TSK - NUMBERS 3

  1  The sons of Aaron.
 5  The Levites are given to the priests instead of the
    first-born;
14  are numbered by their families.
21  The families, number, and charge of the Gershonites;
27  of the Kohathites;
33  of the Merarites.
38  The place and charge of Moses and Aaron.
40  The first-born are freed by the Levites.
44  The overplus are redeemed.


VERSE 1
- generations.
   * Ge 2:4; 5:1; 10:1 Ex 6:16,20 Mt 1:1
- spake.
   * Nu 1:1 Le 25:1; 27:34

VERSE 2
    * Nu 26:60 Ex 6:23; 28:1 1Ch 6:3; 24:1


VERSE 3 
 - the priests.
   * Ex 28:41; 40:13,15 Le 8:2,12,30
- whom he consecrated.  Heb. whose hand he filled.
   * Ex 29:1-37 Le 8:1-9:24 Heb 7:28


VERSE 4 
 - Nadab.
   * Nu 26:61 Le 10:1,2

VERSE 5
    * :5


VERSE 6
   The word {hakraiv,} here rendered bring near, is properly a
  sacrificial word, and signifies the presenting of a sacrifice
  or offering to the Lord.  As an offering, the tribe of Levi
  was entirely given up to the service of the sanctuary, to be
  no longer their own, but the Lord's.

   * Nu 1:49-53; 2:17,33; 8:6-15,22-26; 16:9-11; 18:2-6 Ex 32:26-29
   * De 33:8,9 Mal 2:4


VERSE 7 
 - keep.
   * :32; 8:26; 31:30 1Ch 23:28-32; 26:20,22,26
- to do the.
   * Nu 1:50; 8:11,15,24-26

VERSE 8
    * Nu 4:15,28,33; 10:17,21 1Ch 26:20-28 Ezr 8:24-30 Isa 52:11

VERSE 9
    * Nu 8:19; 18:6,7 Eph 4:8,11


VERSE 10 
 - they shall.
   * Nu 18:7 1Ch 6:32 Eze 44:8 Ac 6:3,4 Ro 12:7 1Ti 4:15,16
- and the stranger.
   * :38; 1:51; 16:35,40; 18:3 1Sa 6:19 2Sa 6:7 2Ch 26:16-21 Eph 2:19
   * Heb 8:4; 10:19-22


VERSE 11


VERSE 12
    * :11
   When God miraculously destroyed all the first-born of the
  Egyptians, (Ex 12:29,) he spared those of the Israelites;
  and, in commemoration of that event, he was pleased to
  appoint that all the first-born males "should be set apart
  unto himself."  (Ex 13:12-16.)  God is here pleased to
  relinquish this claim, and to appoint the whole tribe of Levi
  to attend his immediate service in their stead.

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


VERSE 13 
 - Because.
   * Nu 8:16,17; 18:15 Ex 13:2,12; 22:29; 34:19 Le 27:26 Eze 44:30
   * Lu 2:23 Heb 12:23
- on the day.
   * Ex 12:29,30; 13:15

VERSE 14
    * :14

VERSE 15
    * :22,28,34,39,40,43; 18:15,16; 26:62 Pr 8:17 Jer 2:2; 31:3
   * Mr 10:14 2Ti 3:15


VERSE 16 
 - word.  Heb. mouth.
   * :39,51; 4:27,37,41,45,49 Ge 45:21 De 21:5

VERSE 17
    * Nu 26:57,58 Ge 46:11 Ex 6:16-19 Jos 21:1-45 1Ch 6:1,2,16-19
- Gershom.
   * Nu 15:5-23; 23:6-23; 24:1-65 26:65 Ne 11:1-47 12:47

VERSE 18
    * :21 Ex 6:17-19 1Ch 6:17,20,21; 23:7-11; 25:4; 26:1-32 Ne 12:1-26

VERSE 19
    * :27 Ex 6:18,20 1Ch 6:18,38; 15:5,8-10,17-21; 23:12,13,18-20
   * 1Ch 25:4; 26:1-32 Ne 12:1-26

VERSE 20
    * :33 Ex 6:19 1Ch 6:19,29,44-47; 15:6; 23:21-23; 24:27-30; 25:3


VERSE 21 
 - See ver.
   * :18


VERSE 22 
 - 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.

   * Nu 4:38-40

VERSE 23
    * Nu 1:53; 2:17


VERSE 24 
 - Lael.  i.e., unto, by, because of God, \\S#3815h\\.

   * :24


VERSE 25 
 - the charge.
  From this and the next chapter, we see the very severe labor
  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 1Ch 9:14-33; 23:32; 26:21,22
   * 2Ch 31:2,11-18 Ezr 8:28-30 Mr 13:34 Ro 12:6-8 Col 4:17
   * 1Ti 1:18
- the tabernacle and.
   * Ex 25:9; 26:1-14; 36:8-19; 40:19
- and the hanging.
   * Ex 26:36,37; 36:37,38; 40:28


VERSE 26 
 - the hangings.
   * Ex 27:9-16; 38:9-16
- the cords.
   * Ex 35:18


VERSE 27 
 - See on ver.
   * :19 1Ch 23:12; 26:23


VERSE 28 
 - eight thousand.
   * Nu 4:35,36
- keeping.
   * :7,31

VERSE 29
    * :23; 1:53; 2:10


VERSE 30 
 - Elizaphan.  i.e., God is protector; whom God hides,
  \\S#469h\\.
   * Nu 34:25 Ex 6:22 Le 10:4 1Ch 15:8 2Ch 29:13
- A Levite of the sons of Kohath.
   * Nu 3:30 1Ch 15:8
- See Elzaphan.
- Prince of Zebulun in the time of Moses.
   * Nu 34:25


VERSE 31 
 - the ark.
   * Nu 4:4-16 Ex 25:10-40; 31:1-29 35:29; 37:1-24; 39:33-42; 40:2-16,30
- the altars.
   * Ex 27:1-8; 30:1-10; 37:25-29; 38:1-7
- and the hanging.
   * Ex 26:31-33; 36:35,36

VERSE 32
    * Nu 4:16,27; 20:25-28 2Ki 25:18 1Ch 9:14-20; 26:20-24


VERSE 33 
 - See on ver.
   * :20 1Ch 6:19; 23:21

VERSE 34
    * Nu 1:21; 2:9; 2:11


VERSE 35 
 - shall.
   * :28,29; 1:53
- northward.
   * Nu 2:25


VERSE 36 
 - under the custody and charge.  Heb. the office of the charge.
  the boards.
   * Nu 4:29-33; 7:8 Ex 26:15-29,32,37; 27:9-19; 35:11,18; 36:20-34,36
   * Ex 38:17-20; 39:33

VERSE 37


VERSE 38 
 - toward.
   * :23,29,35; 1:53; 2:3
- keeping.
   * :10; 18:1-5 1Ch 6:48,49
- for the charge.  See on ver.
   * :7,8,10


VERSE 39 
 - and Aaron.
  The word [        ,] {we„haron,} 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 [     ,]
  {caph} final, which stands for 500, might have been easily
  mistaken for [ ,] resh, 200.  (Dr. Kennicott on the Hebrew
  Text, vol. II. p. 212.)  Either of these modes will equally
  reconcile the difference.

   * Nu 4:47,48; 26:62 Mt 7:14


VERSE 40 
 - See on ver.
   * :12,15,45 Ex 32:26-29 Ps 87:6 Isa 4:3 Lu 10:20 Php 4:3
   * 2Ti 2:19 Heb 12:23 Re 3:5; 14:4

VERSE 41
    * :12,45; 8:16; 18:15 Ex 24:5,6; 32:26-29 Mt 20:28 1Ti 2:6

VERSE 42
    * :42

VERSE 43
    * :39

VERSE 44
    * :44

VERSE 45
    * :12,40,41


VERSE 46 
 - redeemed.
   * Nu 18:15 Ex 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 ś204. 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. 18 1:18, 19.

- which are.
   * :39-43


VERSE 47 
 - five shekels.
   * Nu 18:16 Le 27:6
- the shekel.
   * :50 Ex 30:13 Le 27:25 Eze 45:12

VERSE 48
    * :48

VERSE 49
    * :49

VERSE 50
    * :46,47 Mt 20:28 1Ti 2:5,6 Tit 2:14 Heb 9:12 1Pe 1:18; 3:18


VERSE 51 
 - Moses.
   * :48; 16:15 1Sa 12:3,4 Ac 20:33 1Co 9:12 1Pe 5:2
- as the Lord.
   * Mal 4:4



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