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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge - NUMBERS 3
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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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