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PREFACE TO NUMBERS.

Continuing to foretel 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 Phineas; 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 inherit. Moses ascends Mount Abarim, sees the promised land, and constitutes Joshua his successor; chap. xxvii.

A repetition of the laws relative to burnt-offerings, the sabbath, the passover, first-fruits, &c.; chap. xxviii.

The three solemnities of the seventh month are commanded to be held on the 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.

Twelve 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 which they make a great offering to the Lord, because in this contest they lost not one man; chap. xxxi.

The 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 journies of the Israelites from their departure from Rameses 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 book, 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 Providence of God.

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Year before the common year of Christ, 1490.-Julian period, 3224.-Cycle of the Sun, 27.-Dominical Letter, D.-Cycle of the Moon, 9.-Indiction, 6.-Creation from Tisri or September, 2514.

CHAPTER I.

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 upwards who were effective men and able to go to war, 1-3. A chief of each tribe is associated with Moses 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 of REUBEN are numbered, and amount to 46,500, ver. 20, 21. Those of SIMEON, 59,300, ver. 22, 23. Those of GAD, 45,650, ver. 24, 25. Those of JUDAH, 74,600, 26, 27. Those of ISSACHAR, 54,400, ver. 28, 29. Those of ZEBULUN, 57,400, ver. 30, 31. Those of EPHRAIM, 40,500, ver. 32, 33. Those of MANASSEH, 32,200, ver. 34, 35. Those of BENJAMIN, 35,400, ver. 36, 37. Those of DAN, 62,700, ver. 38, 39. Those of ASHER, 41,500, ver. 40, 41. Those of NAPHTALI, 53,400, ver. 42, 43. amount of all the effective men in Israel, from twenty years old and upwards, was 603,550, ver. 44-46. The LEVITES are not numbered with the tribes, because they were dedicated to the service of God. Their particular work is specified, 47-54.

ver.

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Exod. xix. 1. Ch. x. 11, 12.- b Exod. xxv. 22.
NOTES ON CHAP. I.

Verse 1. The Lord spake unto Moses-on the first day of the second month] As the 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, &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

after they were come out of the

land of Egypt, saying,

с

The

A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. An. Exod. Isr

2. Ijar or Zif.

2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of

c Exod. xxx. 12. xxxviii. 26.

Ch. xxvi. 2, 63, 64. 2 Sam. xxiv. 2. 1 Chron. xxi. 2. 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 subjects to be mustered, 1. That they might see he had not forgotten his promise to Abraham, but was multiplying his posterity. 2. That they might observe due order in their march towards the promised land. 3. That the tribes and families might be properly distinguished; that all litigations concerning property, inheritance, &c., might, in all future times, be prevented. 4. That the promise concerning the Messiah might be known to have its due accomplishment, when in the fulness of time God should send him from the seed of Abraham through the house of David. And 5. That they might know their strength for war; for although

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6 Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zuri- of the tribe of f Reuben, were forty and six shaddai. thousand and five hundred.

7 Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8 Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 9 Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon. 10 Of the children of Joseph : of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.

11 Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12 OfDan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13 Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran. 14 Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15 Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.

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c Ch. d Ch. -Ch.

a Exod. xxx. 14. Deut. iii. 18. -bExod. xii. 17. vii. 48. Ch. x. 22. Ch. ii. 14, he is called Reuel.1 Chron. xxvii. 16. vii. 2. Le Exod. xviii. 21, 25.they should ever consider God as their protector and defence, yet it was necessary that they should be assured of their own fitness, naturally speaking, to cope with any ordinary enemy, or to surmount any common difficulties.

Verse 3. From twenty years old and upward] In this census no women were reckoned, nor children, nor strangers, nor the Levites, nor old men, which, collectively, must have formed an immense multitude; . the Levites alone amounted to 22,300. True-born Israelites only are reckoned; such as were able to carry arms, and were expert for war.

Verse 14. Eliasaph, the son of Deuel] This person is called Reuel, chap. ii. 14. As the 1 daleth, is very like the resh, it was easy to mistake the one for the other. The Septuagint and the Syriac have Reuel in this chapter; and in chap. ii. 14 the Vulgate,

22 Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

23 Those that were numbered of them, eren of the tribe of Simeon, toere fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.

24 Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

25 Those that were numbered of them, eren of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.

26 Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the

ii. 10, 11. Ch. xxvi. 7.- - Gen. xxix. 33. Ch. xxxir. 25-30.- h Gen. xxx. 10, 11. Gen. xxix. 35.

the Samaritan, and the Arabic, have Deuel instead of Reuel, with which reading a vast number of MSS. concur; and this reading is supported by chap. x. 20 ; we may safely conclude therefore that by Deuel, not Sky Reuel, was the original reading. See Kennicott.

An ancient Jewish rabbin pretends to solve every difficulty by saying that " Eliasaph was a proselyte; that before he embraced the true faith he was called the son of Reuel, but that after his conversion he was called the son of Deuel." As Reuel may be translated the breach of God, and Deuel the knowledge of God, I suppose the rabbin grounded his supposition on the different meanings of the two words.

Verse 16. These were the renowned] Literally, the called, of the congregation-those who were summoned by name to attend. The order of the tribes in the above enumeration may be viewed thus:

The amount of

A. M. 2514.
B. C. 1490.
An. Exod. Isr.
2.
Ijar or Zif.

CHAP. I.

names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able go forth to war;

to

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b

30 Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

31 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.

32 Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

33 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.

34 Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

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the several tribes.

A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. An. Exod. Isr.

2.

Ijar or Zif.

35 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 36 Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

37 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.

38 Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

39 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.

40 Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

41 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.

42 Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 43 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

h

44 These are those that were numbered,

e Gen. xlviii. 12-20.- f Gen. xxxv. 16-18. - Gen. Xxx. 5, 6. h Ch. xxvi, 64.

God's admirable providence and blessing in multiplying them so, that no odd or broken number was among all the tribes. But see on ver. 46.

Verse 33. The tribe of Ephraim-forty thousand and five hundred.] Ephraim, as he was blessed beyond his eldest brother Manasseh, Gen. xlviii. 20, so here he is increased by thousands more than Manasseh, and more than the whole tribe of Benjamin, and his blessing continued above his brother, Deut. xxxiii. 17. And thus the prophecy, Gen. xlviii. 19, was fulfilled: His younger brother (Ephraim) shall be greater than he (Manasseh). No word of God can possibly fall to the ground: he alone sees the end from the beginning; his infinite wisdom embraces all occurrences, and it is his province alone to determine what is right, and to predict what himself has purposed to accomplish.

Total amount of

A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. An. Exod. Isr.

2.

Ijar or Zif.

NUMBERS.

which Moses and Aaron num- | to it: they shall bear the taber-
nacle, and all the vessels thereof;
and they shall minister unto it,

bered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers. 45 So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; 46 Even all they that were numbered were "six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

47 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. 48 For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,

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49 Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:

50 dBut thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong

e

and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.

all the tribes.

A. M. 2514. B. C. 1490. An. Exod. Isr

2.

Ijar or Zif.

51 fAnd when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: % and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

52 And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, "every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.

53 But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no

wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: 'and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.

In the second census, mentioned chap. xxvi. 4, Judah still has the pre-eminency; and Simeon, the third in number before, is become the least. Now we see also that the little tribe of Manasseh occupies Seven of the tribes the seventh place for number. increase of 20,500; Judah, 1,900; Issachar, 9,900; had an increase; five a decrease. Manasseh had an Zebulun, 3,100; Benjamin, 10,200; Dan, 1,700; Asher, 11,900.

54 And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses,so did they. a Exod. xxxviii. 26. See Exod. xii. 37. Ch. ii. 32. xxvi. | f Ch. x. 17, 21. - 8 Ch. iii. 10, 38. xviii. 22.- − h Ch. i, 2, 51. Ch. ii. 33. See ch. iii., iv., xxvi. 57. 1 Chron. vi., 34.- i Ver. 50. k Lev. x. 6. Ch. viii, 19. xvi. 46. xviii. xxi. 6.- e Ch. ii. 33. xxvi. 62. d Exod. xxxviii. 21. 5. 1 Sam. vi. 19. Ch. iii. 7, 8. viii. 24, 25, 26. xviii. 3, Ch. iii. 7, 8. iv. 15, 25, 26, 27, 33.—e Ch. iii. 23, 29, 35, 38.4, 5. xxxi. 30, 47. 1 Chron. xxiii. 32. 2 Chron. xiii. 10. Verse 46. All they that were numbered were six hun- Thus we find Judah the most populous tribe, and dred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and | Manasseh the least so; the difference between them fifty.] What an astonishing increase from seventy souls being so great as 42,400, for which no very satisfacthat went down into Egypt, Gen. xlvi. 27, about 215 tory reason can be assigned. years before, where latterly they had endured the greatest hardships! But God's promise cannot fail, (Gen. xvi. 5); and who can resist his will, and bring to nought his counsel? That a comparative view may be casily taken of the state of the tribes, I shall produce them here from the first census mentioned in the first chapter of this book, in their decreasing proportion, beginning with the greatest and proceeding to the least; and in the second census, mentioned chap. xxvi., where the increase of some and the decrease of others may be seen in one point of view. It may be just remarked, that except in the case of Gad in this chapter, and Reuben in chap. xxvi., all the numbers are what may be called whole or round numbers, beginning with thousands, and ending with hundreds, Gad and Reuben alone ending with tens; but the scripture generally uses round numbers, units and fractions being almost constantly disregarded. Ist Census, ch. i. 2nd Census, ch. xxvi.

76,500

On the contrary there was a decrease in Reuben of 2,770; in Simeon, 37,100; Gad, 5,150; Ephraim, 8,000; Naphtali, 8,000. Decrease in the whole, lanced with the increase, the decrease was upon 61,020 effective men. See on chap. xxvi.; but bawhole only 1,820.

the

On the subject of these enumerations, and the manner in which this vast multitude sprang in about four generations from seventy-five persons, Scheuchzer has some valuable calculations, though liable to some objections, which I shall take the liberty to insert, as they tend to throw considerable light upon the subject.

"We find in the writings of Moses three enumerations of the Jewish people, that follow each other pretty closely:

64,400 The first, which was made at their departure
22,200 from Egypt, Exod. xii. 37, amounted to
60,500 One year after, to

64,300 On entering the land of Canaan, to
45,400 If we add to the number

1.

Judah

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74,600
62,700

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"We find the same number, on adding that of each tribe given us in detail, which is the best proof of Total 603,550 Total 601,730 the exactness of the calculation.

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