Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 3. Neither.ihalt thou countenance a pomman in his cause.] The word St dal, which we translate poor man, is probably put here in opposition to 0'3T rabbtm, the great, or noblemen, in the preceding

6 ^ Thou shalt not wrest the ^'""- judgment of thy poor in his cause.

7 ' Keep thee far from a false matter; " and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for " I will not justify the wicked.

8 And " thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth " the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

9 Also 1 thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the ■■ heart of a strajiger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

1 0 And ' six years thou shalt sow thy land,

for him; thou shalt surely leave it to join with him. ^ Verse 2;

verse: if so, the meaning is, Thou shalt neither be influenced by the great to make an unrighteous decision, nor by the poverty or distress of the poor to give thy voice against the dictates of justice and truth. Hence the ancient maxim, fiat jl'stitia, ruat ccelum. " Let justice be done, though the heavens should be dissolved."

Verse 4. If thou meet thine enemy''s ox — going astray] From the humane and heavenly maxim in this and the following verse, our blessed liOrd has formed the following precept: " Love your enemies, bless thein that curse you, do good to them that hate you. and pray for them which despitcfully use you and persecute you;" Matt. v. 44. A precept so plain, wise, benevolent, and useful, can receive no other comment than that which its influence on the heart of a kind and merciful man produces in his life.

Verse 6. Thou shall not wrest the judgment of thy poor] Thou shalt neither countenance him in his crimes, nor condemn him in his righteousness. See verses 5 and 7.

Verse 8. Thou shalt take no gift] A strong ordinance against selling justice, which has been the disgrace and ruin of every state where it has been practised. In the excellent charter of British liberties called Magna Charta, there is one article expressly on this head: Nulli vendemus, nulli mgabimus aut differemus, rectum aut justitiam. — Art. xxxiii. "To none will we sell, to none will we deny or defer, riglit or justice." This was the more necessary in those early and corrupt times, as he who had most money, and gave the largest presents (called then oblata) to the king or queen, was sure to gain his cause in the king's court, whether he had right and justice on his side or not.

thereof: 1 1 But the seventh year thou shall let it rest and he still; that the poor of thy people may cat: and what they leave, the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner

12 "Six days thou shalt do thy ^'""' work, and on the seventh day thon shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

been strangers yourselves, under severe, long continued, and cruel oppression, ye know the fears, cares, anxieties, and dismal forebodings which the heart of a stranger feels. What a forcible appeal to humanity and compassion!

Verse 11. The nfventh year thou shall let it rest] As every seventh day was a Sabbath day, so every.seventh year was to be a Sabbath year. The reasons for this ordinance Calmet gives thus; —

" 1. To maintain as fir as possible an equality of condition among the people, in setting the slaves at liberty, and in permitting all, as children of one family, to have the free and indiscriminate use of whatever the earth produced.

" 3. To inspire the people with sentiments of humanity, by making it their duty to give rest, and proper and sulBcicnt nourishment, to the poor, the slave, and the stranger, and even to the cattle.

" 3. To accustom the people to submit to and depend on the Divine providence, and expect their support from that in the seventh year, by an extraordinary provision on the sixth.

" 4. To detach their affections from earthly and perishable things, and to make them disinterested and heavenly-minded.

" 5. To show them God's dominion over the country, and that he, not they, was lord of the soil; and that tiiey held it merely from his bounty." See this ordinance at length, Lev. xxv.

That God intended to teach them the doctrine of providence by this ordinance, there can be no doubt; and this is marked very distinctly. Lev. xxv. 20, 21: •' And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years." That is, There shall be, not three crops in one year, but one crop equal in its abundance to three, because it must supply the wants of three years. 1. For the sixth year, supplying fruit for its own consumption; 2. For the seventh year, in which they were neither to sow nor reap; and 3. For the eighth year, for though they ploughed, sowed, &c., that year, yet a whole course of its seasons was requisite to bring all these fruits to perfection, so that they could not have the fruits of the eighth year till the ninth, (see ver. 22,) till which time God promised that they should cat of the old store. What an astonishing proof did this give of the being, power, providence, mercy, and goodness of God! Could there be an infidel in such a land, or a sinner against God and his own soul, with such proofs before his eyes of God and his attributes as one sabbatical year afforded? a 418

It is very remarkable that the obserrance of this ordinance is nowhere expressly mentioned in the sacred writings; though some suppose, but without sufficient reason, that there is a reference to it ii> Jer. xxxiv. 8, 9. Perhaps the major part of the people could not trust God, and therefore continued to sow and reap on the seventh year, as on the preceding. This greatly displeased the Lord, and therefore he sent them into captivity; so that the land enjoyed those Sabbaths, through lack of inhabitants, of which their ungodliness had deprived it. See Lev. xviii. 21, 25, 28; xxvi. 31, 35, 43; 2 Chron..xxxvi. 20, 21. Commentators have been much puzzled to ascertain the time in which the sabbatical year began; because, if it began in Abib or March, they must have lost two harvests; for they could neither reap nor plant that year, and of course they could have no crop the year following; but if it began with what was called the civil year, or in Tisrt or Marchcshvan, which answers to the beginning iif our autumn, they would then have had that year's pro. duce reaped and gathered in.

Verse 12. Six days thou shalt do thy ivork] Though they were thus bound to keep the sabbatical year, yet they must not neglect the seventh day's rest or weekly Sabbath; for that was of perpetual obligation, and was paramount to all others. That the sanctification of the Sabbath was of great consequence in the sight of God, we may learn from the various repetitions of this law; and we may observe that it has still for its object, not only the benefit of the soul, but the health and comfort of the body also. Doth God care for oxen? Yes; and he mentions them with tenderness, that thine ox and thine ass may rest. How criminal to employ the labouring cattle on the Sabbath, as well as upon the other days of the week! More cattle are destroyed in England than in any other part of the world, in proportion, by excessive and continued labour. The noble horse in general has no Sabbath! Does God look on this with an indiflerent eye t Surely he does not. " England,'' said a foreigner, " is the paradise of ivomen, the purgatory of servants, and the hell of horses."

The son of thy handmaid, and the stranger — be refreshed.] tyiJJ' yinnaphcsh may be rc-spiriled or newsouted; have a complete renewal both of bodily and spiritual strength. The expression used by Moses here is verj- like that used by St. Paul, Acts iii. 19: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing {Katpoi aioi/'uffuf, the times of re-souling) shall come from the presence of the Lord;" alluding, probably, to those times of refreshing and rest for body and soul originally instituted under the law.

An. Exod. Isr. 1. have said unto you, ■*■ be circum- "'"'• spect; and ^ make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

14 'Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.

15^ Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou earnest out from Egypt: ^ and none shall appear before me empty:)

1 6 * And tlie feast of harvest, the first-fruits

Verse 1 4. Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.] The three feasts here referred to were, 1. The feast of the Passover; 2. The feast of Pentecost; 3. The feast of Tabern.\cles.

1. The feast of the Passover was celebrated to keep in remembrance the wonderful deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt. 2. The feast of Pentecost, called also the feast of harvest and the feast of loeeks, chap. xxxiv. 22, was celebrated J?/Vy days after the Passover to commemorate the giving of the law on Mount Smai, which took place fifty days after, and hence called by the Greeks Pentecost. 3. The feast of Tabernacles, called also the feast of the ingathering, was celebrated about the 15th of the month Tisri to commemorate the Israelites' dwelling in tents for forty years, during their stay in the wilderness. See on Lev. xxiii.

" God, out of his great wisdom," says Calmet, " appointed several festivals among the Jews for many reasons: 1. To perpetuate the memory of those great events, and the wonders he had wrought for the people; for example, the Sabbath brought to remembrance the creation of the world; the Passover, the departure out of Egypt; the Pentecost, the giving of the law; the feast of Tabernacles, the sojourning of their fathers in the wilderness, &c. 2. To keep them faithful to their religion by appropriate ceremonies, and the splendour of Divine service. 3. To procure them lawful pleasures, and necessary rest. 4. To give them instruction; for in their religious assemblies the law of God was always read and explained. 5. To consolidate their social union, by renewing the acquaintance of their tribes and famiUes; for on these occasions they come together from different parts of the land to the holy city."

3. The feast of Trumpets, v/hic\i was celebrated on the first day of what was called their civil year, which was ushered in by the blowing of a trumpet; Lev. xxiii. 23, &c.

of thy labours, which thou hast A. M. 2513. sown in thy field: and ^ the feast Aif Exod'lsi.' i

end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy

17" Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.

18"* Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my * sacrifice remain until the morning.

19 *^The first of the first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. ^ Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

4. The feast of the New Moon, which was celebrated on the first day the moon appeared after her change.

5. The feast of Expiation, which was celebrated annually on the tenth day of Tisri or September, on which a general atonement was made for all the sins, negligences, and ignorances, throughout the year.

6. The feast of Lots or Purim, to commemorate the preservation of the Jews from the general massacre projected by Haman. See the book of Esther.

7. The feast of the Dedication, or rather the Restoration of the temple, which had been profaned by Antiochiis Epiphanes. This was also called the feast of Lights.

Besides these, the Jews have had several other feasts, such as the feast of Branches, to commemorate the taking of Jericho.

The feast of Collections, on the 1 Otli of September, on which they make contributions for the service of the temple and synagogue.

The feast for the discovery of the sacred fire, 2 Mac. i. 18, &c.

The feast of the carrying of ivood to the temple, called Xylophoria, mentioned by Josephus. — War, b. ii. c. 17.

Verse 17. All thy males] Old men, sick men, male idiots, and male children under thirteen years of age, excepted; for so the Jewish doctors understand this command.

Verse 18. The blood of my sacrifice xoilli leavened bread] The sacrifice here mentioned is undoubtedly the Passovei; (see chap, xxxiv. 25;) this is called by way of eminence MV sacrifice, because God had instituted it for that especial purpose, the redemption ot Israel from the Egyptian bondage, and because it typified THE Lamb of Goo, who taUeth away the sin of the world. We have already seen how strict the prohibition against leaven was during this festival, and what was signified by it. See on chap. xii.

Verse 19. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.] This passage has greatly perplexed commen-

An. Exod. isr. 1. Dclore tlicc, to keep thee in tiie ^"'"'" way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, ' provoke him not; for he will '' not pardon your transgressions: for 'my name i.i in him.

22 Bnt if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then '" I will be an enemy nnto thine enemies, and " an adversary unto thine adversaries.

tators; but Dr. Cuilworth is supposed to have given it its true meaning by quoting a MS. comment of a Karaite Jew, wbicli he met with, on this passage. "It was a custom of tlic ancient heathens, when they had gathered in all their fruit.-i, to take a kid and boil it in the milk of its dam; and then, in a magical way, to go about and besprinkle with it all their trees and fields, gardens and orchards; thinking by these means to make them fruitful, that they might bring forth more abundantly in the following year." — Cudworlh on the Lord's Supper, 4t().

I give this comment as I find it, and add that Spe/iser has shown that the Zabii used this kind of magical milk to sprinkle their trees and fields, in order to make them fruitful. Others understand it of eating flesh and milk together; others of a lamb or a kid while it is suckin<^ its mother, and that the paschal larnb is here intended, which it was not lawful to offer while sucking.

After all the learned labour which critics have bestowed on this passage, and by which tlie obscurity in some cases is become more intense, the simple object of the [irecept seems to be this: " Thou shalt do nothing that may have any tendency to blunt thy moral feelings, or teach thee hardness of heart." Even human nature shudders at the thought of causing the mother to lend her milk to seethe the flesh of her young one! We need go no farther for the delicate, tender, humane, and impressive meaning of this precept.

Verse 20. Behold, I send an Angel before thee] Some have thought that this was Moses, others Joshua, because the word IsSo malach signifies an angel or messenger; but as it is said, vcr. 21, Mi/ name is in him, (l-'^p^ bekirbo, intimately, essential!// in him,) it is more likely that the great Angel of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ, is meant, in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. We have had already much reason to believe that this glorious personage often appeared in a human form to the patriarchs, &c.; and of him Joshua was a very expressive type, the names Joshua and Jesus, in Hebrew and Greek, being of exactly the same signification, because radically the same, from yz" yasha, he saved, delivered, preserved, or kept safe. Nor does it appear that the description given of the Angel in the text can belong to any other person.

23 ° For mine Angel shall go before thee, and p bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.

24 Thou shalt not i bow down to tlteirgods, nor serve them, ' nor do after their works: " but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

25 And ye shall ' serve the Lord your God,

Calmet has referred to a very wonderful comment on these words given by Philo Judwus De Agricultura, which I shall produce here at full length as il stands in Dr. Mangey's edition, vol. i., p. 308: 'Qt, TTOifi/lv Kat j3a(n?.ev^ 6 Geof ayet Kara diKrjv aai vofiov, ■Kpno7T}oau£vo^ 70V opQov aVTov?.oy&v ^purayovov vlov, 6f rijv ETLfiey.stav Trjr lepa^ ravrt}^ ayeXij^, ola ri^ fisya?.ov /3a(Ti/\fuif {nrapxoc, iiaSe^srat. Kai yap eipjirai TTov Uov cyu ei/ii, aTroare^u nyyeXov fiov cif irpoauTTov aov, Tov (fivXa^at ae ev ry oSa. " God, as the Shepherd and King, conducts all things according to law and righteousness, having established over them his right Word, his onlv-begotten Son, who, as the Viceroy of the Great King, takes care of and ministers to this sacred flock. For it is somewhere said, (chap. xxiii. 20,) Behold, I AM, and I will send my Angel before thy face, to keep thee in the way."

This is a testimony liable to no suspicion, coming from a person who cannot be supposed to be even friendly to Christianity, nor at all acquainted with that particular doctrine to which his words seem so pointedly to refer.

Verse 21. He will not pardon your transgressions] lie is not like a man, with whom ye may think that ye may trifle; were he either man or angel, in the common acceptation of the term, it need not be said, He will not pardon your transgressions, for neither man nor angel could do it.

My name is in him.] The Jehovah dwells in him; in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily; and because of this he could either pardon or punish. All power is given unto me in heaven and earth, Matt, xxviii. 18.

Verse 23. Untr- the Amorites] There are only six of the seven nations mentioned here, but the Septuagint, Samaritan, Coptic, and one Hebrew MS., add Oirgashitr, thus making the seven nations.

Verse 25. Shall bless thy bread and thy water] That is, all thy provisions, no matter of what sort: the meanest fare shall be sufficiently nutritive when God's blessing is in it.

26 "^ There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in tliy land: tlie number of thy days I will ^ fulfil.

27 I will send? ray fear before thee, and will ^ destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies tm-n their " backs unto thee.

28 And *> I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.

29 ■= I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.

Verse 26. There shall nothing cast their young, nor he barren] Hence there must be a very great increase both of men and cattle.

The numher of thy days I will fulfil.] Ye shall all live to a good old age, and none die before his time. This is the blessing of the righteous, for wicked men live not out half their days; Psa. Iv. 23.

Verse 28. / will send hornets before thee] T\^^)iX\ hatstsirah. The root is not found in Hebrew, but it may be the same with the Arabic gr** saraa, to lay prostrate, to strike down; the hornet, probably so called from the destruction occasioned by the violence of its sting. The hornet, in natural history, belongs to the species crabro, of the genus vespa or loasp; it is a most voracious insect, and is exceedingly strong for its size, which is generally an inch in length, though I have seen some an inch and a half long, and so strong that, having caught one in a small pair of forceps, it repeatedly escaped by using violent contortions, so that at last I was obliged to abandon all hopes of securing it alive, which I wished to have done. How distressing and destructive a multitude of these might be, any person may conjecture; even the bees of one hive would be sufficient to sting a thousand men to madness, but how much worse must wasps and hornets be'. No armour, no weapons, could avail against these. A few thousands of them would be quite sufficient to throw the best disciplined army into confusion and rout. From Josh. xxiv. 12, we find that two kings of the Amorites were actually driven out of the land by these hornets, so that the Israelites were not obliged to use either sword or bow in the conquest. Verse 31.7 will set thy bounds from the Red Sea] On the south-east, even unto the sea of the Philistines — the Mediterranean, on the north-west; and from the desert — of Arabia, or the wilderness of Shur, on tlie west, to the river — the Euphrates, on the northeast. Or in general terms, from the Euphrates on the

30 By little and little I will a.m. 2513. drive them out from before thee, An. Exod. isr.'i. until thou be increased, and in- ^""'"' herit the land.

3 1 And '' I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will = deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before

32 ^Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, ^ it will surely be a snarp unto thee.

east, to the Mediterranean Sea on the west; and from Mount Libanus on the north, to the Red Sea and the Nile on the south. This promise was not completely fulfilled till the days of David and Solomon. The general disobedience of the people before this time prevented a more speedy accomplishment; and their

.disobedience afterwards caused them to lose the possession. So, though all the promises of Gnd are yea and AMEN, yet they are fulfilled but to a few, because rmen are slow of heart to believe; and the blessings of providence and grace are taken away from several because of their unfaithfulness.

Verse 32. Thou shalt make no covenant with them] They were incurable idolaters, and the cup of their iniquity was full. And had the Israelites contracted any alliance with them, either sacred or civil, they would have enticed them into their idolatries, to which the Jews were at all times most unhappily prone; and as God intended that they should be the preservers of the true religion till the coming of the Messiah, hence he strictly forbade them to tolerate idolatry.

Verse 33. They shall not dwell in thy land] They must be utterly expelled. The land was the Lord's, and he had given it to the progenitors of this people, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The latter being obliged to leave it because of a famine, God is now conducting back his posterity, who alone had a. Divine and natural right to it, and therefore their seeking to possess the inheritance of their fathers can be only criminal in the sight of those who are systematically opposed to the thing, because it is a part of Divine revelation.

What a pity that the Mosaic Law should be so little studied I What a number of just and equal laws, pious and humane institutions, useful and instructive ordinances, does it contain! Everywhere we see the purity and benevolence of God always working to prevent crimes and make the people happy! But what else can be expected from that God who is love, whose tender mercies are over all his works, and who hateth nothing that lie has made 1 Reader, thou art not straitened in him, be not straitened in thy own bowels. Learn from him to be just, humane, kind, and merciful. Love thy enemy, and do good to him that hates thee.

Jesus is with thee; hear and obey his voice; provoke him not, and he will be an enemy to thine enemies, and an adversary to thine adversaries. Believe, love, obey; and the road to the kingdom of God is plain before thee. Thou shall inherit the good land, and be est* Wished in it for ever and ever.

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders, are commanded to go to the mount to meet the Lord, I. Moses alone to come near to the Divine presence, 2. He informs the people, and they promise obedience, 3. He writes the tuords of the Lord, erects an altar at the foot of the hill, and sets up twelve pillars for the twelve tribes, 4. The young priests offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, 5. Moses reads the book of the covenant, sprinkles the people with the blood, and they promise obedience, 6—8. Moses, Aaron, Nadab. Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel, go up to the mount, and get a striking display of the majesty of God, 9-11. Moses alone is called up into the mount, in order to receive the tables of stone, written by the hand of God, 12. Moses and his servant Joshua go up, and Aaron and Harare left regents of the people during his absence, 13, 14. The glory of the Lord rests on the mount, and the cloud covers it for six days, and on the seventh God speaks to Moses out of the cloud, 15, 16. The terrible appearance of God's glory on the mount, 17. Moses continues with God on the mount forty days, 18.

A ND he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, " Nadab, and Abihu, '• and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship yc afar off.

2 And Moses ■= alone shall come near the Lord: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV. Verse 1. Come up unto the Lord} Moses and Aaron were already on the mount, or at least some way up, (chap. xix. 24,) where they had heard the voice of the Lord distinctly speaking to them: and the people also saw and heard, but in a less distinct manner, probably like the hoarse grumbling sound of distant thunder; see chap. xx. 18. Calmct, who complains of the apparent want of order in the facts laid down here, thinks the whole should be understood thus: — " After Goil had laid before Moses and Aaron all the laws mentioned from the beginning of the 20th chapter to the end of the 23d, before they went down from the mount to lay them before the people, he told them that, when they had proposed the conditions of the covenant to the Israelites, and they had ratified them, they were to come up again unto the moimtain accompanied with Nadab and.'\bilm the sons of.\aron, and seventy of the principal elders of Israel. Moses accordingly went down, spoke to the people, ratified the covenant, and then, acconling to the command of God mentioned here, he and the others reascended the mountain. Tout cela est raconii id avec assez pen d'ordrc."

Verse 2. Moses alone shall come near^ The people stood at the foot of the mountain. Aaron and his two sons and the seventy elders went up, probably about half wav, and Moses alone went to the summit.

3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, "^ All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.

4 And Moses » wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and

Verse 3. Moses — told the people all the words of the Lord] That is, the ten commandments, and the various laws and ordinances mentioned from the beginning of the 20th to the end of the 23d chapter.

Verse 4. Moses wrote all the words of the Lord].\fter the people had promised obedience, (ver. 3,) and so entered into the bonds of the covenant, " it was necessary," says Calmet, "to draw up an act by which the memory of these transactions might be preserved, and confirm the covenant by authentic and solemn ceremonies." And this Moses does. 1. As legislator, he reduces to wTiting all the articles and conditions of the agreement, with the people's act of consent.

2. As their mediator and the deputy of the Lord, he accepts on his part the resolution of the people; and Jehovah on bis part engages himself to Israel, to be their God, their King, and Protector, and to fulfil to them all the promises he had made to their fathers.

3. To make this the more solemn and affecting, and to ratify the covenant, which could not be done without sacrifice, shedding and sprinkling of blood, Moses builds an altar, prol)ably of turf, as was commanded, chap. XX. 24, and erects twelve pillars, no doobt of unhewn stone, and probably set rmmd about the altar. The altar itself represented the throne of God; the twelve stones, the twelve tribes of Israel. These wero the two parties, who were to contract, or enter into covenant, on this occasion.

A. M. 2513. builded an altar under the hill, An. Exod. isr. - and tweive "^ pillars, according to ^'^'^- the twelve tribes of Israel.

5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto the

6 And Moses ^ took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

7 And he '' took the book of the covenant,

Averse 5. He sent young men] Stout, able, reputable young men, chosen out of the different tribes, for the purpose of killing, flaying, and offering the oxen mentioned here.

Burnt-offerings] They generally consisted of sheep and goats. Lev. i. 10. These were wholly consumed by fire.

Peace-offerings] Bullocks or goats; see Heb. ix. 19. The blood of these was poured out before the Lord, and then the priests and people might feast on the flesh.

Verse 7. The book of the covenant] The writing containing the laws mentioned in the three preceding chapters. As this writing contained the agreement made between God and them, it was called the book of the covenant; but as no covenant was considered to ae ratified and binding till a sacrifice had been offered on the occasion, hence the necessity of the sacrifices mentioned here.

Half of the blood being sprinkled on the.^.ltar, and half of it sprinkled on the people, showed that both God and tuev were mutually bound by this covenant. God was bound to the people to support, defend, and save them; the people were bound to God to fear, love, and serve him. On the ancient method of making covenants, see on Gen. vi, 18; xv. 18. Thus the blood of the new covenant was necessary to propitiate the throne of justice on the one hand, and to reconcile men to God on the other. On the nature and various kinds of the Jewish offerings, see the note on Lev. vii. 1, &c.

Verse 10. They saw the God of Israel] The seventy elders, who were representatives of the whole congregation, -were chosen to witness the manifestation of God, that they might be satisfied of the truth of the revelation which he had made of himself and of his will; and oa this occasion it was necessary that the people also should be favoured with a sight of the glory of God; see chap. xx. 18. Thus the certainty of the revelation was established by many witnesses, and by those especially of the n\ost competent kind.

-i paved Kork of a sapphire stone] Or sapphire brick-work. I suppose that something of the Musive or Mosaic pavement is here intended; floors most curiously inlaid with variously coloured stones or small square tiles, disposed in a great variety of ornamental fcrms. Many of these remain in different countries to and read in the audience of the A. jr. 2513. people: and they said, ' All that An.Exod. isr. i. the Lord hath said will we do, ^"'''"-

8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said. Behold '' the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.

9 Then ' went up Moses, and Aaron, Naaab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

10 And they " saw the God of Israel: and

the present day. The Romans were particularly fond of them, and left monuments of their taste and ingenuity in pavements of this kind, in most countries where they established their dominion. Some very fine specimens are found in different parts of Britain.

Sapphire is a precious stone of a fine blue colour, next in hardness to the diamond. The rubij is considered by most mineralogists of the same genus; so is also the topaz: hence we cannot say that the sapphire is only of a blue colour; it is blue, red, or yellow, as it may be called sapphire, ruby, or topaz; and some of them are blue or green, according to the light in which they are held; and some white. A very large specimen of such a one is now before me. The ancient oriental sapphire is.supposed to have been the same with the lapis lazuli. Supjxjsing that these different kinds of sapphires are here intended, how glorious must a pavement be, constituted of polished stones of this sort, perfectly transparent, with an effulgence of heavenly splendour poured out upon them! The red, the blue, the green, and the yellow, arranged by the wisdom of God, into the most beautiful emblematic representations, and the whole body of heaven in its clearness shining upon them, must have made a most glorious appearance. As the Divine glory appeared above the mount, it is reasonable to suppose that the Israelites saw the sapphire pavement over their heads, as it might have occupied a space in the atmosphere equal in extent to the base of the mountain; and being transparent, the intense brightness shining upon it must have greatly heightened the effect.

It is necessary farther to observe that all this must have been only an appearance, unconnected with any personal similitude; for this Moses expressly asserts, Deut. iv. 15. And though the feet are here mentioned, this can only be understood of the sapphirine basis or pavement, on which this celestial and indescribable glory of the Lord appeared. There is a similar description of the glory of the Lord in the Book of Revelation, chap. iv. 3: " And he who sat [upon the throne] was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.'''' In neither of these appearances was there any similitude or likeness of anv thing in heaven, earth, or sea. Thus God took care to preserve them from all incentives to idolatry, while he gave them the fullest proofs of his being.

.111. Ejoa. isr. 1. were a paved work oi a " sapphire ^""'"' stone, and as it were the ° body

1 1 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he " laid not his hand: also i they saw God, and did ■■ cat and drink.

12 And the Lord said unto Moses, ' Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee ' tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

13 And Moses rose up, and "his minister Joshua: and Moses '' went up into the mount

14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until wo conic again unto you:

In Scheuchzcr's Physica Sacra, among his numerous fine engravings, there is one of this glorious manifestation, which cannot be too severely reprehended. The Supreme Being is represented as an old man, sitting on a throne, encompassed with glory, having a crown on his head, and a sceptre in his hand, the people prostrate in adoration at the foot of the piece. A print of this kind should be considered as utterly frnpropcr, if not blasphemous.

Verse 1 1. Upon the nohles of — Israel he laid not his hand] This laying on of the hand has been variously explained. 1. He did not conceal himself from the nobles of Israel by covering them with his hand, as he did Moses, chap..\.\xiii. 22. 2. lie did not endue anv of the nobles, i. e., the seventy elders, with the gift of prophecy; for so laying on of the hand has been understood. 3. Ho did not slay any of them; none of them received any injury; which is certainly one meaning of the phrase: see Neh. xiii. 21; Psa. Iv. 20. Also they saw God, i. e., although they had this discovery of his majesty, yet they did eat and drink, i. e., were preserved alive and unhurt. Perhaps the eating and drinking here may refer to the peace-offerings on which they feasted, and the libations that were then offered on the ratification of the covenant. But they rejoiced the more because they had been so highly favoured, and were still permitted to live; for it was generally appreheiidetl that God never showed his glory in this signal manner but for the purpose of manifesting his justice; and therefore it appeared a strange thing that these should have seen God as it were face to face, and yet live. Sec Gen. xvi. 13; jucxiii. 30; and Judg. xiii. 22, 23.

with you: u any man have any.vn. Eiod. isr. 1. matters to do, let him come unto ^'''"-

1 5 And Moses went up into the mount, and " a cloud covered the mount.

16 And ' the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses, out of the midst of the cloud.

17 And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like ^ devouring fire, on the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel.

18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the moimt: and * Moses was in the mount forty days emd forty nights.

Verse 13. Moses rose up] In verse 16 it is said that the glory of the Lord abode on the mount, and the cloud covered it. The glory was probably above the cloud, and it was to the cloud that Moses and his servant Joshua ascended at this time, leaving Aaron and the elders below. After they had been in this region, viz., w'here the cloud encompassed the mountain, for six days, God appears to have called Moses up higher: compare the 16th and 18th verses. Moses then ascended to the glory, leaving Joshua in the cloud, with whom he had, no doubt, frequent conferences during the forty days he continued with God on the mount.

Verse 14. Tarry ye here for us] Probably Moses did not know that he was to continue so long on the mount, nor is it likely that the elders tarried the whole forty days where they were: they doubtless, after waiting some considerable time, returned to the camp; and tlieir return is supposed to have been the grand cause why the Israelites made the gcJden calf, as they probably reported that Moses was lost.

Aaron and Hur are with you] Not knowing how long he might be detained on the mount, and knowing that many cases might occur which would require the interference of the chief magistrate, Moses constituted them regents of the people during the time he should be absent.

Verse 16. And the seventh Jay he called] It is very likely that Moses went up into the mount on the _first day of the week; and having with Josluia remained in the region of the cloud during six days, on the seventh, which was the Sabbath, God spake to him, and delivered successively to him, during forty days and forty nights, the ditferent statutes and ordinaaces which are afterwards mentioned.

28, 29, where he evidently refers to this place, saying, Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a conscming fire. Seeing the glory of the Lord upon the mount hke a devouring fire, Moses having tarried long, the Israelites probably supposed that he had been devoured or consumed by it, and therefore the more easily fell into idolatry. But how could they do this, with this tremendous sight of God's glory before their eyes?

Verse 18. Forty days and forty nights.] During the whole of this time he neither ate bread nor drank water; see chap, xxxiv. 28; Deut. ix. 9. Both his body and soul were so sustained by the invigorating presence of God, that he needed no earthly support, and this may be the simple reason why he took none. Elijah fasted forty days and forty nights, sustained by the same influence, I Kings xtx. 8; as did likewise our blessed Lord, when he was about to commence the public ministry of his own Gospel, Matt. iv. 2.

1. Moses, who was the mediator of the Old Covenant, is alone permitted to draw nigh to God; none of the people are suffered to come up to the Divine glory, not even Aaron, nor his sons, nor the nobles of Israel. Moses was a type of Christ, who is the mediator of the New Covenant; and he alone has access to God in behalf of the human race, as Moses had in behalf of Israel.

2. The law can inspire nothing but terror, when viewed unconnected with its sacrifices, and those sacrifices are nothing but as they refer to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who alone by the sacrifice of himself, bears away the sin of the world.

3. The blood of the victims was sprinkled both on the altar and on the people, to show that the death of Christ gave to Divine justice what it demanded, and to men what they needed. The people were sanctified by it \mto God, and God was propitiated by it unto the people. By this sacrifice the law was magnified and made honourable, so Divine justice received its due; and those who believe are justified from all guilt, and sanctified from all sin, so they receive all that they need. Thus God is well pleased, and believers eternally saved. This is a glorious economy, highly worthy of God its author.

The Lord addresses Moses out of the Divine glory, and commands him to speak unto the Israelites, that they may give him free-will offerings, 1, 2. The different kinds of offerings, gold, silver, and brass, 3. Purple, scarlet, fine \inen,and goats' hair, 4. Rams' skins, badgers' skins, {rather violet-coloured skins,) and shittim wood, 5. Oil and spices, 6. Onyx stones, and stones for the ephod and breastplate, 7. A sanctuary is to be made after the pattern of the tabernacle, 8, i. The ark and its dimensions, 10. Its crown of gold, 1 1. /firings, 12. Its staves, and their use, 13-'_. • '; ^ testimony to be laid up in the ark, 16. The mercy-seat and its dimensions, 17. The cherubiii.,, made and placed, 18-20. The mercy seat to be placed on the ark, and the testimony to be put within it, 21. The Lord promises to commune with the people from the mercy-seat, 22. The table of shew-bread, and its dimensions, 23. Its croivn and border of gold, 24, 25. Its rings, 26, 27. Staves, 28. Dishes, spoons, and hotels, 29. Its use, 30. The golden candlestick; its branches, boivls, knaps, and flowers, 31—36. Its seven lamps, 37. Tongs and snuffers, 38. The weight of the candlestick and its utensils, one talent of gold, 39. All to be made according to the pattern showed to Moses on the mount, 40.

Verse 2. That they bring me an offering] The offering here mentioned is the DDlin terumah, a kind of ftee-will offering, consisting of any thing that was necessary for the occasion. It signifies properly any thing that was lifted up, the heave-offering, because in presenting it to God it was lifted up to be laid on his altar; but see on chap. xxix. 26. God requires that they should build him a tent, suited in some sort to his dignity and eminence, because he was to act as their king, and to dwell among them; and they were to consider themselves as his subjects, and in this character to britig him presents, which was considered to be the duty of every subject appearing before his prince. See chap, xxiii. 15.

" of every man that giveth it a. m. 2513. willingly with his heart, ye shall An. Exod. isr.' 1. take my offering. Sivan.

3 And this is the offering which ye shall

Verse 3. This is the offering] There were three kinds of metals: 1. Gold, ym zahab, which may properly signify wrought gold; what was bright and resplendent, as the word implies. In Job xxviii. 15, 16, 17, 19, gold is mentioned _/?(-'« times, and /our of the words are different in the original. 1. 1i;D segob, from 1JD sagar, to shut up; gold in the mine, or shut up in its ore. 2. DHD kethem, from Dn3 catham, to sign, seal, or stamp; gold made current by being coined; standard or sterling gold, exhibiting the st.amp expressive of its value. 3. yVil zahab, ivrought gold, pure, highly polished gold; probably what was used for overlaying or gilding. 4.!i3 paz, denoting solidity, compactness, and strength; probably gold formed into different kinds of plate, as it is joined in ver. 17 of 4SS the above chapter with 'S3 keletf, vessels. The zahab, or pure gold, is here mentioned, because it was in a state that rendered it capable of being variously manufactured for the service of the sanctuary.

3. Brass, rtWnincchoshelh, copper; unless we suppose that the factitious metal commonly called brass is intended: this is formed by a combination of the oxide or ore of zinc, called lapis calaminaris, with copper. Brass seems to have been very anciently in use, as we find it mentioned Gen. iv. 22; and the preparation of copper, to transform it into this factitious metal, seems to be very pointedly referred to Job xxviii. 2: Iron is taken out of the earth, nndhrass is molten out of the stone; na'inj p1X' ps eben yatsuk nechushah, translated by the Vulgate, Lapis, solutus colore, in trs vertilur, " The stone, liquefied by heat, is turned into brass." Is it going loo far to say that the stone here may refer to the lapis calaminaris, which was used to turn the copper into brass 1 Because brass was capable of.so fine a polish as to become exceedingly bright, and keep its lustre a considerable time, hence it was used for all weapons of war and defensive armour among ancient nations; and copper seems to have been in no repute, but for its use in making brass.

Verse 1. Blue] rh^ri techeleth, generally supposed tc mean an azure or sky colour; rendered by the Septuagint voKtrOov, and by the Vulgate hyacinthum, a sky-blue or deep violet.

Purple] p.31N argaman, a very precious colour, extracted from the purpura or murex, a species of shell-fish, from which it is supposed the famous Tyrian purple came, so costly, and so much celebrated in antiquity. See this largely described, and the manner of dying it, in Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. ix., c. 60-65, edit. Bipont.

Scarlet] nj^SlH tolaatk, signifies a worm, of which this colouring matter was made; and, joined with ''W shani, which signifies to repeat or double, implies that to strike this colour the wool or cloth was twice dipped: hence the Vulgate renders the original coccum bis tinctum, " scarlet twice dyed;" and to this Horace refers, Odar., lib. ii., od. 16, v. 35: —

tt is the same colour which the.\rabs call al kcrmez, whence the French rramoisi, and the I'^nglish crimson. On this subject much may be seen in Bochart, Calmet, and Scheuchzer.

Fine linen] tS'B' shcsh; whether this means linen, cotton, or silk, is not ajn'eed on among interpreters. Because tyiff shesh signifies sit, the rabbins suppose that it always signifies the fine linen of Egypt, in which six folds constituted one thread; and that when a single fold was meant, 13 bad is the term used. See the note on Gen. xli. 42.

Goats'' hair] D'i;; izzim, goats, h\it used here elliptically for goats' hair. In different parts of Asia Minor, Syria, Cilicia, and Phrygia, the goats have long, fine, and beautiful hair, in some cases almost as fine as silk, which they shear at proper times, and manufacture into garments. From Virgil, Georg. iii., v. 305-311, we learn that goats' hair manufactured into cloth was nearly of equal value with that formed from wool.

Hae quoque non cura nobis leviore tuendte; Nee minor usus erit: quamvis Milesia magno Vellera mutentur, Tyrios incocta rubores. — Nee minus interea barbas incanaque menta Cinyphii tondent hirci, setasque comantes, Usum in castrorum, et miseris velamina nautis.

" For hairy goats of equal profit are With woolly sheep, and ask an equal care. 'Tis true the fleece when drunk with Tyrian juice Is dearly sold, but not for needful use: Meanwhile the pastor shears their hoary beards And eases of their hair the loaden herds. Their camelots, warm in tents, the soldier hold, And shield the shivering mariner from the cold."

Verse 5. Rams'' skins dyed red] D'mN"D D7'X my oroth eylim meoddamim, literally, the skins of red rams. It is a fact attested by many respectable travellers, that in the Levant sheep are often to be met with that have red or tiioW-coloured fleeces. And almost all ancient writers speak of the same thing. Homer describes the rams of Polyphemus as having a violet^ coloured fleece.

" Strong were the rams, with native purple fair. Well fed, and largest of the fleecy care." Pope.

Pliny, Aristotle, and others mention the same. And from facts of this kind it is very probable that the fable of the golden fleece had its origin. In the Zetland Isles I have seen sheep with variously coloured fleeces, some white, some black, some black and white, some of a very fine chocolate colour. Beholding those animals brought to my recollection those words of Virgil: —

Ipse sed in pratis Aries jam suave rubenti Murice, jam croceo mutabit vellera luto.

" No woo! shall in dissembled colours shine; But the luxurious father of the fold. With native purple or unborrow'd gold. Beneath his pompous fleece shall proudly sweat, And under Tyrian robes the lamb shall bleat."

Badgers' skins] D'BTin m>? oroth techashim. Fewterms have afforded greater perple.\ity to critics and commentators than this. Bochart has exhausted the subject, and seems to have proved that no kind of animal is here intended, but a colour. None of the ancient versions acknowledge an animal of any kind except the Chaldee, which seems to think the badger is intended, and from it we have borrowed our translation of the word. The Septuagint and Vulgate have skins dyed a violet colour; the Syiac, azure; the Arabic, black; the Coptic, violet; the modern Persic, ram-skins, &c. The colour contended for by Bochart is the hysginus, which is a very deep blue. So Pliny, Coccoque tinctum Tyrio tingere, lit fieret hysginum. " They dip crimson in purple to make the colour called hysginus."— Hist. Nat., lib. ix., c. 65, edit. Bipont.

Shittim loood] By some supposed to be the finest species of the cedar; by others, the acacia Nilotica, a species of thorn, solid, light, and very beautiful. This acacia is known to have been plentiful in Egypt, and it abounds in Arabia Deserta, the very place in which Moses was when he built the tabernacle; and hence it is reasonable to suppose that he built it of that wood, which was every way proper for his purpose.

Verse 6. Oil for the light] This they must have brought with them from Egypt, for they could not get any in the wilderness where there were no olives; but it is likely that this and some other directions refer more to what was to be done when in their fixed and settled residence, than while wandering in the wilderness.

Spices] To make a confection for sweet incense, abounded in different parts of these coimtries.

Verse 7. Onyx stones] We have already met with the stone called UT\'J1 shoham, Gen. ii. 12, and acknowledged the difficulty of ascertaining what is meant by it. Some think the onyx, some the sardine, and some the emerald, is meant. We cannot say precisely what it was; possibly it might have been that fine pale pebble, called the Egyptian pebble, several specimens of which now lie before me, which were brought from the coast of the Red Sea, and other parts in Egypt, by a particular friend of mine, on purpose to add to my collection of minerals.

Stones to he set in the ephod] D'nSo '::3N abney milluim, stones of filling up. Stones so cut as to be proper to be set in the gold work of the breastplate.

The n3S ephod. — It is very difficult to tell what this ■was, or in what form it was made. It was a garment of some kind peculiar to the priests, and ever considered essential to all the parts of Divine worship, for without it no person attempted to inquire of God. As the word itself comes from the root n£)X aphad. he tied or hound close, Calmet supposes that it was a kind of girdle, which, brought from behind the neck and over the shoulders, and so hanging down before, was put

8 And let them make me a '' sanctuary;

cross upon the stomach, and then carried round the waist, and thus made a girdle to the tunic. Where the ephod crossed on the breast there was a squqre ornament called [BTI choshen, the breastplate, in vvh -h twelve precious stones were set, each bearing one of the names of the twelve sons of Jacob engraven on it There were two sorts of ephods, one of plain linen for the priests, the other very much embroidered for the high priest. As there was nothing singular in this common sort, no particular description is given; but that of the high priest is described very much in detail chap, xxviii. 6-8. It was distinguished from the common ephod by being composed of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, fine twisted linen, and cunning loork, i. e., superbly ornamented and embroidered. This ephod was fastened on the shoulders with two precious stones, on which the twelve names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved, six names on each stone. These two stones, thus engraved, were different from those on the breastplate, with which they have been confounded. From Calmet's description the ephod seems to have been a series of belts, fastened to a collar, which were intended to keep the garments of the priest closely attached to his body: but there is some reason to believe that it was a sort of garment like that worn by our heralds; it covered the back, breast, and belly, and was open at the sides. A piece of the same kind of stuff with itself united it on the shoulders, where the two stones, already mentioned, were placed, and it was probably without sleeves. See on chap, xxviii. 2, &c.

Verse 8. Let them make me a sanctuary] i^npa mikdash, a holy place, such as God might dwell in; this was that part of the tabernacle that was called the most holy place, into which the high priest entered only once a year, on the great day of atonement.

That I may dwell among them.] " This," says Mr. Ainsworth, " was the main end of all; and to this all the particulars are to be referred, and by this they are to be opened. For this sanctuary, as Solomon's temple afterwards, was the place of prayer, and of the public service of God, Lev. xvii. 4-6; Matt. xxi. 13; and it signified the Church which is the habitation of God through the Spirit, 2 Cor. vi. 16; Eph. ii. 19-22; Rev. xxi. 2, 3; and was a visible sign of God's presence and protection, Lev. xxvi. II, 12; Ezek. xxxvii. 27, 28; 1 Kings vi. 12, 13; and of his leading them to his heavenly glory. For as the high priest entered into the tabernacle, and through the veil into the most holy place where God dwelt; so Christ entered into the holy of holies, and we also enter through the veil, that is to say his flesh. See the use made of this by the apostle, Heb. ix. and x. Thus the sancttiary is to be applied as a type, 1. To Christ's person, Heb. viii. 2; ix. 11, 12; John ii. 19-31. 2. To every Christian. 1 Cor. vi. 19. 3. To tha

According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.

10 " And they shall make an ark o/ shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.

1 1 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and w'ithout shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about.

Church; both particular, Heb. iii. 6; 1 Tim. iii. 15; and vniversal, Heb. x. 21; and it was because of tbe very extensive signification of this building, tliat the different things concerning this sanctuary are particularly set down by Moses, and so variously applied by the prophets and by the apostles." — See Ainsworth. As the dwelling in this tabernacle was the highest proof of God's grace and mercy towards the Israelites, so it typified Christ's dwelling by fahh in the hearts of believers, and thus giving them the highest and surest proof of their reconciliation to God, and of his love and favour to them; see Eph. i. 22, iii. 17.

Verse 9. After the pattern of the tabernacle] It has been supposed that there had been a tabernacle before that erected by Moses, though it probably did not now exist; but the tabernacle which Moses is ordered to make was to be formed exactly on the model of this ancient one, the pattern of which God showed him in the mount, ver. 40. The word p"»7"D mishcan signifies literally the dwelling or hahilation; and this was so called because it was the dwelling place of God; and the only place on the earth in which he made himself manifest. See the note on ver. 40, and on chapter xxxiii. 7-10.

Verse 10. Thei/ shall mahe an ark\ [lis aron signifies an ark, chest, coffer, or coffin. It is used particularly to designate that chest or cofl'er in which the testimony or two tables of the covenant was laid up. on the top of which was the propitiatory or mercy-scat, (see on ver. 17,) and at the end of which were the cherubim of gold, (ver. 18-20,) between whom the visible sign of the presence of the supreme God appeared as seated upon his throne. The ark was the most excellent of all the holy things which belonged to the Mosaic economy, and for its sake the tabernacle and the temple were built, chap. xxvi. 33; xl. 18, 21. It was considered as conferring a sanctity wherever it was fixed, 2 Chron. viii. 1 1; 2 Sam. vi. 12.

12 And thou shalt cast four A. M. 2513. lings of gold for it, and put them An. Exod. lar. 1. in the four corners thereof; and ^""^ two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it.

13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.

14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.

15° The staves shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.

16 And thou shalt put into the ark ^ the testimony wluch I shall give thee.

deposit the two tables of stone in, which had been written by the finger of God, we may very reasonably conjecture that the length of those tables was not less than four feet and their breadth not less than two. As to their thickness we can say nothing, as the depth of the ark was intended for other matters besides the two tables, such as Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, &c., « &c., though probably these were laid up beside, not ■ in, the ark. ^

Verse 1 1..4. crown of gold round about.] A border, or, as the Septuagint have it, nv/iaTia xP"'"^ oTpcTzra KvuXu, waves of gold wreathed round about.

Verse 15. The staves — shall not be taken from it] Because it should ever be considered as in readiness to be removed, God not having told them at what hour he should command them to strike their tents. If the staves were never to be taken out, how can it be said, as in Num. iv. 6, that when the camp should set forward, they should put in the staves thereof, which intimates that when they encamped they look out the stave.i, which appears to be contrar)' to what is here said? To reconcile these two places, it ha.s been supposed, with great show of probability, that besides the staves which passed through the rings of the ark, and by which it was carried, there were two other slaves or poles in the form of a bier or hand-barrow, on which the ark was laid in order to be transported in theii journeyings, when it and its own staves, still in their rings, had been wrapped up in the covering of what is called badgers'' skins and blue cloth. The staves of the ark itself, which might be considered as its handles simply to lift it by, were never taken out of their rings; but the staves or poles which served as a bier were taken from under it when they encamped.

■\'erse 16. The testimony] The two tables of stone, which were not yet given; these tables were called m>' eduth, from n>' forward, onward, to bear witness to or of a person or thing. Not only the tables of stone, but all the contents of the ark, Aaron's rod, the pot of manna, the holy anointing oil, &c., bore testimony to the Messiah in his prophetic, sacerdotal, and regal offices.

An. Exod.isr.i. mcrcy-seat of pure gold: two ^"^^- cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.

18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy-seat.

19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end; even " of the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.

20 And ^ the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy-seat

Verse 17. 4 mercy-seat] miJO capporeth, from 13D caphar, to cover or overspread; because by an act of pardon sins are represented as being covered, so that they no longer appear in the eye of Divine justice to displease, irritate, and call, for punishment; and the person of the ofTender is covered or protected from the stroke of the broken law. In the Greek version of the Septuagint the word D.an-rjpiov, hilasterion, is used, ■which signifies a propitiatory, and is the name used by the apostle, Heb. ix. 5. This mercy-seat or propitiatory was made of pure gold; it was properly the hd or covering of that vessel so well known by the name of the arh and ark of the covenant. On and before this, the liigh priest was to sprinkle the blood of the expiatory sacrifices on the great day of atonement: and it was in this place that God promised to meet the people, (see ver. 29;) for there he dwelt, and there was the symbol of the Divine presence. At each end of this propitiatory was a cherub, between whom this glory was manifested; hence in Scripture it is so often said that he dwelleth hetiveen the cherubim. As the word llaaTJipiov, propitiatory or mercy-seat, is applied to Christ, Rom. iii. 25, whom God hath set forth to be a PROPITIATION (JAatrri^ptov) through faith in his blood — for the remission of sins that are past; hence we learn that Christ was the true mercy-seat, the thing signified by the capporeth, to the ancient believers. And we learn farther that it was by his blood that an atonement was to be made for the sins of the ■world. And as God showed himself between the cherubim over this propitiatory or mercy-seat, so it is said, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself; 2 Cor. V. 19, &c. See on Lev. vii.

Verse 18. Thou shalt make two cherubims] What these were we cannot distinctly say. It is generally supposed that a cherub was a creature with four heads and one liody: and the animals, of which these emblematical forms consisted, were the noblest of their kinds; the lion among the wild beasts, the bull among the tame ones, the eagle among the birds, and man at the head of all; so that thej^might be, says Dr. Priest-,ev, the representatives of all nature. Concerning with their wings, and their faces A. M. 2513. shall look one to another; toward An. Exod. isr! J the mercy-seat shall the faces of ^"''^"- the cherubims be.

2 1 ' And thou shalt jDUt the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and ^ in the ark thou shah put the testimony that I shall give thee.

22 And ' there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from " between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in com mandment unto the children of Israel.

23 == Thou shalt also make a table of shittim

opinion among divines. It is probable that the term often means a figure of any kind, such as was ordinarily sculptured on stone, engraved on metal, carved on wood, or embroidered on cloth. See on chap. x.\xv. 8. It may be only necessary to add, that cherub is the singular number; cherubim, not cherubims, the plural. See what has been said on this subject in the note on Gen. iii. 24.

Verse 22. And there I loill meet with thee] That is, over the mercy-seat, betv^'een the cherubim. In this place God chose to give the most especial manifestations of himself; here the Divine glory was to be seen; and here Moses was to come in order to consnlt Jehovah, relative to the management of the people.

Ainsworth has remarked that the rabbins say, " The heart of man may be likened to God's sanctuary; for as, in the sanctuary, the shechinah or Divine glory dwelt, because there were the ark, the tables, and the cherubim; so, in the heart of man, it is meet that a place be made for the Divine Majesty to dwell in, and that it be the holy of holies." This is a doctrine most implicitly taught by the apostles; and the absolute necessity of having the heart made a habitation of God through the Spirit, is strongly and frequently insisted on through the whole of the New Testament. See the note on the follo^wing verse.

Verse 23. Thou shalt also make a table of shittim loooi] The same wood, the acacia, of which the arkstaves, &c., were made. On the subject of the ark, table of shew-bread, &c.. Dr. Cudworth, in his very learned and excellent treatise on the Lord's Supper, has the following remarks: —

"When God had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, resolving to manifest himself in a peculiar manner present among them, he thought good to dwell amongst them in a visible and external manner; and therefore, while they were in the wilderness, and sojourned in tents, he would have a tent or tabernacle built to sojourn with them also. This mystery of the tabernacle was fully understood by the learned Nachmanides, who, in few words, but pregnant, expresseth

The golden tab^e

A. M. 2513. wood: two cubils shall he the All. Exod. isr. 1. length thereof, and a cubit the ^"^""' brcadtli thereof, and a cubit and a half the hciglit tlicrcof.

24 And thou shall overlay it with pure gold, and make ihoreto a crown of gold round al)out.

25 And tiiou shall make unto it a border of a hand-breadth round about, and tliou shall make a golden crown to the border thereof round about.

26 And thou.simll make for it four rings of gold, and put the ring.s in the four corners that are on tiie four feet thereof.

27 Over against the border A. M. 2513.

shall the rings be for places.\n. Exod. Ur' 1.

slaves to bear the

himself to this purpose: ' The mystery of the tabernacle was this, that it was to be a place for the shcchinah, or habitatioQ of Divinity, to be fi.xed in;' and this, no doubt, as a special type of God's future dwelling in Christ's human nature, which was the True Shechinah: but when the Jews were come into their land, and had there built them houses, God intended to have a fixed dwelling-house also; and therefore his movable tabernacle was to be turned into a standing temple. Now the tabernacle or temple, being thus as a house for God to dwell in visibly, to make up the notioo of dw'elling or habitation complete thero must be all things suitable to a house belonging to it; hence, in the holy place, there must be a table, and a candlestick, because this was the ordinary furniture of a room, lis the fore-commended Nachmanides observes. The table must have its dishes, and spoons, and bowls, and covers belonging to it, though they were never used; and always be furnished with bread upon it. The candlestick must have its lamps continually burning. Hence also there must be a continual fire kept in this house of God upon the altar, as the Jucus of it; to which notion I conceive the Prophet Isaiah doth allude, chap, xxxi. 9: Whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem; and besides all this, to carry the notion BtiU farther, there must be some constant meat and provision brought into this house; which was done in the sacrifices that were partly consumed by fire upon God's own altar, and partly eaten by the priests, who were God's family, and therefore to be maintained by him. That which was consumed upon God's altar was accounted God's mess, as appeareth from Mai. i. 12, where the altar is called God's table, and the sacrifice upon it, God's meal: Ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible. And often, in the law, the sacrifice is called God's OnT Icchem, i. e., his bread or food. Wherefore it is farther obscrvablo, that besides the flesh of the beast offered tip in sacrifice, there was a mmchah, i. e., a meat-offering, or rather bread-offering, made of flour and oil; and a libamen or drink-offering, which was always joined with the daily sacrifice, as the bread and drink which was to go along with Goil's meat. It was also strictly commanded that there should be salt in every sacrifice and oblation, because all meat

28 And ihou shall make the staves of shitlim

wood, and overlay them with gold, thai the table may be borne witji them.

29 And thou shall make ^ the dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls li)ereof, ^ to cover witlial: of pure gold shall thou make them.

30 And thou shall set upon the table " shewbread before me alway.

is unsavoury without salt, as Nachmanides hath here also well observed; ' because it was not honourable that God's meat should be unsavoury, without salt.' Lastly, all these thmgs wore to be consumed on the altar oidy by the holy fire whichcamedown from heaven, because they were God's portion, and therefore to be eaten or consumed by himself in an extraordinary manner." See on ver. 22.

Verse 29. The dishes thereof] vm;'p kearothaiv, probably the deep bowls in which they kneaded the mass out of which they made the shew-bread.

And spoons thereof] vn33 cappothaiv, probably censers, on which they put u]) the incense; as seems pretty evident from Num. vii. 14, 20, 26, 32, 38, -14, 50, 56, 02, G8, 74, 80, 86, wdiere the same word is used, and the instrument, whatever it was, is always represented as being filled with incense.

Covers thereof] Vnicp kesothaiv, supposed to be a large cup or tankard, in which pure wine was kept on tlie table along with the shew-bread for libations, which were poured out before the Lord every Sabbath, when the old bread was removed, and the new bread laid on the table.

Bowls thereof] rn"pJ3 menakkiyothaiv, from DpJ nakah, to clear away, remove, empty, &c.; supposed by Calmet to mean, either the sieves by which the Levites cleansed tlie wheat they made into bread, (for it is asserted tliat the grain, out of which the shew-bread was made, was sowed, reaped, ground, sifted, kneaded, baked, &c.. by the Levites themselves,) or the ovens in which the bread was baked. Others suppose they were vessels which they dipped into the kesolh, to take out the wine for libations.

Verse 30. Sheiv-bread] D'J3 DH? lechem panim, literally, bread of faces; so called, either because they were placed before the presence or face of God in the sanctuary, or because they were made square, as the Jews will have it. It is proliable that they were in the form of cubes or hexacdrons, each side presenting the same appearance; and hence the Jews might suppose they were called the bread or loaves of faces: but the Hebrew text seems to intimate that they were called the bread of faces, D"33 panim, because, as the Lord says, they were set "JsS lephanai, before my face. These loaves or cakes were twelve, representing, as is

A.M. 2513. 31 ^ knA thou shall make a An. isxod. isr. 1. Candlestick of pure gold; of ^'''''"- beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, liis bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.

32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:

33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the

generally supposed, the twelve tribes of Israel. They were in two rows of six each. On the top of each row there was a golden dish with frankincense, which was burned before the Lord, as a memorial, at the end of the week, when the old loaves were removed and replaced by new ones, the priests taking the former for their domestic use.

It is more difficult to ascertain the use of these, or what they represented, than almost any other emblem in the whole Jewish economy. Many have conjectured their meaning, and I feel no disposition to increase rational than any thing else I have met with. The tabernacle was God's house, and in it ho had his table, his bread, his wine, candlestick, &c., to show them that he had taken up his dwelling among them. See the

Verse 31. A candlestick o( pure gold] This candlestick or chandelier is generally described as having one shaft or stock, with six branches proceeding from it, adorned at equal distances with six flowers like liUes, with as many bowls and knops \)\TiceA alternately. On each of the branches there was a lamp, and one on the top of the shaft which occupied the centre; thus there were seven lamps in all, ver. 37. These seven lamps were lighted every evening and extinguished every morning.

We are not so certain of the precise ybrm of any instrument or utensil of the tabernacle or temple, as we are of this, the golden table, and the two silver trumpets.

Titus, after the overthrow of Jerusalem, A. D. 70, had the golden candlestick and the golden table of the shew-bread, the silver trumpets, and the book of the law, taken out of the temple and carried in triumph to Rome; and Vespasian lodged them in the temple which he had consecrated to the goddess o{ Peace. Some plants also of the balm of Jericho are said to have been carried in the procession. At the foot of Mount Palatine there are the ruins of an arch, on which the triumph of Titus for his conquest of the Jews is represented, and on which the several monuments which were carried in the procession are sculi)tured, and particularly the golden candlestick, the tabic of the skew-

» their meanmg, and I feel no disposition to incr their number by any addition of my own. The on ver. 23, from Dr. Cudworth, appears to me i

he four bowls, made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.

35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick

36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all of it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.

37 And thou shalt make the seven lamps

bread and the two silver trumpets. A correct model of this arch, taken on the spot, now stands before me; and the spoils of the temple, the candlestick, the golden table, and the two trumpets, are represented on the panel on the left hand, in the inside of the arch, in basso-relievo. The candlestick is not so ornamented as it appears in many prints; at the same time it looks much better than it does in the engraving of this arch given by Montfaucon, Antiq. Esepliq., vol. iv., pi. 32. It is likely that on the real arch this candlestick is less in size than the original, as it scarcely measures three feet in height. See the Diarium Italicum, p. 129. To see these sacred articles given up by that God who ordered thera to be made according to a pattern exhibited by himself, gracing the triumph of a heathen emperor, and at last consecrated to an idol, aflords melancholy reflections to a pious mind. But these things had accomplished the end for which they were instituted, and were now of no farther use. The glorious personage typified by all this ancient apparatus, bad about seventy years before this made his appearance. The true light was come, and the Hohj Spirit poured out from on high; and therefore the golden candlestick, by which they were typified, was given up. The ever-during bread had been sent from heaven; and therefore the golden table, which bore its representative, the shew-bread, was now no longer needful. The joyful sound of the everlasting Gospel was then published in the world; and therefore the silver trumpets that typified this were carried into captivity, and their sound was po more to be heard. Strange providence but unutterable mercy of God! The Jews lost both the sign and the thing signified; and that very people, who destroyed the holy city, carried away the spoils of the temple, and dedicated them to the objects of their idolatry, were the first in the universe to receive the preaching of the Gospel, the light of salvation, and the bread of life! There is a sort of coincidence or association here, which is worthy of the most serious observation. The Jews had these significant emblems to lead them to, and prepare them for, the things ^ig-nificd. They trusted in the former, and rejected the latter! God therefore deprived them of both, and gave up their temple to the spoilers, their land to desoIatioD,

38 And the longs thereof, and the snuffdishes tiicrcof, shall he of pure gold.

and themselves to captivity and to the sword. The heathens then carried away the emblems of their salvation, and God shiirlly cave unto those heathens that very salvation of which tliese thinfis were the eml)lems! Thus, because of tlieir unbelief and rebellion, the kingdom of heaven, according to the prediction of our blessed Lord, was taken from the Jews, and given to a nation (the Gentiles) that brought forth the fruits thereof; Malt..\xi. 43. Behold the goodness and severity of God!

Verse 39. Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it, with all these vessels.] That is, a talent of gold in weight was used in making the candlestick, and the different vessels and instruments which belonged to it. According to Bishop Cumberland, a talent was three thousand shekels. As the Israelites brought each half a shekel, chap, xxxviii. 26, so that one hundred talents, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, were contributed by six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty persons; by halving the number of the Israelites, he finds they contributed three hundred and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels in all. Now, as we find that this number of shekels made one hundred talents, and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels over, if we subtract one thousand seven hundred and seventyfive, the odd shekels, from three hundred and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, we.shall have for a remainder three hundred thousand, the number of shekels in one hundred talents: and if this remainder be divided by one hundred, the number of talents, it quotes three thousand, the number of shekels in each talent. A silver shekel of the sanctuary, being equal, according to Dr. Prideau.x, to three shillings English, three thousand such shekels will amount to four hundred and fifty pounds sterling; and, reckoning gold to silver as fifteen to one, a talent of gold will amount to six thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds sterling: to which add iioo hundred and sixtythree pounds for the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, at three shillings each, and it makes a total of seven thousand and thirteen pounds, which immense sum was expended on the eandlestiek and Us furniture. It is no wonder, then, (if the candlestick in the second temple was equal in value to that in the ancient tabernacle,) that Titus should think it of sufficient consequence to be one of the articles, with the golden tabic, and silver trumpets, that should be employed to grace his triumph. Their intrinsic worth was a matter of no consequence to Ilim whose are the silver and gold, the earth and its fulness; they had accomplished their design, and were of no farther use, either in the kingdom of providence, or the kingdom of grace. See the note on ver. 31, and see that on chap, xxxviii. 24.

39 Of a. talent of pure gold shall A. M. 2513. he make it, with all these vessels. An. JExod. isr! i

40 And slock that thou make ^'"°-

Verse 40. And look that thou make, ^-c] This verse should be understood as an order to Moses after tlie tabernacle, &c., had been described to him; as if he had said; "When thou comest to make all the things that I have already described to thee, with the other matters of which I shall afterwards treat, see that thou make every thing according to the pattern which thou didst see in the mount." The Septuagint have it, Kara rov tv-ov rov dtdeiyfievov aoi' according to the TYPE — form or fashion, which was shown thee. It appears to me that St. Paul had this command particularly in view when he gave that to his son Timothy which ve find in the second epistle, chap. i. 13: 'YTTorvTrufffv t^^ iiytaivovTuv 7.oyuv, uv Trap' efwv jjkovoaf. " Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me." The tabernacle was a type of the Church of God; that Church is built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Jesus Christ being the chief corner-stone, Eph. ii. 20-22: the doctrines, therefore, delivered by the prophets, Jesus Christ, and his apostles, are essential to the constitution of this Church. As God, therefore, gave the plan or form according to which the tabernacle must be constructed, so he gives the doctrines according to which the Christian Church is to be modelled; and apostles, and subordinate builders, are to have and hold fast that form of sound words, and construct this heavenly building according to that form or pattern which has come through the express revelation of God.

In different parts of this work we have had occasion to remark that the heathens borrowed their best things from Divine revelation, both as it refers to what was pure in their doctrines, and significant in their religious rites. Indeed, they seem in many cases to have studied the closest imitation possible, consistent with the adaptation of.all to their preposterous and idolatrous worship. They had their I.\o or Jove, in imitation of the true JEHOVAH; and from different attributes of the Divine Nature they formed an innumerable group of gods and goddesses. They had also their temples in imitation of the temple of God; and in these they had their holy and more holy places, in imitation of the courts of the Lord's house. The heathen temples consisted of several parts or divisions: 1. The area or porch; 2. The voof or temple, similar to the nave of our churches; 3. The adytum or holy place, called 3\sa penetrate and sacrarium; and, 4. The o-ia6o6ofior or the inner temple, the most secret recesS) where they had their mystcria, and which answered to the holy of holies in the tabernacle. And as there is no evidence whatever that there was any temple among the heathens prior to the t.abernacle, it is reasonable to conclude that it served as a model for all that they afterwards built. They had even their portable temples, to imitate the tabernacle; and the shrines for Uiana, mentioned Acts xix. 24, were of this kind. They had even their arhs or sacred cnffers, where they kept their most holy things, and the mysterious emblems of their religion; together with candlesticks or lamps, to illuminate their temples, which had few windows, to imitate the golden candlestick in the Mosaic tabernacle. They had even their processions, in imitation of the carrying about of the ark in the wilderness; accompanied by such ceremonies as sufficiently show, lo an unprejudiced mind, that they borrowed them from this sacred original. Dr. Dodd has a good note on this subject, which I shall take the liberty to extract.

Speaking of the ark, he says, " We meet with imitations of this Divinely instituted emblem among several heathen nations. Thus Tacitus, De Moribus Germanorum, cap. 40, informs us that the inhabitants of the north of Germany, our Saxon ancestors, in general worshipped Herthum or Hertham, i. e. the mother earth: Hertham being plainly derived from y"i,X arets, earth, and DX am, mother: and they believed her to interpose in the affairs of men, and to visit nations: that to her, in a sacred grove in a certain island of the ocean, a vehicle covered with a vestment was consecrated, and. allowed to be touched by the priests only, (compare 2 Sam. vi. 6, 7;! Chron. xiii. 9, 10,) who perceived when the godde^; entered into her secret place, penetrale, and with pr found veneration attended her vehicle, which was drawn by cows; see 1 Sam. vi. 7—10. While the goddess was on her progress, days of rejoicing were kept in every place which she vouchsafed to visit; they engaged in no war, they handled no weapons; peace and quietness were then only known, only relished, till the same priest reconducted the goddess to her temple. Then the vehicle and vestment, and, if you can believe it, the goddess herself, were washed in a sacred lake."

Apuleius, De Aur. Asin., lib. ii., describing a solemn idolatrous procession, after the Egyptian mode, says, " A chest, or ark, was carried by another, containing their secret things, entirely concealing the mysteries of religion."

And Plutarch, in his treatise De Isidc, &c., describing the rites of Osiris, says, " On the tenth day of the month, at night, they go down to the sea; and the slolists, together with the priest, carry forth the sacred chest, in which is a small boat ox vessel of gold."

Pausanius likewise testifies, lib. vii., c. 19, that the ancient Trojans had a sacred ark, wherein was the image of Bacchus, made by Vulcan, which had been given to Dardanus by Jupiter. As the ark was deposited in the holy of holies, so the heathens had in the inmost part of their temples an adytum or penetrale, lo which none had access but the priests. And it is remarkable that, among the Mexicans, Vitzlipulzli, their supreme god, was represented under a human shape, sitting on a throne, supported by an azure globe which they called heaven; four poles or sticks came out from two sides of this globe, at the end of which serpents' heads were carved, the whole making a litter which the priests carried on their shoulders whenever the idol was shown in public. — Religious Ceremonies, vol. iii., p. 146.

Calmet remarks that the ancients used to dedicate candlesticks in the temples of their gods, bearing a great number of lamps.

Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. xxxiv, c. 3, mentions one made in the form of a tree, with lamps in the likeness of apples, which Alexander the Great consecrated in the temple of Apollo.

And Athcnccus, lib. xv., c. 19, 20, mentions one that supported three hundred and sixty-five lamps, which Dionysius the younger, king of Syracuse, dedicated in the Prytaneum at Athens. As the Egyptians, according to the testimony of Clemens Alexandrinus. Strom., lib. i., were the first who used lamps in their temples, they probably borrowed the use from the golden candlestick in the tabernacle and temple.

From the solemn and very particular charge. Look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shoioed thee in the mount, it appears plainly that God showed Moses a model of the tabernacle and all its furniture; and to receive instructions relative to this was one part of his employment while on the mount forty days with God. As God designed that this building, and all that belonged to it, should be patterns or representations of good things to come, it was indispensably necessary that Moses should receive a model and specification of the whole, according to which he might direct the different artificers in their constructing the work. 1. We may observe that the whole tabernacle and its furniture resembled a dweUing-house and its furniture. 2. That this tabernacle was the house of God, not merely for the performance of his worship, but for liis residence. 3. That God had promised to dwell among this people, and this was the habitation which he appointed for his glory. 4. That the tabernacle, as well as the temple, was a type of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. See John i. 14, and ii. 19, 21. 5. That as the glory of God vfas manifested between the cherubim, above the mercy-seat, in this tabernacle, so God was in Christ, and in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 6. As in the tabernacle were found bread, light, &c., probably all these were emblematical of the ample provision made in Christ for the direction, support, and salvation of the soul of man. Of these, and many other things in the law and the prophets, we shall know more when mortality is swallowed up of life.

The ten curtains of the talemacle, and of what composed, 1. Their length, 2, 3; their loops, 4, 5; their laches, 6. The curtains of goats' hair/or a cohering, 7; their length and breadth, 8. Coupled with loope, 9, 10, and taches, 11. The remnant of the curtains, how to be employed, 12, 13. The covering o/rama' skins, 14. The boards of the tabernacle for the south side, 15; their length, 16, tenons, 17, number, 18, societs, 19. Boards, Jfc, for the north side, m,H. Boards, Jfc, for the west side, 2^ \ for the comers, 23; their rings and sockets, 24, 25. The bars of the tabernacle, 26-30. The veil, its pillars, hooks, and taches, 31-33. How to place the mercy-seat, 3i. TAe table an(/ Me candlestick, 35. TAe hanging for the door of the tent, 36; and the hangings /or the pillars, 37.

ten curtains o/" fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with che rubims ^ of

2 The lenjjlh of one curtain shall he eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and every one of the curtains shall have one measure.

3 The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall he coupled one to another.

4 And thou shall make loops of blue, upon the edge of the one curtain, from the selvage in the coupling; and likewise shall thou make in the utlermo.sl edge of another curtain, in the coupling of tlie second.

5 Fifty loops shall thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shall thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of

Verse 1. Thou shalt make the tabernacle] pi?3 mtschan, from pr shachan, to dwell, means simply a dwelling place or habitation of any kind, but here it means the dwelling place of Jehovah, who, as a king in his camp, had his dwelling or pavilion among his people, his tabic always spread, his lamps lighted, and the priests, &c., his attendants, always in waiting. From the minute and accurate description here given, a good workman, had he the same materials, might make a perfect _/(/r simile of the ancient Jewish tabernacle. It was a movable building, and so constructed that it might be easily taken to pieces, for the greater convenience of carriage, as they wore often obliged to transport it from place to place, in their various journeyings. For the twined linen, blue, purple, and scarlet, see the notes on chap. xxv. 4, &c.

Cherubims] See the note on chap. xxv. 18.

Cunning work] SKTI choshcb probably means a sort of diaper, in which the figures appear equally perfect on both sides; this was probably formed in the loom. Another kind of curious work is mentioned, ver. 36, DpT rokcm, whicli we term needle-work; this was probably similar to our cmbrotdery, tapestry, or cloth of a 434

6 And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains toge ther with the taches; and it shall be one tabernacle.

7 And "^ thou shall make curtains of goat.'^' hair, to be a covering upon the tabernacle: eleven curtains shall thou make.

8 The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall he all of one measure.

9 And thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the tabernacle.

10 And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain which coupleth the second.

arras. It has been thought unlikely that these curious works were all manufactured in the wilderness: what was done in the loom, they might have brought with them from Egypt; what could be done by hand, without the use Af complex machiner)-, the Israelitish women could readily perform with their needles, during their stay in the wilderness. But still it seems probable that they brought even their looms with them. The whole of this account shows that not only necessary but ornamental.arts had been carried to a considerable pitch of perfection, both among the Israelites and Egyptians.

The inner curtains of the tabernacle were ten ia number, and each in length twenty-eight cubits, and four in breadth; about sixteen yards twelve inches long, and two yards twelve inches broad. The curtains were to be coupled together, five and five of a side, by fifty loops, ver. 5, and as many golden clasps, ver. 6, so that each might look like one curtain, and the whole make one entire covering, which was the first.

Verse 7. Curtains of goat.i' hair] Stuff made of goats' hair. See the note on chap. xxv. 4. This was the second covering.

Au. Exod. isr. 1. lachcs of brass, and put the "'^"' taches into the loops, and couple llie '^ tent together, that it may be one.

12 And the remnant that remaineth of the curtains of the tent, tlie half curtain that remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the tabernacle.

13 And a cubit on the one side, and a cubit on the other side, " of that which remaineth in the length of the curtains of the tent, it sliall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it.

14 And 'thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins.

1 5 And thou siialt make boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood standing up.

16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the breadth of one board.

1 7 Two s tenons shall there be in one board, set in order one against another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the tabernacle.

18 And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward.

1 9 Ajid thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards; two sockets under one board for his two tenons, and two sockets under another board for his two tenons.

20 And for the second side of the taber-

Verse 1 i. Rams'' skins dyed red] See on chap. xxv. 5. This was the third covering; and what is called the badgers'' sHns was the fourth. See the note on chap. xxv. 5. Why there should have been four coverings does not appear. They might have been designed partly for respect; and partly to keep off dust and dirt, and the extremely fine sand which in that desert rises as it were on every breeze; and partly to keep off the intense heat of the sun, which would otherwise have destroyed the poles, bars, boards, and the whole of the wood work. As to the conjecture of some that " the four coverings were intended the beUer to keep off the rain,'" it must appear unfounded to those who know that in that desert rain was rarely ever seen.

Verse 15. Thoti shalt make boards] These formed what might be called the walls of the tabernacle, and were made of shittim wood, the acacia Nilotica, which Dr. Shaw says grows here in abundance. To have worked the acacia into these hoards or planks, the Israelites must have had sawyers, joiners, &c., among them; but how they got the tools is a question. But as the Israelites were the general loorkmen of Egypt,

21 And their forty sockets of ^''''"- silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

22 And for the sides of the tabernacle westward, thou shalt make six boards.

23 And two boards shalt thou make for the comers of the tabernacle in the two sides.

24 And they shall be '* coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two comers.

25 And they shall be eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board.

26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,

27 And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.

28 And the middle bar, in the midst of the boards, shall reach from end to end.

29 And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars willi gold.

30 And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle, ' according to the fashion thereof, which was showed thee in the mount.

and were brought up to every kind of trade for tlie service of their oppressors, wo may naturally suppose that every artificer brought off some of his tools with him. For though it is not at all likely that they had any armour or defensive weapons in their power, j-et for the reason above assigned they must have had the implements which were requisite for their respective trades.

Verse 16. Ten cubits shall be the length of a board] Each of these boards or planks was about fee yards and two feet and a half long, and thirty-two inches broad; and as tliey are said to be standing up, this was the HEIGHT of the tabernacle. The length being thirty cubits, twenty boards, one cubit and a /la//" broad each, make about seventeen yards and a half, and the bheadth was about five yards.

Verse 29. Thou shalt overlay the boards with gold] It is not said how thick the gold was by which these boards, &c., were overlaid; it was no doubt done with gold plates, but these must have been very thin, else the boards, &c., must have been insupportably heavy. The gold was probably something like our gold leaf, but not brought to so great a degree of tenuity.

32 And tliou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shiltini ivood, overlaid with gold: their hooks shall br of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.

33 And thou shalt hang up the veil under the tachcs, that thou maycst bring in thither within the veil ' the ark of the testimony: