to
be sent. On parallel grounds it might
be objected, that the message to Pha-
raoh to let Israel go was inconsistent
with the previous declaration that he
would not let him go. In either case
the event was of course fully known to
Omniscience, but it was entirely proper
for Him to adopt a course which would
more fully disclose the latent iniquity
and obstinacy of the rebellious king,
and thus make the justice of his pun-
ishment more obvious. The divine
wisdom would so order things that all
occasion should be cut off of remon-

22 Let * me pass through thy

b c. 20. n.

strance or complaint, importing that he
had not been honorably or fairly dealt
with. It is to be remarked, moreover,
that Sihon did not stand on the same
footing with the rest of the Canaanites.
His territory was originally a posses-
sion of the Moabites. Otherwise this
embassy of peace would not have been
sent to him. A similar mission to the
Canaanites on the west side of the Jor-
dan, would have been a practical denial
of the divine promises. There such
language as, "7/" thou wilt let me pass,
then I will do thee no harm," would
have been totally out of place, because
the relation of that people to the pur-
poses of heaven was altogether ditiier-
ent. In the present case, all excuse
was to be taken away from one who
could voluntarily provoke to war a
people that declared themselves willing
to be at peace with him. We therefore
rest in the language of holy writ re-
specting this event, Deut. 2 : 30, " But
Sihon, king of Heshbon, would not let
us pass by him, for the Lord thy God
hardened his spirit, and he made his
heart obstinate, that he might deliver
him into thy hand." The way is open-
ed for him by which, if so disposed, he
can escape his fate. His deliverance is
placed in his own hands, and if he will
fling it away and blindly rush upon de-
struction, the consequences are his own.
The Lord hardens only by his permis-
sive providence, never by any positive
act. In the allusion to this incident,
Judg. 11 : 19, we read that " Israel said
unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee,
through thy land unto my place." We
know too little of the geography of the
region to judge of what they would
have gained by passing through the
territory of the Amorites, or what
would have been their precise route in

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

327

land : we will not turn into the
fields, or into the vineyards ; we
will not drink of the waters of
the well : hut we will go along
by the king's high-^aij^ until
we be past thy borders.

23 And Sihon would not suf-
fer Israel to pass through his

so doing, but it would seem that their
aim was to avoid the necessity of con-
tinuing so far to the east and the north
before turning westward to the fords

of the Jordan. T[ We will not drink

{of) the waters of the well. Gr. '' Of
thy well ; " that is, of any of thy wells ;
collective singular for plural, as in mul-
titudes of other instances. Of course

no particular well is intended. % By

the king^s {high) way. See Note on ch.
20 : 17. It is literally " the king's way,"
there being nothing in the original to
answer to the epithet " high." It un-
doubtedly denotes the most open and
public thoroughfare. The parallel pas-
sage, Deut. 2 : 27, is worded somewhat
differently; "I will go along by the
way, by the way," i. e. I will keep con-
stantly in the way without turning aside
from it.

V. 23. And Sihon would not suffer
Israel to pass through his border. Heb.
"Sihon gave not (granted not) Israel
to pass through," etc. The reason of
this refusal is more explicitly stated
in the recital of the circumstances by
Jephthah, Judg. 11 : 19, 20, " And Israel
sent messengers unto Sihon king of the
Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and
Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we
pray thee, through thy land unto my
place. But Sihon trusted not Israel to
pass through his coast : but Sihon gath-
ered all his people together, and pitched
in Jahaz, and fought against Israel."
From this it appears that he was actu-
ated by distrust, being ready, no doubt.

border ; but " Sihon gathered
all his people together, and
went out against Israel into
the wilderness : and he came
to Jahaz, and fought against
Israel.

24 And '^ Israel smote him

c Deut. 29. 7. d Josh. 12. 1, 2. 24. 8.

to impute to others the motives by which
he was conscious he wovdd himself be
governed in the same circumstances.
Men that know themselves to be un-
worthy of confidence are usually the

first to withhold it from others.

^ Gathered all his people together, and
went out against Israel. This haughty
prince contented not himself with a bare
denial of the request of Israel. Worse
than the Edomites on a former occasion,
he not only refused them passage, but
mustered his forces and, passing out of
his own border, he went forth into the
wilderness to attack the advancing host.
As this was done without the least pro-
vocation on the part of Israel, he could
not but encounter his own ruin in thus
assaulting them. He little thought of
the power he was contending with in
this rash onset. "The enemies of
God's church are often infatuated in
those very counsels which they think
most wisely taken." — Henry.

V. 24. Israel smote him with the edge
of the sword. The most important
practical inference to be drawn from
this is suggested by the parallel pas-
sage in Judg. 11:21, "And the Lord
God of Israel delivered Sihon and all
his people into the hand of Israel, and
they smote them : so Israel possessed
all the land of the Amorites, the inhab-
itants of that country." So also Deut.
2 : 32, 33, " Then Sihon came out against
us, he and all his people, to fight at
Jahaz. And the Lord our God deliver-
ed him before us ; and we smote him.

828

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

with the edge of the sword, and
possessed his land from Arnon
unto Jabbok, even unto the

and his sons, and all his people." This
ascribes the glory of the victory to the
proper source. As it was the Most
High who, to punish these guilty na-
tions, ordered Israel to destroy them,
so it was Ms power, and not their own,
that obtained for them the victory. And
in like manner, both in the Psalms and
the Prophets, all occasion for Israel's
glorying in his own prowess, is cut off.
Ps. 135 : 10, 11, " Who smote great na-
tions and slew mighty kings; Sihon
king of the Amorites, and Og king of
Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Ca-
naan." Comp. 136 : 17-21. So also
Amos 2:9, " Yet destroyed I the Amor-
ite before them, whose height was like
the height of the cedars, and he was
strong as the oaks ; yet I destroyed his
fruit from above, and his roots from be-
neath." It was now that those judicial
exterminating wars commenced which
were undertaken by the Israelites at the
express command of God, and which
they were to continue to wage, until
all the guilty nations of Canaan were
cut oflF. As they approached the Jor-
dan, their conflicts with their enemies
became more severe and their victo-
ries more signal. So the Christian, as
he nears the Jordan of death, is often
called to record a similar experience.
As his spiritual enemies then redouble
their assaults upon him, greater con-
quests are vouchsafed him. That he
may be the better prepared for heaven,
faith grows stronger, hope becomes
brighter, love increases in ardor, and
therefore Satan is more effectually trod-
den under foot. Thus the Christian
goes on conquering and to conquer, till
at length his last enemy, death, is van-
quished, and he stands on Zion waving
the palm-branch of victory. ^ Pos-

children of Ammon : for the
border of the children of Am-
mon was strong.

sessed his land from, Arnon unto Jabhoh.
The Amorites formed one of the de-
voted nations whose land God had
promised to Abraham and his seed, ■
which promise was to be fulfilled when
"the iniquity of the Amorites should
come to the full," Gen. 15 : 16. This
time had now arrived, and the victory
which the Israelites were enabled to
achieve over them put them in posses-
sion of their lands, while the virtue of
the divine promise, made ages before,
enabled them to keep possession. This
conquest is therefore justified against
the Amorites, who had also been the
aggressors and provoked the war, so
that by the laws of nations they were
justly deprived of their territory. The
Jabbok is one of the streams which
traverse the country east of the Jor-
dan, and which, after a nearly westerly
course, falls into that river about thirty
miles below the Lake of Tiberias. It
is mentioned in Scripture as the bound-
ary between the kingdom of Sihon and
that of Og king of Bashan ; and it ap-
pears subsequently to have formed the
boundary between the tribe of Reuben

and the half tribe of Manasseh.

T[ For the border of the children of Am-
mon teas strong. It is not clear whether
this is stated as a reason of the Israel-
ites' not pushing on their conquests fiir-
ther into the country of the Ammonites,
or as a reason why Sihon had not gain-
ed vipon the country of the Ammonites
as he had upon that of the Moabites.
Owing to the defences furnished by the
river, or by the strongholds and fast-
nesses of the mountains, the borders of
the Ammonitish territory were practi-
cally inaccessible. This seems on the
whole the most probable construction,
as the Israelites were expressly forbid-

B. C. 1452.J

CHAPTER XXI.

329

25 And Israel took all these
cities : and Israel dwelt in all
the cities of the Amorites, in
Heshbon, and in all the villages
thereof.

den, Deut. 3 : 8, to meddle with the Am-
monites. In respect to this latter peo-
ple we may remark, that the boundaries
between them and the iloabites appear
never to have been well defined or dis-
tinctly preserved. Moab was east of
the Dead Sea ; and Ammon north of
Moab and east of the lower part of Jor-
dan. But cities about Heshbon and
eastward from the mouth of the Jordan
are sometimes enumerated among the
cities of Moab ; at others as belonging
to Ammon.

Y. 25. A?id Israel took all tJiese cities.
How complete was the conquest on this
occasion we learn from the parallel re-
cital, Deut. 2 : 32-35, " Then Sihon came
out against us, he and all his people, to
fight at Jahaz. And the Lord our God
delivered him before us ; and we smote
him, and his sons, and all his people.
And we took all his cities at that time,
and utterly destroyed the men, and the
women, and the little ones, of every
city ; we left none to remain : only the
cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves,
and the spoil of the cities which we

took." ^ And in all the villages

thereof. Heb. "In all the daughters
thereof." This is in accordance with
the usage which terms chief cities moth-
ers ; the adjacent towns and villages
would then naturally receive the de-
nomination of daughters. 2 Sam. 20 :
19, " Thou seekest to destroy a city and
a mother in Israel," where the Gr. ren-
ders, " Thou seekest to destroy a city
and a mother-city (metropolis) in Is-
rael." Comp. Ezek. 16 : 4A^bZ. The
villages (daughters) here spoken of are
alluded to Deut. 3 : 5, under the appel-
lation of "unwalled towns." Israel's

26 For Heshbon * ivas the city
of Sihon the king of the Amor-
ites, "who had fought against the
former king of Moab, and taken

e C'Hnt. 7.4. Is. 15.4.

dwelling in these cities and towns show-
ed that they had not devoted them to
destruction by anathema, as in that
case they would not have been at lib-
erty to occupy them.

V. 26. For Heshhon {teas) the city of
Sihon, etc. Sihon, after wresting this
part of their country from the hands of
the Moabites, had made Heshbon the
seat of his kingdom. This place was
situated in the southern district of the
Israelitish territory beyond the Jordan,
parallel with, and twenty-one miles east
of, the point where the Jordan enters
the Dead Sea, and nearly midway be-
tween the rivers Jabbok and Arnon.
It originally belonged to the Moabites ;
but when the Israelites searched this
region, it was found to be in the posses-
sion of the Amorites, from whom it was
taken by Moses, and became eventually
a Levitical city in the tribe of Reuben ;
but being on the confines of Gad, is
sometimes assigned to the latter tribe.
At the present day it is known by its
ancient name of Heshbon, in the slight-
ly modified form of Eesbun. The ruins
of a considerable town still exist, cov-
ering the sides of an insulated hill, but
not a single edifice is left entire. It
was formerly noted for its pools of
water. Cant. 7 : 4, but no remains of
these of any consequence are now to be

seen. T[ Who had fought against tha

former Icing of Moab, and taken all his
land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.
It is not to be inferred with any cer-
tainty that the Sihon whom the Israel-
ites now vanquished was the same with
him who had dispossessed the Moab-
ites. It was probably some one of his
ancestors called by the same name.

830

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

all his land out of his hand, even
unto Arnon.

27 Wherefore they that speak
in proverbs-' saj,Come into Hesh-

/ Ilab. 2. 6.

This is confirmed by the Gr., which ren-
ders, " that heretofore, or formerly, was
king of Moab." It was usual in the
East for royal titles to be perpetuated,
as Abimelech in Palestine, Pharaoh in
Egypt, etc. The design of alluding in
this connection to the incidents men-
tioned is to vindicate the seizure re-
corded against any claims that might
be urged on the part of the Moabites,
who had formerly been the proprietors
of the country. Moses here furnishes
the ground of the plea which was made
by Jephthah 260 years afterwards, when
Israel's title was questioned, Judg. 11 :
23, 24. The position assumed is, that
Israel did not take it out of the hands
of the Moabites, who had previously
lost it to the Amorites; and having
taken it from the Amorites they were
under no obligation to restore it to the
Moabites, whose title was long since ex-
tinguished. Without, therefore, trans-
gressing the divine command relative
to distressing or disturbing Moab, they
had still come in possession of what
was once his territory.

V. 27. Wherefore they that speak in
proverbs, say, etc. Heb. hammoshelim,
parabolists, or those who deal in para-
bles. Gr. ** Enigmatists, or those who
deal in riddles." The original term is
applied occasionally to the Hebrew
prophets, who delivered their messages
in a parabolical style, as Ezek. 17 : 2.
20 : 49, but doubtless denotes in this
connection those bards or rhapsodists
who delivered historical events to pos-
terity in a poetical style, with the adorn-
ments of figure and allegory. This was
the more frequent form of national an-
nals in the early ages of the world, and

bon, let the city of Sihon be built
and prepared :

28 For ^ there is a fire gone
out of Heshbon, a flame from

g Jer. 4S. 45, 46.

the probability is, that the present is
a quotation from some Amorite war-
poem, originally written to celebrate
their victory over the Moabites. These
poems, becoming familiar in the lips of
the people, would in process of time be
quoted like proverbs or common say-
ings, for which the appropriate Heb.
term is meshallim, from mdshal, to utter
a comparison or proverb, to speak in

parables. T[ Come into Heshbon. This

is doubtless to be regarded as a kind of
summons or appeal by which the victo-
rious Amorites would encourage one
another to flock to and repair the cap-
tive and ruined city of Heshbon, and
make it the seat of their own princes.
• V. 28. For there is a fire gone out of
Heshbon, etc. The strain commenced
in the preceding verse is here contin-
ued. The tide of victory which had set
in from the centre and mother city
would soon spread and overrun the
whole extent of the Moabitish territory.
The "fire" and "flame" here spoken
of denote the ravages of war. See Is.
47 : 14. Dan. 11 : 33. Amos 1 : 7, 10, 12,
14. Obad. 1:18. Ps. 78:63. Chald.
" A strong east wind like fire, and war-
riors like a flame." Jerus. Targ. " A
people strong and burning like fire, and

warriors like a flame of fire." T[ Fro7n

the city of Sihon. That is, from the
city which had now become Sihon's.
It is worthy of notice, that in the pre-
dictions of Jeremiah against Moab, the
language of the prophet bears a close
analogy to that of the canticle here
quoted. Jer. 48 : 45, 46, " They that
fled stood under the shadow of Hesh-
bon because of the force : but a fire
shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

331

the city of Sihon : it hath con-
sumed Ar ^ of Moab, and the
lords of the high places of Ar-
non.

29 Woe to thee, Moab !
thou art undone, 0 people of

A Deut. 2. 9, 18. Ib. 15. 1, 2.

flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall
devour the corner of Moab, and the
crown of the head of the tumultuous
ones. Wo be unto thee, 0 Moab ! the
people of Chemosh perisheth : for thy
sons are taken captives, and thy daugh-
ters captives." ^ Hath consumed Ar

of Moab. Heb. "Hath eaten up or de-
voured." That is, the war hath de-
stroyed the people, the inhabitants, of
Ar, rather than the city itself, for the
city remained still at a much later peri-
od the possession of the Moabites, Deut.
2 : 9, 18, 29. Jer. 15 : 1. Jeremiah, in-
stead of " Ar of Moab," has " the corner
of Moab," which may be equivalent to
chief place, or principal dignity of
Moab, as the corner of a room, accord-
ing to oriental ideas and usages, is the
most honorable position, and occupied

by great personages. Tf Lords of the

high places of Arnon. Or, Heb. " Mas-
ters (patrons) of the high places."
Chald. "The Chemarims (or priests)
which served in the God's-house (or
temple) of the high place of Arnon."
Gr. " The pillars of Arnon."

V. 29. 0 people of Chemosh. Chald.
" 0 people that serve Chemosh." Che-
mosh was the idol-god, or " abomina-
tion" (1 Kings 11 : 7) of the Moabites,
considered to be the same as Baal-
Peor, and thus referred to by Milton :

" Next Chemosh, th' obscene dread of Moab's

sons,
Peor his other name, when he enticed
Israel in Sittim, on their march from Nile,
To do him wanton rites, which cost them

woe."

Chemosh ' : he hath given his
sons that escaped, and his daugh-
ters, into captivity unto Sihon
king of the Amorites.

30 We have shot at them :
Heshbon is perished even unto

t Judg. 11. 24. 2K. 23. 13.

His worshippers are here exulted over
as having been betrayed or abandoned
by their deity, who had shown himself
incapable of protecting his sons or his
daughters, i. e., his most devoted wor-
shippers, against the conquering arms
of their enemies. The following paral-
lel allusions may be cited in this con-
nection, Jer. 48 : 13, " Moab shall be
ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of
Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their
confidence." Is. 16 : 12, " And it shall
come to pass when it is seen that Moab
is weary on the high place, that he shall
come to his sanctuary to pray ; but he
shall not prevail." So Jephthah, speak-
ing in the language of idolaters, who
make their gods dispensers of good and
evil to their votaries, says, Judg. li :
24, " Will not thou possess that which
Chemosh thy god giveth thee to pos-
sess ?"

V. 30. We have shot at them. Heb.
vanniram abad Heshboon ad Dihon, of
which it is extremely difficult to deter-
mine the true sense. The radical word
nir, a light, or lamp, seems to be in-
voked in vanniivim, which would in that
case bring out the rendering preferred
by Ainsworth, Horsley, and others, viz.,
" their light (or lamp) has perished (or
been taken away) from Heshbon unto
Dibon," that is, from one extremity of
the land to another. By lamp, in this
connection, the old versionists under-
stand seed, heir, succession, intimating
that the line of rulers is entirely cut off.
This would seem to be confirmed by the
language of the Lord through Abijah,

832

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

Dibon ^, and we have laid thein
waste even unto Nophah, which
reacheth even unto Medeba.

k Jer. 48. 18, 22.

1 Kings 11 : 36, " And unto his son
will I give one tribe, that David my
servant may have a light always before
me in Jerusalem, the city which I have
chosen me to put my name there." So
also, 1 Kings 15 : 4, " Nevertheless, for
David's sake did the Lord his God give
him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his
son after him, and to establish Jerusa-
lem." As this strikes us as on the
whole the most probable construction,
we waive the recital of any others,
which may be found in abundance in

RosenmuUer. H Unto Dibon. This

name, it appears, is still preserved in a
ruined town called Diban, about three
miles north of the Arnon. This, with
other towns of this district, was origin-
ally assigned to the tribe of Gad (ch.
S2 : 3, 33, 34), but it is afterwards
found in the possession of Reuben.

T[ Unto Medeba. "This name is

preserved in that of ' Madeba,' applied
to a large ruined town about six miles
south-east from Heshbon. In Is. 15 : 2,
its name is connected with Mount Nebo :
' Moab shall howl over Nebo and over
Medeba.' By which we are probably
to understand that this was, in the time
of the prophet, the principal town of
this rich district. ' Madeba ' was built
upon a round hill, and is now most
completely ruined. There are many
remains of the walls of private houses,
constructed with blocks of silex ; but
not a single edifice is standing. On the
west side of the town may be seen the
remains of a temple, built with large
stones, and apparently of great an-
tiquity. A part of its eastern wall re-
mains ; and at the entrance to one of
the courts stand two Doric columns,

31 Thus Israel dwelt in the
land of the Amorites.

32 And Moses sent to spy

which have the peculiarity of being
thicker in the centre than at either ex-
tremity : a circumstance which Burck-
hardt, to whom Scripture geography
owes the discovery of this site, never
elsewhere observed in Syria. There is
no spring or river near this town ; but
the large tank or reservoir of hewn
stone still remains, which appears to
have secured the inhabitants a supply
of water."— Picz;. Bible.

V. 31. TJius Israel dwelt in, the land
of the Amorites. Gr. ** In all the cities
of the Amorites." This region having
been formerly wrested from the Moab-
ites by the Amorites, and having now
been taken from the latter by the Is-
raelites, they entered at once upon the
occupancy of it, according to what we
read, ch. 32 : 33, 34, etc., " And Moses
gave unto them, even to the children
of Gad, and to the children of Reuben,
and unto half the tribe of Manasseh
the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Si-
hon king of the Amorites, and the king-
dom of Og king of Bashan, the land,
with the cities thereof in the coasts,
even the cities of the country round
about."

V. 32. And Moses sent to spy out
Jaazer. This is supposed to be identi-
cal with the modern Ssyr, about fifteen
miles from Heshbon. The region was
esteemed so excellent for pasture-
ground that the children of Reuben
and Gad, who had extensive herds of
cattle, came to Moses with a special re-
quest that he would allot it to them.
See ch. 32 : 1-5. This will account for
Jaazer's being particularly specified
when it had been said just before in
general terms, that "Israel dwelt in

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXI.

333

out ^ Jaazer ; and they took the
villages thereof, and drove out
the Amorites that were there.

I c. 3-2. 1.

tie land of the Amorites." H The

villages thereof. Heb. " The daughters
thereof." See Note on v. 25.

Encounter with Og, King of Bashan.
V. 33. And they turned and went up
hy the way of Bashan. We insert from
Kitto an interesting sketch of the re-
gion thus denominated. " The beauti-
ful kingdom of Og, on the east of Jor-
dan, extended from the river Jabbok
on the south to Mount Hermon on the
north. It comprehended three dis-
tricts, all famous in the Bible for their
exuberant fertility and their general
excellence. Of these Argob was in the
north ; Bashan, properly so called, in
the middle; and Grilead in the south.
Part of Gilead, however, which lay
south of the Jabbok, was not included
in the kingdom of Bashan. But Argob
may seem to be only a district of Ba-
shan ; whence the whole of Og's king-
dom may be said to consist of all Bashan,
and the greater part of Gilead. Or, in-
deed, it may be that Bashan was the
general name for the whole, and Argob
and Gilead only of particular districts —
the former a small district in the north,
and the latter a large one in the south.
Parts of this country have been well
described by Mr. Buckingham. He
crossed the Jordan about ten miles
above Jericho, and proceeded north-
west to Jerash ; consequently, till he
came to the Jabbok (Zerka), his jour-
ney lay through that part of Gilead
which was south of that river, and
which had belonged to the Amorites.
After ascending two ranges of barren
hills, ' we found ourselves on plains of
nearly as high a level as the summits
of the hills themselves, and certainly

33 And '" they turned and
went up by the way of Bashan *

TO Deut. 3. 1, etc.

800 feet at least above the level of the
Jordan. The character of the country,
too, was quite different from any thing
I had seen in Palestine. . . . "We were
now in a land of extraordinary richness,
abounding with the most beautiful pros-
pects, clothed with thick forests, varied
with verdant slopes, and possessing ex-
tensive plains of a fine red soil, now
covered with thistles, as the best proof
of its fertility, and yielding in nothing
to the celebrated plains of Zabulon and
Esdraelon, in Galilee and Samaria.'
(' Palestine,' vol. ii. p. 104, 8vo. edit.)
This continued to be the character of
Gilead south of the Jabbok. After
passing that river, the travellers enter-
ed that part of Gilead which formed the
south portion of the kingdom of Ba-
shan : "We ascended the steep on the
south side of the Zerka (the Jabbok),
and on reaching its summit, came again
on a beautiful plain, of an elevated level.
. . . We continued our way over this
elevated tract, continuing to behold,
with surprise and admiration, a beauti-
ful country on all sides of us ; its plains
covered with a very fertile soil, its hills
clothed with forests, at every new turn
presenting the most magnificent land-
scapes that could be imagined. Among
the trees the oak was frequently seen,
and we know that this territory pro-
duced them of old." (Is. 2 : 13, Ezek.
27 : 6. Zech. 11 : 2.) . . . " Some learned
commentators, indeed, believing that
no oaks grew in this supposed desert
region, have translated the word by
alders, to prevent the appearance of in-
accuracy in the inspired writers. The
expression of the fat bulls of Bashan,
which occurs more than once in the
Scriptures, seemed to us equally iucon-

834

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

and Og tne king of Bashan
went out against them, he and

sistent, as applied to a country gener-
ally thought to be a desert, in common
with the whole tract that is laid down
in our modern maps as such, between
the Jordan and the Euphrates ; but we
could now fully comprehend not only
that the bulls of this luxuriant country
might be proverbially fat, but that its
possessors, too, might be a race re-
nowned for strength and comeliness
of person." ('Travels,' vol. i. p. 113-
14.) Continuing the journey in a north-
westerly direction — " The general face
of this region improved as we advanced
farther in it, and every new direction
of our path opened upon us views which
charmed us by their grandeur and their
beauty. Lofty mountains gave an out-
line of most magnificent character;
flowing beds of secondary hills softened
the romantic wildness of the picture ;
gentle slopes, clothed with wood, gave
a rich variety of tints, hardly to be imi-
tated by the pencil ; deep valleys, filled
with murmuring streams and verdant
meadows, offered all the luxuriance of
cultivation ; and herds and flocks gave
life and animation to scenes as grand,
as beautiful, and as highly picturesque,
as the taste or genius of a Claude could
either invent or desire." (Vol. i. p.
117-18.) The travellers returned from
Jerash to the Jordan by a more north-
erly route. In the first part of the
journey, the beautiful wooded scenery
of the south was still continued. Mr.
Buckingham says: "Mr. Bankes, who
had seen the whole of England, the
greater part of Italy and France, and
almost every province of Spain and
Portugal, frequently remarked that, in
all his travels, he had met with nothing
equal to it, excepting only in some
parts of the latter country, Entre Minho
and Duoro, to which he could alone

all his people to the battle of
Edrei.

compare it. It is certain that we were
perpetually exclaiming, ' How rich ! '
* How picturesque ! ' * How magnifi-
cent ! ' ' How beautiful ! ' and that we
both conceived the scenery around to
be quite worth all the hazard and
privation of a journey to the eastward
of Jordan." It is true that, in prose-
cuting their route to the Jordan, the
travellers met with much austere and
barren land ; but that the general char-
acter of the northern part of Og's king-
dom coincides in a great degree with
this account of the southern portion,
we can gather even from the brief and
inanimate indications of Burckhardt,
who traversed the more northern parts
of Bashan and Argob, and speaks fre-
quently of desert fields covered with
the richest pasturage, and than which
artificial meadows could not be finer ;
and describes the soil, where cultivated,
as affording the richest crops of wheat
and barley. Upon the whole, the re-
gions of Bashan and of Gilead, even
now, after ages of neglect and desola-
tion, bear witness to the accuracy of
the frequent allusions to their fertility
and beauty, which occur in the Sacred
books. For the knowledge of this we
are entirely indebted to modern re-
search, as the region beyond Jordan
has only ceased to be an unknown land
within the present century." — Fict.

Bible. II And Og the king of Bashan

went oxit against them. It would nat-
urally have been supposed that the-fate
of the neighboring kings of Edom and
the Amorites would have operated as a
warning to this proud potentate, but it
seems to have been lost upon him, and
he accordingly courts his own destruc-
tion by resisting the march of Israel.
A more particular account is given of
this passage in the history in Deut. 3 :

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

B35

34 And the Lord said unto
Moses, Fear him not : for I have
delivered him into thy hand, and
all his people, and his land ; and
thou shalt do to him as thou
didst unto Sihon king of the
Amorites, which dwelt at Hesh-
bon.

35 So " they smote him, and
his sons, and all his people,

n Deut. 29. 7. Josh. 13. 12. Fa. 135. m, 11. 136. 20.

11, etc., from which it appears that Og
was personallj a man of gigantic dimen-
sions, and probably for that reason
prompted to rely much on his individ-
ual prowess. But it proved unavailing.

V. 34. Fea?' him not. I have deliv-
ered him into thy hand. So strong and
absolute is the assurance of conquest
that they might consider it as in effect
already achieved. " I have delivered,"
etc.

V. 35. So they smote him, etc. The
contest ended as it could no otherwise
end with those who fight against the
Lord. Had a peaceable passage been
allowed to Israel, and only the kind-
ness due to strangers shown them,
these trans-Jordanic tribes would
doubtless have been exempted from the
slaughter and devastations to which
their obstinacy subjected them. But
the measure of their iniquity was full,
and in the infatuation of hardened sin-
ners they rushed headlong upon their
destruction. The description given in
the parallel history of Deuteronomy of
this royal giant, and of the fortified
places the people inhabited, magnify
the conquest obtained. " Threescore
cities fenced with high walls, gates, and
bars, besides unwalled towns a great
many." The most impregnable fort-
resses, whether of nature or art, give
way at once to the breath of Omnipo-
tence. The Host High makes men feel

until there was none left him
alive : and they possessed his
land.

CHAPTER XXII.

AND " the children of Israel
set forward, and pitched in
the plains of Moab, on this side
Jordan hy Jericho.

that all refuges fail them, and that noth-
ing secures from his stroke, when once
he goes forth to contend with his ar-
mies. And what are the strongholds
of sin and Satan when assailed by the
weapons of the Gospel? " Many high
places, fortresses of spiritual wicked-
ness, have become the conquests of
truth. Many citadels in the dominion
of darkness, even principalities and
powers, once under the control of the
god of this world, have yielded to the
subduing sword of the Spirit. Gigantic
forms of wickedness, like the king of
Bashan, have lain breathless at the
feet of our all-conquering Redeemer."—
Seaton.

CHAPTER XXII.

Encampment in the Plains of Moab.
Balaam sent for 'by JBalaJc to curse
the chosen People.

Y. 1. The children of Israel set for-
ward. Heb. yissn, broke up. The sta-
tion of the Israelites prior to the pres-
ent removal is thus indicated, ch. 33 :
48, " And they departed from the moun-
tains of Abarim, and pitched in the
plains of Moab, by Jordan near Jeri-
cho." Abarim was the name of a chain
of mountains forming or belonging to
the mountainous district east of the
Dead Sea and the lower Jordan. It

336

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

presents many distinct masses and ele-
vations, commanding extensive views
of the country west of the river. From
one of the highest of these, called Mount
Nebo, Moses surveyed the Promised
Land before he died. From the man-
ner in which the names Abarim, Nebo,
and Pisgah are connected, Deut. 32 : 49.
34 : 1, it would seem that Nebo was a
mountain of the Abarim chain, and that
Pisgah was the highest and most com-
manding peak of that mountain. The
loftiest mountain of the neighborhood
is Mount Attarous, about ten miles north
of the Arnon ; and travellers have been
disposed to identify it with Mount Ne-
bo. But Prof. Robinson was unable to
fix upon any special locality answering
to the description given in the sacred
narrative. As, however, he did not cross
the Jordan, his inability to identify the
spot is not surprising. Other travellers,
who may succeed in getting on the pre-
cise track of the Israelites, will be likely
to be more fortunate. But if the par-
ticular locality should never be deter-
mined, it will be of no special conse-
quence, as it is certain that there are
several points in the vicinity from
whence the venerable leader of Israel
might have surveyed the inspiring
scenery upon which he was not per-
mitted to enter. It would seem that
the Israelites, in their conquests of the
country of the Amorites which had for-
merly belonged to the Moabites, had
proceeded considerably farther north
than the parallel of the ford of the Jor-
dan, and from hence returned south-
ward before bending their course east-
ward towards the place where they

were to cross that river. T[ Pltclied in

the plains of Moab. Heb. hearhoth Moah,
in campestrihus Moab, in the cJiam-
paign country of Moab. This phrase
denotes that region of the country of
Moab which bordered upon the Jordan,
and is now called El GJuyr, of which

an ample account will be found in Rob-
inson and other oriental travellers. The
" plains of Moab " are formed by a nar-
row strip of land scarcely six miles in
breadth, lying along the eastern bank
of the Jordan, opposite to the plains ot
Jericho. The Dead Sea lies to the south
of it. Mount Pisgah somewhere on the
southeast, and the mountains on the
east ; and towards the north, losing its
specific name, this plain continues as
" the valley of the Jordan," even to the
Sea of Tiberias. This side formed part
of the territory which had formerly
been taken by the Amorites from Moab ;
but, as usual in such cases, it still re-
tained the name of the former posses-
sors. It is probable the phrase was de-
signed to include more than the mere
narrow strip along the course of the
river, although how much more it is
difficult to say. It appears that there
are several passes from the valley of
the Jordan to the table-lands of Moab,
and that when these are attained, the
eye is refreshed with the view of undu-
lating downs, clothed with rich grass
throughout, and in the northern parts
with magnificent forests of sycamore,
beech, terebinth, ilex, and enormous
fig-trees. Such was the general face
of the country to which the Israelites
had now arrived, but the central point
of their encampment was undoubtedly
in the valley of the Ghor, termed the
arbotJi Moab, or plains of Moab. Here
they remained for several months,
even till the death of Moses, encamp-
ing ''from Beth-jesimoth unto Abel-
shittim," ch. 33 : 49. This station be-
came in fact the theatre of all the events
recorded from this point of the history
onwards to the end of Deuteronomy and
the beginning of Joshua. These events
embraced the deliverance from the
curse of Balaam ; the mustering for the
inheritance of Canaan ; the victory over
the Midianites; the additional enact-

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

837

2 And Balak*, the son of
Zippor, saw all that Israel had
done to the Amorites.

6 Jiidg. 11. -25.

ment of various divine ordinances, espe-
cially the repetition and enforcement
of the whole Law, and the renewal of
the covenant between God and the peo-
ple by the hand of Moses— all which
matters form the subject of the remain-
der of this book, and of the book of
Deuteronomy which follows. In refer-
ence to this series of events the Lord
says unto their posterity by the pro-
phet, Mic. 6:5, " 0 my people, remem-
ber now what Balak king of Moab
consulted, and what Balaam the son of
Beor answered him from Shittim unto
Gilgal; that ye may know the right-
eousness of the Lord." That is, re-
member the many gracious providen-
tial incidents that occurred between
Shittim, where they now were, and
Gilgal where they were circumcised by

Joshua, Josh. 5 : 2-9. ^ On this side

Jordan {by) Jericho. Heb. meeher,
ley ar den, lit. from across to the Jordan,
an expression variously interpreted,
but implying in general at the passage
of the Jordan. It is to be rendered on
this side or on that side, according to
the position of the speaker. Here the
general consent of interpreters renders
it on this side, from which the inference
is fairly drawn, that the author of the
book, at the time of writing, was on the
east of the Jordan, which is virtually
the same as saying that it was written
by Moses, prior to the entrance of the
Israelites into Canaan.

V. 2. And Balak the son of Zippor
saw all that Israel had done to the Amor-
ites. That is, considered, pondered,
viewed in its consequences. The gen-
uine force of the original does not re-
quire that he should have been an eye-
witness of all that Israel had done to

3 And ' Moab was sore afraid
of the people, because they ivere
many : and Moab was distress-

F.x. 15. 15. Deut. 2. 25.

the Amorites, though he may have
been. But if he were, he looked upon
it with an evil eye, and could not ap-
propriate to himself the words of the
wise man, Prov. 24 : 32, " Then I saw
and considered it well : I looked upon
it, and received instruction."

V. 3. Moab was sore afraid of the
people because they {were) many. The
trepidation of Moab on this occasion
was in truth groundless, for Israel had
received express orders not to molest
that people on their way, Deut. 2 : 9.
But there was evidently a secret hos-
tility in the mind of Balak, which was
doubtless shared in by his people,
prompting him to oppose their farther
progress. But, in order to justify his
course, he must adduce to himself some
plausible ground for the contemplated
opposition, and this he does on the plea
that they are undoubtedly intending
evil against him. "Thus it is com-
mon," says Henry, " for those that de-
sign mischief, to pretend that mischief
is designed against them ; and their
groundless jealousies must be the color
of their causeless malice. They hear
of the triumphs of Israel over the
Amorites, and think their own house is
in danger when their neighbor's is on
fire." Notwithstanding that in de-
stroying the Amorites they had done
the Moabites a service, for they had re-
leased them from the yoke of their op-
pressors, yet, being smitten with a
kind of panic terror, and cherishing an
innate aversion to the favored people,
they persuade themselves that a nation
so numerous and mighty, which had
already conquered two powerful kings,
would not scruple to push on their ad-
vantages, and, if possible, vanquish all

838

NUMBERS.

[U. C. 1452.

ed because of the children of
Israel.

4 And Moab said unto the

before them. This, however, was in ac-
cordance with "the prophecy which
went before upon them," Ex. 15 : 15,
"Then the dukes of Edom shall be
amazed, the mighty men of Moab,
trembling shall take hold upon them."
Thus it is said also of the beginning of
their victories, Deut. 2 : 25, " This day
will I begin to put the dread of thee,
and the fear of thee, upon the nations,
that are under the whole heaven, who
shall hear report of thee, and shall
tremble, and be in anguish because of

thee." 1[ Moab was distressed because

of the children of Israel. Heb. ydkdtz,
implying both the idea of chagrin and
abhorrence. They were prompted by a
peculiar kind of loathing towards the
Israelites, as were the Israelites them-
selves in regard to the manna, ch. 21 :
5, where the word in the original is the
same. See also the Note on Ex. 1 : 12,
where the import of the term is fully
illustrated. Gr. " Moab was incensed,"
the original word being the same with
that Heb. 3 : 10, " Wherefore I was
grieved with that generation." The
"distress" here predicated of Moab
was evidently self-procured, for the
command given to Israel, Deut. 2 : 9,
was, " Distress not the Moabites, neither
contend with them in battle." They
had therefore only themselves to blame
for their trouble.

V. 4. And Moab said unto the elders
of Midian, etc. Gr. " The senate, or
eldership, of Madiam." The elders in
those ancient countries were the sena-
tors who managed the affairs of state,
and were thence called " princes," v. 8.
The Midian here spoken of is undoubt-
edly to be regarded as a different re-
gion from that where Moses found
refuge when he fled from Egypt, and

elders of Midian, Now shall
this company lick up all that

8. Josh. 13. 21, 2-2.

whose priest or sheikh was Jethro, who
became the father-in-law of the future
law-giver of Israel. These people dwelt
about the eastern arm of the Red Sea,
which was at too great a distance from
the territories of Moab to allow of their
being referred to in the present connec-
tion. The Midianites here mentioned,
though probably descended from Abra-
ham and Keturah, were a people of
nomade or semi-nomade habits, occu-
pying the country east and south-east
of the Moabites, who, as we have seen,
were seated on the east of the Dead Sea.
They pastured their flocks in the un-
settled country beyond the Moabites,
with whom they seem to have been on
the most friendly terms, and on whose
borders were situated those " cities and
goodly castles which they possessed."
Num. 31 : 10. They seem also to have
shared with the Moabites in a deep-
rooted hostility to the Israelites, as in
conjunction with them they designedly
enticed the Israelites to idolatry, as we
read in the sequel to the present narra-
tive. It was this class of Midianites
who, at a subsequent period, harassed
the chosen people to such a degree that
Gideon was raised up as a divinely en-
dowed champion and deliverer of his
people, and enabled to achieve a signal
and final triumph over these marauders,
from which they never afterwards recov-
ered. The communication was no doubt
made by messengei's sent for the pur-
pose, and though the precise purport
of the message is not stated, yet the se-
quel makes it evident that they united
in the scheme of engaging Balaam to
come and exercise his magical skill in
banning or cursing the chosen people,
as it is said, v. 7, that " the elders of
Moab and the elders of Midian departed

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

are round about us, as the ox
licketh up the grass of the field.
And Balak, the son of Zippor,

with the rewards of divination in their

hands." ^ N^ow shall this company

lick up all {that are) round about us,
etc. Heb. yelahaku hakMihol eth kol
sedebothenu, the congregaiion shall lick
up all our surroundings. An analogous
mode of speech still prevails in the
East. " A native gentleman, who had
many people depending upon him, says,
' Yes, they are all grazing upon me. If
I am not careful, they will soon graze
up all I have.' Of people who have got
all they can out of one rich man, and
who are seeking after another, 'Yes,
yes, they have done grazing there,
and are now looking out for another
place.' * These bulls are grazing in
every direction.' "—Roberts. The root
of the Heb. verb is Idhak, from which
our English lick is evidently derived.
The import is that of devouring or con-
suming, as a fire that consumes is said
to lick up, 1 Kings 18 : 36. Here, how-
ever, the metaphor is taken from the
feeding of cattle, of which Buffon, in his
" Natural History," says, " The horse
eats day and night, slowly, but almost
continually ; the ox or beeve, on the
contrary, eats quick, and takes in a little
time all the nourishment he ivauis ;
after which he ceases to eat, and lies
down to chew the cud." The policy of
Moab is first to inoculate Midian with
his own fear, which he does by assur-
ing him that this mighty host, without
some concerted resistance on the part
of the exposed nations and tribes, will
sweep the whole of them from the face
of the ground, with the same ease that
the grazing ox causes the grass to dis-
appear in the pasture. The actual con-
duct of Israel had already effectually
disproved the justice of this charge.

was king of the Moabites at the
time.

5 He sent* messengers, there-

e Deut. 23. 4. Josh. 24. 9. Neh. 13. 1, 2. Mic. 6. 5.

They had, of their own accord, turned
aside into a circuitous route in order to
avoid doing them injury. This forbear-
ance would have delivered them from
all apprehension, had not their own
malignity prompted them to entertain
foul suspicions; for why had not the
Israelites made a direct attack upon
their territories, but that they designed
to obey the divine command and leave
them totally unharmed? The repre-
sentation of Balak, however, takes ef-
fect, and the two peoples agree to act
together in the emergency which is now
upon them.

V. 5, He sent messengers therefore, etc.
The despatching the messengers is here
attributed solely to Balak, doubtless be-
cause he was principal in the affair, but
it is evident, from v. 7, that the Midian-

ites shared in the delegation. T[ Unto

Balaam the son of Bear. Heb. £3?^^
Bildm, from bdla, to consume, to destroy,
and dm, people, equivalent to destroyer
of the people. The name was probably
borne by Balaam as a dreaded charmer
and conjurer, though given to him, we
may suppose, according to Oriental cus-
tom, at a later period, when the fact in-
dicated by it had become well known.
This import of the name is confirmed
by Rev. 2 : 6, 14, 15, where mention is
made of the Nicolaitans as holding the
same doctrines with the Balaamites,
and Nicolaitans is a name signifying
etymologically conquerors or destroyers
of the people. There is no evidence
from Church history of the existence of
any such heretical sect as the Nicolai-
tans, and therefore there need be no
hesitation in taking the denomination
mystically or symbolically as denoting
talse teachers of a certain type, just as

340

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

fore, unto Balaam the son of
Beor, to Pethor, which is bj

the name of Jezebel occurs, Rev. 2 : 20,
not as a historical but as a symbolical
designation. It is used simply to denote
a class of persons who inculcated the
most abominable doctrines, and there-
fore were fitly denominated by the name
of a woman who had proved the\ilest

and most detestable of her sex.

T[ T/ie son of Beor. There would be
nothing to call for special remark in re-
gard to the parentage of Balaam, were
it not that the apostle Peter, 2 Pet. 2 :
15, calls him " Balaam the son of Bo-
sor." This may be explained either on
the ground of a transmutation of letters
with a view to soften the sound of the
original Hebrew letters, of which Ains-
worth {in loc.) has given a number of
analogous instances ; or with Grotius, we
may suppose " Bosor " is another mode
of writing " Pethor," and that Peter
does not intend to say that Balaam was
the son of Bosor, but that he was of the
city or place " Bosor," inasmuch as the
original Gr. phrase is elliptical, " the

son" being omitted. T[ To PetJior.

E.eb.pethordh, having the local particle
at the close indicating the direction to
which or towards. As the name is be-
yond question derived from the radical
patlior, to interpret, some of the an-
cient versions have rendered it by sooth-
sayer, as the Vulg., while the Syriac rep-
resents it by expounder or avgvr. The
probability is, that it is the name of a
place so called from the fact of its being
a chief resort of men devoted to occult
arts, or professing to interpret the will
of the gods. The precise location of
the place is of course unknown to
geography, and we are obliged to con-
tent ourselves with the bare intimation
that it was situated in Mesopotamia.

H Which is hy the river of the land

of the children of his 'people. One is

the river of the land of the chil-
dren of his people, to call him,

conscious at once of something peculiar
in the phraseology of this clause, that
prompts the inquiry whether it is ac-
curately translated from the original.
Judging from the diversity of render-
ings, this may be justly doubted. Our
version follows, perhaps, the current of
authorities, which is always entitled to
special weight with an interpreter,
though not an absolute criterion of
truth. The Hebrew is capable of being
translated thus : " He sent messengers
unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor
(which is by the river), the land of the
children (sons) of his people." The
parenthesis is inserted simply to show
the connection. "The river" is here
emphatic, denoting the Euphrates,
which is several times so termed in the
Scriptures. The purport on this con-
struction, would be, that Balak sent
messengers to Balaam, who resided at
Pethor, on the Euphrates, a country
distinguished as the dwelling-place of
" the children of his people," by which
we may perhaps understand the stocJc
of his peculiar hind of peojde, a class
compjosed of persons similar to himself,
i. e., soothsayers and reputed prophets,
who were prone to rendezvous and con-
centrate themselves about particular
districts. As this sense of the words
has not been previously suggested, the
reader will probably share in the hesi-
tation of the author in adopting it. The
Vulg. has the following : " He sent
therefore messengers to Balaam the
son of Beor, a soothsayer, who dwelt
by the river of the land of the children
of Ammon." This reading depends
upon a substitution of the Heb. bene
Ammon, children of Ammon, instead
of bene ammo, children of his people, for
which it is said there is authority in
some of the ancient manuscripts, as

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXn.

341

saying, Behold, there is a people
come out from Egypt : behold.

also in the Syriac and Samaritan ver-
sions. The change is favored by Mr.
Kitto (Note in loc). But our proposed
constniction renders the reading un-
necessary, to which we may add, that
there is no evidence of the territory of
the Ammonites ever having extended to
the Euphrates. Yet that Balaam came
from Mesopotamia (Aram), through
which runs the Euphrates, is expressly
aflfirmed, ch. 23 : 7. We are on the
whole strongly persuaded of the cor-
rectness of the above interpretation.

1 To call Jam, saying, etc. The

signal success of the Israelites in con-
quering all the opposing powers with
whom they came in conflict, had im-
pressed the king and people of Moab
with the conviction that it was vain to
contend with them by force of arms,
while they so manifestly enjoyed the
blessing and protection of the Divine
Power. They must, therefore, have re-
course to some other policy than that
of open warfare, and they concluded
that if, in accordance with the ideas
then prevalent among ancient nations,
they could lay upon them the anathe-
ma or ban of some powerful magician,
they might be shorn of their strength,
and having become as weak as other
men, might be made an easy prey to
their adversaries ; for even among the
heathen there was a latent conviction,
that the removal of God's blessing was
the exhaustion of the strength and he-
roism of a people. The general belief
on which their policy was founded is
thus alluded to by Mr. Kitto : " Their
procedure, in seeking to lay the armies
of Israel under a curse, that their own
arms might be successful against them,
is a strange notion to us. But it is not
so in the East. Even at the present
day, the pagan Orientals, in their wars,

they cover the face of the earth,
and they abide over against me.

have always their magicians with them
to curse their enemies, and to mutter in-
cantations for their destruction. Some-
times they secretly convey a potent
charm among the opposing troops, to
ensure their destruction. In our own
war with the Burmese, the generals of
that nation had several magicians with
them, who were much engaged in
cursing our troops ; but as they did not
succeed, a number of witches were
brought for the same purpose. We
may, indeed, trace it as a very ancient
opinion, among all people, that the
maledictions and the blessings, the
charms, the incantations, and the de-
votements of men, who were believed
to be inspired by a superior spirit, good
or evil, had the most marked effects not
only upon individuals but upon regions
and entire nations, and even upon cat-
tle and upon the fruits of the field." In
Balaam they were well assured of find-
ing an instrument suited to their pur-
pose, and accordingly they resolve to
enlist him in their service. His charac-
ter will develope itself as the narrative

proceeds. T[ Behold they cover. Heb.

kmah, it covereth, the collective people
being spoken of as one — a frequent

idiom in Hebrew. ^ The face of the

earth. Heb. " The eye of the earth."
See the phrase fully explained in the

Note on Ex. 10 : 5. TT TJiey abide

over against me. Heb. "He is sitting
over against me." The subject is still
the " people " spoken of above, which
in the original is singular, and, conse-
sequently, the predicates all along are
singular, with still a plural import.
The various items of grievance here
mentioned were intended to form a
plea or an argument which should avail
with Balaam. By saying that they were
a people that had come out of Egypt,

842

NUMBERS.

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6 Come now, therefore, I pray
thee, curse -^ me this people, for

he would intimate that, being strangers,
they had no right to invade the land ;
the fact that they covered the face of
the earth, was an indication of their
great numbers, by reason of which they
had prevailed over the Amorites and
shown themselves irresistible in ordi-
nary warfare ; while their abiding over
against Moab was a sure sign, that they
meditated an early invasion of that ter-
ritory. In all this there is no intima-
tion of the fact, of which the Moabites as
descendants of Abraham could not well
have been ignorant, that the Lord had
of old promised the land of Canaan to
Israel, Gen. 15:18; or that the sins of
the Canaanites should grow to that
pitch of enormity that the land should
spew them out, Lev. 18 : 24, 25 ; or how
Israel, in their progress, had religious-
ly abstained from harming either Moab
or Edom, Deut. 2 : 4, 8, 9, 13, warring
only with the devoted nations. All
these facts were ignored in the message,
and the proposed resistance put solely
on the ground of the presumed Tiostile
intentions of the chosen people. Even
supposing there had been no special
divine appointments in the case, how
much worse was it for the Israelites to
expel the Canaanites, than it was for
these very Moabites, Edomites, and Am-
monites to combine and drive out the
Emims, Horims, and Zamzummims,
and possess their lands and cities, as
they were now doing ? Deut, 2 : 9-21.
But men have not the same eyes with
which to look upon their own faults,
and those of their neighbors.

V. 6. Come now therefore^ I pray thee,
cwrse me this people. Although a pro-
phetic malediction might be supposed
to have some efficacy when uttered at
ever so great a distance, yet it is clear

they are too mighty for me :
peradventure I shall prevail,
that we may smite them, and

that Balak imagined that the prophet's
personal presence, when his senses as
well as his thoughts could act, would
be attended with deeper interest, more
vehemency of spirit, and, consequently,
with more intensity of influence. This
was on the principle that *' the eye
affects the heart," and it seems to be
recognized in the case of Elisha when
he cursed the mocking children, 2 Kings
2 : 24, " And he turned back and looked
on them, and cursed them in the name
of the Lord." So when Balaam had
arrived, it is said, v. 41, that " Balak
took Balaam, and brought him up into
the high places of Baal, that thence he
might see the utmost part of the peo-
ple." The more he saw of them, the
more he would be likely to be affected
by the sight, and the more he was af-
fected the greater would be the efficacy
infused from that affection into the
words he might utter. "It was," as
Calvin remarks, *' to the credit of Ba-
lak that he recognized an overruling
Providence, whose favorable regards
he would conciliate and secure, as the
only basis of the success which he prom-
ised himself in the undertaking. He
places his confidence of victory, not
in his own sufficiency, but in the
auspices of a superior power. But in
seeking the interposition of this power
by indirect and circuitous ways, he in
fact departs still further from him. He
desires deliverance from danger, but
the means fixed upon are of his own
device, and therefore fruitless. When
he would purchase incantations from a
mercenary prophet, and bind the Most
High down to his own corrupt inven-
tions, he could not but array the divine
Providence against him." As to the
widely extended and long established

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CHAPTER XXII.

843

that I may drive them out of the
land : for I wot that he whom

belief relative to the potency of charms,
exorcisms, and anathemas, we are in-
clined to think there is some founda-
tion for it in the truth of things, pro-
vided it be borne in mind that no such
influence can reach the truly good who,
by a devout, believing, obedient, and
holy life, put themselves under the pro-
tection of Omnipotence. Of all such
the constrained words of Balaam him-
self must ever hold true, " Surely there
is no enchantment against Jacob,
neither is there any divination against
Israel." But in the case of the wicked
towards the wicked, we are inclined to
believe that an exceedingly evil and
malignant spirit may concentrate itself
in a curse that shall have more or less
power to harm, and therefore that the
traditions, prevalent to a degree among
all nations, of the power of " the evil
eye" and of inward imprecations, do
not rest upon a basis of mere idle super-
stition. But it is, of course, among
heathen peoples, destitute of the light
of revelation, that we are to look for
these manifestations of the effects of in-
fernal agency, for it is among them
that the sway of evil spirits is more
free and rampant. At any rate, the
facts related of the marvellous powers
ot conjurers, wizards, necromancers,
etc., evinced among many barbarous
nations, when sifted and divested of the
ordinary large measure of fiction, would
seem to be in many instances such as
to challenge a rational credence. How-
ever this may be, there is no doubt that
both Balak and Balaam were well aware
that a peculiar potency attached to a
divine curse, and that nothing would
be more efficacious to weaken and an-
nihilate the strength of Israel than to
bend the divine purpose so as to make
that people subject to such an execra-

thou blessest is blessed, and he
whom thou cursest is cursed.

tion, for " they that are cursed of Him
shall be cut off," Ps. 37 : 22. This, how-
ever, they were powerless to effect.

T[ They {are) too migTdyfor me. Heb.
"It (the people) is mightier than I."
That is, both in number and strength,
and therefore too formidable for me to
cope with. This was, in respect to Is-
rael, a fulfilment of the promise made
to Abraham, that he should become, in
his seed, " a mighty nation," as indeed
had been verified at an earlier period,
inasmuch as in the land of their afflic-
tion, "he made them mightier than
their enemies." Ps. 105,: 4. Balak's
conscious inability to match them in a
fair field prompts him to resort to mag-
ical imprecations. T[ / wot that he

whom thou blessest (is) blessed, and he
whom, thou cursest is cursed. Every
thing bespeaks the infatuated and cor-
rupt mind of this Moabitish king. He
is convicted out of his own lips of being
a man of violence and wrong. Why
should he desire to smite the Israelites,
who had done him no harm ? An d if he
thought that Balaam could bless as well
as curse whom he pleased, why did he
not choose a blessing for himself rather
than a curse for Israel ? Why not de-
sire to be himself protected from the
injury which he feared, rather than to
have power to injure those who had as
yet done him no wrong ? But this is
the nature of envy, jealousy, and un-
charitableness the world over. Men
seek to exalt themselves by depressing
their rivals, and not by the legitimate
operation of their own superior excel-
lence. A true Christian, while he seeks,
from good ends, to promote himself in
whatever position the Divine Provi-
dence has placed them, will not know-
ingly disparage others in so doing ; but
a thoroughly malignant and envious

344

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

7 And the elders of Moab,
and the elders of Midian, de-
parted with the rewards •" of
divination in their hand ; and
thej came unto Balaam, and

g 1 Sam. 9. 7, 8. Mic. 3. 11. Jiicle 11.

nature will be sure to seek its own
triumph through the degradation of
others.

v. 7. With the rewards of divination
in their hand. Heb. " (With) divina-
tions in their hands." But the idea is
no doubt correctly expressed in our
version, rewards of divination, which
is equivalent to the wages or fees of
soothsaying. The words of the apostle,
2 Pet. 2 : 15, confirm this sense of the
phrase, as he calls it "the wages of un-
righteousness." Targ. Jon. " The fruits
of divinations sealed in their hands." A
similar idiom appears 2 Sam. 4 : 10,
" Who thought I would have given him
a reward foi' his tidings" where the
Heb. is simply hesorah, tidings. But
the sense requires the established ren-
dering. So also, Job 7:2, " work" is
used for the "reward of work," and
"sin" often for the "punishment of
sin." Some commentators have sug-
gested that, as it was usual for those
who consulted prophets and seers to
bring a present with them, 1 Sam. 9 :
7, 8, it cannot be fairly inferred that
the intention was to corrupt him, but
merely to comply with a universal cus-
tom. The testimony, however, of both
Peter and Jude, that he "loved the
wages of unrighteousness," and " ran
greedily after error for reward," is de-
cisive that the passion of covetousness
was rankling in his heart, and this is
abundantly evinced in the sequel. Com-
pare this with what the Lord says by
the prophet, Mic. 3 : 10-12, respecting
the discharge of sacred offices from
venal motives : " They build up Zion
with blood, and Jerusalem with in-

spake unto him the words of
Balak.

8 And he said unto them,
Lodge here this night, and T
will bring you word again, as

iquity. The heads thereof judge for re-
ward, and the priests thereof teach for
hire, and the prophets thereof divine
for money : yet will they lean upon the
Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among
us? none evil can come upon us.
Therefore, shall Zion for your sake be
ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall
become heaps, and the mountain of the
house as the high places of the forest."
It is worthy of remark, that while all
manner of wizards, conjurers, and
witches are ready to engage to help
others to the possession of great riches,
they never rely upon these means, but
upon the fees received from their dupes,
to enrich themselves.

V. 8. Lodge here this night, and I will
'bring you word again, as the Lord shall
speak unto me. His object in this invi-
tation was undoubtedly to secure the
night season for consulting the Most
High, and receiving such communica-
tions as he should be pleased to make.
" 0 God, who shall give me this care to
obey thee that seemeth to be in this
man! — that I may say nothing, think
nothing, do nothing, without consult-
ing with thee." — ^. BaMngton. It
was the divine wont to speak to the
prophets by dreams and visions of the
night, Num. 12 : 6. Job 4: 13. 33:14,15.
Jer. 23 : 25, 28. But the question here
arises, whether Balaam knew that the
Israelites were under the especial divine
care and providence — that they were
a people whom the Lord had marvel-
lously distinguished by the tokens of
his favor — and whom he was now con-
ducting by his own hand to a land long
since promised? We think he must

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

345

the Lord shall speak unto me :

have known this, for the things in ques-
tion had not been transacted in a cor-
ner. But if he did know them, here
was the point, at the very outset of the
communication, where he should have
taken his stand. He should have told
the messengers that this people was
blessed, and that it was vain and im-
pious to think of cursing them. He
should have sent back his advice to the
king of Moab, to let them pass safely
and without molestation, and even to
court their friendship by rendering
them service. But his requesting them
to stay betrayed an anxiety on his part
to get over the obstacles, if possible,
which stood in the way of his receiving
the proffered rewards. Instead of this,
he should not even have entertained
them for a night. Had not the ruling
passion of his mind been accordant
with their wishes, he would have left
the men to find lodging where they
could, and have had nothing more to do
with them. But he would tamper with
temptation. He would try an experi-
ment on the divine forbearance, the re-
sult of which he promised to report to
the messengers in the morning. This
the Gr. renders, " I will answer you the
things which the Lord shall speak unto
me." This, we think, is to be regarded
as an honest declaration on the part of
Balaam at the time, though the leaven
was secretly at work in his mind which
prompted him, when the morning came,
to fall short of the exact truth in his
statement. But we see no reason to
doubt that he possessed a certain de-
gree of the knowledge of the true God,
here denominated " Jehovah," and that
hitherto he had been comparatively a
sincere worshipper of Him, and had ac-
quired an extensive reputation as one
who had near access to the Deity and

15*

And the princes of Moab abode
with Balaam.

great power and prevalence with him as
a prophet. Long prior to the selection
of the Jewish people as the special de-
positories of the divine truth, there was
undoubtedly a wide-spread knowledge
of the Most High which obtained among
what are termed the Gentile nations,
though it was continually becoming
more and more dim and confused, till it
finally became extinguished in the mid-
night of idolatry. Hengstenberg, in
his elaborate essay on the " History of
Balaam and his Prophecies," appended
to his " Genuineness of Daniel," thus
remarks on this question, " Whence
Balaam had obtained what he possessed
of the knowledge and fear of God."
While inclined himself to the opinion
that Balaam's acknowledgment of the
true God had been derived from the
knowledge of the God of Israel, which
had been widely diffused in the Mosaic
age, from the covenanted people, among
the surrounding heathen nations, he
thus alludes to another theory on the
subject, according to which, "the re-
ligious state of Balaam is to be regard-
ed as one excited and developed on
heathen soil, by the traditions from
monotheistic antiquity, and, indeed, by
isolated sounds from the revelations to
the patriarchs, which had resounded
into the heathen world, and had not
then entirely died away. This opinion
is the general one." And then, after
observing that it was held by Buddeus
and Benzol among the earlier writers,
cites Tholuck among the later as espous-
ing the same view. In fact, the latter
writer, in a parallel drawn between Ba-
laam and Melchizedek, remarks : " Ap-
pearances such as these serve to con-
firm the belief, that a purer worship
preceded idolatry and natural religion
with all nations, but which was already

346

NUMBERS.

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9 And Grod came unto Ba-
laam, and said, What men are
these with thee ?

10 And Balaam said unto God,
Balak the son of Zippor, king of
Moab, hath sent unto me, saying^

at the time of Abraham extinguished
among the greater part of mankind."
Some portion of the lingering relics of
this ancient faith we suppose still to
have survived in Mesopotamia, the na-
tive country of Abraham, and the place
of Jacob's sojourn, and now found its
principal representative in the person
of Balaam. At the same time we are
ready to admit, with Hengstenberg,
that the marvellous manifestations of
the divine omnipotence in behalf of Is-
rael must have produced a powerful
sensation throughout the surrounding
nations, in which Balaam probably
shared. But we nevertheless are per-
suaded that independent of this, he was,
to a certain degree, a worshipper of the
true God,

V. 9. And God came unto Balaam,
and said, etc. God is said to " come "
to men when he imparts to them special
communications or revelations ; and
this he does for the most part, as here,
in the night season, when he can con-
verse with them by the medium of
dreams and visions. Thus he "came
to Abimelech in a dream by night,"
Gen. 20 : 3. So he " came also to Laban
the Syrian, in a dream by night," Gen.
31 : 14. For purposes of his own glory,
and the good of his people, he has often
seen fit to reveal his counsels, and even
impart the gifts of knowledge and un-
derstanding in his word to those who

were inwardly estranged from him.

Tl WJtat men are these with thee ? No
one acquainted with the peculiar dic-
tion of Holy Writ will suppose that
God required to be informed respecting

11 Behold, {here is a people
come out of Egypt, which cover-
eth the face of the earth : come
now, curse me them ; peradven-
ture I shall be able to overcome
them, and drive them out.

the messengers or their errand, any
more than he sought for new informa-
tion when he asked Adam in Paradise,
" Where art thou ?" — or Cain, " Where
is thy brother Abel?" — or Hagar, Sa-
rah's maid, " Whence comest thou, and
whither goest thou ?" — or Abraham,
" Where is Sarah thy wife?" — or Heze-
kiah, upon receiving the Babylonish
ambassadors, *' Whence are these men ?
What said they ? What have they seen
in thy house? etc." The interrogation
proceeded of course from the purpose
of eliciting from Balaam himself the
character of the men and the object of
their errand. " I have ever seen that
God loves to take occasion of proceed-
ing with us from ourselves, rather than
from his own immediate prescience." —
Bp. Hall. The language is evidently
that of rebuke, as when it was said to
our sinning first parent, ''Where art
thou, Adam?" It is tacitly assumed
that he could not answer the question
without bringing himself into an atti-
tude where he would have reason to
be overwhelmed with a sense of his
own perverseness. What apology could
he offer — professed prophet as he was,
of the true Jehovah — for being found
in such equivocal company ?

V. 11. Come notv, curse me them.
Heb. Mhah, a different word from that
occurring v. 6, and there rendered
" curse," though of equivalent import
as appears from the use of both terms
eh. 23 : 7, 8. It properly denotes a
pricking, piercing, or striking through,
with evil, reproachful, and blasphemous
speeches. See the Note on Lev. 24 : 11,

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CHAPTER XXII.

347

12 And God said unto Ba-
laam, Thou shalt not go with
them ; thou shalt not curse the
people : for ^ they are blessed.

13 And Balaam rose up in

h Gen. 22. 16-18. Deut. 33. 29.

where the word is more fully explained.
" The blasphemer, Lev. 24 : 11, did, as
it were, strike through that sacred and
tremendous name of Jehovah ; and here
Balak grows upon Balaam, not only
with stronger assaults in his more hon-
orable ambassadors and highest prefer-
ments, but also with his demands of
deeper performances. Balaam must do
more work for more wages. He must
now not only curse Israel lightly, but
he must strike them through with his
curses, and utterly devote them to de-
struction."— Ness. It will be observed
that Balaam in reply gives a perfectly
correct statement of the matter of fact,
and yet we wonder how he dared to do
it He knew, in all probability, that it
was God's own people that he was now
asked to curse, and yet he was in treaty
with the enemies of that people, and
consequent!}- with the enemies of the
God of that people. Notwithstanding
all this, and notwithstanding he shows
no resentment that they should have
attempted to seduce him from his alle-
giance, he coolly recites to the Most
High the object of the visit of the mes-
sengers rather with the composure of a
martyr than with the terror of a traitor.
But in his answer to the deputies,
V. 13, he is not quite so scrupulously
exact.

V. 12. Thou shalt not go with them,
etc. Here was a positive command
coupled with plain and direct informa-
tion relative to the lot of the chosen
people, which should have removed
every doubt from the mind of Balaam,
and become at once the imperative law

the morning, and said unto the
princes of Balak, Get you into
your land : for the Lord re-
fuseth ' to give me leave to go
with you.

of his conduct. " Thou shalt not go
with them ; thou shalt not curse the
people; for they are blessed." The
tenor of the covenant with Abraham
ran thus, " I will curse him that curseth
thee." This made it not onl}^ fruitless,
but perilous, to attempt to curse them.
Balaam's own welfare was therefore
consulted in the prohibition, which not
only forbade him to go with the mes-
sengers for the purpose, but even to
attempt to curse them at a distance.
The reason was — "they are blessed,"
and the gifts and callings of God are
without repentance. When once the
blessing was pronounced upon Jacob,
Esau could not avail to reverse it : —
*' I have blessed him ; yea, and he shall
be blessed." Israel had, indeed, often
provoked the Lord by their sins in the
wilderness, but he would not suffer
their enemies to curse them. He made
them heirs of the blessedness pertain-
ing to those " whose iniquities are for-
given, and whose sins are covered."
Accordingly, the people are subse-
quently reminded of this signal in-
stance of the divine favor, Deut. 23 : 5,
" Nevertheless, the Lord thy God would
not hearken unto Balaam ; but the Lord
thy God turned the curse into a bless-
ing unto thee, because the Lord thy
God loved thee."

v. 13. Get you into your own land ;
for the Lord refuseth to give me leave
to go with you. This was true, but not
the whole truth. The divine prohibi-
tion, V. 12, consisted of two parts, one
forbidding him to go, the other forbid-
ding him to curse. The latter he sup-

348

NUMBERS.

14 And the princes of Moab
rose up, and they went unto
Balak, and said, Balaam re-
fuseth to come with us.

15 And Balak sent yet again
princes, more, and more honour-
able than they.

presses, and dwells only on the former.
He admits that the Lord had interdict-
ed his going with them, but says not a
word of his being strictly commanded
not to curse them, inasmuch as it would
be wicked and dangerous both for him
and them to seek to Israel's harm, for
that they were blessed. He evidently
softened the terms of his response, so
as to indicate that his heart was really
with them, and that he would intrinsi-
cally like to go. He virtually says,
" God does not give me leave to go, I
wish he would give me leave ; but as
he does not, I cannot gratify or enrich
myself by the attempt to oblige your
master," " Those are a fair mark for
Satan's temptation that speak diminish-
ingly of divine prohibitions, as if they
amounted to no more than the denial
of a permission, and as if to go against
God's law were only to go witlwut Ms
leave." — Henry.

V. 14, Balaam refusetTi to come with
us. Here is a farther instance of the
propensity of unprincipled men to min-
ify instead oi magnify the Lord's word.
Balaam told the princes less than God
spake to him, and now they relate less
to Balak than Balaam told them. All
the account they give of it is, " Balaam
refuseth to come with us ; " intimating
that he only wanted more solicitation
and higher proffers. They left him to
infer that the refusal was wholly the
act of Balaam himself, keeping back
the fact that God had expressly forbid-
den the prophet's compliance with
their invitation. As the matter was

[B. 0. 1452.
Ba-

And they came to
and said to him

16
laam, and said to him. Thus
saith Balak the son of Zip-
per, Let nothing, I pray thee,
hinder thee from coming unto
me :

reported to Balak, it is not at all sur-
prising that he should have sent again.

V, 15. Balah sent yet again princes
more, and more Jwnoralle than they.
By fitting out and dispatching a more
numerous retinue, composed of more
honorable and imposing personages, he
determines to assault his cupidity more
vigorously. From all that he could
learn he was persuaded that Balaam
" had his price," and he would not run
the risk of losing his services by under-
bidding. He therefore bids still high-
er in this second mission, and therein
shows an example of persistency in an
evil cause which might well be imitated
by the advocates of a good one. " O
that we could be so importunate for
our good, as wicked men are for the
compassing of their own designs ! A
denial doth but whet the desires of ve-
hement suitors. Why are we faint in
spiritual things, when we are not de-
nied, but delayed ? " — Bp. Hall.

V. 16. Let nothing, I pray thee, hin-
der thee from coming unto me. Heb.
" Be not kept back, or withholden, from
coming." Gr. " I pray thee, delay not
(or, slack not) to come unto me," the
same word in the original with that
which occurs Acts 9 : 38, where the dis-
ciples send to Peter ** desiring that he
would not delay to come unto them."
It imports that Balaam should not suf-
fer himself, either by the repugnance
of his own will, or from any other cause,
to be prevented from compliance with
Balak's urgent entreaties. Importunity
is therefore added to unlimited proffers.

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

349

17 For I will promote thee
unto very great honour, and I
will do whatsoever thou sajest
unto me : come * therefore, I
pray thee, curse me this people.

18 And Balaam answered
and said unto the servants of
Balak, If ' Balak would give me

He appeals to the vanity and ambition,
as well as the covetousness, of the pro-
phet. Under the influence of the pow-
erful motives presented he would have
Balaam manfully break through every
impediment and hasten to a closure
with his offers.

V. 17. I will promote thee unto tery
great honor, etc. Heb. "Honoring I
■will honor thee very much." Gr. " I
will honorably honor thee." It is nat-
ural for those who put a great value
themselves upon worldly honors and
dignities to suppose that others are not
proof against their seductions. The ex-
perience of all ages has shown that they
are few indeed who are not assailable
from this quarter, and the sequel shows
that Balaam formed no exception to the
general rule.

V. 18. If Balak would give me 7m
house full of silver and gold, etc. The
answ^er of Balaam thus far was truly
noble, and worthy of being prompted
by a better spirit. But the effect of it
is utterly spoilt by Avhat follows, where-
in he invites them to tarry over night.
He had nothing more to do than to cut
the matter short at once and dismiss
them without farther ceremony. But
the sequel shows that under a seeming
resistance to the temptation there was

a real yielding to it. ^ I cannot go

leijond the word of the Lord my God.
Heb. " Beyond the mouth of the Lord."
Chald. •' Beyond the decree of the Word
of the Lord," Yulg. "I cannot alter

his house full of silver and gold,
I '" cannot go beyond the word
of the Lord my God, to do less
or more,

19 Now therefore, I pray you,
tarry ye also here this night, that
I may know what the Lord will
say unto me more.

:3. 56. 24. 13.

the word of the Lord my God," His
emphatic appropriation of Jehovah as
his God is no doubt to be regarded as
proof of his possessing a knowledge of
the true object of worship, to whose will
he did not dare to go directly counter,
notwithstanding his heart was hanker-
ing for the lucre which Balak held out
before his eyes. He was now obviously
involved in a struggle between his con-
victions and his corruptions. He knew,
indeed, that the wealth of this world,
all its gold and silver, was as nothing
compared with the favor of God, and
probably for a moment persuaded him-
self that he would act according to his
convictions. But alas, how soon does
he waver! In the next sentence he
manifests clearly that he loves the
wages of unrighteousness, and is in
hopes that some way may open by
which he can compass the secret desire
of his soul without at the same time
forfeiting his title to the divine regards.
"Balaam here becomes the graphical
picture of a covetous and ambitious
hypocrite, pretending one thing, and
4/itending another. Oh how shy he
here seems ! By no means must he
dare to act any thing against the re-
vealed will of God, no, not for a house-
full, when with all his heart he would
have done it for an handful, of gold and

silver," — JSess. \ To do less or Tnore.

Heb. " Little or great," equivalent to
any thing at all.
V. 19. That I m/xy know what the

350

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

20 And " God came unto Ba-
laam at night, and said unto him,

Lord will say unto me more. But what
" more " could he wish or expect to re-
ceive from the Lord ? Did he fashion
to himself a god after his own heart,
and imagine that he also was to be
moved from his purpose by the gifts
and promises of Balak ? Did he think
that God was a man that he should lie,
or the son of man that he should re-
pent ? Did he hope to obtain from him
permission to curse a people which had
been so long and so conspicuously the
object of his covenant care, and whom
he had so emphatically pronounced
" blessed ? " What could more decided-
ly prove what Peter calls " the madness
of the prophet " than his thus tamper-
ing with the Moabitish emissaries ?
"Why did he not repel their proposal as
did Peter that of Simon Magus, " Thy
money perish with thee." Why did
he not dismiss them as did our blessed
Lord the tempter who " showed him all
the kingdoms of the world, and the
glory of them, and said unto him, All
these things will I give thee if thou wilt
fall down and worship me." The an-
swer was instant and decisive, "Get
thee hence, Satan ; for it is written.
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve." Alas,
the canker of covetousness was even
then eating into the vitals of his soul.

V. 20. IftJie men come to call thee, ef-c.
But the men had already come, and had
called or invited him to go with them,
and there is no reason to suppose that
any additional call was anticipated.
Therefore the preferable rendering un-
doubtedly is, "since, seeing that, inas-
much as, the men are come." This is
often the force of the Heb. im, if. It is
what is termed the concessive sense of
the particle. 1[ Eise up, {and) go

If the men come to call thee,
rise up, and go with them ; but

with them. This permission, when
viewed in contrast with the express
prohibition, v. 12, may well be con-
ceived to constitute a stumbling-block
in the way of the ordinary reader of
the Bible. It has surely the air of
marked inconsistency to forbid the
prophet's going in one sentence, and
then allow it in another. But if the in-
ternal state of the man's heart be
viewed in connection with the laws of
the divine providence, we shall obtain
the key to the solution of the mystery.
Lured by the prospect of the rewards,
Balaam's heart was set upon going ;
and as the divine wisdom, in its proce-
dures with men, allows them always to
act in freedom, so here it is permitted
Balaam to go, seeing he was so fully
bent upon it. His telling him to go
was, we suppose, Tnerely the Lord^s
providential permission put into words.
It was the virtual language of his deal-
ing with the mercenary prophet. We
read in the following paragraph a
strikingly analogous incident, 1 Kings
22 : iy-23, "And he said,^ Hear thou
therefore the word of the Lord : I saw
the Lord sitting on his throne, and all
the host of heaven standing by him on
his right hand and on his left. And
the Lord said. Who shall persuade
Ahab, that he may go up and fall at
Ramoth-gilead ? And one said on this
manner, and another said on that man-
ner. And there came forth a spirit,
and stood before the Lord, and said, I
will persuade him. And the Lord said
unto him. Wherewith? And he said, I
will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit
in the mouth of all his prophets. And
he said. Thou shalt persuade him, and
prevail also : go forth and do so. Now
therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

351

yet " the word which I shall say
unto thee, that shalt thou do.

lying spirit in the mouth of all these
thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken
evil concerning thee." The Lord is here
pleased to attribute to himself, or to his
agency, what he permits to be done
with an evil intent. In no other sense
could he be said to put a lying spirit
into the mouth of prophets. It is no
unusual thing for the Most High to act
on this principle with men as free moral
agents. Thus Ps. 81 : 11, 12, " But my
people would not hearken to my voice ;
and Israel would none of me. So I gave
them up unto their own heart's lust :
and they walked in their own counsels."
When men refuse to hearken to the
Lord's voice, they are not to be sur-
prised if he leaves them to themselves
k> rush into the open jaws of destruc^
tion. "As God sometimes denies the

) prayers of his people in love, so some-
times he grants the desires of the wick-

l ed in wrath." — Henry. ^ Tlie ivord.

\wMc7i I shall say nnto thee, that shalt
thou do. It would, no doubt, appear at
first blush that a more natural expres-
sion would be, "The word which I
shall say unto thee, that shalt thou
speak." But the original for "word"
often denotes "thing," as we have
shown in the Note on Gen. 15 : 1. The
idea therefore is, that Balaam's whole
course of procedure was to be so over-
ruled that the Lord's counsel should
stand, and every purpose of his will
should be accomplished. We regard
the words rather as a prediction than a
command. It is as if the Most High
had said, " Inasmuch as the messengers
are so importunate with thee, and thou
so earnest with me; since thou wilt
take no denial, nor yield to my behest,
then go ; go forward ; follow thine own
course; do as I perceive thou art de-

21 And Balaam rose up in the
morning, and saddled his ass, and
went with the princes of Moab.

termined to do; yet know that I will
bridle thy tongue, and constrain thee to
utter the promptings not of thine own
pleasure, but of mine." This, though a
mere concession to the prophet's way-
wardness, and not implying the least
particle of approbation, Balaam yet
took as a quasi allowance of the Divine
providence, and proceeded accordingly
to act upon it. The event showed how
dangerous is the licence men may some-
times obtain when they heg leave to sin.
V. 21. Balaam rose up in the morn-
ing and saddled his ass. The idea at-
tached to this phrase by a European or
an American will be very apt to be er-
roneous. There were not, in those days,
in the East any proper saddles. This is
a later invention for riding on horse-
\back, and it is not even now, among
ihe Orientals, generally applied to asses.
The saddling of asses, mentioned in
Scripture, probably consisted merely in
placing upon their backs thick cloths,
or mats. "Something of the same
kind," says Mr. Kitto, "or pieces of
rug, felt, carpet, or cloth, are still in
general use — although a kind of pad is
now frequently to be seen upon asses
in the large towns of Egypt, Syria, and
Arabia — especially among those let out
for hire. Such town asses have also
bridles, and sometimes stirrups, none
of which, any more than the pad, do we
remember to have noticed on asses
upon actual journeys, and we have
known asses travel continuously on
journeys quite as long as that now un-
dertaken by Balaam, and that by per-
sons whose position in life quite enabled
them to ride a horse or mule had they
so chosen. It would not be at all ex-
traordinary, even now, that a person,
expecting to be laden with riches and

352

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

22 And Grod's anger was kin-
dled because he went : and ^ the
angel of the Lokd stood in the

p Ex. 4. -M.

honors, should ride upon an ass — still
less in an age and country where no
other mode of conveyance, except that
of riding upon camels, appears to have
been known." In ancient times the
ass was a far more valuable animal
than the horse is now, and probably far
more beautiful than the specimens with
which we are familiar. Hence we read,
" The kings that ride on white asses."
Balaam evidently caught greedily at
the verbal permission to go, hoping, no
doubt, that as God had gone thus far,
he would bend still farther to his wish-
es, and allow him to gratify Balak, and
thus secure his rewards. Accordingly
he waited for no summons in the morn-
ing, but was in all haste to set forth,
being as eager to go as they were to
take him with them.

V. 22. And God's anger xvas Mndled
lecause lie went. But how, we are
prompted to ask, could God's anger be
kindled at his going, when he had
given him permission to go ? It may
be replied, that God was angry at his
desire to go when he had forbidden
him ; angry at the motive from which
he went; and angry at the s'pirit of
malediction which, against his better
knowledge, he bore in his bosom in ac-
ceding to the message. Arab. " The
Lord's anger was kindled against him
because he had gone under the influ-
ence of the cupidity of gain." It is not
to be supposed that the Lord's permis-
sion of sin is inconsistent with his an-
ger against it, when the divine anger is

rightly understood. T[ The angel of

tJie Lord stood in the way for an adver-
sary against him. Heb. lesatdn lo,for
a satan to him. This name, when ap-
plied to an adversary to the Lord's peo-

way for an adversary against
hiin. Now he was riding upon
his ass, and his two servants
ivere with him.

pie, is usually equivalent to the appel-
lation Devil, Job 1 : 6. Mat. 4 : 10. Rev.
12 : 9 ; but being here synonymous with
an adversary to the wicked and a de-
fender of the church, it is applied to a
holy angel, or rather to the Lord of
angels, as the original Malak- Yehovah
imports. In v. 35 this angel speaks as
the Most High himself, " Go with the
men ; but only the word that I shall
speak unto thee, that shalt thou speak."
We may, therefore, properly infer that
the term indicates no other than the
personage elsewhere called the " angel
who redeemed Jacob from all evil,"
Gen. 48 : 16, and who now came to re-
deem Jacob's children from the curse
meditated against them. It was the
same angel who was sent before Israel
to keep them in the way, Ex. 23 : 20, 21,
the angel of the covenant, in whom was
the name or quality of Jehovah. In all
these manifestations we suppose there
was a created mediatory angel present,
but that he was so fully seized and pos-
sessed by the Divine Spirit speaking
through him, that his own selfhood was
put temporarily in abeyance, and he
knew not for the time but that he was
Jehovah himself, and therefore speaks
in his name. His own self-conscious-
ness was merged in that of the Supreme
himself. On any other ground it is
difficult to conceive why the term
" Angel " should be applied to the
Deity. " This angel was an adversary
to Balaam, because Balaam counted
him an adversary ; otherwise those are
really our best friends, and we are so to
reckon them, that stop our progress in

a sinful way." — Henry. Tf His two

se?'vants were with him. Heb. " Two
of his young men." It would appear

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

353

23 And the ass saw ^ the an-

./ 2 K. 6. 17. Dau. 10. 7. Acts 2-i. 9. 1 Cor. 1. 27-29.

that at the time of this rencontre with
the heavenly messenger, both the ser-
vants of Balaam and probably the emis-
saries of Balak were either behind or
before the prophet, and that he was
holding on his way alone. At any rate,
there is no intimation in the text that
even his servants were privy to the
transaction recorded.

The Miracle of the Ass Speaking.

V. 23. And the ass saw the angel of
the Lord standing in the way, etc. That
portion of the sacred narrative upon
which we now enter has ever been re-
garded as fraught with difficulties to
the commentator. The grand point of
the problem is to determine the pre-
cise nature of the event here recorded,
whether it took place in reality accord-
ing to the letter of the history, or
whether it occurred in vision; or, in
other words, whether it were objective
or suhjective— y:\iQi\iQY the words as-
cribed to the ass really proceeded from
her and were audible to the external
ear of Balaam, or whether the whole
scene was transacted in his own mind in
that state of ecstasy or trance into which
the prophets were usually brought when
Divine communications were made to
them. "We shall aim to present, in as
brief a compass as possible, a compen-
dious view of the arguments urged on
either side, leaving it to the reader to
assign to each its proper degree of
weight.

(1.) It is held by the advocates of the
literal sense that in an historical book,
and in a narrative bearing an historical
character, the incidents recorded are
to be assumed as having literally oc-
curred, so long as no intimation is
given to the contrary. |

gel of the Lord standing in the
way, and his sword drawn in his

To this it is replied, that there are
unquestionably numerous instances in
the Scriptures where such transitions
from one style of narrative to another
are made, when, at the same time, the
reader is not expressly advertised of the
fact. But all writing supposes some
exercise of discernment on the part of
the reader, and some capacity of infer-
ring, from significant circumstances,
what is not distinctly announced. Un-
less when attention is specially called
to the circumstance, the common reader
wiU be somewhat surprised to find how
often the sacred writers slide, from a
narrative of real incidents in the natural
world, into the relation of a vision or
dream, and that, too, in such a manner
as to require the reader to infer a tran-
sition from the altered character of the
occurrences described. Thus it is said
of Abraham, Gen. 15 : 1, that the word
of the Lord came to him in a vision,
and yet it cannot be doubted that the
following circumstances belong to the
vision, though the language is that of
plain historical narrative. For v. 5,
Abraham is led into the open air, and
pointed to the stars of heaven ; while,
on the contrary, according to v. 12, the
sun is only near setting. Then in the
daytime Abraham sees the stars, which
is only possible in vision. In like man-
ner, we think there can be no reason-
able doubt, that Abraham's entertain-
ing the three angels. Gen. IS : 1-8, was
done in vision ; as otherwise we seem
to be forced to the conclusion that they,
for the time being, assumed material
bodies, bodies capable of eating and
drinking material food — a theory en-
compassed with difficulties all but in-
superable. So also we read, Jer. 13:
1-7, that Jeremiah was commanded to
go to the river Euphrates and hide his

354

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

hand : and the ass turned aside
out of the way, and went into

girdle there in a hole of the rock. Yet
the prophet was then in the land of
Canaan, hundreds of miles from the
Euphrates. Thus again, Ezekiel, when
in the land of Babylon, eh. 8 : 1-12, was
ordered to dig a hole in the wall at
Jerusalem, and then shown the abom-
inations committed by the house of Ju-
dah, which, of course, must have trans-
pired in a vision. In a vision, more-
over, we suppose that Hosea took " a
wife of whoredoms " according to the
divine command, Hos. 1 : 2, although
this is not intimated in the sense of the
letter. Into the same category comes
also the sight (Heb. mareJi) of the burn-
ing bush by Moses, Ex. 3 : 2, and the
voice addressed to Samuel in the tem-
ple, 1 Sam. 3:1. '' The word of the
Lord," it is said, "was precious in
those days ; there was no open vision ;"
according to which the occurrence had
no doubt the character of a vision. It
is said also, v. 15, that " Samuel feared
to show Eli iho, vision''^ (Heb. mareJi).
But the word raareh is always used of
internal visions and sights. In the New
Testament we meet with some striking
parallel cases, where a manifestation,
apparently external and objective, is
yet really internal and subjective. Thus
in John 12 : 28, 29, the Evangelist speaks
of a voice which came from heaven in a
manner that would indicate a perfectly
audible external and articulate voice,
and yet it is plain, from what follows,
that it was addressed to the inner sense
of certain individuals present, while to
the outward ear of others it seemed only
as a vague hollow noise. To those
alone who were capable of the opening
of an internal sense were the precise
words intelligible ; while the multitude
hear only a sound without meaning.
Such, also, was the case in Paul's con-

the field : and Balaam smote the
ass, to turn her into the way.

version, Acts 9 : 3-8. There is not a
word in the narrative itself to indicate
that the incident was to him internal or
subjective, yet upon comparing ch. y : 7,
with ch. 22 : 9, we are forced inevitably
to that conclusion. Finally, we should
not judge from the mere sense of the let-
ter, that the women, who visited our
Lord's sepulchre early in the morning,
Luke 24 : 14, saw the two angels clothed
in white with any other than their nat-
ural eyes, and yet it is indubitable that
it was by the sudden opening of their
spiritual eyes that they were favored
with the vision. These instances, it is
thought, are suflBcient to warrant the
conclusion, that the prevailing histori-
cal character of a narrative like the
present does not militate with the fact
of its being at the same time the record
of a transaction occurring within the
domain of the spiritual world. Yet
neither on the other hand do they neces-
sitate a spiritual construction. There is
a presumptive and prima facie evidence
in favor of the historical sense, unless
some paramount reason can be adduced
for rejecting it. Even though the sub-
jective view might be intrinsically ad-
missible, still the opposite view may be
the most probable.

(2.) It is maintained that Peter, 2 Pet.
2 : 15, 16, speaks of the incident as an
external one : — " Which have forsaken
the right way, and are gone astray, fol-
lowing the way of Balaam the son of
Bosor, who loved the wages of unright-
eousness ; but was rebuked for his ini-
quity : the dumb ass, speaking with
man's voice, forbade the madness of
the prophet."

To this it is answered, that the mere
quotation of a passage like this from
the Old Testament does not necessarily
establish the sense of the latter as the

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

355

true sense. The wnter takes it as he
finds it, and as the latter alone conveys
the lesson which he wishes to teach, he
neither afiirms nor denies as to any
other sense. Yet, on the other hand,
as the literal sense is the most obvious
sense, and such as would strike the
mass of readers as the true one, so Pe-
ter may have been prompted to cite it
as having that sense, and which it is
impossible to show to be erroneous.

"Various other considerations might
be adduced bearing upon the points
above stated, but we pass them by to
exhibit a little more distinctly the posi-
tive grounds on which Hengstenberg
and others rely to establish the sub-
jectivity of the incident.

(1.) Visions and dreams are desig-
nated in Num. 12 : 6, as the ordinary
mode of divine communication to the
prophets, and as Balaam belonged to
this class of men, and the speaking of
the ass to communications from God,
who is expressly said to have " opened
the mouth of the ass," we are author-
ized, it is said, to assume that the pres-
ent was a case of subjective or visionary
revelation.

(2.) Balaam, in the introduction to
his third and fourth prophecies, ch. 24 :
3, 4, 15, 16, speaks of himself as " the
man which heard the words of God,
which saw the vision of the Almighty,
falling into a trance, but having his
eyes open." It is maintained, that the
reference in this passage is especially
to the incident here recorded. It was
on this occasion that he fell into a trance,
and in that state had his spiritual eyes
opened to perceive and read the lessons
which the Lord designed in this way to
impart to him. The visions of the Al-
mighty were usually accorded in a state
of prophetic ecstasy. The presumption
therefore is, that if such a man as Ba-
laam, a seer by profession, sees and
hears in his own proper sphere, what

he thus hears and sees is spiritual in-
stead of natural. If the contrary is
maintained, it sb(^uld be clearly estab-
lished. The advocates of the strictly
historical theory reply to this, that there
is none but mere conjectural ground for
affirming that the passage cited refers
to the miraculous event imder consid-
eration. Viewed in its relations to the
context it appears to have a much more
natural reference to the state into which
he was brought when uttering the in-
spired prophecies recorded in the sub-
sequent chapters.

(3.) It cannot well be doubted that
the appearance of the angel immediate-
ly preceding the speaking of the ass
was an appearance addressed not to the
outward, but to the inward senses. But
if the appearance of the angel was de-
signed for the spiritual eye of Balaam,
then we may reasonably suppose also
that the voice of the ass was intended
for his spiritual ear. That such was
the fact, it is supposed, may be con-
cluded from the circumstance of his not
seeing the angel as soon as the ass saw
him. But why should not he and the
animal have seen him simultaneously
if he actually appeared on the natural
plane like any other external object?
To this, however, it is an obvious re-
ply, that admitting there was a spirit-
ual or internal perception of the angel,
it does not follow that the vocal utter-
ances of the ass were heard by any
other than the natural ear. A miracle,
on any ground, must be admitted in the
case, and taking this for granted, there
is no difficulty in conceiving that di-
vine power may have caused articulate
sounds to proceed from the thorax of
the animal that could be heard by the
outward ear as readily as his natural
bray.

(4.) The declaration that " God open-
ed the eyes of Balaam" goes far to
establish the internal or subjective

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character of the miracle. The eyes
here opened were the eyes of the mind,
not of the body. There is no intima-
tion of physical blindness, and there-
fore the words can only properly be
compared with such as the following :
— 2 Kings 6 : 17, " And Elisha prayed,
and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his
eyes, that he may see. And the Lord
opened the eyes of the young man ; and
he saw : and behold, the mountain was
full of horses and chariots of fire round
about Elisha." Ps. 119:18, "Open
thou mine eyes, that I may behold won-
drous things out of thy law." On this
head it is readily granted that there
was a supernatural couching of Ba-
laam's vision to enable him to see the
angel standing in menacing attitude
before him, but it is denied that we
can justly argue from this that there
was any tJdng more of a miraculous in-
fluence exerted upon Balaam. So far
as a " vision " is predicated of the pro-
phet, it seems to have been confined to
this single feature of the transaction.
Nor is it to be doubted that the same
power which opened Balaam's eyes to
the perception of the angel may also
have opened the eyes of the ass to the
view of the same object.

(5.) The fact that Balaam expresses
no astonishment at the occurrence ar-
gues strongly in favor of its internal
character. What could take place more
astounding, as an external event, than
for a man to find himself addressed by
a dumb beast in a moving remonstrance
against his cruelty, — "What have I
done unto thee, that thou hast smitten
me these three times?" Should we
not suppose he would have been struck
speechless himself at thus hearing arti-
culate speech proceeding apparently
from the organs of the beast on which
he rode ? Yet he expresses not the
least particle of surprise, but in a fit
of petulancy, as if chiding an old cross-

grained servant, exclaims, " Because
thou hast mocked me ; I would there
were a sword in mine hand, for now
would I kill thee." This would seem
to be far enough from the language of
a man whose attention has just been
arrested by a prodigy so overwhelm-
ingly marvellous. He answers as coolly
as if such an altercation, carried on by
blows on one side and complaints on
the other, had been a matter of frequent
occurrence. It cannot be denied that
there is considerable force in this sug-
gestion, though it cannot be regarded
as absolutely decisive. It is not the
wont of Holy Writ to describe the emo-
tions experienced by parties witnessing
marvellous or miraculous events. We
cannot recall any one instance where
this is done, and therefore feel that the
force of the present objection, if not en-
tirely annulled, is at least greatly weak-
ened.

(6.) The current of Jewish interpre-
tation, it is said, is in favor of the vis-
ionary character of the transaction.
To this purpose the following remark is
quoted from Maimonides : — " In what-
ever connection we find it written in
Scripture that an angel spoke with any
one, or that any thing was revealed to
any one by God, you are to know that
this is to be no otherwise understood
than as having been done in a dream
or a prophetic vision." To this it is
replied, that the solution is admitted
where a simple theophany, or a vision
of angels is concerned. An ecstatic
state is granted to have occurred to Ba-
laam so far as relates to the rencontre
with the angel. He was undoubtedly
seen with the eyes of the mind, and not
of the body ; but when we go beyond
this, and claim that the other incidents
of the journey were visionary or sub-
jective, it is contended that the evidence
is insufiicient to establish the position.
It is scarcely possible to resist the

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CHAPTER XXn.

357

conviction that the prophet actually
saddled and mounted the ass, and pro-
ceeded on his journey like any other
traveller — that he passed through just
such localities as are described — that
the animal thrust herself against the
wall in affright, thereby crushing Ba-
laam's foot — and that then, and not till
then, did any of the incidents become
visionary. But at that particular crisis
the angel was revealed to the spiritual
eyes of Balaam, and the visionary or
ecstatic state continued as long as the
interview lasted with the angelic per-
sonage. Otherwise, it appears impos-
sible to define the limits between the
external or historical and the subjec-
tive. Where is the line of demarca-
tion? "What part of the narrative is
natural, and what supernatural ? It
would seem, therefore, the safest and
soundest position, to hold that all the
incidents actually occurred on the nat-
ural plane with the single exception of
the prophet's seeing and conversing
with the angel.

Y. 23. Avd 7iu sword draicn in Ms
hand. The import of "sword" as a
symbol is that of opposition or antag-
onism, amounting in many cases to
what is usually understood by wrath or
vengeance. Thus David, 1 Chron. 21 :
16, beheld the angel that plagued Is-
rael " with a drawn sword in his hand."
Joshua, in like manner, saw the angel
of the Lord similarly armed, Josh. 5 :
13, 14, when he appeared to him as
" captain of the Lord's host," and about
to execute judgment against the Ca-
naanites. The appearance of the angel
thus accoutred in the present instance
carried with it the implication, that if
the prophet presumed to pronounce a
curse upon the people whom the Lord
had blessed, it would be regarded as
virtually declaring war against God and
his holy angels, who would assuredly

fight against him. " Balaam went with
a purpose to curse Israel, and after-
wards to have them killed with the
sword. His curses would have been
like " the piercings of a sword ; " he
had " whetted his tongue as a sword,"
and bent his arrow "even a bitter
word ; " and the Lord to reward him
according to his works sendeth out a
sword against him." — Ainsworth. But
for the present Balaam was so blinded
by his cupidity, that he saw not the
formidable opponent who confronted
him in his way. Little cause had he
now to boast of his visions, when his
ass saw more than he did. How many
have God and the angels of God against
them, who do not see it ! So, on the
other hand, the righteous are surround-
ed like Elijah and Elisha with chariots
of fire and horses of fire for their pro-
tection, though like the servant of the
latter they may require the couching
of their spiritual eyes in order to see it.
" What a comfort is this to all that wish
well to the Israel of God, that he never
suffers wicked men to form any attempt
against them, without sending his holy
angels forth to break this attempt, and

secure his little ones." — Henry.

\ The ass turned aside oxit of the way,
etc. It might without impropriety here
have been said to Balaam in the lan-
guage of Job, " Ask now the beasts and
they shall teach thee," for his folly was
here reproved by the action of the ass,
as it was afterwards by her words. In-
asmuch as Balaam's own way was per-
verse before the Lord, as he had for-
saken the right way and gone astray,
2 Pet. 2 : 15, so we may properly recog-
nize a representation of this in the
turning aside of the ass, which should
have given her rider a useful hint, not-
withstanding the animal was prompted
to the movement by a sufficient cause.
" The ass knows his owner," sees his
danger, and avoids it, but Balaam

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24 But the angel of the Lord
stood in a path of the vineyards,
a wall being on this side, and a
wall on that side.

25 And when the ass saw the
angel of the Lord, she thrust

"does not know, does not consider,"
and therefore virtually rushes on to de-
struction, V. 33. TT And went into

fhe field. "In the East the roads are
like bridle-paths across comnaons, and
even through cultivated grounds are
wholly unenclosed, except when they
pass through gardens and plantations
in the neighborhood of towns." — Pict.
Bible. Mr. Kitto suggests in the same
connection, that the ass, after the first
view of the angel, turned aside from
one of these bridle-paths into the wide
fiields through which it passed. Balaam
then forced her back by blows into the
road. But presently they came to a
place where a deviation from the road
was not possible, seeing it was confined
by vineyard walls on the right hand
and on the left. This fact he regards
as an intimation, that they were ap-
proaching a town or village, and that
the Moabite lords had gone on ahead
to prepare a place for the diviner's re-
ception. As the ass was gradually com-
pelled into narrower and narrower
straits, so it was with Balaam himself,
and so it is with all men who imitate
his perverse example in turning aside
from the straightforward path, and
roam abroad in the open fields or by-
ways of disobedience. T[ And Ba-
laam smote the ass, to turn her into the
way. Gr. " Smote the ass with his rod,
or staff"," taken doubtless from v. 27.
The perverseness of Balaam was equal
to that of the beast, and equally deserv-
ing of chastisement.

V. 24. The angel of the Lord stood in
a path of the vineyards. Heb. be-mish-

herself unto the wall, and crush-
ed Balaam's foot against the
wall : and he smote her again.
26 And the angel of the Lord
went further, and stood in a nar-
row place, where was no way to

ol, in a very narrow pass. The walls
of two adjoining vineyards here stood
so near to each other that an extremely
narrow passage was all that remained
between them, and the ass therefore
could not diverge into the fields, as she
had done before. If she attempted to
move either way, in consequence of her
advance being opposed, she must neces-
sarily be brought in collision with the
wall on one side or the other.

V. 25. She thrust herself against
the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot
against the wall. The original word for
"thrust" and "crushed" is here the
same ilahatz), only one is in the passive
or reflexive form, and the other in the
active — lit. " She was violently pressed
against the wall, and violently pressed
Balaam's foot against the wall." The
word occurs, 2 Kings 6 : 32, where the
king's messenger, who was sent to take
away Elisha's head, was "pressed (or
crushed) in the door," though rendered
in our version " held fast." " The chil-
dren of God have the angels to keep
them in all their ways, and to bear
them up, ' lest they dash their foot
against a stone,' but Balaam, tempting
the Lord, hath his angel to withstand
him, whereby his foot is crushed against
the wall ; yet maketh he no good use
thereof." — Ainsworth. Physical disas-
ters may befall the best of men, but the
occurrence of such incidents is always
calculated to prompt the inquiry within
us, whether our way is right in his
sight or not.

v. 26. Where was no way to turn either
to tlie right hand or to the left. The

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXn.

859

turn either to the right hand or
to the left.

27 And when the ass saw the
angel of the Lord, she fell down
under Balaam : and Balaam's

road-way, it seems, continued to grow
more and more compressed and nar-
row, till at length it passed between
walls so near together that any degree
of turning was impossible. Here again
thp opposing angel took his station,
and for the third time arrested the pro-
gress of the ass and his rider — emble-
matical, as we have before remarked,
of the gradual course of the Divine
providence in hedging up the way of
wicked men, and causing them to fall
before him. "Fear, and the pit, and
the snare shall be upon thee. He that
fleeth from the fear, shall fall into the
pit ; and he that getteth up out of the
pit, shall be taken in the snare." Jer.
48 : 43, 44.

V. 27. And when the ass saw the angel
of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam.
It is said to have been an old Pythago-
rean maxim, " Go not in the way where
an ass has fallen down," something of
evil omen being thereby implied. But
for the deplorable hardness of Balaam's
heart, he must have been struck and
confounded by so extraordinary an in-
cident as the ass' falling to the ground,
as she was not usually restive, nor had
she ever before served him thus. But
he was too intent upon the attainment
of his ends to consider the circumstance
in its true light, and also to be aware
that the falling of the ass had been the
means of saving his life from the sword

of the angel. 1[ And Balaam's anger

was kindled, and he smote the ass with a
staff. "Thus they who by wilful sin
are running headlong into perdition,
are angry at those who would prevent
their ruin." — Henry.

anger was kindled, and he smote
the ass with a staff.

28 And the Lord opened *■ the
mouth of the ass; and she said

V. 28. The Lord opened the mouth of
the ass. The precise nature of the
miracle here recorded it is not easy to
define. From the simple letter we
should infer that the vocal sounds were
formed by the pulmonary organs of the
animal, nor can we afiirm that such was
not the fact. Yet, on the other hand,
they may have been caused by a direct
act of divine power, and made to pro-
duce upon the auditory nerve of Ba-
laam the same effect as if they had is-
sued from the organs of the ass. But
certain it is, that the ass understood
nothing that was uttered. Articulate
sounds with men are caused by the ac-
tion of the mind operating upon the
lungs, and are, in fact, thought speak-
ing. Not so with the brute animal.
He is not capable of that kind of
thought which shapes itself into words,
and, therefore, if he speaks, his lungs
must be mechanically moved by a
foreign power, or the speaking must
proceed apparently from the animal,
but really from Omnipotence. The
difference, however, between the twcw
modes of construing the record is rather
formal than real. A miracle is to be
affirmed in either case, and on either
view the credit of the Holy Volume, as
an inspired book, is abundantly sus-
tained, T[ What have I done unto

thee, that thou hast smitten me these
three times f The simple pathos of this
appeal would seem capable of softening
the obduracy and disarming the rage
of Balaam, whose madness was thus
powerfully and afiectingly rebuked.
But one whose folly would not be
amended by braying in a mortar, Prov,

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unto Balaam, What have I done
unto thee, that thou hast smit-
ten me these three times ?

29 And Balaam said unto the
ass, Because thou hast mocked
me : I would there were a sword
in mine hand, ' for now would I
kill thee.

« Ps. 12. 10.

27 : 22, would be little likely to be
wrought upon by the intelligent and
articulate Iraying of the ass.

Y. 29. Because tliou hast mocked me.
He could see the alleged mockery of
the ass toward him, but could not real-
ize his own mockery of God, who had
so solemnly charged him as to the con-
duct he was to observe in this emer-
gency. T[ For now I would hill thee.

This might properly have reminded
him of his impotency in regard to any
injury he would have inflicted upon
Israel. His will would not be seconded
by his ability. Another practical lesson
to bo drawn from this item of the nar-
rative is suggested by the old commen-
tator Ness : " The ass had turned out
of the literal highway for saving her
own life, and the life of her master, yet
did he smite her, and would have killed
her for so doing : Whereas himself had
turned out of the metaphorical way of
the Lord, and followed his own crooked
ways with a purpose to destroy the
lives of God's people ; therefore he de-
served more to be smitten, yea, and
killed, than his ass."

V. 30. XJxion which thou hast ridden
ever since (I was) thine tmto this day.
The phrase in the original is somewhat
indefinite, being made up of the particle
for "since" and the suffix ''thou" or
"thine" — lit. "since thou," i. e., since
thou wast a rider, Gr. "From thy
youth." Chald. " Since thou hast been."
Sam. "From thy beginning." Vulg.
"Am not I thy beast on which thou

30 And the ass said unto
Balaam, Am not I thine ass,
upon which thou hast ridden
ever since / was thine unto
this day? was I ever wont to
do so unto thee ? And he said,
Nay.

31 Then the Lord opened' the

t Gen. -21. 19. -l K. 6. 17. Luke 24. 16, 31.

hast been always accustomed to ride
until this present day?" The import
probably is, that he was the only ani-
mal on which Balaam had ridden since
the time that he began to ride at all, or,
in other words, from his youth. He
was his familiar hack ; and as he had
now done three times what he had never
done before, h» had at least the right
to claim of Balaam that he should at-
tribute it to some extraordinary cause.
See a parallel usage. Gen. 48 : 15, where
the same Heb. term is rendered "all
my life long." Gr. " From my youth."

T[ Was I ever wont to do so unto

thee f Heb. " Have I accustoming been
accustomed ?" As the ass was of course
incapable of understanding Balaam, or
of making any such remonstrance as
this, the words are to be considered as
the Lord's own rebuke, apparently ut-
tered by the dumb beast, of the harsh-
ness and cruelty of Balaam. It clearly
involved the implication, that when the
creatures over whom the Lord has
given us dominion, depart from their
wonted obedience, it is to be presumed
that there is some good reason for it,
and that reason is to be sought in oui*-
selves. To forbear to make the inquiry
is to give evidence of astonishing hard-
ness of heart and blindness of mind.
\ And he said, JVay. Thus confess-
ing to the justice of the ass's plea.
Even with all his perverseness he could
not withstand the reasonableness of the
expostulation.
V. 81. Then the Lord opened the eyes

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CHAPTER XXII.

361

eyes of Balaam, and he saw the j his hand : and he bowed " down
angel of the Lord standing in his head, and fell flat on his face.
the way, and his SAVord drawn in

of Balaam, and Tie savi the angel, etc.
Or, Heb. " Uncovered the eyes," as if
bj the removal of a veil. That is, the
eyes of his spirit, for angels and divine
theophanies are never seen by the nat-
ural eye. He had, no doubt, the use
of outward vision before, but here was
a supernatural couching of the internal
eye which revealed to him a divine an-
tagonist confronting him in his way.
The reproving aspect of the august per-
sonage before him was rendered still
more terrible by the drawn sword in
his hand, the symbol of opposition and
warfare. The prophet was apparently
going forward in accordance with a di-
vine dictation, yet in truth in contra-
riety to the will of God. A conditional
permission he had construed uncon-
ditionally, and notwithstanding he had
been so solemnly assured that Israel
was blessed, and was to he Messed, still
he was going with a desire and a pur-
pose to curse them. In order to awaken
him to a sense of his wickedness, the
Lord sent an angel, or rather appeared
as an angel, to stop him in his pre-
sumptuous course. It is thus that the
Most High often interposes to arrest
the progress of sinners, and prevent
the commission of iniquity. Not that
he manifests himself precisely in tliis
uay, but as his resources are infinite,
he has innumerable methods of putting
forth providential hindrances in the
way of the perpetration of evil on the
part of rash or heedless transgressors.
How many, by the approach of some
unexpected person, or by some sugges-
tion of their own minds, ai'e deterred
from theft, robbery, burglary, adultery,
or murder. It only requires that the
eyes of our understandings should be
opened to see under what obligations
16

of gratitude we are laid by these sea-
sonable and saving interpositions, how-
ever unwelcome they may be at the
time. "Lo all these things worketh
God often times with man, to bring
back his soul from the pit, that he may
be enlightened with the light of the liv-
ing." "When our eyes are opened,
we shall see what danger we are in in a
sinful way; and how much it was for
our advantage to be crossed in it, and
what fools we were to quarrel with our
crosses, which helped to save our lives."

— Henry. ^ And he bowed down his

head, and fell flat on his face. The
original is here marked by a certain
degree of ambiguity, so that we are left
in doubt whether it is intended to be
said that Balaam fell down upon his
own face, or that he prostrated himself
before the face or person of the angel,
as is clearly understood by the Greek.
The usage of the Hebrew will admit of
either' rendering, but it would require
an extended display of that usage to de-
termine the question to the satisfaction
of the reader. This we shall waive for
the present, simply remarking that, as
far as we have investigated the diction
of the sacred writers, the evidence pre-
ponderates to our mind in favor of the
Greek version, viz., that he humbled
himself before the face of the angel.
So also the Yulg. " Adoravit eum pro-
I nus in terram," adored him {falling)
' prone to the ground. It would seem that
Balaam recognized in the heavenly vis-
itant a proper object of the profoundest
worship, which we know that angels
are not. From the tenor of the narra-
tive it is to be inferred, also, that Balaam
had at this time dismounted from the
ass, which he had probably done when
she laid down under him, v. 27.

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32 And the angel of the Lord
said unto him, Wherefore hast
thou smitten thine ass " these

V. 32. Wherefore hast thou smitten
thine ass, etc. The Angel-Jehovah here
opens his rebuke of the prophet by
charging upon him his abusive treat-
ment of the beast on which he rode.
He is determined to show himself the
avenger of the wrongs of the brute
creation, over which man was appoint-
ed to rule, but not to tyrannize. But
this was not the only lesson which Ba-
laam was bound to learn from this in-
cident. If the laws of mercy forbade
him to treat thus cruelly the simple
ass, and that without adequate cause,
how much more was he forbidden to
smite innocent men with the scourge or
curse of his tongue, when the Lord had
declared himself their patron-protector.
The proper inference, moreover, to be
drawn by Balaam was, that he had
much more reason to smite upon his
own breast, and to condemn himself,
than to have bestowed his blows upon

the ass. T[ / went out to withstand

thee. Heb. " To be a satan to thee," as
in V. 22, on which see Note. The lan-
guage conveys the idea, that if men, by
their perverseness and disobedience,
will act a satanic part towards God, he
also will repay them in kind, and act a
satanic part, or what shall seem such,
towards them. " If ye walk contrary to
me, I also will walk contrary to you."
"In what case are the wicked, that
have God's angels for their opposites !
How deplorable and desperate is their
estate! God they have made their
enemy, angels they cannot call their
friends, devils labor to destroy them,
the world cannot save them; whither
Should they run for refuge? 'They
shall keep us in our ways ;' out of the

three times ? behold, I went
out to withstand thee, because
thy '" way is perverse ■" before mo :

X Prov. 14. 2. 28. 18.

way it is their charge to oppose us, as
it is to preserve us in the way. Nor is
this more a terror to the ungodly, than
to the righteous a comfort. For if an
angel would keep even a Balaam from
sinning, how much more careful are all
those glorious powers to prevent the
miscarriages of God's children ! From
how many falls and bruises have they
saved us ! In how many inclinations
to evil have they turned us, either by
removing occasions, or by secretly cast-
ing in good motions ! We sin too often,
and should catch many more falls, if
those holy guardians did not uphold

us." — Adams. T[ Because (thy) way

is perverse before me. Heb. ydrat had-
derek lenegdi, the way is rash, preci])i-
tate, perilous before me. We have given
a diversity of renderings to the original
in order to make sure, if possible, of
embracing the true one among them,
as the term ydrat is one of the most du-
bious in the whole compass of the He-
brew vocabulary. The lexicographal
authorities of the highest class assign
severally the different meanings we
have specified, and we know of no
critic who has ventured to pronounce
with confidence that any one of them is
correct to the exclusion of the others.
Our English translation probably con-
veys the true idea as well as any single
word that could be adopted. The an-
cient versions attbrd us but little help in
the emergency, as in some of them the
text is probably corrupt, and in others
the equivalent term is quite as obscure
as the original. Gr. " Thy way is not
seemly before me." Chald. "It is man-
ifest before me that thou wouldst go in
a way contrary to me. Syr. " Behold,

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

363

33 And the ass saw me, and
turned from me these three
times : unless she had turned
from me, surely now also I had
slain thee, and saved her alive.

I have come out that I might be an ad-
versary to thee, since thou hast direct-
ed thy way against me." Sam. " Be-
cause evil is thy way before me." The
import is, Thy purpose and intent in
going this journey is contrary to my
will as before made known to thee, v.
12. The apostle Jude calls it " the er-
ror of Balaam," and Peter speaks of it
as "forsaking the right way and going
astray." It is observable that the an-
gel speaks in the language of suprema-
cy, as having the most absolute right
to command. " Thy way is perverse
before me," as if it were the Lord him-
self who utters the words, which we
doubt not is the fact.

V. 33. Tlie ass saio me and turned
from me, etc. Heb. "Turned at my
face or presence." So also in the en-
suing clause. H Unless she had

turned from me, surely now also I had
slain thee, etc. How penetrating and
cutting the purport in itself of this lan-
guage to Balaam we can easily con-
ceive, though the sequel evinces that
its impression was very slight and tran-
sient upon his mind. So in thousands
of cases, if the eyes of thoughtless
transgressors were not, as it were, her-
metically sealed — if Satan had not so
completely blinded them by his delu-
sive arts — they would perceive and ac-
knowledge the fearful perils to which
they have been exposed, and the infi-
nite mercy by which they have been
spared. Wlio shall tell how often it
might have been said concerning each
of us, " Truly, as the Lord liveth, and
as thy soul liveth, there is but a step
between thee and death." Who shall

34 And Balaam said unto
the angel of the Lord, I -^ have
sinned; for I knew not that
thou stoodest in the way against

y 1 Sam. 15. 24,30. 26. 21.

recite to us those manifold gracious but
unseen providences which have saved
us from sin and punishment, because
the Lord was not willing that we should
perish, but would that we should come
to repentance and live.

V. 34. / have sinned. A confession
is at length extorted from Balaam, but
it covers not the whole ground of his
ofience. He confesses that he had done
wrong in abusing his beast, and per-
haps would go so far as to acknowledge
a fault in setting out upon the journey
at all, but the covetous prompting and
the malicious design against the chosen
people he does not confess. While the
Lord's hand was stretched out against
him, and his wrath impending, he could
say he had sinned, and profess a wil-
lingness to return home, but in all this
there was merely the working of a ser-
vile and compulsory fear, that trembled
at the thought of punishment, and of
that only. He intimates that his treat-
ment of the ass was owing solely to his
ignorance that the angel stood in the
way against him, but it was the under-
lying reason why the angel was thereto
withstand him at all that ought to have
been the subject-matter of his confes-
sion. Indeed, we may recognize, per-
haps, a slight acknowledgment on this
score, as otherwise it is not perfectly
obvious why he should confess to hav-
ing sinned, inasmuch as he would not
be apt to plead guilty to not having
seen the angel standing in the way,
were it not that he was aware that he
ovght to have seen him, and that he
would have seen him but for the sin-
blinded state of his mind. There seems

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me : now therefore, if it dis-
please thee, I ' will get me back
again.

z Job 34. 31,32.

to have been an under-current of con-
sciousness that the non-perception of
his divine antagonist reflected direct-
ly upon the obtuseness of his moral
vision. Tf Now, therefore, if it dis-
please thee, I will get me bach again.
Heb. " If (it be) evil in thine eyes."
Gr. "■ If it please thee not." This has
somewhat the air of a proper retrac-
tion, but it does not meet the demands
of the case ; rather it betrays a lurking
hypocrisy in the spirit of the speaker.
He is ready to return if his proceeding
onward &\\on\d displease do^. But what
room was there for an " if" in the case,
when the divine will had been so clear-
ly made known to him ? The cherish-
ing of the least doubt on the subject, or
putting the case at all hypothetically,
showed that his heart still went after
its covetousness, and that he was ex-
tremely loth to abandon the expedition.
It was a merefeigned willingness which
he professed. He was inwardly de-
sirous of going, but if necessity con-
strained him he would tu-rn back, mak-
ing, at the same time, a virtue of this
necessity.

V. 35. Go with the men. Here again
the Lord " chooses the delusions " of
the infatuated prophet. He has no
more complacency in his course than
he had in the former instance, v. 20.
But the same principle dictates his
acquiescence now that did then. See-
ing him bent upon pursuing his chosen
way, he is represented as saying to him
in words what he says to him in his
providential permission, " Go ; and
take the consequences." Such is Jar-
chi's interpretation ; — " Go with the
men, for thy portion is with them, and
thine end is to perish out of the world."

35 And the angel of the Lord
said unto Balaam, Go " with the
men : but * only the word that I

a Is. 47. 12. h ver. 20.

Thus it is that the Most High some-
times grants the wicked desires of
men's hearts, while the concession is a
token of anger and not of mercy. He
answers them " according to the idols
set up in their own hearts," Ezek. 14 :
3, 4. One may be allowed, in a way of
evil, to prevail, as it were, against God,
and against his own soul, little dream-
ing what a price he pays at length for
his triumph. The case thus recorded
fitly represents the spiritual condition
of the man whom the Lord's gracious
providence has checked by some whole-
some restraint, by the rebuke of sick-
ness, or affliction, or the voice of con-
science, that he might turn from the
way of death ; but who after the first
terror has passed away, and the heavy
hand of his God is removed, lapses
again into evil, gives way to his beset-
ting sin, and rushes onward in the ca-
reer of transgression. In respect to
Balaam, we are ready perhaps to won-
der that he was not stricken down as
well as withstood on this occasion j but
as Adams (on 2 Pet. 2 : 15) remarks,
" He spares Balaam, because he had
more to do with him : that tongue shall
get him honor in Moab, which meant
there to dishonor him. God sees it
more for his glory to fetch good out of
evil, than to sufler no evil at all. He
could soon rid the world of bad mem-
bers, but then he should lose the praise
of working good by evil instruments."

Tf But only the loord that I shall

speak unto thee, that thou shalt speah.
This may as properly be understood as
a prediction, as a precept ; implying
that whatever the bias of his spirit
might prompt him to utter, he would
still find himself under a superior con-

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXII.

365

shall speak unto thee, th at thou
shalt speak. So Balaam went
with the princes of Balak.

36 And when Balak heard
that Balaam was come, he went
out to meet him unto a city of

trol which it would be impossible to
resist. His going to Balak is permit-
ted, but by the circumstance of the ass's
speaking as with man's mouth, he is
taught that he is himself to be merely
the month of God; not speaking his
own words, but such as should be put
into his mouth ; even as the words of
the animal had been put into her mouth.
Indeed, the whole miraculous incident
seems to have been ordered with the
design of showing that Balaam was as
truly an involuntary instrument in ut-
tering his blessings upon Israel as was
the ass in uttering articulate words
against its own nature.

V. 36. He went out to meet Mm, etc.
That is, he went out with a cavalcade
to meet and welcome him in a style of
princely magnificence. In like man-
ner, though with less pomp, Moses
went out to meet his father-in-law, Ex.
18 : 7, Joseph to meet Israel his father.
Gen. 26 : 29, and the kings of Sodom
and of Salem to meet Abraham, Gen.
14 : 17, 18. Heb. 7 : 1. Although we
cannot now determine the point from
which Balak started, yet it is to be in-
ferred from the localities mentioned,
that he travelled to a very considerable
distance, even to Ar, on the border of
Amon, which was the boundary be-
tween Moab and the Amorites, ch. 21 :
13, 26. The respect shown to the hire-
ling prophet on this occasion evinces
the spirit of those who are devoted to
superstition without a sincere fear of
God. They are cringing to their false
prophets ; they load them with flatteries
and favors, and come but little short of

Moab, which is in the border
of Arnon, which is in the ut-
most coast.

37 And Balak said unto Ba-
laam, Did I not earnestly send
unto thee to call thee ? where-
worshipping them. But they will have
it understood that these prophets must
be obsequious to their wishes ; they
must favor their schemes of pride, am-
bition, avarice, lust, or oppression, or
they are soon made to feel that their
services are not required. We may see
from this instance, also, how much
stronger with some are the bonds of
self-interest than those of neighborly or
brotherly afiection. These Moabites,
instead of meeting their brother Israel
with bread and water in the way, when
they came out of Egypt, would fain
meet them in hostile array and repel
them from their borders ; and yet the
king himself does not hesitate to go
forth to the extreme limit of his king-
dom to meet this mercenary soothsayer,
whom he had hired to curse the chosen
people. We have no ground to wonder
at the malediction pronounced against
that nation, Deut. 23 : 3-6.

V. 37. Did I not earnestly send unto
thee ? Heb. " Sending, did I not send
unto thee?" He is at a loss, like all
men clothed with power and wealth,
and accustomed to have their will re-
garded as law, and their inducements
considered as irresistible, to conceive
why his solicitation should not have

taken effect at once. T[ Am I not

able, indeed, to promxite thee to honor ?
Heb. JcabhedeM, to make thee heavy, a
term employed elsewhere to signify
that moral weight which arises from
the bestowment upon one of riches and
honor. In this case, however, it is
clear that whatever were Balak's boast
of his ability, it amounted to nothing,

366

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fore earnest thou not unto me ?
am I not able indeed to pro-
mote ' thee to honour ?

38 And Balaam said unto
Balak, Lo, I am come unto
thee : have I now any power
at all to say any thing? the

c ver. n. c. 24. 11. Pa. 75. 6. John 5. 44.

as he finally" sent away Balaam in dis-
grace, because he was withheld by a
divine power from cursing the people
whom the Lord had blessed. " They
both looked for promotion, either from
the other ; and he that said, ' Am I not
able to promote thee ?' insinuates a con-
fession withal, Thou art able to promote
me. Two would be raised, and both by
the downfall of a third." — Admm.

V. 38. Have I any power at all to say
any thing? Heb. "Having ability am
I able." The word for "ability" or
"power" is repeated in the original to
make the intimation more emphatic.
This is in some degree expressed by
the phrase "at all" in our version.
The purport of Balaam's reply is this :
" I am come, indeed, in compliance
with your request, and in reality should
be glad to act in accordance with your
wishes ; but I must forewarn you that
I am under a mysterious constraint,
and can speak only what the Lord shall
be pleased to put into my mouth.
Therefore be not surprised if the whole
affair should prove a failure." The
words contain a virtual excuse or apol-
ogy, uttered in anticipation, and de-
signed to avert the king's displeasure
in case the attempt should prove abor-
tive. How clearly did the Most High
in this vindicate his character as the
Lord that " frustrateth the tokens of
the liars, and maketh diviners mad ;
that turneth wise men backward, and
maketh their knowledge foolish." Is.
44:25.

word '^ that Grod putteth in my
mouth, that shall I speak.

39 And Balaam went with
Balak, and they came unto
Kirjath-huzoth.

40 And Balak offered oxen
and sheep, and sent to Balaam,

V. 39. TJiey came to Kirjatli-Huzotli.
Heb. " The city of streets." It proba-
bly denotes the city to which the party
returned, and in that case we may sup-
pose it with probability to have been
the city of the royal residence, and per-
haps at no great distance from where
the Israelites were now encamped.

V. 40. And Balak offered oxen and
sheep. The offering of these beasts on
this occasion had nothing to do with
the subsequent oblations and invoca-
tions of Balak and Balaam as related in
the following chapters. This was evi-
dently merely a sacrifice of thanksgiv-
ing to the gods of Moab for the safe ar-
rival of the welcome guest, who is treat-
ed with a feast upon the sacrifice. It
was doubtless something similar to the
feast mentioned ch. 25 : 2, of which it
is said, " they called the people of Is-
rael unto the sacrifices of their gods ;
and the people did eat and bowed down
to their gods." Of such a feast was
Balaam, a professed worshipper of the
true God, invited to partake, and from
aught that appears, accepted the invi-
tation. According to the principles laid
down by Paul, 1 Cor. 10 : 18-21, this
was but another step in the career of
evil in which he had embarked ; — " Be-
hold Israel after the flesh : are not they
which eat of the sacrifices, partakers of
the altar? What say I then? that the
idol is any thing, or that which is otter-
ed in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
But I say, that the things which the
Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice, to

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIII.

367

and to the princes that were
with him.

41 And it came to pass on
the morrow, that Balak took
Balaam, and brought him up'
into the high ' places of Baal,

devils, and not to God: and I would
not that ye should have fellowship with
devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of
the Lord, and the cup of devils : ye can-
not be partakers of the Lord's table,

and of the table of devils." 1 And

sent to Balaam and to the princes. That
is, sent portions of the meat of sacrifice
to Balaam and his friends where they
were lodged. It does not mean that he
sent for them to attend at the feast it-
self. Vulg. "And when Balak had
killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents
to Balaam, and to the princes that were
with him."

V. 41. BrougM Mm tip to the high
pl<ices of Baal. B.eh.bdmoth Baal, i.e.,
the consecrated high places of Baal.
Gr. " The pillars (or monuments) of
Baal." Chald. " The high places of his
Fear," i. e., of the god of his fear. Targ.
Jon. " The fear of Peor," i. e., the object
of the idolatrous fear. Baal, having the
import of Lord, Master, or Patron, was
the name given by many nations in
that part of Asia to the idols worship-
ped on high places, hills, or mountains.
Wherever employed it signified the
sun, and with the Moabites was but
another name for Cliemosh, their pre-
siding deity. Balak made choice of an
elevated position, both because such
places were chiefly used for the purpose
of sacrificing to the gods, and from
such a place Balaam could have a more
distinct view of the camp of the Israel-
ites, which was thought to be a matter
of peculiar importance, as giving ad-
ditional efficacy to the curse uttered.

that thence he might see the
utmost ^ar^ of the people.

CHAPTER XXIII.

AND Balaam said unto Balak,
" Build me here seven al-

CHAPTER XXin.

Balak' s First Sacrifice.

V. 1. Build me here seven altars. A
peculiar sanctity did indeed attach to
the number seven among the Jews, but
we nowhere read of seven altars in the
appointed worship of that people. As
they acknowledged but one God, so
they had but one altar. Hence the
erection of seven, by Balaam's order,
savored seemingly of the tricks of
magic and incantation. The more
charitable conjectures of some exposi-
tors would refer it, however, to a de-
sire to propitiate the God of the Jews,
who had created the world within
seven days, and had otherwise signal-
ized this number. This we are inclined
to regard as the correct solution of the
incident, as otherwise we cannot so
well account for the language in v. 3,
" peradventure the Lord (Jehovah) will
come to me," which implies, we think,
that he designed to address his worship
to the true God. Yet his conduct was
marred as usual by gross inconsistency.
His impiety is here evinced by the fact
that instead of dissuading Balak from
his wicked purpose by citing the author-
ity of God, who had forbidden him to
curse Israel, he unites with him in en-
deavoring to effect this iniquitous end,
and that, too, under color of religious
service, building altars and offering
sacrifices, as if the unchangeable Jeho-
vah could be wrought upon by such
ceremonies. Alas, how soon had he
forgotten the oracle of God, the sword

368

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tars, and prepare me here seven
oxen and seven rams.

2 And Balak did as Balaam
had spoken ; and Balak and
Balaam offered * on every altar
a bullock and a ram.

3 And Balaam said unto Ba-

ft ver. 14, 30.

of the Angel, and the dangers he had
so narrowly escaped in the way, and
how eagerly was he now "runnuig
after the error" of his evil heart, mak-
ing good the saying of the prophet,
" Let favor be shown to the wicked,
yet will he not learn righteousness."

V. 2. And Balak did as Balaam had
spoken. It may doubtless be presumed
that Balaam had used his best efforts to
convince Balak of the necessity of di-
recting his worship to the God of Is-
rael, if they would succeed in their
scheme of malediction; and yet how
astounding that they should not have
seen the absurdity of endeavoring to
engage the Most High to go counter to
his own counsels and attributes !

V. 3. Stand by thy hurnt-qffering.
Heb. " Cause thyself to stand," i. e.,
present thyself here in a devout atti-
tude before the Lord, and retain thy
position without attempting to follow
me in my retirement. Offerers were
wont to stand by their sacrifices while
burning, and thus present themselves
to the Lord, who had first respect to
the offerer and then to his gift. Gen. 4 :
4, 5. Accordingly Balak and his princes
were to stand there, if so be God would

liave respect to their persons. Tf Fer-

adveniure the Lord will come to meet
7ne. Gr. " If perhaps the Lord will ap-
pear." H / will go. That is, will

go by myself into some private place,
where I can perform those additional
secret rites whicjj are necessary to com-
plete success. This may be inferred

lak, ' Stand by thy burnt-offer-
ing, and I will go : perad venture
the Lord will come to meet me,
and whatsoever he showeth me,
I will tell thee. And he went
to an high place.

4 And "^ God met Balaam :

c ver. 15.

d ver. 16.

from ch. 24 : 1, *' And when Balaam
saw that it pleased the Lord to bless
Israel, he went not, as at other times,

to seek for enchantments, etc. T[ And

he went to an high place. Heb. va-yelek
shephi, of which the true sense is not
easily ascertained. "Solitary," or "to
a solitary place ;" " a valley ;" " a cliff
of a rock ;" " a bare hill," are the vari-
ous renderings ascribed to it by critics
and lexicographers. Chald. " He went
alone." Gr. "He went straight for-
ward." Vulg. "When he was gone
with speed." A satisfactory choice
from among these conflicting senses is
scarcely possible, but as the current of
authority inclines to the signification
of " hill " or " summit," we, on the
whole, abide in that as the most proba-
ble. Hengstenberg, with much confi-
dence, adopts "bare hill" as the ren-
dering, as the verb shaphdh, from
which shephi is derived, has for its
primary signification to plane or smooth
off. The altars were probably erected on
a summit or summits shaded with trees,
which intercepted the prospect ; the hill
to which Balaam went may be supposed
to have been a bare or naked eminence,
giving him an unobstructed view of the
neighboring regions. Prof. Lee trans-
lates it, " An elevated and conspicuous
place, having an extensive view."

V. 4. And God met Balaam. Gr.
"God appeared to Balaam." Chald.
" The Word from before the Lord met
(or came unto) Balaam." Sam. " The
Angel of God found Balaam." The

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIII.

369

and he said unto him, I have
prepared seven altars, and I
have offered upon every altar a
bullock and a ram.

5 And the Lord put ' a word
in Balaam's mouth, and said,

e c. 2-2. 35. Deut. 18. IS. .Ter. 1. 9.

" meeting " was probably by a visible
manifestation in the form of an angel,
as on a former occasion. Although
Balaam now sought the Lord, both
from wrong motives and in wrong
methods, so far as enchantments were
employed, yet he was pleased to meet
him and put a word in his mouth, in
which he acted with a view to the good
of his people, rather than to the person-
al gratification of the prophet. " But
will God meet with a sorcerer? Will
he make a prophet of a magician ? 0
man, who shall prescribe God what in-
struments he shall use ! He knows
how to employ, not only saints and
angels, but wicked men, beasts, devils,
to his own glory. He that puts words
into the mouth of the ass, puts words
into the mouth of Balaam : the words
do but pass from him ; they are not pol-
luted, because they are not his." — Bp.

Hall. T[ / Jutve prepared, etc. Heb.

"I have set in order." Balaam here
recites his doings before the Lord, as if
he did not know how many altars he
had made, and how many sacrifices he
had offered, or as if he would be pleased
with such a magnificent show of devo-
tion. Well might the reproof have now
been addressed to Balaam which was
afterwards given to Saul : " Hath the
Lord as much delight in sacrifices and
ofierings, as in obeying the voice of the
Lord: behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat
of lambs." So again, Prov. 21 : 3, " To
do justice and judgment is more accept-
able to the Lord than sacrifice."

Return unto Balak, and thus
thou shalt speak.

6 And he returned unto him ;
and, lo, he stood by his burnt-
sacrifice, he, and all the princes
of Moab.

7 And he took up his para-

V. 5. And the Lord put a word in
Balaam's mouth. Paying no attention
to Balaam's pompous parade of his
hypocritical worship, which was in fact
an abomination to him, Prov. 15 : 8, he
sends him back with a burden of bless-
ing instead of cursing, though contrary
to his own and to Balak's desire. " The
preparations of the heart in man, and
the answer of the tongue, is from the
Lord." " This speaks comfort to God's
witnesses, whom at any time he calls
out to speak for him ; if God put a word
into the mouth of Balaam, who would
have defied God and Israel, surely he
will not be wanting to those who desire
to glorify God and edify his people by i
their testimony ; but ' it shall be given J
them in that same hour what they '
should speak.' " — Henry.

Balaam* s first Prophecy.
Y. 7. And he took up his parable.
Heb. mdshdl, comparison, similitude.
The term is applied to any kind of alle-
gorical or figurative speech of a more
solemn and weighty import than usual.
Under this head come such sayings as
the proverbs and apophthegms of wise
men, and such prophetical utterances
as those here recorded, of which the
style is somewhat elevated and majes-
tic. We do not find it, however, a
designation of prophecy in general, but
only of that species which partakes of
the sententious and oracular. Targ.
Jon. " He took up the parable of his
prophecy." By " taking up " is de-
noted uttering or pronouncing in a

870

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1453.

ble-'', and said, Balak the king
of Moab hath brought me from
Aram, out of the mountains of
the east, saying^ Come, curse ^
me Jacob, and come, defy * Is-
rael.

/ ver. 18. c. 24. 3, 15, 23. Job 27. 1. 29. 1 Pi.
■JS. 2. Ezek. n. 2. Mic. 2. 4. Hab. -2. 6. Mat. 13.33,35.
g Prov. 26. 2. h 1 Sam. 17. lu.

somewhat elevated tone of voice, such
as would be calculated to command par-
ticular attention. T[ Hath hrought

me from Aram. That is, Aram-Nalia-
rairn, Aram of the two rivers (Tigris
and Euphrates), to which answers the
ancient Mesopotamia, or region letween
the rivers. Gr. "Balak the king of
Moab, hath sent for me from Mesopo-
tamia." Targ. Jon. " Balak bath sent
for me from Aram, which is by Euphra-
tes." Comp. Deut. 23 : 4, " They hired
against thee Balaam the son of Beor, of
Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee."
This region is for the most part flat, but
the northern part of it is mountainous,
and from that quarter came Balaam, as
he here declares that he was called out of

" the mountains of the east." TJ Defy

Israel. Heb. zoamdh, implying to exe-
crate with violent threats and indig-
nant rage — a word of peculiar intensity
of meaning. It occurs Dan. 11 : 30,
*' Therefore shall he be grieved, and
return, and have indignation against
the holy covenant." Hengstenberg re-
marks, " The sense of being angry will
appear quite appropriate to this pas-
sage, if it be considered that the curse
can only be the result of the most vio-
lent inward excitement against the ob-
ject of it, and that any one would
strive, before pronouncing it, to arouse
himself to rage in every way, upon the
intensity of which the efficacy of the
curse depended."

V. 8. How shall I curse whom God
hath not cursed, etc. I am required,

8 How ' shall I curse, whom
God hath not cursed ? or how
shall I defy, whom the Lord
hath not defied ?

9 For from the top of the
rocks I see him, and from the
hills I behold him : lo, the peo-

t Is. 47. 12, 13.

says Balaam, to curse Israel, but how
can I, when God, the true author and
sole lord of blessing and cursing, does
not curse, but blesses him? This was
honestly acknowledging that his tongue
was tied, so that he could utter nothing
except as he was prompted by a divine
impulse. The fundamental import of
the declaration is, that as God hath not
cursed, so Balaam cannot. Blessed are
they whom the Lord himself will not
curse, and upon whom he pronounces a
blessing, even in the presence of them
that would curse. This is the privilege
of all the Israel of God, and of every
single believer in Christ. To every
secret or open enemy the Lord says,
"Thou shalt not curse whom I have
blessed." This was a clear demonstra-
tion of the vanity of the compliment
paid him by Balak, "I wot that he
whom thou blessest is blessed, and he
whom thou cursest is cursed."

y. 9. From the top of the rocks I see
him, etc. His elevated position on the
rocks gave him a commanding view
of the encampment of Israel, but the
words have a reach of meaning beyond
what was embraced in the mere exter-
nal vision. Though as seen from the
great distance at which he stood they
must have been diminished to a dwarf-
like size, yet they portended something
great and formidable. In the spirit of
prophecy he sees far more in the people
of God than struck the outward eye.
In fact, we are no doubt to consider
that Balaam's ecstatic vision through-

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIII.

371

pie shall dwell alone*, and shall'

k Deut. 33. 28. I Er. 33. 16. Ezra 9. 2. Eph. 2. 14.

out was not merely corporeal, but that
with the seeing of the bodily eye there
was combined the penetration of the
spiritual eye which pierces into the
depths and essences of invisible things.
This is evident from the subsequent
prophecy, ch. 24 : 5, when, with open
eyes he depicts the loveliness of the
tents of Israel in a manner which shows
that the outward beholding is intro-
duced only as a basis for the inward.

T[ The people shall dwell alone, etc.

Heb. lehdddd yishkon, shall dwells or
tabernacle, alone, the root from which
comes Shekinah. The original term
for " alone " is closely related in signifi-
cation to the Heb. hateh, implying safe-
ty, security, and both ideas are to be
included in the present rendering. The
word "for" {ki) in the commencement
of this verse is no doubt to be regarded
as a connective between what precedes
and what follows : — " How shall I curse
or defy the people whom God hath not
cursed or defied, /o;*, beholding as I do
with interior vision the vast congrega-
tion, I perceive that their destiny is to
dwell as an isolated race, separate from
all other nations, and enjoying the pecu-
liar auspices of heaven both temporal
and spiritual." Here was a declaration
of their present blessedness, and a re-
markable prophecy of their future con-
dition, to the fulfilment of which all
history bears witness. It has uniformly
been their great peculiarity, and now,
after the lapse of three thousand years
*' the people still dwell alone, and are
not reckoned among the nations." Other
nations have passed away, or been
melted down into one common mass,
while the race of Israel has remained
distinguished by indubitable marks of
national character, and by special pecu-
liarities of feature, manners, and laws.

not be reckoned among the na-
tions.

Their knowledge and worship of the
true God has ever formed a broad line
of demarcation between them and the
various peoples that have been sunk in
ignorance and idolatry. They are now
indeed, for their sins, and especially for
their rejection of Christ, scattered over
the earth, yet they dwell alone ; they
do not amalgamate with other nations ;
they are not reckoned among them.
Their own strongly marked peculiari-
ties, and the prejudices and antipathies
of Christians, Mohammedans, and Pa-
gans, still keep them unmingled with
those among whom they sojourn, and
in many cases deprive them of partici-
pation in the common privileges of citi-
zenship. Even in their captivities their
peculiarities as a people have remained
unshaken. While other nations, when
vanquished and dispersed, have become
incorporated with their victors, and
been assimilated to the people among
whom they have dwelt ; the Jews in
every country are a distinct people,
and are living witnesses to the truth of
this prophecy. But "how," as Bp.
Newton inquires, " could Balaam, upon
a distant view only of a people, whom
he had never seen or known before,
have discovered the genius and man-
ners, not only of the people then living,
but of their posterity to the latest gene-
rations'?" Surely nothing short of a
divine inspiration could have opened
their character and destiny to his view.
But his words are not to be understood
of tbe literal Israel only. They are
equally true of that spiritual body which
Israel after the flesh represented. The
members of the Lord's true Christian
church also dwell alone. Owing to the
influence of the principles by which
they are governed, and to the hatred
and opposition of the world of the un-

372

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

10 Who "" can count the dust

m Gen. 13. 16.

godly, they are inevitably separated
from them. Denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, renouncing all sinful
pleasures, gains, and glories, they are
marked by a holy singularity, and are
reckoned as a distinct and separate peo-
ple. All this is to be considered as en-
tering into the purport of this inspired
prediction, and we are to recognize the
spiritual as well as the literal fulfilment

throughout, H Shall not be reckoned

mnong the nations. Or, Heb. "Shall
not reckon itself," which is a well-known
and very frequent usage of the Hithpael
conjugation {yithhashshdh). However
it might be in the estimate of others,
yet this holy singularity should be fully
asserted to the consciousness of the
chosen people, both the external and
the internal. This conscious isolation
expresses itself appropriately in the lan-
guage of the apostle, " We know that
we are of God, and the whole world
lieth in wickedness," 1 John 5 : 19.

V. 10. Who can count the dust of Is-
rael, etc. Heb. " Who counteth?" Chald.
" Who is able to count ?" The " dust of
Jacob " is evidently the seed of Jacob
multiplied according to the promise,
Gen. 28 : 14, to a number which could
only be compared to the dust of the
earth, whence Geddes renders it, " Who
shall count the dust-like seed of Jacob ?"
Of the ancient versions the Gr. has,
" Who hath exactly calculated the seed
of Jacob ?" Chald. *' Who can count
the little ones of the house of Jacob, of
whom it was said that they shall be
multiplied as the dust of the earth?"
Y'et as there seems to be no good rea-
son for supposing that Balaam was ac-
quainted with this promise, we cannot
well resist the conclusion that the lan-
guage was put into his mouth by a di-
vine suggestion wholly independent of

of Jacob, and the number of the
fourth part of Israel ? Let me

his own intelligence and his own will.
The words embody a prophetic intima-
tion of the vast physical increase of the
Israelitish people, but we apprehend
that the spiritual seed is the principal
theme of the prediction, those numbers
of the true people of God which have
been gathered together into his Chuch
through all ages, and of which the sum
is continually swelling. We think it
has respect to that "great multitude,
which no man can number, of all na-
tions, and kindreds, and people, and
tongues, which stand before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes and palms in their hands."

T[ And the number of the fourth

{part) of Israel. Or, " Of a quarter,"
as also in the Chald. " Of one of the four
camps of Israel," in allusion to the four-
fold division of the tribes in the order
of encampment, as described ch. 2, hav-
ing the Tabernacle in the midst. It
was equivalent to saying. How vast is
already the number of this favored peo-
ple, when even in their present condi-
tion one department of their camp looks
like a whole nation ! But how much
more immense shall be the increase of

their spiritual seed in after times ! •

TI Let me die the death of the righteous^
and let my last end be like his ! Heb.
" Let my soul die ;" a Hebrew phrase
in which the soul is put for the person,
whether I, thou, or he, as the case may
be. We find it said of Rachel, Gen.
35 : 18, that " it came to pass as her
soul was in departing," an expression
equivalent to death. So also Samson
says, Judg. 16:30, "Let my soul die
with the Philistines." So likewise,
when the Lord is said to swear by his
soul, Jer. 51 : 14, the meaning is, that
he swears by himself. The original
term for "righteous" is D'^nTD"" yesJiOr

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIII.

873

die the death " of the righteous,
and let my last end be like his !

» Ps. 37. 37. Prov. 14. 32. 2 Cor, 5. 1.

rim, from a root implying rectitude,
probity, integrity. Its first three let-
ters correspond with the first three in
Israel ( ^Niaj^ ), to which Hengsten-
berg and/)thers suppose it alludes. It
is doubtless equivalent also to " Jeshu-
run," Deut. 32 : 15, signifying vpright
or rigJiteous. He would intimate, by
applying the word upright to Israel,
that he regarded their lot as superior
in distinction and privilege to that of
all other people, and therefore would
wish to have his own identical with it.
Chald. " Let my soul die the death of
the just men thereof," i. e., of the peo-
ple of Israel. As if he had said, They
are a people not only happy in this life
above other nations, and therefore be-
yond the reach of my curses, but they
have this peculiar privilege, that they
are happy after death. Their happi-
ness begins where the happiness of
others ends ; and I therefore heartily
wish that my soul may have its portion
with theirs when I die. But, alas, the
sequel shows how vain was the wish.
Refusing to live the life of the righteous,
and intent upon the wages of iniquity,
he perished at last by the sword of Is-
rael, being found among their enemies,
eh. 31 : 8. Josh. 13 : 22. The spirit of
prophecy, however, undoubtedly refers
to the favored lot of the true as well as
of the typical Israelites, for an ungodly
Jew can no more be saved than an un-
godly heathen. Looking onward to the
future lot of the spiritual Israel, he saw
them distinguished from the rest of the
world, and however they might be in-
volved in the calamities of the wicked
Tiere, yet he beheld them translated at
death to a state of endless blessedness
and peace; and therefore he desired
that the death which they died he might

11 And Balak said unto Ba-
laam, What hast thou done unto

die also. Gr. "Let my soul die with

the souls of just men," T[ And let

my last end he like his. Heb. aharithi,
my hereafter, lit. my afterhood. Gr.
" Let my seed be like their seed," i. e.
my posterity. This is usually under-
stood as the expression of a wish on
the part of Balaam that his last end,
or closing scene, might be like that
of the righteous. This idea we may
properly include in the import of the
term, but from dominant usage we in-
cline to give it a more extended sense,
as equivalent to his general or entire fu-
ture, the ivhole sequel of his lot, both in
this world and the next. This idea of
simple futurity will be found to be the
prevailing sense of the term in the
sacred writers, and this brings it suffi-
ciently into parallelism with the pre-
ceding clause. Viewed in this light,
the words convey the virtual desire of
every man, even the most abandoned,
who is capable of appreciating the con-
trasted lot of the righteous and the
wicked. "Who is there that lives under
the light of the Gospel but feels an in-
ward persuasion that God will put a
radical difference between these two
classes? However much the worldly
or vicious man may hate the persons
of the righteous, he envies their state,
and inwardly cherishes the thought,
" If I were now to die, I should be glad
to be found in their lot." But vain is
the hope of any man to die the death of
the righteous if he will not live his life ;
or that he shall attain to his end with-
out walking in his way ;

" ' O let me die his death !' the prophet cries,
' Then live his life,' the sacred word re-
plies,"
V. 11. Itooh thee to curse mine ene-
mies. Heb. IdkahtiM, I received thee.

374

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

me ? I " took thee to curse mine
enemies, and, behold, thou hast
blessed them altogether.

12 And he answered and
said, p Must I not takg. heed to

0 c. 22. 11. ;> oilfe. 38.

Gr. and Vulg. " I have called thee."
Chald. " I have led thee." This allusion,
we think, is to his first sending for Ba-
laam and his subsequent reception of
him in his territories. The words ex-
press the vexation of the king at the
abortive attempts of Balaam to inflict
his curses upon Israel. It is as if he
had said, " What an impotent prophet,
what a sad hireling, art thou ! I took
thee for one who would do the work for
which my wages paid thee; and now
how grievously hast thou failed me !
Instead of cursing, thou hast altogether
blessed them." Heb. "Blessing thou
hast blessed them." Notwithstanding
all his pompous parade of altars and
sacrifices, as if he would devoutly wait
for such an answer as God should send
him, yet when the result failed to an-
swer his expectations, he was wrought
into a passion against Balaam, as if he
were the sole cause of the disappoint-
ment. "Sometimes God makes the
enemies of his church a vexation one
to another, while He that sits in the
heavens laughs at them, and the efforts
of their impotent malice." — Henry.

V. 12. Must I not take heed to speak
that, etc. Or, Ileb. "Shall I not ob-
serve to speak ?" Although the proud
king, in the preceding verse, reproach-
es Balaam as though he had fairly pur-
chased the authority to control his ut-
terances as he pleased, yet the prophet
here represses his arrogance by plead-
ing the divine command, and assuring
him that he could announce only what
the Lord had put into his mouth. It is
clear, however, from the whole narra-
tive, that the inclination of his heart

speak that which the Lord hath
put in my mouth ?

13 And Balak said unto him,
Come, I pray thee, with me un-
to ^ another place, from whence

q 1 K. 20. 23.

was towards Balak and his rewards,
and that if he had been left to himself,
he would have yielded without reserve
to the wishes of his royal employer.
But being inwardly withheld from
cursing, he speaks as if he would make
a virtue of his obedience to the necessi-
ty laid upon him, which probably went
to deepen the self-deception that he
was all along practising upon him-
self.

V. 13. Come, I pray thee, with me
unto another place, etc. Balaam having
now declared to Balak the reason of his
failure, the infatuated king strangely
imagines that the locality was in fault,
and that the Most High would be more
propitious to him in another situation,
and would look more graciously upon
fresh sacrifices. He therefore proposes
to him to shift his position, with a view
to gain a better prospect of the objects
of his anathemas, as if a change of place
with man could produce a change of
purpose in God ! The proposal implies
a confidence in some magical power
exercised by the eye, as if this organ
contributed somewhat to the efficacy
of the imprecation. That the clear,
fixed gaze of the enchanter had a de-
cided eff'ect upon his art, is the un-
equivocal testimony of ancient writers
who have described the superstitions
of their age. Balak accordingly de-
termines, if possible, to bring him to
such a stand-point on the mountains
that he shall not be dismayed by a
view of the whole body of the people
en masse, but shall see only such a por-
tion of them as shall be most favorable
to the effect of his malediction.

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIII.

375

thou mayest see them : thou
shalt see but the uttermost part
of them, and shalt not see them
all : and curse me them from
thence.

14 And he brought him into
the field of Zophim, to the top
of Pisgah, and built •■ seven al-
tars, and offered ' a bullock and
a ram on every altar.

15 And he said unto Balak,
Stand here by thy burnt-offer-
ing, while I meet the LORD
yonder.

Balaam! 8 Second Farahle.

V. 14. Brought Mm into the field of
Zophim. That is, to the field of the
spies or watchers. Gv. " He took him to a
watch-tower of the field." It was prob-
ably some lofty position commanding a
wide view of the adjacent country, and
such as was usually chosen for a place
of espial by those appointed to watch

the approach of enemies. *l To the

top of Pisgah. Gr. " To the top of the
quarried (rock)." Chald. " To the top
of the hill;" both versions understand-
ing the original as a common instead
of a proper name. As the Hebrew term
has the article, there is perhaps some
ground for this opinion, and for the
rendering " top (head) of the hill," but
it is now impossible to determine the
minutiae of the topography of this re-
gion. Hengstenberg, in the Geograph-
ical Appendix to his treatise on the
History of Balaam, has treated the sub-
ject more fully than any other one.

V. 15. While I meet {the Lord) yon-
der. The words supplied are evidently
to be understood, as may be inferred
from the similar passage, v, 3. Gr. " I
will go to inquire of God." The phrase
** going to meet " was probably tech-

16 And the Lord met Ba-
laam, and put ' a word in his
mouth, and said, Go again unto
Balak, and say thus.

17 And when he came to
him, behold, he stood by his
burnt-offering, and the princes
of Moab with him. And Balak
said unto him. What " hath the
Lord spoken ?

18 And he took up his para-
ble, and said, Rise "up, Balak,
and hear ; hearken unto me,
thou son of Zippor :

i ver. 5. u 1 Sam. 3. 17. Jer. 37. 17. v Judg. 3. '20.

nical with prophets and diviners. The

next verse shows that " the Lord " is to
be understood.

V. 18. Bise up, Balak, and hear.
This can hardly be understood of the
bodily position, for it seems, v. 17, that
he was then standing by his burnt-
ofiering. It is to be conceived rather
as having reference to a mental erection
or attentiveness. Hengstenberg well
remarks : " He calls upon the king to
rise mentally, as the importance of the
prophecy he was about to utter de-
manded. This 'Rise up' is applica-
ble not to Balak only, but to all who
approach the holy Scripture. "Whoever
would understand God's Word, must
free himself from his natural sloth and
mental dissipation — must gird himself
up and collect his mental powers."
Such an internal state would, however,
ordinarily express itself by suitable out-
ward gestures ; the words are therefore
equivalent to an intimation that he
should hearken with every token of be-
coming reverence to a message brought
from God, even as Ehud, Judg. 3 : 20,
told Eglon that he had brought him
such a message ; it is said that " he

arose out of his seat." 1 Hearken,

unto me, thou son of Zippor. The words

876

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

19 God "■ is not a man, that
he should lie ; neither the son
of man, that he should repent :

w 1 Sam. 15. 29. Ps. 89. 35. Rom. 11. 29. Tit. 1. 2.
Heb. 6. 18. James 1. 17.

of Balaam are all along marked by the
equivalent parallelisms, or JiemisticTis,
so peculiar to Hebrew poetry. There
is usually some shade of difference in
the meaning of the two clauses, while
the substantial purport is the same.
The authoritative tone which Balaam
here assumes, in commanding Balak's
attention, is to be referred to the same
general afflatus or impulse under which
he speaks throughout. The words are
a fit preface to the solemn enunciation
that follows, which, in point of style,
rises to the highest pitch of sublimity
and grandeur.

V. 19. God is not a man that Tie
should lie, etc. The rendering of the
Chald. is here peculiar : " The word of
God is not like the speeches of the sons
of man, (for) the sons of man do say
and lie." The language implies a vir-
tual reproach, as much as to say,
" "Wouldst thou make God a liar ? "
No more fearful mistake is made than
when we judge the Lord from our-
selves. Men change their minds, and
therefore break their word; they lie,
because they repent. But God does
neither. He never changes his mind,
and therefore never recalls his prom-
ises. His very name, "Jehovah," im-
plies the unchangeable as well as the
eternal. " He is of one mind ; and who
can turn him?" This immutability
makes it " impossible for him to lie,"
and consequently he can never swerve
from his purpose of preservation and

benediction towards his people.

^ Neither the son of man, that he should
repent. A parallel testimony we find
borne by Samuel before Saul, 1 Sam.
15 : 29, " The strength of Israel will

hath he said, and shall he not
do it ? or hath "^ he spoken, and
shall he not make it good ?

X 1 Chr. 17. 17. Mic.7. 20.

not lie nor repent ; for he is not a man
that he should repent." The Scripture,
indeed, occasionally predicates repent-
ance of the Most High, but the scope of
the context will make it plain in such
cases, that it is the language of ap-
parent rather than of real truth, and
that nothing more is meant by it than
that a change takes place in the mode
of his dealings with his creatures in
view of a corresponding change in
their deportment towards him. The
principle is clearly developed in the
following passage from Jer. 18 : 7-10,
"At what instant I shall speak con-
cerning a nation, and concerning a
kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull
down, and to destroy it : if that nation
against whom I have pronounced, turn
from their evil, I will repent of the evil
that I thought to do unto them. And
at what instant I shall speak concern-
ing a nation, and concerning a king-
dom, to build and to plant it : if it do
evil in my sight, that it obey not my
voice, then I will repent of the good,
wherewith I said I would benefit
them." But all this is to be understood
in perfect consistency with the essen-
tial truth, that in him "there is no
variableness, nor shadow of turning."
All such language is a mere adaptation
to our feeble modes of conceiving di-
vine things. 1[ Hath he spohen, and

shall he not make it good ? Heb. " Shall
he not cause it to stand ? " that is, con-
firm it. Chald. "And all his words
shall be confirmed." Gr. "Shall he
speak, and shall he not continue?"
that is, constantly perform what he
hath spoken. A comparison of the fol-
lowing passages will show the relation

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIII.

377

20 Behold, I have received
commandment to bless, and he
•'hath blessed ; and I cannot ' re-
verse it.

y c. 22. 12. z John 10. 28, 29. Rom. 8.38, 39.

between confirming and continving.
Deut. 27 : 26, " Cursed be he that con-
firmeth not all the words of this law to
do them." Gal. 3 : 10, " For it is writ-
ten, Cursed is every one that conUnu-
eth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them."
The words convey a universal truth, al-
though it is not improbable that they
were spoken with a more specific refer-
ence to what the Lord had declared
through Balaam in his first promise,
and the substance of which is recited in
the ensuing verse. The causes which
operate to make men fail in accomplish-
ing their intentions or promises can
have no place with Jehovah, He is in-
deed said in Scripture to repent when
he withholds his punishments on the re-
pentance of men, or when he revokes
the mer-cies which they have abused.
But his purposes are irrevocable by
himself, and unalterable by others.
Whatever of mercy or of judgment he
hath declared to any man or people,
neither men nor devils can hinder, for
being unchangeable on earth himself,
he cannot but be immutably true to his
word.

V. 20. Ihave received {commandment)
to hless. The word supplied is evidently
required by the sense, and the Hebrew
usage furnishes frequent instances of
similar omissions, which are easily sup-
plied from the scope of the passage.
Thus, 1 Chron. 18 : 6, " Then David put
in Syria-Damascus," which is expressed
in full in the parallel passage, 2 Sam.
8:6, " Then David put garrisons in
Syria of Damascus." H And lean-
not reverse it. Or, Heb. "I shall not
turn it away, or turn it back." Chald.

21 He "hath not beheld ini-
quity in Jacob, neither hath he

a Ps. 103. H. Is. 1. 18.
7, 8. 8. 1.

17. Mic. 7, 19. Rom. 4.

" And I shall not turn my blessing from
them." Our version, however, conveys
the correct sense. Balaam would not
reverse the divine decree because he
could not ; and what he says of him-
self holds true of all others and in all
ages. The divine purposes insure to
the members of the true church the
performance of the divine promises.
Isot an iota of all that the Lord hath
said shall fail. No power in heaven,
earth, or hell, can avail to turn aside
the Most High from his fixed purpose
of bestowing the blessings of eternal
life upon his genuine people. Is. 14 :
27, "For the Lord of hosts hath pur-
posed, and who shall disannul it V and
his hand is stretched out, and who shall
turn it back?" How cheering the
thought amidst the mutabilities of life
—"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday,
to-day, and forever ! " How great the
consolation to the Lord's followers, that
none can reverse what he has said ;
none turn the blessing into a curse!
V. 21. Ne hath not heheld iniquity in
Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness
in Israel. Heb. dien, iniqtiity, a term
of large import, denoting all the vari-
ous kinds of sin or iniquity which cause
pain, sorrow, and misery, and applied
in particular to idolatry, as it is render-
ed 1 Sam. 15 : 23, while in Is. 66 : 3, it
is rendered an idol. So also Chald.
" I see that there are none who worship
idols in the house of Jacob, nor any ser-
vants of trouble and vanity in Israel."
Yulg. " There is no idol in Jacob, nei-
i ther is there any image-God to be seen
in Israel." "When applied thus to idol-
atry it involves the accessory idea of
nothingness and vanity as predicable

378

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

seen perverseness in Israel : the
Lord * his God is with him, and

16. rs. 46. 11.

thereof; and when Paul says, 1 Cor.
8:4," an idol is nothing in the world,"
the allusion is undoubtedly to the term
aven, 'vanity, occurring in this and other
connections. The Gr. has, " There shall
be no calamity in Jacob, nor shall mis-
ery be seen in Israel." Some degree
of ambiguity will still adhere to the
words, preventing us from defining the
exact shade of meaning, but from domi-
nant usage in respect to both the orig-
inal terms for " iniquity " and " per-
verseness " {men and dmal) it is evident
that the idea of idolatrous worsldp does
enter into their import, although the
authority for the present rendering can-
not be ftvirly questioned. The purport,
then, of the passage, we take to be, that
God had not seen in Israel that degree
of iniquity and perverseness which
should be a sufficient ground for inflict-
ing upon them a curse, which was Ba-
laam's desire and Balak's design. But
as we know the Lord did see, in the
literal Israel, the grossest outbreaks of
wickedness and rebellion — as he says
expressly Ex. 32 : 9, "I have seen this
people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked
people ; " and again, Am. 3:2, " You
only have I known of all the families
of the earth; therefore I will punish
you for all your iniquities "—we are
naturally prompted to look beyond the
representing to the represented body,
and recognize the truth of the declara-
tion in its reference to the spiritual in-
stead of the natural Israel. As predi-
cated of his true church in subsequent
times, indeed in all times, the Lord may
be said not to see iniquity or perverse-
ness in it, because he does not see it to
punish it, or to permit it to prevent
their salvation. It means that he does
not so see their sins as to be provoked

the shout " of a king is among
them.

thereby utterly to forsake, curse, and
destroy them. In this sense God is
said not to see sins, as elsewhere he is
said io forget them, Is. 43 : 25. Jer. 31 :
24 ; and to cover them, Ps. 32 : 1, which
keeps them out of sight, and so out of
mind; to hlot tJiem out, Ps. 51:1, 9;
and to cast them behind his bach, Is. 38 :
17, or into the depth of the sea, Mic. 7 :
19. And so parents are sometimes said
not to know or not to see those sins in
their children which they do not so take
notice of as to chastise them. Other
interpretations more or less plausible
have been proposed by commentators,
but we forbear to state them, as the
above answers sufficiently the demands
of the text, and strikes us as far the

most probable. 1[ Tlie Lord his God

is with him. Chald. " The Word of the
Lord their God is for their help." These
words point directly to the source of
their peculiar blessedness. It was from
the divine presence dwelling in the
midst of them, sustaining and protect-
ing them. This prerogative was a sign
of the gracious state of those to whom
it pertained, as otherwise the privilege
of communion with Him could not have
been enjoyed, according to the intima-
tion 1 John 1 : 6, 7. So also Ex. 33 : 3,
" For I will not go up in the midst of
thee ; for thou art a stiff-necked people,
lest I consume thee in the way." The
Lord was indeed symbolically and typi-
cally with the Israelites in the wilder-
ness and in Canaan, but the fulness of
the declaration is to be realized only in
that Israel which is after the spirit and

not after the flesh. ^ And the shout

of a king (is) among them. Heb. " In
him," i. e. in Jacob or Israel, spoken
of collectively. The original term for
" shout " (teruath) is used to denote the

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIII.

379

22 God "^ brought them out
of Egypt : he hath * as it

d c. 24. S. e Deut. 33. 17. Ps. 92. 10.

alarm-sound made by the silver trum-
pets described ch. 10 : 5, 6, on which
see Note. It is employed also to de-
note a shouting of joy and exultation,
as when a king or conqueror returns in
triumph from war, and his coming is
hailed with jubilant acclamations on
the part of the people. " When people
pass along the road, if they hear a great
noise of joy or triumph, they say, ' This
is like the shout of a king.' * What a
noise there was in your village last
evening ! Why, it was like the shout
of a king.'" — Roherts. It implies, in
its ulterior reference, that the Lord's
true people should be victorious in their
divine Head over all enemies, and that
at the last day, " at the voice of the
archangel and the trump of God," they
should be triumphantly put in posses-
sion of their glorious and eternal inher-
itance.

V. 22. God brought them out of
Egypt. Heb. " Is bringing them," im-
plying a continuous act. We learn
from ch. 22 : 5, that Balak sent word to
Balaam, " Behold, there is a people
come out from Egypt." This would
seem to imply that in his view they had
come forth from Egypt of their own
motion. But Balaam now informs him
that such is not the fact ; that they
were brought out by the hand of God
himself, and that he was still bringing
them ; that he had not rehnquished his
guiding and guardian care towards
them ; and consequently that, to en-
deavor to oppose them, to contend with
them, or to visit them with impreca-
tions, would be no less than a foolish
fighting with God — a vain conflict of
weakness against Omnipotence. View-
ed in this light the use of the Participle
in the present connection is peculiarly

were the strength of an uni-
corn.

significant. " The fruitlessness of his
undertakings against Israel is here
proved to Balak, not from the fact that
God had brought them out of Egypt,
but that he is bringing them out. The
idea is, whoever has God for a leader
or companion on his way, the world
with all its power can do nothing against

him." — Sengstenherg. T[ He hath as

it icere the strength of an v.nicorn.. Gr.
" The glory of an unicorn." The "he"
in this passage we take to refer to Is-
rael, and not to God, although Ains
worth recognizes an allusion to both,
the Most High as the head of his peo-
ple possessing this strength in himself,
and then imparting it to them, accord-
ing to the words of the Psalmist, Ps.
68 : 35, " The God of Israel is he that
giveth strength and power unto his
people." For the natural history of the
Unicorn, or the animal so denominated,
see Bochart, Paxton, Robinson's Cal-
met, Kitto's Bib. Cyclopaedia, Bush's
Script, niustrations, etc., where the
subject is fully discussed. This ani-
mal, whatever it were, is noted in
Scripture mainly for the potency of its
hx)rn, wherefore the Psalmist says,
"Mine horn shalt thou exalt like the
horn of an unicorn." It thence became
an ordinary symbol of strength, and
especially of the prowess of a people
against their enemies, as in what Moses
says of Joseph, Deut. 33 : 17, " His
glory is like the firstling of his bullock,
and his horns are like the horns of uni-
corns : with them he shall push the peo-
ple together to the ends of the earth."
In this sense Balaam here speaks of
Israel, as also in the parallel passage,
ch. 24 : 8, " God brought him forth out
of Egypt ; he hath as it were the strength
of an unicorn : he shall eat up the na-

880

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

23 Surely there is no enchani-
ment against Jacob, neither is

tions his enemies, and shall break their
bones, and pierce them through with
his arrows." The pertinence of the
comparison will be more obvious upon
reference to the character which Job,
ch, 39 : 9-12, gives of this animal,
** Will the unicorn be willing to serve
thee, or abide by thy crib ? Canst thou
bind the unicorn with his band in the
furrow ? or will he harrow the valleys
after thee? Wilt thou trust him, be-
cause his strength is great? or wilt
thou leave thy labor to him ? Wilt thou
believe him, that he will bring home
thy seed, and gather it into thy barn ? "
In like manner it is latently implied
that as the unicorn spurns the dominion
of man, and refuses to be tamed or to
be serviceable to him in any way, so
Israel should be endowed with strength
to vanquish their enemies, while they
are vanquished of none, and are subject
to none. In this, as in the other parts
of the prophecy, that which is spoken
of the literal Israel is subordinate to that
which is predicated of the spiritual.

V. 23. Surely {there is) no enchant-
ment against Jacob, neither {is there)
any divination against Israel, Or, Heb.
" For there is no augury in Jacob, nor
divination in Israel ;" i. e-, none prac-
tised. According to this rendering,
the present verse assigns a reason for
the use of the similitude in the preced-
ing. It is there asserted that God led
Israel out of Egypt, and that in conse-
quence they were armed with a power
inexhaustible and invincible. How does
this appear? The verse before us an-
swers— because, or for, Israel is not to
resort to the arts of soothsaying and
augury in order to acquire a knowledge
of the divine will, but God clearly re-
veals to them, at all times, what he
does, and what, accordingly, his people

there any divination against Is-
rael : according to this time it

are to do. This is the construction
which Hengstenberg puts upon the pas-
sage, and in which, on the whole, we
are constrained to concur, although
always disposed, when possible, to
abide by our present version. That
version makes the purport of the lan-
guage to be, that no such magical arts
as Balaam had resorted to would be of
any avail against Israel, inasmuch as
they were constantly under the power-
ful protection of heaven, which would
be certain to render the machinations
of their enemies utterly abortive. This
is indeed in itself true, and would
make a very appropriate sense if ade-
quately sanctioned by philology. But
it is a serious objection to it, (1.) That
the original words nahash and gesem do
not properly signify witchcraft and en-
chantment, but augury and divination.
(2.) That the Heb. for " against Jacob "
and " against Israel " is precisely the
same with that rendered " in Jacob "
and " in Israel," v. 21. The preposi-
tion '2 = b, in, occurs in both cases, and
although instances may be adduced
when it is properly rendered against,
yet we can hardly suppose that precise-
ly the same expression in the same con-
text would require to be rendered in
any other than the same manner. The
ancient versions exhibit, as usual in
difficult cases, a diversity of rendering.
Gr. "For there is no augury used in
Jacob, nor divination in Israel." Chald.
" For auguries are not acceptable in the
house of Jacob, nor does the multitude
of the house of Israel will that there
should be divinations." Vulg. " There
is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor divina-
tion in Israel." Syr. " For there is no
omen against Jacob, neither divina-
tion against Israel." Arab. "Neither is
there any augury which shall harm the

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTEPw XXm.

381

shall be said of Jacob and of Is-
rael, What^hath Grod -wrought !

/ r&. 31. 19.

progeny of Jacob, nor Pjthonic art
which shall avail against the stock of
Israel." From this it appears that
these versions are about equally di-
vided in their support of the two modes
of rendering ; but we rest in our reasons
for giving a preference to the former.

TT According to this time it shall he

said, etc. Heb. " According to the time."
It is extremely difficult to affix a precise
idea to these words. Ainsworth gives
as an alternative rendering, " Even at
this time it shall be said;" i. e., not
hereafter only, but even now, it shall
be said by me, who am to prophesy con-
cerning this people, What great things
God hath wrought, and will work for
them. Rosenmuller's construction is
not very different : " As at this time,
i. e., about this time, as likewise here-
after it shall be said. How great things
hath God wrought ! equivalent to say-
ing, Xot only these, but many more
wonderful things will God perform in
behalf of Israel." Others, again, take
the Heb. term to signify about this time
next year ; as it does Gen. 18 : 10, where
see Note. So Chazkuni, a Jewish writer,
'* The next year after they had gone
over Jordan, about the time (or, this
time) it shall be said concerning Jacob
and Israel ; how many (great) works
hath the holy blessed God wrought for
them." Dathius renders it, " The time
is at hand when it shall be said, etc."
Calvin paraphrases it thus : " God shall
henceforth perform mighty works for
the defence of his people, which should
be related with admiration. Balaam
would say, that great should be the [
progress of God's grace, the beginnings |
only of which then appeared ; in short, i
he declares that henceforth memorable j
should be the performances of God iu J

24 Behold, the people shall
rise up ^ as a great lion, and lift

g Gen. 49. 9. Mic.

behalf of his people which should sup-
ply abundant subjects for history." We
may, perhaps, safely suppose the im-
port to be that on all occasions there
should be ample ground for saying of
Jacob and Israel, what hath God
wrought in their behalf The ancient
versions afford no material assistance in
this case, but such as they are we give
them. Gr. " In due season it shall be
told to Jacob and to Israel what God
will execute." Vulg. " In their times
it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel
what God hath wrought." Chald. " In
time it shall be told to Jacob and Israel,
what God hath wrought." Sam. " As at
this time it shall be said to Jacob and Is-
rael, what hath God done." Syr. "■ In a
like time it shall be said to Jacob and Is-
rael, what shall God work ?" Arab. " And
it shall be said unto them, what so great
things hath the (All) Powerful done ?"
V. 24. Behold the people shall rise vp
as a great lion. Heb. " As a courageous
lion." Here the blessing which was
bestowed specifically upon the tribe of
Judah, Gen. 49 : 9, is applied to the
whole nation of Israel collectively:
" Judah is a lion's whelp ; from the
prey, my son, thou art gone up : he
stooped down, he couched as a lion,
and as an old lion ; who shall rouse
him up ? " But this blessing reaches
on and expends itself on the Christian
church, with whom is the victorious
presence of Christ, "the Lion of the

tribe of Judah." T[ And lift himself

vp as a yoking lion. Emblematic of
strength, courage, and majesty. In the
primary sense this phrase and the
" rising up " in the former clause, may
be conceived as pointing to the bold
and valorous onset which Israel should
make upon their enemies the Canaan-

382

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

up himself as a young lion : he
shall not lie down ^ until he eat
of the prey, and drink the blood
of the slain.

25 And Balak said unto Ba-
laam, Neither curse them at all,
nor bless them at all.

26 But Balaam answered '
and said unto Balak, Told not
I thee, saying. All that the
Lord speaketh that I must do ?

ites, the record of which is contained in
the book of Joshua. But beyond this
we recognize also the easy triumphs of
the spiritual Israel over their various
enemies, Satan, sin, and the world,
which are all leagued against them, but
which are destined inevitably to be over-
come. The language of the final clause
is to be interpreted to the same effect.

V. 25. Neither curse them at all, nor
bless them at all. Heb. ''Neither curs-
ing curse him, nor blessing bless him."
The impatience and vexation of Ba-
lak breaks out uncontrollably in these
words. Since Balaam will not say what
he would have him, he wishes him to
say nothing. If he could procure no evil
to be done to Israel, he would at least de-
bar them from the reception of any good.

V. 26. Told I not thee, saying, etc.
The groundwork of Balak's reproach
was the consideration, that Balaam, by
his very coming, had laid himself under
an obligation, at least, to do nothing
against the interest of the king. To
this Balaam replies by appealing to the
declaration made on his first arrival,
that he could only utter what was put
into his lips. He is willing to own him-
self overruled, although he does not
confess that he would have been very
willing to comply with Balak's order if
he had been able.

V. 27. Peradventure it will please

27 And Balak said unto Ba-
laam, Come, I pray thee, I will
bring thee unto another place :
peradventure it will please Grod
that thou mayest curse me them
from thence.

28 And Balak brought Ba-
laam unto the top of Peor, that
looketh toward Jeshimon.

29 And Balaam said unto
Balak, Build me here seven al-

God, etc. Heb. " Peradventure it will
be right in the eyes of God." If Ba-
lak, in vittering these words, had any
thought of the true God in his mind,
the absurdity as well as the impiety of
the suggestion is astounding. To think
that the Most High could be prevailed
upon to turn from his purpose of bless-
ing, and he pleased to curse his people,
was the height of delusion, and making
the Lord to be " a God who hath pleas-
ure in wickedness." But it is possible
that Balak, by the term "God," had
mental reference to some other deity, in
which case we cannot so much wonder
at the crudeness of his apprehensions.

V. 28. And Balak brought Balaam
unto the top of Peor. Gr. " Phogor."
Chald. " To the top of the high place
of Peor." It was the name of a moun-
tain in Moab where the people of tliat
country used to sacrifice to their idol
Baal. It was hence called Baal-Peor,
ch. 25 : 2, 3, 18, and they seem there to
have had a temple called Beth-pcor, or
the house of Peor, near which was a city
of the same name, that the Israelites
took from king Sihon, and afterwards
gave for a possession to the tribe of
Reuben, Dcut. 3:29. Josh. 13:15, 20.

T[ That looketh toward Jeshimon.

That is, towards the desert so named.
See Note on ch. 21 : 20. This wilder-
ness, according to ch. 24 : 1, compared

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

383

tars, and prepare me here seven
bullocks and seven rams.

30 And Balak did as Balaam
had said, and offered a bullock
and a ram on every altar.

with V. 2, is situated at the northern
extremity of the Dead Sea, and is the
same tract which is elsewhere called
Arboth Moab, or fields or plains o/Moab,
respecting which see Note on ch. 22 : 1.
We are led to the same conclusion by
the words "that looketh toward the
wilderness," since they are not proba-
bly to be understood so much as a gen-
eral geographical remark, as indicative
of the suitableness of the place for Ba-
lak's object. A high peak or pinnacle
like that of Peor could not properly be
said to command one single view, but
rather an extended prospect in every
direction ; but as it was important for
Balaam to have a distinct view of the
Israelites in order to give efficacy to
his curses, it is therefore intimated that
such a view was especially to be obtain-
ed from the station now chosen. That
this wilderness is denoted Jeshimon is
moreover inferrible from the fact that
we find a place situated in it, to which
the Israelitish camp reached from Gil-
gal, bearing the name of Beth-jeshi-
moth, ch. 33 : 48, 49. If, then, the
Jeshimon here mentioned denotes the
Arabah of the northern extremity of the
Dead Sea, then by the clause, "that
looketh toward the wilderness," the
position of Peor is determined with tol-
erable exactness. It must have stood
somewhat to the eastward overlooking
the "plains of Moab." This appears
also from Deut. 3 : 29, " So we abode in
the valley over against Baal-peor." So
likewise Deut. 4 : 45, 46, " These are
the testimonies, etc. . . . which Moses
spake unto the children of Israel . . .
on this side Jordan, in the valley over
against Beth-peor ; " from which it ap-

CHAPTER XXIV.

AND when Balaam saw that
it pleased the Lord to bless
Israel, he went not, as at other
times, to seek for enchantments,

pears, that when the Israelites were
encamped in the plains, Beth-peor
was situated in the immediate vicinity
above them and looking down on the
encampment below.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Continuation of Balaam! s Prophecy as
relating to Israel.
V. 1. When Balaam saw that it
pleased the Lord to bless Israel. Heb.
" That it was good in the eyes of Jeho-
vah." The Most High always esteems
it good to abide by his purposes and
promises. This fact respecting the
Lord it is said that Balaam " saw," by
which we are to understand that he be-
came assured of it from the internal
consciousness of being overruled in his
utterance by a superior power which

he could not resist. T[ He went not,

as at other times, to seeJc for enchant-
ments. Heb. " Not at (this) time as the
time (before)." Gr. " According to his
custom." Seeing there was no likeli-
hood of obtaining leave from God to
curse his people, he resolves no more
to seek for enchantments, but sets his
face towards the wilderness, that is,
towards the place where Israel lay en-
camped, apparently giving himself up
to the influence which had proved too
strong for his wicked will, and perhaps
disposed in his own mind to make a
virtue of the necessity that he felt laid
upon him. His object in retiring on
the former occasions, while Balak was
left standing by his altars, was not ex-
pressly stated, but here we are inform-
ed in effect that it was to practise in

384

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

but lie set his face toward the
wilderness.

private those cabalistic and magical
arts which were common to sorcerers,
and which he was in hopes might have
made him master of his impious pur-
pose, wherein, however, he was disap-
pointed. These devices he now aban-
doned, because he saw they were fruit-
less, although his heart was in reality
no better than before, as we infer from
the sequel of the narrative. The orig-
inal word for " enchantments " {nehd-
sJiim) is closely related to the Heb.
term for serpent (nahash) and the rela-
tion between the ideas conveyed by
serpent and divination or augury is
undoubtedly recognized in more places
than one in the original Scriptures.
The literal rendering in the present in-
stance is "to meet enchantment or
magic-omens." The phrase undoubt-
edly implies the meeting, or seeking
an interview with the Lord, for the
purpose of making him propitious to
his design by certain ceremonies of a
cryptic or mysterious nature known as

diDinations or auguries. T[ He set Ms

face toward the wilderness. Heb. el
Jiammidhar, the usual term to denote
the dreary desert through which Israel
had wandered after leaving Egypt, but
implying in this connection a region
which could only be comparatively de-
nominated a desert or wilderness, as
they were encamped in the valley of the
Jordan, while Balaam was beholding
them from the heights above. It ap-
pears from the occasional usage of the
term, that any large and extensive tract
of champaign country, even though it
may happen to have villages in it, is
called in the Scripture xoilderness. It
would seem, however, that both the
Chaldee and Jerusalem paraphrases
were somewhat misled by the use of
the term midbar, and supposed that

2 And Balaam lift up his
eyes, and he saw Israel abiding

Balaam turned his face in the direction
of the wilderness from which they had
recently emerged, as is to be inferred
from their interpretation. Chald. " He
set his face towards the calf that Israel
had made in the wilderness," implying,
perhaps, that a people guilty of such a
flagrant iniquity might properly be the
subjects of a curse. But this supposes
that Balaam knew of their transgres-
sion, which might have been the fact,
or might not, Targ. Jerus. " He set
his face toward the wilderness, and re-
membered concerning them the work
of the calf, and would have cursed Is-
rael." Finding all his previous incan-
tations of no eflfect whatever, he re-
solves to abandon them, and utter what
was put into his mouth. It was more-
over wisely ordered in providence that
the august and glorious predictions
that follow respecting the Messiah and
the Lord's church should not be pre-
ceded by magical rites, which would
in some degree have weakened their
credit or tarnished their lustre.

V. 2. Saw Israel abiding (in Jiis tents).
Heb. shoken, the root of ShekinaJi. See
Note on Ex. 29 : 45. The addition in
italics, " in his tents," is very proper,
as the allusion is to that mode of habi-
tation. Indeed, the Tabernacle, the
special residence of the Shekinah, was
a movable tent, though of peculiar and
unique structure. Gr. ''Saw Israel en-
camped by tribes." The order pre-
scribed for the disposition of the several
tribes was always observed during their
encampment, and this exact and beau-
tiful order seems to have made a pro-
found impression upon the spirit of
Balaam, as may be inferred from his lan-
guage in vs. 5-7. 1[ And the Spirit

of God came upon Mm. Chald. " The
spirit of prophecy from before the Lord

B. C. 1452.1

CHAPTER XXIV.

385

in his tents according to their
tribes ; and " the Spirit of God
came upon him.

a 1 Sim. 10. 10.

rested upon him." This Sol. Jarchi in-
timates was with a view to keep him
from cursing Israel. It evidently im-
plies a strong compulsory influence
emanating from the Lord himself, and
overruling and restraining him from
uttering the anathemas which he had
conceived in his heart, and inspiring
him to see and to foretell future events.
The phrase imports a divine impulse or
afflatus which was often imparted to
men independent of their moral charac-
ter. It was a species of possession or
inspiration for the time being, and those
who were subjects of it "spake as they
were moved by the Holy Ghost." Thus,
it is said ch. 11 : 26, " The Spirit rested
upon them, and they prophesied." So
also V. 29 of the same chapter, " Would
God that all the Lord's people were
prophets, and that the Lord would put
his Spirit upon them." In like manner
the Spirit of God came upon Saul, con-
verting him temporarily into a new
man, but not making any permanent
change in his character, l»Sara. 19 : 19-
23. "'Tis sometimes said, 'The Lord
came to Balaam ' as he did to Abime-
iech. Gen. 20 : 3, and to Laban, Gen. 31 :
24 ; but 'tis never said ' The word of
the Lord ' came to him, as to Jeremiah,
Jer. 1 : 4, and to the rest of God's proph-
ets. God never vouchsafed his ' word '
to any but to his prophets, of whom 'tis
said always, that ' the word of the Lord
came to them.' "—JS^ess. The remarks
of Calvin on this incident are very ap-
propriate. " It is said ' the Spirit of
God was upon him,' not as if it had be-
gun to inspire him at that particular
moment when he cast his eyes upon the
camp of Israel ; but because it prompt-
ed him to look in that direction, in or-

3 And he took up his para-
ble, and said, Balaam the son
of Beor hath said, and the

der that the impulse of prophecy might
be stronger in him, as respecting a thing
actually before his eyes. But after the
Spirit had thus affected his senses, or
at any rate had prepared them to be fit
instruments for the execution of his
office, it then also directed his tongue
to prophesy; but in an extraordinary
manner, so that a divine majesty shone
forth in the sudden change, as if he
were transformed into a new man. In
a word, ' the Spirit of God was upon
him,' showing by manifest token that
He was the author of his address, and
that Balaam did not speak of his own
natural intelligence. To the same in-
tent it is said that ' he took up his par-
able,' because the character of his ad-
dress was marked with unusual grand-
eur and magnificent brilliancy." Dr.
Chalmers also speaks in a similar vein
of this prophecy. " He is made the in-
voluntary instrument of further revela-
tions ; and what he now utters when
the Spirit of God came upon him, is in
the very highest style and strain of
lofty inspiration. We cannot fix on
any portion of Scripture that bears a
nobler or more sustained elevation than
these efi"usions poured forth by Balaam
from the mountains, as he looked down
on the tents of Israel stretched out in
full and far perspective before him." —
Jjib. Headings in loc. Still the rhetor-
ical or poetical merit of the utterance
is comparatively of very little conse-
quence when viewed in relation to its
spiritual import.

V. 3. Balaam the son of Beor hath
said. Heb. neum bilam, the saijing,
a^rmation, averment of Balaam. The
term is applied for the most part to di-
vine oracles or declarations, which are

386

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

man whose eyes are open hath
said ;

" faithful sayings," worthy of all confi-
dence and acceptation. It is of very
emphatic import, and its use in this
exordium is no doubt to be referred to
the Spirit who spake through Balaam,
and thus put a seal upon the prophecy
as a truly divine revelation. The Most
High was greatly magnified in thus
ratifying his blessing upon his people
through Balaam, a sorcerer and corrupt
prophet who fain would have cursed
them. And this circumstance, tending
so much to the divine glory, Balaam
himself is made an instrument of pro-
claiming. He is virtually made to say,
Even the man whose power to curse was
so much relied on, and who leaned so
strongly to compliance with Balak's suit
— even he must and will afiirm it, and
vigorously stand to it, that Israel shall
be blessed. The language of David,
2 Sam. 23 : 1, 2, is strikingly analogous,
as the same word which occurs there
also conveys clearly the intimation that
what he said is not said from himself,
but from the inspiration of the Lord's
Spirit, though uttered by his organs.
" Now these be the last words of David.
David the son of Jesse said, and the man
who was raised up on high, the anointed
of the God of Jacob, and the sweet
psalmist of Israel, said. The Spirit of
the Lord spake by me, and his word

was in my tongue." T[ The man

whose eyes are open hath said. Ileb.
shethum haayin, opened of eye. The
margin of our version gives, "Who
had his eyes shut (but now opened);"
from which it would nfl,turally be infer-
red that there was a degree of ambigui-
ty in the original. This is the fact, as
commentators are very much divided
between " open " and " shut " as the
true rendering. A satisfactory decision
between the claims of tlie two is not

4 He hath said, which heard
the words of God, which saw

easy. The Chald. has "The man who
sees fairly (pulchre)." Gr. " The truly
seeing man." Syr. " The man whose
eye is disclosed, or laid open (retec-
tus)." Vulg. " The man whose eye is
stopped up (obturatus)." The original
{shethum) occurs only here and v. 15,
and Hengstenberg and others take it as
the original form of the word, which
was afterwards softened into sdthain, a
word of not unfrequent occurrence, and
signifying to close, to shut. But Dru-
sius, on the other hand, and from him
Rosenmuller, refer shethum to the
Chald. shatham, to perforate, and hence
to open, which is favored by some of
the ancient versions, as the Syr. Sam.
and Arab. We incline, on the whole,
to embrace both senses, on the ground
that an ecstatic or trance state is de-
scribed, in which, as is well known, the
external sight is closed while the inter-
nal is opened. Glassius, in his " Sacred
Philology," gives a multitude of exam-
ples from the Hebrew Scriptures in
which the same word conveys directly
contrary meanings. In the Gr. of the
New Testament the same peculiarity
occasionally obtains. Thus, Mat. 6 : 2,
" Verily I say unto you they have their
reward ; " where the original (apecho-
mat) has both a negative and affirm-
ative sense, implying that in having
their reward they have it not, since in
seeking applause of men they lose that
higher and better blessing which comes
from God only.

V. 4. He hath said lohich heard the
words of God. Heb. neum, the assured
saying, — the same form of expression
with that occurring v. 3, and implying
a degree of emphasis and asseveration
such as pertains to a divine oracle
rather than to a human utterance. " The
words of God " is in the original " the

B. C. 1452.J

CHAPTER XXIV.

387

the vision of the Almighty, fall-

sayings of God," which the Chald. ren-
ders '* The word from before the Lord,"
and the Gr. " The oracles of the Strong,"
i, e., of the Almighty, with reference to
the Hebrew name of God, which is here

JEl, signifying strong or miglity.

H Which saw the vision of the Almighty.
Heb. SMddai, the All-snjicient. The
" vision of the Almighty " is probably
to be understood of the vision, that is,
the prophetic perception, vouchsafed
by the Almighty, as this is the general
import of the term. Otherwise it might
be understood of the vision of the divine
appearance in person, which is sup-
posed, indeed, by some to have been
the case in the manifestation of the
Angel-Jehovah to the prophet during
his journey. But the usage of the
original is so uniform in respect to that
kind of vision which was granted to
the prophets in their ecstatic states,
that we feel shut up to that interpreta-
tion. Tf Falling {into a trance). The

words "into a trance," it will be ob-
served, are supplied in our version,
their equivalents not occurring in the
original. This gives occasion to a two-
fold diversity of rendering. One class
of expositors, agreeing with our trans-
lators, understand it of his falling into
a trance-state on the occasion men-
tioned ch. 22, while on his way to
Moab. Another takes the term " fall-
ing" as having reference to the fre-
quent effect of the prophetic influx,
which was to cause the subjects of it to
fall down prostrate to the earth, as was
the case with Saul, 1 Sam. 19 : 24.
Compare also Gen. 15 : 12. Dan. 8 :
17, 18. Rev. 1 : 17. Ezek. 1 : 28. 3 : 23.
43 : 3. 44 : 4. " The word," says Heng-
stenberg, "indicates the force of the
afflatus which, like an armed man,
comes upon the seer and strikes him

ing inio a irance^ but having
his eyes open :

down." But he judiciously observes
of this afflatus, that " it assumed such
a violent character, prostrating both
soul and body, only where it found an
unripe (or unadapted) state. The fall-
ing down is mentioned only of such a
class of persons as Balaam, Saul, and
the prophetic scholars. In a Samuel
we can hardly imagine such violent
appearances. The more the mind, in
its ordinary consciousness, is pene-
trated by the Spirit, the less necessary
is it for the Spirit to set itself against it
in a hostile attitude, by its extraordi-
nary manifestations ; it then only comes
to its own, to what is homogeneous."
He does not accordingly consider the
instances of Abraham, Ezekiel, Daniel,
and John, as altogether parallel with
the present, inasmuch as in them " the
falling down did not proceed from the
influences of the Spirit forcibly press-
ing down the natural life, but from an
overpowering impression of the glory
of the person beheld, an impression of
terror and reverence." We conclude,
therefore, on the whole, that what Ba-
laam intended was to affirm of himself
that his case was marked by this char-
acteristic of a true prophet, that the il-
lapse of the Divine Spirit upon him,
when it came, was so powerful as to
cause him habitually to fall to the
ground ; while, at the same time, we see
nothing to forbid the idea that he had a
collateral reference to the incidents of
his journey, one of which was the falling
into a trance, although it is not this
kind of " falling" which is here imme-
diately indicated by the use of the
term. But he was doubtless during
some part of this journey under the in-
fluence of a trance ; and we have, in a
former Note, referred to this passage
as affording to some commentators a

388

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

6 How goodly are thy tents,
O Jacob, and thy tabernacles,
0 Israel !

strong incidental proof that the miracle
recorded ch. 22, was subjective rather
than objective — a conclusion, however,
which we do not indorse except in a
qualified sense. Gr. "Who in sleep
hath seen a vision of God." Chald.
"Who seeth a vision from before the
face of the Almighty, falling down and
it is revealed unto him." Vulg. " He
that hath beheld the vision of the Al-
mighty, he that falleth, and so his eyes
are opened." Syr. "Who sees the
visions of God, and when he is pros-
trate (or cast down) then his eyes are
opened." As a general fact, the an-
cient versions render by a term signi-
iymg falling, but the term itself having

no allusion io falling into a trance.

1[ But having Ms eyes open. Heb. " Un-
covered, or unveiled." Chald. " And
it was revealed unto him." A close re-
lation between the " falling " and the
" opening of the eyes " is no doubt in-
tended to be conveyed, and which is
clearly indicated by the Vulg. and Syr.
versions as given above ; and we know
that, psychologically, the ecstatic state
is accompanied with a special opening
of the interior vision which reveals
marvellous things of the spiritual world
to the soul.

V. 5. How goodly are thy tents, 0 Ja-
cob, etc. Heb. "How good!" but the
original term has frequently the im-
port of that good which is recognized in
beauty, joy, delight, etc. The expres-
sion is here prompted by a spiritual
perception of the moral order and beau-
ty of the church as represented by the
regular and imposing ari'angement of
the tents of Israel as they lay encamped
on the plains of Moab. He had just be-
fore, with open outward eye, beheld the

6 As the valleys are they
spread forth, as gardens by * the
river's side, as the trees of lign-

h Ps. 1.3. Jer. 17. 8.

chosen people abiding in their tents ac-
cording to their tribes, and this ex-
ternal view is a kind of substratum
on which the spiritual beholding de-
velops itself. In other words, he is
carried onwards in spirit from the
shadow to the substance, and sees the
spiritual Israel arrayed in a glory and
symmetry corresponding with that of
the literal. " Tents " and " tabernacles "
are not unfrequently spoken of in the
Divine word as the habitations of the
Israelites in Canaan, although even in
these cases we may perceive an adum-
bration of the Christian Church in its
external order. Ainsworth remarks
that the original word for tabernacles
implies vicinity or nearness, and there-
fore points to the communion of the
Church with its Divine Lord and with
one another ; and the passage is ex-
pounded by Targ. Jon. as follows :
" The tabernacle of the congregation
which is set among you, and your
tabernacles which are round about it,
0 house of Israel." As to the distinc-
tion implied in the two names of the
father of the twelve tribes, it may be
sufficient to suggest, that Jacob is the
name of the Church in respect to its
own intrinsic infirmity, in allusion to
which it is said, Is. 41 : 14, "Fear not,
thou worm Jacob," and Am. 7 : 25,
" By whom shall Jacob arise, for he is
small," while Israel is its name de-
rived from its power and prevailing
with God and man. See Note on Gen.
32 : 28.

V. 6. As tlie valleys are they spread
forth. The sentiment contained in the
preceding verse is here farther am-
plified ; the loveliness of the tents of
Israel being exhibited in a succession

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXiy.

389

aloes which the Lord hath plant-
ed, and as ' cedar trees beside

the waters.

Ps. 92. 1-2-U.

of comparisons. First, they are spread
out like valleys, implying both length
and breadth, and conveying an idea of
the large extent of Israel's habitations.
The original naJial denotes primarily a
hrook ; then a xalley, through which a
brook runs. That here the latter mean-
ing is intended, as our translators have
taken it, is to be obviously inferred
from the following comparisons, in
which the tents of Israel are not com-
pared to waters, but to objects by the
side of waters, such as gardens, trees,
etc. The scenery wrought into the
picture is such as would be most charm-
ing to an Oriental eye, and such as
would stand in most marked contrast
with the wild, barren, rocky, and
dreary desert through which Israel
had passed, and in which they had so
long abode. Here the images are those
of fertility and beauty, and thus in ac-
cordance with the frequent strains of
prophecy, setting forth under similar
figures, the future prosperity, abun-
dance, and universal welfare of the spir-
itual church. The best commentary
on the passage is doubtless to bring it
into juxtaposition with parallel pas-
sages, as to which there can be no
question that they involve an ulterior
reference to the Christian Church. " A
garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse ;
a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
Thy plants are an orchard of pome-
granates, with pleasant fruits; cam-
phire, with spikenard, spikenard and
saffron ; calamus and cinnamon, with
all trees of frankincense ; myrrh and
aloes, with all the chief spices : a foun-
tain of gardens, a well of living waters,
and streams from Lebanon. Awake, 0
north wind ; and come, thou south ;

7 He shall pour the water
out of his buckets, and his seed
shall he in many waters, and his

blow upon my garden, that the spices
thereof may flow out. Let my beloved
come into his garden, and eat his pleas-
ant fruits." Is. 58 : 11, " And the Lord
shall guide thee continually, and satis-
fy thy soul in drought, and make fat
thy bones; and thou shalt be like a
watered garden, and like a spring of
water, whose waters fail not." Ps. 65 :
9, " Thou visitest the earth and water-
est it : thou greatly enrichest it with
the river of God, which is full of
water." Ps. 46 : 4, " There is a river,
the streams whereof shall make glad
the city of God, the holy place of the
tabernacles of the Most High." This
river is the Lord's divine truth embod-
ied in bis Word which ministers susten-
tation, comfort, and refreshment to his
people, of whom it is written, Jer. 31 :
12, " Their soul shall be as a watered
garden, and they shall not sorrow any
more at all." It was therefore the state
of the church in its prosperous periods
represented by these significant images,
to which the words of Balaam are to be

applied. "H Trees of lign-aloes. Heb.

ahalim, a term denoting some kind of
odoriferous tree, but the precise species
of which is not at present known with
certainty, but supposed to be the Agol-
locham, which ancient writers say was
burnt for the sake of the odorous fumes
it produced. It belonged probably to
the cone-bearing family, inasmuch as
the word in Heb. is composed of the
same letters as ohalim, tents, and these
trees, it is said, from their shape, re-
semble, when growing together, an en-
campment of tents.

V. 7. He shall pour the water out of
his luckets. Or, Heb. "Water shall
flow out of his buckets." That is, he

390 NUMBERS,

king shall be higher than Agag,

[B. 0. 1452.

shall be an instrument and a medium
of imparting an abundance of spiritual
blessings to others. As thirsty plants
or fields are refreshed and fertilized by
copious irrigation, so shall the barren
moral wastes be beautified by the agency
of the sons of the church. The idea is
substantially the same with that ex-
pressed by the prophet, Is. 12 : 3, where
the pouring out, or the abundant supply,
of the Spirit of Truth is hinted at, and It
is said, " With joy shall ye draw water
out of the wells of salvation." It is an
intimation directly the opposite to that
of the woman of Samaria, who said to
our Lord, the true "fountain of Israel,"
"Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with
(no bucket), and the well is deep ; from
whence then hast thou that living wa-
ter ? " It is the prerogative of the spir-
itual Israel to supply the waters of sal-
vation to those who are destitute. " Out
of Zion shall go forth the law, and the
word of the Lord from Jerusalem." But
as the church is embodied in the Lord
who is its life, its all in all, so it is no
contradiction to what we have now
said to recognize him as the grand dis-
penser of the waters of life to a thirsty

world. T[ His seed (shall be) in many

waters. The primary idea conveyed to
the mind of an oriental by this language
would probably be very nearly the same
with that received from the kindred
words of the prophet. Is. 32 : 20, *' Bless-
ed are they that sow beside all waters,
that send forth thither the feet of the
ox and the ass." "This," says Sir
John Chardin, "exactly answers the
manner of sowing rice ; for they sow it
upon the water; and before sowing,
while the earth is covered with water,
they cause the ground to be trodden by
oxen, horses, and asses, who go mid-
leg deep; and this is the way of pre-

and his kingdom shall be ex-
alted.

paring the ground tor sowing." This
then is doubtless the image couched
under the letter of the text, but the
spirit gives us a richer meaning grafted
on the literal sense. The eliusion of
water, mentioned in the preceding
clause, denotes the impartation of that
scriptural or doctrinal truth which goes
to prepare the mind for a fructifying
process, as water which irrigates and
saturates the earth prepares it for
bringing forth an abundant crop of
the grain sown. The " seed in many
waters," or the seed-corn sown in moist,
watery, and fruitful fields, points to
that higher spiritual element which is
implanted iu the instructed mind, and
results in the production of the fruits
of a holy life ; for fruits are from seeds,
and seeds are fruitful in proportion as
the ground in which they are sown is
well watered. The water and the seeds,
therefore, denote different degrees of

divine influence. T[ And his hing

shall he higher than Agag. Our divine
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is un-
doubtedly here intended to be desig-
nated, by the spirit of prophecy, under
the title of " his king." Of him it is
said, Ps. 89 : 28, that " he is higher than
the kings of the earth ; " and one of
these kings, or perhaps rather a line
of kings, is here specified under the
name of " Agag." This was the name
of the king of the Amalekites, who
were subdued by Saul, king of Israel,
1 Sam. 15 : 8. But it is supposed that
the name was common to the Amalekite
kings, like Pharaoh in Egypt, Abim-
elech in Philistia, and Cesar in Rome.
The nation of the Amalekites was at
this time powerful and formidable, as
may be inferred from their bold assault
upon a people so numerous as the Isra-
elites, and from the declaration, v. 20,

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

891

8 God brought him forth out
of Egypt ; he hath as it were
the strength of an unicorn : he
shall eat up the nations his ene-

that thej were "the first of the na-
tions." This was probably the reason
why they were specified in preference
to any other. He announces that the
King of Israel should be the greatest
of kings, inasmuch as no greater than
Agag was then known. Some think
the words refer to Saul, the first king
of Israel, who subdued the Amalekites
and took Agag captive, to wit, that Is-
rael, in Saul its king, should be thus
paramount to Agag. But we are forced
from the general analogy of the predic-
tions to recognize an ulterior reach of
import in the passage, embracing an
intimation of the triumphs of the Mes-
siah and his kingdom over every op-
posing power, even down to the final
consummation. Among the ancient
versions the Gr. has " And a kingdom
greater than Gog's shall be raised up."
Sam. "And his king shall be exalted
above Gog." Symmachus, according
to Grotius, renders in a similar way.
The other versions have "Agog." Si-
monis ( Onommtico?i, § II. c. 6.) by com-
paring the Arab, and Pers. oog, to he
high, lofty, suhlime, deduces a like
meaning for Agag, so that to be higher
than Agag is to be higher than the
highest. Simonis refers also to the
same root the Germ, hoch, high, the
proper name Hugo, Ogyges, and gigas,
giant. As Gog seems to have relation
to the same root, we incline to the opin-
ion that Agag may here be taken as of
equivalent import with Gog, and thus
stand as a mystical denomination for
that formidable hostile power predicted
by Ezekiel, 38 : 2. 39 : 1, and John, Rev.
20 : 8, as among the last grand enemies
of the church. " As Gog in Scripture

mies, and shall break "^ their
bones, and pierce 'Mem through
with his arrows.

seems to mean the enemies of God's
people, the promises here may imply
that the true worshippers of the Most
High shall ultimately have dominion

over their enemies." — A. Clarke.

Tl His kingdom sliall he exalted. That is,
in Saul, in David, in Solomon, and pre-
eminently in Christ, in whom the king-
dom culminated to its highest glory,
Is. 2 : 2. Dan. 2 : 44. Rev. 11 : 15.

V. 8. God hroxight him forth out of
Egypt. These words are here repeated
from ch. 23 : 22, and the purport in both
places is, that as it was the Most High
himself, their divine vindicator, guide,
and king, who with a strong arm '
brought them forth out of Egypt, so
that same God would make them victo-
rious over all their enemies, so that
consequently every form of opposition
would be vain. This would constitute
an appeal to Balak to halt in the dan-
gerous path in which he was treading.

T[ He hath as it were the strength of

an 'unicorn. The comparison is here
also repeated and amplified from ch.
23 : 22, as giving a reason for the pre-
vious intimation respecting the final

victory of Israel. Tl Shall break their

hones. Gr. "Shall unmarrow (or eat
out the marrow) of their fat (bones) ; "
rendered by Thomson, "shall exhaust
their fatness." It implies such an ef-
fectual weakening of their forces and
resources that they should never be able

to recover. T[ Pierce them through

with his arrows. Gr. " Shoot through
the enemy with his arrows." Arrows
are often mentioned among the weap-
ons of war, and that there are spiritual
as well as physical arrows is clear from
the words of the Psalmist, Ps. 45 : 6,

892

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

9 He couched, lie lay down
as -^ a lion, and as a great lion :
who shall stir him up ? Bless-
ed ^ is he that blesseth thee, and
cursed is he that curseth thee.

10 And Balak's anger was
kindled against Balaam, and he
smote his hands together : and
Balak said unto Balaam, I call-

/ c. 23. 4.

g Gen. 12. 3.

" Thine arrows are sharp in the heart
of the King's enemies." These arrows
are the words of Christ penetrating the
hearts of rebellious men. Comp. Ps.
64 : 4. Here, as elsewhere, what is pri-
marily applied to Israel or the church,
holds good mainly of Him who is the
essential life and personality of the
church.

V. 9. iZe couched, he lay down as a
lion, etc. This verse, as well as the
24th of the former chapter, refers pri-
marily to the entire course of conquest
of Israel over their enemies the Canaan-
ites, and their subsequent perfect and
quiet possession of the land promised ;
but ultimately to that career of spiritual
victories achieved by the true Israel, in
their own persons and in the person of
their head, over the numerous adversa-
ries they should encounter, and to that
peaceful rest and repose which should

follow. *T| Messed (is) he that Messeth

thee, etc. It is observable that the Lord
here puts into the mouth of Balaam the
same language with that which Isaac
applies to Jacob in closing his benedic-
tion, Gen. 27 : 29, and with which also
God crowns Abraham, the father of the
faithful. Gen. 12 : 3. The Lord herein
confirms the assurance of his favor to
the righteous and their seed forever,
and gives them to understand how pro-
found and permanent shall be the peace
of the church after her warfare is ac-
complished.

ed thee to curse mine enemies,
and, behold '\ thou hast alto-
gether blessed them these three
times.

11 Therefore now flee thou
to thy place : I thought to pro-
mote thee unto great honour ;
but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee
back from honour.

Balak's angry Reluke of Balaam.

V. 10. And BalalSs anger was Mn-
dled against Balaam. This unexpected
termination of the affair exhausted the
last remains of the patience of Balak,
and led to mutual recriminations be-
tween himself and the hireling prophet.
His predictions on this occasion had
the air &f a voluntary benediction pro-
nounced upon a hated people, and noth-
ing is so repugnant to the feelings of
wicked men as the assured prosperity

of the righteous. T[ ^motc his hands

together. Heb. " Clapped the palms of
his hands" — a token of indignation,
and at the same time of contempt.
Thus, Job 17 : 23, "Men shall clap their
hands at him, and shall hiss him out of
his place." Lam. 2 : 15, " All that pass
by the way clap their hands at thcc,
and wag their heads." He proceeds to
charge Balaam with putting upon him
a base afii-ont and an intolerable cheat.
Though he had called the prophet to
curse his enemies, yet he had virtually
shown himself in league with them,
although by his altars, and sacrifices,
and other rites, he had made him be-
lieve that he would certainly curse
them; instead of which he had three
times blessed them, and that too in a
very plenary and emphatic manner.

V, 11. Therefore flee now to thy place.
Heb. " Flee for thyself," i. e. get thee
gone without delay. Hie or hasten to

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIY.

393

12 And Balaam said unto
Balak, Spake I not also to thy
messengers which thou sentest
unto me, saying,

13 If Balak would give me
his house full of silver and gold,
I cannot go beyond the com-

thine own land or city (thy place), if
thou wouldst get beyond the sphere of

my resentment and contempt. T[ The

Lord hath kept thee hack from honor.
Gr. " The Lord hath deprived thee of
honor." The God with whom you pro-
fess to be so familiar, and to whom you
render such a dutiful obedience, has
now rewarded you as you might have
expected. He has deprived you of the
best post in my court for the service
you have done him. Thus it is that
they who appear to be losers by obey-
ing God rather than man, are apt to be
rebuked by the worldly-minded as hav-
ing foolishly thrown away the highest
proffered advantages. We cannot, in-
deed, say much for the motives by which
Balaam was governed in yielding com-
pliance to the Divine impulse, but we
can still affirm, that if he had been vol-
untary and sincere in his obedience,
whatever honor he lost thereby at the
hands of Balak, it would have been
more than made up to him by that re-
munerating Providence which never
forgets its own promises to those who
devoutly trust in it. Prov. 11 : 18, " The
wicked worketh a deceitful work ; but
to him that soweth righteousness shall
be a sure reward."

V. 12. Spake I not also, etc. Balaam
makes the best of his case in vindicat-
ing himself from the charges alleged
against him. He excuses the disap-
pointment by referring to the restrain-
ing and constraining power of the Most
High, who had irresistibly controlled
his utterance. He pleads, moreover,

mandment of the Lord, to do
either good or bad of mine own
mind ; but what the Lord saith,
that will I speak ?

14 And now, behold, I go
unto my people : come there-
fore, and I will advertise thee

that he could not be charged with de-
ception, inasmuch as he had told him
from the outset what he must depend
upon. He had forewarned him of the
contingency which had now actually
occurred, and therefore it would be un-
just to lay upon him the blame of what
he could not help, of an inability which
he had expressly announced as possi-
ble. T[ I cannot go beyond the com-
mandment of the Lord. Heb. " Beyond
the mouth of the Lord." Gr. " Cannot
transgress the word of the Lord ;" im-
plying not only the divine decree, but
the divine dictate within the prophet's
bosom, which he would fain have sup-
pressed if he could. But he indicates
that he was bound by the power of the
Spirit to declare, even against his own
will, whatever revelation he received.

1 To do either good or had of mine

own mind. Heb. " Out of mine own
heart." The word " heart " is here
contrasted with the operation of the
Lord's Spirit, as impostors are said to
speak " out of their own heart," when
they falsely use the name of God to
cover their own inventions. Being un-
der a divine prompting, he did not feel
at liberty to speak " of his own heart."
Y. 14. Ixoill advertise thee tvhat this
people shall do, etc. The original term
here translated " advertise," i. e., in-
form, usually signifies to counsel, to ad-
vise, and some have supposed it was on
this occasion that Balaam gave the in-
famous counsel mentioned ch. 31 : 16,
by which Israel was seduced into a
fatal transgression with the Midianitish

894

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

what this people shall do to thy
people in the latter days.

15 And he took up his para-
ble, and said, Balaam the son
of Beor hath said, and the man
whose eyes are open hath said ;

16 He hath said, which heard

women. The Vulg. renders it, " I will
give thee counsel what thy people shall
do to this people in the latter days ;"
where it will be observed that instead
of " what this people shall do to thy
people," we read, " what thy people
shall do to this people." Chald. " I will
counsel thee what thou shalt do ; and I
will show thee what the people shall
do." And the Jerus. Targ. still more
explicitly, "I will advise thee what
thou shalt do to this people ; make
them to sin ; otherwise thou shalt not
have dominion over them ; but this
people shall not domineer over thy
people in the latter end of days." But
the weight of evidence is in favor of the
present rendering, to wit, that he would
inform Balak, in the exercise of his
prophetic gift, what the people of Israel
should eventually do to the people of
Moab, whom, for the present, they were
not to disturb, but in respect to whom
we learn that in a subsequent age, in
the reign of David, the prediction went
into accomplishment, 2 Sam. 8:2," And
he smote Moab, and measured them
with a line, casting them down to the
ground ; even with two lines measured
he to put to death, and with one full
line to keep alive. And so the Moab-
ites became David's servants, and
brought gifts." Again, in Jer. 48,
there is an extended prophecy of
Moab's desti'uction, with a promise of
the returning of their captivity " in the

latter days." T[ In the latter days.

Heb. lit. " In the afterhood of days," a
phrase imputing the time to come,

the words of Grod, and knew the
knowledge of the Most High,
which saw the vision of the
Almighty, falling into a trance^
but having his eyes open :

17 I ' shall see him, but not

t Rev. 1. 7.

whether that be more or less remote.
Here doubtless it has an extended
reach of meaning, embracing the era
of the Messiah and his New Testa-
ment Church, when the spiritual Israel
should waste away the spiritual Moab.

JBalaam^s Final Prophecy.

V. 15. Took tip his parable. That is,
began to prophecy, but in a dark and
mystic strain. Thus the Psalmist, Ps.
78 : 2, "I will open my mouth in a
parable ; I will utter dark sayings of
old."

V. 16. Andknewthehnowledgeofthe
Most High. Chald. " Knowing knowl-
edge from before the Most High," i. e.,
knowledge made known to him by rev-
elation from God. This clause is addi-
tional to what we have in v. 4. Baal-
hatturim here remarks, " He saith this
because he would reveal the days of
Christ."

V. 17. / shall see Mm, lut not now,
etc. The prevailing consent of com- <
mentators here determines in favor of I
rendering the verbs in the present in- "
stead of the future, " I see him, but not
now ; I behold him, but not nigh." A
similar change of tenses is of frequent
occurrence in Hebrew. The idea is,
that he had a view in dim perspective
of the event or the personage which
constituted the main theme of his pro-
phecy. As if he should say, " The per-
son of whom I am now prophesying
does not at present exist among the Is-
raelites, nor shall he appear in this gen-
eration. His manifestation is reserved

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

895

now ; I shall behold him, but
not nigh : there shall come a

to after-times." He sees him not now,
for he is rapt in spirit out of the pres-
ent into the future, to the " end of the
days," and there he sees him. He be-
holds him not nigh, for a great distance
lies between the seer and the seen. His
vision of Him is therefore like that of
Abraham, who saw Christ's day afar
off, John 8 : 56. Chald. " I shall see
him, but not now ; I shall behold him,
but he is not near." Gr. " I will point
to him, but not now ; I will bless him,
but he draws not near." This is ex-
tremely paraphrastic, but the import
seems to be, that, taking Israel for the
subject of the prediction, whatever had
been promised him should be fulfilled,
though not immediately ; that he would
in due time accumulate blessings upon
him by prophetic announcement, al-
though the time was not yet at hand.
Neither these, however, nor the other
versions throw much light upon the pas-
sage. A special difficulty is to determine
whether the suffix to the verbs should be
translated " him " or '' it ;" understand-
ing by " it" the general subject of the
prediction. On this point the original
is doubtful, and the versions vary. The
Arab, however countenances the latter :
" I see it, and it is not yet in existence ;
I behold it, and it is not yet nigh at
hand." But the decision is not intrin-
sically of much importance, as, if Israel
be meant, it is Israel advanced to the
height of his destiny, and viewed in
conjunction with his Lord and Head.
If the reference be to Christ, then we
must assent to the remark of Calmet,
to wit, that Balaam, under a divine im-
pulse, points to the Messiah just as if
the whole previous discourse had con-
templated him, though he had not been
expressly named, but was to be recog-
nized from the main drift of the oracle.

Star * out of Jacob, and a Scep-

This strikes us as on the whole ex-
tremely probable, since the Messiah
would form the prominent figure in

the prophetic picture. H There shall

come a star out of Jacob, etc. Heb.
darak, which has the import of stepping
onward, coming forth, proceeding, and
sometimes of walking in a stately man-
ner, like a king. From darak, as a
root, comes the derivative dereh, a way.
It is however, on the whole, an unusual
word to bear the signification oi coming,
and doubtless involves an interior rec-
ondite sense in the present connection.
What that sense is, we think, may be
ascertained by bringing the passage
into parallelism with the evangelical
history of Christ's birth, which we hold
to be a perfectly legitimate mode of
treating it. On that occasion we learn
that a mysterious Star appeared to the
Wise Men of the East, and guided their
steps to the stable in Bethlehem where
the Saviour was born. This was the
moving, proceeding, or going forth of
the Star which the prophet now beheld
in anticipative vision. " They depart-
ed, and lo the star which they saw in
the east, ivent bef&re them, till it came
and stood over where the young child
was." A star has always been regard-
ed in the East as a symbol of distinc-
tion, as the herald of any great and
glorious birth among men, and this
fact enables us to perceive the connect-
ing link between seeing a star and con-
cluding, as the wise men did, that a
"King of the Jews" was born. It is
no objection to this that the Star seen
by Balaam was a symbol of Christ him-
self, whereas that seen by the Wise Men
was a mere concomitant of his birth.
In either case the Star was the ensign
of an august personage, and Hengsten-
berg remarks that "it is not simply a

896

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

tre ' shall rise out of Israel, and
shall smite the corners of Moab,

literal star that is meant by Balaam.
He uses the * star ' metaphorically, as is
customary among all nations, to desig-
nate a great and illustrious ruler."
Nor is the objection to the proposed
parallelism of any weight, that the Star
prophetically seen by Balaam is said to
"come out of Jacob," whereas that
seen by the Magi appeared first in the
Eastern world remote from Judea, the
birth-place of the Saviour. It is suffi-
cient that He who was represented by
the Star did originate, as to his earthly
humanity, in the midst of the nation
collectively denominated *' Jacob," and
nothing in the local relations or aspects
of the Star will avail to weaken the
force of the symbolical coincidence to
which we have alluded. The language
describing the prophetic imagery sets
before us a star proceeding, and such a
star marshalled the way of the Wise
Men to the birth-place of our Lord.
Can we doubt then that, viewed in this
light, the Star of the Eastern Magi
stands in the closest relation to the star
which Balaam saw in spirit, especially
when our Lord expressly speaks of
himself. Rev. 22 : 16, as "the root and
oflfspring of David, the bright and
morning Star." This view is confirmed
by the fact, that the Jews understood
this prophecy as referring to the Mes-
siah or Christ. The false Christ who,
under Hadrian, took up arms against
Rome, gave himself out as the Messiah
whom Balaam had foretold, and as-
sumed the name of Bar-chocab, or the
Son of the Star, for the purpose of pla-
cing himself in nearer connection with
that prophecy, although after being
slain in battle the Jews, finding them-
selves deceived, called him Bar-coziba,
tlie son of a lie. We are well aware of

and destroy all the children of

Sheth.

the dissenting opinions of many of the
modern Gei-man critics, as it regards
the designed application of this oracle
to the stellar phenomenon which distin-
guished our Lord's nativity, or even to
the Lord himself; but we deem it not i
expedient to advert to them, as the
above interpretation is satisfactory to
us, and will probably commend itself
to those who are prepared to believe
that the Sacred Volume has proceeded
from an intelligence which "sees the
end from the beginning." So also in
regard to a secondary application both
of the Star and the Sceptre to David.
As we see no evidence of any such in-
tended application, we pass it by with-,
out remark. To the " Sceptre " we as-
sign substantially the same symbolical
significance as to the Star. They difier
only as Jacob differs from Israel, which
is merely in certain phases of repre-
sentative import. The original may be
rendered literally a rod or a staff, and
denotes a badge or emblem of govern-
ment. Gr. "A man shall rise out of
Israel." Chald. "Messiah (or Christ)
shall be anointed of the house of Is-
rael," i. e., shall assume the sovereign
power. As David and other kings bore
the sceptre as an ensign of power, so it
is said of Christ, that he should have a
rod or sceptre. Ps. 45:7, "The scep-
tre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre."
Heb. 1:8, " Thou shalt rule them with
a rod (or sceptre) of iron." The em-
blem of regal authority and supremacy,
becomes him who is King of Zion and
the Prince of Peace. But his kingdom
is not of this world. He received it not
by any earthly appointment. It is not
an outward and visible kingdom, but a
kingdom established in men's hearts,
and its sceptre is swayed over the

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

397

thoughts and emotions of the soul, soft-
ening, subduing, and sweetlj control-
ling them. His kingdom is a govern-
ment of religious and heavenly influ-
ence, a system of righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. To
this kingdom, established near thirty
centuries after the days of Balaam, does
the immense reach of this prophecy ex-
tend. T[ Shall smite the corners of

Moah. Chald. "Shall kill the princes
of Moab." Gr. '' Shall crush the chief-
tains of Moab." These renderings, we
think, afford a clue to the genuine
sense, though the relation between
"corners" and "princes" or "chief-
tains " may require some explanation.
Such an explanation is aflForded by the
Oriental ideas and usages in regard to
" corners." Sitting in a corner is with
them a stately attitude, and is expres-
sive of superiority. " The divans at
Aleppo," says Russell, "are formed in
the following manner : Across the up-
per end and along the sides of the room
is fixed a wooden platform, four feet
broad and six inches high ; upon this
are laid cotton mattresses exactly of the
same breadth, and over these a cover of
broadcloth, trimmed with gold lace and
fringes hanging over the ground. A
number of large oblong cushions stuffed
hard with cotton, and faced with flow-
ered velvet, are then ranged in the plat-
form close to the wall. The two upper
corners of the divan are furnished also
with softer cushions half the size of the
others, which are laid upon a square
fine mattress, spread over those of
cloth, both being faced with brocade.
The corners, in this manner distin-
guished, are held to he the places of hon-
OTy and a great man never offers to re-
sign them to persons of infer^ior ranh."
Mr. Hogg, in his " Visit to Damascus,"
speaks to the same effect. " Round
three sides of the room was a broad
scarlet divan, supplied with cushions of

gold brocade, resting against the walls.
The corner's were distinguished as places
of honor by a square of crimson and
gold silk, with a cushion of the same
color and materials at the back of
each." "Corners," therefore, in this
connection we take for those who occu-
py them, that is, dignitaries or princes,
so that " smiting the corners of Moab"
is, in reality, abolishing the power and
predominance of Moab, viewed as the
symbol of a spiritual power adverse to
the interests of the Lord's kingdom,
and a multiplicity of passages may be
adduced in which it is obvious that
Moah has this mystic significance, as
we know is the case with Egypt, Baby-
lon, Edom, and other countries spoken

of in Scripture. *l Destroy all the

cMldren of Sheth. Heb. l-arkor kol
bene Sheth, a clause respecting the
purport of which the greatest diversity
of opinion prevails. In regard to kar-
kor, there is a wavering between the
sense of destroy, lay waste, devastate,
and unwall or demolish the walls of a
fortress or city, although the difference
is so slight that it is of little conse-
quence which we adopt. The other
term, Sheth, is of more difficult solution.
The more ancient interpretation is to
understand it of the " children of Seth,"
the son of Adam, which, in this rela-
tion, would be equivalent to the whole
human race ; for the posterity of Cain
and Adam's other sons all perished in
the deluge, the line of Seth only having
been preserved in Noah and his fam-
ily. Chald. "He shall have dominion
over all the sons of men," Gr. " He
shall spoil all the sons of Seth." Yulg.
" He shall waste all the sons of Seth."
So also in substance the Syr. and Arab.
The Sam. is peculiar : " He shall trans-
fix the foolish of Moab, and the crown
of the head of all the sons of Seth."
But to this it may be objected that it
does not appear obvious why mankind

398

LUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

18 And Edom "" shall be a
possession, Seir also shall be a

m Ps. 60. 8-12.

at large should be named, not after
Adam, their first progenitor, nor after
Noah, their second, but after Seth, who
stands between the two. So also we
perceive the harshness of the intima-
tion, that the predicted King of Israel
should destroy the race of men instead
of exercising benignity towards them,
and therefore the Syriac and Chaldee
soften it to the expression that he shall
suMue all the sons of Sheth, and rule
over all the sons of men. But to the
whole of this mode of exposition Heng-
stenberg replies that the context does
not allow of it. " Balaam speaks first,
V. 17, of Moab ; v. 18, of Edom ; and
shall he here between them abruptly
make the whole human race the subject
of his prophecy ? The parallel, more-
over, between Edom and Seir, v. 18,
leads us to think that the sons of Seth
are nearly, if not entirely, identical
with Moab." The Jerus. Targ. trans-
lates it "the sons of the East," the
Moabites lying east of Judea. Rabbi
Nathan says that Shet?/, is the name of
a city in the border of Moab, while
Grotius apprehends Sheth to be the
name of some distinguished king among
that people. Pool, who is generally
judicious, conjectures that "it is the
name of some then eminent, but now
unknown place or prince in Moab,
there being innumerable instances of
such places or persons sometime fa-
mous, but now utterly lost as to all
monuments or remembrances of them."
According to Hengstenberg, Verschuir,
a German critic, is entitled to the cred-
it of having established the correct in-
terpretation. He suggests that the orig-
inal mn iShefh is contracted from hXiD
shedh, a derivative from ilKia shddh,
which occurs. Lam. 3 : 47, in parallel-

possession for his enemies ; and
Israel shall do valiantly.

ism with sheber, destruction, and is sy-
nonymous with TiKTU shdon, tumult.
The term implies, therefore, a people
restless, tumultuous, and addicted by
their continual incursions, vexations,
and contests, to creating annoyances to
others, which he supposes to apply
with peculiar pertinency to the Moab-
ites. It is supposed to be a confirma-
tion of this interpretion, that Jeremiah,
ch. 48 : 45, where he imitates this pas-
sage, exhibits the following parallel-
ism :

" A fire shall come forth out of Heshbon,
And a flame from the midst of Sihon,
And shall devour the corner of Moab,
And the crown of the head of the tumult-
uous ones ("jlJCO sons o/tumulty

Additional support would appear to be

given by the allusion to this passage in

Amos 2 : 2.

" But I will send a fire upon Moab,
And it shall devour the palaces of Kirioth,
And Moab shall die with tumult,
With shouting, and with the sound of the
trimnpe.t.''''

As in many other cases, the opinion of
Hengstenberg appears to us to be here
too confidently expressed, yet in the
absence of any assured exposition of
our own, we submit it to the reader for
what it is worth. The passage is one
I of those which we think will hereafter
i receive the light of a clearer elucidation
i than has yet been shed upon it.
; V. 18. And Edom shall he a possession.
This was primarily fulfilled in David,
' of whom it is said, 2 Sam. 8 : 14, that
; " he put garrisons in Edom ; through-
out all Edom he put garrisons, and all
they of Edom became David's ser-
vants." So also David himself in two
of his psalms, Ps. 60 ; 8. 108 : 9, men-
tions together his conquest of Moab and

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

399

19 Out of Jacob shall come
lie that shall have dominion, and

Edom, as they are also joined together
in this prophecy ; " Moab is my wash-
pot, over Edom will I cast out my shoe."
But the ulterior reference of this pro-
phecy to Christ and his victory over a
spiritual Edom is evident from Is. 63 :
1-6, "Who is this that cometh from
Edom, with dyed garments from Boz-
rah ? " etc. H Seir also shall be a pos-
session far his enemies. That is, shall
be or become a possession of Israel.
Seir is the name of the mountain, or
mountainous region, where Esau dwelt,
Gen. 36 : 7, 8, for which reason the Gr.
renders it, " And Esau his enemy shall
be a possession (or inheritance)." Edom
and Seir are here used on the principle
of parallellism so common in Hebrew
poetry. They differ not more than Jacob

and Israel. H Israel shall do val-

iantly. Heb. oseh hdyil, shall do Dal-
iantness, or valiant acts, a phrase of
somewhat ambiguous import, as it is
sometimes to be understood of the
achievement of valiant deeds in war and
the obtaining of victory, 1 Sam. 14 : 48,
and sometimes of the acquisition of
wealth, as Ezek. 28 : 4. With Gesenius,
we see nothing to prevent the embrac-
ing of both senses in the present pas-
sage. Chald. " And Israel shall be pros-
pered in substance." The fact here
asserted of Israel corresponds with the
import of his name, as having power
and prevailing with God and with men.
Gen. 32 : 28, and David, after vanquish-
ing the Edomites, celebrated thus the
truth of this promise, Ps. 60 : 12,
"Through God we shall do valiantly;
for he it is that shall tread down our
enemies." But the scope of the pro-
phecy looks to a future period far be-
yond that of David. " Since Edom here
is only to be considered as the repre-
sentative of the powers of the world

shall destroy him that remain-
eth of the city.

hostile to the kingdom of God, and Is-
rael continues to exist in the Church of
the New Testament, so the consumma-
tion of the fulfilment is to be looked for
in the times when the conflict of the
kingdom of God with the world will be
completed by the victory of the former."
— Hengsten lerg.

V. 19. Out of Jacob shall come he that
shall have dominion. This is little more
than a repetition of the announcement,
V. 17, under the figure of the " Star " and
the " Sceptre." The verb in the original
has no subject expressed, but it is easily
supplied from the tenor of the context.
It is observable, however, that our trans-
lators have here relaxed somewhat of
their usual scrupulousness in regard to
Italics, according to which they should
have rendered : — " Out of Jacob shall
come he that shall have dominion." The
Lord the Messiah is evidently the per-
sonage intended, and thus has it been
understood from the earliest periods by
the Jews. Thus Chald. "And there
shall descend one from the house of Ja-
cob and shall destroy him who escapes
from the city of the peoples." Targ.
Jon. " And a ruler shall rise up out of
the house of Jacob." So Sol. Jarchi,
" And yet there shall be another ruler
out of Jacob, and he shall destroy him
that remaineth of the city. Of the King
Christ he speaketh thus, of whom it is
said (Ps, 72 : 8), * He shall have domin-
ion from sea to sea.' " If Shall de-
stroy him that remmneth of the city. A
clause of extreme obscurity. Eusebius
says, " Who can this be but the divine
Logos, the Messiah, foretold by the
prophets ; who did indeed destroy that
which remained of the city, i. e. of the
city of Jerusalem, which in the conclu-
sion forfeited and lost its polity and its
inhabitants." Calvin gives another

400

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

20 And when he looked on I of the nations ; but his latter
Amalek, he took up his parable, ! end shall he^ that he perish for
and said, Amalek was the first .ever.

turn to the expression :— *' He shall de-
stroy him that remaineth of the cities,
i. e. all enemies whom he shall find in-
corrigible." As the closing scenes of
prophecy in the Revelation present to
view two cities in antagonism with each
other, to wit, Babylon and the New Je-
rusalem, one of which is to be utterly
destroyed, it may be that it is to this
catastrophe that the Spirit alludes, im-
plying that every lingering inmate
should perish in the city's overthrow.
It is worthy of notice that Edom, as a
prophetical or mystical denomination,
has long been understood by the Jews
to apply to Rome. Ains worth cites as
parallel the following from the prophet
Obadiah, v. 18, " And the house of Ja-
cob shall be a fire, and the house of
Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau
for stubble, and they shall kindle in
them, and devour them ; and there
shall not be any remaining of the house
of Esau ; for the Lord hath spoken it."
V. 20. Wlien lie looTced on Amalek.
Heb. " And he looked upon Amalek."
That is, looked with the eyes of his
mind ; fixed his mental vision and re-
gards upon. He saw the Amalekites,
as he saw the Star out of Jacob, in
prophetic contemplation. The hypo-
thesis of Rosenmuller and others, that
there was at the same time an outward
beholding of the Amalekites, is desti-
tute of all probability. We have no
evidence that any portion of that peo-
ple was located within the present range
of Balaam's vision. But as the out-
ward sight of Israel was effective in
eliciting a blessing upon them, so the
mental survey of this devoted nation
was potent also to prompt a judgment

and a curse. •[[ Amalek {was) the

first of the nations. Or, Heb. " The

beginning of the nations," in allusion
at once to the antiquity of their origin
and to the pre-eminence which they at-
tained, as may be inferred from what is
said of them Gen. 14 : 7, and from their
daring assault upon the chosen people
during their march in the wilderness,
Ex. 17 : 8-16. The sense of beginning
is specially supported by the contrast
of end in the next clause. It is not
necessary to interpret this expression
as implying the absolute priority of the
Amalekites among the nations of the
earth, but simply that of all the adja-
cent heathen races with which Israel
came in contact, no one was more con-
spicuous than this, which dated back
at least to the time of Abraham. We
think, too, that their own estimate of
themselves may be properly included in
the import of the phrase, and that Cal-
vin's remark is well-founded : — " Poor
and unsatisfactory is the view of some
commentators, who think that Amalek
is called ' the first of the nations,' be-
cause they first took up arms against
Israel, and encountered them in order
to prevent their advance. Rather is
the pride of Amalek indirectly rebuked,
because they claimed superiority for
themselves over other nations, and this
on the score of their antiquity, as if
they had been created together with
the sun and moon. There is, then, a
pointed comparison between this noble
origin, and the slaughter which await-
ed them at their end." T[ His latter

end {shall be) that he perish for ever.
Our present version seems to fail in
giving the exact sense of the original,
although it is extremely difficult, by a
merely literal rendering to make the
Hebrew intelligible. The term for " per-
ish" is in fact a present participle

B.C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXiy.

*01

2,1 And he looked on the
Kenites ", and took up his para-
ble, and said, Strong is thy

n Gen. 15. 19.

equivalent to "the perishing one ; " so
that the true version would be some-
thing like this : — " His end shall be
(shall reach, extend) to the perishing
one." " T/ie perishing one," says Heng-
.stenberg, " was, as it were, an ideal to
whom, or to whose condition, the end
of Amalek reached." We would sub-
mit, however, whether the personage
be not real rather than ideal, and be
not to be recognized in that " Man of
Sin," or Antichrist, who is at last to
"go into perdition," and with whose
doom that of the spiritual Amalek is to
be sjnchronical.

V. 21. And lie looked on the Kenites,
etc. "We here again encounter a dubi-
ous passage. It is diflBcult to determine
precisely what people is meant by the
Kenites. There is mention in the Old
Testament of a twofold people by this
name, one of which may be termed Ca-
naanitish, the other Midianitish. Of
the former, see Gen. 15 : 19, where they
are enumerated among the Kenizzites,
Hittites, Perizzites, etc., which were
afterwards devoted to destruction, al-
though we do not subsequently find the
Kenites expressly mentioned. The other
branch was intimately associated with
the Midianites. Jethro, the father-in-
law of Moses, is called, Ex. 3:1, " the
priest of Midian," and in Judg. 1 : 16,
" the Kenite." Of these Kenites a part
followed Israel ; but the greater part,
we may presume, remained among the
Midianites and Amalekites, and that to
these last the prophecy applies, inas-
much as its tone of announcement is
severe and threatening. That portion
of the Kenite race with which the fam-
ily of Jethro is identified, appears al-
ways to have lived in friendly relations

dwelling-place, and thou puttest
thy nest in a rock.

22 Nevertheless the Kenite

with Israel, and thus were not regard-
ed as obnoxious to the prophetic curse.
It is the Canaanitish tribe of Kenites

who fall under the anathema. \ Thou

puttest thy nest in a rock. There is in
this and the next verse a striking j9am-
nomasia, Qy: play upomoords, which can-
not well be preserved in a translation.
The Heb. Kin, Kenite, is also the word
for nest, and the Kenites are in effect
nestlers, as if it were said, " Looking to-
wards the Nestler, he said. Although
thy nest thou hast fixed in a rock," as
eagles, ravens, and other birds of prey
are wont to do. Under this figurative
mode of speech there is perhaps an al-
lusion to their fixing their strong habi-
tations among the Amalekites, with
whom they appear to have dwelt, 1 Sam.
15 : 6, " And Saul said unto the Kenites,
Go, depart, get you down from among
the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with
them," etc. A designed analogy is also
traced by commentators between this
passage and the following paragraph
from the prophet Obadiah, vs. 3, 4,
" The pride of thine heart hath deceived
thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of
the rock, whose habitation is high ; that
saith in his heart. Who shall bring me
down to the ground? Though thou ex-
alt thyself as the eagle, and though thou
set thy nest among the stars, thence
will I bring thee down, saith the Lord."
V. 22. Nevertheless the Kenite shall he
xoasted, etc. Heb. Kain, a word varying
slightly from the original as it occurs
elsewhere in this connection, but proba-
bly rendered correctly, and designating
the name of the founder of the Kenites.
This name is employed to denote the
nation his descendants. This people
appear to have thought, by reason of

402

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

shall be wasted until Assliur
shall carry thee away cap-
tive.

23 And he took up his para-

their high and scarcely accessible dwell-
ing-place, they were secure from every
danger. The Spirit of prophecy here
grants them the distinction of which
they boast, but assures them that it will
not be sufficient to ward off from them
the doom which their hostility against
Israel, the people of the Lord, would
bring upon them. This doom is, that
they shall be gradually wasted, and
finally carried captive to Babylon by
the Assyrians. Their lot, in this re-
spect, seems to have been milder than
that of Amalek, as that people was to
be utterly destroyed, whereas the Ken-
ites were to be carried captive. That
such was their fate there is no reason
to doubt, as we find some of them men-
tioned among the Jews after their re-
turn from captivity, 1 Chron. 2 : 55.
Ashur, in this connection, is equivalent
to Assyrians.

V. 23. Alas, who shall live when God
doeth this ? Heb. " When God putteth
or disposeth this." The general idea is
plainly that of extreme distress and
tribulation. Who, amidst the impending
general destruction, shall preserve his
life? Who shall be accounted worthy
to escape? Chald. "Woe to the sin-
ners who shall live when God doeth
these things." It would be a momen-
tous crisis in human affairs, and as the
period to which this train of prophecies
reaches is that of the grand consumma-
tion mentioned by our Lord in the Gos-
pels, therefore his words come into
striking parallelism with those of Ba-
laam :— Mat. 24 : 21, 22, " For then shall
be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be. And except

ble, and said, Alas, who " shall
live when God doeth this f
24 And ships ^ shall come

o Mai. 3. 2. j> Dan. 11.30.

those days should be shortened, there
should no flesh be saved : but for the
elect's sake those days shall be short-
ened."

V. 24. And ships {shall come) from
the coast of Chittim, etc. Heb. " From
the hand of Chittim," i. e. from the side.
Expositors have gone into considerable
diversity of opinion relative to the peo-
ple denominated Chittim, but as it
would involve us in extended ethno-
graphical discussion to follow them in
their various researches, we shall con-
tent ourselves with stating what we
conceive the most probable general con-
clusion, viz. that Chittim is a name of
large signification, similar to Levant,
applied to the islands and coasts of the
Mediterranean, in a loose sense, with-
out definitely fixing the particular part.
Chittim was the son of Javan, who was
one of the sons of Japhet, Gen. 10 : 5.
From him descended a people who in-
habited Greece, or " the isles of the
Gentiles," Gen. 10 : 5, from whence a
colony was transplanted into Italy.
The term Chittim, therefore, sometimes
denotes Greece in a large sense, espe-
cially as including Macedonia, 1 Mac.
1 : 1 and 3 : 5, and sometimes Italy, Dan.
11 : 30, whence the Vulg. here renders
by "Romanos," Eomuns. The coun-
tries beyond the seas were not so well
known to the Israelites as to enable
them clearly to distinguish them, and
therefore the name primarily applied to
Greece, and also to the island of Cyprus,
is occasionally transferred to Italy. In
the present passage we see no valid
reason to prevent our adopting both
senses, as each nution successively act-
ed its part in fulfilling the terms of the

B. 0. 1452.J

CHAPTER XXiy.

from the co^st of Chittim, and
shall afflict ' Asshur, and shall

q Gen. 10.4.

prophecy. Indeed, we may sum up the
drift of the oracles here given, vs. 23,
24, in the following compendious para-
phrase : — How wondrous and amazing
will be the revolutions, desolations, and
afflictions that shall mark the succes-
sion of worldly empires, till they shall
all, one after another, pass away in their
turn, and give place to the one spirit-
ual, universal, and eternal kingdom of
the Messiah, the divine King of Israel !
As the Assyrian and Persian monarch-
ies shall first domineer over a great
part of the known world, leading into
captivity God's own people the Israel-
ites ; so shall there afterward arise from
the descendants of Japhet, by Chittim
the son of Javan, a second monarchy,
viz. that of the Greeks or Macedonians
under Alexander, that shall completely
break the Persian or Babylonian pow-
er. From the same source, the race of
Chittim, by colonies transplanted by
ships to Italy, shall arise still another
monarchy, the Roman, which shall con-
quer all before it, lay waste the country
of the Israelites or Hebrews, and drive
them into a final dispersion. Yet event-
ually shall this last and most formida-
ble monarchy be dissolved, Rome itself
with all its idolatry, pomp, and super-
stition, be destroyed, and thus a way
made for spreading the religion, and
establishing the kingdom of the Mes-
siah over all kindreds, and nations, and
tongues. — In these few verses is con-
densed the substance of Daniel's predic-
tions of the four great empires and their
successor, the spiritual kingdom of the
Lord, which was to supersede them all.

IF And shall afflict Ashur. Ashur,

according to general usage, denotes the
descendants of Ashur, or the Assyrians.
The pronhecy was fulfilled primarily in

afflict Eber', and he also shall
perish for ever.

r Gen. 10.21,25.

the conquest of Alexander, who over-
threw the Persian empire that then held
in subjection the Chaldeans and Assy-
rians. Tl And shall afflict Eher. This,

like Ashur, is no doubt to be understood
as a collective name for the posterity of
Eber (or Heber), of whom it is said,
Gen. 10 : 21, that " Shem was the father
of all the children of Eber," and as
Abraham was directly descended from
Eber, and in him the nation of Israel,
so we gather that the power denoted by
Chittim should oppress and afilict the
Jews, which was done by the Seleu-
cidae, the successors of Alexander, and
especially by Antiochus Epiphanes, and
also by the Romans, who not only sub-
dued and oppressed them, but event-
ually " took away their place and na-
tion," and dispersed them over the face
of the earth. As the intimation in this
oracle is of rather a sinister import as
compared with the usual style of bless-
ing which Balaam is prompted to em-
ploy towards the chosen people, there
seems to be a designed change of terms
that shall serve to discriminate between
the fortunes of the literal and the spir-
itual Israel. The spiritual Israel, or
the church, is never called " Eber," but
generally " Israel " or " Jacob," and
here the spirit of prophecy has proba-
bly designed to teach us that a destiny
was predicated of the Jews as a nation,
which would not hold good of the church

which they typically represented.

TI And he also shall perish forever. The
phraseology here is the same with that
in the final clause of v. 20, on which we
have already remarked. The original
has nothing to answer to " forever,"
and the undoubted import is that of
some subject, some " perishing one,"
entirely independent of that which goes

404

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1452.

25 And Balaam rose up,
and went and returned to liis

before, but with which that is in some
way compared, or to be associated. He
or they shall perish, even as shall the
perishing one. The allusion is to some
devoted power, some power emphati-
cally doomed, which though wholly un-
known to Balaam, was well known to
the spirit of prophecy speaking through
him, and which, in our view, is no other
than the Man of Sin, or the Antichrist
of the last times. " Thus Balaam, as
he began with the blessing of Israel,
endeth with the destruction of their en-
emies; God by his mouth confirming
the promises made unto Abraham and
to his seed forever, the accomplishment
of all which is in Christ." — Ainsivorth.
V. 25. And Balaam rose up, and went
and returned to Ms place. There is an
apparent contradiction between this
passage, which seems to say that Ba-
laam, after fulfilling his mission, imme-
diately, and without tarrying on the
road, returned and reached his home in
safety, and Num. 31 : 8, 16 (comp. Josh.
13 : 22), according to which Balaam
was killed by the Israelites in the war
which they undertook against the Mid-
ianites, as a righteous punishment for
the counsel given to that people with a
view to lead Israel into sin. In the so-
lution of this difficulty, which has been
long since remarked, some have sup-
posed that Balaam returned home, but
made a second journey to the Midian-
ites, though it is no easy matter to find
sufficient time for this double journey.
A far preferable mode of reconciling
the apparent discrepancy is to under-
stand the words in an inchoative sense,
implying that he started with the piir-
pose of returning home, but was de-
tained by the Midianites. For instances
of this phraseology see Ex. 8 : 18. Num.
14 : 40. This construction is favored

place : and Balak also went his
way.

by the fact that the original sJiooh prop-
erly signifies to turn from, to turn haclc,
while the reaching the object aimed at
is not included in the meaning of the
word itself. So in like manner, Gen.
18:33, "And the Lord went his way
as soon as he had left communing with
Abraham ; and Abraham returned back
to his place," where not so much the
arrival as the direction is meant; he
set out on his return. They parted
each one his own way. So here also
the parallelism leads us to suppose
that not the end, but the direction, the
course, is intended. Whether he reach-
ed the end of his journey or not, is in-
different to the object which the in-
spired historian had in view in relating
the incidents. He could let him jour-
ney without troubling himself how it
fared with him, and what he did fur-
ther. This is intimated in the sequel
quite incidentally. The writer began
with telling how Balak had sent for the
prophet in order to destroy Israel, and
he closes his narrative with simply
telling how the parting took place
without the object being attained.

CHAPTER XXV.

The Israelites, at their last Station in

the Wilderness, seduced to Idolatry

ivitlh the Moabites and Midianites hy

the Counsel of Balaam.

"We have seen thus far the fruitless

attempts of Balak and Balaam to curse

the people whom God had blessed.

Their attempts had recoiled upon their

own heads, and their disappointment

had not only resulted in deep chagrin

on the part of each, but also in mutual

dissatisfaction with each other. Balak

had obtained no aid against the people

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXV.

405

CHAPTER XXY.

ND Israel abode in Shittim",
. and the people began to com-

49. Mie. 6. 5.

whom he feared, and Balaam had lost
the wealth and honors which he covet-
ed. The failure in this respect he
would fain make good if possible. He
saw that the favor of God was with the
Israelites, and he knew that while they
were possessed of it they would be in-
vincible. He perceived that the only
way to prevail against them was to
cause them to forfeit that favor. If he
could lead them to sin against the Lord,
then they would be deserted by their
strength, Balak would be able to over-
come them, and he should reap his re-
ward. With diabolical malice and cun-
ning, therefore, he puts Balak and his
people upon a plan for corrupting them,
and the success of the scheme and its
consequences are detailed in the course
of the present chapter.

V. 1. And Israel abode in SMttim.
This was the name given to some part
of the tract called " the plains of Moab,"
lying on the borders of the Jordan where
they were now encamped. It is termed
Ahel-SMttim, ch. 33 : 48, 49, and as
" Abel " signifies mourning, it is prob-
able the name was given it from the
lamentation made over the transgress-
ors who were cut oflF for their grievous
offence at this place. It is no unusual
thing with the Hebrew writers to omit
the first part of compound names.
Thus Judg. 3 : 3, Herman for Baal-
Hermon ; 1 Chron. 4:29, Tliolad for
EtJitolad ; Josh. 19 : 4, Nimrim for
Beth-Mmrim ; Ps. 66 : 3, Salem for Je-
rusalem. The original Shittim means
Acacias, probably from their growing
abundantly in this vicinity, and Keil
(on Jos. 2 : 1) renders Ahel-Shittim by
Acacia- Meadows. Its true location ap-
pears to have been in the Arboth-Moab

mit whoredom * with the daugh-
ters of Moab.

6 c. 31. 16. 1 Cor. 10.

(plains of Moab) at the foot of the
mountainous range of Abarim, and im-
mediately under i^ebo opposite to Jeri-
cho. Hence it is to be looked for near
the point at which the "Wady Hesban
enters the plains of Moab, probably to
the south of this Wady. According to
Josephus, the town of Abila was after-
wards built on the site previously occu-
pied by Shittim, in a country abound-
ing with date-bearing trees, sixty sta-
dia from the Jordan. In this place Is-
rael abode (Heb. "sat") until after
the death of Moses, consequently until
every thing related in the book of
Deuteronomy had transpired. It was
from hence, too, that Joshua took his
departure, Josh. 2 : 1, when the host
passed over to Gilgal. Of this period
of their history the chosen people are
reminded by the prophet, Mic. 6 : 5,
" 0 my people, remember now what
Balak king of Moab consulted, and
what Balaam the son of Beor answered
him from Shittim unto Gilgal ; that ye
may know the righteousness of the
Lord." ^ TTie people began to com-
mit wlioredom with the daughters of
Moab. Or, Heb. "Profaned, or pro-
fanely began, etc." The idea Qi pro-
fanation is undoubtedly included in
the original term. The prompters to
this iniquity are said to have been " the
daughters of Moab," but to them are to
be added the daughters of Midian, as
appears from vs. 6, 17, 18. The sin
here predicted of "the people" is not
to be understood of the whole body of
them, but only of a portion, and these
all met with a condign punishment, as
we learn from the sequel. The iniquity
in which Israel now became involved
was plainly instigated by Balaam, of

406

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. U52.

2 And^tliey called the people
unto the sacrifices of their gods :

c Ex. 34. 15, 16.

whom it is said, Rev. 2 : 14, *' But I
have a few things against thee, because
thou hast there them that hold the doc-
trine of Balaam, who taught Balak to
cast a stumbling-block before the chil-
dren of Israel, to eat things sacrificed
unto idols, and to commit fornication."
It was the more aggravated from the
fact that the Lord had borne with them
so long and had conducted them so far,
as they were now in fact just upon the
borders and in full sight of the land of
promise. The lapses of Christians as
they near the end of their pilgrimage
and are in full view of heaven, have a
peculiar enormity, which should cause
them to be shunned with the most pro-
found abhorrence and awful dread.

V. 2. And they called the peopUy etc.
As the verb in the original is here in
the feminine, it implies that the calling
or invitation was given by these daugh-
ters of Moab, who no doubt exerted
various fascinating arts to inveigle the
sons of the covenant into their snares.

Tf Unto the sacrifices of their gods.

Or, Heb. "Of their god." Gr. and
Chald. " Of their idols," meaning Baal-
Peor, as we learn from v. 3. Baal-
Peor is probably the localized title of a
general heathen deity worshipped in
various ancient countries, but here de-
riving his appellation from the name
of a mountain, mentioned ch. 23 : 28,
just as Jupiter, among the Greeks, was
called Jupiter Olympus, from the name
of a mountain specially dedicated to
him. He was worshipped with the
most obscene and revolting rites, so
that the learned have conceived him to
be identical with the Priapus of the
Greeks and Romans. Whether this
were- so or not is not very important,
as the moral bearings of this trans-

and the people did eat, and bow-
ed "^ down to their gods.

action claim our first attention. It
evinces clearly that our most formida-
ble enemies are evermore within and
not without us. Lusts inwardly cher-
ished are more to be dreaded than ex-
ternal foes ; for here we perceive that
what the curse of Balaam could not
effect was brought about by their own
corruptions. The charms and incanta-
tions of infernal magic do not work so
much mischief as the seductive arts and
blandishments of siren females, who
beguile to idolatry by yielding to licen-
tiousness. Still the weight of our con-
demnation must fall upon the unprin-
cipled fathers, brothers and husbands
of the miserable women who had doubt-
less been pressed in the first instance,
against their better instincts, into com-
plicity with this nefarious scheme. >

II And the people did eat, and howed
down to their gods. The act of eating
in common carries with it an implica-
tion of the parties being closely con-
joined together, and when this is done
over the sacrifices offered in religious
worship, it implies a unanimity of
views and feelings which could not be
supposed to exist, without downright
profanation, between the worshippers
of the true God and the votaries of
idols. Now against this aggravated in-
iquity the chosen people had been espe-
cially warned on a former occasion.
Ex. 34 : 12-16. " Take heed to thyself
lest thou make a covenant with the in-
habitants of the land whither thou
goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst
of thee ; but ye shall destroy their al-
tars, break their images, and cut down
their groves : for thou shalt worship no
other god: for the Lord, whose name
is Jealous, is a jealous God : lest thou
make a covenant with the inhabitants

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXY.

407

3 And Israel joined ' himself of the Lord was kindled against
unto Baal-peor : and the anger : Israel.

Josh. ii. 17. Ps. 106. 2S, 29. Hos. 9. 10.

of the land, and they go a whoring
after their gods, and do sacrifice unto
their gods, and one call thee, and thou
eat of his sacrifice ; and thou take of
their daughters unto thy sons, and their
daughters go a whoring after their
gods, and make thy sons go a whoring
after their gods." This strain of pro-
hibition would seem to have been in-
•tended for just such a case as the pres-
ent, yet it is grossly disregarded, and
the fearful moral guilt of a mixed, pol-
luted, and prostituted worship incurred.
The subject will be better appreciated
by adducing the reasonings of Paul in
relation to this species of profanation,
1 Cor. 10 : 16-21, " The cup of blessing
which we bless, is it not the com-
munion of the blood of Christ? the
bread which we break, is it not the
communion of the body of Christ ? For
we, being many, are one bread, and
one body ; for we are all partakers of
that one bread. Behold Israel after the
flesh ; are not they which eat of the
sacrifices partakers of the altar? What
say I then ? that the idol is any thing ?
or that which is offered in sacrifice to
idols is any thing ? But I say, that the
things which the Gentiles sacrifice,
they sacrifice to devils and not to God :
and I would not that ye should have
fellowship with devils. Ye cannot
drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup
of devils: ye cannot be partakers of
the Lord's table, and of the table of
devils." Here the general idea is plain-
ly, that by partaking of the sacrifices
offered upon any altar, we do in fact
partake of the altar, and by partaking
of the altar we own, communicate
with, and worship the god of the altar,
Mai. 1 : 7. For as " swearing by the
altar" is swearing **by him" whose

altar it is, Matt. 23 : 20, so having com-
munion with the altar is having com-
munion with him whose altar it is,
"Bowing down to their gods" is, in
effect, uniting in the worship of idols,
as " gods " is rendered both in the Gr.
and the Chald. The Psalmist, in a sig-
nificant allusion to this event, says, Ps.
106 : 28, " They joined themselves also
unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices
of the dead," so called not only because
the idol itself was a dead thing, op-
posed to the true and living God, but
because the sacrifices were offered in
honor of some distinguished personage
who was deified after death, somewhat
after the fashion of the canonization of
saints in the Romish Church.

V. 3. Israel joined himself to Baal-
Peor. Heb. "Was joined, coupled, or
yoked." Yulg. "Israel was initiated
to Beelphegor." Gr. " Israel was con-
secrated to Beelphegor." Chald. "Is-
rael was conjoined to the worshippeis
of Baal-Peor." Syr. and Arab. " Is-
rael cleaved closely to Beel-Pheor." It
is probably to this peculiar phrase that
Paul alludes, 2 Cor. 6 : 14, " Be ye not
'unequally yoked with unbelievers." As
two kinds of animals were not to be
yoked together in ploughing, so neither
were Christians and Heathen to be as-
sociated in the sacred acts*of worship.
The expression is highly significant,
and as Baal, lord, has somewhat of a
marital import, we recognize an in-
direct allusion to that holy union into
which the Most High had entered with
his people, and which they are here ac-
cused of violating, and oi Joining, coup-
ling, and yoking themselves in impious
alliance with his enemies. " Hence,
therefore," says Calvin, "this general
instruction may be gathered, that when

408

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

4 And the Lord 'said unto
MoseSj ■' Take all the heads of
the people, and hang them up
before the Lord against the sun,

/ Deut. 13. 6-9.

we turn aside from pure religion, we in
a manner connect ourselves with idols,
so as to coalesce in one body with them,
and conspire to renounce the true God."
T[ The anger of the Lord was kin-
dled against Israel. Thus paralleled in
the language of the Psalmist, Ps. 106 :
29, " They provoked him to anger with
their inventions ; and the plague brake
in upon them."

V. 4. Take all the heads of the people,
etc. It is not entirely clear how this is
to be understood. From the wording
of our English version it would appear
that they regarded the " heads of the
people" as denoting the chief actors in
the transgression, and that they were
the ones who were commanded to be
hung. And so the words are con-
strued by a large proportion of com-
mentators, both ancient and modern.
But they are capable of another, and
perhaps, on the whole, a preferable
sense, by which the clause "take all
the heads of the people," means to take
them for assistants in carrying out the
sentence of judgment now enjoined. In
this case the word " them " in the next
clause refers not to the " heads of the
people," but to those who had joined
themselves to Baal-Peor. The Hebrew
affords abundant examples of similar
usage in regard to relatives and ante-
cedents, and the suggestion is evident-
ly favored by the next verse, where the
"judges of Israel" appear to be the
same persons with the " heads of the
people." So also Chald. " Take the
princes of the people, sit in judgment,
and slay him who shall be worthy of
death." The following is the version

that the fierce ^ anger of the Lord

may be turned away from Israel.

6 And Moses said unto the

judges of Israel, Slay ^ ye every

g Deut.

A Ex. 32. 27.

of Geddes : " Take all the chiefs of the
people with thee; and let them slay
those men who have worn the badges
of Baal-Peor ; and hang them up before
the Lord until sunsetting." Bp. Pat-
rick, while he thinks the other to be
the most natural sense, yet remarks,
that " it must be acknowledged that
there is a great current of interpreters
which runs the other way," and to this
current we confess ourselves to belong.

^ Hang them up before the Lord.

Heb. " To or for the Lord ;" i. e., as an
offering to his just displeasure, as a
token of his retributive justice. Gr.
" Make a public example of them, for
the Lord, against the sun." It is to be
understood that the victims were first
stoned to death, and then hung up in
this open exposed manner, in the light
of day, for hanging alive was never
practised among the people of Israel.
Crucifixion was not a Jewish, but a
Roman punishment. Hanging, how-
ever, subsequent to stoning, was con-
sidered as a special mark of the divine
malediction, as appears from Deut. 21 :
23, " He that is hanged is accursed of
God," i. e., his being hung is a sign of
his being accursed, or, as Jerome re-
marks (on Gal. 3 : 13), " He was not ac-
cursed because he was hanged, but he
was hanged because he was accursed."
V. 5. Slay ye every one his men.
That is, the men under his special ju-
risdiction, as they were distributed in
Ex, 18 : 25. Aben Ezra and Sol. Jarchi
understand by the language, that the
heads of the people, divided into sev-
eral courts of judgment, should exam-
ine and ascertain who had been guilty

B. C. 1452.J

CHAPTER XXV.

409

one his men that were joined un-
to Baal-peor.

6 And, behold, one of the
children of Israel came, and
brought unto his brethren a
Midiauitish woman, in the sight
of Moses, and in the sight of all
the congregation of the children
of Israel, who icere weeping ' he-

of idolatry, and then put them to death,
as here commanded. It is supposed
that the judicial system suggested by
Jethro was continued all the time they
were in the wilderness, and that it was
their duty to find out the guilty in their
several departments or divisions. This
explains the phrase, "Slay ye every
one his men," They were the men for
whom each of the judges were several-
ly, in a sense, responsible from their
falling under their supervision.

The Outrage so signally avenged hy
PhinehaSy and his comequent Re-
ward.

V. 6. Behold, one of the children of
Israel came, and brought unto his brdh-
ren, etc. Heb. "Brought near to his
brethren;" i. e. brought near in the
sight of his brethren. This is the only
sense in which she was brought to
them, implying a peculiarly open, pub-
lic, and shameless proceeding on the
part of the ofienders. It was done not
only in the sight of the brethren of the
culprit, but of Moses also, and of a large
portion of the congregation who were
at that time collected at the door of the
Tabernacle weeping and movirning over
the fearful transgression. It is not im-
probable, in fact, that the judgment had
even then begun, and what must have
been the enormity of introducing a par-
amour, in these circumstances, into an
Israelitish tent, in open defiance of

fore the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation.

7 And when Phinehas ^ the
son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron
the priest, saw it^ he rose up
from among the congregation,
and took a javelin in his hand :

8 And he went after the man
of Israel into the tent, and thrust

k Ps. 106. 31.

every restraint of decency and reli-
gion !

V. 8. Se went afte)^ the man of Israel
into the tent, etc. Heb. el hakkulah,
into the recess. The original word here
rendered "tent" is not the term {ohel)
usually employed for that purpose.
RosenmuUer remarks, that it is equiv-
alent to the Arab, kulhah or Tcohbah,
and with the article allcobbah, from
which is derived the Spanish alcoba
and alcova, Eng. alcove, denoting an
interior chamber appropriated to sleep-
ing. Into this retired room the offend-
ers were followed by Phinehas, and
both transfixed by a single stroke of
his javelin. The way of transgressors
is hard, and their end sometimes strik-
ingly awful. Though all are not cut
off by the stroke of exemplary justice,
yet the close of a sinful and. impeni-
tent life must be destruction, whether
through the gradual decays of nature,
! the waste of sickness, or the sudden
seizure of death. The act on the part
of Phinehas seems to have been prompt-
ed by a sudden impulse of holy zeal,
which received, indeed, the divine ap-
probation, although it is not to be re-
garded as a precedent in ordinary cases.
Sudden emergencies warrant extraor-
dinary expedients. As a priest, it was
not the office of Phinehas to punish
crime, but in this instance, while aU
others held back, he was no doubt
moved by a divine inspiration to enter

410

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

both of them through, the man of
Israel, and the woman through
her belly. So the plague was
stayed from the children of Israel.

upou the work of vengeance. " If any
private person should in his preposter-
ous zeal take upon himself to punish a
similar crime, in vain will he boast of
being an imitator of Phinehas, unless
he shall be thoroughly assured of the
command of God. In order that our
zeal may be approved of God, it must
be tempered by spiritual prudence, and
directed by His authority ; in a word,
the Holy Spirit must go before, and
dictate what is right." — Calvin. But
while the act of Phinehas would be un-
justifiable in those who had received
no such commission, either from God
or man, yet the spirit from whicJi it
proceeded would be commendable, in
whomsoever it were found. We ought
to be filled with zeal for God's honor.
We ought to feel indignation against sin.
We ought to be penetrated with com-
passion towards those who are seduced
into dangerous courses by the evil acts
of others. We ought to be ready to as-
sist the civil magistrate in the suppres-
sion of iniquity. T[ So the plague was

stayed from the children of Israel. Heb.
hammagg'iphah, the stroke. This is usu-
ally understood to denote a pestilence
which the Lord had caused to break
forth on this occasion, and to rage with
destructive violence. But as nothing
has been previously said of any such
pestilence, and as the term is elsewhere
applied to a slaughter by the sword,
1 Sam. 4 : 17, we see no good reason to
doubt that it is here used in reference
■to the execution of the judgment com-
manded above, vs. 4, 5, which now
reached its climax in the fearful act of
Phinehas towards the culprits slain by
his hand. To this evenj; in the history
the Psalmist alludes as follows, Ps. 106 :

9 And those ' that died in the
plague were twenty and four
thousand.

/ Deut. 4. 3. 1 Cor. 10. 8.

29, 30, " Thus they provoked him to
anger with their inventions: and the
plague brake in upon them. Then stood
up Phinehas, and executed judgment:
and so the plague was stayed." The
original word for " plague " is here the
same with that before us, and we see
no evidence of any other " plague " than
that of the slaughter recorded by the
historian.

V. 9. Twenty and four thousand.
The number here specified aftbrds a
fearful indication of the ravages of the
divine judgment, but it has greatly
tasked the ingenuity of commentators
to reconcile with it the statement of
Paul, 1 Cor. 10 : 8, " Neither let us com-
mit fornication, as some of them com-
mitted, and fell in one day three and
twenty thousand.^' The solution usual-
ly given depends upon the assumed
distinction between the number of those
who fell by the plague and those who
fell by the sword of the judges. Moses,
it is supposed, in the 24,000, compre-
hends all that perished both by the
sword and the pestilence, whereas Paul
refers only to the latter. But as we see
no evidence of the occurrence of any
plague on this occasion, so we are com-
pelled to reject this explanation. In
our view Paul had no design to specify
the precise number. He had in his
mind the fact of a tremendous judg-
ment inflicted on the Israelites for a
particular sin, but whether it were ex-
actly 23,000 or 24,000 he might not
have recollected at the moment, and as
the piecise specification was not im-
portant for the moral lesson which it
was calculated to teach, instead of ar-
resting his pen and turning to the in-
spired volume to certify himself on the

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXY.

411

10 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

11 Phinehas the son of Elea-
zar, the son of Aaron the priest,
hath turned ™ my wrath away
from the children of Israel,
(while he was zealous for my
sake among them,) that I con-

m Pa. 106, '23. John 3. 36.

point, he set down the number of 23,000
as being at least the number slain, with-
out assuming to give it with absolute
accuracy. Now if the assertion of
Moses was true, that 24,000 perished
on this occasion, the assertion of Paul
is likewise true that 23,000 perished,
and the assertion of the less number
does not deny that of the greater. As,
then, it cannot be shown that there is
any thing intrinsically false in Paul's
statement, why not be content with it
as it stands without striving to bring it
to a perfect tally with Moses? — espe-
cially when the only ground on which
this is attempted to be done is a gra-
tuitous assumption utterly incapable
of proof? We are persuaded it will be
forever a futile attempt to maintain
that the Holy Spirit, speaking through
Paul, designed to state the exact num-
ber of the victims who fell under the
judgment now visited upon the people,
for this would bring him in conflict
with his own declaration made through
the Old Testament writer.

Vs. 10, 11. The Lord spake unto Moses,
etc. The Most High here announces to
Moses that it was his pleasure that the
whole nation should know how much
they owed to the heroic act of retribu-
tion— this courageous and well-timed
zeal — on the part of Phinehas, inasmuch
as by vindicating the divine honor he
had staid the hand of justice from strik-
ing and consuming the whole mass of a
congregation so corrupted. H While

sumed not the children of Israel
in my jealousy".

12 Wherefore say, Behold, I
give unto him " my covenant of
peace :

13 And he shall have it, and
his seed after him, even the cov-

n Ex. 20. 5. Deut. 3:. 16, 21. 1 K. 14. <ii. Vs. 78.
58. Ezek. 16. 38. Zeph. 1. 18. 3. 8. o Mai. '2. 4, 5.

he was zealous for my sake among them.
Or, Heb. " He was jealous with my jeal-
ousy." See Note on ch. 5 : 14, where
the import of the original term for
"zeal" is fully unfolded. The mean-
ing is, that in thus vindicating the di-
vine honor he showed that he could no
more tolerate this forbidden connection
of the chosen people with an idolatrous
race than a man would suffer his wife
to prostitute herself to strangers. In
this sense the Lord himself is said to be
"jealous," Ex. 20 : 5. The term con-
veys an allusion to the conjugal relation
which the Lord sustained to his people.

V. 12. Behold, I give unto him my
covenant of peace. Heb. herithi shdlom,
implying an abundant prosperity, com-
prising multitudinous forms of happi-
ness and comfort. Such is the import
of the original term for "peace;" so
that this promised " covenant of peace "
is nothing more than the divine stipu-
lation that his lot should be crowned
with a fulness of blessings, both tem-
poral and spiritual. So the Lord says
of Levi, Mai. 2 : 5, "My covenant was
with him of life and peace ; and I gave
them to him for the fear wherewith he
feared me, etc." The Targ. Jon. ren-
ders thus : " Behold, I decree unto him
my covenant of peace, and I will make
him the messenger of my covenant, and
he shall live forever to preach the Gos-
pel of redemption in the end of days."

V. 13. Eve7h the covenant of an ever-
lasting priesthood. As if he should say,

412

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452

enant of an ^ everlasting priest-
hood ; because he was * zealous
for his God, and made an '' atone-
ment for the children of Israel.
14 Now the name of the Is-
raelite that was slain, even that
was slain with the Midianitish
woman, was Zimri the son of

p Ex. 40. 15. q Ps. 69. 9. r Heb. 2. 17.

Let Phinehas know that by way of re-
ward for so noble and pure an example
of religious zeal, a zeal not prompted
by private passion, by hasty, uncharita-
ble, or ungovernable resentment, but
by a solid and earnest regard to the
honor of the divine majesty, the love of
truth, and the highest welfare of his
brethren, his family shall, in direct line
from him, be honored with the priv-
ilege of a long succession in the high-
priesthood ; and though this succession
may be temporarily interrupted, yet it
shall return again to his posterity, and
remain with them even to the passing
away of the dispensation now insti-
tuted. He was indeed already entitled
to the office, and had actually held it
since the death of Aaron ; but it is now
confirmed to him as a birthright, and
ordained to run down in his family,
and doubtless in the eldest son, instead
of being transferred to some other
branch of Aaron's descendants. The
interruption spoken of occurred when
the priesthood passed from the family
of Phinehas to that of Ithamar, where it
remained about 150 years, Eli being
one of his descendants, but it was re-
stored again in the person of Zadok,
1 Chron. 6 : 50, and thence continued in
the family, as far as is known, down to
the close of the Jewish economy. The
" everlasting priesthood " belongs prop-
erly to Christ, and it would seem that
the promise made to Phinehas, as a type
of Christ, glides imperceptibly into that

Salu, a prince of a chief house
among the Simeonites.

15 And the name of the
Midianitish woman that was
slain was Cozbi, the daughter
of Zur"; he was head over a
people, and of a chief house in
Midian.

which receives its fulfilment in him who
was made " a priest forever after the

order of Melchisedek." T[ And made

an atononent for the children of Israel.
Heb. "Atoned upon (or for) the chil-
dren of Israel." That is, made recon-
ciliation, pacified, propitiated. Thus
Moses, in addressing the Israelites after
the great crime which they had com-
mitted in worshipping the golden calf,
says, Ex. 82 : 30, 32, " Ye have sinned a
great sin ; and now I will go up unto
the Lord ; perad venture I will make an
atonement for your sins." So again, in
respect to the rebellion of Korah, Num.
16 : 46, 48, " And Aaron took as Moses
commanded, and ran into the midst
of the congregation ; and, behold, the
plague was begun among the people :
and he put on incense, and made an
atonement for the people. And he stood
between the dead and the living; and
the plague was stayed." So the Psal-
mist makes honorary mention of this act
of Phinehas, Ps. 106 : 30, " Then stood
up Phinehas and executed judgment,
and so the plague was stayed."

Vs. 14, 15. Now the name of the Is- \
raelite, etc. The names and the pedi-
gree of the ofiending parties are here
particularly cited, both in order to con-
sign their character to deeper infamy
in after ages, and to do higher honor to
Phinehas, who, in this transaction, re-
garded not the rank or dignity of the
transgressors. These, it appears, were
of high condition on both sides, yet

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXVI.

413

16 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

17 Vex ' the Midianites, and
smite them :

18 For they vex you " with
their wiles, wherewith they have
beguiled you, in the matter of
Peor, and in the matter of

their standing gave them no exemption
when the stroke of retribution fell. The
passage before us is a testimony that
the Lord would give publicity to the
sin as a warning to others, that the
most exalted sphere in life will protect
no one from the just consequences of
his crimes.

V. 17. Vex the Midianites and smite
tliem. Heb. "Straighten, distress."
Gr. " Treat as enemies." The divine
justice having visited deserved punish-
ment upon his own people, now decrees
vengeance against his and their ene-
mies, although the actual execution of
it was delayed till after the numbering
of the people and the occurrence of
various other events recorded in the
next five chapters. The infliction of
this vengeance was to be the last public
act of Moses, as it is said, ch. 81 : 2,
" Avenge the children of Israel of the
Midianites ; afterward shalt thou be
gathered unto thy people." Judgment
often begins at the house of God, but it
does not end there. Accordingly the
Lord says, by the prophet, Jer. 25 : 29,
" For lo, I begin to bring evil on the
city which is called by ray name, and
should ye be utterly unpunished ? Ye
shall not be unpunished : for I will call
for a sword upon all the inhabitants of
the earth, saith the Lord of hosts."
The judgment is here denounced against
the Midianites rather than against the
Moabites, because the Midianites, in this
particular instance, seem to have taken

Cozbi, the daughter of a prince
of Midian, their sister, which
was slain " in the day of the
plague, for Poor's sake.

CHAPTER XXVL

AND it came to pass, after the
plague, that the Lord spake

the lead in the conspiracy suggested by
Balaam. Balak had turned away the
wicked prophet in disgrace, but the
Midianites, in all probability, retained
him in the midst of them, as it was
amongst them that he was slain, ch.
31 : 8. We cannot mistake in account-
ing those our greatest enemies who
would entice us into sin, and though
we are never to indulge in a vindictive
spirit, yet we may be and ought to be
moved by a righteous indignation
against whatever tends to effect a sep-
aration between us and our heavenly
Father.

V. 18. For they vex you ivith their
wiles, etc. Heb. "Distress you," the
same word occurring in the preceding
verse, but denoting here, not war, but
a resort to the arts of subtlety and de-
ceit. This was a peculiar source of
vexation to them, whence Henry well
remarks, that " whatever draws us to
sin should be a vexation to us, as a
thorn in the flesh."

CHAPTER XXVL

A new Census tahen in the Flains of

Modb.
V. 1. It came to pass after the plague,
etc. After the slaughter of the 24,000
who fell by the sword of the judges as
stated ch. 25 : 9, as this is the undoubt-
ed sense of the word "plague" in this
connection. We may properly recog-

414

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

unto Moses, and unto Eleazar the
son of Aaron the priest, saying,
2 Take " the sum of all the
congregation of the children of
Israel, from twenty years old
and upward, throughout their

a Ex. 30. U. 38. 25, 26. c. 1. 2, 3.

nize a moral as well as a historical sig-
nificancy in the command to number
the people afresh. It was a token of
the Lord's special regard for those who
survived and had cleaved to him in the
midst of a wide-spread defection. Deut.
4 : 3, 4, " Your eyes have seen what the
Lord did because of Baal-peor : for all
the men that followed Baal-peor, the
Lord thy God hath destroyed them from
among you. But ye that did cleave
unto the Lord your God are alive every
one of you this day." The Hebrew
writers, in a somewhat pious vein, il-
lustrate it '* by the similitude of a shep-
herd, who, when a wolf has gotten
among his flock, and worried some of
them, he counteth them to know the
number of those that are left." Again,
" As when they came out of Egypt and
were delivered to Moses, they were de-
livered to him by tale (Ex. 38 : 26), so
now when Moses was ready to die, and
to deliver his flock again, he delivered
them by tale." — Sol. JarcTii. A farther*
reason for the measure may be found
in the divine determination to make
good the promise to Abraham, to mul-
tiply his seed as the stars of heaven,
notwithstanding it might seem to be
countervailed by the fearful diminution
in their numbers caused by the sweep-
ing judgments which their sins had in-
curred. " This was the reason why
the people was numbered immediately
after the plague, in order that it might
be more conspicuous that God had mar-
vellously prorided lest any diminution
should appear after the recent loss of

father's house, all that are able
to go to war in Israel.

3 And Moses and Eleazar
the priest spake with them in
the plains * of Moab, by Jordan
near Jericho, saying,

so many men." — Calvin. The whole
generation existing thirty-eight years
before, with the exception only of Ca-
leb and Joshua, had been wasted away,
and as the promised land was now
about to be distributed to their de-
scendants, which would be facilitated
by a new census, one is accordingly
ordered. The matter was intrusted to
the charge of Eleazar, who was now,
since the death of Aaron, high priest.
As Aaron had performed this office in
conjunction with Moses on a former oc-
casion, ch. 1 : 3, so Eleazar is called to
do it now. He also united with Joshua
afterwards, Josh. 14 : 1, in dividing the
land among the people.

V. 2. Tahe the sum of all the congre-
gation. Heb. "Take the head." On
the import of this expression see Note
on ch. 1 : 2. Chald. " Take the count,
or the sum." This was the third cen-
sus of which we have an account in the
sacred narrative. The particular terms
occurring in this verse will be found
explained in the Notes on ch. 1 : 2, 3.

V. 3. Moses and Eleazar the priest
spahe xoith them, etc. The purport of
this and the following verse, particu-
larly as expressed in the original, is not
very clear, since the command given
in V. 2 to Eleazar, appears here to be
given to some other party intimated by
" them," which, as it stands, is of very
indefinite reference. The clue to the
sense would seem to be given by the
Targ. Jon. "Spake unto the princes,
and said to number them (the people)."
According to this the order was given

B. C. 1452.

CHAPTER XXVI.

415

4 Take the sum of the people,
from twenty years old and up-
ward ; as the Lord commanded
Moses, and the children of Is-
rael, which went forth out of
the land of Egypt.

5 Keuben", the eldest son of
Israel : the children of Reuben ;
Hauoch, of whom cometh the
family of the Hanochites : of
Pallu, the family of the Pallu-
ites :

6 Of Hesron, the family of
the Hesronites : of Carmi, the
family of the Carmites.

7 These are the families of
the Reubenites ; and they that

c Gen. 46. 8.

to the chiefs of the tribes, who acted as
assistants to Moses and Aaron in the
former numbering.

V. 4. {Take the sum of the people).
These words are wanting in the orig-
inal, but are evidently implied in the
general tenor of the command, and

therefore properly inserted. ^ As

the Lord commanded, etc. Implying
that they were now to proceed accord-
ing to the directions given them by the
Lord himself on the occasion of the for-
mer numbering, ch. 1 : 1-4. This fa-
vors the construction above suggested.

V. 5-7. Reuben, the eldest son of Is-
rael, etc. The enumeration begins with
Reuben the eldest-born, as it did also
in the former instance, ch. 1 : 5, 20.
Four families are here enumerated to
Reuben, as we read also Gen. 46 : 9.

1 Chron. 5 : 3. 1" Hanoch {of whom

cometh) the Hanochites. Heb. " The
Hanochite," sing, for the plur. as else-
where throughout this chapter. The
phraseology of the original identifies
the descendants of Hanoch with Han-
och himself, which is according to a
frequent Scriptural usage. So likewise

were numbered of them were
forty and three thousand and
seven hundred and thirty.

8 And the sons of Pallu ;
Eliab.

9 And the sons of Eliab ;
Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abi-
ram. This is that Dathan and
Abiram which were famous in
the congregation, who strove ^
against Moses and against Aaron
in the company of Korah, when
they strove against the Lord.

10 And the earth opened her
mouth, and swallowed them up
together with Korah, when that
company died, what time the fire

with the other three families of this
tribe. The census now made shows
that the tribe had decreased by near
three thousand men. But whole house-
holds had perished in the preceding
judgments, as is evident from v. 9.

T[ Forty and three thousand and

seven hundred and thirty. The Reu-
benites, at the last numbering, gave a
total of 46,500 ; their decrease conse-
quently, up to this time, was 2,720,
which may be accounted for, at least in
part, by the ravages of the divine judg-
ment in consequence of Korah's con-
spiracy.

V. 9. Famous in the congregation.
Heb. " The called, the summoned."
See Note on ch. 1 : 16, where the term
is fully explained. Comp. also ch. 16 :
1, 2, etc. 1 Strove. Gr. "Made in-
surrection against." Chald. " Gathered
themselves together against." These
strove against Moses and Aaron in the
striving of Korah's company against
the Lord.

V. 10. Together with Korah. These
words, taken as they read, would seem
to import that Korah was swallowed up

416

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

devoured two hundred and fifty
men ; and ' they became a sign.

11 Notwithstanding, the chil-
dren^ of Korah died not.

12 The sons of Simeon after
their families : of Nemuel"^, the

ec. 16. 38. ICor. 10. 6. 2 Pet. 2. 6.
g Gen. 46. 10. Ex. 6. 16. Jemuel.

with Dathan and Abiram — contrary to
the conclusion stated in our Note on
ch. 16 : 32. But it is palpable that the
langviage of the verse before us is some-
what confused in the present render-
ing, as it is not clear whether the
sacred writer meant to say that Ko-
rah's company perished by the opening
of the earth, or by the fire ; and there-
fore we do not hesitate, with Patrick,
Poole, Geddes, Boothroyd, and others,
to propose another translation con-
formed substantially to the Samaritan,
which reads thus: ''And the earth
opened its mouth, and swallowed them
up, and when this company died a fire
devoured Korah and two hundred and
fifty men." The original will admit,
we think without violence, of the fol-
lowing version : " And the earth opened
her mouth, and swallowed them up
(i. e., Dathan and Abiram with their
immediate associates, ch. 16 : 32), and
as for Korah (he perished) in the dying
of that company, at the time the fire
devoured two hundred and fifty men."
This is not a forced construction, and
it agrees well with Ps. 106 : 17, 18,
" The earth opened and swallowed up
Dathan, and covered the company of
Abiram." Here it is plain that Korah
is not included. Josephus says to the
same effect, " This fire was very bright,
and had a terrible flame, such as is
kindled at the command of God; by
whose irruption on them, all the com-
pany, and Korah liimself, were de-
stroyed." But whichever be the con-

family of the Nemuelites: of
Jamin, the family of the Jamin-
ites : of Jachin '^, the family of
the Jachinites :

13 Of Zerah \ the family of
the Zarhites : of Shaul, the fam-
ily of the Shaulites.

h 1 Chr. 4. i4. Jarlh.

Gen. 4G. 10. Zohar.

struction adopted, the moral lesson con-
veyed by the event is the same, and the
allusion is here made to these conspira-
tors to affix a new brand of infamy to

their names. \ And tliey Ijecame

a sign. Heb. " They became for an en-
sign, or banner." That is, they were
made an example of; they were made
a monument of the Lord's righteous
displeasure against those who would
wrong his ministers, and a warning to
all posterity not to walk in their steps.
The fittest commentary on the words is
the language of Paul, 1 Cor. 10 : 11,
" Now all these things happened unto
them for ensamples ; and they are writ-
ten for our admonition upon whom the
ends of the world are come." What is
here said of the persons of the rebels is
in ch. 16 : 38, 40, said of their censors,
that they were to be " a sign unto the
children of Israel," and " a memorial
that no stranger, which is not of the
seed of Aaron, come near to offer in-
cense before the Lord ; that he be not
as Korah and his company, etc."

V. 11. The children of Korah died not.
His immediate sons were Assir, Elka-
nah, and Abiasaph, Ex. 6 : 24. These
with their posterity lived and served
officially in Israel, as their genealogy is
reckoned, 1 Chron. 6 : 22, 28, and fre-
quent honorable mention is made of
the sons of Korah, both in the Psalms
and elsewhere. It is reasonably to be
supposed that they were not with Ko-
rah, when he met his fate, being en-
gaged in ministering at the Tabernacle,

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXVI.

41'J

14 These are the families of
the Simeonites, twenty and two
thousand and two hundred.

15 The children of Gad, after
their families : of Zephon *, the
family of the Zephonites : of
Haggi, the family of the Hag-
gites : of Shuni, the family of
the Shunites ;

16 Of Ozni', the family of
the Oznites : of Eri, the family
of the Erites :

17 Of Arod '", the family of
the Arodites : of Areli, the fam-
ily of the Arelites.

18 These are the families of
the children of Gad, according
to those that were numbered of
them, forty thousand and five
hundred.

19 The sons of Judah " ivere
Er and Onan : and Er and Onan
died in the land of Canaan.

20 And the sons of Judah
after their families were : of
Shelah, the family of the She-
lanites ; of Pharez, the family
of the Pharzites : of Zerah, the
family of the Zarhites.

21 And the sous of Pharez
were ; of Hezron, the family of
the Hezronites : of Hamul, the
family of the Hamulites.

22 These are the families of

k Gen. 46, 16. Zif.hi
I Gen. 46. .6- Ardi.

I Gen. 4i3. 16. Ezb"n.
n Gen. l8. 2-10. 1 Chr.

Judah according to those thai
were numbered of them, three-
score and sixteen thousand and
five hundred.

23 Of the sons of Issachar '
after their families : of Tola,
the family of the Tolaites : of
Pua, the family of the Punites .

24 Of Jashub, the family of
the Jashubites : of Shimron, the
family of the Shimronites.

25 These are the families of
Issachar according to those that
were numbered of them, three-
score and four thousand and
three hundred.

26 Of the sons of Zebulun^
after their families: of Sered,
the family of the Sardites : of
Elon, the family of the Elon-
ites : of Jahleel, the family of
the Jahleelites.

27 These a?'e the families of
the Zebulunites, according to
those that were numbered of
them, threescore thousand and
five hundred.

28 The sons of Joseph^, after
their families, were Slanasseh
and Ephraim.

29 Of the sons of Mauasseh :
of ' Machir, the family of the
Machirites : and Machir begat
Gilead : of Gilead come the fam-
ily of the Gileadites.

oGen. 46. 13
q Gen. 46. -20.

1 Chr. 7. 1. p Gen. 46. 14

r J..sh. 17. 1. 1 Chr. 7. 14, 15.

or that they did not consent to their
father's rebellion, or having at first en-
listed in it, were afterwards induced to
repent and abandon the enterprise upon
the warning appeal given by Moses, oh.
16 : 5. See Xotes on ch. 16 : 5, 31-35.
Y. 14. TTiese are the families of the
Sirneonites. That is, the families which

18*

j remained, for it appears from Gen. 46 :
10. Ex. 6 : 15, that there was another

j family, that of Ohad ; but this had
doubtless become extinct in the wilder-

I ness, and is therefore omitted here.

T[ Twenty and two thousand and two
hundred. A great diminution in num-
ber, since at the former census they

418

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

30 These are the sons of
Gilead : of Jeezer, the family
of the Jeezerites : of Helek, the
family of the Helekites :

31 And o/" Asriel, the family
of the Asrielites : and of She-
chem, the family of the Shechem-
ites :

32 And of Shemida, the fam-
ily of the Shemidaites : and of
Hepher, the family of the Heph-
erites :

33 And Zelophehad ' the son
of Hepher had no sons, but
daughters ; and the names of
the daughters of Zelophehad
were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah,
Milcah, and Tirzah.

34 These are the families of
Manasseh, and those that were
numbered of them, fifty and two
thousand and seven hundred.

35 These are the sons of
Ephraim after their families :
of Shuthelah, the family of the
Shuthalhites : of Becher', the
family of the Bachrites : of Ta-
han, the family of the Tahan-
ites.

36 And these are the sons
of Shuthelah : of Eran, the fam-
ily of the Eranites.

37 These are the families of
the sons of Ephraim, according

» c. 27. 1. 36. U. t 1 Chr. 7. 20. Bend.

amounted to 59,300, ch. 1 : 23, The
diflerence, therefore, amounts to no less
than 30,100, more than half their orig-
inal number. Their guilty participa-
tion in the sin brought about by the
evil counsels of Balaam "in the matter
of Peor," is probably to be regarded as
the procuring cause of this remarkable
decrease. Zimri was " a prince of a

to those that were numbered of
them, thirty and two thousand
and five hundred. These are
the sons of Joseph after their
families.

38 The sons of Benjamin " af-
ter their families : of Bela, the
family of the Belaites : of Ash-
bel, the family of the Ashbel-
ites : of Ahiram", the family of
the Ahiramites :

89 Of Shupham"-, the family
of the Shuphamites : of Hu-
pham, the family of the Hu-
phamites.

40 xVnd the sons of Bela
were ^ Ard of Naaman : of Ard,
the family of the Ardites : and
of Naaman, the family of the
Naamites :

41 These are the sons of Ben-
jamin, after their families : and
they that were numbered of them
were forty and five thousand and
six hundred.

42 These •' are the sons of
Dan, after their families : of
Shuham, the family of the Shu-
hamites. These are the fami-
lies of Dan after their families.

43 All the families of the
Shuhamites, according to those
that were numbered of them.

u Gen. 46. 21. 1 Chr. 1.
1 Chr. 8. 1. Aharah. i

Iltippim. X 1 Chr. 8. 3

i. V Gen. 4«. 21. Mi.

Gfn. 46. 21. Miippim ai^d
Addar. y Gen. 46. 23.

chief house among the Simeonites,"
and it is presumable that large num-
bers of his tribe joined with him in the
wicked revolt and fell in the punish-
ment that ensued. It is probably to
this circumstance also that we are to re- j
fer the fact, that Moses, in blessing the
tribes, Deut. 33, makes no mention of
Simeon. — In the subsequent parts of

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXVI.

419

were threescore and four thou-
sand and four hundred.

44 Of the children of Asher %
after their families : of Jimna,
the family of the Jimnites : of
Jesui, the family of the Jesu-
ites : of Beriah, the family of
the Beriites.

45 Of the sons of Beriah:
of Heber, the family of the He-
berites : of Malchiel, the family
of the Malchielites.

46 And the name of the
daughter of Asher was Sarah.

47 These are the families
of the sons of Asher, accord-
ing to those that were number-
ed of them, who were fifty
and three thousand and four
hundred.

2 Gen. 46. 17. 1 Chr. 7, 30.

this chapter to v. 51, there is nothing
especially requiring remark, though
various details of names, genealogies,
etc., may be found treated by other
commentators.

V. 51. Six hundred thousand and a
thousand seven hundred and thirty.
The sum total of the former census was
603,550, which number, compared with
the present, shows a decrease in thirty-
eight years of 1820, exclusive of the
Levites, who were numbered apart. So
great was the divine beneficence, and
such the Lord's faithfulness to his prom-
ises, that notwithstanding all the for-
mer generation above twenty years of
age had passed off the stage, yet so fast
had he multiplied their posterity, that
in that space of time their numbers had
nearly kept good.

The following comparative statement
■will show how much some of the tribes
had increased^ and others had dimin-
ished^ since the enumeration in ch. 1 :

48 0/the sons of Naphtali",
after their families : of Jahzeel,
the family of the Jahzeelites:
of Guni, the family of the Grun-
ites :

49 Of Jezer, the family of
the Jezerites : of Shillem *, the
family of the Shillemites.

50 These are the families of
Naphtali, according to their fam-
ilies : and they that were num-
bered of them were forty and
five thousand and four hundred.

51 These 'z^ere the number-
ed of the children of Israel,
six hundred thousand, and a
thousand seven hundred and
thirty.

52 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying.

a Gen. 46. 24. 1 Chr. 7. 13.

b 1 Chr. 7. 13. Shal-

Urn.

c c. 1.46.

CI). XXVI.

Ch.i.

Eeuben.. 43,730,

46,500,

2,770 decrease.

Simeon.. 22,200,

59,300,

37,100 decrease.

Gad 40,500,

45,650,

5,150 decrease.

Judah... 76,500,

74,600,

1,900 increase.

Issachar. 64,800,

54,400,

9,900 increase.

Zebulon.. 60,500,

57,400,

3,100 increase.

Manusseh 52,700,

32,200,

20,500 increase.

Ephraim 32,500,

40,500,

8,000 decrease.

Benjamin 45,600,

35,400,

10,200 increase.

Dan 64,400,

62,700,

1,700 increase.

Asher.... 53,400,

41,500,

11,900 increase.

Naplitali 45,400,

53,400,

8,000 decrease.

Total.. 601,730, 603,550, 1,820 decrease
on the whole in 38 years.

Decrease in all 61,020

Increase in all 59,200

Here it is to be observed that though
there was an increase in seven tribes
of not less than 74,800 men, yet so
great was the decrease in the other
five tribes, that the balance against
the present census is 1,820, as appears
above.

420

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

53 Unto '^ these the land shall
be divided for an inheritance,
according to the number of
names.

54 To ' many thou shalt give
the more inheritance, and to few
thou shalt give the less inherit-
ance : to every one shall his in-

Division of the Land ly Lot.

V. 53. Unto these the land shall he
divided, etc. Heb. " Apportioned." The
enrolment of the names in the census-
register was a preliminary step equiva-
lent to a profession of their being heirs
of the promises, just as those are par-
takers of the kingdom of heaven, vrhose
names are written in the Lamb's book
of life. To all such the declaration
here made is a comforting assurance,
since it virtually put the promised land
into their present possession. The de-
monstrative pronoun is used emphati-
cally to preclude the apprehension that
they were longer to be put off, or that
their posterity and not themselves were

to be made the actual inheritors.

T[ According to the numher of names.
That is, according to the number of the
persons registered under each family.
According as these were numerous or
otherwise, the portion assigned was to
be large or small. Comp. ch. 33 : 54.

V. 54. To many thou shalt give the
more inhentance, and to few thou shalt
give the less inheritance. Heb. "To
many thou shalt multiply his inherit-
ance, and to few thou shalt diminish
his inheritance." Thus, Sol. Jarchi,
" To the tribes which had the greater
multitudes they gave the greater poi'-
tion, though the portions were not
equal ; for, lo, every tribe had his por-
tion according to his multitude." This
reminds us of the rule prescribed to the

heritance be given according to
those that were numbered of
him.

55 Notwithstanding the land
shall be divided by lot : accord-
ing to the names of the tribes
of their fathers shall they in-
herit.

Israelites in gathering the manna, Ex.
16:16-18, "This is the thing which
the Lord hath commanded. Gather of
it every man according to his eating :
an omer for every man according to the
number of your persons, take ye every
man for them which are in his tents.
And the children of Israel did so, and
gathered, some more, some less. And
when they did mete it with an omer, he
that gathered much had nothing over,
and he that gathered little had no lack :
they gathered every man according to
his eating."

V. 55. Notivithstanding the land shall
he divided hy lot. These lots would seem
to have been cast only for the tribes,
and not for the families, for to them the
distribution was evidently to be gov-
erned by the rule laid down v. 54. Yet
in case any lot was too large for the
tribe, it appears that there was nothing
to prevent their giving up a part of
their right to others, as we learn was
the case with Judah, which relinquished
a portion of its territory to Simeon and
Dan. It is easy to conceive that with-
out some mode of appeal to the Supreme
Arbiter the burden of responsibility in
regard to the several allotments would
have been very heavy, and probably
led to charges of partiality or prejudice ;
for which reason the lot seems to have
been ordained, " the whole disposing
of which is of the Lord." T[ Accord-
ing to the names of the tribes of their
fathers. This gives countenance to the

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXYI.

421

56 According to the lot shall
the possession thereof be divided
between many and few.

57 And -^ these are they that
were numbered of the Levites,
after their families : of Gershon,
the family of the Gershonites :
of Kohath, the family of the
Kohathites : of Merari, the fam-
ily of the Merarites.

/ Gen. 46. 11. Ex. 6. 16-19. 1 Chr, 6. 1, 16.

idea that the lot had reference only to
the inheritance of the tribes and not of
the &i;bordiuate families. In being cast
they probably bore the names of each
tribe or each patriarch. It is, however,
to be observed, that only nine and a
half lots were to be assigned on the
west of the Jordan, as two and a half
tribes hud chosen their inheritance on
the east of that river, ch. 34 : 13-15.

V. 56. Accordiiig to the lot sJmll the
possession, etc. That is, the portion or
share which shall fall by lot to each
tribe, shall be distributed to the several
families in such proportions as their
numbers shall require. The precise
mode in which the lots were drawn is
not known with any certainty.

Tlie Xumhering of the Levites.
Y. 57. These {are) they that were num-
bered of the Levites, The Levitical fam-
ilies are here numbered by themselves,
because they were not to have a distinct
share of the land, although they were
to be provided with 48 cities and their
suburbs for habitations. It is to be ob-
served, however, that they are not enu-
merated with the same precision as the
other tribes, some families being here
wholly omitted. Comp. Ex. 6 : 17-19.
The register was now made under the
three branches of that tribe, specified
ch. 3 : 17, 18, etc., from one of which
descended Moses and Aaron, and

58 These are the families of
the Levites : the family of the
Libnites, the family of the He-
bronites, the family of the Mah-
lites, the family of the Mushites,
the family of the Korathites :
and Kohath begat Amram.

59 And the name of Amram's
wife ivas Jochebed", the daugh-
ter of Levi, whom her mother

g Ex. 2. 1, 2. 6. 20.

Aaron's sons the priests. There were
four of these, but two of them, Nadab
and Abihu, were cut off by the hand of
heaven for their impiety, and yet the
Lord so ordered it, that they were pre-
served and increased in their posterity
so as to afford a sufficient number for
the discharge of the priestly functions.

Y. 58. The family of the Korathites.
Or, more properly Korhites, from Ko-
rah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath,
the son of Levi, ch. 16 : 1. Korah him-
self died in the rebellion, but his chil-
dren were exempted from his fate, and
are therefore here reckoned for a fami-
ly in the fourth generation from Levi,
which is one degree farther than the
other families extend. Upon compar-
ing Ex. 6 : 17, we find two sons of Ger-
shon mentioned, viz. Libni and Shimi,
yet here the former is enumerated and
the latter omitted. Then also Kohath
has four sons, Amram, and Izhar, and
Hebron, and Uzziel, yet here Uzziel is
wholly omitted, nor is Izhar named
otherwise than impliedly in his sous
the Korathites.

Y. 59. The name of Amram's wife
was Jochebed, etc. We give upon this
passage the note of Calvin (Harm, of
Pent.) which will be seen to be al-
together appropriate. "Why Moses
should expressly state the name of his
mother, contrary to the usual custom
of Scripture, does not clearly appear ;

422

NUMBEES.

[B. 0. 1452.

bare to Levi in Egypt : and she
bare unto Amram, Aaron, and
Moses, and Miriam, their sister.

60 And unto Aaron ^ was born
Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and
Ithamar.

61 And ' Nadab and Abihu
died, when they offered strange
fire before the Lord.

62 And* those that were num-
bered of them were twenty and
three thousand, all males, from
a month old and upward : for
' they were not numbered among
the children of Israel, because
there was no inheritance *" given
them among the children of
Israel.

A c. 3. 2. t Lev. 10. 1. 2.
k c. 3. 39. I c. 1.49.

10. 9. Josh. 13. 14, 33. 14. 3.

3. 4. 1 Chr. 24. 2.
I c. 18. 20-24. Deut.

for it is not likely that he did this as a
distinction to his own family, because
he at the same time shows how he him-
self, as well as his children, was de-
prived of the honor of the priesthood,
in which there is no appearance of am-
bition. It is more probable, if the word
daugliter is literally taken, that he did
not conceal a disgraceful circumstance,
in order to extol more highly the indul-
gence of God ; for in this case, Moses
and Aaron sprang of an incestuous mar-
riage, since Amram their father must
have married his aunt, which natural
modesty forbids. It will then be rather
an ingenuous confession of family dis-
honor, than an ambitious boast."

V. 60. Unto Aaron was horn Nadab
and Abihu, etc. Here the names of
Moses' children, Gershon and Eleazar,
are again omitted, and only those of
Aaron mentioned. But a reason for
this may be suggested in the fact, that
the sudden death of two of his sons
seemed in itself to endanger the per-

63 These are they that were
numbered by Moses and Elea-
zar the priest, who numbered
the children of Israel in " the
plains of Moab, by Jordan near
Jericho.

64 But among these " there
was not a man of them whom
Moses and Aaron the priest num-
bered, when they numbered the
children of Israel in the wilder-
ness of Sinai :

65 For the Lord had said ^ of
them. They shall surely die in
the wilderness. And there was
not left a man of them, save Ca-
leb the son of Jephunneh, and
Joshua the son of Nun.

n Ter. 3. o Deut. 4.

1 Cor. 10. 5, 6. Jude 5.

p e. 14. ^8-

petuity of the high-priesthood, which,
according to the divine order, appeared
to depend on their life. With this view
Moses cites the history of the sad event
in order that the Lord's wonderful
providence might be more clearly per-
ceived in the preservation of this sacred
class, with which the well being of the
whole church was so intimately con-
nected. To which we may add, that
the renewed mention of their fate and
its occasion would administer a whole-
some admonition to the priests of all
degrees diligently to beware of wilful
sacrilege, as also of error and negli-
gence in their ministrations.

V. 62. Twenty and three thousand.
The former census exhibited 22,000 as
the total of this tribe ; so that their in-
crease in the wilderness was 1000 males,
ch. 3 : 39.

V. 64. Among these there was not a
man, etc. This is stated in order to
show how punctual the Most High had
been in executing the threatening so

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXVII.

423

CHAPTER XXVII.

THEN came the daughters of
" Zelophehad, the son of
Hepher, the son of Gilead, the
son of Machir, the son of Ma-
nasseh, of the families of Manas-

a «. 26. S3. 36. 1-11. Josh. 17. 3.

emphatically pronounced against the
murmurers of a former generation, ch.
14 : 23, 28, 29. Of the vast total of up-
wards of 600,000 then enumerated, Ca-
leb and Joshua alone had their names
registered in the present census. This,
however, is to be understood with a
peculiar qualification. It is evident
from Josh. 14 : 1. 22 : 13, that both
Eleazar and Phinehas did actually enter
into the promised land. How is this
consistent with the statement here
made? We reply that the sentence of
exclusion applied to the other tribes
which were enumerated on two former
occasions, and in which the Levites
were not embraced. We do not read
that they had any share in the transac-
tion which brought the divine denun-
ciation upon the mass of the people.
This tribe did not, like the others, send
a spy into Canaan, nor does it appear
that it concurred in the general mur-
muring which the report of the spies
occasioned.

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Case of Zelophehad^ s Daughters
claiming an Inheritance.

V. 1. Then came the daughters of
Zelophehad, etc. Heb. " Then came
near, or approached." Targ. Jon.
" Then came near to the place of judg-
ment." In the late census of the Is-
raelitish families, ch. 26 : 33, mention
is made of Zelophehad, son of Hepher,

seh the son of Joseph : and these
are the names of his daughters ;
Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and
Milcah, and Tirzah.

2 And they stood before
Moses, and before Eleazar the
priest, and before the princes
and all the congregation, hy the

of the tribe of Manasseh, who died
without male issue, having five daugh-
ters as his only heirs. These women,
hearing that the land of Canaan was to
be divided amongst the heads of the
tribes and the families mentioned in
that census, were at once filled with
apprehension that being females, they
were to be excluded from all inherit-
ance in the lands and estates of the
country, and, consequently, that the
name and family of the Hepherites
would be extinguished in Israel. They
accordingly determined to make a rep-
resentation of their case to Moses, in a
full court of the high-priests and judges,
assembled with him at the door of the
Tabernacle. " This peculiar case gave
occasion for the discovery of exemplary
piety in these daughters, who had faith
to believe that Canaan would be actual-
ly possessed, and grace enough to de-
sire a share in the inheritance. It is a
mercy when under no consideration
sons or daughters are satisfied to resign
a portion among the Lord's people, their
part in the heavenly Canaan. Reader !
the inheritance is dividing ; the time is
now for the settlement of titles and the
decision of interests. Have you no con-
cern for a clear and indisputable case,
a satisfactory cl aim ? If not, the daugh-
ters of Zelophehad reproach your indif-
ference."— Seaton.

V. 2. Stood lefore — all the congrega-
tion. This is not to be understood in
its literal sense, for such a gathering of
the whole host of the people at the door

424

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

door of the tabernacle of the
congregation, saying,

3 Our father died * in the wil-
derness, and he was not in the
company of them that gathered
' themselves together against the
Lord in the company of Korah ;
but died in his own ^ sin, and
had no sons.

4 Why should the name of
our father be done away from
among his family, because he

6 c. 14, 35. 26. 64, 65. c c. 16. 1, 2. d Ezek.
18.4. Johns. 21,24. Rom. 6, 23.

of the Tabernacle was impossible. " All
the congregation" here undoubtedly
denotes the seventy elders, representa-
tives of the congregation, mentioned
eh. 11 : 24, who are elsewhei'e called
hoi ha-eddh, tJce whole congregation,
and sometimes simply eddJi, the con-
gregation. See Note on ch. 10 : 7.

V. 3. But died in Ms own sin. That
is, for his own sin, and that only. He
had not engaged in any conspiracy or
rebellion like Korah, and thus been in-
strumental in drawing other men into
sin. Targ. Jon. "Nor did he cause
others to sin." His daughters hereby
express the hope that, as their father
had not participated in any act of re-
bellion or mutiny, or been in any way a
disturber of the public peace, and had
died chargeable only with the common
iniquities of mankind, they might not
be deprived of their just rights and priv-
ileges, and see their family extinct, but
might have their share with the rest, and
that the male children they might subse-
quently have, though begotten by fath-
ers belonging to other families of the
same tribe, should enjoy their inheri-
tance under the name of Hepherites.
See ch. 36 : 3-10. " They distinguish
his private sin from any public crime,
which should have caused him to de-

hath no son ? Give * unto us,
therefore, a possession among
the brethren of our father.

5 And Moses' brought their
cause before tl^e Lord.

6 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

7 The daughters of Zelophe-
had speak right : thou ^ shalt
surely give them a possession
of an inheritance among their
father's brethren; and thou shalt

e Josh. 17. 4.
g c. 36. 2.

/ Ex. 18. 15, 19. Job 23. 4.

serve to be disinherited. At the same
time, they hold fast to the principle
dictated by the common feelings of re-
ligion, that death is the wages of sin."
— Calvin. They were happy in being
able to make this plea on the ground
of the good character of their father,
and it is happy fo'r any one when the
testimony can be borne of him, that
whatever were his own personal in-
firmities or transgressions, he was not
accessory to the ruin of others by in-
volving them in sin. "Here we may
see what a comfort, what a credit and
glory, honest parents be to their chil-
dren. They leave a good name behind
them, making their children bold to
speak of them ; when others must hang
their heads and blush either to mention
them themselves, or to hear them
spoken of by others." — Bp. Bahington.

V. 5. Moses brought their cause before
the Lord. Heb. "Brought near their
judgment." It would seem from this
that the case was considered too diffi-
cult for the judges to decide, being
without precedent and involving im-
portant consequences, and therefore
was referred to the Lord, as was
Moses' wont in all doubtful matters,

V. 7-11. The daughters of Zelophehad
speak right. The divine response de-

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXVII.

425

cause the inheritance of their
father to f)ass unto them.

8 And thou shalt speak unto
the children of Israel, saying,
If a man die, and have no son,
then ye shall cause his inherit-
tance to pass unto his daughter.

9 And if he have no daugh-
ter, then ye shall give his inher-
itance unto his brethren.

10 And if he have no brethren,
then ye shall give his inheritance
unto his father's brethren.

Clares the suit of these women to be
just and equitable, and orders it to be
accorded to them. At the same time,
he takes occasion to graft upon this
particular case a general law, to wit,
that if any Israelite died without male
children, his daughters were to inherit
his land ; that in default of direct heirs
in the female line, it was to go to his
brothers ; if he left no brothers, to his
father's brothers ; and, failing that re-
lationship, then to his nearest collateral
kinsman, always keeping to the rela-
tions nearest in blood. — We find some
further particulars respecting the case
of Zelophehad's daughters in the last
chapter, to the Notes on which the
reader is referred.

Death announced to Mm.
V. 12. Get thee vp into this mount
Abarim. Abarim, as we have already
remarked, ch. 23 : 14, was the name of a
somewhat extensive chain of mountains
on the east of the Dead Sea, among the
principal distinct elevations or peaks of
which was Nebo or Pisgah. It does not
appear that the Lord designed Moses
should now ascend the mount specified,
for his compliance with the command
is not here mentioned. Indeed, we are
obliged to confess to some degree of
difficulty in adjusting the chronological

11 And if his father have
no brethren, then ye shall give
his inheritance unto his kins-
man that is next to him of his
family, and he shall possess it :
and it shall be unto the chil-
dren of Israel a statute * of
judgment ; as the Lord com-
manded Moses.

12 And the Lord said unto
Moses, Get thee * up into this

relations of the incident here referred to
The order of events as described in this
part of the history is the punishment
of the people on account of their sin in
the matter of Midian, the numbering
of the people, the application of the
daughters of Zelophehad, the command
to ascend the mountain, and the ap-
pointment of Joshua as his successor.
From the third chapter of Deuteronomy
it would appear that this command to
ascend the mountain was given after
he had delivered his special charge to
the tribes of Reuben and Gad, which
in the book of Numbers occurred at a
somewhat later date than that we are
now considering. Again, in Deut. 32,
we learn that Moses had uttered his in-
spired and prophetic song, when, " in
that self-same day the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying. Get thee up into this
mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo,"
etc. But from Deut. 34 : l-i, it appears
that the final blessing upon the tribes
was pronounced before he went up from
the plains of Moab to the mountain of
Nebo. It is not indeed probable that
any great length of time intervened be-
tween these several events, but we nat-
urally feel a desire to fix, if possible,
their precise order. This, in the pres-
ent instance, it is not possible to do,
and occasionally in other cases in the

426

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

mount Abarim, and see the land
which I have given uuto the
children of Israel.

13 And when thou hast seen
it, thou also shalt be gathered ^'
unto thy people, as ^ Aaron thy
brother was gathered.

14 For "* ye rebelled against
my commandment in the desert
of Zin, in the strife of the con-

k c. 20. 24. 31. 2.
I c. iO. 10-1-2.

I c. 20, 28. Deut. 10. 6.

Sacred Volume we find transpositions
and dislocations in the record which
have given occasion of cavil to skeptical
critics, while at the same time nothing
could be clearly indicated as militating
with the intrinsic truth of the narra-
tive, or implying any greater lack of
order than might reasonably be expect-
ed in documents of such extreme anti-
quity. ^ See the land which I have

given unto the children of Israel. As
this is the intimation of a privilege
which was not actually enjoyed till
some time afterwards, we defer our re-
marks upon it till we reach the period
of its occurrence, Deut. 34 : 1-4.

V. 16. Let the Lord, the God of the
spirits of all flesh. Gr. " Let the Lord,
the God of the spirits and of all flesh."
So also ch. 16 : 22. The phraseology
implies not only that God is the origi-
nal Creator of all men's souls or spirits,
Eccles. 12 : 7. Zech. 12 : 1, but that he
is also the divine Bestower of the vari-
ous spiritual gifts of grace, knowledge,
etc., which are termed ''spirits," 1 Cor.
14:12, "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye
are zealous of spiritual gifts (Gr. of
spirits), seek that ye may excel," etc.
The burden of Moses' prayer on this
occasion is, that the Lord would set a
man over the congregation who should
be abundantly furnished with those
spiritual endowments that should best

gregation, to sanctify me at the
water before their eyes : that is
the water of Meribah " in Ka-
desh in the wilderness of Zin.

15 And Moses spake unto
the Lord, saying,

16 Let the Lord, the God " of
the spirits of all flesh, set ^ a man
over the congregation,

17 Which may go out ' before

n Ex. 17. 7. <. c. 16. 22. Heb. 12. 9. ;).Jer. 3. 15.
q Deut. 31. 2. 1 Sam. 8. 20. 18. 13. 2 Chr. 1. 10.
John 10. 9.

qualify him for the ofiice. As these
gifts and graces were to come from the
Lord alone, therefore he addresses him
as the " God of the spirits of all flesh,"
that is, the God who so works upon and
endows the spirits of men as to render
them most competent for the functions

he assigns them. Tj Set a man over,

etc. Heb. yiphkod, visit over, i. e. con-
stitute, appoint, make to preside over.
See Note on ch. 1 : 3. The conduct of
Moses, in view of the intimation now
given him, is eminently worthy his
general character. Instead of giving
way to vain regrets, striving to turn
the Most High from his purpose, he
forgets himself, and makes the welfare
of the people his great concern. His
absorbing anxiety is, that they may not
be deprived of the services of a compe-
tent leader — that they may not be left
as sheep without a shepherd. We have
but to compare this with his whole pre-
vious career to see that the same un-
selfishness of spirit, the same zeal for
the honor of God, the same devoted con-
cern for the well-being of the people,
which had marked his course hitherto,
shine conspicuous on this occasion, con-
firming his title to rank high among
the excellent of the earth.

V. 17. Whichmay go out lefore them,
and which may go in before them. That
is, who may guide and govern them

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXVII.

427

them, and which may go in be-
fore them, and which may lead
them out, and which may bring
them in ; that the congregation
of the Lord be not as sheep
•■ which have no shepherd.

18 And the Lord said unto
Moses, Take thee Joshua the

r 1 K. '22. n. Zech. 10. 2, Mat. 9. 36. 1 Pet. 2. 25.

both at home and abroad, in times of
peace and of war, and who may under-
take the charge of defending them from
their enemies; for under this phrase
of "going out and coming in before
them, of leading them out and bringing
them in," all the offices of the supreme
magistracy are comprised. Hence Mo-
ses, when on the point of resigning the
government, uses this language of him-
self, Deut. 31 : 2, "I can no more go
out and come in." The similitude is
taken from the case of shepherds, whose
custom it is to go out and in before
their flocks, to lead them forth to their
pastures, and then to bring them home
again to their folds.

Inauguration of Joshua.

V. 18. A man %n wJiom is the spirit
That is, the Spirit of God, as manifest-
ed in the gifts and graces with which
he was endowed. Thus, Deut. 34 : 9,
" And Joshua the son of Nun was full
of the spirit of wisdom ; for Moses had
laid his hands upon him." In this re-
spect he was an evident type of Him
to whom the Lord " gave not the Spirit
by measure." 1 Lay thine hand up-
on him. Heb. samaMd, lean or impose
thine hand upon him, i. e. thine hands,
V. 23, and as it is rendered in the Gr.
" Thou shalt lay thine hands upon him."
By this ceremony of the imposition of
hands was signified the transfer of the
office of leader of Israel from Moses

son of Nun, a man in ' whom is
the spirit, and lay ' thine hand
upon him :

19 And set him before Elea-
zar the priest, and before all the
congregation ; and give him " a
charge in their sight. ■

t Gen. 41. 38. Jndg. 3. 10. 11. 29. 1 Sam. 16. 13,
18. Dae. 5. 14. Acts 6. 3. t Deut. 34. 9. Acts 6. 6.

u Deut. il. 7.

to Joshua, and the communication of
the requisite spiritual gifts and endow-
ments for its right discharge. A simi-
lar ceremony obtained subsequently in
the primitive Christian church when
men were separated and set apart for
the discharge of special holy functions.
See 1 Tim. 4 : 14.

V. 19. 8et him before Eleazar the
■priest, and before all the congregation.
The relation which he was to sustain to
the high-priest and to the congregation,
made it fitting that this act of inaugura-
tion or consecration should be perform-
ed in the presence of all the people, that
they might thus signify their devout
reception of their new leader, as desig-
nated and appointed for them of the

Lord himself T| Give him a charge

in their sight. Heb. " Thou shalt com-
mand him." We read the purport of
this charge, Deut. 31 : 7, 8. " And Mo-
ses called unto Joshua, and said unto
him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong
and of a good courage : for thou must
go with this people unto the land which
the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers
to give them; and thou shalt cause
them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it
is that doth go before thee ; he will be
with thee, he will not fail thee, neither
forsake thee : fear not, neither be dis-
mayed." In addition to this the Lord
himself gave Joshua a charge in the
Tabernacle, Deut. 31 : 14, of which it is
said, v. 23, "And he (the Lord) gave
Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and

428

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

20 And " thou shalt put some
of thine honour upon him, that
all the congregation of the chil-
dren of Israel may be '" obedient.

21 And he shall stand before
Eleazar the priest, who shall
ask "^ counsel for him, after the
judgment of^Urim before the
Lord : at his word shall they go
out, and at his word they shall
come in, both he, and all the

D 2K. 2. 9, 15. w Josh. 1.16,17.
18, etc. ISam. 22.1U. 2J. 9. 30.7.

X Judg. 20.
y Ex. vl8. 3.

said, Be strong and of a good courage ;
for thou shalt bring the children of Is-
rael into the land which I sware unto
them ; and I will be with thee," The
charge thus given tended at once to
confirm the authority of Joshua, and
to bind him more solemnly to the dis-
charge of his duties. As Moses also
gave him his instructions in the name
of God, he would be exempt from the
imputation of mercenary motives, while
Joshua would be strengthened in faith
and diligence.

V. 20. Hiou shalt put (some) of thine
honor wpon him. Heb. "Thou shalt
give of thine honor, majesty, or glory,
upon him." The inserted word " some "
is perhaps implied, though not abso-
lutely necessary. The spiritual gifts
and endowments conferred upon Moses
rendered him honorable in the sight of
the people, and the communication of
these gifts to Joshua was ajyparently a
divesting of himself of a portion of
them, and putting them upon his suc-
cessor. In like manner, it is said, of
the seventy elders chosen to assist
Moses in the government of Israel, ch.
11 : 17, that God would take of the
spirit which was upon him and put it
upon them. Joshua was not, indeed,
to have the full measure of Moses' gifts,

children of Israel with him,
even all the congregation.

22 And Moses did as the
Lord commanded him : and he
took Joshua, and set him before
Eleazar the priest, and before
all the congregation.

23 And he laid his hands up-
on him, and gave him a charge,
as the Lord commanded ' by
the hand of Moses.

but a certain portion of them, so that
the pre-eminence of Moses should re-
main unimpaired. Of him alone could
it be said, that " there arose not a pro-
phet since in Israel like unto Moses."
The purport of the command is, regard
Joshua no longer henceforth as a ser-
vant, but as a brother and an equal,
united in joint commission with thyself,
and entitled to the ensigns and evi-
dences of thine own authority, what-
ever they may be.

Y. 21. He shall stand lefore Eleazar
the priest, etc. Notwithstanding his
high position as head of the Israelitish
host, he shall still be required to ren-
der a suitable deference to the priest,
and upon all proper occasions to pre-
sent himself before him, and avail him-
self of his counsels and intercessions.
By the priest's " asking counsel for him
after the judgment of Urim," is meant
that he should assume the Ephod, in
which was the breastplate, whereunto
were affixed the Urim and Thummim,
the medium of oracular responses from
the Lord, On this subject we refer the
reader to our Note on Ex. 28 : 30, where
it is treated at length. From 1 Sam.
23 : 6, we learn that when Saul would
have consulted the Lord by Urim, he
answered him not.

B.C. 1452.]

CHAPTER xxym.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

AND the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of
Israel, and say unto them, My

CHAPTER XXVIII.

The stated Sacrifices re-enjoined.
V. 2. Command the children of Is-
rael, and say unto them, etc. The peo-
ple having now been numbered, a
leader in the place of Moses appointed,
and orders for the distribution of the
land given, the Most High is pleased to
re-enact the ordinances touching the
stated oblations to be made upon his
altar in the order of daily, weekly,
monthly, and annual. The regular
routine of sacrifices and services per-
taining to the Tabernacle had doubtless
been very much interrupted, if not
wholly omitted, during the last thirty-
eight years while wandering to and fro
in an unsettled state through the desert,
and as the generation now living was
mostly unborn when the ritual system
was at first given from Mount Sinai, it
seemed proper to enjoin anew the ob-
servance of the sacred rites, that they
might have no excuse for neglecting
the punctilious performance of them
when fully established in the land of
Canaan. They were now, moreover,
about entering upon a career of war,
and as they might be tempted to regard
this as a species of dispensation from
the regular offering of the appointed
sacrifices, the Lord is particular to re-
peat his injunctions on this score main-
ly in the form in which they were given
in Exodus and Leviticus, but with here
and there new explanations and ampli-
fications as occasion seemed to demand.
It is deemed probable that these direc-
tions were delivered in the eighth

offering, and my bread for my
sacrifices made by fire for " a
sweet savour unto me, shall ye
observe to ofi"er unto me in their
due season.

month of the last year of their travels

in the wilderness. T[ My ofering

{and) my bread, etc. Rather according
to the Heb. "My offering, (even) my
bread," as the conjunction "and" is
wanting in the original. " Oflfering " is
moreover there expressed by " korban,"
equivalent to gift, of which we have for-
merly given a full explication. See espe-
cially Note on Lev. 1 : 2. The following is
the literal rendering of the whole verse :
"Command the children of Israel, and
say unto them. Mine oblation, my bread
for my fire-(oflferings), the savor of my
rest, ye shall observe to offer unto me

in their due season." T[ My bread

for my sacrifices, etc. Chald. "The
bread ordained for my oblations." Un-
der the term "bread" is included all
kinds of food, even the flesh itself, or
the fat of sacrifices, as is remarked in

the Note on Lev. 3 : 11. ^ A sweet

savor unto me. Heb. "The savor of
my rest." Implying that the savor or
odor of sacrifices had the effect of quiet-
ing or pacifying the divine displeasure,
and causing the services of the people
to be acceptable to him. Gr. " For a
savor of sweetness." Chald. "To be

accepted with favor." T[ In their due

season. Heb. " In his appointed time."
At the season especially appointed and
prescribed by the Lord himself. Gr,
"In my feasts;" as the original word
for " appointed time " is used also for
a solemn feast appointed by God. See
Lev. 23 : 2, with the Note. Every sac-
rifice is here limited to its specified sea-
son, so that if it were passed over the
omission was not to be attempted to be

430

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

3 And thou sbalt say unto
them, This is * the oflfering made
by fire which ye shall offer unto
the Lord ; two lambs of the first
year without spot, day by day,
for a continual burnt-offering.

4 The one lamb shalt thou
offer in the morning, and the
other lamb shalt thou offer at
" even :

supplied by that oblation being offered
at another day or time, as it is said
V. 10, " The burnt-offering of the sab-
bath in or on his sabbath." Hence the
Jewish saying, "If the time be past,
the oblation is past." On the same
ground Jeroboam, 1 Kings 12 : 32, 33,
who kept the feast of the seventh
month " in the eighth month," is vir-
tually rebuked for it, in its being said
that he did this " in the month which
he had devised of his own heart." The
general purport of the passage is there-
fore very explicit, that that which the
Lord calls his food or bread is to be ren-
dered to him with the utmost regularity
in its appointed season, so that without
violence we may say, that as we are to
call upon him for our daily bread, he in
like manner says to us, "Give me day
by day my daily bread."

The Daily OfeHng.
V. 3. Two la-mis of the first year, etc.
This is the daily sacrifice of two choice
and perfect lambs, one for the morning
and one for the evening, making an of-
fering which was upon no account to be
intermitted, whatever additional sacri-
fices might at any time be offered. It
is therefore called the " continual burnt-
offering," of which a full account is
given in the Notes on Ex. 29 : 38-45,
where it will be seen that the continued
manifestation of the divine presence

5 And a tenth 'part of an
ephah of flour for a meat-offer-
ing '^j mingled * with the fourth
part of an hin of beaten oil.

6 It is a continual burnt-
offering, which was ordained in
mount Sinai for a sweet savour,
a sacrifice made by fire unto the i
Lord.

7 And the drink-offering

d Lev. 2.1. 0.15.4.

« Ex. 29. 40, etc.

was made dependent upon the regu-
larity with which this daily service was
performed. So in our private and do-
mestic devotions, if we are remiss, in-
constant, and irregular, allowing tri-
fling or inadequate occasions to break
in upon the fixed routine of worship,
we shall be very certain to forfeit and
lose the tokens of the Lord's presence
with us, and bring leanness into our
souls.

V. 4. The one lamb shalt thou offer in
the mornirig. Heb. " Shalt thou make ;"
a sacrificial term implying all that was
necessarily involved in the act of obla-
tion, such as killing the victim, sprin-
kling its blood, cutting it in pieces, lay-
ing and burning it on the altar, etc., as

indicated Lev. 1. 1 At even. Heb.

" Between the two evenings." That is,
in the afternoon, as will be seen ex-
plained at length in the Note on Ex.
12 : 6. It pointed typically to the Lord's
being offered in his crucifixion at the
same hour. Comp. John 19 : 14. Matt.
27 : 46, 50.

V. 5-8. Ordained in Mount Sinai.
The order respecting the two lambs is
repeated with little variation from Ex.
29, but he speaks more respecting the
concomitants of flour and wine, which
are the bread and the beverage of the di-
vine meal partaken from off the altar as
from a table. The reference of this ordi-
nance back to Mount Sinai, the scene of

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXYIII.

431

thereof shall he the fourth part
of an hin for the one lamb : in
the holy place shalt thou cause
the strong wine to be poured
unto the Lord for a drink-
offering.

8 And the other lamb shalt
thou offer at even : as the meat-
offering of the mornmg, and as
the drink-offering thereof, thou
shalt offer it^ a sacrifice made
by fire, of a sweet savour unto
the Lord.

9 And on the sabbath-day
two lambs of the first year with-
out spot, and two tenth deals of
flour for a meat-offering, min-

so much sanctity, would commend it the
more to their devout observance. To
each of the lambs was to be annexed, as
bread and drink requisite to the furni-
ture of a table, about three quarts of
the finest flour, about a quart of pure
oil for mixing with the flour, and as
much, we may suppose, of the strongest
wine, to be poured upon the fire along
with the rest. The action of the fire
upon these materials was the Lord's
consuming them, as one and the prin-
cipal party to the feast. ^ Strong

wine. "The richest and most gener- j
ous, and best-bodied wine they could !
get. Though it was to be poured out j
upon the altar, and not drunk (they !
might therefore be ready to think the ;
worst would serve to be so thrown
away), yet God requires the strongest,
to teach us to serve God with the best '

we have." — Henry. \

The Sabhath, or Weekly Offering. \
Ys. 9, 10. And on the Sabbath day
two lambs, etc. The special feature of
the Sabbath or weekly offering is the ■
duplication of the lambs. This ap- |

I gled with oil, and the drink-
I offering thereof.
I 10 This is the burnt-offering
i of every sabbath^, beside the
' continual burnt-offering, and his
j drink-offering.

11 And in the beginning ^ of
your months ye shall offer a
burnt-offering ^ unto the Lord ;

, two young bullocks, and one
I ram, seven lambs of the first
year without spot ;

12 And three tenth deals of
flour for a meat-offering, min-
gled with oil, for one bullock ;

/ Ezek. 46. 4. g c. 10. 10. 1 Chr. 23. 31. 2 Chr.

2. 4. Neh. 10. 33. le. 1. 13, 14. Ezek. 45. 17. Col. i. 16.
h c. 15. 3-11.

pears, from comparing vs. 9 and 10,
from which it is evident that the two
lambs here spoken of were over and
above "the continual burnt-offering."
This suggests to us the propriety of
doubling our devotions on the Sab-
bath.

Offering on the New Moons.
Vs. 11-15. In thfi beginning of your
months ye shall offer, etc. The third
stated sacrifice was monthly, being of-
fered on the first day of every month.
This is not, indeed, included in the list
of solemn feasts enumerated Lev. 23,
yet we find there was a celebration of
this kind to which special allusion is
made, Num. 10 : 10, and which was dis-
tinguished by extraordinary sacrifices,
by abstinence from servile labor. Am.
8 : 5, by the sounding of trumpets, and
by sacred assemblies, 2 Kings, 4 : 23.
The design of this commemoration un-
doubtedly was not only to teach the
cho.sen people that all the separate por-
tions of time, whether days, weeks,
months or years, were to be conse-
crated to the Lord as in reality his, and

432

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

and two tenth deals of flour /or
a meat-offering, mingled with
oil, for one ram ;

13 And a several tenth deal
of flour mingled with oil, for a
meat-offering unto one lamb ;
for a burnt offering of a sweet
savour, a sacrifice made by fire
unto the Lord.

14 And their drink-offerings
shall be half an hin of wine unto
a bullock, and the third part of
an hin unto a ram, and a fourth
part, of an hin unto a lamb : this
is the burnt-offering of every
month throughout the months
of the year.

15 And ' one kid of the goats
for a sin-offering unto the Lord
shall be offered, beside ^' the con-
tinual burnt-offering, and his
drink-offering.

16 And in the fourteenth ' day

i 0. 15. 24. k VL-r. 11. / ch, 9. 3. Ex. 12.

6, 18. Lev. 23. 5, 6. Ezek. 45. 21.

to be devoted to his service, but also to
guard them against that form of idola-
try which prevailed among the Gen-
tiles, viz., worshipping the new moon
upon its appearance, with various pro-
fane rites. By a sacrifice and service
directed to the true God, the only
proper object of worship, their minds
would be led away from these perver-
sions and centred upon the only suita-
ble theme. The offering on this occa-
sion consisted of two young bullocks, a
ram, and seven lambs, of the choicest
quality on the score of fat and fairness.
The meal and drink-oflering annexed
to each was to be proportionate, viz.,
each bullock to have three times the
quantity allotted to a lamb ; the ram to
have double that quantity ; and so ac-
cordingly for the wine and oil. There

of the first month is the pass-
over of the Lord.

17 And in the fifteenth day
of this month is the feast : sev-
en days shall unleavened bread
be eaten.

18 In the first day shall he
an holy convocation ; ye shall
do no manner of servile work
therein.

19 But ye shall offer a sacri-
fice made by fire, for a burnt-
offering unto the Lord ; two
young bullocks, and one ram,
and seven lambs of the first
year : they shall be unto you
without '" blemish :

20 And their meat-offering
shall he of flour mingled with
oil : three tenth deals shall ye
offer for a bullock, and two
tenth deals for a ram.

21 A several tenth deal shalt

m ver. 31. Lev. 22. 20. c. J9. 8. Deut. !5. 21. Mai. 1.

was on this day also added a kid for a
sin or expiation sacrifice, having a
special typical reference to the great
redemption-ofiering of Him in whom
these legal shadows all pass into sub-
stance.

TJie Passover

Vs. 16-25. In the fourteenth day of
the first month, etc. The fourth stated
and national sacrifice was annual, the
great Passover festival, with the feast
of unleavened bread annexed to it.
But as the origin, design, and mode of
observance of this institution have al-
ready been largely considered in the
Notes on Ex. 12 : 3-20. Lev. 23 : 5-8,
we shall waive any further explanation
in this connection.

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIX.

433

thou offer for every lamb,
throughout the seven lambs :

22 And one goat "" for a sin-
offering, to make an atonement
for you.

23 Ye shall offer these beside
the burnt-offering in the morn-
ing, which is for a continual
burnt- offering.

24 After this manner ye
shall offer daily, throughout
the seven days, the meat of the
sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet
savour unto the Lord: it shall
be offered beside the continual
burnt-offering, and his drink-
offering.

25 And on the seventh day
ye shall have an holy convoca-
tion; ye shall do no servile
work,

26 Also in " the day of the
first-fruits, when ye bring a new
meat-offering unto the Lord,
after your weeks he out., ye shall
have an holy convocation ; ye
shall do no servile work :

27 But ye shall offer the

n ver. 15. o Ex. 23. 16. 34. -li. Lev. 23. !0, etc.
Dt-ut. 16 1(1. Acts -I. 1.

The Offering of the First-Fruits.

Vs. 26^31. Also in the day of thefrst-
fniits, etc. The fifth of these stated
oflferiugs was also annual, being that of
the harvest festival, when the first-
fruits of the corn were to be ofiered.
This festival was twofold, first, the
barley harvest first-fruit, beginning at
the Passover, and then, at the end of
seven weeks, the wheat harvest festival
called the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost.
iThis has also been previously treat-
' ed at length. See Notes on Lev. 23 :
15-22.

burnt-offering for a sweet sa-
vour unto the Lord; two young
bullocks, one ram, seven lambs
of the first year ;

28 And their meat-offering
of flour mingled with oil, three
tenth deals unto one bullock,
two tenth deals unto one ram ;

29 A several tenth deal unto
one lamb, throughout the seven
lambs ; ^-^

30 And one kid of the goats,
to make an atonement for
you.

31 Ye shall offer themhesi^e
the continual burnt-offering, and
his meat-offering (they shall be
unto you without blemish^,) and
their drink-offerings.

CHAPTER XXIX.

A ND in the seventh month, on
1\. the first day of the month,
ye shall have an holy convoca-
tion : ye shall do no servile
work ; it " is a day of blowing
the trumpets unto you.

p vc-r. 19. a Lev. 23. 24. Ps. 81. 3, 4.

CHAPTER XXIX.

The Particulars of the three remaining
National and Stated Sacrifices. — The
Offering at the Feast of Trumpets.

Y. 1. In the seventh month, on the
first {day) of the month, etc. The
month here spoken of is the month
Tisri, the seventh month of their ec-
clesiastical year, but the first of their
civil year, answering to our September.
The present was, therefore, a kind of
New Year's festival, although invested
with the sanctity of the Sabbath so far

434

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452„

2 And ye shall offer a burnt-
offering for a sweet savour unto
tlie Lord, one young bullock,
one ram, and seven lambs of the
first year without blemish :

3 And their meat-offering
shall he of flour mingled with
oil, three tenth deals for a bul-
lock, and two tenth deals for a
ram,

4 And one tenth deal for
one lamb, throughout the seven
lambs ;

5 And one kid of the goats

as servile work was concerned, all
which was strictly prohibited. One of
its principal features was its being
ushered in with the blowing of trum-
pets, which took place all over the land,
and of which we have given a full ac-
count in the Note on Lev. 23 : 24. The
special design and import of the blow-
ing of trumpets on this occasion, not
being stated in Scripture, has given
rise to numerous conjectures with the
Jewish and other expositors, which we
cannot afford space to recount. It may
perhaps be sufficient to suggest that the
day, being new-year's day, was cele-
brated by the blowing of trumpets for
much the same reason that that day is
celebrated in modern times by the ring-
ing of bells, firing of ordnance, large
and small, and various other noises, as
if simply to usher in the day with
tokens of public rejoicing. The sound
of the trumpets may have served at the
same time as a shadow of the future
preaching of good and joyful news of
the Gospel, for we think it beyond
question that the general typical pur-
port of trumpet-sounding, under the
old econoqay, was evangelization.

Vs. 2-6. Ye shall offer a biimt-offer-
ing, etc. As the Feast of Trumpets fell

for a sin-offering, to make an
atonement for you :

6 Beside the * burnt-offering
of the month, and his meal-
offering, and ' the daily burnt-
offering, and his me^t-offering,
and their drink-offerings, ac-
cording '^ unto their manner, for
a sweet savour, a sacrifice made
by fire unto the Lord.

7 And ' ye shall have on the
tenth day of this seventh month

ftc.28. n. cc. -iS 3. Heb. 10. 1. (ic. 15. 11,
Ezras. 4. 1 Cor. 14.40. c Lev. In. 29 -^B.

in with the New Moon sacrifice, ap-
pointed ch. 28 : 11, 12, and a large offer-
ing was prescribed for that occasion,
but one bullock is now ordered to be
killed. But as two were to be slain at
every new moon, there were, of course,
three to be sacrificed at the Trumpet
Festival, added to which were two rams
and fourteen lambs for burnt-offerings,
and two goats for a sin-offering, be-
sides the two lambs for the daily obla-
tion. The tenor of the command sug-
gests that stated ordinary religious ex-
ercises are not to be superseded by ex-
traordinary. Our private devotions
cannot well be set aside by an increase
of public services, whether on the Sab-
bath or at other times. Let not the
morning or the evening sacrifice be in-
termitted. T[ According unto their

manner. Heb. "According to their
judgment." That is, according to
their prescribed order and regular ob-
servance— a frequent sense of the orig-
inal word for "judgment."

Offerings for the Day of Atonement.

Vs. 7-11. Ye shall have on the tenth

{day) of this seventh month, etc. This

was the day of atonement, as fixed by

Lev. 23 : 27, " Also on the tenth day of

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTEK XXIX.

435

an holy convocation ; and ye
shall afflict -' your souls : ye shall
not do any work {herein:

8 But ye shall offer a burnt-
offering unto the Lord for a
sweet savour ; one young bul-
lock, one ram, and seven lambs
of the first year ; they •' shall be
unto you without blemish.

9 And their meat-offering
shall he of flour mingled with
oil, three tenth deals to a bul-
lock, and two tenth deals to one
ram,

10 A several tenth deal for
one lamb, throughout the seven
lambs :

11 One kid of the goats for
a sin-offering, beside the ^ sin- i
offering of atonement, and the !
continual burnt-oflering, and the I
meat-offering of it, and their \
drink-offerings.

12 And ' on the fifteenth day
of the seventh month ye shall

/ P3. Ho. 13. fa. 55. 5. g c. 9S. 19. h Lev.

16. 3, etc. 1 Lev. 23. 34. Deut. 16. 13. Ezek. 45. i5.

this seventh month there shall be a day !
of atonement : it shall be an holy con- I
vocation unto you ; and ye shall afflict
your souls, and offer an offering made
by fire unto the Lord." The whole
round of ceremonies connected with the
observance of this institute will be found
detailed at length in the elaborate Notes
on Lev. 16 : 5-34. It was to be a day of j
special humiliation, fasting, and prayer,
hence called. Acts 27 : 9, by way of em-
inence "the fast." It was a season for ;
" afflicting their souls," that is, doing ,
violence to their sensual nature by fast- I
ing and abstinence, which, when right- j
ly observed, tends to develope the in- i
ward graces of the spirit, and bring the '
entire man into a better state. \ 0ns

have an holy convocation ; ye
shall do no servile work, and
ye shall keep a feast unto the
Lord seven days :

13 And * ye shall offer a
burnt-offering, a sacrifice made
by fire, of a sweet savour unto
the Lord ; thirteen young bul-
locks, two rams, and fourteen
lambs of the first year ; they
shall be without blemish :

14 And their meat-offering
shall he of flour miogled with
oil, three tenth deals unto every
bullock of the thirteen bullocks,
two tenth deals to each ram of
the two rams,

15 And a several tenth deal
to each lamb of the fourteen
lambs ;

16 And one kid of the goats
for a sin-offering, beside the
continual burnt-offering, his
meat-offering, and his drink-
offering.

k Ezra 3. 4.

Tcid of the goats {for) a sin-offering, etc.
This, it appears, was beside the " sin-
offering of the atonement," and implied
that even in our humiliation and re-
pentance so many defects and infirmi-
ties mingle, that we have need of that
virtue which was signified by the sin-
offering to make them acceptable. *' We
have need," says Henry, " of an interest
in a sacrifice to expiate the guilt even
of that part of our holy things. Though
we must not repent that we have re-
pented, yet we must repent that we
have not repented better."

Offering for the Feast of Tabernacles.
Vs. 12-34. On the fifteenth day of the
seventh month, etc. On this day com-

436

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

17 And on the second day
ye shall offer twelve young bul-
locks, two rams, fourteen lambs
of the first year, without spot:

18 And their meat-offering,
and their drink-offerings, for the
bullocks, for the rams, and for
the lambs, shall he according to
their number, after the manner'.

19 And one kid of the goats
for a sin-offering ; beside the
continual burnt-offering, and the
meat-offering thereof, and their
drink-offerings.

20 And on the third day
eleven bullocks, two rams, four-
teen lambs of the first year with-
out blemish ;

21 And their meat-offering,
and their drink-offerings, for the
bullocks, for the rams, and for
the lambs, shall he according to
their number, after the manner:

22 And one goat for a sin-
offering ; beside the continual
burnt-offering, and his meat-
offering, and his drink-offering '".

23 And on the fourth day ten
bullocks, two rams, and fourteen
lambs of the first year without
blemish :

24 Their meat-offering, and

I ver. 3,4,9,10.
16.4. Joel. 1.9, VA.

c. 15. 12. 2S. 7, 14.

menced the Feast of Tabernacles, or
Booths, commemorative of their sojourn
in the wilderness. It was held at a
season of the year when they had gath-
ered in their corn and wine, and had
seen the blessing of God in all their in-
crease, and in all the works of their
hands, Deut. 161 13, 15, and when their
hearts, unlarged by a grateful sense of
the div.ne mercies, would prompt a

their drink-offerings, for the
bullocks, for the rams, and for
the lambs, shall he according to
their number, after the manner :

25 And one kid of the goats
for a sin-offering; beside the
continual burnt-offering, his
meat-offering, and his drink-
offering.

26 And on the fifth day nine
bullocks, two rams, and fourteen
lambs of the first year without
spot :

27 And their meat-offering,
and their drink-offerings, for the
bullocks, for the rams, and for
the lambs, shall he according to
their number, alter the manner :

28 And one goat for a sin-
offering ; beside the continual
burnt-offering, and his meat-
offering, and his drink-offering.

29 And on the sixth day
eight bullocks, two rams, and
fourteen lambs of the first year
without blemish :

30 And their meat-offering,
and their drink-offerings, for the
bullocks, for the rams, and for
the lambs, shall he according
to their number, after the man-
ner:

31 And one goat for a sin-
offering ; beside the continual

more liberal bestowment of offerings
for the Lord's altar. On other festivals
tioo bullocks sufficed ; but here are no
less than thirteen prescribed; and so
they continued to be offered seven days
successively, decreasing by one bullock
every day, till on the seventh day only
seven were offered, which in all made
seventy bullocks. The rams also were
in double the usual proportion. This

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXIX.

437

"burnt-offering, his meat-offer-
ing, and his drink-offering.

82 And on the seventh day
seven bullocks, two rams, and
fourteen lambs of the first year,
without blemish :

33 And their meat-offering,
and their drink-offerings, for the
bullocks, for the rams, and for
the lambs, shall he according to
their number, after the manner :

34 And one goat for a sin-
offering ; beside the continual
burnt-offering, his meat-offering,
and his drink-offering.

35 On the eighth " day ye

was intrinsically a heavy draft upon
the resources of the people, but easier
to be borne at this season than any
other ; for it was now a time of leisure
and plenty ; their barns being full ;
their presses bursting forth with new
wine ; and their hearts overflowing with
joy and thankfulness towards the Di-
vine Donor for all the blessings of the
hai'vest. On the reasons of this daily
diminution of the number of the bul-
locks, Calvin remarks : " I confess it
is not clear to me; and it is better
to confess my ignorance than by too
subtle speculations to vanish into mere
smoke." But in regard to this point
the suggestion of Scott is worthy of
consideration : " The decrease of the
number of bullocks sacrificed on the
several days of the feast, until on the
last and great day only one was offered,
is the most observable circumstance in
this law. The reason is not evident,
unless it be intimated that the Mosaic
institution would gradually wax old,
and at length vanish away when the
promised Messiah came." To this we
are disposed to add the explanation

shall have a solemn assembly ;
ye shall do no servile work
therein :

36 But ye shall offer a burnt-
offeriog, a sacrifice made by fire,
of a sweet savour unto the Lord ;
one bullock, one ram, seven lambs
of the first year without blemish :

37 Their meat-offering, and
their drink-offerings, for the
bullock, for the ram, and for
the lambs, shall be according to
their number, after the manner:

38 And one goat fo?^ a sin-
offering; beside the continual
burnt-offering, and his meat-of-
fering, and his drink-offering.

proposed by Ainsworth : — *' By this
diminishing of one bullock every day,
the Holy Ghost might teach their duty
to grow in grace and increase in sancti-
fication ; that their sins decreasing, the
number of their sacrifices (whereby
atonement was made for their sins)
should also decrease daily."

Vs. 35-38. On, the eighth day ye shall
have a solemn assembly. The eighth
and last day, though the crown of all
the rest, and called by the evangelist,
John 7 : 37, " the last day, that great
day of the feast," and notwithstanding
it was to be regarded as a kind of Sab-
bath, on the score of strict abstinence
from labor and the performance of
solemn religious duties, was yet distin-
guished by a less number of sacrifices
than any of the preceding, viz., one
bullock, one ram, seven lambs, with
the kid for a sin-offering ; as if the de-
sign were to impress the minds of his
people with a conviction, that it was
not by a multitude of sacrifices that the
! blessings of eternal life were to be se-
j cured, and that eventually these shad-
I owy rites would come to an end, while

438

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1452.

39 These things ye shall do
unto the Lord in your set "feasts,
beside your vows^, and your
freewill-offerings, for your burnt-
offerings, and for your meat-offer-
ings, and for your drink-offerings,
and for your peace-offerings.

40 And Moses told the chil-
dren of Israel, according to
all that the Lord commanded
Moses.

o Lev. 23. '2, etr. 1 Chr.
3. 5. Neh. 10. 3a. Is. 1. \i.
22. 21, -23. Deut. 12. 6.

2 Cbr. 31. 3. Ezra
p Lev. 7. 11, 16.

something far more substantial and
durable would come in their place. It
was on this occasion, also, that the
Saviour called the people from their
carnal observances, and bade them
come unto him that they might drink
the waters of eternal life. John 7 : 37.
V. 39. Beside your vows, etc. The
preceding commands covered the gen-
eral ground of the duty of the people
as a body, but room was still to be left
for the operation of private devotedness
and generosity in the way of glorifying
God by vows, free-will offerings, etc., as
their spirits might move them. On the
distinction between vows and volun-
tary oflferings, see Note on Lev. 7 : 16.

CHAPTER XXX.

General Instruction in regard to the
Obligation of Vows and Oaths.
V. 1. Moses spake unto the heads of
the tribes, etc. It is easily conceivable
that under the influence of the fervent
zeal inspired by the festivals enjoined
in the preceding chapter, there would
be prompted many of those voluntary
gifts and services which are alluded to
ch. 29 : 30. In regard to such votive
offerings, Moses is here commanded to
impart instruction to the mass of the

CHAPTER XXX.

AND Moses spake uuto the
heads " of the tribes con-
cerning the children of Israel,
saying, This is the thing which
the Lord hath commanded,

2 If a man vow * a vow unto
the Lord, or swear " an oath to
bind his soul with a bond ; he
shall not break his word, he

ft c. \. 4-16. b Lev. 27. 2. Deut. 23. 21. Jiidpr. 11.
35, 36. Ps. 15. 4. Kcc. 5. 4. c Lev. 5. 4. Matt. 5. 33.
14. 1-9. Acts 23. 14.

people through their appointed head-
men or chiefs, who are variously denom-
inated " the heads of the people," " the
chief of all the people," '' the princes of
Israel, the princes of all the tribes,"
" the elders of Israel," " the council,
the princes and elders," etc. Some
have supposed that a particular case
of doubt relative to this subject had
been propounded to Moses, and that in
answering it he took occasion to deliver
the rules, contained in this chapter, cov-
ering substantially the whole ground,
and serving as a directory to the nation
in all the various cases that might oc-
cur in future ages. On the subject of
vows, see Notes on Lev. 27 : 2-18.

V. 2. If a man vow a vow unto the
Lord, etc. " Vow" is represented by a
Hebrew word (neder) which signifies to
promise, and may therefore be defined as
a religious promise made to God, either
of a positive kind, whereby a person
engages to do or perform something;
or negative, whereby he binds himself
to abstain from doing or performing
something. Here it is implied that if a
man of mature years, being wholly at
his own disposal, shall assume the re-
sponsibility of a voluntary vow, wheth-
er it be a simple promise made to the
Lord, or a vow confirmed by the solem-
nity of an oath, he is to deem himself

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXX.

439

shall do '^ according to all that
proceedeth out of his mouth.

d Job '.'•?. 27. Ps. 22. 25.
14, 18. .\ah. 1. 15.

50.14. 66.13,14. 116.

sacredly bound to keep his word, and
to " do according to all that proceedeth
out of his mouth." So also, Deut. 23 :
21, " When thou shalt vow a vow unto
thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it."
The principle of the precept is other-
wise well expressed, " It is better not
to vow than to vow and not to pay." It
is assumed, however, that the object
vowed is in itself lawful, for a vow by
which one engages to do what is intrin-
sically wrong cannot properly bind the
conscience. Such was the vow of Herod
to the daughter of Herodias, and such
the vow ot the forty men, Acts 23 : 21,
who had " bound themselves with an
oath that they would neither eat nor

drink till they had killed Paul."

T[ Shall not break his word. Heb. " Shall
profane his word." That is, shall not,
by violating it, show a disregard of its
sacred binding character, but shall re-
ligiously and scrupulously observe it.
A similar phraseology occurs in regard
to the covenant, Ps. 55: 20, "He hath
broken (Heb. profaned) his covenant."
The sanctity of a vow arises from its
"binding the soul with a bond." It
has a peculiar force from its voluntary
nature, inasmuch as it was not bind-
ing before it was assumed. Take, for
instance, the case of the temperance
pledge. A man may conceive that
total abstinence is not in itself abso-
lutely and universally obligatory, and
yet if he has once " taken the pledge,"
he is solemnly bound to keep it, and
could not break it without undermining
the very foundations of morality in his
own soul. The greatest caution and
circumspection should be observed in
making vows, but when made they

3 If a woman also vow a vow
unto the Lord, and bind her-
self by a bond, being in her
father's house in her youth ;

should be held sacred when lawful, no
matter at what inconvenience. It is
mentioned as one of the traits of a
good man, Ps. 15 : 4, that " he sweareth
to his own hurt, and changeth not."

^ All that proceedeth out of his

mouth. It would seem to have been
essential to the validity of a vow that
it should be actually uttered with the
mouth, and not merely made in the
heart. Thus, Ps. 66 : 13, 14, " I will go
into thy house with burnt-offerings ; I
will pay thee my vows, which my lips
have uttered, and my mouth hath
spoken when I was in trouble." If a
person merely made a vow in his
heart, without letting it pass his lips,
it would have been apt to be regarded
as only a resolution to vow, and not a
vow itself This would have tended to
beget great anxiety in conscientious
people, inasmuch as if a vow made in
the heart were valid, it would often be
difficult to determine whether what was
thought of was a bare intention or a
genuine vow. It would appear, there-
fore, that here, just as in a civil con-
tract with our neighbor, words, uttered
words, were necessary to prevent all
uncertainty and make the vow accept-
able as such.

V. 3. If a woman also vow a vow unto
the Lo7'd, etc. The case is evidently
that of a woman who is under authority,
and not entirely at her own disposal.
The law* here is, that the vows of such
shall not stand if disallowed by those
under whose authority she is. By anal-
og}'^ the same rule is no doubt to be
extended to the case of minors and ser-
vants, who have no just right to will
away or dispose of what does not prop-

440

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

4 And her father hear her
vow, and her bond wherewith
she hath bound her soul, and
her father shall hold his peace
at her ; then all her vows shall
stand, and every bond where-
with she hath bound her soul
shall stand.

5 But if her father disallow
her in the day that he heareth ;
not any of her vows, or of her
bonds, wherewith she hath
bound her soul, shall stand :
and the Lord shall forgive her,
because her father disallowed
her.

eily belong to them. Young women,
while abiding at home vmder the pa-
rental roof, were especially interdicted
these rash vows, and the spirit of the
law would seem to strike at the prac-
tice in Catholic countries, of young fe-
males devoting themselves, by volun-
tary vows, to a life of seclusion and
celibacy; and also at all the arts of
priests and others to inveigle them into
this suri-ender.

V. 4. And her father hear her now,
etc. This states a case where her vow
shall stand. Though the father may
not by words reprove the course of his
daughter, yet if he is cognizant of it,
and keeps silence, he virtually consents
to it, and her conscivnce therefore re-
mains bound. We gather, as a fair in-
ference from this, that any one having
the power to check an evil in its bud,
and neglecting to do it, is really charge-
able with it. His connivance is a kind
of tacit approbation.

V. 5. If her father disallmo her in the
day that he heareth. That is, whether
on the day that she vowed, or whether
on some subsequent day, when it first
came to his ears. His disallowance was
to vacate her vow, and if her conscience

6 And if she had at all an
husband, when she vowed, or
uttered aught out of her lips,
wherewith she bound her soul ;

7 And her husband heard it^
and held his peace at her in the
day that he heard it; then her
vows shall stand, and her bonds
wherewith she bound her soul
shall stand.

8 But if her husband'' dii-al-
lowed her on the day that he
heard it; then he shall make
her vow which she vowed, and
that which she uttered with her

f Gen. 3. 16. 1 Cr. 7. 4. 14. 34. Eph. 5. 2-2, -M.

were made uneasy on that account, she
was to know that the Lord would for-
give her sinful rashness in vowing, or
dispense her from the obligation of her
vow. There is great homage ordained
here to the rightful authority of those
who should bear rule over a household.
But a more important remark is that
of Calvin on the passage : — " The ex-
pression is remarkable, ' And the Lord
shall forgive her,' whereby Moses gen-
tly reproves the foolish thoughtlessness
of the girl ; and soon afterwards the
same thing is spoken of married women.
And surely their rashness is worthy
of reprehension, if, unmindful of their
condition, they, as it were, shake oil'
the yoke, and hastily commit them-
selves. God therefore hints that they
are not without blame; but lest they
should be tormented by secret remorse,
He removes every scruple, declaring
that He will forgive, if the performance
of the vow shall have been prevented
in any other quarter."

Vs. 6-8. If she had at all an husband.
This brings up the case of married
women, who are forbidden to assume
upon them a vow of any importance
without their husband's consent. His

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXX.

441

lips, wherewith she bound her
soul, of none effect : and the
Lord shall forgive her.

9 But every vow of a widow,
and of her that is divorced,
wherewith they have bound
their souls, shall stand against
her.

10 And if she vowed in her
husband's house, or bound her
soul by a bond with an oath ;

11 And her husband heard
it, and held his peace at her,
and disallowed her not ; then
all her vows shall stand, and
every vow wherewith she bound
her soul shall stand.

concurrence with it at the outset shall
render it obligatory and irreversible
on her part, while his refusal shall make

it null and void. T[ On the day that

he heard {it). Arab. " On whatsoever
day he shall at length have heard
of it."

V. 9. Every vow of a toidoic, etc.
This is another instance of the applica-
tion of the law to persons who are at
their own disposal, and can act in the
premises as they please. The vows of
widows and parties divorced were to
stand good against them.

Vs. 10-13. If she vowed in, her hus-
band^s house, etc. As this cannot well
be supposed a bare repetition of the
law given vs. 6-8, the probability is,
that it contemplates the case of widows
and wives divorced. That is to say, if
the vow of such widow or divorced wife
were made during the husband's life,
but not then performed, the obligation
to fulfil in her widowhood or state of
divorcenrent shall depend upon his con-
sent to it or refusal of it at the first
making, when she was under his power
and authority. His voice in these cases

19*

12 But if her husband hath
utterly made them void on t'le
day he heard them; then what-
soever proceedeth out of her
lips concerning her vows, or
concerning the bond of her soul,
shall not stand ; her husband
•^ hath made them void, and the
Lord ^ shall forgive her.

13 Every vow and every
binding oath to afflict the soul,
her husband may establish it,
or her husband may make it
void.

14 But if her husband alto-
gether hold his peace at her.

/I Cor. 11.

5. c. 15. 25, 2S.

binds or looses the wife. Married wo-
men might be sometimes very forward
to make large vows of what they would
do if ever they again became free, and
yet being free might make light of per-
forming their vows on the plea that
they were uttered when they were un-
der the power of their husbands. To
prevent this, the present law seems
added, enacting that in case a woman
vowed in her husband's house, and he
held his peace (v. 11), then all her vows
should stand, even after his death, or
after she is made free by divorce. An-
other supposition is, that the widow or
divorced woman may have returned to
her father's house (Lev. 22 : 13), and
he, supposing himself to have recovered
his original power over her, might pre-
sume to disannul her vows, as though
she had been married. The present in-
junction would guard against such a
contingency. The dependence of vs.
10-13 upon V. 9, seems strongly to con-
firm this interpretation.

Vs. 14, 15. If her husband altogether
hold his peace, etc. The husband was
to have it in his power to " establish or

443

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

from day to day ; then he estab-
lisheth all her vows, or all her
bonds, which are upon her : he
confirmeth them, because he
held his peace at her in the day
that he heard them.

15 But if he shall any ways
make them void, after that he
hath heard them ; then he shall
bear her iniquity.

16 These are the statutes
which the Lord commanded
Moses between a man and his

make void " the vows of his wife, but
in case of his tacit or explicit consent
to the religious vow of his wife — and so
in like manner of the father towards his
daughter — once freely given at the first
making of the vow, should give it sanc-
tion and make it irreversible. He, in
fact, thus made the vow his own, and
was not at liberty to retract it. His si-
lence at the time was to be fairly inter-
pi-eted as consent, and if he attempted
to recall that consent, or to hinder the
due performance of the vow, then he
was "to bear her iniquity," that is, the
Lord would punish Jiim, not her, for a
gross breach of faith. "Hence we
learn," says Jarchi, " that he which is
a cause of scandal or offence unto his
neighbor, shall come in his stead into
all punishments."

V. 16. These {are) the statutes which
the Lord commanded Moses, etc. That
is, these statutes were ordained for the
pi'eservation of order, for the good of
families, for the peace and tranquillity
of all parties. It is altogether probable
that some differences had arisen in fam-
ilies in regard to these matters, and
that the immediate aim of the laws here
enacted was to settle the power of hus-
bands over their wives, and of parents
over their children, while they were
young and abode in the family.

wife; between the father and
his daughter, being yet in her
youth in her father's house.

CHAPTER XXXI.

ND the Lord spake unto

Moses, saying,
2 Avenge " the children of Is-
rael of the Midianites : after-
ward shalt thou be gathered
* unto thy people.

CHAPTER XXXI.

TJie War

Midianites.

V. 1. The Lord spahe unto Moses, etc.
The command had before been given,
ch. 25 : 17, that Israel should " vex the
Midianites, and smite them," but for
some reason the execution of the com-
mand was then deferred for a season,
or the writer has not followed the pre-
cise order of events, as the various
orders relative to numbering the peo-
ple, declaring the law of female inheri-
tance, appointing Joshua as Moses' suc-
cessor, prescribing the sacrifices, etc.,
intervene between the issuing of the
command for the invasion of Midian
and its accomplishment. But nothing
is more usual than such breaks and
translocations in the sacred narrative,
and as all the facts intended are really
recorded, it is not of so much moment
that the precise order of the facts
should be punctiliously observed.

V. 2. Avenge the children of Israel
of the Midianites. Heb. " Avenge the
vengeance of the children of Israel ;" a
Hebraistic form of expression, carry-
ing with it a peculiar emphasis. Gr.
" Avenge the cause of the children of
Israel on the Midianites." Vulg. " Re-
venge first the children of Israel on the

B. C. 1452.

CHAPTEPw XXXI.

443

3 And Moses spake unto the
people, saying, Arm some of
yourselves unto the war, and
let them go against the Midian-

Midianites." The people of Israel were
not hereby commanded to enter upon
this work with vindictive feelings, but
as the instruments of a just retribution
upon a guilty race who had incurred
the divine displeasure by "the wiles
wherewith they had beguiled Israel in
the matter of Peor," ch. 25 : 18. By
the wicked advice of Baalam, and with
an express and diabolical intention of
depriving them of Jehovah's protec-
tion, they had attempted to seduce the
Israelites to idolatry and its obscene
orgies. The consequence was that
24,000 of the chosen people fell vic-
tims to their own temerity. But were
they thus to be punished, and should
the prime instigators of the horrible
wickedness escape with impunity ? By
no means. The Lord accordingly here
ordains vengeance to be executed upon
the transgressors. He does it, as the
Lord supreme, to whom vengeance and
recompense belong, and who would not
have men aveuge themselves. It is
therefore a measure which cannot be
brought into precedent as justifying a
similar war without a like commission,
for the Hebrews in this matter were
merely the executioners of a judicial
sentence. This event the Lord deter-
mined should be brought about prior
to the death of Moses, that he might
have, as it were, a last token of the di-
vine care for the welfare of his people.
This he was to witness and then be
" gathered unto his people." There is
nothing said in this connection of the
Moabites, for the reason, doubtless, that
the Midiauites had entertained Balaam
after his departure from Balak, and
that they had been chief in concocting
the conspiracy which had occasioned

ites, and avenge the Lord of
Midian.

4 Of every tribe a thousand,
throuo-hout all the tribes of

so much disaster to Israel, and which
was now about to recoil upon them-
selves. Add to this, that in the present
sparing of Moab regard was probably
had to the memory of Lot, the founder
of their race ; although at a subsequent
period they also paid the penalty of

their offences. •[[ Gathered unto thy

people. See Note ch. 20 : 24. Gen. 25 : 8,
"God sometimes removes useful men
when we think they could ill be spared ;
but this ought to satisfy us, that they
are never removed till they have done
the work which was appointed them."
— Henry.

V. 3. Avenge the Lord of Midian.
The whole clause, literally rendered
from the Hebrew, reads thus : "And let
them be against (or upon) Midian to
render (or give) the vengeance of Je-
hovah upon Midian." The phrase " giv-
ing vengeance " is parallel in the Gr.
of 2 Thess. 1:8," Taking (Gr. giving)
tengeance upon all them that know not
God, etc." The reader will observe
that whereas God says, v. 2, "Avenge
the children of Israel of the Midianites,"
here Moses sa^'s, " Avenge the Lord of
Midian," implying that while the Lord
marks his tender concern for the wel-
fare of his people, they, on the other
hand, show a paramount concern for
the glory of their God ; to that they will
be prompted to subordinate every in-
terest of their own. Jarchi : " He who
arrays himself against Israel is regard-
ed the same as if he arrayed himself
against the Lord."

V. 4. Of every tribe a thousand.
Twelve thousand in all, comparatively
a small force to contend with a whole
nation, the multitudes of which may be
inferred from the abundance of spoils

444

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

Israel, shall ye send to the
war.

5 So there were delivered out
of the thousands of Israel, a
thousand of every tribe, twelve
thousand armed for war.

6 And Moses sent them to
the war, a thousand of every
tribe, them and Phinehas the
son of Eleazar the priest, to the
war, with the holy instruments,

and the trumpets to " blow, in
his hand.

7 And they warred against
the Midianites, as the Lord
commanded Moses ; and "^ they
slew all the males.

8 And ' they slew the kings
of Midian, beside the rest of
them that were slain ; namely^

taken, and from the slaughter of five
kings who fell on this occasion, v. 8.
An hundred thousand fighting men
would have been but a sixth part of the
disposable force which might have been
employed in this enterprise had infinite
wisdom seen fit, but as the Most High
determined that the glory should not be
referred to the number of those engaged
in achieving the victory, he no doubt
prescribed to Moses the amount of men
to be detailed for the service, and these
were to be taken in equal proportion
from all the tribes, that one tribe might
not vaunt itself over another in view of
the result, but that all the glory might
be ascribed to the Lord alone. " There
is no restraint to the Lord to save by
many or by few." 1 Sam. 14 : 6.

V. 6. A7id Phinehas the son of Eleazar
the priest. The capacity in which Phine-
has was to go was not, we presimie,
that of general or leader of the expedi-
tion, which would more naturally de-
volve on Joshua, but as a general en-
courager of the host, and especially as
overseer of the Levites, to whose care
was intrusted "the holy instruments
and the trumpets," which latter were
always to be blown upon occasions like
the present, when war was to be en-
gaged in. Yet the precise import of
" holy instruments (Heb. instruments
or vessels of holiness)," in this connec-
tion, it is not easy to determine. Some

d Dent. 20. 13. Jufl;^. 21 . 11 1 K.

e Juah. 13. -n, 11.

have understood the ark of the cov-
enant and its appurtenances, and some
the Urim and Thummim ; but the prob-
able construction, we think, is that of
Le Clerc, who would translate "and"
by " even," and have instruments stand
in apposition with trumpets / " with
the holy instruments even the trumpets
to blow, etc." This, as we have often
remarked before, is a very usual sense
of the Heb. word for "and." As to
the suggestion of Spencer and others,
founded upon the Chald. version, that
the Urim and Thummim were included
in the instruments, this is less likely
from the fact, that these articles, with
the Golden Plate or Pectoral, were
properly in the hands of Eleazar the
High Priest and not of Phinehas, oh.
27 : 21. 20 : 26.

V. 8. Slew the hings qf Midian. The
title "kings" is doubtless here to be
taken in quite a limited sense. In the
parallel passage. Josh. 13 : 21, they are
called "dukes of Sihon," importing the
same as vassals or tributaries. After
the death of Sihon they probably rose
somewhat in the scale of dignity and
were thence called "kings," but the
true idea is that of petty chieftains.
One of the five, viz., Zur, was the father
of Cozbi, the Midianitess, killed by

Phinehas, ch. 25 : 15. H Balaam alsOy

the son of Beor, they slew with the sword.
However this miserable man may have

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXI.

445

Evi, and Rekeni, and Zur, and
Hur, and Reba, five kings of
Midian : Balaam also, the son
of Beor, thej slew with the
sword.

9 And the children of Israel
took all the women of Midian
captives, and their little ones,
and took the spoil of all their
cattle, and all their flocks, and
all their goods.

10 And they ' burnt all their
cities wherein they dwelt, and

/ Josh. 6.24. Uev. 18.8.

found his way into the ranks of the
Midianites, yet here he is, and here a
condign punishment meets him. Hav-
ing virtually taken the sword by being
instrumental in bringing Midian into
armed hostility against Israel, he per-
ishes by the sword. The language of
Ezekiel, ch. 32 : 28, finds in him a fit
application : " Yea, thou shalt be broken
in the midst of the uncircumcised, and
shalt lie with them that are slain with
the sword." He falls in the judgment
which he has provoked, and leaves his
name as " a by-word and a hissing" to
all future generations. We wind up all
further allusions to him in the follow-
ing remarks of Mr. Kitto : " According
to the view which we take of Balaam's
character, it is not so peculiar as it
seems. Separated from the external
accidents of time, of country, and posi-
tion— we may go into the streets, and
find a Balaam in every third man we
meet. He belonged to that still numer-
ous class who theoretically know God,
and who actually do fear him — but the
love and fear of whom are not the gov-
erning and regulating principles of
their minds. They are convinced, but
not converted. They can prize and
strongly desire the privileges of God's

all their goodly castles, with
fire.

i 11 And they took all the
I spoil -" and all the prey, both of
I men and of beasts.
1 12 And they brought the
! captives, and the prey, and the
' spoil, unto Moses and Eleazar
I the priest, and unto the congre-
gation of the children of Israel,
unto the camp at the plains ^ of
Moab, which are by Jordan
near Jericho.

g Deut. iO. 14. Josh. 8. 2. A c. -.'2. 1.

elect — they long to " die the death of
the righteous," but are unwilling to live
their life. They would serve God ; but
they must serve mammon also ; and in
the strife between the two contending
influences, their lives are made bitter
and their deaths perilous."

V. 9. Tooh the spoil of all tJieir cat-
tle, etc. Rather, Heb. " took as spoil,"
i. e., plundered, pillaged, " all their cat-
tle, and all their flocks, etc." " Taking
the spoil of cattle, flocks, etc.," is not a
very intelligible English phrase.

V. 10. Burnt all their cities, etc. The
destruction of these places would de-
prive the Israelites of all plea for tak-
ing possession of them as a kind of
nestling-places where they could abide,
instead of encountering the hardship of
conquering Canaan.

V. 11. Took all the spoil and all the
prey. The former implies such things
pertaining to men and women as were
usually taken in war, as garments, gold,
silver, provisions, etc., while the latter
is applied more especially to beasts and
cattle. These, together with the cap-
tive women, were brought to the rulers
and the congregation to learn what dis-
posal should be made of them by divine
direction.

446

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

13 And Moses and Eleazar
the priest, and all the princes
of the congregation, went forth
to meet them without the camp.

14 And Moses was wroth with
the ofl&cers of the host, ivith the
captains over thousands, and
captains over hundreds, which
came from the battle.

15 And Moses said unto
them, Have ye saved all the
women ' alive ?

Deut. 20. 13. 1 Sam. 15.

V. 13. Went forth to meet them tvith-
out the camp. Somewhat as Melchise-
dek, king and priest, went forth to meet
Abraham after the slaughter of the
kings, Gen. 14 : 18-14, so does Moses,
the "king in Jeshurun," Eleazar the
priest, and the princes now go forth
to meet Abraham's children returning
from the slaughter of the kings of Mid-
ian. The object was to congratulate
the host upon its victory, and to make
the triumphal procession more im-
posing. They were to do this " with-
out the camp," inasmuch as they had
become polluted by shedding blood and
coming in contact with dead bodies,
and must therefore undergo a process
of purification before they could be re-
ceived into the camp, v. 19, 20. ch. 5 :
2, 3. 19 : 11-13.

Vs. 14^17. Moses was wroth with the
officers of the host. Heb. al peJcude he-
hdyil, with the visitors of the force.
Gr. "With the bishops of the host."
These, however, are immediately ex-
plained as the captains of the thousands
and hundreds which came from the bat-
tle. The wrath of Moses on this occa-
sion was not excited by any provoca-
tion that was personal to himself. In
his own cause he was uniformly meek
and gentle ; but when the Lord's honor
or glory was at stake, he was filled with

16 Behold, these * caused the
children of Israel, through the
counsel ' of Balaam, to commit
trespass against the Lord in the
matter of Peor, and there was a
plague among"' the congregation
of the Lord.

17 Now therefore " kill every
male among the little ones, and
kill every woman that hath
known man by lying with him.

k c. 25.
I c. 25. 9

;2 Pet. 2. 15. Rev. 2. 14.
;i Judsr. 21. 11.

a holy zeal which passed easily into in-
dignation towards the offenders. The
occasion of his anger now was the
sparing the females instead of putting
them to death. We do not, indeed,
read that an express command had
been given them to this effect, but it
was doubtless implied in the general
order to avenge Israel of the Midian-
ites ; for as the women had been the
principal instruments of seducing the
people into sin in the worship of Peor,
it was fair to infer that they were not
to be spared. " God had put to death
the adulterers of Israel by the plague,
and now it was fit that the adulteresses
of Midian, especially since they had
been the tempters, should be put to
death by the sword." — Henri/. The
sentence passed was no doubt severe
in the extreme and abhorrent to our
benevolent feelings, but God is the su-
preme arbiter of the lot of all men, and
may remove them out of the world in
any manner that he sees fit. If this is
done by pestilence or earthquake, by
shipwreck, famine, in deadly battle,
wasting disease, or old age, no one
complains. Why should there be com-
plaint if, in the capacity of supreme
judge and governor, he expressly orders
a portion of his creatures to be put to
death for crimes committed which can-

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXI.

447

18 But all the women-chil-
dren, that have not known a
man by lying with him, keep
alive for yourselves.

19 And do ye abide without
the camp seven days : whoso-
ever " hath killed any person,
and whosoever hath touched any

*c. 5. 2. 19. 11, etc.

not but be admitted in the circum-
stances to be worthy of death ? Is he
to be any more accused of harshness
than if they were taken away in what
is termed "the course of nature," in
which we are equally bound to recog-
nize a providential agency? It is to
be remembered that in all probability
these very women, some or all of them,
had been concerned in the abomination
of Peor, and that if they were spared
alive the same revolting and criminal
scenes would be in danger of being en-
acted over again, and thus a new plague
or judgment inflicted upon the people.
To an eye that could take in the whole
from the end to the beginning, it would
undoubtedly appear that this was a
procedure of kindness and mercy rather
than of cruelty, and the confession ex-
torted, "Just and true are all thy ways,
thou King of saints."

V. 18. But all the ivomen-cMldren,
etc. The policy which originated this
order contemplated, we may presume,
the rearing up of these Midianitish
girls and maidens, either to be disposed
of by sale to other nations, to be em-
ployed as servants, or, in case they be-
came proselytes, to marry them as or-
dained, Deut. 21 : 11-14. The Jewish
writers have many conceits as to the
manner in which the discrimination
here spoken of was to be made, but it
is sufficient to suggest that the age
alone would be a sufficient criterion,
and there was probably no other.

slain, purify hoth yourselves and
your captives on the third day,
and on the seventh day.

20 And purify all your rai-
ment, and all that is made of
skins, and all work of goats' hair^
and all things made of wood.

21 And Eleazar the priest
said unto the men of war which

Ys. 19, 20; Yourselves and your cap-
tives. As we cannot well suppose that
the heathen nations would contract de-
filement from the dead, or otherwise
become subject to legal uncleanness,
the obligation to be purified on this oc-
casion arose from their having come so
fully into the possession of the Israelites
as to constitute, as it were, a part of
them. Accordingly Jarchi here re-
marks : " ' Yourselves and your cap-
tivity;' not that heathens do receive
uncleanness, and need to be sprinkled ;
but as you, the children of the cov-
enant, so your captives also which
come into the covenant, and are un-
clean, have need to be sprinkled."

'^ All that is made of skins, etc. Trav-
ellers inform us that among the com-
mon furniture of the Arabs at the pres-
ent day are hair sacks, and trunks, and
baskets covered with skins, great wood-
en bowls, hand-mills, and pitchers. It
is to articles of this kind, which were
doubtless in use among the ancient Is-
raelites, that the injunction in the pres-
ent passage refers. They were all to be
cleansed in water.

Ys. 21-24. This is the ordinance of
the law, etc. This order was given by
Eleazar, the high-priest, to the people,
but it may be supposed that it was first
communicated to him by Moses. It was
to be henceforth a standing law to the
Israelitish soldiery, that all who had
I been in a battle, whether they had
j actually slain an enemy and touched

448

NUMBERS.

[B. C. 1452.

went to the battle, This is the
ordinance of the law which the
Lord commanded Moses;

22 Only the gold, and the
silver, the brass, the iron, the
tin, and the lead,

23 Every thing that may
abide the fire, ye shall make it
go through the fire, and it shall
be clean ; nevertheless it shall
be purified^ with the water of
separation : and all that abideth
not the fire ye shall make go
through the water.

24 And ^ ye shall wash your
clothes on the seventh day, and
ye shall be clean, and afterward
ye shall come into the camp.

25 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying.

p c. 19. 9, n.

q Lev. 11. 25.

his body or not, should be obliged thus
to purify themselves ; and moreover,
that all kind of spoil which would en-
dure the fire, as hard metals, gold, sil-
ver, etc., should be cleansed by fire,
and then sprinkled with the purifica-
tion water (ch. 19:1, 2, etc.); while
such things as could be washed with
water should undergo that process.

The Law of the Division of the Sj)oil.

Vs. 25-27. Take the sum of the prey,
etc. Ileb. " The head of the prey." See
Note on ch. 1 : 2. The soldiery having
been thus commanded to cleanse them-
selves preparatory to re-entering the
camp, an order is now given relative to
an equitable division of the spoil. Of
this the whole amount was to be di-
vided into two equal parts, one of which
was to be distributed among the 12,000
who had been engaged in the expedi-
tion ; the other half among the rest of

26 Take the sum of the prey
that was taken, hoth of man and
of beast, thou, and Eleazar the
priest, and the chief fathers of
the congregation ;

27 And divide '' the prey into
two parts; between them that
took the war upon them, who
went out to battle, and between
all the congregation :

28 And levy a tribute " unto
the Lord of the men of war
which went out to battle : one
' soul of five hundred, hoth of
the persons, and of the beeves,
and of the asses, and of the
sheep :

29 Take it of their half, and
give it unto Eleazar the priest,

r Jcsh. 2-2. 8. 1 Sam. 30. 24. Ps. 68. 12. s Gen.
14. 20. Joah. 6. 19. 2 Sam. 8. 11, 12. Prov. 3. 9, 10.
t ver. 30. 41. c. 18. 26.

the Israelites, as being all concerned in
the common cause. David, we find, at
a later period enacted a similar law, al-
though under somewhat different cir-
cumstances. 1 Sam. 30 : 24, 25, " For
who will hearken unto you in this mat-
ter? but as his part is that goeth down
to the battle, so shall his part be that
tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part
alike. And it was so from that day for-
ward, that he made it a statute and an
ordinance for Israel unto this day,"
To prevent all partial dealing, the dis-
tribution was committed to the man-
agement of the heads of the several
tribes in concert with the high-priest.
Vs. 28, 29. And levy a tribute, etc.
This was another feature of the divi-
sion. Out of the half that fell to the lot
of the soldiers was to be deducted a five
hundredth part of every kind of spoil,
as an offering to God, in acknowledg-
ment of him as sovereign owner of all,
and the author of all their success ; and

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXI.

449

for an heave offering of the
Lord.

30 And of the children of Is-
rael's half, thou shalt take " one
portion of fifty, of the persons,
of the beeves, of the asses, and
of the flocks, of all manner of
beasts, and give " them unto the
Levites, which "' keep the charge
of the tabernacle of the Lord.

31 And Moses and Eleazar
the priest did as the Lord com-
manded Moses.

32 And the booty, heing the
rest of the prey "which the men
of war had caught, was six hun-
dred thousand and seventy thou-
sand and five thousand sheep,

33 And threescore and twelve
thousand beeves,

34 And threescore and one
thousand asses,

35 And thirty and two thou-
sand persons in all, of women
that had not known man by
lying with him.

36 And the half, ivhich ivas
the portion of them that went

this was to be presented as an heave-
offering to the priests.

Vs. 30, 31. Of the children of Israel's
half, etc. In like manner, out of the
half belonging to the whole body of the
people, who had not shared in the dan-
gers and hardships of the war, a much
larger proportion was to be deducted
fi-om each article of spoil, viz., a fiftieth
part to be presented to the Levites, the
other branch of the ministry, as a re-
ligious acknowledgment of the same
purport with the preceding. In this it
was designed that whatever the Lord's
ministers had for their maintenance in

out to war, was in number three
hundred thousand and seven and
thirty thousand and five hundred
sheep :

37 And the Lord's tribute of
the sheep was six hundred and
threescore and fifteen.

38 And the beeves were thirty
and six thousand ; of which the
Lord's tribute ivas threescore
and twelve.

39 And the asses ivere thirty
thousand and five hundred ; of
which the Lord's tribute ivas
threescore and one.

40 And the persons were six-
teen thousand ; of which the
Lord's tribute was thirty and
two persons.

41 And Moses gave the trib-
ute, ivhich was the Lord's heave-
offering, unto Eleazar the priest;
as-'the Lord commanded Mo-
ses.

42 And of the children of Is-
rael's half, which Moses divided
from the men that warred,

43 (Now the half that x^er-

his service should be given to them in
such a manner as if it were offered to
himself. The far greater number of the
Levites made it proper that in the par-
tition their portion should be much
greater than that of the priests. The
Levites had one part in fifty, the priests
one in five hundred, equivalent to a
tithe, according to the rule laid down
ch. 18 : 21-28.

Vs. 32-47. The booty, {being) the rest
of the prey, etc. That is, deducting the
" spoils," strictly so called, the clothes,
armor, and valuables of the enemy, to-
gether with the movables and money,

450

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

tained unto the congregation
was three hundred thousand and
thirty thousand and seven thou-
sand and five hundred sheep,

44 And thirty and six thou-
sand beeves,

45 And thirty thousand asses
and five hundred,

46 And sixteen thousand per-
sons;)

47 Even " of the children of
Israel's half, Moses took one por-
tion of fifty, both of man and of
beast, and gave them unto the
Levites, which kept the charge
of the tabernacle of the Lord ;
as the Lord commanded Moses.

48 And the officers which
were over thousands of the host,
the captains of thousands, and
captains of hundreds, came near
unto Moses :

49 And they said unto Moses,
Thy servants have taken the

I sum of the men of war which
I are under our charge, and there
I lacketh not one man of us.

50 We have therefore brought
\ an oblation for the Lord, what

every man hath gotten, of jew-
els of gold, chains, and bracelets,
; rings, ear-rings, and tablets, to
I make ' an atonement for our
I souls before the Lord.

which were not divided in common,
but belonged individually to the cap-
tors ; also whatever persons had been
slain since their return, and whatever

Sheep, 675,000
Beeves, 72,000
Asses,
Persons, 32,000.

j The soldiers, 337,

( The people, 337.

( The soldiers, 36,

I The people, 36.

61 000 J '^^^ soldiers, 30.

' ■ ■ ■ ■ ( The people, 30,

The soldiers, 16,

The people, 16

Vs. 48-50. TJie officers wJdch were over
the thousands, etc. The officers, upon
their return from the war, made a mus-
ter of the soldiery to see what numbers
they had lost, and found, to their joy
and surprise, that not a single man was
missing of the whole twelve thousand !
This was probabl)'^ a victory without a
parallel in all history, and could never
have been accomplished without the
Lord's special intervention. This sig-
nal token of the Lord's favor would
tend to minister encouragement and
confidence to them in all future emer-
gencies, and they seem to have been

cattle may have been killed for eating
on the way ; the rest or residue, which
was to be divided, amounted to totals
as follows :

500 ; therefrom to the Lord. . . 675.

500; therefrom to the Levites. 6,750.

000 ; therefrom to the Lord. . . 72.

000 ; therefrom to the Levites. 720.

500 ; therefrom to the Lord. . . 61.

500 ; therefrom to the Levites. 610.

000 ; therefrom to the Lord. ... 32.

,000 ; therefrom to the Levites. 320.

sensible of their obligations from the
feelings now evinced ; for they unani-
mously resolved, out of the spoil which
they had taken, such as gold, jewels,
bracelets, etc., which they were not re-
quired to divide with the congregation,
to make a free-will offering to the Lord,
for the service of the Tabernacle. So
in aftertimes both the Tabernacle and
the Temple were enriched with the
spoils taken from the enemies of Israel.
2 Sam. 8:11,12. 1 Chron. 26 : 26, 27.
" We should never take any thing to
ourselves in war or trade, which we
cannot in faith consecrate a part of to

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXII.

451

51 And Moses and Eleazar

the priest took the gold of them,
even all wrought jewels.

52 And all the gold of the
offering that they offered up to
the Lord, of the captains of
thousands, and of the captains of
hundreds, was sixteen thousand
seven hundred and fifty shekels.

53 [For the men of war had
" taken spoil, every man for him-
self.)

54 And Moses and Eleazar
the priest took the gold of the
captains of thousands and of
hundreds, and brought it into
the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion, for * a memorial for the
children of Israel before the
Lord.

God, who " hates robbery for burnt-
offering;" but when God has remarka-
bly preserved and succeeded us, he ex-
pects we should make some particular
return of gratitude to him." — Henry.

Tf To make an atonement for our

souls. That is, to make an acknowledg-
ment to God for the preservation of
their lives ; as also perhaps to offer a
kind of expiation for sparing the women
and whatever other miscarriages they
may have been guilty of in the conduct
of the war.

Vs. 51-54. Moses and Eleazar the priest
took the gold, etc. In doing which we
may well suppose they commended the
piety and gratitude of the offerers. The
oblation was delivered to be employed
in the service for which it was intend-
ed. It amounted to a vast sum, that is
to say, 16,750 shekels, which, reduced
to our coin, would fall little short of
$140,000. The offering was henceforth
laid up in the Tabernacle as a monu-

CHAPTER XXXIL

VrOW the children of Reuben,
1^ and the children of Gad,
had a very great multitude of
cattle : and when they saw the
land of Jazer ", and the land of
Grilead*, that, behold, the place
was a place ' for cattle ;

2 The children of Gad and the
children of Reuben, came and
spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar
the priest, and unto the princes
of the congregation, saying,

3 Ataroth, and Dibon,'', and
Jazer, and Nimrah', and Hesh-
bon-', and Elealeh, and Shebam^,
and Nebo, and Beon^,

a c. 21. ■ 2. ver. 35 Jaazer. Josh. 13. 25. 2 Sam.
24.5.18.16.8,9. A Jer. 50. 19.Mic. 7. 4. c Gen.
13. 2. 5. 47. 4. d Is. 15. 2, 4. e ver. 36. Be.lh-

nimrah. / Jndg. 11 26. ^ ver. 38. SAi6/«aA.

h ver. 3^. Baa^-nieon.

meut both of the singular mercy of God
in the preservation of the army in this
war, and of the pious gratitude of those
who had been its principal conductors.

CHAPTER XXXII.

Rmben and Gad request an Inheritance
on the East of Jordan.

Vs. 1-5. The children of Bevhen and
the children of Gad had a very great
multitude of cattle, etc. A large por-
tion of the territory recently taken from
the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og,
was distinguished for the fertility of its
soil and its adaptedness to the purpose
of breeding and grazing cattle. This
fact gave this region peculiar attrac-
tions in the eyes of Reuben and Gad,
who, of all the tribes, had the greatest
abundance of stock, and were most de-
voted to its cultivation. The greater

452

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

4 Even the country 'which the
Lord smote before the congrega-
tion of Israel, is a land for cattle,
and thy servants have cattle :

t c. 'il. 24, 34.

part of this territory is in modern times
called the "Belka," and the Bedouins
say of it, " Thou canst not find a coun-
try like the Belka." Buckingham bears
the strongest testimony to the pictur-
esque beauty, the fine climate, and exu-
berant fertility of this part of the coun-
try east of the Jordan, and seems to
have no hesitation in declaring it far
superior to any part of the country west
of the Jordan, through which he had
travelled. — {Travels among the Aral
Tribes, p. 141.) The heads of these
tribes, therefore, came to Moses and
Eleazar, preferring a petition that this
region, so well adapted to their favorite
pursuit, might be conferred upon them
instead of their being required to pass
over the river and receive their allot-
ment with their brethren within the
bounds of Canaan. Their motives in
making this proposition, though they
appeared at first somewhat questiona-
ble to Moses, yet were subsequently so
explained as to remove, in great meas-
ure, his anxiety, and to redound to
the credit of their fealty and fidelity.
At the same time, it is not improbable
that there was a larger admixture of
worldly prompting in the request than
they themselves imagined. The lot
that befell these tribes in a subsequent
age, 1 Chron. 5 : 25. 2 Kings, 15 : 29,
gives great countenance to the follow-
ing pithy but quaint remarks of the old
commentator Ness on the passage : —
" 'Tis not at all unlikely that these two
tribes were too much engaged in their
affections to that portion of land, as
Lot's mind was too much set upon the
plains of Sodom; for as he was soon

5 Wherefore, said they, if we
have found grace in thy sight,
let this land be given unto thy
servants for a possession, and
bring us not over Jordan.

after carried away captive by the four
kings, so those here are noted to have
been the first that were carried away
captive out of this very land who were
the first of all the tribes that had this
land assigned to them for their inheri-
tance : strong affections cause strong
afflictions ; if we love over-much, we
shall be sure to grieve over-much.
When God sees us set upon it to have
this or that, have it we may, but with
an after-reckoning that may dissvveeten
it with a witness." There is nothing
here said of Manasseh, though it ap-
pears, from V. 33, that half that tribe
were included in the assignment. — Of
Jazer, see ch. 21 : 32, with Note. — The
land of Gilead (Gr. Galaad) was famous
not only for its rich pasturage, but also
for its aromatic gums, from which dif-
ferent kinds of balsams were made, al-
luded to in Scripture as the " balm of

Gilead." T[ A place for cattle. A

place favorable to the rearing and feed-
ing of cattle, that is, of flocks and herds.
Wherefore when the Lord promises to
feed his people with spiritual food, h^
draws the imagery from the feeding of
cattle in these fertile regions. Mic. 7 :
14, " Feed thy people with thy rod, the
flock of thine heritage, which dwell sol-
itarily in the wood, in the midst of
Carmel : let them feed in Bashan and
Gilead, as in the days of old." Jer.
50 : 19, " And I will bring Israel again
to his habitation, and he shall feed on
Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall
be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and
Gilead." As to the various localities
mentioned in this connection, it will be
sufficient to refer the reader to Kitto's

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXII.

453

6 And Moses said unto the
children of Grad, and to the
chiLiren of Reuben, Shall your
brethren go to war, and shall ye
sit here ?

7 And wherefore discourage
ye the heart of the children of
Israel from going over into the
land which the Lord hath given
them ?

8 Thus did your fathers, when
* I sent them from Kadesh-bar-

j nea to see the land.

I 9 For when they went up un-
to the valley of Eshcol, and saw
the land, they discouraged the
heart of the children of Israel,
that they should not go into the
land which the Lord had given
them.

; 10 And ' the Lord's anger

I was kindled the same time, and
he sware, saying,

11 Surely none of the men
that came up out of Egypt_, from

I twenty years old and upward,

* c. 13. 3--26. Deut. 1. ■2-2.
Deut. 1. as.

I c. 14. 11,29.

t edition of the Bible, where all the ac-
' cessible information respecting them is

embodied. 1[ The country wMcTi the

Lord smote hefore the congregation. Im-
plj'ing, perhaps, that the Lord had
caused it to be smitten or subjugated,
in order that it might be taken as a pos-
session and deemed a part of the prom-
-ised land though not within the Jor-
j dan. This construction was not unnat-
\ ural, for the country had previously be-
■ longed to Sihon, king of the Amorites,
I and the land of the Amorites was prom-
j ised to Abraham, Gen. 15 : 16, 21.
! Vs. 6-15. Shall your brethren go to
war, and sJmU ye sit Tiere ? It cannot
be denied that there was ground for

shall see the land which I sware
unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob ; because " they have
not wholly followed me ;

12 Save Caleb the son of
Jephunneh the Kenezite, and
Joshua the son of Nun ; for they
have wholly followed the Lord.

13 And the Lord's anger was
kindled against Israel, and he
made them " wander in the wil-
derness forty years, until " all the
generation that had done evil in
the sight of the Lord was con-
sumed.

14 And, behold, ye are risen
up in your fathers' stead, an in-
crease ^ of sinful men, to aug-
ment ■' yet the fierce anger of the
Lord toward Israel.

15 For if ' ye turn away from
after him, he will yet again
leave * them in the wilderness,
and ye shall destroy all this
people.

m c. 14. 24,30. Josh. 14. 8, 9. n c. 14. 33-35.

o c. 26. 64, 65. 1 C .r. 10. 5. Heb. 3. 16-19. p Ps.
IS. 57. J Xeb. 13. 18. Is. K5. 6, 7. r Deut. 30. 17.
Josh. 2-2. 16, 18. 2 Chr. 7. 19. 15. 2. -i c. 14. 35.

Moses' suspicions. The request ap-
peared to proceed from selfishness,
worldliness, and unbelief It looked as
if they were willing to let their brethren
go and fight their way among the Ca-
naanites, and get possession of what-
ever they could; but as to the land
which was already subdued, and which
was of the richest quality, that they
would fain have allotted to themselves
without any further trouble. The land
moreover was not within the precincts
of Canaan proper, and to settle down so
far from the house of God and the ordi-
nances of religion seemed to argue a
culpable indifference to their spiritual
as compared with their temporal wel-

454

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

16 And they came near unto
him, and said, We will build
sheep-folds here for our cattle,
and cities for our little ones ;

17 But we ' ourselves will go
ready armed before the children
of Israel, until we have brought
them unto their place : and our
little ones shall dwell in the
fenced cities, because of the in-
habitants of the land.

18 We "will not return unto
our houses, until the children of
Israel have inherited every man
his inheritance :

19 For we will not inherit
with them on yonder side Jor-
dan, or forward ; because " our
inheritance is fallen to us on
this side Jordan eastward.

t Josh. 4. 12, 13. u Jusb. 22. 4.

Josh. 13. S.

fare. Again, it had the air of shrinking
from the toils and dangers, and the
sanguinary scenes which might have
to be encountered in conquering the
land of the Canaanites. Such was the
construction which Moses was led to
put upon the proposed measure, and
which drew from him an earnest re-
monstrance. He set before them what
he conceived to be the pernicious ten-
dency of their example; that it was
calculated to discourage the rest of
their brethren ; and then reminds them
that they would thereby be acting the
part of their predecessors the spies,
who had so grievously disheartened the
congregation by their fears, and had
thereby excited the divine displeasure
to that degree, that that generation, for
their mutinous and distrustful spirit,
were excluded from the land of prom-
ise. He exhorts them, therefore, to be-
ware of the same spirit lest the same
disastrous consequences should ensue,

20 And "" Moses said unto
them. If ye will do this thing,
if ye will go armed before the
Lord to war,

21 And will go all of you
armed over Jordan before the
Lord, until he hath driven out
his enemies from before him,

22 And the land be subdued
"^ before the Lord ; then after-
ward ^ ye shall return, and be
guiltless before the Lord, and
before Israel ; and this land shall
be your possession before the
Lord.

23 But if ye will not do so,
behold, ye have sinned against
the Lord : and be sure your sin
' will find you out.

w Deut. 3. 18, etc. Josh. 1. 14. etc. 4. U, 13.

I Jnsh. IS. 1. V Josh. 22. 4, 9. z Gen. 4. 7.

44. 16. Ps. 90. 8. "139. 11. I'rov. 13. 21. Is. 59. 12.
1 Cor. 4. 5.

and the people be left to perish in the
wilderness.

Vs. 16-27. Thei/ came near unto Mm,
and said, etc. The two tribes in ques-
tion, speaking through their appoint-
ed organs, neither acknowledge nor
deny the charge now made, nor do
they evince a disposition to take the
least offence at it. On the contrary,
with a view to give the utmost satis-
faction to Moses, they voluntarily en-
gaged to accompany their brethren in
arms, and even to go before them to
battle, continuing with them till the
whole land should be subdued, and
every tribe be put in possession of its
destined inheritance. This was fair
and equitable ; and Moses readily ac-
quiesced in the proposal, warning them,
however, that if ever they should re-
cede from their purpose, and violate
their engagement, " their sin should
surely find them out," and be visited
upon them. In considering the proffer

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXII.

455

24 Build " you cities for your
little ones, and folds for your
sheep ; and do that which hath
proceeded out of your mouth.

25 And the children of Gad,
and the children of Reuben,
spake unto Moses, saying, Thy
* servants will do as my lord
commandeth.

26 Our little ones, our wives,
our flocks, and all our cattle,
shall be there in the cities of
Gilead ;

27 But ' thy servants will
pass over, every man armed for
war, before the Lord to battle,
as my lord saith.

28 So concerning them Mo-
ses commanded Eleazar the
priest, and Joshua the son of
Nun, and the chief fathers of
the tribes of the children of Is-
rael:

a rer. 16, 34, etc. b Josh. 1, 13, 14. c John 4, li.

of these tribes it is not necessary to sup-
pose that the whole even of their fight-
ing men were to be included in it. It
would be necessary that a portion of
them should remain behind to till the
ground and to guard the flocks, chil-
dren, and women. Accordingly we
read that only about 40,000 of the two
tribes and a half went over armed,
whereas their whole number was about

100,000. ^ On, yonder side Jordan,

or forward. That is, we will not in-
herit with them on the opposite side of
the Jordan, in the near vicinity of the
river, nor yet further on, or further in-
land, in the more central regions of the
country. T[ If ye will go armed he-
fore the Lord. That is, before the Ark
of the Covenant, the special symbol of
the Lord's presence. The three tribes
of Reuben, Gad, and Simeon, marched

29 And ^ Moses said unto
them. If the children of Gad,
and the children of Reuben,
will pass with you over Jordan,
every man armed to battle, be-
fore the LoED, and the land
shall be subdued before you,
then ye shall give them the
land of Gilead for a possession.

30 But if they will not pass
over with you armed, they shall
have possessions among you in
the land of Canaan.

31 And the children of Gad,
and the children of Reuben, an-
swered, saying. As the Lord
hath said unto thy servants, so
will we do.

32 We will pass over armed
before the Lord into the land
of Canaan, that the possession
of our inheritance on this side
Jordan may he outs.

immediately before the Sanctuary, ch.
2 : 10, 14. 10 : 18, so that Moses requires
of them only to occupy their usual
place when they went to war against

the Canaanites. ^ Tour sin will find

you out. That is, the punishment of
your sin will sooner or later overtake
you. Gr. "Ye shall know your sins,
when evils fall upon you."

Vs. 28-33. Concerning them Moses
commanded, etc. The measure was not,
therefore, actually carried out in Moses'
lifetime, but was left in charge to
Eleazar and Joshua, and the fathers of
the tribes, to be accomplished for them
in case they adhered faithfully to the

terms of their engagement. \ Shall

give them the land of Gilead, etc.* This
appears to have been the name given
in a broad sense to the whole country
east of the Jordan. ^ But if they

456

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

33 And * Moses gave unto
them, even to the children of
Grad, and to the children of
Reuben, and unto half the tribe
of Manasseh the son of Joseph,
■f the kingdom of Sihon king of
the A.morites, and the kingdom
of Og king of Bashan, the land,
with the cities thereof in the
coasts, even the cities of the
country round about.

34 And the children of Gad
built Dibon^, and Ataroth, and
Aroer ^,

e Deut. 3. 1'2-17. 29. 8. Josh. 12. 6. f c, 21. 24, 33.
g c. Vi. 45, 46. A Dent. 2. 36.

will not pass, etc. Then you shall com-
pel them so to do, and assign them,
according to lot, their portion in the
land of Canaan. Gr. " Then you shall
drive before you their cattle, and
wives, and possessions, into the laud
of Canaan ; and they shall have, etc."

T[ Moses gave unto them, etc. That

is, gave prospectively ; indicated a pur-
pose to give, just as the Lord is said
to have given the land of Canaan to
his people before they had taken pos-
session of it.

Vs. 34—42. And the children of Gad
huilt Dibon, etc. That is, repaired, re-
newed, fortified — a frequent sense of

the original rendered "to build."

Tf ( Their names being changed.) When
they had rebuilt and fortified certain
cities they changed the old names by
which they were known and gave them
new ones. The design of this was to
break up all idolatrous associations,
and efface its relics from among the
chosen people. Thus Nebo and Baal-
meon^for instance, were the names of
idol gods worshipped among the former
inhabitants, as Isaiah says, ch. 41 : G,
<'Bel boweth down, and Nebo stoop-
eth," and these names were to be abol-

35 And Atroth, Shopham,
and ' Jaazer, and Jogbchah,

36 And Beth-nimrah *, and
Beth-haran, fenced '' cities ; and
folds for sheep.

37 And the children of Reu-
ben built Heshbon '", and Elea-
leh, and Kirjathaim,

38 And Nebo", and Baal-me-
on ", (their names being changed,)
aud Shibmah : and gave other
^ names unto the cities which
they builded.

39 And the children of Ma-

i ver. 1. 3. Jaier, k ver. 3. Nhnrah.
OTC. 21. 21. n 18.46.1. « c. 'Ji. 41.

Ex. 23. 13. Josh. 23. 7.

I ver
p ve

ished in accordance with the spirit of
the law, Ex, 23 : 13, " Make no mention
of the names of other gods, neither let
it be heard out of thy mouth." This,
however, does not prevent but that the
Scriptures should occasionally call these
places b}' their old names. So Sol.
Jarchi, " They were idolatrous names,
and the Amorites had called their cities
by the names of their idols; but the
sous of Reuben turned their name to
other names." Thus Nobah took Ke-
nath, V. 42, and subsequently called it

by his own name. 1[ The children

of Machir, the son of Manasseh, went to
Gilead and took it, etc. Or, Heb. " Had
gone," alluding to some time previous,
while they were invading the territory of
the Amorites. The clause is, perhaps,
here inserted to show the reason why
Moses gave this part of the land to the
tribe of Manasseh, to wit, because they
had formerly won it by their swords,

T[ Moses gave Gilead unto Machir.

That is, to the family or posterity of
Machir, for Machir himself, being the
son of Manasseh, must have been long

dead. T[ The villages thereof Heb,

" The daughters thereof;" on which
phraseology see Note on ch. 21 : 25,

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXIII.

457

chir, the son of Manasseh, went
to Gilead, and took it, and dis-
possessed the Amorite which
was in it.

40 And Moses gave Gilead''
unto Machir the son of Manas-
seh ; and he dwelt therein.

41 And Jair, the son of Ma-
nasseh, went and took the small

q Josh. 13. 29-31.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Journeying s of the Cliildren of Israel.
The present chapter is mainly de-
voted to an account of the various
stages and stations, the encampments
and removals, of the children of Israel
on their march through the wilderness,
embracing the time from their depart-
ure from Egypt to their entrance into
Canaan. This was intrinsically a very
memorable part of their history, and
divine wisdom saw fit that Moses should
write and transmit to posterity a jour-
nal of their extraordinary travels. In
executing this order he recapitulates
the principal stopping-places on their
long journey, amounting to forty-two
in number, occasionally reciting the im-
portant events that occurred here and
there at different points in their pro-
gress. Many of these stations can now
be determined with sufficient accuracy ;
others cannot. The route from Egypt
to Sinai is well defined, so also, for the
most part, is that from Mount Hor,
where Aaron died, to the banks of the
Jordan, where they crossed into Ca-
naan. But the intermediate stages be-
tween these extremes are exceedingly
difficult to be identified, as this part of
their course lay through the wilder and
more trackless portion of the desert, in
which they were no doubt led back and
forth, crossing and re-crossing their
20

towns thereof, and called them
Havoth-jair '.

42 And Nobah went and took
Kenath, and the villages thereof,
and called it Nobah, after his
own name.

CHAPTER XXXIIL

THESE are the journeys of
the children of Israel, which

r Jiidg. 1(1.4.

path, as the prospects of water and
pasturage dictated, though they never
moved independent of the guiding pil-
lar. It was, perhaps, designed that
their route should be thus mazy and
labyrinthian, in order to represent more
adequately those early stages of relig-
ious experience in which the soul is led,
like the blind, by a way which it knows
not. While the principles of the re-
generate or spiritual life are slowly
forming into a definite order, the ex-
perience is somewhat confused and
chaotic, and the soul's progress ap-
pears to be now onward and now retro-
grade, though it is still, on the whole,
holding on its way to the heavenly Ca-
naan. This way becomes clearer and
clearer as the end of the course is
neared, till at length the weary pilgrim
is planted in the land of promise.

There are doubtless many points of
useful annotation in the chapter before
us, but as these points are principally
topographical, and as they are treated
at length in various commentaries, bib-
lical cyclopedias, and books of travels,
and as our proposed limits will not al-
low the requisite enlargement for dwell-
ing upon all the questions in detail, we
shall waive all extended discussion, re-
serving our contracted remaining space
for remarks and expositions which will
not so easily be found elsewhere.

V. 1. TJiese are the journeys, etc. Heb.
"The removings, or breakings-up ;"

458

NUMBEES.

[B. C. 1452.

went forth out of the land of
Egypt with their armies, under
the hand of Moses and Aaron.

2 And Moses wrote their go-
ings out according to their jour-
neys, by the commandment of
the Lord : and these are their
journeys according to their go-
ings out.

3 And they departed '^ from
Rameses in the first month, on
the fifteenth * day of the first
month : on the morrow after the
passover, the children of Israel
went out with " an high hand in
the sight of all the Egyptians.

4 (For the Egyptians buried
all iheir first-born, which '' the
Lord had smitten among them :

a Ex. 12.37. J Ex. 13. 4. c Ex. 14. 8. <? Ex. 12. 29.

i. e., in their migrations from place to
place at the indications of the divine
signal. These movements were typical
of the then unsettled state of the church,
as whatever holds good of the individ-
ual of the church holds good also of the
church in its collective capacity. This
ambulatory state of the church under
Moses or the Law, is strikingly con-
trasted by the prophet Isaiah with its
settled and abiding condition under
Christ or the Gospel, where " we which
have believed do enter into rest."
"Look upon Zion, the city of our so-
lemnities : thine eyes shall see Jerusa-
lem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that
shall not be taken down ; not one of the
stakes thereof shall ever be removed,
neither shall any of the cords thereof
be broken." Is. 33 : 20.

V, 2. By the commandment of the
Lord. This may refer either to the
writing by Moses, or to the journeyings
by the people, which were directed by
the Lord hiir,self. The accentuation of

upon their gods * also the Lord i
executed judgments.)

5 And the children of Israel
removed from ■' Rameses, and
pitched in Succoth.

6 And ^ they departed from
Succoth, and pitched in Etham,
which is in the edge of the wil-
derness.

7 And ^ they removed from
Etham, and turned again unto
Pi-hahiroth, which is before
Baal-zephon : and they pitched
before Migdol.

8 And they departed from
before Pi-hahiroth, and passed
•'through the midst of the sea
into the wilderness, and went

eEx. 12. li. 18. 11. Is. 19. 1. Rev. 12. 7-9. /Ex.
12. 37. 9 Ex. 13. -20. k Ex. 14. 2, 9. t Ex.

14. 22. 15. 22, -JS.

the Hebrew favors rather the latter
construction, though in all probability
Moses was prompted also by a divine
suggestion to keep a diary or journal,
in which were to be inserted the various \
stations at which they encamped, and .
all the memorable occurrences of their
way.

V. 4. For the Egyptians buried all '
{their) first-horn, etc. The Egyptians
would naturally be thrown into the ut-
most consternation by the death of
their first-born, and this, together with \
the duty of embalming and burying ;
their dead, would so occupy and absorb
them that it would effectually prevent
their pursuing the Israelites. They had
leisure, therefore, to depart with every
thing belonging to them. In what pre-
cise manner the divine judgment was
visited upon the gods of Egypt, we are
not informed. Being probably idols,
they may have been broken to pieces
like Dagon before the ark.

Vs. 5-15. And the children of Israel

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXIII.

459

three days' journey in the wil-
derness of Etham, and pitched
in Marah.

9 And they removed from
Marah, and came ^ unto Elim :
and in Elim were twelve fount-
ains of water, and threescore and
ten palm-trees ; and they pitched
there.

10 And they removed from
Elim, and encamped by the Red
Sea.

1 1 And ' they removed from
the Red Sea, and encamped in
the wilderness of Sin.

12 And they took their jour-
Qey out of the wilderness of Sin,
and encamped in Dophkah.

13 And they departed from
Dophkah, and encamped in
Alush.

14 And they removed from
Alush, and encamped '" at Re-
phidim, where was no water for
bhe people to drink.

15 And they departed from
Rephidim, and pitched in the
svilderness " of Sinai.

16 And they removed from
the desert of Smai, and pitched
it Kibroth-hattaavah ".

17 And they departed from
Kibroth-hattaavah, and ^' en-
camped at Hazeroth.

18 And they departed from
Eazeroth, and pitched in Rith-
nah ■'.

k Ex. 15.
Ex. 16.1
c. li. 16.

17. 1.

19 And they departed from
Rithmah, and pitched at Rim-
mon-parez.

20 And they departed from
Rimmon-parez, and pitched in
Libuah.

121 And they removed from
Libnah, and pitched at Rissah.

22 And they journeyed from
Rissah, and pitched in Kehe-
lathah.

23 And they went from Ke-
helathah, and pitched in mount
Shapher.

24 And they removed from
mount Shapher, and encamped
in Haradah.

25 And they removed from
Haradah, and pitched in Makhe-
loth.

26 And they removed from
Makheloth, and encamped at
Tahath.

27 And they departed from
Tahath, and pitched at Tarah.

28 And they removed from
Tarah, and pitched in Mithcah.

29 And they went from Mith-
cah, and pitched in Hashmonah.

30 And they departed from
Hashmonah, and encamped at
Moseroth '.

31 And they departed from
Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-
jaakan.

32 And they removed from
Bene-jaakan ', and encamped at
Hor-hao-ido-ad \

\emovcd, etc. For an account of all these
Places, see the Notes on the parallel
jiistory in Exodus, chs. 13-17.
; Vs. 16-49. They removed from the
tesert of Sinai, etc. The various ques-

tions pertaining to the localities here
mentioned will be found ably and am-
ply discussed in Kitto's Notes on this
chapter, and to them we refer the
reader.

460

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452

33 And they went from Hor-
hagidgad, and pitched in Jot-
bathah ".

84 And they removed from
Jotbathah, and encamped at
Ebronah.

35 And they departed from
Ebronah, and " encamped at
Ezion-gaber.

36 And they removed from
Ezion-gaber, and pitched in the
wilderness '" of Zin, which is
Kadesh.

37 And '' they removed from
Kadesh, and pitched in mount
Hor, in the edge of the land of
Edom.

38 And " Aaron the priest
went up into mount Hor, at the
commandment of the Lord, and
died there, in the fortieth year
after the children of Israel were
come out of the laud of Egypt,
in the first day of the fifth month.

39 And Aaron was an hun-
dred and twenty and three years
old when he died in mount Hor.

40 And king Arad ' the Ca-
naanite, which dwelt in the south
in the land of Canaan, heard of
the coming of the children of
Israel.

« Deut. in. 7. Jolbath.
i26. Enim-geber. 1 K. 'ii. 48.
X c. -JO. '22, '23, i\. 4. y c.

3-2. 50. z c. 21. 1, etc.

A Charge respecting the Treatment of
the Inhabitants of Canaan.

Vs. 50-56. And the Lord spake unto
Moses, etc. The isolation of the children
of Israel hitherto in the wilderness had
doubtless preserved them from the in-
fection of idolatry, but as they were
now about to be ushered into Canaan,

41 And they departed from
mount Hor '', and pitched in Zal-
monah.

42 And they departed from
Zalmonah, and pitched in Punon

43 And they departed froii
Punon, and pitched in Oboth ''.

44 And they departed from
Oboth, and pitched in Ije-aba-
rim % in the border of Moab.

45 And they departed from
lim, and pitched in Dibon-
gad '^.

46 And they removed from
Dibon-gad, and encamped vl
Almou-diblathaim \

47 And they removed froir
Almon-diblathaim, and^ pitcheC'
in the mountains of Abarim, be-
fore Nebo.

48 And they departed fron
the mountains of Abarim, anc
^ pitched in the plains of Moab.
by Jordan near Jericho.

49 And they pitched by Jon
dan, from Beth-jesimoth ever;
unto Abel-shittim in ^ the plainii
of Moab.

50 And the Lord spake untc
Moses in the plains of Moal
by Jordan near Jericho, say)

a c. '21.4. 6 c. 21. 10. c c. 21. !1. dc.Zi.
e Jer. '1%. 4-2. Ez«k. 6. 14. / Deut. 32. 49. g c. '22
k c. '25. 1. Josh. '2. 1.

where they would come in contact witlt
the evil in its most tempting forms, thi
Most High sees fit to give them a solemn
charge respecting the utter extirpatioi
of the nations, from the danger tha;
was to be apprehended. Looking upo>
themselves as the instruments of a jus
Providence in punishing in these na
tions a long career of iniquity and vie
of the most aggravated type, they wer

B. 0. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXIII.

461

51 Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them,
When ' ye are passed over Jor-
dan, into the land of Ca-
naan;

52 Then * ye shall drive out
all the inhabitants of the land
from before you, and destroy
all their pictures, and destroy
all their molten images, and
quite pluck down all their high
places.

53 And ye shall dispossess
the inhabitants of the land,
and dwell therein : for I have
given you the land to possess
it.

54 And 'ye shall divide the
land by lot for an inheritance
among your families ; and to the

t Deut. 9. 1. Josh. 3. 17.
84, 13. Deut. 7. 2, 5. I'i. 3.
/ c. -26. 53-00.

k Ex. 23, -24, 33.
Josh. 11.11. Judg. 2. -2.

to engage with the utmost zeal in in-
vading and expelling them, nor to cease
from the attempt till sooner or later
they had driven and rooted them all
out, destroying all their idols, pic-
tures (painted images), statues, altars,
groves, chapels, and every other relic of
their idolatrous worship, sweeping the
whole country, as it were, clean of its
abominations, and thus to render it a
fit habitation for a nation of devout
worshippers of the true God. As the
land became thus gradually conquered
and fell into the possession of the vic-
tors, it was to be equitably divided
among the tribes according to the di-
rections before given (ch. 26). Finally,
they were informed and assured that
in case they failed in executing this
order, and through sloth, cowardice or
negligence, ceased to inflict upon the
devoted nations the judgments de-
nounced, they would be made to feel

more ye shall give the more in-
heritance, and to the fewer ye
shall give the less iuheritauce :
every man's inheritance shall
be in the place where his lot
falleth ; according to the tribes
of your fathers ye shall in-
herit.

55 Buf^if ye will not drive
out the inhabitants of the land
from before you ; then it shall
come to pass, that those which
ye let remain of them shall be
pricks in your eyes, and thorns
in your sides, and shall vex you
in the land wherein ye dwell.

56 Moreover, it shall come
to pass, that I shall do unto
you, as I thought to do unto
them.

m Ex. 23. 33. Josh. 23. 12, 13. Judg. 1. 21-36. Ps.
106. 34-36. Ezek. 28. 24.

the sad effects of their remissness in
the corruption of their manners, in the
curse of slavery and captivity brought
upon them by the very people they
should have destroyed, and in all kinds
of plagues and infestations which should
justly follow such gross disobedience
to the divine mandates. "The right-
eous God would turn that wheel upon
the Israelites which was to have crush-
ed the Canaanites. *I shall do unto
you as I thought to do unto them.' It
was intended that the Canaanites should
be dispossessed; but if the Israelites
fell in with them and learned their ways,
t?ie?/ should be dispossessed, for God's
displeasure would justly be greater
against them than against the Canaan-
ites themselves. Let us hear this and
fear. If we do not drive sin out, sin
will drive us out; if we be not the
death of our lusts, our lusts will be the
death of our souls." — Henry.

462

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

AND the Lord spake unto Mo-
ses, saying,
2 Command the children of
Israel, and say unto them, When
ye come into the land of Canaan,
(this is the land that shall fall
unto you for an inheritance, even

CHAPTER XXXIY.

T/ie boundaries of the Zand of Canaan

Y. 1. The Lord having in the pre-
vious chapter given the Israelites a
strict charge respecting their treat-
ment of the conquered nations, pro-
ceeds in the present to fix and deter-
mine the boundaries of the land prom-
ised ages before to Abraham and his
seed. This measure would distinctly
inform them to what extent they were
to go in possessing themselves of the
territory of the Canaanites, without en-
croaching upon ground to which they
had no title. It would, moreover, tend
to encourage them in their invasion of
the land, and to aid them essentially
in the subsequent distribution of it.
There is but little difficulty in follow-
ing the general outline of the bounda-
ries, though the southern is somewhat
complicated. But a good map of Ca-
naan will afford more assistance to the
reader than the most minute verbal de-
scription. To such a map we shall,
therefore, refer the biblical student, re-
serving to ourselves only such occa-
sional remarks as the incidentals of the
text may suggest.

V. 2. This is the land that shall fall
unto you. That is, by lot or by line, as
is evident from the parallel phrase-
ology, Ps. 78 : 65, " And divided them
an inheritance by line." Heb. " Made

the land of Canaan, with the
coasts thereof,)

3 Then " your south quarter I
shall be from the wilderness of |!
Zin, along by the coast of Edom;
and your south border shall be
the outmost coast of the salt
sea * eastward.

a Josh. 15. 1, etc. Ezek. 47. 13, etc. 6 Gen. 14. 3.

them fall by inheritance of line." So-
also, Ps. 16:6, " The lines are fallen
unto me in pleasant places; yea, I
have a goodly heritage." So John 17 :
6, "And there fell ten portions to

Manasseh ;" i. e., Heb. " ten lines."

T[ {Even) the land of Canaan with the
coasts thereof. That is, with the bor-
ders thereof; or, Heb. according to the
borders thereof. There does not ap-
pear to have been any special reason
for enclosing a part of this verse in a
parenthesis, especially if it be rendered,
as the original will admit, " Say unto
them that ye are coming into or about
entering the land of Canaan ; this (i. e.,
the country about to be described) is
the fand that is to fall to you as an in-
heritance, even the land of Canaan ac-
cording to its boundaries ;" by which is
meant the boundaries just about to be
defined.

V. 3. Tour south quarter shall ie,
etc. Here commences the southern
line of boundary. The order of pro-
ceeding is from east to west for the
southern line; from the south to the
north for the western; from the west
to the east for the north ; and from the
north to the south for the east. *' The
outmost coast of the salt sea (the Dead
Sea) eastward," is equivalent to the
extremity of the Dead Sea, implying
that the boundary line should begin at
the extreme easterly corner of that
body of water and thence run mainly
eastward to the Mediterranean, though

B. C. 1452.]

CHAPTER XXXIV.

463

4 And your border shall turn
from the south to the ascent of
Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin :
and the going forth thereof shall
be from the south to ' Kadesh-
barnea, and shall go on to Hazar-
addar, and pass on to Azmon.

5 And the border shall feteJi
a compass from Azmon unto the
river of Egypt '^^ and the goings
out of it shall be at the sea.

6 And as for the western

d Gen. 15. IS. 1 K. S. 65.

still, as it afterwards appears, bvavery
circuitous route.

Ys. 4, 5. Your border shall turn, from
the south, etc. Heb. minnegeb, \\t.from
tilt south, but implying here and else-
where southivardly or in, a southern
direction. The line commencing at the
southern extremity of the Dead Sea
seems to have extended some way in a
southerly direction, so as to embrace
Kadesh-barnea, and thence to have
veered to the west till it fell in with
the " river of Egypt," doubtless at its
mouth, whence it terminated in the
Great or Mediterranean Sea, But it is
difficult to identify the stream called
"the river of Egypt," whether it were
the Nile or a smaller stream falling into
the Mediterranean near Gaza. We in-
cline strongly to the former opinion for
the reasons given in the Xote on Gen.
15 : 18, to which the reader is referred.
According to this view the southern
boundary of Canaan extended from the
extremity of the Dead Sea to the east-
ern or Pelusiac branch of the Xile. We
know not, indeed, that the actual pos-
sessions of the Israelites ever embraced
the whole of this region, but it was cov-
ered by the terms of the divine dona-
tion, and they would have been fully
authorized to enter upon it. *\\ The

border, you shall even have the
great sea for a border : this shall
be your west border.

7 And this shall be your north
border : from the great sea ye
shall point out for you mount
'Hor:

8 From mount Hor ye shall
point out your border unto the
entrance of Hamath-^ : and the
goings forth of the border shall
be to ^ Zedad :

g Kz-^k. 47.

/ c. 13. 21

K 14. 25. Ezek. 4:

accent of Akrabbim. Heb. maaleh ak-
rabbim, the hill of scorpions, supposed
to be so called from the abundance of

scorpions found there. •[ From the

south to Kadesh-barnea. That is, south-
erly to Kadesh-barnea, as above. The
position of Hazar-addar and Azmon is
unknown.

Y. 6. The great sea for a border.
The Mediterranean ; so called in contra-
distinction to the Sea of Tiberias and
the Dead Sea, which, though called
" seas," were in fact but a larger kind
of lakes.

Y. 7. Mount Hor. Not the Mount
Hor where Aaron died, which lay to
the south of Canaan towards Edom,
while this was situated in the opposite
direction to the north, forming proba-
bly a conspicuous peak in the Lebanon
chain. The original is hor hahar, lit.
Eor the mountmn, or Eor the mount-
ainous range, implying some emi-
nent or lofty elevation to the north of
Canaan, and which we can nowhere
else look for than in the range of Anti-
Libanus.

Y. 8. JJnto th^ entrance of Eamath.
The defile or pass in the mountains at
Hamath, by which entrance was gen-
erally made from the north into the
land of Canaan.

464

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1452.

9 And tlie border shall go on
to ZiphroD, and tbe goings out
of it shall be at Hazar-enan ^' :
this shall be your north border.

10 And ye shall point out
your east border from Hazar-
enan to Shcpham :

11 And the coast shall go
down from Shepham to Riblah ',
on the east side of Ain ; and the
border shall descend, and shall
reach unto the side of the sea
of Ghinneretli ^' eastward.

12 And the border shall go
down to Jordan, and the goings
out of it shall be at the salt sea :
this shall be your land, w^ith the
coasts thereof round about.

13 And Moses commanded

k Ezek. 47. 17. i 2 K. 2S. ;;3. Jer. 39. 5, G.

k Deut. 3. n. Josh. 11. '2. 1'.). 35. Luke 5. 1.

Vs. 9-12. TJie border sMll go to
Ziphron, etc. For the remaining boun-
daries of the land we refer the reader
to the maps and the biblical gazetteers
which are now generally available, and
which, with the Notes of Mr. Kitto, will

afford all desirable information.

T[ And the coast shall go down from
Shepham to Biblah, on the east of
Ain. " Ain " signifies a fountain, and
the hypothesis of Boothroyd, Geddes,
and others, that this was the fountain
or source of the Jordan, is, we think,
ver}^ probable. We are inclined also to
adopt Geddes' rendering of the first
clause of the verse. " And from Shepham
to Riblah, the boundary shall descend to
the east side of the source (of the Jor-
dan)." T[ Unto the side of the sea of

Chinnereth eastward. The sea of Chin-
nereth is the lake of Gennesaret, or
sea of Tiberias. The "eastward" in
this connection is probably equivalent

to " to the eastern side or shore."

T[ TJie border shall go down to Jordan.

the children of Israel, saying,
This is the laud which ye shall
inherit by lot ', which the Lord
commanded to give unto the nine
tribes, and to the half tribe :

14 For '" the tribe of the chil-
dren of Reuben according to tlie
house of their fathers, and the
tribe of the children of Grad ac-
cording to the house of their
fathers, have received iheir in-
heritance ; and half the tribe
of Manasseh have received their
inheritance :

15 The two tribes and the
half tribe have received their
inheritance on this side Jordan
near Jericho eastward, toward
the sun-rising.

I ver. 1. Josh. 14. 2.

Boothroyd renders this verse far prefer-
ably thus: "And the boundary shall
go along the Jordan (downwards), and
its termination shall be at the salt sea;
this shall be your land with its sur-
rounding boundaries." The determina-
tion of the sense in all this chapter, so
far as it treats of the boundaries of the
promised land, depends very much
upon the genuine meaning of the pre-
positions employed, and this has been
much more satisfactorily settled by the
labors of modern critics and commen-
tators than it could have been in the
state in which Hebrew exegesis was at
the time our present English transla-
tion was made.

Vs. 13-15. TJiis is the land which ye
shall inherit, etc. The several bounda-
ries of the land having been thus de-
fined, the Lord now repeats that this is
the land promised centuries ago to
faithful Abraham, and which his pos-
terity were to inherit by lot. As the
two tribes of Reuben and Gad and the

B.C. 1451.]

CHAPTER XXXV.

465

16 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

17 These are the names of
the men which shall divide the
land unto you ; "^ Eleazar the
priest, and Joshua the son of
Nun.

18 And ye shall take one
prince " of every tribe, to divide
the land by inheritance.

19 And the names of the men
are these : of the tribe of Judah,
Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

20 And of the tribe of the
children of Simeon, Shemuel the
son of Ammihud.

21 Of the tribe of Benjamin,
Elidad the son of Chislon.

22 And the prince of the
tribe of the children of Dan,
Bukki the son of Jogli.

23 The prince of the children
of JosejDh, for the tribe of the
children of Manasseh, Hanniel
the son of Ephod.

24 And the prince of the

n Josh. 14.1. 19. 51. o c. 1. 4-16.

half tribe of Manasseh had already re-
ceived their portion on the other side
the Jordan, only nine tribes and a half
remained to be provided for, and how
this was done we are informed in the
verses immediately following.

Vs. 17-29. Hiese are the names oftTie
vieii, etc. That the division of the land
might be more solemn, orderly and
authoritative, the Lord here commands
that the management of it should be in-
trusted to the hands of Eleazar, the
high-priest, Joshua, the general-in-
chief, and a prince, i. e., a principal
officer or sheihk, chosen out of each
tribe as its representative in the trans-
action. It is observable that the tribes

20*

tribe of the children of Ephraim,
Kemuel the son of Shiphtan.

25 And the prince of the
tribe of the children of Zebulun,
Elizaphan the son of Parnach.

26 And the prince of the
tribe of the children of Issachar,
Paltiel the son of Azzan.

27 And the prince of the
tribe of the children of Asher,
Ahihud the son of Shelomi.

28 And the prince of the
tribe of the children of Naph-
tali, Pedahel the son of Ammi-
hud.

29 These p are they whom the
Lord commanded to divide the
inheritance unto the children of
Israel in the land of Canaan.

CHAPTER XXXV.

AND the Lord spake unto Mo-
ses in the plains of Moab,
by Jordan near Jericho, saying,
2 Command " the children of

p ver. 18. a Jtsh. 14. 3, 4. 21. 2, etc. Ezek.

45. l.eto. 48. 8, etc.

are nowhere else enumerated in the or-
der in which they here occur, but as
it is precisely the order in which their
allotments fell to them in the distribu-
tion of the land, the order was no doubt
prescribed with reference to this fact.

CHAPTER XXXV.

Levitical Cities appointed.

V. 2. Command the children of Israel
that therj give unto the Levites, etc. As
the Levites were formed into a distinct
body from the rest of the nation, hav-
ing no inheritance of fields or farms as-

466

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1451.

Israel, that they give unto the
Levites, of the inheritance of
their possession, cities to dwell
in ; and ye shall give also unto
the Levites suburbs for the ci-
ties round about them.

3 And the cities shall they

signed them, the Lord here orders that
provision should be made for their
dwelling in fixed residences in towns
with such a portion of gx'ound, under
the name of " suburbs," as would serve
them at least for the subsistence of their
flocks and herds, even if their tithes
were sufficient to support themselves
and their families. But apart from all
considerations of support, the ordinance
was a very beneficent one, as their dis-
persion through the several tribes, in-
stead of being congregated at one place,
would tend to a more equal diffusion of
the salutary influences which their or-
der was calculated to exert upon the
people at large. The patriarch's pro-
phecy, Gen. 49 : 7, "I will divide them
in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel,"
was thus turned to a blessing, as every
city in which they dwelt would be a
focal centre of instruction, a school
or university, where the Law would be
studied and taught, and where the
morals of the Levites themselves would
be better preserved than if they were
indiscriminately mixed with the mass
of the population. *' These cities, there-
fore," as Calvin remarks, "were like
lamps, shining into the very furthest
corners of the land. They were also
like watch-towers, in which they might
keep guard, so as to drive away im-
piety from the borders of the holy
land. Hence was the light of heavenly
docti'ine diffused; hence was the seed
of life scattered ; hence were the exam-
ples to be sought of holiness and uni-
versal integrity." Moses was accord-

have to dwell in ; and the sub-
urbs of them shall be for their
cattle, and for their goods, and
for all their beasts.

4 And the suburbs * of the
cities, which ye shall give unto

h 2 Chr. 11. 14.

ingly directed in the distribution of the
land to set apart forty-eight cities, each
with a sufficient space of suburb for
necessary grazing-ground for the hab-
itations of the Levites, which cities
were to be contributed by the several
tribes in proportion to the extent of

their respective districts. 1[ Suburbs.

Heb. migrosh, from the root gdrash, sig-
nifying to drive out, cast out, expel, etc.
Hence the noun has the import of some
place in the neighborhood of a city
whither rubbish was cast out, or cattle
driven, or, as others suppose, a place
excluded from the precincts of the city.
Chald. "A breathing-space." The Gr.
has, in this connection, three several
renderings of the Heb. term : ^roasteia,
lying lefore the city ; apTiorismatay
separated from the city ; and liomora^
confines or limits. The English word
" suburbs " probably comes as near to
an exact rendering as any single term
that can be found, yet it is probable it
would not have conveyed precisely the
same idea to the mind of an Israelite
with their own Hebrew term.

V. 3. For their goods. Heb. reku-
sham, their acquisitions, possessions, sub-
stance, sometimes applied to cattle, but
understood by some of the elder com-
mentators to denote stables, outhouses,
or storehouses, for laying up the food
on which the cattle were to be sub-
sisted. If this be not the import, the
distinction intended between this and
the other two terms is not obvious.

V. 4. A thousand cubits round about.
The mention of two thousand cubits iu

B. C. 1451.]

CHAPTER XXXV.

467

the Levites, shall reach from
the wall of the city and outward,
a thousand cubits round about.
5 And ye shall measure from
without the city on the east side
two thousand cubits, and on the
south side two thousand cubits,

the next verse creates some difficulty in
the construction of this passage. The
simplest solution seems to be that of
Rosenmuller, viz., that the 1000 cubits

and on the west side two thou-
sand cubits, and on the north
side two thousand cubits ; and
the city shall he in the midst :
this shall be to them the suburbs
of the cities.

6 And among the cities which

was measured outward at right angles
to the wall of the city, while the 2000 de-
notes the outside measurement parallel
to the wall, as in the subjoined diagram :
NORTH.

2000

cubits.

g 1000 cubits.

1000 cubits. 1

CITY

2000

cubits.

SOUTH.

We incline to this solution from the
fact that the latter measurement of 2000
cubits was to be made witlwut (Heb.
miJiootz) the city, which was undoubt-
edly in some way different from the
preceding. It is proper, however, to
state that the Jewish authorities gen-
erally accord with Maimonides, who
says, *<The suburbs of the cities are
expressed in the Law to be 3000 cubits
on every side from the wall of the city
and outwards. The first thousand cu-

bits are the suburbs, and the 2000 which
they measured without the suburbs
were for fields and vineyards." After
all, we must leave the point encom-
passed with some degree of uncertainty.

Six of the LeDitical Cities appointed for
Cities of Befugv.
Vs. 6-8. Among tJie cities wMch ye
shall give, etc. Out of the whole num-
ber of forty-eight cities which were
thus to be appropriated to the Levites

468

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1451.

ye shall give unto the Levites,
there shall he six cities ' for ref-
uge, which ye shall appoint for
the man-slayer, that he may flee
thither: and to them ye shall
add forty and two cities.

7 So all the cities which ye
shall give to the Levites shall he
forty and eight '^ cities : them
shall ye give with their suburbs.

8 And the cities which ye
shall give shall he of the pos-
session * of the children of Is-
rael : from ^ them that have
many ye shall give many ; but
from them that have few ye
shall give few : every one shall
give of his cities unto the Le-

c ver. 13, 14. Deut. 4. 41-43. Josh. 20. 2, 9. 21. 3,
13, etc. Ps. 62. 7, 8. Heb. 6. 18. d Jofih. 21, 41.

e Josh. 21. 3. / c. 26. 54.

(under whom the priests are included),
six were to be set apart as cities of
refuge or asylums, to which any per-
son who had accidentally, or by chance-
medley, killed another, might immedi-
ately repair, and take sanctuary in the

manner just about to be described.

T[ Cities for reftige. Heb. miklat, of
gafhering, or retention, because the
man-slayer was there gatJiered or de-
tained. Gr. "A place of flight and ex-
ile." Chald. **A place of deliverance
and preservation." These cities were
to be assigned out of the portions of
the several tribes, more out of some,
and fewer out of others, according to
the extent of the territory allotted to
each.

General Law respecting Homicide.

Vs. 9-14. The Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, etc. As the law here given was
one fraught with most important con-
sequences to the parties concerned and
to the welfare of the nation at large, it

vites according to his inherit-
ance which he inheriteth.

9 And the Lord spake unto
Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them,
"When ^ ye be come over Jordan
into the land of Canaan ;

11 Then '^ ye shall appoint
you cities to be cities of refuge
for you ; that the slayer may
flee thither, which killeth any
person at unawares.

12 And they shall be unto
you cities for refuge from the
avenger'; that the man-slayer
die not, until he stand before the
congregation in judgment.

q Deut. 19. 2. Josh, 20. 2.
t Deut. 19. 6. Josh. 20. 3-6.

is enounced with minute particularity
that it might be distinctly understood.

Tf At unawares. Heb. Mshgagah,

ly error, i. e., ignorantly, unadvisedly,
unintentionally. See Note on Josh.
20 : 3. T[ For refuge from the aven-
ger. That is, from the avenger of blood,
the next of kin, or the Goel, as he is
termed in the East, where the institu-
tion of blood-revenge has always been
rigorously observed. Of this law of
Goelism we have already treated at
some length in the Notes on Gen. 9 : 5.
Josh. 20 : 3, to which we refer the
reader, as also to what will be said
further upon it in our remarks on Deut.

19:4r-13. ly Until lie stand lefore

the congregation in judgment. The man
who had been guilty of involuntary
homicide was to flee to the nearest city
of refuge, where his case was stated to
the elders at the gates or entrance to
the city. He was then received and re-
tained there till sent for and taken home
to the place where the act was commit-

B. 0. 1451.]

CHAPTER XXXV.

469

13 And of these cities wMcli
ye shall give, six ^ cities shall ye
hare for refuge.

14 Ye shall give three ' cities
on this side Jordan, and three
cities shall ye give in the land
of Canaan, which shall be cities
of refuge.

15 These six cities shall be a
refuge hoih for the children of
Israel, and for the stranger "*,
and for the sojourner among
them ; that every one that kill-
eth any person unawares may
flee thither.

16 And " if he smite him with
an instrument of iron so that
he die, he is a murderer : the
murderer shall surely be put to
death.

k ver. 6. I Deut. 4. 41. Josh. 'iO. 8. m c. 15. 16.
Lev. 24. 22. n Ex. 21. 1'2-14. Lev. 24. 11. Deut.

19. 11, 12.

ted, and there it was that he " stood
before the congregation." If found
worthy of death upon his trial, he was
delivered over to the avenger of blood
to be put to death ; if otherwise, he was
returned to the city of refuge, where he
lived in a kind of durance and exile
until the death of the high-priest, when
he was fully released and permitted to
live where he pleased.

Y. 15. These six, cities shall le a ref-
<uge, etc. The privileges of this insti-
tution were to be extended equally to
all the inhabitants of the Holy Land,
whether Israelites or proselytes in
whole or in part, in fine, to all who
were not absolute heathen and idol-
aters. These six cities are specified in
Josh. 20, and an inspection of the map
will show how wisely those places were
chosen so as to make a city of refuge
easy of access from all parts of the land.
The roads leading to these cities were

17 And if he smite him with
throwing a stone, wherewith he
may die, and he die, he is a
murderer : the murderer shall
surely be put to death.

18 Ov if he smite him with
an hand- weapon of wood, where-
with he may die, and he die, he
is a murderer: the murderer
shall surely be put to death.

19 The " reveoger of blood
himself shall slay the murderer :
when he meeteth him, he shall
slay him.

20 But if he thrust him of
hatred p^ or hurl at him by lay-
ing ? of wait, that he die ;

21 Or in enmity smite him
with his hand, that he die ; he
that smote him shall surely be

0 ver. 21 24, 27. Deut. 19. 6, 12. Josh. 20. 3, 5.
p Gen. 4. 5, 8. 2 Sam. 3. 27. 20. 10. IK. 2. 31, 32.
Prov. 26. 24. q Ex. 51. 14. Deut. 19. 11.

to be kept in good repair ; no hillock
was left, no river or stream was allowed
over which there was not a bridge;
the road was to be at least two-and-
thirty cubits broad, and every kind of
obstruction was to be removed that
might hurt his foot or hinder his speed.
At every turning or branching of roads,
posts were erected bearing the words,
Refuge ! Refuge ! to guide the fugitive
in his flight ; so benign and considerate
was the provision made for the benefit of
the accidental slayer of his fellow-man.

Discriminations of Manslaughter and
Murder.
Vs. 16-23. And if he smite Mm, etc.
The main distinctions here made by
the law between manslavghter and
murder, and which the judges were
especially to regard in deciding upon
the cases that came before them, were
the following : If the slayer appeared

470

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1451.

put to death ; for he is, a mur-
derer : the revenger of blood
shall slay the murderer when he
meeteth him.

22 But if he thrust him sud-
denly without enmity, or have
cast upon him any thing with-
out laying of wait,

23 Or with any stone, where-
with a man may die, seeing liinrh
not, and cast it upon him that
he die, and was not his enemy,
neither sought his harm ;

24 Then the congregation *"
shall judge between the slayer
and the revenger of blood ac-
cording to these judgments ;

12. Josh. 20. 6.

to have struck the person slain with
an unlawful and unsizable weapon, ob-
viously suflBcient to cause death by a
single blow, as a sword, crowbar, huge
club, or a great stone, etc., it was to be
looked upon as a design upon life, and
to be adjudged wilful murder. In all
such cases the nearest relation of the
person slain might kill the murderer
wherever he met him, nor should his
flying to a city of refuge be of any avail
to him. So again, in like manner, any
other mode of taking life by violent
means, as by a forcible thrust, push or
stroke, evidently prompted by a spirit
of enmity and with malice prepense,
was to be adjudged murder, and to re-
main unrelieved by the provisions of the
present law. But if, on the contrary,
the outrage were apparently committed
in a sudden fit of passion, without
premeditation or antecedent threat,
grudge or malice, then it was to be
pronounced mere manslaughter, and
the righteous judgment of the congre-
gation was to absolve the slayer from
the guilt of blood.

25 And the congregation shall
deliver the slayer out of the hand
of the revenger of blood, and the
congregation shall restore him
to the city of his refuge, whither
he was fled : and he shall abide
in it unto the death of the high
priest which was anointed * with
the holy oil.

26 But if the slayer shall at
any time come without the bor-
der of the city of his refuge,
whither he was fled ;

27 And the revenger of blood
find him without the border.s of
the city of his refuge, and the
revenger of blood kill the slay-

s Ex. 29. 7. Lev. 21. 10.

V. 25. The congregation shall ^
etc. After trial and acquittal the invol-
untary man-slayer was sent back to the
city of refuge to which he had betaken
himself, and was there to live retired
without stirring out of the place till the
death of the then living high-priest.
There was doubtless a degree of sever-
ity in this enactment, considering that
the man had -been pronounced guiltless,
but it would naturally have the effect
of a warning to all men, lest by heed-
lessness or negligence they should en-
danger the life of a fellow-being. More-
over, the retirement and absence of the
slayer would tend to soften the resent-
ments of near relations and friends, and
prevent the execution of revenge.

Vs. 26-28. If the slayer shall at any
time, etc. If through impatience of con-
finement, or other cause, he should ven-
ture beyond the prescribed limits, and
the relations of the deceased should then
find him, they might put him to death
without being answerable for murder,
though still in the sight of God he might
not be accounted guiltless as having

B. C. 1451.]

CHAPTER XXXV.

471

er ; he shall not be guilty of
blood ;

28 Because he should have re-
mained in the city of his refuge
until the death of the high priest:
but after the death of the high
priest the slayer shall return into
the land of his possession.

29 So these things shall be
for a statute of * judgment unto
you, throughout your genera-
tions, in all your dwellings.

30 Whoso killeth any person,
the murderer shall be put to
death by the mouth of witness-
es " : but one witness shall not
testify against any person io
cause him io die.

31 Moreover, ye shall take
no satisfaction for the life of a

t c. 27. 11. u Deut. 17. 6. 19. 15. Mat. 18. 16.

2 Cor. 13. 1. Heb. 10. 28.

slain an innocent man. This enact-
ment goes on the supposition that the
man was accessory to his own death,
which he might have avoided bj keep-
ing within the bounds set for him.
"He should have remained in the city
of his refuge." — Jarchi.

V. 30. By tTie mouth of witnesses.
No evidence should be sufficient to con-
vict a man of wilful murder but that of
living, competent, and sufficient wit-
nesses, of which there should always be
at least two ; it being unreasonable to
put a man's life to hazard solely on
what might be the prejudice, passion,
ignorance, or caprice of a single person.
See Deut. 17 : 6. 19 : 15.

y. 31. Te shall take no satisfaction
for the life of a murderer. A murder-
er once legally convicted shall be inca-
pable of pardon. Neither interest nor
influence of any kind was to be avail-
able to the purchase of his life.

murderer, which is guilty of
death; but he shall be surely
put to death.

32 And ye shall take no sat-
isfaction for him that is fled to
the city of his refuge, that he
should come again to dwell in
the land, until the death of the
priest.

33 So ye shall not pollute the
land wherein ye are ; for blood
it " defileth the land : and the
land cannot be cleansed of the
blood that is shed therein, but
"" by the blood of him that shed it.

3-i Defile not * therefore the
land which ye shall inhabit,
wherein I dwell : for I •" the Lord
dwell among the children of Is-
rael.

i> 2 K. 24. 4. Ps. 106. 3?. Mic. 4. 11. Mat. 23. 31-35.
w Gen. 9. 6. x Lev. IS. 25. Deut. 21. 23. »Ex.

29. 45, 46. 1 K. 6. 13. 2 Cor. 6. 16.

Y. 32. Te shall take no satisfaction
for him that is fled, etc. In like manner,
the person guilty of manslaughter shall
not be able by the proffer of any sum,
even of his whole estate, to buy off" his
confinement to the city of refuge till
the death of the high priest.

Vs. 33, 34. So ye shall not pollute
the land loherein ye are. Murder being
the highest of all injuries against human
society and against God, in whose image
man is created, it is but just in itself
that life should pay for life, and so
therefore it is the will of God to have
it. Accordingly, were any Israelite,
but especially judges and magistrates,
through a mistaken leniency or a cul-
pable remissness, to fail in the execu-
tion of so important a law, the failure
would be sure to bring a polluting stain
upon the whole land, for the defilement
of blood can only be cleansed by the
blood of him who has shed it. If,

472

NUMBERS.

[B. 0. 1451.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

AND the chief fathers of the
families of the children of
Gilead ", the son of Machir, the
son of Manasseh, of the families
of the sons of Joseph, came near,
and spake before Moses, and be-
fore the princes, the chief fathers
of the children of Israel :

2 And thej said. The Lord
* commanded my lord to give

therefore, they would preserve the sanc-
tity of that holy land which the Lord
had consecrated by the symbols of his
special presence, let them guard with
the most sacred solicitude against con-
tracting the guilt of disobedience in
addition to the guilt of the shedding of
blood.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Law regulating tJie Inheritance of
Daughters.

V. 1. And the chief fathers, etc.
Heb. " The heads of the fathers." Gr.
" The. princes." The regulation here re-
corded was consequent upon the case
mentioned ch. 27, where we read of a
special provision made for the female
branch of the family of Zelophehad,
who belonged to the tribe of Manasseh,
the son of Joseph, but to that half of
it which was to settle on the western
instead of the eastern side of the Jor-
dan. Moses had indeed secured them
an ample inheritance among their
brethren, but some of the heads of that
family, foreseeing a great inconvenience
likely to result in the case of the mar-
riage of these women, came before Mo-
ses with a new petition bearing upon

the land for an inheritance by
lot to the children of Israel :
and ' my lord was commanded
by the Lord to give the inherit-
ance of Zelophehad our brother
unto his daughters.

3 And if they be married to
any of the sons of the other
tribes of the children of Israel,
then shall their inheritance be
taken from the inheritance of
our fathers, and shall be put

the point ot the apprehended grievance.
While gratefully acknowledging the
provision kindly made for them by
the commandment of the Lord, they
represent that in case these female
heirs should marry into other tribes,
the inheritances accruing to them would
of course be alienated from their own
tribe, and be transferred to that into
which they married. This would ap-
pear to be contrary to the divine ar-
rangement, by which a certain portion
of territory was assigned by lot to each
tribe, and this would of course be dimin-
ished to the extent of whatever was
taken out of it. This is now to be
guarded against. Should it be object-
ed that this is a case which the divine '
omniscience would have been expected
to have foreseen and provided for with-
out being previously applied to for the
purpose, we deem it a sufficient reply
to say, that he evidently preferred that
his people should learn his will on many
points only as the emergencies arose
which prompted them to consult him.
On this head we subscribe to the very
appropriate remarks of Calvin : — " God
designedly withheld his decisions vmtil
they naturally arose out of the circum-
stances of the case. He allowed him-
self to be interrogated familiarly in re-
gard to doubtful points of no primary

13.0. 1451.]

CHAPTER XXXYI.

473

to the inheritance of the tribe
whereunto they are received :
so shall it be taken from the lot
of our inheritance.

4 And when the jubilee'^ of
the children of Israel shall be,
then shall their inheritance be
put unto the inheritance of the
tribe whereunto they are re-
ceived : so shall their inheritance
be taken away from the inherit-
ance of the tribe of our fathers.

5 And Moses commanded the
children of Israel, according to
the word of the Lord, saying,
The tribe of the sons of Joseph
hath said ' well.

d Lev. 25. 10, etc.

importance, in order that posterity-
might recognize his reply as a proof of
his fatherly indulgence. Meanwhile let
us bear in mind that if heavenly things
are the subject of as much anxiety to
us as earthly things were to the chil-
dren of Manasseh, the rule that we
should observe will always be made
clear to us."

V. 4. And wTien the jubilee of the
children, of Israel shall he, etc. The
jubilee was an institution returning
every fifty years, when all manner of
alienated inheritances returned to the
original possessors. But it is here in-
timated that this will not remedy the
difficulty, since the inheritances would
go by the rights of marriage into anoth-
er tribe, and just so much would be with-
drawn from the portion of the tribe of
Manasseh as the daughters of Manasseh
should take away with them. This
they regarded as a prospective injury
for which they feel that they ought to
have some redress

V. 5. The tribe of the sons of Joseph
have said well. Moses admits the va-

6 This is the thing which the
Lord doth command concerning
the daughters of Zelophehad,
saying, Let them marry to whom
they think best ; only -^ to the
family of the tribe of their
father shall they marry.

7 So shall not the inheritance
of the children of Israel remove
from tribe to tribe ; for every
one of the children of Israel shall
keep ' himself to the inheritance
of the tribe of his fathers.

8 And '^ every daughter that
possesseth an inheritance in any
tribe of the children of Israel,
shall be wife unto one of the

/ ver. 12. Gan. 24. 3. 2 Cor. 6. 14. g 1 K. 21. 3.
h 1 Chr. 23. 22.

lidity of their plea, having referred it
to the Most High himself, and there-
upon is moved to utter the divine sen-
tence regarding the case, to wit, that
these daughters and heiresses of Ze-
lophehad should not only be restricted
from marrying out of their own tribe,
but that even within the limits of that
tribe they should connect themselves
with some branch of their own family.
This is the import of the words, " Only
to the family of the tribe of their father
shall they marry," and also of the sim-
ilar clause, V. 8. The reason of the law,
moreover, was that the family as well
as the tribe might be preserved ; and
the daughters of Zelophehad, when
they besought an inheritance, said, ch.
27 : 4, " Why should the name of our
father be done away from among his
family ?" This was, doubtless, one of the
grounds of the law requiring the mar-
riage of a brother's wife. Deut. 26 : 6.

V. 8. Every daughter that possesseth
an inheritance, etc. Heb. "■ That is heir
of a possession ;" the father having no
son to inherit his estate. The passage

474

NUMBERS.

[B.C. 1451.

family of the tribe of her father,
that the children of Israel may
enjoy every man the inheritance
of his fathers.

9 Neither shall the inherit-
ance remove from one tribe to
another tribe ; but every one of
the tribes of the children of Is-
rael shall keep himself to his
own inheritance.

10 Even 'as the Lord com-

designates those to whom the law ap-
plies. It was not intended to restrict
other women who had no inheritance ;
and even of those who had, it is sup-
posed that if they were willing to aban-
don their inheritance they might marry
whom they pleased. Priests and Le-
vites, having no inheritance, were at
liberty to marry into any of the ti'ibes.
2 Chron. 22 : 11.

V. 9. Neither shall the inheritance
remove from {one) tribe to another.
Heb. lo tissoh, shall not go round, re-
volve, devolve. Gr. " Shall not be trans-
ferred." T[ Shall keep himself to his

own inheritance. Heb. yidheku, shall
cleave, shall stich close to. The term is
emphatic, implying the tenacity with
which they were to adhere to the divine
ordinance in this matter. The design
was to preclude, as far as possible, all
danger of the confusion of tribes. Vulg.
" That the tribes be not mingled one
with another, but remain so as they
were separated by the Lord;" which,
however, is rather a paraphrase than
a translation. According to the con-
struction opposite to this, if a woman
were married into another tribe, and
her father and all her brethren should
afterwards die without children, the in-
heritance would fall to her, and conse-
quently the possession devolve from
one tribe to another, viz., to that into

manded Moses, so did the daugh-
ters of Zelophehad :

11 For HIahlah, Tirzah, and
Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah,
the daughters of Zelophehad,
were married unto their father's
brothers' sons.

12 And they were married
into the families of the sons of
Manasseh, the son of Joseph ;
and their inheritance remained

which she had married. According,
however, to the letter of the present
text, the inheritance was rather to de-
scend to the next of kin to the woman,
than be carried by her out of the tribe
to which it belonged.

V. 11. Were married unto their fa-
ther's brothers' sons. This would imply,
according to the strictness of the letter,
that they were married to their first-
cousins ; but as the phrase " father's
brothers' sons " may, according to fre-
quent Scriptural usage, denote " father's
brothers' descendants," we cannot af-
firm the literal construction as the true
one.

V. 12. Tliey were married into the
families of the sons of Manasseh. Heb.
" They were married to some that were
of the families, etc.,'* i. e., to one of
the families of Manasseh, from whom

several other families descended.

TI Their inheritance remained in the
tribe of the family of their father. Heb.
"Was unto the tribe, etc." So Dan.
1 : 21, " And Daniel cotitinuedeven unto
the first year of king Cyrus." Heb.
" Was even unto the first year." Ruth
1 : 2, "And they came into the country
of Moab, and continued, there." Heb.
" Were there." The clause might be
more literally rendered, " And their in-
heritance was (remained) in the tribe
(even) the family of their fathers.

B.C. 1451.1

CHAPTER XXXVI.

475

in the tribe of the family of
their father.

13 These are the command-
ments and the judgments, which
the Lord commanded by the

V. 13. TJiese are the commandments
and the judgments, etc. The distinction
between these two terms is probably
that between precepts relating to wor-

hand of Moses, unto the chil-
dren of Israel, in ^ the plains of
Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho.

/ c. 26. 3. 33. 50.

ship, and precepts relating to civil or-
dinances, both which classes we find in
the preceding chapters, from ch. 26 to
ch. 36.

THE END.

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