Israel, and say unto them, * When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the Lord, by thy estimation.
Verse 2. When a man shall make a singular voiv] The verse is short and obscure, and may be translated thus: A man loho shall have separated a vow, according to thy estimation, of souls unto the Lord; which may be paraphrased thus: He who shall have vowed or consecrated a soul, i. e., a living creature, whether man or beast, if he wish to redeem what he has thus vowed or consecrated, he shall ransom or redeem it according to the priest's estimation; for the priest shall judge of the properties, qualifications, and age of the person or beast, and the circumstances of the peidon who has vowed it, and shall regulate the value accordingly; and the money shall be put into his biinds for the service of the sanctuary. A vow (says Mr. Ainsworth) is a religious promise made unto the Lord, and for the most pan with prayer, and paid with ttiaiiksgiving, Num. xxi. 2, 3; Psa. Ixvi. 13, 14. Vows were either of abstinence, such as are spoken of Num. XXX., and llie vow of the Nazarite, Num. vL; or they were lo give sometliing to the Lord, as
Verse 4. Bain in due season] What in.Scriptiira
even thy estimation '' shall be fifty shekels ol silver, ' after the shekel of the sanctuary.
4 And if it be a female, then thy
sacrifices. Lev. vii. 16, or the value of persons, beasts, houses, or lands, concerning which the law is here given. A man might vow nr devote himself, his children, (ver. 5, 6,) his domestics, his cattle, his goods, &c. And in this chapter rules are laid down for the redemption of all these things. But if, after consecrating these things, he refused to redeem them, then they became the Lord's property for ever. The persons continued all their lives devoted to the service of the sanctuary; the goods were sold for the profit of the temple or the priests; the animals, if clean, were ofl"ered in sacrifice; if not proper for sacrifice, were sold, and the price devoted to sacred uses. This is a general view of the different laws relative to vows, mentioned in this chapter.
Verse 3. From twenty years old even unto sixty — fifty shekels] A man from twenty to sixty years of age, if consecrated to the Lord by a vow, might be redeemed for.^//y shckils, which, at 3s. each, amounted to 71. lOs. sterling.
old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for tho female ten shekels.
6 And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.
7 And Hit be from sixty years old, and above; if it be a male, then lliy estiuialion shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
8 But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the jjriest, and the priest shall value him; according to his abilit)' that vowed shall the priest value him.
9 And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the Lord, all that ani/ man giveth of such unto the Lord, shall be holy.
10 He ''shall not alter it, nor change it, a
the same age, vowed unto the Lord, might be redeemed for t/iirtij shekels, il. lOs. sterling, a little more than one half of the value of the man; for this obvious reason, that a woman, if employed, could not be of so much use in the service of the sanctuary as the man, and was therefore of much less value.
Verse 5. From five years old] The boy that was vowed might be redeemed for twenty shoUels, 3/. sterling; the girl, for ten.shekels, just one half, 1/. 10.S.
Verse 6. A month old] The male child, fire shekels, 15;?., thfi female, three shekels, ds. Being both in comparative infancy, they were nearly of an equal value. None were vowed under a mon^A old: the firsthorn being always considered as the Lord's property, could not be vowed, see ver. 26.
Verse 7. Sixty years old] The old man and the old woman, being nearly past labour, were nearly of an equal value; hence the one was estimated sX fifteen shekels, 2/. 5.?., the other at ««i shekels, 1/. 10^. This was about the same r.atio as that of the children, ver. 5, and for the same rea-son.
Verse 10. He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, ^Jr.] Whatever was consecrated to God by a vow, or purpose of heart, was considered from that moment as the I.,ord's property; to change which was impirtij; to teithhold it, sacrilege. Reader, bast thou ever dedicated thyself, or any part of thy property, to the service of thy Maker 7 If so, hast thou paid thy vows? Or hast thou altered thy purpose, or changed thy offering f Has he received from thy hands a had for a good? Wast thou not vowed and consecrated to God in thy baptism 1 Are his vows still upon thee? Ilast thou " renounced the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh?" Dost good for a bad, or a bad for a A. M. 25M. good: and if he shall at all An.Exod. i9r'.2L change beast for beast, then it ^''""'^ Niamand the exchange thereof shall be holy.
1 1 And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto ilic Lord, then he shall present the beast before the priest:
12 And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: * as thou valucst it, vjho art the priest, so shall it be.
13 'But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.
14 And when a man shall sanctifj- his house to be holy unto the Lord, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.
15 * And if he that sanctified it will redeemhis house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.
16 And if a man shall sanctify unto the Lord some part of a field of his possession,
thou feel thyself bound " to keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of thy life V Was not this thy baptismal covenant t And hast thou renounced it? Take heed! God is not mocked; that which thou sowest, thou shall also reap. If thou rob God of thy heart, he will deprive thee of his heaven.
Verse 13. Shall add a fifth part] This was probably intended to prevent rash vows and covetous redemptions. The priest alone was to value the thing; and to whatever his valuation was, afift^ part must be added by him who wished to redeem the consecrated thing. Thus, if the priest valued it at forty shekels, if the former owner redeemed it he was obliged to give forty-eight.
Verso 14. Shall sanctify his house] The yearly rent of which, when thus consecrated, went towards the repairs of the tabernacle, which was the house of
Verse 16. Some part of a field] Though the preceding words arc not in the text, yet it is generally allowed they should be supplied here, as it was not lawful for a man to vow his trhole estate, and thus make his family beggars, in order to enrich the Lord's sanctuary: this God would not permit. The rabbins teach that the land or field, whether good or bad, was valued at forty-eight shekels, for all the years of the jubilee, provided the field was large enough to sow a homer of barley. The T3n chomer was different from the T?" omer: the latter held about three quarts, the former, seventy-five gallons three pints; see the note on Exod. xvi. 16. Some suppose that the land was rated, not at fifty shekels for the whole of the years of the Jubilee, for this would be but about 3;. per annum '
17 If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy estimation it shall stand.
18 But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall ' reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubilee, and it shall be abated from thy estimation.
19 ''And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.
20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.
2 1 But the field, ' when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the Lord, as a field "^ devoted; " the possession thereof shall be the priest's.
22 And if a man sanctify unto the Lord a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of " his possession;
23 p Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the
but that it was rated according to its produce, fifty shekels for every homer of barley it produced.
Verse 21. As a field devoted] It is C3in cherem, a thing so devoted to God as never niore to be capable of being redeemed. See on ver. 29.
Verse 25. Shekel of the sanctuari/] A standard shekel; the standard being kept in the sanctuary to try and regulate all the weights in the land by. See Gen. XX. 16; xxiii. 15.
Verse 28. No devoted thing — shall be sold or redeemed] This is the Oin cherem, which always meant an absolute unredeemable grant to God.
Verse 29. Which shall be devoted of men] Every man who is devoted shall surely be put to death; or, as some understand it, be the Lord's property, or be employed in his service, till death. The law mentioned in these two verses has been appealed to by the enemies of Divine revelation as a proof, that under the Mosaic dispensation human sacrifices were offered to God; but this can never be conceded. Had there been such a law, it certainly would have been more explicitly revealed, and not left in the compass of a few words only, where the meaning is very difficult to be ascertained; and the words themselves differently translated by most interpreters. That there were year of the jubilee: and he shall a. m. 2514. give thine estimation in that day,.^.n. Exod. isr.'a as a holy thing unto the Lord. Abib or Nisan.
24 1 1n the year of the jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong.
25 And all thy estimation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: ' twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.
26 Only the ' firstling ' of the beasts, which should be the Lord's firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the Lord's.
27 And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, " and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.
28 ^ Notvpithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy
29 "^ None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.
persons devoted to destruction under the Mosaic dispensation, is sufficiently evident, for the whole Canaanitish nations were thus devoted by the Supreme Being himself, because the cup of their iniquity was full; but that they were not sacrificed to God, the whole history sufficiently declares. Houbigant understands the passage as speaking of these alone; and says, Non alios licebat anathemale voveri, quam Chananaos, quos jusserat Deus ad internecionem deleri. " It was not lawful to devote any persons to death but the Canaanites, whom God had commanded to be entirely extirpated." This is perfectly correct; but he might have added that it was because they were the most impure idolaters, and because the cup of their iniquity was full. These God commanded to be put to Heath; and who can doubt his right to do so, who is the Maker of man, and the Fountain of justice? But what has this to do with human sacrifices? Just nothing. No more than the execution of an ordinary criminal, or a traitor, in the common course of justice, has to do with a sacrifice to God. In the destruction of such idolaters, no religious formality whatever was observed; nor any thing that could give the transaction even tho most distant semblance of a sacrifice. In this way Jericho was commanded to be destroyed. Josh. vi. 17;
A.M. 2514. 30 And » all the tithe of An. Exod. Isr! 2. the land, whether of the seed
of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the
31 " And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tiliies, he shall add thereto the fifth part
32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever ^ passeth under
and the.\malekites, Dent. x\v. 19; 1 Sam..\v. 3: but in all these cases the people commanded to be destroyed were such sinners as God's justice did not think proper to spare longer. And has not every system of law the same power ■! And do we not concede such power to the civil magistrate, for the welfare of the state ^ God, who is the sovereign arbiter of life and death, acts here in his juridical and legislative capacity; hut these are victims to justice, not religious sacrifices.
It may be necessary just farther to note that two kinds of vows are mentioned in this chapter: — 1. The ITJ nedcr, (see on chap, vii.,) which comprehends all those things which, when once devoted, might be redeemed at a certain price, according to the valuation of the priest. 2. The Oin cherem, those things vowed to God of which there remained no power of redemption; they were most holy, i. e., so absolutely devoted to God that they could neither be changed, alienated, nor redeemed; probably because no mental reservation had been made, as in the above case may be supposed. On this ground the word was afterward applied to the most solemn and awful kind of excommunication, meaning a person so entirely devoted to the stroke of vindictive justice, as never to be capable of receiving pardon; and hence the word may be well applied in this sense to the Canaanites, the cup of whose iniquity was full, and who were consigned, without reprieve, to final extermination.
Verse.-^O. All the tithe of the land] This God claims as his own; and it is spoken of here as being 3 point perfectly settled, and concerning which there was neither doubt nor difficulty. See my view of this subject Gen. xxviii., after ver. 22, to which I do not aee the necn.s.siiy of adding any thing.
Verse 32. Whatsoever passeth under the rod] The signification of this verse is well given by the rabbins: " When a man was to give the tithe of his sheep or calves to God, he was to shut up the whole flock in one fold, in which there was one narrow door capable of letting out one at a time. The owner, about to give the tenth to the Lord, stood by the door with a lod in his hand, the end of which was dipped in vermilion or red ochre. The mothers of those Iambs or calves stood without: the door being opened, the young ones ran out to join themselves to their dams; and as they passed out the owner stood with his rod over them, and counted one, two, three, four, five, &c., | 60S
33 He shall not search whether
it be good or bad, " neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the cliange thereof shall be holy; it siiall not be redeemed.
34 '' These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel, in Mount Sinai.
and when the tenth came, he touched it with the coloured rod, by which it was distinguished to be the tithe calf, sheep, &c., and whether poor or lean, perfect or blemished, that was received as the legitimate tithe." It seems to be in reference to this custom that the Prophet Ezekiel, speaking to Israel, says: / will cause you to pass under the rod, and ivttl bring you into the bond of the covenant — you shall be once more claimed as the Lord's property, and be in all things devoted to his service, being marked or ascertained, by especial providences and manifestations of his kindness, to be his peculiar people.
Verse 34. These are the commandments] This conclusion is very similar to that at the end of the precedmg chapter. I have already supposed that this chapter should have followed the 25th, and that the 26th originally terminated the book.
Mr. Ainsworth, the whole of whose wTitings are animated with the spirit of piety, concludes this book with the following excellent remarks: —
" The tithes in Israel being thus sanctified by the commandment of God to his honour, the maintenance of his ministers, and the relief of the poor, it taught them and teaches us to honour the Lord with our substance, (Prov. iii. 9,) acknowledging him to be the author of all o\xx increase and store; (Deut. viii. 13-18; Hos. ii. 8;) to honour his ministers, and to communicate unto Ihem in all good things, (1 Tim. v. 17, 18; Gal. vi. 6,) that they who sow unto us spiritual things should reap our carnal things, (1 Cor. ix. H,) and lo give alms of such things as we have, that all things jnay be clear unto us, (Luke xi. 41,) yea, even to sell that we have, and give alms; to provide ourselves bags that wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that failcth not, Luke.xii. 33." They who forget their Maker, his ministers, and the poor, are never likely to hear that blessed word in the great day: " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you; for I was hungry, and ye gave me meal; thirsty, and ye gave me drink; naked, and ye clothed me; sick and in prison, and ye came unto me."
Reader, thou hast now gone through the whole of this most interesting book; a book whose subject is too little regarded by Christians in general. Here thou mayest discover the rigid requisilions of Divine justice, the sinfulness of sin, the exceeding breadth of the commandment, and the end of all human porfeo- tion. And now what thinkest thou of that word, "Whatsoever the law saith, it saith to them wlio are under the law?" Rom. iii. 19. But who are under the law — the condemning power of the pure, rigid, moral law of God! Not the Jews only, but every soul of man: all to whom it is sent, and who acknowledge it as a Divine revelation, and have not been redeemed from the guilt of sin by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; for " cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them." By this law then is the knowledge, but not the cure, of sin. Hear then what God saith unto thee: " If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what farther need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron 1 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law; Heb. vii. 11, 12. Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man; ibid, viii. 1, 2. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins; ibid. x. 4. But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, — neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament, that, by means of death, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. And without shedding of blood is no remission. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation;" Heb. ix. 11, 12, 15, 22,28. We see then that Christ was the end of the law for righleousness (for justification) to every one that believeth. " Unto him, therefore, who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and donMnion for ever and ever. Amen." Rev. i. 5, 6.
SECTIONS in the Book of Leviticus, carried on from Exodus, which ends with the twentythird.
These sections, as was observed on Exodus, have their technical names from some remarkable word, either in the first or second verse of their commencement.
The number of verses in vaiyikra, i. e., Leviticus, is 859. The symbol of which is '\'ai. f| pe final stands for 800,: 7mn for 50, and Q teth for 9.
Its pareshioth, or larger sections, are 10, the memorial symbol of which is taken from Gen. xxx. 1 1; "1 j S<3 ba gad, a troop cometh: in which 3 beth stands for 2, N aleph for 1, J gimel for 3, and T daleth for 4.
Its sedarim, or Masoretic sections, are 23. The symbol of which is taken from Psa. i, 2, njiT yehgeh: In thy law shall he meditate day and night.
Its pcrakim, or modern chapters, are 27. The memorial sign of which is n'nxi veeyeheh. Gen. xxvi. 3; And I WILL be with thee, and will bless thee.
The number of its open divisions is 52; of its close divisions, 46: total 98. The memorial sign of which is ns tsach. Cant. v. 10; My beloved is white and ruddy. In this word i" tsaddi stands for 90, and n cheth for 8.
T^HIS, which is the fourth book in order of the Pentateuch, has been called Numbers, Irom its containing an account of the numbering and 7narshaUing the Israelites in ther journey through the wilderness to the pronnised land. Its English name is derived from the title it bears in the Vulgate Latin, Numeri, which is a literal translation of the Greek word kpt^fioi. Its title in liie Septuagint; and from both, our Saxon ancestors called it irecei, numeration, " because in this the children of Israel were numbered," pop pam j>e iriiaheia beajm paepon on pjejie xeceaibe. This title, however, does not properly apply to more than the three first chapters, and the 26th. This book, like the preceding, takes its name among the Hebrews from a distinguishing word in the commencement. It is frequently called i3Ti Vaidabber, and he spoke, from its initial word; but in most Hebrew Bibles its running title is 13T33 Bemidbar, tn the wilderness, which is the Jifth word in \h.t first verse.
The contents of the book of Numbers are briefly the following: On the first day of the first month of the second year after the departure from Egypt, the tabernacle being erected, and it and the priests consecrated, Moses is commanded to make a census or enumeration of the people, the Lovites excepted, who were appointed to watch over, guard, pitch, and carry the tabernacle and its holy furniture; chap. i.
To form the vast mass of the people into a regular camp, each tribe by itself mider its own captain or chief, known by his proper standard, and occupying an assigned place in reference to the tabernacle; chap. ii.
Moses is commanded to separate the Levites to the service of the tabernacle, whom God chooses to take, instead of the first-born of every family, which he claimed as his own. When these were selected in their families, &c., the sum amounted to 22,273; chap. iii.
All this tribe is appointed to serve the tabernacle in a variety of offices, each person from the age of thirty till fifty, after which he was excused from farther ser\'ice; chap. iv.
When these points were settled, God commands them to purify the camp by the expulsion of every unclean person, and establishes the trial of the suspected adulteress by the waters of jealousy; chap. v.
He next institutes the laws relative to Nazarites; and lays down the form according to which the people shall be blessed; chap. vi.
Then follows a particular account of the offerings made to the tabernacle by the princes, or chiefs of the twelve tribes, and the amount of those offerings; chap. vii.
When this work was finished, the Levites were consecrated to their respective services ind the duration of the service of each ascertained; chap. viii.
The passovcr is commanded to be kept, and the first one is celebrated in the wilderness on the 14 th of the first month of the second year after their departure from Egypt chap. ix.
Moses is commanded to make two silver trumpets; he is informed of their use, in what order the different tribes shall march, with the ceremonies at fixing and removing the tabernacle and the departure of the people from the wilderness of Sinai on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year of their exodus from Egypt; chap. x.
The people murmuring, the fire of the Lord consumes many of them; it ceases on the intercession of Moses: they murmur again, quails are sent, and they are smitten with a great plague; chap. xi.
Miriam and her brother Aaron rise up seditiously against Moses, having conceived some dislike against his Cushite wife, and supposing that he assumed too great an authority over the people: at this sedition the Lord is displeased, and smites Miriam with the leprosy; chap. xii.
Twelve spies are sent to examine the promised land; they pass through the whole, return at the end of forty days, and by bringing an evil report, dishearten the people; chap. xiii.
In consequence of this the whole congregation meditate a return to Egypt: God is displeased, and pronounces that all of them, from twenty years old and upwards, shall die in the wilderness. They repent, attack the Amalekites contrary to the commandment of God, and are discomfited; chap. xiv.
A number of ordinances and directions are given relative to the manner of conducting the worship of God in the promised land: different laws are repeated, and a Sabbath-breakei stoned to death; chap. xv.
Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their associates, form an insurrection against Moses: they are swallowed up by an earthquake; the congregation murmur, and 14,700 of them are cut oflF; chap. xvi.
As a proof that God had called Aaron and his family to the priesthood, his rod, or staff, buds, and miraculously brings forth blossoms and fi-uit, and is commanded to be laid up before the testimony; chap. xvii.
The charges of the priests and Levites, and the portions they were to have of the Lord's offerings, for their support in the work; chap, xviii.
The ordinances of the red heifer; the ivater of purification, and its uses; chap. xix.
The death of Miriam; the waters of Meribah. The Lord tells Moses that, because he did not sanctify him in the eyes of the congregation, he shall not bring the people into the promised land. The king of Edom refuses the Israelites a passage through his territories. Aaron is stripped of his sacerdotal vestments on Mount Hor, and they are put on Eleazar, his son, who is to be a high priest in his stead. Aaron dies, and the people mourn for him thirty days; chap. xx.
Arad, one of the Canaanitish kings, attacks Israel, and he and his people are utterly destroyed. The people murmur for lack of bread and water; fieri/ serpents are sent among them, they repent; are healed by looking at a brazen serpent. They journey and come to Beer, where they find water; Sihon, king of the Amorites, attacks them, and is defeated; so is likewise Og, king of Bashan, and the people possess the lands of both; chap. xxi.
Balak, king of Moab, sends J"or Balaam to curse Israel; he departs, is opposed by an angel, and reproved by his ass, whom God, for the purpose, miraculously endued with the gift of speech. He comes to Balak, king of Moab, and shows him that Jehovah had hmited his power; chap. xxii.
Balak offers sacrifices, and Balaam, under the influence of God, prophesies good concerning Israel; chap, xxiii.
Continuing to foretell the prosperity of Israel, and the destruction of their enemies, the king of Moab dismisses Balaam in great wrath; chap. xxiv.
The Israelites, seduced by the women of Moab and Midian, commit fornication and idolatry: the chiefs are hanged — bold act of Phinehas; chap. xxv.
A second census or enumeration of the people takes place, and the amount is 601,730, among whom not one of those of the first census was now found except Joshua and Caleb; chap. xxvi.
From the case of the daughters of Zelophehad a law is made to enable daughters to inhe rit. Moses ascends Mount Abarim, sees the promised land, and constitutes Joshua his sur ces»or; chap..xxviL
A repetition of tlic laws relative to hurnt-nffcrings, the Sabbath, the passover, first-fruits, &c.; chap, xxviii
The three solemnities of the seventh month are commanded to be held on \\\t first, tenth, and fourteenth days of the month; chap. xxix.
Several laws and ordinances concerning vows of different kinds, made by various persons; when they should be confirmed, and in what cases annulled; chap. xxx.
']\vclvo thousand Israelites go against the people of Midian and slay them, their five kings, and Balaam their prophet; and the Israelites take immense booty in persons, cattle, gold, silver, and precious stones, of whicli they make a great offering to the Lord, because in this contest they lost not one man; chap. xxxi.
Tiie children of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, request to receive for their inheritance the territories of Sihon and Og on the east side of Jordan; their desire is granted on the condition of their going over armed with their brethren, to assist them in conquering the land; chap, xxxii.
A circumstantial account of the forty-two journeys of the Israelites from their departure from Ramcses till their arrival at Jordan. They are commanded to expel all the ancient inhabitants; chap, xxxiii.
The borders of the land are described, and the persons appointed by God, who should assist Joshua in dividing the land among the nine tribes and half; chap, xxxiv.
Forty-eight cities are to be assigned to the Levites, out of the twelve tribes, for their goods and for their cattle: and out of these they were to appoint six cities of refuge for the person who had unawares slain his neighbour; to one of which cities the manslayer was to escape, and tarry there till the death of the high priest; chap. xxxv.
A law established that the daughters to whom the paternal inheritance descends, shall not marry out of their own tribes, lest their inheritances should become alienated and lost by being blended with those of other tribes; chap, xxxvi. See the case of Zelophehad's daughters, chap, xxvii.
In this))ook, which comprehends the history of between thirty-eight and thirty-nine years, we have in one word a distinct account of the several stages of the Israelites' journey in the wilderness, the various occurrences on the way, their trials, rebellions, punishments, deliverances, conquests, &c., with several laws and ordinances not mentioned in the preceding books, together with a repetition and explanation of some others which had been previously delivered; the whole forming a most interesting history of the justice, mercy, and provi dence of God.
On the first day of the second month of the second year after Israel came out of Egypt, God commands Moses to number all the males of the people from twenty years and upward, who were effective men and able to go to war, 1-3. A chief of each tribe is associated with AToses and Aaron in this business, 4; the names of whom are given, 5—16. Moses assembles the people, who declare their pedigrees according to their families, 17-19. The descendants o/ Reuben are numbered, and amount to 46,500, ver. 20, 21. Those of Simeon, 59,300, ver. 22, 23. Those of Gad, 45,650, tw. 24,25. Those o/Judah, 74,600, ver. 26, 27. Those o/IssACHAR, 54,400, wr. 28, 29. TAoie o/Zebulun, 57,400, uer. 30, 31, TAoic o/Ephraim, 40,500, ver. 32, 33. Those of Manasseh, 32,200, ver. 34, 35. Those of Benjamin, 35,400, ver. 36, 37. ThoseofDAN, 62,700, rer. 38, 39. Those of Asher, il, 500, ver. 40,41. TAose c/Napktali, 53,400, ver. 42, 43. The amount of all the effective?nen in Israel, from twenty years old and upward, was 603,550, ver. 44-46. The Levites are not nmnbered with the tribes, because they were dedicated to the service of God. Their particular work is specified, 47-54.
Moses * in the wilderness of Sinai, '' in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the iirst day of the
second month, in the second year after they
were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2 "^ Take ye the sum of all the congregation
Verse 1. The Lord spake unto Moses — on the first day of the second month] As llie tabernacle was erected upon the first day of the first month, in the second year after their coming out of Egypt, Exod. xl. 17; and this muster of the people was made on the first day of the second month, in the same year; it is evident that the transactions related in the preceding book must all have taken place in the space of one month, and during the time the Israelites were encamped at Mount Sinai, before they had begun their journey to the promised land.
Verse 2. Take ye the sum, dj-c] God, having established the commonwealth of Israel by just and equitable laws, ordained every thing relative to the due performance of his own worship, erected his tabernacle, which was his throne, and the place of his residence among the people, and consecrated his priests who were to minister before him; he now orders his sub-