Song of Deborah

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Judges 5:1) Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,

In the last chapter, Deborah and Barak had just defeated the king of Canaan and his army and its captain, Sisera, by the hand of the Lord who delivered their enemy to them.  Deborah wrote a song of praise that was sung by both her and Barak:

(2) "Praise you, the Lord, for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves."

Deborah began by praising the Lord for taking vengeance on Jabin king of Canaan, when, led by the Lord, the children of Israel willingly went to fight against their enemies for Israel.

(3) "Hear, O you kings! Give ear, O you princes! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel."

Deborah desired that all kings and princes hear her song of praise, that all might know the wonderful works of the Lord God of Israel.

(4) "Lord, when You went out of Seir, when You marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped; the clouds also dropped water."

Seir and Edom are the same place, and Deborah here acknowledged that the Lord had led His people from there to their land in Canaan.  All the way, He struck dread in the hearts of their enemies with earthquakes and rain and hail storms.

(5) "The mountains melted from before the Lord, that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel."

Even the mountains trembled and melted before the Lord, just as Mount Sinai had trembled and quaked at the presence of God on it.

(6) "In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways."

Shamgar succeeded Ehud as judge, but did not appear to rule long or accomplish much (Judges 3:31), or at least not a perfect and complete deliverance of Israel.  But during his time and that of Jael, the wife of Heber (Judges 4:17), the highways were unoccupied by the Israelites because they were dangerous, occupied by their enemies who wished to do them harm.  They were forced to travel by less frequented paths.

(7) "The villages ceased; they ceased in Israel until that I, Deborah, arose, that I arose a mother in Israel."

Life in their villages as it once was ceased because the Israelites were so oppressed by their enemy.  That is, until Deborah rose up; being raised up by God, she was as a mother to the children of Israel, instructing, ruling, and protecting them.  

(8) "They chose new gods, then was war in the gates; was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?"

The children of Israel chose the false gods of the enemy, called new gods because they were new and previously unknown to them.  It's not as if they simply submitted to worshiping them when their enemy forced them, but it seems they willingly chose them.  There was war within the gates of their cities for they were completely taken over by their enemy.  Apparently, their enemy had totally disarmed the Israelites, as well.

(9) "My heart is toward the governors of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless you the Lord!"

Deborah had a heart for the rulers of Israel who had offered themselves willingly to do the work of their Lord.  The original word "chaqaq" that was translated as "governors" came from a root that meant "engrave."  So she might have meant that she had a heart for the wise men and scribes who willingly taught the word of God and His commandments.  She blessed the Lord for giving those "governors" hearts to willingly engage in service to Him, whatever it might be.

(10) "Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit in judgment and walk by the way."

Deborah called for nobles and magistrates, or perhaps it was the wise men and scribes, who rode on white donkeys to speak out.  The original word that was translated as "judgment" was "mad," and it most often referred to garments or clothing.  I believe what is meant here is that Deborah called for the upper class of nobles and leaders, described as having white donkeys and fine raiment, who walked among the common people, to tell of God's great works.

(11) "From the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous acts of His villages in Israel; then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates."

I'm not sure whether this means the places of drawing water were free from the noise of the archers who attacked the people, and there the nobles could celebrate the righteous acts of the Lord, or if even in spite of the noise of the attacks of their enemies, they were to celebrate the Lord.  "Celebrate" is a better translation of the original word "tanah" that was translated as "rehearse."  Most of the Biblical commentators I study see this as celebration after the Lord delivered them, but as the next verse calls on Deborah and Barak to rise up, I see this as happening before they were delivered.  Deborah had called on the nobles to speak out even in the people's oppression.  This they did, and the people cried out to the Lord (Judges 4:3).  Then they would be able to go in and out of the gates when the Lord delivered them.

(12) "Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song. Arise, Barak, and lead your captivity captive, you son of Abinoam."

Once again, I disagree with the commentators I study about the meaning of this verse.  They believe Deborah is stirring herself to more zeal and enthusiasm in her song after the Lord had delivered Israel.  Why then would the verse continue with raising up Barak against the enemy if that had already been done?  The commentators admit that there are some difficulties in the text of the song which probably lost something in translation.  However, I see this as Deborah relating the chronological order of things in her song.  She was called to rise up, and yes, she would eventually utter a song upon victory, but I believe it's also possible this was a call for her to prophesy when she was raised up.  Then she called on Barak to rise up and make those who held the children of Israel captive, themselves captive.

(13) "Then He made him who remained have dominion over the nobles among the people; the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty."

Then the Lord made those who remained of the Israelites after the oppression of the Canaanites to have dominion over the nobles and officers of the enemy among them.  The Lord had raised up Deborah to have dominion over their mighty enemy.

(14) "Out of Ephraim a root of them against Amalek; after you, Benjamin, among your people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they who handle the pen of the writer."

Out of the tribe of Ephraim, of which Deborah was a member, came the root and foundation of the campaign against the Amalekites, chief enemies of Israel among the Canaanites.  Then the tribe of Benjamin joined forces with the tribe of Ephraim against their enemy.  Machir, the son of Manasseh, represented his tribe on the west of the Jordan, and they sent leaders, probably meaning military leaders, to aid in the campaign against the Canaanites.  Even the tribe of Zebulun where normally clerks and scribes and those mighty with the pen dwelled, sent troops to aid Barak in his campaign against Jabin king of Canaan.

(15) "And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah, even Issachar, and also Barak, he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben, great thoughts of heart."

The leaders of Issachar, as well as Issachar in general, were with Deborah in her campaign.  Barak of the tribe of Naphtali, which I believe means to include the whole tribe of Naphtali, were an integral part of the campaign, and they were sent forth into the valley of the river of Kishon where the Lord would draw Sisera of King Jabin's army to them (Judges 4:7).  Among the clans of Reuben, it appears there were many conflicting thoughts about the campaign, and they did not join their brothers on the western side of the Jordan against Sisera.

(16) "Why did you abide among the sheepfolds to hear the bleating of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben, great searchings of heart."

Deborah chided the tribe of Reuben, asking why they would sit there with their flocks of sheep and not go to help their brethren.  Again, she mentions the great searchings of heart.  Either she was disappointed that they couldn't agree to accompany her, or perhaps she and Barak and the other tribes with them were the ones having to search their hearts for what they felt about their brethren who would not help them.

(17) "Gilead abode beyond Jordan, and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the seashore and abode in his breaches."

The land of Gilead belonged to Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the Jordan River.  Deborah was proclaiming that those tribes stayed put and did not join the campaign.  Neither did the tribes of Dan or Asher.  The tribe of Dan continued in its work in ships on the Mediterranean Sea, as did Asher tend to its business on the shore of the sea.  They abode in their breaks in the shore and ignored their brothers fighting against Canaan.

(18) "Zebulun and Naphtali, a people who jeopardized their lives to the death in the high places of the field."

Deborah commended the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali who were the chief fighters in the war against Sisera, the 10,000 soldiers initially called by Deborah and Barak (Judges 4:6).  They jeopardized their lives in the height of battle in the battlefield while some of their brethren dwelt in safety within their tribes.

(19) "The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money."

I believe both mentions of the kings refer to the kings of Canaan who came from diverse places within Canaan to fight Israel in Taanach not far from the Kishon River.  They were unable to win any spoils; they lost it all.

(20) "They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera."

The Lord fought for Israel from heaven when what Deborah described as the stars themselves fought against Sisera.  I believe this lends credence to Josephus's assertion that Sisera's army was hit with rain and hail from heaven (see Judges 4:15).

(21) "The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, you have trodden down strength."

The Kishon River may have swept away some dead bodies of the enemy, but I rather think this was a somewhat poetic way of saying that the enemy was conquered there because that is where the Lord drew them for battle (Judges 4:7).  An ancient river, although not a necessarily great one, that is where a strong and mighty army was totally trodden down and crushed.

(22) "Then were horse hooves broken by the means of the galloping, the galloping of their mighty ones."

The enemy's horses' hooves were broken because of their violent galloping, the violent galloping of their strong and mighty horses.  Or perhaps the second part meant they were broken because of the violent galloping through the rain and hail, driven hard by their mighty soldiers.

(23) "'Curse you, Meroz,' said the angel of the Lord, 'Curse you bitterly its inhabitants because they did not come to the help of the Lord against the mighty.'"

Meroz was apparently a city close to where they fought, but none of the Bible commentators I study know where exactly it was.  John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, suggested that it may have been part of the curse that there should be no remembrance of it left.  The angel of the Lord called it to be cursed, which was either Deborah's way of describing what the Spirit of the Lord had said to her, or perhaps Barak was called the angel of the Lord because he had been called by Him to deliver His people.  Meroz was cursed because they did not come to the aid of God's people against Sisera even though they had surely been called by the Lord.

(24) "Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tents."

However, Jael was blessed because she had helped Israel, even though she had not been initially called.  She was blessed above women in tents, women whose jobs were to take care of their homes, not to be as soldiers.

(25) "He asked water, she gave milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish."

Sisera had asked Jael for water, and she gave him milk.  It seems it was a very rich milk, cream, that she brought to him in a nice dish, rather than just a drink of water from a ladle or simple cup.  It was probably just meant to be a kind act on her part, but as God was about to direct her to do otherwise, the rich milk probably helped to make him sleepy.

(26) "She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer, and with the hammer she struck Sisera; she smote off his head when she had pierced and stricken through his temples."

Jael had taken a tent spike and a hammer and struck the spike into Sisera's temple which went through and out the other temple, pinning him to the floor.  In that way she crushed his head, which is actually a better translation of the original word "machaq" which was translated as "smote off" by the King James translators.

(27) "At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he fell; where he bowed, there he fell down dead."

After Jael had struck him, it was as if Sisera bowed before her feet.  Bible commentators struggled to explain how he must had stood up to bow down and fall.  However, again, I think Deborah is just being poetic in song.  Jael could not have stricken Sisera through the temples and pinned him to the floor (Judges 4:21) unless he was lying down.  Sisera fell dead at Jael's feet.

(28) "The mother of Sisera looked out at a window and cried through the lattice, 'Why is his chariot long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots tarry?'"

Deborah imagined Sisera's mother looking out a window and crying through the lattice that covered it, wondering why Sisera was so long in returning.  She wondered why she did not hear the clatter of the wheels of his nine hundred chariots returning.

(29) "Her wise ladies answered her, 'Yes,' she returned answer to herself, (30) 'Have they not sped, have they divided the prey, to every man a damsel or two, to Sisera a prey of diverse colors, a prey of diverse colors of needlework, of diverse colors of needlework on both sides for the necks of the spoilers?'"

Deborah imagined that Sisera's mother's wise maidens or women attending her would answer, and she answered herself that yes, Sisera and his army had surely sped through to victory and were still dividing the spoils.  The soldiers were probably taking the women, and Sisera was taking fine, beautiful, and colorful linens and garments either to be worn on his neck, but probably more likely to be carried on the necks or backs of the soldiers.

(31) "So let all of Your enemies perish, O Lord, but those who love Him as the sun when it goes forth in its might." And the land had rest for forty years.

Deborah ended her song with her desire that all the Lord's enemies perish as Sisera and his army had.  And she wished that all those who loved the Lord be as the sun at its brightest and hottest, with intense love and as a bright light to the world.  And then the land had rest from their enemies for forty years.

Cities Allotted to Levi

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 21:1) Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel.

In the past chapters and posts, Eleazar the high priest and Joshua, along with heads of the tribes, had divided the land and given inheritance to each of the tribes.  Then the people appointed cities of refuge among their tribes.  Now the heads of the Levites came to Eleazar, and Joshua, and those heads of the other tribes.

(2) And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs of them for our cattle."

The Levites reminded them that the Lord had commanded through Moses that they should have cities and suburbs within the other tribes, to live in and keep livestock.  The Levites had not been given a lot of their own as had been given the other tribes, because as the priests, God was to be their inheritance.  However, God did provide for them cities in which to dwell within the other tribes (Numbers 35:2).

(3) And the children of Israel gave to the Levites out of their inheritance at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs.

The Israelites indeed gave to the Levites cities out of their inheritance in which to dwell, descriptions of which follow.

(4) And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites, and the children of Aaron the priest of the Levites had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities.

The first lot came out for the Kohathites, descendants of Kohath, a son of Levi.  The children of Aaron the priest, son of Amram who was a son of Kohath, were the only priests of the Levites.  The other Levites assisted the priests and acted as ministers for the people.  The children of Aaron, the priests, were given cities out of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, thirteen cities in all.

(5) And the rest of the children of Kohath had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan River, ten cities.

The rest of the Kohathites, Levites, but not priests, had their cities assigned by lot within the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half tribe of Manasseh, ten cities in all.

(6) And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

The children of Gershon, another son of Levi, had cities assigned by lot within the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan River.

(7) The children of Merari by their families, had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

The children of Merari, the third son of Levi, were given cities within the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, twelve cities in all.  All the tribes were to give cities to the Levites as a sort of tithe.  They were to provide for the priests and the ministers who attended the priests and ministered to the people within each tribe.  Although it was a benefit to the other tribes to have Levite ministers living among them, it was the fulfillment of a curse made by Jacob, that because of their anger and cruel wrath, they would be scattered throughout Israel (Genesis 49:7).  A total of forty-eight cities were given to the Levites according to the commandment of the Lord (Numbers 35:7).

(8) And the children of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

The Israelites gave by lot cities along with their suburbs within each of their tribes, just as the Lord had commanded.

(9) And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, these cities which are mentioned by name, (10) Which the children of Aaron of the families of the Kohathites of the children of Levi had, for theirs was the first lot. (11) And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which is Hebron, in the hills of Judah with the suburbs of it round about it.

The Israelites gave the children of Aaron who were of the Kohathites, cities, names which follow in the text, out of the tribes of Judah and Simeon.  First, they gave them the city and suburbs of Kirjath Arba, "city of Arba," Arba being a son of the Anakims, a race of giants among whom Arba was chief.  It was renamed Hebron (Joshua 14:15) and it lay in the hill country of Judah.  

(12) But the fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.

However, the fields and villages surrounding Hebron belonged to Caleb (Joshua 14:13).  He had been given Hebron, but as with all the tribes, he gave a city in which the Levites could dwell.  According to Biblical scholars, the suburbs of the Levitical cities were generally 2000 cubits, about 1000 yards.  Anything beyond that belonged to the tribe that was giving the city for Levitical use.

(13) Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Libnah and her suburbs.

The Israelites gave the children of Aaron, the priests, the city of Hebron which was also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7) and the city of Libnah and their suburbs.

(14) And Jattir with her suburbs, and Eshtemoa with her suburbs, (15) And Holon with her suburbs, and Debir with her suburbs, (16) And Ain with her suburbs, and Juttah with her suburbs, Beth Shemesh with her suburbs, nine cities out of those two tribes.

The priests also had the cities of Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, in which to live and dwell.  They had a total of nine cities within the tribes of Judah and Simeon, Simeon being within Judah.

(17) And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs, (18) Anathoth with her suburbs, and Almon with her suburbs; four cities.

Out of the tribe of Benjamin, the Levitical priests had the cities of Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon, four cities and their suburbs.  Anathoth and Almon were not listed among the cities within Benjamin's tribe in chapter 18 and must have been a couple of the smaller villages that were said to be part of the larger cities.  The cities within Benjamin were described as cities with their villages rather than cities with their suburbs.

(19) All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, totaled thirteen cities with their suburbs.

(20) And the families of the children of Kohath, the Levites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of Ephraim.

The rest of the Kohathites, those who were not of Aaron and the priests, also had cities, theirs from the tribe of Ephraim.

(21) For they gave them Shechem with her suburbs in mount Ephraim, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Gezer with her suburbs.

The rest of the Kohathites were given the cities of Shechem, also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7), and Gezer.

(22) And Kibzaim with her suburbs, and Beth Horon with her suburbs, four cities.

The Kohathites were also given the cities of Kibzaim and Beth Horon in the tribe of Ephraim.

(23) And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her suburbs, Gibbethon with her suburbs, (24) Aijalon with her suburbs, Gath Rimmon with her suburbs, four cities.

Out of the tribe of Dan, the Kohathites were given the cities of Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon, a total of four cities.

(25) And out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Tanach with her suburbs and Gath Rimmon with her suburbs, two cities.

Two cities were given out of the half tribe of Manasseh on the west side of the Jordan River, Tanach and Gath Rimmon, which appears to be a different city than the one in the tribe of Dan.

(26) All the cities were ten with their suburbs for the families of the children of Kohath who remained.

The Kohathites who were not descendants of Aaron, and therefore not priests, had a total of ten cities within the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and West Manasseh.

(27) And to the children of Gershon of the families of the Levites, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Be Eshterah with her suburbs, two cities.

The Levites who were children of Gershon received the city of Golan, which was also a city of refuge, and Be Eshterah, with their suburbs, out of the half tribe of Manasseh on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

(28) And out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon with her suburbs, Daberath with her suburbs, (29) Jarmuth with her suburbs, En Gannim with her suburbs, four cities.

The Gershonites were also given four cities out of the tribe of Issachar, Kishon, Daberath, Jarmuth, and En Gannim, with their suburbs.

(30) And out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal with her suburbs, Abdon with her suburbs, (31) Helkath with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs, four cities.

They were also given four cities out of the tribe of Asher, Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob, with their suburbs.

(32) And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Hammoth Dor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs, three cities.

They were given three cities out of the tribe of Naphtali, Galilee, also a city of refuge, Hammoth Dor, and Kartan.

(33) All the cities of the Gershonites according to their families were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

The total number of cities given to the Levitical tribe of the Gershonites was thirteen.

(34) And to the families of the children of Merari, the rest of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam with her suburbs, and Kartah with her suburbs, (35) Dimnah with her suburbs, Nahalal with her suburbs, four cities.

The rest of the Levites, children of Merari, were given four cities out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal, with their suburbs.

(36) And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahaz with her suburbs, (37) Kedemoth with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs, four cities.

They were also given four cities out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath.

(38) And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, a city of refuge for the slayer, and Mahanaim with her suburbs, (39) Heshbon with her suburbs, Jazer with her suburbs, four cities in all.

The children of Merari also received four cities out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth, also a city of refuge, Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer, with their suburbs.

(40) So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the Levites, were their lot, twelve cities.

The children of Merari were given twelve cities in all.

(41) All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty-eight cities with their suburbs. (42) These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them, thus all these cities.

All the cities given to the Levites within all the other tribes of Israel numbered forty-eight, just as God had commanded (Numbers 35:7).  They were also given the suburbs, said to be about 2000 cubits, or about 1000 yards, round about the cities so that they would have space for livestock and provisions.

(43) And the Lord gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and dwelt in it.

Thus the Lord had given to Israel all the land of Canaan as He had sworn to their fathers.  All the tribes having received their lots of inheritance, they possessed their land and dwelt in it.

(44) And the Lord gave them rest round about according to all that He swore to their fathers, and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

At that time, the Lord gave Israel peace and rest in their land flowing with milk and honey as He had sworn to their forefathers.  Finally, they had settled into their promised land, that land promised so many years before, and there were no enemies before them, as the Lord had delivered all their enemies into their hand.

(45) There failed not one of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel; all came to pass.

Every good thing the Lord had promised Israel came to pass.  God's promises were exactly fulfilled down to the prophetic blessings and curses that told where some of the tribes might live.  "Your word is true from the beginning, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psalm 119:160).  Every word of promise God made from the beginning of the world is true and has never failed.  If anything has not yet been fulfilled, you can be sure it will be in the future.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promises, but is ever-patient, giving us all time to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

The Inheritance of the Tribes of Issachar and Asher

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Joshua 19:17) The fourth lot came out to Issachar for the children of Issachar according to their families.

The previous chapters and posts have been describing the lots that were given to each of the tribes of Israel.  After a pause from giving out the lots, seven tribes remained that had not yet received their inheritances (Joshua 18:2).  This was the fourth of those seven that came up for Issachar.

(18) And their border was toward Jezreel, and Chesulloth, and Shunem,

From Zebulun that was described at the end of the last post, Issachar's border went to Jezreel bordering on Manasseh and included the cities of Chesulloth and Shunem.  This map borrowed from Biblical Toolbelt shows the inheritance of Issachar:

And this map from the same site shows Issachar in relation to the other tribes:

(19) And Hapharaim, and Shion, and Anaharath, (20) And Rabbith, and Kishion, and Abez, (21) And Remeth, and En Gannim, and En Haddah, and Beth Pazzez.

The inheritance of Issachar included all the cities above, although very few are shown on the map.  

(22) And the coast reached to Tabor, and Shahazimah, and Beth Shemesh, and the outgoings of their border were at Jordan, sixteen cities with their villages.

Issachar's territory included the sixteen cities named above, and its eastern border was the Jordan River.  It was suggested by John Wesley in his Notes on the Bible that since the lot of Issachar lay between other tribes on all its other sides, and those tribes' borders had been described, it was not necessary to describe them again.  That may be, but it borders Naphtali, and those borders have not yet been described.  It just may be that these later tribes are of less importance than the first tribes described.

(23) This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Issachar according to their families, the cities and their villages.

Thus ended the description of the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar.

(24) And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.

The fifth of those seven remaining lots after the pause went to the tribe of Asher.

(25) And their border was Helkath, and Hali, and Beten, and Achshaph,

The inheritance of Asher included the cities of Helkath and Achshaph seen in the following map borrowed from History of Israel.  In the map of the twelve tribes above you can see Asher north of Issachar in relation to the other tribes.

(26) And Alammelech, and Amad, and Mishal, and reached to Carmel westward and to Shihor Libnath.

It included the cities of Alammelech and Mishal seen in the map above and went westward toward Mt. Carmel at the Mediterranean Sea.

(27) And turned toward the sunrising to Beth Dagon and reached to Zebulun and to the valley of Jiphthah El toward the north side of Beth Emek and Neiel and goes out to Cabul on the left hand.

Toward the east the border reached to Zebulun and the valley of Jiphthah El up to Cabul and Neiel, and the territory included Beth Emek going back toward the Mediterranean Sea.  Once again, the directions in the verse made no sense and I just followed the map to see where the territory was.  However, Dr. John Gill implied in his Exposition of the Bible that no one knew where Beth Emek was, so perhaps the map above is incorrect about the location of that city.  On the map there is a question about the location of Neiel, so perhaps it was south of Cabul, and when faced eastward, the left would be the north, and now the text makes sense.

(28) And Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, to great Sidon.

The territory went northward and included the cities of Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah, seen on the map, up to Sidon which was north of Tyre.  It was called great for its antiquity, riches, and glory, according to John Wesley.

(29) And the coast turned to Ramah and to the strong city Tyre, and the coast turned to Hosah, and the outgoings of it are at the sea from the coast to Achzib.

This seems to be describing the western border going southward from Sidon to Tyre to Achzib along the Mediterranean Sea, although Hammon is probably misplaced on the map.  

(30) Ummah also, and Aphek, and Rehob, twenty-two cities with their villages.

The territory also included the cities of Ummah and Aphek.  Rehob had already been mentioned, and Sidon was not actually in their territory, but their border reached up to it.  Carmel being a mountain and not a city, and Jiphthah El being a valley, the list comes to twenty-two cities with their villages within the tribe of Asher.

(31) This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.

Thus ended the description of the inheritance that went to the tribe of Asher.

The Blessing of Moses

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 33:1) And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

In the last chapter, Moses had recited the Song of Moses that the Lord had directed him to write and to teach to the people.  He now offered the following blessing to the people.

(2) And he said, "The Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir to them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand a fiery law for them."

Moses began his blessing by stating that the Lord had come from Sinai, where His first appearance to Moses was.  He showed Himself to the Israelites in Seir like the sun when it rose up and continued shining on them to Paran.  He came with tens of thousands of saints or holy angels of heaven who attended Him in His great and glorious work of delivering His fiery law which came directly from Him, a law which pierced and penetrated the consciences of men like fire.

(3) "Yea, He loved the people, all His saints in Your hand, and they sat down at Your feet and shall receive of Your words."

Moses declared that the Lord loved His people Israel, and now calls them His saints in His hands, in His care and protection.  His people sat at His feet, perhaps alluding to them being at the foot of Mount Sinai when He gave the law from the top of the mount, and they received His words.

(4) "Moses commanded us a law, the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob."

Moses spoke of himself in the third person and said he had commanded to the people the law that had been given to them by the Lord Himself, they the congregation of Jacob considered His inheritance, His own special people.

(5) "And He was king in Jeshurun when the heads of the people and the tribes of Israel were gathered together."

The Lord was king in Israel, Jeshurun being another name He sometimes gave Israel, when the heads and tribes of Israel were gathered at Mount Sinai to hear the law recited by Moses.

(6) "Let Reuben live and not die, nor let his men be few."

Moses's blessing was that the tribe of Reuben live and not die, although Reuben had deserved to be cut off or greatly diminished because of his sin against his father (Genesis 49:4).  

(7) And this of Judah, and he said, "Hear Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; let his hands be sufficient for him and You be a help from his enemies."

Regarding Judah, Moses asked that the Lord hear the prayers of Judah, which John Gill believes "was eminently fulfilled in David, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and other kings."  Bring him back safely and victorious to his people and make him able to defend and provide for himself with the Lord's protection and preservation from his enemies.

(8) And of Levi he said, "Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one whom You tested at Massah, with whom you strove at the waters of Meribah, (9) Who said to his father and to his mother, 'I have not seen him;' neither did he acknowledge his brothers, nor knew his own children, for they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant."

Regarding Levi, Moses said that the Lord's Thummim and Urim, objects used to determine God's will worn by the high priest, be with Aaron of the tribe of Levi, the same Aaron the Lord had reproved and contended with at Massah and Meribah.  I believe the sense of verse 9 is that the Levite priests had no natural affection or respect for their parents and family over the Lord.  They followed God and His command fully and kept His covenant.

(10) "They shall teach Jacob Your judgments and Israel Your law; they shall put incense before You and whole burnt sacrifice upon Your altar."

The Levite priests would teach Jacob, that is Israel, the Lord's statutes and laws, and they were the only ones who could put incense on the altar before the Lord and offer whole burnt sacrifices on His altar.

(11) "Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; strike through the loins of them who rise against him and of those who hate him that they rise not again."

Moses asked that the Lord bless Levi's substance because the Levites had no inheritance of their own and were wholly dependent on the Lord's blessing.  He asked that the Lord accept the work of the priests' hands in their administration of their priestly duties and thoroughly destroy those who would rise up against them.

(12) Of Benjamin he said, "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him who shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between His shoulders."

Regarding Benjamin, the temple would be built in Benjamin's lot.  Benjamin was the beloved of his father Jacob and is so called the beloved of the Lord.  His tribe would dwell in safety near the temple of the Lord who would continually protect him and support him as a father might carry his son upon his shoulders.

(13) And of Joseph he said, "Blessed of the Lord his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lies beneath, (14) And for the precious fruits by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, (15) And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, (16) And for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, and the good will of Him who dwelt in the bush, let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, upon the top of the head of him separated from his brothers."

Regarding the tribe of Joseph, his land was blessed by the Lord and extremely fruitful, blessed by the precious rain from heaven, by the dew, by the deep springs of water coming out of the earth, by the light and warmth of the sun, and by the coolness and moisture put forth by the moon.  He was blessed by the excellent fruits, grapes, olives, and figs, which grew in the mountains, and the precious minerals that were contained there.  He would be blessed by all the precious things of the earth, and by the good will of the Lord who dwelt in the burning bush and appeared to Moses.  Let all these blessings come upon the tribe of Joseph, he who had been separated from his brothers when they sold him into slavery in Egypt.

(17) His glory the firstling of his bullock, and his horns the horns of unicorns; with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth, and they the ten thousands of Ephraim and they the thousands of Manasseh.

Joseph's glory was like that of a firstborn bull, an emblem of power and strength.  His horn was like the horn of a unicorn.  The unicorn in the Bible is not what we picture today.  It was more likely a now extinct wild bull with a single horn, more like a rhinoceros.  Wherever it is mentioned in the Bible, it is an animal of great strength.  That is the animal that could push the people together to the ends of the earth, referring to his enemies.  The tribes of Joseph were in his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.  Although Manasseh was the eldest son of Joseph, fewer people were ascribed to him and more to the younger Ephraim, according to Jacob's prediction in Genesis 48:19.

(18) And of Zebulun he said, "Rejoice Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents."

Moses blessed the tribe of Zebulun as it went out to sea as it was a maritime tribe with its portion of land by the sea, also predicted by Jacob in Genesis 49:13.  He included his brother Issachar in the blessing, who would be just as blessed, but in his tents, or at home with his land and his livestock.

(19) "They shall call the people to the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness, for they shall suck the abundance of the seas and of treasures hid in the sand."

Referring again to Zebulun, his people would call people back to the mountain, to the temple of God, where they would offer sacrifices of righteousness.  They would grow rich by their traffic on the seas and by treasures hidden in the sand, but they would not forget their duty at home, and they would even call Gentiles to the true faith in the one true God.

(20) And of Gad he said, "Blessed He who enlarges Gad; he dwells as a lion and tears the arm with the crown of the head."

Regarding the tribe of Gad, Moses first acknowledged the Lord who enlarged Gad, delivering him out of his troubles mentioned in Genesis 49:19 that he would overcome at last.  He would then dwell as a lion, bold, courageous, and secure, and would destroy his enemies, both the arm of their strength and the crown, their kings and governors.

(21) "And he provided the first part for himself, because there a portion of the lawgiver, seated, and he came with the heads of the people; he executed the justice of the Lord and his judgments with Israel."

Gad provided the first part of the promised land for himself because he asked for and was given it by Moses, the lawgiver.  There he seated and secured his wives and children, while he would go with the heads of the people into war against Canaan.  He and the rest of the Israelites would execute the judgment of God against the Canaanites.

(22) And of Dan he said, "Dan, a lion's whelp; he shall leap from Bashan."

The tribe of Dan was like a young lion, bold and strong, and able to leap from Bashan, a mountain place inhabited by many lions.  This is not meant to be said of Dan himself as his tribe doesn't have any special relationship with Bashan, but with the strong lion that leapt from the mountain of Bashan upon its prey.  The tribe of Dan was courageous and strong like that lion.

(23) And of Naphtali he said, "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full with the blessing of the Lord; possess the west and the south."

Naphtali would have great favor, perhaps among men, but mainly with God, and he would have great blessing of the Lord.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, pointed out the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun enjoyed wondrous favor from the Lord as Jesus spent most of His time there in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13,15, 9:1).  Jesus called Capernaum "exalted unto heaven" (Matthew 11:23).  All the commentators I study agree that possessing the west and the south did not mean the tribe of Naphtali would inhabit the west and the south, as they did not.  The main definition of "yam" that was transcribed as "west," is more often "sea."  "Darom" transcribed as "south" also meant "south wind" and may be used here in a characteristic way here to mean warm and sunny.  Naphtali would possess a warm and sunny sea region.  Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote, "The possession of Naphtali included nearly the whole west coast of the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Merom, the modern Bahr el Hulch, and the well watered district near the springs of Jordan. It contained some of the grandest scenery and some of the most fertile land in Palestine."

(24) And of Asher he said, "Asher blessed with children, let him be acceptable to his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil."

Asher would be blessed with large numbers, in union and harmony with the other tribes, and he would have such plenty that he would be able to dip his feet in oil, meaning not only anointing his head, but his feet also.

(25) "Your shoes iron and brass, and as your days, your strength."

It is said that mines of iron and copper were in Asher's portion, but this verse might also mean that the tribe was strong and steadfast.  Their strength would continue all their days; they would not become feeble with age.

(26) "None like the God of Jeshurun, riding upon the heaven to help you, and in His excellency on the sky."

There is no god who compares to the God of Israel.  Their almighty sovereign God of the heavens and the sky was there to help His people Israel.

(27) "The eternal God your refuge, and underneath the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before you, and shall say, 'Destroy!'"

The eternal God was Israel's refuge and protection.  Underneath the everlasting arms of the eternal God, they were safe and secure.  God would thrust out their enemies from before them to clear the land for them and would direct them to carry out His righteous judgment by destroying them.

(28) "Israel then shall dwell in safety alone; the fountain of Jacob upon a land of corn and wine; also His heavens shall drop down dew."

Once their enemies were destroyed, Israel would dwell in safety alone.  I found the words of Adam Clarke on this verse to be profound, "This people shall not be incorporated with any other people under heaven. A prophecy which continues to be fulfilled to the very letter. Every attempt to unite them with any other people has proved absolutely ineffectual."  Even to this day there are attempts at a two-state solution in Israel which has never worked.  The descendants of Jacob that would spring forth as from a fountain would be in a fertile land abounding in corn and wine and all good things.  The Lord would continue to drop actual dew making the land fruitful, but also drop blessings as dew from heaven.

(29) "Happy, you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help and the sword of your excellency? And your enemies shall be found liars to you, and you shall tread upon their high places."

Israel should be the happiest in the world as there are no others like her, a people chosen and saved by the Lord, the one true God who shields and protects her and destroys her enemies and lifts her to excellency.  The Israelites' enemies would be found to be liars in that when they said they would destroy Israel, they would never be able to fulfill their intent.  Israel would possess their enemies' high places.

The Song of Moses in the last chapter highlighted the calamities that would befall Israel when she turned from God, but these blessings of Moses describe the glory and greatness that in God's love and mercy He would crown her.  Every tribe was blessed with the exception of Simeon.  Jacob had cursed Levi and Simeon as "instruments of cruelty" in Genesis 49:5 and said they would be scattered in Israel (Genesis 49:7).  In His mercy God chose the Levites to be His priests, but they would not have their own inheritance in the promised land.  Simeon was given only a select number of cities within Judah's inheritance (Joshua 19:1-9).

The Curses to be Pronounced on Mount Ebal

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 27:1) And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, "Keep all the commandments which I command you this day."

In the last chapter and post, Moses had made an end to a long recitation of the laws of God.  Now he and the elders of Israel, rulers of each tribe, joined together in an exhortation to the people to observe and obey all the commandments which he had given them.

(2) "And it shall be on the day when you shall pass over Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives you, that you shall set up great stones and plaster them with plaster."

Moses told the people that when they had crossed over the Jordan River into the land the Lord was giving to them, they were to set up some large stones and plaster them.  Whether the plaster was over the surface of the stones so that they could be written upon, or whether it was to cement the stones together to make a large lasting monument, or maybe both, we are not told exactly.

(3) "And you shall write upon them all the words of this law, when you are passed over, that you may go into the land the Lord your God gives you, a land that flows with milk and honey, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you."

The people were to write the laws God had given them on the stones when they had crossed over the Jordan into their land.  Of course, it may have been only a summation of the laws, as they were very wordy, and perhaps only the Ten Commandments.  The way Moses spoke, it sounds as if it was a condition of their entering into the land.  The land had been promised to their forefathers and was now being given to them on the condition that they held up to their side of the covenant, remembering and obeying God's laws.  Moses constantly reminded the people that their Lord was giving them this gift of a very good and fruitful land, and the stones would display a condition and reminder to the people to obey God's laws.

(4) "Therefore it shall be when you have gone over Jordan, you shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster."

Moses repeated his instructions that after they had crossed over Jordan into their land, they were to set up and plaster the stones, and Moses told them specifically where to set them up, on Mount Ebal.  

(5) "And there shall you build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; you shall not lift up iron upon them. (6) You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of whole stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God."

There they were also to build an altar to the Lord.  It was to be an altar of whole stones and no iron tool was to be used on the stones.  There on the altar, the people would offer burnt offerings to the Lord.

(7) "And you shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and rejoice before the Lord your God."

The people would also offer peace offerings to the Lord on that altar.  They were to eat of their offerings there before the altar in the place where the stones were placed on which God's laws were written.  Again, these made for constant reminders to be thankful to the Lord for His provision and to remember His laws they were to obey as their part of the covenant with their Lord.

(8) "And you shall write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly."

Moses added to his instructions for the stones upon which the law was to be written.  They were to make sure all the words of the law were to be written very plainly so that they might be easily read and understood.

(9) And Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, "Take heed and hearken, O Israel; this day you have become the people of the Lord your God."

Then Moses with the priests, the Levites, spoke to all the people exhorting them to give attention to what they said.  That day the people had become the people of the Lord by the solemn renewing of their covenant with Him.

(10) "You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God and do His commandments and His statutes, which I command you this day."

Moses with the priests reiterated that the people were to listen to their Lord and obey all His commandments and statutes which Moses had recited to them.

(11) And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, (12) "These shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you have come over Jordan, Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin; (13) And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal to curse, Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali."

Moses then charged the people with instructions that when they had crossed over the Jordan River into their land, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin, were to stand at Mount Gerizim to bless the people.  The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali, were to stand at Mount Ebal to curse.  Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal were two mountains near to one another with a valley between them.  Six tribes stood against their respective mountains facing each other where there would be pronounced blessings and curses.  There may have been purpose in how the members of these groups were selected.  The tribes chosen to stand at Mount Gerizim and bless the people all came from the two wives of Jacob, Leah and Rachel.  The tribes chosen to stand at Mount Ebal and curse the people were four tribes that came from Leah and Rachel's handmaids, Zilpah and Bilhah, respectively.  Jacob's wives had given him their handmaids to produce children because they were too impatient to wait upon God's plan, and they were even in competition with each other to give Jacob children.  John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that the handmaid's children may have been chosen to represent curses "to shew that the curse belongs to those of servile and disingenuous spirits."  Included with these tribes were Reuben, the son of Leah, who had defiled his father's bed (Genesis 35:22) and exposed himself to the curse of the law, and also Zebulun, the youngest son of Leah, who would have been added to make an equal division of the tribes, if for no other reason.

(14) "And the Levites shall speak and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice,"

The Levites who were priests would stand in the valley in between the two sets of tribes.  The rest of the Levites were with their tribe on the blessings side.

(15) "'Cursed the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and puts it in secret.' And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen!'"

The priests would speak in a loud voice so as to be heard by all the members of the tribes.  They would declare a man was cursed if he made engraved or molded images which were an abomination to the Lord.  This refers to the second of the Ten Commandments, referring to images or statues of God or some representative they might use in worship.  No one has seen God, so for a simple craftsman to make something that represented Him would be extremely demeaning to and unworthy of Him.  There is no way man could envision anything worthy of representing God.  Even if he put his image or statue in a private place for his eyes only, and with no plan to worship it, there would be a temptation to see it and worship it as God.  All the people from both sides were to answer, "Amen!"  That demonstrated that they accepted and knew it to be true.

Notable is the fact that only curses are mentioned here, no blessings.  Perhaps they simply were not mentioned, or could it be symbolic of something more?  John Wesley wrote, "For as many as were under the law, were under the curse" (Galatians 3:10).  He wrote that it was an honor reserved for Christ to bless us, something the law could not do.  In Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, what Wesley called "the true Mount Gerizim," we have only blessings (Matthew 5:3-12).

(16) "'Cursed he who makes light of his father or his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

This referenced the fifth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12), honoring mother and father.  One who made light or mocked them or held them in low esteem was cursed, and all the people were to voice their agreement with that deserved curse, by saying, "Amen!"

(17) "'Cursed he who removes his neighbor's landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

By removing a neighbor's landmark which marked his property line, one might attempt to steal part of his neighbor's property.  That was an obvious offense against the eighth commandment, "You shall not steal." (Exodus 20:15).  All the people were to say, "Amen," again voicing their agreement.

(18) "'Cursed he who makes the blind to wander out of the way.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man was cursed if he knowingly took advantage of a blind man by wrongly directing him or by putting a stumbling block in his way, a direct reference to the law in Leviticus 19:14.  The people were to again say, "Amen."

(19) "'Cursed he who perverts the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man was cursed if he perverted justice for the stranger, the fatherless, the widow, or any poor and defenseless person, if he knowingly took advantage of the defenseless and less fortunate.  The people were to agree with that just curse.

(20) "'Cursed he who lies with his father's wife, because he uncovers his father's garment.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man was cursed if he lay with his father's wife, a direct offense against the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14), punishable by death according to the law in Leviticus 20:11, because he had "uncovered his father's nakedness."  Uncovering his father's garment or revealing his nakedness meant to expose and take what was the most private and most intimate pleasure and possession of his father.  All the people were to agree with this just curse.

(21) "'Cursed he who lies with any manner of beast.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man or woman was cursed if they engaged in any type of sexual relations with an animal (Leviticus 18:23), and the people were to agree.

(22) "'Cursed he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man was cursed if he had sexual relations with his sister or half-sister (Leviticus 20:17).  The people were to say, "Amen," in agreement with the curse.

(23) "'Cursed he who lies with his mother-in-law.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

Likewise, a man was cursed if he had sexual relations with his mother-in-law (Leviticus 20:14), and the people were to agree in unison.

(24) "'Cursed he who strikes his neighbor secretly.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

This would indicate a brutal attack or even murder.  He who secretly assaulted or murdered his neighbor was cursed, and the people would agree with "Amen!"  Obviously, if he killed his neighbor, it was an offense against the sixth commandment, "You shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13).  There were also laws against assault not unto death (Exodus 21:18-19).  

(25) "'Cursed he who takes reward to slay an innocent person.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

Obviously, if a man killed an innocent person, he was guilty of murder, but this also refers to a judge or a witness who took a bribe that resulted in the death of an innocent person.  See Exodus 23:7-8.  All the people were to agree.

(26) "'Cursed he who does not confirm the words of this law to do them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

To sum it all up, Moses told the people the Levite priests were to call out a curse to the one who did not confirm the words of the law by observing them and doing what the law said.  And all the people were to say, "Amen" to that.  As John Wesley pointed out, "To this we must all say, Amen! Owning ourselves to be under the curse, and that we must have perished for ever, if Christ had not redeemed us from the curse of the law, by being made a curse for us."  Amen!

The Borders of the Promised Land, Part 2

Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I have separated the current post into two parts.  The first part can be found here:

The Borders of the Promised Land, Part 1

At the end of part 1, the Lord had been speaking to Moses, designating the princes of each tribe that were to receive the inheritance for their tribes by lot.  He continued:

(Numbers 34:23) "The prince of the children of Joseph, for the tribe of the children of Manasseh, Hanniel the son of Ephod. (24) And the prince of the tribe of the children of Ephraim, Kemuel the son of Shiphtan."

The children of Joseph were divided into two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim.  Half of the tribe of Manasseh had already received their inheritance on the current side of the Jordan, but for the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Lord designated Hanniel as the prince to receive the lot.  From the tribe of Ephraim, Kemuel was chosen.

(25) "And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Elizaphan the son of Parnach."

From the tribe of Zebulun, the Lord designated Elizaphan.

(26) "And the prince of the tribe of the children of Issachar, Paltiel the son of Azzan."

He designated Paltiel to receive the lot for the tribe of Issachar.

(27) "And the prince of the tribe of the children of Asher, Ahihud the son of Shelomi. (28) And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the son of Ammihud."

From the tribe of Asher the Lord designated Ahihud, and from Naphtali, He chose Pedahel.

(29) "These are they whom the LORD commanded to divide the inheritance to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan."

The Lord concluded His command to Moses by saying that the previous names of princes were the ones He Himself had commanded to divide the inheritance in Canaan among the children of Israel.

In the conclusion of this post, I turn to Matthew Henry, this time in his Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.  Here are his beautiful reflections about the relatively small area that was the promised land:

Canaan was of small extent; as it is here bounded, it is but about 160 miles in length, and about 50 in breadth; yet this was the country promised to the father of the faithful, and the possession of the seed of Israel. This was that little spot of ground, in which alone, for many ages, God was known. This was the vineyard of the Lord, the garden enclosed; but as it is with gardens and vineyards, the narrowness of the space was made up by the fruitfulness of the soil. Though the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, yet few know him, and serve him; but those few are happy, because fruitful to God. Also, see how little a share of the world God gives to his own people. Those who have their portion in heaven, have reason to be content with a small pittance of this earth. Yet a little that a righteous man has, having it from the love of God, and with his blessing, is far better and more comfortable than the riches of many wicked.

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I've had to separate this chapter into many short posts in order to note all the important names.  There is a census being taken in this chapter of all the able-bodied men of war from twenty years and older.  It began here:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Now on with part 3:

(Numbers 26:19) The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

Next were counted the men of the tribe of Judah.  Judah's first two sons, Er and Onan, died because of their sins in the land of Canaan where they were born, and had no descendants to be counted.

(20) And the sons of Judah after their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites; of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites.

The sons of Judah who did have families to count were Shelah, Pharez, and Zerah.

(21) And the sons of Pharez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites.

The Pharzites from the family of Pharez were divided into two families from Pharez's two sons:  from his son Hezron came the Hezronites, and from his son Hamul, the Hamulites.

(22) These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them, seventy-six thousand five hundred.

The tribe of Judah numbered 76,500 able-bodied men of war twenty years and older.  Their numbers had increased 1900 since the first census 38 years prior to this time.

(23) The sons of Issachar after their families: Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Pua, the family of the Punites; (24) Of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. (25) These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them, sixty-four thousand three hundred.

The sons of Issachar and their families who were counted were Tola, Pua, Jashub, and Shimron.  They numbered 64,300, an increase of 9900 since the census 38 years prior to this one.

(26) The sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Sardites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. (27) These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them, sixty thousand five hundred.

From the tribe of Zebulun, the families of his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel, were counted and totaled 60,500, which was an increase of 3100 since the first census.

That ends this short post because Blogger limits the number of labels per post.  To continue the census count:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Twelve Spies Search the Promised Land

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 13:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Send men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a ruler among them.”

The last post ended with the Israelites' journeying from one place to another, naming several various places they had stopped along the way.  At this point it appears they are nearing their destination, as the Lord instructed Moses to send men into the land of Canaan to explore the land He was giving to them.  The commentaries I study point out that in a future passage when Moses was recounting this time, we discovered that it was really the people themselves who wanted to check out the land before they actually took possession, and the Lord here was giving them permission rather than commanding them to do so.  The people did not trust God that it was a good land and that He would put them in possession of it.  They wanted to check it out for themselves first, and God allowed it, instructing Moses to send a leader from each tribe.

(3) And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran; all those men heads of the children of Israel.

As commanded by the Lord, Moses sent prominent men from each tribe out from them in the wilderness of Paran.  These men were not the princes of each tribe, but appear to have been considered leaders in their tribes.

(4) And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

Here begins a list of the leaders chosen to go search out their new land.  First named was Shammua, the son of Zaccur, who was chosen from the tribe of Reuben.

(5) Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

From the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat, the son of Hori, was chosen.

(6) Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. (7) Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. (8) Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.

From the tribe of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was chosen; Igal, the son of Joseph, was chosen from the tribe of Issachar; and from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, who is Joshua, the son of Nun, was chosen.  The commentaries I study all point out there is no further significance attributed to most of these chosen leaders; only Caleb and Joshua will be mentioned again.  Actually, we have already learned that Joshua was a trusted servant of Moses.

(9) Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. (10) Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. (11) Of the tribe of Joseph, that is, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

From the tribe of Benjamin was chosen Palti, the son of Raphu; from Zebulun, Gaddiel, the son of Sodi; and from the tribe of Manasseh, Joseph's son, Gaddi, the son of Susi, was chosen.

(12) Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. (13) Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. (14) Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. (15) Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

From the remaining tribes, Dan, Asher, Naphtali, and Gad, were chosen Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel, respectively.

(16) These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

In summation, it is stated that the preceding list of twelve men were indeed the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land the Lord was giving the people.  It is stated here that Moses called Hoshea, Joshua, which is how we had come to know him even before this time.  Hoshea meant "deliverer" or "salvation"; Joshua, or "Yehoshua", meant "Jehovah is salvation" or "Jehovah-saved".  Evidently, he had been born Hoshea, but it was Moses who had renamed him Joshua.  It could have been partly out of affection for his protege, but it certainly placed honor on him, and would be an encouragement to him in this and all his future services with the assurances of God's presence.  It could possibly be seen as prophetic of Joshua's succession to Moses in the government.  Joshua is the same original name (Yehoshua) as Jesus, of whom Joshua was symbolic.  Joshua was the savior of God's people from the powers of Canaan, as we'll soon see, and Christ is the savior of God's people from the powers of hell.

(17) And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way southward, and go up to the mountains, (18) And see what the land is like, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; (19) And whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are tents or strongholds; (20) And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood there, or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.

Moses sent the twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan, directing them southward and up into the hill country of southern Canaan.  He told them what to look for:  what the land was like, rich or poor; whether the people were strong or weak, and whether their numbers were few or many; whether the people dwelt in tents or fortified cities; and whether there was timber for building, fuel, etc.  He told the men to be of good courage, and not be afraid as they spied on this unknown land; after all, they had the power and protection of God.  Moses also told them to bring back samples of the fruit of the land, for it was the time that the grapes and surely other fruits were ripening.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote that Moses's send-off, to "be of good courage", was probably not only meant to be an encouragement to them, but was a suggestion that they bring back a good report, with the samples of the fruit of the land, which would bring encouragement and excited anticipation to the people.

(21) So they went up and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

The spies went up the mountains in the south as directed by Moses.  The wilderness of Zin was not the same as the wilderness of Sin from Exodus 16:1.  Sin was nearer Egypt; this wilderness of Zin was on the south side of Canaan.  From the south they passed through the whole land to the northern parts of it; from what I have read, Rehob was a city in the northwest part, and Hamath, a city in the northeast.  The way the verse reads, it seems they went northward to Rehob, and then went eastward along the route that men took to Hamath.

(22) And they ascended by the south, and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

As they went up from the south, they went through Hebron, where the tribes of Anak and his three sons dwelt.  A parenthetical note was made that Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.  The notation declared the antiquity of Hebron, but also might have been "to humble the pride of the Egyptians, who boasted the highest antiquity, that this note concerning the higher antiquity of Hebron was introduced by Moses" (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible).

(23) And they came to the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it between two of them on a staff; and they brought some of the pomegranates, and some of the figs.

When they came to the brook of Eschol, they cut down a branch that had just one cluster of grapes, but was so large it had to be carried on a staff between two men.  Adam Clarke wrote of the historians who wrote of the extreme size of the grapes in that region--"each grape as large as a plum", "some bunches...weighed above forty-five pounds".  Mr. Clarke also wrote, "From the most authentic accounts the Egyptian grape is very small, and this being the only one with which the Israelites were acquainted, the great size of the grapes of Hebron would appear still more extraordinary."  The men also brought some samples of the pomegranates and figs.

(24) The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from there.

It appears the name Eschol was given by the Israelites, Eschol meaning "cluster".  The brook or valley of Eschol was so named because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut from there.

(25) And they returned from searching the land after forty days.

They took an entire forty days to search out the whole land and then returned.

(26) And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

When they came back, they went to Moses and Aaron, and before all the congregation; they brought back word to them, and showed them the fruit of the land they had brought back with them.

(27) And they told him, and said, “We went to the land where you sent us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it."

The men reported to Moses that they had gone where he had sent them, and the land surely flowed with milk and honey, as the Lord had promised them; the fruit they had brought back was evidence of that.

(28) “Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are walled, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there."

Even though they had seen God's word confirmed that the land flowed with milk and honey, they couldn't accept that He was giving it to them, because of what they had seen in the strong people who dwelt there in fortified cities.  Additionally, they had seen the children of Anak there, who must have been a terrifying tribe of which they had heard.  Think about that for a moment.  We don't hear of them encountering the Anakim before they are mentioned here.  Yet the spies seem to believe reports they have heard from men over what their Lord God had told them, that He would give them the land.

(29) "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south; and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan."

Imagine that!  The Canaanites dwelt in Canaan!  Of course, there were inhabitants in the land.  Did they really believe that they were going to march into an uninhabited land flowing with milk and honey just waiting for only them?  Their report of each of the tribes and where they dwelt was to demonstrate that they felt there was no place they could safely enter the land.  However, God had already told them that He would drive out these tribes from the land He was giving them (Exodus 33:2).

(30) And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it."

Caleb calmed and quieted the people, and said that they should immediately go up and possess the land, stating they were well able to overcome the tribes there; of course, they were, with their Lord leading them, and based on His word that He would drive out those tribes.  Matthew Henry pointed out Caleb's confidence and boldness in that he said they should go in immediately and possess the land.  He didn't say they should go in and conquer it; that had already been done by their Lord who said He was driving the tribes out and giving them the land; all they needed to do was to go in and take possession.

(31) But the men that went up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”

Ten other men who had gone up with Caleb (we will see that Joshua was not included in this group) disagreed with Caleb and stated they could not go against the people of the land because they were stronger than they were.  It's really amazing how weak and cowardly these men were, besides the fact that they did not believe their Lord; were they not 600,000 able men of war?  Even of themselves they could have gone in to conquer the land, but the worse part is that they didn't believe their Lord to go in and possess it, as Caleb had said they should do.

(32) And they brought an evil report of the land which they had searched to the children of Israel, saying, “The land through which we have gone to search is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature."

The land they had first reported as one flowing with milk and honey (v. 27) now was said to be a land that devoured its inhabitants, either now insinuating that the land was not fruitful enough for all its inhabitants, or perhaps their meaning was that the different tribes of people in the different corners of the land attacked each other.  They reported that all the people they saw were men of great size.

(33) "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."

Here we see what must have been the reputation of the sons of Anak, that they were giants, and the men saw themselves as tiny in comparison, and so must they have seemed to the Anakim.

This promised land, Canaan, was a symbol of the kingdom of God.  The wilderness through which the Israelites journeyed was illustrative of the difficulties and trials in this present world.  The promise of the kingdom of God is given to us all, if we just believe in the One who makes the way.  However, how many, including believers, get discouraged by the dangers they see ahead?  May we all go up at once and possess the kingdom of God, as He has promised us, if only we trust His word that He will give us everlasting life if we accept His gift of Christ who covers our sins.

The Israelites' Removal from Sinai to Paran, Part 1

(Numbers 10:13) And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

In verse 12 at the end of the last post, we were told that the pillar of cloud lifted and the children of Israel moved from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Paran where the cloud again rested.  The people set out on this first journey according to the commandment of the Lord that had been earlier described as the movement of the cloud, and by the directions that had been given to Moses and were carried out by him as follows:

(14) In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies; and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

Numbers 2 explained the four standards, the tribes grouped under each standard, where they should camp, and the order of their marching.  The Israelites under the standard of Judah were to move first; these included the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.  These were camped on the east side and had been instructed in Numbers 2:9 to move out first.  The captain of the tribe of Judah was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab.

(15) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar.

The captain of the tribe of Issachar that was also under the standard of Judah, was Nethanel, the son of Zuar.

(16) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

The captain of the host or army, if you will, of the children of Zebulun was Eliab, the son of Helon.  The tribe of Zebulun also moved under the standard of Judah.

(17) And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle.

The tabernacle was taken down; according to Numbers 1:51, this would have been done by the Levites.  Then specifically the Gershonites and Merarites moved forward carrying the tabernacle.  Numbers 3 described the tribes of the sons of Levi and their particular duties as it related to the moving of the tabernacle.  The Gershonites were responsible for the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle.  The Merarites carried the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars, pillars, and sockets.

(18) And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies; and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur.

Next the standard of Reuben moved forward.  According to Numbers 2, the standard of Reuben camped on the south side, and the tribes under that standard were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad.  The captain of the host of Reuben was Elizur, the son of Shedeur.

(19) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

The captain of the host of the tribe of Simeon, which was under the standard of Reuben, was Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai.

(20) And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

The captain of the army of Gad, which was also under the standard of Reuben, was Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.

(21) And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary; and the other did set up the tabernacle before they came.

Next the Kohathites moved forward, carrying the holy things, including the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat, the showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.  The Gershonites and Merarites, who had marched before the Kohathites, had the tabernacle set up before the Kohathites came with the holy things.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels I can have per post, I will continue this in the next post:

The Israelites' Removal from Sinai to Paran, Part 2

Use of the Silver Trumpets

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 10:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Make you two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece you shall make them; that you may use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps."

In the last chapter and post, God had given instructions to Moses about how the people were to move and camp according to the pillar of cloud above the tabernacle.  When it rested on the tabernacle, they were to camp and stay camped until the cloud lifted up into the pillar, at which point they were to move.  Now the Lord told Moses to make two silver trumpets that were to be used when it was time to move, or whenever he needed to call an assembly.  Each trumpet was to be made from a single piece of silver, hammered into shape, rather than in pieces joined together.

(3) "And when they blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to you at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."

When they blew both trumpets together, the whole congregation was to come together at the door of the tabernacle.  "They" who blew them were the priests, as will be revealed in a later verse.

(4) "And if they blow but one trumpet, then the princes, heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves to you."

If the priests blew only one trumpet, that was a signal for just the princes of the tribes to assemble.  Both trumpets were sounded for the whole congregation, one can assume because it was louder and could be heard at a greater distance; but if only one was sounded, that was a signal for just the princes to assemble.

(5) "When you blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward."

When they blew an alarm, which apparently was a different sound from the other signals, then the camps on the east side, the camps of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, were to move forward.

(6) "When you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey; they shall blow an alarm for their journeys."

When the alarm sound was blown a second time, the camps on the south side, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, were to march forward.  The alarm, which was evidently different than the signals for assembly, was to be sounded when the people were to journey.  Although scripture didn't report it, the historian Josephus said that at the third sounding of the alarm, the camps on the west (Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin) moved, and on the fourth, the camps of the north (Dan, Asher, and Naphtali).

(7) "But when the congregation is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but you shall not sound an alarm."

Once again, we are told the trumpet sound for the gathering of the assembly was not the same as the alarm sound for movement of the camps.

(8) "And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance forever throughout your generations."

The sons of Aaron, the priests, were the ones who were to blow the trumpets.  I believe the meaning of the second part of the verse is that it was to be an ordinance forever, or at least as long as the Levitical priesthood lasted, that only the priests blew the trumpets.

(9) "And if you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresses you, then you shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and you shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies."

If the people went to war in their land against an oppressive enemy, they were to blow an alarm with the trumpets, in a sense calling to the Lord to be with them and save them from their enemies, which is what the Lord promised to do in this verse.  As Matthew Henry stated in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "Not that God needed to be awaked by sound of trumpet...But where he intends mercy it is his will that we should solicit it."  God wants us to depend and call upon Him and Him alone for our salvation.

(10) “Also in the day of your gladness, in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, you shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, that they may be to you for a memorial before your God; I am the LORD your God."

God named times when the priests should blow the trumpets:  in their days of celebration, rejoicing, and thanksgiving; in their solemn days which referred to their appointed festivals like Passover and Pentecost, etc.; at the beginnings of the months; and over their burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of their peace offerings.  The blowing of the trumpets purposefully brought their Lord to their minds, remembering His promises, faithfulness, and blessings.

(11) And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony.

On the twentieth day of the second month in the second year since their coming out of Egypt, the pillar of cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle of the Testimony, indicating it was time to move on from their camps.  They had been encamped almost a year according to Exodus 19:1, which stated they came to the wilderness at Sinai in the third month of the first year of their exodus from Egypt.

(12) And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.

At the sign of the pillar of cloud the people packed up and journeyed out of the wilderness of Sinai and to the wilderness of Paran, which is where the cloud again rested on the tabernacle.  I like what Matthew Henry wrote about this relating to our current times:  "All our removals in this world are but from one wilderness to another. The changes which we think will be for the better do not always prove so; while we carry about with us, wherever we go, the common infirmities of human nature, we must expect, wherever we go, to meet with its common calamities; we shall never be at rest, never at home, till we come to heaven, and all will be well there."

Although this is a relatively short post, I have to separate this chapter into two different posts because Blogger limits the number of labels I can have per post, and I find them all important and don't want to omit any of them.  This seems a good stopping point as it ends the Israelites' many months (and chapters) of encampment.

Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 1

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Numbers 7:1) And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all its instruments, both the altar and all its vessels, and had anointed them, and sanctified them, (2) That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them who were numbered, made an offering.

The past many chapters and posts, since Leviticus 10 till this one, have dealt with laws and numbers.  I have been following a chronologically ordered study of the Bible set forth by Skip Andrews.  As far as historical activities and events, Biblical scholars agree that the events in this chapter took place (or began to take place) on the second day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites' departure from Egypt, and the proper place of this account is immediately after the tenth chapter of Leviticus.  However, it makes perfect logical sense that all the laws and numbers be linked together in sequence and placed conveniently where they were in the Bible.

Numbers 7:1 begins on the day after Moses had fully set up the tabernacle (Exodus 40:17), and after he had anointed and sanctified it and all its furnishings (Lev. 8:10-11).  Obviously, all these things took time, and it is not to be taken literally that the events of Numbers 7 began on the exact day that Moses had set up the tabernacle, etc., but after all these things were completed.  It was at that time that the princes of the twelve tribes of Israel who had been named in Numbers 1, made an offering.

(3) And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they brought them before the tabernacle.

The princes brought six covered wagons, which scholars agree were actually covered litters, a litter being a type of wagon carried upon people or animals rather than on wheels.  Each wagon was carried upon two oxen, and as there were twelve princes, it made one wagon for two princes and one ox for each prince.  They brought them to the tabernacle.

(4) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (5) "Take it from them, that they may be used to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and you shall give them to the Levites, to every man according to his service.”

The Lord told Moses to take the offerings of wagons and oxen from the princes to use in service of the tabernacle.  They were to be distributed to the Levites according to each one's need for his particular service.

(6) And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.

Moses did as the Lord had instructed him and he took the wagons and the oxen and distributed them to the Levites as follows:

(7) Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service.

Moses gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonites who were in charge of transporting the curtains, coverings, and hangings of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:25).

(8) And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Moses gave the other four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites whose service was the carrying of all the boards, bars, pillars, etc. (Numbers 4:31-32).  As their burden was the heaviest, they were given more wagons and oxen.  Ithamar, the son of Aaron, was in charge of direction and oversight of the Gershonites (Numbers 4:28) and the Merarites (Numbers 4:33).

(9) But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the sanctuary belonging to them was that which they should bear on their shoulders.

Moses gave no wagons or oxen to the Kohathites because they had charge of the ark and other holy furnishings (Numbers 4:4, 15), and those were to be carried on their shoulders.  It makes sense that those sacred things must never be carried by beasts.

(10) And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed; the princes offered their offering before the altar.

The princes of the tribes also made offerings for the dedication of the altar.  There is some discrepancy among the commentaries I study as to whether this referred back to the time when Moses first anointed the altar (Lev. 8:10), or if, like in Numbers 7:1 above, it meant once the anointing had been done, they offered their offerings for the dedicating of the altar.  I tend to believe the latter as this appears to be a formal dedication after the time Moses first anointed and sanctified the altar.

(11) And the LORD said to Moses, “They shall offer their offering, one prince each day, for the dedication of the altar.”

The Lord instructed Moses that the princes were to offer their offerings one day at a time, one prince offering on the first day, then another the next, etc., for what would be twelve days, for this dedication of the altar.

(12) And the one who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah.

The prince who offered his offering on the first day was Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, who had been named in Numbers 2:3 as the captain (prince) of the tribe of Judah.

(13) And his offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.

Nahshon's offering was one silver charger that weighed 130 shekels and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel.  Exactly what the sanctuary shekel was varies among Biblical scholars, but as discussed in previous posts, as in the most recent post discussing this, a shekel was twenty gerahs, a gerah being a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin.  This doesn't seem to be much value, but then again, who's to say what silver was worth in Biblical times, or what the rate of inflation might do to that value.  Both of the silver items offered were full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.

(14) One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense; (15) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (16) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (17) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

In addition, Nahshon offered a spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense.  Once again, no one seems to know exactly what the sanctuary shekel of gold weighed, but this article in Got Questions gives us one idea.  According to those calculations, this spoon would have weighed about 4 ounces or 120 grams of gold, worth over $5500 in today's market.  Nahshon also offered a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering; a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(18) On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering.

On the second day Nethanel, the son of Zuar, who had been named captain or prince of the tribe of Issachar in Numbers 2:5, presented an offering.

(19) He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (20) One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense; (21) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (22) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (23) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nethanel the son of Zuar.

Nethanel also offered a silver charger weighing 130 shekels and a silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, according to the standard shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering.  He also offered a gold spoon of ten shekels full of incense, and a young bull, a ram, and a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering.  He also offered a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(24) On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer.  (25) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (26) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (27) One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (28) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (29) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.

On the third day Eliab, son of Helon, prince of the tribe of Zebulun, made his offering.  He offered a silver charger and a silver bowl of the same weight as offered by the first two princes, also full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering.  He also offered a golden spoon of the same weight as the spoons given before, also full of incense.  He also offered a young bull, a ram, a lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering, a goat kid for a sin offering, and two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year for peace offerings.

(30) On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer. (31) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain offering; (32) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (33) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (34) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (35) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.

On the fourth day Elizur, the son of Shedeur, prince of the tribe of Reuben, presented his offering which consisted of the same items offered by the princes before him on the previous three days.  The offerings which the princes brought were very rich and valuable, and were surely not their own personal freewill offerings, but were the offerings of the people of their tribes.  The princes of the tribes of the children of Israel would not have been so much richer than the common people of their tribes at this point.

(36) On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer. (37) His offering was one silver charger, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (38) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (39) One young bullock, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; (40) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (41) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.

On the fifth day Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the tribe of Simeon, presented his offering which was exactly the same as the princes before him.

(42) On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered. (43) His offering was one silver charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; (44) One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense; (45) One young bullock, one ram, and one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; (46) One kid of the goats for a sin offering; (47) And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

On the sixth day Eliasaph, the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered the same large rich offering as the princes in the days before him.

Because Blogger limits the number of labels on each post, and all of the names are important in Numbers 7, I have continued the study of this chapter in the next post:

Offerings of the Princes at the Dedication of the Altar, Part 2