(Numbers 10:13) And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
In verse 12 at the end of the last post, we were told that the pillar of cloud lifted and the children of Israel moved from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran where the cloud again rested. The
people set out on this first journey according to the commandment of
the Lord that had been earlier described as the movement of the cloud,
and by the directions that had been given to Moses and were carried out
by him as follows:
(14) In the first place went the
standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies;
and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
Numbers 2 explained the four standards, the tribes grouped under each standard, where they should camp, and the order of their marching. The Israelites under the standard of Judah were to move first; these included the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. These were camped on the east side and had been instructed in Numbers 2:9 to move out first. The captain of the tribe of Judah was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.
(15) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.
The captain of the tribe of Issachar that was also under the standard of Judah, was Nethanel, the son of Zuar.
(16) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.
The captain of the host or army, if you will, of the children of Zebulun was Eliab, the son of Helon. The tribe of Zebulun also moved under the standard of Judah.
(17) And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle.
The tabernacle was taken down; according to Numbers 1:51, this would have been done by the Levites. Then specifically the Gershonites and Merarites moved forward carrying the tabernacle. Numbers 3 described the tribes of the sons of Levi and their particular duties as it related to the moving of the tabernacle. The Gershonites were responsible for the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle. The Merarites carried the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars, pillars, and sockets.
(18) And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies; and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.
Next the standard of Reuben moved forward. According to Numbers 2, the standard of Reuben camped on the south side, and the tribes under that standard were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. The captain of the host of Reuben was Elizur, the son of Shedeur.
(19) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
The captain of the host of the tribe of Simeon, which was under the standard of Reuben, was Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.
(20) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
The captain of the army of Gad, which was also under the standard of Reuben, was Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.
(21) And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary; and the other did set up the tabernacle before they came.
Next the Kohathites moved forward, carrying the holy things, including the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat, the
showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels
and furnishings of the sanctuary. The Gershonites and Merarites, who had marched before the Kohathites, had the tabernacle set up before the Kohathites came with the holy things.
Because Blogger limits the number of labels I can have per post, I will continue this in the next post:
The Israelites' Removal from Sinai to Paran, Part 2
Showing posts with label Shelumiel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shelumiel. Show all posts
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 1
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 7:1) And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all its instruments, both the altar and all its vessels, and had anointed them, and sanctified them, (2) That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them who were numbered, made an offering.
The past many chapters and posts, since Leviticus 10 till this one, have dealt with laws and numbers. I have been following a chronologically ordered study of the Bible set forth by Skip Andrews. As far as historical activities and events, Biblical scholars agree that the events in this chapter took place (or began to take place) on the second day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites' departure from Egypt, and the proper place of this account is immediately after the tenth chapter of Leviticus. However, it makes perfect logical sense that all the laws and numbers be linked together in sequence and placed conveniently where they were in the Bible.
Numbers 7:1 begins on the day after Moses had fully set up the tabernacle (Exodus 40:17), and after he had anointed and sanctified it and all its furnishings (Lev. 8:10-11). Obviously, all these things took time, and it is not to be taken literally that the events of Numbers 7 began on the exact day that Moses had set up the tabernacle, etc., but after all these things were completed. It was at that time that the princes of the twelve tribes of Israel who had been named in Numbers 1, made an offering.
(3) And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they brought them before the tabernacle.
The princes brought six covered wagons, which scholars agree were actually covered litters, a litter being a type of wagon carried upon people or animals rather than on wheels. Each wagon was carried upon two oxen, and as there were twelve princes, it made one wagon for two princes and one ox for each prince. They brought them to the tabernacle.
(4) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (5) "Take it from them, that they may be used to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”
The Lord told Moses to take the offerings of wagons and oxen from the princes to use in service of the tabernacle. They were to be distributed to the Levites according to each one's need for his particular service.
(6) And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.
Moses did as the Lord had instructed him and he took the wagons and the oxen and distributed them to the Levites as follows:
(7) Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.
Moses gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites who were in charge of transporting the curtains, coverings, and hangings of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:25).
(8) And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Moses gave the other four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites whose service was the carrying of all the boards, bars, pillars, etc. (Numbers 4:31-32). As their burden was the heaviest, they were given more wagons and oxen. Ithamar, the son of Aaron, was in charge of direction and oversight of the Gershonites (Numbers 4:28) and the Merarites (Numbers 4:33).
(9) But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonging to them was that which they should bear on their shoulders.
Moses gave no wagons or oxen to the Kohathites because they had charge of the ark and other holy furnishings (Numbers 4:4, 15), and those were to be carried on their shoulders. It makes sense that those sacred things must never be carried by beasts.
(10) And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed; the princes offered their offering before the altar.
The princes of the tribes also made offerings for the dedication of the altar. There is some discrepancy among the commentaries I study as to whether this referred back to the time when Moses first anointed the altar (Lev. 8:10), or if, like in Numbers 7:1 above, it meant once the anointing had been done, they offered their offerings for the dedicating of the altar. I tend to believe the latter as this appears to be a formal dedication after the time Moses first anointed and sanctified the altar.
(11) And the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, one prince each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
The Lord instructed Moses that the princes were to offer their offerings one day at a time, one prince offering on the first day, then another the next, etc., for what would be twelve days, for this dedication of the altar.
(12) And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah.
The prince who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, who had been named in Numbers 2:3 as the captain (prince) of the tribe of Judah.
(13) And his offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.
Nahshon's offering was one silver charger that weighed 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Exactly what the sanctuary shekel was varies among Biblical scholars, but as discussed in previous posts, as in the most recent post discussing this, a shekel was twenty gerahs, a gerah being a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin. This doesn't seem to be much value, but then again, who's to say what silver was worth in Biblical times, or what the rate of inflation might do to that value. Both of the silver items offered were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.
(14) One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense; (15) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (16) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (17) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
In addition, Nahshon offered a spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense. Once again, no one seems to know exactly what the sanctuary shekel of gold weighed, but this article in Got Questions gives us one idea. According to those calculations, this spoon would have weighed about 4 ounces or 120 grams of gold, worth over $5500 in today's market. Nahshon also offered a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering; a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.
(18) On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering.
On the second day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, who had been named captain or prince of the tribe of Issachar in Numbers 2:5, presented an offering.
(19) He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (20) One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense; (21) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (22) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (23) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.
Nethanel also offered a silver charger weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. He also offered a gold spoon of ten shekels full of incense, and a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering. He also offered a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year for peace offerings.
(24) On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer. (25) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (26) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (27) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (28) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (29) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.
On the third day Eliab, son of Helon, prince of the tribe of Zebulun, made his offering. He offered a silver charger and a silver bowl of the same weight as offered by the first two princes, also full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering. He also offered a golden spoon of the same weight as the spoons given before, also full of incense. He also offered a young bull, a ram, a lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering, a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.
(30) On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer. (31) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering; (32) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (33) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (34) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (35) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
On the fourth day Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the tribe of Reuben, presented his offering which consisted of the same items offered by the princes before him on the previous three days. The offerings which the princes brought were very rich and valuable, and were surely not their own personal freewill offerings, but were the offerings of the people of their tribes. The princes of the tribes of the children of Israel would not have been so much richer than the common people of their tribes at this point.
(36) On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer. (37) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (38) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (39) One young bullock, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; (40) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (41) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
On the fifth day Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the tribe of Simeon, presented his offering which was exactly the same as the princes before him.
(42) On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered. (43) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (44) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (45) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (46) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (47) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
On the sixth day Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered the same large rich offering as the princes in the days before him.
Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and all of the names are important in Numbers 7, I have continued the study of this chapter in the next post:
Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 2
(Numbers 7:1) And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all its instruments, both the altar and all its vessels, and had anointed them, and sanctified them, (2) That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them who were numbered, made an offering.
The past many chapters and posts, since Leviticus 10 till this one, have dealt with laws and numbers. I have been following a chronologically ordered study of the Bible set forth by Skip Andrews. As far as historical activities and events, Biblical scholars agree that the events in this chapter took place (or began to take place) on the second day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites' departure from Egypt, and the proper place of this account is immediately after the tenth chapter of Leviticus. However, it makes perfect logical sense that all the laws and numbers be linked together in sequence and placed conveniently where they were in the Bible.
Numbers 7:1 begins on the day after Moses had fully set up the tabernacle (Exodus 40:17), and after he had anointed and sanctified it and all its furnishings (Lev. 8:10-11). Obviously, all these things took time, and it is not to be taken literally that the events of Numbers 7 began on the exact day that Moses had set up the tabernacle, etc., but after all these things were completed. It was at that time that the princes of the twelve tribes of Israel who had been named in Numbers 1, made an offering.
(3) And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they brought them before the tabernacle.
The princes brought six covered wagons, which scholars agree were actually covered litters, a litter being a type of wagon carried upon people or animals rather than on wheels. Each wagon was carried upon two oxen, and as there were twelve princes, it made one wagon for two princes and one ox for each prince. They brought them to the tabernacle.
(4) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (5) "Take it from them, that they may be used to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”
The Lord told Moses to take the offerings of wagons and oxen from the princes to use in service of the tabernacle. They were to be distributed to the Levites according to each one's need for his particular service.
(6) And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.
Moses did as the Lord had instructed him and he took the wagons and the oxen and distributed them to the Levites as follows:
(7) Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.
Moses gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites who were in charge of transporting the curtains, coverings, and hangings of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:25).
(8) And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Moses gave the other four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites whose service was the carrying of all the boards, bars, pillars, etc. (Numbers 4:31-32). As their burden was the heaviest, they were given more wagons and oxen. Ithamar, the son of Aaron, was in charge of direction and oversight of the Gershonites (Numbers 4:28) and the Merarites (Numbers 4:33).
(9) But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonging to them was that which they should bear on their shoulders.
Moses gave no wagons or oxen to the Kohathites because they had charge of the ark and other holy furnishings (Numbers 4:4, 15), and those were to be carried on their shoulders. It makes sense that those sacred things must never be carried by beasts.
(10) And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed; the princes offered their offering before the altar.
The princes of the tribes also made offerings for the dedication of the altar. There is some discrepancy among the commentaries I study as to whether this referred back to the time when Moses first anointed the altar (Lev. 8:10), or if, like in Numbers 7:1 above, it meant once the anointing had been done, they offered their offerings for the dedicating of the altar. I tend to believe the latter as this appears to be a formal dedication after the time Moses first anointed and sanctified the altar.
(11) And the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, one prince each day, for the dedication of the altar.”
The Lord instructed Moses that the princes were to offer their offerings one day at a time, one prince offering on the first day, then another the next, etc., for what would be twelve days, for this dedication of the altar.
(12) And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah.
The prince who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, who had been named in Numbers 2:3 as the captain (prince) of the tribe of Judah.
(13) And his offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.
Nahshon's offering was one silver charger that weighed 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. Exactly what the sanctuary shekel was varies among Biblical scholars, but as discussed in previous posts, as in the most recent post discussing this, a shekel was twenty gerahs, a gerah being a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin. This doesn't seem to be much value, but then again, who's to say what silver was worth in Biblical times, or what the rate of inflation might do to that value. Both of the silver items offered were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.
(14) One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense; (15) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (16) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (17) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
In addition, Nahshon offered a spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense. Once again, no one seems to know exactly what the sanctuary shekel of gold weighed, but this article in Got Questions gives us one idea. According to those calculations, this spoon would have weighed about 4 ounces or 120 grams of gold, worth over $5500 in today's market. Nahshon also offered a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering; a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.
(18) On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering.
On the second day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, who had been named captain or prince of the tribe of Issachar in Numbers 2:5, presented an offering.
(19) He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (20) One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense; (21) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (22) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (23) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.
Nethanel also offered a silver charger weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. He also offered a gold spoon of ten shekels full of incense, and a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering. He also offered a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year for peace offerings.
(24) On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer. (25) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (26) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (27) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (28) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (29) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.
On the third day Eliab, son of Helon, prince of the tribe of Zebulun, made his offering. He offered a silver charger and a silver bowl of the same weight as offered by the first two princes, also full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering. He also offered a golden spoon of the same weight as the spoons given before, also full of incense. He also offered a young bull, a ram, a lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering, a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.
(30) On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer. (31) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering; (32) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (33) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (34) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (35) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.
On the fourth day Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the tribe of Reuben, presented his offering which consisted of the same items offered by the princes before him on the previous three days. The offerings which the princes brought were very rich and valuable, and were surely not their own personal freewill offerings, but were the offerings of the people of their tribes. The princes of the tribes of the children of Israel would not have been so much richer than the common people of their tribes at this point.
(36) On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer. (37) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (38) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (39) One young bullock, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; (40) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (41) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
On the fifth day Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the tribe of Simeon, presented his offering which was exactly the same as the princes before him.
(42) On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered. (43) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (44) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (45) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (46) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (47) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
On the sixth day Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered the same large rich offering as the princes in the days before him.
Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and all of the names are important in Numbers 7, I have continued the study of this chapter in the next post:
Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 2
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Order of the Encampment and March of the Tribes of Israel, Part 1
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 2:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (2) "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house; they shall pitch far off around the tabernacle of the congregation."
In the last chapter, Moses and Aaron had taken a census of the able-bodied men from age twenty and upward who were able to go to war, as the Lord had instructed they do. They were counted according to their tribes. The Lord resumed speaking with Moses and Aaron giving them more instructions. The children of Israel were to camp in their own groups, their own tribes, with their tribe's banner with the sign or distinguishing mark of the father of their particular tribe. They were to pitch their tents a distance away from the tabernacle probably in a circle so that each tribe was the same distance from the tabernacle. In a later scripture (Joshua 3:4), the distance was described as two thousand cubits, which was a little more than half a mile, so we might assume that is how far off they were to camp at this time.
(3) "And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah."
On the east side toward the rising sun, the entire tribe of Judah, 74,600 men of war, not including the rest of the women and children and men not able to go to war, was to camp; and Nahshon, the son Amminadab, was to be the captain or head of the tribe of Judah.
(4) "And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were seventy-four thousand six hundred."
As already recalled, Judah's company or army totaled 74,600 men.
(5) "And those who pitch next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and Nethanel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar. (6) And his host, and those who were numbered of it were fifty-four thousand four hundred."
Next to the tribe of Judah was the tribe of Issachar to camp; and Nethanel, the son of Zuar was to be the captain of the tribe of Issachar. The tribe of Issachar amounted to 54,400 able-bodied men of war.
(7) "Then the tribe of Zebulun; and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. (8) And his host, and those who were numbered of it were fifty-seven thousand four hundred."
According to the early Jewish scholar, Aben Ezra, said Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, the tribe of Zebulun was camped on the opposite side of Judah than was the tribe of Issachar, with Judah in the middle. Zebulun's camp included 57,400 men able to go to war, and Eliab was the captain of that tribe.
(9) “All who were numbered in the camp of Judah were one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred throughout their armies. These shall first set forth."
It would appear that "they of the standard of the camp of Judah" from verse 3 included the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, and they totaled 186,400 men in their armies. These tribes that were camped on the east side were to be the first ones to move in a march or when about to journey. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, explained, "Those tribes were placed together under the same standard that were nearest of kin to each other; Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, were the three younger sons of Leah, and they were put together; and Issachar and Zebulun would not grudge to be under Judah, since they were his younger brethren."
(10) "On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies; and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur."
On the south side was to be camped the standard of the camp of Reuben, beginning with the tribe of Reuben, whose captain was Elizur, the son of Shedeur.
(11) "And his host, and those who were numbered of it, were forty-six thousand five hundred."
Reuben's company or army numbered 46,500 able-bodied men of war.
(12) "And those who pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. (13) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred."
The tribe of Simeon was to camp next to the tribe of Reuben under the standard of the camp of Reuben, and Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, was the captain of the tribe of Simeon. Simeon's company totaled 59,300.
(14) "Then the tribe of Gad; and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. (15) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty."
Then camped under the standard of Reuben was the tribe of Gad, whose captain was Eliasaph, the son of Reuel, or Deuel, as in Numbers 1:14 and elsewhere. The army of Gad totaled 45,650.
(16) "All who were numbered in the camp of Reuben were one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank."
Reuben, Jacob's oldest son, was made chief of the next standard. Simeon, also a son of Leah, and Gad, the son of Zilpah her maid, were of this standard. They totaled 151,450 men. This standard would be the second in line when marching or moving.
(17) "Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards."
The tabernacle with the camp of the Levites was to move next, so that it was in the middle of all the camps. The six tribes under the standards of Judah and Reuben were to move out first, then moved the tribe of Levi, followed by the other six tribes, as described in the next post. As they camped, beginning with Judah in the east, so they would move, with Levi in the middle.
Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and there are so many important names in Numbers 2, I have continued the study of this chapter in the next post:
Order of the Encampment and March of the Tribes of Israel, Part 2
(Numbers 2:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (2) "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house; they shall pitch far off around the tabernacle of the congregation."
In the last chapter, Moses and Aaron had taken a census of the able-bodied men from age twenty and upward who were able to go to war, as the Lord had instructed they do. They were counted according to their tribes. The Lord resumed speaking with Moses and Aaron giving them more instructions. The children of Israel were to camp in their own groups, their own tribes, with their tribe's banner with the sign or distinguishing mark of the father of their particular tribe. They were to pitch their tents a distance away from the tabernacle probably in a circle so that each tribe was the same distance from the tabernacle. In a later scripture (Joshua 3:4), the distance was described as two thousand cubits, which was a little more than half a mile, so we might assume that is how far off they were to camp at this time.
(3) "And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah."
On the east side toward the rising sun, the entire tribe of Judah, 74,600 men of war, not including the rest of the women and children and men not able to go to war, was to camp; and Nahshon, the son Amminadab, was to be the captain or head of the tribe of Judah.
(4) "And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were seventy-four thousand six hundred."
As already recalled, Judah's company or army totaled 74,600 men.
(5) "And those who pitch next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and Nethanel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar. (6) And his host, and those who were numbered of it were fifty-four thousand four hundred."
Next to the tribe of Judah was the tribe of Issachar to camp; and Nethanel, the son of Zuar was to be the captain of the tribe of Issachar. The tribe of Issachar amounted to 54,400 able-bodied men of war.
(7) "Then the tribe of Zebulun; and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. (8) And his host, and those who were numbered of it were fifty-seven thousand four hundred."
According to the early Jewish scholar, Aben Ezra, said Dr. John Gill in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, the tribe of Zebulun was camped on the opposite side of Judah than was the tribe of Issachar, with Judah in the middle. Zebulun's camp included 57,400 men able to go to war, and Eliab was the captain of that tribe.
(9) “All who were numbered in the camp of Judah were one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred throughout their armies. These shall first set forth."
It would appear that "they of the standard of the camp of Judah" from verse 3 included the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, and they totaled 186,400 men in their armies. These tribes that were camped on the east side were to be the first ones to move in a march or when about to journey. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, explained, "Those tribes were placed together under the same standard that were nearest of kin to each other; Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, were the three younger sons of Leah, and they were put together; and Issachar and Zebulun would not grudge to be under Judah, since they were his younger brethren."
(10) "On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies; and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur."
On the south side was to be camped the standard of the camp of Reuben, beginning with the tribe of Reuben, whose captain was Elizur, the son of Shedeur.
(11) "And his host, and those who were numbered of it, were forty-six thousand five hundred."
Reuben's company or army numbered 46,500 able-bodied men of war.
(12) "And those who pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. (13) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred."
The tribe of Simeon was to camp next to the tribe of Reuben under the standard of the camp of Reuben, and Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, was the captain of the tribe of Simeon. Simeon's company totaled 59,300.
(14) "Then the tribe of Gad; and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. (15) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty."
Then camped under the standard of Reuben was the tribe of Gad, whose captain was Eliasaph, the son of Reuel, or Deuel, as in Numbers 1:14 and elsewhere. The army of Gad totaled 45,650.
(16) "All who were numbered in the camp of Reuben were one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank."
Reuben, Jacob's oldest son, was made chief of the next standard. Simeon, also a son of Leah, and Gad, the son of Zilpah her maid, were of this standard. They totaled 151,450 men. This standard would be the second in line when marching or moving.
(17) "Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards."
The tabernacle with the camp of the Levites was to move next, so that it was in the middle of all the camps. The six tribes under the standards of Judah and Reuben were to move out first, then moved the tribe of Levi, followed by the other six tribes, as described in the next post. As they camped, beginning with Judah in the east, so they would move, with Levi in the middle.
Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and there are so many important names in Numbers 2, I have continued the study of this chapter in the next post:
Order of the Encampment and March of the Tribes of Israel, Part 2
Sunday, January 14, 2018
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 1
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 1:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
The entire book of Leviticus which preceded this was almost entirely devoted to laws which God gave to the children of Israel through Moses. The historical event that preceded that was the erecting of the tabernacle which was done on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt (Exo. 40:17). The book of Numbers begins with God speaking to Moses again in the wilderness of Sinai, specifically in the tabernacle, exactly one month after it had been erected.
(2) "Take a sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; (3) From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth to war in Israel; you and Aaron shall number them by their armies."
Gold told Moses to take a census of the children of Israel by their tribes, with the exception of the Levites as we'll find in following verses. It was to be according to the house of their fathers. I'm not sure if this means each father as head of household within each tribe, or if it's the case as Dr. John Gill suggested in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, "if the mother was of one tribe, and the father of another, the family was according to the tribe of the father." They were to be numbered with their names, every male by their "polls" meaning "heads" in this case. Only the males were to be counted, every male who was twenty years and older, and only those fit for war; Moses and Aaron were both instructed to number them by their armies, that is, by each tribe. Thus this would seem to be a census of military armies.
(4) “And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of the house of his fathers."
Again, excepting the tribe of Levi, who made up the priesthood, Moses and Aaron were to call out the head of each tribe as follows:
(5) "And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you: of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
It seems each head of a tribe was to stand with Moses and Aaron as they numbered their armies. First from the tribe of Reuben was Elizur, said to be the son of Shedeur. It's interesting to note the Godly names of most of these heads of tribes. Elizur meant "God of rock" or "my God, the rock".
(6) "Of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;"
From the tribe of Simeon, the head was Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai. Shelumiel meant "peace of God".
(7) "Of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;"
From the tribe of Judah was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. Nahshon, also spelled Naashon, meant "enchanter". From Exodus 6:23 we learned that Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, Nahshon's sister, daughter of Amminadab.
(8) "Of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;"
From the tribe of Issachar the head was Nethanel, the son of Zuar. Nethanel meant "given of God".
(9) "Of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;"
From the tribe of Zebulun was Eliab, the son of Helon. Eliab meant "God is father".
Because Blogger limits the number of labels each post can have, and I want all the heads of the tribes noted, Numbers 1 is continued in the following posts:
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 2
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 3
(Numbers 1:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
The entire book of Leviticus which preceded this was almost entirely devoted to laws which God gave to the children of Israel through Moses. The historical event that preceded that was the erecting of the tabernacle which was done on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt (Exo. 40:17). The book of Numbers begins with God speaking to Moses again in the wilderness of Sinai, specifically in the tabernacle, exactly one month after it had been erected.
(2) "Take a sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; (3) From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth to war in Israel; you and Aaron shall number them by their armies."
Gold told Moses to take a census of the children of Israel by their tribes, with the exception of the Levites as we'll find in following verses. It was to be according to the house of their fathers. I'm not sure if this means each father as head of household within each tribe, or if it's the case as Dr. John Gill suggested in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, "if the mother was of one tribe, and the father of another, the family was according to the tribe of the father." They were to be numbered with their names, every male by their "polls" meaning "heads" in this case. Only the males were to be counted, every male who was twenty years and older, and only those fit for war; Moses and Aaron were both instructed to number them by their armies, that is, by each tribe. Thus this would seem to be a census of military armies.
(4) “And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of the house of his fathers."
Again, excepting the tribe of Levi, who made up the priesthood, Moses and Aaron were to call out the head of each tribe as follows:
(5) "And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you: of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
It seems each head of a tribe was to stand with Moses and Aaron as they numbered their armies. First from the tribe of Reuben was Elizur, said to be the son of Shedeur. It's interesting to note the Godly names of most of these heads of tribes. Elizur meant "God of rock" or "my God, the rock".
(6) "Of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;"
From the tribe of Simeon, the head was Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai. Shelumiel meant "peace of God".
(7) "Of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;"
From the tribe of Judah was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. Nahshon, also spelled Naashon, meant "enchanter". From Exodus 6:23 we learned that Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, Nahshon's sister, daughter of Amminadab.
(8) "Of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;"
From the tribe of Issachar the head was Nethanel, the son of Zuar. Nethanel meant "given of God".
(9) "Of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;"
From the tribe of Zebulun was Eliab, the son of Helon. Eliab meant "God is father".
Because Blogger limits the number of labels each post can have, and I want all the heads of the tribes noted, Numbers 1 is continued in the following posts:
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 2
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 3
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)