Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 4:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (2) "Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, (3) From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all who
enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the
congregation."
In the previous chapter, Moses had taken a census of all the Levites from one month old and upward, according to the instructions of the Lord. Now the Lord told Moses and Aaron to number just the Kohathites, from thirty to fifty years of age, all who entered into service to do the work of the tabernacle. Whereas the men of the other tribes were to be counted from age twenty, these were to be counted from age thirty. Although both twenty and thirty-year-olds would be in the prime of their strength, a twenty-year-old might still be immature and childish and not have the gravity to do the important service of a Levite. At fifty, they were discharged from the more laborious service of the tabernacle, like the physical carrying of the tabernacle, but later scriptures will show they still ministered with their Levite brethren. This census of the Kohathite men thirty to fifty, was to be of "all who enter into the host to do the work in the tabernacle". Interestingly, the word "host" was usually used for a mass of persons organized for war. Although the Levites were exempt from going to war, their service was certainly a type of warfare, spiritual warfare, as soldiers of Christ.
(4) "This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things: (5) And when the camp sets forward, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it."
What followed was to be the service of the sons of Kohath, the most holy things, as described in Numbers 3:31, "...their charge shall be the ark, the table, the
candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary..." When the camp was to move, only Aaron and his sons were to come into the most holy place and take down the veil dividing the holy place from the most holy, and they were to cover the ark of the Testimony with it, still protecting it from sight and touch of the Levites.
(6) "And shall put on it a covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in its staves."
They were then to put a covering of badger skins over the Ark to protect it from weather, and then spread over it a blue cloth. Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that rather than putting in the staves or poles, they put them in order, as "These were never taken out of the golden rings by which the ark was to be borne (see Exo 25:14-15), but would need adjustment." If on this sole occasion they were taken out so that the Ark might be covered, they were immediately put back in.
(7) "And on the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and covers with which to cover it; and the continual bread shall be on it."
Aaron and his sons were then to spread a blue cloth on the showbread table, and to put on top of it all the utensils belonging to the showbread table, and the continual bread that was always on the table.
(8) "And they shall spread on them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same
with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in its staves."
They were then to cover the table and its utensils with a scarlet cloth, and cover that with a covering of badger skins, and finally put in the poles that were used to carry the table.
(9) “And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and its lamps, its tongs, its snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels of it, with which they service it."
Then they were to cover the candlestand with all its lamps and all the utensils that went with it and to service it, with a blue cloth.
(10) "And they shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it on a bar."
The blue cloth covered candlestand and all its utensils were to be placed with a covering of badger skins, on something with which to carry it. The original word translated as "bar" was "mot", and it actually means "wavering" or "shaking". Perhaps the implication is "moving" and it refers to whatever device was used to move it. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, thought perhaps it was "a kind of mat or mattress, on which the candlestick and its vessels, bundled together in the covering of the badgers' skins, were laid and carried between men on staves." A mattress or the like makes sense as it would move and give rather than be rigid, but whatever it was, it was used to carry the candlestand and all its vessels.
(11) "And on the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall insert its staves."
The golden incense altar was to be covered with a blue cloth and then that covered with a covering of badger skins, and then the staves or poles were to be inserted into the rings so that it could be carried.
(12) "And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger skins, and put them on a bar."
There seems to be a consensus among the old commentaries I read that these "instruments of ministry" referred to the sacred garments worn by the priests when they ministered in the sanctuary. These were also to be covered and wrapped in a blue cloth and then covered with badger skins. They, too, were to be placed on a "mot" so that they could be carried.
(13) "And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it."
They were then to remove the ashes from the altar of burnt offering, and spread a purple cloth over the altar.
(14) "And they shall put on it all its vessels with which they minister there, the censers, the fleshhooks, the shovels, and the basins, all the
vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of
badgers' skins, and insert its staves."
On top of the purple cloth covered altar, they were to put all the utensils that were used at the altar, and that was then to be covered by a covering of badger skins, and finally staves or poles were to be inserted with which to carry the altar.
(15) “And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These are the things in the tabernacle of the congregation which the sons of Kohath are to carry."
When Aaron and his sons had finished covering all the most holy items of the sanctuary that have been before mentioned, when the camp was set to move on, the sons of Kohath were to carry those items. They were to carry them on poles and/or mats, but were not to touch them, or they would die, as was the case when Uzza put out his hand to steady the ark and the Lord smote him dead (1 Chron. 13:9-10).
(16) "And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertains the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, in the sanctuary, and in its vessels."
Eleazar, the son of Aaron and a priest, was to carry the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil, those things not being committed to the sons of Kohath. Eleazar was made overseer of the Kohathites in their service. He had the oversight of all the tabernacle and all that was in it that all the things above mentioned were carried out by the persons and in the manner expressed.
(17) And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (18) “Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; (19) But do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things; Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint each of them to his service and to his burden."
The Lord continued speaking to Moses and Aaron. Great care was to be taken to preserve the lives of the Kohathites, by preventing their irreverent approach to the most holy things. The Kohathites were not to see the holy things until the priests had covered them, and God warned Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons, the priests, not to be negligent about wrapping well the holy things, causing the Kohathites to perish by touching them. Aaron and his sons were to go into the holy and most holy places, and appoint to each of the Kohathites what each one should do, and how they should take up and bear the holy things.
(20) “But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die."
The Kohathites were not to watch when the holy things were being covered, or they would die. They were not to go in until the holy things were well covered and out of sight. Once again, it was upon the priests to make sure everything was well covered so that in their negligence they did not cause a Kohathite to be killed.
(21) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (22) “Also take the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families; (23) From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation."
Now the Lord spoke only to Moses. He was also to take a census of the sons of Gershon as he was to have done for the Kohathites, throughout their families, from thirty years of age till fifty, all who entered to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle. As in verse 3 above, where the word "host" was used, usually used for a mass of persons organized for war, here the word "perform", originally "tsaba", meant to assemble or muster for war. Once again, although the Levites were exempt from going to war, their service was
a type of spiritual warfare, as soldiers of Christ.
(24) “This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens: (25) And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, its covering, the covering of the badgers' skins that is above on it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, (26) And the hangings of the court, the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is
by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, their cords, all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them; so
shall they serve."
It was the duty of the Gershonites to take down, pack and carry, and then set up again all the curtains of the tabernacle. These included the ten curtains of fine linen (Exodus 26:1), the eleven curtains of goats' hair that made the walls of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:7), the tent's covering of ram skins dyed red (Exodus 26:14), the covering of badgers' skins above that (Exodus 26:14), the hanging for the door of the tabernacle that hung between the sanctuary and the court (Exodus 26:36), the hangings of the court (Exodus 27:9), and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court (Exodus 27:16); their duties also included the care of the cords which fastened the hangings to pins or stakes to keep them from blowing, and all the instruments of their service, which Dr. John Gill writes, were "in the court, as the tables on which the sacrifices were laid, and the hooks, and cords, and pins, on which they were hung and fastened," described later in Ezekiel 40:39.
(27) "At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the
sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service; and you shall appoint to them all their burdens."
Aaron and his sons were to order and direct the Gershonites in what each should do in his service.
(28) “This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation; and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."
The duties described above in verses 24-26 were to be those of the Gershonites, under the oversight and direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron.
(29) "As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families and by the house of their fathers; (30) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old you shall number them, everyone who enters into the service to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation."
The sons of Merari were also to be numbered from thirty years up to and including, it would seem, fifty years of age, everyone who entered into the spiritual warfare of the tabernacle.
(31) "And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their
service in the tabernacle of the congregation: the boards of the
tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, (32) And the pillars of the court round about, their sockets, pins, and cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service; and you shall assign by name the instruments of the charge of their burden."
This is what would be assigned to the Merarites' care and charge: the boards, bars, pillars, sockets, pins, cords, and whatever else was used in the structure of the tabernacle. The Merarites were to be assigned by name what each was to carry. Albert Barnes pointed out that as these "comprised the heavier parts of the tabernacle...the order seems intended to prevent individual Merarites choosing their own burden, and so throwing more than the proper share on others."
(33) “This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."
The service of the families of the sons of Merari, as described in verses 31 and 32 above, was to also be under the charge and oversight of Ithamar, as was the service of the Gershonites (v. 28).
(34) And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons
of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their
fathers, (35) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service for work in the tabernacle of the congregation; (36) And those who were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
It doesn't specify which chief accompanied Moses and Aaron in numbering the Kohathites as ordered in verses 2 and 3 above. Perhaps it was the chief of the Kohathites named in Numbers 3:30, Elzaphan, or it could have been the chief of all the chiefs named in Numbers 3:32, and mentioned in verse 16 above, Eleazar. As instructed by God in verses 2 and 3 above, they now numbered the Kohathites, from thirty to fifty years of age, all who entered into service to do the work of the tabernacle. Those who were counted numbered 2750 able-bodied men from thirty to fifty. In chapter 3 of Numbers the Kohathites had been numbered including all the males, from a month old and upward, and that was eight thousand six hundred. Of 8600 males one month and older, there were 2750 males between thirty and fifty able and fit for service in the tabernacle.
(37) These were they who were numbered of the
families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle
of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the
commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
Those who numbered 2750 of the Kohathites were those who were the prime age and able to do the service in the tabernacle, the ones numbered by Moses and Aaron according to the directions of the Lord.
(38) And those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, (39) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, (40) Those who were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. (41) These are they who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all who might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD.
Those who were numbered of the Gershonites from thirty to fifty years of age, who were of prime age and able to do the service of the tabernacle, were 2630; they had been numbered by Moses and Aaron as directed by the Lord. In Numbers 3:22, we were told there were 7500 Gershonite males from one month of age and upward, and of those there were 2630 men from thirty to fifty years of age able to do the service required.
(42) And those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, (43) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service for work in the tabernacle of the congregation, (44) Those who were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred. (45) These are those who were numbered of the
families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according
to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
Those who were numbered of the Merarites, males from thirty to fifty years of age who entered into the service of the tabernacle, were 3200. They had been numbered as instructed by the Lord. The total number of Merarite males from one month of age upward, was 6200, according to Numbers 3:34, and of those there were 3200 males from thirty to fifty, who were able to do the service required.
(46) All those who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and
the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house
of their fathers, (47) From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, (48) Those who were numbered of them were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.
All of the Levite males from thirty to fifty of years who came to do the service of the tabernacle, the total number of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites, was 8580.
(49) According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand
of Moses, everyone according to his service, and according to his
burden: thus were they numbered by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Just as the Lord had commanded Moses to do, all the able-bodied men from thirty to fifty were numbered by Moses, each according to his particular service for the tabernacle; they were numbered by Moses just in the manner the Lord had commanded he do.
In this chapter we have an account of those able-bodied men of the tribe of Levi who were in their prime for service, between thirty and fifty years old. Of 8600 Kohathites, 2750 were between thirty and fifty and fit for the service assigned them, carrying all the holy things of the tabernacle. Of 7500 Gershonites, 2630 were fit for their service of the care and carrying of all the drapery of the tabernacle, the curtains, and hangings, and the coverings. Of 6200 Merarites, 3200 were fit for their job of the heavy carriage, the boards and bars, the pillars and sockets, and the pins and cords. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out that although the Merarites as a whole had the fewest number of the Levite tribes, they had the largest number of able-bodied men in their prime age for their heavy burden. In Mr. Henry's words, "...for whatever service God calls men to he will furnish them for it, and give strength in proportion to the work, grace sufficient." He added:
"The whole number of the able men of the tribe of Levi who entered into God's host to war his warfare was but 8580, whereas the able men of the other tribes that entered into the host of Israel to war their warfare were many more. The least of the tribes had almost four times as many able men as the Levites, and some of them more than eight times as many; for those that are engaged in the service of this world, and war after the flesh, are many more than those that are devoted to the service of God, and fight the good fight of faith."
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Saturday, February 3, 2018
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2
Continuing a chronological Bible study, this third chapter of Numbers having been started in the last post:
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1
(Numbers 3:21) Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
In the first half of Numbers 3, Moses had begun numbering the Levites, as instructed by God. From Levi's first son, Gershon, and his family, the Gershonites, came the Libnites, named for Gershon's son Libni, and the Shimites, named for his son Shimei.
(22) Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, those who were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.
The Gershonites, including the Libnites and the Shimites, numbered 7500 males from one month of age and upward.
(23) The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
It had already been established in Numbers 1:53 that the Levites would pitch their tents around the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the rest of the tribes. The Gershonites were to camp on the west side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Ephraim, which was also westward (Numbers 2:18).
(24) And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
The chief of the Gershonites was to be Eliasaph, the son of Lael, not to be confused with Eliasaph, the son of Reuel or Deuel, from the tribe of Gad.
(25) And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, (26) And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
The Gershonites which included the Libnites and the Shimites, were in charge of the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle, including all the necessary cords that fastened them in place. The Gershonites were responsible for the taking down and carrying of all the coverings and hangings of the tabernacle, and the care of them while they were not in use as a tabernacle, for they would not have normally been allowed within the curtains of the tabernacle to do any service.
(27) And of Kohath were the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites.
Levi's son Kohath had sons, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, whose families were known as the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites.
(28) In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
The number of all the Kohathites was 8600 males from one month and older, and they were in charge of the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.
(29) The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
The Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Reuben, which was also southward (Numbers 2:10).
(30) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elzaphan the son of Uzziel.
The chief of the Kohathites was to be Elzaphan, the son of Uzziel. This was the same Elzaphan who, with his brother Mishael, carried Nadab and Abihu out of the camp after they had been devoured by fire from the Lord when they offered "strange fire" before the Lord (Lev. 10:4).
(31) And their charge shall be the ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
The Kohathites were in charge of the Ark of the Covenant which would include the mercy seat, and the showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary. It also included "the hanging" which would be the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place; all the other hangings were in the charge of the Gershonites.
(32) And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
Eleazar, Aaron's son, was to be chief over all the chiefs of the Levites, that is, the chiefs of the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. He would have oversight of the Kohathites who were to keep charge of the sanctuary furnishings.
(33) Of Merari were the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.
Levi's son, Merari, had sons Mahli and Mushi, from which came the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites.
(34) And those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
The number of all the Merarites, from one month old and older, was 6200.
(35) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail; these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.
The chief of all the Merarites was to be Zuriel, the son of Abihail, and they were to pitch their camps on the north side, between the tabernacle and the camp of Dan, which was also pitched northward (Num. 2:25).
(36) And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all that serves these, (37) And the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, their pins, and their cords.
The Merarites were to be in charge of the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars and pillars, and the sockets in which the boards and pillars were put, and the pins and cords of the pillars, by which the outside hangings of the court were kept tight and unmoved by the winds. Whereas the Gershonites had charge of the cords of all the hangings of the tabernacle and tent, it seems the Merarites had charge of the cords of the court.
(38) But those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.
On the east side which was in front of the court of the tabernacle, between it and the camp of Judah, Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons, the priests were to camp. They were to keep charge of the sanctuary for the children of Israel and for their safety, for whoever came near to enter the holy place who was not a priest would be put to death.
(39) All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
After having discussed in the last post that it appeared Moses only was commanded to number the Levites (Num. 3:14-16), maybe because he was presenting them to Aaron (Num. 3:6), it appears that both Moses and Aaron numbered the Levites. However, the old commentators pointed out that the word "Aaron" in the original Hebrew text had a dot over every letter, for what reason it is not certain; but the word itself was left out in the Samaritan and Syriac versions, so perhaps the reason was that it had been questionably added to the text by an early transcriber. The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, etc., asserts that "Moses alone, as Houbigant observes, was commanded to number the Levites (Num 3:5, Num 3:11, Num 3:40, Num 3:44, Num 3:51) for as the money with which the first-born were redeemed was to be paid to Aaron and his sons (Num 3:48), it was decent that he, whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself." Most of the scriptures referenced are yet to come in the study, but Houbigant's explanation does seem reasonable. The Houbigant referenced is probably Charles Francois Houbigant, a French Oratorian Biblical scholar (the French Oratory being a Roman Catholic Society of apostolic life of Catholic priests).
The total number of Levites from one month of age and upward was said to be 22,000. This number does not agree with the total when the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites are totaled together, which comes to 22,300. The old commentaries go to great lengths to explain the discrepancy, but the simplest explanation seems to be that there was an error in the number of Gershonites, where instead of 7500, there were only 7200. The numbers in the Hebrew Bible were expressed by letters and not by words at full length, and apparently the symbol for 500 is very similar to the one for 200 and could have easily been mistakenly transcribed.
(40) And the LORD said to Moses, "Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names."
After numbering the Levites, the Lord told Moses to number the firstborn males of all the Israelites that were one month and older, identifying each one and counting them.
(41) “And you shall take the Levites for Me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel."
This is where God made the exchange for His firstborn among all the children of Israel, those firstborn that He made His because as their sovereign Lord who saved all their firstborn in Egypt, He had every right to them. He would take all the Levites as His, to serve Him in His tabernacle, and no longer require that the firstborn be in service to Him. Likewise, He would accept the cattle of the Levites as His as they would be used in the service of His priests and tabernacle, and would no longer require the firstborn among the people's cattle to be for Him.
(42) And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and he numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
(43) And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
The number of firstborn males one month old and older of all the children of Israel totaled 22,273.
(44) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (45) "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine; I am the LORD."
The Lord had declared before that He had taken the Levites in exchange for all the firstborn among the Israelites. Now He told Moses, who had numbered them, to take them and their cattle, and they were to be the Lord's, once again, because He was Lord and had thusly commanded ('nuf said).
(46) "And for those who are to be redeemed of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; (47) You shall take five shekels apiece by the head, after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs)."
There were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites. I believe this proves that the number 22,000 said to be the total of all the Levites (v. 39 above) must be the accurate number, and that the correct number of Gershonites had been 7200 instead of the transcribed 7500. Had the number been 22,300, for whatever reason some of the old commentators went to great lengths to explain, why would there have been a need to redeem for the discrepancy? It is evident there were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites, so the Lord required a redemption to be made to level the discrepancy. The number of firstborn which exceeded the number of the Levites (273 in all) were to be redeemed at five shekels apiece, according to the shekel used by the sanctuary. There were twenty gerahs to one shekel, and as discussed in an earlier post, a gerah is defined as a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin among the Israelites, about two and a half or three pennies of American money (if a shekel of silver as in former scriptures). As discussed previously, that doesn't seem like a huge value for a person, but precious metals were probably worth a lot more in Biblical times than now, and, if you calculated for inflation, the value would be exceedingly more now. There is common agreement among the Biblical scholars that the exchange began with the oldest of the firstborn, and so downward, so that those who were to be redeemed with money were the 273 youngest of the firstborn.
(48) “And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is to be redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
The redemption money was to be given to Aaron and his sons, the priests. Because the Levites were given to Aaron that they might minister to him (Num. 3:6) and there was a deficiency of them in exchange for the firstborn, it was right and just that the redemption price be paid to him and his sons.
(49) And Moses took the redemption money of them who were over and above them who were redeemed by the Levites.
A Levite redeemed a firstborn, or freed him from the redemption price, being taken in lieu of him. 22,000 Levites were answerable to 22,000 firstborn of Israel, but as there were 273 more firstborn than Levites, those were to be redeemed by money, and it was the redemption money of these that Moses took.
(50) Of the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
Obviously, Moses took the money from the parents of the 273 firstborn. We can't be sure how it was decided which 273 must pay. As suggested before, many commentators believed the firstborn were counted in age order; it does seem reasonable that the first who were born would be the first to be redeemed by a Levite, and when the Levites "ran out", there were left the 273 youngest firstborn. Perhaps it was just the last 273 who were numbered. However it was determined, Moses collected from those 273, 1365 shekels, which is exactly 273 times five shekels.
(51) And Moses gave the money of them who were redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses did just as the Lord had commanded he do, and he gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, the priests.
The firstborn being the Lord's, then being exchanged for priests in service to Him, and those being redeemed, paints a big beautiful symbolic picture of the things that were to come with the arrival of the Messiah. The church is called the church of the firstborn, and its people called a royal priesthood redeemed with the precious blood of Christ:
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. - Hebrews 12:23
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:9
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - 1 Peter 1:18-19
Obviously, the Lord didn't have to do a formal exchange, nor did He have to level the number by a redemption fee. After all, He is the sovereign Lord, and He could do whatever He wanted to do. He obviously did it this way to paint a picture to us humans of what was to come. Once again, I marvel at how often we find Jesus in the scriptures of the Old Testament! It also occurs to me that God's chosen people, the Israelites, are like the Levites, God's chosen for His priesthood; and that the 273 who had to be redeemed are like the Gentiles who were allowed to be redeemed and grafted into the living olive tree, illustrative of everlasting life through Christ (Romans 11:16-24). God's plan for salvation through Jesus Christ was there from the beginning, and with all these beautiful illustrations, He patiently shows us our need for Christ.
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1
(Numbers 3:21) Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
In the first half of Numbers 3, Moses had begun numbering the Levites, as instructed by God. From Levi's first son, Gershon, and his family, the Gershonites, came the Libnites, named for Gershon's son Libni, and the Shimites, named for his son Shimei.
(22) Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, those who were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.
The Gershonites, including the Libnites and the Shimites, numbered 7500 males from one month of age and upward.
(23) The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
It had already been established in Numbers 1:53 that the Levites would pitch their tents around the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the rest of the tribes. The Gershonites were to camp on the west side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Ephraim, which was also westward (Numbers 2:18).
(24) And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
The chief of the Gershonites was to be Eliasaph, the son of Lael, not to be confused with Eliasaph, the son of Reuel or Deuel, from the tribe of Gad.
(25) And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, (26) And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
The Gershonites which included the Libnites and the Shimites, were in charge of the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle, including all the necessary cords that fastened them in place. The Gershonites were responsible for the taking down and carrying of all the coverings and hangings of the tabernacle, and the care of them while they were not in use as a tabernacle, for they would not have normally been allowed within the curtains of the tabernacle to do any service.
(27) And of Kohath were the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites.
Levi's son Kohath had sons, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, whose families were known as the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites.
(28) In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
The number of all the Kohathites was 8600 males from one month and older, and they were in charge of the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.
(29) The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
The Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Reuben, which was also southward (Numbers 2:10).
(30) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elzaphan the son of Uzziel.
The chief of the Kohathites was to be Elzaphan, the son of Uzziel. This was the same Elzaphan who, with his brother Mishael, carried Nadab and Abihu out of the camp after they had been devoured by fire from the Lord when they offered "strange fire" before the Lord (Lev. 10:4).
(31) And their charge shall be the ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
The Kohathites were in charge of the Ark of the Covenant which would include the mercy seat, and the showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary. It also included "the hanging" which would be the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place; all the other hangings were in the charge of the Gershonites.
(32) And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
Eleazar, Aaron's son, was to be chief over all the chiefs of the Levites, that is, the chiefs of the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. He would have oversight of the Kohathites who were to keep charge of the sanctuary furnishings.
(33) Of Merari were the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.
Levi's son, Merari, had sons Mahli and Mushi, from which came the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites.
(34) And those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
The number of all the Merarites, from one month old and older, was 6200.
(35) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail; these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.
The chief of all the Merarites was to be Zuriel, the son of Abihail, and they were to pitch their camps on the north side, between the tabernacle and the camp of Dan, which was also pitched northward (Num. 2:25).
(36) And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all that serves these, (37) And the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, their pins, and their cords.
The Merarites were to be in charge of the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars and pillars, and the sockets in which the boards and pillars were put, and the pins and cords of the pillars, by which the outside hangings of the court were kept tight and unmoved by the winds. Whereas the Gershonites had charge of the cords of all the hangings of the tabernacle and tent, it seems the Merarites had charge of the cords of the court.
(38) But those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.
On the east side which was in front of the court of the tabernacle, between it and the camp of Judah, Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons, the priests were to camp. They were to keep charge of the sanctuary for the children of Israel and for their safety, for whoever came near to enter the holy place who was not a priest would be put to death.
(39) All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
After having discussed in the last post that it appeared Moses only was commanded to number the Levites (Num. 3:14-16), maybe because he was presenting them to Aaron (Num. 3:6), it appears that both Moses and Aaron numbered the Levites. However, the old commentators pointed out that the word "Aaron" in the original Hebrew text had a dot over every letter, for what reason it is not certain; but the word itself was left out in the Samaritan and Syriac versions, so perhaps the reason was that it had been questionably added to the text by an early transcriber. The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, etc., asserts that "Moses alone, as Houbigant observes, was commanded to number the Levites (Num 3:5, Num 3:11, Num 3:40, Num 3:44, Num 3:51) for as the money with which the first-born were redeemed was to be paid to Aaron and his sons (Num 3:48), it was decent that he, whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself." Most of the scriptures referenced are yet to come in the study, but Houbigant's explanation does seem reasonable. The Houbigant referenced is probably Charles Francois Houbigant, a French Oratorian Biblical scholar (the French Oratory being a Roman Catholic Society of apostolic life of Catholic priests).
The total number of Levites from one month of age and upward was said to be 22,000. This number does not agree with the total when the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites are totaled together, which comes to 22,300. The old commentaries go to great lengths to explain the discrepancy, but the simplest explanation seems to be that there was an error in the number of Gershonites, where instead of 7500, there were only 7200. The numbers in the Hebrew Bible were expressed by letters and not by words at full length, and apparently the symbol for 500 is very similar to the one for 200 and could have easily been mistakenly transcribed.
(40) And the LORD said to Moses, "Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names."
After numbering the Levites, the Lord told Moses to number the firstborn males of all the Israelites that were one month and older, identifying each one and counting them.
(41) “And you shall take the Levites for Me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel."
This is where God made the exchange for His firstborn among all the children of Israel, those firstborn that He made His because as their sovereign Lord who saved all their firstborn in Egypt, He had every right to them. He would take all the Levites as His, to serve Him in His tabernacle, and no longer require that the firstborn be in service to Him. Likewise, He would accept the cattle of the Levites as His as they would be used in the service of His priests and tabernacle, and would no longer require the firstborn among the people's cattle to be for Him.
(42) And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and he numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
(43) And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
The number of firstborn males one month old and older of all the children of Israel totaled 22,273.
(44) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (45) "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine; I am the LORD."
The Lord had declared before that He had taken the Levites in exchange for all the firstborn among the Israelites. Now He told Moses, who had numbered them, to take them and their cattle, and they were to be the Lord's, once again, because He was Lord and had thusly commanded ('nuf said).
(46) "And for those who are to be redeemed of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; (47) You shall take five shekels apiece by the head, after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs)."
There were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites. I believe this proves that the number 22,000 said to be the total of all the Levites (v. 39 above) must be the accurate number, and that the correct number of Gershonites had been 7200 instead of the transcribed 7500. Had the number been 22,300, for whatever reason some of the old commentators went to great lengths to explain, why would there have been a need to redeem for the discrepancy? It is evident there were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites, so the Lord required a redemption to be made to level the discrepancy. The number of firstborn which exceeded the number of the Levites (273 in all) were to be redeemed at five shekels apiece, according to the shekel used by the sanctuary. There were twenty gerahs to one shekel, and as discussed in an earlier post, a gerah is defined as a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin among the Israelites, about two and a half or three pennies of American money (if a shekel of silver as in former scriptures). As discussed previously, that doesn't seem like a huge value for a person, but precious metals were probably worth a lot more in Biblical times than now, and, if you calculated for inflation, the value would be exceedingly more now. There is common agreement among the Biblical scholars that the exchange began with the oldest of the firstborn, and so downward, so that those who were to be redeemed with money were the 273 youngest of the firstborn.
(48) “And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is to be redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
The redemption money was to be given to Aaron and his sons, the priests. Because the Levites were given to Aaron that they might minister to him (Num. 3:6) and there was a deficiency of them in exchange for the firstborn, it was right and just that the redemption price be paid to him and his sons.
(49) And Moses took the redemption money of them who were over and above them who were redeemed by the Levites.
A Levite redeemed a firstborn, or freed him from the redemption price, being taken in lieu of him. 22,000 Levites were answerable to 22,000 firstborn of Israel, but as there were 273 more firstborn than Levites, those were to be redeemed by money, and it was the redemption money of these that Moses took.
(50) Of the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
Obviously, Moses took the money from the parents of the 273 firstborn. We can't be sure how it was decided which 273 must pay. As suggested before, many commentators believed the firstborn were counted in age order; it does seem reasonable that the first who were born would be the first to be redeemed by a Levite, and when the Levites "ran out", there were left the 273 youngest firstborn. Perhaps it was just the last 273 who were numbered. However it was determined, Moses collected from those 273, 1365 shekels, which is exactly 273 times five shekels.
(51) And Moses gave the money of them who were redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses did just as the Lord had commanded he do, and he gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, the priests.
The firstborn being the Lord's, then being exchanged for priests in service to Him, and those being redeemed, paints a big beautiful symbolic picture of the things that were to come with the arrival of the Messiah. The church is called the church of the firstborn, and its people called a royal priesthood redeemed with the precious blood of Christ:
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. - Hebrews 12:23
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:9
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - 1 Peter 1:18-19
Obviously, the Lord didn't have to do a formal exchange, nor did He have to level the number by a redemption fee. After all, He is the sovereign Lord, and He could do whatever He wanted to do. He obviously did it this way to paint a picture to us humans of what was to come. Once again, I marvel at how often we find Jesus in the scriptures of the Old Testament! It also occurs to me that God's chosen people, the Israelites, are like the Levites, God's chosen for His priesthood; and that the 273 who had to be redeemed are like the Gentiles who were allowed to be redeemed and grafted into the living olive tree, illustrative of everlasting life through Christ (Romans 11:16-24). God's plan for salvation through Jesus Christ was there from the beginning, and with all these beautiful illustrations, He patiently shows us our need for Christ.
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 3:1) These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
In the previous several chapters, the Lord had been speaking to Moses, giving him laws and instructions to pass on to the people. At the time this took place, the following is an account of the descendants of Aaron and Moses.
(2) And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
I believe because Aaron and Moses were brothers, Moses's name was included in verse 1. However, it seems that only the descendants of Aaron are named. I believe that is because it was Aaron who was the head of the tribe of Levi, and we are about to see a census of sorts of the Levites. In the previous two chapters of Numbers, Moses and Aaron numbered the armies or tribes, but were instructed by God not to number the Levites. This chapter is an account of the Levites.
These sons of Aaron--Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar--were first mentioned in Exodus 6 when we learned that Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon.
(3) These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
These sons of Aaron were the priests who were anointed and set apart to minister in the office of the priesthood.
(4) And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
In Leviticus 10, we read the account of Nadab and Abihu who offered profane incense in the sight of the Lord; and they were devoured by the fire of the Lord. They died with no descendants, and Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on in the Aaronic priesthood.
(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (6) "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him."
The Lord told Moses to bring the tribe of Levi before Aaron the priest, offering their services to the sanctuary.
(7) "And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle."
The tribe of Levi was to assist Aaron the high priest, working for the whole congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
(8) "And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle."
The tribe of Levi was to take care of the tabernacle and all its furnishings. They serviced the priests and therefore serviced the entire tribe of Israel by taking care of the tabernacle.
(9) “And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel."
The whole Levite tribe was given to the service of Aaron and his sons, the priests. The priests came only from the Levites, and all of the Levites, even though most not priests, were set apart from the rest of the tribes of Israel and appointed for the service of the priests.
(10) "And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
Only Aaron and his sons were to be appointed to the priesthood, and they only were to attend to the duties of the priest's office. A stranger in this case was anyone who was not a priest; anyone who came near to perform any duties that were wholly set aside for the priests only, would be put to death.
(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be Mine, (13) Because all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; they shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”
The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him that He had taken the Levites from all the children of Israel to be His own, set apart for His service and the service of His sanctuary. The Lord took the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, whom He had declared as His own when He had spared the firstborn of Israel at the time He destroyed the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 13:15). As He alone had the sovereign right and power to take the firstborn as His own, and because they were now His, He also had the sovereign right to take the Levites as His own in exchange for His firstborn.
(14) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, (15) “Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and upward.”
Having numbered all the other tribes except the tribe of Levi, the Lord now instructed Moses to number the Levites. Whereas the Lord had Moses and Aaron number only the men of the other tribes who were twenty years of age and older, He now instructed Moses to take a census of the Levite males who were one month and older. The other tribes were to be ready for war, but the Levites were to be the Lord's, and were to be set apart and trained from their youth for the service of His sanctuary.
(16) And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
Moses, with Aaron and the heads of each tribe, had numbered all the other tribes, but it appears that only Moses numbered the Levites just as God had instructed him to do.
(17) And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The immediate sons of Levi, who went with him into Egypt (Genesis 46:8 and 11), were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
(18) And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei. These sons had first been named in Exodus 6:17 when the heads of the fathers of the Levites were named.
(19) And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. These sons were also mentioned in Exodus 6 as heads of the Levites. Amram was the father of Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:20).
(20) And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli was written as Mahali in Exodus 6:19. The preceding verses listed the families of the Levites according to the houses of their fathers.
Since Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and there are many more notable names in the third chapter of Numbers, the study of this chapter is continued here:
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2
(Numbers 3:1) These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
In the previous several chapters, the Lord had been speaking to Moses, giving him laws and instructions to pass on to the people. At the time this took place, the following is an account of the descendants of Aaron and Moses.
(2) And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
I believe because Aaron and Moses were brothers, Moses's name was included in verse 1. However, it seems that only the descendants of Aaron are named. I believe that is because it was Aaron who was the head of the tribe of Levi, and we are about to see a census of sorts of the Levites. In the previous two chapters of Numbers, Moses and Aaron numbered the armies or tribes, but were instructed by God not to number the Levites. This chapter is an account of the Levites.
These sons of Aaron--Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar--were first mentioned in Exodus 6 when we learned that Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon.
(3) These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
These sons of Aaron were the priests who were anointed and set apart to minister in the office of the priesthood.
(4) And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
In Leviticus 10, we read the account of Nadab and Abihu who offered profane incense in the sight of the Lord; and they were devoured by the fire of the Lord. They died with no descendants, and Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on in the Aaronic priesthood.
(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (6) "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him."
The Lord told Moses to bring the tribe of Levi before Aaron the priest, offering their services to the sanctuary.
(7) "And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle."
The tribe of Levi was to assist Aaron the high priest, working for the whole congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
(8) "And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle."
The tribe of Levi was to take care of the tabernacle and all its furnishings. They serviced the priests and therefore serviced the entire tribe of Israel by taking care of the tabernacle.
(9) “And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel."
The whole Levite tribe was given to the service of Aaron and his sons, the priests. The priests came only from the Levites, and all of the Levites, even though most not priests, were set apart from the rest of the tribes of Israel and appointed for the service of the priests.
(10) "And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
Only Aaron and his sons were to be appointed to the priesthood, and they only were to attend to the duties of the priest's office. A stranger in this case was anyone who was not a priest; anyone who came near to perform any duties that were wholly set aside for the priests only, would be put to death.
(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be Mine, (13) Because all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; they shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”
The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him that He had taken the Levites from all the children of Israel to be His own, set apart for His service and the service of His sanctuary. The Lord took the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, whom He had declared as His own when He had spared the firstborn of Israel at the time He destroyed the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 13:15). As He alone had the sovereign right and power to take the firstborn as His own, and because they were now His, He also had the sovereign right to take the Levites as His own in exchange for His firstborn.
(14) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, (15) “Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and upward.”
Having numbered all the other tribes except the tribe of Levi, the Lord now instructed Moses to number the Levites. Whereas the Lord had Moses and Aaron number only the men of the other tribes who were twenty years of age and older, He now instructed Moses to take a census of the Levite males who were one month and older. The other tribes were to be ready for war, but the Levites were to be the Lord's, and were to be set apart and trained from their youth for the service of His sanctuary.
(16) And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
Moses, with Aaron and the heads of each tribe, had numbered all the other tribes, but it appears that only Moses numbered the Levites just as God had instructed him to do.
(17) And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The immediate sons of Levi, who went with him into Egypt (Genesis 46:8 and 11), were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
(18) And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei. These sons had first been named in Exodus 6:17 when the heads of the fathers of the Levites were named.
(19) And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. These sons were also mentioned in Exodus 6 as heads of the Levites. Amram was the father of Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:20).
(20) And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli was written as Mahali in Exodus 6:19. The preceding verses listed the families of the Levites according to the houses of their fathers.
Since Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and there are many more notable names in the third chapter of Numbers, the study of this chapter is continued here:
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Order of the Encampment and March of the Tribes of Israel, Part 2
Continuing a chronological Bible study, the second chapter of Numbers being continued from:
Order of the Encampment and March of the Tribes of Israel, Part 1
(Numbers 2:18) "On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies; and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud."
In the last post, God began giving instructions to Moses on how the Israelites were to camp and the order in which they would march. The twelve tribes or armies were grouped in four standards of three tribes each. In the east was to camp the standard of Judah, with the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun under that standard. In the south was the standard of Reuben, with the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad making up that squadron. On the west side was to be the standard of Ephraim, including, of course, the tribe of Ephraim, whose captain was Elishama, the son of Ammihud.
(19) "And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were forty thousand five hundred."
There were 40,500 able-bodied men of war in the army of Ephraim.
(20) "And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh; and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. (21) And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty-two thousand two hundred."
Camped next to Ephraim was to be the tribe of Manasseh, whose captain was Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur. The army of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
(22) "Then the tribe of Benjamin; and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. (23) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were thirty-five thousand four hundred."
The third tribe to be camped under the standard of Ephraim was the tribe of Benjamin; and Abidan, the son of Gideoni, was the captain of the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400 men. It was discussed in the last post how the standards seemed to be made up of the tribes that were nearest of kin to each other. In the case of the standard of Ephraim, the three tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, were all descended from Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel.
(24) "All who were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were one hundred and eight thousand one hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank."
All the able-bodied men of war who were numbered of the standard of the camp of Ephraim totaled 108,100. They were to be the third group to move, that is, after the tribe of Levi. In the last post, we learned that the tribe of Levi made up of the priests who took care of the tabernacle, and the tribe who camped closest to the tabernacle, were to move in the midst of the other tribes when the Israelites were called to move. First went the standard of Judah, then Reuben, then Levi, and the standard of Ephraim moved third among the standards of armies of war.
(25) "The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies; and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. (26) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred."
The fourth and last standard was the camp of Dan that was to camp on the north side. The captain of the camp of Dan was Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai; and his army totaled 62,700 men.
(27) "And those who encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran. (28) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were forty-one thousand five hundred."
The tribe of Asher was to camp next to the tribe of Dan under the standard of Dan. The captain of the tribe of Asher was Pagiel, the son of Ocran, and his army totaled 41,500.
(29) "Then the tribe of Naphtali; and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan. (30) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were fifty-three thousand four hundred."
Finally, under the standard of Dan, was to camp the tribe of Asher, with 53,400 men, under Ahira, the son of Enan, as captain.
(31) "All they who were numbered in the camp of Dan were one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They shall go last with their standards."
The three tribes under the standard of Dan totaled 157,600; they were to move last when marching.
(32) These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers; all those who were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
These standards of tribal armies were of those men who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron, assisted by the twelve princes of each tribe. They had now been assigned to standards and instructed on where to camp. The total number of able-bodied men of war twenty years and older throughout all the camps was 603,550, which was the same number recorded in Numbers 1:46.
(33) But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.
This number did not include the Levites, as the Lord had instructed Moses not to count them (Numbers 1:47-49).
(34) And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses; so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.
The children of Israel did exactly what the Lord had commanded Moses they do; they pitched camp by their appointed standards, and that is how they would move forward when instructed to do so, in regular order according to their tribes.
Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, summed up the chapter this way:
"They put themselves in the posts assigned them, without murmuring or disputing, and, as it was their safety, so it was their beauty; Balaam was charmed with the sight of it: How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! Num 24:5. Thus the gospel church, called the camp of saints, ought to be compact according to the scripture model, every one knowing and keeping his place, and then all that wish well to the church rejoice, beholding their order, Col 2:5."
Order of the Encampment and March of the Tribes of Israel, Part 1
(Numbers 2:18) "On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies; and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud."
In the last post, God began giving instructions to Moses on how the Israelites were to camp and the order in which they would march. The twelve tribes or armies were grouped in four standards of three tribes each. In the east was to camp the standard of Judah, with the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun under that standard. In the south was the standard of Reuben, with the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad making up that squadron. On the west side was to be the standard of Ephraim, including, of course, the tribe of Ephraim, whose captain was Elishama, the son of Ammihud.
(19) "And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were forty thousand five hundred."
There were 40,500 able-bodied men of war in the army of Ephraim.
(20) "And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh; and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. (21) And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty-two thousand two hundred."
Camped next to Ephraim was to be the tribe of Manasseh, whose captain was Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur. The army of Manasseh numbered 32,200.
(22) "Then the tribe of Benjamin; and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. (23) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were thirty-five thousand four hundred."
The third tribe to be camped under the standard of Ephraim was the tribe of Benjamin; and Abidan, the son of Gideoni, was the captain of the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400 men. It was discussed in the last post how the standards seemed to be made up of the tribes that were nearest of kin to each other. In the case of the standard of Ephraim, the three tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, were all descended from Jacob's beloved wife, Rachel.
(24) "All who were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were one hundred and eight thousand one hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank."
All the able-bodied men of war who were numbered of the standard of the camp of Ephraim totaled 108,100. They were to be the third group to move, that is, after the tribe of Levi. In the last post, we learned that the tribe of Levi made up of the priests who took care of the tabernacle, and the tribe who camped closest to the tabernacle, were to move in the midst of the other tribes when the Israelites were called to move. First went the standard of Judah, then Reuben, then Levi, and the standard of Ephraim moved third among the standards of armies of war.
(25) "The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies; and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. (26) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred."
The fourth and last standard was the camp of Dan that was to camp on the north side. The captain of the camp of Dan was Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai; and his army totaled 62,700 men.
(27) "And those who encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran. (28) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were forty-one thousand five hundred."
The tribe of Asher was to camp next to the tribe of Dan under the standard of Dan. The captain of the tribe of Asher was Pagiel, the son of Ocran, and his army totaled 41,500.
(29) "Then the tribe of Naphtali; and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan. (30) And his host, and those who were numbered of them, were fifty-three thousand four hundred."
Finally, under the standard of Dan, was to camp the tribe of Asher, with 53,400 men, under Ahira, the son of Enan, as captain.
(31) "All they who were numbered in the camp of Dan were one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They shall go last with their standards."
The three tribes under the standard of Dan totaled 157,600; they were to move last when marching.
(32) These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers; all those who were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
These standards of tribal armies were of those men who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron, assisted by the twelve princes of each tribe. They had now been assigned to standards and instructed on where to camp. The total number of able-bodied men of war twenty years and older throughout all the camps was 603,550, which was the same number recorded in Numbers 1:46.
(33) But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.
This number did not include the Levites, as the Lord had instructed Moses not to count them (Numbers 1:47-49).
(34) And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses; so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.
The children of Israel did exactly what the Lord had commanded Moses they do; they pitched camp by their appointed standards, and that is how they would move forward when instructed to do so, in regular order according to their tribes.
Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, summed up the chapter this way:
"They put themselves in the posts assigned them, without murmuring or disputing, and, as it was their safety, so it was their beauty; Balaam was charmed with the sight of it: How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! Num 24:5. Thus the gospel church, called the camp of saints, ought to be compact according to the scripture model, every one knowing and keeping his place, and then all that wish well to the church rejoice, beholding their order, Col 2:5."
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 2
Because Blogger limits the number of labels each post can have, I have separated the post on Numbers 1 into three posts so that all the heads of tribes may be noted in labels. Part 1 of Numbers 1 can be found at this link:
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 1
In the last post (part 1) God was instructing Moses and Aaron to take a census of the able-bodied men from twenty years and older who would be able to go to war. They were to take each head of the twelve tribes to assist them in this census, and the instructions continued from the last post as follows:
(10) "Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;"
Previously noted was that the tribe of Levi was not counted among the twelve tribes fit for armies as the Levites were the priests. However, there were still twelve tribes as the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, each became heads of their tribes. In Genesis 48:5, Jacob or Israel, adopted, so to speak, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own children, making them heads of tribes as his own sons would be, having a distinct portion of the promised land. At the time of the census, Elishama, the son of Ammihud, was the head of the tribe of Ephraim; and Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, was the head of the tribe of Manasseh. "Elishama" meant "my God has heard"; "Gamaliel" meant "reward of God". To be noted is that the insertion of Joseph here is not in birth order. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, sometimes referencing the Jewish biblical scholar, Aben Ezra, explained it this way:
"...first the children of Leah, beginning with Reuben, the firstborn; and the rest, Simeon and Judah, are ranked according to their birth; Levi being omitted, because that tribe was not now numbered...and then Issachar and Zebulun; after those the children of Rachel, because of her honour and glory above the handmaids, as Aben Ezra remarks; who further observes, that it begins with Ephraim, following Jacob our father, that is, because of the blessing of Jacob, who preferred Ephraim the younger to Manasseh the elder; and here Ephraim and Manasseh are set before Benjamin, because they were in the place of Joseph; and after that the account goes on with Dan, because, he was the firstborn of the handmaids; and after him Asher, though the second son of Zilpah, is placed before Gad, the first son, because, says the same Aben Ezra, the Lord knew that he would be the head of those that encamped by the standard of Dan, and so is placed next to him; and after him Gad, who was the firstborn of Leah's handmaid; and Naphtali last of all, the second son of Bilhah: this order seems to be designed to suit with their encampments, and the form of them."
(11) "Of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;"
From the tribe of Benjamin, Abidan, the son of Gideoni, was the head. "Abidan" meant "my father is judge".
(12) "Of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;"
From the tribe of Dan, Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, was the head. "Ahiezer" meant "my brother is help".
(13) "Of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran;"
From the tribe of Asher, Pagiel, the son of Ocran, was the head, "Pagiel" meaning "event of God" or "accident of God".
(14) "Of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;"
From the tribe of Gad, Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, was head. "Eliasaph" meant "God is gatherer" or "God has added".
(15) "Of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan."
Finally, from the tribe of Naphtali, Ahira, the son of Enan, was head. Interestingly, "Ahira" meant "brother of wrong" or "my brother is evil"; however, I can find no reference for the reason for his name.
(16) These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
The preceding list of heads of tribes named the most eminent among the children of Israel, princes of their father's tribes. The congregation of Israel being divided into thousands according to tribes, each prince was head of thousands of people.
(17) And Moses and Aaron took these men who had been expressed by name, (18) And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
As instructed by God, Moses and Aaron took the heads of each tribe and assembled all of the congregation together on that first day of the second month. The people declared their pedigrees, of what tribe, family, and house they were, and each "poll" (head) was counted and listed by name, that was twenty years and older, and I assume, also able-bodied enough for war.
(19) As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
Moses did as the Lord had commanded him, and he numbered the armies of the Lord as instructed there in the wilderness of Sinai.
Once again I have reached the total number of labels allowed and will continue this chapter in the next post:
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 3
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 1
In the last post (part 1) God was instructing Moses and Aaron to take a census of the able-bodied men from twenty years and older who would be able to go to war. They were to take each head of the twelve tribes to assist them in this census, and the instructions continued from the last post as follows:
(10) "Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;"
Previously noted was that the tribe of Levi was not counted among the twelve tribes fit for armies as the Levites were the priests. However, there were still twelve tribes as the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, each became heads of their tribes. In Genesis 48:5, Jacob or Israel, adopted, so to speak, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own children, making them heads of tribes as his own sons would be, having a distinct portion of the promised land. At the time of the census, Elishama, the son of Ammihud, was the head of the tribe of Ephraim; and Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur, was the head of the tribe of Manasseh. "Elishama" meant "my God has heard"; "Gamaliel" meant "reward of God". To be noted is that the insertion of Joseph here is not in birth order. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, sometimes referencing the Jewish biblical scholar, Aben Ezra, explained it this way:
"...first the children of Leah, beginning with Reuben, the firstborn; and the rest, Simeon and Judah, are ranked according to their birth; Levi being omitted, because that tribe was not now numbered...and then Issachar and Zebulun; after those the children of Rachel, because of her honour and glory above the handmaids, as Aben Ezra remarks; who further observes, that it begins with Ephraim, following Jacob our father, that is, because of the blessing of Jacob, who preferred Ephraim the younger to Manasseh the elder; and here Ephraim and Manasseh are set before Benjamin, because they were in the place of Joseph; and after that the account goes on with Dan, because, he was the firstborn of the handmaids; and after him Asher, though the second son of Zilpah, is placed before Gad, the first son, because, says the same Aben Ezra, the Lord knew that he would be the head of those that encamped by the standard of Dan, and so is placed next to him; and after him Gad, who was the firstborn of Leah's handmaid; and Naphtali last of all, the second son of Bilhah: this order seems to be designed to suit with their encampments, and the form of them."
(11) "Of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;"
From the tribe of Benjamin, Abidan, the son of Gideoni, was the head. "Abidan" meant "my father is judge".
(12) "Of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;"
From the tribe of Dan, Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai, was the head. "Ahiezer" meant "my brother is help".
(13) "Of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran;"
From the tribe of Asher, Pagiel, the son of Ocran, was the head, "Pagiel" meaning "event of God" or "accident of God".
(14) "Of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;"
From the tribe of Gad, Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, was head. "Eliasaph" meant "God is gatherer" or "God has added".
(15) "Of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan."
Finally, from the tribe of Naphtali, Ahira, the son of Enan, was head. Interestingly, "Ahira" meant "brother of wrong" or "my brother is evil"; however, I can find no reference for the reason for his name.
(16) These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
The preceding list of heads of tribes named the most eminent among the children of Israel, princes of their father's tribes. The congregation of Israel being divided into thousands according to tribes, each prince was head of thousands of people.
(17) And Moses and Aaron took these men who had been expressed by name, (18) And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
As instructed by God, Moses and Aaron took the heads of each tribe and assembled all of the congregation together on that first day of the second month. The people declared their pedigrees, of what tribe, family, and house they were, and each "poll" (head) was counted and listed by name, that was twenty years and older, and I assume, also able-bodied enough for war.
(19) As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
Moses did as the Lord had commanded him, and he numbered the armies of the Lord as instructed there in the wilderness of Sinai.
Once again I have reached the total number of labels allowed and will continue this chapter in the next post:
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 3
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 3
Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and I believe the names in chapter 1 of Numbers all to be of significance, I have had to chop the study of Numbers 1 into small posts. This is the third of three posts on Numbers 1. The previous posts can be found here:
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 1
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 2
The current heads of each tribe had just been named and pulled aside, and after giving their pedigrees, the children of Israel were numbered as follows, as we continue the chronological Bible study in Numbers 1:
(20) And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (21) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.
Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob, known as Israel. Those of his tribe, "by their generations", probably meaning by their descent in their pedigrees, and according to the families and houses to which they belonged, were counted and their names recorded, that is, every male from twenty years of age and upward who was able to go to war. Those numbered of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500 men.
(22) Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (23) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
Of the tribe of Simeon, likewise according to their generations in their line of descent, and according to the families and houses to which they belonged, there were numbered 59,300 men from age twenty and upward who were able to go to war.
(24) Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (25) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
From the tribe of Gad were counted 45,650 able-bodied men for war from age twenty and upward.
(26) Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (27) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.
From the tribe of Judah, there were 74,600 men twenty years and older who were able to go to war.
(28) Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (29) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
From the tribe of Issachar there were 54,400.
(30) Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (31) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
From the tribe of Zebulun, 57,400.
(32) Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (33) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred.
From the children of Joseph, first from the tribe of Ephraim, there were 40,500 men.
(34) Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (35) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
From the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph's other son, there were counted 32,200 men.
(36) Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (37) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
From the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400 men.
(38) Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (39) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
From the tribe of Dan, 62,700.
(40) Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (41) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.
From the tribe of Asher, 41,500.
(42) Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (43) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
From Naphtali, 53,400.
(44) These are those who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, twelve men, each one for the house of his fathers.
These aforementioned tribes were those whom Moses and Aaron, along with the head of each tribe, as named in the first and second posts on Numbers 1, numbered in this census of able-bodied men for war from twenty years and older.
(45) So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war in Israel, (46) All who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
All who were numbered of the children of Israel, the twelve tribes excepting Levi, with the tribe of Joseph being actually two tribes, all the men of those tribes twenty years of age and older who were able to go to war, totaled 603,550. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, pointed out "what an astonishing increase from seventy souls that went down into Egypt (Gen. 46:27), about 215 years before, where latterly they had endured the greatest hardships!"
(47) But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
The tribe of Levi, being made up of a different type of warrior, one appointed to the use of the tabernacle, was not counted among the rest of the tribes who were able to go to war.
(48) For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying, (49) "Only you shall not number the tribe of Levi, nor take the sum of them among the children of Israel."
The Levites were not counted because the Lord had told Moses not to number them, nor include them with the rest of the census taken of the children of Israel.
(50) "But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its vessels, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its vessels, and they shall minister to it, and shall encamp around the tabernacle."
A continuation of what God had told Moses, the Levites, not being counted as able-bodied men of war, were instead to be appointed to the care of the tabernacle and the Ark of the Testimony within it, and over all the vessels and furnishings belonging to it. When the children of Israel moved, the Levites were the ones appointed to take down the tabernacle, carry it and all that belonged to it, and then set it up again in the place appointed. They were to encamp around the tabernacle, ever ready to attend to it.
(51) “And when the tabernacle goes forward, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death."
As already noted as implied by verse 50, whenever the tabernacle was to be moved, it was the duty of the Levites only to take it down, carry it and all its belongings, and set it up again. All the early commentators agree, that what is meant by a "stranger" is one of another tribe other than the Levites. If any Israelite from another tribe touched these holy things of God's tabernacle, he was to be put to death. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out this was symbolic of all of us who are unfit and unworthy to approach God "until we are first called by his grace into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and so, being the spiritual seed of that great high priest, are made priests to our God; and it is promised that God would take Levites to himself, even from the Gentiles": “And I will also take of them for priests and Levites,” says the LORD (Isaiah 66:21).
(52) "And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts."
The children of Israel were to pitch their tents, every man with his own camp and by his own standard or banner, throughout their armies. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, explained that "there were four standards, and three tribes to each standard, which were placed east, west, north, and south of the tabernacle, as is at large described in the following chapter."
(53) "But the Levites shall pitch around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”
However, the Levites were to pitch their tents around the tabernacle, preventing access of the other tribes that might come too close to the tabernacle and bring the wrath of God. The Levites would keep charge of the tabernacle.
(54) And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they did.
The children of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded they do per the instructions He gave Moses. Shouldn't every believer always seek to do what the Lord has commanded?
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 1
The Numbering of the Israelites, Part 2
The current heads of each tribe had just been named and pulled aside, and after giving their pedigrees, the children of Israel were numbered as follows, as we continue the chronological Bible study in Numbers 1:
(20) And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (21) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.
Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob, known as Israel. Those of his tribe, "by their generations", probably meaning by their descent in their pedigrees, and according to the families and houses to which they belonged, were counted and their names recorded, that is, every male from twenty years of age and upward who was able to go to war. Those numbered of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500 men.
(22) Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (23) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
Of the tribe of Simeon, likewise according to their generations in their line of descent, and according to the families and houses to which they belonged, there were numbered 59,300 men from age twenty and upward who were able to go to war.
(24) Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (25) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
From the tribe of Gad were counted 45,650 able-bodied men for war from age twenty and upward.
(26) Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (27) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.
From the tribe of Judah, there were 74,600 men twenty years and older who were able to go to war.
(28) Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (29) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
From the tribe of Issachar there were 54,400.
(30) Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (31) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
From the tribe of Zebulun, 57,400.
(32) Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (33) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred.
From the children of Joseph, first from the tribe of Ephraim, there were 40,500 men.
(34) Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (35) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
From the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph's other son, there were counted 32,200 men.
(36) Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (37) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
From the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400 men.
(38) Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (39) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
From the tribe of Dan, 62,700.
(40) Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (41) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.
From the tribe of Asher, 41,500.
(42) Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war, (43) Those who were numbered of the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
From Naphtali, 53,400.
(44) These are those who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, twelve men, each one for the house of his fathers.
These aforementioned tribes were those whom Moses and Aaron, along with the head of each tribe, as named in the first and second posts on Numbers 1, numbered in this census of able-bodied men for war from twenty years and older.
(45) So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go to war in Israel, (46) All who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
All who were numbered of the children of Israel, the twelve tribes excepting Levi, with the tribe of Joseph being actually two tribes, all the men of those tribes twenty years of age and older who were able to go to war, totaled 603,550. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, pointed out "what an astonishing increase from seventy souls that went down into Egypt (Gen. 46:27), about 215 years before, where latterly they had endured the greatest hardships!"
(47) But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
The tribe of Levi, being made up of a different type of warrior, one appointed to the use of the tabernacle, was not counted among the rest of the tribes who were able to go to war.
(48) For the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying, (49) "Only you shall not number the tribe of Levi, nor take the sum of them among the children of Israel."
The Levites were not counted because the Lord had told Moses not to number them, nor include them with the rest of the census taken of the children of Israel.
(50) "But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its vessels, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its vessels, and they shall minister to it, and shall encamp around the tabernacle."
A continuation of what God had told Moses, the Levites, not being counted as able-bodied men of war, were instead to be appointed to the care of the tabernacle and the Ark of the Testimony within it, and over all the vessels and furnishings belonging to it. When the children of Israel moved, the Levites were the ones appointed to take down the tabernacle, carry it and all that belonged to it, and then set it up again in the place appointed. They were to encamp around the tabernacle, ever ready to attend to it.
(51) “And when the tabernacle goes forward, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death."
As already noted as implied by verse 50, whenever the tabernacle was to be moved, it was the duty of the Levites only to take it down, carry it and all its belongings, and set it up again. All the early commentators agree, that what is meant by a "stranger" is one of another tribe other than the Levites. If any Israelite from another tribe touched these holy things of God's tabernacle, he was to be put to death. Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, pointed out this was symbolic of all of us who are unfit and unworthy to approach God "until we are first called by his grace into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and so, being the spiritual seed of that great high priest, are made priests to our God; and it is promised that God would take Levites to himself, even from the Gentiles": “And I will also take of them for priests and Levites,” says the LORD (Isaiah 66:21).
(52) "And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts."
The children of Israel were to pitch their tents, every man with his own camp and by his own standard or banner, throughout their armies. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, explained that "there were four standards, and three tribes to each standard, which were placed east, west, north, and south of the tabernacle, as is at large described in the following chapter."
(53) "But the Levites shall pitch around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”
However, the Levites were to pitch their tents around the tabernacle, preventing access of the other tribes that might come too close to the tabernacle and bring the wrath of God. The Levites would keep charge of the tabernacle.
(54) And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they did.
The children of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded they do per the instructions He gave Moses. Shouldn't every believer always seek to do what the Lord has commanded?
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
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