Bible Commentaries

generations

Genesis 2:4, 5:1, 10:1, Exodus 6:16,20, Matthew 1:1

spake

1:1, Leviticus 25:1, 27:34

26:60, Exodus 6:23, 28:1, 1 Chronicles 6:3, 24:1

the priests

Exodus 28:41, 40:13,15, Leviticus 8:2,12,30

whom he consecrated

Heb. whose hand he filled.

Exodus 29:1-37, Leviticus 8:1-9, Hebrews 7:28

Nadab

26:61, Leviticus 10:1,2

1:49-53, 2:17,33, 8:6-15,22-26, 16:9-11, 18:2-6, Exodus 32:26-29, Deuteronomy 33:8,9, Malachi 2:4

keep

32, 8:26, 31:30, 1 Chronicles 23:28-32, 26:20,22,26

to do the

1:50, 8:11,15,24-26

4:15,28,33, 10:17,21, 1 Chronicles 26:20-28, Ezra 8:24-30, Isaiah 52:11

8:19, 18:6,7, Ephesians 4:8,11

they shall

18:7, 1 Chronicles 6:32, Ezekiel 44:8, Acts 6:3,4, Romans 12:7, 1 Timothy 4:15,16

and the stranger

38, 1:51, 16:35,40, 18:3, 1 Samuel 6:19, 2 Samuel 6:7, 2 Chronicles 26:16-21, Ephesians 2:19, Hebrews 8:4, 10:19-22

41,45, 8:16,18, 18:6

Because

8:16,17, 18:15, Exodus 13:2,12, 22:29, 34:19, Leviticus 27:26, Ezekiel 44:30, Luke 2:23, Hebrews 12:23

on the day

Exodus 12:29,30, 13:15

22,28,34,39,40,43, 18:15,16, 26:62, Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 2:2, 31:3, Mark 10:14, 2 Timothy 3:15

word

Heb. mouth.

39,51, 4:27,37,41,45,49, Genesis 45:21, Deuteronomy 21:5

26:57,58, Genesis 46:11, Exodus 6:16-19, Joshua 21:1-45, 1 Chronicles 6:1,2,16-19

Gershom

15:5-23, 23:6-23, 24:1-26, Nehemiah 11:1-12

21, Exodus 6:17-19, 1 Chronicles 6:17,20,21, 23:7-11, 25:4, 26:1-32, Nehemiah 12:1-26

27, Exodus 6:18,20, 1 Chronicles 6:18,38, 15:5,8-10,17-21, 23:12,13,18-20, 1 Chronicles 25:4, 26:1-32, Nehemiah 12:1-26

33, Exodus 6:19, 1 Chronicles 6:19,29,44-47, 15:6, 23:21-23, 24:27-30, 25:3

Numbers 3:18

from a month old

The males of all the other tribes were numbered from twenty years old and upwards; but, had the Levites been numbered in this way, they would not have been nearly equal in number to the first-born of the twelve tribes. Add to this, that as there must have been first-born of all ages in the other tribes, it was necessary that the Levites, who were to be their substitutes, should also be of all ages; and it appears to have been partly on this ground, that the Levites were numbered from a month old and upwards.

4:38-40

1:53, 2:17

Lael: i.e. unto, by, because of God, [Strong‘s H3815]. Numbers 3:24

the charge

From this and the next chapter, we see the very severe labour which the Levites were to perform, while the journeyings of the Israelites lasted. When we consider, that there was not less than 14 tons 266 lbs. of metal employed in the tabernacle, (see note on Ex 38:24,) besides the immense weight of the skins, hangings, cords, boards, and posts, we shall find it was no easy matter to transport this moveable temple from place to place. The Gershonites, who were 7,500 in number had to carry the tent, coverings, vail, hangings of the court, cords, etc. (ver. 25, 26); the Kohathites, who were 8,600, the ark, table, candlestick, altars, and instruments of the sanctuary (ver. 31); and the Merarites, who were 6,200, the boards, bars, sockets, and all matters connected with these belonging to the tabernacle, with the pillars of the court, their sockets, pins, and cords (ver. 36, 37).

7, 4:24-28, 7:7, 10:17, 1 Chronicles 9:14-33, 23:32, 26:21,22, 2 Chronicles 31:2,11-18, Ezra 8:28-30, Mark 13:34, Romans 12:6-8, Colossians 4:17, 1 Timothy 1:18

the tabernacle and

Exodus 25:9, 26:1-14, 36:8-19, 40:19

and the hanging

Exodus 26:36,37, 36:37,38, 40:28

the hangings

Exodus 27:9-16, 38:9-16

the cords

Exodus 35:18

19, 1 Chronicles 23:12, 26:23

eight thousand

4:35,36

keeping

7,31

23, 1:53, 2:10

the ark

4:4-16, Exodus 25:10-40, 31:1-35, 37:1-24, 39:33-42, 40:2-16,30

the altars

Exodus 27:1-8, 30:1-10, 37:25-29, 38:1-7

and the hanging

Exodus 26:31-33, 36:35,36

4:16,27, 20:25-28, 2 Kings 25:18, 1 Chronicles 9:14-20, 26:20-24

20, 1 Chronicles 6:19, 23:21

1:21, 2:9, 2:11

shall

28,29, 1:53

northward

2:25

under the custody and charge

Heb. the office of the charge. the boards.

4:29-33, 7:8, Exodus 26:15-29,32,37, 27:9-19, 35:11,18, 36:20-34,36, Exodus 38:17-20, 39:33

toward

23,29,35, 1:53, 2:3

keeping

10, 18:1-5, 1 Chronicles 6:48,49

for the charge

7,8,10

and Aaron

The word [w'hrn] weäharon, and "Aaron," has a point over each of its letters, probably designed as a mark of spuriousness. The word is wanting in the Samaritan, Syriac, and Coptic, and also in eight of Dr. Kennicott's and in four of De Rossi's MSS. Moses alone, as Houbigant observes, was commanded to number the Levites, (ver. 5, 11, 40, 44, 51:) for as the money with which the first-born were redeemed was to be paid to Aaron and his sons, (ver. 48,) it was decent that he, whose advantage it was that the number of the first-born should exceed, should not be authorized to take that number himself. twenty and two thousand. This total does not agree with the particulars; for the Gershonites were 7,500, the Kohathites 8,600, and the Merarites 6,200, which make a total of 22,300. Several methods of solving this difficulty have been proposed by learned men. Houbigant supposes there is an error in the enumeration of the Kohathites in ver. 28; the numeral shesh, "six," being written instead of shalosh, "three," before "hundred." Dr. Kennicott's mode of reconciling the discrepancy, however, is the most simple. He supposes that an error has crept into the number of the Gershonites in ver. 22, where instead of 7,500 we should read 7,200, as [k] caph final, which stands for 500, might have been easily mistaken for [r] resh, 200. (Dr. Kennicott on the Hebrew Text, vol. II. p. 212.) Either of these modes will equally reconcile the difference.

4:47,48, 26:62, Matthew 7:14

12,15,45, Exodus 32:26-29, Psalms 87:6, Isaiah 4:3, Luke 10:20, Philippians 4:3, 2 Timothy 2:19, Hebrews 12:23, Revelation 3:5, 14:4

12,45, 8:16, 18:15, Exodus 24:5,6, 32:26-29, Matthew 20:28, 1 Timothy 2:6

Numbers 3:39

12,40,41

redeemed

18:15, Exodus 13:13

the two hundred

As the number of the Levites was 22,000, and the first-born males of the Israelites were 22,273, there were therefore 372 more of the latter than of the former, which are here ordered to be redeemed. The price of redemption is fixed at five shekels, or about 15s. each, in ver 47. This money, amounting to 1,365 shekels, equal to £204. 15s. English, was taken of the first-born. There is some difficulty, however, in determining which of the first-born should be redeemed by paying this sum, and which should be exchanged for the Levites; for every Israelite, no doubt, would rather have his first-born redeemed by a Levite, than pay five shekels; and yet some of them must have incurred this expense. Rabbi Solomon Jarchi says, to prevent contention, Moses took 22,000 slips of parchment, and wrote on each a son of Levi, and 273 more, on which he wrote five shekels; then putting them in an urn, and shaking them together, he ordered every one of the first-born to draw out a slip. If he drew out one with the first inscription, he said to him, a Levite hath redeemed thee: but if he drew out one of the latter, he said, pay the price. This is pronounced by Dr. A. Clarke to be a stupid, silly tale; but when we know that the determination by lot was used among the Israelites, it does not seem improbable that it was now resorted to, though we cannot vouch for the accuracy of the detail. This species of redeeming men is referred to by St. Peter in his 1st Epistle, ch. 1:18, 19.

which are

five shekels

18:16, Leviticus 27:6

the shekel

50, Exodus 30:13, Leviticus 27:25, Ezekiel 45:12

46,47, Matthew 20:28, 1 Timothy 2:5,6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, 1 Peter 1:18, 3:18

Moses

48, 16:15, 1 Samuel 12:3,4, Acts 20:33, 1 Corinthians 9:12, 1 Peter 5:2

as the Lord

Malachi 4:4