Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation; and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest. 29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers; d 30 From thirty years old dens, and in all their service. Rather, and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. 31 And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation: the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof, 32 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their ser e c. 3. 36, 37. f Ex. 26. 15. g Ex. 25. 9. "as to all their burdens, and as to all The Mustering and the Charge of the their service." Gr. According to all their ministrations, and according to | | Merarites. V. 29. Thou shalt number. Heb. tiph Heb. all their works.". -¶ And ye shall | kod, thou shalt muster. "Thou shalt apappoint unto them in charge all their point."-Cov. Mat. See Note on v. 37. burdens. Heb. pekadtem, the same V. 30. From thirty years old and upword which is elsewhere rendered num- ward. Gr. "Twenty-five years;" on ber, and which we have for the most which see Note on v. 3. -T Every one part rendered muster, denoting not so that entereth into the service. strictly enumeration as arrangement, "Every one that entereth into the warmarshalling, etc. See Note on ch. 1:3. fare." See Notes on vs. 3, 23. The Gr. “Thou shalt take account of them original here is precisely the same with (Gr. episkepse) by name in all their that in v. 3, and which is there rendered works," as in v. 32. The original ren- "all that enter into the host," in which dered "in charge” (bemishmereth) de- appears a striking instance of that want notes literally in or with observation, of uniformity which is so conspicuous and may be understood of the care, dil- throughout our common version. igence, and exactitude with which the appointments of Aaron and his sons were to be carried out relative to the Gershonites and their functions. | V. 31. The boards of the tabernacle, etc. Of the various articles mentioned here and in v. 32, see a particular account in Ex. 26, throughout. The V. 28. This is the service. Gr. leitour-charge of this family was evidently the gia, liturgy. -T And their charge. Or, their observation, their custody.¶ Under the hand. That is, under the government and direction. So in v. 33. most cumbersome of any, and therefore they were accommodated with wagons for the purpose, ch. 7 : 8. V. 32. And by name ye shall reckon the instruments. Heb. beshëmoth, by names. Chald. "By their names.' "By name ye shall reckon the things that they must wait upon to bear. Mat. "All the vessels and implements they shall receive by account, and so shall carry them."- Vulg. As the sockets, pillars, pins, cords, etc. pertaining to the Tabernacle were very numerous, and many of them small, they were liable to get misplaced, neglected, or lost, and therefore it was commanded that an inventory should be made out of all these particulars, as a security against the risks to which they would naturally be subject. ¶ Shall reckon. Heb. tiphkedu, shall muster. It is important to keep before the eye of the reader the peculiar use of this word. The Number of the Kohathites. V. 33. This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari. That is, in taking down and carrying the tabernacle, which was done under the superintendence of Ithamar, who had the oversight both of the Gershonites and Merarites, as Eleazar had of the Kohathites, vs. 16, 28. V. 34. And Moses and Aaron numbered. Heb. yiphkod, mustered; leol כל הבא לצבא .Heb V. 35. Every one that entereth into the service. habbâ letzâbâ, every one that entereth this warfare. Gr. leitourgein, to liturgize. See Note on vs. 3, 30. V. 36. And those that were numbered of them were, etc. Heb. va-yihyu pekudëhem, and these were of the mustered ones of them, that is, these were made to be, or found to be, according to the explanation given in the Note on ch. 3:43. The process denoted by the term pâkad, which we have rendered by muster, seems first to have been accomplished, and then their number subsequently ascertained. It does not appear that the above word in itself denotes both processes. T Two thousand seven hundred and fifty. By comparing this with ch. 3:28, it appears that out of 8600, the total number of the Kohathites, there were only about a fourth part fit and able for service. V. 37. These (were) they that were numbered, etc. It will be observed that while the verb "were" is inserted in the preceding verse it is omitted here, which goes to confirm our suggestion, that its import in certain connections is not simply to be, but to be made, or to numbered of the families of the | and Aaron did number, accordKohathites, all that might do ing to the commandmeut of the service in the tabernacle of the LORD. congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number, according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, 39 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 40 Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. be made out to be, as the result of some previous process. The act indicated by the term pâkad seems to be, to ascertain by inspection or visitation what individuals were fit and competent to perform certain offices. This is the idea we attach to the word muster. The actual enumeration of these individuals, though accompanying the muster, was not identical with it. A similar phraseology occurs in vs. 38–40. The Number of the Gershonites. V. 40. Two thousand six hundred and thirty. From ch. 3: 22, it appears that the total of the Gershonites was 7500. Of these a little more than one third were fit to serve in the Tabernacle. | 42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, 43 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 44 Even those that were numbered of them, after their families, were three thousand and two hundred. 45 These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, according to the word of the LORD' by the hand of Moses. 46 All those that were numbered of the Levites, from Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their fam ilies, and after the house of their | sand and five hundred and fourfathers, m 47 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every" one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, 48 Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thou m ver. 3. 23, 30. 1 Chr. 23. 3, 27. 6-8. 1 Cor. 12. 4-31. n Rom. 12. | score. 49 According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses. o ver. 15, 24. 31. ver. 1. 21. were strong men, between the ages of thirty and fifty. This we may regard as the result of a special ordering of the divine Providence. V. 47. Every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden. Heb. laabod abodath abodah, to serve the service of the service, i. e. the most laborious service, even that of the burden. The service is here probably to be distinguished from the burdens according to the explanation given in the Note on v. 19. Gr. "Every one that goes in to the service (ergon, work) of the works, and the charge of the things that are carried in the tabernacle of witness." Thus, out of the whole number of the Levites, amounting to 22,300, only 8,580 were fit for service, leaving 13,720 unfit, either from being too old or too young, or otherwise disqualified. “Of the many that add to the numbers of the church, there are comparatively but few that contribute to the service of it. | So it has been, and so it is; many have a place in the tabernacle that do but little of the work of the tabernacle." Henry. The family of Merari, though numerically smaller than either of the other families of Levi, had yet a greater number of able men than either of them; for out of 6200 males of a month old and upwards, we find 3200 who were neither too young nor too old for the service of the sanctuary; which was more than one half the whole number. In this the divine wisdom conspicuous-numbered by the hand of Moses, etc. ly appears; for the Merarites were Heb. "He mustered them by the hand charged with the heaviest part of the of Moses, every one according to his burdens, such as the boards, bars, sock-service and according to his burden." ets, etc.; and though wagons were afterwards provided for them, yet their duties in loading and unloading would be peculiarly onerous. It was requisite, therefore, that those charged with this responsibility should be adapted to it both in numbers and strength. In most cases, in any given number of families, the young and the aged exceed those in middle life; but here it is otherwise, as more than half the Merarites V. 49. According to the commandment. Heb. al pi, at or upon the mouth. Gr. "By the voice.". -¶ They were "He mustered" (i. e. one mustered) is an impersonal form of expression equivalent to "they were mustered," as rendered in our version; but it is always desirable to exhibit the exact literal sense of a passage. From the tenor of the verse it is still farther apparent that the import of "muster" in this connection, is not precisely to "number," but to arrange, order, and marshal, in reference to the discharge of certain functions. CHAPTER V. camp every leper ", and every AND the LORD spake unto Mo-one that hath an issue, and ses, saying, 2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the CHAPTER V. The Removal of the Unclean from the Camp. V. 2. Command the children of Israel, etc. The camp of Israel having been now arranged according to the divine program, with the sanctuary in the centre, as the palace of "the Great King," orders are given with a view to preserve its sanctity inviolate. According to laws enacted on these subjects at different times, lepers and persons otherwise unclean were to be excluded from the camp. For this exclusion the following reasons may be cited. (1.) Physical; the diseases were contagious, and therefore there was a necessity for putting those afflicted with them apart, that the infection might not be communicated. (2.) Spiritual; the camp was the habitation of God, a being of infinite purity, and therefore in honor of him who had thus condescended to dwell with them, nothing impure should be permitted to remain. (3.) Typical; the camp was the emblem of the church, where nothing that is defiled should enter, and in which nothing that is unholy should be tolerated. Comp. ch. 12:14. Lev. 13:46. Deut. 24:8, 9. 2 Kings 7:3. That Moses was to command the children of Israel to do this shows the weightiness of the matter in the divine estimation; and it is very natural to infer that so stringent a law in regard to external or natural purity would tend to produce a more careful study of internal or moral purity, the one being emblematical of the other, and therefore by association of ideas in whosoever is defiled by the dead. C a Lev. 13. 3, 46. c. 12. 14. Deut. 24. 8, 9. b Lev. 15. 2. e Lev. 21. 1. c. 9. 6, 10. 19. 11-13 31. 19. ¶ Every timately connected with it. |