Numbers 4

AND the LORD spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,

Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers:

From thirty years old This age was prescribed, as the age of full strength of body, and therefore most proper for their present laborious work of carrying the parts and vessels of the Tabernacle, and of maturity of judgment, which is necessary for the right management of holy services. Whence even Iohn and Christ entred not upon their Ministery till that age. And it may still seem to be the fittest season for mens undertaking the Ministery of the Gospel, except in case of extraordinary abilities or the Churches pressing necessity. Object. They might enter upon this work at their 25th. year, Numb. 8. 24. and in David's time and afterward at their twentieth year. Answ. 1. Their first entrance upon their work was at their five and twentieth year, when they began as learners and acted only under the inspection and direction of their brethren, but in their thirtieth year they were compleatly admitted to a full discharge of their whole office. 2. David, being a Prophet, and particularly directed by God in the affairs of the Temple, might and did make a change in this matter, which he might the better do, both because it was but a change in a circumstance, and because the magnificence of the Temple, and the great multitude of sacred utensils and sacrifices, required a greater number of attendants than formerly was necessary. and upward, even until fifty years old When they were exempted from the toilsome work of carrying burdens, but not discharged from the honourable and easie work done within the Tabernacle, Numb. 8. 26., all that enter (i. e.) That do and may enter, having no defect, Levit. 21. 17. nor other impediment. into the host The society of sacred Ministers he calls an host, because of that excellent order which was among them as to persons, place, time, the matter and manner, of their services., to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.

This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things Hereafter mentioned, as the Ark, Table, Altar, &c. Compare Numb. 3. 31..

And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they For upon this necessary occasion the inferiour Priests are allowed to come into the Holy of Holies, which otherwise was peculiar to the High-priest, Heb. 9. 7. shall take down the covering vail The second vail, of which see Exod. 26. 31, &c. Levit. 4. 6. Heb. 9. 3. wherewith the Ark was covered while the Tabernacle stood, Exod. 40. 3., and cover the ark Because the Levites, who were to carry the Ark, might neither see nor immediately touch it. of testimony with it:

And shall put thereon the covering of badgers-skins Whereby the Ark was secured from the injuries of the weather., and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof Object. How could these staves be put in, when they were never to be taken out, Exod. 25. 15. compared with 1 King. 8. 8. 1. Answ. These places may speak of the staves while the Ark and Tabernacle stood, but when they were to be removed the posture of all things was altered. 2. The Hebrew verb does not signifie putting in, but barely putting or placing or disposing, and may be understood not of putting the staves into the rings, wherein they constantly remained, but of the putting of them either upon their shoulders to try and fit them for carriage, or into the holes or receptacles which probably were made in these coverings for the receiving and covering of these guilded staves to keep them both from the touch of the Levites and from the inconveniences of bad weather..

And upon the table of show-bread Heb. Of faces or presence, for of the bread of faces or presence. i. e. of the bread which was continually standing in the presence of the Lord. they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes Upon which the show-bread was put., and the spoons, and the bowls and covers to cover withall: and the continual bread (i. e.) Show-bread so called because it was continually to be there, even in the wilderness, where though they had only Manna for themselves, yet they reserved corn for the weekly making of these loaves, which they might with no great difficulty procure from some of the people bordering upon the wilderness in the innermost parts whereof they were. shall be thereon.

And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers-skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.

And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuff-dishes, and all the oil-vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it.

And they shall put it, and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers-skins: and shall put it upon a bar So contrived that this cloth containing the candlestick, &c. might be either laid upon it, or some other way fastened to it..

And upon the golden All covered with plates of gold. altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers-skins, and shall put to the staves thereof.

And they shall take all the instruments of ministery The sacred garments used by the priests in their holy ministrations. See Exod. 31. 10., wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers-skins, and shall put them on a bar.

And they shall take away the ashes from the altar Of burnt-offerings. Whereby it may seem probable, though it be denied by most, that they did offer some sacrifices in the Wilderness, though it may be not so frequently nor orderly as afterwards they did. Whence else were these ashes? And there are some undeniable instances of their sacrificing there, as Exod. 18. 12. and 24. 4. Numb. 7. &c. from which it seems rational to conclude that they did offer sacrifices at other times, though not so constantly and diligently, as they did in Canaan. And for the argument against it from Amos 5. 25. that may be easily dissolved, as we shall there see, if the Lord please. Moreover the taking away of the ashes only does sufficiently imply that the fire was preserved, which as it came down from Heaven, Levit. 9. So it was by Gods command to be continually fed and kept burning, and therefore doubtless was put into some vessel, which might be either fastened to the altar and put within this covering, or carried by some person appointed thereunto., and spread a purple cloth thereon:

And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof Amongst all these vessels here and abovenamed there is no mention of the brazen laver, though that be elsewhere reckoned among the holy things, as Exod. 35. 16. and 38. 8. and 39. 39. and 40. 30. whereof possibly the reason may be because it was not covered, as not being capable of much hurt by the weather. Though some antient translations of the Bible do here adde these words. They shall take a purple covering, and cover the laver, &c. wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the flesh-hooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgersskins, and put to the staves of it.

And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it To wit, upon their shoulders, not upon carts or wagons, as appears from Numb. 7. 9. the neglect of which order did provoke the Lord, 2 Sam. 6. 6, 7. 1 Chron. 13. 7. and 15. 12, &c. Afterward the Priests themselves, being multiplied, carried these things, as appears from Deut. 31. 9 Ios. 3. 6. and 8. 33. 1 Sam. 4. 4. though the Levites also were not excluded, 2 Chron. 5. 5.: but they shall not touch any holy thing Immediately, or before they be covered. lest they die As some did for that sin. See 1 Sam. 6. 19. 2 Sam. 6. 6, 7.. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath, in the tabernacle of the congregation.

And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, pertaineth (i. e.) He himself is to carry these things, and not to commit them to the sons of Kohath. the oyl for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat-offering Of fine flour, which was to be offered every morning and evening with the daily burntoffering. See Exod. 29. 38, 39., and the anointing oyl, and the oversight of all the tabernacle (i. e.) The care that all the things above-mentioned be carried by the persons and in the manner expressed., and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron, saying,

Cut ye not off (i. e.) Do not by your neglect provoke God to cut them off for touching the holy things. the tribe of the families of the Kohathite from among the Levites.

But thus do unto them, that they may live and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things, Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them every one to his service To that which is peculiarly allotted to him, the services and burdens being equally distributed among them., and to his burden.

But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon throughout the houses of their fathers by their families:

From thirty years old and upward, until fifty years old shalt thou number them: all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens.

And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle (i. e.) The curtains or covering of goats-hair., and the tabernacle of the congregation (i. e.) The ten curious curtains which covered the boards of the Tabernacle, for the boards themselves were carried by the Merarites., his covering (i. e.) The covering of rams-skins which was put next over those ten curtains., and the covering of the badgers-skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar (i. e.) Which court compassed both the Tabernacle and the Altar, Exod. 27. 16. round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.

At the appointment of Aaron and his sons, shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonite, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens.

This is the service of the families of the sons of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand Under his conduct and direction. Thus the hand of Hige, Es... h. 2. 3. is his care and custody. of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families by the house of their fathers.

From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entreth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.

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 Which were as the feet upon which the pillars stood, of which see Exod. 38. 27.,

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 service: and by name Every part and parcel therefore shall be put in an inventory: which is required here rather than in the foregoing particulars, partly because these were much more numerous than the former, partly because being meaner things and such as might easily be supplied, they might otherwise have been neglected, and partly to teach us, that God esteems nothing small in his worship and service, and that he expects his will should be observed in the minurest circumstances. ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.

This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

And Moses and Aaron, and the chief of the congregation numbred the sons of the Kohathite, after their families, and after the house of their fathers,

From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that entreth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

And those that were numbred of them by their families, were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.

These were they that were numbred of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number, according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

And those that were numbred of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers,

From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that entreth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:

Even those that were numbred of them: throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.

These are they that were numbred of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number, according to the commandment of the LORD.

And those that were numbred of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers:

From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that entreth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,

Even those that were numbred of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred Here appears the wisdom of Divine providence, that whereas in the Kohathites and Gershonites, whose burdens were fewer and easier, there were but about a third part of them which were fit for service, the Merarites, whose burdens were more and heavier, had above one half of them fit for this work.

These be those that were numbred of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbred, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

All those that were numbred of the Levites, whom Moses, and Aaron, and the chief of Israel numbred, after their families, and after the house of their fathers:

From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministery, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation:

Even those that were numbred of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore Which number was much inferiour to any other Tribe, for the reasons mentioned on Numb. 3. 39..

According to the commandement of the LORD they were numbred by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbred of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.