the whole number of Males descended from Kohath compare this with III. 28. there was a fourth part and better that were fit for Service Ver. 37. These were they that were numbred of the Families of the Kohathites all that might do Service in the Tabernacle Such Service as is particularly mentioned from v. 4. to v. 16. Verse 37 Ver. 38. And these are they that were numbred of the Verse 38 Sons of Gershon c. He proceeds in the same order to number them which he observed in giving them their Charge beginning with the Children of the second Son of Levi and then going back to the eldest Ver. 39. From thirty years old and upward c. Verse 39 This Verse is the very same with 35. Ver. 40. Two thousand and six hundred and thirty Verse 40 A third part and little more of their Males were fit for Service Compare this with III. 22. Ver. 41. These are they that were numbred of the Families Verse 41 of the Sons of Gershon of all that might do Service in the Tabernacle c. Such Service as is described from v. 24. to v. 29. Ver. 42 43. These two Verses are the same with Verse 42. 43. v. 38 39. Ver. 44. Even those that were numbred of them after Verse 44 their Families were three thousand and two hundred It is very remarkable the Descendants from the youngest Son of Levi III. 17. which had the fewest Males in it of a Month old and upward had the most robust Men fit for Service For here are above half compare this with III. 34. of the whole number of Males grown up to Thirty Years of Age. Which was a singular Providence the heaviest Burden lying upon them who were to carry the Boards c. of the Tabernacle Not indeed upon their shoulders but in Waggons which they were to load after they had taken them down and unload when they were to set them up again and for that reason had more Waggons allowed them than their Brethren the Gershonites VII 7 8. Verse 45 Ver. 45. These are those c. whom Moses and Aaron numbred Who were principally employed in this business According to the Word of the LORD by the hand of Moses To whom the Command is expresly directed v. 21. Verse 46 Ver. 46. All those that were numbred of the Levites whom Moses and Aaron and the Chief of Israel numbred For they took in others to their assistance v. 34. which is here repeated to show that there was no fraud in the business there being Witnesses of every Tribe that they proceeded impartially and did not favour the Levites who were their Brethren Verse 47 Ver. 47. Every one that came to do the Service of the Ministry and the Service of the Burden in the Tabernacle c. The first of these the Service of the Ministry one would think related to their serving the Priest when the Tabernacle was standing and the later the Service of the Burden to their carrying the Tabernacle when it was taken down and removed and so I expounded those words v. 24. But he mentioning here only those that were numbred from Thirty Years old I think upon further consideration that there is no regard in these Expressions to the Service they did to the Priests in the Tabernacle unto which they were admitted at Twenty five Years old See v. 3. but only to the Service mentioned here in this Chapter which relates altogether to the taking down and carrying the Tabernacle And therefore these must be lookt upon as two Phrases for the same thing the former of which is not exactly translated for there is nothing of Ministry in the Hebrew but the words are Every one that cometh to serve the Service of the Service and the Service of the Burden or Carriage For it is the same word which being joyned with work we translate servile XXIII Lev. 7. and other places Ver. 48. Eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore Verse 48 If the three Sums mentioned v. 36 40 44. be put together they amount exactly to this Sum in the whole Ver. 49. According to the Commandment of the Verse 49 LORD they were numbred by the hand of Moses By the assistance of Aaron and others v. I 34 46. Every one according to his Service and according to his Burden I observed before v. 47. that Service and Burden are two Expressions of the same thing For though the Sons of Kohath had the noblest part of the Work yet their Employment is called both a Service and a Burden v. 19. as that of the Gershonites is v. 24. For which Service all the Tithes of the Country of Canaan were given to them and continued to be theirs when this kind of Service ceased as it did when the Temple was built For then there were no Burdens to be carried on their shoulders as Josiah speaks 2 Chron. XXXV 3. but their Duty was changed even by David before the Building of the Temple who made them Singers and Keepers of the Treasury as well as Porters at the Gates of God's House and likewise Judges and other Officers in the Country as we read in 1 Chron. XXVI But the alteration in their Service made no alteration in the Wages allotted to them for they still enjoyed all the Tithes Thus were they numbred of him as the LORD commanded Moses This is so often repeated v. 37 41 45. that all Posterity might reverence these Ordinances as Divine Institutions and not merely Humane Appointments And so we are to look upon all these Laws as wise Orders made by the Soveraign of the World for the better Government of that People whom he had taken for his own peculiar And it argues a very profane Spirit in those as Conr. Pellicanus here observes who can admire and praise Ovid de Fastis and such like Books and have no regard at all if they do not ridicule them to these Sacred Writings which are of such venerable Antiquity CHAP. V. Chapter V Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying It is not said when this was spoken which here follows but it 's likely immediately after the foregoing Commandments upon which it hath some dependance Verse 2 Ver. 2. Command the Children of Israel that they put out of the Camp every Leper and every one that hath an Issue and whosoever is defiled by the dead There were three Camps as Maimonides and a great many other mentioned by Mr. Selden observes L. II. de Synedr cap. I. n. 5. the Camp of the SCHECHINAH or of the LORD viz. the Sanctuary with its Courts which are called the Tents of the LORD 1 Chron. XXXI 2. And next the Camp of the Levites who with Aaron and his Sons made a Camp about the Tabernacle Chapter III. of this Book and then the Camp of Israel Chapter II. which incompassed them all Answerable to these when the Temple was built they reckoned the Temple it self from the East-Gate to be the Camp of
had devoted them to him by laying their Hands on them v. 10. and Aaron had waved them as a Wave-offering to the LORD v. 11. Instead of such as open every Womb c. See III. 12 13. Verse 17 Ver. 17. For all the First-born of the Children of Israel are mine both Man and Beast c. XIII Exod. 2. Verse 18 Ver. 18. And I have taken the Levites for all the First-born of the Children of Israel By the exchange mentioned III. 2 13 45. Verse 19 Ver. 19. And I have given the Levites as a Gift to Aaron and to his Sons c. In the Hebrew the words are more emphatical I have given the Levites given c. That is the Levites which are given unto me v. 16. I have given unto Aaron and his Sons III. 9. To do the Service of the Children of Israel See III. 7. The Vulgar Latin translates it to serve me for the Children of Israel i. e. to do them Service by assisting the Priests in offering Sacrifice for the People In the Tabernacle of the Congregation See v. 15. And to make an Atonement for the Children of Israel Not by offering Sacrifice for that was the work of the Priests alone but by being offered themselves in the nature of an expiatory Sacrifice unto God as I observed before v. 10 and 12. For though they were not slain at the Altar as Sacrifices were yet they might expiate as the Scape-Goat did Which was sent away alive into the Wilderness after it had been presented unto the LORD as these Levites were XVI Levit. 7 10. That there be no Plague among the Children of Israel As there would have been if any Man had presumed to officiate in the House of God but such as were in this manner taken by himself to minister there When the Children of Israel come nigh unto the Sanctuary To worship God and to bring their Sacrifices to be offered at his Altar Ver. 20. And Moses and all the Congregation of Israel Verse 20 i. e. The Elders of the People v. 9 10. Did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites c. Separated them to God from the rest of the Israelites as he had directed v. 14. Ver. 21. And the Levites were purified and they Verse 21 washed their Clothes According to the order given v. 7. And Aaron offered them an Offering before the LORD Or rather Waved them a Wave-offering c. As I observed v. 11. To which may be added That it is likely some of the Levites were thus waved in the name of all the rest for there being Two and twenty thousand of them III. 39. one cannot well conceive how they should be every one thus offered And Aaron made an Atonement for them to cleanse them See v. 12. Ver. 22. And after that the Levites went in to do Verse 22 their Service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation According to the Directions given v. 15. Before Aaron and before his Sons In their presence and by their direction Ver. 23. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Verse 23 After the foregoing Commands he gave him some further Instructions Ver. 24. This it is that belongeth unto the Levites Add this to what hath been said about them From twenty and five years old and upward they shall Verse 24 go in Then they might begin to take the Custody of the Tabernacle upon them and to be Door-keepers to keep out Strangers and such as were unclean but not to load the Wagons and do such like work of burden till they were thirty years of Age. See IV. 3. To wait upon the Service of the Tabernacle c. In the Hebrew the words are To war the warfare of the Tabernacle Which is a Phrase often used before IV. 3 23 c. and there applied to those that carried the Tabernacle Which they might not do till thirty years of Age but might go in to learn at five and twenty as some reconcile these two But Abarbinel notes That there is nothing said of their learning but of their Service or Ministry and therefore at twenty five years old they began that part of the Service which consisted in the Custody of the Tabernacle Verse 25 Ver. 25. And from the Age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the Service thereof In the Hebrew Shall return from the warfare of their Service i. e. be discharged from their Function and no longer burdened with any laborious work as that of carrying the Tabernacle was And shall serve no more In such manner of work Verse 26 Ver. 26. But shall minister with their Brethren This Ministry is explained in the following words To keep the charge that is to take care of the Tabernacle unto which they were to be a Guard In the Tabernacle of the Congregation See IV. 3. And shall do no Service In the Hebrew Serve no Service that is do no laborious work as was said before their Age beginning to require ease and rest and therefore no Ministry was required of them but what they might well perform without pains and labour Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge Appoint them their Ministries according to these Rules which were observed after the Ark of God was settled and there was no occasion to remove it any more When David therefore instead of carrying the Ark and the Tabernacle for which there was then no further occasion appointed them to be Singers in the Temple and Porters c. For which they were fit at twenty years of Age but continued their Employment no longer than till fifty as the Jews tell us when their Voice began to decay Whence that Observation of Abarbinel upon this very Chapter Age makes Levites unfit for Service not Blemishes in their Bodies but Priests are unfit by Blemishes in their Bodies not by Age. For Priests continued their Service as long as they lived and though they did not begin it till twenty years of Age yet no Law of God forbad them to begin sooner CHAP. IX Chapter IX Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai Or the LORD had spoken for he relates now what was done a Month ago but not recorded till now for a special reason Which was that God having commanded them in the Month before this to keep the Passover some Persons were unprepared for it and thereupon a question arose What Course they should take for they were much troubled they could not do as their Brethren did Which produced a new Command from God that they should keep the Passover in this second Month of the first Year after they came out of Egypt This Moses being to give an account of as a matter of great importance he doth it in the proper place for it when he was relating what things were done in this Month I. 1. and deferred the mention of keeping the Passover in the first Month till he could speak
them So this word bring near signifies to offer them unto God As they were VIII 10 11. Before Aaron the Priest In his presence That they may minister unto him Unto Aaron and the rest of the Priests who were the immediate Ministers of God and the Levites were given to minister unto them Which they did many ways especially while they remain'd in the Wilderness where they had a peculiar Charge which otherwise would have been incumbent on the Priests not only to guard the Tabernacle and keep a Watch night and day about it but also to take it down and to carry it when they removed and to set it up again when they rested as we read in the following part of this Chapter and in the next When they came into the Land of Canaan and were settled there they had less to do of this kind But as the Charge of the Tabernacle still lay upon them as it had done before so did other Works in the Courts of the LORD'S House and in the Chambers where they waited on the Priests which are particularly mentioned in 1 Chron. XXIII 28 29 c. And in David's time their Work was still more increased for he appointed them to be Singers in the House of the LORD and to play upon several sorts of Instruments 1 Chron. XXV which they did Morning and Evening 1 Chron. XXIII 30. Porters perhaps there were before who stood at the several Gates of the Tabernacle as afterward of the Temple and are said therein to minister in the House of the LORD 1 Chron. XXVI 12. as also Guards of the Treasury of God's House and of things dedicated to him v. 20. But as he increased the number of them so he settled them in their Courses that there might be a constant Attendance with greater ease As for those of them that were made Judges and Officers not only in Matters concerning the LORD but in the Service of the King as we read there 1 Chron. XXVI 29 30. it no more belongs to what is said of them here than what follows there v. 31. that there were found among them mighty Men of Valour See upon v. 10. Verse 7 Ver. 7. And they shall keep his Charge and the charge of the whole Congregation It highly concerned Aaron in particular and the whole Congregation in general that the Tabernacle should be well guarded And this was the Levites great business at present who took this Charge from off their hands by attending that Service which all of them were bound to perform Before the Tabernacle of the Congregation This exactly expresses in what their Ministry consisted which was not performed in the Tabernacle where the Priests only officiated in the Holy Place as the High Priest in the most Holy but before it in the External Part of it where they assisted the Priests in their Service To do the Service of the Tabernacle Such Service as I have mentioned before v. 6. Ver. 8. And they shall keep By guarding them and keeping a continual Watch about them Verse 8 All the Instruments of the Tabernacle of the Congregation Every thing belonging to it And the charge of the Children of Israel to do the Service of the Tabernacle By which Service at the Tabernacle they took upon them the Charge which otherwise was incumbent on the whole Congregation who were to take care that the holy Things were kept both safe and secure and also separate to the Sacred Uses to which they were appointed These words which are often repeated to do the Service of the Tabernacle are to be carefully noted because the Levites did not serve in the Tabernacle which belonged only to the Priests but served the Tabernacle by guarding it and taking it down and carrying it c. as was said before Ver. 9. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron Verse 9 and to his Sons They were first presented unto God v. 6. and God bestowed them as a Gift upon the Priests See VIII 19. They are wholly given unto him out of the Children of Israel To attend upon the Priests and to obey their Orders for which they paid them nothing but they were to do it freely being given to them to be their Servants by God who paid them their Wages Ver. 10. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his Sons Verse 10 and they shall wait on their Priests Office Or thou shalt appoint them to wait on their Priesthood Which he had shown before was very different from the Levitical Office but to make them more mindful of their Dignity he repeats it again that Aaron and his Sons alone should officiate as Priests viz. in offering Sacrifice in setting the Bread upon the Holy Table looking after the Lights and burning Incense Which they were to perform in their own Persons and not appoint any others as their Deputies to do them for none of these things could be performed by the Levites Whose business it was to look after the fine Flour of which the Bread was made to prepare it and the Frankincense which was to be burnt and abundance of such like things which are particularly mentioned 1 Chron. IX 27 28 29 31 32. But they could not make the Anointing Oyl or the sweet Perfume mentioned XXX Exod. 23 34. for they were most holy and therefore the Priests only could compound them And the Stranger that cometh nigh By Stranger is meant any one though a Levite that was not of the Sons of Aaron who alone had the priviledge to approach unto God Shall be put to death God himself sent out a Fire to consume Korah and his Company who presumed to offer Incense being but bare Levites and not Priests Chap. XVI Verse 11 Ver. 11. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying To make the Matter more clear he further tells Moses the reason why he took the Levites from among the the Children of Israel to be his after a peculiar manner Verse 12 Ver. 12. And I behold I have taken the Levites from among the Children of Israel Take notice of the Reason why I have taken the Levites from among the rest of the Israelites v. 9. for it is by my Order and Appointment Instead of all the First-born that openeth the Matrix c. To make an exchange with them for all their First-born which I have heretofore challenged as my own and now take the Levites in their stead Therefore the Levites shall be mine As all the First-born were which now shall be theirs and the Levites be mine Ver. 13. Because all the First-born are mine By Verse 13 a special Right which is mentioned in the next words For on the day that I smote all the First-born in the Land of Egypt The Title whereby he laid a Claim to all the First-born was that great Miracle as R. Levi of Barcelona calls it which he wrought when he destroyed all the First-born of their Neighbours in Egypt and touched not one of theirs By which sparing Mercy he acquired
one of the First-born to come and put in his Hand and draw out a Schedule And to him that drew out one of the former sort he said a Levite hath redeemed thee but to him that drew out one of the latter he said pay thy Price And thus they tell the Story also in the Gemara Babylon Tit. Sanhedrin Which is probable enough unless we suppose the Congregation to have redeemed the Two hundred seventy three First-born out of a common Stock which was a shorter way but not so Divine as the other Verse 48 Ver. 48. And thou shalt give the Money wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed unto Aaron and to his Sons Which was but reasonable because the Levites being given to them by God v. 6 7. the Money that was paid to make up what was wanting in their proportion to the First-born belonged to them likewise Verse 49 Ver. 49. And Moses took the Redemption-Money of them that were over and above To whom the Lot fell having five Shekels written upon it Them that were redeemed by the Levites The First-born were redeemed by the Levites as far as their number would reach the rest who were more than the Levites were redeemed by Money Verse 50 Ver. 50. Of the First-born of the Children of Israel took he the Money a thousand three hundred and threescore and five Shekels Five times two hundred seventy and three make just this number Ver. 51. And Moses gave the Money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his Sons Which was a Rule observed in future Generations XVIII 15 c. According to the Word of the LORD as the LORD commanded Moses This is so oft repeated to show how faithful a Servant Moses was who did nothing but by the Divine order and omitted nothing that was commanded him CHAP. IV. Chapter IV Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses and Verse 1 unto Aaron saying They being both of them concerned to see this carefully executed he speaks to both and they took others to their Assistance v. 34 46. Ver. 2. Take the sum of the Sons of Kohath c. Verse 2 They are first mentioned being employed in the most honourable Work as I observed before III. 31. Ver. 3. From thirty years old and upward In this Verse 3 Work to which they are appointed they were not employed till they came to Thirty years of Age But they were admitted to attend at the Tabernacle and do other Service at the Age of Five and twenty as we read VIII 25. Which place the Jews in the Gemara Babylonica upon the Title Cholin reconcile with this after this manner They were admitted to learn their Duty at Five and twenty and to minister at Thirty And so Aben Ezra upon VIII Numb They were probationers and might do some service at Five and twenty years old but not do all For they might wait upon the Tabernacle but not bear the Ark. And that 's the exact truth they were admitted to minister to the Priests at Five and twenty but were not put upon this laborious work here mentioned till they had sufficient strength for it which was at Thirty years of Age when they were able to carry Burdens for by that word their work is described v. 15 19 24 31 47. For though some things which they were charged withal might be put into Waggons yet the Ark and the most holy Things were to be carried upon their Shoulders though they march'd never so far v. 15. and VII 9. When the Ark indeed was settled in the Temple which was a fixed place and therefore was no longer to be carried up and down then as D. Kimchi observes upon 1 Chron. XXIII King David appointed them to enter upon their Office at Twenty years old there being also other great Work to be performed in his time for which they were fit at that Age. And so it continued even after their return from the Captivity of Babylon III Ezra 8. See Selden de Success in Pontificat L. II. cap. 4. and Lightfoot in his Temple Service Chap. VI. Sect. 1. Even until fifty years old Beyond which Age they were not bound to do any Service but only to minister with their Brethren at the Tabernacle VIII 25 26. All that enter into the Host. Or into the Warfare For their watching continually as a Guard about the Tabernacle III. 7 c. made them a sort of Militia who were encamped as appears by the foregoing Chapter about the Tabernacle for its Security Besides which there was other Work which might make their Service as laborious as a Soldier 's Life is and give it the name of entring into the Host which manner of speaking St. Paul uses unto Timothy I. 1 18. where he exhorts him to war a good warfare To do the work of the Tabernacle of the Congregation They did not perform any Work in it but about it such as here follows unless we understand by the Tabernacle the outward Court into which they went to minister unto the Priests Ver. 4. This shall be the Service of the Sons of Kohath Verse 4 in the Tabernacle of the Congregation about the most holy things The next Verses explain what this Service was Or if the word about in the latter end of the Verse were quite left out the sence would be more clear This shall be the Service of the Sons of Kohath c. the most holy Things that is the Ark as Aben Ezra expounds it And his Interpretation may be justified from v. 19 and 20. in the latter of which it is called the holy and in the former the holy of holies as it is here in the Hebrew For it was the most holy of all other holy things in the Tabernacle and gave the Name to the place where it stood of holy of holies or the most holy place And this made the Service of the Kohathites the most honourable of all other and is the reason they are mentioned first Ver. 5. When the Camp setteth forward Which it Verse 5 did not do till the Cloud was taken up and removed from off the Tabernacle XL Exod. 36 37. X Numb 11. Aaron shall come and his Sons While the Cloud rested upon the Tabernacle and the Glory of the LORD filled the House none but Aaron might come into the most Holy Place where the Ark was and that but on one day in the year and then after he had filled it with Incense which made a Cloud before the Mercy Seat which was the Covering of the Ark over which the SCHECHINAH was But that being removed in the Cloud when it was taken up from the Tabernacle not only Aaron but his Sons also might come into the most Holy Place without any Irreverence that which made it so holy viz. the Glory of the LORD being gone out of it for the present so that there was no danger in approaching to the Ark where it was wont to rest And they shall take down
Lightning and perhaps scorched as they likewise sometimes are The latter seems most probable from what follows v. 37. and from the like punishment by Fire from the LORD which is said to devour Nadab and Abihu and yet their Bodies remained intire X Lev. 2 4. This was the more astonishing because Moses and Aaron who stood with them at the Door of the Tabernacle v. 18. had no hurt Verse 36 Ver. 36. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Immediately after the Death of those Men. Ver. 37. Speak unto Eleazar the Son of Aaron the Priest Who it is likely stood by them as next Successor to Aaron in the Office which was disputed And therefore perhaps imployed in what follows rather than Aaron that his Succession might be confirmed Though others will have it that it was below the Dignity of Aaron to perform such a mean Office and besides he might have been in danger to be polluted by the dead Bodies of the Men that were burnt That he take the Censers out of the Burning Out of the place where the Men were burnt as some understand it Or which differs not much from among the dead Bodies which were burnt Burning being put for Bodies burnt as Captivity XXI 1. for those that were carried Captive or made Prisoners as we there translate it But there is no need of either of these Additions burning signifying the Fire which burnt in them which he orders Eleazar to throw out that the Censers might be brought away And scatter thou the Fire yonder The Men were burnt as soon as ever they put fire to the Incense in their Censers v. 18. which flaming at the Door of the Tabernacle where they stood near the Altar from whence they took the Fire God commanded to be thrown away without the Camp into that place I suppose where they were wont to throw the Ashes VI Lev. 11. or rather into some unclean place where they threw the Dust scraped from the Walls of Leprous Houses XIV Lev. 41. For it was to show that God abhorred their Offering For they are hollowed Or had Fire from the Altar put into them which some think sanctified them But the plain reason is given in the next verse because they offered them before the LORD i. e. they had been employed to an holy use and that by God's command v. 6 17. and therefore God would not have them hereafter serve for any other Ver. 39. The Censers of these Sinners against their Verse 39 own Souls Who have brought destruction upon themselves by their Presumption Let them make of them Either Aaron or Eleazar were to cause them to be beaten into such Plates as here follow Broad Plates for a covering of the Altar Of Burnt-offering which was covered with Brass XXVII Exod 12. but these Plates were to be laid upon that Covering which it had already for the end mentioned in the Conclusion of this verse And hereby also the proper Covering of the Altar lasted the longer For they offered them before the LORD Presented them before the LORD when they offered Incense in them v. 35. Therefore they are hallowed Or holy That is I will have them separated for this reason to my use alone and no other It is a thing worthy to be taken special notice of that the Impiety of the Men that offered Incense did not discharge their Censers of the discriminative Respect as our famous Mr. Mede speaks due unto things sacred As these in some sort were by being presented to the LORD which made it unlawful to imploy them to common uses For as the LORD himself is that singular incommunicable and absolutely Holy One and his Service and Worship therefore incommunicable to any other so should that also which is consecrated to his Service be in some proportion incommunicably used and not promiscuously and commonly as other things are See Book I. Discourse 2. p. 18. And they shall be a Sign unto the Children of Israel That God accepts no Sacrifice which is not presented by the Hands of the Sons of Aaron This the Levites were to remember who attended upon the Priest when they saw these Plates laid upon the Altar of Burnt-offering every day Verse 39 Ver. 39. And Eleazar the Priest took the brazen Censers c. By this it appears these Censers were made of the same Metal though it was not said before that Aaron's Censer was of and wherewith the Altar was overlaid He took them up out of the burning no doubt immediately upon the foregoing Commands and as soon as the Mutiny was quite quelled they were employed as Moses had directed Ver. 40. To be a Memorial unto the Children of Israel This explains what is meant by a Sign v. 38. viz. to put them in mind or rather to keep in their memory That no Stranger Though he were an Israelite nay a Levite if he were not as it here follows of the Seed of Aaron he was reputed a Stranger to this Office Come near to offer Incense before the LORD Presume to execute the Office of a Priest in the Sanctuary That he be not as Korah and his Company Destroyed in a dreadful manner By this it appears that Korah perished as well as the Two hundred and fifty Men and it is likely as they did by Fire from the LORD As the LORD said unto him i. e. To Eleazar By the hand of Moses Ver. 36 37. Ver. 41. But on the morrow An astonishing Instance Verse 41 of the incurable hardness and insensibility of some Mens hearts which were not in the least altered by God's terrible Judgments and singular Mercies but instantly forgat both All the Congregation of the Children of Israel Not merely the Rulers of the People as this Phrase sometimes signifies but all the People in general v. 47. who were incited it is probable by that lewd Rout which Korah had gathered together against Moses and Aaron v. 19. Some of which were swallowed up but most of them remained still alive to do more Mischief Murmured against Moses and against Aaron In such a mutinous and threatning manner as demonstrated the contagious Nature of a Seditious Humour beyond all example For from a discontented Party who grumbled that they were not preferred suitably to the opinion they had of themselves it spread it self into the whole Body of the People And so infected them as to kindle a new Flame as soon as the former had been extinguished by such a terrible Vengeance as one would have expected should not have left the smallest Spark of this mutinous Humour in them Saying Ye have killed the People of the LORD So they impudently call those Men whom God himself had declared by a visible Token to be presumptuous Sinners against their own Souls Some imagine they quarrelled with Moses and Aaron because they had not prevailed with God to pardon them which they could as well have done as procured this Judgment upon them But the displeasure which God here expresses against this
the Head of the House of their Fathers should bring these Rods. Their Names we have in the first Chapter of this Book v. 5 6. and VII 2 12 c. Twelve Rods. Besides Aaron's for so many Tribes there were besides that of Levi. And too great a number of every Tribe in all likelyhood had joyned with Korah in their discontended Murmurings at the confinement of the Priesthood unto Aaron's Family alone to which they all fansied they had as much right as he Which is the reason of taking a Rod from every Tribe that they might all be convinced that none of them but he and his Family alone were owned by God for his Priests See XVI 3. Write thou every Man's name upon his Rod. Either by an Incision into the very Wood or with such Ink as they wrote withal in those days V. 22. This he did in the Presence of the Princes that they might not afterward suspect any Fraud when they came to take their Rods again but be satisfied they were the very same which they saw noted with their Names Ver. 3. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the Verse 3 Rod of Levi. Because God had made him the Prince of that Tribe by giving him the High-Priesthood And he would have them see that as no other Person in any of the Twelve Tribes so no other Levite ought to pretend unto that high Office which he had invested him withal and him alone For one Rod shall be for the Head of the House of their Fathers One Rod was sufficient because the Head of the Tribe comprehended the whole Tribe Who were all excluded from the Priesthood by the Exclusion of him who represented them Verse 4 Ver. 4. And thou shalt lay them up in the Tabernacle In the most Holy Place Before the Testimony i. e. Before the Ark called in many Places the Ark of the Testimony XL Exod. 3. because therein Moses put the Testimony or two Tables of Stone and the Mercy Seat above it v. 20 21. where the Divine Glory resided Therefore to lay the Rods before the Testimony was to lay them before the Divine Majesty who intended by them finally to determine the present Controversie Where I will meet with you There he promised to meet with Moses XXV Exod. 22. by whom he communicated his Mind unto the People For he neither met with them nor with Aaron there any other way but by Moses And therefore the Vulgar Latin here translates it minding the sence rather than the words Where I will speak to them And so the LXX By which I will be made known to thee there And indeed meeting with them here is nothing but declaring or making known his Mind to them all by what was done there upon Aaron's Rod. So it follows in the next verse And for this reason the Tabernacle of the LORD is called OHEL MOED the Tabernacle of Meeting not of Mens meeting there as is commonly supposed by our translating it The Tabernacle of the Congregation but of God's meeting there with Men. For so the LORD himself gives the reason of the Name both here and in XXIX Exod. 42. XXX 36. where I have noted the same out of Mr. Mede Ver. 5. And it shall come to pass that the Man's Rod whom I shall choose shall blossom The Rods being laid before me I will tell you whom I have chosen to minister to me in the Priesthood by making the Verse 5 Rod upon which his Name is written to blossom when all the rest remain as they were before without any Alteration This was a kind of new choice as the words import whereby God confirmed the choice he had formerly made of Aaron to be High-Priest And I will make to cease from me the Murmurings of the Children of Israel whereby they murmur against you And hereby stop all their Mouths from murmuring any more about this matter unless they will oppose me directly who declare before-hand how I intend to give Judgment in this Case and put an end to this Dispute Ver. 6. And Moses spake unto the Children of Israel Verse 6 Told them what God had said that they might be all consenting to this way of Decision And every one of their Princes gave him a Rod apiece For they could not refuse such a fair Proposal For each Prince one according to their Fathers Houses even twelve Rods. Observing herein the Commands of Moses who wrote no doubt every Man's Name upon his Rod as he was also commanded v. 2. And the Rod of Aaron was among their Rods. Not one of the twelve as the Jews fancy but besides the twelve Rods for the twelve Tribes as was directed v. 2. and obeyed by them as the foregoing words tell us his Rod was put among them with his Name upon it as their Names were upon their Rods. And therefore the Vulgar translates it having regard to the sence only There were twelve Rods besides the Rod of Aaron Which the LXX intended in their Translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Rod of Aaron in the midst of their Rods. And if it were cut from the very same Tree with theirs the Miracle became the more remarkable Verse 7 Ver. 7. And Moses laid up the Rods before the LORD Who was by them to declare his choice v. 5. In the Tabernacle of Witness In that part of the Tabernacle where the Ark was which had in it the Witness or Testimony which God gave Moses XXV Exod. 21. who alone could go into that place Verse 8 Ver. 8. And it came to pass that on the morrow It is likely God told him he would â—orthwith show whom he had chosen Moses went into the Tabernacle of Witness The most Holy Place where the Rods were laid up by God's order And behold the Rod of Aaron Which had his Name written on it For the House of Levi. Or To the House of Levi i. e. whom God had made Head of the Levites Was budded and brought forth Buds and blossomed Blossoms and yielded Almonds In some places of the Rod I suppose there was an appearance of Buds coming forth in others the Buds were fully thrust out and in others they were opened and shot forth into Blossoms and those Blossoms in other parts knotted and grown into Almonds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as Gregory Nyssen speaks in the Life of Moses p. 185. The greatest Miracle even in the judgment of Unbelievers who now acknowledged that which before they opposed v. 12 13. For that in one Night a dry Stick as some suppose them all to have been should produce Buds and Flowers and Fruit when all the rest which perhaps were cut from the same Tree were as dry as they were before could not but be very amazing and unless they would shut their eyes make them see the distinction which the LORD made between Aaron whose Name that Rod bare and all the rest of the Children of Israel whom the other Rods represented The Heathen did
not think such things incredible as Huetius hath shown in his Quaestiones Alnetanae L. I. cap. 12. n. 24. Ver. 9. And Moses brought out all the Rods from before Verse 9 the LORD unto all the Children of Israel Before whom they were exposed to open view that they might see the difference God had made And they looked and took every Man his Rod. Viewed them and taking them into their Hands examined them and found they were the very same Rods which they had delivered unto Moses with their Names on them without any alteration Ver. 10. And the LORD said unto Moses bring Verse 10 Aaron's Rod again Which either Moses held in his Hand or delivered it to Aaron as he did the rest to the several Princes of the Tribes who showed it to the Children of Israel with the Buds Blossoms and Almonds upon it After which God commanded it to be returned unto him Before the Testimony To be laid up in the place where it was before it was thus changed v. 4 7. To be kept for a Token against the Rebels That it might be produced as a sufficient Conviction of their Impiety if any presumed hereafter to rebel against Aaron's Authority Or rather that it might prevent all Insurrections against it for the future For it remained we find in the most Holy Place for some time as appears both from the Apostle IX Hebr. 4. and from the reason of its being put here that it might be preserved as a Sign or Proof of Aaron's Authority and Suppress all opposition to it But how long it continued we cannot tell for it is not mentioned when the Ark was brought into the Temple of Solomon 1 Kings VIII 9. nor is it certain whether it continued in that verdure wherein it now appeared with the Buds Blossoms and Fruit though it is highly probable it did because it was to be a Testimony that the Honour of the Priesthood should continue to Aaron's Family alone through all Generations There are those who take this Rod which blossomed and was laid up in the most Holy Place to have been the Rod of Moses wherewith he wrought so many Miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea Concerning which the Jews tell very many incredible things as that it came from a Branch of the Tree of Life which an Angel gave to Seth who planted it in the Wilderness where Moses found it grown to a Tree and cut this Rod from it For when they came to Marah and could not drink the Waters because they were bitter God showed them this Tree that with it he might make them sweet Upon which Tree he afterward placed the brazen Serpent by looking on which the People were healed c. Thus the Cabbalists generally tell this Tale but some of them much otherwise who say it was given to Adam and by him to Enoch and so on till it came to Joseph in whose House the Egyptians found it when he died and brought it to Pharaoh from whom Jethro stole it c. with a great deal of such like stuff Which Abarbinel saith is to be understood mystically But all the ground they have for this Fancy of the Rod here laid up being Moses's Rod is from XX. 8 9. where it is said That Moses took the Rod from before the LORD wherewith he brought Water out of the Rock and this Rod is said v. 11. to be Moses his Rod. Dr. Owen upon the Epistle to the Hebrews follows this Conceit and endeavours to find many Mysteries in it But it is evidently false for as there is not the least intimation here that it was the Rod of Moses but quite contrary it is called the Rod of Aaron v. 6. so it had not been a sufficient Argument to convince the Infidelity of the Israelites if Aaron's Rod had not been of the same kind with all the rest For they might have ascribed what came to pass to the singular quality or vertue of that Rod especially if it were Moses his Rod wherewith Wonders used to be wrought and not to a special Hand of God appearing to establish the Authority of Aaron And besides a Rod full of Blossoms and Fruit had been very unfit to be used to smite the Rock withal for which purpose that Rod which seems to have been his Pastoral Staff wherewith he smote the Rock in Horeb was most proper XVII Exod. 5 6. And thou shalt quite take away their Murmurings from me i. e. Silence all their Cavils against Aaron and his Family which the LORD here declares he would no longer bear if they continued in them after this demonstration of his Will and Pleasure For here were a great many miraculous things concurred together to convince them that to oppose Aaron was to oppose God himself The Jews reckon up eight First That Aaron's Rod should bring forth Buds Blossoms and Fruit all in one Night when the other Rods which were of the same nature brought forth nothing And then secondly That the Buds brought forth Leaves for so they interpret those words v. 8. the Rod of Aaron was budded i. e. brought forth Leaves for the next words speaks of its budding which followed after And thirdly That it thrust out Leaves before the Blossoms which is contrary to the Nature of the Almond Tree And next that it put forth Blossoms all the Rod over as they interpret those words bloomed Blossoms And then that a dry Stick as they understand it should produce Fruit and this Fruit Almonds which such Trees they think as that Rod was taken from did not bear And further That it produced ripe Almonds as the Hebrew word Schekedim imports And lastly That Moses showed the People all these at one view the Leaves Buds Blossoms and Fruit in perfection By which multiplicity of Miracles the Dignity of Aaron was so demonstrated that we do not find they at any time hereafter adventured to rise up against him For besides all those Wonders now mentioned it may be that it was not the Season of the Year for Almonds nor so much as for the budding of that Tree which made it the more astonishing But the greatest thing of all was the continuing of this Miracle to future Ages which might well make them afraid to open their Mouths again in Murmurings against Aaron That they die not Be not consumed in a moment as God had more than once formerly threatned XVI 21 45. and now declared if they did not mend their Manners and cease their Murmurings about this matter he would instantly execute Ver. 11. And Moses did so as the LORD commanded so did he Both brought the Rod again to him and laid it up before him and told the Children of Israel the reason of it which occasioned what Verse 11 follows Ver. 12. And the Children of Israel spake unto Moses Verse 12 saying Behold we die we perish c. Moses having told them that he laid up the Rod for this end to be a Witness against them that if
is the reason perhaps why these are ordered here in the next words to bring up the Rear They shall go hindmost with their Standards Here the Standard comprehends Ensigns for there was but one Standard for this Camp as there were no more for the other three Therefore the meaning is they shall march hindermost under their several Colours as we now speak Which was ordered for the greater Security of the Sanctuary by the two strongest Bodies marching before and behind where there was the greatest danger Ver. 32. These are those which were numbred of the Verse 32 Children of Israel by the House of their Fathers c. That is Thus were all these Persons disposed under their several Standards whose Number was taken by Moses and Aaron with their Associates I. 44 45. Ver. 33. But the Levites were not numbred among Verse 33 the Children of Israel as the LORD commanded Moses And consequently did not belong to any of these Standards being to make another Camp by themselves I. 47 c. Ver. 34. And the Children of Israel did according to Verse 34 all that the LORD commanded Moses As they gave in their Names when they were to be numbred I. 54. so they now joyned together under such Standards as God appointed So they pitched by their Standards and so they set forward c. Each Tribe encamped under the Standard that was assigned to them and they also marched when they set forward in such order as is here directed Some order no doubt had been observed before both when they rested and when they marched See XIII Exod. 18. but it was not so exact and regular as this form into which they were now cast by God himself nor can we think it was so strictly observed The Jews say that this Camp made a Square of Twelve Miles in compass about the Tabernacle as Dr. Lightfoot hath observed in his Centur. Chorogr CXLVIII and J. Wagenseil more lately in his Annotations upon the Gemara of Sota Cap. 1. Sect. 51. where several of them say that the Camp was three Parasots in compass and a Parasot was four Miles CHAP. III. Chapter III Verse 1 Ver. 1. THese are the Generations of Aaron and Moses Being now to give an account of the Levites who had not been numbred with the rest of the Children of Israel he sets down the descendants of the principal Persons among them viz. Aaron whom he puts in the first place because he was the elder Brother and his Posterity were advanced to the Dignity of Priests and Moses whose Posterity were only Ministers to the Priests as all the common Levites were It may seem indeed at first fight as if he gave an account only of Aaron's Posterity v. 2. But if we look further to v. 27 28. we shall find the Posterity of both here numbred in the Family of the Amramites of which both Aaron and Moses were Amram being their Father from whom the Genealogy of the Children of Moses is derived 1 Chron. XXIII 13 14 c. through their Generations as here those of Aaron Concerning the word Generations See Dr. Hammond on the first of St. Matthew Not. a. In the day that the LORD spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai This Circumstance seems to be particularly specified because at that time Nadab and Abihu who are mentioned in the next Verse were both alive and very eminent Persons XXIV Exod. 1 9 10. though they were now dead at this numbring of the Levites Ver. 2. These are the Names of the Sons of Aaron Verse 2 Nadab the first-born c. There seems no necessity of setting down the Names of Aaron's Sons they not being here to be numbred But it was of great Concernment to have the Distinction preserved between the Priests and the Levites their Offices being very different and therefore Moses here sets down who belonged to the one and who to the other Ver. 3. These are the Names of the Sons of Aaron Verse 3 the Priests which were anointed See VIII Levit. 30. Which he consecrated In the Hebrew whose Hand he filled See XXVIII Exod. 41. XXIX 9. To minister in the Priests Office He would have it noted that Aaron's Posterity were solemnly consecrated to an higher Office than the rest of the Tribe of Levi who were to be their Servants The very name of Cohen carries Dignity in it signifying sometime a Prince as well as a Priest Accordingly the Priests had very little servile Work imposed upon them but their chief business was to draw near to God to present him with the Blood and the Fat and some part of the Sacrifices which might be killed by other Persons This shows that they were God's Familiars insomuch that some Sacrifices were divided between him and them and it was the same thing whether they were consumed on the Alter or eaten by the Priests And those things are said to be given to God which were put into their hands though they never came to the Altar Which is an Evidence of the near relation they had to the Divine Majesty which the Levites had not for they could not come nigh to offer any thing to him no more than the rest of the Israelites but were employed in inferior Services about the Tabernacle that the Priests might wholly attend to the Service of God at the Altar Verse 4 Ver. 4. And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD c. A little after their Consecration X Lev. 1 c. And they had no Children Which is here recorded that all Posterity might know there were none to be admitted to the Office of Priesthood but such as could derive their Genealogy from Eleazar or Ithamar If the other had left any Sons they would have inherited their Father's Office before Eleazar as Maimonides observes out of Siphre See Schickard his Jus Regium Cap. VI. Theorem XX. And Eleazar and Ithamar ministred in the Priests Office in the sight of their Father The LXX rightly translate it together with their Father Who was the High Priest and they Lower Priests under him And so were all their Sons which it is likely they had in good number For they are appointed v. 38. for the guard of the Tabernacle towards the East And thus the Gemara Hieorosol in the Title concerning Fasting saith That Moses appointed VIII Classes of Priests four of the Family of Eleazar and as many of Ithamar which continued till the time of Samuel the Prophet and David who admitted many more See Selden de Success in Pontif. Cap. I. Ver. 5. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Now he gives order about the rest of the Tribe of Levi who had been omitted in the late Muster Verse 5 Ver. 6. Bring the Tribe of Levi near and present Verse 6 them They had consecrated themselves to God by a noble Act mentioned XXXII Exod. 29. Which procured them this Blessing to be presented to God and consecrated to him in a solemn manner for such Services as he should assign
a just Right to them and by that solemn Dedication which he then commanded to be made of them unto his uses XIII Exod. 2 12 13. I hallowed unto me all the First-born in Israel c. He separated them unto himself by sparing them when he killed all other First-born but only theirs Mine they shall be Both by that Act of his own and by the Act of the Children of Israel whom he commanded to Sanctifie them to him XIII Exod. 2. XXII 29. they became God's By which it appears that he had not a peculiar Right in the First-born more than in any other of their Children till their coming out of Egypt And therefore the taking of the Levites to be his instead of the First-born is no Argument that the First-born had hitherto been the Priests who ministred unto God till this Exchange of them for the Levites So our learned Dr. Lightfoot seems to infer in his Notes upon this passage The First-born saith he had been Priests till the Consecration of the Levites but now that Function must be confined to that Tribe In which words with due respect be it spoken to that excellent Man's Labours there are several Mistakes For as the Priesthood was not now confined to this Tribe but to one Family in this Tribe that of Aaron so it was not confined to it upon this occasion but he and his Sons were Consecrated before this Exchange of the Levites for the First-born Who were now given to minister unto them but had nothing to do with the Priesthood no more than the First-born had for whom they were exchanged that peculiar Right which God had in the First-born being since their coming out of Egypt Upon all which Considerations we may look upon this Exchange as an Argument rather that the First-born were not Priests in former times than that they were as the Jews fancy and as many have suggested from this very taking of the Levites to be God's portion in their stead For so Menochius himself L. II. de Repub. Jud. cap. 1. asserts from this very place Jus Sacerdotum in Levitas translatum eos loco primogenitorum acceptos quibus hoc jus debebatur that the Right of Priests was transferred to the Levites and they were accepted in stead of the First-born to whom that Right belonged In which there is not a word of truth but only that the Levites were accepted instead of the First-born who had the same Right to the Priesthood that the Levites had that is none at all I am the LORD Who may take whom I please to be imployed in my Service and think it reasonable that those whom I spared when I slew the Egyptian First-born should be mine Ver. 14. And the LORD spake unto Moses There was some reason no doubt why Moses alone is commanded to take the number of the Levites upon this occasion as he alone did v. 16. when Aaron Verse 14 is joined with him in numbring the Israelites I. 3. and in numbring the Levites themselves who were fit for service IV. 2 41 45. nay the chief of the Israelites assisted therein v. 46. And it is most probable he alone was employed to take this account because Aaron was a party in it the Money that was to be paid for so many of the first-born as exceeded the number of the Levites being given to him and to his Sons v. 48. In the Wilderness of Sinai This Command immediately followed the other in the two preceding Chapters before they departed from the Wilderness of Sinai where they had been ever since God delivered the Law to them from that Mountain Ver. 15. Number the Children of Levi after the House Verse 15 of their Fathers by their Families Just as they had numbred the rest of the Children of Israel See I. v. 2. Only those they numbred from Twenty years old and upward but the Levites from a Month old and upward Every Male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them The reason of this difference was that this was the Age at which they were to redeem their First-born XVIII 16. in whose stead the Levites were to be given unto God See v. 40. of this Chapter Ver. 16. And Moses numbred them according to the Verse 16 word of the LORD c. This Charge was committed to him alone v. 10. and he alone as I there observed performed it Ver. 17. And these were the Sons of Levi by their names Gershon and Kohath and Merari The same account we had before XLVI Gen. 11. VI Exod. 16. Verse 18 Ver. 18. And these are the Names of the Sons of Gershon by their Families Libni and Shimei The same is said VI Exod. 17. Verse 19 Ver. 19. And the Names of the Sons of Kohath c. They are mentioned in the same order in that VI Exod. 18 19. Verse 20 Ver. 20. These are the Families of the Levites according to the House of their Fathers These were the principal Families in this Tribe from whence the several Housholds and the Persons in them were derived Verse 21 22. Ver. 21 22. Of Gershon was the Family c. From his two Sons sprung two Families who had in them Seven thousand and five hundred Male Children from a Month old and upward Verse 23 Ver. 23. And the Families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the Tabernacle westward Where the most holy place was and where they under the Standard of Ephraim lay in the great Camp of Israel II. 18. between whom and the Tabernacle this part of the Camp of Levi pitched Verse 24 Ver. 24. And the Chief of the House of the Father of the Gershonites c. The Commander in Chief as we may stile him or the principal Officer in this part of the Camp of the Levites was Eliasaph the Son of Lael but of what Family he was whether of the Libnites or Shimites is not related Verse 25 Ver. 25. And the Charge of the Sons of Gershon That which was committed peculiarly to their care In the Tabernacle of the Congregation In the things belonging to the Tabernacle for none went into it but the Priests alone Shall be the Tabernacle Not the Boards and Pillars and Bases of it for they belonged to the care of the Sons of Merari v. 36. but the Ten Curtains which were the inward Hangings of it and are called the Mischcan or Tabernacle XXVI Exod. 1. and see the next Chapter of this Book v. 25. And the Tent. The outward Curtains of Goats Hair which are called Ohel the Tent XXVI Exod. 7.12 The Covering thereof The Michse as the Hebrews call it or the Covering of the Tent were the Rams Skins and Badgers Skins which lay outmost of all upon the Curtains of Goats Hair XXVI Exod. 14. And the hanging for the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation The outward Vail mentioned XXVI Exod. 36. for the inward Vail which hung before the most holy Place was the Charge of the Kohathites Ver. 26.
And the Hangings of the Court See Verse 26 XXVII Exod. 9. And the Curtain for the Door of the Court XXVI Exod 16. Which is by the Tabernacle and by the Altar round about Or as the Hebrew particle al may be translated is over or upon the Tabernacle c. That is this Curtain at the Door and the Hangings of the Court compassed the Tabernacle and the Altar of Burnt-offerings which stood at the Door of it XL Exod. 19. round about so that they were not exposed to common fight For these Gershonites had nothing to do with the Altar it self which was the Charge of the Kohathites v. 31. And the Cords of it This seems to refer not merely to the Curtain for the Door of the Court but to all that went before viz. the Cords whereby those Hangings were stretched out and fastned by Pins to the Wood-work of the Tabernacle For the Cords of that belonged to the Custody of the Sons of Merari v. 37. and we find Pins and Cords as well for the Tabernacle that is the Hangings as for the Court i. e. the Boards c. XXXV Exod. 18. For all the Service thereof Of this part of the House of God as appears from v. 31 and 36. where this is repeated with respect to the other parts of it Verse 27 Ver. 27. And of Kohath was the Family of the Amramites c. He was the second Son of Levi and had as many more Families sprung from him as from the Eldest among which was the Family of the Amramites of which were Moses and Aaron Verse 28 Ver. 28. In the number of all the Males c. Though there were four Families of the Kohathites and but two of the Gershonites yet the latter were as numerous as they within Eleven hundred Keeping the Charge of the Sanctuary Of what belonged to the holy Place which was committed to their Charge as it follows afterward and they were instructed in it betimes Verse 29 Ver. 29. The Families of the Sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the Tabernacle southward Between the Tabernacle ond the Standard of Reuben II. 10. Verse 30 Ver. 30. And the Chief of the House of the Father of the Families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the Son of Vzziel There was a Commander in Chief appointed over this Body of the Levites who was chosen out of the youngest Family of the Kohathites But it is observable there were no Standards belonging to any of these Bodies they being designed for other Service and not for War Ver. 31. And their Charge shall be the Ark and the Verse 31 Table and the Candlestick The Sanctuary as was said before v. 28. being committed to their Custody the Particulars are here mentioned which were the most precious of all the holy Things With which the Kohathites had the honour to be intrusted though a younger Family than those descended from Gershon because Moses and Aaron were of it being of the Family of the Amramites Which is the reason why the Kohathites are reckoned first in the next Chapter v. 2. and that of the XLVIII Cities given to the Levites by Joshua almost half of them fell to their Families XXI Josh 4 5. The Altars Both the Altar of Burnt-offerings and the Altar of Incense And the Vessels of the Sanctuary wherewith they i. e. the Priests minister See XXV Exod. 29. XXXVII 16. And the hanging That is the Vail before the most Holy Place for all other Hangings were under the care of the Gershonites v. 25 26. wherein the Ark was wrapt when they carried it IV. 5. And all the Service thereof Whatsoever belonged to this part of God's House See v. 26. and the Particulars are mentioned in the next Chapter v. 7 9 14. Ver. 32. And Eleazar the Son of Aaron shall be chief Verse 32 over the Chief of the Levites There was one Officer in chief set over each of these great Families of the Gershonites v. 24. of the Kohathites v. 30. and the Merarites v. 35. And over all these Chiefs there is now appointed a supreme Chief who was to govern them as they governed those under them and that was Eleazar who was more than a Levite being the eldest Son of Aaron the High Priest And have the over-sight of them that keep the charge of the Sanctuary But more particularly Eleazar was to super-vise those that had the Sanctuary under their care That is all the Rohathites and Elizaphan their chief v. 20. Verse 33 34. Ver. 33 34. Of Merari was the Family of the Mahlites and the Family of the Mushites c. Nothing is observable of these but that they were the fewest in number being thirteen hundred less than the Children of Gershon v. 22. Verse 35 Ver. 35. These shall pitch on the side of the Tabernacle Northward Opposite to the Kohathites between the Standard of Dan and the Sanctuary II. 25. Verse 36 Ver. 36. And under the Custody and Charge of the Sons of Merari shall be the Boards of the Tabernacle c. Concerning all the things mentioned in this and in the next Verse See XXVI Exod. 15 16 c. XXVII 10 11 12 c. and the next Chapter of this Book v. 31 32. Verse 37 Ver. 37. And their Cords These are different from those before mentioned v. 27. as I noted there Verse 38 Ver. 38. But those that encamp before the Tabernacle towards the East Where the Entrance into it was Even before the Tabernacle of the Congregation Eastward He would have this Station observed as much excelling the rest Shall be Moses and Aaron and his Sons There were but three Bodies of the Levites descended from the three Sons of Levi v. 1. and therefore none left to guard this side of the Tabernacle but Moses and Aaron and their Families who lay between the Standard of Judah and the Tabernacle see Chap. II. v. 3. which was the most honourable Post as I there noted Where the Priests were with great reason placed together with the chief Governor of all Moses because they were to guard the Holy Place that none might go into it but themselves Keeping the charge of the Sanctuary Of the Entrance into it For the charge of the Children of Israel Which it concerned every one of the Children of Israel should be kept sacred See v. 7. And the Stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to Death No Man that was not of the House of Aaron though a Levite was upon the peril of his life to enter into the Sanctuary Of which they had the charge See v. 10. Ver. 39. All that were numbred of the Levites which Verse 39 Moses and Aaron numbred at the Commandment of the LORD This looks like a Contradiction to the Observation I made v. 14.16 But Aaron's numbring here in all Probability is only his agreeing that this was a true Account which Moses took of the Tribe of Levi. For Moses still continues to be alone concerned in numbring the
the LORD and the Camp of the Levites to be from the entrance of the Mount of the House of the LORD to that East-Gate of the Temple And the Camp of Israel they thought extended from the Entrance of Jerusalem to the Mount of the House of the LORD Now Lepers were so unclean that they were not admitted into any of these three Camps but shut out of them all See XIII Lev. 46. But he that had an Issue XV Lev. 2. was only shut out of the two first Camps the Camp of the LORD and the Camp of the Levites but he might be in the Camp of Israel And he that was defiled by the dead XXI Lev. 1. was only excluded from the first the Sanctuary but not from the other two See Drusius also upon IV. 25. Ver. 3. Both Male and Female shall ye put out For Verse 3 Women had Issues for instance as well as Men XV Lev. 2 and 19 c. That they defile not their Camps The Camp of Israel consisted of four Camps and therefore he speaks in the Plural Number that of Judah that of Reuben that of Ephraim and that of Dan II Numb 3 10 18 25. Which would have been so defiled if they had suffered these unclean Persons to stay among them that none would have been fit to go to the Sanctuary In the midst of which I dwell By his special Presence in the Sanctuary which was incompassed by these Camps out of reverence to which such unclean Persons were to be kept at a greater distance than other Men and Women Ver. 4. And the Children of Israel did so and put them without the Camp c. There was an order for this before particularly for putting out the Lepers Verse 4 XIII Lev. 46. which could not be put in Execution till the Camp was formed as now it was Verse 5 Ver. 5. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying It is uncertain when this was spoken but I see no reason why we should not think it was at the same time with the other things here mentioned Verse 6 Ver. 6. When a Man or Woman shall commit any sin that Men commit In the Hebrew the words are plainly these shall commit any sin of Man that is against his Neighbour As in III Joel 19. Violence of the Children of Judah is truly translated Violence against the Children of Judah For it is apparent from the next Verses 7 8. that Moses here speaks of Offences against their Neighbours To do a Trespass against the LORD Such Offences against their Neighbours as were also great Offences against God For the Chaldee understands these words of Frauds and Cheats put upon Men by a false Oath And there is a good warrant for this Interpretation from VI Lev. 2 3. where Moses gives the same command which seems here to be repeated only because he had something to add unto it v. 8. And that person be guilty Or rather be sensible of his guilt See VI Lev. 4. Verse 7 Ver. 7. Then they shall confess the sin that they have done Or rather If they shall confess c. For so the Particle Vau sometimes signifies particularly XII 14. where we as well as the LXX translate it If her Father had spit in her face See what I have noted upon VI Lev. 4. And he shall recompense c. Rather Then he shall recompense the Injury he did to his Neighbour in the manner here directed which hath been explained VI Lev. 5. See there Ver. 8. But if a Man have no Kinsman to recompense Verse 8 the Trespass unto By this it is apparent that if a Man to whom an Injury had been done was dead he that committed it was bound to make Satisfaction to his Heir whosoever he was by restoring the Principal and adding a fifth part to it Now the Israelites never wanting some of their Kindred to succeed to their Inheritances the Hebrew Doctors expound this of the Proselytes of Righteousness who might possibly dye without any heir because they had no Kindred but such as were born after their Regeneration In which Case the Goods that had been illegally taken from such a Proselyte by a Jew did not become his own unless he paid the Price of them with such an addition as is here required c. See Selden L. VI. de Jure Nat. Gent. cap. 4. p. 684 685. Edit Lond. Let the Trespass be recompensed unto the LORD By bringing to him the Principal and the fifth part Even unto the Priest Whom God deputed to receive it as his Minister And it was as the Jews rightly expound it equally distributed among all the Priests who were then waiting in their Course Which is a new addition to the Law in VI Lev. and the reason it is likely why that Law is here repeated Besides the Ram of the Atonement c. Mentioned VI Lev. 6 7. where see what I have noted Ver. 9. And every offering of all the holy things of the Children of Israel Upon the occasion of the foregoing Laws concerning a Recompense to be made Verse 9 to the Priest where a Man that had been wrong'd was dead and no Heir to him could be found he explains some other Laws wherein the Priests were concerned who were to have all the Heave-offerings as the word Trumoth here used signifies XVIII 8. Which they bring unto the Priest To be offered unto God Shall be his Who offers it For there being many Priests who waited in their Courses at the Tabernacle all of which could not officiate at the same time but some at one time some at another this Law determines that the particular Priest who performed the Office of Sacrificing should have to himself that part of the holy Things which fell to the Priests share and it should not be divided among them all Thus L'Empereur upon Bava kama c. 9. sect 12. expounds these words better than any I have met withal Verse 10 Ver. 10. And every mans hallowed thing shall be his As the former Verse speaks of the holy Things of the Children of Israel in general so this of what any particular Person offered which still with greater reason was to belong to the Priest that offered it For the Labourer is worthy of his hire and therefore he that did the work of Sacrificing had the Reward of it R. Solomon applying this to Tithes hath a gloss upon these words which though not pertinent is very remarkable He that doth not duly pay his Tithe in the end his Land shall yield him but a tithe of what it was wont to yield And so R. Bechai upon XIV Deut. expounds these words when a Man divideth not as he ought he shall have nothing but the holy things that is the Tithe of what he used to have according to V Isa 10. Whatsoever any Man giveth the Priest it shall be his These words are only a fuller Explication of this Law as the same L'Empereur observes that the rest of the Priests might
not take away those Holy things from him that offered them under pretence that they belonged to the whole Sacerdotal Order For though they were delivered unto him yet it was they might say that they should be divided among the whole Classes then in attendance So some things were v. 8. and therefore this Law is added to prevent their extending what was done in some Cases unto all Ver. 11. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Verse 11 There is so little Connection between this and the foregoing Laws that it is not easie to give a reason why it is here placed All that I can say is that Moses having spoken concerning Frauds from the Suspicion of which Men were to purge themselves by an Oath v. 6. he here takes occasion to mention the greatest Case that could happen of this nature Which was when a Woman was suspected of Adultery Concerning which God gave him the following Order Ver. 12. Speak unto the Children of Israel and say Verse 12 unto them if any Man's Wife go aside Being private for some time with another Man whose Company her Husband had charged her not to keep alone and therefore is suspected by him to be an Adulteress For it is certain that by a Wife that goeth aside whom the Hebrews from hence call Sota is not meant one that hath certainly committed Adultery but is with some reason suspected of that Crime And therefore it is a Rule among the Jews the bitter Waters never are used but in a dubious Case And commit a Trespass against him And thereby hath very much offended him Verse 13 Ver. 13. And a Man lie with her carnally As her Husband hath cause to suspect he having as I said before admonished her not to be with such a Man in private That is to give him no cause of jealousie So Abarbinel rightly expounds a Man's lying with her carnally of her Husband's Opinion and Suspicion And the next Verse justifies this Exposition And if it be hid from the Eyes of her Husband There being no clear evidence but only Conjectures that she is actually defiled And be kept close The matter having been carried very secretly Or as it may be interpreted but she was shut up close with him And she be defiled In her Husband's Opinion And there be no witness against her For if there had she must have been put to Death XX Levit 10. Neither she be taken with the manner She not being apprehended in the very Act. Verse 14 Ver. 14. And the Spirit of Jealousie come upon him He be possessed with a strong Conceit of which he cannot rid himself that she hath been unfaithful to him For so a Spirit of slumber and the like is used in Scripture for such a sluggish Temper as a Man cannot shake off And he be jealous of his Wife and she be defiled Whether it be really so And he be jealous and she be not defiled Or whether it be only his Suspicion Ver. 15. Then shall the Man bring his Wife unto the Verse 15 Priest To the Magistrates of the place where they lived saith the Mischna Cap. 1. Sect. 3. of Sota together with his Witnesses both of the Praemonition he had given her and of the Privacy she had had with another Man after his Praemonition so long that there might be time enough for him to defile her Otherwise this Action did not lie against her as Mr. Selden observes L. III. Vxor Hebr. Cap. XIII But having these Witnesses ready he was to speak to the Priest when he brought his Wife before him after this manner Having a Jealousie of this my Wife I admonished her not to keep company with such an one with whom she afterward was in secret and these are the Witnesses of it She saith she is innocent but I desire the Water may be given her that the Truth may be tried See Selden in the place before-named Cap. XV. and Wagenseil upon Sota Cap. I. Sect. 3. Not. 2. And he shall bring her Oblation for her That is the Husband shall bring her Oblation not the Priest as some understand the words of the Mischna about this matter Which Chaskuin fancies was offered as his Oblation not the Woman's to expiate his Fault in not reproving her sufficiently when he first observed her immodest Behaviour For it could not be a Sacrifice for her Expiation saith he because the Sacrifice of the Wicked is an Abomination But this is against the very words of Moses in this place which say he shall bring her Oblation for her And so Abarbinel expounds it the Scripture intimates that this Sacrifice was brought by the Husband for the sake of his Wife for he had done nothing that needed a Sacrifice Nor is Chaskuni his reason of any moment for there is nothing said to make us look upon this as an expiatory Sacrifice but the true Intention of it was as Wagenseil well observes Annot. in Mischna Sota Cap. II. p. 349. to supplicate the Divine Majesty that he would be pleased to clear the Woman's Innocence if she were causelesly suspected or otherwise discover and punish her Guilt By this it appears that if the Process was began in some Court below as the Jews affirm the Cause was removed to Jerusalem where only they could sacrifice when the Ark of God's Presence was setled there and brought before the great Sanhedrin Who putting her Husband out of the Court as they say in the next Section of the fore-named Mischna and having the Woman alone by her self endeavoured first by striking a Terror into her and then by giving her good words to perswade her to tell the Truth Saying Dear Daughter perhaps thou wast over-taken by drinking too Much Wine or wast in a frolick Humour or carried away by the Heat of Youth or by the Example of evil Neighbours Come confess the Truth for the sake of his great Name which is described in the most sacred Ceremony and do not let it be blotted out v. 23. with the bitter Water If after this she confessed the Fact saying I am defiled then she was to tear the Instrument of her Dowry in pieces and go whether she pleased For such an Adulteress was not put to Death but only lost her Dowry without any other Punishment If she said I am pure then she was brought to the Door of the Tabernacle and they did as follows So the Mischna cap. 1. sect 5. and see Wagenseil's Annotations on Sota And now that they have not this way of Trial among them if a Man's Wife give him suspicion by keeping a Man's Company in secret which he forbad her he may not use her any more as his Wife and she loses her Dowry as Buxtorfius observes in his Book De Sponsal Divort. Pars I. Sect. 92. The tenth part of an Ephah of Barly-meal The common Offering of this sort was of fine Wheat-flour only this and the Sheaf or handful mentioned XXIII Lev. 10. were of Barly But that was of
Bullock For a Verse 8 Burnt-offering as is manifest from v. 12. With his Meat-offering Which always attended upon Burnt-offerings XV. 9. And another young Bullock shalt thou take for a Sin-offering This being offered for the whole body of the Levites is the same Sacrifice that is ordered when the whole Congregation of Israel sinned through Ignorance IV Levit. 13 14. Ver. 9. And thou shalt bring the Levites before the Tabernacle of the Congregation To the Door of it where the Altar of Burnt-offerings stood XL Verse 9 Exod. 6. And thou shalt gather the whole Assembly of the Children of Israel together The Hebrew words COL ADATH which we translate the whole Assembly frequently signifies all the Elders of Israel As in XV. 4. XXV 7. XXXV 12. And it cannot well have any other sense in this place as appears from the next Verse Verse 10 Ver. 10. And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD Present them to him at the Altar And the Children of Israel The Elders of the People mentioned in the foregoing Verse For all the Children of Israel could not possibly do what is here enjoyned but some of them in the name of the rest and none so proper as their Rulers and Governors who were their Representatives Shall put their hands upon the Levites As Men used to do upon their Sacrifices Which signified the devoting of that Beast to God by him who laid his Hand on it at the Altar for such Purposes as he brought it And this was done by private Men in their Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings as well as in their Sin-offerings see I Levit. 4. III. 2. VIII 13. but the Jews observe that the whole Congregation laid their Hands only upon the Sin-offering that was offered for them IV Lev. 15. Therefore the Levites are here to be considered under that notion as is manifest from v. 19. where God is said to have given them to Aaron c. to make an Atonement for the Children of Israel For the Levites being given to God instead of the First-born by the Sanctification of which First-born to God as it is called XIII Exod. 1. the whole Family was sanctified and their Sin after a sort expiated the Offering of the Levites after this manner to God was to have the same effect that the Offering of the First-born had viz. the Sanctification and Atonement of the Children of Israel Ver. 11. And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Verse 11 LORD for an Offering of the Children of Israel The Hebrew words are more significant Aaron shall wave the Levites before the LORD for a Wave-offering c. I have often observed before that this Waving or Agitation too and fro before the Altar of which see XXIX Exod. 24. was a solemn Consecration of a thing to God as a Sacrifice And therefore the Levites were presented unto him under the same Consideration as the First-born were But it was impossible for Aaron to wave them as he did some parts of a Sacrifice and therefore it is probable that he lifting up his Hands and turning 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 became wholly his See ver 21. That they may execute the Service of the LORD Or as it is more significantly in the Margin that they may be to execute c. Which expresses the Intention of this waving them before the LORD that being wholly given up to him they might become meet to execute that Service to which he appointed them at his House Ver. 12. And the Levites shall lay their Hands upon the Heads of the Bullocks It being evident from v. 19. that the Levites were considered as an expiatory Sacrifice Verse 12 and yet not being to be devoted to Death no more than the First-born were these two Sacrifices one for Sin the other a Burnt-offering were substituted in their stead Upon which therefore they were to lay their Hands that the Sin which the Children of Israel laid upon them v. 10. might be transferred to these Beasts by laying their Hands upon them to be actually sacrificed unto God by shedding their Blood The one for a Sin-offering and the other for a Burnt-offering unto the LORD The Burnt-offering was mentioned first v. 8. being the most ancient of all Offerings from the beginning of the World But the Sin-offering is offered first to make the other acceptable And so it was when Aaron was consecrated VIII Levit. 14.18 and when he offered for himself IX Levit. 8 12. and for the People v. 15 16. and to name no more in the Cleansing of a Leper XIV 19. To make an Atonement for the Levites The Sin-offering properly made the Atonement and the Burnt-offering declared its acceptance Verse 13 Ver. 13. And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron and his Sons As they were brought before the LORD because they were to be given unto him v. 9. So now they were set before Aaron and his Sons because they were given by God to them v. 19. And offer them for an Offering unto the LORD Or as it is in the Hebrew and wave them for a Wave-offering unto the LORD Some imagine that as Aaron waved them before v. 11. so now they were in like manner waved by Moses But it seems to me more probable that the meaning is they being waved c. should be set before Aaron and his Sons and presented to them as God's Gift according to his order III. 9. And so these words ought to be translated after thou hast waved them for a Wave-offering That is after Aaron by his Order had waved them And thus the like words must be understood v. 15. See there Ver. 14. Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among Verse 14 the Children of Israel By the fore-mentioned Purification v. 7. and Oblation v. 10 11. And the Levites shall be mine They became his by this solemn Oblation of them to him v. 11. Ver. 15. And after that shall the Levites go in To Verse 15 the Court of the Tabernacle where they were to attend upon the Priests and assist them in their Ministry and in taking down the Tabernacle when it was to remove To do the Service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation In the Court of the Priests where the Altar of Burnt-offering stood For into the Sanctuary it self none but the Priests entred and there was no Ministry there in which the Levites were to assist And thou shalt cleanse them and offer them for an Offering Or rather after thou hast cleansed them and offered c. according as was directed v. 7 11. Ver. 16. For they are wholly given unto me c. Verse 16 God commanded them before to be taken from among the Children of Israel III. 45. and now they are given to him The word is repeated twice in the Hebrew given given which we translate wholly given because the Children of Israel
was kindled Or When the LORD heard it he demonstrated he was highly offended by sending a Fire among them And the Fire of the LORD burnt among them Some take this Phrase Fire of the LORD to signifie a great Fire as Mountains of the LORD are high Mountains Which came either from Heaven like Lightning as in 2 Kings I. 12. or from the Pillar of Cloud and Fire over the Tabernacle where the Glory of the LORD appeared some times like unto Fire And consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the Camps Where the mixt Multitude were as I observed X. 25. who came out of Egypt and may well be supposed to have stirred up the Israelites to complain of their tedious Journey which had not yet brought them near to the Land of Cannan And perhaps some of them lagged behind on purpose that they might complain of Weariness as some take it or rather of want of stronger Food But Bochartus hath demonstrated that this word which we translate the uttermost parts signifies in all or throughout Of which he gives many Instances out of Lud. de Dieu upon XXXIII Ezek. 1. See XIX Gen. 4. XLVII 2 c. Hierozoicon P. I. L. II. cap. 34. And therefore so it should be here rendred Consumed some in every part of the Camp where they began to make Complaints one to another of their being still in a Wilderness Ver. 2. And the People cried unto Moses Of whose Verse 2 power with God they had great Experience but had reason to distrust their own Interest in him because of their murmuring Humour For it is like they are the same People that cried now to Moses who before complained v. 1. And when Moses prayed unto the LORD As they begg'd he would The Fire was quenched Went out and no signs of it appeared So the Hebrew Phrase signifies it sunk What number of them was burnt we are not told it is likely nor many because the terrour of it instantly made them deprecate God's Displeasure by Moses their Intercessor which put a stop to it Ver. 3. And he called the name of the place Taberah Which for another reason was also called Kibroth-hattaavah v. 34. They are mentioned indeed in IX Deut. 22. as if they were two distinct places but Verse 3 it is plain by the story that the things which occasioned both these Names hapned in one and the same station And therefore they were only different Names for the same Place unless we suppose Kibroth-hattaavah to have been the name of that particular piece of Ground in that place where the Lusters were buried Because the Fire of the LORD burnt amâ—ng them This is the reason of the Name of Taberah which signifies a burning which was imposed on this place to preserve the Memory both of God's Judgments and of his Mercy Verse 4 Ver. 4. And the mixt Multitude that was among them The Hebrew word hasaphsuph is well translated by Bochartus Populi colluvies undecunque colâ—cta the Dregs or Scum of the People gathered together from all parts For the doubling of words increases their sense in the Hebrew Language and makes the same with the Superlative Degree in other Tongues Of which he gives many Instances in his Hierozoicon P. II. Lib. V. cap. 6. See XIII Lev. 19. where Adamdameth signifies exceeding red as hasaphsuph here doth a very great collection of all sorts of People both Egyptians and other Neighbouring Nations who were invited by their wonderful Deliverance out of Egypt to joyn themselves to the Israelites as Proselytes to their Religion See XII Exod. 38. The Jews in Tanchuma say there were Forty thousand of them and Jannes and Jambres at the Head of them Fell a lusting He doth not say for what and the Jews have taken the liberty to fancy what they please Some of them say that they lusted after such Women as Moses had lately forbidden them to marry So the Paraphrase of Vzielides Moses heard the People weeping because those that were near of kin to them were forbidden in Marriage And he makes as if these Proselytes petitioned Moses to abrogate those Laws about Incest Such Conceits others have indulged to themselves as Mr. Selden shows Lib. II. de Synedr Cap. IV. p. 202. when the words in the end of this Verse and v. 13 18. plainly show they lusted for Flesh to eat And the Children of Israel also Though the mixt multitude were the first Fomentors of this Discontent yet it run among the Children of Israel throughout the whole Camp And rose so high that they fell into a great Passion Wept again They had shed some Tears it seems before when they complained verse 1. but now they wept aloud out of Anger Vexation and Grief Or else this weeping again refers to their first Murmuring a Year ago like unto this XVI Exod. 3. And said They could not refrain from bursting out into such discontented Language as argued they were extreamly angry or rather inraged Who shall give us flesh to eat It is an Expression of a vehement impatient Desire mixed with Despair after flesh-Meat Which they needed not to have wanted if they would have killed their Cattel which they brought with them out of Egypt in great abundance XII Exod. 38. but they preserved them for breed when they came to Canaan and if they killed them daily they would not have lasted long to suffice Six hundred thousand People besides Women and Children See v. 21 22. Besides this while they continued in the Wilderness they were not permitted to eat any Flesh but only their share of the Peace-offerings that were offered at the Altar XVII Levit. 3 4 5. Which lasted the Jews think till they came to the Land of Canaan when this Restraint was taken off XII Deut. 15 16. And indeed the Wilderness was so barren a place that they could there have no great increase of Cattel scarce sufficient for Sacrifice They were angry therefore that they were not yet brought to a Country where they might have had all sorts of Flesh without killing their own Cattel and have taken their fill of that and all other Food as appears by the next Verse at as easie rates as they had done in Egypt Whereas now they despaired as I said of getting any such Food for so such Questions as this signifie CXIII Psal 5. LIII Isa 8. VIII Joh. 16. Verse 5 Ver. 5. We remember the fish This shows that all kind of Food is comprehended under Flesh for which they longed particularly this which is one sort of Flesh 1 Corinth XV. 39. Which we did eat in Egypt freely Or for nothing For they could easily catch them in the River of Egypt which abounded with them XIX Isa 8. and in the Sea also which was not far from them wherein was exceeding great plenty of excellent Fish The Cucumbers and the Melons c. None of which grew here in the Wilderness but were there in such Plenty and Perfection that they were the
kindled greatly Which brake forth shortly after in a great plague upon them v. 34. And Moses also was displeased The same Phrase with that v. 1. It was evil in the Eyes of Moses i. e. Grieved him so that it made him wish himself rid of the burden of their Government Ver. 11. And Moses said unto the LORD I suppose Verse 11 he went into the Sanctuary to bewail himself and pray God to relieve him See v. 24. Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy Servant By committing this People to his charge And wherefore have I not sound favour in thy sight By granting the Prayer which he made at his first Call to this Office III Exod. 2. IV. 10. That thou layest the burden of this People upon me i. e. The principal Care of such an untractable Multitude upon one Man to whom they resorted in all difficulties XVIII Exod. 22 26. Ver. 12. Have I conceived all this People have I begotten Verse 12 them Are they my Children that I should make provision for the Satisfaction of all their desires That thou hast said unto me carry them in thy Bosom as a nursing Father beareth the sucking Child unto the Land c. Take a tender Care of them as a Parent doth of a little Infant and conduct them into Canaan c. Nothing can more lively express the Affection that Princes ought to have for their People if they have any regard to the Will of God than this Divine Command to Moses Verse 13 Ver. 13. Whence should I have Flesh to give unto all this People It is impossible for me to do what they desire For they weep unto me saying Give us Flesh that we may eat And yet they will not be satisfied without it He seems to be affected with their weeping as the most loving Parents are with the Tears of a sucking Child when it cries for that which they have not for it Verse 14 Ver. 14. I am not able to bear all this People alone because it is too heavy for me Let me have some joined to me to take part of this trouble with me and help to manage them in such Mutinies For it is beyond my strength to undergo the toil of hearing all their Complaints and appeasing their Tumults Some may imagine there was no reason for this request he having several Persons already appointed to assist him by the advice of Jethro XVIII Exod. But Rasi thinks those Men were burnt in the late fire because they did not suppress the beginning of this Mutiny v. 1. but perhaps join in it And so Bechai But the true account is rather this that they were set only to hear and judge smaller Causes all the weighty and difficult Causes being still brought before Moses to whom also the last Appeal was made in every Cause Which was so great a burden that he complained for want of help in those great things which lay wholly upon him See XVIII Exod. 22. Ver. 15. And if thou deal thus with me If thou leavest me still alone in this Office Kill me I pray thee out of hand if I have found favour in thy sight I shall take it for the greatest Verse 15 kindness to be taken immediately out of the World And let me not see my wretchedness Live to be a most miserable Creature For to see wretchedness is to be wretched as to see death is to dye LXXXIX Psal 48. And what could make such a tender Parent as he was more miserable than their perpetual untowardness together with the intolerable trouble it would give him to see heavy Punishments continually befal them for their Wickedness and the Enemies of God rejoyce in their Ruin Ver. 16. And the LORD said unto Moses Here Verse 16 is not the least sign of God's dislike of this Expostulation of Moses with God which seems not very dutiful because the Vexation this stubborn People gave him was really so great that he had reason to desire to be eased of it Which though he begged with much earnestness yet no doubt with no less submission to God's holy Will and Pleasure Gather unto me These words are interpreted by the Talmudists as if the meaning was that they may be a Sanhedrim to my Land i. e. a holy perpetual standing Council to endure throughout all Generations For wheresoever we meet with this word li unto me they think it signifies a thing to be established by God to all Generations The Examples they alledge of it are these of Aaron and his Sons he saith they shall Minister unto me in the Priests Office XXVIII Exod. 41. and of the Levites he saith III Numb 12. they shall be mine or unto me and of the Israelites XXV Lev. 55. unto me the Children of Israel are Servants The like is said of the First-born III Numb 13. of the Sanctuary XXV Exod. 18. of the Altar XX Exod. 24. of the holy Oyntment XXX Exod. 31. of the Kingdom of David 1 Sam. XVI 1. and of the Sacrifices XXVIII Numb 2. See Mr. Selden Lib. II. de Synedr cap. 4. n. 2. Seventy Men of the Elders of Israel This Number is generally thought both by the Jewish and Christian Writers to be derived from the number of Persons that came down into Egypt with Jacob XLVI Gen. 27. Who saith R. Bechai were a kind of Prototype of this Number in future Ages For hence they were governed by so many Elders when they were in Egypt III Exod. 16. where there is no mention indeed made of Seventy but he gathers it from what followed and those were the Seventy whom we find at the giving of the Law a little after they came out of Egypt XXIV Exod. 1 9. who are called Nobles or Great Men v. 11. So that this number was not now first constituted but rather continued and confirmed Whom thou knowest to be the Elders of the People For there were many Elders out of whom Seventy were chosen See XXIV Exod. 1. And Officers over them That is saith R. Bechai whom thou knowest to be of the number of those who when they were Officers in Egypt over the People were beaten by Pharaoh's Task-masters V Exod. 14. Which word Officers doth not signifie Men that had any Judicial Authority but only such as had an inspection over others to see they did their Work and to give an account of them But it is very likely they were Persons of note who had more than ordinary Understanding and Breeding which advanced them to be Inspectors of others And therefore the Talmudists rightly observe that the Elders and Officers here mentioned were no doubt Men of Wisdom and Judgment who knew how to use the Authority that was committed to them And it is not improbable as some of them affirm that they were chosen out of those lesser Courts which were erected by the Advice of Jethro See Selden in the same place sect 5. who at large confutes Baronius and others who say that the number of the great Sanhedrim which
Moses Which is among you By a visible Token of his glorious Presence in the Sanctuary where he dwelt among them XXV Exod. v. 8. And have wept before him saying Why came we forth out of Egypt As if he had undone them by their Deliverance from thence Both Onkelos and Jonathan translate this verse in such a manner that one cannot but think they had a Notion in their Days of more Persons than one in the Godhead For these are the words of the latter of them Because you have despised or rejected as Onkelos the WORD of the LORD for glorious is his Majesty which dwelleth among us For I cannot see how the word MEMRA can signifie any thing in this place whatsoever it may do in some others but a Person equal to JEHOVAH And yet the Anonymus Writer against the Trinity confuted by de Voisin hath the strange unaccountable boldness to pass it by with this silly gloss Proprie de Lege accipi potest c. it may be properly understood of the Law which may be contemned or transgressed as if this could be called the glorious Majesty of the LORD which dwelt among them What will not Men say or do to serve a Cause Verse 21 Ver. 21. And Moses said the People among whom I am Over whom I preside as their Governor Are six hundred thousand Footmen Who were able to carry Arms besides Women and Children and Slaves and the mixt Multitude who in all may well be supposed to have made Thirty hundred thousand And thou hast said I will give them Flesh that they may eat an whole month i. e. How can this be Which is a down-right distrust of God's Promise if we regard merely the words and do not consider that they were spoken hastily and something inconsiderately while his Mind was very much disturbed by the Tumult which the People made For which reason a severe notice is not taken of it but he only put in mind of God's Eternal Power v. 23. Which may make it probable that they were only words of Admiration how such a Provision should be made for such a vast number and those uttered on a sudden Verse 22 Ver. 22. Shall the Flocks and the Herds be slain for them to suffice them In the Hebrew the words are If the Flocks and the Herds be slain for them will they be sufficient for them That is there will not be enough for a whole Month. And so the next Passage is to be translated If all the Fish of the Sea be gathered for them will they be sufficient for them Ver. 23. And the LORD said unto Moses is the LORD's Hand waxed short i. e. I need not tell thee that my Power is as great as ever Thou shalt see now whether my Word shall come to pass Verse 23 unto thee or not For thou shalt be convinced of it by the speedy performance of my Promise Ver. 24. And Moses went out I supposed v. 11. Verse 24 that Moses went into the Sanctuary to make his Addresses to God for relief and if that be true then that is the place from whence he now went out But there is this Objection against it That if he had gone to consult God in the Sanctuary as he did on some occasions VII 89. it would not have been said that he went out but that he came out For that is the usual Expression in this matter Therefore we may rather think he now went out of his own Tent where the People stood murmuring v. 10. And told the People the Words of the LORD Both concerning them and concerning himself And gathered the seventy Men of the Elders of the People That is sent out his Summons to them to attend him though two of them it appears afterwards did not come v. 26. And set them round about the Tabernacle That is required them to come thither and there place themselves that the People might understand they received their Authority from God and that from thence he might send his Holy Spirit upon them For God alone who was their King could appoint who should bear Rule among them There also were the great Assemblies held See XXVII 2. Ver. 25. And the LORD came down in a Cloud The SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty appeared from Heaven in a Cloud or in the Pillar of the Verse 25 Cloud as it is in XII 5. And spake unto him As he had promised v. 17. declaring it is likely the Reason and Intention of his appearing on this occasion And took of the Spirit that was upon him and gave it unto the seventy Elders See there v. 17. And it came to pass that when the Spirit rested upon them i. e. As soon as they received it They prophesied Either by setting forth the Promises of God in such a strain as none else could imitate or giving such admirable Instructions to the People as manifested they were raised above themselves or perhaps by declaring things to come particularly that they should have Quails as we render the word in great abundance very shortly as some of the Jews take it though that could not gain them just credit as the other Gifts till their Predictions were fulfilled And these the Jews call the second degree of Prophecy Concerning which Maimonides speaks in his Preface to his More Nevochim but more fully in his second Part of it Cap. XLV Where he saith the first degree was that which moved and enabled Men to some heroick Undertaking with assurance they were put upon it from God as to deliver Men from Tyranny and Oppression Which was the Spirit of the LORD that came upon GIDEON and SAMSON and the rest of the Judges of Israel who were carried by an extraordinary Power to perform such things as otherwise they thought not themselves fit to undertake And the second degree was when a Man found a Power upon him exciting him to speak either Psalms or Hymns or wholesome Precepts of living or about Political Affairs and Civil Government far beyond his Natural Capacities and all this waking and in the full vigour of his Senses This is also called the Holy Spirit and in this number he places these LXX Elders Who were endued with the Spirit of Moses for the Government of the People with him in such measure that they attained to be Prophets Just as in the New Testament the Prophets are placed next to the Apostles so these Men were next to Moses And ceased not In which Translation we follow the Chaldee Paraphrasts as several others do But the LXX translate it and they added no further which the Hebrew words will well bear taking the meaning to be that they prophesied that day but not after And this is the sense of the Talmudists particularly of Jarchi Who in his Gloss upon this place saith All these Elders prophesied only this first time that the Spirit rested on them as they stood about the Tabernable but they did not prophesie after that The like say several others
as they had been since by the giving of the Law to them at Mount Sinai and many other Instructions from the House of God Ver. 34. And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah That is the Graves of Lust because their Wanton Appetites threw them into those Verse 34 Graves for there as it follows they buried those that lusted For there they buried the People that lusted Not all that lusted for then all the People who were guilty of this Sin would have been buried but all that died of the Plague which was inflicted for this Sin Who perhaps were those that began and headed this Mutiny or were most violent in it Verse 35 Ver. 35. And the People journeyed When the Cloud was taken up again IX 17. From Kibroth-hattaavah From whence they departed about the beginning of the fourth Month called Tammuz Vnto Hazeroth Another place in the Wilderness of Paran but how far from the former Station whether a days Journey or more we do not find And abode at Hazeroth There the Cloud rested and accordingly there they incamped But we do not read how long only we are sure they stayed there at least a Week XII 15. CHAP. XII Chapter XII Ver. 1. AND Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses Verse 1 I can see no good Reason that can be given why Miriam is put here before Aaron but because she it is highly probable was the Beginner of this Sedition and drew her Brother Aaron into it Because of the Aethiopian Woman Or rather Arabian Woman See X Gen. 6. Whom he had married Whom most both of the Jewish and Christian Writers take to have been Zipporah though some few fancy he speaks of another Woman whom he had lately married Zipporah being either dead or divorced The only difficulty is why they should quarrel with him about Zipporah Who if she had been dead or divorced it is not likely he would have married a Cushite but a Jewish Woman The Hebrew Doctors have devised strange Stories about his forbearing her Company which may be read in many Authors particularly in Selden L. III. Vxor Hebr. cap. 26. where he recites many of their Opinions about this matter The most common is that they were angry at his Marriage with a Woman of another Nation whom they would have had him put away and taken another Wife So they interpret the following words for he had married an Aethiopian Woman as if his mere Marriage with her was the thing they spake against Which is not at all probable if this be meant of Zipporah for he had been married to her forty Years which if they had disliked one would think should have long before now been charged upon him as a Fault I rather think that they were jealous of his being ruled too much by her and by her Relations For it was by her Father's Advice that he made the Judges mentioned XVIII Exod. 21 22. and perhaps they imagined she and Hobab had a hand in chusing the LXX Elders lately made as we read in the foregoing Chapter With which this Story being immediately connected it makes me think it hath some relation to that For those Elders were nominated it is evident by Moses alone without consulting Aaron or Miriam Who taking themselves to be neglected in so great an Alteration made of the Government without their Advice were very angry And not daring to charge Moses directly with this Neglect of them they fall upon his Wife whom in Scorn they call a Cushite or Arabian Woman Which in after-times were accounted a vile People as appears from IX Amos 7. For that Country was inhabited by divers Nations mingled together viz. Ishmaelites Midianites Amalekites and such like Who from thence some think were called by the general name of Arabians because of their mixture For Ereb in Hebrew signifies a Miscellaneous Company or mixture of many People See XXV Jerem. 20 24. where he calls these very People by this name Verse 2 Ver. 2. And they said Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses Here it appears that it was really Moses with whom they were offended who alone had called what Men he thought good to be presented unto God to be constituted by him his Assistants in the Government XI 24. Hath he not also spoken by us Are not we also acquainted with God's Mind being Prophets For so Aaron was made IV Exod. 14 15. and Miriam so acknowledged XV Exod. 20. And moreover the Prophet Micah VI. 4. mentions them as Conductors of the People while they were in the Wilderness together with Moses Which might make them stomach it that he took no notice of them when he chose the LXX Elders who were to be his Co-adjutors but did it of himself And the LORD heard it Observed their Ill-behaviour towards him though he himself took no notice of it Ver. 3. Now the Man Moses was very meek above all Verse 3 the Men which were upon the face of the Earth This is added as the Reason why he passed by the Affront they put upon him and why God avenged it because he was so exceeding meek and patient or as others translate it so humble and lowly that he would have been exposed to further Affronts if God had not chastised their Insolence Moses also might think fit to set this down as a Confutation of their Charge against him being so far from that Pride which they imputed to him that he did not resent though he was so very much above them their undutiful Behaviour towards him Who had conversed immediately with God himself and been with him in the Holy Mount many days together who sent several Commands to Aaron as well as to the People by him alone Which made such a Difference between him and all others that as it was an unaccountable Arrogance in them to equal themselves unto him so he demonstrated how far he was from being proud of his Superiority by meekly bearing their haughty Behaviour towards him So little cause there is for their Cavils who from hence argue that Moses was not the Author of these Books because he commends himself in them For this is not so much a Commendation as a necessary Account of himself to show how causless their Charge against him was To such Vindications of themselves the humblest Souls may be constrained by the Calumnies of wicked Men As we see not only in St. Paul but our blessed Saviour who were put upon Glorying and Magnifying themselves by the Malignity of their Enemies See X Joh. 36. 2 Corinth XI 10 23 c. And this is the more allowable when Men know not only that they write the Truth but that it is notorious to all that are acquainted with them and cannot be contradicted The holy Writers also are not to be confined to our Rules being moved by the Holy Ghost to set down such things which if they had been left to themselves they would not have mentioned And Men who have a due Reverence
to the Holy Scriptures will look upon this rather as the Holy Ghost's Testimony concerning Moses than Moses his Testimony concerning himself But we have to do now with a Generation of Men that write upon these Books not as of a Divine Original but as they do upon common Authors Verse 4 Ver. 4. And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses The LORD thought fit immediately to stifle their Insurrection which might have proved dangerous if it had spread among the People And perhaps the word suddenly may relate to the manner of his calling to them with a quick and hasty Speech as one provoked and highly displeased And unto Aaron and unto Miriam It is uncertain whether God spake to these two by himself or by Moses It is likely he spake to them all together while Aaron and Miriam were expostulating with Moses with such a Voice as he was wont to use when he communicated his Mind to the Prophets Come out ye three It is likely they were all in Moses his Tent whether his Brother and Sister were come to utter their Complaint Vnto the Tabernacle of the Congregation Which was God's Tent wherein he dwelt among them and from whence he declared his Will to them And they came out To attend the Pleasure of the Divine Majesty Ver. 5. And the LORD came down in the Pillar Verse 5 of the Cloud The Pillar of the Cloud which was wont to be over the most Holy Place where the LORD dwelt came down from thence and the SCHECHINAH in it and stood as it here follows at the Door of the Tabernacle And stood in the Door of the Tabernacle As if it would leave them as it did v. 9. And called Aaron and Miriam Who were at some distance I suppose and are commanded to come nearer And they came forth From the place where they were when he called them Or from Moses with whom they came from his Tent and now are required to stand by themselves Ver. 6. And he said hear now my Words Mark Verse 6 what I say to you If there be a Prophet among you This doth not make a doubt of it but supposes that they and others among the People were Prophets as they alledged v. 2. But God would have them to understand that he did not communicate his Mind to all alike nor in the same way and manner but so differently as to make a remarkable Distinction between Moses and others Whether there were in those days Men brought up and trained to be made fit to receive this Gift bestow'd upon them we do not know But in after-times it is evident there were certain Colledges of Prophets wherein Disciples of Prophets were bred Such was that 1 Sam. X. 5. and XIX 18 c. Where the Sons of the Prophets i. e. their Scholars or Disciples as Jonathan always translates that Phrase were brought up And for the most part such only were endued with this Gift who were so educated in those Schools in the Study of the Law and in Piety Though God did not tye himself to dispense it to such Persons alone but bestowed it upon whom he pleased though they had spent no time in those Schools of the Prophets This is apparent from that Proverbial Speech Is Saul also among the Prophets 1 Sam. X. 11. XIX 24. This had been no wonder as this Saying imports if it had been usual for Persons to be endowed with this Gift on a sudden who was never bred up in such a course as led to it But to show how this came to pass one of that place answered and said as it there follows v. 12. but who is their Father That is this is no such wonder if it be considered who makes Men Prophets viz. God who is the Father of all the Children of the Prophets and therefore may inspire whom he pleases As he now might have imparted this Gift to meaner Persons than the LXX Elders presented to him by Moses and made them equal if he had thought fit with Aaron and Miriam For this was the case of Amos in after-ages who was no Prophet nor a Prophet's Son as he himself relates VII 14. but an Herds-man and yet the LORD took him as he followed the Flock and bad him go and prophesie unto his People Israel I the LORD Here is the Original of Prophecy will make my self known unto him communicate to him my Mind and Will In a Vision This was one way of discovering his Mind to the Prophets by representing things to them when they were awake as if they had perceived them by their Senses which at that time were lockt up and all transacted by a Divine Operation upon their Mind and Imagination See XV Gen. 1. and VIII Dan. 1 15. Abarbinel mentions one who observes that the word Marah the Plural of which Maroth signifies Looking-Glasses in XXXVIII Exod. 8. is a different word from Mareh which is commonly used for Vision And teaches us that all the Representations made in this way to the Prophets were only as the Images of things represented in a Glass in which we behold the outward Shape or Shadow as we may call it but not the thing it self And so St. Paul seems to have understood this word if he alludes to this place as Grotius thinks he doth when he saith now we see 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through a Glass darkly 1 Corinth XIII 12. And I will speak unto him in a Dream This was another way of God's revealing his Mind unto the Prophets in their sleep when they not only saw things represented them but also heard a voice And both these seem some times to have been mixed together or to have followed one another as in XVI Gen. 12. VII Dan. 1. VIII 16 17 18. And it is a Maxim among the Jews that there is no degree of Prophecy but it is comprehended under one of these Visions or Dreams So Maimonides in his More Nevochim P. II. cap. 32. and 41. and again cap. 43. where he saith There is no third degree of Prophecy besides these two For as for that Divine Spirit which moved Men to speak of things appertaining to the Knowledge of God and his Praises beyond their natural or acquired Abilities without seeing any Figures asleep or awake though with Assurance that it was from God they will not have it called Prophecy though they acknowledge those Parts of Scripture which they call Cetuvim and the LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. written by the Holy Ghost were indited by that Divine Spirit and therefore we cannot reasonably deny those that were inspired by it the Name of Prophets Verse 7 Ver. 7. My Servant Moses is not so Doth not receive my Mind in either of those ways and therefore is more than a Prophet having it communicated to him in a far more noble and clearer manner which placed him in a higher rank than any other inspired Person Who is faithful in all my House Because he was intrusted so
it was to inspect it and judge whether it was a Leprosie or no XIII Lev. 2 c. And behold she was leprous He could not but judge her to have a Leprosie and consequently pronounce her unclean Ver. 11. And Aaron said unto Moses He was Verse 11 made sensible that Moses had greater interest in God than himself and therefore desires his intercession for them Alas my Lord Have pity upon us miserable Wretches I beseech thee lay not the Sin upon us He supplicates him as his Superior and humbly begs his pardon and that he would obtain remission of the Punishment which they had justly deserved by their Sin For he was afraid he himself might suffer as he saw she did Wherein we have done foolishly and wherein we have sinned He prays him to look upon their Offence as proceeding from Folly and Weakness though in it self a great Sin Ver. 12. Let her not be as one dead c. For so Verse 12 she was not only legally being to be separated from the Living but naturally also this being as I said the worst kind of Leprosie which eat into the very Flesh and made her look like an Abortive as it here follows or Still-born Child which had lain long dead and was half wasted away in its Mothers Womb. Ver. 13. And Moses cried unto the LORD Most Verse 13 earnestly petitioned the LORD for her such was his Meekness and Piety And his crying perhaps supposes the Divine Majesty to be gone afar off if not out of sight Heal her now O God I beseech thee For it was beyond any other power but his to recover her Ver. 14. And the LORD said unto Moses if her Verse 14 Father had but spit in her face An expression of extream Anger abhorrence and contempt XXX Job 10. LII Isa 6. Should she not be ashamed seven days She could not have had the confidence to come presently into his Presence but be ashamed for a great while to look him in the Face Let her be shut out of the Camp Much more is it fit that Miriam should avoid my Presence and not presume to come before me who have set a greater Mark of my Indignation and Detestation upon her For Spittle might soon be wiped off but the Leprosie stuck to her and made her unfit for all Conversation with God or Man Seven days Which was the time for legal Cleansing from such great Impurities XIV Lev. 8. VI Numb 9. XXXI 19. And after that let her be received in again I suppose she was presently freed from her Leprosie but kept out from the Camp so long to declare God's Displeasure against her and to humble her by exposing her to shame Verse 15 Ver. 15. And Miriam was shut out of the Camp seven days That her Offence might be known to all by her open Punishment And the People journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again For the Cloud was gone which should have directed them in their Motions And besides this respect perhaps was shown unto her because she was a Prophetess and hereby she had time given her to humble her self before God and to beg his Pardon for her Sin Brought in again When one would have expected that such Sacrifices should have been offered for her Cleansing as are required in XIV Lev. But this was an extraordinary Case she being on a sudden miraculously struck with the highest Degree of the Plague of Leprosie and as suddenly cured by the same Hand that struck her Ver. 16. And afterward the People removed Which Verse 16 shows that the Cloud which departed from the Tabernacle v. 10. returned again to it together with Miriam that it might guide them in their removal to another Station For till it was taken up from the Tabernacle they stirred not from the place where they were IX 17 18. From Hazeroth After they had abode there seven days at the least And pitched in the Wilderness of Paran Where they were before See X. 12. but now were brought into another part of it called Rithmah XXXIII 18. which was call'd also by another name Kadesh-barnea XIII 26 I Deut. 19. Or else we must suppose these two Places to have been so very near together that they might be said to have pitched either in the one or the other This Station was at the foot of the Mountain on the South part of Canaan I Deut. 20. so that their next removal was to have been into the Land promised to them if they themselves had not hindred by their renewed Rebellion This removal was in the fourth Month of the second Year after they came out of the Land of Egypt See XI 20 35. CHAP. XIII Chapter XIII Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying They being now come to the Borders of Canaan the LORD ordered Moses to exhort them to go up and take possession of it and not to fear nor be discouraged as we read in I Deut. 21. But the People out of a distrust of God's Power as Moses seems to intimate IX Deut. 23. desired they might first send some to search out the Land before they attempted its Conquest I Deut. 22. About which it is likely Moses consulted the Divine Majesty who gave them leave so to do Verse 2 Ver. 2. Send thou Men. For their greater satisfaction God ordered them to have their desire For there seems to have been a general Fear upon them every one of them coming to Moses with this request I Deut. 22. which could not be removed but by sending some to bring them intelligence what kind of Country it was and what People they had to deal withal v. 18 19 20. That they may search the Land of Canaan To make a discovery both of the Country and of the Inhabitants and the best way to invade it I Deut. 22. Which I give unto the Children of Israel To the possession of which God now intended to introduce them For he had already brought them to the Confines of it and bidden them go up and possess it I Deut. 20 21. but they would needs make this delay for a discovery of the condition of the Country which was their own contrivance at the first and not a Divine Counsel Of every Tribe of their Fathers shall ye send a Man That there might be no suspicion of Partiality in their Report Every one a Ruler among them Men of Authority and Prudence who might be the more believed Yet not of the highest Rank for such are called by the name of Princes I. 16. but Rulers perhaps of Thousands who were very considerable in their Tribes For they are called by the same name in the Hebrew every one being said to be a NASI and a ROSCH a Leader and a Head in their Tribes which may incline one to think that there were higher and lower Persons of this sort who had the same Title in every Tribe Ver. 3. And Moses by the Commandment of the Verse 3 LORD Which was given
the Divine Majesty in Detestation of the Impiety and to declare their Sorrow and Indignation and Dread of God's Judgments as appears from XXXVI Jerem. 24. Where the Stupidity of Jehojakim and his Servants is represented by this that when they heard the words which the Prophet declared in God's Name against Judah they were not afraid nor rent their Garments Verse 7 Ver. 7. And they spake unto all the Company of the Children of Israel saying This showed great Courage that they durst declare their Opinion contrary to the Sense of so great a multitude The Land which we passed thorough to search it is an exceeding good Land This is opposed to what their Fellows had said that it was a Land which eat up its Inhabitants XIII 32. Quite contrary they assure them it was very very good as the words are in the Hebrew And so expressed by the Chaldee and the LXX exceeding exceeding good That is every way desirable for thus the Hebrews express the Superlative Degree Verse 8 Ver. 8. If the LORD delight in us then he will bring us into this Land and give it us If we do not forfeit his Favour he will make us so happy as to drive out the Canaanites and settle us in the Possession of this Land A Land which floweth with Milk and Honey As their Companions themselves had confessed XIII 27. Ver. 9. Only rebel ye not against the LORD By slighting his Goodness by Murmuring and discontented Speeches and talking of going back to Egypt v. 2 3 4. Verse 9 Neither fear ye the People of the Land This is opposed to what the rest of the Spies had said concerning the mighty Power and Strength of the Inhabitants of Canaan XIII 28 29 31 c. For they are Bread for us We shall as easily vanquish them as we eat our Meat Their Defence is departed from them In the Hebrew the words are their Shadow whereby Men being defended from Heat in those Countries it signifies the Protection which God gives Men from those things that might hurt them Which Divine Protection they tell the People was now withdrawn from the Canaanites who had filled up the measure of their Iniquities XV Gen. 16. and now were exposed as a Prey to the Israelites And the LORD is with us For on the contrary they entreat the People to consider that God who was departed from the Canaanites was with them to aid and assist them in the Conquest of the Country And for both these reasons they needed not to fear them So they conclude their Speech like Men of an undaunted Spirit in these words fear them not Ver. 10. But all the Congregation The Hebrew Verse 10 words Col Ha Edah as I observed v. 1. signifies all the great Men the Rulers of the rest Bad stone them with stones Ordered the People to stone them to Death as they had done it is likely if they had not been deterred from the Attempt by the Appearance of the Divine Majesty For the Hebrew word amar as Maimonides observes in his More Nevochim P. I. cap. 65. is used not only concerning that which is spoken or thought but of what is decreed and resolved And he produces these words as an instance of it together with II Exod. 14. 2 Sam. XXI 16. And the Glory of the LORD appeared The SCHECHINAH which resided within the Tabernacle upon the Mercy-Seat now openly appeared in a bright flaming Light like Fire And in all probability after such an amazing manner as terrified them from their Design Thus it appeared on Mount Sinai to fright them from approaching near unto it XXIV Exod. 17. from whence Moses saith the LORD thy God is a consuming fire IV Deut. 24. and thus it appeared afterward XVI Numb 19 42. In the Tabernacle of the Congregation Or rather upon the Tabernacle for in the Tabernacle the People could not have seen it as now they did over the most Holy place which the Cloud constantly covered over the Mercy-Seat where the Divine Glory dwelt See IX 15. Before all the Children of Israel Both to fright them as I said from their purpose of stoning Joshua and Caleb and to show his Anger and Displeasure at their Rebellion which it is likely appeared by the Flashes that came from the glorious Flame Verse 11 Ver. 11. And the LORD said unto Moses In answer I suppose unto his Prayer v. 5. How long will this People provoke me Shall I always bear with their most undutiful Behaviour which will provoke the greatest Patience unto Anger How long will it be ere they believe me Dost thou not see that their belief is incurable For all the Signs which I have shewed among them Since they continue in it notwithstanding all the Wonders I have done to convince them of my Power and Faithfulness Ver. 12. I will smite them with a Pestilence Send Verse 12 a Pestilential Disease among them to sweep them away at once as the fifteenth Verse interprets it See XXXII Exod. 10. And disinherit them And so deprive them and theirs of the Country which I promised to their Fathers for an Inheritance XV Gen. 7. This was not an irrevocable Decree but a Threatning which God changed into another severe Punishment And will make of thee a greater Nation and mightier than they Fulfil my Promise to Abraham by making thee the Father of a more numerous People and more powerful than they whom I reject Ver. 13. And Moses said unto the LORD then Verse 13 the Egyptians will hear it for thou broughtest up this People by thy might from among them It is an abrupt kind of Speech proceeding from the great disturbance which this Threatning made in his Mind being as much as if he had said If thou thus destroy them the Egyptians when they hear of it will Triumph and thou wilt lose all the Honour thou hast got by the wonderful Deliverance thou didst work for thy People from their Bondage Ver. 14. And they will tell it to the Inhabitants of Verse 14 this Land Or rather they will say to the Inhabitants of this Land i. e. the Canaanites with whom the Egyptians had frequent Commerce For they have heard c. The word for is not in the Hebrew and the Sense will be more plain if we omit it and translate the whole thus They will say to the Inhabitants of this Land they have heard that thou LORD art among this People That is that there was a glorious Token of thy Presence among us That thou LORD art seen face to face And spakest to us from Mount Sinai out of that glorious Cloud which there appeared unto all the People XIX Exod. 18. XX. 1. XXIV 16 17. IV Deut. 12. And that thy Cloud standeth over them X Numb 34. And that thou goest before them by day time in a Pillar of a Cloud and in a Pillar of Fire by Night XIII Exod. 21. Verse 15 Ver. 15. Now if thou shalt kill all this People Or rather But thou hast
the Doom was irreversible Ver. 40. And they rose up early Or But they rose Verse 40 up c. In the Morning The next Morning after they were told what God had decreed against them And gat them up into the top of the Mountain They resolved they would go up or they prepared themselves for it for they did not yet actually go up as appears by the following words Saying Lo we be here We are ready to do as Joshua and Caleb exhorted us XIII 30. XIV 9. They seem now to be as forward as before they were backward to go to possess the Land which their rising early signified And we will go up to the place which the LORD hath promised They pretend now to depend upon his Promise and to trust he will make it good For we have sinned Are sensible of our Sin and repent of it Or though we have sinned yet we hope he will make good his Promise Ver. 41. And Moses said wherefore now do you Verse 41 transgress the Commandment of the LORD Why do you still continue in your Disobedience to God who commands you to return and not to go forward v. 25. But it shall not prosper You shall not succeed in your Enterprise which these words show they stood ready to take in hand Ver. 42. Go not up Though they sought the Verse 42 renewal of God's Promise with Tears v. 39. and now were ready to testifie their Repentance with the hazard of their Lives he would not recal the Sentence passed upon them For the LORD is not among you The Cloud did not stir to conduct them by which they might have understood that their Attempt was presumptuous That ye be not smitten before your Enemies Who without God's help would be too strong for them Verse 43 Ver. 43. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you Either they were removed out of the Valley where they were before v. 25. Or their main Body being there below they sent a strong Party to possess themselves of the top of the Mountain and to make good the Pass against the Israelites And ye shall fall by the Sword Lose your Lives in the Attempt Because ye are turned away from the LORD therefore the LORD will not be with you This was a powerful Reason to check their Motion and to restrain them from their Attempt But after the manner of obstinate Sinners they go on still in their Unbelief as the next words inform us Verse 44 Ver. 44. But they presumed to go up to the Hill top They audaciously endeavoured to ascend the Mountain against the Divine Command Which is a strange instance of hardned Infidelity Nevertheless the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and Moses departed not out of the Camp The Cloud stood still over the Tabernacle and therefore Moses and the Levites and the Ark which went before them when they first removed from Sinai X. 33. did not stir out of the place where they were encamped to conduct them But this seems to signifie that all the other Camps except that of the Levites i. e. the whole Body of armed Men moved without the guidance of God who would not favour them because they moved against his express Command Ver. 45. Then the Amalekites came down and the Verse 45 Canaanites With whom the Amorites also joyned I Deut. 44. Which dwelt in that Hill Who had posted themselves there and possessed themselves of the top of the Mountain v. 43. and see v. 25. And smote them Having a great advantage of them that were climbing up the Hill from whence they came pouring down upon them And discomfited them It is not said how great a slaughter they made of them but it is likely it was not small because they chased them a good way Thus began God's threatning to be immediately fulfilled that their Carcases should fall in that Wilderness v. 29. by their own wilfulness Even unto Hormah A place in the Confines of Canaan near the dead Sea So called from the destruction that was here made of the Israelites and afterward of the Canaanites XXI 3. I Judg. 17. And upon the occasion of this Calamity which befel the Israelites and the great Mortality which followed while they stayed in the Wilderness Moses is thought to have penned the XC Psalm In which he signifies the Life of Man was now shortned and reduced to Seventy or Eighty Years that is made but half as long as the Lives of their Fore-fathers CHAP. XV. Chapter XV Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying We read in I Deut. ult that they abode in Kadesh where the foregoing murmuring was many days During which time and in the latter part of this second Year after they came out of Egypt it is very probable all that we read in this Chapter and in the four following was transacted Verse 2 Ver. 2. Speak unto the Children of Israel and say unto them These words were not directed to the whole Congregation but to the younger sort who had not forfeited the favour of God as their Fathers had done Several of which it is likely were already dead according to the Doom God had passed upon them and the rest lookt upon themselves as disinherited XIV 12. and therefore these Precepts were not delivered to them When ye come into the Land of your Habitations which I give unto you This shows he speaks to the Children of the Murmurers whom he promised to bring into the Land of Canaan XIV 31. and would therefore have well instructed in the manner of Sacrificing wherein God's Worship and Service very much consisted which is the reason why he further explains what he had heretofore said about this matter But hence it appears that they were not bound to observe these Laws till they came to Canaan Ver. 3. And will make an offering by fire unto the LORD This comprehends all the Sacrifices which were burnt upon the Altar either in whole or in part Verse 3 A Burnt-offering This was the principal and most ancient Sacrifice of all other which was wholly burnt upon the Altar every Morning and every Evening XXIX Exod. 40. of which he treats in the first of Leviticus Or a Sacrifice This undoubtedly signifies Peace-offerings as appears from v. 8. and from the words here following and likewise from the use of the word Sacrifice in other places XVIII Exod. 12. XVII Levit. 5 8. And from this consideration also that Sin-offerings had no Meat-offerings attending on them but only in the Case of a Leper XIV Lev. 10. In performing a Vow or in a Free-will-offering These words explain what he means by a Sacrifice viz. Peace-offerings which were offered in performance of some Vow or freely of their own accord VII Lev. 16. XXII 21. or by God's command upon their Solemn Feasts as it here follows And in your solemn Feasts Mentioned XXIII Levit. See there v. 37. and XXIX Numb 39. To make a sweet savour unto the
cause him to come near unto him Make it appear that they are the Persons who ought to burn Incense and to offer Sacrifice For to come near is to perform these Offices as may be learnt from XIX Levit 22. but especially from X Levit. 3. And the very word Cohen denotes it for it signifies a Minister next to the King And him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him They shall discharge the Office of Priesthood whom God himself hath chosen to it and no Body else Ver. 6. This do I put you to this Trial. Verse 6 Take your Censers Perform the Office of Priests unto which you pretend a right Korah and all his Company All the Two hundred and fifty Men and whosoever else were in the Faction of Korah Whom he orders no doubt by God's direction to execute the Office to which they aspired Ver. 7. Put Fire therein and put Incense in them Verse 7 As the Priests were wont to do Before the LORD to morrow At the Altar of Incense as some conceive before the most Holy Place So Menochius But this is contrary to v. 18. where we read they stood in the door of the Tabernacle with their Censers Fire and Incense Nor would the Sanctuary contain such a Company or if it had been large enough the People could not have seen either their Offering or their Punishment from the LORD for their Sin Therefore these words before the LORD signifie with their Faces towards the Sanctuary at the Gate of which they stood for what was done there is said to be before the LORD XXIX Exod. 42. And it shall be that the Man whom the LORD doth choose he shall be holy This comprehends both the Man and all his Family so the meaning is the LORD would declare whether Aaron and his Sons should execute the Priesthood alone or Korah and his Company be admitted to it Ye take too much upon you ye Sons of Levi. It is the same Phrase which we had before v. 3. Rab-lachem you are high enough already let the station wherein you are suffice you and aspire not after greater Dignity The following words justifie this Interpretation Verse 8 Ver. 8. And Moses said unto Korah hear I pray you ye Sons of Levi. By this and by the foregoing verse it appears not only that there were some of the Levites in this Sedition together with Korah at the Head of them but that they were the chief Incendiaries though others as I said before were drawn in to joyn with them because Moses addresses himself only to them Verse 9 Ver. 9. Seemeth it a small thing unto you Do you take it to be no honour to you That the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel Made choice of you above all other Israelites to wait upon him in his Family as his Domestick Servants III Numb 12. VIII 6 14. To bring you near to himself Though not so near as the Priests yet nearer than all other Men being the sole Attendants upon the Priests III. 6. VIII 10 11. To do the Service of the Tabernacle of the LORD III. 7 8. particularly the Kohathites were chosen to do the Service of the Tabernacle about the most holy things IV. 4 19. And to stand before the Congregation to minister unto them VIII 11 19. Ver. 10. And he hath brought thee near to him and Verse 10 all thy Brethren the Sons of Levi with thee Or Though he hath brought thee speaking unto Korah thus near to him and all the rest of the Levites thy Brethren See VIII 10 11 15 19. And seek ye the Priesthood also Will it not content you that you alone are chosen to minister unto the Priests III. 6. but you must be advanced to minister unto God in their Office Ver. 11. For which cause both thou and all thy Company Verse 11 are gathered together against the LORD By whose order Aaron and his Sons were appointed to serve him in the Office of Priests as was declared when the Levites were taken to minister unto them III. 3. IV. 15 19 20. And therefore to rise up against them was to rise up against the LORD and oppose his Authority who made them his Priests And what is Aaron Or And Aaron what hath he done Wherein is he faulty That ye murmur against him For taking upon him the Office of Priesthood into which he did not intrude himself but was chosen and appointed by God to do him that Service who would have been angry with him if he had refused it Ver. 12. And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram Verse 12 the Sons of Eliah To Summon them to the place where Moses now was which the Jews say was the Court of Judgment This shows that either these Men as I said v. 2. did not openly appear with Korah and his Company against Moses v. 3. Or if they did they retired to their Tents before he rose up from his Prayer to give them an Answer What became of On we are not informed for he is neither mentioned here nor in the following part of this Narrative concerning their Sedition nor any where else in the Holy Scripture Which said We will not come up They bad the Messenger who summoned them to appear before Moses to tell him plainly that they denied his Authority For that 's the meaning of this Language He hath no Authority to command us who are none of his Subjects and therefore will not obey him Verse 13 Ver. 13. Is it a small thing with thee that thou hast brought us up out of a Land flowing with Milk and Honey to kill us in the Wilderness Though they would not come to him yet they returned him this Message Have we not suffered enough by being brought out of a rich and plentiful Country abounding with all good things into a barren Wilderness where we are ready to starve Nothing could be more insolentand ungrateful than to describe Egypt in the very same Language wherein God himself had often spoken of the Land of Promise particularly when he sent Moses to tell them he would bring them up out of the Affliction of Egypt under which they groaned III Exod. 16 17. Except thou make thy self altogether a Prince over us Unless we allow thee to make what Laws thou thinkest good and impose what thou pleasest upon us A most rude and insolent Speech signifying that they had not shaken off the Yoke of Bondage but only exchanged it and instead of the Rich and Wealthy Oppression of Pharaoh were come under the Poor and Hungry Tyranny of Moses For so the next verse imports Ver. 14. Moreover thou hast not brought us into a Verse 14 Land that floweth with Milk and Honey c. Or Certainly this is not the good Land into which thou didst promise to conduct us It seems to be a Sarcastical Speech Upbraiding him as if he had put a Cheat upon them and fed them only with
good Words to which they would no longer trust Or given us Inheritence of Fields and Vineyards But told us it shall be bestowed forty years hence when we are all dead This still shows they took him for a Deluder of them with deceitful Promises Wilt thou put out the Eyes of these Men Some of them spake this in the name of the rest who were now with Dathan and Abiram and the meaning is Dost thou think to blind us so that none of us shall discern this Imposture Or shall we suffer thee to lead us about like blind Men whither thou pleasest sometimes towards Canaan and now back again towards the Red Sea and Egypt We will not come up A peremptory Resolution not to own his Authority which they denied at the first v. 12. Ver. 15. And Moses was very wroth For such behaviour Verse 15 and Language was so provoking that it was no wonder it incensed the meekest Man upon Earth XII 3. Yet the LXX translate the words as if he only took it very heavily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it made him exceeding sad And said unto the LORD respect not their Offering He calls the Incense which they were about to offer by the Name of Mincha which commonly signifies a Meat-offering but sometimes any inanimate thing that was consumed in honour of God as Incense was and must so signifie in this place for they offered nothing else And when Moses desires it may not be accepted he means a great deal more that God would give some Sign of his dislike to it Hence it seems plain to me That Dathan and Abiram as well as Korah quarrelled at the confining the Priestood unto Aaron's Family for Moses calls this their Offering by the Acceptance or Rejection of which this Controversie was to be decided I have not taken one Ass from them This seems to be an Appeal to God against their unjust Charge that he acted Arbitrarily and did with them what he list v. 13. From which he was so far that he declares before God he had not taken i. e. received by way of Gift or Reward So the LXX and the Vulgar understand it the smallest thing for such a single Ass was much less extorted any thing from them Nor have I hurt any one of them None can say that I have done any kind of Evil to them but contrarily all good Offices For that he did not seek himself appeared in this That he had not advanced his own Family to the Priestood but left them in the number of the other Levites upon the same level with Korah and his Company Ver. 16. And Moses said unto Korah be thou and all thy Company before the LORD c. He repeats what he had said to him before v. 6 7. only adding that he would have Aaron also there together with Verse 16 them So it follows Thou and they and Aaron to morrow Before the LORD i. e. In the Court of the Tabernacle See v. 7. where by an extraordinary Commission from the Divine Majesty this Trial was to be made And therefore Aaron himself did not now go into the Sanctuary to offer Incense which was the proper and only place allowed by the Law but stood with them without As in another great necessity he offered Incense in the midst of the Congregation v. 46 47. Both which was done by a Dispensation from him that made the Law Ver. 17. Take every Man his Censer and put Incense Verse 17 in them and bring ye before the LORD every Man his Censer Let every Man of them stand before the LORD at the Door of the Tabernacle to do the Office of Priests to which they pretended as good a right as Aaron and his Sons Two hundred and fifty Censers This shows that the Incense being offered by so great a number as it appears it was v. 35. they did not offer it in the Sanctuary which would not contain so many Persons Thou also and Aaron each of you his Censer This seems to signifie as if Korah was commanded to stand by Aaron since he pretended to be his equal which made the Hand of God the more remarkable upon him when he was struck with Lightning and no harm came to Aaron who stood by him But it may be doubted what way Korah perished Ver. 18. And they took every Man his Censer That is the Two hundred and fifty Men did as they were commanded but Korah went first to muster up as Verse 18 many as he could get together against Moses v. 19. and then seems to have gone to his Tent v. 24. Herein these Men submitted to the way of decision which Moses propounded though they had so boldly denied his Authority For they could not but think that God whom they owned to be among them v. 3. would approve of them if they were in the right and make good their Allegation That all the Congregation were holy by accepting their Incense as much as Aaron's To whom they did not deny an equality with themselves but only a Superiority And put fire in them From the Altar of Burnt-offering which stood in the Court at the Door of which they were placed I Lev. 5. for Aaron durst not take it from any other place his Sons having lost their Lives for offering with strange Fire The remembrance of which it is likely deterred these Men from doing other wise who did not as yet put in the Fire but only took their Censers and put Incense in them which is all that is ordered in the preceding Verse and put Fire in afterwards And stood in the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation with Moses and Aaron As if they were nothing inferiour to them Verse 19 Ver. 19. And Korah gathered all the Congregation against them The LXX translates it Korah gathered all his Congregation i. e. all the Men of his Faction But the Hebrew words import that he gathered all the Congregation of Israel at least all the great Men who are sometimes called by the Name of all the Congregation XIV 1. whom he got together that they might be Witnesses at least of the issue of this Trial though their coming together with Korah and his Company rather than with Moses and Aaron is too plain an Indication that they were inclined if not to throw off yet to doubt of their Authority Vnto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation Where they themselves stood v. 18. And so did Moses and Aaron but the Israelites that Korah had gathered together stood on his side as appears from the foregoing words and from v. 24. And the Glory of the LORD The SCHECHINAH or Divine Majesty came forth out of the most Holy Place where it usually resided Appeared unto all the Congregation Openly shewed it self in the sight of all the People and it is likely in such an amazing manner as it had done before XIV 10. But where it appeared we are not told I suppose in the Cloud which was just
over the Ark of the Testimony IX 15. not in the Door of the Tabernacle for there Korah and his Company stood See XVI Exod. 10. And the end of the LORD 's appearing was to to give Sentence in this case and to declare by a visible Token whom he accepted as his Priests Thus the Glory of the LORD appeared the first time that Aaron and his Sons offered Sacrifice IX Lev. 6 23. Ver. 20. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Verse 20 Aaron saying A little before they put Fire in their Censers Ver. 21. Separate your selves from this Congregation Verse 21 Viz. From Korah and his Company and the People they brought along with them who seemed to favour them v. 19. That I may consume them in a moment As he did Korah and his Companions Ver. 22. And they fell on their faces To pray to Verse 22 God as they had done before v. 4. O God The most mighty The God of the Spirits of all Flesh Who hast created the Souls of all Mankind so Flesh often signifies all Men VI Gen. 13. and therefore searchest into their most secret Thoughts and Inclinations So these words signifie XXVII 16. Shall one Man sin Korah who was the chief Incendiary and Contriver of this Sedition And wilt thou be wroth with all the Congregation Many of which he thought might through weakness be seduced into this Faction having no Malice at all in their hearts Which God knew perfectly and therefore he begs of him that he would make a distinction between such as these and the Men that misled them Verse 23 Ver. 23. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying He bad him rise up having granted his Petition Verse 24 Ver. 24. Speak unto the Congregation Whom Korah had gathered together and brought along with him to the Door of the Tabernacle v. 19. Get ye up from about the Tabernacle of Korah Dathan and Abiram Which it seems was not far off or wheresoever it was there a great number of People was gathered together to see what would be the Conclusion of this Contest The word Tabernacle is in the Singular Number but includes all the Tents belonging to these Men as appears from v. 26. Or perhaps they had set up one great Tabernacle for the word here is Mischean which may be thought to signifie more than Ohel a Tent v. 26. unto which abundance of People resorted as the place that Korah and the rest had appointed for the general Rendevouz as we now speak of all their Party For here Dathan and Abiram it is evident v. 27. were with him but there is no mention at all of On which makes it probable he had forsaken them as Moses wisht all the People to do on which Condition God promised to pardon them Ver. 25. And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Verse 25 Abiram To try I suppose if he could reduce them to their Obedience and prevent their ruine He seems to have had no hopes of Korah but lookt upon him as incorrigible And the Elders of Israel followed him Either the LXX Elders who were lately chosen out of the rest XI 16. or the whole Body of those who were called by that Name and were Men of Authority attended upon him to make this Action more solemn and to let Dathan and Abiram see how much Moses was reverenced by better Men than themselves who refused to come to him v. 12 14. Ver. 20. And spake unto the Congregation saying Verse 26 It seems Dathan and Abiram refused to hear him as they did to come to him for here is no mention of any thing he spake to them but only to the Congregation who were gathered about their Tents Depart I pray you from the Tents of these wicked Men. I suppose now they were gone to their own Tents where their Families were from which he beseeches the People to remove with all speed And he doth not mean merely that they should remove their Persons from them but their Tents and their Goods and Cattle And touch nothing of theirs Because all belonging unto them was under an Anathema which God had passed upon them That is was devoted to destruction and therefore not to be touched XIII Deut. 17. Lest ye be consumed in all their sins Destroyed with them who had sinned so grievously as to fall under the Curse before-mentioned Verse 27 Ver. 27. So they gat up from the Tabernacle of Korah Dathan and Abiram Where the greatest number of People were gathered together as I observed v. 24. For here is the same word Mischean again in the Singular Number denoting some spacious Habitation where perhaps they held their Consultations and unto which there was the greatest resort On every side From which we may conclude that the People had come from all quarters of the Camp to these Rebels either to joyn with them or out of Curiosity to see how things would go And Dathan and Abiram With Korah also it may be thought because he is mentioned in the beginning of the Verse Yet this Conclusion cannot be drawn from thence for it is not said he was now there but that it was the Tabernacle of Korah Dathan and Abiram where they used I suppose to meet Came out From the Tabernacle before-mentioned And stood in the door of their Tents Of their own Tents where they commonly dwelt And their Wives and their Sons and their Children With their whole Families This was the highest degree of audacious and hardned Infidelity whereby they declared that they feared not what Moses who had given the greatest proof he was a Man of God could do unto them Ver. 28. And Moses said Unto all the People of Israel or to the Elders and as many as could Verse 28 hear him Hereby you shall know I will now give you an evident Demonstration That the LORD hath sent me to do all these works That I have been commissioned by God to do all the things with which those Men find fault particularly to take upon me the Government of them and to put Aaron and his Family into the Priesthood and make the Levites only their Ministers c. See v. 2 3 13 14. For I have not done them of my own mind In the Hebrew the words are And that not out of my heart It was none of my own device or contrivance I did it not out of an ambitious desire to be great myself or out of private affection to my Brother Ver. 29. If these Men die the common death of all Verse 29 Men. In the Hebrew it is As die all Mankind that is a Natural Death as we now speak Or they be visited after the visitation of all Men. i. e. Such Judgments of God come upon them as are usual and common in the World viz. a Pestilence the Sword or Famine The LORD hath not sent me Then look upon me as an Impostor Ver. 30. But if the LORD make a new thing Verse 30 In the Hebrew the words are If
the LORD create a Creature i. e. do something that was never seen nor heard of in the World before The Jews in several of their Books particularly in Pirke Avoth say there are ten things which God created after the World was perfected and they mention the mouth of the Earth for one of them that is the gaping of the Ground to swallow up these wicked People Which is said to be created as Aben-Ezra well observes because by this Miracle God altered the Course of Nature and did a thing extraordinary And the Earth open her mouth and swallow them up with all that appertain unto them i. e. On a sudden when there is no Earthquake but all is calm and still and it swallow up none but them alone And they go down quick into the Pit Be buried alive when they are in perfect health By this place it is apparent that the Hebrew word Sheol doth often signifie the Grave which Bellermine and others most earnestly contend never signifies so but Hell which from hence he asserts to be in the Center of the Earth Lib. IV. de Christo cap. 10. not observing that if it signifie Hell in this verse and v. 33. then the Houses of these Men and their Houshold-stuff and all that appertained to them went down thither which is very absurd It is hard also to think that all their little Children went down into Hell for their Father's sin though they did into the Grave Then ye shall understand that these Men have provoked the LORD You shall be sufficiently convinced that they have unjustly accused me and brought this destruction upon themselves Verse 31 Ver. 31. And it came to pass that as he had made an end of speaking all the words that the Ground clave asunder that was under them He had no sooner done speaking but immediately what he said was verified which made it the more remarkable Ver. 32. And the Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up Viz. Dathan and Abiram before-mentioned Verse 32 v. 27. who stood in the Door of their Tents outfacing Moses And their Houses i. e. All their Family or as Moses himself hath explained it XI Deut. 6. Their Housholds and their Tents and all the Substance that was in their possession And all the Men that appertained unto Korah We are not told what became of Korah himself for it is not said he was swallowed up but all that appertained to him i. e. all that were at that time in his Tent His whole Family except his Sons who escaped XXVI 11. taking warning I suppose from what Moses said v. 26. Which hath made some think that Korah was at the Head of his Two hundred and fifty Men who were the great Abetters of his Faction who if he had forsaken them at this Trial that was made who were in the right we may well think would have withdrawn themselves also and not have stood to it without their Chieftain as we find they did v. 35. Yet he is not mentioned there as perishing with them by Fire from the LORD and Moses seems to say XXVI 10. that Dathan and Abiram were swallowed up together with Korah who had as much reason or more perhaps to think it necessary to be with that other Company which he had gathered against Moses v. 19. and to incourage them to persist in their Resolution than to be with the Two hundred and fifty Men who were Men of such Authority v. 2. that they may be thought to have needed none to support them It may be added also that the word appertaineth is not here in the Hebrew which makes these words sound as if the meaning were only those that were of Korah's Family but simply all the Men that were to Korah i. e. were gathered to him and were at that time with him Which seems to be an Indication that they and he were swallowed up together How many there were that staid with him there is not certain but the generality left him v. 27. where it is expresly said they gat up from the Tabernacle of Korah Dathan and Abiram as Moses had commanded v. 24. Which may be taken for a further Indication that he was swallowed up in the Tabernacle where he was or in his own Tent after he came out of that Tabernacle But those places I observed before may be otherwise understood that place also which is the main foundation of this Opinion XXVI 10. may likewise receive another Interpretation as I shall show when I come thither And they that are of the other Opinion think his Tabernacle and his Family and all his Houshold-stuff might be swallowed up though he himself was not with them but was burnt by Fire with the Two hundred and fifty Men that offered Incense for Moses bad him take his Censer as well as they v. 17. Which since they did and put Fire and Incense therein why should it be thought he did not do the same It seems to me highly probable that he did otherwise he would have seemed to distrust his Cause but it must be confessed that it is obscure which way he perished and therefore it is not fit to contend about it And all their Goods All their Houshold-stuff and Cattle and whatsoever was in or about their Tents Ver. 33. They and all that appertained to them See XI Deut. 6. Went down alive into the Pit As Moses had foretold v. 30. Verse 33 And the Earth closed upon them This made it the more wonderful that the Earth having swallowed them all up had no Cleft remaining in it but closed up again and was as firm as before And they perished from among the Congregation Were never more seen Ver. 34. And all Israel that were round about them Verse 34 fled at the cry of them Though they were at a distance from their Tents whence they had removed on all sides v. 27. yet they heard them shriek so loudly as they sunk down into the Ground that it put them into a great fright and made them fly still further off For they said lest the Earth swallow us up also Some of them were conscious to themselves that they had favoured this wicked Faction and all of them knew how highly they had lately offended God by their unbelief and murmuring Chapt. XIV which might make them justly fear the same Fate with their Brethren Ver. 35. And there came out a Fire from the LORD Verse 35 From the Glory of the LORD which appeared unto all the Congregation v. 19. as ready to decide the Controversie This fell out either at the same time the Earth swallowed up Dathan and Abiram or immediately after it And consumed the two hundred and fifty Men that offered Incense Which was a plain declaration that they usurped the Office of Priests and therefore were thus punished by God himself for their presumption It is not certain whether they were devoured by the Fire or only struck dead as Men are sometimes on a sudden by
new Murmuring shows this not to be a true Excuse for them Verse 42 Ver. 42. And it came to pass when the Congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron Their Murmuring presently proceeded to an Insurrection That they looked toward the Tabernacle of the Congregation i. e. Moses and Aaron implored help from God which is implyed in their looking toward his Dwelling-place And behold the Cloud covered it One would think by this that it had for some time withdrawn it self from the Tabernacle when the dead Bodies of Korah's Company lay dead at the Door of it And the Glory of the LORD appeared To comfort them in this Distress and to show he was ready to support and vindicate them Verse 43 Ver. 43. And Moses and Aaron came before the Tabernacle of the Congregation Perhaps for Safety and Security or to hear what Directions God would give them Ver. 44. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying Out of the Tabernacle before which he stood waiting for the LORD's Orders Ver. 45. Get ye up from among this Congregation Verse 44 He speaks to Aaron and Eleazar I suppose as well as Verse 45 unto Moses That I may consume them as in a moment As he was inclined to do before v. 21. and now had a greater reason And they fell on their faces To beseech God not to punish the People as they deserved v. 22. Ver. 46. And Moses said unto Aaron By God's Verse 46 Direction Take a Censer and put Fire therein from off the Altar Near to which they now were v. 43. And put on Incense Upon the Fire but not till he came into the midst of the Congregation v. 47. And go quickly unto the Congregation With the Incense which regularly was to be offered only at the golden Altar within the Sanctuary but now in this extraordinary Case by God's special Order Aaron is sent with it into the Camp that they might all be Witnesses of his Power with God and that by his Authority he was settled in the Priesthood And make an Atonement for them Which was usually performed by the Blood of a Sacrifice but there was not time for that and therefore now it was made by the Incense wherewith their daily Sacrifices Morning and Evening were concluded and was accompanied by the Prayers of the People while the Priest as he offered it made Intercession for them CXLI Psalm 2. Thus as St. Hierom glosses Currens ira Dei Sacerdotij voce prohibebatur the Divine Anger coming with full speed upon them was stopped by the Voice of the Priest Which was a notable Type of the Power of our great High Priest and Intercessor with God the LORD Jesus For there is Wrath gone out from the LORD Who would not wholly grant their Prayer for a Pardon v. 45. but inflicted some Punishment upon them The Plague is begun A Pestilence in all probability of which several immediately died Verse 47 Ver. 47. And Aaron took as Moses commanded A Censer and Fire from the Altar with Incense ready to be put upon it v. 46. And ran According to the Command of Moses v. 46. who bad him go quickly Into the midst of the Congregation Perhaps into the midst of each of the four Camps of Judah Reuben Ephraim and Dan mentioned in the second Chapter being broke out every where And behold the Plague was begun among the People He saw People die on all sides of him And he put on Incense Whereupon he put Incense upon the Fire which he brought along with him from the Altar v. 46. And made an Atonement for the People Interceded with God for them and obtained what he desired Verse 48 Ver. 48. And he stood between the dead and the living This seems to intimate that the Plague began in the Skirts of their Camps and was proceeding into the heart of them where Aaron stood as a Mediator for those who were not yet smitten And the Plague was stayed A stop was put to its progress Which was a further Evidence of Aaron's right to the Priesthood by God's appointment who not only preserved him when he offered Incense together with Korah's Company v. 17. but now makes him an Instrument of preserving others from destrustion Ver. 49. Now they that died in the Plague were Fourteen Verse 49 thousand and seven hundred Who it is likely were of the forwardest Men to associate themselves with Korah v. 19. Besides them that died about the matter of Korah Whose just number is not known for besides the Two hundred and fifty Men mentioned v. 25. the whole Families of Korah Dathan and Abiram were swallowed up Ver. 50. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the Verse 50 door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation To carry back his Censer And the Plague was stayed Or rather For the Plague was stayed and so having done his business he returned to the Tabernacle CHAP. XVII Chapter XVII Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses saying Verse 1 Not long after the Plague was stayed For though there had been enough done to satisfie the People that Aaron was advanced to the Priesthood by God's appointment and not by Moses his Affection to his Kindred yet their Minds had been so poisoned by Korah and his Complices with the contrary Opinion that it was necessary to do still more to root it out Which was the occasion of what follows Verse 2 Ver. 2. Speak unto the Children of Israel Order them to bring what I require thee to take of them And take of every one of them i. e. Of every Tribe A Rod. Or a Staff as the Hebrew word Matteh is often translated Which some take for an ordinary Walking-staff or for the Staff which was the Badge of their Authority as Princes of the several Tribes neither of which seems to me to be true For what reason have we to think that every Man's Staff which he commonly used was made of the Wood of an Almond Tree as these were one may probably conclude from the 8th verse And therefore I take it they were all now cut off from some Tree of that kind and it is likely from one and the same Tree that none might fancy there was any difference between them For the Miracle was great enough which here follows without supposing as some do that these Rods were all of some other common Wood and yet Aaron's Rod produced Almonds which were not the proper Fruit of it Though it must be confessed that if they were not of the wood of an Almond Tree the wonder was greater that his Rod should bring forth Almonds and struck their Minds more strongly According to the House of their Fathers In the Hebrew it is Father in the Singular Number denoting the principal Person or Patriarch as we call them of whose House or Family he was to take one Rod. Of all their Princes according to the House of their Fathers This explains the meaning more fully that the Prince of every Tribe who was
am thy part and thine inheritance among the Children of Israel For they were maintained in his House and lived upon his Altar and fed from his Table as it is explained in XIII Josh 14. The Sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance as he said unto them Which is given as the reason why Joshua gave them no Inheritance And see v. 33. of that Chapter where the LORD God of Israel is said to be their Inheritance Who it appears by the foregoing part of this Chapter and other places made such an ample Provision for them that if he had given them any part of the Land of Canaan together with it there had been too great an inequality between them and the rest of the Tribes of Israel For without any share in the Land their Portion was far richer than that of any other Persons whatsoever I have said enough to prove this already but it may not be amiss to set it before the Reader again a little more distinstly As they had yearly the First-fruits of the whole Country which was at least the sixtieth part of the Fruits it produced and the tenth part of the Tithe given to the Levites as it follows below v. 26. and all Free-will-offerings together with the Money which arose out of Persons and Things devoted unto God and all the Firstlings of Cows Sheep and Goats and the Redemption-Money for the Firstlings of such Creatures as were unclean So they had all the Meat-offerings Offerings for Sin and Trespass-offerings together with the Breast and Shoulder of all Peace-offerings and the Skins of all Burnt-offerings and the Loaves made of the first Dough and the Shew-bread and as Josephus and others expound XVIII Deut. 3. a considerable part of every beast that was killed for private use besides the Cities and Land about them which were assigned to the Levites Which if well weighed there will appear a vast difference between the Priests and the rest of the People For the First-fruits alone if they were not less than the sixtieth part of the product of the Country might seem sufficient especially if the Firstlings be added the Priests not being the sixtieth part of the People no nor the hundred part as learned Men have computed See Bonfrerius Ver. 21. And behold Now he gives the Levites Verse 21 notice of the Recompence he would make them for their Service as he had told the Priests what they should have for theirs And Aaron hath the delivery of this Grant made to them from God that they might see he did not mind himself and the Interest of his own Family only I have given the Children of Levi all the tenth in Israel See XXVII Lev. 30. and 2 Chron. XXXI 5 6. where they are distinctly mentioned Aben-Ezra thinks the tenth rather than any other part was assigned because it was a perfect Number Ten being in simple Numbers the highest to which we can arise without repeating the Numbers under it For it is as he speaks the beginning of the second Combination and the end of the first whereupon all Numbers do depend Which our Mr. Mede hath expressed in my judgment far better who looks upon it as God's favourable dealing with men in requiring but the Tenth which is in truth the least part of their Goods according to the first Division For when we proceed beyond Ten we begin to make a new Division as Eleven is ten and one c. But we need not have recourse to such Niceties See upon Genesis XXVIII 22. For an Inheritance Instead of a share in the Land of Canaan which other Tribes had divided among them And a larger Inheritance this was than any other Tribe possessed for this was the smallest Tribe of all as appears by comparing the account which is given of them in the beginning of this Book For all the Males of this Tribe from a Month old and upward were but Two and twenty thousand III. 29. Whereas in the Tribe of Judah alone there were above Threescore and fourteen thousand Men of War I. 26 27. And yet the Levites had a tenth part of the product of the whole Country and the twelve Tribes had only the other nine parts among them Such a care had God of those who were peculiarly devoted to his Service For the Service which they serve c. As a Reward of their Service of which see Chapter IV. Verse 22 Ver. 22. Neither must the Children of Israel henceforth come nigh the Tabernacle of the Congregation Or rather Therefore the Children of Israel must not come nigh so as to perform any of the Offices belonging to the Priests and Levites who were appointed to do every thing belonging to the Service of God there and had their Reward for it also appointed Lest they bear sin and die Be punished with Death which is often threatned to such Presumption Ver. 23. But the Levites shall do the Service of the Verse 23 Tabernacle of the Congregation It was their work and no Bodies else and therefore no other Persons were to meddle with it That is they alone guarded the Tabernacle and afterwards the Temple opened the Gates of it kept out all Strangers i. e. all but Priests and Levites carried the Tabernacle and its Vessels when they were to be removed c. And they shall bear their Iniquity They shall die for it if they permit any one else to come there and do their work See v. 1. It shall be a Statute for ever throughout their Generations that among the Children of Israel they have no Inheritance As all other Persons were excluded from serving in the Tabernacle so they who served there were shut out from having any Inheritance among their Brethren This was made an unalterable Law which provided another separate Maintenance for them by the Tythes of all the Land as here it again follows Ver. 24. But the Tythes of the Children of Israel which Verse 24 they offer as an Heave-offering unto the LORD That the People might not grudge to pay them the Tythes for their Service he represents them as an Heave-offering which they offered to God in Gratitude to him of whom as the Supreme Landlord they held that Land Not that they were heaved up or waved before the LORD but they were of the same Nature with those things that were so offered to him i. e. Holy Things separate to his uses all which are called by this Name of Terumah v. 8. And particularly all the Offerings which God required to be freely brought for the building him a Sanctuary are called by this Name of Terumah or Heave-offering XXV Exod 2. See there I have given to the Levites to inherit The Israelites gave them to God and he gave them to the Levites for their Inheritance who had as much right to them as the other Tribes had to their Land Which was the reason he ordered they should have no Portion of the Land of Canaan with the other
Tribes as it here follows therefore have I said unto them among the Children of Israel shall they have no Inheritance For he had given them the Tythes to inherit But R. Solomon Jarchi observes also that the Levites themselves had no right to them till they had taken out the tenth part from their Tenth and given it to the Priests as is here immediately directed Verse 25 Ver. 25. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying In all the foregoing part of the Chapter v. 1 8 20. the LORD spake unto Aaron though by Moses but here his Order is particularly directed to Moses because that which follows would better come from him than from Aaron Who was employed in acquainting the Levites with the Donation God had made of the Tythes to them v. 21. but it would not have been so proper for him to tell them what was to be given out of the Tythes to himself and to the Priests Verse 26 Ver. 26. Thus speak unto the Levites and say unto them When ye take of the Children of Israel the Tythes which I have given you from them for your Inheritance In these words Moses confirms the report which Aaron had made to them that the Tythes of the Land should be theirs and their Brethren the Children of Israel have no right to them Then shall ye offer up an Heave-offering for the LORD As the Israelites made their grateful Acknowledgments to God by offering their Tythes to him for the use of his Servants the Levites v. 24. so it was but fit that the Levites should be so grateful as to offer to him the Tythe of their Tythes as it here follows for such uses as he should appoint Even a tenth part of the Tythe For the tenth part which God reserved to himself out of the Land which he gave the Children of Israel was a kind of Rent paid to him their Supreme LORD And he assigning this Rent over to the Levites for their Maintenance thought good notwithstanding to reserve a Tythe of this tenth part to himself that thereby he might as it were hold his Possession and keep Seisin as the Lawyers speak of his own Inheritance Ver. 27. And this your Heave-offering shall be reckoned Verse 27 unto you Be accepted by God as the Offerings heaved up to him in the Sanctuary are v. 24. though it be but the hundredth part of the whole Fruit of the Land As though it were the Corn of the Threshing-floor and as the fulness of the Wine-press As if you paid such a Tythe as the Israelites do to you out of all their own Fields and Vineyards That is they were to believe their Offering of this small part to be as acceptable to God as that of all the Tribes of Israel and that they should have the same right to what remained when they had done this as the People had to all the rest of the Fruits of the Earth when they had paid the tenth part to the Levites Ver. 28. Thus you also shall offer an Heave-offering Verse 28 unto the LORD of all your Tythes which ye receive of the Children of Israel He would have them know that he ordered this because he would not have the Levites alone offer nothing to him from whom they received so much but they also should make him a grateful Acknowledgment as well as others And ye shall give thereof the LORD 's Heave-offering It is called so often the LORD 's Heave-offering that they might the more willingly pay it out of a thankful sense of what they owed to him the Donor of all To Aaron the Priest This Tythe is thought by some to have been designed for the High-Priest alone Two great Men in their time were of this Opinion viz. Nicolaus Lyra and the famous Alphonsus Tostatus And another very learned Person of our own Bishop R. Montagu thinks it not altogether improbable that such a Provision as this might be made for the High-Priest and his Family State and Dignity he being a Man of great Power and Might only less than the Kings of Israel and the inferiour Priests having a noble Maintenance without this from the First-fruits and Offerings of the People But there is nothing to support this but the mere Letter of the Text for Josephus expresly says the contrary Lib. VI. Archaeolog cap. 4. and so do the generality of the Jewish Writers and St. Hierom also that all the Priests had their share in this Tenth paid by the Levites Which till it was paid the Levites might not spend to their own use any part of their Tythe And to secure this the Priest was to be with the Levites when they took Tythes as we read X Nehem 37 38 to take care that they set out a tenth part of them for the Priests Whereby the Priest the Son of Aaron I cannot think is meant the High-Priest himself for that had been below his Dignity but some Priest I suppose appointed by him who took care of the Concerns of the whole Order of Priesthood and particularly of the High-Priest's interest who it is probable had a principal share among the rest in this Revenue perhaps a tenth part out of their Tenth But for this I have no Authority though I take it for certain that when he saith this Tenth should be given to Aaron the Priest the meaning is that as it was not for himself alone but all his Sons had a share in it so he himself was not excluded from an honourable portion of it It may seem strange perhaps that there is no particular portion set out for the High-Priest by himself if this be not it But it is to be considered that all the forenamed Provision From v. 8. to v. 20. was made for him in the first place and for the Priests together with him For so the words runs Vnto thee have I given them and to thy Sons v. 8 9 c. And he had this priviledge also that he did not Minister by Lot as the other Priests did in their several Courses but when he pleased and might take to himself what Sacrifices he thought good to offer V. 9 10. as Maimonides tells us in Cele Mikdasch cap. 5. where he speaks concerning the High-Priest's Prerogatives Ver. 29. Out of all your Gifts Not only out of Verse 29 their Tythes but out of all their other Possessions which God gave them their Fields for instance which were in the Suburbs of their Cities Ye shall offer Make a Present to the Priests Every Heave-offering Some portion of every thing God gives you to possess Of the LORD As a thankful acknowledgment of the Divine Bounty to you upon whom he hath bestowed so many good things See v. 28. Of all the best thereof And that not of the refuse but of the best of the Tythe and other things that were given them By which is not to be understood that they were bound to pick out the very best Wheat suppose and separate it from the worse which
would have been to have given them more than a tenth part but they were to give the Priests as good as they left for themselves For that was the Rule XXVII Lev. 32 33. And it was but reason the Priests should have this honourable provision made for them above the Levites their Vocations being more honourable and their Service more noble in the very Sanctuary it self For which cause this tenth of the Tythe of the Land was assigned them which they being but few in comparison with the Levites made the allowance to every one of them much greater than to any of the Levites And yet as an augmentation to it they had the First-fruits and their Fees as I said before out of the Sacrifices and other things wholly to their own use Even the hallowed part thereof out of it The sacred part was the tenth part which they might not use it being taken by God for his part XXVII Lev. 30. By which all the rest was sanctified to the use of the owner when this part was taken out of it which may possibly be here also intended Ver. 30. Therefore thou shalt say unto them Tell them the reason why this tenth part must be separated from the rest When ye have heaved the best thereof from it Taken Verse 30 out the tenth part as an Offering to the LORD Then it shall be counted to the Levites as the increase of the Threshing-floor and as the increase of the Wine-press Then the remainder may be as freely used by them as the Corn or the Wine of any Man's Land in Israel when he had paid his Tythe But till then it was unlawful for him to enjoy it because God was first to be served This is made more plain in the next verse Ver. 31. And ye shall eat it After the hallowed Verse 31 part was taken out v. 29. all the rest was theirs to be enjoyed as Men do that which is their own In every place This seems to be said to distinguish these from the holy things given by God to the Priests Which being offered at the Altar were to be eaten only in the Holy Place but the Tythes though they were a kind of Offering to the LORD yet not being presented at the Altar might be eaten any where after the tenth part was given to the Priests And your housholds All their Family Servants as well as others might eat of them whether they were clean or no. And more than this they might sell them to Strangers to buy other Necessaries with the Money they yielded or exchange them for other Commodities For it is your reward for your Service in the Tabernacle of the Congregation See v. 21. Ver. 32. And ye shall bear no sin Suffer no punishment By reason of it For eating it with your Housholds When ye have heaved from it the best of it When they had taken out the tenth part as sacred to God's uses v. 28. they might safely use the rest themselves as they pleased For God had given it to them for their support and therefore would not punish them for eating it as he did those that did eat holy Things which did not belong to them Neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the Children of Israel Nor would there be any danger of polluting the holy Things which God had reserved to himself by turning them to a common use as there would have been if they had eaten the Tythes or other Gifts before the tenth part which was God's was taken out of them Lest ye die In the Hebrew it is Nor shall ye die as those did who meddled with the holy Things which God reserved for his Ministers alone CHAP. XIX Chapter XIX Verse 1 Ver. 1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying They were both concerned in what follows Moses to deliver the Command and Aaron to see it executed Verse 2 Ver. 2. This is the Ordinance Or the Constitution Of the Law which the LORD hath commanded Which is now passed into a Law by God's command who had ordered this Water of Purification to be made some time before as appears from VIII 7. But now sets down a Rule for all Posterity to observe in the making of it It is the rather mentioned now after the foregoing History to free the People from that great fear they were in of perishing in their Uncleanness XVII 12 13. by showing them a way how to be purified from the greatest Pollution before they approached to the Tabernacle Speak unto the Children of Israel that they bring thee At the common Charge of the People because it was for their common benefit A red Heifer The Hebrew word Parah which we translate Heifer signifies a young Cow as Par signifies a young Bullock not above two or three years old at most as Kimchi and others observe Without spot This the Jews refer to the word red which goes before and take it to signifie perfectly red without the mixture of any other colour for as to any other Imperfections they are provided against in the next words without blemish Insomuch that Maimonides in his Treatise on this Subject saith That if this Cow had two Hairs black or white it was unfit for this use From whence other Nations particularly the Egyptians derived the custom of sacrificing red Oxen as Plutarch tells us in his Book de Iside Osiride 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. And he saith they searcht them so very narrowly that if they found one hair black or white they counted it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unfit to be sacrificed See Bochartus P. I. Hierozoic Lib. II. cap. 39. where he shows this was the most common colour among that sort of Creatures in some Countries Wherein is no blemish See XXII Lev. 20 21 22. And upon which never came yoke Had never been imployed in ploughing the Ground or any other Work for according to the common sense of all Mankind those Creatures which had been made to serve other uses became unfit to be offered to God Whence Diomedes promises Pallas a Cow of a year old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which no Man hitherto had brought under the yoke Iliad K. And so doth Nestor Odyss T. and the like Bochartus observes out of Virgil Ovid and others in his Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. II. cap. 33. All this is very plain but why a young Cow rather then a Bullock which is commonly appointed in Sacrifices and why one perfectly red is not so easie to understand If we had any reason to believe that those Superstitions were among the Egyptians in the days of Moses which were when Plutarch or Herodotus lived we might very probably say as some Men of Learning have that this Precept was given to preserve the Israelites from their Religion For they abhorred to offer a Cow whom they honoured as sacred to Isis So Herodotus they sacrificed Males both old and young 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it is not lawful for them to
offer Females Lib. II. cap. 41. And therefore God it might be thought ordered a Cow to be burnt rather than a Bullock And for the same cause one perfectly red because that was a Colour odious and abominable to the Egyptians who fancied Typhon the Author of all Evil in their account to be of that Colour and therefore offered him red Oxen as hateful to them as red Men and Asses were Thus Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus In opposition to which it may be thought that a Cow of this colour was acceptable to God because hated and abhorred by those Idolaters But I look upon what such late Writers say as of no Authority in this matter And as there is no proof of any such Customs among the Egyptians in Moses his time so there is an high probability that the whole Fable of Typhon was framed out of the story of Moses as Bochartus hath most ingeniously indeavoured to make out by many Observations out of that Book of Plutarch and other Authors Hierozoic P. I. Lib. II. cap. 34. p. 340 341 c. But supposing the Antiquity of those Superstitions among the Egyptians to have been as great as some fancy them I cannot think that if Moses had had any respect to them he would have ordered such a great number of Sacrifices as we read of in his Law without the least consideration of the colour of any one of them and only mention the colour of this Cow which was no Sacrifice I rather think this perfect red colour was chosen because of its rarity it being hard to find a Cow without any the least mixture of other hair And though it were not a Sacrifice yet being designed to the same end there was a respect herein to that great Expiation which was made by the Sacrifice of Christ With whose Blood though the Apostle doth not compare the Blood of this Heifer because it was not offered yet he doth compare it with the Ashes of this burnt Heifer put into the Water of Purification See IX Hebr. 13. Where after the Blood of Bulls and Goats he mentions the Ashes of this Heifer sprinkling the unclean For they were a more extraordinary sort of Purification than any under the Law of which we no where read but in this place nor of any Command for the repeated burning of such an Heifer to Ashes as there is for the Anniversary Sacrifice on the Day of Atonement but only of the use of the Water made of these Ashes as oft as there was occasion But of this it will be more to treat in the following part of the Chapter Verse 3 Ver. 3. And ye shall give her They who brought her in the Name of the whole Congregation were to bring her to Moses as the foregoing verse directs and he and Aaron were to deliver her to Eleazar Vnto Eleazar the Priest It is commonly thought that Aaron might not be employed in the following Work because it would have defiled him and made him unfit to minister before God for a season Which he was bound to avoid even when natural Affection seemed to require it XXI Lev. 11 12. yet a vulgar Priest was not intrusted with this Service but it was committed unto the very next Person to Aaron who was to be his Successor because it was of very great weight and importance That he may bring her forth without the Camp As a thing exceeding unclean more impure than any common offering for Sin For the greater the Impurity was that was laid upon any Sacrifice the further still off from the Sanctuary it was carried The Bullock for instance which was offered for a Sin committed by the Priest or the whole Congregation was in part offered at the Altar but the far greater part was to be burnt without the Camp IV Lev. 12 20. And so was the Bullock and Goat offered for all the Sins of the People on the great Day of Expiation XVI Lev. 27. And the Scape-Goat which was designed for the same purpose was not so much as burnt but banished into a Land not inhabited no Body knows whether All which more particularly represented Christ in his Sufferings as the Apostle observes XIII Hebr. 11 12. and so did this in part having something of the nature of a Sacrifice in it For though it was not a Sacrifice brought to be slain at the Altar yet it was intended to be used to the same purpose for the cleansing of the People from the greatest Legal defilement And one shall slay her before his face Some Person appointed by Eleazar for it was not necessary a Priest should do it was to kill her without the Camp Where it is plain from v. 5 8 9. there were more than one concerned in this Office But it could not be slain unless Eleazar was there and it was to be done in his presence who was the chief of the Priests to show that it was intended for God's Service though not offered as Sacrifices were at the Tabernacle before the LORD And this is the reason perhaps why the care of this Heifer is committed to Eleazar and not to Aaron because he officiated only at the Tabernacle Ver. 4. And Eleazar the Priest shall take of her Verse 4 Blood with his finger As they did in Expiatory Sacrifices IV Lev. 6. And sprinkle of her Blood In the sprinkling of the Blood as the Jews observe consisted the very Essence of an Expiatory Sacrifice Therefore though this was not a Sacrifice yet it had something of that nature in it and may be called a Piaculum an Expiatory Thing though nothing was called KORBAN a Sacrifice but what was offered at the Altar as our Dr. Owtram hath most judiciously observed against Abarbinel who calls this red Cow an Offering for Sin Directly before the Tabernacle of the Congregation This Rite of sprinkling the Blood was never used but in Sacrifices slain at the Altar in the presence of God and in this red Cow which was slain in the prospect of the Sanctuary Towards which the Priest was to look stedfastly while he sprinkled it otherwise the Jews say it was in vain Which shows that the validity of this Act and of the Purification to be made by it was to be expected from the Sanctuary For the Blood of that Heifer whose Head was cut off to cleanse a City near to which a Man was found slain by an unknown Person was not sprinkled being slain not in sight of the Sanctuary but in a Valley near the City XXI Deut. 3 4 c. And in this the Jews were so curious that after the Temple was built this Blood being to be sprinkled directly before the Porch of it they took care the Gate Shushan which was before it should have lower Battlements than any other Gate of the Temple had that the Priest might see the Face of the Porch of the House of God Seven times This signifies the perfection of the Expiation that was to be made by this red Cow on
Brook Zered as it is in II Deut. 13 14. And then to the River Arnon v. 13. and thence to Beer where they digged a famous Well XXI 16 17 18. which perhaps they might have done before in other places if they had made Experiment for Kadesh where they now were was in the Border of a Country inhabited And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron Just as their Fathers had many times done particularly upon such an occasion as this XVII Exod. 2 3. Ver. 3. And the People chode with Moses Instead Verse 3 of condoling with him and comforting him for the Death of his Sister and their Prophetess as Abarbinel observes they came in a rude manner to scold at him And spake saying Would God that we had died when our Brethren died before the LORD By a sudden Death rather than linger away by Thirst They allude to the strokes of God upon their Brethren XI 1 33. XIV 37. XVI 32 35 46. Which one would have thought should have affrighted them from uttering such very discontented Language XIX 2. But nothing will alter those who will not lay to heart and preserve in mind God's Mercies and Judgments Verse 4 Ver. 4. And why have ye brought the Congregation of the LORD into this Wildernoss that we and our Cattle should die there The very words of their Fathers presently after they came out of Egypt XVII Exod 3. Verse 5 Ver. 5. And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt They speak as if it had not been their own desire but that they were perswaded to it by Moses to leave Egypt who was sent to tell them God heard their sighing groans and crys and would deliver them II Exod. 23 24. III. 17. But in a discontented fit nothing of this was remembred To bring us unto this evil place They do not speak of returning to Egypt as their Fathers did XIV 3 4. but they repented that they were come out of it So shamefully forgetful they were of all God's benefits who had in a wonderful manner redeemed them from the heaviest Slavery and hitherto provided for them miraculously in the Wilderness which was a better place than such an ungrateful People deserved It is no place of Seed i. e. of Corn. Or of Figs or of Vines or Pomegranates c. Now they complain for want of other things as well as Water wherein they still imitate their unbelieving Fathers XVI 14. Ver. 6. And Moses and Aaron went from the presence Verse 6 of the Assembly unto the Door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation To pray to God to pardon their Sin and to supply their Wants And they fell upon their Faces As they had often done before on other such like occasions particularly XIV 5. And the Glory of the LORD appeared unto them Unto all the People it is likely as it had done several times to silence their Murmurings See XIV 10. XVI 19 42. Ver. 7. And the LORD spake unto Moses From Verse 7 that Glory which appeared upon the Tabernacle Ver. 8. Take the Rod. That famous Rod wherewith Moses had wrought so many Miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea c. And gather thou the Assembly together This word Edah signifying sometimes only the Assembly of the Elders not of the whole People it would be uncertain which of them he is bid to gather together for it is a different word from that which we translate Assembly v. 6. if the tenth verse had not determined that it was the Kahal or Congregation of the People as the word Edah also signifies just before v. 8. Thou and Aaron thy Brother For the People were gathered together against Aaron in a mutinous manner as well as against Moses v. 2. And speak ye unto the Rock before their eyes To the first Rock you meet withal saith Nachmanides and that is within their sight For this is not the same Verse 9 Rock out of which the former Water flowed as the Jews fancy but quite different Their very Names are different that being called Tzur this Selah That was in Rephidim this is Kadesh two very distant places Thus Chaskuni some think this the same with that in Exodus but it is not the same History For the former was in Horeb this in Kadesh which is in the Extremity of the Land of Edom. But whether God pointed him to a Rock which was then in their sight as he did at Horeb XVII Exod. 5 6. or left him to chuse any stony place is not certain But it is a mere fancy of some of the Jews that because God here bad them speak to the Rock Moses offended God in smiting it For to what purpose should he take the Rod if he was not to smite the Rock with it as he had done formerly Just such another conceit there is in Schalschelet Hakkabala where R. Gedaliah saith That he had given an account of this Sin in another Book which he gathered out of various Writers and found there were XXVIII different Opinions about it But he preferred this before any of them that whereas God bad Moses gather the Edah together that is the Assembly of the People v. 8. he gathered the Kahal i. e. the Congregation of the Princes and Elders as he will have it whose Faith needed no Confirmation See Hottinger in his Smegma Orientale cap. 8. p. 451. And it shall give forth his Water The Jews puzzle themselves about this Expression which sounds they think as if the Water was contained in the Rock and Moses only made a Gap for it to gush out But it seems to be spoken in opposition to the Waters issuing out of the former Rock which had supplyed them hitherto but now ceased to flow It being as much as if he had said This shall give forth Water as that did before now it shall be called the Water of this Rock not that of Horeb. And thou shalt bring forth to them Water out of the Rock Renew the former Miracle So thou shalt give the Congregation and their Beasts drink So that they and their Cattle which they fear will perish v. 4. shall be as plentifully provided for as ever Ver. 9. And Moses took the Rod from before the Verse 9 LORD as he commanded him From hence some conclude that this was the Rod of Aaron which blossomed because he is said to take it from before the LORD where Aaron's Rod was laid up XVII 10. But this Rod is so expresly called Moses his Rod V. 11. which was the Instrument of bringing the former Water out of the Rock in Horeb that I cannot but think this was the very same Rod. Which being there called the Rod of God XVII Exod. 9. as it is at the first mention of it IV Exod. 20. it is very probable that by God's order it was laid up somewhere before him in the Sanctuary though not before the Ark of the Testimony For having been imployed in doing
Deut. 12. or had its name from him cannot be determined But Hori we are sure was the first Possessor of whom there is any memory of this Mountain Hor which was afterward called Seir from one descended from him and afterward Edom. Verse 23 Ver. 23. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor. At the foot of the Mount as appears from v. 25. By the Coast of the Land of Edom. XXXIII 37. Verse 24 Ver. 24. Aaron shall be gathered unto his People Shall die v. 26. For he shall not enter into the Land which I have given unto the Children of Israel v. 12. A manifest Token that the earthly Canaan was not the utmost Felicity at which God's Promises aimed because the best Men among them were shut out of it Because ye rebelled against my Word at the Water of Meribah By this word rebelled it appears there was something of Obstinacy in their Unbelief mentioned v. 12. Verse 25 Ver. 25. Take Aaron and Eleazar his Son Speak to them in my Name For it is expresly said XXXIII 38. that they went up at the Commandment of the LORD And bring them up unto Mount Hor. This shows that they pitched their Tents at the bottom of it in a place called Mosera See X Deut. 6. where this seems also to have been the Name of the whole Hill as well as Hor. Ver. 26. And strip Aaron of his Garments i. e. Of Verse 26 his Priestly Robes as Josephus rightly expounds it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mentioned XXVIII Exod. 2 3 c. wherewith he was clothed when he was anointed to the Office of High-Priest VIII Lev. 7 8 9. which he put on I suppose in the Camp and went up in them to Mount Hor that he might die gloriously not in his Robes but immediately after he put them off to be put upon his Son For this stripping him of his Robes was in effect the divesting Aaron of his Office that it might be conferred upon his Son which was done as follows And put them upon Eleazar his Son Which was the investing him with the Office of High-Priest into which he now succeeded in his Fathers stead and was by this Ceremony admitted to it The Talmudists say the manner was first to put on the Breeches then the Coat which being bound about with the Girdle then the Robe upon which was the Ephod and then the Miter and golden Crown See Selden de Succession in Pontif. Lib. II. cap. 8. And Aaron shall be gathered unto his People and die there This was said before in short v. 24. but now the time of his Death is expresly declared immediately after he laid down his Office and had the satisfaction to see his Son inaugurated in his Room and the place of it upon Mount Hor. Of this Phrase Gathered to his People see XXV Gen. 8 17. Ver. 27. And Moses did as the LORD commanded and they went up into Mount Hor in the sight of all the Congregation That they might all be Witnesses Verse 27 of the Succession of Eleazar to the Office of his Father Verse 28 Ver. 28. And Moses stripped Aaron of his Garments and put them upon Eleazar his Son This Moses did as the Minister of God who now translated the Priesthood to another And Aaron died there in the top of the Mount And was buried also there X Deut. 6. For great and heroick Persons were in ancient days usually buried in high Places So Joshua was XXIV 30 33. and Eleazar II Judges 9. and Cadmus and Harmonia who lived near the time of Joshua as Bochartus observes in his Canaan Lib. I. cap 23. And Moses and Eleazar came down from the Mount After they had seen him laid in his Grave by those that attended them This fell out in the fortieth Year after they came out of Egypt on the first day of the fifth Month when Aaron was an Hundred and three and twenty Years old as we read XXXIII 38 39. In the new Moon of the Month which the Athenians called Hecatombaeon the Macedonians I ous and the Hebrews called Sabba as Josephus glosses But that last word should be Ab not Sabba as Jacobus Capellus observes in his Histor Sacra Exotica ad An. 2542. which answers he thinks to the nineteenth of our July And so the Hebrews say in Seder Olam Aaron died on the first day of the Month Ab upon which there is a Fast in their Rituals in memory of it Ver. 29. And when all the Congregation saw that Aaron was dead i. e. Understood as the word See is used XLII Gen. 1. that God had taken him out of the World as Moses and Eleazar told them who Verse 29 also came down from the Mount with him They mourned for Aaron thirty days Till the end of the Month. For so long their Mourning seems in those days to have been continued for great Persons as it was for Moses XXXIV Deut. 8. though a Week sufficed for private Persons Even all the House of Israel Both Men and Women CHAP. XXI Chapter XXI Ver. 1. AND when King Arad the Canaanite In Verse 1 the Hebrew the words are thus placed When the Canaanite King Arad And so they are in the LXX and the Vulgar And Arad may as well signifie a Place as a Person nay there seems more reason to translate the words thus The Canaanitish King of Arad because there was such a City in Canaan mentioned XII Josh 14. and I Judges 16. One of the Sons of Canaan being called Arad as both the LXX and the Vulgar translate the Hebrew word Arvad X Gen. 18. who it is likely gave his Name to this part of the Country the chief City of which was also called after him Which dwelt in the South In the South part of the Land of Canaan towards the Eastern Angle of it near the Dead Sea See XXXIII 40. Heard that Israel came by the way of the Spies Which were sent by the King Arad as many suppose to bring him Intelligence which way the Israelites marched For it being Eight and thirty Years since the Spies sent by Moses went that way or rather they going so secretly that it was not known which way they went it is thought not probable that Moses speaks of them in this place But there is no necessity of taking the Hebrew word Atharim to signifie Spies but it may as well be the Name of a Place as the LXX understood it by whom it is translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And if the situation would agree to it one might probably conjecture the place was so called from the Spies that went from thence by Moses his order to survey the Country For that was a thing so memorable that as it could not well slip out of the Minds of the People of Canaan so they found I make no question after they were gone which way they came into their Country though for the present they passed unobserved and everafter called it the way of
it fell into the Hands of the Moabites again as may be gathered from XLVIII Jerem. 32. And they took the Villages thereof As well as the City it self And drove out the Amorites that dwelt there If it had not been possessed by them they would not have meddled with it Ver. 33. And they turned Or returned as the LXX have it from Jaazer And went up by the way of Bashan A famous Verse 33 Mountain LXVIII Psal 15. lying more Northerly than the Country of Sihon and belonging also to the Amorites where was very rich Pasture and an excellent Breed of Cattle XXXII Deut. 14. XXII Psal 12. and stately Oaks XXVII Ezek. 6. And Og the King of Bashan The whole Country of which he was King had its Name from that Mountain and was called the Kingdom of Og in Bashan III Deut. 10. where he is said as well as Sihon to be a King of the Amorites v. 8. and v. 11. that he was of the Remnant of the Giants or of the Rephaim who were a mighty People in that Country of Bashan See XIV Gen. 5. which in after Ages was called Batanaea Went out against them To oppose their Passage He and all his People With all the Men of War in his Country To the Battle at Edrei A City near that Country afterward called Adara as St. Hierom tells us in his Book de Locis Hebraicis He offered the Israelites Battle which by God's order they accepted Verse 34 Ver. 34. And the LORD said unto Moses That he might report it to the People Fear him not They had reason to be courageous and not affrighted because he was a Giant having lately overcome a mightier King than he of which God puts them in mind in the end of this verse For I have delivered him into thy hand and all his People c. For their greater incouragement he adds his Promise on which he bids them rely as if they saw it already done that he would give them the Victory over Og and all his Forces and bestow upon them his Country This History Moses reports more at large III Deut. 1 2 3 c. Ver. 35. So they smote him and his Sons and all his Verse 35 People until there was none left him alive After they had overthrown him and his Army they pursued the Victory till they had destroyed all the People of the Country Some part of which held out longer than the rest as appears from XXXII 39 c. but at length was wholly subdued by Jair the Son of Manasseh who had all the Region of Argob given him for his pains XXXII 41. III Deut. 14. And they possessed his Land Wherein were sixty walled Cities besides a great many small Towns III Deut. 4 5. XIII Josh 30. All which was given to the half Tribe of Manasseh III Deut. 13. XIII Josh 29 30. 1 Kings IV. 13. CHAP. XXII Chapter XXII Ver. 1. AND the Children of Israel set forward Verse 1 In what Month of the fortieth Year this which follows fell out we cannot tell but it is likely in the seventh when they removed from the Mountains of Abarim XXI 20. XXXIII 48. And pithed in the plains of Moab Which had formerly belonged to the Moabites from whom it took its name but had been taken from them by the Amorites and now was in the possession of the Israelites On this side Jordan Unto which River this Plain extended and they pitched near to it from Beth-Jesimoth unto Abel-Shittim XXXIII 49. where they stayed till under the Conduct of Joshua they came to Jordan and passed over it III Josh 1. By Jericho Rather against Jericho as the LXX translate it For Jericho was on the other side of Jordan directly opposite to the place where they now pitched And therefore the Vulgar Latin translates or rather paraphrases it Where Jericho is situated beyond Jordan i. e. passing the Ford they came directly to Jericho Verse 2 Ver. 2. And Balak the Son of Zippor Who was King of the Moabites at this time and descended it is likely from the ancient Kings of that Country XXI 26. Saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites To Sihon and Og the two Kings of the Amorites as they are called III Deut. 8. who were such near Neighbours to Balak that he not only saw but considered as the word implies what a speedy Conquest the Israelites had made of their Country Verse 3 Ver. 3. And Moab was sore afraid of the People Lest they should expel them out of their Country as they had done the Amorites for they knew nothing of God's Command to the Israelites not to disturb them in their Possessions Some imagine but I see no good ground for it that they were afraid the Israelites should get possession of the Land of Canaan unto which they thought themselves perhaps to have a better Title being descended from the eldest Daughter of Lot who was the Son of Abraham's elder Brother for Abraham was the youngest Son of Terah But no Body can see any Right that this Descent gave Lot or his Children there being no Promise made of it by God to any Person but Abraham and his Posterity Because they were many Too strong for the Moabites to deal withal having conquered those who had been too hard for them and taken a great Territory from them XXI 26. And Moab was distressed because of the Children of Israel As Moses in his Song after they had passed the Red Sea foretold they would be XV Exod. 15. Ver. 4. And Moab said By Messengers which Verse 4 were sent it is most likely by the King and the Princes of the Country Vnto the Elders of Midian Who were their Neighbours and Confederates The Title of Elders it appears by this was given in other Nations as well as among the Israelites to the greatest Persons in their Countries or the Israelites after their manner so called Men every where who were in high Authority For these Persons who are here called Elders are called Kings XXXI 8. and Princes XIII Josh 21. In like manner they who in the seventh verse of this Chapter are called the Elders of Moab are in the next verse called the Princes of Moab Which it is evident was the ancient Language among the Egyptians L Gen. 7. unless we suppose Moses as I said to have spoken in the Language of the Jews and it is very likely was also the ancient Language of Phoenicia and the Countries thereabouts and perhaps in much remote parts For it is a known Story That when the Phoenicians fled before Joshua and forsook the Land of Canaan they fixed in Asrick where they left this name of Elders among the Carthaginians See Mr. Selden Lib. I. de Synedr cap. 14. p. 587 c. Midian This is not the Country wherein Jethro was a Prince for that was not far from Mount Sinai as appears from III Exod. 1. whereas this was remote from that place adjoyning to the Moabites and near
World had they beat their Brains never so much could not have thought of bringing the Gods in a visible shape upon the Stage or interlacing their Poems with their frequent Apparitions Nor can any other account be given how this came to be the common Belief of the World from one end of it to the other that the Gods revealed their Mind to Men the Philosophers as well as ordinary People in the East West North and South making no doubt of it For Abaris Hyperboreus and Zamolxis Geta were no less famous in the North than the Egyptian Prophets were in the South But when Mankind degenerated and corrupted themselves by all manner of Wickedness then God forsook them and permitted evil Angels to take the place of the good and plunge Mankind further into all manner of Filthiness especially into abominable Idolatries So that Balaam who I question not had at first familiarity with God and his holy Angels abusing this Honour God had done him in making him a Prophet by imploying it to serve his vile Covetousness God gave him up to the Delusion of evil Spirits of whom he learnt Inchantments But at this time God was pleased again to appear to him himself for the good of his People Israel and to over-rule all his bad Inclinations Insomuch that Moses says at last he did not go as he had done to seek Inchantments XXIV 1. but gave up himself wholly for the present to the Conduct of God's Spirit as I shall there observe And said unto him By an Angel as Maimonides interprets it More Nevoch P. II. cap. 41. What Men are these with thee He asks this question partly to prove Balaam whether he would tell him the truth of their Business and partly to make way for the following Direction Ver. 10. And Balaam said unto God To whom Verse 10 it appears by this and to the way wherein God communicated himself he was not a Stranger Balak the Son of Zippor King of Moab hath sent unto me saying This shows the Embassy was sent principally in his Name the Midianites only joyning in it v. 5. Ver. 11. Behold there is a People come out of Egypt Verse 11 c. This verse contains only a brief Report of the Message that was sent him to which he desired God would tell him what Answer he should return Ver. 12. And God said unto Balaam By an Angel Verse 12 v. 9. and v. 35. Thou shalt not go with them thou shalt not curse this People for they are blessed He not only forbids him to comply with Balak's desire but gives him such a reason as was likely to prevail with him if his Prohibition was not sufficient that it was impossible with all his Inchantments to reverse the Blessing which God had bestowed upon this People Ver. 13. And Balaam rose up in the morning and said to the Princes of Balak get ye to your own Land He seems resolved to obey God rather than comply Verse 13 with them and therefore dispatcht them as soon as he could with the following Answer For the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you He acquaints them only with half of God's Answer for he omits the reason which was the principal thing Though it may be thought to be implyed that if the LORD on whose Pleasure he pretended to depend refused to let him go it was in vain to attempt to Curse them Verse 14 Ver. 14. And the Princes of Moab rose up They did not stand to dispute the Matter with him or to importune him which shows that he had given them a peremptory Denial And they went unto Balak and said Balaam refuseth to come with us They report his Answer as imperfectly as he did God's saying not a word that the LORD refused to let him come They were loth perhaps as the manner of such Persons is to deliver unwelcome News to their Master Verse 15 Ver. 15. And Balak sent yet again Princes moe and more honourable than they He being ignorant of the true Cause of his Refusal imagined that Balaam thought himself slighted and expected a greater number of Persons and of greater quality should have been sent to him For Prophets in ancient time were Men highly esteemed as not only Sacred Persons but who had a great Interest in God of whom they could obtain whatsoever they desired God himself thought this sufficient to keep Abimelech from injuring Abraham to acquaint him that he was a Prophet XX Gen. 3. And therefore they were called Men of God being thought by the very Gentiles to be full of some Numen or other whereby they became Interpreters of the Gods as they called them who ministred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 between the Gods and Men. Insomuch that Women when they became Prophetesses had very great Authority as we find in Deborah who calls her self a Mother in Israel V Judges 7. And therefore all such Persons were under the special Protection of Heaven CV Psal 15. Ver. 16. And they came unto Balaam and said Thus Verse 16 saith Balak the Son of Zippor They seem to speak of their Master in an higher style than the former Ambassadors did v. 7. where it is only said they spake unto him the words of Balak Let nothing I pray thee hinder thee from coming to me Yet they submissively beseech him in their Master's name not to suffer any thing to keep him from coming to him for he thought perhaps that Balaam might be detained by other more profitable Employments Ver. 17. For I will promote thee to very great honour Verse 17 He imagined it is probable that Balaam lookt upon the Rewards of Divination which he sent him as not sufficient Encouragement and therefore he promises him to advance him to some high Preferment in his Court. And I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me And moreover he promises to bestow an Estate as great as he would desire to support his new Dignity Come therefore I pray thee They add Importunity to their earnest Request Curse me this People Having heard as David Chytraeus understands this that the Israelites conquered their Opposers by Prayers rather than by Arms as they had done Pharaoh and the Amalekites the King of Moab thought he might prevail against them by the same means Verse 18 Ver. 18. And Balaam answered and said to the Servants of Balak To the Messengers whom he had sent who it appears by this were principal Officers in his Court v. 15. For the Servants of Pharaoh are called the Elders of his House L Gen. 7. If Balak would give me his House full of Silver and Gold I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God to do more or less This is not the Language of one that was a Stranger to the true God for no Prophet in Israel ever spake of him in more familiar terms than these the LORD my God And for the present the Command of God seems to have suppressed his Covetous and Ambitious Desires
is to whom these Sacrifices were offered I suppose each of them had their several Intentions Balak supplicating Baal by them and Balaam making his Prayer to the LORD though with such Superstitious Ceremonies it is likely as were used by the Worshippers of Baal in one of whose High-places these Sacrifices were offered But it may also be supposed that Balaam telling Balak he could not effect any thing without the LORD the God of Israel perswaded him to joyn with him at present in his Worship that they might prevail with him to withdraw his presence from the Israelites For there is no reason to think that Balaam would go to enquire of the LORD when he had Sacrificed to other Gods And it appears evidently from v. 4. that he pretended to Sacrifice unto God and would not have presumed surely to tell him so if he meant otherwise Verse 3 Ver. 3. And Balaam said unto Balak When he had laid the pieces upon the Altars Stand by the Burnt-offering Attend thy Sacrifice and pray to God to accept it By this it appears that these Sacrifices were of a different Nature from those mentioned in XXII 40. being Burnt-offerings which were wholly consumed And one of them seems to have been offered particularly for Balak which he calls his Burnt-offering as the rest were for the Princes of Moab who it is likely stood by them representing all the People And here it is to be observed that in old time before the Law of Moses was given Burnt-offerings served for all purposes in Divine Worship whether they gave thanks for Blessings or deprecated evil things or prayed for good Thus Noah when he returned Thanks to God for his preservation in the Ark offered Burnt-offerings VIII Gen. 20. And when Job beseeched God to pardon his Sons I. 5. and his Friends XLII 8. he offered Sacrifices of this sort and so did Balak and Balaam here use them to procure Blessings upon Moab and a Curse upon Israel And I will go By my self into some private place to consult with God and to exercise his Inchantments as may be gathered from XXIV 1. whereby he thought he might prevail for such a power as he desired of Cursing the People of Israel Peradventure the LORD will come to meet me He durst not be confident because he had lately opposed his proceeding XXII 31. in a frightful manner And whatsoever he sheweth me Whatsoever he reveals to me either by word or otherwise I will tell thee Deal faithfully with thee and conceal nothing from thee And he went to an High-place Or rather into a Valley for he was now in an High-place when he Sacrificed and did not go into another High-place but down into the Plain as the Hebrew word properly signifies where he might in some solitary Retirement address himself to God and expect his Presence with him So we translate it in the Margin he went solitary Therefore if we retain the other translation it must be understood of some part of the High-place where he might be solitary viz. into the Grove which High-places seldom wanted In these High-places they built their Temples and had their Oracles as we learn from Justin Lib. XXIV cap. 6. where he saith the Temple of Apollo positum est in monte Parnasso c. was seated upon the Mountain Parnassus and from Pausanias who speaking of the Cave of Trophonius in Boeotia saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Oracle is in a Grove upon a Mountain The like might be observed of other Oracles which may countenance this Conjecture that some such pretended Oracle might be in this High-place where Balaam went for direction from God Ver. 4. And God met Balaam Appeared unto Verse 4 him as he had been wont to do in other places XXII 9 20. where the word Elohim is constantly used as it is here and every where else till we come to verse 16. Which strengthens the opinion that the LORD hitherto spake to him only by an Angel And he said unto him i. e. Balaam said unto God when he saw him appear I have prepared seven Altars and have offered upon every Altar a Bullock and a Ram. This shows he sacrificed unto God and not unto Baal and he represents it to God that he might be moved thereby to condescend to his desire For Sacrificing was a form of Supplication as we find in other places particularly 1 Sam. XIII 12. and that which he begged of God was in all likelyhood that he would give him power to Curse Israel Ver. 5. And he put a word into Balaam's mouth Told him what he should say And therefore saith Maimonides he spake by the Spirit of God which he makes account was the second degree of Prophecy Whence that Description Balaam gives of himself he hath said who heard the words of God P. II. More Nevochim c. 45. And said Return unto Balak and thus shalt thou speak He commanded him to speak unto Balak at his return to him as he was instructed and no otherwise The words he bad him speak are those that we read below v. 7 8 c. Verse 6 Ver. 6. And he returned unto him and lo he stood by his Burnt-sacrifice He found him in the very same posture wherein he left him v. 3. Which shows Balaam did not go far nor stay long before he returned and that Balak was earnest in his Supplications He and all the Princes of Moab Who were concerned in the good Success of this Negotiation Verse 7 Ver. 7. And he took up An Hebrew phrase for speaking aloud His Parable Or Prophetical Speech which was sometimes delivered in Parables properly so called that is not in plain Words but in apt Figures and Resemblances concerning which see Maimonides P. II. cap. 43. But here the word Parable signifies as it doth in the Book of Job a weighty Speech expressed in sublime and majestick words XXVII Job 1. XXIX 1. And said Balak the King of Moab hath brought me from Aram. See XXII 5. From the Mountains of the East The Country of Mesopotamia lay Eastward of Moab and in that part of it towards Arabia was stony and mountainous See Bochartus in his Phaleg Lib. II. cap. 6. Saying Come curse me Jacob and come defie Israel Two different Expressions for the same thing only the latter word which we translate defie imports something of fury because he would have had him curse them in such a Prophetick Rage as should have the most direful Effects upon them Ver. 8. How shall I curse him whom God hath not Verse 8 cursed c. As much as if he had said Balak desires of me that which is impossible In the Hierusalem Targum this verse is thus paraphrased How shall I curse the House of Jacob when the WORD of the LORD hath blessed them or how shall I diminish the Family of Israel when the Word of the LORD hath multiplied them Ver. 9. For from the top of the Rocks Upon which Verse 9 he then stood when
bring forth a plentiful Crop XXXII Isa 20. There are those who refer both these to their numerous Posterity Procreation of Children being sometimes expressed in Scripture by the Metaphors of Waters and Fountains and Cisterns as every one knows And both the LXX and Onkelos interpret this of one particular Person that should arise of their Seed For thus the former of them renders this part of the verse There shall come a Man out of his Seed who shall rule over many Nations And the latter of them paraphrases in this manner There shall be a great King who shall be anointed of his Children and shall have Dominion over many People which the Hierusalem Targum saith expresly is Christ For thus this verse begins in that Paraphrase A King shall arise out of his Sons and their Redeemer from among them c. and thus concludes it and the Kingdom of the King Messias shall be magnificently exalted And his King shall be higher than Agag This seems to have been the Name of all the Kings of the Amalekites for we read of one called Agag long after this time 1 Sam. XV. 8 9. as Abimelech was the Name of the Philistine Kings and Pharaoh of the Egyptian And at this time no Nation thereabouts was in greater Reputation than the Amalekites v. 20. who thought themselves able to obstruct the Israelites passage into Canaan and gave a very early proof of the high opinion of their own Power and Prowess by attacking the Israelites as soon as they came out of Egypt Balaam therefore foretels the King of Israel should be the greatest of all other for he was acquainted with none higher than Agag which some think hath a peculiar respect to their first King Saul who subdued the Amalekites and took Agag captive But his Successor was far greater than he and the Jews themselves think this hath its full completion in the LORD Christ And his Kingdom shall be exalted They shall increase and multiply till their Kingdom be greatly enlarged as it was in the days of David and Solomon who were but Shadows of the great King MESSIAH Ver. 8. God brought him out of Egypt he hath as it Verse 8 were the strength of an Vnicorn All the power of Egypt could not detain them in slavery but they came out from thence with a strong and high hand XIII Exod. 9. XIV 8. and are grown a mighty People See the foregoing Chapter v. 22. where this hath been explained He shall eat up the Nations his Enemies Utterly destroy the seven Nations of Canaan And shall break their bones So that they shall never recover their Strength And pierce them through with his Arrows Having given them their deadly wound Or as some translate the Hebrew words break their Arrows in pieces i. e. quite disarm them Verse 9 Ver. 9. He couched he lay down He prophesies that the Israelites having conquered the Canaanites should settle in their Land and take their rest and live securely Which he speaks of with such confidence as if it were already done As a Lion and as a great Lion See XXIII 24. the signification of Ari and Labi Who shall stir him up Give them any disturbance It is observed of Lions that they do not betake themselves to remote or secret places when they go to sleep but lye down any where as Oppianus describes them Lib. III. as if they understood that let them sleep where they pleased no Body durst meddle with them See Bochartus in his Hierozoicon P. I. Lib. III. cap. 2. And therefore being applied to the Israelites signifies such an absolute and secure possession of the Land of Canaan that none should have the boldness to assault or give them any disquiet Which came to pass chiefly in the days of David and Solomon Blessed be he that blesseth thee and cursed is he that curseth thee These are the very words wherewith Isaac concluded his blessing of his Son Jocob XXVII Gen. 29. Which God now confirmed from the Mouth of one of their Enemies who spake at this time by his Spirit Ver. 10. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam Verse 10 He could no longer forbear to express his Indignation to be thus treated by Balaam whom he had sent for a great way and entertained for some time and therefore stopt him from proceeding for the present any further in his Prophecy And smote his hands together A token of vehement Anger XXI Ezek. 17. And Balak said unto Balaam It is likely he was so full of Wrath that he could not speak presently but expressed it only in his Looks and Actions I called thee to curse mine Enemies and thou hast altogether blessed them Thou hast not said one word to my purpose but all quite contrary These three times Though I have been at great expence and built Altars and offered many Sacrifices in three several places But at what distance of time one from another doth not appear Ver. 11. Therefore now flee thou unto thy place Get Verse 11 thee home immediately and stay not a Moment longer here For that is imported in the word flee which indicates that he could not indure the sight of him while he remained thus angry And as he banished him his Presence so he commanded him to make all possible haste out of his Country I thought to promote thee to great honour And to bestow as much Wealth upon him as he desired which is included in the word honour XXII 17. But lo the LORD Whom thou pretendest to obey Hath kept thee back from honour By not permitting thee to comply with my desire It is uncertain whether these words were spoken in anger and scorn or seriously and in good earnest believing he was hindred by the LORD's will and pleasure from cursing Israel Which he had more reason to believe than he had to hope he might obtain liberty to curse them XXIII 27. and therefore was without all reason in this Passion against Balaam Verse 12 Ver. 12. And Balaam spake unto Balak Prayed Balak to hear him patiently a few words before he departed Spake I not also to thy Messengers which thou sentest unto me saying Did I not before I saw thee tell those that came to invite me to thee the very same which I told thee afterwards Verse 13 Ver. 13. If Balak would give me his House full of Gold and Silver I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD to do more or less So he told his Messengers XXII 18. Of my Mind According as I please But what the LORD saith that will I speak So he told Balak himself XXII 38. All which he recalls to his Mind to show him that there was no Cause for his Anger he having performed as much as he undertook which was to follow God's directions as he had done strictly And it is likely that by this just Representation of what had passed between them he brought Balak to a cooler temper so that he suffered him to go on
Provocations for their number was within Eighteen hundred and twenty as many as they were at their last muster and partly that the Land they were now going to possess might be the more easily divided among the Tribes in just and equal proportions From twenty years old and upwards throughout their Father's house all that are able to go to war in Israel All this is explained in the first Chapter v. 2 3. Verse 3 Ver. 3. And Moses and Eleazar the Priest spake with them With the Heads of the several Tribes who it is likely were to assist in this numbring as they did in the former I Numb 4 16 17. In the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho saying See XXII 1. Verse 4 Ver. 4. Take the Sum of the People These words are not in the Hebrew but some words of this kind are to be understood that they spake with them about numbring the People from twenty years old and upwards as it here follows As the LORD commanded Moses and the Children of Israel which went forth out of the Land of Egypt He bad them proceed according to the directions God had formerly given in the second month of the second year after they came out of Egypt I Numb 1. Verse 5 6. Ver. 5 6. Reuben the eldest Son of Jacob. This numbring being performed as the former was Moses uses more concise Language in the account he gives of it as he doth in the foregoing verse and in this and those that follow Where he sets down the number of every Tribe and the Families from whence they sprung without saying Those that were numbred of the Tribe of Reuben were c. as he doth I Numb 21 c. The Children of Hanock of whom came the Family of the Hanochites c. The four Sons of Reuben whose Families here follow are mentioned both in Genesis XLVI 9. and in Exodus VI. 14. and are here mentioned again because he intends to set down the Names both of the Children and Grand-children of one of his Sons which he did not before Ver. 7. These are the Families of the Reubenites Verse 7 The word we translate Families rather signifies Nations Gentes or Kindreds as we translate it XXII Psal 27. For all that sprung from those LXX Persons who came with Jacob into Egypt are called by this name of Mispecoth which the LXX here translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 People Which were divided into Houses as the Hebrews call them and those Houses into particular Persons This is plain from VII Josh 14. where for the discovery of him that had sinned in the accursed Thing God commanded the Israelites to be brought by their Tribes and then that Tribe by the Families belonging to it and that Family which the LORD took by Housholds and that Houshold Man by Man And they that were numbred of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty This being compared with I Numb 21. it appears this Tribe was less than it was eight and thirty years ago by near three thousand Men For some whole Housholds had been destroyed as it follows v. 9. Ver. 8. And the Sons of Pallu Eliab He speaks Verse 8 in the Plural Number when there was but one Son of Pallu which is very usual in the Scripture Language See XIX Gen. 29. XXI 7. XLVI 7. and in this very Chapter v. 42. Eliab He doth not say from him came the Family of the Eliabites for he made only an Houshold in the Family as we call it of the Palluites Verse 9 Ver. 9. And the Sons of Eliab Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram The same must be observed of these that Families did not spring from them but they were Housholds belonging to the Family of the Palluites This is that Dathan and Abiram They are here again mentioned partly to set a new Brand upon them for their insolent Rebellion against Moses and partly to show how the Reubenites came to be so diminished Famous in the Congregation See XVI 2. Who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah They joyned with Korah who seems to have been the chief Incendiary For he is mentioned first in the XVI 1. When they strove against the LORD Who had appointed Aaron alone to be the High-Priest and his Sons to Minister in the Priest's Office which these Men would have usurped XVI 11. where it is said expresly They were gathered together against the LORD Verse 10 Ver. 10. And the Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah These words seem to import that Korah was swallowed up with Dathan and Abiram as I have observed upon XVI 32. See there But it must be acknowledged that these words may receive another Interpretation and that very natural in this manner The Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up viz. Dathan and Abiram and the rest mentioned XVI 32. and then the next words veeth Korah may be thus translated and as for Korah who was the great Incendiary when that Company died i. e. he died when the Company which offered Incense died for there is in many places a defect of a word to be supplyed from the word that follows This is a very easie construction and agrees with the Psalmist CVI. 17. where he mentions only Dathan and Abiram's Company as swallowed up and then adds v. 18. A fire was kindled in their Company i. e. in the other Company of Rebels and the flame burnt up the wicked viz. Korah and those that were with him What time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men XVI 35. If the Interpretation now mentioned of the foregoing words be admitted then Korah must be added to the number of the Two hundred and fifty Men which Moses takes occasion to explain in this place And they became a sign A Monument of God's displeasure against those that affront his Ministers to give warning unto all Posterity not to follow their pernitious Courses Ver. 11. Notwithstanding the Children of Korah died Verse 11 not As those of Dathan and Abiram did but their Family continued famous in David's time For perhaps they left their Father and departed from the Tents of those wicked Men as Moses by God's command exhorted the Congreation XVI 24 26. and they obeyed v. 27. Ver. 12 13. The Sons of Simeon after their Families Verse 12 13. c. His Sons reckoned up here just as they are XLVI Gen. 10. and VI Exod. 15. only one of them viz. Ohad is here omitted because either he had no Children or his Family was extinct before this time The first of them also viz. Nemuel is there called Jemuel and Jachin in 1 Chron. IV. 24. is called Jarib there being some reason in process of time for such alterations Verse 14 Ver. 14. These are the Families of the Simeonites twenty and two thousand and two hundred There was a wonderful decrease of this Tribe in the space of thirty and eight years For they were fewer
in Egypt See this there explained And she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their Sister Who seems to have been born before Moses if not before Aaron II Exod. 4. Ver. 60. And unto Aaron was born Nadab and Abihu Eleazar and Ithamar VI Exod. 23. where he tells the name of their Mother Ver. 61. And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered Verse 60 strange Fire before the LORD See X Lev. 2. Verse 61 and the third Chapter of this Book v. 4. But Eleazar who was the eldest next to them was now alive and made High-Priest and it is likely Ithamar also being under Twenty years old when the People murmured upon the Report of the Spies and so not cut off with that wicked Generation XVI 29. All this is here recounted to show that the Tribe of Levi was preserved by the blessing of God as well as the rest of the Israelites though they were to have no Inheritance in the Land of Canaan Ver. 62. And those that were numbred of them were Verse 62 twenty and three thousand c. So they were a thousand more than at the last numbring III. 39. For they were not numbred among the Children of Israel But by themselves for the reason following Because there was no Inheritance given them among the Children of Israel For God was their Inheritance as he told them XVIII 20 c. And therefore they were ordered not to be numbred Thirty eight years ago no more than now I Numb 49 c. The Jews are something curious in their Observations upon these words among or in the midst of the Children of Israel from whence they conclude that the Levites might have Lands out of the Bounds of the Land of Canaan though not within it among their Brethren Ver. 63. These are they that were numbred by Moseâ— Verse 63 and Eleazar the Priest who numbred the Children of Israel in the plains of Moab c. By a special command of God v. 1 2 c. Ver. 64. But among these there was not a Man of them whom Moses and Aaron the Priest numbred when they numbred the Children of Israel in the Wilderness of Verse 64 Sinai See the first Chapter of this Book v. 1 2 c. so exactly were God's Threatnings fulfilled as well as his Promises Chapter XXVII Verse 65 Ver. 65. For the LORD had said of them they shall surely die in the Wilderness He had pronounced this irreversible Sentence upon the whole Congregation XIV 23 28 29. where he swears they should not enter into the Land of Canaan because they had brought or entertained an evil report of it See also II Deut. 14 15. And there was not left a Man of them save Caleb the Son of Jephunneh and Joshua the Son of Nun. Whom God promised to spare because they were of another Spirit XV. 24 30 38. And their survival was as remarkable an instance of the truth of God's word as the Death of all the rest CHAP. XXVII Verse 1 Ver. 1. THEN came the Daughters of Zelophehad the Son of Hepher c. Who are mentioned before XXVI 33. just as they are here only their Genealogy is here more fully set out that their Father was the Grandson of Manasseh the Son of Joseph from whom he was lineally descended but left no Sons behind him Now these young Women hearing Moses say as he doth in the foregoing Chapter that the LORD commanded the Land of Canaan should be divided among those that were now numbred and observing that only Males from Twenty years old were numbred v. 2. presently apprehended that they being Females were excluded from having any Inheritance among the Israelites and so the Family of the Hepherites XXVI 32. would be extinguished This was the ground of what follows Whereby it appears that every body was immediately acquainted with the Laws which Moses received from God and that there was a faithful Register kept of every one that was born in every Family and Tribe to prevent all Disputes about the true Heirs to Mens Estates Ver. 2. And they stood before Moses c. To represent Verse 2 before him and the rest of the Judges who were now assembled the Case which I have mentioned Before Moses and Eleazar the Priest and before the Princes and all the Congregation These made up the greatest Court of Judicature that at any time sate For by Princes are meant either the Heads of the Tribes or the highest of the Judges appointed XVIII Exod. called the Heads of the People v. 25. And by all the Congregation is meant the LXX Elders mentioned in this Book XI 24. For they are called col ha edah the whole Congregation and sometimes only Edah the Congregation as R. Solomon observes See Bertram de Republ. Jud. p. 72. Now at the Head of all these sat Moses and next to him Eleazar the Priest By the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation Near to which this august Assembly it is likely was wont to sit when they met together that Moses might presently if there were occasion go and consult with God himself in any difficult matter that came before them And thus Mr. Selden observes out of Maimonides that in future times the great Sanhedrim followed the Tabernacle sitting sometimes in one place sometimes in another according as that was settled As after they came to Canaan it was first at Shiloh then at Mizpeh and afterwards at Gilgal Nob Gibeon the House of Obed-Edom till at last it was fixed in Jerusalem Lib. II. de Synedr cap. 15. n. 4. As concerning that which the Talmudists say concerning the proceedings in this case of Zelophehad's Daughters nothing certain can be determined But they give this account of it That they first brought this Cause into the Courts appointed by the advice of Jethro XVIII Exod. 21. and began with the Rulers of ten who knowing not what to say to them they went to those of fifty and from thence to the Centurions and at last to the Chiliarchs None of which durst adventure to give Judgment but referred the Cause by reason of its difficulty to Moses who brought it to the SCHECHINAH as they speak i. e. to the Divine Majesty Seld. ib. cap. 16. n. 1. Verse 3 Ver. 3. Saying Our Father died in the Wilderness Among the rest mentioned v. 64 65. of the foregoing Chapter They seem to have drawn up their Cause in the form of a Petition or as Mr. Selden speaks in the Legal Phrase presented a Libel to the Court containing the intire matter of their Petition and that artificially enough And he was not one of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the Company of Korah They use the very words of Moses concerning that rebellious Company XVI 11. And instance in this Sin rather than any other either to show that their Father had a due regard to the Authority of Moses who they hoped therefore would be the more favourable to his Posterity or
rather to insinuate that he was not guilty of such a Crime as might make Men justly forfeit what they had for their Children as well as for themselves For all the Family of Dathan and Abiram perished and it is taken notice of as a singular Mercy that the Children of Korah did not XXVI 10 11. But died in his own Sin i. e. For his own Sin which God had declared should not affect the Children XIV 31. For to that General Sin in which all the People were engaged these words seem to refer And so it was his own sin not with respect to the rest of the People for they were all alike guilty but with respect to his Children it being a personal Guilt in which they were not concerned The Jews commonly say that Zelophehad was the Man that was stoned for gathering Sticks on the Sabbath-day For which they have no authority but a fancy of R. Aquiba who is sharply reproved for it by another considerable Rabbi who saith it is a rash Judgment for if it were true since the Scripture conceals it he ought not to have revealed it but hath reproached a just Man for any thing that appears See Selden Lib. II. de Synedr cap. 1. sect 9. And had no Son As was found when the People were numbred XXVI 33. Ver. 4. Why should the name of our Father be done Verse 4 away from among his Family One Family of the Tribe of Manasseh viz. the Hepherites being in danger to be wholly extinguished R. Judah will have the word Name in this place to signifie as much as hereditary possession and so he thinks it signifies XXV Deut. 6. as Mr. Selden observes out of Pesikta Lib. de Successionibus cap. 14. Because he hath no Son Merely for want of Issue-Male when he hath left many Daughters Give unto us therefore a possession among the Brethren of our Father Let us come in for a share among those that are descended from Manasseh Which if they did the Name of their Father could not be thereby preserved but by the Son of one of these Daughters taking upon him not the Name of his Father that begat him but of his Mother's Grand-father viz. Hepher which was ordered afterwards by a general Law XXV Deut. 6. Verse 5 Ver. 5. And Moses brought their Cause before the LORD This was too difficult a Cause though there seemed to be a great deal of Reason on their side to be judged by the great Court before-mentioned and therefore it was referred to Moses alone as other weighty Causes used to be See XV. 32. XXV 4. for neither Eleazar nor any other Person before whom it was brought v. 2. are here mentioned as the Judges of this matter And he durst not judge it though the equity appeared very plain without bringing it before the LORD for his direction which he could have upon all important occasions XXV Exod. 22. VII Numb 89. Verse 6 Ver. 6. And the LORD spake unto Moses saying This shows that the Cause was devolved upon Moses alone for the LORD tells him and no other Person how it should be determined Verse 7 Ver. 7. The Daughters of Zelophehad c. The LORD approves of their Claim and gives a Sentence in their favour Thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their Father's Brethren Because the word for them in the Hebrew is of the Masculine Gender some think it signifies they were to be considered as if they had been Sons And thou shalt cause the Inheritance of their Father to pass unto them So that they were to enjoy what would have faln to his share had he been alive ob indutam defuncti patris personam as the Lawyers speak because they stood in the place of their dead Father and represented his Person And accordingly they put in their Claim at the Division of the Land and had their Portion therein according to this Decision XVII Josh 2 3 c. How the Portion was divided among them according to the Hebrew Doctors Mr. Selden shows at large in his Book de Successionibus in bona defunctii cap. 23. Ver. 8. And thou shall speak unto the Children of Israel Verse 8 saying Upon this occasion he passes this special Case into a General Law to be hereafter observed If a Man die and have no Son then ye shall cause his Inheritance to pass unto his Daughter It being a reason as Maimonides observes More Nevochim P. III. cap. 42. that what a Man leaves should come to his Family and to those who are next of Kin to him for the nearer any Person is to us we are inclined by natural affection to have the greater regard to him But all this is to be understood of Land as for Money and moveable Goods which were of his own getting the Father might dispose of them by his Will to whom he pleased Ver. 9. And if he have no Daughter then ye shall give his Inheritance unto his Brethren Unless his Father was alive who undoubtedly the Jews say was Verse 9 the next Heir but not mentioned because it was not necessary Or as some say because it was too sad a thing to speak of a Fathers burying all his Children without Issue See Selden de Success in bona defuncti cap. 12. Where he observes that according to the Rule v. 11. it must come to the Father because he is nearest of kin to it And therefore the Jews interpret this as if Moses had said If he have Daughter he shall give his inheritance to the next of his Kindred to his Father for instance and afterwards ye shall give it to his Brethren i. e. the Children of his Father And the same is to be said of the Grandchildren unto whom the Brethren of a Father dying without issue are heirs For the Grandfather stands in the same relation to a Father that a Father doth to his Son Verse 11 Ver. 11. And if his Father have no Brethren then ye shall give it to his Kinsman that is next of Kin to him of his Family and he shall possess it To his Brothers Children or to those who are descended from them or from his Fathers ' Brethren But no consideration was to be had of his Mother's Kindred as the Jewish Lawyers say who could never be capable of the Inheritance Which they gather not only from these words which determine the Inheritance to his Family i. e. the Family of the Father before-mentioned not to the Family of the Mother but from the frequent mention of the Father of Mischpachoth which we translate Families or rather Kindreds of the Fathers in the Books of Moses Chronicles Ezra and others From whence this solemn Maxim of the Talmudists The Family or Kindred of the Mother is never called by the name of Kindred That is it hath not the effect of a Kindred in Successions to Inheritances Which is the same with that in the ancient Book Siphri Families follow the Fathers as Mr. Selden
slaughter of the People that wantonly despised Manna and lusted after Flesh Yet here God was pleased to vouchsafe to send his Spirit upon the LXX Elders for the Assistance of Moses Ver. 17. And they departed from Kibroth-hattaavah Verse 17 and encamped at Hazeroth See XI 35. Where Miriam was punished for her Envy at Moses XII 1 10. Ver. 18. And they departed from Hazeroth and Verse 18 pitched at Rithmah A place also in the Wilderness of Paran as appears from this Book XII 16. and was not far from Kadesh-barnea from whence the Spies were sent to search out the Land of Canaan See XIII 26. In which place they lay a long time I Deut. 46. Ver. 19. And they departed from Rithmah and Verse 19 pitched in Rimmon-Parez This and the following Stages are no where else mentioned and seem to have all been in the Wilderness of Paran before spoken of Which was a very long Tract of Ground from Elana a Port in the Arabian Gulph to Kadesh-barnea which as David Chytraeus computes it was thirty German Miles Verse 20 Ver. 20. And they departed from Rimmon-Parez and pitched in Libnah This and the rest to v. 31. are places of which as I said we no where else read and so can give no account of them They were all uninhabited and out of the road of all Travellers and perhaps had no names till they were given them by the Israelites who encamped in so many various places sometimes in Mountains as appears from v. 23. and sometimes in the Plain that they might be taught that God was alike present every where to protect defend and provide for them even there where no Man dwelt The Jews make this use of their Travels here recorded by Moses through so many unknown places by which he brought them at last to Canaan to keep up their Spirits under this long Captivity as they call it wherein they now are and have wandred uncertainly from Mountain to Mountain from Kingdom to Kingdom from Banishment to Banishment as they themselves speak till their Messiah come to redeem them Which he will do when their Eyes are opened to see what one of their ancient Rabbins Moses Hadarschan hath told them as he is quoted by Paulus Fagius That the Redeemer was born before him who reduced Israel into this last Captivity Verse 31 Ver. 31. And they departed from Moserah and pitched in Bene-Jaakan In X Deut. 6. Moses seems to say the quite contrary that they took their journey from Beeroth of the Children of Jaakan to Mosera But there he may be thought to speak of a different place as Drusius notes upon those words Or if he doth not it is no wonder if while they wandred in this tedious Wilderness they went backward and forward from Bene-Jaakan to Moserath which he mentions in Deuteronomy and from Moserath back again to Bene-Jaakan which he mentions here Ver. 32. And they journeyed from Bene-Jaakan and Verse 32 encamped at Horhagidgad This place was also called Gudgodah X Deut. 7. if Moses speaks there of the same places he doth here Ver. 33. And they went from Horhagidgad and Verse 33 pitched in Jotbathah Called X Deut. 7. Jotbath Ver. 34. And they removed from Jotbathah and encamped Verse 34 at Ebronah All their removals mentioned from v. 16. to this and the next place are an account of their wanderings in the Wilderness from the second year after their coming out of Egypt till the fortieth in which time all the Congregation above twenty years of Age were consumed and buried in some part or other of this great Desert Ver. 35. And they departed from Ebronah and encamped Verse 35 at Ezion-gaber A place on the Red-Sea unto which they were brought before they ended their Travels 1 Kings IX 26. XXII 18. It had its name from the snagged Rocks like to the Back-bone which stretched out a great way on that shore as Bochart observes Which Rocks made this part so dangerous that it was forsaken in after times and Elah frequented as a safer Harbor See Lib. I. Canaan cap. 44. It is not recorded how long they remained in any of these places but it is likely a considerable time in some of them for they spent Thirty eight years in these Removals Ver. 36. And they removed from Ezion-Gaber and pitched in the Wilderness of Zin which is Kadesh See XX. 1. He doth not mean Kadesh-barnea which Verse 36 was on the Borders of Canaan but another Kadesh in the Skirts of this Wilderness towards the South not far from the Port I now mentioned which the Greeks call Elana on the Border of Edom. Where Miriam died and where Water was brought out of a Rock See XX. 8 14 16. Verse 37 Ver. 37. And they removed from Kadesh and pitched in Mount Hor in the edge of the Land of Edom. See XX. 28. Verse 38 Ver. 38. And Aaron went up into Mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD XX. 23 24 27. XXXII Deut. 50. The Hebrew Doctors are too conceited in their observation that because it is said of him and of Moses that they died al pi at the mouth of the LORD the LORD took their Souls out of their Bodies with a kiss But Maimonides indeavours to make a sober sence of this by making their meaning to be that they expired with the transcendent Pleasure of Divine Love More Nevoch P. III. cap. 51. And died there in the fortieth year after the Children of Israel came out of the Land of Egypt in the first day of the fifth Month. A few Months before his Brother Moses Verse 39 Ver. 39. And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in Mount Hor. He was just Eighty and three years old when he and Moses first went with a Message to Pharaoh VII Exod. 7. By which it appears that they were not long in working all the Miracles in Egypt before they brought the People forth for now Forty years after he was but an Hundred twenty three years old Ver. 40. And King Arad the Canaanite which dwelt in the South in the Land of Canaan See XXI 1. Heard of the coming of the Children of Israel Had News brought him that the Israelites were Verse 40 coming towards his Country whereupon he went out to oppose them and God gave them as we read there a glorious Victory over him This shows that Moses intended in the recital of all these places where they had been to bring to remembrance the most remarkable Passages of God's Providence over them some of which he expresly sets down Ver. 41. And they departed from Mount Hor and Verse 41 pitched in Zalmonah We read in the XXIth Chapter of this Book v. 4. that they journeyed from Hor to compass the Land of Edom but are not told there where they pitched which is here supplyed the name of the place being Zalmonah Which carries in it the signification of an Image and therefore here perhaps the brazen Serpent was