Chapter 26 of Numbers consisted of a very important census which determined the sizes of the inheritances each tribe of Israel would receive. Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I have had to divide the study of chapter 26 into eight short posts, as all the names mentioned are of importance. The previous posts are linked here:
Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1
Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2
Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3
Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4
Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5
Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 6
Continuing with part 7:
(Numbers 26:57) And these are those who were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of
Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the
Merarites.
The tribe of Levi was not numbered with the other tribes as it did not consist of men of war, but was rather devoted to God for His service. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, and their families were numbered in a census.
(58) These are the families of the Levites: the
family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the
Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korathites. And
Kohath begat Amram.
From the three sons of Levi came the families of the Libnites from Gershon's son Libni; the Hebronites from Hebron the son of Kohath; the Mahlites and the Mushites from the sons of Merari--Mahli and Mushi; and the Korathites from Korah, the son of Izhar, who was the son of Kohath. In Numbers 3:18-21 we were told of more sons of Gershon and Kohath, but they are not mentioned here as having families. Gershon's son Shimei does not appear to have a family, perhaps because he either had no sons, or if he did, they died without sons, and therefore there was no family to be counted at this time. Kohath's son Uzziel was not mentioned here although we had been told previously in Numbers 6:22 that he had sons Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri, but they apparently had no families tracing their descent to him. Kohath's son Amram is mentioned.
(59) The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.
Kohath's son Amram married Jochebed the daughter of Levi, and they were the parents of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
Because Blogger limits the number of labels each post may have, I have to continue the numbering of the descendants of Levi in yet another short post:
Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 8
Showing posts with label Izhar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Izhar. Show all posts
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Saturday, January 5, 2019
The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 16:1) Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi; and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.
In the last chapter of Numbers, God had reiterated His laws of sacrifice and offerings, demonstrating He had been reconciled to His people since the time He sentenced them to die in the wilderness. He also told the people what was to be done to a person who willfully sinned against God. Here in Numbers 16, we have the record of a historical incident.
In the sixth chapter of Exodus we learned that Korah was the son of Izhar, who was the son of Kohath, the son of Levi. Izhar's brother was Amram, the father of Aaron and Moses; therefore Korah was a first cousin to Moses and Aaron. Dathan and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. In the first chapter of Numbers we learned that Eliab was the son of Helon, of the tribe of Zebulun. On was the son of Peleth, and they were descendants of Reuben. On this occasion, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, gathered men with them.
(2) And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown.
Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On gathered 250 prominent leaders of the congregation, and they rose up against Moses. It is really incredible that so soon after God had demonstrated what was to be done with those who presumptuously sinned with a "high hand", that these men would do this, but here we are.
(3) And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them; therefore, why do you lift up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?"
Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, together with the 250 leaders of the congregation they had gathered, came against Moses and Aaron. They declared to them that they took too much upon themselves, elevated themselves too much above the rest of the congregation. I imagine they saw Moses elevating himself to be ruler over all of them and taking it upon himself to designate Aaron as high priest. Referring to what the Lord had told them in Exodus 19:6, they declared that they were all holy, because they were to the Lord "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation". Why was it then that Moses and Aaron elevated themselves above the rest of the congregation?
(4) And when Moses heard it, he fell on his face.
When Moses heard what the men said, he fell on his face, surely in prayer to the Lord. He certainly understood they sinned in opposing the instructions of God, and feared and revered the Lord's sovereignty in this matter. Moses, being a very humble man, may have also prayed that his heart be searched and that he not be found to be puffed up and elevating himself.
(5) And he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him; that one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him."
Surely received in answer to his prayer, Moses told Korah he would let the Lord publicly show the next morning whom He considered His and whom were holy. He would bring His holy ones to Himself, demonstrating to all the ones He personally chose.
(6) “Do this: take censers, Korah and all your company."
Moses instructed Korah and all the men with him to take censers that were to put incense in to offer.
(7) "And put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses shall be holy; you take too much on yourselves, you sons of Levi.”
Moses instructed them to put fire and incense in their censers before the Lord the next day. He pronounced that it would be that the man the Lord chose would be the holy one. Moses then threw their own words back at them, declaring they had elevated themselves too much. By adding "you sons of Levi" indicates most of the men must have been from the tribe of Levi, although we were told specifically in verse 1 above that On was a descendant of Reuben. I assumed that Dathan and Abiram were the sons of the same Eliab who was in the first chapter of Numbers said to be the son of Helon, of the tribe of Zebulun. I suppose it's possible it was another Eliab, since verse 1 didn't specifically say this Eliab was from the tribe of Zebulun. Regardless, it does seem reasonable to assume the majority of the men were Levites, or at least in agreement it should be other Levites who should be considered holy and able to do what they perceived Aaron was chosen by Moses to do.
(8) And Moses said to Korah, “Hear, I pray you, you sons of Levi."
Moses spoke directly to Korah, who seems to be the ringleader of this group, and besought him to hear his words.
(9) "Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?"
Moses pointed out to Korah the privilege he had as a Levite, that he had been chosen by the God of Israel to do the service of His own tabernacle and to minister to His people. He asked Korah if that was an insignificant thing; did Korah find that honor beneath his dignity?
(10) "And He has brought you near to Himself, and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? Do you seek the priesthood also?"
Moses continued his question to Korah. Was it an insignificant thing that the God of Israel had brought him near to Him, he and all his brothers, the sons of Levi, to do His service and minister to His people? Was that not enough; did he seek the priesthood also?
(11) "For which cause you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD; and what is Aaron, that you murmur against him?"
Moses continued questioning Korah. Was it because he felt the role that God had given him was too insignificant and that he wanted the priesthood, also, that he and his company had gathered together against the Lord? Furthermore, what was his problem with Aaron? What had Aaron done to warrant their complaints and murmuring against him? After all, it was God who had called him to the priesthood; he had not taken it upon himself to raise himself up to such a high office.
(12) And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up!"
Moses called Dathan and Abiram to come up before him, but they refused. I don't quite understand why Dathan and Abiram, from the tribe of Zebulun, were in this rebellious company of Levites, unless as discussed before they were a different Dathan and Abiram. As has also been discussed before, when one starts sowing discord, others often join in. It has been suggested by some Biblical scholars that perhaps the Reubenites were angry that the tribe of Judah had the first post of honor in the camp; both the Reubenites and Kohathite Levites were to march on the south side of the tabernacle, and maybe their proximity to each other led to their murmuring with each other. That might explain On's concerns, but he is not mentioned here.
(13) “Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except that you make yourself altogether a prince over us?"
Dathan and Abiram refused to go before Moses, but did convey their contempt for him in a manner that he heard. They threw his words for them back at him; was it a small thing that he had brought them out of a land flowing with milk and honey, a blasphemous contempt for God's promise, using God's words for His promised land to describe Egypt, where they had lived in captivity. Was it a small thing Moses had brought them out of that great Egypt to kill them in the wilderness, only to make himself ruler over them?
(14) “Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”
Dathan and Abiram continued with their rant against Moses. They accused him of not bringing them into a land flowing with milk and honey, as promised, and he had not given them an inherited land of fields and vineyards. Would Moses put out the eyes of those men with them? I believe the meaning is would he so blind them and persuade them that they did not actually see what was before them. Again they declared they would not go before Moses.
(15) And Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering; I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.”
Moses was very angry and prayed to the Lord that He not accept their offering of incense the next day (v. 7 above). Moses further declared his innocence from their accusations, saying he had never taken so much as a donkey from them, nor had he ever done any injury to any one of them.
(16) And Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company be before the LORD, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow."
Moses told Korah to be before the Lord the next day, with all his company of 250 rebels. Aaron would be there, as well.
(17) "And let every man take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.”
Moses continued instructing Korah; when they came before the Lord the next day, each man was to bring his censer, meaning 250 censers before the Lord. Aaron was also to bring his censer.
(18) And every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.
I assume this was the next morning. Every man of the 250 rebels took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle with Moses and Aaron.
(19) And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.
Korah gathered all the congregation against Moses and Aaron at the door of the tabernacle. Perhaps this was a reiteration of the fact that Korah had gathered all his company of 250 rebels, but perhaps it meant that he continued sowing discord and inciting as many of the congregation as he could against Moses and Aaron. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to the congregation.
(20) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (21) “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and told them to separate themselves from the congregation at the door of the tabernacle, so that He might consume them in an instant.
(22) And they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will You be angry with all the congregation?”
Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in prayer before the Lord. It does indeed seem as if Korah had gathered more of the congregation with him than just the 250 initial rebels. Moses and Aaron pleaded with the Lord that He not be angry with all of the congregation because of what one man started.
(23) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (24) “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get up from around the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”
In an apparent answer to their prayers, the Lord told Moses to tell the congregation to get away from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. It seems that these rebels had raised their own tabernacle. Either that, or they had returned to their tents. Perhaps it was the section of the tabernacle where they had congregated. Whatever tabernacle was meant, the main point is that the other congregation was to get away from those three. On was never again mentioned after verse 1. Perhaps he had repented and left the others, or maybe he just never made himself as remarkable as did Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and just fell in among the group of 250 rebels.
(25) And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
Moses rose up, probably from the ground where he had fallen on his face in prayer before the Lord, and went to Dathan and Abiram, presumably because they still refused to come to him. The elders of Israel followed Moses. These were probably the seventy elders who had been chosen to assist Moses in chapter 11 of Numbers.
(26) And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.”
Moses spoke to the congregation who were around Dathan and Abiram and pleaded with them to get away from the tents of the wicked men, Dathan and Abiram, and to touch nothing of theirs so they would not be consumed with them in their sins. Departing from them represented their deserting the cause of Dathan and Abiram, a turning away of their sins.
(27) So they got up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
The congregation got away from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, from all around them. Once again there is reference to a tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. It seems they must have had their own tabernacle of sorts where they all gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, with all members of their families, probably in a defiant manner, not at all daunted by Moses's threats that they would be consumed in their sins.
(28) And Moses said, “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own mind."
Moses spoke to the people, surely to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, but probably to all the people within hearing (because they had moved away). By what was to come next they would know with certainty that it was the Lord who had sent Moses to do all the works, "these" probably referencing the ones they objected to, like appointing Aaron high priest, and even the bringing of the people out of Egypt out of that "land flowing with milk and honey" (v. 13). Moses said he had not devised them himself and done them in an arbitrary way, without the will of God or any authority from Him, as these men had insinuated.
(29) “If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me."
Moses declared that if these men died of natural causes, or by some common cause such as famine or pestilence or if killed by man or beast, then it meant the Lord had not sent him to do the things he had done.
(30) “But if the LORD makes a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that pertains to them, and they go down quick into the pit; then you shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD."
However, if the Lord did something that had never been done before, as opposed to the common or natural causes mentioned in verse 29, and Moses went on to name the specific new thing: if the earth opened up and swallowed up the men and they went alive into the pit the earth's opening made for them, then the people would understand that these men had provoked the Lord. The word "quick" used here doesn't mean "quickly" but rather "living" as in "the quick and the dead". This verse indicates that Moses certainly spoke to others of the congregation as well as these rebels; otherwise how would there be anyone left to understand if the earth swallowed up all the ones to whom Moses spoke.
(31) And it came to pass, as he had finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them.
As soon as Moses had finished saying the words, the ground indeed split apart under them.
(32) And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
The earth opened up and literally swallowed them up, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with their houses and all their goods.
(33) Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, they, and all that pertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation.
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and all the people and things pertaining to them, went down into the pit, and the earth closed in over them; thus they perished from among the congregation.
(34) And all Israel that were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also.”
The congregation that were still around them, probably at some distance, since verse 27 suggests they all moved away from Dathan and Abiram, fled at this point, upon hearing the cries of the men swallowed up by the earth, for fear that the earth would swallow them, as well.
(35) And there came a fire out from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who offered incense.
At that point a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, had gathered, the ones who had offered incense in their censers (v. 17).
(36) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (37) "Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire yonder; for they are hallowed."
The Lord spoke to Moses and told him to tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron, to take up the censers out of the fire that burned and consumed the 250 rebels because the censers were holy. He was to tell him to scatter the fire, either from the incense burners, or ashes from the burned out area, away from the altar and sanctuary, in an unclean place where the ashes were to be cast.
(38) "The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar, for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel."
The censers of the sinful rebels who by offering the incense caused their deaths, were holy because they had been offered before the Lord. Therefore the Lord wanted them to be beaten into broad plates for a covering for the altar. In that way they would be an everlasting ever visible sign to remind the people of this incident.
(39) And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar.
Eleazar did as he was instructed and took the censers that had been gathered out of the fire that had consumed the 250 rebels, and they were indeed made into broad plates for a covering for the altar.
(40) To be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not of the seed of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.
Eleazar did this to be an ever visible reminder to the children of Israel that no one who was not a descendant of Aaron was to come near to offer incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his rebels. Just as the Lord had commanded through Moses he do, so he did.
(41) But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.”
Incredibly, after witnessing what could only have been the action of the Almighty, sovereign, and all-knowing Lord, the next day the people began complaining against Moses and Aaron, saying that they had killed the people of the Lord. It would seem they meant they caused their killing by bringing the Lord into the matter. How absurd to think the Lord would not see, or that He would punish only on the word of Moses and Aaron without knowing the facts! Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, gave the people the benefit of the doubt, and suggested that the people must have persuaded themselves that Moses and Aaron had used some cunning tricks to make the earthquake and fire, "else, had they discerned the hand of God in this punishment, could they have dared the anger of the Lord in the very face of justice?" Mr. Clarke found it completely unbelievable that the people could have done this had they realized it was the action of their Lord. Personally, I don't see how they couldn't know it was the work of the Lord, but here they are accusing Moses and Aaron.
(42) And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
While the people were gathered against Moses and Aaron and accusing them of killing the people of the Lord, they looked toward the tabernacle and saw in the cloud that covered it some visible and obvious manifestation of the Lord. While we have been told in other places that no one could actually see God and live, we know that this must have been a clear sign to the people that this was indeed God in the cloud.
(43) And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
Moses and Aaron went before the tabernacle to the presence of the Lord.
(44) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (45) “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.
The Lord told Moses to get away from the people so that He could instantly destroy them. Once again, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in prayer and intercession for the people. It occurs to me that they were a type of Christ in this, a constant intercessor for the people. The continual sinning of the people, even after they had seen such awesome and unmistakable works of their Lord, is an illustration of our constant need for our Savior.
(46) And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put on incense, and go quickly to the congregation, and make an atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun."
Moses told Aaron to take his censer, put fire in it from the altar of burnt offering, from which fire only was to be taken for burning incense, put on the incense, and go quickly to the congregation to make atonement for them. He told Aaron to move quickly to atone for the people for a plague had already gone out from the Lord that was destroying them.
(47) And Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation, and, behold, the plague had begun among the people; and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
Aaron took his censer as Moses had commanded he do, and he ran into the midst of the congregation. Indeed the plague had begun. Aaron put incense in his censer and made an atonement for the people. The incense offering that had brought the death of those who offered it unlawfully with unauthorized hands, was now being offered by the true priest, the only one who could atone for the sins of the people. Once again, this is a picture of the coming Christ, who alone could save the people. By no other means can a person be saved but by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
(48) And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
We are not told what kind of plague this was, but it apparently started at one end and was moving across the congregation, as Aaron was able stand between the dead and the living. When Aaron offered the incense to atone for the people, the plague was stopped. It is noteworthy that Aaron ran into the midst of the plague that was moving rapidly to kill the people, especially considering the Lord had told Moses to move away from the people so that He could instantly consume them. It would seem Aaron risked his own life to save the lives of others, others who did not deserve it, others who could have been seen as his enemies in that they had come against him. Once again, this is a beautiful illustration of the Christ to come, the One who gave His life to save sinners deserving death, the One killed by His enemies, but He interceded and asked that they be forgiven, because they didn't know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). Aaron was a type of Christ, the Christ who came into the world to make an atonement for sin and to turn away the wrath of God, the One who stands between the living and the dead, to save His people from eternal death in hell.
(49) Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the matter of Korah.
14,700 died in that rapidly moving plague! That did not include the 250 who died with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. It occurs to me that this is part of prophecy being fulfilled when the Lord said in Numbers 14:29 that their carcasses would fall in the wilderness.
(50) And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and the plague was stayed.
Aaron returned to the door of the tabernacle to Moses, and the plague was stopped. Perhaps the meaning is that it continued to be stopped even after Aaron was removed from the midst of the congregation. I can't help but think of Jesus Christ who offered His life for atonement of sins and returned to the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12). By His sacrifice, we are completely and permanently saved from the sins we will undoubtedly commit, if we only accept His sacrifice.
(Numbers 16:1) Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi; and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.
In the last chapter of Numbers, God had reiterated His laws of sacrifice and offerings, demonstrating He had been reconciled to His people since the time He sentenced them to die in the wilderness. He also told the people what was to be done to a person who willfully sinned against God. Here in Numbers 16, we have the record of a historical incident.
In the sixth chapter of Exodus we learned that Korah was the son of Izhar, who was the son of Kohath, the son of Levi. Izhar's brother was Amram, the father of Aaron and Moses; therefore Korah was a first cousin to Moses and Aaron. Dathan and Abiram were the sons of Eliab. In the first chapter of Numbers we learned that Eliab was the son of Helon, of the tribe of Zebulun. On was the son of Peleth, and they were descendants of Reuben. On this occasion, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, gathered men with them.
(2) And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown.
Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On gathered 250 prominent leaders of the congregation, and they rose up against Moses. It is really incredible that so soon after God had demonstrated what was to be done with those who presumptuously sinned with a "high hand", that these men would do this, but here we are.
(3) And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them; therefore, why do you lift up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?"
Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On, together with the 250 leaders of the congregation they had gathered, came against Moses and Aaron. They declared to them that they took too much upon themselves, elevated themselves too much above the rest of the congregation. I imagine they saw Moses elevating himself to be ruler over all of them and taking it upon himself to designate Aaron as high priest. Referring to what the Lord had told them in Exodus 19:6, they declared that they were all holy, because they were to the Lord "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation". Why was it then that Moses and Aaron elevated themselves above the rest of the congregation?
(4) And when Moses heard it, he fell on his face.
When Moses heard what the men said, he fell on his face, surely in prayer to the Lord. He certainly understood they sinned in opposing the instructions of God, and feared and revered the Lord's sovereignty in this matter. Moses, being a very humble man, may have also prayed that his heart be searched and that he not be found to be puffed up and elevating himself.
(5) And he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him; that one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him."
Surely received in answer to his prayer, Moses told Korah he would let the Lord publicly show the next morning whom He considered His and whom were holy. He would bring His holy ones to Himself, demonstrating to all the ones He personally chose.
(6) “Do this: take censers, Korah and all your company."
Moses instructed Korah and all the men with him to take censers that were to put incense in to offer.
(7) "And put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses shall be holy; you take too much on yourselves, you sons of Levi.”
Moses instructed them to put fire and incense in their censers before the Lord the next day. He pronounced that it would be that the man the Lord chose would be the holy one. Moses then threw their own words back at them, declaring they had elevated themselves too much. By adding "you sons of Levi" indicates most of the men must have been from the tribe of Levi, although we were told specifically in verse 1 above that On was a descendant of Reuben. I assumed that Dathan and Abiram were the sons of the same Eliab who was in the first chapter of Numbers said to be the son of Helon, of the tribe of Zebulun. I suppose it's possible it was another Eliab, since verse 1 didn't specifically say this Eliab was from the tribe of Zebulun. Regardless, it does seem reasonable to assume the majority of the men were Levites, or at least in agreement it should be other Levites who should be considered holy and able to do what they perceived Aaron was chosen by Moses to do.
(8) And Moses said to Korah, “Hear, I pray you, you sons of Levi."
Moses spoke directly to Korah, who seems to be the ringleader of this group, and besought him to hear his words.
(9) "Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?"
Moses pointed out to Korah the privilege he had as a Levite, that he had been chosen by the God of Israel to do the service of His own tabernacle and to minister to His people. He asked Korah if that was an insignificant thing; did Korah find that honor beneath his dignity?
(10) "And He has brought you near to Himself, and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? Do you seek the priesthood also?"
Moses continued his question to Korah. Was it an insignificant thing that the God of Israel had brought him near to Him, he and all his brothers, the sons of Levi, to do His service and minister to His people? Was that not enough; did he seek the priesthood also?
(11) "For which cause you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD; and what is Aaron, that you murmur against him?"
Moses continued questioning Korah. Was it because he felt the role that God had given him was too insignificant and that he wanted the priesthood, also, that he and his company had gathered together against the Lord? Furthermore, what was his problem with Aaron? What had Aaron done to warrant their complaints and murmuring against him? After all, it was God who had called him to the priesthood; he had not taken it upon himself to raise himself up to such a high office.
(12) And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up!"
Moses called Dathan and Abiram to come up before him, but they refused. I don't quite understand why Dathan and Abiram, from the tribe of Zebulun, were in this rebellious company of Levites, unless as discussed before they were a different Dathan and Abiram. As has also been discussed before, when one starts sowing discord, others often join in. It has been suggested by some Biblical scholars that perhaps the Reubenites were angry that the tribe of Judah had the first post of honor in the camp; both the Reubenites and Kohathite Levites were to march on the south side of the tabernacle, and maybe their proximity to each other led to their murmuring with each other. That might explain On's concerns, but he is not mentioned here.
(13) “Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except that you make yourself altogether a prince over us?"
Dathan and Abiram refused to go before Moses, but did convey their contempt for him in a manner that he heard. They threw his words for them back at him; was it a small thing that he had brought them out of a land flowing with milk and honey, a blasphemous contempt for God's promise, using God's words for His promised land to describe Egypt, where they had lived in captivity. Was it a small thing Moses had brought them out of that great Egypt to kill them in the wilderness, only to make himself ruler over them?
(14) “Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!”
Dathan and Abiram continued with their rant against Moses. They accused him of not bringing them into a land flowing with milk and honey, as promised, and he had not given them an inherited land of fields and vineyards. Would Moses put out the eyes of those men with them? I believe the meaning is would he so blind them and persuade them that they did not actually see what was before them. Again they declared they would not go before Moses.
(15) And Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering; I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.”
Moses was very angry and prayed to the Lord that He not accept their offering of incense the next day (v. 7 above). Moses further declared his innocence from their accusations, saying he had never taken so much as a donkey from them, nor had he ever done any injury to any one of them.
(16) And Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company be before the LORD, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow."
Moses told Korah to be before the Lord the next day, with all his company of 250 rebels. Aaron would be there, as well.
(17) "And let every man take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.”
Moses continued instructing Korah; when they came before the Lord the next day, each man was to bring his censer, meaning 250 censers before the Lord. Aaron was also to bring his censer.
(18) And every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.
I assume this was the next morning. Every man of the 250 rebels took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle with Moses and Aaron.
(19) And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.
Korah gathered all the congregation against Moses and Aaron at the door of the tabernacle. Perhaps this was a reiteration of the fact that Korah had gathered all his company of 250 rebels, but perhaps it meant that he continued sowing discord and inciting as many of the congregation as he could against Moses and Aaron. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to the congregation.
(20) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (21) “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and told them to separate themselves from the congregation at the door of the tabernacle, so that He might consume them in an instant.
(22) And they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will You be angry with all the congregation?”
Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in prayer before the Lord. It does indeed seem as if Korah had gathered more of the congregation with him than just the 250 initial rebels. Moses and Aaron pleaded with the Lord that He not be angry with all of the congregation because of what one man started.
(23) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (24) “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get up from around the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”
In an apparent answer to their prayers, the Lord told Moses to tell the congregation to get away from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. It seems that these rebels had raised their own tabernacle. Either that, or they had returned to their tents. Perhaps it was the section of the tabernacle where they had congregated. Whatever tabernacle was meant, the main point is that the other congregation was to get away from those three. On was never again mentioned after verse 1. Perhaps he had repented and left the others, or maybe he just never made himself as remarkable as did Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and just fell in among the group of 250 rebels.
(25) And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
Moses rose up, probably from the ground where he had fallen on his face in prayer before the Lord, and went to Dathan and Abiram, presumably because they still refused to come to him. The elders of Israel followed Moses. These were probably the seventy elders who had been chosen to assist Moses in chapter 11 of Numbers.
(26) And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.”
Moses spoke to the congregation who were around Dathan and Abiram and pleaded with them to get away from the tents of the wicked men, Dathan and Abiram, and to touch nothing of theirs so they would not be consumed with them in their sins. Departing from them represented their deserting the cause of Dathan and Abiram, a turning away of their sins.
(27) So they got up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
The congregation got away from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, from all around them. Once again there is reference to a tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. It seems they must have had their own tabernacle of sorts where they all gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, with all members of their families, probably in a defiant manner, not at all daunted by Moses's threats that they would be consumed in their sins.
(28) And Moses said, “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own mind."
Moses spoke to the people, surely to Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, but probably to all the people within hearing (because they had moved away). By what was to come next they would know with certainty that it was the Lord who had sent Moses to do all the works, "these" probably referencing the ones they objected to, like appointing Aaron high priest, and even the bringing of the people out of Egypt out of that "land flowing with milk and honey" (v. 13). Moses said he had not devised them himself and done them in an arbitrary way, without the will of God or any authority from Him, as these men had insinuated.
(29) “If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me."
Moses declared that if these men died of natural causes, or by some common cause such as famine or pestilence or if killed by man or beast, then it meant the Lord had not sent him to do the things he had done.
(30) “But if the LORD makes a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that pertains to them, and they go down quick into the pit; then you shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD."
However, if the Lord did something that had never been done before, as opposed to the common or natural causes mentioned in verse 29, and Moses went on to name the specific new thing: if the earth opened up and swallowed up the men and they went alive into the pit the earth's opening made for them, then the people would understand that these men had provoked the Lord. The word "quick" used here doesn't mean "quickly" but rather "living" as in "the quick and the dead". This verse indicates that Moses certainly spoke to others of the congregation as well as these rebels; otherwise how would there be anyone left to understand if the earth swallowed up all the ones to whom Moses spoke.
(31) And it came to pass, as he had finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them.
As soon as Moses had finished saying the words, the ground indeed split apart under them.
(32) And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
The earth opened up and literally swallowed them up, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with their houses and all their goods.
(33) Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, they, and all that pertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation.
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and all the people and things pertaining to them, went down into the pit, and the earth closed in over them; thus they perished from among the congregation.
(34) And all Israel that were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also.”
The congregation that were still around them, probably at some distance, since verse 27 suggests they all moved away from Dathan and Abiram, fled at this point, upon hearing the cries of the men swallowed up by the earth, for fear that the earth would swallow them, as well.
(35) And there came a fire out from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who offered incense.
At that point a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, had gathered, the ones who had offered incense in their censers (v. 17).
(36) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (37) "Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire yonder; for they are hallowed."
The Lord spoke to Moses and told him to tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron, to take up the censers out of the fire that burned and consumed the 250 rebels because the censers were holy. He was to tell him to scatter the fire, either from the incense burners, or ashes from the burned out area, away from the altar and sanctuary, in an unclean place where the ashes were to be cast.
(38) "The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar, for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel."
The censers of the sinful rebels who by offering the incense caused their deaths, were holy because they had been offered before the Lord. Therefore the Lord wanted them to be beaten into broad plates for a covering for the altar. In that way they would be an everlasting ever visible sign to remind the people of this incident.
(39) And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar.
Eleazar did as he was instructed and took the censers that had been gathered out of the fire that had consumed the 250 rebels, and they were indeed made into broad plates for a covering for the altar.
(40) To be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not of the seed of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.
Eleazar did this to be an ever visible reminder to the children of Israel that no one who was not a descendant of Aaron was to come near to offer incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his rebels. Just as the Lord had commanded through Moses he do, so he did.
(41) But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.”
Incredibly, after witnessing what could only have been the action of the Almighty, sovereign, and all-knowing Lord, the next day the people began complaining against Moses and Aaron, saying that they had killed the people of the Lord. It would seem they meant they caused their killing by bringing the Lord into the matter. How absurd to think the Lord would not see, or that He would punish only on the word of Moses and Aaron without knowing the facts! Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, gave the people the benefit of the doubt, and suggested that the people must have persuaded themselves that Moses and Aaron had used some cunning tricks to make the earthquake and fire, "else, had they discerned the hand of God in this punishment, could they have dared the anger of the Lord in the very face of justice?" Mr. Clarke found it completely unbelievable that the people could have done this had they realized it was the action of their Lord. Personally, I don't see how they couldn't know it was the work of the Lord, but here they are accusing Moses and Aaron.
(42) And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
While the people were gathered against Moses and Aaron and accusing them of killing the people of the Lord, they looked toward the tabernacle and saw in the cloud that covered it some visible and obvious manifestation of the Lord. While we have been told in other places that no one could actually see God and live, we know that this must have been a clear sign to the people that this was indeed God in the cloud.
(43) And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
Moses and Aaron went before the tabernacle to the presence of the Lord.
(44) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (45) “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.
The Lord told Moses to get away from the people so that He could instantly destroy them. Once again, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in prayer and intercession for the people. It occurs to me that they were a type of Christ in this, a constant intercessor for the people. The continual sinning of the people, even after they had seen such awesome and unmistakable works of their Lord, is an illustration of our constant need for our Savior.
(46) And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put on incense, and go quickly to the congregation, and make an atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun."
Moses told Aaron to take his censer, put fire in it from the altar of burnt offering, from which fire only was to be taken for burning incense, put on the incense, and go quickly to the congregation to make atonement for them. He told Aaron to move quickly to atone for the people for a plague had already gone out from the Lord that was destroying them.
(47) And Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation, and, behold, the plague had begun among the people; and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
Aaron took his censer as Moses had commanded he do, and he ran into the midst of the congregation. Indeed the plague had begun. Aaron put incense in his censer and made an atonement for the people. The incense offering that had brought the death of those who offered it unlawfully with unauthorized hands, was now being offered by the true priest, the only one who could atone for the sins of the people. Once again, this is a picture of the coming Christ, who alone could save the people. By no other means can a person be saved but by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
(48) And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
We are not told what kind of plague this was, but it apparently started at one end and was moving across the congregation, as Aaron was able stand between the dead and the living. When Aaron offered the incense to atone for the people, the plague was stopped. It is noteworthy that Aaron ran into the midst of the plague that was moving rapidly to kill the people, especially considering the Lord had told Moses to move away from the people so that He could instantly consume them. It would seem Aaron risked his own life to save the lives of others, others who did not deserve it, others who could have been seen as his enemies in that they had come against him. Once again, this is a beautiful illustration of the Christ to come, the One who gave His life to save sinners deserving death, the One killed by His enemies, but He interceded and asked that they be forgiven, because they didn't know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). Aaron was a type of Christ, the Christ who came into the world to make an atonement for sin and to turn away the wrath of God, the One who stands between the living and the dead, to save His people from eternal death in hell.
(49) Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the matter of Korah.
14,700 died in that rapidly moving plague! That did not include the 250 who died with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. It occurs to me that this is part of prophecy being fulfilled when the Lord said in Numbers 14:29 that their carcasses would fall in the wilderness.
(50) And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and the plague was stayed.
Aaron returned to the door of the tabernacle to Moses, and the plague was stopped. Perhaps the meaning is that it continued to be stopped even after Aaron was removed from the midst of the congregation. I can't help but think of Jesus Christ who offered His life for atonement of sins and returned to the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10:12). By His sacrifice, we are completely and permanently saved from the sins we will undoubtedly commit, if we only accept His sacrifice.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2
Continuing a chronological Bible study, this third chapter of Numbers having been started in the last post:
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1
(Numbers 3:21) Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
In the first half of Numbers 3, Moses had begun numbering the Levites, as instructed by God. From Levi's first son, Gershon, and his family, the Gershonites, came the Libnites, named for Gershon's son Libni, and the Shimites, named for his son Shimei.
(22) Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, those who were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.
The Gershonites, including the Libnites and the Shimites, numbered 7500 males from one month of age and upward.
(23) The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
It had already been established in Numbers 1:53 that the Levites would pitch their tents around the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the rest of the tribes. The Gershonites were to camp on the west side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Ephraim, which was also westward (Numbers 2:18).
(24) And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
The chief of the Gershonites was to be Eliasaph, the son of Lael, not to be confused with Eliasaph, the son of Reuel or Deuel, from the tribe of Gad.
(25) And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, (26) And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
The Gershonites which included the Libnites and the Shimites, were in charge of the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle, including all the necessary cords that fastened them in place. The Gershonites were responsible for the taking down and carrying of all the coverings and hangings of the tabernacle, and the care of them while they were not in use as a tabernacle, for they would not have normally been allowed within the curtains of the tabernacle to do any service.
(27) And of Kohath were the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites.
Levi's son Kohath had sons, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, whose families were known as the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites.
(28) In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
The number of all the Kohathites was 8600 males from one month and older, and they were in charge of the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.
(29) The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
The Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Reuben, which was also southward (Numbers 2:10).
(30) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elzaphan the son of Uzziel.
The chief of the Kohathites was to be Elzaphan, the son of Uzziel. This was the same Elzaphan who, with his brother Mishael, carried Nadab and Abihu out of the camp after they had been devoured by fire from the Lord when they offered "strange fire" before the Lord (Lev. 10:4).
(31) And their charge shall be the ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
The Kohathites were in charge of the Ark of the Covenant which would include the mercy seat, and the showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary. It also included "the hanging" which would be the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place; all the other hangings were in the charge of the Gershonites.
(32) And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
Eleazar, Aaron's son, was to be chief over all the chiefs of the Levites, that is, the chiefs of the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. He would have oversight of the Kohathites who were to keep charge of the sanctuary furnishings.
(33) Of Merari were the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.
Levi's son, Merari, had sons Mahli and Mushi, from which came the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites.
(34) And those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
The number of all the Merarites, from one month old and older, was 6200.
(35) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail; these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.
The chief of all the Merarites was to be Zuriel, the son of Abihail, and they were to pitch their camps on the north side, between the tabernacle and the camp of Dan, which was also pitched northward (Num. 2:25).
(36) And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all that serves these, (37) And the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, their pins, and their cords.
The Merarites were to be in charge of the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars and pillars, and the sockets in which the boards and pillars were put, and the pins and cords of the pillars, by which the outside hangings of the court were kept tight and unmoved by the winds. Whereas the Gershonites had charge of the cords of all the hangings of the tabernacle and tent, it seems the Merarites had charge of the cords of the court.
(38) But those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.
On the east side which was in front of the court of the tabernacle, between it and the camp of Judah, Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons, the priests were to camp. They were to keep charge of the sanctuary for the children of Israel and for their safety, for whoever came near to enter the holy place who was not a priest would be put to death.
(39) All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
After having discussed in the last post that it appeared Moses only was commanded to number the Levites (Num. 3:14-16), maybe because he was presenting them to Aaron (Num. 3:6), it appears that both Moses and Aaron numbered the Levites. However, the old commentators pointed out that the word "Aaron" in the original Hebrew text had a dot over every letter, for what reason it is not certain; but the word itself was left out in the Samaritan and Syriac versions, so perhaps the reason was that it had been questionably added to the text by an early transcriber. The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, etc., asserts that "Moses alone, as Houbigant observes, was commanded to number the Levites (Num 3:5, Num 3:11, Num 3:40, Num 3:44, Num 3:51) for as the money with which the first-born were redeemed was to be paid to Aaron and his sons (Num 3:48), it was decent that he, whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself." Most of the scriptures referenced are yet to come in the study, but Houbigant's explanation does seem reasonable. The Houbigant referenced is probably Charles Francois Houbigant, a French Oratorian Biblical scholar (the French Oratory being a Roman Catholic Society of apostolic life of Catholic priests).
The total number of Levites from one month of age and upward was said to be 22,000. This number does not agree with the total when the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites are totaled together, which comes to 22,300. The old commentaries go to great lengths to explain the discrepancy, but the simplest explanation seems to be that there was an error in the number of Gershonites, where instead of 7500, there were only 7200. The numbers in the Hebrew Bible were expressed by letters and not by words at full length, and apparently the symbol for 500 is very similar to the one for 200 and could have easily been mistakenly transcribed.
(40) And the LORD said to Moses, "Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names."
After numbering the Levites, the Lord told Moses to number the firstborn males of all the Israelites that were one month and older, identifying each one and counting them.
(41) “And you shall take the Levites for Me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel."
This is where God made the exchange for His firstborn among all the children of Israel, those firstborn that He made His because as their sovereign Lord who saved all their firstborn in Egypt, He had every right to them. He would take all the Levites as His, to serve Him in His tabernacle, and no longer require that the firstborn be in service to Him. Likewise, He would accept the cattle of the Levites as His as they would be used in the service of His priests and tabernacle, and would no longer require the firstborn among the people's cattle to be for Him.
(42) And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and he numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
(43) And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
The number of firstborn males one month old and older of all the children of Israel totaled 22,273.
(44) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (45) "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine; I am the LORD."
The Lord had declared before that He had taken the Levites in exchange for all the firstborn among the Israelites. Now He told Moses, who had numbered them, to take them and their cattle, and they were to be the Lord's, once again, because He was Lord and had thusly commanded ('nuf said).
(46) "And for those who are to be redeemed of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; (47) You shall take five shekels apiece by the head, after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs)."
There were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites. I believe this proves that the number 22,000 said to be the total of all the Levites (v. 39 above) must be the accurate number, and that the correct number of Gershonites had been 7200 instead of the transcribed 7500. Had the number been 22,300, for whatever reason some of the old commentators went to great lengths to explain, why would there have been a need to redeem for the discrepancy? It is evident there were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites, so the Lord required a redemption to be made to level the discrepancy. The number of firstborn which exceeded the number of the Levites (273 in all) were to be redeemed at five shekels apiece, according to the shekel used by the sanctuary. There were twenty gerahs to one shekel, and as discussed in an earlier post, a gerah is defined as a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin among the Israelites, about two and a half or three pennies of American money (if a shekel of silver as in former scriptures). As discussed previously, that doesn't seem like a huge value for a person, but precious metals were probably worth a lot more in Biblical times than now, and, if you calculated for inflation, the value would be exceedingly more now. There is common agreement among the Biblical scholars that the exchange began with the oldest of the firstborn, and so downward, so that those who were to be redeemed with money were the 273 youngest of the firstborn.
(48) “And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is to be redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
The redemption money was to be given to Aaron and his sons, the priests. Because the Levites were given to Aaron that they might minister to him (Num. 3:6) and there was a deficiency of them in exchange for the firstborn, it was right and just that the redemption price be paid to him and his sons.
(49) And Moses took the redemption money of them who were over and above them who were redeemed by the Levites.
A Levite redeemed a firstborn, or freed him from the redemption price, being taken in lieu of him. 22,000 Levites were answerable to 22,000 firstborn of Israel, but as there were 273 more firstborn than Levites, those were to be redeemed by money, and it was the redemption money of these that Moses took.
(50) Of the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
Obviously, Moses took the money from the parents of the 273 firstborn. We can't be sure how it was decided which 273 must pay. As suggested before, many commentators believed the firstborn were counted in age order; it does seem reasonable that the first who were born would be the first to be redeemed by a Levite, and when the Levites "ran out", there were left the 273 youngest firstborn. Perhaps it was just the last 273 who were numbered. However it was determined, Moses collected from those 273, 1365 shekels, which is exactly 273 times five shekels.
(51) And Moses gave the money of them who were redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses did just as the Lord had commanded he do, and he gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, the priests.
The firstborn being the Lord's, then being exchanged for priests in service to Him, and those being redeemed, paints a big beautiful symbolic picture of the things that were to come with the arrival of the Messiah. The church is called the church of the firstborn, and its people called a royal priesthood redeemed with the precious blood of Christ:
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. - Hebrews 12:23
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:9
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - 1 Peter 1:18-19
Obviously, the Lord didn't have to do a formal exchange, nor did He have to level the number by a redemption fee. After all, He is the sovereign Lord, and He could do whatever He wanted to do. He obviously did it this way to paint a picture to us humans of what was to come. Once again, I marvel at how often we find Jesus in the scriptures of the Old Testament! It also occurs to me that God's chosen people, the Israelites, are like the Levites, God's chosen for His priesthood; and that the 273 who had to be redeemed are like the Gentiles who were allowed to be redeemed and grafted into the living olive tree, illustrative of everlasting life through Christ (Romans 11:16-24). God's plan for salvation through Jesus Christ was there from the beginning, and with all these beautiful illustrations, He patiently shows us our need for Christ.
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1
(Numbers 3:21) Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
In the first half of Numbers 3, Moses had begun numbering the Levites, as instructed by God. From Levi's first son, Gershon, and his family, the Gershonites, came the Libnites, named for Gershon's son Libni, and the Shimites, named for his son Shimei.
(22) Those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, those who were numbered of them were seven thousand five hundred.
The Gershonites, including the Libnites and the Shimites, numbered 7500 males from one month of age and upward.
(23) The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
It had already been established in Numbers 1:53 that the Levites would pitch their tents around the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the rest of the tribes. The Gershonites were to camp on the west side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Ephraim, which was also westward (Numbers 2:18).
(24) And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
The chief of the Gershonites was to be Eliasaph, the son of Lael, not to be confused with Eliasaph, the son of Reuel or Deuel, from the tribe of Gad.
(25) And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, its covering, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, (26) And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
The Gershonites which included the Libnites and the Shimites, were in charge of the tent, the skin covering, and all the curtains and linen hangings of the tabernacle, including all the necessary cords that fastened them in place. The Gershonites were responsible for the taking down and carrying of all the coverings and hangings of the tabernacle, and the care of them while they were not in use as a tabernacle, for they would not have normally been allowed within the curtains of the tabernacle to do any service.
(27) And of Kohath were the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites.
Levi's son Kohath had sons, Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, whose families were known as the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites.
(28) In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
The number of all the Kohathites was 8600 males from one month and older, and they were in charge of the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary.
(29) The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
The Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle between the tabernacle and the camp of Reuben, which was also southward (Numbers 2:10).
(30) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elzaphan the son of Uzziel.
The chief of the Kohathites was to be Elzaphan, the son of Uzziel. This was the same Elzaphan who, with his brother Mishael, carried Nadab and Abihu out of the camp after they had been devoured by fire from the Lord when they offered "strange fire" before the Lord (Lev. 10:4).
(31) And their charge shall be the ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
The Kohathites were in charge of the Ark of the Covenant which would include the mercy seat, and the showbread table, the gold candlestick, the altars, and all the vessels and furnishings of the sanctuary. It also included "the hanging" which would be the veil that divided the holy place from the most holy place; all the other hangings were in the charge of the Gershonites.
(32) And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
Eleazar, Aaron's son, was to be chief over all the chiefs of the Levites, that is, the chiefs of the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. He would have oversight of the Kohathites who were to keep charge of the sanctuary furnishings.
(33) Of Merari were the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari.
Levi's son, Merari, had sons Mahli and Mushi, from which came the families of the Mahlites and the Mushites.
(34) And those who were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
The number of all the Merarites, from one month old and older, was 6200.
(35) And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail; these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.
The chief of all the Merarites was to be Zuriel, the son of Abihail, and they were to pitch their camps on the north side, between the tabernacle and the camp of Dan, which was also pitched northward (Num. 2:25).
(36) And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and its bars, and its pillars, and its sockets, and all its vessels, and all that serves these, (37) And the pillars of the court all around, and their sockets, their pins, and their cords.
The Merarites were to be in charge of the boards of the tabernacle, including all the bars and pillars, and the sockets in which the boards and pillars were put, and the pins and cords of the pillars, by which the outside hangings of the court were kept tight and unmoved by the winds. Whereas the Gershonites had charge of the cords of all the hangings of the tabernacle and tent, it seems the Merarites had charge of the cords of the court.
(38) But those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.
On the east side which was in front of the court of the tabernacle, between it and the camp of Judah, Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons, the priests were to camp. They were to keep charge of the sanctuary for the children of Israel and for their safety, for whoever came near to enter the holy place who was not a priest would be put to death.
(39) All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty-two thousand.
After having discussed in the last post that it appeared Moses only was commanded to number the Levites (Num. 3:14-16), maybe because he was presenting them to Aaron (Num. 3:6), it appears that both Moses and Aaron numbered the Levites. However, the old commentators pointed out that the word "Aaron" in the original Hebrew text had a dot over every letter, for what reason it is not certain; but the word itself was left out in the Samaritan and Syriac versions, so perhaps the reason was that it had been questionably added to the text by an early transcriber. The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, etc., asserts that "Moses alone, as Houbigant observes, was commanded to number the Levites (Num 3:5, Num 3:11, Num 3:40, Num 3:44, Num 3:51) for as the money with which the first-born were redeemed was to be paid to Aaron and his sons (Num 3:48), it was decent that he, whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself." Most of the scriptures referenced are yet to come in the study, but Houbigant's explanation does seem reasonable. The Houbigant referenced is probably Charles Francois Houbigant, a French Oratorian Biblical scholar (the French Oratory being a Roman Catholic Society of apostolic life of Catholic priests).
The total number of Levites from one month of age and upward was said to be 22,000. This number does not agree with the total when the Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites are totaled together, which comes to 22,300. The old commentaries go to great lengths to explain the discrepancy, but the simplest explanation seems to be that there was an error in the number of Gershonites, where instead of 7500, there were only 7200. The numbers in the Hebrew Bible were expressed by letters and not by words at full length, and apparently the symbol for 500 is very similar to the one for 200 and could have easily been mistakenly transcribed.
(40) And the LORD said to Moses, "Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names."
After numbering the Levites, the Lord told Moses to number the firstborn males of all the Israelites that were one month and older, identifying each one and counting them.
(41) “And you shall take the Levites for Me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel."
This is where God made the exchange for His firstborn among all the children of Israel, those firstborn that He made His because as their sovereign Lord who saved all their firstborn in Egypt, He had every right to them. He would take all the Levites as His, to serve Him in His tabernacle, and no longer require that the firstborn be in service to Him. Likewise, He would accept the cattle of the Levites as His as they would be used in the service of His priests and tabernacle, and would no longer require the firstborn among the people's cattle to be for Him.
(42) And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and he numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
(43) And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.
The number of firstborn males one month old and older of all the children of Israel totaled 22,273.
(44) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (45) "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle, and the Levites shall be mine; I am the LORD."
The Lord had declared before that He had taken the Levites in exchange for all the firstborn among the Israelites. Now He told Moses, who had numbered them, to take them and their cattle, and they were to be the Lord's, once again, because He was Lord and had thusly commanded ('nuf said).
(46) "And for those who are to be redeemed of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites; (47) You shall take five shekels apiece by the head, after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs)."
There were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites. I believe this proves that the number 22,000 said to be the total of all the Levites (v. 39 above) must be the accurate number, and that the correct number of Gershonites had been 7200 instead of the transcribed 7500. Had the number been 22,300, for whatever reason some of the old commentators went to great lengths to explain, why would there have been a need to redeem for the discrepancy? It is evident there were 273 more firstborn of all the Israelites than there were Levites, so the Lord required a redemption to be made to level the discrepancy. The number of firstborn which exceeded the number of the Levites (273 in all) were to be redeemed at five shekels apiece, according to the shekel used by the sanctuary. There were twenty gerahs to one shekel, and as discussed in an earlier post, a gerah is defined as a "kernel" or a "grain", the smallest weight or coin among the Israelites, about two and a half or three pennies of American money (if a shekel of silver as in former scriptures). As discussed previously, that doesn't seem like a huge value for a person, but precious metals were probably worth a lot more in Biblical times than now, and, if you calculated for inflation, the value would be exceedingly more now. There is common agreement among the Biblical scholars that the exchange began with the oldest of the firstborn, and so downward, so that those who were to be redeemed with money were the 273 youngest of the firstborn.
(48) “And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is to be redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
The redemption money was to be given to Aaron and his sons, the priests. Because the Levites were given to Aaron that they might minister to him (Num. 3:6) and there was a deficiency of them in exchange for the firstborn, it was right and just that the redemption price be paid to him and his sons.
(49) And Moses took the redemption money of them who were over and above them who were redeemed by the Levites.
A Levite redeemed a firstborn, or freed him from the redemption price, being taken in lieu of him. 22,000 Levites were answerable to 22,000 firstborn of Israel, but as there were 273 more firstborn than Levites, those were to be redeemed by money, and it was the redemption money of these that Moses took.
(50) Of the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
Obviously, Moses took the money from the parents of the 273 firstborn. We can't be sure how it was decided which 273 must pay. As suggested before, many commentators believed the firstborn were counted in age order; it does seem reasonable that the first who were born would be the first to be redeemed by a Levite, and when the Levites "ran out", there were left the 273 youngest firstborn. Perhaps it was just the last 273 who were numbered. However it was determined, Moses collected from those 273, 1365 shekels, which is exactly 273 times five shekels.
(51) And Moses gave the money of them who were redeemed to Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Moses did just as the Lord had commanded he do, and he gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, the priests.
The firstborn being the Lord's, then being exchanged for priests in service to Him, and those being redeemed, paints a big beautiful symbolic picture of the things that were to come with the arrival of the Messiah. The church is called the church of the firstborn, and its people called a royal priesthood redeemed with the precious blood of Christ:
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. - Hebrews 12:23
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. - 1 Peter 2:9
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - 1 Peter 1:18-19
Obviously, the Lord didn't have to do a formal exchange, nor did He have to level the number by a redemption fee. After all, He is the sovereign Lord, and He could do whatever He wanted to do. He obviously did it this way to paint a picture to us humans of what was to come. Once again, I marvel at how often we find Jesus in the scriptures of the Old Testament! It also occurs to me that God's chosen people, the Israelites, are like the Levites, God's chosen for His priesthood; and that the 273 who had to be redeemed are like the Gentiles who were allowed to be redeemed and grafted into the living olive tree, illustrative of everlasting life through Christ (Romans 11:16-24). God's plan for salvation through Jesus Christ was there from the beginning, and with all these beautiful illustrations, He patiently shows us our need for Christ.
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 1
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 3:1) These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
In the previous several chapters, the Lord had been speaking to Moses, giving him laws and instructions to pass on to the people. At the time this took place, the following is an account of the descendants of Aaron and Moses.
(2) And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
I believe because Aaron and Moses were brothers, Moses's name was included in verse 1. However, it seems that only the descendants of Aaron are named. I believe that is because it was Aaron who was the head of the tribe of Levi, and we are about to see a census of sorts of the Levites. In the previous two chapters of Numbers, Moses and Aaron numbered the armies or tribes, but were instructed by God not to number the Levites. This chapter is an account of the Levites.
These sons of Aaron--Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar--were first mentioned in Exodus 6 when we learned that Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon.
(3) These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
These sons of Aaron were the priests who were anointed and set apart to minister in the office of the priesthood.
(4) And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
In Leviticus 10, we read the account of Nadab and Abihu who offered profane incense in the sight of the Lord; and they were devoured by the fire of the Lord. They died with no descendants, and Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on in the Aaronic priesthood.
(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (6) "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him."
The Lord told Moses to bring the tribe of Levi before Aaron the priest, offering their services to the sanctuary.
(7) "And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle."
The tribe of Levi was to assist Aaron the high priest, working for the whole congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
(8) "And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle."
The tribe of Levi was to take care of the tabernacle and all its furnishings. They serviced the priests and therefore serviced the entire tribe of Israel by taking care of the tabernacle.
(9) “And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel."
The whole Levite tribe was given to the service of Aaron and his sons, the priests. The priests came only from the Levites, and all of the Levites, even though most not priests, were set apart from the rest of the tribes of Israel and appointed for the service of the priests.
(10) "And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
Only Aaron and his sons were to be appointed to the priesthood, and they only were to attend to the duties of the priest's office. A stranger in this case was anyone who was not a priest; anyone who came near to perform any duties that were wholly set aside for the priests only, would be put to death.
(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be Mine, (13) Because all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; they shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”
The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him that He had taken the Levites from all the children of Israel to be His own, set apart for His service and the service of His sanctuary. The Lord took the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, whom He had declared as His own when He had spared the firstborn of Israel at the time He destroyed the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 13:15). As He alone had the sovereign right and power to take the firstborn as His own, and because they were now His, He also had the sovereign right to take the Levites as His own in exchange for His firstborn.
(14) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, (15) “Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and upward.”
Having numbered all the other tribes except the tribe of Levi, the Lord now instructed Moses to number the Levites. Whereas the Lord had Moses and Aaron number only the men of the other tribes who were twenty years of age and older, He now instructed Moses to take a census of the Levite males who were one month and older. The other tribes were to be ready for war, but the Levites were to be the Lord's, and were to be set apart and trained from their youth for the service of His sanctuary.
(16) And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
Moses, with Aaron and the heads of each tribe, had numbered all the other tribes, but it appears that only Moses numbered the Levites just as God had instructed him to do.
(17) And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The immediate sons of Levi, who went with him into Egypt (Genesis 46:8 and 11), were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
(18) And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei. These sons had first been named in Exodus 6:17 when the heads of the fathers of the Levites were named.
(19) And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. These sons were also mentioned in Exodus 6 as heads of the Levites. Amram was the father of Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:20).
(20) And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli was written as Mahali in Exodus 6:19. The preceding verses listed the families of the Levites according to the houses of their fathers.
Since Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and there are many more notable names in the third chapter of Numbers, the study of this chapter is continued here:
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2
(Numbers 3:1) These are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
In the previous several chapters, the Lord had been speaking to Moses, giving him laws and instructions to pass on to the people. At the time this took place, the following is an account of the descendants of Aaron and Moses.
(2) And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
I believe because Aaron and Moses were brothers, Moses's name was included in verse 1. However, it seems that only the descendants of Aaron are named. I believe that is because it was Aaron who was the head of the tribe of Levi, and we are about to see a census of sorts of the Levites. In the previous two chapters of Numbers, Moses and Aaron numbered the armies or tribes, but were instructed by God not to number the Levites. This chapter is an account of the Levites.
These sons of Aaron--Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar--were first mentioned in Exodus 6 when we learned that Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon.
(3) These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
These sons of Aaron were the priests who were anointed and set apart to minister in the office of the priesthood.
(4) And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children; and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
In Leviticus 10, we read the account of Nadab and Abihu who offered profane incense in the sight of the Lord; and they were devoured by the fire of the Lord. They died with no descendants, and Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on in the Aaronic priesthood.
(5) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (6) "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him."
The Lord told Moses to bring the tribe of Levi before Aaron the priest, offering their services to the sanctuary.
(7) "And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle."
The tribe of Levi was to assist Aaron the high priest, working for the whole congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
(8) "And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle."
The tribe of Levi was to take care of the tabernacle and all its furnishings. They serviced the priests and therefore serviced the entire tribe of Israel by taking care of the tabernacle.
(9) “And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him out of the children of Israel."
The whole Levite tribe was given to the service of Aaron and his sons, the priests. The priests came only from the Levites, and all of the Levites, even though most not priests, were set apart from the rest of the tribes of Israel and appointed for the service of the priests.
(10) "And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office; and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
Only Aaron and his sons were to be appointed to the priesthood, and they only were to attend to the duties of the priest's office. A stranger in this case was anyone who was not a priest; anyone who came near to perform any duties that were wholly set aside for the priests only, would be put to death.
(11) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (12) "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be Mine, (13) Because all the firstborn are mine; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; they shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”
The Lord continued speaking to Moses, telling him that He had taken the Levites from all the children of Israel to be His own, set apart for His service and the service of His sanctuary. The Lord took the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, whom He had declared as His own when He had spared the firstborn of Israel at the time He destroyed the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 13:15). As He alone had the sovereign right and power to take the firstborn as His own, and because they were now His, He also had the sovereign right to take the Levites as His own in exchange for His firstborn.
(14) And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, (15) “Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and upward.”
Having numbered all the other tribes except the tribe of Levi, the Lord now instructed Moses to number the Levites. Whereas the Lord had Moses and Aaron number only the men of the other tribes who were twenty years of age and older, He now instructed Moses to take a census of the Levite males who were one month and older. The other tribes were to be ready for war, but the Levites were to be the Lord's, and were to be set apart and trained from their youth for the service of His sanctuary.
(16) And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
Moses, with Aaron and the heads of each tribe, had numbered all the other tribes, but it appears that only Moses numbered the Levites just as God had instructed him to do.
(17) And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The immediate sons of Levi, who went with him into Egypt (Genesis 46:8 and 11), were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
(18) And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei.
The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei. These sons had first been named in Exodus 6:17 when the heads of the fathers of the Levites were named.
(19) And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. These sons were also mentioned in Exodus 6 as heads of the Levites. Amram was the father of Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:20).
(20) And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli was written as Mahali in Exodus 6:19. The preceding verses listed the families of the Levites according to the houses of their fathers.
Since Blogger limits the number of labels per post, and there are many more notable names in the third chapter of Numbers, the study of this chapter is continued here:
The Numbering of the Levites and Their Exchange for the First-Born, Part 2
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