born of other tribes, and substituted in their stead, as other Levites were. We know of no more probable solution than this, and yet it is not quite satisfactory, for why should the first-born be enumerated in the census of the several families and yet not counted in the aggregate sum? And why did God order all the males to be numbered, without at the same time making express exception of the first-born? Again, it is thought scarcely credible that out of 22,000 Levites there should have been no more than 300 first-born. But to this it is suggested that those only were reputed the first-born in this and the other tribes who were born subsequent to the slaughter of the Egyptian firstborn, as it was from this date that the Lord claimed them as his own; and on this supposition 300 may have been but a fair proportion. But after every explanation the point must be left in some degree of uncertainty. Happily, it is not one of any great importance.-It is worthy of notice, that the Levites were the fewest in number of any of the tribes, being but 22,000, whereas the least of the others had 32,600, and the greatest 74,400; and to make the disparity still more striking, out of these 22,000 there were but 8,580 that were fit for service in the sanctuary (ch. 4: 47, 48.) We may safely admit a providential ordering in this, for if this tribe had increased proportionally to the rest, there would have been more Levites by far than the first-born of all the tribes. Michaelis and Palfrey, in their peculiar mode of commenting on the Laws of Moses would make more of the following suggestion than we are inclined to attribute to it. "The sacred authority was a balance in the commonwealth, which must not be suffered to become a preponderating weight. It furnished great advantages for political usurpation, if other circumstances should fa vor. Accordingly, it was most safely committed to that division of the people, which was much the least formidable through its numerical force.' (Palf. Lect., Vol. I. p. 323.) We recognize the leading drift of all these institutes as spiritual, and not political. We may here recapitulate, in brief compass, the principal items pertaining to the Levites. 1. Numbers. Gershonites, 7500. 2. Position when encamped. Gershonites, behind westward,v. 23. 3. Charges. Gershonites; the tent, coverings, veil, hanging of the court, etc. Kohathites; the ark, table, altar. and instruments of the sanctuary, Merarites; the boards, bars, pillars, sockets, etc. 4. Special Prerogatives of Kohath. 1. Excelled in the multitude of families, or chief fathers, having four, whereas each of his brethren had but two. 2. Excelled in multitude of children, having 8600, that is, 1100 more than his elder brother Gershon, and 2400 more than Merari. 3. Of him came Moses, "king in Jeshurun," Aaron the priest, and Miriam the prophetess. Thus all the priests were of this family. Ex. 6:18, 20. Num. 26: 58, 59. 4. His families had the chief place about the sanctuary, to wit, the south quarter, next to Moses, Aaron, and the priests. ch. 3:29. 5. They had charge of the most holy altar of incense, etc. The Numbering of the First-born of Israel and the Substitution of the Levites. V. 40. Number all the first-born, etc. | Heb. pekōd, muster. If the idea is precisely that of numbering, it is not easy to see why it should be said in the next clause, "Take the number (mispar) of their names." This goes strongly to confirm our previous suggestion on the subject. The object of this enumeration was that their number and that of the Levites might be compared, so that the proper adjustment might be made between them. -¶ From a month old | and upward. This period is designated, because the first-born males were to be a month old before their parents were bound to redeem them: if they died before, they were not to pay any thing for them. the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel. 42 And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the first-born among the children of Israel. 43 And all the first-born for me. Heb. li, to or unto me. Chald. "Thou shalt bring near the Levites before me." The expression in a previous passage, v. 12, “I have taken the Levites," denotes rather the divine purpose of taking, which was then communicated to Moses, whereas the language in this connection conveys a command to Moses to declare this purpose to the people, and to have it executed by actually making the exchange. -T And the cattle of the Levites, etc. This does not imply that the cattle were actually to be sacrificed, or taken away from the Levites, but simply that they should be accounted as the Lord's cattle. They were to be considered as alienated, though still left on the hands of their former owners. This is a very proper light in fact in which to view all our worldly possessions; as really belonging to the Lord, but left in trust with us. V. 42. And Moses numbered—all the first-born, etc. Heb. yiphkōd, mustered; on which see above. It will be observed that it is not said that he numbered either the cattle, or the firstlings of the cattle, of the Levites, inasmuch as the exchange was not made by precisely substituting one for one, but was made in the gross, by taking all the cattle of the Levites for all the firstlings of the Israelites' cattle. V. 43. And all the first-born males by V. 41. And thou shalt take the Levites | the number of names, etc. The phrase males, by the number of names, of the Levites instead of their from a month old and upward, cattle; and the Levites shall be of those that were numbered of mine: I am the LORD. them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen. 46 And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen 44 And the LORD spake unto of the first-born of the children Moses, saying, of Israel, which are more than the Levites; 45 Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel, and the cattle a k ver. 41. 47 Thou shalt even take five" / Ex. 13. 13. c. 18. 15. m ver. 39-43. n Lev. 27.6. c. 18. 16. The Redemption of the Supernumeraries. ology of the original is here again pecu- founded, although even in that case liar from the use of the substantive verb other considerations are not precluded; to bẻ (¶¶¶ va-yehi, was (were) which, as as (1.) there may have been an unusuin v. 17 implies more than simply the ally large proportion of female firstfact of existence, namely, the making out born, which of course are not reckoned. to be, the ascertaining, or determining, | (2.) It is probable that those only come for it is very seldom indeed that this into the count who were born subsequent verb is employed in the specification of to the slaughter of the Egyptian firstnumbers. The phrase "by the num- born, which occurred a few months ber of names we suppose to refer to previously, and not those who were a list or census previously made, and as born before; for thus reads the law, the subsequent term "numbered " is in Ex. 13:2, "Whatsoever openeth the the original a different word (womb (i. e. hereafter) both of man and liphkedëhem, according to their mustered beast shall be mine.' ones), the distinction between numbering and mustering, so completely lost sight of in our English version, is still, we think, designed to be kept up.¶ Twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen. no doubt a circumstance well calculated to excite surprise, that out of a body of upwards of 600,000 men, reckoning from twenty years old and upward, there should not have been more than this number of first-born sons. Accordingly, various solutions have been proposed to account for the fact. Ainsworth and others recognize in it a special providence, designed to bring the first-born of Israel at large and the first-born of the Levites more upon a par in point of numbers. This is a pious suggestion which may be well It is V. 45. Take the Levites, etc. That is, he was to take the two and twenty thousand Levites above mentioned instead of so many first-born. As for the cattle, they were not numbered as before remarked, but exchanged in the lump. T And the Levites shall be mine. Chald. “And the Levites shall minister before me.' V. 46. And for those that are to be redeemed. Heb. lit. "And the redeemed." But the participle in the Heb. has often the force of the future. Gr. "And the redemptions (or ransoms.") And so afterwards, vs. 48, 49, 51. V. 47. Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece. Heb. "Thou shalt take five, T The it burdensome."-Palfrey. V. 48. And thou shalt give the money. Heb. keseph, the silver. This was but reasonable, inasmuch as the Levites being given to Aaron and his sons by the Lord (vs. 6, 7), the money that was paid to make up what was lacking in their proportion to the first-born of right belonged to them. -T Wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed. Heb. "(The money) of the redeemed of the supernumeraries among them. Gr. "The redemptions (or ransoms) of those that are over.” five shekels." ¶ By the poll. Heb. legulgoleth, by the head (lit. the skull.) Gr. kata kephalën, by the head. This sum of five shekels became ever after the fixed price of redemption, as ap- | barley-grains, while the shekel weighed pears from ch. 18:16. This amount 320 grains. Concerning the shekel, see had recently (Lev. 27:6) been appoint- Note on Gen. 20:16. ed as the valuation of a man-child from a month to five years old. As this was the least of the valuations, it showed that the Most High would burden his people as little as possible with the impositions he saw fit to lay npon them. The arrangement now ordained furnished the precedent of a permanent tax, intended to be laid on the first-born in after times, as one of the perquisites of the priesthood. "In the first instance it could not have been onerous, the number of supernumeraries, on whom it was assessed, being so small, and the whole amount being probably levied on all the first-born, since one had no better right than another to consider himself redeemed by the substitution of a Levite in his place. Once established, the tax would be one likely to be cheerfully paid, both on account of the interesting associations belonging to its original institution, and the happy circumstances under which a parent would be called on to pay it for his heir. On the one hand, it would furnish a perpetual revenue to the priesthood, considerable in amount; while on the other it would come from those whose domestic expenses were not yet such as to render | V. 49. Of them that were over and above, etc. Heb. hi-odephim, that exceeded. The original word is the same that occurs in the preceding verses where the overplus of first-born is mentioned. In these different verses it is variously rendered by "more than," "odd number," and "them that were over and above." The root âdaph, signifies to be superabundant or superfluous, to exceed. In the process of redemption the first-born were redeemed as far as their number would reach; the rest, forming the excess over the Levites, were redeemed by money. V. 50. Of the first-born. Heb. bekor, in the singular, whereas the Gr. ren ders plurally παρα των πρωτοτόκων, from the first-born (sons), as implying all. As to the precise manner in which this affair of the redemption of the first-born was conducted, it is not possible to speak with certainty. Some of the Jewish writers say it was done by lot, so many scrolls having inscribed on them "A son of Levi," and so many, "Five shekels;" but the assertion rests probably upon conjecture or tradition, and cannot have authority with us at the present day. Still such may have been the method. -TA thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels. Two hundred and seventy-three, which was the surplus number to be redeemed, multiplied by five gives just this total. The re V. 51. The money of them that were redeemed. Gr. "The silver, the redemptions (or ransoms) of them that were superfluous (or over and above.") This was given to Aaron, because the Levites were given to him, v. 9, and when the requisite number of persons fell short, the deficiency was supplied by this redemption money. deeming men in this manner by silver foreshadowed a better redemption by Christ, the Lord, and is probably referred to by the apostle Peter when he says (1 Pet. 1:18, 19), "Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, etc., but with the precious blood of Christ." -¶According to the word of the Lord. Heb. According to the mouth of the Lord." Gr. "By the voice of the Lord." The Duties of the respective Levitical Families in Connection with the Tabernacle. V. 2. Take the sum, etc. Heb. nâso eth rosh, take the head. See Note on ch. 1: 2. Chald. "Receive the count (or reckoning) of the sons of Kohath;" whose families stand foremost here, because they carried the holiest things. Of Kohath's pre-eminence, see Note on ch. 3:28. Though Gershon was the eldest, yet Kohath has the precedence by reason of the sanctity of his function.- ¶ After their families, by the house of their fathers. See Note on ch. 1:2. V. 3. From thirty years old and upward, even until fifty years old. Heb. "From the son of thirty years to the son of fifty years ; son of fifty years;" of which phrase see Note on Gen. 5:32. All the commentators here advert to an apparent discrepancy between this passage and ch. 8:24, where five-and-twenty is the age specified, and 1 Chron. 23: 24. 2 Chron. 31:17. Ezra 3: 8, where twenty is designated as the age at which these services were to commence. with a view apparently to conciliate this passage with ch. 8:24, reads twenty-five instead of thirty, while Le Clerc supposes that twenty-five in the latter place to be a wrong reading for thirty. But the intimation of error in the manuscript is merely conjectural. The Jewish writers, for the most part, in order The Greek, |